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The
Graham looked from one to the other. This pass
...
?' he repeated. Is there a pass? Which demands our defence? Yet?'

There
is.' Rothes banged down a thick fist on the table, to make the flagon
jump. 'By God, there is ! I am new back frae London, man. Charles
Stewart is riding for a fall. He will heed none but the man Laud and
his lackey Juxon — he that's new Bishop of London in Laud's
stead. These two English jumped-up clerks have our liege lord licking
their prelatical feet!
It
makes me spew - spew, I say!
'

'It
is unedifying, yes. But — this pass, you speak of... ?'
'It is this thrice-damned prayer-book! You must have heard of it?
Laud has had two Soots lickspittles, Wedderburn, Bishop o' Dunblane
and Maxwell, Bishop o' Ross, to concoct the rat-rhymes and
paternosters. They have finished their presumptuous blasphemies, and
now Laud and Juxon have had their fell turn at it And presented it to
Charles. And he, our sovereign lord, has swallowed it all, with its
mummery and its incantations and its rituals. It is being printed,
and is to be imposed on Scotland forthwith. By the royal edict On
pain o' excommunication. Before Easter next'

'Excommunication?
Surely not? How can this be? Who is to be excommunicated?'

'Every
parish minister, in the first place. The prayer-book itsel' isna yet
printed. But the Book of Canons is, that is to go with it and enforce
it. I've seen this, man - had in it my two hands. It's wicked.' All
trace of the coarse, loud-mouthed buffoon had for the moment
disappeared, and with it most of the broad Doric, as Rothes leant
over, pointing a stubby finger at Montrose. 'These Canons are signed
and sealed by the King, as head o' Christ's Church - by his way o'
it. They declare that every parish minister in Scotland will have
provided himsel' with at least two copies o' the prayer-book
before Easter - on pain o' excommunication and banishment.
Banishment, mind. To be used thereafter, in every kirk - on pain o'
the same penalties. And any who may raise their voice against it, or
fail to adhere to it, to be banished likewise.'

Montrose
shook his head, wordless.

"Nor
is that all, my lord,' Henderson put in. 'All presbyteries are
to be put down — the courts and government of the Kirk. Even
though the Scots bishops themselves accept them. Bishops alone are to
govern the Kirk of Scotland.'

'It
is scarcely to be believed,' the younger man said slowly.

‘
But
it is the truth, for a' that. I tell you, Montrose, I've seen the
printed and signed Canons.'

'Scotland
- the realm will not accept it! Nobles and Kirk alike. The whole
people
..,'

'You
think not, lad? Pray God that you are right. Pray God! But, I say, it
is
up
to us, man, who have the leadership in this land, to
see
that
the realm does not! Charles will have done what the Edwards and the
Henrys never could do — wiped out this ancient realm and put us
under the English heel. That is the size o' it. That it should be
under the heels o' damnable English prelates is the measure o'
our abasement, by God!'

James
Graham looked from one to the other. 'What do you wish for me?' he
asked, quietly.

'Just
that the Graham does not fail his ancestors, lad. At Dunbar, at
Stirling Brig, at Bannockburn, at Flodden-field, at Pinkie Brae,
Graham has stood - aye, and fallen if need be - for the freedom o'
this sair-harried realm. Do
you
stand
aside, man ?'

Levelly,
Alexander Henderson spoke. 'All we ask, my lord, is that you lend
your name and support, when the time comes. For a stand for our
liberty, our right to worship God in our own way, our determination
that none shall take from us our birthright as free men.'

Montrose
inclined his handsome head. 'I could do no less,' he said.

'Praise
be! Aye, lad - so I believed. And so said Archie Napier. Here is
right excellent augury. We came to you amongst the first, James - for
where the Graham leads, lesser men will follow. And it is the lesser
men, the common folk, the townsmen, that we must rally, see you,
Charles himsel' has rallied the nobles against him, by his Act o'
Revocation, his taking o' the tithes and teinds o' our lands to pay
for his bishops. He will unite the Kirk against him by this Liturgy
and doing awa
¹
with the presbyteries. But, the common folk
..

'Fear
not for the common folk, my good lords,
¹
Henderson interrupted. ‘King Charles has assured of them rising
also, I think
1'

‘
You
say so ?'

‘
Yes.
Or the man Laud has done it for him! This of the surplices. In his
Canons, you tell me, it is ordained that every minister of the Gospel
discards his black Geneva gown and dons a white linen surplice.
Likewise on pain of excommunication. I tell you, he could scarce
have served us better! Here is something which the ordinary man and
woman can see and understand. Compared with the rest, it is little or
nothing I agree. But they, the common folk, will see it as popery,
the trappings of idolatry. That, and these pictures which your
lordship tells
me
are
to
be
painted
in the prayer-book, on the initial letters of each page and prayer -
cherubs, angels and the like. Imagery, devices of the Devil. Aye,
smile my lords - but, I tell you, who am of the people myself, that
this will serve better than all your doctrine and pronouncements.
Aye, or
my
sermons!
This they will see as bowing down to idols! The folk will rise in
their wrath.'

Rothes
shrugged. 'So be they rise,' he said. 'But they must learn o' them,
first.'

'They
will learn, never doubt it. We - the ministers of God's Kirk - will
not fail to equip ourselves with the King's white surplices, I
promise you! Though we will never wear them. They will hang from
every pulpit in the land, as text for our discourses. The
prayer-books too, when they come. We will
not
use
them - but every kirk will show them to the people, with their
pictures and popery
...'

‘
Ha
- and there is more for you to display, Henderson man. Now I mind o'
it. A Kalendar o' Scots saints.
Saints,
mark
you. Such Kalendar to be printed with each book, by the King's
personal command! Saints, and their days, for observation,
veneration, worship! Show that!'

Obviously
this was news to Alexander Henderson. He looked shocked, no less.
'Saints
...
!' he gasped. 'Is
...
is the man clean out of his wits?'

‘
You
may ask! That is Charles, by the Grace o' God, King! Aye.' John
Leslie reached for the flagon. 'So there you have it, James. Wc can
rely on you? When the time comes?'

'You
can
rely on me not to stand dumb, my lord. Not to withhold my protest.
Beyond that, I do not commit myself. I am the King's man, in all
else. A loyal subject. Protest, I will support. Insurrection and
revolt are another matter. I bid you both remember it'

There
was a long moment's silence.

'Pray
God it comes not to that,' Henderson said, at length. ‘But a
man must be prepared to more than speak for his beliefs.'

'Aye,
man - to be sure,' Rothes put in, rather hurriedly. 'But time enough
to think o' that, when the talking fails.'

Talking
reason, must
not
fail,'
Montrose declared strongly. The King must be shown the folly of his
policy. Shown that he will rouse the whole Scottish realm against him
,..'

Think
you he hasna been told so, time and again? Balmerino told him - and
near lost his head! I have told him — to my cost! Your
good-brother Napier has told him, written letters aplenty - to no
result but his own loss o' power and position. Charles ignores all —
but has around him a pack o' toadies and lackeys who shout Amen to
his every word. Aye, and keep the truth frae him.'

'Then
he must be shown that these are false advisers. His true enemies, not
his friends - Hamilton, Lanark, Traquair and their like.
Time-servers. We must send the King not one letter, or two. But the
voice of the whole realm must speak. Honestly, loyally, respectfullly
- but firmly. A declaration. Scotland has done it before. The
community of the realm of Scotland. From Arbroath. In good King
Robert's time - a Declaration of Independence. Montrose sat forward,
his fine eyes alight now. 'That letter was to the Pope of Rome. Now
we must needs send one to King Robert's own descendant ten
generations removed. Signed by all true men whose names mean anything
in Scotland. Such, the King could not ignore or dismiss. This, I say,
should be done. And quickly. Before more evil befalls.'

'Mm.'
Rothes rubbed his multiple chins. 'We'll hae to think on this. It
might be worth the trying.'

'More
than a letter or a declaration,' Henderson said. 'A covenant. A
declaration is only that. Binds its signatories only to a belief, an
assertion. But a covenant, binding men to action, should their
demands be refused - that is something different.'

‘
Demands?'
Montrose repeated. ‘I said nothing of demands. Loyal subjects
cannot
demand
from
the Lord's Anointed.'

'Requests,
then. A word, my lord.'

'An
important word, sir. Significant. Let us be clear in our minds what
we are about - that there be no misunderstanding. I will have
nothing to do with demands upon the King's Grace. I will declare that
I believe the King's policies are wrong - and rejoice if many others
so declare with me. But I will not set myself up against my liege
lord, to his hurt or constraint. Let that be understood, now and
hereafter.'