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nor had he power to govern his clergy, who behaved, as he thought, difobediently towards him (L).

For

been already mentioned: befides which we find the banished Lords furprized him at Stirling, and caused him once more to difmifs Arran, and deprive him of his honours; and Bothwell took the fame courfe with him to obtain his pardon, and hinder his adversaries from returning to court (b). (b) Spotf. wood, p. These were inftances of difrefpect and difregard, and 341. 394. could arise from nothing but an opinion of the weakness of the prince to whom they were offered. Though it must be confeffed that the Scotch nobility in those days were of a bold, restless temper, and were feldom quiet any longer than things went just as they pleased; and therefore were unlikely to ftand in much awe of one, whose irrefolution and want of courage had been from his childhood fo very remarkable.

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(L) His clergy behaved difobediently, as he thought, towards him.] The king perceiving that the death "of his mother was determined, gave orders to the "minifters to remember her in their public prayers; "which they denied to do. Upon their denial, charges "were directed to command all bishops, minifters, and "other office-bearers in the church, to make mention "of her distress in their public prayers, and commend "her to God. But of all the number, Mr. David

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Lindefay at Leith, and the king's own minifters, gave "obedience. At Edinburgh, where the disobedience "was most public, the king purpofing to have their "fault amended, did appoint the third of February "for folemn prayers to be made in her behalf, com"manding the bishop of St. Andrew's to prepare him"felf for that day; which when the ministers under"ftood, they ftirred up Mr. John Cowper, a young man not entered as yet in the function, to take the "pulpit before the time, and exclude the bishop. The

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For this he hated them moft heartily; but diffembled his refentment, till he could show

"king coming at the hour appointed, and seeing him in the place, called to him from his feat, and faid, Mr. John, that place was deftinate for another; yet fince you are there, if you will obey the charge that " is given, and remember my mother in your prayers, 66 you fhall go on. He replying, he would do as the Spirit of God fhould direct him, was commanded to leave the place; and making as though he would ftay, the captain of the guard went to pull him out; "whereupon he burft forth in thefe fpeeches, this day

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fhall be a witness against the king, in the great day of "the Lord; and then denouncing a woe to the inhabi"tants of Edinburgh, he went down." (a) This bewood, p.354' haviour feems to favour much of indecency and difobe

(a) Snot

(3) Id.

dience, and I doubt not but the reader is inclined to cenfure it accordingly. But let us not be too hafty, lest we judge unrighteous judgment. The minifters, I think, failed more in breeding than any thing else; for what was required of them, was to pray that God would illuminate her (Mary) with the light of his truth, and fave her from the apparent danger in which she was caft. Now this latter they could not in confcience do: for they looked upon her in the most deteftable light, and wifhed not for her prefervation, believing it inconfiftent with the good of the ftate and religion. And therefore, fays fecretary Walfingham," it was wonder"ed by all wife and religious men in England, that the king fhould be fo earneft in the cause of his moσε ther, feeing all the papifts in Europe that affected the change of religion in both realms, did build their hopes altogether upon her." (b) If therefore the Scots minifters thought as all the wife and religious men in England did, about this matter, they could not confiftently, with fincerity, have prayed for her deliverance. The king therefore fhould have forborne preffing them to do what was contrary to their judgments, and they fhould

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fhow it with safety; when he let all men know how much their conduct galled him, and what ill will he bare unto them (M).

Though

fhould have used civil and respectful terms of refusal ; which, if they had done, I apprehend, they would have been free from blame. But this was not the only affair in which the clergy of Scotland behaved disobediently and irreverently towards James.

For Mr. Robert Bruce, finding the king willing that Huntley fhould return into Scotland, boldly told him, "I fee, Sir, that your resolution is to take Huntley in

(c) Spotf

to favour, which if you do, I will oppofe, and you "fhall chufe whether you will lofe Huntley or me; for "both you cannot keep." (c) Mr. Blake was likewise wood,p.417. charged by him with faying, "that he had detected "the treachery of his heart; that all kings were the "devil's barns; and that the devil was in the court, (d) Id. p. "and in the guiders of it." (d)-And Mr. John 423. Welch, in the high church of Edinburgh, faid "the "king was poffeffed with a devil, and one devil being "put out, feven worse were entered in his place.” (e) (e) Id. p. This was ftrange talking, and what could not but be 430. very difpleafing to James, though he had not power enough to curb and restrain those who were guilty of it.

(M) He diffembled with them, till with fafety he could fhew his resentment, &c.] Notwithstanding all the rudeness with which he had been treated by his clergy in the general affembly at Edinburgh, 1590, he stood 66 up with his bonnet off, and his hands lifted up to "heaven, and faid, he praised God, that he was born "in the time of the light of the gofpel, and in fuch a "place, as to be king of fuch a church, the fincereft

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[pureft] kirk in the world. The church of Geneva "keep pafche and yule [Easter and Christmas] what "have they for them? they have no inftitution. "for our neighbour kirk of England, their service " is an evil faid mass in English, they want nothing

❝ of

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wood's

land, p. 256.

(c) Spotfwood, p. 468.

Though we are not to fuppofe, however it has been otherwife reprefented, either through

"of the mass but the liftings. I charge you my good "minifters, doctors, elders, nobles, gentlemen and "barons, to ftand to your purity, and to exhort the "people to do the fame; and I, forfooth, as long as I (a) Calder- "brook my life, fhall maintain the fame." (a) And in his speech to the parliament 1598, he tells them, “he church hif-minded not to bring in papistical or anglicane bitory of Scot- fhops." (b) And in 1602, he affured the general Fol. Edinb. affembly, "that he would stand for the church and be 1680. "an advocate for the miniftry." (c) A man would (b) Id.p.418. think by this, that James had a very great regard for his clergy, and an high efteem of them; and doubtless he himself intended they fhould think so too. But this was mere artifice and diffimulation; for at bottom he hated them heartily, and could not bear the thoughts of them. This will appear to a demonstration from his writings. "Some fiery fpirited men in the miniftry, "he fays, oftentimes calumniated him in their popular "fermons, not for any evil or vice in him, but be"cause he was a king, which they thought the highest "evil." This was the effect he thought of parity in the church. Therefore he advises his fon [prince Henry] "to take heed to such puritans, very pests in the church "and commonwealth, whom no deferts can oblige, "neither oaths nor promifes bind, breathing nothing "but fedition and calumnies, afpiring without measure, "railing without reason, and making their own ima"ginations (without any warrant of the word) the

fquare of their confcience. I proteft before the great "God, and fince I am here upon my teftament, it is

no place for me to lye in, that ye fhall never find "with any hie-land or border thieves, greater ingrati"tude, and more lies and vile perjuries, than with "these phanatic spirits, and suffer not the principal of "them to brook your land, if ye lift to fet at reft;

• except

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through ignorance or prejudice to the then

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Scottish

(d) King

works, p.

"except ye would keep them for trying your patience, as Socrates did an evil wife.” (d) And in his premonition to all christian monarchs, &c. James's he tells us, "he was ever an enemy to the confused 160. ❝anarchy or parity of the puritans, as well appeareth 6 in his ΒΑΣΙΛΙΚΟΝ ΔΩΡΟΝ.” And therefore adds he, "I cannot enough wonder with what brazen face "this anfwerer (Bellarmine) could fay, that I was a puritan in Scotland, and an enemy to proteftants: I "that was perfecuted by puritans there, not from my

birth only, but even fince four months before my "birth? I that in the year of God 84, erected bishops, " and depreffed all their popular parity. I then not be❝ing 18 years of age, [this was the year in which the earl of Gowry was executed, and Arran committed the vileft acts of injuftice] "I that in my faid book to my "fon, do fpeak ten times more bitterly of them than " of the papifts; having in my fecond edition thereof "affixed a long apologetic preface, only in odium pu"ritanorum." (e) This was written in England when (e) Id. p. the king could fpeak his mind, and therefore we may 305. be fure we have his real fentiments, especially as all his actions were correspondent unto them. So that I had reafon to fay, that James diffembled his hatred and refentment till a proper opportunity. But how worthy this was of a king is not hard to judge. For nothing is more unbecoming the rank and character of fuch an one, than diffimulation, especially towards his own fubjects. It is fetting an ill example unto them, which may be of the most fatal confequences; and depriving princes of that love, truft and confidence, in which their fafety, ftrength and reputation moft of all confift. But to diffem ble in the affairs of religion, is vile hypocrify; which yet 'tis plain from the king's own fpeeches and writings he did. But James was a weak prince, and lord Bacon has finely obferved, "that the weaker fort of politicks are "the great diffemblers."-" For, adds he, if a man

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