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

LIFE OF JOHN KNOX.
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and wounded and mutilated others, not excepting women
and children. Intelligence of the success which attended
the measures of her uncles was brought to queen Mary,
who immediately after gave a splendid ball to her fo¬
reign servants, at which the dancing was prolonged to a
late hour.
Knox was advertised of the festivities in the palace,
and the occasion of them. He always felt a lively in¬
terest in the concerns of the French protestants, with
many of whom he was intimately acquainted, and he en¬
tertained a very bad opinion of the princes of Lorrain.
In his sermon on the following Sabbath, he introduced
some severe strictures upon the vices to which princes
were addicted, their oppression, ignorance, hatred of vir¬
tue, attachment to bad company, and fondness for fool¬
ish pleasures. Information of this discourse was quick¬
ly conveyed to the queen, with many exaggerations; and
the preacher was next day ordered to attend at the pa¬
lace. Being conveyed into the royal chamber, where the
queen sat with her maids of honour and principal coun¬
sellors, he was accused of having spoken of her majesty
irreverently, and in such a manner as to bring her under
the contempt and hatred of her subjects.
After the queen had made a long speech on that theme,
he was allowed to state his defence. He told her ma¬
jesty, that she had been treated as persons usually were
who refused to attend the preaching of the word of God:
she had been obliged to trust to the false reports of flat¬
terers. For, if she had heard the calumniated discourse,
he did not believe she could have been offended with any
thing that he had said. She would now, therefore, be
pleased to hear him repeat, as exactly as he could, what
he had preached yesterday. Having done this, he added,
“ If any man, madam, will say, that I spake more, let
him presently accuse me.” Several of the company at¬
tested that he had given a just report of the sermon.
The queen, after turning round to the informers, who
were dumb, told him, that his words, though sharp