mater pro

cuiris the

wrytear.

Note the

full, quhome thai in thair iesting callis Papistis. For in For quhat defence of that thing only procuir I, quhilk the honorable and haly Papistis, the haly bischope and martyr of Christe, St Cypriane, with the wtheris renounit Martyris 5 in the primitiue Kirk, and quhilk the renounit Papistis and excellent Doctouris Sanctis Augustine, Hierome, and Ambrose, zea breuelie, the haill Kirk of God sen the Apostolis days, in an vniformitie of doctrine maist clerlie appreuis. And na thing disaggreing thairfra Io procuir I,-nocht adhering to the priuate iugement or obscuir sayngis of ony ane man (as is the commoun practik of our aduersaris, to mak of obscuir mirknes a commentare to the cleir licht), bot to the plane and vniforme confessioun of all, or at the leist, to the aggre15 able consent of the maist part of the best lernit, euir be the Kirk of God auctorizit. And sua, godly Reidar, quhattin a Papist I am in this samin ruid Buik of Questionis (be the infallible and inconfutable treuth of the quhilk my aduersar is offendit), I tak on hand to 20 preue, on perrell of my lyfe, the maist haly Martyris,

trew Catho

lik doctrine. trewth of the Scriptuir

For of the

we contend nocht, bot

of the trew

sense thair

of approuin

be Godis haly Kirk vniuersal.

the best leirnit confessouris afore reherseit, and wtheris mony may bayth of the Greik and of the Latin Kirk, togidder with Generall Counselis, to hef bene the samin Papistis. O happy heirfor and happy agane think I this 25 day to me, quhen the grete guidnes of God, of His mere Reiosing mercy, has præseruit me in this maist stormy tyme fra the rolkis of schisme, errour, and hæresie-zea, fra manifest rebellioun raigeing at this præsent aganis Godis plane word, H vniuersal, His ordinance,

in God.

that also hes
His gloir,

quhat veritie

ull vocatioun

ut of sa mony

to augment his

gloir), I think it is nocht vnknawin to Scotland, and is nocht in my defalt, bot in defalt of my small freind Dame Cunzey; bot it suld hef bene layng or now, as it

Note a pro- sal be, God willing, schortlie, to the mein leirnit always

mis of a Catholik!

The Cal

uiniane ministeris can

nother schow

thair pouer, proceding frome God

nor man.

Note.

(for the godly cunning neidis nane of our labouris thair- 5
to), mair notifiit in Scotland and in vther Christiane
cuntreis: in quhat wickit apostasie he and all vtheris
preistis, munkis, and freris of his sect ar fallin in, in
that thai renunce as renegatis 1 thair preistheid gevin
thame be the sacrament of ordour; and quhow thai 10
still remane preistis be the samin sacrament (lat thame
renunce it as thai pleis) ay quhil thai dee,2 albeit to
thair mair seueir punisment æternalie, except thai
(quhilk the guidnes of God mot grant thame) in tyme
repent thair fall; and siklike in quhat proud arrogance 15
and damnabil sacrilege is he specialie, and the vtheris
his fallowis in thair degre, sliddin,-vsurping the auc-
toritie of godly bischopes, and vtheris pastouris and
preistis in the Kirk, aluterlie aganis all lauchful pover
onyway gevin be man to ony ministerie that tha vse in 20
the Kirk, except only be that titill quhilk tha esteme
nochtis—that is, insafer as tha ar preistis; and that tha
ar nocht send as trew prophetis be God, it sal be, God
willing, mair cleir than the day licht, be mony euident
demonstrationis at lenthe. Bot now quhen all his blunt 25
boultis and pithles artelzerie ar schot, to infirm and
adnull his awin cause rather than to strenthe the samin,
that be his lang silence efter sa mony promissis he
schawis him self conuict in conscience, haifand na apper-
ing ressoun for the defence of his vocatioun, except 30
we admitt him to be a new St. Iohne the Baptist, or a
new prophet Amos, hes he nocht win the hoiss worth-
elie, in forgeing a mok to me mony mylis fra him,
calling me "Procutar for the Papistis"? Gif ony man,
gentil Reider, sall think this my procuratioun in thir 35
1 O.E. rennigatis.

2 O.E. de.

Papist.

Deut. 17.

Heb. 13.

articulis to be wngodly, lat him remember quhat he menis be that article in his Creid, The haly Kirk vniuersal. For only quhat this Kirk (quhilk my aduersar insinuatis to be it, quhilk he callis papistical) hes 5 euir defendit, and now defendis, intend I, be Godis grace, efter all my smal pover and spirit, euir to defend, and na thing disaggreing thairfra. Bot as to the of the terme terme Papist, albeit faithful Christianis of guid ressoun reioseis in na new stylis concerning religioun; zit that 10 thai suld be gretumlie1 offendit be the terme Papist, obiectit to thame be thair aduersaris, I can naways vnderstand, sen by it specialie may be bot vnderstandit a man that dois knaw the lauchfull auctoritie of his bischopes, quhome almychty God hes commandit be his 15 expres Word to fauour, luve, and humelie obey, and specialie to the success our of Petir, now commonlie callit Papa albeit Papa be a terme efter the myndis of the aunciant Fatheris commoun to ony bischope, as efter in this buik is schawin. Quha seis nocht this day, Note. 20 that gif kingis ande quenes buir nocht a suord, quhilk our aduersaris ferit mair than the spirituall suord of the Pape and vtheris bischoipis, bot thai wald mok ws on lyke manere, and call ws Kingistis and Queneistis, or siklyke name of thair commoun craft of mockrie, for our humil and dew obedience 2 vnto our lauchful Souerane? And this mekle concerning the Procutor for the Papistis. As to the secund poynt that he promissis in his buke to The secund mak anssuere, as be word he did afore oftymes oppinlie, I am reioseit that he intendit than to keip his first 30 promis, albeit as zit in dede efter ane haill zeris aduise

25

ment we heir nocht thairof. Nochttheles that he is sa layng making anssuer, I hoip only guid thairthrow that efter sa lang consultatioun he sal, be Godis grace, præfer the knavin veritie and His saluatioun to all wane gloir or 35 plesuir of man. Bot failzeing thairof (quhilk God for1 O.E. gretunlie.

2 M.C. E. obedience.

Matth. 1o.

Luc. 10.

Io. 13, 21.

poynt.

The cause of man.
the prenting
of thir
quæstionis.

quæstiounis

now nocht maid mair strenthy.

bid), and gif also perchanse he keip na promis heirin,
he dois bot than as becumis his new professioun, and
according to the commoun trade of that part of the
realme be him and his, præsentlie corruptit ;-quha
declaris expreslie quhatkin a faith thai haif in God, be 5
the faith and promis thai vse now commonlie to keip to
Bot always because in the mein tyme we ar
offendit be his layngsum delay, and ar stoppit be the
tyrannie of sum to put furth our mynd in prent at
hame, and vnderstandis the copiis of our Quæstionis and 10
vtheris tractatis corruptit be vnleirnit writtaris, to the
sclander of the trevth and to our schame, we sett furth
this iust copie, without altering or eiking ony thing, sa
fer as we can remember,-except onlie, that in place of
this epistill wes sum Latin to the cunning reidar, exhort- 15
ing him nocht to haif respect to our ruid style, bot to
the trew catholik sentence; sen we controuertit nocht
with our aduersaris for trim talk, bot for the trying of
the trewth-nocht for deckit vanitie, bot for the æternall

Quhy ar thir veritie. Quhilk thing we requeist thee,1 gentill Reidar, 20
zit anis agane, and to purge thi copie according to this
præsent―willing thee2 to be persuadit that gif it pleisit ws
at this tyme and place to alter or eik this tractate, that
with litill labouris it micht be maid tueching the style
mair plesing and persuading, and in sentence fer mair 25
strenthy and difficill to our aduersaris to mak anssuer
thairto. Zit nochttheles because Iohne Knox apperis to
schaw that with his fallowis he labouris to fulfill his
oblising, we will eik nor alter na thing heirin, except
sum illustratioun in the mergin, that the Reidar, gif ony 30
anssuer beis maid, may syncerlie confer the ane with the
wthir; and in the mein tyme that the sempill beleuear
may haif sufficient licht to eschew the dissaitful snairis
of the erroneous. As to the phrase and dictioun heirof,
guid it war to remember that the plane and sempill 35
1 O.E. the.