68, when Mary had fallen, a gift of 333 pounds, 6s. 8d. was made to
Knox from the fund, about a seventh of the money revenue of the Abbey of
St. Andrews. {210} Nobody can accuse Knox of enriching himself by the
Revolution. "In the stool of Edinburgh," he declared that two parts were
being given to the devil, "and the third must be divided between God and
the devil," between the preachers and the Queen, and the Earl of Moray,
among others. The eminently godly Laird of Pitarro had the office of
paying the preachers, in which he was so niggardly that the proverb ran,
"The good Laird of Pitarro was an earnest professor of Christ, but the
great devil receive the Comptroller."

It was argued that "many Lords have not so much to spend" as the
preachers; and this was not denied (if the preachers were paid), but it
was said the Lords had other industries whereby they might eke out their
revenues. Many preachers, then or later, were driven also to other
industries, such as keeping public-houses. {211a} Knox, at this period,
gracefully writes of Mary, "we call her not a hoore." When she scattered
his party after Riccio's murder, he went the full length of the
expression, in his "History."

"Simplicity," says Thucydides, "is no small part of a noble nature," and
Knox was now to show simplicity in conduct, and in his narrative of a
very curious adventure.

The Hamiltons had taken little but loss by joining the Congregation.
Arran could not recover his claims, on whatever they were founded, over
the wealth of St. Andrews and Dunfermline. Chatelherault feared that
Mary would deprive him of his place of refuge, the castle of Dumbarton,
to which he confessed that his right was "none," beyond a verbal promise
of a nineteen years "farm" (when given we know not), from Mary of Guise.
{211b} Randolph began to believe that Arran really had contemplated a
raid on Mary at Holyrood, where she had no guards. {211c} "Why," asked
Arran, "was it not as easy to take her out of the Abbey, as once it had
been intended to do with her mother?"

Here were elements of trouble, and Knox adds that, according to the
servants of Chatelherault, Huntly and the Hamiltons devised to slay Lord
James, who in January received the Earldom of Moray, but bore the title
of Earl of Mar, which earldom he held for a brief space. {212a} Huntly
had claims on Moray, and hence hated Lord James. Arran was openly
sending messengers to France; "his councils are too p