Page:Brief historical relation of the life of Mr. John Livingston Minister of the Gospel.pdf/43

( 43 ) frequently and privately reſorted to the court, but moſt of all Libbertoun, that the king at the firſt had granted all our deſires fully. The reaſon why we thus ſuſpected, was, theſe of our number in debating in our meetings agreed that he ſhould not be ſo much preſſed in them: alleging frequently that commiſſioners had always power to manage their inſtructions, and that we ought not for ſuch things to break off the treaty, and undo the king and his buſineſs. None of us three, miniſters ever went to the king alone, but often all together, or at least two of us. We went ſeldom, but whenever we went, we had acceſs and liberty to stay, and ſpeak ſo long as we pleaſed. We oft urged that if the king had any ſcruples againſt the covenant, or any of the parts of uniformity, or deſires of the treaty, that he would impart them to us: but he never propounded any ſuch thing to us. One time I lying ſick of the megrum, the other two having been with him reported to me, that having entred into a kind of diſpute with him about epiſcopacy and ceremonies; they found that he had been poiſoned in his principles by thoſe that had been with him; denying that the Scriptures were a perfect rule in theſe things controverted; and enquiring how people knew it was the word of God, but by the teſtimony of the church?

All the while of the treaty at Breda, he continued the uſe of the ſervice-book, and of his chaplains, and many nights there was balling and dancing ſometimes till near day. At the beginning of the treaty it was reported to us by Libbertoun, that a gentleman had come to the king from Paris, being ſent by his mother, deſiring that by all means he would cloſe with the Scots, otherwiſe ſhe was reſolved never to come out of that cloiſter, through the gate whereof ſhe then ſpoke to the gentleman. And all the while it was ſo looked upon, that there were two factions at court, the one (the Queen’s faction) was for the cloſe of the treaty; the other, called prince Rupert's, wherein was alſo the queen of Bohemia his mother, and James Graham, were ſuppoſed to be againſt the treaty. All theſe things made me always ſuſpect there would be Rh