OHNSON.

This _coup d'etat_ left Melville and the other exiled brethren free to
return to Scotland, as they did in November 1585. During his stay of
nearly two years in England Melville had not been idle. He carried on a
correspondence with Protestant ministers in France and Switzerland for
the purpose of correcting misrepresentations which Archbishop Adamson
had been industriously circulating among them in regard to the conduct
of the ministers in Scotland. In all its struggles, from the Reformation
to the time of Renwick, the Scottish Church sought to keep the churches
of the Continent informed of its affairs and to secure their sympathy.
When in London Melville diligently used his influence with leading
English statesmen in favour of the cause which he represented. He also
took advantage of his proximity to Oxford and Cambridge to visit those
Universities, where he was received with the greatest courtesy and
respect.

The other ministers who had fled to England had likewise been fully
occupied; they had preached in Berwick, in Newcastle, in London, and
wherever they found an open door. James Melville had, for a while, most
of the banished Ruthven lords in his congregation at Newcastle, and he
had sought to invigorate them as the supporters of the liberties of the
Church in the event of their returning home to take part again in
political life; but, as it proved, with little effect.

The Church soon found that it had gained little by the change of
Government. If Arran and his set were its bitter enemies, the new
Councillors, the Ruthven lords, were, at the best, indifferent friends.
Though they owed their restored power largely to the courageous
resistance of the ministers to the Arran administration, and though they
had pledged themselves during their exile to use their influence, when
opportunity should come, to undo the evils of that administration as
they had affected the Church, they were content to secure their own
interest and left the Church to look after itself.

Parliament having been summoned to meet in Linlithgow in December 1585,
for the purpose of reponing the nobles in their estates and giving its
sanction to their administration, the ministers resolved to hold a
meeting of Assembly beforehand in Dunfermline to prepare a
representation of the Church's interests for the Parliament. When the
members of Assembly reached that city they found that the Provost had
closed the gates against them, by order