preach in the pulpits of Edinburgh for the present; but the regent, having soon after received large recruits from France repossessed herself of Leith, and ordered it to be fortified, and stored with all necessary provisions; the confederates desired her to demolish the works, alledging it to be a violation of the truce; but she commanded them upon their allegiance to be quiet and lay down their arms; and marching directly to Edinburgh, she obliged them to desert the city and retire to Stirling, whither the French troops followed them, and dispersed them into the mountains. In this low condition they published a proclamation, discharging the regent of her authority, and threatening to treat as enemies all that obeyed her orders; but not being able to stand their ground, they threw themselves into the arms of Queen Elizabeth; who being sensible of the danger of the protestant religion, and of her own crown, if Scotland should become entirely popish, under the government of the Queen of France, who claimed the crown of England, entered into an alliance to support the confederate protestants in their religion and civil liberties, and signed the treaty at Berwick, February 27, 1560.

Among other articles of this treaty it was stipulated, that the Queen should send forces into Scotland, to continue there till Scotland was restored to its liberties and privileges, and the French driven out of the kingdom. Accordingly her majesty sent an army of 7000 foot, and 1200 horse, which joined the confederate army of like force.* This army was afterwards reinforced by a large detachment from the northern marches, under the command of the duke of Norfolk; after which they took the city of Leith, and obliged the queen regent to shut herself up in the castle of Edinburgh, where she died June 10th. The French offered to restore Calais, if the Queen would recal her forces from Scotland; but she refused. At length the troubles of France requiring all their forces at home, plenipotentiaries were sent into Scotland to treat with Elizabeth about withdrawing the French forces out of that kingdom, and restoring the Scots to their parliamentary government. The treaty was concluded the beginning of

* Rapin, vol. viii. p. 271.

August, whereby a general amnesty was granted; the English and French forces were to withdraw in two months, and a parliament to be called with all convenient speed, to settle the affairs of religion and the kingdom; but Francis and Mary refused to ratify it.

Before the parliament met Francis died, and left Mary queen of Scots a young widow. The late treaty not being ratified, the parliament had no direct authority from the crown, but assembled by virtue of the late treaty, and received the following petitions from the barons and gentlemen concerning religion:

1. That the doctrines of the Roman church should be "suppressed by act of parliament, in those exceptionable "points therein mentioned.

2.That the discipline of the ancient church be revived. 3. "That the pope's usurped authority be discharged." All which was voted, and the ministers were desired to draw up a confession of faith, which they expressed in twenty-five articles, agreeable to the sentiments of Calvin, and the foreign reformers. The confession being read in parliament was carried but with three dissenting voices; the popish prelates offering nothing in defence of their religion.

By another act the pope's authority was abolished, and reading mass was made punishable, for the first offence with loss of goods; for the second banishment; and for the third death. This was carrying matters too far; for to judge men to death for matters of mere conscience that do not affect the government, is not to be justified. "To affirm that "we are in the right, and others in the wrong (says Mr. "Collier*) is foreign to the point; for every one that suffers "for religion thinks himself in the right, and therefore ought not to be destroyed for his sincerity, for the preju"dices of education, or the want of a better understanding, unless his opinions have mutiny and treason in them, and shake the foundations of civil society."

Upon the breaking up of the parliament a commission was directed to Mr. Knox, Willock, Spotiswood, and some other divines, to draw up a scheme of discipline for the church, which they did pretty much upon the Geneva plan,

*Collier's Eccl. Hist. p. 468.

only admitting superintendants in the room of bishops, and rejecting imposition of hands in the ordination of ministers, because that miracles were ceased, which they apprehended to accompany that ceremony. Their words are these:* "Other ceremonies than the public approbation of the peo"ple, and declaration of the chief minister, that the person "there presented is appointed to serve the church, we can"not approve; for albeit the apostles used imposition of "hands, yet seeing the miracle is ceased, the using of the ceremony we judge not necessary." They also appointed ten or twelve superintendants to plant and erect kirks, and to appoint ministers in such counties as should be committed to their care, where there were none already. But then they add, these men must not live like idle bishops, but must preach themselves twice or thrice a week, and visit their districts every three or four months, to inspect the lives and behavior of the parochial ministers, to redress grievances, or bring them before an assembly of the kirk. The superintendants were to be chosen by the ministers, and elders of the several provinces; and to be deprived by them for misbehavior. The assemblies of the kirk were divided into classical, provincial, and national, in which last the dernier resort of all kirk jurisdiction was lodged.

When this plan of discipline was laid before the estates, it was referred to further consideration, and had not a parliamentary sanction, as the reformers expected. But after the recess of the parliament several noblemen, barons, and chief gentlemen of the nation, met together at the instance. of Mr. Knox, and signed it, resolving to abide by the new discipline, till it should be confirmed or altered by parliament. From this time the old hierarchical government was disused, and the kirk was governed by general, provincial, and classical assemblies, with superintendants, though there was no law for it, till some years after.

To return to England. The popish bishops behaved rudely towards the Queen and her new bishops. They admonished her Majesty by letter to return to the religion of her ancestors, and threatened her with the censures of the

VOL. h

*First Book of Discipline, p. 31.

26

Pius

church, in case she refused. This not prevailing, pope IVth himself exhorted her by letter, dated May 5, 1570, to reject evil counsellors, and obey his fatherly admonitions, assuring her, that if she would return to the bosom of the church, he would receive her with like affectionate love as the father in the gospel received his son. Parpalio, the nuncio that was sent with this letter, offered in the pope's name to confirm the English liturgy, to allow of the sacrament in both kinds, and to disannul the sentence against her mother's marriage; but the Queen would not part with her supremacy.§ Another nuncio, the Abbot Martmegues, was sent this summer with other proposals, but was stopt in Flanders and forbid to set foot in the realm. The Emperor and other Roman Catholic princes, interceded with the Queen to grant her subjects of their religion churches to officiate in after their own manner, and to keep up a separate communion; but her Majesty was too politic to trust them; upon which they entered upon more desperate measures, as will be seen hereafter.+

Archbishop Parker visited his diocese this summer, and found it in a deplorable condition; the major part of the beneficed clergy being either mechanics or mass priests in disguise; many churches were shut up, and in those that were open not a sermon was to be heard in some counties within the compass of twenty miles; the people perished for lack of knowledge, while men who were capable of instructing them were kept out of the church, or at least denied all preferment in it. But the Queen was not so much concerned for this, as for maintaining her supremacy; his grace therefore, by her order, drew up a form of subscription to be made by all that held any ecclesiastical preferment,‡ wherein they acknowledge and confess, "That the restoring the supremacy to the crown, and the abolishing all foreign power; "as well as the administration of the sacraments according "to the book of common prayer, and the Queen's injunc

66

§ Foxes and Firebrands, part, iii. p. 15, 18.

"Elizabeth, as Dr. Warner expresses it, was not to be won with either "threats or entreaties to part with her supremacy; of which she was as "fond as the King her father." ED.

+ Strype's Aun. p. 408.

Life of Parker, p. 77.

❝tions, is agreeable to the word of GOD and the practice of "the primitive church." Which most that favored the reformation, as well as great numbers of time-serving priests, complied with; but some refused and were deprived.

The next thing the archbishop undertook was, settling the kalendar, and the order of lessons to be read throughout the year, which his grace, as one of the ecclesiastical commissioners, procured letters under the great seal to reform.* Before this time it was left to the discretion of the minister to change the chapters to be read in course for some others that were more for edification; and even after this new regulation the bishops recommended it; for in the preface to the second book of homilies published in the year 1564, there is a serious admonition to all ministers ecclesiastical, to be diligent and faithful in their high functions; in which, among others, is this remarkable instruction to the curates or ministers." If one or other chapter of the Old Testa"ment falls in order to be read on Sundays or holidays, it "shall be well done to spend your time to consider well of 66 some other chapter in the New Testament of more edifi❝cation, for which it may be changed. By this your pru"dence and diligence in your office will appear, so that your "people may have cause to glorify God for you, and be "the readier to embrace your labors." If this indulgence had been continued, one considerable difficulty to the Puritans had been removed, viz. their obligation to read the Apocrypha lessons; and surely there could be no great danger in this, when the minister was confined within the canon of scripture.

But this liberty was not long permitted, though, the admonition being never legally reversed, archbishop Abbot was of opinion, that it was in force in his time, and ought to have been allowed the clergy throughout the course of this reign. His words are these, in his book entitled, Hill's Reasons unmask'd, p. 317. "It is not only permitted to "the minister, but recommended to him, if wisely and qui"etly he do read canonical scripture, where the Apocrypha "upon good judgment seemeth not so fit; or any chapter *M. S. penes me, p. 88. + Life of Parker, p. 84. Strype's Annals, p. 117.