Spottiswoode Society > History of the affairs of the Church and State of Scotland from the beginning of the reformation to the year 1568 > Volume 1

332 APPENDIX. [book I.
Abbat of Lendors, 1 John Prior of Pittenweem, 2 the Deanc
and Sub-Deane of Glasgow, Mr Hugh Spens, Thomas Ram-
say, Allane Meldrum, &c. in the presence of the clergy and
the people.
III. — FRIAR SETON"S LETTER TO THE KING. 3
Most Gracious and Soveraigne Lord under the Lord
and King of all, of whom only thy Highnes and Majesty
hast power and authority to exercise justice within this thy
Realme under God, who is King and Lord of all Realmes,
and thy Grace, and all mortal Kings, are but only servants
unto that only immortal Prince Christ Jesus, &c. It is not,
I wot, unknown to thy gracious Highnes, how that thy
Grace's sometime servant and orator, and ever shall be to
my lives end, is departed out of thy Realme unto the next
adjacent of England. Nevertheless I believe the cause of
my departing is unknowne to thy gracious Majesty, which
only is, because the Bishops and Churchmen of thy Realme
have had heretofore such authoritie upon thy subjects, that
apparently they were rather King, and thou the subject ;
which unjust regiment is of itself false, and contrarie to
holy Scripture, and God's law; then thou art their King
and Master, and they thy subjects, which is very true, and
testifyed expressly by the word of God : And also, because
they will give no man, of any degree or state, whom they
often call heretikes, audience, time nor place to speak, and
have defence, which is against all Law, both the old Law,
called the Law of Moses, and the new Law of the Gospel.
So that if I might have had audience and place to speak,
and have shewed my just defence, conformable to the Law of
God, I should never have fled to any other Realme, suppose
it should have cost me my life. But because I believed that
two infant illegitimate sons, and in 1523 first Lord President of the Court
of Session. — E.]
1 [Henry, whose surname is unknown, was, as far as can be ascertained,
the thirteenth Abbot of Lindores in Fife. See Chartularies of Balmerino
and Lindores, printed for the Abbotsford Club, 4to. Edinburgh, 1841,
Introduction to " Liber Sancte Marie de Lindores," in the same volume,
by W. B. D. D. Turnbull, Esq. Advocate, p. iv.— E.l
2 [John Rule, Prior of Pittenweem. — E.]
3 Knox's Hist. edit. Svo. p. 48.