er blind rage or the
confusion which would follow. Lord Sempill, who accompanied them, and
who was of the Queen's party--"a man sold under sin," says Knox--perhaps
did more justice to the message; but Knox's sole desire was that it
should be repeated word by word.

We need not, however, follow the advances and retreats, the always
imminent encounter for which the Congregation was fully ready, but from
which the Queen and her general constantly retired at the last moment,
before the gates of Perth, on Cupar Muir, and other places, making
agreement after agreement of which nothing came. In the course of this
curious dance of the two powers confronting each other much ink was
shed, however, if no blood, and the representations, letters, bonds, and
assurances must have kept the scribes on either side in constant
occupation. The Congregation was certainly the more argumentative and
long-winded of the correspondents, and never seems to have lost an
opportunity of a letter. They pervaded the country, an ever-increasing
band, which, whenever an emergency occurred, was multiplied from every
quarter at the raising of a finger on the part of the reforming lords.
That the violent beginning made in Perth had given to the populace a
taste for the pleasures of destruction, however, is very fully evident,
and it soon became clear that when the preachers and their protectors
moved "to make reformation," the mob who followed them would leave
nothing but ruins behind. This and the method of it is very well set
forth in the case of Scone, a place of great historical interest, where
the ancient kings of Scotland had been crowned. It would seem to have
been a raid of private vengeance which directed the operations, "four
zealous men," irrestrainable, it would seem, by the leaders, having set
out from Perth, "to take order with that place," considering how
obstinately proud and despiteful the Bishop of Murray had been. The
lords had already sent a letter of warning to the Bishop, who was housed
in some abbey near, advertising him that unless he would come and join
them they could neither spare nor save his place. But while the answer
lingered the town of Dundee took up the quarrel and set forth to carry
out the work.

"To stay them was first sent the Provost of Dundee and his brother
Alexander Halliburton Capitain, who little prevailing was sent unto
them John Knox; but before his coming they were entered to the
pulling down