ities, whiche sche promissed as oft befoir. Bot
becaus schorte after thare wes a Parliament to be haldin, for certane
effares pertenyng rather to the Quenis proffeit particulare, nor to the
commoditie of the commoun wealth, we thocht good to expone our mater
unto the hole Parliament, and by thame to seak some redress. We
tharefoire, with one consent, did offer to the Quein and Parliament[756]
a Lettir in this tennour:--

THE FORME OF THE LETTIR GEVIN IN PARLIAMENT.

"Unto youre Grace, and unto yow, Rycht Honorable Lordis of this
present Parliament, humlie meanes and schawes your Grace's
faithfull and obedient Subjectis: That quhare we ar dalie molested,
sklandered, and injured be wicked and ignorant personis,
place-haldaris of the ministers of the Churche, who most untrewlie
cease nott to infame us as Heretickis, and under that name thei
most cruellie haif persecuted diverse of our brethrein; and farder
intend to execute thare malice against us, onles be some godlie
ordour thare fury and raige be brydilled and stayed; and yitt in us
thei ar able to prove no cryme worthy of punishment, onless that to
read the Holie Scriptures in our assembleis, to invocat the name of
God in publict prayeris, with all sobrietie to interprete and open
the places of Scripture that be redd, to the farther edificatioun
of the brethrein assembled, and trewlie according to Christ Jesus
his holy institutioun to minister the Sacramentes, be crymes
worthy of punishment. Other crymes, (we say,) in us thei ar not
abill to convict. And to the premisses ar we compelled; for that
the saidis place-haldaris discharge no parte of thare deuiteis
rychtlie till us, nether yitt to the people subject to us; and
thairfoir, onless we should declair our selfis altogether
unmyndfull of our awin salvatioun, we ar compelled, of verray
conscience, to seak how that we and our brethrein may be delivered
from the thraldome of Sathan. [SN: PROTESTATIOUN.] For now it hath
pleased God to open our eyes, that manifestlie we see, that without
extreame danger of our sowlles, we may in no wyise communicat with
the damnable idolatrie, and intolerable abuses of the Papisticall
Churche; and thairfoir most humblie requyre we of your Grace, and
of yow Rycht Honorable Lordis, Baronis, and Burgesses assembled in
this present Pa