The History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland

And when the five Commissioners above named had waited upon the Court four or five days after her Majesties coming to Edinburgh, there the matter was proposed in Council: And after long and earnest reasoning upon these Articles, at length it was answered to the Commissioners by the Secretary, That the Queens Majesties command was, That the matter ⟨p. 411⟩should be reasoned in her presence; which for the gravity of the same, there could nothing be concluded at that time, albeit the Queens Majesty had heard more in that matter, then ever she did before: But within eight days thereafter, she understood that a great part of the Nobility should be present in Edinburgh, where they should have a final answer. At length, the one and twentieth of August, they received the answer in Writing in her presence, according to the Tenor hereof as followeth.

And when the five Commissioners above named had waited upon the Court four or five dayes after her Majesties coming to Edinburgh, there the matter was proposed in Councell: And after long and earnest reasoning upon these Articles, at length it was answered to the Commissioners by the Secretary, That the Queens Majesties command was, That the matter ⟨p. 411⟩should be reasoned in her presence; which for the gravity of the same, there could nothing be concluded at that time, albeit the Queens Majestie had heard more in that matter, then ever she did before: But within eight dayes thereafter, she understood that a great part of the Nobility should be present in Edinburgh, where they should have a finall answer. At length, the one and twentieth of August, they received the answer in Writing in her presence, according to the Tenour hereof as followeth.

The Queens Majesties Answer to the Articles presented to Her Highness, by certain Gentlemen, in the Name of the whole Assembly of the Church. TO the first, Desiring the Mass to be suppressed and abolished, as well in the Head, as in the Members, with punishment against the Contraveners; As also, the Religion professed to be established by Act of Parliament, it was answered, first for her Majesties part, That her Highness is no way yet persuaded in the said Religion, nor yet that any impiety is in the Mass; and therefore believeth, That her loving subjects will not press her to receive any Religion against her conscience, which should be unto her a continual trouble by remorse of conscience, and therewith a perpetual unquietness. And to deal plainly with her Subjects, her Majesty neither will, nor may leave the Religion wherein she hath been nourished and brought up; and believeth the same to be well grounded; Knowing, besides the grudge of conscience that she should receive, upon the change of her own Religion, That she should lose the friendship of the King of France, the married Allia of this Realm, and of other great Princes her Friends and Confederates, who would take the same in evil part, and of whom she may look for their great support in all her necessities; And having no assured consideration that may countervail the same, she will be loth to put in hazard all her friends at an instant, praying all her loving subjects, seeing they have had experience of her goodness, that she hath neither in times past, nor yet intends hereafter, to press the conscience of any, but that they may worship God in such sort, as they are persuaded in their conscience to be best, That they will also not press her conscience. As to the establishing of Religion in the Body of the Realm, they themselves know, as appears by their Articles, That the same cannot be done only by consent of her Majesty, but requires necessarily the consent of the States in Parliament, and therefore so soon as the Parliament holds, those things which the States agree upon amongst themselves, her Majesty shall consent unto the same; and in the mean time shall make sure, That no man be troubled for sing Religion according to conscience; So that no man shall have cause to doubt, That for Religions sake mens Lives and Heritage shall be in any hazard.