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

210
LIFE OF JOHN KNOX.
such laws. “But wherein can I be accused of this!”—
“ Read this part of your own bill,” said the queen, who
shewed herself an acute prosecutor. She then caused
the following sentence to be read from his letter: “ This
fearful summons is directed against them, [the two per¬
sons who were indicated] to make no doubt a prepara¬
tive on a few, that a door may be opened to execute
cruelty upon a greater multitude.”—“Lo!” exclaimed
the queen exultingly; “what say you to that!” The
eyes of the assembly were fixed on the pannel, anxious
to know what answer he would make to this charge.
“ Is it lawful for me, madam, to answer for myself?
or, shall I be condemned unheard!”—“ Say what you
can; for I think you have enough to do.”—“ I will first
then desire of your Grace, madam, and of this most hon¬
ourable audl ice, Whether your Grace knows not, that
the obstinaie Papists are deadly enemies to all such as
profess the gospel of Jesus Christ, and that they most
earnestly desire the extermination of them, and of the
true doctrine that is taught within this realm!”—The
queen was silent: but the lords, with one voice, exclaim¬
ed, “ God forbid, that ever the lives of the faithful, or
yet the staying of the doctrine, stood in the power of
the Papists! for just experience has taught us what
cruelty lies in their hearts.”—“ I must proceed then,”
said the Reformer. “ Seeing that I perceive that all
will grant, that it were a barbarous thing to destroy such
a multitude as profess the gospel of Christ within this
realm, which oftener than once or twice they have at¬
tempted to do by force,—they, by God and by his pro¬
vidence being disappointed, have invented more crafty
and dangerous practices, to wit, to make the prince a
party under colour of law; and so what they could not
do by open force, they shall perform by crafty deceit.
For who thinks, my lords, that the insatiable cruelty of
the Papists (within this realm I mean) shall end in the
murdering of these two brethren, now unjustly summon¬
ed, and more unjustly to be accused?—And therefore.