The Works of John Knox, Volume 2 (of 6)

EDINBURGH, May 1848.

THE THIRD BOOKE OF THE PROGRESSE OF TREW RELIGIOUN WITHIN THE REALME OF SCOTLAND.

[Sidenote: NOTA.--HEBBURN AGAINST THE ERLE OF ARRANE BEING INNOCENT.]

[Sidenote: THE DROWNYNG OF THE FRENCHE.]

AFTER this our dolorous departing from Edinburgh,[1] the furye and the raige of the Frenche increassed; for then durst neither man nor woman that professed Christ Jesus within that toune be seyn. The housses of the most honest men war gevin by the Quene to Frenchemen for a parte of thair reward. The Erle Bothwell, by sound of trumpett, proclaimed the Erle of Arrane traytour,[2] with other dispytefull wourdes: whiche all was done for the pleasure and by the suggestioun of the Quene Regent,[3] who then thought the battell was won without farther resistance. Great practising sche maid for obteaneing of the Castell of Edinburgh. The Frenche maid thair faggottis, with other preparationis, to assault the said Castell either by force, or ellis by treassone. But God wrought so potentlie with the Capitane, the Lord Erskin,[4] at that tyme, that neither the Quene by flatterye, nor the Frenche by treassoun prevailled. Advertisementis with all diligence past to the Duck of Gwise, who then was King of France (as concerneing power to command[5]), requiring him then to make expeditioun, yf he desyred the full conquest of Scotland. Who delayed no tyme, but with a new armye send away his brother, Marquis Dalbuf, and in his company the Martikis,[6] promissing, that he himself should follow. But the rychteouse God, who in mercy looketh upon the afflictioun of those that unfeanedlye sob unto him, fought for us by his awin out-stretched arme; for, upon one nycht, upon the coast of Holand, war drowned of thame aughttein ensenzeis, so that onlye rested the schip in the whiche war the two principallis foirsaid, with thair Ladyis; who, violentlie dreven back agane to Deape,[7] war compelled to confesse, That God fawght for the defence of Scotland.

[1] As related in vol. i. page 462, the Lords of the Congregation, after the unfortunate skirmish at Restalrig, on the 6th November 1559, retreated to Linlithgow that night, leaving their artillery on the streets of Edinburgh. See also Diurnal of Occurrents, pp. 55, 271; and Sadler's State Papers, vol. i. p. 554. Sadler describes the Protestants as retiring from Edinburgh, "bytuene one and two a clocke in the mornyng;" and adds, "And the Quene Dowager and her French be now in Edynburgh in gret tryumphe, the most parte of the substanciall men of the same being fled out of the towne, with their hole families."

[2] In a letter to Sadler, dated Stirling, 11th November 1559, Thomas Randall says, "Upon Thursdaye last (9th November) the Erle of Arraine received a cartell of defiance from the Erle of Bothwell, requyering of him the combate; the copie whereof, and aunswer to the same, I will bring with me." (State Papers, vol. i. p. 565.)

[3] The Earl of Bothwell had previously joined himself to the party of the Queen Regent. According to the Treasurer's Account, on the 29th October 1558, a messenger was sent with "clois writtingis of the Quene to the Erle Bothwell, Lieutennant." On the 12th January 1558-9, James Earl of Bothwell received £100, "be the Queen's precept, for keiping of the Castell of Armitage, from the 15th day of September to the 15th of Januar instant last bipast."

[4] John Lord Erskine, afterwards Earl of Mar: see vol. i p. 416.

[5] That is, Francis the Second, the young King of France, was wholly governed by the Duke of Guyse, brother of the Queen Regent of Scotland.

[6] In MS. G, "Marquis D'Albufe, and his cumpanie the Maritickis." In the MS. of 1566, the name was originally written "Marquis D'Omall," but is corrected to "Dalbul," or "Dalbuf."--René de Loraine, Marquis of D'Albeuf, was the seventh son of Claude de Loraine, first Duke de Guyse. He was born in 1536, and died in 1566. (Anselme, Hist. Geneal., vol. iii. p. 492.) He was General of the French galleys.

[7] The town of Dieppe, in France.--On the 11th January 1559-60, Queen Elizabeth wrote to the Duke of Norfolk: "Our shipps have bene stayed with contrary wynds, and so be the French also;" and referring to what Knox has stated, it is added, "We be advertised that Martiges is dryven by wether into Denmark; and one thousand Frenchmen lost by tempest in Zeland; so as it shuld seme that God is pleased the French purposees should not so speedely be accomplished, as their meaning is."--(Burghley State Papers, by Haynes, p. 223.)

Frome England returned Robert Melven,[8] who past in cumpanye to London with the Secreatarie,[9] a lytill befoir Christenmesse,[10] and brought unto us certane Articles to be ansuered, as by the contract that after was made, more planely shall appeir. Whairupon the Nobilitie convened at Striveling, and returned ansuer with diligence. Whairof the Frenche advertisshed, thei marched to Lynlythqw, spoiled the Duckis house, and waisted his landis of Kynneill;[11] and thairefter came to Striveling,[12] whair thei remaned certane dayis: (the Duck, the Erles of Ergyle and Glencarne, with thair freindis, passed to Glaskow; the Erle of Arrane, and Lord James, past to Sanctandrois; for charge was gevin to the haill Nobilitie, Protestantis, to keap thair awin bodyis, till that God should send thame farther supporte.) The Frenche took purpose first to assault Fyffe; for at it was thair great indignatioun. Thair purpose was, to have tacken and fortifyed the Toune and Abbay, with the Castell of Sanctandrois; and so thei cam to Culross, after to Dumfermeling, and then to Bruntyland, whair thei began to forte; but desisted thairfra, and marched to Kynghorne, upoun the occasioun as followeth.

[8] Robert Melville was the second son of Sir John Melville of Raith (whose death is recorded by Knox, vol. i. p. 284.)

[9] William Maitland of Lethington, younger, was appointed by the Queen Regent, Secretary of State, 4th December 1558. (Reg. Secr. Sigilli.) He had previously been employed in her affairs. In September 1555, the Treasurer paid to William Maitland, "be the Quenis grace precept, for his pensioun of this instant zeir," £150. On the 11th February 1557-8, when sent in embassy to London, he received from the Treasurer 600 crowns of the Sun, extending to £765; and on the 30th March 1558-9, he received a similar sum, when "passand of Edinburgh to London and France, on the Quenis grace affairis." He joined the Protestants in October 1559.

[10] Maitland was accompanied by Thomas Randall, under the assumed name of Barnabie, and they were expected at Newcastle on the 21st November. (Sadler's State Papers, vol. i. p. 592.) Some of Maitland's letters at this time, also the "Instructions for the Lorde of Lidington, how to conceyve and directe the sute and complaynte of us the Nobles, Gentlemen, and Burgesses of Scotland, in this our distresse, to the Quenis Majestie of England," dated 24th November, are preserved by Sadler. (Ib. pp. 604, 628, 686, 716.)

[11] Kinneill House, in the parish of that name, now conjoined with Borrowstounness, is the property, and was occasionally used as the family residence of the Dukes of Hamilton.--The Treasurer, in October 1553, paid, "Be my Lord Gouernouris commande, to the masonis in Kynnele, in drinksyluer, at the laying of the ground-stane of the Palice of Kynnele." The house has a beautiful exposure on the south side of the Frith of Forth, near where the old Roman Wall terminated.

[12] In the MS. of 1566, and Vautr. edit., "Stirveling."--It may be remarked that several leaves of the MS. in this place form one of those quires or sets which appear to have been rewritten, about 1570, with very little attention to minute accuracy. Occasional corrections, chiefly in orthography, have therefore been made on the authority of the Glasgow MS., but few of such importance as to require special notice.

[Sidenote: THE ERLE OF SUDDERLANDE SCHOTE]

When certane knowledge came to the Erle of Arrane, and to Lord James, that the Frenche war departed from Striveling, thei departed also from Sanctandrois, and begane to assemble thair forces at Cowper, and send thair men of warr to Kinghorne;[13] unto whome thair resorted diverse of the coast syd, of mynd to resist rather at the begynnyng, than when thei had destroyed a parte of thair townes. But the Lordis had gevin ane expresse commandiment, that thei should hasard nothing whill that thei thameselfis war present. And for that purpose was send unto thame the Lord Ruthven, a man of great experience, and inferiour to few in stowtnes. In his cumpany was the Erle of Sudderland,[14] send from the Erle of Huntley, as he alledged, to conforte the Lordis in thair afflictioun; butt otheris whispered, that his principall commissioun was unto the Quene Regent. Howsoever it was, he was hurte in the arme by the schote of ane haquebute; for the men of warr, and the rascall multitude, perceaving certane boatis of Frenchemen landing, whiche cam from Leyth, purposed to stoppe thair landing; and so, nott considering the ennemeis that approched from Bruntyland, unadvisedlie thei russhed doune to the Petticurr, (so is that bray be-west Kynghorne[15] called,) and at the sea-coast began the skarmissing, butt never took head to the ennemye that approached by land, till that the horsemen charged thame upon thair backis, and the hole bandis cam directlie in thare faces; and so war thei compelled to geve backis, with the loss of sex or sevin of thair men, and with the takein of some, amangis whome war twa that professed Christ Jesus, one named Paule Lambert,[16] a Ducheman, and a Frenche boy, fervent in religioun, and cleane of lyef, whome, in despyte, thei hanged ower the steaple.[17] Thou shall revenge, O Lord, in thy appointed tyme! The caus that in so great a danger thair was so small a losse, nixt unto the mercyfull providence of God, was the suddane cuming of the Lord Ruthven; for evin as our men had gevin backis, he and his cumpany came to the head of the bray, and did not onlie stay the Frenche footemen, but also some of ours brack upoun thair horsemen, and so repulsed thame that thei did no farther hurte to oure footemen. In that rencontare was the Erle of Sudderland foirsaid schote in the arme, and was caryed back to Cowper. The Frenche took Kinghorne, whair they lay, and wasted the countrey about, alsweall Papistis as Protestantis; yea, even those that war confidderat with thame, suche as Seafield, Weames, Balmowto, Balwearry, and otheris,[18] ennemyes to God and traytouris to thair countrey. Of those (we say) thei spaired not the scheipe, the oxen, the kyne, and horse; and some say that thair wyffis and doughtaris gatt favouris of the Frenche soldiouris. And so did God recompense the Papistis in thair awin bosomes, for, besydis the defoulling of thair housses, as said is, tuo of thame resavit more damage then did all the gentilmen that professed the Evangell within Fyff, the Laird of Grange onlye excepted, whose [house][19] of the Grange the Frenche owerthrew by gun pouder.