![Statue of Andrew Melville in Valley Cemetery, Stirling](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Statue_of_Andrew_Melville_in_Valley_Cemetery%2C_Stirling.jpg)
Andrew Melville (1 August 1545 – 1622) was a Scottish scholar, theologian, poet and religious reformer. His fame encouraged scholars from the
European continent
Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...
to study at Glasgow and St. Andrews.
He was born at Baldovie, on 1 August 1545, the youngest son of Richard Melville of Baldovie, and Geills, daughter of Thomas Abercrombie of
Montrose. He was educated at the
Grammar School, Montrose, and the
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
. He later went to France in 1564, and studied law at
Poitiers
Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...
. He became regent in the College of Marceon, and took part in the defence of Poitiers against the
Huguenots
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss politica ...
. He then proceeded to
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
, where he was appointed Professor of Humanity. He returned to Scotland in 1574 and was appointed
Principal of the University of Glasgow
The Principal of the University of Glasgow is the working head of the University, acting as its chief executive. He is responsible for the day-to-day management of the University as well as its strategic planning and administration. The Principa ...
in autumn of that year. He did much to establish the University on a proper footing and founded four chairs in Languages, Science and Philosophy. He was admitted as minister of Govan in conjunction 13 July 1577. Melville was elected
Moderator of the General Assembly
The moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator. The Oxford Dictionary states th ...
of the
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland.
The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...
on 24 April 1578. He opposed the Episcopal tendency in the Church, and did much to establish the Presbyterian form of government. He further did much to remodel the Scottish Universities, especially St Andrews;
St Mary's thereafter being devoted to Divinity, Melville being appointed Principal thereof in November 1580. He was again elected Moderator of the General Assembly 24 April and 27 June 1582, and 20 June 1587. In the Assembly of October 1581, he took an active part in the libel against Robert Montgomery, Bishop of Glasgow, for
simoniacal
Simony () is the act of selling church offices and roles or sacred things. It is named after Simon Magus, who is described in the Acts of the Apostles as having offered two disciples of Jesus payment in exchange for their empowering him to imp ...
practices.
Melville was appointed on a commission to wait upon
James VI
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
in 1582, with a remonstrance and petition which, notwithstanding the entreaties of his friends, he presented. On 15 February 1584 he was summoned before the Privy Council for alleged treason in a sermon preached at St Andrews the June previous, and ordered to be imprisoned at
Blackness, but his friends assisted him to escape to England. On Arran's fall he returned to Scotland and was restored by Parliament at
Linlithgow
Linlithgow (; gd, Gleann Iucha, sco, Lithgae) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a ...
in December 1585. In 1590 he became
rector of the University of St Andrews
The Lord Rector of the University of St Andrews is the president of the University Court of the University of St Andrews; the University Court is the supreme governing body of the University.
Overview
The Rector is elected every three years by ...
, which office he held until 1597, and at the
coronation of the Queen, 17 May 1590, he recited a Latin poem, the
Stephaniskion'. He was again appointed Moderator of the General Assembly, 7 May 1594, but on a visitation of the University by the King in June 1597, he was deprived of his rectorship. He attended the General Assembly at Dundee, March 1598,
but was ordered to withdraw by the King.
In 1599 he was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Theology. He caused the Synod of Fife in 1599 to censure certain propositions in the Basilikon Doron by the King. At the Assembly at Montrose in March 1600 he unsuccessfully claimed his right to sit, but was successful in that at Burntisland May 1601. He took part in that held at Aberdeen in 1605 and offered, with others, a protest to Parliament at Perth in 1606 in favour of the right of free Assembly. For this he was summoned with others to London, where he was cited before the English Privy Council for writing a bitter Latin epigram against the accessories of Anglican worship and placed under the custody of
John Overal, D.D., Dean of St Paul's, and afterwards of Bilson,
Bishop of Winchester
The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except dur ...
. Again brought before the Privy Council, he broke into a violent tirade against that Court and was committed to solitary confinement in the Tower.
Henri de la Tour, Duke de Bouillon, having obtained his release, appointed him to the Chair of Biblical Theology in the
University of Sedan The Academy of Sedan ( Fr.: ''Académie de Sedan'') was a Huguenot academy in Sedan in the Principality of Sedan, founded in 1579 and suppressed in 1681. It was one of the main centres for the production of Reformed pastors in France for a hundr ...
, and Melville embarked for France 19 April 1611. He died unmarried after a series of illnesses at Sedan in 1622.
Early life and early education
He was born at
Baldovie near
Montrose, Angus
Montrose ( , gd, Monadh Rois) is a town and former royal burgh in Angus, Scotland. Situated north of Dundee and south of Aberdeen, Montrose lies between the mouths of the North and South Esk rivers. It is the northernmost coastal town in Angus ...
, the youngest son of Richard Melville (brother to Melville of Dysart).
Andrew was the youngest of nine sons of Richard Melville of Baldovy, near Montrose, where he was born 1 August 1545. He is described as the ninth son, yet speaks in a letter of 1612 as having outlived his ‘fourteen brethren.’ His father lost his life in the battle of Pinkie, when Andrew was only two years old and, his mother dying soon after, he was brought up under the care of his eldest brother
Richard
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...
(1522–1575), afterwards minister of Maryton, who, at a proper age, sent him to the grammar school of Montrose.
At an early age Melville began to show a taste for learning, and his brother did everything in his power to give him the best education. He learned the rudiments of
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
at the
grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...
of Montrose, after leaving which he learned
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
for two years under
Pierre de Marsilliers
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
, a Frenchman whom
John Erskine of Dun
John Erskine of Dun (1509–1591) was a Scottish religious reformer.
Biography
The son of Sir John Erskine, Laird of Dun, he was educated at King's College, University of Aberdeen. At the age of twenty-one Erskine was the cause — probably by ...
had persuaded to settle at Montrose; such was Melville's proficiency that on going to the
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
he astonished the professors by using the Greek text of
Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...
, which no one else there understood. On completing his course, Melville left St Andrews with the reputation of "the best poet, philosopher, and Grecian of any young master in the land."
Travels and study in Europe
In 1564, at nineteen years of age, he set out for France to complete his education at the
University of Paris
, image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of Arms
, latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis
, motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin)
, mottoeng = Here and a ...
. Having graduated at St. Andrews, he repaired to France in the autumn of 1564, reaching Paris from Dieppe after a roundabout and stormy voyage. He now attained great fluency in Greek, made acquirements in oriental languages, studied mathematics and law, and came under the direct influence of
Peter Ramus
Petrus Ramus (french: Pierre de La Ramée; Anglicized as Peter Ramus ; 1515 – 26 August 1572) was a French humanist, logician, and educational reformer. A Protestant convert, he was a victim of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre.
Early life ...
, whose new methods of teaching he subsequently transplanted to Scotland.
He also attended the last course of lectures delivered by
Adrianus Turnebus, professor of Greek, as well as those of
Petrus Ramus
Petrus Ramus (french: Pierre de La Ramée; Anglicized as Peter Ramus ; 1515 – 26 August 1572) was a French humanist, logician, and educational reformer. A Protestant convert, he was a victim of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre.
Early life ...
, whose philosophical method and plan of teaching Melville later introduced into the universities of Scotland. It was also in Paris where Melville studied Hebrew under
Jean Mercier, one of the leading hebraists of that time.
From Paris he went to
Poitiers
Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...
(1566) to study
civil law, and though only twenty-one was apparently at once made a regent in the college of
St Marceon
ST, St, or St. may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Stanza, in poetry
* Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band
* Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise
* Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...
. After three years, however, political troubles compelled him to leave France, and he went to
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
, where he was welcomed by
Theodore Beza
Theodore Beza ( la, Theodorus Beza; french: Théodore de Bèze or ''de Besze''; June 24, 1519 – October 13, 1605) was a French Calvinist Protestant theologian, reformer and scholar who played an important role in the Protestant Reformatio ...
, at whose instigation he was appointed to the chair of humanity in the academy of Geneva.
Scottish academic
![Andrew Melville upbraids a bishop at the court of James VI](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Andrew_Melville_upbraids_a_bishop_at_the_court_of_James_VI.jpg)
In addition to teaching, Melville continued to study Oriental literature, and in particular acquired from
Cornelius Bertram, one of his brother professors, a knowledge of
Syriac Syriac may refer to:
*Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic
*Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region
* Syriac alphabet
** Syriac (Unicode block)
** Syriac Supplement
* Neo-Aramaic languages a ...
.
At Geneva as early as 1572 he met
Joseph Scaliger
Joseph Justus Scaliger (; 5 August 1540 – 21 January 1609) was a French Calvinist religious leader and scholar, known for expanding the notion of classical history from Greek and Ancient Roman history to include Persian, Babylonian, Jewis ...
and Francis Hottoman, who in 1572, after the massacre on St. Bartholomew's day, took up their abode in that city. While he lived at Geneva the
massacre of St Bartholomew in 1572 drove immense numbers of
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
refugees to that city, including several of the most distinguished French men of letters of the time. Among these were several men learned in civil law, and political science, and associating with them increased Melville's knowledge and enlarged his ideas of civil and ecclesiastical liberty.
In 1574 Melville returned to Scotland, and almost immediately received the appointment of
Principal of the
University of Glasgow
, image = UofG Coat of Arms.png
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
, and began its renewal. Besides his duties in the university, he officiated as minister of the church of
Govan
Govan ( ; Cumbric?: ''Gwovan'?''; Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south ba ...
, in the vicinity.
Melville set himself to establish a good educational system. He enlarged the curriculum, and established chairs in languages, science, philosophy and divinity, which were confirmed by charter in 1577. His fame spread, and students flocked from all parts of Scotland and beyond. He assisted in the reconstruction of the
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...
in 1575, and to do for St Andrews what he had done for Glasgow, he was appointed Principal of
St Mary's College, St Andrews
(In the Beginning was the Word)
, established =
, type = College
, endowment =
, staff =
, faculty =
, rector =
, chancellor =
, principal = Oliver D. Crisp
, free_label = Teaching staff
, free = 20
, ...
, in 1580. His duties there comprised the teaching of theology,
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
, Chaldee, Syriac and
Rabbinical
Rabbinic Judaism ( he, יהדות רבנית, Yahadut Rabanit), also called Rabbinism, Rabbinicism, or Judaism espoused by the Rabbanites, has been the mainstream form of Judaism since the 6th century CE, after the codification of the Babylonian ...
languages.
As a member of the General Assembly, he took a prominent part in all the measures of that body against episcopacy ; and as he was unflinching in his opposition to that form of church government, he received the name of Episcopomastix, or The Scourge of Bishops. A remarkable instance of his intrepidity occurred at an interview, which took place in October 1577, between him and the Regent Morton, when the latter, irritated at the proceedings of the Assembly, exclaimed, "There will never be quietness in this country till half a dozen of you be hanged or banished!" "Hark! Sir", said Melville, "threaten your courtiers after that manner! It is the same to me whether I rot in the air, or in the ground. The earth is the Lord's. ''Patria est ubicunque est bene''. I have been ready to give up my life where it would not have been half so well wared, at the pleasure of my God. I have lived out of your country ten years, as well as in it. Let God be glorified, it will not be in your power to hang or exile his truth." This bold language Morton did not venture to resent.
Melville created a fashion for the study of
Greek literature
Greek literature () dates back from the ancient Greek literature, beginning in 800 BC, to the modern Greek literature of today.
Ancient Greek literature was written in an Ancient Greek dialect, literature ranges from the oldest surviving writte ...
. The reforms, however, which his new modes of teaching involved, and even some of his new
doctrine
Doctrine (from la, doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief system ...
s, such as the non-infallibility of Aristotle, brought him into conflict with other teachers in the university.
Moderator of the Church's General Assembly
![Scottishhistoryl00patouoft raw 0352levels](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Scottishhistoryl00patouoft_raw_0352levels.png)
Melville was moderator of the General Assembly which met at Edinburgh 24 April 1578, in which the
second Book of Discipline
The ''Book of Discipline'' refers to two works regulative of ecclesiastical order in the Church of Scotland, known as ''The First Book of Discipline'' (1560) and ''The Second Book of Discipline'' (1578), drawn up and printed in the Scottish Reform ...
was approved of. The attention of the Assembly was about this time directed to the reformation and improvement of the universities, and Melville was, in December 1580, removed from Glasgow, and installed principal of St. Mary's college, St. Andrews. Here,
besides giving lectures in divinity, he taught the Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, and Rabbinical languages, and his prelections were attended, not only by young students in unusual numbers, but also by some of the masters of the other colleges.
He was moderator of the Assembly which met at St. Andrews on 24 April 1582, and also of an extraordinary meeting of the Assembly, convened at Edinburgh on 27 June thereafter, in consequence of the arbitrary measures of the court, in relation particularly to the case of
Robert Montgomery, the excommunicated
Archbishop of Glasgow
The Archbishop of Glasgow is an archiepiscopal title that takes its name after the city of Glasgow in Scotland. The position and title were abolished by the Church of Scotland in 1689; and, in the Scottish Episcopal Church, it is now part of the ...
. He opened the proceedings with a sermon, in which he boldly inveighed against the absolute authority claimed by the government in ecclesiastical matters. A spirited remonstrance being agreed to by the Assembly, Melville and others were appointed to present it to the king, then with the court at Perth. When the remonstrance was read before his majesty in council, the king's unworthy favourite, the earl of Arran, menacingly exclaimed, "Who dare subscribe these treasonable articles?" "We dare", said the undaunted Melville, and taking a pen, immediately signed his name. His example was followed by the other commissioners, and so much were Lennox and Arran over-awed by their intrepidity, that they dismissed them peaceably.
For about three years Melville had preached, assisted by his nephew, in the parish church of St. Andrews. In February 1584 he was cited before the privy council, to answer a charge of treason, founded on some seditious expressions, which it was alleged he had made use of in a sermon on the 4th chapter of Daniel, on the occasion of a fast kept during the preceding month; particularly that he had compared the king's mother to Nebuchadnezzar, who was banished from the kingdom, and would be restored again. At his appearance, he denied using these words, entered into a full defence of those he had actually used, and presented a protest and declinature, claiming to be tried by the ecclesiastical court. When brought before the king and council, he boldly told them that
they had exceeded their jurisdiction in judging of the doctrine, or calling to account any of the ambassadors or messengers of a king and council greater than they, and far above them. Then loosing a little Hebrew bible from his belt, and throwing it on the table before them, he said, "That you may see your weakness, oversight, and rashness, in taking upon you that which neither you ought nor can do, there are my instructions and warrant. Let me see which of you can judge of them or control me therein, that I have passed by my injunctions." Arran, finding the book in Hebrew, put it into the king's hands, saying, " Sir, he scorns your majesty and council." "No, my lord", replied Melville, " I scorn not, but with all earnestness, zeal, and gravity, I stand for the cause of Jesus Christ and his church." Not being able to prove the charge against him, and unwilling to let him go, the council declared him guilty of declining their jurisdiction, and of behaving irreverently before them, and sentenced him to be imprisoned in the
castle of Edinburgh, and to be further punished in his person and goods at the pleasure of the king. Before, however, being charged to enter himself in ward, his place of confinement was ordered to be changed to
Blackness Castle
Blackness Castle is a 15th-century fortress, near the village of Blackness, Scotland, on the south shore of the Firth of Forth.
It was built, probably on the site of an earlier fort, by Sir George Crichton in the 1440s. At this time, Blacknes ...
, which was kept by a dependant of Arran. While at dinner the king's macer was admitted and gave him the charge to enter within 24 hours: but he avoided being sent there by secretly withdrawing from Edinburgh. After staying some time at
Berwick, he proceeded to London, and in the ensuing July visited the universities of
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
and
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
, at both of which he was received in a manner becoming his learning and reputation.
From England to St Andrews
![Andrew Melville Hall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Andrew_Melville_Hall.jpg)
He returned to Scotland in November 1585 after an absence of twenty months, and in March 1586 resumed his lectures in St Andrews, where he continued for twenty years; he became
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of the University in 1590.
On the disgrace of the earl of Arran, Melville returned to Scotland with the banished lords, in November 1585. Having assisted in re-organising the college of Glasgow, he resumed, in the following March, his duties at St. Andrews. The synod of Fife, which met in April, proceeded to excommunicate
Patrick Adamson
Patrick Adamson (1537–1592) was a Scottish divine, and Archbishop of St Andrews from 1575.
Life
Adamson was born at Perth where his father, Patrick Adamson, a burgess became Dean of Merchant Guildry.
Adamson studied philosophy at the Univer ...
,
Archbishop of St. Andrews
The Bishop of St. Andrews ( gd, Easbaig Chill Rìmhinn, sco, Beeshop o Saunt Andras) was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of St Andrews in the Catholic Church and then, from 14 August 1472, as Archbishop of St Andrews ( gd, Àrd-easbaig ...
, for his attempts to overturn the presbyterian form of government in the church; and, in return, that prelate issued a sentence of excommunication against Melville, and his nephew, James Melville, with others of their brethren. In consequence of this difference with the archbishop, Melville received a written mandate from the king to confine his residence to the north of the Tay, and he was not restored to his office in the university till the following August. Some time after, when Adamson had been deprived of his archbishopric, and was reduced to great poverty, finding himself deserted by the king, he addressed a letter to his former antagonist, Melville, expressing regret for his past conduct, and soliciting his assistance. Melville hastened to visit him, and not only procured contributions for his relief among his friends, but continued for several months to support him from his own resources.
In June 1587, Melville was again elected moderator of the Assembly, and nominated one of the commissioners for attending to the proceedings in parliament. He was present at the coronation of the queen, 17 May 1590, and recited a Latin poem composed for the occasion, which was immediately published at the desire of the king. In the same year he was elected rector of the university of St. Andrews, an office which, for a series of years, he continued to hold by re-election. In May 1594 he was again elected moderator of the Assembly. Shortly after, he appeared on behalf of the church before the lords of the articles, and urged the forfeiture of the popish lords, and along with his nephew and two other ministers, he accompanied the king, at his express request, on his expedition against them. In October 1594 he was with the king at
Huntly Castle
Huntly Castle is a ruined castle north of Huntly in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where the rivers Deveron and Bogie meet. It was the ancestral home of the chief of Clan Gordon, Earl of Huntly. There have been four castles built on the site that ...
and argued for its demolition.
Robert Pitcairn
Robert Pitcairn (May 6, 1836 – July 25, 1909) was a Scottish-American railroad executive who headed the Pittsburgh Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the late 19th century. He was the brother of the PPG Industries, Pittsburgh Plate Glass ...
, ''Autobiography and diary of James Melville'' (Edinburgh, 1842), pp. 314, 319.
In the following year, when it was proposed to recall the popish nobles from exile, he went with some other ministers to the convention of estates at St. Andrews, to remonstrate against the design, but was ordered by the king to withdraw, which he did, after a most resolute reply. The commission of the Assembly having met at Cupar in Fife, they sent Melville and some other members to expostulate with the king. Being admitted to a private audience, James Melville began to address his majesty with great mildness and respect; but the king becoming impatient, charged them with sedition, on which Andrew took him by the sleeve, and calling him "God's silly vassal", said,
This is not a time to flatter, but to speak plainly, for our commission is from the living God, to whom the king is subject. We will always humbly reverence your majesty in public, but having opportunity of being with your majesty in private, we must discharge our duty, or else be enemies to Christ: And now, Sire, I must tell you that there are two kingdoms—the kingdom of Christ, which is the church, whose subject King James VI. is, and of whose kingdom he is not a head, nor a lord, but a member; and they whom Christ hath called, and commanded to watch over his church, and govern his spiritual kingdom, have sufficient power and authority from him so to do, which no Christian king nor prince should control or discharge, but assist and support, otherwise they are not faithful subjects to Christ.
The king listened patiently to this bold admonition, and dismissed them with many fair promises which he never intended to fulfil. For several years following King James made repeated attempts to control the church, according to his own arbitrary notions, but he invariably encountered a strenuous opponent in Andrew Melville; and he had recourse at last to one of those stratagems which he thought the very essence of "king-craft", to secure the removal of this champion of presbyterianism from Scotland altogether.
During the whole time he protected the liberties of the Scottish Church against all encroachments of the government. That in the main he was fighting for the constitutionally guaranteed rights of the Church is generally accepted. The chief charge against Melville is that his fervour often led him to forget the reverence due to an "anointed monarch". When the king acted in an arbitrary and illegal manner he needed the reminder that though he was king over men he was only "God's silly vassal." Melville's rudeness (if it is to be called so) was the outburst of just indignation from a man zealous for the purity of religion and regardless of consequences to himself.
His nephew James Melville, who was present, records the famous statement he made in Falkland in private to King James VI of Scotland, later to become King James I of England. Calling him "God's sillie vassal" and taking him by the sleeve, he said,
Sir, we will humblie reverence your Majestie always, namlie in public, but sen we have this occasioun to be with your Majestie in privat, and the treuthe is, yie ar brought in extream danger bathe of your lyff and croun, and with yow, the country and Kirk of Christ is lyk to wrak, for nocht telling yow the treuthe, and giffen of yow fathfull counsall, we mon ust UST or Ust may refer to:
Organizations
* UST (company), American digital technology company
* Equatorial Guinea Workers' Union
* Union of Trade Unions of Chad (Union des Syndicats du Tchad)
* United States Television Manufacturing Corp.
* UST Gr ...
discharge our dewtie thairin, or els be trators bathe to Christ and yow! And thairfor Sir, as divers tymes befor, sa now again, I mon tell yow, thair is twa Kings and twa Kingdomes in Scotland. Thair is Chryst Jesus the King, and his Kingdome the Kirk, whase subject King James the Saxt is, and of whose kingdome nocht a king, nor a lord, nor a heid, bot a member! And they whome Chryst hes callit and commandit to watch over his Kirk, and govern his spirituall kingdome, hes sufficient powar of him, and authoritie sa to do, bathe togidder and severalie; the quhilk na Christian King or Prince sould control and discharge, but fortifie and assist, utherwayes nocht fathfull subjects nor members of Chryst.
King James and imprisonment
In 1599 he was deprived of the rectorship, but was made dean of the faculty of theology. The close of Melville's career in Scotland was at length brought about by
James
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
in characteristic fashion. In May 1606, Melville, with his nephew, and six of their brethren, were called to London by a letter from the king, on the specious pretext that his majesty wished to consult them as to the affairs of the church. Soon after their arrival they attended the famous conference held on 23rd September, in presence of the king at
Hampton Court
Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chief ...
, at which Melville spoke at great length, and with a boldness which astonished the English
nobility and clergy. On St. Michael's day, Melville and his brethren were commanded to attend the royal chapel, when, scandalized at the popish character of the service, on his return to his lodging he vented his indignation in a Latin epigram, for which, a copy having been conveyed to the king, he was brought before the council at Whitehall. Being by them found guilty of "scandalum magnatum," he was committed first to the custody of the dean of St. Paul's, and afterwards to the charge of the bishop of Winchester; but was ultimately sent to the Tower, where he remained a prisoner for four years.
* The following is the epigram:
Cur stant clausi Anglis libri duo regia in ara,
Lumina casca duo, pollubra sicca duo?
Num sensum cultumque Dei tenet Anglia clausum,
Lumine exca suo, sorde sepulta sua?
Romano an ritu, dum regalem instruit aram,
Purpuream pingit religiosa lupam ?
*Thus rendered in an old translation:
Why stand there on the altar high
Two closed books, blind lights, two basins dry?
Doth England hold God's mind and worship close.
Blind of her sight, and buried in her dross?
Doth she, with chapel put in Romish dress,
The purple whore religiously express?
*And for this Melville was sent to the tower.
At first he was treated with the utmost rigour, and denied even the use of pen, ink, and paper; but his spirit remained unsubdued, and he beguiled his solitary hours by composing Latin verses, which, with the tongue of his shoe buckle, he engraved on his prison walls. By the interference of some friends at court, his confinement was, after the lapse of nearly ten months, rendered less
severe. About the end of 1607 the Protestants of
Rochelle endeavoured to obtain his services as professor of divinity in their college, but the king would not consent to his liberation.
Freed to France
At length, in February 1611, at the intercession of the
duke of Bouillon
The Duchy of Bouillon (french: Duché de Bouillon) was a duchy comprising Bouillon and adjacent towns and villages in present-day Belgium.
The state originated in the 10th century as property of the Lords of Bouillon, owners of Bouillon Castle. ...
, he was released from confinement, on condition of his becoming professor of theology in the Protestant university of Sedan, in France, where he spent the remainder of his life, and died there in 1622, at the advanced age of 77.
On being freed, but refused permission to return to his own country, he was invited to fill a professor's chair in the
Academy of Sedan, and there he spent the last eleven years of his life.
Personal life
His biographer, Dr. M'Crie, says that Andrew Melville "was the first Scotsman who added a taste for elegant literature to an extensive acquaintance with theology." Although he sustained a conspicuous part in all the important public
transactions of his time, he neither was nor affected to be the leader of a party. In private he was an agreeable companion, remarkable for his cheerfulness and kindliness of disposition. He was never married. Beyond the statement that he was of low stature there is no description of his personal appearance extant, nor is there any known portrait of him.
The greater part of his writings consists of Latin poems. Dr. M'Crie, whose Life of Andrew Melville was published in 1824, in 2 volumes, has given the names of all his works, printed and left in manuscript, and there is none of any great extent among them.
Works
For a modern list see Holloway.
Works listed by Hew Scott include:
*Carmen Mosis (Basel, 1573), reprinted in Delitice Poetarum Scotorum (Amsterdam, 1637) ;
*Julii Ccesaris Scaligeri Posmata (Geneva, 1575) ;
*"Zre^aviaKiov, Ad Scotice Regem, habitum" in Coronatione Regince, etc. (Edinburgh, 1590) ;
*Carmina Sacra duo, etc. (Geneva, 1590) ;
*
Principis Scoti-Britannorum Natalia', etc. (Edinburgh:
Robert Waldegrave
Robert Waldegrave or Walgrave (c.1554 – October 1603), the son of Richard Waldegrave of Blockley, Worcestershire, was a 16th-century printer and publisher in England and Scotland. From 1578 to 1588 he printed numerous, mainly religious works in ...
, 1594 ; Hague, 1594) ;
*Theses Theological de Libero Arbitrio (Edinburgh, 1597) ;
*Scholastica Diatriba de Rebus Divinis (Edinburgh, 1599) ;
*Inscriptiones Historical Regum Scotorum . . . Joh. Jonston . . . Author e . . . Prcefixus est Gathelus, sive de Gentis Origine Fragmentum, Andreas Melvini (Amsterdam, 1602) ;
several poems
*In Obitum Johannis Wallasii (Leyden, 1603) ;
*Pro supplici Evangelicorum Ministrorum in Anglia . . . Apologia, sive Anti- Tami – Garni – Categoria (?1604; reprinted in Parasynagma Perthense by Calderwood, Edinburgh, 1620, and in Altare Damascenum, 1623) ;
*Four Letters in Lusus Poetici by David Hume (Edinburgh, 1605) ;
*Sidera Veteris JEvi, by John Johnston
ontains two poems by Melvill(Saumur, 1611);
*Comment, in Apost. Acta M. Johannis Malcolmi
erses by M. prefixed(Middelburg, 1615) ;
*Duellum Poeticum contendentibus G. Eglisemmio et G. Buchanano (London, 1618; prints,M.'s Cavillum in Aram Regiam, the Epigram on the Chapel Royal) ;
*three Epigrams in Sir James Sempill's Sacriledge Sacredly Handled (London, 1619);
*Viri clarissimi A. Melvini Musas
he appended Life of Adamson, etc., not by Melvill(Edinburgh, 1620) ;
*De Adiaphoris, Scotitov tvxovtos, Aphorismi (1622);
*Epitaph on James Melvill in his Ad Serenissimum Jacobum Primum . . . Libellus Supplex (London, 1645);
*Andrew Melvini Scotia;
*Topographia in Blaeu's Atlas Major (Amsterdam, 1662) ;
*Five poems in Kollman's De Diebus Festis (Utrecht, 1693) ;
*Commentarius in Divinam Pauli Epistolam ad Romanos (Wodrow Society, Edinburgh, 1850)
Bibliography
For a modern bibliography see Holloway.
Alexander Gordon's Bibliography (the Unitarian minister wrote an article in the Dictionary of National Biography):
*McCrie's Life, 1819 (the edition used in 1856, edited by his son), is a work of close and wide research, and may be safely followed for the facts.
*James Melvill's Diary (Bannatyne Club), 1829
*Hist. of the Declining Age (Wodrow Soc.), 1842;
*William Scot's Apologetical Narration (Wodrow Soc.) 1846;
*Calderwood's Hist. of the Kirk (Wodrow Soc.), 1842–9.
*Spotiswood's Hist. of the Church of Scotland (Spottiswoode Soc.), 1847–51;
*Grub's Eccl. Hist. of Scotland, 1861, vol. ii.
*Gardiner's Hist. of England, vol. i.;
*Walton's Lives (Zouch), 1796, p. 295.
*Hew Scott's Fasti Eccles. Scoticanæ adds a few particulars;
*Scots Worthies, 1862, pp. 233 sq.
*Anderson's Scottish Nation, 1872, iii. 140 sq.
Reid's Bibliography
The following is a brief bibliography for the life of Melville:
*1. Life. By Dr. Thomas M'Crie. First published in 1819. The edition used in the foregoing pages is that of 1856.
*2. Diary of James Melville. Wodrow Society, 1842.
*3. Calderwood's History of the Kirk. Wod. Soc. 1842-9.
*4. Apologetical Narration by William Scot. Wod. Soc, 1846.
*5. Spottiswood's Hist, of the Church of Scotland. Spottiswoode Soc. 1847–51.
*6. Grub's Ecclesiastical History of Scotland.
*7. Lee's Lectures on the History of the Church of Scotland. 1860.
*8. Dictionary of National Biography. Article on Melville by Rev. A. Gordon.
*9. Cunningham's Hist, of the Church of Scotland.
*10. Andrew Melville. By William Morison. In Famous Scots Series, 1899.
*11. Register of St. Andrews Kirk Session. Edited by Dr. Hay Fleming. 1890.
*12. Munimenta Almae Universitatis Glasguensis. Maitland Club, 1854.
*13. Wodrow's Lives. Maitland Club, 1845.
*14. Revue Chretienne, vol. for 1907. Paris.
*15. Scott's Fasti, under parish of Govan.
*16. Melville's work as Educationist : see Edgar
Citations
References
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* William Morison (1843-1937)">Morison, William (1899)
''Andrew Melville.''Edinburgh: Oliphant, Anderson and Ferrier (List of books for the "Famous Scots Series", "Famous Scots Series")
*
* Robert Rait, Rait, Robert S. (1899)
"Andrew Melville and the Revolt Against Aristotle in Scotland,"''The English Historical Review'', Vol. XIV, pp. 250–260.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Melville, Andrew
Scottish Calvinist and Reformed theologians
Academics of the University of St Andrews
Alumni of the University of St Andrews
Academics of the University of Aberdeen
People from Angus, Scotland
1545 births
1622 deaths
University of Paris alumni
Scottish classical scholars
University of Geneva faculty
Scottish orientalists
Principals of the University of Glasgow
Scottish educators
Principals of the University of St Andrews
Scottish linguists
Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
Rectors of the University of St Andrews
Prisoners in the Tower of London
16th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians
17th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians
16th-century Scottish theologians
17th-century Scottish theologians
Scottish expatriates in France
Scottish expatriates in Switzerland