Andrews, on the erection of the theological college in that city. These invitations were not accepted.

In the year 1590, the venerable James Wilkie, principal of St Leonard's College, and Rector of the university, died. Robert Wilkie succeeded to the former of these places. Melville was elected Rector; and continued to hold the office, by re-election, for a number of years. He had more than one opportunity of shewing his resolution and prudence as chief magistrate of the university, In these times, when the students formed a separate commųnity under a jurisdiction independent of the town in which they resided, frequent feuds occurred between them and the inhabitants. The students of divinity at St Andrews had fitted up a place in the garden of their college, in which they might take the favourite amusement of shooting with the bow. Caldcleugh, one of the masters of theology, but scarce yet a scholar in archery," amusing himself one day with this exercise, over shot the mark so far, that his arrow, flying over several houses, lighted in the neck of one Turnbull, a maltman, who happened to be passing through an adjoining lane. The wound was neither mortal

66

*Fuller's Church History, vol. ii. p. 215. That historian has inserted the letter, of which he possessed the original, under the year 1591; but it bears internal marks of its having been written in 1580, before Melville left Glasgow. It was subscribed, according to Fuller, "Ja" Glasgney (Glasguen.) Academiæ Cancellarius. Alaynus (A. Hayius) Rector. Thomas Smetonius Decanus. Andreas Melvinus Collegij præfectus. Mr David Wems minister Glascoviensis."

nor dangerous; but some individuals who were inimical to the New College laid hold on the accident to inflame the minds of the inhabitants. A mob, collected by the ringing of the town-bell, forced the gate of the college, and finding Melville's chamber secured, called for fire, and threatened to burn the house, with all that were in it, unless Caldcleugh was instantly delivered up to them. By addressing them from a window, and flattering some, and threatening others, Melville succeeded in gaining time, till his friends assembled and rescued him from his critical situation. The town council, yielding to the popular clamour, took up the cause, and insisted that the rector should renounce all right to judge in the affair, and find security to produce the aggressor before them, or the lord of regality, provided Turnbull's wound proved mortal *. Some of his friends, alarmed at the storm raised against the university, went and gave the security which was demanded; but he refused to compromise his authority, or allow the outrage to pass unpunished. The magistrates were, accordingly, called to account, and obliged to delete the obligation from their records. The ringleaders of the riot were brought to trial, and would have been severely punished, had not Melville put a stop to the prosecution, upon their submission, and giving bond for their future peaceable conduct +.

He was no less ready to fortify the authority of + Melville's Diary, pp. 225—6.

* See Note A.

the magistrates of the town, when assailed by the turbulent and ambitious, than he was to assert the rights of the university. The affairs of the borough had been grossly mismanaged under the direction of Learmont of Dairsie, who had for many years held the office of provost. In the year 1592, the burgesses, availing themselves of their right, elected another individual as chief magistrate. Incensed at being excluded from an office which he considered as hereditary in his family, Dairsie sought to revenge himself on his principal opponents; and Balfour of Burley, one of his friends, repeatedly entered St Andrews during the night at the head of an armed force, and committed depredations upon the inhabitants. At length having assembled all his retainers, Dairsie prepared to make a more daring attack on the town. Melville, being informed of this, assembled the members of the university, persuaded them to take arms in defence of their brethren, put himself at their head, bearing a white spear, the badge of his rectorial office, in his hand; and having joined the forces of the town and of some neighbouring gentlemen, went out to meet Dairsie, and gave him such a reception as discouraged him from repeating his turbulent and illegal aggressions *.

Among his other employments, Melville acted for a number of years as a ruling elder in the congregation of St Andrews. It was evidently a matter of importance that kirk sessions should con

* Melville's Diary, p. 226.

tain such individuals within their bounds, as, in addition to religious qualifications, possessed the greatest wisdom and authority. In boroughs, it was the almost invariable custom to have some of the elders chosen from among the magistrates; a circumstance, which, connected with the nature of the offences usually tried, and the punishments decreed against them by the legislature, led to that apparent confounding of the two jurisdictions, with which those who happen to look into the ancient -records of kirk sessions are struck, as an anomaly, and a contradiction to the principles of the presbyterian church. At the beginning of the Reformation, the kirk session of St Andrews were in the habit of calling in the principal professors of the colleges, and taking their advice, in the decision of the most difficult causes which came before them. From experience of the benefit derived from their advice, it came to be the common practice to choose a certain number of elders

* In the cause of divorce, Rantoun against Gedde, the sentence runs in the following terms: "We ye minister and seniors of y' of Christian cōgregation within ye parochin of Sanctandrois Judges in the actioun and caus moved-In pns (presence) of Mr Johne Dowglass recto of ye vniversitie of Sanctandr. Johne Wynrame Supprior men of singular eruditioun and vnderstanding in ye Scriptures and word of God, with Mrs Williame Skene and Johne Rutherfurde men of cunning in sundry sciences, w' quhome we cōmunicatet the secretes of the merits of ye said actioun and caus being be ws and them hard and seane &c." (Record of Kirk Session of St Andrews, March 21. 1559.) Causes of divorce were tried before the reformed church courts previous to the erection of the commissary courts.

from the university every year. Upon the same principle ministers or preachers who happened to reside in the town were taken into the session; and it may startle our southernt neighbours to learn, that even archbishops were chosen to be ruling elders, and did not think themselves degraded by occupying an inferior form in the lowest court of the presbyterian church †. The general law of the church was, that the elders and deacons should be chosen by the voice of the congregation over which they were placed. But deviations were made from this law at an early period, and in some congregations the formal election was assumed by the session; although the people still retained a right to add to the list of nominees, as well as to object to those who were chosen upon the serving of their edict. The office of an elder in those times was far from being merely nominal. The members were bound to give regular attendance on the weekly meetings of session. The town and parish of St Andrews was divided into districts, and over each of these a certain number of elders and deacons were appointed as in

*The same practice was observed at Glasgow. (Extracts from Rec. of Kirk Session of Glasgow: Wodrow's Life of David Weemes, p. 28. MSS. vol. 3.)

+ "The names of Eldars and Deaconis chosin vpon ye xii daye of october 1571. Eldars. Mr Johne Douglas archbishop & rector of Sanctandr. Mr Thomas Balfour, Mr John Rutherfurd, Mr Wm Cok, Mr James Wylkie &c." (Rec. of Kirk Session of St Andrews.) Mr Robert Wilkie was chosen an elder immediately after he resigned the pastoral inspection of the congregation. (Ib. Jan. 20. 1590.)