Of the rigour done to

the pure.

Sapi. 11. Of ye plagis on the 1 nobilitie.

Christe, quhair ennimeis ar without and within, dar not
only nocht barke, bot maist schamefullie poyit with staff
and sting, dar nother quhryne nor quhynge. Bot of the
rigour to the pure dune on zour awin landis, and of the
approprying the Kirk landis with vtheris dewiteis thairof, 5
to zour awin kechingis; of the depaupering the1 ten-
nentis be zour fewis, augmentationis, and utheris exac-
tionis; or of the schuiting of honeste men fra thair native
roumes be tytle off zoure newe quhirlie fewis, tyme
seruis not to schaw. Heirfor, sen be His iustice God 10
punissis oftymes in ye samyn thing quhairin man
offendis, that sum off zour houssis hes bene laitlie alut-
erlie destroyit and put out of memorie, and the vtheris
deiectit to pouertie, is not that the iustice of God? And
that vtheris, degenerat fra the auncient nobilitie of thair 15
eldaris, be fallin in extreme ignorance of God, and in
obstinat stubbirnes to leir sinceirlie His law, or walk
thairin conforme to thair knawlege: bot hauand regarde
to the wrek of this warld or lustis of thair bodyis, leuis
as Epicurianis but faith or lufe to God or man.
And 20
vtheris contrarie reioyses to be callit Gospellaris and
cunning in Scripture, quha reft vp in hie curiositie of
questionis, and (as apperis tyll vs) in manifest errours
and presumption, makis of the Gospell ane takin craft
but ferder practice off Godis law in deid. Quha albeit 25
thay cry out fast vpon ydolatrie, zit thay ar na les than
the vtheris degenerat ignorantis abone specifeit, as wikit
Ethnikis, and bund subditis to the monstrous ydola-
trie of auarice, neuir intendand to clenge thair handis
of the kirk rentis, nor of the blude and sueit of the pure 30
anis, spurrande fast vtheris to reformatioun, bot in deid
neuir reformand thaim selfis fra the ydolatrie of auarice;
neuir changeand in this daingerus battel of religioun
thair babis with men, thair ignorantis with learnit, except
in ane clokit maner to sustene ane minister, quhare three 35

1 O.E. thee.

hundreth ryche and pure wes sustenit afore. O immortall God, quhy persaue ze nocht thir three plaigis to be the scurge of the1 diuine iustice for zour former impietie and deuilische simonie? Sen ze and zour last fore5 fatheris in the wyldsum way of this daingerous lyfe chesit zour selfis sa blynd gydis, quhate meruell is it that ze, sa lang indurat but repentance, be fallin in the pot of ignorance, errour, or vice? Quhy clenge ze not zour hart and handis fra ydolatrie, quha be toung con10 damnis ydolatrie sa mekle ? Sen God geuis vs libertie with idolatrie, with efter our vnderstande frelie to think, sall this zour ydo- ane simple. latricall auarice persuaid our conscience (albeit we be ruid of letteris and iugement) that ze intend only to trampe doun ydolatrie and set vp Christis kingdome? 15 or thate zour forbearis, quha distributit thair awin iuste

And Luc. 16.

geris and landis to exercise the louing of God and to sustene the pure, to haue bene ignorantis off God and ydolatouris? And zow (saifing zour dew honoris we speik) quha rugis, as ze may, fra God and al godly vse, 20 to zour awin kechingis, to be the trew discipulis of Christe? Na, na, trewlie; sen the veritie pronunces this, Non potestis Deo seruire & mammonae.2 againe, Nisi quis renunciauerit omnibus quæ possidet, non Luc. 14. potest meus esse discipulus. Noch/theles3 we persaue mony 25 amangis zow (to God be glore !) quha with humil spirit wald flee fra al idolatrie, superstition, and abuse; and siclyke fra errour, heresie, and curious presumptioun with vaine babling, and practissis the law of God, leuing sobirlie, godlie, and iustlie. To quhome we committ 1 Cor. 10. 30 this regiment, Qui se existimat stare1 uideat ne cadat; as

we do to the warldly ignorantis abone specifiit, this vther Psal. 31. of the Prophet, Nolite fieri sicut equus & mulus, in quibus non est intellectus. And as we haue schawin sum thing, as we may for tyme to our pastores, exhortyng thame to

To the
Quenes
Maiestie.

The peti

tioun to the wryttaris.

Twa causis of the petitioun.

5

reformatioun, swa we suspect nocht zoure gentle human-
itie, ze1 noble potent lordis, baronis, and vtheris quhat-
sumeuir of the nobilitie of Scotlande, to be offendit with
vs zour pure anis, bot our Souerane Ladyis fre liegis, to
zet in vnfenzetlie the veray selfis affectionis of oure
myndis, as in the bosumis of thaim mony wayis deir-
belufit: sen we of the law sorte ar togidder with zour
excellence, in the samyn schipe of the 2 commoun welth
of this realme, participant conforme to oure small part
of all prosperitie and aduersitie thairof; and thairfor of 10
nature and of conscience ar mouit to wys gude to al in
the samyn. And zit we attempt this mair bauldlye, that
we ar compellit be ane part of zour nobilitie and zoure
prechouris, as we efter sall schaw.

Bot to thy Maiestie, maist excellent Souerane, we re- 15
turne, beseikand maist humlie thy Grace and thy nobilis
foresaidis to impute nocht that tyl vs as a falt, that we
speik in the cause of God sa frely; desyrande licence
that we may, but iuste offence of ony persoun, propone
in wryt to the prechouris of thaim callit the Congre- 20
gatioun thay thingis, quhairin specialie we ar offendit,
twecheing doctryne, ordour, and maneris approuin be3
thaim; to the intent that all errour and abuse being
cuttit away, we al on baith sydis mot knaw the veritie,
and glaidlye and vnfenzeitlie1 embrace the samyn, as the 25
deir belouit dochter of God. The quhilkis we set furth
for twa causis. The ane is, that we, intending to be
faithfull Christianis, and reddy to suffer thy Graces lawis
for ony cryme committit be vs, ar compellit other to
affirme in religioun afore man contrare our conscience, 30
or to be incarcerat or exilit, and haldin be the warld as
infidelis, heretykis, apostatis, or wikit persones vnworthy
the companie of Christianis. And in the 2 mein tyme at
sic extreme pouertie all we of the clergye [are], that we
ar almaiste losit without ony mercy of man. The vther 35
1 O.E. zee. 2 O. E. thee. 3 O. E. bee.

4 O.E. unfezeitlie.

cause is that we being of smal learning, and zit laith to be hypocritis to our condemnation, hes lang abydit for ressoning of the bischopes, theologis, and vtheris weill learnit tyl ane godly reformation rycht necessare. 5 Quhilk thing not cumande to passe, bot mair cure had of the keching nor of the queir, we may nawayis langer contene vs, bot expresse on al sydis as we think; referring our iugement to the haly Catholik Kirk, and that without eloquence or manly persuasion, of the quhilk we 10 haue lytle regarde in respect of the diuine veritie; knawand that lyke as ane beutiful persoun is lustie aneuch in ane sobir rayment, that sa is the veritie in ane ruid style. Bot sen this controuersie and tumult, O gracius Souerane, cumis but dout of the formare iniquitie, and 15 contempt of God in vs and our forbearis, quha of His gudnes besydis * His mony maist excellent giftis geuin to thee1 amangis al Princis, hes geuin to thy Hienes ane maist excellent of all-in the preseruing to this day thy bewtifull body and saule fra al spot of notorius cryme 20 in ony of baith-we may not, bot exhort thee1 our maist

of our

Religioun.

Pet. 1.

Galat. 5.

I Timo. 4.
I Cor. 4.

excellent Souerane to haue ye gudnes of thy God in memorie intendyng be His grace to perseuere sa to the ende, walkande and panceand in His lawis day and nycht. Quhilk thing consistis nocht in the reidyng of The soum 25 mony cheptours (albeit that be proffetable to ane humill Christiane mynde), bot in haly feir, trew faith wyrkand be charitie, quhairon dependis sure hope of temporal2 prosperitie and blys eternall. For the kingdome of God is nocht * in word bot in worke. Bot because gret controuersie is 30 new for the dountramping 3 of ydolatrie, to the outruiting Of ydolatrie of the quhilk we beseik thy princelie Maiestie maist effectuslie; for the lufe of Christ (quhome in word we all professe) to bend vp thy mynd maist ernestlie, sen that is the falt quhair with the maiestie of God is maist 35 greuouslie offendit. For albeit mony in thir dayis hes 1O.E. the. 2 O.E. temperal. 3O.E. dountraping. 4O.E. bent.

*

lefte zit vntwechit.

auarice.

3 Reg. 21. Act. 5.

the dum

laborit to abolise, and pull the samyn mercyles vp be ye rutis, and erd the leist memoriall thairof oute of the mynd of man, and in the name of it in thare greif, hes Thre ydolis destroyit mony thingis nawayis ydolatricall. Zit thay left to thy victorious hand amang vtheris mair smal, 5 thre of the gretast ydolis but controuersie vntwechit, verray ydolis in deid-ze, and rute, top, and body of all vtheris ydolis. Of the quhilkis ane we haue schawin The ydoll of the monstruus ydoll of auarice, with the quhilk the princes of the erd maist commonlie committis fornica- 10 tion. To the end that thy Maiestie be neuir thairwith pollutit, nother in ciuill nor eccliasticall effaris, euery day we pray war in thy mynde the historie of Naboth, of Ananias and Sapphira, praying that wikit persoun quhatsumeuir, quhay wald defyle thy conscience and 15 faime thairwith, haistelie to returne to oppin repentance; or to haue the reward of wickit Iezabell in exemple and The idoll of terrour of vtheris. The secunde idoll is, the wickit dum pastour, of the quhilk we mak thre kyndis. Sum for saying only to our ruid reformearis,—My maisteris, 20 zour doctryne plesis vs, hes libertie to bruke the kirk rentis, and leue als dum in Godis cause, as ony fische in the watter, and in mair licentius lyfe than euir thay did afore. Ane vthir sorte startis vpe faithles, euery zeir embraissyng with gret brak the faith of the starkast 25 party. And vtheris for not saying this ane word,—My maisteris, vs lufe zou and zour doctryne, are deposit of thair offices, denudit of thair rentis, and that apperandlye be the permissioun or erar reuenge of God, sen thay being afflictit, hes na compunctioun1 nor dolour of thair 30 former necligence, nor intent to reformatioun, bot only luckis bakwart with the Israelitis to the 2 potis of flesche in Egypt, that is, to thare former licentius leuing. Quhilk sort ar les proffitabyll to Godis Kirk than wes Lothis wyfe to him, efter that scho wes turnit in ane 35 stane of salt. The thrid idoll and werst of all is the 2 O.E. thee.

pastores.

Zacha. II.

The kindis of this idol at

this present.

1 O.E. compuncitioun.