Page:A dictionary of printers and printing.djvu/247

 HISTORY OF PRINTING.

its contents being purely monkish. There wen four Miualt, four Antiphanars, three Breviaries, two Legend/, four GraduaU, and ten Procet- tionalt. Nothing, however, can more completely exemplify the indifference to the Scriptures which prevailed among the dignified clergy, than the conversation which took place betwixt dean Thomas Forest, vicar of Dollar, and QeoTge Chrichton, bishop of Dunkeld, about A.D. 1538. The vicar, who was also canon of St. Columbs, was accused of heresy to the bishop, for preaching everv Sunday on the epistle or gospel of the day. The bishop, when the vicar appeared before him, addressed him in this manner: "My joy. Dean Thomas, I am informed that you preach the epistle and gospel every Sunday, to your parishioners, and that you do not take the best cow and the best cloth from them, which is very prejudicial to other church- men ; and, therefore, my joy, Dean Thomas, I would you to take your cow and your cloth, as other churchmen do.* It is too much to preach every Sunday; for in so doing you make the people think that we should preach likewise: it IS enough for you, when you find any good epistle, or good gospel, that setteth forth the uDerties of holy church, to preach that, and let the rest alone." To this sage admonition of his bishop, the good vicar answered, " I think, my lord, that none of my parishioners will complain that I do not take the cow and the cloth ; but I know they will gladly give me any thing that they have; and they Imow that I will gladly give them any thing that I have. There is no discord among us. Your lordship sayeth, it is too much to preach every Sunday : I think it is too little ; and I wish that your lordship did the like." "Nay, nay. Dean Thomas," said the bishop, " we were not ordained to preach." " Yotir lordship," said the vicar, " directs me, when I meet with a good episUe, or a good gospel, to preach upon it. I have read both the Ola and rieie Tettament, and have never met with a bad epistle, or a bad gospel ; but if your lordship will show me which are the good, and which are the bad, I will preach on the good, and let the bad alone." " I thank my God," said the bishop, " I know nothing of either the Old or New Testament; therefore. Dean Thomas, I will know nothing but my portass,

Eireviary,] and my pontifical. Go away, and y aside all these fantasies, or you will repent it when too late." M'Crie (Life of Knox,) has g^ven an interesting account of this excellent clergyman, the vicar of Dollar, from which we learn that his father had been master-stabler to James IV., that after receiving the rudiments of his education in Scotland, ne prosecuted his

• Thla was a peiqnisite termed the Corate^reMn<, paid to the vicar of the parish, on tha death <» any of his jarlahionen. It consisted, in country parishes, of the best cow vrtilch belonged to the deceased, and the npper- most cloth or covering of his bed, or the finest of his body clothes. The Corpu-praent was not conllned to Scotland. We find the Sogush House of Conunons com. plainlnc of It, A.D. 1580. See M'Ciie's Lift of Ktmi, I. p. 349, note G.

education at Cologne; and on his return was admitted a canon r^^ular in the monastery of St. Colon's Inch; where being presented by the abbot with a volume of St. Augustin's works, his mind was enlightened, and he began to studr the Scriptures. He was afterwards appointed to the vicarage of Dollar, and when the agents of the pope attempted to sell indvlgencet in his parish, he warned his parishioners against them : " I am bound," said he, " to speak the truth to you: this is but to deceive you. There is no pardon for onr sins that can come to us, either ironipope or any other, but only bv the blood of the Cnnst." He used to commit three chapters of the Bible to memory every day, and made his servant hear him repeat them at night. He suffered martyrdom in 1538.

But notwithstanding the general ignorance which overspread the nation, a gleam of light threw its rays across the minds of certain indi- viduals, probably by the introduction of some of the wntings of Luther, since an act of parlia- ment waspa^ed so early as July 17th, 1525, for eschewing of heresy, which enacted, that " na maner of persoun, strangear, that happinis to arrive with thare schip, within any part of this realme, bring with thame ony bukis or workis, of the said Luther, his discipulis or servandis, disputis or rehersis, his heresies, &c. under the pane of escheting of thare schipis and guidis, and putting of thaire personis in presonn." And in 1527, Uie chancellor and lords of council added this clause, "and all uther the kingis lieg^ assistaris to sic opunyeons, be punist in semeible wise, and the effect of the said act to straike apon thaim." So that it appears, that in 1525, protestant books and opinions were cir- culated by strangers only, who came into Scot- land fortne purpose of trade ; but that in 1527, it was found necessaiv to extend thepenalties of the act to natives of the kingdom. This act was renewed in 1535, with some additions.

The jealous caution of the patrons of popery could not prevent the progress of truth ; for by means of merchants who traded from England and the continent, to the ports of Leith, Dun- dee, and Montrose, Tyndau's Translations of the Scriptures, with the writings of Luther and other reformers, were imported; and consigned to persons of tried principles and prudence, who circulated them in private with indefatigable in- dustry. " One copy of the Bible, or of the Neip Testament, supplied several families. At the dead hour 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 attention. In this way the knowledge of the scriptures was diffused, at a period when it does not appear there were any public teachers of the trutn in Scotland."

Foetrjr also became the vehicle for conre3ring the sentiments of the reformers to the people. The ignorance and immorality of the clergy were satirized, and the absurdities of popery exposed to ridicule. These poetical effusions were easily

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