Love Thy Neighbour as Thyself.

The First of March is as good a day as any to remember the old dictum - particularly since, on this day in 1546, the Protestant reformer George Wishart was burned at the stake on the orders of David Beaton, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of St. Andrews.

Here's a picture of young George before the defender of the faith loved him to death.

Beaton was little interested in Church reform, being more concerned with furthering his own interests. 'Give Up All That Thou Hast and Follow Me' apparently did not apply to him but to the faithful - and it's unlikely that the locals were ever invited over to his lavish castle for tea and Dundee cake.

As for those vows of celibacy, the Pope's representative, like many pre-Reformation prelates, lived in open concubinage, providing lavishly for his children from ecclesiastical property.

By his peers in the system, Beaton was considered a decisive and able statesman - some viewing his stance against Henry VIII as patriotic, but others, recalling his assets and interests in France describing him 'the best Frenchman' in Scotland.

BUT HERE'S THE BEST PART

The significant part of this story, however, is that this murderous phoney eventually got his come-uppance.

It seems that Wishart had many sympathisers - conspirators, who, under the leadership of Norman Leslie, Master of Rothes, and William Kirkcaldy of Grange, managed gain entry to Beaton's castle in St. Andrews at daybreak on 29 May 1546, - where they executed the cardinal without a qualm.

At the time, it was widely believed that his death was in the interests of Henry VIII of England, who regarded Beaton as the chief obstacle to his policy in Scotland.

I prefer to think that the sod had it coming.

- Himself

P.S. Not surprisingly, the Catholic Encyclopedia tries to put a different spin on Beaton's life, even to the point of accusing his enemies as 'murderous' . If you care enough, you must read both sides and make up your own mind. I am happily and openly prejudiced against religious phonies of any order or description.