t treaty, thought themselves fully entitled, without the sovereign's
authority, immediately to summon a parliament. The reformers presented
a petition to this assembly, in which they were not contented with
desiring the establishment of their doctrine, they also applied for
the punishment of the Catholics, whom they called vassals to the Roman
harlot; and they asserted, that among all the rabble of the clergy--such
is their expression--there was not one lawful minister; but that they
were all of them thieves and murderers; yea, rebels and traitors to
civil authority, and therefore unworthy to be suffered in any reformed
commonwealth.[**] The parliament seem to have been actuated by the same
spirit of rage and persecution. After ratifying a confession of faith
agreeable to the new doctrines, they passed a statute against the mass,
and not only abolished it in all the churches, but enacted, that whoever
any where either officiated in it, or was present at it, should be
chastised, for the first offence, with confiscation of goods and
corporal punishment, at the discretion of the magistrate; for the
second, with banishment; and for the third, with loss of life.[***]

* Forbes, vol. i. p. 354, 372. Jebb, vol. ii. p. 452.

** Knox, p. 237. 238.

*** Knox, p. 254.

A law was also voted for abolishing the papal jurisdiction in Scotland:
the Presbyterian form of discipline was settled, leaving only at first
some shadow of authority to certain ecclesiastics, whom they called
superintendents. The prelates of the ancient faith appeared, in order to
complain of great injustice committed on them by the invasion of their
property, but the parliament took no notice of them; till at last these
ecclesiastics, tired with fruitless attendance, departed the town. They
were then cited to appear; and as nobody presented himself, it was voted
by the parliament, that the ecclesiastics were entirely satisfied, and
found no reason of complaint.

Sir James Sandilands, prior of St. John, was sent over to France to
obtain the ratification of these acts; but was very ill received by
Mary, who denied the validity of a parliament summoned without the
royal consent; and she refused her sanction to those statutes. But the
Protestants gave themselves little concern about their queen's refusal.
They immediately put the statutes in execution; they abolished the
mass; they settled their ministers; they committed every where furious
devast