Manuscripta juridica

Ius proprium Scotiae - details on Church: critical observations on the relations between the state and church government .

A conversation between Scotsmen about the circumstances of life, in particular the circumstances of religious life, under King James VI. Criticizes the re-establishment of prelacies. A man named 'Jok' is the main protagonist. He is described as wise man, perhaps under disguise of a fool, a 'guid man'. Jok recites words which he alleges to have heard in his dreams, spoken by a nobleman, by Commissioners, the king, 'puritaines', 'Fyvie puritaines', an 'auld man', Moderator Mr. Robert Bruce, minister, guid minister, poor minister, Mr. David, Proveist, Chancellor, domestick, bishopes

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No. of pages: Fol. 3r, 4r-19r

Rubric: Jok up a landis newes and dreames

Incipit:

• Jok up landis being lodged in ane honest mans hous, / newis he heires over all quher he uses to travell. / Jok: 'Newis, guid man, be our Lady ay over manie pairt.'.

  Guid man: 'Weill, I pray yow, then tell us one, Jok, such as ye heir.'.

  Jok: 'Guid man, I heir and ye heire, ye may sie and I may sie, the gratious and heavenly father hes givin us in or time a gratious king. God keip him, and he has manteined a guid and godlie religione, and we had great peace and plantie, and if yow will luik over all the old buikes of buikleird men, ye never red soe long of peace and rest in anes(?) kinges tyme ...'.

  (Fol. 2r) ... immediatlie efter the reformatione, quhen the kirkes were all cassin downe, the preistis, monkes and channones all banished or elss recanted and all the bishopes, abbaces, pryories, nunries and all the rest war debt and givin away, and they them selffis had gotten littill or nothing.

  (Fol. 7r) ... Jok: 'Be our Lady, guid man, ye have newis anew for anie night. Bot quhen the morne cumes, zow shall have the rest of my newis as they came in my head, soe till than God be with yow.' (fol. 7v) Jok up a landes dreame, efter his first sleeps. The morne comes, and the guid man being desyrous to hear of the rest of Jokes newis, ryses werie timouslie, and - casting himselff in Jokes way - happilie meites him, saluting him with thes humblie wordis: 'Guid day, Jok'

Explicit:

• without regaird or obedience aither to God or ther king, soe bides them faire weill, with assurance to them that I will never end till they amend

Colophon: The mighthie Lord in his mercied preserve our most gratious Soverane in health of saule and bodie and prosperous estat. Finis coronat opus