Page:Life of John Knox (3).pdf/24

24 that doctrine and to their comfort, he, perceiving that his death approached, and that he could gain no more advantage by the pretext of religion, disclosed to them the mysteries of that magic art which he had hitherto kept secret; confessed the injustice of that authority which was then defended by arms against the exiled Queen and declared many things concerning her return and the restoration of religion after his death. One of the company who had taken the pen to record his dying sayings, thinking that he was in a delirium, desisted from writing upon which Knox, with a stern countenance; and great asperity of language, began to upbraid him, 'Thou good-for-nothing man! why dost thou leave off writing what my presaging mind forsees as about to happen in this kingdom? Dost thou distrust me? Dost thou not believe that all which I say shall most certainly happen? But that I may attest to thee and others how undoubted these things which I have just spoken are, go out all of you from me, and I will in a moment confirm them all by a new and unheard of proof.' They withdrew at length, though reluctantly, leaving only the lighted candles in the chamber, and soon returned, expecting to witness some prodigy: When they found the lights extinguished, and his dead body lying prostrate on the ground.' Hamilton adds, that the spectators, after recovering from their astonishment, replaced the dead body in the bed, and entered into agreement to conceal what they had witnessed; but God, unwilling that such a document should be unknown, disclosed it, "both by the amanuensis himself (Robertus Kambel a Pinkinclough), soon after, taken off by a similar death, and by others who, although unwillingly, made clear confessions"