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

LIFE OF JOHN KNOX.
came down from the pulpit, there was a letter from Ken¬
nedy put into his hand, stating, that he understood he
had come to that country to seek disputation, and offer¬
ing to meet with him on the following Sunday in any
house in Maybole, provided there were not more than
twenty persons on each side admitted. Knox replied,
that he had come, not purposely to dispute, but to preach
the gospel; he was, however, willing to meet with him;
he was under a previous engagement to be in Dumfries
on the day mentioned by the abbot, but if he sent him
his articles, he would, with all convenient speed, return
and fix a time.
A correspondence was carried on between them on
this subject, which is fully as curious as the dispute
which ensued. Knox wished that his reasoning should
be as public as the abbot had made his articles, and pro¬
posed that it should take place in St. John’s church in
Ayr; but the abbot refused to dispute publicly. The
earl of Cassilis wrote to Knox, expressing his disappro¬
bation of the proposed disputation, as unlikely to do any
good, and calculated to endanger the public peace; to
which the Reformer replied, by signifying, that his re¬
lation had given the challenge, which he was resolved
not to decline, and that his lordship ought to encourage
him to keep the appointment, from which no bad effects
were to be dreaded. Upon this the abbot, feeling his
honour touched, wrote a letter to the Reformer, in which
he told him that he would have “rencountered” him the
last time he was in the country, had it not been for the
interposition of the earl of Cassilis, and charged him with
stirring up his nephew to write that letter, in order to
bring him into disgrace. “ Ye sal be assured,” says he,
“ I sal keip day and place in Mayboill, according to my
writing, and I haif my life, and my feit louse;” and in
another letter to Knox and the bailies of Ayr, he says,
“ keip your promes, and pretex na joukrie, be my lorde
of Cassilis writing.” The abbot being in this state of
mind, the conditions of the combat were speedily settled.