Scotland/Scots > Life of John Knox ; and, The life of Alexander Henderson

PREFACE.
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limits to which they were confined, from entering in¬
to those minute statements, which are so useful for
illustrating individual character, and render biogra¬
phy both pleasing and instructive. Nor can it escape
observation, that a number of writers have been guilty
of great injustice to the memory of our Reformer, and,
from prejudice, from ignorance, or from inattention,
have exhibited a distorted caricature, instead of a
genuine portrait.
I was encouraged to prosecute my design, in con¬
sequence of my possessing a manuscript volume of
Knox’s Letters, which throw considerable light upon
his character and history. The advantages which I
have derived from this volume will appear in the
course of the work.
The other MSS. which I have chiefly made use of
are Calderwood’s large History of the Church of Scot¬
land, Row’s History, and Wodrow’s Collections.
Calderwood’s History, besides much valuable infor¬
mation respecting the early period of the Reforma¬
tion, contains a collection of letters written by Knox
between 1559 and 1572, which, together with those
in my possession, extend over twenty years of the
most active period of his life. I have carefully con¬
sulted this history as far as it relates to the period of
which I write.