The Works of John Knox, Vol. 1 | Page 8

Superintendents, Erskine of
Dun, John Spottiswood, and John Wynram, as well as that of John
Knox. As this was a public document, and was no doubt written by the
Clerk of the General Assembly, we may infer that Knox's amanuensis,

in 1566, was either John Gray, who was Scribe or Clerk to the
Assembly from 1560 till his death in 1574, or one of the other Scribes
whom Knox mentions, in his interview with Queen Mary, in 1563, as
having implicit confidence in their fidelity. But this is no very
important point to determine, since the Manuscript itself bears such
unequivocal proofs of having passed through the Author's hands. Two
short extracts, (corresponding with pages 109 and 115 of this volume,)
are also selected on account of the marginal notes, both of which I
think are in Knox's own hand. Further specimens of such notes or
corrections will be given in the next volume. At fol. 249, four leaves
are left blank to allow the form of "The Election of the Superintendant"
to be inserted; but this can be supplied from either the Glasgow MS. or
the early printed copies. A more important omission would have been
the First Book of Discipline, but this the MS. fortunately contains, in a
more genuine state than is elsewhere preserved; and it will form no
unimportant addition to the next volume of the History.
The volume consists of 388 folios, chiefly written, as already stated, in
the year 1566. No trace of its earlier possessors can be discovered; but
the name of "Mr. Matthew Reid, Minister of North-Berwick" (from
1692 to 1729,) written on the first page, identifies it with a notice,
which is given by the Editor of the 1732 edition: "There is also a
complete MS. copy of the first four Books of this History belonging
now to Mr. Gavin Hamilton, Bookseller in Edinburgh, which formerly
belonged to the late Reverend Mr. Matthew Reid, Minister of the
Gospel at North-Berwick; it is written in a very old hand, the old
spelling is kept, and I am informed that it exactly agrees with the
Glasgow MS., with which it was collated, during the time this edition
was a printing." (page liii.)
This MS., came into the possession of the Rev. John Jamieson, D.D.,
probably long before the publication of his Etymological Dictionary in
1808, where he mentions his having two MSS. of Knox's History, (this,
and the one marked No. VIII.) in his list of authorities; but neither of
them was known, and consequently had never been examined by Dr.
M'Crie. At the sale of Dr. Jamieson's library in 1839, both MSS. were
purchased by the Editor.

In the firm persuasion that this MS. must have been written not only
during the Reformer's life, but under his immediate inspection, and that
all the existing copies were derived from it, more or less directly, I
should have held it a most unprofitable labour to have collated the other
MSS., for no other purpose than to notice the endless variations,
omissions, and mistakes of later transcribers. The reader may think I
have paid too much regard in this respect to the various readings or
errors in Vautrollier's suppressed edition, and in the Glasgow
Manuscript; but these copies being the only ones referable to the
sixteenth century, are deserving of greater attention than those of a
more recent age, while the variations pointed out frequently serve to
account for the mistakes in the later transcripts.
But before explaining the manner in which this edition has been printed,
it may be proper to enumerate the other Manuscripts which are known
to be preserved; and I may take this opportunity of expressing to the
several Proprietors my grateful acknowledgments for the free use of the
copies specified.
II.--VAUTR. EDIT.--PRINTED AT LONDON IN 1586 OR 1587.
This edition, described at page xxxix, is here introduced as representing
an intermediate MS., from which some of the existing copies were
apparently derived. Thomas Vautrollier the printer, a native of France,
came to England in the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's reign. He
retired to Scotland in the year 1584, and printed several works at
Edinburgh in that and the following year. In 1586, he returned to
London, carrying with him a manuscript copy of Knox's History, which
he put to press; but all the copies were seized before the work was
completed. The manuscript copy which he had obtained is not known
to be preserved; but there is no reason to doubt that it was taken
directly from the MS. of 1566. This appears from the marginal notes
and a variety of minute coincidences, perceptible on collating the
printed portion. We may likewise conclude, that from it several of the
later transcripts were taken of the introductory portion, and the Fourth
Book, to