thing my felf about them. Whereupon he faid no more of that Matter. And the Regius Pros feffor, who understood me fo all along, did me the Juftice to put that Matter right, and to ex plain in what Senfe he fuppos'd I did not now own or affert any of the things charged upon me. To which I fully affented; and fo that Im putation came to nothing. The Margaret Profeffor farther told me, when I infifted on Exa mination before Cenfure, that I knew well enough, that when Hereticks arofe, it was not ufual to argue with them, but to quote fome Canon of a Council which condemned them, and fo to Anathematize them immediately. I faid to him; But fuppofe that what I faid about the Apoftolical Conftitutions, &c. fhould at laft prove to be true? He replied, If fo, he would come and heartily beg my Pardon. The Matter of Jefus thought time might be allowed me for my Anfwer. But fo earneft and vehement was the Vicechancellor in his Proceedings, that all fuch Motions came to nothing. The fame Mafter of Jefus alfo ask'd me why I called the Conftitutions The most Sacred Book of the New Teftament? I answered, Because they really were fo, and were fo efteemed in the firft Ages. I alfo faid. to him, that they would repent their Severity to me: And that if he had been by, when Dr. Smalridge (who had read my Papers, and of whom I believed he had a very good Opinion) and my felf lately difcourfed upon thefe Matters, he would fcarce have been against their Examination before they cenfured me on Account of them. Upon which he owned that he had himself alfo feen fome of my Papers: which I fuppofe was fome time ago, when Mr. Hughes, and Mr. Townend of the fame College had the Perufal

Perufal of them; I mean those which concern the Trinity and Incarnation only. But finding the Mafter of Sidney exceeding hot against me, I faid to him, that I believed he had not ftudied thefe Matters; he grew paffionate, and faid, That was my Impudence. I faid, I meant particu larly as to the Conftitutions. He reply'd, that he had read them, but however that he knew my Affertions were contrary to those of the Church of England: which indeed he all along confin'd himself to; infomuch that when on Monday the Vicechancellor had faid, with fome Moderation, that my Tenets were Erroneous, and contrary to the Churches Doctrine, and that therefore I ought to retract them; and I had reply'd, let them be but once prov'd to be Erroneous, and I was most ready to retract them; the Master of Sidney, at whofe Elbow I ftood, told me, they did not mean Erroneous, but contrary to the Doctrine of the Church. Nay, when I faid to them, Will you condemn or cenfure while none either will, or dare answer me? Somebody that was offended at that laft Word, reply'd, dare? But without any farther Addition. And indeed great Care was all along taken that the Truth or Falfhood of my Doctrines fhould be wholly wav'd, and all fet upon their Contrariety to thofe of the Church of England, without fo much as a Pretence that any Body would anfwer the Arguments and Testimonies which I had to produce for them. It was once urged, that my affirming the Conftitutions and Doctrine of the Apostles to be Sacred Books of the New Teftament, was contrary to the Sixth Article of our Church. I defir'd that Article might be read, which was done by the Mafter of Pembroke. I faid thereupon, 'Tis plain that this Article owns the prefent

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fent Sacred Books, being all the Church then knew, and that had they known of more, they would have fer them down alfo; but that 'tis not affirmed in that Article that there are no other than those, and fo my Affertion is not contrary thereto. Yet did this pass as a clear Contradiction to it. And no wonder, when in the Paper given me from the Vicechancellor, the very Nicene Creed is it felf quoted as condemning my calling God the Father the One God of the Chriftian Religion, while yet that Creed begins with a direct and folemn Affirmation of it; I believe in One God the Father, Almighty. After all, when the Vicechancellor perceiv'd that I began to draw fome of the Heads into Arguing and Reasoning about thefe Matters, he took one of the Candles himself, and saying a few things to me about a Recantation, which I declared I could not make with a fafe Confcience, he said, he pitied me, and then he fairly conducted me out of the Lodge. And fo I took my leave: having before hinted to them, that I did not defign to wait on them any more about these Matters, but to leave them to do as they pleas'd therein; which Refolution I kept till Monday accordingly. For when on Sunday I was again fummon'd by Mr. Atwood, to appear the next Day at Three a Clock, I made this Anfwer, That I faw no occafion for appearing any more. However, for fome Reasons, I afterward alter'd my Mind, and came and appeared again on Monday, in a lower Room of the fame Lodge, before the Heads, who were now Twelve in Number, whofe Names will be fet down presently. And upon Mr. Vicechancellor's enquiring of me,whether I came difpofed to make a Retractation of thofe my Errors, concerning which he had be

fore

fore admonished me? Upon Leave given, I read the following Paper as my Answer; and deliver❜d it in as follows, verbatim.

Mr.Vicechancellor,

Did not think to have appear'd to Day at all, because I understood that this Meeting was appointed only for my Retractation, for which I have neither had any confiderable Time, nor any proper Motives for Conviction afforded me; and fo to be fure I cannot be difpofed for any fuch thing. Nay, indeed I cannot allow that any Doctrines contrary to thofe of the Church of England, and within your Cognizance by the 45th Statute, have been Legally prov❜d upon me. However, I have thought fit to appear according to the Summons given me Yesterday. What I have at present to Alledge against these Proceedings, befides my former Exceptions is, That the Advice for the Study of Divinity quoted against me, was written about Febuary 170%, and that the Depofitions as to what I faid in St. Clement's Church, belong to the Year 1708, and that if I committed any Offences in either Cafe, they are fully and compleatly forgiven by the last Act of Her Majefty's moft Gracious, General, and Free Pardon, which therefore I do here plead in Bar to all farther Proceedings. And I do think the Moleftation already given me, is Penal by that Act. As to Part of Mr. Thackham's Depofition, which may feem to be a little later than that Act, it is not at all charg❜d upon me in the Paper deliver'd to me as the whole Charge against me; and fo is of no force at all. And as to the remaining Charges, that from the other Part of Mr. Thackham's Depofition is cnly that I would

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would not ufe a Doxology, which our Church, I think, never ufes, nor enjoins; and which ftands on the alone Footing of Dr. Brady and Mr. Tate, or fuch like Private Perfons. And the other, concerning the ftiling God the Father the One and Only God, 'tis fo exprefly the Language of our Church in the Nicene Creed, and in the Collect for the 18th Sunday after Trinity, that I am furpriz'd at its being in this manner alledg'd against me. But fince you have given no time for the Examination of my Legal Exceptions, nor for my own Anfwer, I publickly Proteft against your Proceedings, and defire that my Proteftation may be entred into the Records of the University.

Octob. 30. 1710,

WILL. WHIS TO N.

Affoon as I had delivered this Paper, and had owned to the Vicechancellor that it contained all that I had to fay at prefent, I took my Leave. Whereupon, the Vicechancellor and the Heads foon came to a Refolution to Banifh or Expel me; as the following Publick Act will inform the Reader: A true Copy of which shall be here fet down.

October