his knawin veritie, do follow the sones of wickednes to perditioun,
(which most is to be feared;) butt also that thraldome and miserie
shall apprehend your awin bodyes, your childrein, subjectis, and
posteritie, whome ye have betrayed, (in conscience, I can except
none that bear the name of Nobilitie,) and presentlie do feght to
betray thame and your Realme to the slavrie of strangeris. The warr
begune, (althocht I acknawledge it to be the wark of God,) shalbe
your destructioun, unless that, be tyme, remedy be provided. God
opin your eis, that ye may espy and considder your awin miserable
estaite. My wordis shall appeir to some scharpe and undiscreitlie
spokin; but as charitie awght to interpreit all thingis to the
best, so awght wyse men to understand, that a trew friend can nott
be a flatterar, especiallie when the questions of salvatioun, boith
of body and saule, ar moved; and that nott of one nor of two, but
as it war of a hole realme and natioun. What ar the sobbes, and
what is the affectioun[701] of my trubled heart, God shall one day
declare. But this will I add to my formar rigour and severitie, to
wit, yf any perswad yow, for feir of dangeris that may follow, to
faint in your formar purpose, be he never esteamed so wyse and
freindly, lett him be judged of yow boith foolish and your mortall
ennemy: foolishe, for becaus he understandeth nothing of Goddis
approved wisedome; and ennemye unto yow, becaus he lauboureth to
separat yow from Goddis favour; provoking his vengeance and
grevouse plagues against yow, becaus he wald that ye should prefer
your worldly rest to Goddis prase and glorie, and the freindschipe
of the wicked to the salvatioun of your brethrein. [SN: LETT THE
PAPISTIS THAME SELVIS JUDGE OF WHAT SPREIT THOSE SENTENSES COULD
PROCEAD.] "I am nott ignorant, that feirfull trubles shall ensew
your enterprise, (as in my formar letters I did signifie unto yow;)
but O joyfull and confortable ar those trubles and adversities,
which man susteaneth for accomplishment of Goddis will, reveilled
by his woord! For how terrible that ever thei appear to the
judgement of the naturall man, yit ar thei never able to devore nor
utterlie to consume the sufferraris: For the invisible and
invincible power of God susteaneth and preserveth, according to his