same plan is pursued in the present publication; the involved construction of sentences, common in writers of that period, has also been removed. Those words which have become unintelligible or offensive, are exchanged for others, or are explained by notes when it is desirable that they should be retained. These variations, if they may be so called, were as necessary to render this work generally useful, as the adoption of modern orthography. The utmost care has been taken that the meaning of the author should be strictly preserved, and the various pieces have been collated with the best and earliest editions, or with manuscript copies. This has been done, that the meaning of the author might be given as nearly as possible, not from the first editions being the most correct, as they often abound with errors, for which the hurried or careless manner in which they were for the most part passed through the press, will readily account. The present reprints, it is believed, will be found to present the most correct text of these writers that has hitherto appeared. More than half of the pieces included in this collection, have not been reprinted since the sixteenth century, and a considerable portion is now printed for the first time." The Volumes included under the title of THE BRITISH REFORMERS may be arranged in the following order: By order of the Executive Committee. Wм. M. ENGLES, EDITOR. CONTENTS. Page A GODLY Letter to the faithful in London, Newcastle, and Berwick, 1 A Fort for the Afflicted, or an Exposition upon the Sixth Psalm A Notable Sermon or Confession, wherein is evidently proved A notable and comfortable Exposition upon Matthew IV. Some Extracts from an Answer to a great number of blasphe- A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF JOHN KNOX. JOHN KNOX was born at Haddington, or at Gifford, a neighbouring village, in Scotland, in 1505. His parents were respectable, and gave their son a liberal education. He afterwards studied at the university of St. Andrew's, where he made considerable progress in a short period under the tuition of John Major, an able divine, who had imbibed principles opposed to the lofty pretensions of the papacy. Knox was ordained a priest in the Romish church at an age earlier than usual, and taught philosophy as a lecturer in the university. While thus employed, he read the writings of several of the fathers, particularly Augustine and Jerome; by them he was directed to the study of the scriptures, and by degrees was emancipated from the trammels of scholastic divinity. As he publicly advocated scriptural sentiments, he soon became an object of suspicion to the bigoted Romanists, and having quitted St. Andrew's, sentence was publicly passed against him as a heretic. Knox was chiefly indebted to Wishart for instruction in the doctrines of truth. At that period the Reformers were openly persecuted, and Knox was soon sought for. He accompanied Wishart for some time, and only left that Reformer the night previous to his apprehension by the Romanists, when Wishart having a presentiment of his approaching martyrdom, obliged Knox to leave him and return to his pupils, who were the sons of Douglas of Long Niddrie, and Cockburn of Ormiston. Knox was very attentive to the religious instruction of his charge, and contrived that the neighbourhood should benefit thereby. After concealing himself for some time, early in 1547, he took refuge in the castle of St. Andrew's, then held by the protestants, who had lately put to death the Romish cardinal Beaton, by whom Wishart and others had been burned. Here Knox was earnestly called to exercise the office of the ministry, which he undertook with much reluctance; but when he had entered upon the duties, he discharged them with much energy and faithfulness, in particular controverting the doctrines and principles of popery, denouncing the church of |