The truth is that the Cause of Knox, far from being desperate, as for an hour it seemed to the faint-hearted, had never looked so well.  Cecil and the English Council saw that they were committed; their gift of money was known, they must bestir themselves.  While they had “nourished the garboil” in Scotland, fanned the flame, they professed to believe that France was aiming, through Scotland, at England.  They arranged for a large levy of forces at Berwick; they promised money without stint:  and Cecil drew up the paper adopted, as I conceive, by the brethren in their Latin appeal to all Christian princes.  The Scots were to say that they originally took arms in defence of their native dynasty (the Hamiltons), Mary Stuart having no heirs of her body, and France intending to annex Scotland—­which was true enough, but was not the cause of the rising at Perth.  That England is also aimed at is proved by the fact that Mary and Francis, on the seal of Scotland, quarter the arms of England.  Knox himself had seen, and had imparted the fact to Cecil, a jewel on which these fatal heraldic pretensions were made.  The Queen is governed by “the new authority of the House of Guise.”  In short, Elizabeth must be asked to intervene for these political reasons, not in defence of the Gospel, and large preparations for armed action in Scotland were instantly made.  Meanwhile Cecil’s sketch of the proper manifesto for the Congregation to make, was embodied in Lethington’s instructions (November 24) from the Congregation, as well as adapted in their Latin appeal to Christian princes.

We may suppose that a man of Knox’s unbending honesty was glad to have thrown off his functions as secretary to the brethren.  Far from disclaiming their idolatrous King and Queen (the ideal policy), they were issuing proclamations headed “Francis and Mary,” and bearing the forged signet.  Examples with the seal were, as late as 1652, in the possession of the Erskine of Dun of that day.  In them Francis and Mary denounce the Pope as Antichrist!  Keith, who wrote much later, styles these proclamations “pretty singular,” and Knox must have been of the same opinion.

After Lethington took the office of secretary to the Congregation, Knox had for some time no great public part in affairs.  Fife was invaded by “these bloody worms,” as he calls the French; and he preached what he tells us was a “comfortable sermon” to the brethren at Cupar.  But Lethington had secured the English alliance:  Lord Grey was to lead 4000 foot and 2000 horse to the Border; Lord Winter with fourteen ship set sail, and was incommoded by a storm, in which vessels of d’Elboeuf, with French reinforcements for the Regent, were, some lost, some driven back to harbour.  As in Jacobite times, French aid to the loyal party was always unfortunate, and the arrival of Winter’s English fleet in the Forth caused d’Oysel to retreat out of Fife back to Leith.  He had nearly reached St. Andrews, where Knox dwelt in great agony of spirit.  He had “great need of a good horse,” probably because, as in October 1559, money was offered for his head.  But private assassination had no terrors for the Reformer. {163}