Part 2

Willyeaume Kirkaldie of Grange, the day efter that his housse was cassein doun, send in his defiance to Monsieur D'Osell, and unto the rest, declaring, that to that hour had he used the Frenche favourablie: He had saved thair lyves, when that he mycht have suffered thair throttis to have been cuttit; bot seing thai haid usit him with that rigor, let thame not luik for that favour in tymes to cum. And unto Monsieur D'Osell he said, "He knew that he wald not gett him in the skirmissing, becauis he knew he was bot a cowart; bot it mycht be that he sould quyte him a commoun ather in Scotland, or ellis in France." The said Willyeaume Kirkaldie, and the Maister off Lyndsay, eschaped mony dangeris. The Maister had his hors slaine under him: the said Willyeaume was almost betrayed in his hous at Hawyairdis.[25] But yet thei never seased, bot nycht and day thai waitted upon the Frenche. Thai laid thameselves in a secreit place, with sum gentilmen befoir the day, to await upoun the Frenche, quho usit commonlie to isch in companyis, to seik thair pray; and so cam fourth ane Capitane Battu,[26] with his hundreth, and begane to spoilzie; quhom the said Maister, now Lord of Lyndsay,[27] and the said Wilyeaume, suffered, without declaratioun of thameselfis, or of thair cumpany, till that thai had thame more than a myle fra Kinghorne, and then begane the horsmen to brek; whiche perceved, the Frenche altogither drew to a place callit Glenniss[28] House, and maid for debait: sum tuik the housse, and utheris deffended the close and yaird. The hasard appereth verry unliklie, for oure men had na thing bot speris, and war compellit to lycht upoun thair feit. The other war within dykis; and everie man had culverinis: the schote was feirfull to mony, and dyverse war hourt, amongis quhome war Robert Hamiltoun,[29] and David Kirkaldie, brother to the said Laird, quho both war supposed to have bein slaine. The said Laird perceving men to faynt, and begyne to recule, said, "Fy, lett us never leive efter this day, that we sall recule for Frenche schybaldis;" and so the Maister of Lyndsay and he burst in at the yett, and so utheris followed. The Maister struik with his speir at La Battu, and glansing upoun his harness, for feirceness stamered almost upoun his kneis. But recovering suddendlie, he fessned his speir, and bare the Capitaine bakward, who, becauis he wald not be takein, was slaine, and fyftie of his cumpanie with hym. Those that war into the house, with sum utheris, war saved, and [sent] to Dundye to be kept. This mischance to the Frenche men maid thame to be more circumspect in scatring abrod into the countrie; and so the poore creaturis gat sum releive. To fourness thame[30] of victuelis, was appointed Capitane Cullen,[31] with tuo schippis, quho traveled betuix the south schoire and Kinghorne, for that purpois. For his waiges he spoilzied Kinghorne, Kirkaldie, and so muche of Dyserte as he mycht. For remedy quhairof war appointit tuo schippis from Dundye: Andro Sandis, a stout and fervent man in the cause of religioun, was the principall. This same tyme arrived the Martekis,[32] quho, without delay, landit himself, his cofferis, and the principall gentilmen that were with him at Leith,[33] leiving the rest in the schippis till better oportunitie. But the said Andro, and his companioun, streicking saill and making as thai wald cast anker hard besyde thame, burded thame both, and carried thame to Dundye. In thame war gotten sum horse, and muche harness, with sum uther triffilis; but of money we hard nocht. Heareat the Frenche offended, avowed the distructioun of Sanctandrois and Dundye; and so, upoun a Mononday in the morning, the xxiij. day of Januare,[34] thai marchit frome Dyserte, and passed the water of Levein;[35] ever keaping the sea-cost, be reassoun of thaire schippis and victuallis, as said is. About tuelf houris thai espyed schippis, (quhiche war seine that morning by us that war upoun the land, but war not knawin.) Monsieur D'Osell affirmed thame to be Frenche schippis, and so the souldiouris triumphit, schot thair volie for salutatioun, and marchit fordward till Kincraige,[36] fearing no resistance.

[25] Or, Hallyards, in the parish of Auchtertool. It afterwards came into the possession of the Family of Skene.

[26] In Vautr. edit., &c., "Battu," and "Le Battu." Elsewhere he is called Labast, Labatt; by Pitscottie "Labattie."

[27] Patrick, Master of Lyndesay, succeeded to the title as sixth Lord Lyndesay of Byris, on the death of his father, in 1563.

[28] In Vautr. edit. "Glennish House." There is a place still named Gleniston, near Loch Gelly, a few miles from Kinghorn, which belonged in the 14th and 15th century, to Glen of Balmuto; the property, by marriage, afterwards came into the family of Boswell. There was also Glammis Tower, or Castle, an old stronghold which stood upon the rising ground that overlooks the town of Kinghorn. (New Stat. Account, Fife, p. 804.)

[29] This was probably Robert Hamilton whose name occurs in the Treasurer's Accounts in the years 1561 and 1562, as Master of the Artillery.

[30] In MS. G, "to furneis the Frenche;" Vautr. edit. has, "to furnish them."

[31] The Queen Regent, in 1558, had made Captain James Cullen one of the keepers of the town of Perth. As noticed, in the following page, on the 24th January 1559-60, he and Captain Farny, "being in ane pink, were taken; and also ane uther schip callit the Hoy, quhilkis were to pas in Fyff, with munitioun to furneis the Frenche Campe." (Diurnal of Occurrents, pp. 55, 272.) In January 1559-60, letters had been sent "to caus all maner of provision, sic as breid, drink, flesche, fische, and utheris necessaris, to follow the Frenche army in Fyffe." (Treasurer's Accounts.) Payments to Captain James Cullen, then in the Queen's service, occur in the Treasurer's Accounts, June and September 1566. His ultimate fate is recorded in the Diurnal of Occurrents, and in Richard Bannatyne's Memorials: having been taken prisoner in the Canongate on the 14th June 1571, he was tried at Leith, and beheaded on the 17th July, at the instigation, it is said, of the Earl of Morton.

[32] Count Stephen de Martigues. In a letter from Sir N. Throkmorton to Queen Elizabeth, 7th October 1559, in reference to the levying of troops to be sent from France to Scotland, he says, "for the transporting whereof, it is said, one Monsieur Martigues is appointed chief conducteur; who is a Gentleman of the Kingis chamber, of the state of a Conte, in good estimacioun, and heretier to the Duke de Temps: and there be ships already in order at Calais, and other parts upon this side." (Forbes's State Papers, vol. i. p. 248.) In another letter, it is said, "The Marques D'Albeuf and Martigues are appointed to take shipping at Calice, the last of this monethe, November," (Ib. p. 257;) and letters of a subsequent date contain other allusions to their progress. See _supra_, page 4, note 3. In a letter to Cecil, written from Dover, 24th January 1559-60, Throkmorton, reports the information he had then received, "That Martigues hath been all this his missinge tyme in the North Isles of Orkeney; and that he is now salfflie arryved in Scotlande, with his viii enseignes of footemen, and well landed them all," with the exception of one of the ships which was driven away by the violence of the weather, before the men were put ashore, and was supposed to be lost. (Ib. p. 307.) He also mentions the capture, at night, of one of the ships, after all the stuff had been taken out of it. On the 22d February he informs the High Admiral of England, that the Marquis D'Elbeuf, "now soddenly, upon the newes of the late overthrow of fyve ensigns of their foote in Scotland, not far from Inskieth, and a good personage lost, (referring to La Battu,) which are lately brought hither, as I wrote to you before, he is now hastened away." (Ib. p. 333.) Bishop Lesley calls him "Monsieur Martigo, ane valyant and curageous Capitane," and says, that upon his arrival at Leith, in the month of November, "with ane thousand guid souldiouris, he was appointed crownell of the hoill Frenche army." (Hist. p. 280.)

[33] Martigues landed at Leith on the 11th January 1559-60, (Diurnal of Occurrents. pp. 55, 272.)

[34] Monday was the 22d of January.

[35] The Water of Leven is a small river which comes from the celebrated Loch of that name, in Kinross-shire, and flows into the sea at the town of Leven on the Frith of Forth.

[36] Kincraig is in the parish of Kilconquhar, and the headland under the name of Kincraig Hill, rises to the height of about 200 feet above the level of the sea, with a small bay between Earlsferry point.

But schorte efter, the Ingliche schippis mett with Capitain Culein, and seased him and his schippis,[37] quhiche maid thame a litill to muse. But suddentlie come Maister Alexander Wood, who had bein upoun the Admirall,[38] and assured Monsieur D'Osell, that thai wer Inglissmen, and that thai war the foir-ryderis of a gretter number that followed, who war send for the supporte of the Congregatioun. Thair mycht have bein seine the ryveing of a baird, and mycht have bein hard suche dispyte, as cruell men use to spew furth quhile as God[39] brydellis thair furie. Weariness and the nycht constrained thame to luge thair. Thai sowped skarslie,[40] becaus thair schippis war takein, in the quhilk was thair victuellis and ordinance, quhiche thai intendit to have placed in Sanctandrois. Thai thameselvis durst nocht stray abrod to seake; and the Laird of Weymmes cariage, whiche lykwyis was cumming with fournissing unto thame, was stayit. And thairfoir, bytymes in the mornyng, thai retired towardis Kinghorne, and maid more expeditioun in one day in returning, then thai did in two in marching fordward.

[37] See note 3, page 11.

[38] Mr. Winter, Vice-Admiral of the English fleet, which arrived at this time in the Frith of Forth, in the view of aiding the Protestants against the French auxiliaries. In the Appendix to Keith's History, (vol. i. p. 408,) are inserted the "Instructions given by the Queen's Majesty, to William Winter, Esq., Master of the Ordnance of her Majesty's Admiralty, sent at this present to the seas with fourteen armed ships to sail to Scotland," from a MS. in the Cottonian Library, written in the hand of Secretary Cecil, and dated 16th December 1559.

[39] In Vautr. edit. "when God."

[40] In Vautr. edit. "they supped scarsly." MS. G. reads, "they sleiped scarsly."

The storme, whiche had continuit neire the space of a moneth, brak in the verry tyme of thair reteiring, quhairby mony thocht thei sould have bein stayit, till that reasonabill cumpanie mycht have bein assemblit to have fouchtein thame; and for that purpois did Wilyeaume Kirkcaldy cut the Brig of Toullibody.[41] But the Frenche, expert aneuch in suche factis, tuik doun the roofe of a parish kirk, and maid a brig over the same watter,[42] called Dovane; and so thai eschapit, and come to Striveling, and syne to Leith. Yit in thair retourning thai lost dyverse; amongis quhome thair was one quhois miserable end we man rehers. As the Frenche spoilyied the countrye in thair retourning, one capitaine or soldiour, we cannot tell, bot he had a reid cloik and a gilt morrion,[43] entered upoun a poore woman, that dwelt in the Whytsyd, and began to spoyle. The poore woman offered unto him suche breid as sche had reddy prepared. But he, in no wayis thairwith content, wald have the meill and a lytill salt beiff whiche the poore woman had to susteine hir awin lyfe, and the lyves of hir poore chylderein; neather could tearis, nor [pitifull] wourdis,[44] mittigat the merciles man, but he wald have quhatsoever he mycht carie. The poore woman perceving him so bent, and that he stoupped doun in hir tub, for the taking foorth of suche stufe as was within it, first cowped up his heillis, so that his heid went doun; and thairefter, outher[45] by hirself, or if ony uther cumpanie come to help hir, but thair he endit his unhappie lyfe; God so punissing his crewell hairt, quho could nocht spair a misserable woman in that extremetie. "Let all suche soldiouris receve suche rewaird, O Lord, seing that thou art the revenger of the oppressed."

[41] The village of Tullibody, in the parish of Alloa, and county of Clackmannan. Tullibody House, the seat of Lord Abercromby, is situated near the banks of the Forth. The Church, which was partially demolished by the French in January 1559-60, is a building of great antiquity. In the course of the last century, it was new roofed and repaired, to serve as the burial-place of the family, and has occasionally been used as a preaching station. The destruction of the Church of Tullibody is mentioned in the several histories of the time. Although the French were enabled to "make ane sure passage, baith for horsemen and footemen," to cross the water, and came to Stirling on the 28th of that month, Pitscottie relates, that they had to remain "all that night in Fotherik Muire, without either meat or drink, and many of them were slaine or they could get the bridge prepaired."

[42] In MS. G, "the said water;" in Vautr. edit. "the same water." Evidently the Black Devon, a small river which rises in the western part of Fife, and falls into the Forth below the town of Clackmannan; and, therefore, to be distinguished from the Devon itself, which has its source on the northern declivity of the Ochil Hills, and after passing through Glen Devon, celebrated for its romantic scenery, falls into the Frith of Forth about two miles above Alloa.

[43] In MS. 1566, "morrow."

[44] Both MS. G, and Vautr. edit. have, "nor pitifull words."

[45] In MS. 1566, "houyer:" MS. G has "quhidder;" and Vautr. "whither."

* * * * *

And now, because that frome this tyme forward, frequent mentioun will be maid of the comfortable support that we, in oure greattest extremetie receved, by Goddis providence, frome oure nychtbouris of Ingland, we think it expedient simply to declair by quhat instrumentis that mater was first moved, and by quhat meanis it come to passe, that the Quene and Counsell of Ingland schew thameselves sa favorable unto us.

As Jhonne Knox had foirwairned us, by his letteris frome Geneva, of all dangeris that he foirsaw [to] ensew on our enterpryse; so quhen he come to Deip, myndfull of the same, and revolveing with himself quhat remedy God wald pleis to offere, he tuike the boldnes to wreit to Sir Williame Cycill, Secretarie of Ingland, with quhome the said Jhonne had bein befoire familiarlie acquented, intending thairby[46] to renew acquentence, and so to oppen farther of his mynd.[47] The tennour of his first Letter followis:--

"_The Spreit of Jugement, Wisdome, and Sanctificatioun, I wishe unto you, by Jesus Chryst._

[46] In MS. 1566, "in sending."

[47] In Vautrollier's editions, and in the later MSS. (A., E., I., L 2, &c.) the whole of this paragraph is omitted, and also the following Letter from Knox to Cecil, written from Dieppe in April 1559. The free strain of the letter was not calculated to conciliate the favour of the English statesman; and we need not be surprised to find Cecil, in a letter dated "from the Court," on the last of October, saying to Sadler, "_Of all others Knoxees name_, if it be not Goodman's, _is most odious here_; and therefore I wish no mentioun of hym hither."--(State Papers, vol. i. p. 532.)

[Sidenote: Jhone Knox first letter to Sir Williame Cecyll.]

"As I have no plaisour with long wretting to trouble you, Rycht Honorable, quhois mynd I knaw to be occupyed with most grave maters,[48] so mynd I nott greattlie to lawboure by long preface to conciliat your favouris, quhilk I suppoise I have allreddy, (howsomer rumouris bruit the contrarie,) as it becummeth one member of Chrystis body to have of ane uther. The contentis, thairfoire, of these my presentis sal be absolved in tuo pointis. In the former, I purpois to discharge, in breve wordis, my conscience towardis you: and in the uther, somquhat must I speik in my awin defence, and in defence of that poore floke, of lait assembled in the most godlie Reformed Churche and citie of the warld, Geneva. To you, Sir, I say, that as frome God ye have receavit lyfe, wisdome, honoris, and this present estait, in the quhilk now ye stand, so aucht you whollie[49] to employ the same to the advancement of his glorie, who onlie is the author of lyef, the fountaine of wisdome, and quho most assuredlie doeth, and will honour and glorifie these, that, with sempill hairtis, do glorifie him; quhiche, allace, in tymes past ye have nott doun; bot bein overcum with comoun iniquitie, ye have followed the warld in the way of perditioun. For to the suppressing of Christis trew Evangell, to the erecting of idolatrie, and to the schedding of the blood of Goddis most deare childrein have you, by silence, consented and subscryvit. This youre most horrible defectioun frome the treuth knawin, and anis professed, hath God to this day mercifullie spared; yea, to manis judgement, he hath utterlie forgottin and pardoned the same. He hath not intreated you as he hath done utheris, (of lyke knawlege,) quhome in his anger, (bot yet most justlie, according to thair desertis,) he did schoirtlie stryk efter thair defectioun. But you (gyltie in the same offenses) he hath fostered and preserved, as it wer in his awin bosome, during the tyme of that most miserable thraldome of that professed ennemie of God, mischeivous Marie: and now hath he sett you at such liberty, as the furie of Goddis ennemeis can nott hurt you, except that willinglie aganis his honour, ye tak pleisour to conspyre with thame. As the benefeit quhiche ye hath received is greit, so most Goddis justice requyre of you a thankfull hairt; for seing that his mercie hath spared you, being trator to his Majestie; seing farder, that amanges youre ennemeis he hath preserved you; and, last, seing, although wourthie[50] of hell, he hath promoted you to honoris and dignitie,[51] of you must he requyre (becauis he is just) earnest repentence for your former defectioun, a hairt myndfull of his mercifull providence, and a will so reddy to advance his glorie, that evidentlie it may appeire, that in vaine ye have nott receved these graces of God; to performance quhairof, of necessitie it is, that carnall wisdome and wardly policie, (to the which both, ye are bruitted too muche inclyned,) gif place to Goddis simple and naked treuth. Verry love compellit me to say, that except the Spreit of God purge youre hairt frome that vennum, which your eis have seine to have bein distructioun till utheris, that ye sall nott lang escaip the rewaird of dissembleris. Call to mynd quhatt your earis heard proclamed in the chapell[52] of Sanct James, quhen this verse of the first Psalme was entreated, "Not so, O wicked, nott so; bot as the dust which the wind tossed," etc. And consider, that now ye travaill in the same way which then thai did occupy; plainlie to speak, now are ye in that estait and creddit, in the whiche ye sall ather confort the sorrowfull and afflicted for rychteousness saik, or ellis ye sall molest and oppugne the Spreit of God speaking in his messingeris. The confortares of the afflicted for godlines have promise of confort in thair greatest necessiteis; but the trubleris of Goddis servandis, (how contemned that ever[53]thai appeir befoire the warld,) are threatned to leive thair names in execratioun to the posteriteis following. The examples of the one and of the uther are nott onlye evident in Scriptures, bot also have bein laitlie manifested in England. And this is the conclusioun of that, whiche to youre self, I say, Except that in the cause of Chrystis Evangell ye be found semple, sincear, fervent, and unfeaned, ye sall taist of the same copp, whiche politick headis have drunkein in befoire you.

[48] In MS. 1566, "grevous matter."

[49] In MS. 1566, "holylie."

[50] In MS. 1566, &c., "that you, wourthie of."

[51] Sir William Cecil, the eminent statesman, had been Secretary of State in the reign of Edward VI. Under Queen Mary, he acted with so much caution, although known to be a Protestant, that he remained unmolested, professing, among other reasons, "that he thought himself bound to serve God first, and next the Queen; but if her service should put him out of God's service, he hoped her Majesty would give him leave to chuse an everlasting rather than a momentary service." From the strain of Knox's letter to him, it might be inferred he had complied more ostensibly with the Romish party; but immediately upon Queen Elizabeth's accession to the throne, Cecil became a Privy Councillor, and was reinstated in his office of Secretary. He was afterwards raised to the peerage as Lord Burghley, and was appointed Lord High Treasurer. He died in 1598.

[52] In MS. G, "what you hard proclamed in the chapell."--This probably refers to a discourse by Knox himself, in 1553, when preaching as one of the King's chaplains, before Edward the Sixth.

[53] In MS. 1566, "how contemp that iver."

[Sidenote: THE WARST IS NOTT YITT COME.]