fer is schorte, and shalbe lycht; but our joy and consolatioun shall
never have end: And thairfoir lett us contend to enter in unto our
Maister and Saveour, by the same strait way, which he has traidd[156]
befoir us. Death cane not destroy us; for it is destroyed allreaddy by
him for whose saik we suffer." Wyth these and the like confortable
sentences, thei passed to the place of executioun; and constantlie
triumphed owir death and Sathan, evin in the myddest of the flammyng
fyre.

And thus did those cruell beastis intend nothing but murther in all the
quarteris of this Realme.[157] For so far had that blynded and most
vitious man, the Prince, (most vitious, we shall call him, for hie
nether spaired manis wieff nor madyn, no more after his mariage then he
did befoir,)--so far, we say, had he gevin him self to obey the tyranny
of those bloody beastis, that he had maid a solempned vow, That none
should be spaired that was suspect of Heresye, yea, althought it war
his awin sone. To press and push him fordward in that his fury, he
lacked not flatteraris ynew; for many of his miazeonis war pensionaris
to preastis; amangis whome, Oliver Synclar, yitt remaning ennemy to God,
was the principale. And yit did not God cease to give to that blynded
Prince documentis, that some suddane plague was to fall upoun him, in
case hie did not reapent his wicked lief; and that his awin mouth did
confesse. For after that Sir James Hammyltoun was beheaded,[158]
(justlie or injustlie we disput nott,) this visioun came unto him, as to
his familiaris him self did declare: The said Sir James appeared unto
him, having in his handis a drawin sworde, by the which fra the King hie
stroke boith the armes, saying to him these wourdis, "Tak that, whill
thow receave a finall payment for all thy impietie." This visioun,[159]
with sorowfull conteanance, hie schew on the morow; and schortlie
thaireftir deid his two sonnes, boith within the space of 24 houris;
yea, some say, within the space of sex houris.[160] In his awin
presence, Georde Steill, his greattest flatterar, and greattest ennemy
to God that was in his Courte, dropped of his horse, and deid without
worde,[161] that same day that, in oppin audience of many, the said
George had refuisscd his portioun of Christis kingdome, yf the prayeris
of the Virgin Marie should not bring him thairto. How terrible a visioun
the said Prince saw, lying in Lynlythqw, that nycht that Thomas
Scott,[162] Justice Clerk,