e shall
die in a strange land, where he shall not have a friend near him to hold
up his head," One Mr. Thomas Maitland being the author of that insulting
speech, and hearing what Mr. Knox said, confessed the whole to his
sister the lady Trabrown, but said, That John Knox was raving to speak
of he knew not whom; she replied with tears, That none of Mr. Knox's
threatenings fell to the ground. This gentleman afterwards went abroad,
and died in Italy, on his way to Rome, having no man to assist him.

Mr. Knox's popularity was now so well established, that the malignant
party, finding it impossible to alienate the hearts of the people from
him, began now openly to work his destruction, fortifying the town and
castle with their garrisons; they vented their malice against him by
many furious threatenings. Upon which he was urged by his friends to
leave Edinburgh for his own safety, which at last he did in May 1571,
and went to St. Andrews, where the earl of Morton (who was then regent),
urged him to inaugurate the arch-bishop of that see. This he declined,
with solemn protestations against it, and denounced an anathema on the
giver and receiver. Though he was then very weak in body, he would not
refrain from preaching, and was obliged to be supported by his servant
Richard Bannantyne, in going to church; and, when in the pulpit, he
behoved to rest sometime before he could proceed to preach, but before
he ended his sermon, he became so vigorous and active, that he was like
to have broken the pulpit to pieces.

Here he continued till the end of August 1572, when the civil broils
were a little abated, upon which receiving a letter from Edinburgh, he
returned to his flock. He was now much oppressed with the infirmities of
old age, and the extraordinary fatigues he had undergone; the death of
the good regent, the earl of Moray, had made deep impressions on him,
but when he heard of the massacre of Paris[34], and the murder of the
good admiral Coligni, these melancholy news almost deprived him of his
life. Upon finding his dissolution approaching, he prevailed with the
council and kirk-session of Edinburgh, to concur with him in admitting
one Mr. James Lawson as his successor, who was at that time professor of
philosophy in the college of Aberdeen; he wrote a letter to Mr. Lawson,
intreating him to accept of this charge, adding this postscript,
_Accelera, mi frater, alioqui sero venies_, i. e. Make haste, my
brother, otherwise you