vigorous, and courageous. Theodore Beza, to whom he was ftrongly recommended by letters, foon difcovered him to be a fcholar, and appointed him Profefsor of Humanity in the College of Geneva. Mr. Melville continued at this place five years, attending the daily lefsons and preachings of Beza. He improved the opportunity of perfecting himself in Hebrew literature. He often difputed with the Greek profefsor, a native of Greece, on the right pronunciation of the Greek language". The Profefsor pronounced it after the common form, obferving the accents, "the whilk Mr. Andro controlled be precepts and "reafon, till the Greek would grow angry, and cry out, Vos "Scoti, vos barbari docebitis nos Græcos pronuntiationem linguæ noftra "scilicet !" When he was invited to return home, Beza, in a letter addrefsed to the general kirk of Scotland, declared, that as the greatest token of affection the Members of the kirk of Geneva could fhew to that of Scotland, they had fuffered themselves to be fpoiled of Mr. Andrew Melville. In 1574, he was elected the principal master of the University of Glasgow, where he taught the best Greek and Latin authors, natural philofophy, chronology, chirography, befides his ordinary profefsion, the holy tongue and theology. In the fame year he was directed, at the General Assembly, to deliver his opinion upon the jurifdiction and policy of the kirk, before the next afsembly, along with others appointed for that purpose. During a period of five or fix years this matter coft him great pains "in mind, body, and gear;" while it expofed him to the refentment of the regent and the epifcopal party, which he bore with fingular patience, until he fully accomplished his plan for the establishment of Prefbyteries. In 1578, in the afsembly held in Magdalen Chapel, Edinburgh, in the month of April, he was chosen Moderator. It was there concluded, that the Bishops fhould be called by their own names, and that lordly authority fhould be banished from the kirk "whilk has but an Lord, Chrift Jefus." Being accufed of "overfea dreams" and Geneva discipline, and of difturbing the peace of the kirk, by the regent who faid, "There never will be quietnefs or peace in the country, till half b Sir Thomas Smith and his friend Mr. Cheke, introduced at Cambridge the new mode of pronouncing the Greek language. While the former was once at Paris, he made a vifit to a learned Greek, a courteous and affable man. His chief business was to be satisfied from him what founds the Grecians themfelves did ufe in Greece. And when Smith began to peak of the new way, the Greek grew angry, and called Eraimus Badin, that he being a Dutchman, had brought into Greece, whence he was fprung, fuch vast founds as he exprefsed himself, and abfonous diphthongs. (Strype's Life of Sir John Smith, p. 23.) In this art he excelled. He has addrefsed a Latin epigram to Mrs, Either Inglis, who was noted for her beautiful hand writing, and whɔ fürpassed Ascham, Davies, and others eminent for that extraordinary talent. a dozen of you be hanged." "Tuh! Sir," fays Mr. Andrew, "purpuratis tuis ista minitare: mihi idem est humine, an sub"'limi putrescam. Domini est terra: patria est ubicunque est bona. "I have been ready to give my life, where it was not half fa "well wared at the pleasure of my God. I lived out o' your "country ten years, as well as in it: let God be glorified; it "will not lie in your power to hang or exile his truth." In 1580, he was accompanied by feveral of his friends to Lundey, and with the Laird thereof to St. Andrew's, where he was entered Principal of the College, and was kindly welcomed by his friend Mr. Patrick Adamfon, the Bishop, for whom he often officiated in the kirk. His zeal for introducing a new mode of academical education met with much oppofition, all which he vanquished; fo that the regents in philofophy came over to his opinions, and acknowledged their wonderful transportation from darkness to light. He fuftained every attack upon him with undaunted fortitude; and the punishments, with which he was menaced, not unfrequently fell upon his adversaries. In 1581, he attended the General Assembly at Glasgow, where the book of policy, after a labour of many years, was ratified and ordered to be recorded. 1583, he appeared before the King, at Edinburgh, to answer an accufation of uttering treasonable and feditious fpeeches from the pulpit. He was accompanied on this occafion, with fome of his fcholars and friends. As no criminal charge was brought against him, he declined the judicature of the King and Coun cil. He plainly told them, that they had no power to control the ambassadors and messengers of a King and Council greater than they were. "And that," fays he, "you may fee your "weaknefs, overfight, and rafhnefs, in taking upon you that "which ye neither ought nor can do," (loofing a little Hebrew Bible from his belt, and throwing it down on the board) "there "is my inftructions and warrant : let's fee whilk of you can "judge thereon, or controlle me therein, that I have paft "my injunctions." The Chancellor, opening the book, finds it to be Hebrew, and puts it into the King's right hand, faying, "Sir, he fcorns your Majefty and Council." "Nay," fays Mr. Andrew, "I fcorn not, but with all earneftnefs, zeal, and gravity, I ftand for the caufe of Jefus Chrift, and the kirk." He was at length ordered to be put in ward in the Castle of Edinburgh during the King's will. And when it was known that the place of his confinement was changed to Blacknefs, he followed the advice of his friends, and fled to Berwick, and afterwards took refuge in England. 66 Upon this occafion" the pulpits of Scotland," as Dr. Robertfon informs us, "refounded with complaints, that the King had "extinguished the light of learning in the kingdom, and ce"prived the Church of the ableft and molt faithful guardian of "its liberties and difcipline.' In 1587, we find him refident in the University of St. Andrew's; for in that year the celebrated Sieur du Bartas came into Scotland to attend his lectures, In 1591, Mr. Cartwright and Mr. Travers, the great defenders of Puritanism in England, were invited to be Divinity Profefsors in his Univerfity. It must be owned, that in the elegant letter addrefsed to them, on this occafion, which was probably penned by Mr. Melville himself, there is an acrimony of language perfectly inexcufable. His inveterate opposition to the difcipline of the Church of England has betrayed the writer into the use of the moft opprobrious terms. In 1599, the King published the "Doron Bafilicon," addrefsed to his fon, Prince Henry. Sir James Semple, one of his Majesty's fervants, having tranfcribed that treatise, fhewed it to Andrew Melville, his intimate friend, who reading it, was offended with fome pafsages that regarded the miniftry and difcipline of the kirk. Melville took copies of the Book, and difperfed them among the Minifters, fome of whom preferred a libel to the Synod of St. Andrew's, wherein the exceptionable passages being fet down, it was afked, "What cenfure should be inflicted on "him, that had given such instructions to the Prince, and if he could "be thought well affected to religion, that had delivered such precepts of government?” To vindicate himself on this occafion, the King determined to publifh the work, "which being come abroad, and carried to "England, it cannot be faid how well the fame was accepted, "and what an admiration it raised in all men's hearts of him, "and of his piety and wisdom.” I omit feveral circumftances of his life, which are mentioned in "Calderwood's Hiftory of Scotland." Mr. Melville was prefent at a Conference at Hampton Court, in 1606. As he was efteemed one of the most learned men of his time, the King principally dreaded his influence, in refifting his favourite plan for the establishment of Epifcopacy. He had been confined fome years before, by a royal warrant within his own house, at St. Andrews; and in 1606 was invited to the English Court, along with fome other Minifters, under the pretence of holding an amicable conference. It has been conjectured, that the only motive for this invitation was to relieve the Scotch Bishops from the oppofition, which they had reason to expect from Melville's perfonal zeal and fplendid abilities. The behaviour of Mr. Melville during the conference afforded no pretext for detaining him in England. Another expe d This letter is inferted in "Fuller's Ch. Hiftory," B. ix. Sect. vii. p. 52. e James appointed four Divines of the Church of England to attend during this conference; and to preach, by turns, on the fubjects propofed to them. Dr. William Barlow, Bishop of Lincoln, endeavoured, from Acts xx. 28. to prove out of the Scripture and Fathers the fupremacy of Bishops above Presbyters, and to fhow the inconveniences of parity in the Church. Dr. Buckridge, then Prefident of St. John's College, Oxford, and afterward Bishop of Rochester, took for his text the precept of the Apostle, "Let every foul be subject to the higher powers," Rom. xiii. 11.; "where," dient fucceeded. Melville and his companions were invited to attend the Royal Chapel on the Lord's day, when the King and Queen received the facrament, according to the ufage of the Church of England. It was natural to fuppofe that a view of thofe rites and ceremonies, against which Andrew Melville had always warmly contended, would have produced a confiderable effect upon his temper. But he allowed nothing to escape him in public which could give the leaft offence. On his return to his lodgings, he amufed himfelf with writing fome Latin verfes on the decorations of the altarf. They were fhewn to James Melville, his uncle, and perhaps to fome other Minifters. The King obtained a copy, and Mr. Andrew Melville was brought before the King's Council, along with Mr. James Melville, and Mr. Wallace, another of the Minifters, to answer for the verses, which the Council affirmed to be "a Pafquill, tending to the dishonour of God, and scandal of the Church of "England." He acknowledged himself to be the author; though as they had never been given out of his hand, he could not difcover how they came into the pofsefsion of the Council. His two companions were difmifsed, while he was taken into cuftody, and delivered over to the Dean of St. Paul's, in whose house he remained as a prifoner, till the 9th of March 1607 8,when "where," fays Spotfwood, "falling to speak of the King's fupremacy, in caufes ecclefiaftical, he did handle that point both foundly and learnedly, to the fatisfaction of all the hearers: only it grieved the Scots ministers to hear the Pope and Prefbyterie fo often equalled in their oppofition to Sovereign Princes." Dr. Andrews, Bishop of Chichester, followed, who, from the firft verfes of Numbers x. confirmed the power of Kings in convocating Synods and Councils. The fourth was Dr. King, then Dean of Chrift-Church; and afterward Bishop of London, who, difcourfing on the 11th verfe of the eighth chapter of Canticles, did prove lay-elders to have no place, nor office in the Church. See " Spotswood's Hiftory," &c. B. VII. f Fuller in his "Church History of Britain," B. X. Sect. iv. 41, has preferved a copy of these verles, which Archbishop Spotswood calls" fcernful and bitter :". 66 "Quòd duo ftent libri claufi Anglis regiâ in ARA 'Lumina cæca duo, pollubra ficca duo : "An claufum cæcumque Dei tenet Anglia cultum "Romano et ritu, dum regalem inftruit ARAM, G "Whereas, one Andrew Melville, a Minifter of Scotland, hath by his "Majefty's commandment been called before us, at the Council-Board, where he hath confefsed himself to be the author of fome certain veries, or rather a Pafquill, tending to the difhonour of God, and scandal of the "Church of England, for which his great offence he has been censured to be restrained of his liberty, until fuch further proceeding fhall be taken "with him, as fhall feem good unto us, in fuch a cafe as this is, and by impunity may prove to be.You shall hereby understand, that his Majefty hath made choice of you for the prefent to receive him into your 66 cuftody. he was ordered to be fent to the Bishop of Winchefter's. This order however was not executed, and he was permitted to live in his own lodgings. On the 6th of April following he appeared again before the Council, and after a long examination was fent by water to the Tower, where he was confined upwards of four years. When the other Ministers were allowed to return to their own country, no perfuafion whatever could prevail upon the King to release Andrew Melville. His office of Principal, or Provost of the New College of St. Andrew's, was declared vacant by Gladstones, Archbishop of St. Andrew's, who convened the Univerfity, and told them that it was his Majefty's pleafure," that Mr. Robert Lourie fhould be placed Provost in that College, Mr. Andrew Melville being, for treasonable words, "put in the Tower of London." The University in vain protefted against this proceeding. He had been two years in the Tower, when Bishop Coupar and Archbishop Spotfwood were fent to perfuade him to make an acknowledgement to the King, which they gave him reafon to hope would procure his liberty. He delivered to them a written apology in Latin, in which he affirmed, that the verfes were taken from him without his knowledge, and that they were afterward mutilated. He afked pardon for any expressions that might have efcaped him during his examination, which could be thought difrefpectful to his Majefty, to the Council, or to the state of England, and in general made as ample an acknowledgement as could be made without renouncing the principles which he held. The two prelates appeared to be fatisfied therewith, while the King remained inexorable. He continued two years more in the Tower, and employed himfelf in writing feveral tracts, chiefly on the controverfies of the times, and many Latin Poems, which have been fince printed in the Delicia Poetarum Scotorum." Amít. 2 vol. 12mo. 1637. In fhort, after much perfecution, when it was well known that he could never obtain leave to return into Scotland, the Duke of Bouillon, who was at the head of the Proteftants in France, and who itill pofsefsed the principality of Sedan, obtained the King's permifsion for him to go to Sedan, and to fettle there, as Profefsor of Divinity. He left England at the end of the year 1611, or at the beginning of 1612. He taught Divinity at Sedan, for nine years, with very fingular reputa 66 "cuftody. Wherefore in his Majesty's name and authority, we require you forthwith to receive him accordingly to remain at your house at St. "Paul's, not fuffering any to have accefs to him, until his Majesty's fur"ther pleasure herein to you be fignified.It is alfo thought convenient, "that yourself do at all convenient times confer with him on fuch points "as you fhall find him differing from the Church established, for his better fatisfaction and conformity, wherein by your good endeavours you may "deferve well of his Majefty, and us," &c. &c. The above warrant, dated Nov. 30, 1606, is addrefsed to the Dean of St. Paul's, Dr. John Over hall, afterward Bishop of Litchfield and Coventry. |