❧VNTO THE GODLIE AND CHRI­stiane Reidar, Henrie Charteris, wischis grace, and peice from Iesus Christ our Saluiour. with the perpetuall assistence of his halic Spirite.

IT is the commoun and accustomit maner (gentill reidar) of all thame quhilk dois prohemiate vpon ony vther manis wark, cheiflie to tra­uel about twa pointis. The ane is, to declair the properteis of ye Au­thour, nocht onlie externall, as his originall, birth, vocatioun, estait, strenth, giftis of the bodie, substance, & maner of leuing: bot alswa inter­nall: as the qualiteis, habites, & dispositiones of the mynde, his ingyne, knawlege, wisdome, giftis of the Spirit, and all vther verre wis quhilk culd iustlie be knawin to haue bene in him. Bot seing it is nocht monie ȝeiris past, sen it hes pleisit the eternall God, to call our Authour, out of the miserabill and trubilsum calamiteis of this transiteric lyfe, vntil his celestiall ioy, and heuinlie habitatioun, swa that the memorie of him is bot as ȝit recent, & not out of the hartis of mony ȝit leuand, to quhome his haill maner of lyfe was better knawin than vnto me, I think it not greitlie neidfull to tary the thairon, bot will remit the to lerne it at yair mouthis. The vther is, to declair his maner of wryting, the vtili [...]ie of his warkis, & quhat frute, profite, and commoditie may ensew and follow to the diligent reidar and reuoluar of the samin. Nouther in this is it greitly neidfull to me to trauell, seing the samin may be maist esilie & perfytelie knawin be his awin pen. For besydis the plesand and delecta­bill versiz, besy [...]i [...] the craftie and ingenious poeticall inuentionis, be­sydis the frutefull and cōmodious Historyis, ba [...]th humane and diuine: baith recent and ancient: besydis the hailsum and notal [...]i [...]l counsellis & admonitionis to Princis, to Prelates, & to all estatis, quhat vice or ini­quitie rang in his dayis, quhilk he did not cel [...]u [...]e? not onlie of the spiri­tuall, bot alswa of the temporall estait? quhat verteous or cōmend a bill fact, hes he not praisit, and desyrit to be had in the dew honour, and ho­norabill estimatioun. Bot gif we fall consider and wey the tyme, quhen he did wryte the maist pairt of thir warkis, being ane tyme of sa greit & blind ignorance, of manifest and horribill abhominationis and abusis: it is to be meruell it how he durst sa planelie inuey ag [...]nis the wycis of all men: bot cheiflie of the spirituall estait, being sa bludie, & cruell bouche­ouris. He neuer ceissit baith in his graue and merie materis, in cruis [...] & in bourdis: in wryting, and in wordis to challenge and carp thame. It cūmis to my memorie ane prettie trik, quhilk sumtyme I haue hard re­portit of him. The Kingis grace, Iames the Fyft, beand on ane certane tyme accumpany it with ane greit nowmer of his Nobillis, & ane greit menȝe of Bischoppis, Abbottis and Prelatis standing about he quiklie & prettilie inuentit ane prettie trik to teine yame. He cūmis to the King, and efter greit dewgard & salutationis, he makis him, as thocht he war [Page] to requyre sum wechtie thing of the Kingis grace. The King persauād, demandis quhat he wald haue? he answeris: Schir, I haue seruit ȝour grace lang, & lukis to be rewardit as vtheris ar. And now ȝour maister Tailȝeour at the pleasure of God is departit, quhairfoir I wald desyre of ȝour grace, to bestow this lytil benefite vpon me, as ane part of reward of my lang seruice, to mak me ȝour maister tailȝeour. The King bele­nand in deid his tailȝeour to be departit, sayis to him. Quhairto wald thow be my tailȝeour? thow can nouther schaip nor few? he answeris. Schir, that makis na mater: for ȝe haue geuin Bischoprikis and benefi­ces to mony standing heir about ȝow: and ȝit can thay nouther teiche, nor preiche. And quhy may I not than asweill be ȝour tailȝeour, thocht I can nouther schaip nor sew: seing teiching and preiching is na les re­quisite to thair vocatioū, than sch [...]iping & sewing is to ane tailȝeouris. The King incontinent persauit his consait, and leuch merilie thairat: bot the Bischoppis at sic bourding leuch neuer ane quhit. Na les ernist and vehement was he aganis thame, in his fairsis and publict playis, quhairin he was verray craftie & excellent. Sic ane spring he gaif yame in the play, playit besyde Edinburgh, in presence of the Quene Regent, and ane greit part of the Nobilitie, with ane exceding greit nowmer of pepill, lest and fra. ix. houris afoir none, till .vj. houris at euin, quhair a­mangis mony baith graue materis, and merie trikkis he brocht in ane Bischop, ane Persone, ane Freir, and ane Nun. deckit vp in thair papi­sticall ornamētis, and maner of rayment. And thairefter brocht in King correctioun, quha reformand sindrie deformiteis in his Realme, passit to the tryall of his Clergie. And find and thame to be altogidder Idiotis, vnworthie of ony functioun ecclesiasticall, decernit thame to be degradit of thair digniteis, and spulȝeit of thair officis: quhilk beand executit, & thay denudit of thair vpmaist garmentis, thay war fund bot verray fu­lis, hypocrites, flatteraris, & nouchtie persones. Quhairby he signifyit to the pepill, that howsaeuer thay war estemit of the warld, thay had nathing quhairin thay micht iustlie glorie to be pastouris of Christis Kirk, and feidaris of his flock, bot onlie thair outward ornamentis, and tri­umphant tytillis. Bot beand inwardlie considerit, thay wald be fund bot verray hyrelingis, enemeis to Christ, & deuoraris of his flock. This play did enter with sic greif in thair hartis, that thay studyit be all me­nis to be auengit thairof. Thay conuenit thair prouinciall counsellis, thay consultit how thay suld best sustene thait kingdome inclynand to ruyne, quhilk lairlie had gottin sa publict ane wound: thay ȝeid about to haue his haill warkis condempnit, for hereticall, and cessit not in Kirk and market, publictlie and priuelie, to rage and rayll aganis him, as ane Heretike. Bot to returne to our purpose. Nochtwithstanding the bir­nand fyre borne aganis him in thair breistis, the hatreut cōsauit in thair hartis, thair puissance and power euin in that tyme, quhen thay had the ball at thair fute, quhen nouther Prince, nor vther was abil to withstād [Page] thame, ȝit culd thay neuer get power ouer this sempil man, nor haif ya [...] harus satiat of him. Thay had thair Canoun Lawis: thay had the Mu­nicipal Lawis of the Realme, and actis of Parliament haldin be yat sa­min King, quhame he seruit, with quhon c [...]rom his ȝouth vp he cōuer­sit, that na man suld ressoun or call in dout the authoritie of thair spiri­tuall Father: that Imagis suld be honourit: that the libertie of hali [...] Kirk (as thay namit it) suld be mantenit, and defendit. And gif ony war suspectit in ony hereticall point, aganis the cōmandementis of this yair Kirk, incontinent thay war cytit, thay war apprehendit, and incarcerat in strang presoun: & finallie thay war cōpellit outher to abiure (quhair­throw thay remamt infamit all thair dayis, nouther micht enioy honou­ris, nor digniteis for thair tyme) or ellis thay behourt maist cruellie suf­fer the fyre. How cūmis it than, that this our Authour being sa plane a­ganis thame, and as it war professit enemie to thame, culd eschaip thair snairis, quhen vtheris in doing les hes cruellie perischit? Sum will think, because his wryting was cōmounlie mixit with mowis, and col­lourit with craftie consaitis (as Chaucer and vtheris had done befoir) the mater was the mair mitigatt. Bot this can not satisfie: for na mow­is in sic materis culd mitigate thair bludie breistis. Sum will think be­cause he was continuallie in Court, and seruit the King, he was esilie ouersene. Bot in my iugement, that is the greiter cause of offence: name­lie to haif thair vaniteis and wickitnes publischit in Court, and sicht of Princis Nouther culd this be saiftie to vtheris. M. Patrik Hammilto [...] Abbot of Feirn, being of the blude Royall, being ane man of greit lite­rature, and of sic lyfe, that the verray enemeis thame sellis war enforcit to commend and allow him. Ȝit did he nocht eschaip thair malice, bot sufferit cruell deith be fyre. Robert Forester alswa gentilman on the sa­min maner was tormentit. And howbeit thir did cruellie perische, ȝit in all agis, and in all nationes, it hes plesit God, of his greit mercy, to rais and steir vp his Prophetis and seruandis, quhame he hes michtilie pre­seruit, to repreif the generationis present of thair vnrichteousnes: to vt­ter and oppin to the pepill the corruptioun than regnand: and as it was aganis the Deuill, and the warld to testifie his treuth: to walkin thame out of thair Ignorance. He steirit vp the auld and ancient Doctouris, to impugne and stranglie confute all heresyis springand and rysand. Bo [...] thame at this present I will omit for breuitie, & will speik rather sum­quhat sen corruptioun and superstitioun enterit amangis thame, quhilk war rewlaris and Pastouris of the Kirk of God: sen thay begouth to leif preiching of pure Christ, and to set vp thame selfis: to conquers Re­almis, prouincis, and cuntreis: to subdew Princis and Potestates: and finallie to exalt thame selfis aboue all that is callit God. In quhilk day­is war mony leirnit men, & godlie Bischoppis in this cuntrir: as Ser­uanus, Columba, Aidanus, Finnanus, Colmannus, Leuinus, Bailus, and mony ma, quha baith in this Realme, and in Ingland, did lang de­bell, [Page] and hald out the Romische superstitionis, and ceremoneis, as is at lenth contenit in the auld Historyis of Beda, and vtheris. He rasit vp alswa in the dayis of Carolus Magnus, twa of our cuntrie men, baith of greit eruditioun and leirning, the ane callit Iohne, surnamit Mailrosius: the vther Claudius Clemens. Thir twa passand out of Scotlād, at cōmand of King Achaius (as Boethius wrytis) to ye partis of France, come to Paris, and war the occasioun of the fundatioun of ye Vniuersitie of the samin, & sindrie vtheris, and war the first professouris of liberall sciencis in thame. Nouther ceissit thay with ane Adelbertus ane Frencheman, and Bertramus, to inwey on ye stait of ye Kirk, than tendand and declynand fast to corruptioun, vntill Claudius, & Adelber­tus war clappit in clois presoun, and Iohne departit the cuntrie, & come in Ingland: quhair (as sum wrytis) at the perswasioun of certane Mon­kis, he was slaine, be certane his awin discipulis, impaciēt of his admo­nitiones and correctionis. Efter thir quhen the sindrie [...]ectis of Freiris began to spring vp, he raisit in France Builielmus de. S. Amore: Ni­gellus: Nicolaus, and Arnoldus de villa noua: in Italie ye Abbot Ioa­chimus Calaber: in Germanie, Hildegardis ye Prophetes with sindrie vtheris, quhilk stranglie wrait aganis the superstitionis and Idilteth of the begging Freiris, and vther abusis of the Clergie. And howbeit yair admonitiones culd not be hard, nor th [...]r wryting tane in gude part, bot vtterlie reiectit and despysit, ȝit war thay not cūmit to that furie & rage, as to bruyle and scald quha sa euer suld speik aganis thame, bot cōtentit thame selus with presoun, or banischement of sic persones, as war con­trarious to thame, degraiding thame of thair digniteis and offices: and excōmunicating thame out of thair Kirkis. Bot quhen thair iniquiteis was cūmin to maturitie, God raisit vp in Ingland, Iohne Vicleif, quha scand the haill ecclesiasticall estait, to be altogidder corrupt: the word of God, to be cūmit to neglect, and contempt: and mēnis traditionis aboue it to be extollit: did maist ernistlie teiche, and wryte ane huge nowmer of volumis and bukis aganis thame. Than was the beist vnquyetit of his resting sa [...]t, and began to rage and fret, to seik the deith and destructioun of this pure mā. Bot all for nocht. The Lord did potentlie preserue him from yair snairis and girnis: and nothwithstanding all thair furie, de­partit in the Lord in peice. And howbeit efter deith Rancour cōmounlie reissis, ȝit .xlj. ȝeiris efter his with, ya [...] tuke vp his banis and brint yame. Persewand alswa with maist extremitie all that adheirit to him, or did allow his doctrine. Thay brint the Lord Cobham, Schir Roger Actoū Knicht, Williame Thorpe, Williame Tayleir, Richard Howedē, Iohne Clerdoun. Thay banischit Elenor Cobhame: thay murderit in presoun Iohne Astoun, Reginald Pecock Bischop of Chichester, with ane infi­nite noumber ma. Thair was na end in thair furie. Quhill thay war thus busie in Ingland, began Iohne Hus, and Hierome of Braga to preiche in Boheme, men of sic leirning, and lyfe, that thay war in admi­ratioun [Page] euin to the verray aduersaris thame selfis, quhairof remanis ȝit sufficient testimoneis writtin be Poggius, and vtheris of the Antichri­stiane menȝe. Thay beand cytit to the counsall of Constance, come vpon ane saifconduct of Sigismundus the Empriour, than king of Boheme, present at the counsall: and thair gaif ane resoun & declaratioun of thair faith, and doctrine: fra the constant professioun quhairof, quhen yai culd nocht be disswadit: thay contrair the saifconduct, contrair all promises, cruellie brint thame. Satisfyand the Empriour, with this godlie Law, of thair awin forgeing, Quod nulla fides sit hereticis seruanda: Thair is na promis to be keipit to heretikes. Quhat frute this gudelie Law hes wrocht, the battell betuix the Turk, and Lowes king of Vngarie, and Boheme, & the occasioun thairof quhair the said Lowes perischit, to the greit hurt of all Christianitie, will declair: and mony vther histories al­swa, quhilkis for schortnes I omit. Now our Prelates laith to ly be­hind, willing to schaw yair gude seruice to ye halie Sait, apprehēdit heir in Scotland, Paull Craw, teiching the doctrine, quhilk Vicleif & Hus had teichit, & maid ane Sacrifice of him in Sanctandrois. And findand the sawour of this Sacrifice fragrant and smelland thay tuke the Vicar of Dolour, Freir Kelour, Symsone, Bawerage, kennedie, Stratoun, Bourlay, and mony ma, quha because yai culd not allow yair vaine su­perstitiones and Idolatries, expres aganis the cōmandemēt of ye Lord thair God war cuttit of be the fyre. Thay had now lernit to dispute with fyre & faggot, for our auld Bischoppis & Pastouris war decayit, quhilkꝭ war wōt to be lampis, and as it war leidsternis, to all nationis adiacēt: from quhome passit furth mony lernit men to all cuncreis, to Ingland, France, Germanie, Sa [...]one, Pruse, and vther partis, as thair Chroni­killis testifyis, plantand and teichand the Christiane faith, & all godlie sciencis. Bot now dull Asynis had ascendit to thair rowmis, beand ma­ryit with dame propertie, and riches, and fair lady Sensualitie: and swa efter ye rait of vther Realmis, war becūmit Idil bellyis, Ignorāt blok­kis, and dum doggis. Nouther war thay Idill in Italie: thair cruellie sufferit Thomas Rhedonensis the Carmelite. And in Florence the god­lie blak Freir, Hieronymus Sauoronola. Thus cōtinewand yair rage in all Realmes, euin to the vttermaist of yair power, it pleisit ye mercy­full God, of his greit mercy, & fauourabill lufe towartis man, quhairby he wald not haif man vtterlie to perische, to gif (as it war) lycht to the warld: and that be reueilling of his word and Euangel, be the mouthis of his seruandis Luther, Bucer, Zuinglius, Oecolampadius, Caluine, & mony vtheris: be quhome he hes discouerit yair cankerit corruptioun, & auld festur in sic sort, yat na mā (except he wilbe wilfullie blind) may not persaif ye vennome & fylth thairof. And ȝit hes ye maist part of yir (how saeuer ye poweris of ye warld hes bene cōtrarious to yame) departie in ye Lord, in quietnes. Now sum wil say, thir war preicheouris, & Mini­steris of the word, and had bene sumtyme auoyntit schauelingis, mar [...]it [Page] with the beistis mark, and had maid defectioun from thame, quhairfoir thay persewir thame the mair scharplie and cruellie. Bot the Lord Cob­hame, Robert Forester, Straitoun, wer nouther schauelingis nor prei­cheouris. Richard Mekinnis ane boy of .xvij. ȝeiris of age, brint in Lō ­doun, was na preicheour. The lyke Iugement sufferit Maistres An As­kew, with mony wemen, quhilk ȝit war na preicheouris. Ȝit forther sum will obiect the equitie of the tyme, quhairin our Authour leuit: that the power of the aduersaries was restraynit, that thay culd not rage and rin at ryot at thair libertie, and plesour, as thay war wont. And ȝit ane ly­till befoir his deith thay brint. M. George Vischart, and Adam Wallace Mariner. And schortlie efter our Authouris deith, thay tuke the auld mā Walter Mill, and cruellie brint him: althocht fra that fyre rais sic ane stew, quhilk struke sic sturt to thair stomokis, that thay rewit it euer ef­ter. Than hes it not bene seriousnes intermixit with iocunditie: it hes nocht bene continuall abyding nor seruing in court, it hes nocht bene blude royall, nor fauour of Princes: nouther teiching nor preiching: nor equitie of tyme, culd be protectioun to ony aganis sa cruell and feirs ad­uersaries, of equall will, rage, and furie indifferentlie aganis all. It is rather the prouydence, the Iugement, the power, and the inmensibill fauour, and mercy of God towartis his sanctis and elect: quhilk vpō ye ane part, of his lufe towardis his chosin, to satisfie thair thrist, & desyre, quhilk thay had to be dissoluit, and to be with Christ, yat yai suld not be langer enforcit to behald ye wickit vaniteis of yis warld: Partlie of his iust Iugement, because the warld was not worthie of thame, for it hes lufit mirknes rather yan licht, and delytit mair in leis yan in ye treuth. And partlie to manifest to all pepill ye cruell, bludie, & insatiabil hartis of ye memberis of Antichrist, ye pilleris of the malignant Kirk, he did (as it wer) gif ouir into yair handis, ye lyfis, ye possessionis, gudis, and quhatsumeuer externall thing yai had, to be maid mokking stokkis, & to be disponit at thair libertie, and plesour. On the vther pairt, to declair his michtie prouidēce, and power, quhairby he wil not suffer ane hair of the heidis of his chosin to perische, but his permissioun: and to encorage his elect, seing yat nouther gude nor euill can fall vnto yame, by ye will of yair Father: he hes maist michtilie manteynit yame, amāgis ye mid­dis of yis malignant generatioun. This Iugement man we lykewise haif of our Dauid Lyndesay: to quhome we will returne, omittand the special abusis of the Clergie, for eschewing of prolixitie, & tediousnes, to be socht out of his awin warkis be ye diligent reidar. Now as he hes bene scharp and vigilant in marking ye enormities of the spiritualitie, swa hes he not bene negligent, nor sleuthfull in rebuking ye defaltis of ye temporalitie, and all estatis yairof. He hes not spairit King, Court, Counsalouris, Nobilitie, nor vtheris of inferiour estait. And howbeit yai war not altogidder cūmit to sic corruptioun and furie, yat yai micht not beir mair equallie, with generall admonitionis and reprochis, yan [Page] the spiritualitie. Ȝit als lytill amendement followit in the ane stait, a [...] in the vther. Quhat laubouris tuke he, that the landis of this cuntre [...] micht be set out in Fewis, efter ye fassioun of sindrie vther Realmes, for the incres of policie, and riches? Bot quhat hes he profitit? Quhen ane pure man with his haill raice and ofspring hes laubourit out yair lyfis, on ane lytill peice of ground, and brocht it to sum point and perfectioū: thā must the Lairdis brother, kinisman, or surname haif it: and ye pure man, with his wyfe, & babeis, for all yair trauellis, schot out to beg yair meit. He yat tuke lytill laubouris on it, man enioy ye frutes, and cōmo­diteis of it: he man eit vp the sweit & laubouris of ye pure mānis brow­is. Thus the pure dar mak na policie, nor bigging, in cace yai big yame selfis out. Bot althocht men wink at yis, and ouirluke it, ȝit he sitts a­boue yat seis it, and sal Iuge it. He yat heiris ye sichis & complaintis of ye pure oppressit, sall not for euer suffer it vnpunischit. Quhat hes he alswa writtin aganis yis Heriald hors, deuysit for mony pure mannis hurt? Bot quha hes dimittit it? finallie, quhat oppressioun or vice hes he not repreuit? Bot yir sall suffice for exempill. And gif he had leifit in yir lait dayis, quhat had he said, of ye vnnatural murtheris: ye cruel slauch­teris: ye manifest reiffis: ye continuall heirschippis: ye plane oppressi­onis: ye lytill regard of all persones to ye cōmoun weilth: ye mantening of derth, to the vniuersall hurt of the pure in transporting of victuallis furth of ye Realme, cōtrarie to ye statutis yairof, for ye particular weill of few, & hurt of mony: the Importing of greit quantiteis of fals cunȝe, sklenderlie serchit, and lychtliar punischit: The multitude of Kirkis destitute of Ministeris throw the hail cūtrie: The slaw administratioun of Iustice, and fer les executioun: with all kynde of impieteis (as it wer) publictlie, and frelie Regnād. Ȝit nochtyeles we luke for redres and re­formatioun of all sic horribil deformiteis, at ye handis of sic rewlaris, as God hes, and sall strenthin with his Spirit, lychtin with ye pure word of his Euangel, endew with his feir (quhilk is ye beginning of all wis­dome) with sic knawlege, sic Iugement, and ȝeill, yat yai sall to yair vt­termaist endeuour, auance, and set fordwart all Iustice, and equitie, and suppres all vice and iniquitie: to ye glorie of God: to ye auancement of his word: to ye edificatioun of his Kirk, and to ye confort, and quietnes of yis trubillit, and afflictit commoun weilth. Quhilk God of his greit mercie, grant that we may schortlie se. Amen.

I haue alreddie passit ye boundis of ane preface: ȝit ane thing restis to admonische ye (gentill reidar) of yir warkis following. The mait part of yame hes bene sindrie tymes in sindrie places imprentit: as heir in Scotland, quhilk ȝit war not sa correct, as neid requyrit. Thay haif bene Imprentit in Rowen, bot altogidder sa corrupt and fals, that na man can be abill, to atteyne to the Authoris mynde be yame. For besydis the wrang Ortographie, and fals spelling, the transpositiones of wordis, & lynis: yair is alswa sic defectiones, yat sumtymes wil want twa, or thre [Page] lynis in ane sentence: sumtymes als mony abound, and be doublit.

Quhairthrow the myndis of honest men ar alienatit from reiding of sa frutefull warkis: ȝouth is abusit and corruptit: the Authour, and his warkis schamefullie blottit, and barbulȝeit: the cūtrie infamit: & sic per­sonis as laubouris for iust correctioun vtterly discuragit, scand thair lauboures, and trauellis sa haistelie yairefter to be corruptit, at the pri­uate appetite and gred [...]nes of certane godles Ignorantis: quhilk in re­spect of yir greit hartis, deseruis na small punischement. Thay ar lyke­wise laitlie Imprentit in Londoun, with lytill better succes than ye v­ther. For yai haif gaue about to bring th [...]me to ye southerne language, alterand ye vers and collouris yairof, in sic placis, as yai culd admit na alteratioun: quhairfoir ye natiue grace, and first mynd of ye wryter, is oftentymes peruertit And for ye Ortographie, transpositiones, and defectiones, thay ar almaist commoun with the vther.

Thus seing this famous Authour, and his notabill warkis to be sa velanouslie handillit, and sa miserabillie, and malitious [...]ie mankit, and alterat: we haif gane about, and takin sum trauellis, to vindicate yame from yir blottis, & corruptiones: and to reduce, and bring thame to the natiue integritie, and first mening of ye wryter. Quhilk salbe esilie per­sauit in ye reiding: bot maist esilie, gif ony wil confer this editioun with yame yat hes pre ceidit: quhairin quhat difference is betuix rycht & wrāg wryting, betuix correct, and vncorrect Imprenting salbe cleirlie sene.

Mair we haif cikit sindrie warkis of ye samin Authour, quhilkis hes not bene befoir Imprentit: to ye intent, that na thing of sa Nobill ane wryter suld perische, throw negligence or sieuthfulnes of this present age, bot suld be reseruit to ye frute of all posteriteis following. And for­ther intendis (be ye help of God) to vse ye lyke diligence, in all warkis of yis wryter, quhilkis fall heirefter, be ony menis, cum to our handis.

I will deteyne the na langer (gude Re [...]dar) from the warkis thame selfis: bot will commit the to the protectioun of ye Almychtie our God: ernistlie desyrand ye to call vpō him: yat he will rais and steir vp mony Dauid Lyndesayis: yat will continuallie admonische baith Prince, and pepill of yair dewtie, and vocatioun, quhairunto ye Lord yair God hes callit yame: yat will rebuke, and repreif all sic defaltis, as salbe fund in yame: yat will cōmit to letteris, and wryte, ye honour, ye gloir, ye fame, and succes of verrew, and inbraceris yairol: The dishonour, ye schame, ye defame, and mischeif of vyce, and impietie, and enhanteris thairof.

To be notifyit, and maid knawin to all agis to cum: that it may be ane prik and spur to ye verteous and godlie, to ga fordwart in all richteous­nes, and equitie: that it may be ane stay, and brydill to reteyne, & hald bak ye wickit and vngodlie from all wickitnes, and iniquitie. To the intent: yat God may be glorifyit: his Kirk edifyit: and this commoun [...]eilth confortit, and quietit.