Scottish Text Society publications > Old series > Catholic tractates of the sixteenth century, 1573-1600

HAMILTON’S CATHOLIK TRAICTISE, 1581.
79
the pepill, and place another in your hienes royall seat, quha
nather be Goddis nor mannis lau could iustlie impyre in ony
citie or cuntrie. Quhen the Hamiltones in iust mentenance of
your hienes auctoritie resistit to that traterous interpryse1 (as euer
5 thaj remanit in laufull obedience to your maiestie) he and the
rest of that seditious troup in opin pulpait broustit out the venom
of his fyrie tung aganis thame, sa that the half of thair seditious
preching vas consumit in railing pairtlie aganis the pape, partlie
aganis your maiestie, and principalle aganis the Hamiltones.
10 Thir var thair common places quhilk seruit thame quhen thaj
had na vther mater, sa that thair vas not ane lyne in the bybill
quhairin thaj vald not haif fund ane of thir thrie as thaj var
disposit to rage aganis thame: for the quhilk caus ane mirrie
man said on a day that the Hamiltones vas the eldest surname
15 in Scotland, seing the ministers fand thame to be in the bibill
euin from the begyning of Genesis to the end of the Apocalyps.
Thair cheritie is declarit touart thame in thair common prayers,
quha dayle crauis vangeance and confusion of thame as thocht
thaj var the bludiest boucheouris that euer vas in the varld.
20 The pulpitt of Edinburgh, and the voce of that Apostat and
foreloppin Monk, Durie,2 ignorant of all vther thingis bot of
seditious railing, can beir vitnes of this. God of his mercy opin
the hartis of all Hamiltonis and all vtheris of the nobilitie of
Scotland to consider hou God sufferis thir sort of men be a
25 plaig to all thame quha hes vorshippit thame as verie idollis and
fyrie serpentis, that thaj may anis considder hou thaj ar drauin
out of the bosome of the halie Catholik kirk, out of the quhilk
thair is na saluation and returnyng agane, may obedientlie serue
first the almychtie God, and nixt your maiestie thair lauthfull
30 magistral and your G. tender and yung sone.
And becaus vithout humbill submission to God and his haly
1 interpyse.
- John Durie, whose name frequently occurs in Hamilton’s writings, was
a native of Mauchline in Ayrshire. He entered the monastery of Dunferm¬
line, of which his cousin, George Durie (father of John Durie the Jesuit), was
abbot. Before the Reformation he had been sentenced to imprisonment for
heresy. He became an ardent supporter of Knox, was minister in Edinburgh
>n I574> and was conspicuous at times for his outspoken opposition to the
court (Fasti, i. 5, 103, 147).