Ringan Gilhaize, or, The Covenanters
Page 25
CHAPTER XXIV
The next day, Elspa Ruet, under the escorting of my grandfather, wasminded to have gone home to Crail, but the news that John Knox was topreach on the morrow at St Andrews had spread far and wide; no man couldtell by what wonderful reverberation the tidings had awakened the wholeland. From all quarters droves of the Reformed and the pious camepressing to the gates of the city, like sheep to the fold and doves tothe windows. The Archbishop and the priests and friars were smitten withdread and consternation; the doom of their fortunes was evident in thedistraction of their minds--but the Earl of Argyle and the Lord JamesStuart, at the priory, remained calm and collected.
Foreseeing that the step they had taken would soon be visited by thewrath of the Queen Regent, they resolved to prepare for the worst, andmy grandfather was ordered to hold himself in readiness for a journey.Thus was he prevented from going to Crail with Elspa Ruet, who, with aheavy heart, went back in the evening with the man and horses thatbrought the Reformer to the town. For John Knox, though under the ban ofoutlawry, was so encouraged with inward assurances from on High, that hecame openly to the gate, and passed up the crown of the causey on to thepriory, in the presence of the Archbishop's guards, of all the people,and of the astonished and dismayed priesthood.
As soon as the Antichrist heard of his arrival, he gave orders for allhis armed retainers, to the number of more than a hundred men-at-arms,to assemble in the cloisters of the monastery of the Blackfriars; for hewas a man of a soldierly spirit, and though a loose and immoralchurchman, would have made a valiant warrior; and going thither himself,he thence sent word to the Lord James Stuart at the priory, that if JohnKnox dared to preach in the cathedral, as was threatened, he would orderhis guard to fire on him in the pulpit.
My grandfather, with others of the retinue of the two noblemen, hadaccompanied the Archbishop's messenger into the Prior's chamber, wherethey were sitting with John Knox when this bold challenge to thechampion of Christ's cause was delivered; and it was plain that bothArgyle and the Lord James were daunted by it, for they well knew thefearlessness and the fierceness of their consecrated adversary.
After the messenger had retired, and the Lord James, in a particularmanner, had tacitly signified to my grandfather to remain in the room,and had taken a slip of paper, he began to write thereon, while Argylesaid to the Reformer,--
"Master Knox, this is what we could na but expect; and though it mayseem like a misdooting of our cause now to desist, I'm in a swither ifye should mak the attempt to preach."
The Reformer made no answer; and the Lord James, laying down his pen,also said, "My thoughts run wi' Argyle's,--considering the weakness ofour train and the Archbishop's preparations, with his own regardlesscharacter,--I do think we should for a while rest in our intent. TheQueen Regent has come to Falkland wi' her French force, and we are inno condition to oppose their entrance into the town; besides, yourappearance in the pulpit may lead to the sacrifice of your own mostprecious life, and the lives of many others who will no doubt standforth in your defence. Whether, therefore, you ought, in such apredicament, to think of preaching, is a thing to be well considered."
"In the strength of the Lord," exclaimed John Knox, with the voice of anapostle, "I will preach. God is my witness that I never preached incontempt of any man, nor would I willingly injure any creature; but Icannot delay my call to-morrow if I am not hindered by violence. As forthe fear of danger that may come to me, let no man be solicitous; for mylife is in the custody of HIM whose glory I seek, and threats will notdeter me from my duty when Heaven so offereth the occasion. I desireneither the hand nor the weapon of man to defend me; I only craveaudience, which, if it be denied to me here at this time, I must seekwhere I may have it."
The manner and confidence with which this was spoken silenced andrebuked the two temporal noblemen, and they offered no moreremonstrance, but submitted as servants, to pave the way for this intentof his courageous piety. Accordingly, after remaining a short time, asif in expectation to hear what the Earl of Argyle might further have tosay, the Lord James Stuart took up his pen again, and when he hadcompleted his writing, he gave the paper to my grandfather (it was alist of some ten or twelve names) saying, "Make haste, Gilhaize, and letthese, our friends in Angus, know the state of peril in which we stand.Tell them what has chanced; how the gauntlet is thrown; and that ourchampion has taken it up, and is prepared for the onset."
My grandfather forthwith departed on his errand, and spared not the spurtill he had delivered his message to every one whose names were writtenin the paper; and their souls were kindled and the spirit of the Lordquickened in their hearts.
The roads sparkled with the feet of summoning horsemen, and the townsrung with the sound of warlike preparations.
On the third day, towards the afternoon, my grandfather embarked atDundee on his return, and was landed at the Fife water-side. There weremany in the boat with him; and it was remarked by some among them, that,for several days, no one had been observed to smile, and that all menseemed in the expectation of some great event.
The weather being loun and very sultry, he travelled slowly with thosewho were bound for St Andrews, conversing with them on the troubles ofthe time, and the clouds that were gathering and darkening over poorScotland; but every one spoke from the faith of his own bosom, that theterrors of the storm would not be of long duration--so confident werethose unlettered men of the goodness of Christ's cause in that epoch oftribulation.
While they were thus communing together, they came in sight of the city,with its coronal of golden spires, and Babylonian pride of idolatroustowers, and they halted for a moment to contemplate the gorgeousinsolence with which Antichrist had there built up and invested theblood-stained throne of his blasphemous usurpation.
"The walls of Jericho," said one of the travellers, "fell at the soundbut of ram's horns, and shall yon Babel withstand the preaching of JohnKnox?"
Scarcely had he said the words, when the glory of its magnificence waswrapt with a shroud of dust; a dreadful peal of thunder came rollingsoon after, though not a spark of vapour was seen in all the ether ofthe blue sky; and the rumble of a dreadful destruction was then heard.My grandfather clapped spurs to his horse, and galloped on towards thetown. The clouds rose thicker and filled the whole air. Shouts andcries, as he drew near, were mingled with the crash of falling edifices.The earth trembled, and his horse stood still, regardless of the rowels,as if it had seen the angel of the Lord standing in his way. On allsides monks and nuns came flying from the town, wringing their hands asif the horrors of the last judgment had surprised them in their sins.The guards of the Archbishop were scattered among them like chaff in theswirl of the wind: then his Grace came himself on Sir David Hamilton'sfleet mare, with Sir David and divers of his household fast following.The wrath of heaven was behind them, and they rattled past mygrandfather like the distempered phantoms that hurry through the dreamsof dying men.
My grandfather's horse at last obeyed the spur, and he rode on and intothe city, the gates of which were deserted. There he beheld on all sidesthat the Lord had indeed put the besom of destruction into the hands ofthe Reformers; and that not one of all the buildings which had beenpolluted by the papistry--no, not one--had escaped the erasingfierceness of its ruinous sweep. The presence of the magistrates lentthe grace of authority to the zeal of the people, and all things weredone in order. The idols were torn down from the altars, anddeliberately broken by the children with hammers into pieces. There wasno speaking; all was done in silence; the noise of the falling churches,the rending of the shrines, and the breaking of the images were the onlysounds heard. But for all that, the zeal of not a few was, even in themidst of their dread solemnity, alloyed with covetousness. Mygrandfather himself saw one of the town-council slip the bald head, insilver, of one of the twelve apostles into his pouch.