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to be professor in his university of St. Andrews', which he declined. After his return from Antwerp he was often in trouble by suspensions, deprivations, and long imprisonment; at length the great earl of Leicester, who knew his worth, made him governor of his hospital in Warwick, where he ended his days, Dec. 27th, 1603. He was certainly one of the most learned and acute disputants of his age, but very ill used by the governing clergy. He wrote several books besides his controversy with archbishop Whitgift, as, his Latin comment on Ecclesiastes, dedicated to king James, in which he thankfully acknowledges his being appointed professor to a Scots university: his celebrated confutation of the Rhemish translation of the New-Testament, to which work he was solicited not only by sir Francis Walsingham, but by letter under the hands of the principal divines of Cambridge, as Roger Goad, Wm. Whitaker, Thomas Crooke, John Ireton, Wm. Fulke, John Field, Nicholas Crane, Gibs Seinthe, Rich. Gardiner, William Clarke, &c. Such an opinion had these great men of his learning and abilities. He was a person of uncommon industry and piety, fervent in prayer, a frequent preacher, and of a meek and humble spirit. In his old age he was so troubled with the stone and gout by frequent lying in prisons, that he was obliged always to study on his knees. His last sermon was on Eccles. xii. 7. Then shall the dust return to the earth, and the spirit shall return to God who gave it. The Tuesday following he was two hours on his knees in private prayer, and a few hours after quietly resigned his spirit to God, in the 68th year of his age, and was buried in his own hospital. The famous Mr. Dod

preached his funeral sermon.

Six weeks after died his great antagonist Dr. John Whitgift, archbishop of Canterbury; who was born at GreatGrimsby in Lincolnshire in the year 1530, and educated in Pembroke-hall, and was fellow of Peter-house, Cambridge. He complied with the changes of queen Mary's reign, tho' he disapproved of her religion. He commenced doctor of divinity, 1569; and was afterwards Margaret and Queen's

* CLARKE'S Lives annexed to his GENERAL MARTYROLOGY, p. 16.

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professor, and master of Trinity college. Having been a celebrated champion for the hierarchy, the queen advanced him first to the bishopric of Worcester, and then to the archbishopric of Canterbury. He was a severe governor of the church, pressing conformity with the utmost rigor,|| in which her majesty always gave him her countenance and support. He regarded neither the intreaties of poor ministers, nor the intercessions of courtiers, being steady to the laws, and even out-going them in the cause of uniformity. Mr. Fuller says, he would give fair words and good language, but would abate nothing. SirG.Paul, the writer of his life, says, that CHOLER was his chief infirmity,† which has sufficiently appeared by the account already given of the many persecutions, oppressions, and unjustifiable hardships the puritans suffered under his administration; notwithstanding which they increased prodigiously, insomuch that towards the latter end of his life his Grace grew weary of the invidious employment; and being afraid of king James' first parliament,* died (as it is said) with grief before it met, desiring rather to give an account of his bishopric to God than exercise it among men. He had been at court the first Sunday in Lent, and as he was going to the council-chamber to dinner, was seized with the dead palsy on the right side, and with the loss of his speech; upon which he was carried first to the lord treasurer's chamber, and afterwards to Lambeth, where the king visited him on Tuesday, but not being able to converse, he lifted up his eyes and hand, and said, pro Ecclesia Dei, which were his last words. He would have written something, but could not hold his pen. His disease increasing he expired the next day, being the 29th of Feb. 1603, ætat. 73, and was buried

SFor his sake the salary of lady Margaret's professorship was raised from 20 marks to 20l. And it is observed to his honor, that this prelate was the great restorer of order and discipline in the university of Cambridge, when deeply wounded and almost sunk.

Granger's Hist. of England, 8vo. vol. i. p. 206. Ed. "Even sometimes it may be," says Dr. Warner, "beyond all other "law, but that of her majesty's pleasure." Ed.

+ Life of Whitgift, p. 108. Fuller's Church Hist. b. x. p. 25. Strype's words, Dr. Grey says, are, Et nunc Domine exaltata est mea anima, quod in eo tempore succubui, quando mallem episcopatus mei reddere rationem, quam inter homines exercere. Ed.

at Croydon on the 27th of March following, where he has a fair monument, with his effigies at length upon it. He was an hospitable man, and usually travelled with a great retinue; in the year 1589, he came into Canterbury with a train of five hundred horse, of which one hundred were his own servants. He founded an hospital and free school at Croydon, and though he was a cruel persecutor of the puritans, yet, compared with his successor Bancroft, he was a valuable prelate.

Before the meeting of the parliament the king issued out two proclamations, one commanding all jesuits and priests in orders to depart the kingdom, [Feb. 22, 1603] wherein he was very careful to let the world know, that he did not banish them out of hatred to the catholic religion; but only for maintaining the pope's temporal power over princes.* The other was against the puritans, in which there was no indulgence for tender consciences;-all must conform, or suffer the extremities of the law.†

The king opened his first session of parliament with a long speech, in which there are many strokes in favor of tyranny and arbitrary power: "His majesty acknowledges the Roman church to be his mother church, though defil'ed with some infirmities and corruptions. That his mind 'was ever free from persecution for matters of conscience, ' as he hopes those of that religion have proved since his 'first coming. He pities the laity among them, and would ' indulge their clergy if they would but renounce the pope's 'supremacy, and his pretended power to dispense with the 'murder of kings. He wishes that he might be a means of 'uniting the two religions, for if they would but abandon

* Rapin, vol. ii. p. 163, folio ed.

"The puritans about this time" (says Mrs. Macaulay)" suffered so severe a persecution, that they were driven to offer a petition for relief to the king, whilst he was taking the diversion of hunting. James was something startled at this unexpected intrusion, and very graciously directed them to depute ten of their members to declare their grievances to the council. These deputies no sooner made their appearance before the council, than they were sent to jail; and sir Francis Hastings, sir Edward Montague, and sir Valentine Knightly, under whose protection they had thus acted, were turned out of the lieutenancy of the county and the commission of the peace." Winwood's Memorials quoted by Mrs. Macaulay, Hist. of Engl. vol. i. p. 7. note, 8vo. Ed.

their late corruptions, he would meet them in the mid-way, as having a great veneration for antiquity in the points of ecclesiastical policy. But then as to the puritans or novelists who do not differ from us so much in points of religion, as in their confused form of policy and purity; those (says he) are discontented with the present church government; they are impatient to suffer any superiority, which makes their sect insufferable in any well-governed 'commonwealth."*

The bishops and their adherents were pleased with this speech, because the king seemed resolved not to indulge the puritans at any rate; the catholics did not like his majesty's distinction between the laics and clerics; but the puritans had most reason to complain, to see so much charity expressed towards papists, and so little for themselves.† All protestants in general heard with concern the king's offer to meet the papists half way. What does he mean? say they; is there no difference between popery and protestantism, but the pope's authority over princes? Are all other doctrines to be given up? Are the religions the same? And, is this the only point upon which we separated from the church of Rome? Thus unhappily did this pretended protestant prince set out, with laying the foundation of discontent among all ranks of his people.

His majesty made frequent mention in his speech of his hereditary right to the crown, and of his lineal descent. That he was accountable to none but GOD; and that the only difference between a rightful king and a tyrant is, that the one is ordained for preserving the prosperity of his people, the other thinks his kingdom and people are ordained to satisfy his unreasonable appetites. Further, his majesty altered the writs for electing members, and took upon him to describe, what sort of representatives should be elected, not by way of exhortation but of command, and as indispensable conditions of their being admitted into the house, and which were to be judged of and determined in the courtof chancery. He threatened to fine and disfranchise those

Rapin, vol. ii. p. 165, 166, folio ed. † Ibid. p. 167, 168, folio ed." Rapin, vol. ii. p. 252. Coke, p. 51. This" (as Dr. Warner well observes,) was directly striking at "the privileges of the commons.

Ed.

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corporations that did not choose to his mind; and to fine and imprison their representatives if they presumed to sit in the house. When the house of commons met he interrupted their examinations of elections, and commanded the return of sir Fran. Goodwin, whose election they had set aside, to be brought before him and his judges. Most of those who approached the king's person labored to inspire him with the design of making himself absolute; or rather to confirm him in that resolution.* The bishops were of this number; and from this time there has appeared among the clergy a party of men, who have carried the obedience of the subject, and the authority of the crown, as high as in the most arbitrary monarchies.

But though the court and bishops were so well agreed, the parliament passed some acts which gave them uneasiness; as the revival of the statute of Edward VI. which enacts, That all processes, citations, judgments, &c. in any ecclesiastical courts, shall be issued in the king's name, and under the king's seal of arms. The bishops were said to be asleep when they suffered this clause to pass; but the Laudæan clergy broke through it afterwards, as they did through every thing else that stood in the way of their sovereignty. It was further enacted, That all leases or grants of church lands to the king, or his heirs, &c. for more than twenty-one years for the future, should be made void; which put an effectual stop to the alienation of the church's revenues. The marriages of the clergy were also legitimated, by reviving the statute of King Edward VI. for that purpose.†

The convocation which sat with the parliament was very active against the puritans. The see of Canterbury being vacant, Bancroft bishop of London presided, and produced the king's licence to make canons.‡ May 2d, 1603, he de

* We are told, in particular, that Cecil assured James, on his coming to the crown, "That he should find his English subjects like asses, on whom he might lay any burden, and should need neither bit nor bridle but their asses' ears." "His reign, however, affords a sufficient proof," observes a late writer, "that the king himself was the only ass. and that the English lions were not to be intimidated by his silly braying.” Secret History of the Court and reign of Charles II. vol. i. Introduc tion, p. 30, the note. Ed. + Heylin's Hist. Presb. p. 375.

Strype's Annals, vol. iv. p. 396.

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