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

For

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(6) Spotfwood, p.

been already mentioned: befides which we find the ba nifhed 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 adverfaries from returning to court (b). 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, reftlefs 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 irresolution 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 "Lindefay at Leith, and the king's own minifters, gave "obedience. At Edinburgh, where the difobedience 66 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 66 man not entered as yet in the function, to take the "pulpit before the time, and exclude the bishop. The "king

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

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king coming at the hour appointed, and seeing him "in the place, called to him from his feat, and said, "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, 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 fray, the captain of the guard went to pull him out ; "whereupon he burst forth in thefe fpeeches, this day "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 be-. vood, p.354haviour feems to favour much of indecency and difobedience, and I doubt not but the reader is inclined to cenfure it accordingly. But let us not be too hafty, left, 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 he 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 fate 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 earnest in the caufe of his m "ther, feeing all the papifts in Europe that affected the "change of religion in both realms, did build their

(b) Id.

mo

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

fhow it with fafety; 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 refpectful terms of refufal; 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 refolution is to take Huntley in

wood,p.417

to favour, which if you do, I will oppofe, and you "fhall chute whether you will lofe Huntley or me; for "both you cannot keep." (c) Mr. Blake was likewife (c) Spotfcharged 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, "and in the guiders of it." (d)And Mr. John (d) Id. p. Welch, in the high church of Edinburgh, faid" the "king was poffeffed with a devil, and one devil being

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put out, seven 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 reftrain those who were guilty of it.

1

(M) He diffembled with them, till with fafety he could thew his refentment, &c.] Notwithstanding all the rudeness with which he had been treated by his clergy in the general affembly at Edinburgh, 1590, he stood

up with his bonnet off, and his hands lifted up to heaven, and faid, he praifed God, that he was born "in the time of the light of the gospel, and in such a "place, as to be king of fuch a church, the fincereft "[pureft] kirk in the world. The church of Geneva "keep pafche and yule [Eafter and Christmas] what "have they for them? they have no inftitution. As "for our neighbour kirk of England, their fervice is an evil faid mafs in English; they want nothing

" of

Though we are not to fuppofe, however it has been otherwise represented, either through

"of the mafs but the liftings. I charge you my good "minifters, doctors, elders, nobles, gentlemen and "barons, to stand 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 papiftical or anglicane bitory of Scot-fhops." (b) And in 1602, he affured the general Fol. Edinb. affembly, "that he would ftand for the church and be 1680. "an advocate for the miniftry." (c) A man would (6) Id.p.418. think by this, that James had a very great regard for

wood's

land, p. 256.

(c) Spotf

wood, p.

468.

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his clergy, and an high efteem of them; and doubtlefs

he himself intended they should think fo 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 advifes his fon [prince Henry]

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to take heed to fuch puritans, very pests in the church "and commonwealth, whom no deferts can oblige, "neither oaths nor promifes bind, breathing nothing "but fedition and calumnies, aspiring 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

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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 fpirits, and suffer not the principal of ❝ them to brook your land, if ye lift to set at reft; ་ except

through ignorance or prejudice to the then

Scottish

"except ye would keep them for trying your patience, 86 as Socrates did an evil wife.” (d)

(d) King

works, P.

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 s in his ΒΑΣΙΛΙΚΟΝ ΔΩΡΟΝ.” And therefore adds he, "I cannot enough wonder with what brazen face "this answerer (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 speak ten times more bitterly of them than " of the papists; having in my second edition thereof "affixed a long apologetic preface, only in odium pu"ritanorum." (e) This was written in England when the king could fpeak his mind, and therefore we may 305. be fure we have his real fentiments, especially as all his actions were correfpondent unto them. So that I had reason to say, 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 diflemble in the affairs of religion, is vile hypocrify; which yet 'tis plain from the king's own speeches 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

(e)

Id. p.

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