The History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland

Upon the last of February was sent to the prison where the servant of God lay,¹ the Dean of the Town, by the commandment of the Cardinal and his wicked counsel, and there summoned the said Master George, that he should on the morrow following appear before the Judge, then and there to give account of his seditious and Heretical Doctrine. To whom the said Master George answered; What needeth (said he) the Cardinal to summon me to answer for my Doctrine openly before him, under whose power and Dominion I am thus straightly bound in irons? May not he compel me to answer, of his extort power? Or believeth he that I am unprovided to render account of my Doctrine? To manifest your selves what men ye are, it is well done that ye keep your old Ceremonies and Constitutions made by men. Upon the next morrow the Lord Cardinal caused his servants to address themselves in their most warlike array, with Jack, Knapscall, Splent, Spear, & Axe, more seemly for the war then for the Preaching of the true word of God. And when these armed Champions, marching in warlike order, had conveyed the ⟨p. 58⟩Bishops into the Abbey-church, incontinently they sent for M. George, who was conveyed unto the said Church by the Captain of the Castle, and the number of an hundred men, addressed in manner aforesaid, like a Lamb led they him to the sacrifice. As he entered in at the Abbey-Church door, there was a poor man lying vexed with great infirmities, asking of his alms, to whom he flung his purse, and when he came before the Cardinal, by and by the Sub-prior of the Abbey,² called Dean John Winrame, stood up in the Pulpit, and made a Sermon to all the congregation there then assembled, taking his matter out of Matth. 13. Whose Sermon was divided into four parts. The first was, A short and brief declaration of the Evangelist. The second, of the interpretation of the good seed: And because he called the Word of God the good seed, and Heresy the evil seed; he declared what Heresy was, and how it should be known. He defined it on this manner;³ Heresy is a false Opinion, defended with Pertinacie, clearly repugning the Word of God. The third part of his Sermon was, The cause of Heresy within that realm, and all other realms. The cause of Heresy (said he) is the ignorance of them which have the cures of mens souls: