These and other heads declared, the said John Rough,
preacher, directed his words to the said John Knox, saying,
' Brother, ye sail not be offendit, albeit that I speak unto
you that which I have in charge even from all those that
are here present, which is this : In the name of God and
of His Son Jesus Christ, and in the name of those that pre-
sentlie calls you by my mouthe, I carge you that you refuse
not this holie vocation, but as ye tender the glorie of God,
the increase of Christ's kingdom, the edification of your
brethren, and the comfort of one whom ye understand well
aneuch to be oppressed by the multitude of labours, that ye
take upon you the publick office and charge of preaching,
even as ye look to avoid God's heavy displeasure, and de-
sire that he shall multiply his graces with you.' And in
the end he said to those who were present, ' "Was not this
your charge to me, and do you not approve the vocation ? '
They answeret, ' It was, and we approve it.' Whereat the
said John, abashed, burst forth in maist abundant tears, and
withdrew himself to his chalmer ; his countenance and be-
havior from that day till the day that he was compellet to
present himself to the public place of preaching, did suf-
ficiently declare the grief and trubile of his heart ; for no
man saw ony sign of mirth of him, neither yet had he
pleasure to accompany ony man monye days together."

A special necessity soon occurred to him to enter upon
his vocation. Dean John Arran, " a rotten papist, had long
trublit John Rough in his preaching," and Knox was roused
to vindicate the doctrine of his friend "in oppin audience
in the parish church of St. Andrews." The people heard



JOHN KNOX. 267'

him gladly, and called upon him with one consent to give
them by his preaching "probation of what he had affirmed;
for if it was true, they had been miserably deceived." And
so the next Sunday Knox preached in the parish church,
and expounded at length his views of the Papacy. He at
ouce urged the most decided opinions, and supported his
assertions under the different heads of life, doctrine, laws,
and subjects. 