ABSTRACT
The king began by asking the seven Scottish bishops, commissioners of the General Assembly and Lauriston for their opinion of the 1605 Assembly. To nobody's surprise, they condemned it. The ministers refused either to condemn or condone it, insisting that only a free General Assembly had the power to judge. Their natural frankness with the king greatly impressed the English audience 'quho wer not accustomit to heir the king so talkit to and ressounit with'. This meeting ended heatedly with Andrew Melville crossing the king. The ministers were charged not to return to Scotland or come near the court without special licence. When they were recalled, it was to hear another sermon, this time by the Bishop of Exeter, who declared that the power to convene and discharge assemblies lay exclusively with the king.
