d, and murtheraris of us, and
of your bretherin, from whome ye draw your detfull and promisshed
support, whome your onelie presence (to manis judgement) myght
preserve from this danger. For our enimeis looke nocht to the power
of God, bot to the force and strenth of man. When the nomber is
mean to resist thame, than rage thay as bloody wolvis; bot a party
equall or able to resist thame in apperance, doeth brydill thair
fury. Examinat your awin consciencis, and wey that sentence of our
Maister, Chryst Jesus, saying, "Whosoevir denyeth me, or is
aschamed of me befoir men, I shall deny him befoir my Father." Now
is the day of his battell in this realme: Yf ye deny us, your
bretherin, suffering for his name's saik, ye do also deny him, as
him self doeth witnes in these wordis, "Whatsoevir ye did to any of
these litill ones, that ye did to me; and what ye did nocht to one
of those litill ones, that ye did nocht to me." Gif these sentencis
be trew, as concerning meat, drink, cloithing, and suche thingis as
apperteane to the body, shall thai not be lykewyis trew in these
thingis that apperteane to the preservatioun of the lyves of
thowsandis, whose bloode is now sought, for professioun of Christ
Jesus? And thus schortlie leave we yow, who sumtymes have professed
Christ Jesus with us, to the examinatioun of your awin consciencis.
And yit ones agane, of yow, who, blynded by superstitioun persecute
us, we requyre moderatioun, till our cause may be tryed, whiche gif
ye will nocht grant unto us for Godis cause, yit we desyre yow to
have respect to the preservatioun of our commone cuntree, whiche we
can not sonnar betray in the handis of strangeris, than that one of
us distroy and murther ane uther. Considder our petitionis, and
call for the spreit of richteous judgement."

These our Letteris being divulgat, some man began to reasoun whether of
conscience thai myght invaid us or not, considdering that we offered dew
obedience to the Authoritie; requiring nothing bot the libertie of
conscience, and our religioun and fact to be tryed by the word of God.
Oure Letteris came with convenient expeditioun to the handis of the
bretherin in Cuninghame and Kyle, who convened at the Kirk of
Craggie,[784] whare, efter some contrarious reassonis, Alexander Erle of
Glencarne, in zeall, burst furth in these wordis, "