The History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland

The Assembly notwithstanding proceeded forward in establishing of such orders, as whereby vice might be punished, and virtue might be maintained, And because there was a great slander risen upon Paul Meffane of whom mention is made in the second Book of the History, Commissions and charge was given unto John Knox, Minister of Edinburgh, and unto certain of the Elders of the Church of Edinburgh, to pass to the Town of Jedwart, where the slander was raised, and to be found there,¹ the third of January next, was the trial to be taken of the slander raised, and to hear the Articles and complaint of the said Paul: and after the trial, to report the truth to the Session of the Church of Edinburgh; To whom with the assistance of the superintendent of Lowthian Commission was given to discern therein. The trial and examination of that crime was difficile, the slander was universal in that Town and Country; the servant woman of the said Paul, had betwixt that and Christmas left his House, she had borne a child, no father to it could she ⟨p. 350⟩find, but alleged her self to have been suppressed late in an Evening; the said Paul constantly affirmed himself innocent, and would have given his public purgation; but because his Accusators had taken on them to prove there accusation that was denied, many witnesses were produced, of whom some deposed so clearly, that the Commissioners suspected, that they had been suborned, and therefore they required to have inspection of the places, where some said they saw, and some said they heard them in the very act of iniquity. The sight and consideration of the place augmented greatly the suspicion; but one thing was most suspicious of all other, for the Wife of the sad Paul (an ancient Matron) was absent from him the space of eight or nine weeks in Dundee; which time (or at least a great part thereof) they suspected, and he lay nightly in one house without other company then a Child of seven or eight years of age. The Judges, notwithstanding these suspicions, having a good opinion of the honesty and godliness of the man, travelled what they could (conscience not hurt) to purge him of the slander:

The Assembly notwithstanding proceeded forward in establishing of such orders, as whereby vice might be punished, and vertue might be maintained, And because there was a great slander risen upon Paul Meffane of whom mention is made in the second Booke of the Historie, Commissions and charge was given unto Iohn Knox, Minister of Edinburgh, and unto certain of the Elders of the Church of Edinburgh, to passe to the Town of Iedwart, where the slander was raised, and to be found there,