253

CHAPTER XLV

PRIMACY OF ARCHBISHOP ROSS

1684.-Deaths, translations, and consecrations of bishops.-Death of archbishop Burnet.-Archbishop Ross translated.-Death of bishop Leighton.-Presbyterians attend the parish churches.-Lord Perth made chancellor.-Charge against the duke of York.-Churchwardens -Baillie of Jerviswood-the evidence is condemned.-Burnet obliged to abscond.-Prosecutions of the Rye-house conspirators.-A field conventicle—the troops attacked, and minister rescued. - Renwick's preaching. — Apologetical declaration — affixed to market-crosses-its effects.-Opinions of the crown lawyers.-Act of council -its justification.-Distress of the episcopal clergy.-Two gentlemen of the Life Guards murdered in their beds.-Proclamation against the apologetic.Passports and oaths required.-1685.-Many of the clergy resign.-Rev. Peter Pearson-his murder.-Minister of Anworth "affronted”-an ecclesiastical Court of Inquiry held at Elgin by the earl of Erroll.-Colonel Douglass, action with some Whigs.-Assault on Mr. Shaw.-King Charles's last illness -father Huddlestone's statement-account by the chaplain of the bishop of Ely-the king's last moments and death—his character-his letter to the duke of York.

1684.-THE DEATH of Dr. Young, lord bishop of Ross, and of Dr. Burnet, lord archbishop of St. Andrews, caused a translation of several bishops in the course of this year. The former was afflicted with a calculous complaint, and went to Paris, and there underwent an operation, which he did not survive above a week, but died in that city, aged about fifty-five. He was a man of great worth and moderation. He was succeeded by Dr. Ramsay, lord bishop of Dunblane, who was translated to the see of Ross, by letters patent, on the 14th of April; Dr. Robert Douglass was translated to the see of Dunblane, from that of Brechin, and to him succeeded Dr. Alexander Cairncross. This prelate was the heir of an ancient family, possessing the estate of Cowmislie; but from pecuniary embarrassments was compelled to follow the occupation of a cloth-dyer in the Canongate of Edinburgh for many years, and with such success as to enable him to recover some part

66

of the estate which had pertained to his ancestors." After many years" of successful industry, he took holy orders, and was presented to the parish church of Dumfries; and in this year, by the recommendation of the duke of Queensberry, he was elected by a congé d'élire to the bishoprick of Brechin. He was consecrated at St. Andrews by archbishop Burnet on the 19th of June, among the last acts of that prelate's life1.

ARCHBISHOP BURNET died on the 24th of August, at St. Andrews, and was buried near the tomb of his illustrious predecessor, bishop Kennedy, in the church of St. Salvador. Fountainhall says, " he died at his house, in the abbey of St. Andrews, 22d of October, and was buried in St. Salvador's church: he was a man of much moderation, especially since he was laid aside in 16692." The ancient stone pavement of this church is now covered over with a deal flooring, and, in the spirit of the Covenant, it covers over any monumental inscription that may have been recorded to the memory of this very worthy prelate. Even the spiteful Burnet, of Salisbury, admits, though with a qualification, that he was "goodnatured and sincere;" yet he records his death in four words -"Burnet died in Scotland." Of this excellent prelate Mr. Lyon says, that on account of his submitting to the unjust exertion of the royal supremacy, Wodrow" accuses him first of acting contrary to his passive obedience' principles, and then of tamely submitting to the royal sentence of ecclesiastical deprivation. It is very difficult to make writers of that school comprehend the simple scriptural, though unfashionable and unpalatable doctrine, of what is called (. . .) 'passive obedience.' Burnet, on this occasion, acted in strict conformity with it; that is, he dutifully obeyed the lawful commands of his sovereign, and he patiently suffered for disobeying his unlawful ones. The presbyterians of that age did neither one nor the other. So far from dutifully obeying all lawful commands, they would not obey even the most indifferent, if unsuited to their taste: and, so far from patiently suffering for their disobedience to unlawful commands (or those which they considered to be so), they took up arms to force the government to rescind them." He left a piece of land in the neighbourhood of St. Andrews, for the benefit of the poor of the guildry, for ever, which still goes under the name of "bishop Burnet's Acre." It yields at present an annual rent of £5. 10s. but which has been diverted from its original purpose by the presbyterian corporation, and contributes to the general reve2 Chronological Notes, p. 42.

Keith's Catalogue, passim.

nue of the burgh, contrary to the will and intention of the donor; so that they have ROBBED God. Martine, of Claremont, in a dedication to archbishop Burnet, alludes to his "exemplary and inflexible virtues, piety, and honour (as much above flattery as your grace does generally despise it), that have justly raised your grace beyond the reach of their malice, under whose tongues lies the poison of asps1."

SOON AFTER the death of the late primate, Arthur Ross, lord archbishop of Glasgow, was translated to the see of St. Andrews, by the king's letters patent, dated the 31st of October. This last of the archbishops was a man of sound judgment and great integrity; and Mr. Lyon shews that he was originally brought to Glasgow by archbishop Burnet on account of his high character and abilities, and who evinces his good opinion of him by requesting him to engage some deserving persons to come to Glasgow to fill up vacancies, and for whom the archbishop promises to provide as Dr. Ross might "think their parts and experience do deserve 2." But the bishop of Salisbury had some pique at his grace, and is therefore of another mind: he says, "Burnet died in Scotland. And Ross, a poor ignorant worthless man, but in whom obedience and fury were so eminent, that these supplied all other defects, was raised to be primate of that church: which was, indeed, a sad omen, as well as a step to its fall and ruin 3." It was easy for Burnet to be a prophet, who was so deep in the secrets of courts and plotters, and who could form a tolerably correct guess at coming events, from his intimacy with the court at the Hague.

ALEXANDER CAIRNCROSS, lord bishop of Brechin, was translated to Glasgow, by royal letters patent, dated the 3d of December, and he was elected by the dean and chapter on the 6th of the same month, and the mandate for his confirmation is of the same date. The earl of Perth, the chancellor, recommended his relative, James Drummond, minister of Muthill, to the crown, to be promoted to the bishoprick of Brechin. The king's warrant for his consecration is dated the 6th of December, and he was consecrated by the new primate, in the chapel royal, Holyrood-house, on Christmas day, the 25th of December4.

UPON lord Perth's coming to London he expressed to Dr. Burnet a strong desire to see bishop Leighton. Burnet wrote

Rev. C. J. Lyon's History of St. Andrews, &c. ii. 102- Burnet's Own Times-Keith's Catalogue. 3 Own Times, ii. 439.

2 Lyon's Hist. of St. Andrews, ii. 105. Keith's Catalogue, passim.

to him to that effect, and the bishop came up to town. Burnet was amazed to see Leighton," at above seventy, look so fresh and well; that age seemed to stand still in him: his hair was still black, and all his motions were lively; he had the same quickness of thought and strength of memory, but, above all, the same heat and life of devotion, that I had ever seen in him." It is therefore very strange, and not much to his credit, that he should have deserted his master's service; but, in fact, Burnet killed him by bringing him to London; for he was seized with a pleurisy, and died in two days afterwards, at the Bell Inn, in Warwick-lane. "He used often to say, that if he were to choose a place to die in, it should be an inn; it looked like a pilgrim going home, to whom this world was all as an inn,”—and he had his desire1.

A GREAT change had taken place in the religious aspect of the presbyterian districts since the change of men and measures. The men all resorted regularly to their parish churches, but their wives were less constant in their attendance, because they had not been named in the act, and therefore thought themselves at liberty to follow their own inclinations. This flaw in the act was brought under the notice of the council, and it was debated whether or not husbands should be fined for their wives' offences as well as their own, seeing that in law husband and wife make but one person. Lord Aberdeen argued in favour of the literal interpretation of the act; for it only made husbands liable to a fine, if their wives frequented conventicles, but not for abstaining from going to church. Lords Queensberry and Perth were decidedly of opinion that the husbands should be fined for the absence of their wives from church. The dispute was referred to the king, and the earl of Perth was sent up to court for his decision; but the king was most likely biassed by lord Perth's opinion, and decided against the ladies; which, Burnet says," was thought very indecent." There were violent disputes in the cabinet betwixt lords Aberdeen and Queensberry, which ended in the dismissal of the former, and the appointment of lord Perth to the chancellorship2. Bishop Burnet seizes on the advancement of the earl of Perth to attack the character of the duke of York, whom he represents as a most cruel and remorseless tyrant, and one who delighted in the sight of the sufferings of prisoners in the torture of the Boot. This drew from Mr. Lockhart a letter, in which he remarks, that Burnet's accounts do not correspond with the character given by all other au

thors of the duke's natural temper; and he gives it as his opinion, that if the duke had acted as Burnet represents him to have done, it was impossible but that others must have seen and heard of it, as well as Burnet, and would also have reported it. "We see what a clamour was made on the idlegrounded story of his favouring his dogs when shipwrecked [a story wholly of bishop Burnet's making]; and such an extraordinary instance of his cruelty and barbarity, in so public and conspicuous a manner [as putting Mr. Spreul to the torture of the Boot], could not have been unknown to all the world but the bishop; and it nevertheless was, I may safely aver, seeing that no part of this calumny was ever so much as suggested, or laid to the duke's charge, by any one of his many inveterate enemies before or since the Revolution1."

IN APRIL the king issued a proclamation, by virtue of the powers vested in the crown by the Assertory act, commanding and empowering the clergy to give in lists, to their bishops, of such persons in their respective parishes as they considered fit to serve as elders or churchwardens. By that perverseness which actuated the presbyterians, they immediately raised a cry of persecution against the bishops, and complained that "this proclamation was undoubtedly designed to force country people and heritors to join in with the episcopal ministers in the exercise of discipline; and was another handle of persecuting not a few." How that could be is not so easy to perceive, inasmuch as, unless the clergy had been madmen, they would never have selected presbyterians for that office. The clergy were to nominate the fittest persons, and these, again, were to be approved of by their bishop: so that it is hardly possible that any but known episcopalians would be appointed; but the cry of persecution must be supported by some plausible circumstances, and if the reader's judgment is not called into operation, that now related might pass current.

THE RAMIFICATIONS of the Rye-house conspiracy were most extensive, and the whole presbyterian interest in Scotland, with their affiliated brethren in Holland, were most extensively implicated in it. In consequence, the whole of this year was Occupied in searching for, examining, and trying the multitude of the better sort of the presbyterians that were more or less engaged in the plot; and the due execution of the laws is called by a presbyterian author 2, "the last and bloodiest period of the persecution." But the trial of Baillie, of Jerviswood, has made the most noise, because he was the most 'Hetherington, p. 161.

1 Lockhart Papers, p. 600.