Page:Life of John Knox (3).pdf/12

12 holy word, and the liberty of my tongue." It was delivered to the Queen by the earl of Glencairn and by her to the bishop of Glasgow (nephew of Cardinal Beaton) with this obsertation, "Please you, my lord, to read a pasquil," which coming to the ears of Mr Knox, was the occasion of his making a number of additions when the letter was printed afterwards at Geneva.

At this time he received letters from the English church at Geneva, which had separated from the one at Frankfort, commanding him "in God's name, as he was their chosen pastor, to repair to them for comfort." Having preached in almost every congregation he had formerly visited, and sent his wife and mother in law before him to Dieppe, he sailed from Scotland in the month of July for Geneva. No sooner had he left the kingdom than the bishops summoned him to answer a charge of heresy; and on his non-appearance, burnt him in effigy at the cross of Edinburgh. Against this sentence, in 1558, he published his "appellation," addressed to the "Nobility and Estates of Scotland." In tis composition, which has been much admired, after appealing "to a lawful and general council," and requiring of them that defence which, as princes of the people, they were bound to give him, he adds "these things require I of your honours to be granted unto me, viz. that the doctrine which our adversaries condemn for heresy may be tried by the plain and simple word of God; that the just defences be admitted to us that sustain the battle against this pestilent battle of Antichrist; and that they be removed from judgement in our cause, seeing that our accusation is not intended against any one particular person, but against that whole kingdom which we