versity of St Andrews, where he was incorporated and admitted ad eundem of his foreign degree in Arts. Here, among the canons of the Priory and the Regents of St Leonards, he first distinguished himself by a passion for music, and was admitted to the precentorship of the choir. Genius in one or other of its forms almost always distinguished the early reformers. And Hamilton could not be more a fanatic for music, as the Italians call it, than Luther. Luther had his immortal "Hymn," and Patrick Ha. milton "composed," says Alesius, "what the musicians call a mass arranged in parts for nine voices, in honour of the angels, intended for that office in the Missal which begins, "Benedicant Dominum angeli ejus." But he is about to return his response to loftier strains. The tocsin of Luther is sounding, in the meantime, all over the continent; and the foremost alarm is taken in Scotland, by whom but the hierarchy of St Andrews? Their murmurs have their natural effect, in a craving after the prohibited fruit. Anon, cargoes of Tyndal's Bible begin to steal their way into the ports of Leith, Dundee, and Montrose.

"All that was wanting now was the voice of the living preacher. The Reformation of the Church of Scotland could only be worked out by the agency of living Scotsmen. The printed books of German and English reformers might be helpful to the work, but they could not be adequate for it alone. The country could only be roused and gained to the cause of evangelical truth and purity by the preaching and the sufferings of her own sons. And such men were not long of appearing. God was even then preparing them. He was soon to produce them one after another upon the public stage. The first to be thus prepared and produced was Patrick Hamilton." P. 81.

It is curious to read how soon-how almost prematurely-Hamilton had qualified for the crown of martyrdom. He was as yet "burning bricks in Egypt," a mere novice in the most important principles of the reformed doctrine, when his doom was fore-shewn.

"It was probably in the course of the year 1526 that Hamilton first began to declare openly his new convictions, and it was not long before the report of his heretical opinions was carried to the ears of the Archbishop. Early in 1527, Beaton made faithful inquisition during Lent' into the grounds of the rumour, and found that he was already infamed with heresy, disputing, holding, and maintaining, divers heresies of Martin Luther and his followers, repugnant to the faith; whereupon he proceeded to discern him' to be formally summoned and accused. Such was Beaton's own language in the following year, when relying upon the inquisition' which he had made in 1527, as well as in 1528, he pronounced him to be clearly convicted of heresy and worthy of death."-Pp. 82-3.

In Germany Hamilton at least sees and hears Luther; for Mr Lorimer does not affect to know much more of their intercourse. This "Virgilium tantum vidi" would probably have availed little except to feed with a little more fuel of enthusiasm, the lamp which was already burning. But the biographer is enabled to give such a detail of Hamilton's brief student life at Marburg, as accounts far more completely for the enlightened instructions of the traveller upon his return home than the passing call at Wittenberg. For this we refer in detail to the excellent Fifth chapter.

On his return to Scotland, Hamilton immediately takes the step which the Reformers almost universally seem to have thought it meet to adopt, in order to break terms unequivocally with the religion of the Pope. He marries. Why this should be thought prudent or necessary in so many cases, we are at a loss to know. What was gained by way of demonstration was lost or nearly so in more important respects. The apostle had long ago rather interposed a caveat under somewhat parallel circumstances than left the encouragement of his advice or example. The prospect of domestic comfort was surely nothing to the contingent calamity, so far, at least, as a wife and children were concerned. A door, besides, was opened to general misconstruction, and in a very few cases to imputation of scandal, which have perplexed the most favorable judges.

66 Something there was, &c.

And whispered words no judge on earth could clear.”

We can indeed now afford to relieve Knox, and his ardent follower in the next age, Rutherford, of the slander that has darkened many a page at their expense-but the memory of Hamilton had nearly suffered indelibly from doubts recently raised, by a friendly hand too, on an important part of his moral character. We are glad our biographer has been enabled to set this matter satisfactorily at rest.

"Patrick Hamilton remained at Kincavel till about the middle of January, 1527-28, and it was during the few months that elapsed between his return from Germany and that date, that an event took place, for the knowledge of which we are indebted exclusively to the information of Alexander Alesius. None of our historians have recorded the significant and interesting fact that the young Abbot of Ferne became a married man. But Alesius tells us that shortly before his death he married a young lady of noble rank;' and assigns the same reason for this step as for the reformer's never assuming, though an abbot, the monastic habit, viz. his hatred to the hypocrisy of the Roman Church.

"The Reformer's marriage is a fact not only interesting in itself, but important as vindicating his memory from a stain which has been recently thrown upon it by the discovery of the additional fact, that he was the parent of a daughter. The name of Isobel Hamilton, described as 'daughter of umquhil Patrick Hamilton, Abbot of Ferne,' has been found under the year 1543, in the accounts of the Lord Treasurer; from which record it appears that she was at that time one of the ladies in attendance on the court of the Regent Arran. This discovery naturally led to the inference, as nothing had been said by historians of her father's marriage, that he had left behind him an illegitimate child—a blot on his hitherto pure and immaculate character,' which the learned editor of Knox's History could not refer to without reluctance, though constrained by historical justice to reveal to the world what his own accurate researches had disclosed. But God has promised to bring forth the good man's judgment as the light, and his righteousness as the noon-day; and the present is a striking instance of the truth of His word. The regretted stain had scarcely been thrown upon the martyr's memory when a witness of unchallengeable credit is unexpectedly brought forward to wipe it off again."—Pp. 123–4.

The advocacy of the celibate, whether of laity or clergy, is none of our business, but we cannot help feeling some surprise that it did not rather occur to so many good men, to save helpless females and children the

troubles and anxieties attendant on their own career of danger and suffering, and to have set an example of another kind to the wretched monkery whose base manners were supposed to call for this rather needless testimony to the honourable character of matrimony as the right and privilege "of all."

Hamilton's brief preaching career, and other apostolic labours in Scotland, are better known than these matters. They who want information on the subject cannot do better than consult the luminous reproduction of materials to which Knox, Spottiswood, and Cook, have left little to be added, which they will find in Mr Lorimer's volume. It would be wholly inexcusable however to omit the minute, and, as will be seen from the quoted testimony of a newly discovered witness, authentic circumstances of the well known finale. After a pretended scheme to provide for his safety he is tried and judged.

“The tribunal instantly rose, and Hamilton was conducted back to his prison under a strong guard. As the captain of the castle left the cathedral with his prisoner, he called aloud for Sir James Hamilton to come and receive his brother out of his hands. He knew perfectly well that Sir James was not then in St Andrews. But he remembered the pledge he had given to the prisoner's friends: and it was in this evasive manner that the bishops had instructed him to redeem it.

"At noon Patrick Hamilton was seated at table in an apartment of the castle awaiting calmly the signal for setting out to the closing scene. The martyr was ready for the stake, as well as the stake for the martyr. The spirit of power and of love had fallen abundantly upon him, and the most perfect composure, resolution, and self-devotion, filled his soul. When the hour of noon struck he sent for the captain and enquired whether all was ready. The captain, more humane than his master, was unable to tell him plainly the fatal truth; he could only hint that the last hour had even come. Hamilton immediately rose from his seat, and, putting his hand into the captain's, walked forth with a quick step towards the place of execution. He carried in his right hand a copy of the evangelist, and was accompanied by his servant and a few intimate friends. When he came in sight of the spot he uncovered his head, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, addressed himself in silent prayer to Him who alone could give him a martyr's strength and victory. On reaching the stake he handed to one of his friends the precious volume which had long been his companion and the rod of his strength, and, taking off his cap and gown and other upper garments, he gave them to his attendant with these words, 'These will not profit in the fire, they will profit thee. After this, of me thou canst receive no commodity, except the example of my death, which I pray thee bear in mind. For albeit it be better to the flesh, and fearful before man, yet is it the entrance to eternal life, which none shall possess that denies Christ Jesus before this wicked generation.

"The executioners then stepped forward to do their office. They bound the martyr to the stake by an iron chain, which was passed round his middle, and they prepared to set fire to the pile of wood and coals. The servant of God,' says Pitscottie, 'entered in contemplation and prayer to Almighty God to be merciful to the people who persecuted him, for there were many of them blinded in ignorance that they knew not what they did. He also besought Christ Jesus to be Mediator for him to the Father, and that he would strengthen him with His Holy Spirit that he might stedfastly abide the cruel pains and flames of fire prepared for him by that cruel people. Addressing

himself likewise to the Father, he prayed that the flames of that torment might not be the occasion to make him swerve from any point of his faith in Christ Jesus, but to strengthen and augment him in his spirit and knowledge of the promise of God, and to receive his soul in His hands for Christ Jesus' sake in whose name I make this oblation and offering-that is to say, my body in the fire, and my soul in the hands of Almighty God.'

"Fire was now laid to the pile and exploded some powder which was placed among the faggots. The martyr's left hand and left cheek were scorched by the explosion; but though thrice kindled the flames took no steady hold of the pile. Have you no dry wood?' demanded the sufferer. Have you no more gunpowder?' It was some time before fresh billets and powder could be fetched from the castle, and his sufferings during the interval were extremely acute. Notwithstanding he uttered divers comfortable speeches to the bystanders, and addressed himself calmly to more than one of the friars, who molested him with their cries, bidding him convert, pray to our lady, and say, 'Salve Regina.' To one of them he said with a smile, ‘you are late with your advice, when you see me on the point of being consumed in the flames. If I had chosen to recant I need not have been here. pray you come forward and testify the truth of your religion by putting your little finger into this fire in which I am burning with my whole body! To another of the friars he was constrained to speak in a severe and more indignant tone. It was friar Campbell his betrayer and accuser. man was foremost among the tormentors of his last moments. again the sufferer besought him to depart and no more to trouble him, but in vain. At last he struck upon his conscience with these words of righteous severity: Wicked man! thou knowest it is the truth of God for which I now suffer. So much thou didst confess unto me in private, and thereupon I appeal thee to answer before the judgment-seat of Christ.'

But

That bad Once and

"Meanwhile the executioners had returned from the castle, and the flames were rekindled. 'A baker, also, called Myrton, ran and brought his arms full of straw and cast it into the fire; whereupon there came a blast of wind from the east forth of the sea, and raised the flame of fire so vehemently that it blew upon the friar that had accused him, and threw him upon the ground, burning all the forepart of his cowl.' The terror and confusion of the conscience-stricken Dominican contrasted strangely with the martyr. Surrounded and devoured by fierce flames he had still recollectedness enough to remember in his torment his widowed mother, and to commend her with his dying breath to the care and sympathy of his friends. When nearly burnt through his middle by the fiery chain, a voice in the crowd of spectators called aloud to him that if he still had faith in the doctrine for which he died he should give a last sign of his constancy. Whereupon he raised three fingers of his half consumed hand, and held them steadily in that position till he ceased to live. His last audible words were, 'How long, Lord, shall darkness overwhelm this kingdom? How long wilt thou suffer this tyranny of men? Lord Jesus, receive my soul!'

It was six o'clock in the evening before his body was quite reduced to ashes. The execution had lasted for nearly six hours, but during all that time,' says Alexander Alane, who had witnessed with profound emotion the whole scene, the martyr never gave one sign of impatience or anger, nor ever called to Heaven for vengeance upon his persecutors: so great was his faith, so strong his confidence in God."-Pp. 150-55.

Perhaps in no nation since the first ages of Christianity was a single case of martyrdom so fruitful of consequences, direct at once and permanent, as that of Patrick Hamilton The selection of a victim from the first ranks of society, which was doubtless intended as a master stroke of

in terrorem policy, had a result the very reverse of what was intended. It brought the Reformation immediately into fashion. Almost all the leading Scottish reformers were, after this original pattern, either high born gentlemen or accomplished scholars, or like the prototype they were both. It would almost seem as if martyrdom itself, at least the most imminent risk of it, had become a high born vocation. Such is persecution.

AN OVERTURE OVERHAULED—A PEEP INTO A DEBATE IN THE PRESBYTERY OF EDINBURGH ON "GRANTS IN AID" TO SCHOOLS IN INDIA.

WHILE the supreme government of India is busily engaged in organizing its Universities under the "Despatch on Education," sent out for its guidance and direction by the authorities at home, assigning as reported to the Governor General the high post of Chancellor, to the Bishop that of Visitor, to the Chief Justice, the Chief Secretary, &c., &c., ex officiis seats in the Council Board, and appointing among others as members of the Senatus Academicus, the Heads of the General Assembly and Free Church Colleges, the Presbytery of Edinburgh are overturing the next General Assembly to withdraw the sanction given by the last to any affiliation with this system of Native Instruction-denouncing it as "godless," and the acceptance of the "grants in aid" offered by it to Christian schools, as "touching the unclean thing!" The Church at large will doubtless feel curious to learn on what grounds such a position should have been taken up by the Metropolitan Presbytery; and they will find them set forth in a "Letter to the Congregation of St Stephen's Church" by their reverend pastor; in the "Reasons" of Dr Veitch of St Cuthbert's, already noticed in our Magazine; and in the debate, to which we have already briefly alluded, in the Presbytery of Edinburgh. The Speech of the Reverend Dr Bryce on this occasion enables us to pay the right and proper regard to the "audi alteram partem" rule; and we may chance to find something at least worth listening to, in defence of a system of what may be truly called a "National Education," in a somewhat wider sense of the word, than when understood as stretching from "the Tweed to John O'Groats;" and which, unlike the hitherto abortive Bills of the Lord Advocate, has ripened into something, that appears to have united the Christian world, both here and on the other side of the Cape, in hailing it as one of the noblest and worthiest acts of the government of India. While we very readily award to the grave and reverend doctors of the Presbytery of Edinburgh, who are standing forth in the very singular, if not very enviable, distinction of opposing a system, which has received such a testimony-not to speak of the imprimatur of the Supreme Judicatory of their own Church, the meed of a conscientious conviction, that this system is of a godless" character, antichristian and hostile to the evangelization of the heathen world-in all of which lights it has been painted in the Overture and in the debate, we cannot but express our astonishment, and we must add our regret, that some of them at least, who have been distinguished for