th. On
the same Sabbath Melville was preaching in his own college chapel to a
crowded congregation; and a neighbouring laird, with a number of his
friends, having come to the city on that Sabbath to hear Melville, there
was an unusual stir which drew most of the townsfolk to the chapel. When
the last bell was ringing, and Adamson was about to enter the pulpit, a
_canard_ reached him to the effect that a body of local gentry and the
citizens gathered within the college gates had formed a conspiracy to
seize him and hang him on the spot. Calling to his servants to guard
him, he ran out of the church and sought refuge in the steeple, and it
took the magistrates all their skill to persuade him to leave his
hiding-place and accept their convoy to the palace--'he was halff
against his will ruggit[15] out, and halff borne and careit away' amid
the derision of the onlookers.

[Footnote 15: Pulled.]

Adamson had appealed to the Assembly which was to meet in May. The King,
being indignant at the treatment the Archbishop had received, was
resolved to get the sentence annulled, and he set himself to tune the
Assembly to his mind. He called a meeting by royal proclamation, and
gave it out that he would attend it himself. The temper of the Assembly
was such that the resolutions that were to effect the King's object had
to be cautiously framed, and were carried by a bare majority of votes.
The Court, without judging the Synod's proceedings and sentence, and
only after Adamson had made an apology for his pretentions to authority
in the Church, and had given a promise to drop them for the future,
resolved to restore him. The case had been no sooner disposed of than
Melville was summoned before the King and commanded to go into ward
north of the Tay, that the Archbishop might have a better chance of
recovering his lost prestige--a restriction which, however, was soon
removed on a strong representation being made to the King of the loss
which the University was suffering by the banishment of Melville.

From this time the Archbishop fell into disgrace, both for his shameful
public career and for the offences of his private life, especially his
extravagance and consequent debts. Two years later he was deposed by the
Assembly, when the King cast him off, and gave the temporalities of his
see to one of the Court favourites. After that Adamson never lifted his
head. When he had fallen into poverty and sickness he made a pitiful
appeal to Me