TRANSACTIONS. 121 
Dumfries. The authorship and penmanship of this very rare 
letter naturally fall to either the vicar of Dumfries or to this 
Maxwell of Kelton notary. The handwriting is neat, small, and 
well-formed, although now very indistinct, and looks like the 
work of some one quite familiar with such undertakings. The 
whole is contained upon one single quarto sheet of rough letter- 
paper, and is artistically ornamental in its arrangement and 
general execution. On the reverse of the quarto sheet is : 
“To our maist assurit and traist Friend the Commissar of Drumfries. 
**Rycht assureit and traist freind, eftir our varye hertlie commenda- 
tioun ye Maxwell with your wayif with the haill reste of your freinds varaye 
mekle consydering the greit travell and labor that we haif maid baith at 
my Lordi’s handis and my Lady’s fir your relief and fauor to be procureit at 
thaim, quhilk bie my Lady travell and uthir friends, is grantit to you and 
my Lord Warrand for you, that comes not to his Lordship. It is thocht 
bie your haill friends that lykis your weill, that ye owther esteme youre 
wysdome oure greit and bettir nor thairis can be, or ells that ye esteme 
not my Lordis favor, quhilk will turn to youre rewine, seing that all friends 
is content to tak thair part of his lordships burding and nane refuisses 
quhat is thair pairtis. Thay think it meit yecum to my Lord, with all 
possibil deligence, or ells ye will caus uss bie hardlie repressit with my 
Lord, and he will think that former taillis spocken of youistrew. Thus 
not doutting, bot witht all possable deligence yee bee at my Lord this 
nicht without onie forder delay, or ells say yee not ane uther tyme bot ye 
ar done for be freinds and advertisit of youre danger gif it cums heireftir. 
Sua Committis you to God Almichty. Off Drumfreis this Mondaye the 
xviii. of Maii 1584. 
“‘Youris assurit Friends to command, Robert Maxwell in Keltoun, 
Thomas Maxwell, Vicar of Drumfres, and Robert Maxwell in Kirkmaho, 
with the advise of the haill of your freinds and your Wayif.” 
We have given these larger notes in order to make clearer 
the following examples of ‘Discipline,’ which are rather 
picturesque in their form. Under the Church of the Reformation 
began the written chronicle of such transactions. The reverence 
paid to the person of the priest of the Reformation seems to have 
differed little in degree from the usual custom under all manner of 
belief throughout the world, 
“*Apud Drumfries, 10th Jany., 1573. 
“The Wrights of Drumfries. 
“The directioun of the Wrights of Drumfries by their Conventioun, 
halding in the Tolbuitht of Drumfries in presence of ane nobil and potent 
Lorde, Johne Lord Maxwell, ‘ Patrick’s sone,’ and Andrew Maxwell, 
David’s sone, 
