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was killed at Pinkie field, anno Christi 1547, being ane son of the Lord Livingston's, which house
thereafter was dignified to be Earles of Linlithgow. My father was all his dayes straight and zealous in
the work of reformation against Episcopacy and ceremonies, and was once deposed, and wanted not seals of his ministrie, both at Monyabrock and Lanark.
His mother was Barbara Livingstone, come of the house of Kilsyth. My mother was Agnes Livingstone, the daughter of Alexander Livingstone,
portioner of Falkirk, come of the house of Dunipace. She was an rare patern of piety and meeknes, and died in the year 1617, being about
thirty-two years of age, and left three sons and four daughters. I was born in Stirlingshire, at Monyabrock, the 21st of June1
1603.
PERIOD I.
The first period of my life I reckon from my birth till the first day I preached in publick, which was at Lanerk on ane Sabbath afternoon,
the 2d of January 1625.
Having at home learned to read and write, I was sent, in the year 1613, to Stirling, to ane Latine school, where Mr William Wallace, an good man and
a learned humanist, was schoolmaster, where I stayed till summer 1617; at which time I was sent for to come to Lanerk, to be present with my mother dying.
About October 1617, I was sent to the Colledge of Glasgow, where I stayed some four years, and passed Master of Arts in July 1621.
After that I stayed in my father's at Lanerk till I began to preach.
Dureing this time I observe the Lord's great goodness, that I was born of such parents, who taught me somewhat of God, so soon as I was capable to
understand any thing, and had great care of my education, by which means also, when I was but very young, I saw somewhat of the example and carriage of sundry
gracious Christians, who used to resort to my father's house, especially at
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1
One MS. has January.
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times of the communion, such as Mr Robert Bruce and several other godly ministers, the rare Countess of Wigtoun, Lady Lillias
Grahame, who also at my baptisme desyred my name, because her father, her husband, and eldest son, were all of that name;
the Lady Culross,1
the Lady Bantoon, and sundry others.
It is remarkable that Mr William Wallace came but an short
while to Stirling before I was sent thither to school; and the year
after I left the school he also left that charge. Likewise, worthy
Mr Robert Boyd of Trochrigg was but lately come from Saumer
in France, to be Principal of the Colledge of Glasgow, when I went
thither, and went from the Colledge the year after I left it.
The while I was in Stirling, Mr Patrick Simpson was minister
there, a man learned, godly, and very faithfull in the cause of God.
And in Glasgow I heard Mr John Bell, an grave, serious man, and
Mr Robert Scott, who also once was deposed for opposing the corruptions of the time.
The first year after I went to Stirling school I profited not
much, and was often beaten by the schoolmaster; and one day he
had beaten me with an stick in the cheek, so as my face swelled.
That same day my father came occasionally to town, and seeing
my face swelled, did chide with the master, that, he having a chief
hand to bring him to that place, he should use me so. The master
promised to forbear beating of me, and after that I profited an
great deall more in my learning. And when in September 1616,
I, with the rest of my equalls, had gone through all the Latine and
Greek that was taught in that school, and so were ready to goe to
the Colledge, and my father was come to bring me home for that
end, the schoolmaster prevailed with my father, (I being so young,
and the master having hopes of my proficiency,) that I should stay
yet another year, and thus one other and I stayed ane year more,
and for most part read by ourselves in ane little chamber above the
school, the master furnishing us in books, where we went through
the most part of the choice Latine writers, both poets and others,
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1
Some letters from her to Livingstone will be found at a subsequent part of this volume.
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