III.

JOHN KNOX'S HOUSE, NETHERBOW, . By SIR DANIEL WILSON, LL.D., F.R.S.E., HON. MEM. S.A. SCOT.

Among the picturesque features of historical interest which claim a special value as relics of Edinburgh in the olden time, none attracts more general notice than the tenement in the Netherbow, familiarly recognised as 's house. e Reformer'Th s occasiona d frequentlan l y interrupted residencn i e Edinburgh, from the date of his return to in 1559 till his death thirteen years thereafter, would, in the absence of authentic evi- dence, seem to be inconsistent with the probability of his repeated return from his prolonged wanderings to the same abode. But the venerable structure which stil Hige l standth fooe f hr th somo tt fo Streea s es ha t generations bee objecn na f interesto t e citizen t onlth no ,o y t f Edin o s - burgh, but to many visitors from distant lands, owing to its association with e s namassumeth hi s ea d mans s efirsa provide t m ministehi r dfo f o r St Giles Church. Tha e lodginth t e gAbbo th bot f f Dunfermlino o ht e firsth t d an e e Netherboth ministen i t Gile S s s beef wwa ha o sr n establishen o d undisputiible evidence; and the vague survival of this fact no doubt finae s sharit th ld n ei assignmen ha e housth f to e whic veneratioe hth f no later times has associated with the memory of the great Reformer. His biographer rested his statement that John Knox removed to the lodg- ing of Abbot Durie on the trustworthy authority of an entry in the Burgh Records traditiod an ; n complete e covetedth d evidenc identifyiny eb g JOHN KNOX'S HOUSE, NETHERBOW, EDINBURGH5 15 .

the house, which for at least three generations has been regarded with devout reverence s dwelling-plachi s a , e throughout those eventful years, in which, amid the strife of civil war and embittered theological con- flict, the brave Eeformer fought the good fight, and finished his course. Happily, whatever reasons there may be for reviewing the evidence whic s lonha h g suffice o givt d e currenc a popula o t y r traditione th , picturesque building assume o havt d e bee e towth n n mansioe th f o n abbots of Dunfermline still constitutes a notable feature among the survival thaf so t sixteenth century, when Scottish abbot othed san r church dignitaries were falling into disrepute. Wit s antiquhit e gabled archi- tecture, its ingenious emblematic sculptures, its heraldic decorations and inscriptions replets i t i , e with interes relia f s oldeco a t r centuriesd an , of an obsolete style of building, altogether apart from traditional associa- tions either with mitred abbots or with the Reformer. It is with extreme reluctance that I venture on a reconsideration of the evidence that has long been accepted in proof of the location of so many striking personal incidents pertaining to the life and times of the great Reformer in the antique building known as " John Knox's House." Had it rested with myself alone, I should have preferred to leave the associations undisturbe n ascertainindo g tha actuae th t l lodgin whicn gi h e firsth t Protestant ministe t GileS f o sr succeede e lasth dt Abbof o t Dunfermline had, while still unidentified, been involve e indisth n -i d criminating ravage Improvementn a f so s Commission. r M'Crie'D s statement that John Knox removed fro temporars mhi y residence in the house of David Forrester " to the lodging which had belonged to Durie, Abbot of Dunfermline " proves to be strictly correct, though later historians and local topographers have failed to note that it s immediathi s a t wano se successor. Acceptin s statemenhi g t without verification, and superadding to it the assumption that the traditional identification of the house at the Netherbow rests on no less indisputable authority, subsequent writers have given free rei theio nt r fancy supd an ,- plemented the available facts with manifold amplifications of detail. t traditioBu n having assume identificatioe dth picturesque th f no d eol e housNetherboth t ea e mansReformere th th s wf a eo , busied itseln i f later years in specifying every detail, and associating each nook and 156 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, FEBRUARY 9, 1891.

cranny with some real or fancied incident in his chequered career—the window through which he was shot at, the study where he plied his busy pen, and the room in which his eventful life drew to its end. Fancy having, as is believed, the actual house on hand, might be par- doned thus enterin temptine th n go g proces f transmutinso g probabilities into fact, but the process is a misleading one, and the appetite of credulity having been once whetted e firsth , t probabilities were supplementedt no , onl "thy yb e preaching window, subterraneaa y b t "bu n baptister whicyn i h e Eeformeth credites wa r d with secretly administerin sacrament,e gth n i s a the catacombs of Rome during the persecutions of N"ero and Diocletian. e evidencindisputablw Th no s i o eKnox't s a e s first abode having house beeth Trunn n i eni k Close r Turing'o , formerls s wa Close t i s ya , called. There is nothing inconsistent with probability in the tradition which was revived at the beginning of the present century, and has ever since assigne Netherbohouse e dth th n ei Knox's wa s latest y homeWh . need we, in the absence of any proof to the contrary, renounce the pleasant belief that, after greaalle th , t Reforme actualld di r y spens dhi las tvenerable dayth n i s e lodging associated wit nams hhi s etha? wa t i t in its chamber that my Lords of Morton, Boyd, and the Laird of Drum- lanrig held their last conference with him ? that the Lord Lindsay, Lord Ruthven, and the Earl of Glencairn were visitors there 1 and that it was to the old fabric still standing in the ISfetherbow that he returned from his last sermo t GileS n i s Churc loo e contemporare vaiW n kth i hn 1 i y nar- e rativeclosinth f o sg e sceneReformer'th f o s s life, furnishes hi y b d devoted attendant Richard Bannatyne, and by Mr Thomas Smeton, for e definitth e information they coul readilo s d y have given t whicbu , h would then have been superfluous. Smeton describe lass dhi t sermon ni St Giles Church, on the 9th of November 1572, and then adds: "After he had pronounced the blessing upon the people with a mind more cheerful than usual t wit bu ,wea a h k body d leaninan , g upos nhi staff e departed,h , accompanie y almosb d e wholth t e assemblys hi o t , house, from which he did not again come forth in life." Some memories transmitted from older times recalled e beginninth e presenn i ,th f go t century e thankfu b e association th s u ,e r localityth fo t l Le f o s. JOHN KNOX'S HOUSE, NETHERBOW, EDINBURGH7 15 .

e traditioth n that connected ane e picturesquth w e buildine th n i g Netherbow wit greaname e hth th f te o Reformer othes ha rt I association. s of genuine historical interest belonging to his age, and giving it strong claims on the protecting care of all who value such links with past genera- tions and the national history. Yet, had it not been for the faith in it formee th s a r abod f Joheo n Knox s dooit , m would have been sealen di 1849, whe e Death nf Guilo n d condemne a ruinou s a t i sd fabric, dangerou encumbranc n liegese a th d o st an , streete th o et . I sketche fabrid ol ce dwheth t nseemei e reduceb lass o dt it t o dstagt e of decrepitude, andregretted afterwards that I allowed the drawing to be en- graved for my Memorials of Edinburgh. But it suffices to show the ruinous condition into which it had then fallen. An ill-regulated spirit of veneratio combinedd nha , afte fashioa r s ownit f ,no with careless negli- e inevitablth genc d ean e effect f timeo s d buildino reduct ,ol e eth o t g suc dilapidateha unsightld dan y conditio hars n persuado thadwa t t i t e the ordinary citizen that the time-worn, battered structure was worth preserving ideae Th , .moreover t possessiogo d a populath ha , f no r mind t wouli , of dhousd generaa d leaol ri o t de t th coulthago l f i e tb d widening of the street; and I have a vivid remembrance of the response owealtha f e latteth y t citizen ra liberaa dato s ewh wa ,l co-operaton i r the preservation of some of the choicest features of Old Edinburgh. When appealed to to aid in preventing the demolition of the ruinous tenement, his reply was that he would not give a shilling to preserve it, but would will- ingly contribute five pounds toward waye s dooIt th s clearinf .m o t ou gt i was accordingly accepted as inevitable; and the erection of a memorial churc s advocates sitit ewa n ho zealouy b d s venerator e f Knoso th s a x only means preservinlefr fo t s namghi n eassociatioi n wit localitye th h . Misguided zead helpeha l o disfigurdt buildinge eth d effectuallan , y dis- guised s somchoicesit f eo t attractions e curiouTh . s bas-reliefe th n o s west frontdelivere recognisabl w th Divine o t s no th ,a f w l yo al eLa y eb Moses beed ha , n transformed int oridiculoua s caricatur Reformere th f eo . So entirely had the true significance of the sculpture and the accompanying inscription been lost sigh thaf thus o t182 n i t wa s t 5describei d evey nb so careful and intelligent an observer as Robert Chambers: " Close beneat e windoth h w ther s lonha eg existe a curioud se effigth f o y 158 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, FEBRUARY 9, 1891.

Reformer stuck upon the comer, and apparently holding forth to the passers-by thif featureO o sn . s lona wer r gefo time discernible r tilM l Dryden (then tenant of the house) took shame to himself for the neglect it was experiencing, and got it daubed over in glaring oil colours, at n expenseow s intenselo hi . tw d nosThud re yan ea s blac k eyes were brought strongly out on the mass of face; and a pair of white iron Geneva band blacs w witne k h a gow n complete resuscitation."e dth thit s sBu wa 1 one of the later stages of transformation which effectually obscured the true meanin e sculptureth f go pulpitA . , with canop d deskyan , obviously modelled after that of St George's Church, and probably therefore about the date of 1814, had been superadded, not without serious mutilation of the kneeling figure. The absurd transformation was rendered still more ridiculou a subsequen y sb t appendag precentoa f s deseo hi k n i under r the pulpit; while the key which the inscription supplies to the meaning bas-reliee oth f hiddes wa f n under modern signboards t somA e. much earlier dat so-callee eth d "preaching window, from which, says tradition, he preached to the populace assembled below," 2 had been stuck on over another of the sculptured decorations, the recovery of which, as will be seen, furnishe a valuabld e histor e buildingth cluth s o it t f e yo d an , first occupants. As to the story of the preaching window, it is a modern invention, wholly inconsistent with the actions of the bold Reformer who in 1559 preached on four successive days in St Andrews Cathedral in defiance of the Archbishop, controverted the articles of Quintine Abben ow Kennedf Crossragwell o ys hi n i y d fearlesslan , y rebuked Lord Darnley from the pulpit of St Giles Church. Veneration and neglect combined in the defacement and dilapidation of the old house; an ruis dit n had been wellnigh completed by breakin wese dooa th t tn ri g ou fron placn smali ta f eo l window removae th ,linte e th whicf f lo lo h threat- ened the downfall of the wall. Such was the condition of " John Knox's house" when in 1849 the Society of Antiquaries interposed; and with the aid of others who venerated the memory of Scotland's great Reformer, after tedious negotiations e interdic th ,e Dea th f Guilf n o o ts with dwa - e wordrawnth f restoratio ko d an , n proceeded with. Mr James Smith, her Majesty's Master Mason, and a Fellow of this 1 Traditiom of Edinburgh, t ed. . 2411s p , . 2 Ibid., . 240p . JOHN KNOX'S HOUSE, NETHERBOW, EDINBURGH. 159

Society, gav s efficienehi t services gratuitousl e superintendencth n yi f eo e work r Handysidth M . e Ritchie favourita , e greae pupith f to l Danish sculptor Thorvaldsen, undertoo removae kth tastelese th f o l s excrescences and the restoration of the mutilated carving. The curious piece of mediaeval allegory thus freed from obscuratio d restores an nit o t d original expressive significanc lons eha g been familia youngea o t r r genera- tion. It is unique of its class, and dissimilar from any other e manth of y ingenious emblematic devices onc o commos e e th n o n older dwelling e Scottisth f o s h capitals therefori t I . e well calculated stimulato t e e builde enquirtenemente th th o t f s o rya whoso t , e tastr eo professional sympathie e characterististh c sculpture duee b y . sma The y seemed indeed no inappropriate adornment for the town lodging of a mitred abbot and senator of the College of Justice; nor were they less suitable for the manse of the dauntless Eeformer to whom Scotland owed the new evangel. The Hebrew lawgiver is represented as kneeling on mounte th stretchind an s ,han hi receivt o dt g ou lawe tablee th th e . f so Jehovah appear f Righteousnesso n s undeSu e e figurth th r f o e , veilen i d cloudsfurthee th n o r, side; while fro brightnese mth effulgencs it f so e th e divine glory descends obliquel rayn yi lighf so t towards Moses dise Th c . of the emblematic luminary is inscribed in Greek, Latin, and English, 6EO e 2entablaturth • DEVn o S. GOD d an e, below, extending alone th g whole main front of the building, is carved in large Roman characters n commandment te e epitom e th th f o e s whic e Hebrehth w prophes i t receiving: LVFE . GOD . ABVFB . AL . AND . YI . NYCTBOVB . AS . YI . SELF. e whole unitth Th f eyo desig s thui n s apparent e sculpturTh . d ean inscription e complementarar s y feature n thii s s representatioe th f o n giving forth of the law on Mount Sinai, when "the Lord called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud; and the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the childre Israef o n l " (Exod. xxiv. 16 ,r upward17)Fo . f fortso y years this significant piece of symbolic sculpture has been freed from its vulgar obscurations and defacement, yet, such is the tenacity of any long-current popular belief, that the text of Mr James Grant's Old and New Edin- burgh, publishe recentlo s d s 1882a y , perpetuate e misdirecteth s d zeal of a past generation, as though no effort had been made to strip the genuine 0 16 PROCEEDING SOCIETYE TH F O S , FEBRUAR , 18919 Y .

sculptur s spuriouit f eo s disguisings readee Th gravels .i r y tol thiy db s historian of Old and New Edinburgh that, "perched upon the corner abov e entranceth e dooa smal d s hideoui r an l s e Eeformeeffigth f o y r preachin pulpita n gpointini d an ; g wit righs hhi t hand abov heas ehi d toward rudsa eburstinn sculptursu e t froth g ou m f eo ami clouds."e dth 1 The allegorical significance of the ingenious device, as now restored to its trae condition, with the epitome of the decalogue as a component part of designe th , perpetuate a singularls y interesting embodimen spirie th f to t of that transitional period which everywhere followed in the wake of the Renaissance. Wholly apart from any associations claimed for it with the great Eeformer e preservatiod buildingth ,ol e th ,f o nwit s uniquit h e decorations, is a matter of congratulation to every one capable of appre- ciating this highly characteristic memorial of one of the most memorable periods of our national history. e DivinTh e Lawgivee Hebreth d wan r prophet, wit e symbolith h c prefiguremen e givinn th te e epitom f th o e gt e law th d fort th f an f ,eo o h commandments, might perhaps scarcely accord wit populae hth r estimation of abbots and other church dignitaries in the age of the Reformation. Yet the ingenious sacred sculpture could not be regarded as out of place on the town lodging of an abbot, though the terms in which Knox refers to Abbot Durie are inconsistent enough with the appropriateness of any symbolism of Divine law and justice. But the historian of the Reformation penne s narrativdhi e ami bitterese dth t controversial strife, and in the heat of civil war. He introduces his supposed predecessor in lodgind ol e principas gth a nefarioua n i l s scheme devise "thy db e preasts and the schavin sorte " for the betrayal of the Castle of St Andrews in 1546 ; and again as one of the pair of "cruele beastis, the Bishope of Sanctandroi Abbod san f Dumfermling,o t " conjoine compaso dt deate sth h of Sir John Melville. But so different was his estimation by the faitd adherentol he thatth f so , accordin Dempstero gt canonises wa e h , d two years after his death.2 But however appropriate the sculptured allegor adornmenye th migh s a lodgine emineny e th tb an f o tf go t church dignitary, the evidence relied upon for assigning the house in the 1 Old and New Edinburgh, vol. i. p. 214. 2 Knox's Hist., vol. i. pp. 183, 224. JOHN KNOX'S HOUSE, NETHEKBOW, EDINBURGH1 16 .

Netherbow as the residence of the Abbot of Dunfermline proves to be misleading. The main building is a well-finished piece of masonry, consisting of squared and polished ashlar, with moulded cornices, string- courses, and pilasters. But to this additions of a less substantial nature beed ha n made fro me remova th tim n o timeo e t f som th o ld f an eo ; later timber work an ornate and well-finished window-frame of stone was brough lighto t tbeneatd elaborately-sculpturean n , a t i h d panel bearing the arms and initials of the original builders. This discovery effectually disposed of much vague tradition relative to d structureol e th r therefo ; , enclosed withi a nsculpture d wreatha s i , shield bearing on a chevron three crowns, with three oak-trees, two and eithen o fielde d shielre d th one an th sidan initial n e ; i f ,. d th o e M . sI M. A .Wit e helh th f thi po ownere s th clu guided o t ean , parn di y b t evidence derived from Stoddart's Scottish e Registe th Arms d f o an r the Great Seal, there can be little hesitation in assigning the erection of e housth o Jamet e s Mosman, burges d goldsmitan s f Edinburgho h a , zealous adheren Queef to n Marykeea d n an ,participato embitteree th n ri d conflict of rival factions after her deposition. The identification is con- firmed by the accompanying initials, M. A., no doubt those of the owner's wife. It appears from the Register of the Great Seal that in 1570, Edward Hume, burges f Edinburgho s , "vendidit dicto Jacob Mosman et Mariote Arres ejus sponse terras de Langhermandstoun in Baronie de Currie." He was the son of , goldsmith, a man of note and influence in his day, under whose direction skilled workmen were brought from Germany, Holland Lorrained an ,reige th Jamef nn o i , s V., and employed in working the mines, from which returns in gold and silver were eagerly looke de elde forTh r. Mosman was, moreovere th , skilled n artifice154i o 0wh r remad e Scottisth e h crown carew no ,- fully guarded in the crown-room of the Castle, and which, with the swore sceptrth f stated do ean , constitut Honoure eth f Scotlandso e H . also mad e crowneth f James'o s royal consort, Mars f Guisewa yo t I . natural that in the conflict of parties and opinions which pre-eminently marked the period subsequent to the death of James V. the royal gold- e b smity ma h n shoulso e Crown th e sids e founth f b dHi o e n .o d presumed to have inherited his wealth and shared his opinions. They VOL. xxv. L 162 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, FEBRUARY 9, 1891.

a fata provem l hi inheritancr dfo e ami e troubledth f thiso s transitional period, when men had to take sides as Queen's men or King's men in the struggle that ensued. The further history of the ancient tenement which still stands at the Netherbow confirms the evidence furnished by its heraldic decoration as to originas it l owner. Whoeve havy erma bee lates nit r occupants remainet ,i d s executiod goldsmithhi ol e propertn th o a e traito th s d na f an o yr; passed, as part of his forfeited estate, to the Crown. As appears from the Register of the Great Seal, James VI. in the same year granted to John Carmichael, Yr. f ,thao t Ilk, certain house n Edinburghi s , including " teiiementum apud lie JSTetherbow dicti burgi de Ediuburg que Eegi dive- nerun forisfacturab to m Jacobi Mosman aurifabri olim burgensi Edine sd - burg." The various items thus enumerated : the arms, the initials of the old burgess and his wife, and this confirmation of his ownership and forfeiture of the tenement in the JSfetherbow, establish beyond any reason- able doubt that Jame royae th sf l o Mosman goldsmitn so e th f Jame, ho s V., was the builder and possessor of the ancient lodging still decorated wit s armshhi . assumey Trainedma e w , undes a , s father'hi r s cara s ea skilled artificer, with such artistir cfo calculateculturs m wa hi t s ea fi o dt practising the highest branches of the goldsmith's art, it is not surprising that his house at the Netherbow should present an exceptional amount of ingenious fancy in the decorations and inscriptions with which it is adorned. As characteristic survivals of a past age and of a critical period in the national history, they are of genuine interest and value now. t theBu y hav ea furthe r significance fro e evidencmth e they supplf yo influence th e changth f eo thoughn ei feelind an t g that followee th n di wake of the revival of learning, and affected many who still adhered to the ancient faith. Iapparens ti t fro facte mth s adduced that, apart fro long-acceptee mth d tradition pointing out the last home of John Knox, and all real or fancied relations of the picturesque old tenement in the Netherbow with the great Scottish Eeformer, or, as Beza styles him, " the Apostle e Scots,oth fs indisputabli t "i y associated with another citize f noteno , witd historicae an hth l event whicn si h Knox playe promineno ds partta .