The History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland

Ewen the second, King of Scots, hearing how the Britons, by the help of Palladius, had repressed the Pelagianism, being most desirous to purge the Church of his Kingdom also, where this Pelagian error had crept in; sends for Palladius; who with small difficulty assisted the Orthodox, to disabuse those who had been carried away by Pelagianism, and thereafter in a very short time, by subtle insinuations, gained so far upon the well-meaning Scots, that they consented to take new Governors of their Church, who were to have a Degree and Pre-eminence above their brethren, to wit, the Prelate-Bishops. Hitherto the Church of Scotland had been governed by Monks and Priests, without any such dignity or pomp. I call their new Governors, Prelate-Bishops, to distinguish them from their former Overseers and Superintendents of the Culdees, who are sometime by Writers called Bishops, as they were indeed; but they had no Pre-eminence or rank of Dignity above the rest; neither were they of any distinct Order from the rest of their Brethren. That at this time by Palladius was brought into Scotland these new kind of Bishops, it appears by the relations of the Authors following, thus.

Ewen the second, King of Scots, hearing how the Britons, by the help of Palladius, had repressed the Pelagianisme, being most desirous to purge the Church of his Kingdom also, where this Pelagian errour had crept in; sends for Palladius; who with small difficulty assisted the Orthodox, to disabuse those who had been carryed away by Pelagianisme, and thereafter in a very short time, by subtill in•inuations, gained so far upon the well-meaning Scots, that they consented to take new Governours of their Church, who were to have a Degree and Pre-eminence above their brethren, to wit, the Prelat-Bishops. Hitherto the Church of Scotland had been governed by Monks and Priests, without any such dignity or pomp. I call their new Governours, Prelat-Bishops, to distinguish them from their former Overseers and Superintendents of the Culdees, who are sometime by Writers called Bishops, as they were indeed; but they had no Pre-eminence or rank of Dignity above the rest; neither were they of any distinct Order from the rest of their Brethren. That at this time by Palladius was brought into Scotland these new kinde of Bishops, it appears by the relations of the Authors following, thus.