THE CHURCK OF HtlMfi 225 



Although the third Re-Formation may be said to have been 

 accomplished by 1560, the ownership of the vast estates of the 

 abbeys and church lands was not definitely settled. According 

 to the general principle of the spoils to the conquerors, so 

 these estates were either handed over by royal gift to those 

 nobles who had ingratiated themselves with the ascendant 

 Protestant party, or were quietly taken possession of by the 

 most powerful neighbouring proprietor. The Lord Home of 

 this date was rather a recalcitrant Protestant, so in spite of 

 royal favours showered on him by the king he did not succeed 

 for many years in obtaining possession of the ecclesiastical 

 lands of Hume. From 1590-1610 the Presbyterianism of 

 Andrew Melville prevailed, and though it may be described 

 as the High Church party of the day, it failed to attract certain 

 nobles. Amongst them was Lord Home. With exceeding 

 zeal the conversion of these nobles was sought after in a manner 

 which contrasts singularly with the church's pretensions to 

 be the home of freedom and of independent thought. But 

 Lord Alexander Home was not easily concussed into the new 

 belief of church and state. As a favourite with King James 

 VI. he had accompanied him to England, and had been raised to 

 great dignities, and become a member of the Privy Council. 

 Yet the aid of the Privy Council was enlisted against him.** 

 It confirmed the Act of the General Assembly of May 18th 1602, 

 which decided that Lord Home and five other nobles should 

 be removed for a quarter or a half year from their homes, 

 and be visited by ministers to teach them their errors. Thus 

 the Eev. John Carmichael was selected to wait upon Lord 

 Home. 



Upon the expiry of these six months, on November 10th, 

 a new nomination of ministers was made to take the place 

 of Mr Carmichael and the others whose efforts had not met with 

 success or given satisfaction to the General Assembly.'^' This 

 time the ministers were quartered for three months on these 

 nobles, who seem to have been even less amenable than 

 before to the persuasions of their unwelcome guests. On 

 December 16th 1606, the General Assembly resorted to another 



^^ Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, Vol. vi., p. 380. 

 "' Do. p. 477. 



