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II.-SCHOOLMASTER OF LINLITHGOW.

The biography of Winzet definitely begins with his appointment to the mastership of the grammar-school of Linlithgow, to which references are made in "The Thrid Tractat," and in the Address "to the Christiane Reidar" in 'The Buke of the Four Scoir Thre Questions.'

In "The Thrid Tractat" the author states that the "maist flurissand part" of his age was "spent in the teching of the grammar Scule of Linlychtquow about the space of ten zeiris." The above-mentioned address repeats this statement, with the addition that he "wes expellit and schott out of that my kyndly town" by "Dene Patrik Kinloquhy, precheour in Linlythgow, and of his superintendent," for denying only to "subscrive their phantasie and factioun of faith." 2 "The Thrid Tractat" is dated the 24th of May 1562; and the appointment of Spotswood to be Superintendent of Lothian was confirmed in March 1561, so that the date of Winzet's appointment was in 1551-52. The office was important.

Linlithgow was then a burgh, large and influential, ancient and royal. A favourite residence of Scottish monarchs

"Lythquo, quhose Palyce of plesance

Mycht be one patrone in Portingall or France,"

was the birthplace of James the Fifth and the hapless Mary. It was a centre of ecclesiastical influence. Within the town the Carmelites and Dominicans had houses, the

1 Winzet, 'Certain Tractates,' vol. i. p. 23. S.T.S. Ed.
2 Ibid., vol. i. p. 49.

military order of St Lazarus had a hostelry, and the Knights of St John had tenements. The beautiful parish church of St Michael, with its chapels and altarages, was a deanery of St Andrews; and James the Fifth chose it as the chapel of the Knights of the Thistle. When the Court, attended by the nobility, gentry, and superior clergy, resided in the palace, and the Councils of the State and Church met within the burgh, it was a stirring scene of national life. It had the advantage of a grammarschool. Pre-reformation schools were under the jurisdiction of the Church, and were of various kinds-monastic, adventure, song, girl, grammar, gymnasia or advanced schools. The masters were either remunerated out of "kirk-rentis," special scholastic endowments, "the common good" of the community, or school fees. At this period, grammar-schools for the teaching of the ordinary subjects, as well as gymnasia for the higher branches and theology, were found in a few of the larger towns only. Winzet, in his third Tractate, displayed his good sense in lamenting the national indifference to education, and expressed the regret that the schools had not been amply endowed like the churches. The Act of 1494, cap. 54, was a progressive step; but its statutory provisions were insufficient, and only applicable to the children of the highest classes.1 The Provincial Council, which sat in Linlithgow, and

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1 'New. Stat. Acc. Scot.,' vol. ii. p. 175; Chalmers, 'Caledonia,' vol. ii. pp. 374, 875, Edin. 1807-24; Cosmo Innes, Scotland in the Middle Ages,' p. xxxiii, Edin. 1860; Cosmo Innes, 'Sketches of Early Scotch History,' p. 256, Edin. 1861; Walcott, 'The Ancient Church of Scotland,' pp. 354, 365, Lond. 1874; Waldie, 'Hist. Linlithgow,' p. 30, Linlith. 1879.

2 'Concilia Scotiae; Ecclesiae Scoticanae Statuta,' vol. i. pref. p. cxlvii. Bann. Club, 1866.

3 Innes, Sketches of Early Scotch Hist.,' p. 256.

4 Cf. Appendix B.

afterwards in Edinburgh, in 1549, passed an important remedial statute-"De Magistro Grammatices" - which made provision for "teaching by more worthy masters" in the old schools, the resuscitation of decayed schools, and the institution of "public gymnasia." The purpose of this Act was to stem the tide of reformation by the widespread instillation of sound Catholic doctrine, easily provided for poor clever scholars, who, with a new race of clerics, were to be incited to study the Scriptures.2 Winzet, one of these "more worthy masters," now in his 34th year, came to Linlithgow, where he devoted himself so assiduously to his profession, that he had no leisure for the study of theology: "And albeit I wes nocht sa weill exerceit in the Scripturis, as become me of my aige and vocatioun, nor zit guidlie micht sua be: sen I had spent my maist flurissing zovvthheid apt to that studie in techeing of cheldring." 3

His scholastic efforts were crowned with success, he being "not without manifest utilitie of their commounwealth," in which he "be all apperance, had obtenit sik favour of thame as ony sik man micht haif of ony communitie." 4 The master grew attached to "his kindly town," his "tender freindis" to him. He had occasionally to act as a notary. From the minutes of the Sheriff Court of Linlithgow, we learn that on the 17th of October 1556, "Sir Niniane Winzet" appeared as a notary in an action

1 'Conc. Scot.' Statutes, Nos. 189, 190, 191, 196, 197, &c.; vol. ii. p. 96 et seq.

2 'Conc. Scot.,' vol. ii. p. 96, Statute No. 189: "In gymnasiis publicis . . lectio... ad Catholicæ fidei defensionem et incrementum sanæque doctrinæ conservationem et propagationem instituatur: et ubi instituta foret ut negligeretur restituatur."

3 Winzet, 'Certain Tractates,' vol. i. p. 54. S.T.S. Ed.

4 Ibid., p. 49.

raised by John Falconer, feuar of the chapel lands of Blackness, against Andro Meldrum there, anent his feu of certain houses and lands pertaining to the chaplainry of St Ninian in Blackness. An instrument of sasine is referred to therein as having been given under the sign-manual of the said "Sir Niniane Winzet," of date 9th October 1555. The case seems to have been settled out of court.1 But the rents of the chapel-lands in question were not part of the teacher's emoluments, Winzet declaring with some pride, "of the kirk-rentis I had neuir my leuing." 2 The chapel of St Ninian was served from Linlithgow, but there is no further evidence to connect Winzet with the service of it. One result of Winzet's popularity was his promotion to be Provost of the Collegiate Church of St Michael in the burgh.3

III. THE REFORMATION-EXPULSION FROM LINLITHGOW.

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The doctrines and events of the Reformation period were now attracting attention, and Winzet "began nocht litill to merwel at sa haisty and sa subdane a wolter of this warlde, . . . and specialie of the subdane change of sum cunning clerkis." The unfortunate state of civil and ecclesiastical affairs, which had prevailed nearly a hundred years to the enfeeblement of the Church, had, in the middle of the sixteenth century, been disquieting Winzet before "the uproar of religion" drove him into open conflict with the opponents of the Papacy, so that he

1 MS. Minutes of Sheriff Court of Linlithgow, 1544-1558, fol. 100, in Register House, Edinburgh.

2 Winzet, 'Certain Tractates,' vol. i. p. 62.

3 Ziegelbauer, 'Hist.' pt. iii. p. 360.

4 Winzet, 'Certain Tractates,' vol. i. p. 49.

was led to discover and honestly lament the evils which endangered a once useful institution.

He was an erudite man, conversant with the history of his country and its ancient Church. The virtue of being an independent thinker who "spak frelie without feir," was his also, and he could not fail to be moved by a spirit of reform which desired, at the same time, the maintenance of that prestige and power he saw evanishing from the nation and its priesthood. His works betoken feelings and opinions akin to those of the "Old Catholic" school of this century, and almost identical with those expressed in 'The Complaynt of Scotlande,' whose author, as Dr Murray inclines to think, was an ecclesiastic and a Lowland Scotsman.1

Winzet was living during one of the most pitiable periods in the national life of Scotland, when, through foreign interference and internal distractions, the civil government and the Church had rapidly become disorganised, and

"Scotland was never in harder case
Sen Fergus first it wan.”2

During the reign of the hapless Stuart dynasty the country was sorely tried. The author of 'The Complaynt,' in 1549, attributes the afflictions which his countrymen experienced, at that time, to three main causes-the inroads of the English, pestilence, and domestic dissension. Freebooters kept both sides of the Borders in a state of turmoil; Highland clans menaced or fought each other; the Scottish barons kept their retainers armed to ward off quarrelsome neighbours, or to unite at the royal will against

1 'The Complaynt of Scotlande,' Pref. p. lxi, by J. H. A. Murray. London, 1872. E.E.T.S.

2 'Godlie Psalmes and Spirituall Sangis,' p. 159. Laing ed. 1868.

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