The History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland

To the Queen Regent. MADAME, MY duty humbly premised: Your Majesties servant, Master Robert Lockard, most instantly hath required me and others to whom your Majesties Letters, as he alleged, were directed, to receive the same in a secret manner, and to give him answer accordingly; but because some of the number that he required, were, and are of the great Council of this Realm, and therefore are solemnly sworn to have nothing to do in a secret manner, neither with your Majesty, nor with any that cometh from you, or from your Council. And so they could not receive your Majesties Letters with such conditions as the said Master Robert required, therefore thought he good to take back to your Majesty again the said Letters close; And yet because, as he reporteth, he hath made to your Majesty some promise in my name, at his request, I am content to testify by my Letter and Subscription, the sum of that which I did communicate ⟨p. 192⟩with him. In Dundee, after many words betwixt him and me, I said, That albeit divers sinister reports had been made of me, yet did I never declare any evident token of hatred nor enmity against your Majesty. For if it be the office of a true friend to give true and faithful counsel to them whom he seeth run to destruction for lack of the same, I could not be proved enemy to your Majesty, but rather a friend unfeigned. For what counsel I had given to your Majesty, my Writings, as well my Letter and Addition to the same, now Printed, as divers others which I wrote from S. Johnston, may testify. I further added, That such an enemy was I unto you, that my tongue did both persuade, and obtain, That your authority and Regiment should be obeyed of us in all things lawful, till you declare your self open enemy to this Common-wealth, as now, alas, ye have done. This I willed him moreover to say to your Majesty, That if ye following the counsel of flattering men, having no God but this world and their belly, did proceed in your malice against Christ Jesus his Religion, and true Ministers, that ye should do nothing else but accelerate and hasten Gods plague and vengeance upon your self and those that followeth you. And that ye (if ye did not change your purpose hastily) should bring your self in such extreme danger, that when ye would seek remedy it should not be so easy to be found as it had been before.

To the Queen Regent. MADAME, MY duty humbly premised: Your Majesties servant, Master Robert Lockard, most instantly hath required me and others to whom your Majesties Letters, as he alleadged, were directed, to receive the same in a secret manner, and to give him answer accordingly; but because some of the number that he required, were, and are of the great Counsell of this Realme, and therefore are solemnely sworne to have nothing to do in a secret manner, neither with your Majestie, nor with any that cometh from you, or from your Counsell. And so they could not receive your Majesties Letters with such conditions as the said Master Robert required, therefore thought he good to take backe to your Majestie againe the said Letters close; And yet because, as he reporteth, he hath made to your Majestie some promise in my name, at his request, I am content to testifie by my Letter and Subscription, the sum of that which I did communicate