The History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland

To the Nobility, Burgess, and Commonty of this Realm of Scotland, the Lords, Barons, and others Brethren of the Congregation, wisheth increase of all wisdom; with advancement of the glory of God, and of the Common-wealth. The love of our native Country craveth, the defence of our honours requireth, and the sincerity of our consciences compelleth us (dear brethren) to answer in some part to the last Writs and Proclamations set forth by the Q Regent, no less to make us and our Cause odious, then to abuse your simplicity,¹ and to work your final destruction, conspired of old, and now already put to work. And first, where she allegeth, That certain seditious persons have of malice invented and blown abroad divers rumours, tending thereby (as she allegeth) to stir up the hearts of the people to sedition, by reason that the French-men are crept in of late in our Country. True it is (dear brethren) that all such as bear natural love to their Country, to you their brethren inhabitants thereof, to our houses, wives, children, the esperance of our posterity; and to be short, To our Common-wealth, and to the ancient Laws and Liberties thereof, cannot but in heart lament, and with mouth & tears complain, the most crafty assaults devised and practised, to the utter ruin of all these things forenamed. This is so manifestly gone to work, that even in our eyes, our dear brethren, true members of our Common-wealth, are most cruelly oppressed by strangers; in so far, as some are banished their own houses, some robbed and spoiled of their substance purchased by their just labours in the sweat of their brows, some cruelly murdered at the pleasure of these inhumane soldiers, and altogether have their lives in such fear and dread, as if the enemy were in the midst of them; so that nothing can seem pleasant unto them which they possess in the bowels of their native Country; so near judged every man (and not without just cause) the practise used upon their brethren, to approach next unto them, their wives, children's, houses, and substances, which altogether are cast at the feet of strangers men of War, to be by them thus abused at their unbridled lusts desire.

To the Nobility, Burgesse, and Commonty of this Realme of Scotland, the Lords, Barons, and others Brethren of the Congregation, wisheth encrease of all wisedom; with advancement of the glory of God, and of the Common-wealth. THe love of our native Countrey craveth, the defence of our honours requireth, and the sincerity of our consciences compelleth us (dear brethren) to answer in some part to the last Writs and Proclamations set forth by the Q Regent, no lesse to make us and our Cause odious, then to abuse your simplicity,