heavy taxes upon the nation, and this and her cruelty to the Protestants caused her to be universally hated by her subjects. These misfortunes preyed upon her health and aggravated the dropsical complaints with which she had for a long time been afflicted, until at last her reign and her life both terminated on the 17th of November, 1558.

At the decease of Mary, Elizabeth, the daughter of Anne Boleyn, ascended the throne. This princess, who narrowly escaped being one of her sister's victims, was a Protestant. Her accession was therefore hailed with joy by the enemies of popery, now more numerous than ever. They hoped soon to see their cause triumphant; and in this they were not disappointed. The Reformation advanced with great rapidity, until it was brought to a conclusion by several acts of Parliament, which denied the supremacy of the Pope and established the independence of the Church of England.

CHAPTER XX.

OF

REFORMATION IN SCOTLAND-PATRICK HAMILTON— JAMES V.-DESIGN OF HENRY VIII.-DEATH JAMES V.-MARY STUART-EARL OF ARRAN REGENT WISHART- ASSASSINATION OF CARDINAL BEATON-JOHN KNOX- - QUEEN MOTHER REGENTMARY STUART'S CLAIM TO THE THRONE OF ENGLAND AND ITS CONSEQUENCES-DESTRUCTION OF THE CHURCHES LORDS OF THE CONGREGATIONCIVIL WAR - DEATH OF THE QUEEN REGENTPEACE-ESTABLISHMENT OF THE REFORMATION.

1525-1560

WE come next to the Reformation in Scotland, which took place almost simultaneously with that in England, and is so similar in its general features that only a brief account of it need be given.

As early as the year 1525 there was a law forbidding the importation of any of the books of Luther into Scotland, which, it was said, had always" been clene of all sin, filth, and vice;" a fact which shows that the new opinions had already made their way into the kingdom. But the honor of first announcing and sealing with his blood the doctrines of the German Reformers, belongs to Patrick Hamilton, the grandson of a sister of James III. Having had his atten

tion drawn to the new light now breaking upon

the world, while yet a youth, he repaired to the continent, where he became the pupil and companion of Luther and Melancthon. Anxious to communicate the knowledge he there obtained to his countrymen, he returned home and began the attack upon the errors of popery; but his career was short. He was decoyed by the clergy to St. Andrews, and there committed to the flames in February, 1528.

The fate of Hamilton served rather to increase than to diminish the interest and courage of his followers, and as some one has expressed it, the smoke of the fire which consumed him infected many with his heresy. Many of the people and even some of the nobles began to study and embrace the opinions of the Reformers. Tindal's translation of the Scriptures was obtained from England and the continent, and circulated in private with great diligence. "One copy of the Bible supplied several families. At the dead of night, when others were asleep, they assembled in one house; the sacred volume was brought from its concealment; and, while one read, the rest listened with mute attention." In this way the knowledge of the Scriptures was diffused at a period, when it does not appear that there were any public teachers of the truth in Scotland,

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Hamilton suffered in the early part of the reign of James V., and when that monarch was under the control of the Earl of Angus. Soon afterwards the king escaped from his keeper and took the government into his own hands. As James was a wise and good, so, in any other country or at a later period, he would probably have been a fortunate prince. But the Scottish nobility were rude and turbulent, and but little disposed to respect the authority of the crown. To this circumstance is to be attributed in part the unwillingness of James to tolerate the Reformers, a course to which at one time he seemed inclined. His uncle Henry VIII. urged him to follow his example and throw off the yoke of Rome. But the king of Scotland dreaded the power of England and the violence of her monarch; and besides, he found the clergy from their skill and learning more fit to assist him in the administration of his government than the fierce and ignorant nobles. He therefore resolved to adhere to the Catholic faith, and to defend himself against the indignation of Henry by an alliance with France. He first married a daughter of Francis I., who died within forty days after her marriage. He then obtained the hand of Mary of Guise, whose family were bigoted papists.

Thus supported by their sovereign the clergy took violent measures to prevent the spread of the opinions of the Reformers, which were zealously advocated by learned men, who had adopted them while pursuing their studies in the German and other foreign universities. Several persons

were burnt; stricter and more sanguinary laws were passed for the punishment of heresy; and to dispute the power of the Pope, was made a capital offence.

This severity did not stop the progress of the Protestant cause. Many of the nobles, displeased with the partiality of the king towards the clergy, and anxious to enrich themselves by the destruction of the religious houses, began to favor the Reformers, and to countenance Henry VIII. in his renewed efforts to form an alliance with his nephew. The king of England sent an ambassador to James, to represent the advantages he would gain by a rupture with the Pope, and to propose a personal interview with him at York, where they could consult as to the means of promoting the mutual good of their two kingdoms. James gave a partial assent to this invitation; but, being under the influence of the Catholics, he was induced to retract it. Henry immediately declared war; and the Scottish army were defeated in a battle fought at a place called SolwayMoss. When the news of this misfortune was