of Teviotdale, and Andrew Oliphant, with Wishart's answers from a tract printed by John Daye, and embodied in the first edition of Foxe's ‘Book of Martyrs,’ printed at Basle in 1559, with many affecting particulars of the last day of Wishart's life. The substance of Wishart's defence was an appeal to scripture from the leading doctrines of the catholic church on the mass, auricular confession, purgatory, the celibacy of the clergy, and the authority of the church, than which there could be in the eyes of his judges no more damning heresy. How far the narrative of the trial is accurate it would be hard to say. It was certainly embellished by Foxe and Knox with Wishart's prophecy of the cardinal's speedy death, which Pitscottie also gives: ‘God forgive that yon man that lies so glorious on yon wall head; but within a few days he shall lye as shameful as he lyes glorious now.’ Wishart was convicted of heresy, and burnt on 1 March 1545–6 on the ground at the foot of the castle wynd opposite the castle gate. His last words given by Knox were spoken to the executioner, to whose prayer for forgiveness Wishart answered, ‘Come hither to me, and when he was come kissed his cheek, and said, “Lo, here is a token that I forgive thee. My harte, do thine office.”’
Lindsay of Pitscottie (Scottish Text Society's edit. ii. 54, 56) mentions that the cardinal sent to the governor for a criminal judge to ‘give doom on Master George if the clergy found him guilty,’ and the governor wrote to the cardinal to continue the case until they had spoken together, but if he would not, that ‘his own blood would be on his own head.’ If this is true, Beaton accepted the responsibility. He seems certainly to have been present at the burning, watching it with the other bishops from the tower near the gate, nor is there any record of a sentence by a temporal judge. Beaton's murder was avowedly in revenge for Wishart's death, though some of the actors had other grievances.
Besides the portrait above referred to, there are portraits professing to be of George Wishart in the college of Glasgow, and in the Roman catholic college of Blairs, Aberdeenshire, which are of doubtful authenticity. Wishart's only known writing is the translation of the ‘Helvetic Confession’ above referred to. It has been conjectured that he may have had some share in an ‘Order for Burial of the Dead’ used at Montrose, also printed in the ‘Wodrow Society Miscellany.’
[Tylney's Narrative in Foxe's Book of Martyrs, Knox's account of Wishart in his History of the Reformation, and Pitscottie's Chronicles are the primary and contemporary authorities; Laing's notes are, as always, instructive. There is, unfortunately, no account of Wishart on the catholic side, except that of Lesley in his History, which is very brief. Petrie, in his Compendious History of the Church (The Hague, 1662), adds a few particulars. By modern writers more than one controversy has been raised over Wishart's life, which of course could not be passed over by any church historian. Grubb's Ecclesiastical History is the most impartial. The late Professor Weir's article in the North British Review, 1868, and Professor Mitchell's note in his edition of the Gude and Godlie Ballates (Scottish Text Society, 1897); Rogers's Memoir of George Wishart, 1876; Hay Fleming's Martyrs and Confessors of St. Andrews; The Truth about George Wishart, by W. Cramond, 1898.]
WISHART, GEORGE (1599–1671), bishop of Edinburgh, was the younger son of John Wishart of Logie-Wishart, Forfarshire, and grandson of Sir John Wishart of that ilk. His father did not succeed to the property till 1629, and had settled in East Lothian, where George was born in 1599 (not 1609, as stated by Chambers). He is said to have studied at Edinburgh University, but his name does not appear in the roll of graduates. In 1612 a George Wishart matriculated at St. Salvator's College, St. Andrews, graduating in 1613, and it has been conjectured from this unusual circumstance that this was the future bishop, who had begun his course at Edinburgh and graduated at St. Andrews, though then only fourteen years old. It is supposed that he afterwards travelled on the continent, and acted as secretary to Archbishop John Spottiswood (1565–1637) [q. v.] According to Hew Scott (Fasti, iii. 724) he was presented by James VI to the parish of Monifieth, Forfarshire, on 26 Aug. 1624. Murdoch and Simpson (Deeds of Montrose, pref. p. viii) suggest that this is a clerical error for 1625; but as James VI died on 27 March 1625, Scott is probably correct, otherwise Charles I must have made the presentation. Wishart was ordained at Dairsie by Spottiswood in September 1625, and then entered on his charge at Monifieth. He continued there till 10 April 1626, when he was transferred to the second charge in St. Andrews, as colleague to Alexander Gledstanes, then minister of the first charge.
In the following year the Marquis of Montrose entered St. Andrews University, and there is evidence that Wishart then formed an acquaintance with him that had an important influence upon his career. He received the degree of D.D. from St. Andrews prior to October 1634, as he is so described in the
