represented in Parliament. The first vote in the Assembly in favour of the obnoxious measure was given by Gilbert Bodie, а drunken Orkney ass." "He led the ring, and a great number of the North followed, all for the bodie, without regard to the spirit." But these annoyances of James were soon to end. On the 24th of March, 1603, Queen Elizabeth died; and on Sunday, 3rd of April, the king made, after the sermon, his farewell harangue in the church of St. Giles, Edinburgh. A few days later, and the king crossed

the border.

The air of England seems to have taken immediate effect upon King James. "He was now come into the promised land. Nor was he in a place where beardless boys could brave him to his face." Bitterly disappointed were the English Puritans, who expected great things from a Presbyterian king. He thought they were aiming at Scotch Presbytery, "which agrees with monarchy as well as God and the devil; then Jack and Tom, Will and Dick shall meet, and at their pleasure censure both me and my council, Therefore, pray stay one seven years before you demand that of me; and if then you find me pursy and fat, and my windpipe stuffed, I may perhaps hearken to you." Elated by his success with the Puritans, the king resolved to try fresh measures with his stubborn countrymen. Force manifestly would not do; assemblies interdicted, adjourned to meet again; ministers imprisoned only evoked public sympathy and indignation. Accordingly, James invited eight of the leading ministers to London, in the hope of converting them by the combined influence of episcopal eloquence and royal greatness. The recusants were graciously received, and made to listen to a regular course of episcopal argumentation, supremely ridiculous if the matter had not been so important. Persuasion failing, the king resolved that Melville at least should no longer trouble him in Scotland. Summoned before the Privy Council for an epigram derogatory of the Church of England, the long-restrained indignation of the Scot broke forth on being charged with treason by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Melville retorted the charge on Dr. Bancroft, proving his assertion by pulling out a treatise of the prelate which questioned James's title to the English crown. Taking hold of the Bishop's lawn sleeves, he shook them as "Romish rags," declaring that he would profess himself an enemy of the author of that treatise to the effusion of the last drop of his blood. Having similarly silenced another of the bishops, Melville was removed, and on the charge of scandalum magnatum imprisoned for three years in the Tower, whence he was allowed to retire to the Continent, where he became professor. Another of the leading ministers of Scotland, Welsh, with five of his colleagues, shared the same fate. A characteristic anecdote is told of Mrs. Welsh, a daughter of John Knox. On her presenting a petition to the king, that her husband, apparently dying, might be allowed to return to his native country, James, on ascertaining her maiden name, exclaimed, "Knox and Welsh! the devil never made such a match as that." "It is very

in the eyes of the king, was the peaceful state in which the ministers kept the people during his absence in Denmark on his matrimonial expedition. His conduct on his return gives us a graphic view both of the fickle monarch and the state of the times. On the followin Sabbath, after the sermon, the preacher publicly called upon the kit. to fulfil his promises to the Church. James stood up in the gallery and replied in a speech which intimated his sorrow for past con buet, and promised greater attention to the interests of the Kirk. More notable still was his speech in the General Assembly, in which “he fell forth praising God that he was born. .

. to such a

place as to be king in such a Kirk, the sincerest Kirk in the world" -an assertion which he proceeded to prove. "I charge you," continued the eloquent king, "my good people, ministers, doctor, elders, nobles, gentlemen, and barons, to stand to your purity an i to exhort the people to do the same; and I, forsooth, so long as I brok my life and crown shall maintain the same against all deadly." It is a pity that such sentiments should so soon have under site change. Meanwhile, however, Presbytery was again established, ani all obnoxious acts abolished.

The good humour of the king was indeed severely tried by the frequent and unsparing criticisms of his conduct lavished upon h from the Edinburgh pulpits. The ministers were indeed unable tes appreciate the difficulties of his position; besides, James's kingeraft would at any time have converted a simple into a complicated question. There were, however, offences given which it would have been difficult for the most patient man to brook. Thus, a Committers of the General Assembly drew up a list of prevalent corruptiotes, among which we find that the king's household was censured, on the report that the reading of the Scriptures at table and gran before and after meat were frequently neglected; his Majesty him. self was found guilty of banning and swearing--an example imita', i by his courtiers, of whom but few attended the week-day sermons, while "the queen did not repair to the Word and sacraments, and was fond of night-walking and balls." The displeasure of Jar. & was not a little increased by a riot in Edinburgh, cansed by the punishment of one of the refractory ministers. Indeed, from that time he resolved to re-establish Prelacy. The device adopted for gaining the consent of the Church is a unique sample of James « cunning. In those days of slow travelling, the intercourse between the North and the South of Scotland was tedious and difficult. Te northern ministers accordingly could not attend the meetings of the General Assembly in Edinburgh, nor indeed did they sympa. with the hatred of the south to Prelacy. Advantage was taken - f this circumstance. James summoned a General Assembly to Perth, where the ministers, accustomed to the colder regions of the north, all of a sudden found themselves courted by royalty, and basking in the monarch's smiles. This assembly proved so compliant that it was followed by others at Dundee and Montrose. At length, Prelacy was again established on pretence of having the Church properly

66 a

represented in Parliament. The first vote in the Assembly in favour of the obnoxious measure was given by Gilbert Bodie, drunken Orkney ass." "He led the ring, and a great number of the North followed, all for the bodie, without regard to the spirit." But these annoyances of James were soon to end. On the 24th of March, 1603, Queen Elizabeth died; and on Sunday, 3rd of April, the king made, after the sermon, his farewell harangue in the church of St. Giles, Edinburgh. A few days later, and the king crossed the border.

The air of England seems to have taken immediate effect upon King James. "He was now come into the promised land. Nor was he in a place where beardless boys could brave him to his face." Bitterly disappointed were the English Puritans, who expected great things from a Presbyterian king. He thought they were aiming at Scotch Presbytery, "which agrees with monarchy as well as God and the devil; then Jack and Tom, Will and Dick shall meet, and at their pleasure censure both me and my council, Therefore, pray stay one seven years before you demand that of me; and if then you find me pursy and fat, and my windpipe stuffed, Í may perhaps hearken to you." Elated by his success with the Puritans, the king resolved to try fresh measures with his stubborn countrymen. Force manifestly would not do; assemblies interdicted, adjourned to meet again; ministers imprisoned only evoked public sympathy and indignation. Accordingly, James invited eight of the leading ministers to London, in the hope of converting them by the combined influence of episcopal eloquence and royal greatness. The recusants were graciously received, and made to listen to a regular course of episcopal argumentation, supremely ridiculous if the matter had not been so important. Persuasion failing, the king resolved that Melville at least should no longer trouble him in Scotland. Summoned before the Privy Council for an epigram derogatory of the Church of England, the long-restrained indignation of the Scot broke forth on being charged with treason by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Melville retorted the charge on Dr. Bancroft, proving his assertion by pulling out a treatise of the prelate which questioned James's title to the English crown. Taking hold of the Bishop's lawn sleeves, he shook them as "Romish rags," declaring that he would profess himself an enemy of the author of that treatise to the effusion of the last drop of his blood. Having similarly silenced another of the bishops, Melville was removed, and on the charge of scandalum magnatum imprisoned for three years in the Tower, whence he was allowed to retire to the Continent, where he became professor. Another of the leading ministers of Scotland, Welsh, with five of his colleagues, shared the same fate. A characteristic anecdote is told of Mrs. Welsh, a daughter of John Knox. On her presenting a petition to the king, that her husband, apparently dying, might be allowed to return to his native country, James, on ascertaining her maiden name, exclaimed, "Knox and Welsh the devil never made such a match as that." "It is very

likely, Sir," was the reply, "for we never spiered his advice." When Mrs. Welsh entreated that the king might give her husband his native air, "Give him the devil," was the monarch's rejoinder. "Give that to your hungry courtiers," retorted the undaunted matron." On one condition only would the king allow his return; if he submitted to the bishops. "Please your Majesty," replied the heroic daughter of John Knox, lifting her apron, I would rather kep (receive) his head there." Meantime, Scotland, deprived of its clerical leaders, and under the guidance of a sycophantic Parliament, emptied the bitter cup of Prelacy, even to the infamous Five Articles of Perth, in which not only the Government, but what were deemed the superstitious practices of the Church of England, were forced upon the people. James died 27th of May, 1625, leaving to his successor kingdoms ripe for revolt.

Charles I. had all the obstinacy and faithlessness of his father, all his belief in the omnipotence of the royal prerogative, with more of bigotry, but happily less of cunning. His visit to Scotland gave very little satisfaction, nor would the king listen to petitions, however reasonable and moderate. The attempt to force upon the people Laud's Liturgy brought matters to a crisis, and its first introduction in St. Giles's, Edinburgh, caused an unexampled riot, far surpassing even those presently witnessed in St. George's, London. The Privy Council was terrified, and suspended the use of the Liturgy, but the king severely censured this compromise, and utterly disregarding the petitions sent from all parts of the country, only enacted more vigorous measures. The people were now fairly roused; four committees, or "tables," as they were called, representing the different estates of the country, sat in Edinburgh and issued orders, which were obeyed, while the king's proclamations were laughed to scorn. Charles at last saw the necessity of negociating, but already the "tables" refused to plead before the Privy Council, unless the bishops were removed. In truth, the Presbyterian party insisted upon the abolition of the Liturgy prelacy, and that infamous court of High Commission, which possessed almost the powers of the Inquisition. Such concessions the king was not prepared to make; the country was in open rebellion; the first need felt was that of union. Under circumstances so solemn and trying, when civil and religious liberty were at stake, the celebrated Covenant was subscribed throughout the country with a degree of enthusiasm and religions fervour which never before had been witnessed. The "Covenant " consisted of three parts, of which the third alone constituted the characteristic element. It bound the subscribers to continue in and defend their religion-to support the king in defence of religion, liberty, and law-but also to stand by each other against all their enemies. It must have been a heart-stirring scene when in the Greyfriars' Church, after fervent prayer the multitudes pressed forward to sign the National League; and when afterwards it was carried into the crowded churchyard, the enthusiasm reached the highest pitch. The scene was repeated all over Scotland. Tidings

of the dangerous state of matters reached the court, and another mediator was dispatched in the person of the Marquis of Hamilton. His instructions were to temporise, to promise much, and to grant little. The Ambassador soon saw that such terms would not satisfy the people. Several journeys of Hamilton to court led to no greater result, and Charles still continued obstinate. All eyes were directed to the General Assembly, which met at Glasgow on the 21st Nov., 1638. Never had more influential ecclesiastical gathering been seen in Scotland; never had greater issues depended on their deliberations. The Royal Commissioner soon withdrew, perceiving that the doom of the Episcopate was about to be pronounced. But neither his absence nor the threat of treason deterred the churchmen. What is known as the "Second Reformation" was accomplished by this Assembly, and Prelacy was once more plucked up root and branch. Nothing now remained but an appeal to arms. On the one side was the English army, on the other the Covenanters, mustered under the leadership of Leslie, who, during the thirty years' war, had learnt the military art from no less skilled a tactician than Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. The Scots lay encamped at Dunse-Lan; for the first time that honoured banner, bearing in golden letters, "FOR CHRIST'S CROWN AND COVENANT," was unfurled. Happily, however, matters proceeded no further. Peace was concluded, the king undertaking to call a free Assembly and a Parliament immediately afterwards to ratify its resolutions. These promises were fulfilled; the Assembly re-enacted the Reformation of 1638, but the ratification of Parliament was delayed from month to month, the king still hoping to save Episcopacy. Meanwhile, the struggle in England was beginning. The Scotch marched an army into England to extract the king's consent. Already Newcastle was occupied by the Covenanters, when peace was once more restored, Charles yielding to the demands of his rebellious subjects. On the 14th August, 1641, the king himself arrived in Edinburgh. Times were sadly changed for him; and, instead of the grand ceremonials of Laud, the humbled monarch was obliged to conform to the straitest sect of the Covenanters. But greater trials were awaiting him. The Kirk of Scotland, now again supreme, had set her heart upon conformity in religion in the sister kingdom, and frequent were the communications on the subject with the leaders of the popular party in Parliament. The Puritans required the aid of the Scotch, and the latter insisted upon this as its condition. At last the House of Commons subscribed the solemn League and Covenant, and Leslie marched into England at the head of 21,000 men. The Assembly of Divines at West

minster was convoked to deliberate on the basis of union. The Scotch Commissioners to this Assembly were Alexander Henderson, Robert Baillie, Samuel Rutherford, and George Gillespie, besides Lord Maitland and Sir Archibald Johnston. We mention these names to take the opportunity of calling Mr. Cunningham's attention to the most unwarrantable terms in which he speaks of Rutherford's letters. To stigmatise as indecencies and obscenity what has proved