The Works of John Knox, Vol. 1 | Page 9

complete the text of the unfinished printed volume.
III. MS. G.--IN THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, GLASGOW.

In folio, containing 242 leaves, written before the end of the sixteenth
century. This MS. was long considered to be the earliest and most
authentic copy of the History, and consequently no small degree of
importance was attached to it.
Many years ago, (before I was aware of the existence of the MS. of
1566,) I obtained, through the Rev. Dr. M'Turk, late Professor of
Ecclesiastical History, the use of this Manuscript for the purpose of
collation; but I found that the text was so faithfully given in the
Edinburgh edition 1732, folio, with the single exception of omitting
such marginal notes as the MS. contains, that an entire collation of the
text might only have exhibited slight occasional changes in
orthography. At that time the MS. formed two volumes, in the old
parchment covers, with uncut leaves; it has since been half-bound in
one volume, and the edges unmercifully cropped.
At the beginning of the volume there is inserted a separate leaf, being
the title of a distinct work, having the signature of "M. Jo. Knox," in
1581, probably the nephew of the Reformer, who became Minister of
Melrose. It has no connexion with the volume in which it is preserved;
but it led to some vague conjectures that the writer of the History itself
may have been "the younger Mr. Knox, seeing the former died in the
year 1572, and the other was alive nine years after;" or else, "that the
latter Mr. Knox had perfected the work, pursuant to the order of the
General Assembly in the year 1573 or 1574, so far as it was to be found
in this MS."[5] Respecting the time of transcription, one minute
circumstance is worthy of notice: Knox in one place introduces the
words, "as may be, &c., in this year 1566," the copier has made it, "in
this year 1586," an error not likely to have been committed previously
to that year. But the hand-writing is clearly of a date about 1590,
although the Fourth Book may have been a few years earlier. The
absence of all those peculiar blunders which occur in Vautrollier's
edition, evinces that the Glasgow MS. was derived from some other
source; while the marginal notes in that edition are a sufficient proof
that the MS. in question was not the one employed by the English
printer. It is in fact a tolerably accurate copy of the MS. of 1566, with
the exception of the marginal notes, and the entire omission of the First

Book of Discipline. Nearly all the marginal notes in the First and Third
Books are omitted; and others having been incorporated with the text,
led to the supposition that Knox himself had revised the History at a
later period of life.
[Illustration: Signature: M Jo. Knox. augusti 18 a^o 1581]
This manuscript was presented to the University of Glasgow by the
Rev. Robert Fleming, Minister of a Scotish Congregation in London,
and son of the author of "The Fulfilling of the Scriptures." Wodrow
communicated to Bishop Nicolson, a collation of the MS. with
Buchanan's folio edition of 1644, pointing out many of his
interpolations. This letter was inserted by Nicolson in the Appendix to
his Scotish Historical Library.[6]
IV. MS. A. (1.)--IN THE ADVOCATES LIBRARY.
In 4to, pp. 403. This MS. was acquired by the Faculty of Advocates, in
1792, with the mass of Wodrow's MSS.--It is very neatly written by
Charles Lumisden, whose name (but partially erased) with the date
1643, occurs on the fly-leaf. Wodrow was correct in imagining that the
greater portion of the volume was transcribed from Vautrollier's edition,
some of the more glaring typographical errors being corrected; but in
fact this copy was made from a previous transcript by Lumisden, to be
mentioned as No. X. MS. W. It contains however the Fourth Book of
the History; and Wodrow has collated the whole very carefully with the
Glasgow MS., and has marked the chief corrections and variations in
the margin.
V. MS. A. (2.)--IN THE ADVOCATES LIBRARY.
In folio. This volume also belonged to the Wodrow collection. It is
written in a very careless, slovenly manner, after the year 1639, by one
Thomas Wood; and is scarcely entitled to be reckoned in the number of
the MSS., as it omits large portions. Thus, on the title of Book Fourth,
it is called "A Collection from the Fourth Book," &c.
VI. MS. E.--IN THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, EDINBURGH.

In folio, 143 leaves, written in an ordinary hand, apparently about the
year 1635. It contains the Four Books, and includes both the First and
Second Books of Discipline; but it omits all the marginal notes, and
displays very little accuracy on the part of the transcriber. It