The History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland

Again, What favour to our Common-wealth doth she at this instant bear, when even now presently, and of a long time by-gone, by the Ministry of some (who better deserve the Gallows then ever did Cochran) she doth so corrupt the good money, and hath brought it to such business, and such a deal of strife, that all men that had their eyes open may perceive an extreme beggary to be brought there-through upon the whole Realm. So that the whole exchange and traffic to be had with Foreign nations (a thing most necessary in all Common-wealths) shall thereby be utterly extinguished, and all the gains received thereby is, That she therewith entertaineth strangers upon our heads. For brethren, you know that her money hath served for no other purpose in our Common-wealth this long time bygone. And the impunity of those wicked Ministers (whom lately we spake of) hath brought the matter to such a licentious enormity and plain contempt of the Common-weal, that now they spare not plainly to break down and convert the good and weighty money Coined in our Sovereigns lesser age into this their corrupted skruife and baggages of Hard-heads and Non-sunts,¹ most like as she and they had conspired to destroy all the whole good Coin of this Realm; and consequently that part of the Common-weal. Besides all this, their clipped and r•nged Sols which had no passage these three years past in the Realm of France are commanded to have course in this Realm, to gratify thereby her new-come Soldiers, and all these things together are done without the advice or consent of the Nobility and Council of thi• Realm; and manifestly there-through against our ancient Laws and Liberties. Thirdly, her last and most weighty proceeding, more fully declareth the motherly care her Majesty beareth to our Common-weal and us, when in time of Peace, without any occasion of Foreign Wars, thousands of Strangers are laid here and there upon the necks of our poor members of this Common-weal. Their idle bellies fed upon the poor substance of the Commonalty conquest by their just labours in the painful sweat of their brows, which to be true, Dumbar, North-Berwick, Travent, Pres•on, Panes, Missilburgh, Leith, ⟨p. 176⟩Cannongat, Kinghorne, Kirkcaldy, Dysart, with the depauperate souls that this day dwell therein can testify.