I.

O CALENDANA E 16TTH H F CENTURRO Y CONTAININ . NOTEGMS N SO SCOTTISH HISTORY AND OTHER RECORDS. BY J. BALFOUR PAUL, LYON-KING-OF-ARMS, VICE-PRESIDENT. The title of this book—the property of Mr Wakefield H. Dixon of Dunowen, Belfast—is Calendarium Historicum Conscription a Paulo Ebero Kitthingensi et recens ante obitum recognition et denuo plurimarum rerum memordbilium accessione auctum et locupletatum. Wittebergce. Excudebant Heredes Joannis Cratonis, Anno M.D.LXXIX." booe a smal s Th ki l quart f 41o o 3 pp., measuring 7f inche 5y s^b inches, with indices, appendices beautifulls i endt ,e I etc.th .t a , y bound in wooden boards covered with tooled pigskin, with two curious and elegant twisted brass s hardlclaspsi t I y. probable thae bindinth t s gi the original, as the leaves bear traces of having been subjected to the binder's knife, but it is undoubtedly old, though in perfect preservation. leavee edgp th f to writte s eo si Oe nth n " Pauli Eberi Calendar, Histor ", outside covee th anth nam e n f do rth o e e Carolus Dixon appears inkn i , , a 17t n i h century hand. Inside, upoe thir e rectth nth df o fly-leaf s i , OCALENDANA E SIXTEENTTH F O R H CENTURY. 157

the Dixon pedigree, neatly printed in black letter character as follows:— "Humphrey de Dixonne, borne anno 1351, in February, promised a baron Kiny yb g Henry IIII. s service troubloufohi th r n i e s timen i s the yeeres 1399 and 1400, which promise was not fulfilled, the said Humphrey dying in the yeere 1401, leaving issue two sonnes, Henry, borne 1387 Williamd an , , born daughtere 1389on d an , , Maud. "Henry, died anno 1454, leaving issue one sonne, John, borne 1436, daughtere on d an . " Edward ,above sonnth f eo eJohn borns wa , e llth April 1463d an , had issue one onlie sonne, Robert, borne 1499; John Dixon, sonne of the above Robert, born d Januar3r e y 1540, married Margaret Ayrton i n yeere th e 1569 d issu whoha y b ,e e Henrmsh Thomasd yan fourd an , e daughters. Thomas died in the yeere 1647, leaving a son, James, borne 8th April 1612, the said James being grandfather to me, Charles Dixon. " Henry Dixon, my father, was borne 4th Ap. 1638." Then follows a space, and at the bottom of the page is written in ordinary cursive hand, "James Dixon, son of the above Charles Dixon, was borne at Sugdon, the first day of August 1719." • Eac he letter-pres th pag f o e s i e sdevoteday s titlon it r , o eo t d date being set forth at the top in Latin, Hebrew, and Greek,—the note f occurrenceso s bein shorn gi t paragraphs, which rarely occupe yth whole of the page. The consequence is that there is a large amount of blank space, which has in many cases been used by an owner of the book to make notes on. The author of the Calendar, Paulus Eberus, was one of the early German Reformerss bor t wa a Kissingen d s an ,wa n 1511 i ne H . educated at the University of Witteuburg, and became secretary to Melancthon, who held him in high esteem and consulted him much. He was Professor of Hebrew in Witteiiburg in 1556, and afterwards the minister of one of the churches there. Besides this Calendar, he was authoe a th Histor e Jewf o th r f sy o fro m their return from Babyloo nt e Fal th f Jerusalemo l a Commentar, e Gospelsth a boon f o d yo k an , Church hymns diee H 1589n di . . 158 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 8, 1897.

In the copy of the calendar under notice, besides the MS. notes to which referenc bees eha n made, ther more ear e extended notices written e blanoth n k e leavebeginninth e verse t volumesa th th f n oo f gO o . the first fly-leaf is a narrative of the vision of Sir James Hamilton of Fynnart,1 which appeared to James V., and of which an account is given by Knox, Pitscottie, and other -writers. The story is written, like all othee th r e boonoteth kn si excep e Dixoth t n genealogy Latinn i , d an , is headed " George Buchanami s. rerum . lib . . . Scot., paulo ante finem, D." We would naturally conclude that it was an extract from Buchanan's History, but this is not the case, the incident there being narrated in a very condensed form. The MS. begins, " in the history of the Scottish Churc related,s i t hi examininn "o etc.d an ; narrative gth fine ew d that s practicalli t i a ytranslatio n into Latin from Knox's Historye th f o Reformation. I vernaculare giv e storth eth n yi s takea , n from Knox (Laing's edition, published by the Bannatyne Club). The MS. occupies two-thirds of a page, and stops abruptly before the end of the corre- sponding sentenc e write th Knoxn beed eo f i ha r n s a , interruptes hi t da task. Geor. Buchananus. lib. . . . rerum Scot. paulo ante finem. D , histore Scottise th th n f I yo h Churc relates i t hi d that aftee executioth r f o n Sir James Hamilton, James V., King of Scotland, told his servants that the said Hamilto visiona n i d appeare n,ha m "hi havinhandes o dt hi n gi a drawis n sworde, by the which fra the King hie stroke boith the armes, saying to him these wourdis : thatk "Ta , whill tliow receav a finale y l th paymen l al r fo t impietie.''1 This visioun with sorowfull conteanance hie schew on the morow ; schortlid an e thairefti sonnes,o r tw dei s dhi 2 baith withi e spacnth f twentyeo - four houris, yea, some say within the space of six hours ..... How terrible

visioua saie nth d Prince saw lyin Lynlythgn gi w that nycht, that Thomas Scott, Justice-Clerk, die3 Edinburghn di goof o dn creditme , yitn etca reporter Fo . effrayed at mydnycht, or after, hie cryed for torches, and reissed all that lay besyd him in the Palice, and told that Thome Scott was dead : for hie had bene at him with a company of devillis, and had said unto him these wordes : " O wo to the day that ever I know thee or thy service ; for, for serving of thee against God, r JameSi ' s Hamilto f Fimiartno , bastarf Jameso n t Ear so d1s f Arran, o l , slew the Earl of Lennox, 4th Sept. 1526, extraordinary Lord of Session, 1533 ; Maste Workf o rkinge th o s,t 153 8; execute treasonr dfo , 1540.

2 Prince James and Prince Arthur died April 1541. Thoma3 s Scott of Pitgorm, second son of Sir William Scott of Balweary, appointed Justice-Clerk 1535 ; died 1539. ON A CALENDAR OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 159

against his servandis and against Justice, I am adjudgeid to endless torment." How terrible voices the said Thomas Scott pronounced befoir his death, men of l estaitial s heard somd an ;e that yitt lyve cane witnes s vochi es; was ever ' Justo Deijudicio condemnatus sum,' condempnem a thaI , is t Goddiy b d s just

judgment.' He was most oppressed for the delatioun and fals accusatioun of such as professed Christis Evangell, as Maister Thomas Marjoribankis l and Maister Hew Big,2 then advocattis, did confesse to Maister Henrie Balnavis, who from the said Thome Scott, cam to him as he and Maister Thomas Ballanden wer sytting in Sanct Geillis Kirk . . . [and asked forgavance in the name of the said Thomas].3 e nexe Orectth nth f to o fly-lea have w n faccoun a e circum th f o t - stances connected wit e trialth h , imprisonment r Johd deatM an ,f n o h Stratton e ministeth , f Forreso r , followe y somb d e remarks mady b e Robert Bruce well-know,a n ecclesiasticae figurth n i e l histor timee th f ,yo in a letter to Mr John Ker, a son of Andrew Ker of Faudonside, whose wife was the widow of John Knox; che was minister of Aberlady, a sym- pathiser with the ministers who were imprisoned at Blackness in 1606, f considerablo n ma a d e an influenc Churche th r Brucn i M e . e alludes deathe th o f Strattot so d Johnan n Chalmers boto wh h, became insane. The latter was sub-principal of King's College, Aberdeen, and minister of secone th d Macharchargd Ol f eo , from translates whicwa e h n 161di 0 to the living of Keith. We are told that after celebrating a marriage, in a fit of melancholy he attempted suicide, but survived a week, and died after full confession and repentance, giving glory to God, llth June 1611. Followin r Bruce'gM s letter have w n ,accoun a e misfortune th f o t s which befel r WilliaM l m s acceptinCoopehi n o e rBishopri th g f o c Galloway, in succession to Gavin Hamilton. " None was more forward in the purer times," Calderwood says, "against the state of Bishops: none now more frank for the corruptions of the time. After he had gotten the Bishopric he maketh not residence in Galloway, but in the foot of the Canongate, that he might be near to the Chapel Royal, where Thomar 1M s Marjoribank n advocatete e th f f Rathoso o s admittee on , t a d the Institution of the College of Justice, 7th May 1532 ; Provost of Edinburgh, 154 0; Clerk Register Feb. 1548-9; deprive f offico d e 1554; died before 3560.

2 Hugh Rig of Carberry, admitted advocate 16th Nov. 1537. Thoma3 s Bellenden or Ballantyne of Auchinoul, admitted as ordinary Judge, 22nd June 1535 ; Director of Chancery, 1538 ; Justice-Clerk, 1539 ; died 1546: 0 16 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , MARC , 18978 H .

e preacheh s Deana d , neglectin s dioceshi g e wher e oughh e o havt t e preached as a Bishop, if his office had been lawful." The following.is a translation of the Latin original:— "Mr John Stratton, preacher of the gospel in Morayshire in Scotland, made an eloquent oration in that province against the corruption of the Bishops and the newly erected hierarchy in the year [1611] day .... the Bishop himself being presen listeningd an t :e sermon afte th e en f th o de ropinio th , n being taken, those who had stood i'ast in the Truth gave thanks to God that it had been asserted with so much liberty and evidence of the spirit, insomuch that .the Prelate himself, who had fallen away from the Truth, pricked in conscience, coul nothiny sa d g mor f thao e t matter when giving his vot e: " BrotherI , would advise you to abstain from that style, for so much liberty will bring you into trouble, for it will not be borne." There was no more said about that matter at that time: afterwards the Archbishop of St Andrews having been informed of this sermon, ordered him to appear before the form, of Court lately erecte Scotlann di e favouhierarchn di th f o r y whic s callei h Hige dth h Com- mission. Stratton there compeared, pleads his cause, and renders reason ; the principal argument whic e Archbishoth h p thauses e confuto h wa dt m hi e seemed like to that man who burned the temple of Ephesus, that he might get himsel nama f e thereby. Stratton answerst thobu u, I rathe.t has, o "No twh r set on fire, and art pulling to pieces a far more famous and more glorious church. committes t lengtA wa " e hh Inverneso dt s Castle, therdetainee b o et d a captiv s a n closei e custody; where, when afteo yeard tw r morha o s e h e remained, constantly adherin sermoe th o gt n madd whic affirmind ha ee an h h g it, Lord Grant, a noble of that region, interceded between the Bishop and Stratton, that the differences between them might be compounded and arranged ; that Stratton n somi y eb , measure departing from that truth whic wae h s before asserting, should come to an agreement with the Bishop, and in sign of concord they ate and drank together. But immediately after, Stratton fell into madnes frenzyd san afted an day,x r si lyinr s withfo gd confine-be s hi o dt wore t relie on sigr dou o r consolatiof no fo n breathe lasdieds d dhi tan . "Pvobert Bruce a famou, s servan f God o d tpreache an ,e wordth n f o o r, accouns singulahi f o t r piety, powe s sacre hi moveo t rd d an , doctrind an e erudition, who also by the contrivance of the Prelate had been sent to Inverness fros hous hi md floc an ek lik n exilea r captiveeo d compellean , remaio t d n 'there, writes to a faithful pastor, a familiar friend of his, living in Lothian, six or seven miles from Edinburgh namy b , e John Ker thin i , s manner about this matter. After informing him of the miserable end of Stratton, the words of Bruc :—e l herar eAl ' e [ascribe] this heavy endin thio gt s compromise with the Prelate, made against his mind and conscience ; and certainly,' says Bruce, 'the memory of this thing appals me ; to have seen one so abandoned of God and empty of grace, who before always seemed so pious. Surely,' said he, speakin Prelatese th f go t good' theiis, y we,d 'no rwa an , ' says he,.' have need searco t examind han heartsr eou adher y , ma tha e e w tmor e steadil sure th eo yt foundations; for God makes us preachers gazing-stocks to men; for there are two in this province of Moray, Mr John Chalmers and Mr John Stratton, bolh endowed with excellent giftsstrangelo wh , miserabld yan y ended their lives. OCALENDANA E SIXTEENTTH F O R H CENTURY. 161.

It is not carelessly to be passed over, but worthy to be remembered what was tols verf Coopero dwa y o latelwh , y made Bisho f Gallowao p n 1612yi . For he, while he persevered in the truth, wrote to ISTicolson after he had accepte e Bishoprith d f Dunkeldo c , praying earnestly that Nicolson would consider with himself whether it were the walls of Jerusalem or Jericho that he was repairing. This letter of Cooper was seen and heard by many it is said. Now so it is, that some years afterwards this same Cooper accepts the Bishopric of Galloway (but after being much and earnestly requested and attracted by no small promises), and at the same time one of his sons died ; secondly, when he receives that superstitious consecration the second son dies ; thirdly, when he not long ago returned from the Court, where, as it is said, the king thanked changinr fo m s mindhi ghi t withouno , t promise f moro s e ample rewardss hi , third son deceased, and lie himself was visited with an ague ; which strongly suggests that this judgmen accounn o s repairin hi inflictes m f o hi wa t n go d walle th Jerichof so , 1613. e note comth w o no st e e whic W e interspersear h d throughoue th t volume at the end of the printed notices for each day in the calendar. There are in all sixty-four entries under sixty days: of these, nine relate to matters which had recently occurred on the Continent of Europe, but have no connection with Scottish History, such as the appearance of comets e marriag th ,e Princesth f o e s Margaret with Henr f Beamo y , which preceded the massacre of S. Bartholomew, a shower of wheat in Austria in 1570, and other matters. Eight entries deal with classical incidents ,e fal f sucTroyth o l s e ha foundin th , f Komego e birtth , f o h Pompey, etc. ; two deal with mediaeval subjects, viz., the death of Hiefonymus or St Jerome, which is entered under 30th March, though the commonly received date is 30th September, 420, and the death of Thomas Aquina 1274n si . Four relat o eventt e n Englandi s , viz.e th , deaths of Queen Elizabeth in 1603, of Henry, Prince of Wales, in 1612, coronatioe th Kinf no g Gunpowdee Jamesth d an , reste th r —l PlotAl . if we except an obit of a Carolus Ayrton in 1550, which is written in differena t e othehanth f d ro s probabl froentriesy wa man d yan , made by one of the Dixon family whose genealogy appears at the beginning f the o e volume oe mth f on marrie s a , Margarea d t Ayrtoun—relato et Scottish affairs mainly in connection with ecclesiastical matters. The earlies n poini t f dato t s givei e n unde h December7t r d chroniclean , s birte th f Queeho n n Mar1542i d mentionthan y yo an , da t s that five day se 13t after th thaf ho n o t, month, Jame . dieV st Falklanda d d an , s buriewa t Holyroodda , neae remain s th firsr hi tf o swife , Magdalene. VOL. xxxt. L 162 PEOCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 8, 1897.

This, wit birte hnota th t f Jame Edinburghf a o e o . sVI 20tn ho h June 1566, and five other entries which do not relate to Scottish affairs, must, along with those dealing with classical and mediaeval incidents, have been written long aftee occurrencth r e eventth f o es chronicled, calendae th s a t printe e rdatno itselth s et d a wa fwhe n they happened. e firsTh t incident recorded after 1579e publicatio e th dat th f , o e f o n the volume, is an eclipse of the sun, which took place on the 15th of February 1597. "On this day," the writer says, " a little after the ninth e week th e sevent f r Sabbathth houro o , d y an h,da s see n eclipsa wa n, e e mooScotlandn th i n obscureo t n i s su su n e I e th face o .th f fdth o e minutex fosi r s tha t trieo hardlwh d e discery on coul y nan d writing; e eclipsth e lasted, durin e approacth g d recedin e an hmoon th r f o gfo , about the space of two hours or an hour and a half." f godswhad o d "t An portendi ,t e knows Go earte th e th d th ho san t , fates will show in their own time." " Concerning this eclipse r JameM , s Melvin faithfua , l e pastoth f o r church of Kilrenny, a most learned and just man and of excellent prudence, wrot followine eth g versee Scotth n ssi languag o preservt e e the memory of the fact:— In Februar the fyftein day exact sawe soonee W eth tene th , tdaye houth f , o r Beginn loslighto s et turnehi d ,an bla o et k; Qunilk peece and pece, his whyt did wear awaye. cause Th thiss ei savelearnes o a ,d n , dme The darksome bodie of the changine nioone Cam in betwixe our sight and Phoebus geay, holsos frod hi s hi m u md lighAn sooueo ts . Amide the meetinges of our kerk this done, Portende dar e variabld sth kan e warld betwiSham Kirco e l Chrisxd th kan t alone, And make her pastor crooked, blind, and thrald. Then statelie stares stik fast anguk dta d tent, The dragones taill will raing the firmament. " The event proved the truth of this prediction, as fully appeared from e eventth f thio s e Scottiss th yea n i r h e yearChurchth sd whican , h followed it proved it more and more." The lines above quoted are to be found in James Melville's diary, OCALENDAA N E SIXTEENTTH F O R H 3 CENTURY16 .

wit exceptioe hth n substitutio e ofth "f n o twentie-fiv e"r fyftei"fo n s "a monthe th f o .y da clericaonlThia y e e ysb ma th l error, but thern ca e be no doubt that the writer of the note either had access to Melville's diary, or had seen the lines, probably by the permission of Melville him- self. • Under 22nd tol e Junedar e tha thaw 159,n y o t da t 7 Presbytere "th y of St Andrews appeared by the King's command before His Majesty and the, deputies of the. Assembly of the Church of Scotland, who had met in the Eoyal Palace of Falkland. Here they considered of the justice e depositiooth f f Joho n n Eutherford froe ministrymth e decreth : e of the Presbytery was reversed, and he was ordered to be reponed, yet t lonno gd remaidi e h nd confirme thereGo r e sentencfo , th de th f o e Presbytery, and, in fact, executed it, though human authority tried to uproot it." John Rutherford had been deposed from his ministry in the parish of Kilconquha neglecr fo r f dutyo t , non-residenc parishs hi becausd n ei ,an e he was "louse in his behaviour and speeches at gentilmannis tabillis, ane brawlar and bostare greth t o t sclande, s profession.hi f o r " Not- withstanding his reponement by the Commission of Assembly, his brethren would have none of him, and they ultimately, in 1603, got rid of him, whe took.te nh e professiooth f medicinno settled ean t Dairsieda . Another natural phenomenon is chronicled on 5th July. On that day in 1597 "the King's Majesty, moved by the ill reports of idle men, came to St Andrews in Scotland, whither he convened the Com- missioners of the Church of Scotland. About this time, or a little after, in various parts and provinces in Scotland a great earthquake was felt, such as never before was heard of within the memory of man. In the village commonly called Cromarty, in the north; in the middle part of the realm, in the town of Perth; and in the western region, Lenoxn i thiy B s, . occasio t camni e int e mindoth f somso o thint e f ko earthquake th e tim th eUzziaf eo n whici s t Jerusalema hhwa : Amos. i 1 ; and Zech. xiv. 5: vide Josephus' Antiquities, ix. cap. x. 4, concerning this quake." .It is interesting to compare the above account with that given by James Melvill diarys saye hi H t e nortsi "n e i .th mai l h al dpart f o s 164 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 8, 1897.

Scotland to trimble from St Johnstoun throw Athall, Bredalbairi, and all these hie lands to Eos and Nerin and Kinteall, quiliilk was schawir certaifo r merchante d e e ou sub n an m nf m s o Ro n si whr awe Cromartie e Firthtyme.th r efo " Then follow e samth s e referenco t e Josephus' account of the earthquake in the time of Uzziah, and the sam ee incidenta notth f eo e prophecielth allusionn i t i f Amo o so t s s and Zechariah. This is an additional confirmation of what I remarked before,—that the writer of these notes had had access to James Mel- ville's diary. On the 7th of July in the same year " some quires of paper full of calumnies which some ill-affected citizens of St Andrews collected from sermone th f theio s r ministere preachingth d an s s which were heln di the days of the Presbytery, were offered to the King's Majesty and the Commissioners of the Church of Scotland who had met at St Andrews, that they migh e morth t e incit e Kinth e o anget g r against Presby- terianism." Melville says of this : " I saw before the King lying, and thereafter had in my hand, a quere of paper (the words used in the Calendar note schedaie sar cartce) f calumnieo n feai s r wrait, gyfee up n to the King." The calumnies appear to have concerned Robert Wallace and David Black, both ministers in the town, the former being Rector of the University. He demitted his office, and George Gladstanes* afterwards Bishop of Caithness and Archbishop of St Andrews, was put in his stead, as we shall see from the next entry," which narrates how both ministers were removed from St Andrews :—• '' "12th July.—George Gladstane thin so s day commany e ,b Kinth e d th gf an d o Commissioner Churce th f f o Scotlandso h , preache t AndrewsS n di before th e KingCite thed th y n an ,nChurchi ,migh e thah o ts t give them specimea d nan make preparation of the ministry of that church from which before David Black, a famous preacher and effectual by the power of the Holy Spirit, had been banished; the decrees n wa als t pleaso oi t d e Courth e t that Wallacea , learned man and of integrity, and a powerful preacher, should also be expelled from that charge,'and Wallac commandes ewa d under pai rebelliof no deparo nt t from the city within twenty-four hours ;.and likewise a day was appointed to David Black on which he was to depart under the same penalty." Oe 17tsame nth th hf e o month, accordingly, " George Gladstanes took the ministry of the church of St Andrews on himself, those faithful servant formerld ha f Godo so ywh , ministerd there, being expelled." OCALENDAA N E SIXTEENTTH F O R H 5 CENTURY16 .

f Februaro h 8t Oe y nth 1599 s notei t ,i d that "Rollock, rectof o r the University, and minister of the church of Edinburgh, after he had been long afflicted with stone harassedd an , many b y infirmitie f bodyo s , took to bed in his house : at length William Scot, of Elie, in Fife, moved y singulab r affection toward r RollockM s , would havcarriem hi e o t d his own house, and after he had been there some time he passed away quietl God.n yi " famous-firse th This swa t Principa e Universitth f o l f Edinburgho y , who did so much for the institution of which he was head. A full accoun lifs hi e f wilo e tprefacfoune s collecteth b lhi n di o t e d works, published by the Wodrow Society. Another obit occurs under 1st March :— " John Durie faithfua , l servan Gospele f Christh o t d ,an twho , after having preached Christ in Edinburgh about eleven years, was ordered by the King's authorit deparo yt t thencprovince th e Mearno wareo t th t f d edo an shimsel f northere onth n part Montrosef o , which happened about 1583. From that time he performed the duties of the ministry at Montrose, Gelurcae ad Mosam, till the Juliae yeath rn ni (thi calendary stylew da sne )e 160th , y beginnin0b e gth year fro firse mth t January, Lord.e slep e th whicn h o n y i t" hda Durie was well known to the writer of the notes, being probably, as we shall see, a relative of his, if not his son. He was the father-in-law of James Melville, and was a genial and lovable man, as we are told that he delighted in having good men around him, was given to hospi-. tality, helpfu o tht le destitute, compassionat e distressedth o t ed an , did not disdain occasionally to share, for relaxation and amusement, in the e fieldsportth f . o s James Melvill gowe th :nr em " Fo hi say f o s f e hande Byblcorsleo th th t d d sooneo ,eou n tan whege , s n of ro wa n and fangit was the hagbut, and to the fields." It will be noted that the chronicler in the Calendar specially alludes to the change of style, e Juliath n calendar being supersede Scotlann di e Gregoria th y b d t a n this date. 2nd November 1600.—" Mr Robert Bruce, minister of the church of Edinburgh, having been ordered by command of the King to depart from Scotland, embarked this eveninge thir aftey th da dd r an ,reache d Dieppe in France." Robert Bruce is so well known a figure in the ecclesiastical history 6 16 PROCEEDING E SOCIETYTH F O S , MARC , -18978 H .

of the period that it would be out of place to enlarge on his character or work here. His exile from Scotland at this time was on account of s incredulit hi exace th o tt circumstances ya e Gowrith f o s e Conspiracy, which incensed the King highly against him. It will be noted that the chronicler says the ship arrived at Dieppe the third day after sailing. As the port of embarkation was Queensferry, this is evidently a mistake. Calderwood gives the date of his arrival in France as the 8th. s notei t i d23re Oy nthath dMa n 1601 i t , "n Burutislandi , where on this day the General Assembly had sat for nine days, other business being finished, it pleased the King publicly to renew his covenant-with people th God e: the dan ministere nth wero sewh present e namth n ei , of the churches and the people, did likewise, and promised to do the duty incumben decrees wa t themn i d o t d thaan ; t this action shoule db published in every church of the kingdom of Scotland." The proceedings at this Burntisland Assembly must have been curious t edifyingino f lonA g. letter having been addresse e Assemblth o t d y by James Melville, who was ill at the time, the King took it out of the Moderator's hand and put it in his pocket; but, says Melville, His Majesty followe advice firse dth th renewi d t, f "eparo it an f e Covenanto t th t o t ; graie th e Kirt th t comfor thaa kl al t f Assemblieo t d ordeanian , e th t same to be done throwout the land." The King also confessed his sins and his faith, promised to abhor all papacy, idolatry, and superstition; to execute justice, and do all duties of a godly and Christian king better than ever before. The last touch is delightful. " On 3rd May 1602, Robert, third son of James VI. of Scotland, was washed witli hol ythire baptismth Junf dn o o ed immediatelan , y following died." "10th Nov. 1602.—The General Assembly began to be held in-the royal palace of Holyrood. In this Synod men were named who might be promoted to episcopal benefices, on conditions before arranged : the Assembly sat till the 20th day of this month." h Jan"4t . 1603.—David f greao Black n t a integritScotma , a a , d yan famous preache Worde morninge th th f rn o i , , safsound ean d at sseemedi d an , l appearancal o t goon ei d health d appointe ha fro,] go m o Dunded[t Perto t e h in the evening with certain ministers and other good men whom he had invited breakfaso t t with him. Afte rt dow thos sa wer o eithen d no e ewh ha witr m hhi side of the table, he himself, standing at the-end, invoked evidently the blessing f prayer o e ver t th of yac n Godi , gradualld ,an y sinking e dowspokeh s na , gave up the ghost, and put an end to his warfare in the year 1603, January being held for the first month." ON A CALENDAR OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 167

This sudden deat f Daviho d Blac relates ki d als Calderwoody ob o wh , says that James Melville deplored the loss which the Church sustained s deathi n certaii hy b ns ministe sonnetswa e f Arbirloto H ra . d an , man of much diligence and piety. departure Engliss Th Kine hi r th gfo f h eo dominion s notesi d under 5th April and his coronation under 25th July. With regard to the latter, it is stated that the day was " anticipated " ; if this is so, it may possibly have bee n accoune o ndiscover th e plo f th n whico i tf o y h Lord Cobha otherd man s were hav y involvedma e t beei r no , e owinth o t g prevalence of the plague in the city. On 31st July 1604, we are told that James Melville and William Murray, Commissioners from the Presbytery of St Andrews, kept the e Generaappointeth r fo ly Assembldda n Scotlanyi t Aberdeena d d an , becaus otheeno r Commissioner Synodof s s met, therefor it eseeme to d o declarthet t mfi e their presenc y testimonb e d instrumenan y f o t notary public, and to protest that it was not their fault that the Assemblt helno d s thawa y t day. The King, always ready if possible to prevent the meeting of Assemblies, had postponed this one as fixed at the last meeting at Holy- rood befor ee Presbyter referreTh t Andrews. S dto f yo , however, were determined to assert the liberties of the Church, and sent their Commis- sioners, wit e abovhth e result. Calderwood give e nama thirth s f o ed Commissioner, Mr William Erskine. We now come to the entries which deal with the troubles in con- nection with the General Assembly at Aberdeen in 1605. It was an important event in Scottish Church history, and the chronicler devotes no less than fourteen entries to circumstances in connection with it. The note shorte sar t the evidentle bu , yar y written from intimate knowledge of the facts, and can hardly have been made save by one who was closely associated with the incidents set forth. The facts are well known to students of the history of the period, but it may not be out of place to give a brief resume of what occurred, as it will help to the better understanding of the notes which follow, and will render unnecessary furthey an r commen themn o t . Assemble Ath t y hel t Holyrooa d bee1602d n di ha n t i , settled that 168 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 8, 1897.

the next Assembly should be at Aberdeen, in 1604. It was, as we have seen, not summoned, and much dissatisfaction had been the result. Anothe s summonewa r r 1605t countermandeddfo bu , e Councith d an ,l sen Commissionere lettea t th o t r , Stratto Lauristonf no , intimating that Kine th g would highly disapprov Assembln a f eo y being held. Notwith- standin e inhibitioth g e meetingth f o n , nineteen representatives from Presbyteries met, electe a dmoderator d constitutean , e Assemblyth d , morn te ed joinean dayw dfe s the a later n mi , through some misunder- standing as to the date. They dissolved the meeting before any actual busines beed sha n mere doneth e Assemblt e th facbu ,f o t y having been s helsufficienwa d o makt te Kinth e g furious. Summary measures wer t oncea e taken wit e offendersth h e wholTh .e twenty-nine were summoned before the Privy Council: -of these sixteen were, on their expressing regret, dismissed with an admonition, but thirteen who justi- fied their action were committed to various prisons. These thirteen, with the addition of one more who had repented of his former apology, were before long again brough beforp u t e Councilth e . This time they gave in a formal document called a declarator, signed with their names, in which they denied the competency of the Privy Council or any other secular authority to try them for their conduct in such a purely ecclesiastical mattee holdinth a Generas a rf o g l Assembly e pleaTh s. the t forwarypu d were rejecte e Council e merth th y e t edb th facbu ,f o t declarator having been put forward led to an -unexpected result. The King, highly incensed at such independent views, ordered a new action to be taken in the document, and they were at once indicted on no less a charge than high treason. Six of the ministers, who were probably accounted the ringleaders, had been warded in Blackness Castle : their names were Forbes, whd beeha o n moderato e Assemblyth f o r , Durie, Strachan, Welsh, Duncan s decidey thes d tr Sharpwa an e,o t t I d . first, and the trial took place at Linlithgow before a jury, the presiding judge being the Justice-Depute, Hart, assisted by many noblemen and others. The question to be tried was put as a syllogism by Lord Advocate Hamilto followss na : " Whosoever whatsoeven i , r cause, decline e King'th s d Council'an s s judicatory, incur e guiltinesth s d san pai f treasoo n t upobu n; thes e paneth e l have decline e King'th d s ON A CALENDAR OF THE .SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 169

and Council's judicatory; ergo, they have incurred the guiltiness and pain of treason." After much argumen d considerablan t e pressure having been brought to bear on the jury, the panel were found guilty by a majority of nine to six; they were sent back to prison, and the King expressed his wish to have the remaining eight similarly tried; but the Council, subservient though they usually were, mad estana positiveld dan . y on refuse o g o t d Indeed effece thas th muc,o s wa tt h sympathy wit interesd e han th n i t ministers were shown, that distinca ther s ewa t reviva f Presbyteriao l n e land.th zea n i l James, however s determinewa , o fulminatt d l al e kinds of penalties against offenders. In February 1606, a proclamation was issued denouncing as seditious and punishable with death all speeches in defence of the Aberdeen Assembly, and all criticisms what- ever on His Majesty's policy in Kirk and State; and in the month follow- in glona g treatis issues ewa d under authorit Prive th f yo Councild an , printed for distribution throughout the country, under the title " A Declaratio juse th tf ns causeo Majesty' Hi f so s proceedings against those Ministers who are now lying in prison attainted of high treason." This was followe y anotheb d d stilan rl stronger proclamation, issuen i d September after the failure of the Hampton Court conference, discharg- l ministeral g in n pai o sf deat o n h from rememberin n theii g r sermons and prayers, otherwise than with reprobation, any of the ministers now in ward for holding " the late contemptuous conventicle in Aberdeen." The rest of the story is soon told. Sentence of exile was pronounced Novembeh 7t e ministersx th si n o e ro ntheth d an y, embarke t Leithda , and left the shores of their native country for ever. Turnin Calendae notee th th n so i gt r relatin thio gt s stirring incident, we find the following :— "2nd July 1605.—The minister churchee th differenf e so th n si t provincen si Scotland, according to the order appointed by the Church, and confirmed by the authorit e King'th f yo s estatee Majeste realmth th f d so ,yan besides that that orde f meetino r Assembln gi d beeyha n continuall r aboufo e t us forty-fiv n yi e years, met at Aberdeen, and as they had been instructed by mandates from their several Presbyteries, held the appointed Assembly that day after various pro- rogations ; and, therefore, many of them were punished with imprisonment, and some also with exile." August.—Certaid "3r n minister gospee th f Scotlansn o li d were thicomy sda - 170 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 8, 1897.

mitted to prison by the authority of the highest tribunal of the Kingdom, the King ordering it, as afterwards several others were also for the same cause." " 17th August.—The General Assemblie e Churcth f f o sScotlanho d were prohibite publiy db c proclamation throug hherala e principa th n di l townn si the provinces." " 27th August.—The six Scottish ministers who had been imprisoned for some weeks were this day brought before the King's Council at Perth." October.—Thd "3r e other minister wero wh se presene Assemblth t a t t ya Aberdeen appeare t Pertda h befor King'e eth s Council, excepd ha o t thoswh x esi before been committed to prison. Of these, six were ordered to enter different prisons. They obeyed." " 23rd October.—The minister wero sewh committe prisobeginnino de t th t na g of August were this day summoned before the King's Council at Edinburgh." " 10th January 1606.—This day the six Scottish ministers who had been con- fine Blaknesn di monthx si r sfo s were produced befor tribunae eth t Linlitha l - gow, and by the judge who presides at criminal causes were put to the verdict of fifteen chosen men, which is commonly called an assize, that they might pass sentenc capitaa n ei l causethesakd e t th f justicefirst ya An eo r . fo , , were dis- pose acquio dt accusee th t t afterwardbu d; greatee th s r part pleaso t , chiee th e f magistrate, were induced partly to condemn and partly to throw doubt on their previous sentence. Meanwhile, there numberth ef formerlo o wer x swh si e y adhere sentenca o dt f acquittaleo t thes ye ,ministerx si e s were condemned dan e merce .prosecutorth th t f a yo t d thapu an , t with suc hfora f sentencmo s ea no one in that country remembered to have heard, much less any one experienced. Afterwards these ministers, six in number, were sent to prison, and when they had been confined there for ten months all of them were condemned to exile. judgmene th f o sentencd y an tda e condemnatiof eTh o this snwa 1606." " 24th May.—Forbes imprisonee th f o e ,on d ministers transferres wa , d froe mth priso f Blaknesno e Castlth o sf t Edinburghe o witd Johm an , hhi n Welss hhi fellow prisoner s compelle e causwa th , e whosn h ei e d us e testimono t s wa e yh to plead." " 23rd September.—This day the sentence of exile of the Linlithgow tribunal was published against the six ministers who had now been above fourteen months confined in prison." " 13th October.—The sentence of the Court which judged the ministers on the 10t Januarf ho judicialls ywa y promulgate t Linlithgoda w this day thed ,an y were ordere into g oo dt banishmen t withi space nth f thirteo y days thad pain an ,o t n of death ; but meanwhile they were sent back to prison and very closely kept." "23rd October.—Th ministerx d alreadsi e ha o ys wh been condemned were brought before the Court this day to hear the sentence of exile which was in- flicted on them, and to which [exile] they were sent after some days." I cannot reconcil statemente eth lase th t f threo s e entries, which seem to state that sentence of exile was thrice published. As a matter of facte sentencth , e coul t havno d e been know e 23ro earlth s n d s a y September, because the King had not yet intimated his pleasure on the subject, but Melville gives this date also—besides the promulgation on ON A CALENDAR OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 171

t til e 13tlno somth s Octoberf ho wa e t dayI . s later than that—three days indeed afte break-dowe th r Hamptoe th f no n Court conference—that His Majesty wrote to the judge who had presided at the time, ordering him to fix a court, to be held at Linlithgow or elsewhere, on the 23rd October, and then to cause doom of banishment to be pronounced on the alleged traitors. (Of. Privy Council Records, vii. pp. Ix. 262, note.) This was accordingly done, and Sir John Arnot, treasurer-depute, was ordereCouncie th y db tymoumakd o t l an ew s" de provisio f schippo n - d otherwys an e transporting th in r fo e ministers. th f o g e knoW "w that the chronicler is right in the little detail he gives about their being " very closely kept," because the keepers of the castles throughout the kingdom were strictly charged Councie byth suffeo t warde e lt th "r no d ministers to repair furth of the Castles, or any person to have access to them thes a , y will answe t theia r r highest peril." • On the 1st November we have the following entry:—"On this day the six ministers in Scotland who had been confined in prison for fifteen months were led but and went into exile in the year 1606 ; and on the 7th of this month they embarked." They were probably brought from Blackness to Edinburgh till the vesse s read wa e l6tho sail t yth .t n s expecte,a o Thiwa o d t i so t d four in the afternoon, from Leith, and a large number of people assembled thee se mo t offtouchinA . g descriptio e scenth f gives nei o Caldery nb - wood. They did not actually sail on the 6th, however, as it was found tha t e skippecom no th tn board o d e d theha r an , y were allowed to return to their lodgings. " This," says Melville in his diary, " was not without a Providence, as that night such a storm sprang up that the ship was compelled to lie all night in Kinghom roads." The date of the embarkatio specialls ni y mentione de Calenda agaith n ni r undes it r proper date, 7th November. "In the year 1606 the six ministers sentenced to exile beyond the dominions of James, King of Great Britain, went to Leith, and took ship to-day." This is the last entry ministersx f thesi o relatin e mw th Fe wero t .g e ever destinee se o dt Scotland again. Alexander Strachan e ministeth , f Creicho r , diet a d Middleburg the following year. John Welsh, of Ayr, Knox's son-in-law, settled in France, and for some years had his stipend regularly remitted 2 17 PROCEEDING F THO SE SOCIETY, MARC , 1897H8 . e magistrateth y b m f Ayrhi so becamo e t h : a fluene t French preacher,, and was much respected. He came back to Britain in 1622, intending to settl n Novi e a Scotia t die bu n Londo,i d n thai n t year, age. 52 d Andrew D.uncan, ministe f Creicho r , obtaine e appointmenth d f Proo t - fessor of Theology in the College of Rochelle, but returned to Britain in 1613 havind an , g made submissio e Kingth o t n, resume s ministrhi d y parisd ol s hie nwashi ;h , however, ultimately subjecte variouo t d s pro- secutions died t Berwick-on-Tweedan d,a 1626n i . John Sharpe th f o , parish of Kilmany, in Fife, became Professor of Theology in the College n Dauphine'i e oDi ft beinbu , g compelle o leavt d e Franc n 1630i e , returne Britaino dt probabld an , ysubmissios gavhi n ei Kinge th s o nt a , appointes wa e h d Professo f Divinito r e Universitth n yi f Edinburghyo , n whici h tow e dieh nn 1648 i d . Forbes e ministeth , f Alfordo r s wa , the third son of William Forbes of Corse, and brother of Patrick Forbes, Bisho Aberdeenf pbeeo d ha n e ModeratoH . Aberdeee th f ro n Assembly, and was therefore considered a kind of ringleader of the offending ministers. After his exile he settled as preacher to the English mer- chants at Middleburg, whence he removed to Delft. He afterwards went to England and obtained the King's promise that his sentence and that of his co-exile Durie should be annulled; but the promise was of the usual pie-crust order, and, indeed, it was not long before he had to remove from Delft, owing, it is said, to the interference of the English Government. He died in Holland about 1634. Of Durie, the remain- ing one of the six, I shall have occasion to speak immediately. I have dealt with all the entries relating to the case of the six ministers together in order to present a consecutive view of the situa- tion t seeinbu , e incidentgth s related extended ove a perior f abouo d t fifteen months, there are, as might be expected, some other occurrences which are noted as having taken place during that time. On 2nd Oct. 1605 a great eclipse of the sun, accompanied with great darkness, was seen in the kingdom of Scotland, -and on the 5th November the Gunpowder Plot is duly chronicled in these words:—

" On this day the design of the Papists in England, and of others who were allied with them, was to destroy at one stroke, with gunpowder, the house in which the estates of the Kingdom were sitting, when all had met together in ON A CALENDAR OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 173

Parliament. This plot ver,a executionyn i short pu t e timb , o et s beforwa t i e was wonderfully detecte frustrated dan d; whic h posterity should never forget; Kinge foth r , Queenl theial d r childre,an n would thus have perishe momena n di t privs wa thayo t o if tsom wh horrible eon e t warnetreasono d dnha some on e dear to him of the danger by a letter, which, when it came into the hands of the King to be read, made him suspect that there was some contrivance on foot. Scrutiny in consequence was made, and there were found twenty-four casks of gunpowder under faggots in the lower storey of that edifice ; and at the same time they observed a subterranean conduit sprinkled with gunpowder, and fire prepared outsid subterraneaa n ei n ditch, which would quickly have reachee dth firen o .t i e sufficientl t Nevew powde se n d ca r an r y admir d gratefullan e y acknowledge the deliverance which was given by God this day." On llth February 1606 meetina , e Synoth f gf Fifo do mentiones ei d havins a g taken plac t Cupaea r thirty days afte e condemnatioth r n {i.e., verdice th t against themimprisonee th f o ) d ministers. Calderwood tells us thaKine appointed th t gha e Synod th l dal s to mee thin o ts dayn i , order that one might not understand the resolution of another. Five Articles were submitted to them by his Majesty, all tending to the acknowledgment of his supremacy in the matter of calling Assemblies, continuance th an o dt suppord e statean th f Bishopsf eo o t resulte Th . , however, was not satisfactory to the King, most of the Synods content- g themselvein s with referrin e consideratiogth Articlee e th th f o no t s General Assembly. 160y have e Ma w 6obi f th Eobereh Oo t n8t t Pont, "Theologian, Jurist, and a man skilled in various other sciences, minister of the church which is commonly called St Cuthbert's." Pont was one of e mosth t distinguishen i s e Churchwa th e n d learnei H an d.n me d 1569 made Provost of Trinity College, and afterwards presented to St Cuthbert's Church. In 1572 he was appointed to be one of the Senator e Collegth f s o deprivef Justiceo ewa t f thabu o d, t officn i e 1584 by the passing of an Act prohibiting all persons "exercising function f ministrio s e withid to e .KirGo beath n f r exerciso ko r y ean offic f civio e l jurisdiction. n I 158" e Kinth 7e b g o t desire m hi d Bisho f Caithnesspo t preventethis bu ,s wa d by e Genera'th l Assembly. e 81s th e dies buriet i Cuthbert'H s S age tn i d d hi yea n i df an , o r s churchyard, Edinburgh. t Jul1s y 1606.—"O e estatenth thi y f Scotlan so Parliasda n i t d-me ment at Perth, when the Episcopal Hierarchy was re-established." 174 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 8, 1897. •

This entry refer whao t s s knowi t e s Ke"a nth d Parliament," because noblee th robesd s s re mosappeare It w . t ne memorabl n di er Actsfa o s , as they relate ecclesiasticao t d l matters, were " anenon e e King'th t s Majesty's Prerogative," which upheld his supremacy over all estates, causes persond an , s whatsoever. Another, " anen restitutioe th t e th f no estat f Bisehoppis,o e t reallno d y di "re-constitut e that order, because there wer t thaea t tim o lesn es thaScottisn te n h Bishops t i gav t ebu , them certain privilege d emolumentan s s whic t beforhno thed edi y possess. 23rd September 1606.—The obit of William Douglas, Earl of Morton o die t Lochlevea wh d, n s besi Castle e t H e know.th s a n custodie f Queeo r n Mar s imprisoney whewa e nsh t Lochlevena d n O . e deatth f Archibaldo h , Ear f Anguo l d Mortonan s n 1588i , e ,h succeede sixts da h Ear Mortonf o statels i t I d . that " whil maine h e - tained all the hospitality and oven magnificence of the ancient barons, s domestihi c arrangements were conducted s finhi e d famil,an y reare, dup in accordance with the purity of his morals and the strict regard which uniformle h y showe e dutieth f o religiondt o s s publiHi . c conducs wa t marke independencey b d e showeh d an d, himsel a warf d steadman y friend to the Presbyterian Church." On 20th Apri have obie w l f Danieeth o t Droe d l n " presbytee th n i r Church "vernaculae (thith n si underlined)d an r , ministe churce th f o rh of Flushing, and who commonly preached both in the Belgian and English church there. He died this day, Gregorian style, 1607. I have not been able to discover who this Daniel Dron was. Stevens s lisf doeminister hi o t tmentio e Flushinn sno i th m f o snhi g church, firse givee th h t s beinr Potts acteo M ga wh ,d previousl 1610o yt . On 20th June 160 chronicles i 7 deate dth Elizabetf ho h Durie, James Melville's first wife. Meanwhile, we are told, " her husband, partly exiln a es a fro s nativmhi e land, partl a prisoner s ya s detainewa , n di England, for, summone royay db l letterssailed ha de h , from Anstruther llte onth h August Juliae th n ni , style." There is peculiar appropriateness in the mention of that lady, for, as ther s reasoei o believent , these lines were penne a relative y b d f i , not her own brother. She was the daughter of John Durie, one of the OCALENDAA N E SIXTEENTTH F O R H 5 CENTUKY17 .

minister f Edinburgho s Melvilld an , e had account,n accordinow s hi , o gt fallen in love with her when she was a girl of eleven or twelve, and married t sixteena ha r dhe . Melville himselfr e wastimhe th f eo t , a death, in England, where he had been since the Hampton Court confer- ence. He was allowed to return for a short time to Anstruther to arrange his affairs after his wife's death. On 17th September 160 e appearanc7th e eastera come th f o en i tn parts of Europe is noted, and on the 25th of the same month it is again mentione s appearina d e north-westh n gi t sevea t r eighno t o'clocn i k e eveningth . JanuarOh n6t y 160 e deat8th f Alexandeo h r Strachan t Middlea , - burg o whict , I hhav e previously referred s chronicledi , . Calderwood saye Flander diee th h sf do s sicknesssend ha t d man an t ,unavailin ybu g supplication allowee Kine countryn b th o gow o t st returo s dt hi . o nt 21st November 1612.—"Prince Henry of "Wales, the eldest son of the King of Britain, who had raised the greatest hopes in all, died this day. a rumouTher s wa f epoisoo r n administered through sprinkled gloves." The Prince of Wales was most popular in the country, and was, owing to his strongly expressed opinions against popery, the champion and Protestane hopth f eo holdins t hi party o t gs .thi wa "st I ecclesiastical position," says Dr Hill Burton, " that we may attribute the dark rumours about foul play that attende s earlhi d y death.s mori t I e " likely, however, tha e die h tf somdo e malignant fever. nexe Th t not havaccounn e a deate w s eth i f f Jameho o t s Melville, an muco ds h spac s devote i es careehi o t dr s cleai thae entrt i th tr y must havd somha ee o beespeciawh ne madon l y interesb e n himi t . e entrfollows a Th s yi s :— "20th January.—Mr James f raro Melville en piet ma d mor a y,an e than common prudence, and endowed with learning and erudition both divine and human threr fo , e year mord san e lecture Hebren di College th wn i Glasgowf eo , d aftean r publi e thacalles th wa y t cb d authorit professorshie th o yt f Thepo - ology in the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Having obtained this Sparta, he nobly, and with great applause from all, adorned it till 1587, at which time, on accoun singulas hi f o greatd ran Churc e calles t th gifts wa y db undere o h t h , - take the pastoral office at churches which were destitute of ministers, which before wer e minister on rule y d coulb d t an agre, no d y calo othet ean l r 176 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 8, 1897.

ministe s there , t himwhewa bu He re , . nh wit e prudencth h d pietan en i y which he excelled, provided two other ministers for those churches, one for e churcth f Anstruthero h e churce th othe th ,r f Pittenweemfo rho , whera e church was newly built, for that town had before been a part of the parish of Anstruther e himselh t Bu f . remained ministe e churcth f f o Kilrennerho y from the year 1590, where he discharged his office with very great profit, not only to that congregation but to all the neighbouring churches, till 1606, in whiche 15tth hn o ,August e King'th y b ,s command wene h , Londoo t t n with Andrew Melville uncles ,hi . From which time til confines l 161wa e 3h d within certain limits, so that he was not permitted to return to his church and flock till littl a thaf o etd beforyeaen e r eth libert gives s ywhild wa himo nwa t An e e.h considerin returns e 20thi th f hgo n o Januar, piousle yh ys sou gavhi o t lp u e God who gave it, 1614 by the Roman calendar, but by the Jewish calendar in the eleventh month of 1613, in the fifty-eighth year of his age, if not older." The life of James Melville is so well known to students of this period of Scottish s beehistoryha no mand s treate an ,y yb writersf do , includ- ing himself, that it would be out of place to enter into any discussion of t herei . Ther lona minut d s ei gan e accoun lass hi t f houro t Caldern si - wood's History. Under 21st May 1613 there is the following curious notice of the executio f Lorno d Maxwell assassinatioe foth r Laire th Johnstof f dno o n in 1608:— " Regulus Maxwel mistaka ( l r John)fo e Scottisa , deato t ht hnoblepu s wa , t Edinburgha accounn o ,foue th lf slaughteo t Lorf o r d Johnsto limbs hi e n: sar said, after his head was cut off, to have turned five men off the scaffold by many sharp blows thad an , t whe headless nhi s bod encloses ywa coffina n e coffidi th , n beins wa g burst i professee carried s h a ts A .d himsel a Eomaf n Catholice h , perishe grean di t favou thaf ro wittn kidney.hme " "2nd December.—On this day, in the Julian style, Mr John Kinnear, a pioud learnean sn ministedma churce th f ro f Leuchars ho Lore , dieth n di n d i the year 1613." thio t entriee sp th datU l eal s relatin o Scottist g h affairs have been by one hand. Another now takes up the tale, and relates that on the 14th September 1616 " Eobert Durie, when he had been an exile for ten years from his country of Scotland at Leyden, after he had there set therd churca ha s God ep hi d u preacheo an ,t h Gospee th d l continually for seven years, died this day." The same writer notes the appearance olarga f t palebu e come Hollann i t e 29tth hn do Novembe r 1618. e Calendae noteth th n l o sThes al re whicear h havrelatioy an e o nt Scotland thougd an ; t discloshno they yema anything whic actualls hi y ON A CALENDAR OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTUKY. 177

new—and it would be strange if they did, seeing that few periods of our history are so well supplied with annals—they yet afford consider- able interest as being the work of one who lived at the time, and was probably an actor in the scenes described. Let us see, as briefly as possible, if we can discover his identity. The entire notes on the book, numbere th I o previousl t s a , y stated sixty-fourf o , wore th , ke seeb mo t of four hands. Those relating to classical and mediaeval subjects are in whoe n judgeon ca , e handwriting f I undeo th , s a rr datfa o es , 23rd September, describes himself thus:—"This day in the year 1554 was bor possessoe nth f thio r s book, John Funger e villagth f n Collumi ,o e , at seven in the morning ;" and he gives us a further glimpse into his family history on 9th April, when he says, " Mr Tilius Andreas, of pious memory, a reader (lector) in Leuwarden College, and my father- in-law candia , piousd dan e earl th man yn i ,morning ,juss whetwa t ni getting light s hardl, whewa e yh n awake, hear a dvoic e [say] thal al t thing d beeha sn peaceful e enougpasth t n i hmonths t thae bu ,th t present month would be stormy. In this very month afterwards the most noble Prince of Orange was slain by a bloody thief, who discharged a gun at him, to the great sorrow of many men." This, of course, refers to the assassination of William the Silent, which, however, did not take plac n 10tAprilo n i e t h bu Jul, r TiliuyM 1584 o s AndreaWh . s swa I do not know, but his son-in-law, Funger, the original owner of this book, was sufficiently celebrated for some facts about him to have come down to us. He lived, or at all events was born, as he tells us, at Collum, which is a village in Frisia, near Leuwarden. He was a bit of a poet, and some verses of his may be found in the Delicice Poetarum Belgicorum ; he was the author also of a poem of 170 lines in praise of his native country, which he dedicated to Prince Maurice and Count William, the governors of Frisia, and also of a kind of etymological dictionar n Hebrewyi , Greek s sai i d Latino hav t de an , H e . dien i d s possessio booe probabls hi 1611th f kt wa o t bu , nyou long before that, e noteasth Scottisn so a differenh n i affair e ar ts hande writeTh f .o r these gives no personal details whatever about himself, but he must at the time of writing them have been living abroad, from his constant and specific mention of Scotland, which he would not have used had he VOL. xxxi. . ii 8 17 PROCEEDING E SOCIETVTH F O S , MARC , 8 H1897 .

been in that country himself. Dealing, as the notes do, almost entirely with ecclesiastical affairs, we are led to suppose that he was in all probability a minister of the Presbyterian Church, wliile his frequent allusion e Presbyterth o st t AndrewS f yo s see shomo t as w wa tha e h t member of that body. With James Melville he must have been- intimately acquainted, and, as we have seen, must either have had access to his diary, or have been in some way put in possession of his lines on the comet. He follows Melville, too, in his account of the publication or pronouncing of the sentence of banishment on the six ministers, and which appears, according to them, to have been done on three several occasions. Melville appears to have a special interest for the writer, as he not only gives a comparatively long account of his death, but mention demise firss th s hi e notedt b f wif eo y e, ma tooalso t I , .tha t e copiew mush fe te s havth of f . eo Vautrollier' seee on n s unfinished editio f Knox'no s History, whic printes wa h n Londoi d n 1586i n t ,bu almost immediately suppressed. The incident, however, which is most fully treated of in the notes is the trial and banishment of the six ministers, and the details given can hardly have emanated from a persona t no d le proceedingsha th shar o n i ewh e e Th anon y. inferenc e drawnb o t e , therefore s i a thae ,Presbywrite th s t wa r - terian minister, a member of the St Andrews Presbytery, an intimate frien f Jameo d f thoso s x ministere Melvillesi e on o werd wh san e , exile n 1606i d e havW . e seee ultimatth n e fat f fivo f etheso e e: the sixth was Robert Durie, the minister of Anstruther, and upon a careful consideration of all the circumstances, I have come to the conclusiol probabilital n i s n authoe notese wa e thay th th e H h f t. o r is sai f Joho o havt d e ministern nth e so f Duriebee o e f e th no s on , Edinburgh, and if this is the case he would be Melville's brother-in-law, and this would also account for the special mention which he makes of Mrs Melville's death. At all events, he was an intimate friend of Melville, and is frequently mentioned in the diary; indeed, there is a most amusing account given thera storm f eo y passage acros Forte sth h from Nort lifs hi e hr aule ( "Berwicfo th d w ro Elieo t ko t d , wheha e nh man being dammist and machless "). He was for some time assistant to schoolmastee th t Dunfermlinea r s ordainewa d ministes dan a , f Abero r - ON A CALENDAR OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 179

crombi n 1588i e s cominHi . g ther realls ewa y throug e influencth h e of Melville n 158i beeo d 6ha wh n, admitte e parishth o t d, which then consisted of Anstruther, Kilrenny, Pittenweem, and Abercrombie. He brought witRoberm hhi t Duri eassistants ahi s ultimateld an ,m hi t ygo appointe e solth e o dt charge paris th f f Anstrutheo heo n i s rthi: wa s yearw 1592fe s A after. , Durie accompanie e Associatiodth f Advenno - t lonno gturere s Isl theref s th Lewis ewa o o n 160 st wa I t .e bu ,1h appointed with Robert Pont to visit the bounds of Orkney and Zetland. He took part, as we have seen, in the Assembly of 1605, and his subse- quent fate has been fully told. When he reached the continent he was fortunate enough , a churcafte t a timerge ho t ,endowe e magisth y db - trates of Leyden, in Holland, where he finally settled. Being, as I have said attachen a , d frien f Jameo d s Melville—who indeed style y "m m shi faithful frien companiod an d n t surprisin"—ino s i t fino gt d tha kepe h t t up a correspondence with Andrew Melville, who was living at Sedan. The sturdy old Presbyterian champion, resting after a stormy life in the cold shade of exile, wrote Durie many letters, some of which are now in the Advocates' Library. He not unfrequently writes on terms of intimate and even playful familiarity. " When our dame bakes," he says, "you shall hav sconeea . Commengooy m y do m t cumme e o t d m d an r godson, and to the rest of the bairns. I may see them once er I die, now enterin seventiy gm e year. s MelvillA " bor s 1545en wa ni , this must have been written very shortly before Durie's death. The pen was soon to fall from the hand of him who, I believe, wrote the notes we have been dealing with f i furthe; r evidenc wantes ei o connect d witm hi ht their authorship s suppliei e fact ,i th t y dthab t whil lase eth t entrn yi the handwriting in which all the Scottish notes have been made is on Decembed 2n r 1613 nexe th , t entry poinn n entireli ,a f dateo n ti s i ,y different hand chronicled an , s Durie's deat 14tn ho h September 1614. This make presumptioe sth s havinhi f no g bee writee e othernth th f o rs very strong indeed. Of the adventures of the volume itself, unfortunately, we know but little. How it passed from the hands of Funger into those of Durie it s impossibli : Leuwarde y sa o et Leyded lona froy an n e mgwa ar n each other, though both in Holland, but the possibilities of the book chang- 180 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, MARCH 8, 1897.

handg in endlesse e sar discussed b need t an ,d no t I nex. t turnn i p su England d musan , t hav ee Dixoe hand beeth th f n ni so n family before the end of the seventeenth century, as Charles Dixon chronicles the birth of his grandfather in 1612, and of his father in 1638, while his son James tell s thau se himsel h t s bor n wa 1719i nf . Some membe f thao r t famil s insertedyha , under date 27th July e obi f Caroluth , o t s Ayrton ni 1550,—a Margaret Ayrton, probabl s daughteryhi , having married John Dixon in 1569. The Dixons have lived at a place called The Marsh, in Salop, about 8 or 9 miles from Shrewsbury, for the last 300 years. booe re-discoveres Th kwa curioua n di s manner about eighty yearb o sag membea familye th secondhana f ro n i , d bookseller's sho Shrewsburyn pi . namen seeinattractey s ow b , s wa t i Caroluhi ge o H t d s Dixone th n o , cover, and the pedigree of his family inside: he bought it forthwith for booe eithed Th e Marshkha salee th r. th 2s t beesf a 6d .o , e n solon t da after the death of one of the proprietors, or it may have got into the bookseller's hand n anothei s r way e grandfatheTh . e presenth f o rt possessor, Mr Craig, was a clergyman of the Church of Scotland, married in 1811 a Miss Dixon of The Grange, Atcham, near Shrewsbury, and settle Shrewsburn di s retiremenhi n yo t froe ministrmth y about 1817. It is possible that the book was given to him as relating to Scottish matters in which he would have an interest, and that it was sold at his death. In any case, it is not a little remarkable that it should have returned to the family in the way I have described. In bringing this paper to a close—which has run to a length which I t dianticipatdno e whe nI bega n it—I canno t expresbu t thanky sm o st Mr Maitland Thomson, the Curator of the Historical Department, Register r HumHouseM d e an ,Brown distinguishee th , d biographe f Buchanao r n and Knox r mucfo , h valuable assistance I ventur d An o hopt e. e that the voice from the past, echoing over a gulf of nearly three centuries, has t falle no youn no r ears without exciting some degre interestf eo .