The labour bestowed by the Author in collecting information, with the

desire of giving a true and faithful History of these transactions, rendered it also desirable that more than ordinary care should be bestowed in illustrating his narrative. For this purpose, I have taken considerable pains to identify the persons and places mentioned in the course of this History. Knox himself, on more than one occasion, states, that while he was careful in relating facts, he was no observer of times and seasons, in other words, that he made no pretensions to minute accuracy in dates. It became the more necessary to devote particular attention, either to confirm or correct his dates, by reference to contemporary documents; and no source that was accessible has been overlooked, although I am fully sensible that I may have failed in making suitable use of the information thus obtained. I have at least endeavoured to avoid cumbering the page with notes, unless where they seemed necessary to illustrate the text; and I consider no apology to be required for the Articles inserted in the Appendix.

[7] In the foot-notes, the errors and mistakes in Vautrollier's edition are occasionally pointed out. A sample of them may here be brought together:--
P. 40. Aue hes tuit aue spurtill. 41. priests of whordome--trystis of whoredome. 44. Andrewe Balsone--Balfour. 52. Baltlewich, Lyniltquilk, Lemax--Balcleueh, Lynlithgow, Levenax. 54. the time thereof--the teind thereof. 55. paying such losses--paying such teinds. 62. Earle of gleuearne--Earle of Glencarne. 78. appoints--oppones. 97. the Cardinal skipped--the Cardinal scripped. 113. taken from--given to. 116. inversion--intercession. 122. entracted--entreated. 142. enduer him--cummer him. 143. receiving of limes and staues--receiving of lime and stanes. ib. in great number--in no great number. 144. cryed I am Leslie a priest--cryed, I am a priest. 146. the Queen's daughter--the Queen Dowager. 149. Langundrie--Langnidrie. 166. the Gouernoures--the Gunnar's. 169. should be--should not be. 170. Scotish preachers--Scotish prikers. 177. scarcenesse--scarmishing. 180. some drunken beare, which laye in the saudes chappell and church--some drynkin bear, which lay in the syidis Chappell and Kirk. 182. were pressed--were not pressed. 186. Silbard--Sibbald. 187. and for his other William--and for his other villany. 192. Lordes Maxwell flying--Lords Maxwell, Fleming. 195. Wilbock--Willock. 199. Meruses--Mernes. 200. hearie--Harie. 226. according to comely and common lawes--according to the civile and cannon lawes. 249. auow your graces hart--move your Graces heart. 280. Ancheddirdour--Auchterarder.
281. should be--should not be. 301. estates of our religion--estates of our realme.

[8] See "Areopagitica; a Speech of Mr. John Milton for the Liberty of Unlicens'd Printing," addressed to the Parliament of England, London, 1644, 4to. In arguing against the abuses committed by licensers of the Press, he says, "Nay, which is more lamentable, if the work of any deceased Author, though never so famous in his lifetime, and even to this day, come to their hands for license to be printed or reprinted, if there be found in his book one sentence of a venturous edge, uttered in the height of zeal, (and who knows whether it might not be the dictate of a divine Spirit,) yet, not suiting with every low decrepit humour of their own, though it were Knox himself, the Reformer of a Kingdom, that spake it, they will not pardon him their dash: the sense of that great man shall to all posterity be lost for the fearfulness, or the presumptuous rashnesse of a prefunctory licenser. And to what an Author this violence hath bin lately done, and in what book of greatest consequence to be faithfully publisht, I could now instance, but shall forbear till a more convenient season."--(page 22.)

[9] In following the MS. of 1566, I have discarded all contractions, and generally avoided the old form of using u and w for v, or v for u; i for j. In order to avoid distracting the attention of an ordinary reader, such words in the MS. as hie for he, on for one, cane for can, don for done, are printed in the usual form; but indeed the orthography of the MS. is very irregular, and might have justified much greater innovations.