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"I am in the place," said the uther, "quhair I am demandit of conscience to speik the treuth; and thairfoir I speik. The treuth I speik impung it quhoso list. And heirunto [I add,] Madam, that honest, gentill, and meik naturis be appeirance, be wickit and corrupt counsallouris, may be convertit and alter¹ to the direct contrair. Exampill we haif of Nero, who in the begyning of his impyre, we find haifing some naturall schame;² but efter that his flatteraris had encuraged him in all impietie, alleging, that na thing wes either unhonest nor yit unlauchfull for his personage, quho wes Empriour abuif utheris: quhen he had drunken of this coup, I say, to quhat enormiteis he fell, the historeis beiris witnes. And now, Madam, to speik planelie, Papistis and conjureit ennemeis to Jesus Christ, haif your Graceis eare patent at all tymeis. I assure your Grace thai ar daingerous counsallouris, and that your Mother fand."

As this wes said, Ledingtoun smyleit,³ and spak secreitlie to the Queue in hir eare; what it wes, the tabill hard nocht. But immediatlie sche addressit hir vissage, and spack to Johne Knox, and said, "Weill, ye speik fair eneuch heir befoir my Lordis; but the last tyme I spak with you secreitlie, ye causit me weip monie salt teiris, and said to me stubernelie, 'Ye set not by my greitting.'"

"Madam," said the uther, "becaus now the secound tyme your Grace hes burdened me with that crime, I maun ansuer, as [leist] for my silence I be haldin gyltie. [If your Grace] be rypelie rememberit, the Laird of Dun, yit leving to testifie the treuth, was present at that tyme quhairof your Grace complenis. Your Grace accuseit me, that I had irreventlie handyllit you in the pulpat; that I denyit. Ye said, What ado had I to speik of your marriage? What was I, that I sould mell with syk maiteris? I ansuerit, As tueching natour, I wes ane worm of this earth, and yet ane subject of this Commounwelth; but as tueching the office whairintill it hes plesit God to place me, I wes ane watchman, bayth over the Realme, and over the Kirk of God gatherit within the same; be reasoun whairof I wes bound in conscience to blaw the trumpet publictlie, so oft as evir I saw onie upfall, onie appeiring dainger,⁴ either of the one or of the other. But sa it wes, that ane certane bruit affermed that traffick of mariage wes betwix your Grace and the Spanishe allya; quhairinto I said, that gif your Nobylattie and Estaitis did agrie, unles that bayth ye and your husband sould be so straitlie bound, that neither of you mycht hurte this Commounwealth, nor yit the pure Kirk of God within the same, that in that cais I wald pronunce, that the consentaris wer trubleris⁵ of this Commounwelth, and ennemeis to God, and to his promeis plantit within the same.⁶ At these wordis, I grant, your Grace stormed, and burstit furth into ane unressonable weiping. Quhat myttigatioun the Laird of Dun wald haif maid, I suppois your Grace hes not forget. But whill that nathing wes abill to stay your weiping, I wes compellit to say, I tak God to record, that I never tuik plesour to see onie creatour weip, [yea, not my children quhen my awin hands had bett thame,]⁷ meikle less can I rejoise to see your Grace mak sick regreat. But seing I haif offerit your Grace no such occasioun, I maun rather suffer your Grace to tack your awin plesour, or that I dar conceil the treuth, and so betray baith the Kirk of God and my Commounwelth. Thir wes the maist extreme wordis that I spak that day."

Efter that the Secretar had conferrit with the Quene, he said, "Mr. Knox, ye may returne to your hous for this nicht."

"I thank God and the Quenis Majestie," said the other. "And, Madame, I pray God to purge your hairt from Papeistrey, and to preserve you from the counsall of flatteraris; for how pleasand that thei appeir to your ear and corrupt affectioun for the tyme, experience hes tauld us in what perplexatie thay have brocht famous princes."

Ledingtoune and the Maister of Maxwell [were] that nycht the two stoupeis of hir chair.

Johne Knox being departit, the Tabill of the Lordis, and utheris that wer present, wer demandit, everie man be his vote, Gif Johne Knox had nocht offendit the Quenis Majestie. The Lordis voteit uniformelie thai coulde find no offence. The Quene wes past to hir cabinet. The flatteraris of the Courte, and Ledingtoune pryncipally, raged. The Quene wes brocht agane, and placeit in hir chyre, and thai commandit to vote oure agane: quhilk thing heichlie offendit the haill Nobylattie, and began to speik in opin audience, "What! sall the Laird of Lethingtoune haif power to controle us: or sall the presence of ane woman caus us to offend God, and to dampne ane innocent aganis oure conscience for plesour of onie creatour?" And so the haill Nobylattie absolved Johne Knox agane, and praisit God for his modestie, and for his plane and sensible ansueris. Yit befoir the end, ane thing is to be noittit, to witt, that amangis sa monie placeboes, we mene the flatteraris of Courte, thair wes nocht ane that planelie durst condampne the pure man that was accusit, this same God reuling thair tounge that sometymeis reulit the toung of Balaam,⁸ when gladlie he wald haif cursit Godis pepill.

This persaveit, the Quene began to upbraid Mr. Henrie Synclair, then Bischope of Ross, and said, heiring his vote to agree with the rest, "Trubill nocht the barne: I pray you trubill him nocht; for he is newlie walknit out of his sleip. Why soulde nocht the aulde fule follow the futestapis of thame that haif passit befoir him." The Bischope answerit cauldlie, "Your Grace may considder, that it is neither affectioun to the man, nor yit lufe to his proffessioun that moved me to absolve him; but the sempill treuthe, quhilk planelie appeiris in his defence, drawis me efter it, albeit that utheris wald haif condampnit him." And this being said, the Lordis and haill assisteris araise and departit. That nycht wes nether dansing nor fyddilling in the Courte; for Madame wes disappoyntit of hir purpois, quhilk wes to haif had Johne Knox in hir will be vote of hir Nobylattie.

Johne Knox, absolved be the votes of the grittest pairt of the Nobylattie from the cryme intendit aganis him, evin in the presence of the Quene, sche rageit, and the placebois of the Courte stormed: And so began new assaultis to be maid at the handis of the said Johne, to confes ane offence, and to put him in the Quenis will, and thay soulde promeis that his gryttest punischement sould be to go within the Castell of Edinburgh, and immediatlie to returne to his awin hous. He answerit, "God forbid that my confessioune soulde dampne those nobill men that of thair conscience, and with displasour of the Quene, have absolved me. And forder, I am assureit, ye will nocht in earnist desyre me to confes ane offence, onles that thairwith ye wald desyre me to ceise from preiching: for how can I exhorte utheris to peace and Cryssin quyetnes, gif I confes myself ane authour and mover of seditioun?"

The Generall Assemblie of the Kirk approcheit. But the juste petitiounis of the Mynisteris and Commissionaris of Kirkis wer dispysit at the first, and that with thir wordis, "As Mynisteris will not follow our counsellis, so will we suffer Mynisteris to labour for thame selfis, and see what speid thai cum." And when the quhole Assemblie said, "Gif the Quene will not [provide for our Ministeris], we man; [for] bayth Thrid and Tua pairt ar rigyrrouslie takin frome us, and frome our tennentis." "Giff utheris," said one, "will follow my counsell, the gaird and the Papistis sall complene als lang as our Mynisteris haif done." At these wordis the former scherpnes wes cullourit, and the speikare allegit, that he menit not of all Mynisteris, bot of sum to quhome the Quene wes no dettour; for what Thrid ressavit sche of Borrowis? Cristopheir Gudeman⁹ ansuerit, "My Lord Secretour, gif ye can schaw me what [just] tyttill either the Quene hes to the Thrid, or the Papistis to the Twa pairt, then I think I soulde solve¹⁰ quhidder sche wer dettour to Mynisteris within broughis or not." But thairto he ressavit this check for ansure, "Ne sit peregrinus curiosus in aliena Republica;" that is, "Lat not ane strainger be curious in a strainge Commounewelth." The man of God ansuerit, "Albeit I be ane strainger in your pollicey, yit so am I not in the Kirk of God; and thairfoir the cair thairof does no less appertene to me in Scotland than gif I wer in the myddis of Ingland."

Monie wonderit at the sylence of Johne Knox; for in all those quick ressonyngis he openit not his mouthe. The cause thairof he himself expressit in those wordis: "I haif travellit, rycht honorabill and belovit Bretherin, sen my last arryval within this Realme in ane uprycht conscience befoir my God, seiking no thing more, as he is [my] wytness, than the advancement of his glorie, and the stabillitie of his Kirk within this Realme; and yit of lait dayis I haif bene accuseit as ane sedytious man, and as ane that usurpes unto my self power that becumis me nocht. Trew it is, I haif gevin adverteismentis into the bretherin in dyveris quarteris, of the extremitie intendit aganis certane faythfull for luiking to ane Preist going to Mess, and for observing of those that transgressit juste lawis; bot [that] thairintill I haif usurped farther power than is gevin into me, till that be you I be dampned, I utterlie deny; for I say, that be you, that is be the chairge of the Generall Assemblie, I haif als just power to adverteise the bretherin from tyme to tyme of daingers appeiring, as that I haif to preche the worde of God in the pulpett of Edinbrough; for be you I wes appoyntit to the one and to the uther; and thairfoir, in the name of God, I craif your jugementis. The dainger that appeirit to me in my accusatioun wes nocht sua feirfull as the wordis that come to my earis wer dollorous to my hairt; for thir wordis wer planelie spokin, and that be sum Protestantis, 'What can the Pape do mair then send furth his Letteris, and requyreit thame to be obeyit.' Lat me haif your jugementis thairof, quhidder that I haif usurped onie power to my self, or gif I haif bot obeyit your commandiment."

The flatteraris of the Courte, amangis quhome Sir Johne Ballentyne, Justice Clerk,¹¹ wes then not the leist, began to storme, and said, "Sall we be compellit to justifie the rasch doingis of men?" "My Lorde," said Johne Knox, "ye sall speik your plesour for the present: of you I craif no thing; bot gif the Kirk that is heir present do not either absolve me, or ellis condampne me, nevir sall I in publict or in privat, as ane publict mynister, open my mouthe in doctrine or in ressonyng."

Efter lang contentioun, the said Johne being removed, the whole Kirk fand, that a chairg wes gevin unto him to adverteis the Bretherin in all quarteris as oft as evir dainger appeirit; and thairfoir avowit that fact not to be his onlie, bot to be the fact of all. Thairat wer the Quenis claw-backis mair inrageit than evir thai wer; for sum of thame had promissit to the Quene to get the said Johne convyct, baith be the Consall and be the Kirk;¹² and being frustrat of boith, sche and thai thocht thame selffis nocht [a little] dissapoyntit.

In the verie tyme of the Generall Assemblie, thair cumis to publyct knawlege ane heinous murdour committed in the Courte, yea, not far from the Quenis awin lap; for ane Frenche woman, that servit in the Quenis chalmer had playit the hure with the Quenis awin hipoticary.¹³ The woman conceveit and bare ane child, quhome with commoune consent the father and the mother murthered. Yit wer the cryis of ane new borne barne hard; searche wes maid, the chylde and mother wes baith deprehendit; and so wer baith the man and the woman dampned to be hangit upoun the publict streit of Edinburgh. The punischment wes notable, becaus the cryme wes heinous. Bot yit wes not the Courte purged of hureis and huredome, quhilk wes the fontane of sik enormiteis; for it wes weill knawin, that schame haistit mariage betwix Johne Sempill, callit the Danser, and Marie Levingstoune, surnameit the Lustie.¹⁴ What bruit the Maries and the rest of the dansaris of the Courte had, the ballattis of that aige¹⁵ did witnes, quhilk we for modesteis sake omit. Bot this wes the commoune complaint of all godlie and wyse men, that giff thai thocht that sick ane Courte soulde lang continew, and giff thai luikit for no uther lyffe to cum, thay wald haif wissit thair soneis and dochteris rather to have bene brought up with fydlaris and dansaris, and to have bene exerceit in flinging upone ane flure, and in the rest that thairof followis, than to haif bene nurisched in the companie of the godlie, and exerceissit in vertew, quhilk in that Courte wes haittit, and fylthines not onlie maintenit, bot also rewairded. Witnes the Lordschip¹⁶ of Abercorne, the baronie of Authormortie,¹⁷ and diverse utheris pertenyng to the patrimonie of the Crowne, gyffin in heritage to scouparis, dansaris, and dalliaris with damis. This wes the begyning of the regement of Marie Quene of Scottis, and thir wer the fructeis that sche brocht furth of France. "Lorde, luik upone our mysereis, and delyver us from the tyrannie¹⁸ of that hure, for thy awin meir mercies saik."