History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland, Book 3 · Floating text 1 – Floating text 2
The Instructions given, subscribed, to the said Commissioners following:
1. IN the first place, if it shall be asked of you by the Duke of Norfolk, and by other the Queens Majesties appointed Commissioners, If your Pledges be in readinesse; ye shall answer, That they are, and in Saint Andrews the 25 of this instant, and shal be ready to be delivered in Hostage for security of our promises and part of the contract, they offering and making security for their part by the Queenes Majesties Subscription aud Great Seal, and delivering the same unto you. Providing, That they choose and make their election of the Pledges as is commoned.
2. Secondly, If the said Commissioners shall demand of you, What enterprise the Army of England shall take in hand at their first incoming; Ye shall answer in generall; The expulsion of the French Souldiers out of this Realme; and first and in especiall, out of the Town of Leith, seeing their great Forces are there.
3. Item, If it shall be asked of you; At what place our friends and brethren of England shall be met?Note. And, at what day? What number? And, What Noble-men in company? Ye shall referre all these things to their election and choice.
4. Item, If it shall be asked of you, How the Armies shall be furnished with Victuals, and especially the Horse-men? Ye shall answer, That with their advice sufficient order shall be taken therein.
5. Item, If it be required, How the Munition shall be carried, and oxen furnished to that effect? You shall answer, as we have given in Commission to Lethington, which we ratifie.
6. Item, If it shall be asked, Who shall be Lieutenant to the Army of Scotland? Ye shall answer, The Duke of Chattellarault.
7. Item, If it shall be enquired, What number our whole Army extends to? Ye shall answer, They will be, God willing, five thousand men.
8. Item, If it shall be asked, What manner of way Leith shall be assaulted? Ye shall desire all preparations to be in readinesse, and the advice to be taken after the placing of the Armies, and view of the strength shortly.
9. Item, If it shall be asked concerning the Castle of Edinburgh, If they will stand friends or not? Ye shall declare our diligence made, and to be made shortly▪ herein; but for the present we can assure them of nothing.
10. Item, If it be asked, In case the Castle be enemy, Where the Armie shall be placed? Ye shall answer, For the first in Muschilbrough and Tranent, and those parts, till the Batterie and all preparations be in readinesse.
11. Item, In case it be enquired of all by-lyers and neutrals, and in especiall of the Lord of Huntley, and the North? Ye shall answer in generall; A good hope is had of the most part thereof: And touching the Lord of Huntley in especiall, Ye shall shew how he hath sent Writings to my Lord of Arrane, with a servant of credit, to assure him of his assistance. And for that cause hath desired Letters of suspension of the Queen Dowagers Commission to be sent to him to be used in those parts; and other Letters to arrest the Clergies Rents and Hires, both in those parts; With Proclamations to cause all men to be in readinesse to passe forwards for maintaining of the Religion, and expulsing of strangers. The Nobility hath written to him, That he may come to him in proper person; Whereof the answer is not returned as yet.
12. Item, If it shall be asked the place and manner of meeting of our folks, or of us and them, in case Sterlin be kept? We refer the answer hereof to your discretions.
13. Item, If it shall be asked, That their leaden money shall have passage for their necessities? Ye shall reason the commodity and discommodity thereof with the Councell.
14. Item, If it shall be asked, What Pioners shall be had? Ye shall answer, the number being expressed, and money in readinesse to so sold or pay them, They shall have sufficiencie.
15. Item, If they shall desire, That we declare our causes unto the Princes of Almaigne and the King of Denmark or Germany, desiring their assistance; Ye shall answer, That we think the same good, and shall speedily take order therewith.
16. Item, If it shall be desired of you to confirme for us and in our name the things past and granted by our former Commissioner, the young Laird of Lethington: Ye shall in all points for us, and in our name, confirme the same, so far as it shall make either for the weale and conjunction of the two Realms, or this present Cause, or yet for the security of our part for fulfilling of the same. And as ye shall accept their offers tending to the same end; and such security on that part as ye may purchase, and especially such as we have heretofore expressed: Given at Glasgow the 10. of February 1559.
17. Item, We give and grant you full power to augment or diminsh the said Heads and Articles, as ye think the weale of the cause shall require in all points.
Sic subscribitur.
Iohn of Menteth.
Andrew of Rothesse.
R. Boyd.
William Murray of Tulibarn.
Iohn Erskin of Dun.
Iames Hamilton.
Alexander Gordon.
Alexander Argyle.
Glencarne.
Uchiltrie.
Iames Haliburntoun.
Shortly after this Contract were our pledges delivered to Master Winter Admirall of the Navie, that came to Scotland, a man of great honestie, so farre as ever we could espie in him; who were safely conveyed to Newcastle, and so the English Armie by land began to assemble towards the border. Whereof the French and Queen Regent assured, they began to destroy what they could in the Towns and Countrey about: for the whole Victuals they carried to Leith, the Mills they brake, the Sheep, Oxen and Kine, yea the Horses of poore Labourers all made they to serve their Tyrannie. And finally, they left nothing which the very enemies could have devised,Note. except that they demolished not Gentlemens houses, and burnt not the Town of Edinburgh. In which point God bridled their fury, to let his afflicted understand, That he took care for them. Before the comming of the Land Armie, the French past to Glasgow, and destroyed the Countrey thereabout. What tyrannie Marticks used upon a poore Scottish Souldier, it is fearefull to heare, and yet his fact may not be omitted.Note a cruell …act. Silver would they give none to the poore man, and they were so slow to depart out of the Towne; That albeit the Drum stroke, the Ensigne could not be gotten. There was a poore Crafts-man, who had bought for his Victuals a brown Loaf, and was eating a morsell of it, and was putting the rest of it into his bosome. The Tyrant came to him, and with the poore wretches own dagger first stroke him in the brest, and after threw it at him, and so the poore man staggering and falling, the mercilesse tyrant ran him thorow with his Rapier, and thereafter commanded him to be hanged over the stayre. Lord thou wilt look and recompence such Tyranny, how contemptible soever the person was.
The second of April, 1560the yeer of our Lord 1560. the Army of the Land entred into Scotland, the conducting whereof was committed to the Lord Gray, who had in his company the Lord Scrope, Sir Iames Crofts, Sir Henry Percie, Sir Francis Lake, with many other Captains and Gentlemen, having charge some of Foot-men, and some of Horse-men. The Army by Land was esteemed ten thousand men. The Queen Regent past to the Castle of Edinburgh, and some others of her faction: At Preston met them, the Duke, the Earle of Argyle (Huntlie came not till that the siege was confirmed) Lord Iames, the Earle of Glencarne, and Menteth, Lords Ruthuen, Boyd, Uchiltrie, with all the Protestants, Gentlemen of the West, Fyfe, Angus, and Mearnes, so that in few dayes the Army was great. After the deliberation of two dayes had at Inneresk, the whole Camp marched forward with Ordnance, and all preparations necessary for the siege, and came to Lestarrig the Palme Sunday Even. The French had put themselves in Battell Aray upon the Linkes without Leith, and sent forth their skirmishers; who beginning before ten of the clock, continued skirmishing till after four of the clock at afternoon, when there was given upon them a charge by some Horse-men of Scotland, and some of England: But because the principall Captaine of the Horse-men of England was not present, the whole Troops durst not charge, and so was not the overthrow and slaughter of the French so great as it once appeared to have been; for the great Battell was once at the trot; but when it perceived that the great Force of Horse-men stood still, and charged not, they returned, and gave some rescue to their fellows that fled; and so there fell onelyonly in that defeat about three hundred French-men. God would not give the Victory so suddenly, lest that man should glory in his owne strength. The small Victory that was gotten,Note. put both the English and Scotish in over-great security, as the issue declared. The French enclosed within the Towne, the English Army began to plant their Pavilions betwixt Leith and Lestarrig. The Ordnance of the Towne, and especially that which lay upon Saint Anthonies Steeple, did them great annoyance; against which place were bent eight Cannons, which shot so continually, and so just, that within few dayes that the Steeple was condemned, and all the Ordnance that was on it discomfited, which made the English-men somewhat more negligent, then it became good men of War to have been: For perceiving that the French made no pursuit without their Walls, they tooke an opinion that they should never issue more, and that made some of the Captaines for pastime go to the Towne. The Souldiers for their ease laid their Armour beside them, and as men without danger, fell to the Dice and Cards; and so upon the Easter Munday, at the very houre of noon, the French issued both upon Horse and Foot, and with great violence entred within the English Trenches, slue and put to flight all that was found therein. The Watch was negligently kept, and so were the Succours slow and long in coming; For the French, before that any resistance was made unto them, approached hard to the great Ordnance: But then the Horse-men trooped together, and the Foot-men gat themselves in Aray, and so repulsed the French back again to the Town; but the slaughter was great, some say it double exceeded that which the French received the first day. And this was the fruit of their security and ours, which after was remedied: For the English men most wisely considering themselves not able to besiege the Town round about, devised to make Mounts at divers quarters of it, in the which they and their Ordnance lay in as good strength, as they did within the Town: The common souldiers kept the Trenches, and had the said mountains for their saveguard and refuge, in case of any greater pursuit then they were able to sustain. The patience and stout courage of the English men,Note. but principally of the Horse-men, is worthy of all praise: For where was it ever heard, That eight thousand (they never exceeded that number that lay in Camp) should besiege four thousand of the most desperate throat-cutters that were to be found in Europe, and to lie nigh unto them in daily skirmishing, the space of three moneths and more? The Horse-men night and day kept Watch, and did so valiantly behave themselves, that the French gat no advantage, from that day back to the day of the assault, whereof we shall shortly hear. In this mean time was this other Band made of all the Nobility, Barons, and Gentlemen professing Christ Jesus in Scotland, and of divers others that joyned with us, for expelling of the French, amongst whom the Earle of Huntlie was a prime man. The Band followeth.
The last Band at Leith.
AT Edinburgh the seven and twentieth of April, the yeer of our Lord 1560 yeers,1560.
We whose names are under-written, have promised and obliged our selves faithfully in the presence of God,The fourth Covenant. and by these Presents do promise, That we together in generall, and every one of us in speciall by himself, with our bodies, goods, friends, and all that we can do, shall set forward the Reformation of Religion, according to Gods Word, and procure by all means possible, that the Truth of Gods Word may have free passage within this Realme, with due Administration of the Sacraments, and all things depending upon the said Word, and such like; deeply weighing with our selves the misbehaviour of the French Ministers here, the intolerable oppression committed by the French men of War upon the poor subjects of this Realme, by maintenance of the Queen Dowager, under colour and pretence of Authority: The tyranny of their Captains and Leaders, and manifest danger of Conquest, in which this Countrey at this present standeth, by reason of divers Fortifications upon the Sea-coast, and other novelties of late attempted by them; promising, That we shall each one with another, all of us, together with the Queen of Englands Army, presently come in for our deliverance, effectually concurre, joyn in one, take and hold one plain part for expulsion of the said strangers, oppressors of our Liberty, forth out of this Realme, and recovery of our ancient Freedoms and Liberties, to the end that in time coming, we may under the obedience of the King and Queen our Soveraigns be onelyonly ruled by the Laws and Customs of the Countrey, and borne men of the Land; And that never one of us shall have privy intelligence, by writing, message, or communication with any of our enemies or adversaries in this Cause, but by advice of the rest (at least of five) of the counsell. Again, That we shall tender the common Cause, as if it were the cause of every one of us in particular: And that the causes of every one of us now joyned together being lawfull and honest, shall be all our causes in generall; And that he that is enemy to the Cause aforesaid, shall be enemy to us all, in so far, That what person soever will plainly resist these our godly enterprises, and will not concur as a good and true member of this our Common-wealth, we shall fortifie the said Authority of the Councell,Now hereupon came the pursuit. to reduce them to their duty, like as we shall fortifie the said Authority of the Councell in all things tending to the furtherance of the said Causes. And if any particular debate, quarrell, or controversie shall arise, for whatsoever cause that is past, present, or to come, betwixt any of us (as God forbid) in that case, we shall submit our selves, and our said questions, to the decision of the Councell, or to Arbitrators to be named by them, &c. Providing always, That this be not prejudiciall to the ordinary Jurisdiction of Judges, but that men may pursue their Actions by order of Law, Civilly or Criminally, as it pleaseth them.
This Contract and Band came not onelyonly to the ears, but also to the sight of the Queen Dowager: whereat she stormed not a little, and said, The malediction of God I give unto them that counselled me to persecute the Preachers, and to refuse the Petitions of the best part of the true subjects of this Realm. Let the Princes now adayes make use of this.It was said to me, That the English Army could not continue in Scotland ten dayes; but now they have lien neer a monethmonth, and are more like to remain,So now the worldlings speak unto the King concerning the Scots into England. then they were at the first day that they came. They that gave information to the Queen, spake as worldly wise men, and as things appeared to have been; for the Countrey being almost in all the parts thereof wasted, the Victuals next adjacent to Leith, either brought into their Provision, or else destroyed; the Mills, and other places, as before is said, being cast down, it appeared that the Camp could not have been furnished (except it had been by their own Ships; and as that could not have been of any long continuance,Note. so should it have been little comfortable.) But God confounded all worldly wisedom, and made his own Benediction as evidently to appear, as if in a manner he had fed the Army from above: For all kinde of Victuall there was more aboundant, and at more easie prices in the Camp all the time that it lay, after that eight dayes were past, then either they have been in Edinburgh any of two yeers before, or it hath been in this Towne to this day, the 20 of May, Anno 1566.
The people of Scotland so much abhorred the tyranny of the French, that they would have given the substance that they had, to have been rid of that chargeable burthen, which our sinnes had provoked God to lay upon us, in delivering and giving into the hands of a woman, whom our Nobility in their foolishnesse sold unto strangers, and with her the Liberty of this Realme. God for his great mercy sake preserve us yet from further Bondage, in which we are like to fall, if he provide not remedy; The Hamiltons …am…ly.for our Nobility will yet remain blinde still, and will follow their affection, come after what so may. But to returne to our History. The Camp abounding in all necessary Provision, order was taken for continuation of the Siege; and so the Trenches were drawn as neer the Town as possibly they might. The great Camp removed from Lestarrig, to the West side of the water of Leith; and so were the Cannons planted for the Battery, and did shoot at the Southwest wall: But by reason all was earth, the Breach was not made so great upon the day, but that it was sufficiently repaired upon the night: whereof the English-men beginning to be weary, determined to give the Breach an Assault, as that they did upon the seventh day of May, beginning before the day light, and continued till it was nigh seven a clock. And albeit that the English and Scottish with great slaughter of the Souldiers of both were repulsed, yet was there never a sharper assault given by so few hands; for they exceeded not a thousand men, that assaulted the whole two quarters of the Town, and yet they damned the whole Block-house, yea, they once put the French clean off their Walls, and were upon both the East and West Block-house, but they lacked backing, for their Scales lacked six quarters of the just height; And so while the former were compelled to fight upon the top of the wall, their fellows could not joyn to support them, and so were they by multitude driven back again, when it was once thought that the Town was won. Sir Iames Crofts was blamed of many for not doing his duty that day, for he was appointed with a sufficient number of the most able men, to have assaulted the Northwest quarter upon the Sea side, where at a low water (as at the time of the assault it was) the passage was easie.Note this diligently. But neither he nor his approached to their quarter appointed. He had before at the first coming in, spoken with the Queen Regent, at the fair Block-house of the Castle of Edinburgh: Whether she had enchanted him or not, we know not, but by suspition of that day in which he deceived the expectation of many, and so farre as man could judge, was the cause of that great repulse; some ascribed the shortnesse of the Ladders to him; but that omitted which might have proceeded of negligence, his absence from the pursuit of his Quarter, was the cause that such French as were appointed there to defend, seeing no pursuer came to the relief of their fellowes, and so they two joyning together, with great slaughter gave the repulse to our Company. The French-mens harlots, of whom the most part were Scotish whores, did no lesse cruelty then did the Souldiers: For besides that they charged their Pieces, and ministred unto them other weapons, some continually cast stones, some carried Chimneyes of burning fire, some brought Timber and other impediments of weight, which with great violence they threw over the wall upon our men, but especially when they began to turn back. Now albeit in all this we acknowledge,We must go to the fi…st cause in all things. to be the secret work of God, who by such means would beat down as well the pride of England as of Scotland, yet neither ought the feeblenesse nor falshood of man be excused, neither yet the crueltie of the adversaries concealed. The Queen Regent sat all the time of the assault (which was both terrible and long) upon the fore-Wall of the Castle of Edinburgh, and when she perceived the overthrow of us, and that the Ensignes of the French were again displayed upon the Walls, she gave a gawfe of laughter, and said; Now will I go to the Masse, and praise God for that which mine eyes have seen. And so was Frier Black ready for that purpose, whom she her selfe a little before had deprehended with his Harlot in the Chappell. But Whoredom and Idolatry agree well together, and that our Court can witnesse this day, the 16 of May 1566. The French proud of the Victory,The inhumanity of the merc…l…ss▪ French. stripped naked all the slain, and laid their dead carkases before the hot Sun along the wall, where they suffered them to lie more dayes then one: Unto the which, when the Queen Regent looked,The Qu…en Regents cruell heart. for mirth, she leapt, and said; Yonder is the fairest tapistrie that ever I saw, I would that the whole fields that is betwixt this place and you were strowed with the same stuffe. This fact was seen of all, and her words were heard of some, and it was misliked of many. Against the which Iohn K…ox spake openly in Pulpit, and boldly affirmed, That God should revenge that contumelie done to his Image, which not onelyonly in the furious and godlesse Souldiers, but even in such as rejoyced thereat. And the very experience declared, That he was not deceived: For within few dayes after (yea, some say, that same day) began her belly and loathsome legs to swell, and so continued, till that God did in his wisdome take her away from this world, as after we shall heare.
After the Defeat received, the Queen Regent and her faction were fully perswaded that the Siege would rise, and that the English Armie would depart. And so began the Papists wonderously to brag; and yet God did frustrate their expectation: for the Armie concluded to remaine, till new advertisement came from the Queen and Counsell.The comfortable Letter of the Duke of Norfolk. The Duke of Norfolk, who then lay at Barwick, commanded the Lord Gray to continue the Siege; and promised, That he should not lack men, so long as any were to be had betwixt Trent and Twead, for so far was he Lieutenant: he further promised his own presence, in case he should be required, and for assurance thereof, he sent his own Tents, such as seldome before had been seen in Scotland, with his Officers and provision. And with expedition were sent two thousand fresh men, whereby the Camp greatly comforted, began to forget the former discomfiture, and to sustain the daily skirmishing, as they did before: In the which, the French after the day of the assault did ever receive the hurt, and the repulse, as the slaughter of many that came to the Cole-rake did witnesse. The greatest damage that either English or Scotish received after that day, was the slaughter of two Gentlemen, the one master of houshold to my Lord Iames, Robert Colwin of Clesch, a man stout, modest, and wise, who was shot in the thigh with a Falcon, or Harquebute of Croke, and so departed the misery of this life within two houres after. The other was Alexander Lockart, brother to the Laird of Bar, who rashly discovering himselfe in the Trenches, was shot in the head, and immediately thereafter departed this life. While the Siege thus continued, a sudden fire chanced in Leith, which devoured many houses, and much Victuall, and so began God to fight for us, as the Lord Erskin in plaine words said to the Queen Regent; Madame (quoth he) I can see no more,Note. but seeing that men may not expell unjust possessours forth of this land, God himselfe would do it; For your fire is not kindled by man. Which words offended the Queen Regent not a little (whose sicknesse daily increasing) great craft she used, That Monsieur Dosell might have been permitted to have spoken with her, belike she would have bidden him fare-well, (for their old familiaritie was great) but that denied, she Writ, as it had been to her Chyrurgeon and Apothecarie, shewing her sicknesse, and requiring some Drogs. The Letter being presented to the Lord Gray, he espied the craft, for few Lines being written above, and so much White-Paper left, he said, Drogs are abundant and fresher in Edinburgh, then they can be in Leith. There lurketh here some other mysterie, and so he began to try, and by holding the Paper to the fire, he perceiveth some writing appear, and so began he to read; but what it was no other man can tell, for immediately he burnt the Bill, and said to the Messenger; Albeit I have been her Secretary, yet tell her, I shall keep her councell; But say to her, Such Wares will not sell till a new Market. The answer received, she was nothing content, and then travelled she earnestly, That she might speak with the Earles Argyle, Glencarne, Mershall, and with the Lord Iames. After deliberation it was thought expedient, that they should speak with her, but not all together, lest that some part of the Guisians practice had lurked under the colour of such friendship.Let the Princes now make use of these words of this dying Queen. Her regrate was unto them all, That she had behaved her selfe so foolishly, as that she had compelled them to seek the support of others, then of their own Soveraigne, and said, That she sore repented, that ever it came to that extremitie: but she was not the wight, but the wicked counsell of her friends on the one part, and the Earle of Huntley on the other: for if he had not been, she would have fully agreed with them at their Commoning at Preston: They gave unto her both the Councell and the Comfort which they could in that extremitie, and willed her to send for some godly learned man, of whom she might receive instruction, for these ignorant Papists that were about her, understood nothing of the Mysterie of our redemption. Upon their motion was Iohn Willock sent for, with whom she talked a reasonable space, and who did plainely shew unto her as well the vertue and strength of the death of Jesus Christ, as the vanity and abomination of that Idoll the Masse: She did openly confesse, That there was no salvation, but in and by the death of Iesus Christ; but of the Masse we heard not her Confession. Some say she was anointed with extreame Unction, after the Papisticall manner, which was a signe of small knowledge of the Trueth; and of lesse Repentance of her former Superstition: Yet howsoever it was, Christ Jesus gate no small Victorie over such an enemie. For albeit before she had Vowed, That in despight of all Scotland, the Preachers of Jesus Christ should either die, or be banished the Realme: yet was she compelled not onelyonly to heare, That Christ Jesus was Preached, and all Idolatry openly rebuked, and in many places suppressed:Note. but also she was constrained to heare one of the principall Ministers within the Realme, and to approve the chiefe head of our Religion, wherein we dissent from all Papists and Papistrie. Shortly thereafter she finished her life,The death of the Queene Regent. unhappy to Scotland, from the first day she entred into it, unto the day that she departed this life, which was the ninth day of June, in yeere of God 1560. The Guisian Councells, as they were wicked and cruell to the people, so they proved mischievous to themselves, and to them that followed them, to this day.
Upon the sixteenth day of June, after the death of the Queen Regent, came to Scotland Monsieur Randam, and with him the Bishop of Valance in Commission from France, to negotiate a Peace: From England there came Sir William Cecill, chiefe Secretary, and Doctor Whitton. Their negotiation was longsome;Note a Character of Popishly addicted French officers of State. for both England and we fearing deceit, sought by all meanes that the contract should be sure. And they on the other part, meaning to gratifie such as had sent them (who meant nothing but meere falshood) protracted time to the uttermost: yea, while that those of Leith were very scarce of victuals, and those of the Inch had perished, had not been that by policie they gat a ship with Victuals, and some Munition, which was upon Midsommer Even, whereof they made no small triumph, which also for a season stayed the appointment, yet in the end Peace was concluded, in forme as followeth.