heresy, recanted his opinions, and burnt his fagot in the church of St Nicholas in that city. Probably he afterwards travelled on the continent In 1543, he was at Cambridge, as we learn from the following description quoted by the biographer of Knox,[1] from a letter of Ernery Tylney. "About the yeare of our Lord a thousand, five hundreth, forty and three, there was, in the university of Cambridge, one Maister George Wishart, commonly called Maister George of Bennet's colledge, who was a tall man, polde headed, and on the same a round French cap of the best. Judged of melancholye complexion by his physiognomie, black haired, long bearded, comely of personage, well spoken after his country of Scotland, courteous, lowly, lonely, glad to teach, desirous to learne, and was well travailed. Having on him for his habit or clothing never but a mantill frieze gowne to the shoes, a black milliard fustian dublet, and plain black hosen, coarse new canvasse for his shirtes, and white falling bandes and cuffes at the hands. All the which apparell he gave to the poore, some weekly, some monthly, some quarterly, as he liked; saving his French cappe, which he kept the whole year of my being with him. He was a man, modest, temperate, fearing God, hating covetousnesse; for his charitie had never ende, night, noone, nor daye. He forbare one meale, one day in four for the most part, except something to comfort nature. Hee lay hard upon a pouffe of straw, coarse new canvasse sheetes, which, when he changed, he gave away. He had commonly by his bedside a tubbe of water, in the which (his people being in bed, the candle put out, and all quiet) hee used to bathe himself. He taught with great modestie and gravitie, so that some of his people thought him severe, and would have slaine him; but the Lord was his defence. And hee, after due correction for their malice, by good exhortation, amended them, and he went his way. O that the Lord had left him to me his poore boy, that he might have finished that he had begunne! His learning, no less sufficient than his desire, always prest and readie to do good in that he was able, both in the house privately, and in the school publikely, profusing and reading diverse authors."
Wishart returned to Scotland in July, 1543, in company with the commissioners who had been despatched for the negotiation of the marriage treaty with Henry VIII.[2] From these individuals, many of whom were attached to the reformed doctrines, he had probably received assurances of safety for his person: it is at least certain that, from the time of his entering the country till his death, he was under their protection, and usually in the presence of one or more of them. The chief laymen of the protestant party at this period were the earls Cassillis, Glencairn, and Marischal, Sir George Douglas, and the lairds of Brunstain, Ormiston, and Calder. They were in secret alliance with the king of England, and, at his instigation, several of them formed designs for assassinating cardinal Beaton, whose powerful genius was the chief obstacle to their views.
Thus countenanced, Wishart preached to large audiences in Montrose and Dundee, causing, at the latter of these places, the destruction of the houses of the Black and Grey friars. The authorities having interfered to preserve the peace, Wishart left the town, but not till he had given a public testimony to the friendly nature of his intentions, and the danger that would be incurred by those who refused to hear the truth which he proclaimed. He then proceeded
- ↑ Dr M'Crie, Life of Knox.
- ↑ Knox, in his Historie of the Reformation, says 1544; but it is satisfactorily proved that the commissioners returned in 1543: and hence, as it is more likely that a mistake would arise in the date than in the circumstance, we assume the latter year, as a correction upon Knox's statement.
