of that Court caused Execution upon the satd Judgment to be stayed and being moved therein and made acquainted with the bad life and conversation of the said Person he said that he had spoken to the Judges for him and that he would never suffer a Iudgment to passe against any Clergy-man by nihil dicit 5. That the said Archbishop about eight yeares last past being then also a privy Councellor to his Majesty for the end and purpose aforesaid caused Sir Iohn Corbet of Stoak in the County of Salop Baronet then a Iustice of peace of the said County to be committed to the Prison of the Fleet where he continued Prisoner for the space of halfe a yeare or more for no other cause but for calling for the Petition of Right causing it to be read at the Sessions of the peace for that County upon a just and necessary occasion And during the time of his said imprisonment the said Archbishop without any colour of right by a writing under the Seale of his Archbishopricke granted a way parcell of the Glebe land of the Church of Adderly in the said County whereof the said Sir Iohn Corbet was then patron unto Robert Vscount Kilmurrey without the consent of the said Sir Iohn or then the incumbent of the said Church which said Viscount Kilmurrey built a Chappel upon the said parcell of Glebe land to the great prejudice of the said Sir Iohn Corbet which hath caused great suits and dissentions betweene them And whereas the said Sir Iohn Corbet had a judgment against Sir Iames Stonehouse Knight in an action of Waste in his Majesties Court of Common Pleas at Westminster which was afterwards affirmed in a writ of Error in the Kings Bench and Execution thereupon awarded yet the said Sir Iohn by meanes of the said Archbishop could not have the effect thereof but was committed to Prison by the said Archbishop and others at the Councell Table untill he had submitted himselfe unto the order of the said Table whereby he lost the benefit of the said Judgment and Execution 6. That whereas divers gifts and dispositions of divers summes of money were heretofore made by divers charitable and well disposed persons for the buying in of divers Impropriations for the maintenance of preaching the word of God in severall Churches the said Archbishop about eight yeares last past wilfully and maliciously caused the said gifts feoffements and conveyances made to the uses aforefaid to be overthrowne in his Majesties Court of Exchequer contrary to Law as things dangerous to the Church and State under the specious pretence of buying in Appropriations whereby that pious worke was suppressed and trodden downe to the great dishonour of God and scandall of Religion 7. That the said Archbishop at severall times within these ten yeares last past at Westminster and else where within this Realme contrary to the knowne Lawes of this Land hath endeavoured to advance Popery and Superstition within the Realme And for that end and purpose hath wittingly and willingly received harboured and relieved divers popish Priests and Iesuits namely one called Sancta Clara alias Damport a dangerous Person and Franciscan Fryer who having written a Popish and seditious Booke intituled Deus natura gratia wherein the thirty nine Articles of the Church of England established by Act of Parliament were much traduced and scandalized The said Archbishop had divers conferences with him while he was in writing the said Booke and did also provide maintenance and entertainment for one Mounsieur St. Giles a Popish Priest at Oxford knowing him to be a Popish Priest 8. That the said Archbishop about foure yeares last past ut Westminster aforesaid said that there must be a blow given to the Church such as hath not beene yet given before it could be brought to conformity declaring thereby his intention to bee to shake and alter the true Protestant Religion established in the Church of England 9. That in or about the month of May 1641. presently after the dissolution of the last Parliament the said Archbishop for the ends and purposes aforesaid caused a Synod or Convocation of the Clergie to be held for the severall Provinces of Canterbury and Yorke wherein were made and established by his meanes and procurement diverse Canons and Constitutions Ecclesiasticall contrary to the Lawes of this Realme the Rights and Priviledges of Parliament the Liberty and propriety of the Subject tending also to seditior and of dangerous consequence And amongst other things the said Archbishop caused a most dangerous and illegall Oath to be therein made and contrived the tenor whereof followeth in these words That I A. B. doe sweare that I do approve the Doctrine and Discipline or Government established in the Church of England as containing all things necessary to salvation And that I will not endeavour by my selfe or any other directly or indirectly to bring in any Popish Doctrine contrary to that which is so established Nor will I ever give my consent to alter the Government of this Church by Archbishops Bishops Deanes and Arch-Deacons c. as it stands now established and as by right it ought to stand Nor yet ever to subject it to the usurpations and superstitions of the Sea of Rome And all these things I doe plainly and sincerely acknowledge and sweare according to the plaine and common sense and understanding of the same words without any equivocation or mentall evasion or secret reservation whatsoever And this I do heartily willing and truely upon the saith of a Christian So helpe mee God in Jesus Christ Which Oath the said Archbishop himselfe did take and caused diverse other Ministers of the Church to take the same upon paine of suspension and deprivation of their livings and other severe penalties And did also cause Godfrey then Bishop of Gloucester to be committed to prison for refusing to subscribe to the said Canons and to take the said Oath and afterward the said Bishop submitting himselfe to take the said Oath he was set at liberty 10. That a little before the calling of the last Parliament Anro 1640. a Vote being then passed and a resolution taken at the Councell Table by the advice of the said Archbishop for assisting of the King in extraordinary wayes if the said Parliament should prove peevish and refuse to supply His Majestie the said Archbishop wickedly and malitiously advised His Majestie to dissolve the said Parliament and accordingly the same was dissolved And presently after the said Archbishop told his Majesty that now he was absolved from all rules of Government and left free to use extraordinary wayes for his supply For all which matters and things the said Commons assembled in Parliament in the name of themselves and of all the Commons of England doe impeach the said Archbishop of Canterbury of high Treason and other crimes and misdemeanours tending to the subversion of our Religion Lawes and Liberties and to the utter ruine of this Church and Common-Wealth And
he is to appeare this day to heare and receive the finall order and judgement of the Court. at which day and place the said Lawrence Snelling being publiquely called for appeared personally in whose presence the Articles in this cause exhibited against him with his answers made thereunto were publiquely read and then Mr. Doctor Ryues his Majesties Advocate pressed and enforced the proofes against the said Master Snelling according as they appeared confessed out of his answers and after that the said Mr. Snelling was heard what he could say in his owne defence and after a mature and deliberat hearing of this cause it appeared to the Court That the said Mr. Snelling was here charged for that he being a Minister in holy orders of Priesthood constituted by the Authority of the Church for these 20. yeares last past and upwards Rector of Paulscray aforesaid for all that time and upwards was within these foure or five yeares last past made acquainted that a certaine Booke intituled The Kings Majesties Declaration for lawfull recreations after Evening Prayers on Sundayes and Holy dayes was come forth and commanded by his Majesty to be read by all Ministers in their respective Parish Churches and presented to Mr. Doctor Wood Chauncellor of Rochester his Ordinary on the 20th of November 1643. for refusing to read and publish the same in his Parish Church of Paulscray That upon the said presentment he was by his said Ordinary personally monished to read the same within three weekes following That on the eleventh of December 1634. aforesaid he the said Laurence Snelling being againe Convented before his said ordinary was primo secundo tertio personally and Judicially monished in Court to read and publish the said Booke in manner aforesaid which he refusing was suspended ob officio beneficio and hath so continued untill this present and doth so still continue unreleased that on the third of Aprill 1635. the said Laurence Snelling being present in Court before his Ordinary was 10. 20. and 30. Judicially admonished to read and publish the said Booke for Lawfull recreations as aforesaid but did againe utterly refuse to publish or read the same was thereupon then excommunicated by his said Ordinary and hath so continued ever since doth so stil continue excommunicated that within the time articulate the said Mr. Snelling hath divers times omitted to read the Lerany and some other parts of Divine service and to weare the Surplice further that he hath not bowed his body nor made any corporall obeysance at the reading or hearing read the Blessed name of our Saviour Iesus All which the premises appearing to be true in Substance and in effect out of the said Mr. Snellings answers the Court proceeded to the giving of their sentence in this Cause and for the present did order that unlesse the said Mr. Snelling shall conforme himselfe to the aforesaid requisitions of his Ordinary and read and publish the said Booke for lawfull recreations c. and do all due obeysance and Reverence at the blessed name of our Saviour Iesus betwixt this and the second Court day of the next Terme he should be ex nunc pro ut extunc c. deprived of his Rectory of Paulscray aforesaid but pay no costs of suit in case he be deprived and to this end and purpose he the said Mr. Snelling being present in Court was Juditially admonished to read and publish the said Booke and to make corporall reverence at the name of our Saviour Jesus sub pena Iuris deprivationis And to the end that he may safely repaire to his Parish Church to practise certifie of his conformity in the premises in case he shall be willing to conform accordingly it was by the Court referred to the foresaid Ordinary Mr. Doctor Wood to absolve the said Master Snelling from the said sentence of Excommunication under which he now stands in case he shall come and desire it of his said Ordinary and take his oath de parendo Iuri stando mandatis Ecclesia c. according to the forme in this case provided For not doing whereof he was accordingly deprived and continued sequestred excommunicated and deprived of his living divers yeares to his intollerable oppression and prejudice When the Archbishop had thus privily by secret Instructions to his Visitors enjoyned the reading of this Book of sports to Ministers and suspended censured molested divers of them for not reading it he then conspiring together with many other popish Prelates to suppresse all painful preaching Orthodox Ministers by colour of it encouraged directed if not enjoyned them and their Archdeacons to insert this clause into their printed Visitation Articles to be inquired of and presented by Church-wardens upon Oath Whether the Kings Declaration for sports had beene read and published among them by the Minister To prove this we shall instance only in the Visitation Articles of Matthew Wren Bishop of Norwich printed at London 1636. and in Richard Mountague his successors Visitation Articles for the same Diocesse printed at Cambridg 1638. both which prescribe this following Interrogatory to be inquired of upon oath the later clause whereof contradictes the former Sect 7. Do any in your Parishprophane any Sunday or holy-day by any unlawfull gaming drinking or Tipling in Taverns Innes or Ale-houses in the time of Common Prayer or Sermon or by Working or doing the worke of their Trades and occupations Do any in your Parish buy or sell or keepe open their Shops or set out any Wares to be sould on Sundayes or holy dayes by themselves their Servants or Apprentises or have they any other wayes Prophaned the said dayes And hath the Kings Declaration concerning the use of lawfull sports and recreations been published among you yea or no If so when was it don in what manner and by whom The like Interrogatories in effect if not in terminis we find in Bishop Pierces Bishop Curles Bishop Skinners the Arch-Deacons of Middlesex with other Visitation Articles which for brevity we pretermit How many hundred Godly Ministers in these other Bishops Diocesse were suspended from their Ministry sequestred driven from their Livings excommunicated Prosecuted in the High Commission and forced to leave the Kingdome upon these Articles for not publishing this Declaration is so experimentaly known to all that We shal pretermit it without any enumeration of their names or cases Only we shal discover what hand and influence the Archbishop had in their severall suspentions persecutions by these ensuing Accounts given up to him by other Bishops of their proceedings herein found in his Study endorsed with his owne hand and witnessed by Mr. Prynne who seized them In Bishop Wrens account to the Archbishop December 17. 1636. which begin thus In the name of God Amen An account touching the Royall Instructions given by the Kings most Excellent Majesty to the most Reverend Father in God VVilliam Laud Archbishop of Cant. his Grace Primat
Impeachment But leaves it to his Councell to doe and advise as his Councell shall thinke most fitting Day being given him by this Order to put in his answer till the 13th of Novenmber following this Order was made in pursuance thereof Die Veueris 10. November 1643. Ordered that the Leiutenant of the Tower of London or his Deputie shall bring in safety the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury before their Lordships on Munday the 13th of this instant November by ten of the Clock in the morning to put in his Answer into the House to the impeachment of the House Commons remaining now before the Lords in Parliament and this to be a sufficient warrant in that behalfe To the Gentleman Vsher c. On the 13. of November the Archbishop appearing at the Lords Barre in person put in this following Answer to the Additionall Articles exhibited against him The humble Answer of William Archbishop of Cant. to the further Articles of Impeachment of high Treason and divers high Crimes and misdeameanours exhibited against him by the Honourable House of Commons according to direction of an Order of this Honourable House of the 13. of October last All advantages of exception to the said Articles of Impeachment to this Defendant saved and reserved this Defendant humbly saith that he is not guilty of all or any the matters by the said Impeachment charged in such manner and forme as the same are by the said Articles of impeachment charged Vpon his motion the same day to the Lords this order was made in favour of him Die Lunae 13. Novemb. 1643. Ordered by the Lords in Parliament that the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury his Councell shall provide themselves to advise him in point of Law in all the Articles of the whole Charge And for the matter of Fact when the Cause comes to be presented by the House of Commons as there shall be need their Lordships will give further directions in due time On the 1â— of December 1643. The House of Commons being desirous to bring the Archbishop to a speedy tryall made this ensuing Order 11 December 1643. Ordered that the Committee for the Tyrall of the Archbishop of Canterbury doe meete this afternoone at 2. of the Clock in the Starchamber to prepare the evidence against the Archbishop of Cant. and to summon such witnesses as are need full and prepare the businesse fit for Tryall and to acquaint the House when they are ready and this they are to doe with all the convenient speed they can and have power to send for parties witnesses Papers Records c. And the care thereof is particularly committed unto Serjeant Wild. Here upon the Committee met sundry times to prepare their evidence 3. January following the Lords intending to expedite the Archbishops Tryall according to the Commons desire made this Order Die Mercurii 3. Ian. 1643. It is this day Ordered by the Lords in Parliament that this House will proceed against William Laud Archbishop of Canterbury upon the Impeachment brought up from the House of Commons for High Crimes and misdemeanours on Munday morning next it ten of the Clock being the eight of this instant Ianuary 1643 At which time the said Archbishop is to prepare himselfe for his defence To the Gentleman Vsher attending this House or his Deputie to be delivered to the Leiutenant of the Tower or his deputie for the Archbishop Whereupon the Lords the same day sent downe this Message to the Commons thus entred in their Iournall 31 Ianuary 1642. A Message sent from the Lords by Sir Robert Rich and Mr. Page The Lords commanded us to put you in minde that the Archbishop of Canterbury hath put in his Plea to the Impeachment of this House sent up to the Lords sometimes since which they desire you to take into consideration what is fit to be done in it 5. Ianuary The House of Commons desired the Lords to appoint a Committee to examine some witnesses upon Oath against the Archbishop in the presence of the Committee of the Commons which being granted the Commons made this Order 5. Ian. 1643. Ordered that the Committee of this House formerly appointed for the busines of the Archbishop of Cant. shall be the Committee in the presence of whom the witnesses in the case of the Bishop of Cant are to be examined upon Oath by the Committee of Lords On the 6. of Ianuary the Archbishop preferred this Petition to the Lords for the deferring of his Tryall to some longer time written with Mr. Dells hand and subscribed with his owne To the Right Honourable the Lords Assembled in the high Court of Parliament The humble Petition of William Laud Arch-bishop of Cant. Prisoner in the Tâ—wer Humbly sheweth THat your Petitioner having received your Lordships command by your honourable Order of the 3. of this instant Ianuary annexed to attend and Answer the Impeachment against your Petitioner from the honourable House of Commons on Munday the eight of this instant January which is but five dayes distance and at a time when 2. of his 3. Councell assigned 〈◊〉 of Towne and your Petitioner witnesses residing in severall remite places cannot be summoned in so short a time nor willing happily to came up in their summons with out warrant from your Lordships Your Petitioners most humble suit to your Lordships is that you will honourably vouchsafe him some more convenient time to send for his Councell and witnesses to testifie in the matters of fact Charged against him and withall to grant the Petitioner your honourable Order to command the witnesses summoned to attend at the time by your Lordships to be appointed which his humble request your Petitioner had sooner presented to your Lordships but that no sitting hath beene as your Petitioner is Informed untill this day sithence your honourable order in this behalfe made knowne to him And your Petitioner shall pray c W. Cant. Vpon reading whereof the Lords made this Order in his favour to out him of all excuses and prevent all clamons of a surpâ—isall Sabbati 6. Ian. 1643. Whereas the House formerly appointed Munday being the 8th of this instant Ianuary 1643. to proceed against William Laud Arch-bishop of Canterbury upon the impeachments brought up against him from the House of Commons for High Treason and high Crimes and misdemeanours Vpon reading the Petition of the said Archbishop it is this day ordered by the Lords in Parliament to the end the Councell and Witnesses of the said Archbishop may have competent time to attend the hearing of the Cause that this House will respit the proceedings against the said Archbishop upon the said impeachments untill Tuesday the 16. of this instant Ianuary 1643. at ten of the Clock in the morning at which time the said Archbishop is peremprorily appointed to provide his Witnesses and prepare his defence unto the said impeachments To the Gentleman Vsher c. In pursuance whereof this Order was afterwards made and entred Die Lune 15. Ian.
him but he could not be found The transgressors shall be destroyed together the end of the wicked shall be cut off And though for a time they are not in trouble neither are they plagued like other men Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chaine violence covereth them as a garment c. Yet if thou observe their endes thou must needes conclude with the same Psalmist Ps 73. 18. 19 20 Surely thou didst set them in slippery places thou castedst them down into destruction How are they brought into desolation as in a moment they are utterly consumed with Terrors As a dreame when one awaketh so O Lord when thou awakest thou shalt despise their image That of Zophar being really verified in this Arch Prelate Job 20. 5. to 10. The triumphing of the Wicked is short and the joy of an hypocrite but for a moment Though his excellency mount unto the Heavens and his head reach unto the clouds Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung they which have seen him shall say Where is he He shall fly away as a dreame and shall not be found The eye which saw him shall see him no more neither shall his place any more behold him Secondly hence thou maiest learne the truth of Solomons Observation Prov. 21. 30. There is no wisdome nor understanding nor counsell against the Lord. Certainly all such wisdome counsell as this imployed against God his Ordinances Gospell people though never so accurately managed so politickly contrived so powerfully backed so successefully advanced for a time will in conclusion be brought to nought and made of none effect Ps 33. 10. Acts 5. 38. Isay 19. 11 12 13. c. 8 9. 10. Job 9. 4. Whereas the counsell cause and Church of God maugre all opposition shall stand for ever and cannot be overthrown Ps 33. 11. Acts 5. 39. Isay 46. 10. Thirdly Let all Gods people learne from hence never to fear the force threats or power of the greatest Persecutors breathing since they are but mortall men who shall themselves be troden down and brought to Judgement in Gods due time During my many yeares heavy pressures under this Arch-Prelates Tyranny my spirit was exceedingly elevated even to a magnanimous contempt and holy slighting of all his overswaying power menaces proceedings as most despicable with the consideration of these two Scriptures which were ever fresh in my thoughts Isay 51. 12. 13. I even I am he that comforteth you who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall dye or of the sonne of man that shall be made as grasse And forgettest the Lord thy maker who stretched forth the Heavens and laid the foundations of the Earth and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressour as if he were ready to destroy and where is the fury of the oppressour And Ps 92. 7 8 9. When the wicked spring as the grasse and all the Workers of iniquity do flourish it is that they shall be destroyed for ever But thou O Lord art most high for evermore For loe thine enemies O Lord loe thine enemies shall perish and all the Workers of iniquity shall be scattered Certainly he who beleeves these sacred Texts and meditates seriously on them will never dread the potency tâ—raâ—ny or menaces of any mortall in a good cause or quarrell Fourthly Meditate from hence the vanity instability and danger of greatness without goodnesse the impotency of the greatest humane power honour favour to exempt or secure evil Counsellors or publike Malefactors from the sword of Justice The unhappy fatall ends of Wicked Royall Favourites who by humouring their Princes in unjust oppressive courses usually in the conclusion do but destroy themselves and prejudice their Princes most of any as this Arch-Prelate hath done The certain ruine of all bloody Persecutors of Gods people together with the infinite wisdome and power of Almighty God who can wisely order over-rule the mischievous Plots malicious contrivances of his most desperate Enemies to advance his own Honour Cause Gospell People to effect the quite contrary to what they intended and to bring about his own ends and their downfalls Many such cordiall meditations and sweet contemplations will this History afford thee for thy comfort thy incouragement in thy constant Christian profession in times of greatest danger and hottest persecution The good Lord so sanctifie it and them to thy Soul that this Archbishop who by his Life and Doctrine wrought so much mischiefe and sorrow to our Church for a season but no present good at all may bring much consolation Edification to it and thee by this his Triall and Death Farewell A COMPLEAT HISTORY OF The Commitment Charge Tryall Condemnation and Execution of WJLLJAM LAVD late Arch-Bishop of CANTERBVRT VVIlliam Laud borne in Reading of obscure Parents having through flattery and other sinister meanes by severall gradations insinuated himselfe into high favour at Court and climbed up to divers Ecclesiasticall promotions in our Church till at last he mounted to the very Pinacle of his ambition the Archbishoprick of Canterbury whereby he became Primate and Metropolitan of all England and to a Patriarch-ship or kinde of universal Papacy over all his Majesties Realmes who steerd their Ecclesiasticall affaires by his Compasse adoring him as their only Oraele and having likewise out of his insatiable ambition pragmatically intruded himselfe into all kind of secular Negociations inconsistent with his spirituall function so farre as to sway all State as well as Church-affaires according to the pleasure of his owne exorbitant will hereupon unable to mannage so great an Authority with that moderation as beseemed a Person of his profession he became so intollerably insolent violent extravagant in all his proceedings in Church and Republicke that no Pope nor Prelate whatsoever advanced from the lowest fortune to the hight of honour more really verified that Adagie of Claudian the Poet no not William Longchampe Bishop of Ely to whom Roger Houeden our Historian particularly applyed these lines of his long since Asperius 〈…〉 Câ—â—cta ferit 〈…〉 Vt se pâ—sse 〈…〉 Quam sâ—r vi nobiis in 〈…〉 Agnoscit geâ—itus et 〈…〉 nescit In so much as that Caracter which Gulielmus Nubrigensis gives us of our proud Prelate Longchamp and his tyrannicall oppressive deportment in Church in State by reason of his Ecclesiasticall and temporall united jurisdictions in the Raign of King Richard the first seemes purposely recorded to paint out the Cariage of this Arch-Prelate during all the yeares of his domineering Authority in the Raigne of Charles the first Ille sublato omniâ— obstaculo quo minus ambularet in magnis mirabilibus supra se fratus DVPLCIS id est APOSTOLIC A SIMVL ET 〈◊〉 A POTEST ATE CLERO â— ARâ—TER Eâ— POPVLOâ— ARROGANT◠〈…〉 Et â—â—cut â—â— quodam â—criptune est 〈…〉 pro dextera sic et ille ad faciliorum molicionum suarum efficatiam utraque potestate utebatur
had separated from Rome ever since the time of Reformatior An evill therefore which hath issued not so much from the personall disposition of the Prelates themselves as from the innate quality and nature of their Office and Prelaticall Hierarchie which did bring forth the Pope in Ancient times and never ceaseth till it bringeth forth popish Doctrine and worship where it is once rooted and the Principles thereof somented and constantly followed And from that antipathy and inconsistency of the two formes of Ecclesiasticall Government which they conceived and not without cause that one Island united also under one head and Monarch was not able to beare the one being the same in all the parts and powers which it was in times of Popery and now is in the Roman Church The other being the forme of Government received maintained and practised by all the Reformed Kirks wherein by their owne testimonies and confessions the Kirks of Scotland had amongst them no small eminencie This also we represent to Your Lordships most serious consideration that not only the fire-brands may be removed but that the fire may be provided against that there be no more combustion after this This charge of the Scots against the Arch-Bishop was usherd in with this Introduction in the Scotish Treatie which clearely manifests him to be excepted by name out of the Act of Pacification and Oblivion by the fourth clause thereof An Introduction to the accusation against Canterbury and the Leiutenant of IRELAND SEeing His Majestie hath beene Gratiously pleased concerning out fourth demand to declare that all his subjects shall be lyable to the tryall and sentence of the Parhament respective And seeing the Incendiaries are of two sorts either of the English or Scottish Nation to bee tryed here or there of the Scottish wee shall speake afterward And for the present we shall deliver to your Lordships the grounds of our complaint against the Prelate of Canterbury and the Leiutenant of Ireland whom the Kingdome of Scotland have conceived and expressed to have beene prime Incendiaries that they may be fully presented to your Lordshipps to the Kings Majesty and to the Parliament without prejudice alwayes unto us to adde hereafter what we shall find necessarie And although we do not presently verefie every point therein yet our present proofs of some principall points our probable presumptions of the rest which are annexed therewith are sufficient ground cum constat de incendio to one Nation to desire another to put them per viam transitionis to a tryall and to examine all the Councellors and others here who may be conceived to have beene eye or eare witnesses of any of the Councells speeches or Actions lyable to the Charge and for saving unnecessarie charges and travell to the subjects to direct Commissions and all other Warrants requisite to such as his Majesty and the Parliament shall think fit for examining all such persons as may be apprehended to have knowledge of any of these Councells Speeches or Actions which are alleadged to have beene in Ireland and that upon such Interrogatories as we shall give unto the Parliament shall be pleased to adde for triall All which we earnestly crave of his Majesty and the Parliament as we desire that his Majesty may be pleased to send Warrant to the Committee of at Esr like or to the Sheriffes of Shires for examining witnesse anent the oath pressed upon any of our Country men and other wrongs contained in the complaint if they be not sufficiently proved here 14. December 1640. After these Originall Articles exhibited against the Archbishop both by the Scottish Commissioners and House of Commons to the House of Peeres the Archbishop delaying to plead unto them and the Parliament being taken up with many emergent weighty affaires for their owne and the Kingdomes necessary preservation by reason of the unnaturall bloody Rebellion in Ireland and Warres in England so reploted and raised by the popish party the proceedings against him were respited neare two yeares space And then the Commons intending to bring him to a speedy triall exhibited these ensuing Additionall Articles against him not much different from the Originall except in some particulars Further Articles of Impeachment by the Commons assembled in Parliament against William Laud Archbishop of CANTERBVRY of high Treason and divers high Crimes and Misdemeanours as followeth 1. THat the said Archbishop of Canterbury to introduce an Arbitrary Government within this Realme and to destroy Parliaments in the third and fourth yeares of his Majesties reigne that now is a Parliament being then called and sitting at Westminster traiterously and maliciously caused the said Parliament to be dissolved to the great grievance of his Majesties subjects and prejudice of this Commonwealth And soone after the dissolution thereof gave divers Propositions under his hand to George then Duke of Buckingham casting therein many false aspersions upon the said Parliament calling it a factious Parliament and falsly affirming that it had cast many scandalls upon his Majesty and had used him like a child in his minority stiling them Puritans and commending the Papists for harmlesse and peaceable subjects 2. That within the space of ten yeares last past the said Archbishop hath treacherously endeavoured to subvert the fundamentall Lawes of this Realme and to that end hath in like manner endeavoured to advance the power of the Councell Table the Canons of the Church and the Kings Prerogative above the Lawes and Statutes of the Realme And for manifestation thereof about six yeares last past being then a Privy Councellor to his Majesty and sitting at the Councell Table he said that as long as he sate there they should know that an Order of that Board should be of equall force with a law or Act of Parliament And at another time used these words That he hoped ere long that the Canons of the Church and the Kings Prerogative should be of as great power as an Act of Parliament And at another time said that those that would not yeeld to the Kings power hee would crush them to peeces 3. That the said Archbishop to advance the Canons of the Church and power Ecclesiasticall above the law of the Land and to pervert and hinder the course of Iustice hath at divers times within the said time by his letters and other undue meanes and solicitations used to Iudges opposed and stopped the granting of his Majesties Writs of Prohibition where the same ought to have beene granted for stay ef proceedings in the Ecclesiasticall Court whereby justice hath beene delayed and hindered and the Iudges diverted from doing their duties 4. That for the end and purpose aforesaid about seaven yeares last past a Iudgment being given in his Majesties Court of Kings Bench against one Burley a Person being a man of bad life and conversation in an Information upon the Statute of 21. Hen. 8. for wilfull Non-residency the said Archbishop by solicitations and other undue meanes used to the Iudges
Altar of stone rayled in at the East end of the Quire Altarwise adorned after the popish manner with all kind of Romish furniture was by this Archbishops means as appears by divers letters between D. Cosens and him found in his Study at Lambeth first questioned in the High-commission Court at Durham then brought into the High-commission Court at Lambeth after that transmitted thence to the High-commission at York and there for this Sermon of his alone against these illegall Innovations though a reverend grave Divine every way conformable to the established doctrine and ceremonies of the Church deprived of his Prebendary Benefice in Durham and all his Ecclesiasticall preferments degraded from his Ministery fined 500 li. and imprisoned divers years till this present Parliament to his utter ruine and above ten thousand pound dammage the Archbishop disposing of his Livings to his own Creatures This sentence of his in the High-commission at York was seconded with another though not of so high a nature in the High-commission at Lambeth Mr. Charles Chaucy Minister of Ware in Hertfordshire within the Diocesse of London was articled against in the High-commission by the Archbishops procurement when Bishop of London together w th one Humphrey Parker only for opposing the rayling in of the Communion Table at Ware and speaking against it as an innovation Mr. Gellibrand testified upon his oath that at the hearing of this cause Doctor Merick of councell with Mr. Chaucy endeavoured to excuse and justifie this his opposition dislike of the new Rayle because it was first set up by some few of the parishioners without any warrant from the Bishop of the Dioces or his Chancellour as was proved whereupon the Archbishop grew exceeding angry and threatned to suspend the Doctor from his practise for pleading thus in his Cliants behalfe whereupon the Doctor not daring to make any further defence Mr. Chaucey was suspended from his Ministery both he and Parker sentenced to make a publick submission and recantation in open Court condemned in costs of suit taxed at 40 li. which they were enforced to pay imprisoned till they had performed the order of the Court or put in bond to do it This was further manifested by the sentence and recantation it selfe 4 Ian. 1635. recorded in the High Commission Register Lib. A. f. 264. 266. 331. lib. C. which sentence was read at the Lords Barre in forme ensuing Officium DominoruÌ„ cont Carolum Chauncy Clericum nuper Vicarium de Ware in Com. Hertford Humphridum Parker Yâ—oman Do. Ryves Die Iovis viz. 26 Novemb. 1635 aoram Commis Regis apud Lambeth At which day and place the said Chauncy and Parker being publickly called for appeared personally in whose presence the proofs taken and made in this cause against them were there publickly read which done Dr. Ryves his Majesties Advocate and Dr. Parry of councell for the Office enforced the proofes made against them and after that Dr. Zouch Dr. Merrick and D. Lewyu being of Counsell for the defendants enforced the proofs made for their defence upon consideration whereof it evidently appeared to the Court out of the proofs had and made in this cause that for three or two years next before the year of our Lord 1633. the said Charles Chauncy was Vicar of Ware articulate within which time the Church wardens of the Parish of Ware for the avoiding of confusion and disorder at the time of administration of the holy Communion because some were conceived to receive it sitting or leaning in their seats at a generall meeting of the parishioners and with the consent of the greater part of them agreed that the Communion Table should be placed in the Chancell of the parish-Church of Ware and a Rayle set round about it with a bench thereunto affixed whereon the communicants might kneele that accordingly a Rayle with such a bench was set afterwards about the Communion Table in the middle of the Chancell of the said Church of Ware and the same was approved of and confirmed by the Lord Bishop of London Ordinary of the place and M. Doct. Duck his Chancelour but the foresaid rayle and bench was not set up untill an Order came from the Ordinary for the erecting thereof That M. Chauncey strongly opposed the setting up of the rayle and bench about the Communion Table and professed thereupon that he would leave the place or to that effect and further gave out in speeches that the parishioners had set up that rayle and bench of purpose to drive him away with many other indiscreet speeches expressing his great dislike thereof That the said M. Chauncey and Humphry Parker laboured to divert the parishioners of Ware from making and setting up of a rayle and bench about the Communion Table And that the said H. Parker for his part when the rayle and bench were set up about the Communion Table and the Communion there celebrated by M. Craven the now Minister and when as M. Craven had perswaded the communicants there to come up to the Chancell to receive the holy Communion refused so to do that the said Humphry Parker made a journy the time articulate from Ware to Marsten Lawrence in Northamptonshire to the dwellinghouse of M. Chauncey being near fifty miles distant from Ware to speak with M. Chauncey at which time M. Chauncey upon conference had with Humphry Parker promised to come to Ware and accordingly did so lodged at the house of the said Humphry Parker That the said M. Chauncey as well at his return to Ware in the said Parkers house as at other times in other places in presence of divers of the parishioners of Ware used many reproachfull speeches against the setting up of the said rayle and bench in contempt of the just proceedings of his Ordinary and the lawfulnesse thereof as the Court conceived and pronounced viz. the said M. Parker then and there speaking of the setting up of the said rayle and bench affirmed that it was an Innovation a snare to mens consciences superstitious a breach of the second Commandement an addition to Gods worship and a block in M. Cravens way meaning and speaking of M. Craven now Vicar of Ware who is a learned and conformable Minister and that the said M. Chauncey after the setting up of the said rayle and bench took it in such ill part that he never ministred the holy Communion more there That M. Parker derided the same rayle and kneeling bench thereunto affixed and scoffed at the setting up thereof saying it would serve far better purpose in his Garden or to be set up in his Garden or to such like effect All which the premises being well weighed and considered of and after mature the liberation had of all that was there said and enforced by the counsell of either side the said M. Chauncey and Humphry Parker were both of them pronounced guilty of a contempt against their Ordinary and jurisdiction Ecclesiasticall and of raising a Schisme and
hallowed as they say with their conjured water Crossings Censings Processions c. But blessed be that God our Lord which by the light of his Word doth confound all such wicked and fond fantasies which they devise to fill their bellies and maintaine their Authority by Although these Ceremonies in the old Law were given by Moses for the hardnesse of the peoples hearts to keep thē exercised that they fall not to the Idolatry of the Gentiles yet is there no mention of them in the New Testament nor yet commanded now either to us or them but forbidden to be used of all both of us and them We be no longer under shaddowes but under the truth Christ hath fulfilled all and taken away all such darke kind of Ceremonies and hath placed the cleare light of his Gospell in the Church to continue to the end The Popes Church hath all things pleasant in it to delight the people but where the Gospell is preached they knowing that God is not pleased but onely with a pure heart they are content with an honest place appointed to resort together in though it were never hallowed by Bishops at all It is written that God dwels not in Temples made with hands nor is worshipped with any worke of mens hands but he is a spirit an invisible substance and will be worshipped in spirit and truth not in outward words onely of the lippes but with the deepe sighes and groanes of the heart and the whole power of the mind and earnest hearty calling on him in praier by faith And therefore he doth not so much require of us to build him an house of stone and timber but hath willed us to pray in all places and hath taken away the Iewish and Popish holynesse which is thought to be more in one place then another All the earth is the Lords and he is present in all places hearing the Petitions of them that call upon him in faith Therefore those Bishops which thinke with their conjured water to make one place more holy then the rest are no better then the Jewes deceiving the people and teaching that onely to be holy which they have censed crossed oyled and breathed upon for as Christ said to the woman thinking one place to be more holy to pray in then another Woman beleeve me the time is come when yee shall worship neither at Jerusalem nor in this Hill but the true worshippers shall worship God in spirit and truth So it is now said the place makes not the man holy but the man makes the place holy and ye shall not worship your Idols Stocks and Stones neither at Wilsingham Ipswich Canterbury nor Sheen for God chuses not the people for the places sake but the place for the people sake But if yee be in the midst of the field God is as ready to heare your faithfull praiers as in any Abbey or Priory yea a thousand times more for the one place he hates as defiled with Idolatry and the other he loves as undefiled and cleane If the good man lie in prison tyed in Chaines or at the stake burned for Gods cause That place is holy for the holynesse of the man and the presence of the holy Ghost in him as Tertullian saith yet there should be common places appointed for the people to Assemble and come together therein to praise our God c. Those who in the Apostles times were buried in no Church or Church-yard nor Christen-moldes as they be called when it is not better then other earth but rather worse for the conjuring that Bishops use about it It appeares in the Gospell by the Legion living in graves the Widdowes sonne going to buriall Christ buried without the Citty c. That they buried not in hallowed Churches by Bishops but in a severall place appointed for the same purpose without the Citty which custome remaineth to this day in many godly places c. A most expresse Authority against Bishops Popish consecrations of Churches and Church-yards to make them holyer then other places The second Authority they produced was Mathew Parker Archbishop of Canterbury in the beginning of Queene Elizabeths reigne who was of a quite contrary judgment to this his Popish Successor condemning this manner of consecrating Churches Altars c. as Superstitious Paganish childish ridiculous in his Antiquitates Ecclesiae Brittannicae p. 85. 86. 87. in these termes Legat enim qui volet recentiores et nostro praesertim avo editos Pontificales ac Missales libros reperiet eos et Caeremoniarū multitudine peragendi difficultate atque taedio et exorcisationis amentia priores illos longè superare Quibus enim non dicam verbis sed portentis has et ejus modi a Pontisiciis adhuc adjurantur c. Dedicatio recentis Ecclesiae Altaria vasa indumenta Linteamina et ornamenta Ecclesiastica Hac omnia quam solemni ritu sanctarum scripturarum sententiis ad suas decantationes perperā adhibitis Potificij peragunt paucis videamus c. In dedicatione Ecclesiae jam exstructae Episcopus ter ' circumiens ostium bacculo pastorali ferit hoc Psalmi carmine Attollite Portas c. Cui Diaconus intus existens respondet fere exanimatus Quis est iste Rex gloriae c. Deinde ingredicus Episcopus in fundamento Ecclesiae Cineribus sparso Alphabetum Gracum et Latinum bacculo describit tum variis multisque Episcopi Clerique incessibus rectis obliquis retrogradis transuersis parietes ac pavimenta aqua sparguntur cruces in parietibus chrismate cum dextro Episcopi pollice depinguntur infinitis penè completis caeremoniis ad extremum precatur ut populus in ea conveniens per sacerdotum libamina caelesti sanctificatione salvatus animae salutem perpetuam consequatur discedens portam his verbis Episcopus ungit chrismate porta sis benedicta sanctificata consecrata consignata Deo commendata c. Altaria autem innumeris hujus generis precibus consecrantur c. Et sane valde deflenda est hujus temporis conditio quod Ecclesiae Patres eadem mentis acie ab ecclesia resecare has hujusmodi caeremonias seu potius nugas aut nolunt aut non possunt qua priora illa Ordalii vitia cernebant atque corrigebant sed illis ut superstitiosis damnatis deletis hac quae mordicus retinent quamvis puerilia deliria sint ex illis tamen fabricantur atque struunt Quanto modernis Pontificibus aequior fuit Gregorius qui scribit Quomodo regulae sanctorum Patrum pro tempore loco persona negotio instante necessitate traditae sunt Hi autem nulla neque temporis neque loci neque negotii neque personae neque cujusquà m rei quà m suae voluntatis atque gloriolae rationem habentes ne pusillis in rebus veritate cedere volunt A very good character of the Prisoner at the bar and his proceedings in this kinde
of Stationers upon paine that every Printer offending therein shall be for ever hereafter disabled to use or exercise the Art of Mysterie of Printing and receive such further punishment as by this Court or the high Commission Court respectively as the severall causes shall require shall be thought fitting That all other Bookes whether of Divinity Phisick Philosophie Poetry or what soever shall be allowed by the Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury or Bishop of London for the time being or by their appointment or the Chancellours or Vice-Chancellors of either of the Vniversities of this Realme for the time being Alwayes provided that the Chancellour or Vice-Chancellour of either of the Vniversities shall Licence only such Booke or Bookes that are to be printed within the limits of the Vniversities respectively but not in London or else where not medling either with Bookes of the common Law or matters of State 5. Item That every Merchant of bookes and person and persons whatsoever which doth or hereafter shall buy import or bring any booke or bookes into this Realme from any parts beyond the Seas shall before such time as the same booke or bookes or any of them be delivered forth or out of his or their hand or hands or exposed to sale give and present a true Catalogue in writing of all and every such booke and bookes unto the Lord Arch-bishop of Canterbury or Lord Bishop of London for the time being upon paine to have and suffer such punishment for offending herein as by this Court or by the said high Commission Court respectively as the severall causes shall require shall be thought fitting 6. Item That no Merchant or other person or persons whatsoever which shall import or bring any booke or bookes into the Kingdome from any parts beyond the Seas shall presume to open any Dry. Fat 's Bales Packes Maunds or other Fatdalls of Bookes or wherein Bookes are nor shall any Searcher Wayter or other Officer belonging to the Custome House upon paine of loosing his or their place or places suffer the same to passe or to be delivered out of their hands or custody before such time as the Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterb. or Bishop of London or one of them for the time being have appointed one of their Chaplaines or some other Learned man with the Master and Wardens of the Company of Stationers or one of them and such others as they shall call to their assistance to bee present at the opening thereof and to view the same And if there shall happen to be found any seditious schismaticall or offensive Booke or Books they shall forthwith be brought unto the said Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Bishop of London for the time being or one of them or to the High Commission Office to the end that as well the Offender or Offenders may be punished by the Court of Starre-Chamber or the High Commission Court respectively as the severall causes shall require according to his or their demerit as also that such further course may bee taken concerning the same Booke or Bookes as shall be thought fitting It is further Ordered and Decreed that no Merchant Bookseller or other person or persons whatsoever shall imprint or cause to be imprinted in the parts beyond the Seas or elsewhere nor shall import or bring nor willingly assist or consent to the importation or bringing from beyond the Seas into this Realme any English Bookes or part of bookes or bookes whatsoever which are or shall be or the greater or more part whereof is or shall be English or of the English tongue whether the same Booke or Bookes have beene here formerly printed or not upon paine of the forfeiture of all such English Bookes so imprinted or imported and such further censure and punishment as by this Court or the said High Commission Court respectively as the severall causes shall require shall be thought meet 18. Item That no person or Persons doe hereafter reprint or cause to reprinted any booke or bookes whatsoever THOUGH FORMERLY PRINTED WITH LICENCE without being revived and a new Licence obtained for the reprinting thereof Alwayes provided that the Stationer or Printer be put to no other charge hereby but the bringing and leaving of two printed Copies of the Booke to be printed as is before expressed of written Copies with all such additions as the Author hath made XXIV Item The Court doth hereby declare their firme resolution that if any person or persons that is not allowed Printer shall hereater presume to set up any Presse for printing or shall worke at any such Presse or set or Compose any Letters to be wrought by any such Presse he or they so offending shall from time to time by the Order of this Court be set in the Pillory and Whipt through the Citie of London and suffer such other punishment as this Court shall Order or thinke fit to inflict upon them upon Complaint or proofe of such offence or offences or shall be otherwise punished as the Court of High Commission shall think fit and is agreeable to their Commission XXV Item That for the better discoverie of printing in Corners without Licence The Master and Wardens of the Company of Stationers for the time being or any two Licensed Master Printers which shall be appointed by the Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury or Lord Bishop of London for the time being shall have power and Authority to take unto themselves such assistance as they shall thinke needfull and to search what Houses and Shoppes and at what time shall thinke fit especially Printing Houses and to view what is in Printing and to call for the Licence to see whether it be Licensed or no and if not to seize upon so much as is printed together with the severall Offenders and to bring them before the Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury or the Lord Bishop of London for the time being that they or either of them may take such further Order therein as shall appertaine to Justice The Archbishop and his Confederates having accroached by coulour of this Decree the sole power of the Presse into their hands which they usurped without any such pretext of Authority long before the passing thereof began after the Popish guife in imitation of the Pope and Popish Inquisitors First to prohibit the re-printing and sale of sundry Orthodox Bookes formerly printed and sold by Authority of which we shall give you sundry notable instances One of the first Books we find prohibited by the Popish Prelates in England in King Henry the 8. his Reigne was the Bible and New Testament in English of Tyndallâ— translation and all other English Bibles and Testaments having any Annotations or Preambles which were ordered to bee out and blotted out of the said Bibles and Testaments in such sort as they could not bee perceived or read under paine of forfeiting 40s for every such Bible with Annotations or preambles as you may read in the Statute of 34. and 35. H. 8.
Geneva called Francis Sales translated into English by a Jesuite and intituled An Introduction to a devout life where thus we read Pag. 22. Confesse often and choose a Confessor of Learning and discretion c. Pag. 66. Shalt thou have leasure to confesse thee or not shalt then have the Assistance of thy spirituall guide or not Alasse O my Soule c. P. 210. Of holy Confession Our Saviour hath left in his Church the holy Medicine and balsome of Confession or Pennance that in it we may wash away all our sinnes Pag. 210. Confesse thy selfe humbly and devoutly once every moneth and ever before thou communicatest if it be possible although thou feele not thy Conscience charged with guilt of any great sinne for by Confession thou doest not only receive absolution of the Veniall sinâ—es which thou mayest then confesse but also great force and vigour to avoyd them hereafter Pag. 212. Make not those superfluous accusations which many doe of Custome I have not loved God so well as I ought c. for so thou bringest nothing in particular that may make thy Confessor to understand the state of thy Conscience Pag. 214. Thinke it not enough to confesse thy Veniall sins but accuse thy selfe also of the motive c. Pag. 215. Wee must then confesse the particular fact the motive and continuance of our sinnes Pag. 216. Spare not to tell plainly whatsoever is requisite to declare purely the quality of thine offence as the cause subject or occasion Pag. 218. Change not lightly or easily thy Confessor but having made choice of a sufficient one continue constantly rendring him account of thy Conscience on the dayes and times appointed opening to him freely and plainely the sinnes thou hast committed from time to time and monthly or from two moneths to two moneths tell him likewise of the State of thy Inclinations though thou hast not sinned by them whether thou bee given to over-much mirth or desirous of gaine or such like inclinations Here wee have Confession and Confessors serued up to the highest pitch of Popery by Popish Authors printed in Lond. with publike Authority by the Archbishops and his Chaplaines speciall License Wee shall conclude with Dr. Cosons Devotions Intituled the Houres of Prayer printed at London 1627. The precepts of the Church Fifth to receive the blessed Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ with frequent Devotion and three times a yeare at least of which times Easter to be alwayes one And for better preparation thereunto as occasion is to disburden and quiet our Consciences of those sinnes that may grieve us or scruples that may trouble us to a Learned and discreete Priest and from him to receive advice and the benefit of absolution And Pag. 25. A devout manner of preparing our selves to receive Absolution How stifly this Doctrine of Auricular Confession and Priests power of absolution was maintained not only in print and Pulpit but in private Conferences by the Archbishops Creatures and Heads of Houses in the Vniversity of Cambridge will appeare by this memorable instance On Sunday the 25. of Iune 1637. one Master Adams preaching publikely in Saint Maries Church in Cambridge before the Vniversitie on Iohn 20. 23. Whosoever sinnes yee remit they are remitted c. used these exorbitant Popish assertions touching Confession of sinnes to Priests That a speciall Confession unto a Priest actually where time or opportunity presents it selfe or otherwise in explicite intention and resolution of all our sinnes committed after Baptisme so farre forth as wee doe remember is necessary unto salvation in the judgment of Fathers Schoolmen and almost all Antiquity not onely Necessitate pracepti but also necessitate medij so that according to the ordinary or revealed meanes appointed by Christ there can be no salvation without the aforesaid Confession That Christ intended this Confession of our sinnes in speciall before the Priest for a necessary meane to bring us to salvation and to frustrate his intention or will though misconceits what were it but an argument no lesse of indiscretion then of madnesse and impiety That God being an Enemy to all sinne will not pardon any if we willingly conceale but one in our Confession to the Priest That Confession is as necessary to salvation as the Ministry of Baptisme as necessary to salvation as meat is to the Body That since Christ ordained a Tribunall seat of Judgment where sins should be remitted or retained at the discretion of a lawfull Minister as was evident by the Text he did then WITHOUT DOUBT t was his intention that the faithfull should necessarily confesse all their sins before the Priest so farre forth as they remember for the purchasing of his pardon and remission This he averred to bee as hee conceived the Doctrine of the Church of England contained in our Lyturgie That Confession is a duty of farre more antiquity and extent then ever Popery was in regard t was instituted by our Saviour practised by the Apostles the Holy Fathers and all succeeding Ages and therefore though the Papists use it it is not it cannot be as some would have it A point of Popery What shall their Errors in some Tenets prejudice the Truth in this What shall we refuse the Grape because the stalke is withered This were a Puritanicall a Novatian nicity I never heard of any thing but a foolish Cock that ever refused a Gemme though in a Dung-hill and surely those that reject so speciall a means of their salvation as Confession is meerly because t is practised by the Papists may not unfit but very properly be said to weare his badge The whole Sermon was to this effect Dr. Ward Doctor Love Dr. Brownrig and Doctor Holdsworth tooke exceptions against this Sermon as scandalous and Popish Whereupon Master Adams was convented for it before the Vice-Chancellour and Heads who both required and perused the Copy of his Sermon which done the Vice-Chancellour Doctor Brownrig drew up this ensuing Recantation which hee enjoyned him to make in publike to give satisfaction to those his Sermon had scandalized Whereas c. On Sunday the 25. of Iune last in my publike Sermon on these words St. Iohn 20. 23. whose sins yee remit they are remitted and whose sins yee retaine they are retained I delivered this doctrine That a speciall Confession unto a Priest actually where time or opportunitie presents it selfe or otherwise in explicite intention and resolution of all our sinnes committed after Baptisme so farre forth as we doe remember is necessary unto salvation not onely necessitate praecepti but also necessitate medii so that according to the Ordinance or revealed meanes appointed by Christ there can bee no salvation without the aforesaid Confession upon more mature thoughts and better information I doe find that this Doctrine then delivered was both erroneous and dangerous having not warrant from the Word of God and crossing the doctrine of our Church as may appeare by her Lyturgie in the second exhortation
Augustines time And if we doe not only bend or bow our bodie to this blessed Board or holy Altar but fall flat on our faces before his Footstoole so soone as ever we approach in sight thereof what Patriarch or Apostle would condemne us for it Which he thus further prosecutes in his Altare Christianum pag. 108. Humble and lowly Reverence towards the holy and most Sacred Altar where Christ is most truly and really present in the blessed Sacrament pag. 142. Was not the Altar set in Sacrario or Sancto Sanctorum whereunto the Priest ascended by certaine steps and degrees and when they did so ascend were there not Psalmes of degrees sang called for that cause Gradualls durst the Priests themselves ascend thither without doing lowly Reverence three severall times Veneration towards the Altar was then required and practised pag. 145. Priests in our Church at the Ordination kneell upon their knees before the holy Altar then is given imposition of hands before the holy Altar then the Bishop takes the holy Gospells from the holy Altar c. no Bishop was authorized before his Altar was consecrated pag. 153. To warrant and justifie the bringing them in and due honouring of them because they are the seats and Chairs of estate where the Lord vouchsafeth to place himselfe amongst us Quid est enim Altare nisi sedes corporis sanguinis Christi p. 159. To come home to our Countrie when the Author sees the Kings most Sacred Majestie and the honourable Lords of the most Noble order of the Garter performe most low and humble Reverence to Almighty God before the most holy Altar the Throne in earth of that great Lord from whom their honour proceedeth pag. 160. Deo atque Altari reverentiam exhibuisse visi sunt Domino Deo ejus Altari proni facti debitum impenderent honorem Summum Altare in honorem Dei debita genu-flexione reverentiaque consalutabit p. 175. Honour and Reverence of right belongs unto it in regard of the presence of our Saviour whose Chaire of State it is upon earth Nay he proceedes yet further p. 75. The Eucharist cannot be receaved among Heretiques for the Elements must be consecrated before they become partakers of that Eucharist this Heretikes could not then doe quia nec Altare nec Ecclesiam because they had neither Altar nor Church for of necessitie sayes St. Cyprian Eucharistia in Altari sanctificatur the Eucharist is consecrated upon the Altar If then this were true which this unadvised man would make the Vicar believe that there were no Altars nor Churches within 20. yeares after Christ it must needs follow that the holy Eucharist was not received by any of the holy Martyrs and blessed Saints of God in all the primitive Church or else that they did receive some kinde of Sacrament that was not consecrated for Eucharistia in Altari sanctificatur is a ground in which he sets his rest as the Fathers before him and his successors ever did P. 174. Saint Cyprian tells you that the use of Altars is to sanctifie the Eucharist upon and that without an Altar it cannot be consecrated and that therefore Heretiques have no Sacraments among them because they have no Altars Edmond Reeve in his Christian Divinity contained in the Divine Service of the Church of England seconds him in these words p. 132 to 137. Unto the due honouring of Gods holy name the place where Gods name is put is to be honoured also now also ought every one being come into Gods House to prostrate himselfe i. e. to make low obeysance towards Gods mercy-seat being in the uppermost part of the Temple pag. 133. A great Divine in our Church Mr. Dr. Laurence in his most weighty Sermons thus writeth Wee are no more Idolatrous by our prostration towards the Table of the Lord than the Iewes were by theirs towards the Tabernacle of the Lord or the mercy-seat pag. 134 Gods Board is to be accounted the peculiar seat of God within the Temple and therefore towards it unto God there we are to make low obeysance whensoever we come into Gods House for to pray Gods board is ever to have due reverence and God who is there perpetually is alwayes to be prostrated unto Should not Christianity teach us that no seat of any Person much lesse of any of the Layty should be above Gods mercy-seat the sacred Communion Table The sacred Communion Table is called an Altar and it is also called Gods mercy-seat Gods Board is ever to have due Reverence and God who is there perpetually is alwayes to be prostrated unto yea when as the Body and Blood of Christ in the blessed Sacrament is not upon the same Robert Shelford Priest in his Five learned and pious discourses printed at Cambridge 1635. determines thus p. 4. To this day all our Churches are called sanctuaties as in many other Regards so especially in regard of the Lords Table or high Altar at the upper end of them which is Iesus Christs mercy seat because there the memory of the everlasting sacrifice is made and presented to the holy Trinity pag. 15. Seest thou not the Son of Gods seat here the holy Altar at the upper end of this House Pag. 17. The 5. sort of Reverence beseeming Gods House is at the entring in before we take our seates to bend the Knee and to bow our Body to him towards the more usuall and speciall place of his residence or resemblance which is the high Altar or the Lords Table usually standing at the East end of Gods House Idque propter Christum qui est Lux Mundi Oriens nominatur Zach. 6. 12. ab oriente etiam expectatur venturus pag. 19. 20. The first reverence that you make because the house is Gods and not mans direct your aspect to Gods Table which Saint Paul calls the Lords Altar saying We have An altar whereof they have no right to eate which serve the Tabernacle this is the great signe of Gods residence in this holy place as the Arck was the signe of hs presence in his Tabernacle here the great sacrifice of Christs death for our salvation is in Remembrance represented to God the Father and can we remember so great a benefit and not reverence the Father Son and Holy Ghost for it I do not exhort you to give Divine worship to Gods Table but to worship God towards it for Gods Altar is not terminativum cultus but motivum only as Daniel being in Captivity turned his face towards Jerusalem when he prayed but prayed not to it thus if we come before God in his house with due reverence then will he hould out his Golden Scepter of grace to us as the great King Ahasuerus held out his to Queene Ester but if we slight God in his owne place and hee hould out his Iron Scepter to us then let us be wise and learned Let us learne of our Mother Churches for there our Reverend Fathers the Prelates and others make
for any abuse accordingly 7. That the Bishops suffer f none under Noblemen and men qualified by Law to have any private Chaplain in his house 8. That they take speciall care that Divine Service be diligently frequented as well for Prayers and Catechismes as Sermons and take particular note of all such as absent themselves as Recusants or other waies 9. That every Bishop that by our grace and favour and good opinion of his service shall be nominated by us to another Bishopricke shall from that day of nomination not presume to make any Lease for three lives or one and twenty yeares or concurrent Lease or any way renew any Estate or cut any wood or timber but meerly receive the rents due and quit the place For wee thinke it a hatefull thing that any mans leaving the Bishoprick should almost undoe the Successor And if any man shall presume to breake this order g we will refuse at our Royall Assent and keepe him at the place which he hath so abused 10. And lastly we command you to give us an Account every yeare the second of Ianuary of the performance of these our Commands Exceptions taken a This is broken b And this c This Catechising must be by the Catechism in the Com prayer book and no other Divers in London must preach too or loose their means They cannot agree upon the great Cause d Whether this bind the Parson or Vicar if he read the Lecture Or all the Ministers where there is a combination Vnlesse it be upon the uery edge of a Diocese c e And execut by himselfe And whether it shall be sufficient to conforme some times so the reading of Prayer bee constant f Excepted against in regard of displacing many young men c. g What if he do not let them till the Royall Assent be past Dorchester How diligent he was to put these Instructions into execution within his own Diocesse will appeare by this Letter of his to his severall Archdeacons the originall whereof was produced interlined with his own hand SIR THese are to let you understand that his Majestie out of his Royall and Princely Care that the Government of the Church may be carefully lookt unto by the Bishops and others with whom it is trusted hath lately sent certain Instructions to my Lords Grace of Canterbury and of Yorke to be by them disperst to the severall Bishops of each Diocesse within their Provinces to the intent that whatsoever concernes any Bishops personally or otherwise in reference to those of the Clergy which they are to governe may be by every of them readily and carefully performed The Instructions which concern the Persons to be governed are only the third for keeping the Kings Declaration that so differences and questions may cease and the fifth about Lecturers and the seventh concerning private Chaplaines in the Houses of men not qualified and the eighth about either Recusants or any other Absents from Church and Divine Service all the rest are Personall to the Bishops yet because they are so full of Justice Honour and Care of the Church I send to you the whole Body of the Instructions as they came to me praying and requiring you as Arch-Deacon of London to send me at or before Wednesday the third of February next both the Christian and Surnames of every Lecturer within your Archdeaconry as well in places exempt as not exempt and the place where he preacheth and his quality and Degree As also the Names of such men as being not qualified keep Chaplains in their Houses And these are farther to pray and in his Majesties name to require you that you leave with the Parson or Vicar of the place a Copy not of all but of the foure Instructions mentioned with the foure severall branches belonging to the Lecturers with a Charge that the Person or Vicar deliver another Copy of them to the Churchwardens and that you do not onely call upon them for Performance now presently but also take great care from time to time that at the End of your next Visitation and so forward at the End of every severall Visitation I may by your self or your Officialls have true notice how they are perform'd and where and by whom they are disobey'd For so much my Lords Grace of Canterbury requires of me as you shall see by the Tenor of his Graces Letters to mee here inclosed I pray you in any case not to faile in this for if you should when I come to give up my Account I must discharge my selfe upon you and that Neglect would make you go backward in his Majesties favour besides whatsoever else may follow Thus not doubting of your care and fidelity in this behalfe I leave you to the Grace of God and shall so rest Your very loving Friend Wil. London January 4. 1629. Upon the publication of these Instructions strictly pursued till this present Parliament Lecturers and Chaplaines in private Gentlemens houses were generally questioned and suppressed in all places with very great Rigor especially if they refused or neglected to read Common Prayers in their Surplisses and Hoods before they Lectured all Sermons on the Lords dayes in the Afternoon were generally suppressed by degrees throughout the Kingdome most single and many Combination Lectures were put downe in every place All Catechismes but that in the Common Prayer Book prohibited All Expositions of Chapters or of the Catechisme forbidden and layd aside Wakes Revels Dancing and all kind of Recreations introduced authorized commanded by a Regall Declaration printed and published in the Kings name by this Prelate as we have already proved and preached for in Pulpits instead of Afternoon Sermons and Catechismes on the Lords day that people might go more merrily down to Hell and banish the thoughts of God and heaven out of their minds on that very day whereon they should minde them most And that these Instructions might be the better executed this Prelate both before and after he was Archbishop together with Bishop Mountague Bishop Wren Bishop Peirce and others thrust them into their Visitation Articles and every Church-Warden and Sidesman on their Oath was to inquire after the Execution and Violation of them If any doubt arose upon these Instructions how to proceed upon them not Archbishop Abbot but this Lording Prelate was consulted with as the only Oracle who best knew their meaning as being the contriver of them Witnesse the Bishop of Bristols Letter and Quaeres to him about his Majesties late Instructions Febr. 12. 1629. the Originall whereof indorsed with Mr Dells his Secretaries hand found with the former Papers in his study was produced If any neglect or connivance at Lecturers was used in any place information and complaint thereof was presently sent up unto him witnesse this one from Canterbury against Archbishop Abbot himselfe thus endorsed with this Prelates own hand Feb 18. 1629. The Proceedings of the Dean and Arch-Deacon of Canterbury upon the Kings Instructions MAster Deane and
the year 1626. some godly Persons in and about London to promote the preaching of the Gospel and set up a Preaching Ministry to instruct the people in divers great Towns and Parishes impropriate where they wanted means to maintain Preaching of which they had long been destitute in former times resolved to lay their purses together and chuse out of themselves four Divines four Common Lawyers and four Citizens of note who should be Feoffees in trust to purchase in these Impropriations and with the profits of them to set up and maintain a constant preaching Ministery in places of greatest need and eminency whereupon they made choice of Dr W. Gouge Dr R. Sibbs C. Ofspring I. Davenport Divines Ralph Eyre S. Brown of Lincolas Inne C. Sherland of Greyes Inne J. White of middle Temple Esquires Common Lawyers Iohn Geering Richard Davis George Harwood and Francis Bridges Citizens to be Feoffees for this purpose who with their own monyes and the contributions of other well-affected persons in 2 or 3 years space purchased in the Impropriations of Hartford Dunstable Cirencester with others and set up able preaching conformable Ministers authorized by the Bishops of the Diocesse there in many other places where they had never any before as likewise at Bridgenorth Clarely and had they not been interrupted in this good work would in very few years in all probability have purchased in most of the great Towns noted Parishes Impropriations of England in Lay-mens hands where Preaching was most wanting and meanes to maintain it No sooner had this Malignant Prelate notice of this pious religious work but out of his enmity to Preaching and the good of ignorant peoples souls whom he would rather have still keept in blindnesse and the chaines of Sathan then instructed with the Gospels light and brought under the Scepter of Jesus Christ he presently projects not only the obstruction but utter subvertion of this pious designe which none but a Devill incarnate or Enemy of all goodnesse could dislike many even of the worser sort of Bishops yea Courtiers applauding it as a very necessary and godly work That he himself projected the overthrow of these Feoffees was proved out of his own Diary where thus he writes in the close of it Things which I have projected to do if Godblesse me in them the third whereof is this To overthrow the Feofment dangerous both to Church and State going under the specious pretence of buying in Impropriations Over against which he writes in the Margin DONE which fights point-blanke with his very next project of a quite contrary nature justifying these Feoffees acts namely To procure King CHARLES to give all the Impropriations yet remaining in the Crown within the Realme of Ireland to that poor Church Against which he writes in the Margin Done and settled there though to the impairing of that Crownes revenues and that by power of the Councell Table in an arbitrary forcible and illegall way to the undoing of many as appears by sundry Originall Letters thence whereas the Feoffees buying in Impropriations did no wayes lessen the Kings revenues and was done in a just and legall way To overthrow this pious work he caused Mr Noy the Kings Atturney Generall by the Kings command to exhibit a Bill against these Feoffees in the Eschequer Chamber to confiscate their purchased Impropriations to the King by a Decree of that Court and so dissolve all they had done which Bill was prosecuted with all violence To set on the prosecution with more edge he suborned his flattering creatures to declaime against these Feoffees and their design in the Pulpit both at Court and elsewhere Among others his great Minion Peter Heylin preaching at Saint Maryes in Oxford before the whole Vniversity at the publike Act there on Sunday in the afternoon the 11th of July 1630. discharged his venome against Lecturers and these Feoffees in these bitter Invectives p. 38 39 Planting of Pensionary Lectures in so many places where it needs not and upon dayes of common labour will at the last bringing forth of fruites appear to be a tare indeed though now no wheat be counted fairer c. Wee will proceed a little further in the proposall of some things to be considered The Corporation of Feoffees for buying in Impropriations to the Church Doth it not seeme in the appearance to be an excellent peece of Wheat A noble and gracious point of Piety Is not this Templum Domini Templum Domini But blessed God that men should thus draw near unto thee with their mouths yet be far from thee in their hearts For what are those intrusted in the managing of this great businesse Are they not the most of them the most active and the best affected men in the whole cause et magna partis momenta chiefe Patrons of the faction And what are those whom they prefer Are they not most of them such as must be serviceable to their dangerous Innovations And will they not in time have more preferments to bestow and therefore more dependances then all the Prelates in the Kingdome c. Yet all this while we sleep and slumber and fold our hands in sloath and see perhaps but dare not note it This Sermon he presented to this Bishop in writing bound up in Velome who thus endorsed it with his own hand S. Mat. 13 25. Master Peter Heylin and reserved it as a monument in his study where it was seised by Mr Pryn and Mr Bendy who produced and attested it Feb. 13. 1632. this cause came to hearing and sentence in the Exchequer Chamber where the Feoffees and their good designe were utterly overthrowne of which the Bishop made this speciall Memento in his Diary in these termes Feb. 13. 1632. Wednesday the Feoffees that pretended to buy in Impropriations were dissolved in the Chequer Chamber They were the main Instruments for the Puritane faction to undoe the Church The Criminall part reserved John White of the Middle Temple Esquire a member of the House of Commons deposed at the Lords Barre that he attending this Archbishop then of London at London House as a Councellour about a right of Patronage to Chingford in Essex after the hearing of the businesse the Bishop demanded of him Whether he were not one of the Feoffees for buying in Impropriations to which he answered he was whereupon the Bishop fell upon him with much bitternesse of spirit calling him An enemy of the Church an underminer of Religion and vehemently affirmed that this worke of his and his fellow-Feoffees was mischeivous to the Church and destructive to Religion and that he would see him and his fellows shortly called to an Account for it and stop them from proceeding in that work That some few dayes after he attended this Bishop again at Fulham upon the former cause where he took occasion to discourse with him at large about the Feoffees proceedings enforming him that their onely ayme and end in purchasing in Impropriations was for the
in mother part of my Diocesse farther off every Parish hath his Priest and some two or three apiece and so their Masse-houses also in some places Masse is said in the Churches Fryars there are in divers places who goe about though not in their habit and by their imporâ—â—â—ate begging empoverish the people Who indeed are generally very poore as from that cause so from their paying double Tithes to their owne Clergy and ours from the dâ—â—th of Corne and the death of their Cattle these late yeers which the 〈◊〉 to their souldiers and their agents and which they forget not to reckon among other causes the appression of the Court Ecclesiastiasticall which in very truth any Lord I cannot excuse and doe seek to reforme For our owne there are some seven or eight Ministers in each Diocesse of good sufficiency and which is no small cause of the continuance of the people in popery still English which have not the tongue of the people nor can performe any divine offices or converse with them and which hold many of them two three foure or more Vicarages apiece even the Clerkships themselves are in like manner conferred upon the English and sometimes two or three or more upon one man and ordinarily bought and sold or let to farme c. His Majesty is now with the greatest part of this Country as to their hearts consciences King but at the Popes discretion c. Your Lordships most obliged servant in Christ Jesu WILL. KILMORE and ARDREN Kilmore the 1. of April 1630. His second Letter to the Lord Deputy of Ireland about the maintainance of the Army and the Cavan Petition which he sent inclosed in an other Letter to the Archbishop is somewhat more full and observable wherein there is this memorable passage concerning the encrease and insolencies of the Papists in Ireland which Letter he received thence Decemb. 4. 1633. Right Honourable my good Lord c. IN the midst of these thoughts I have been advertised from an honourable friend in England that I am accused to his Majesty to have opposed his service and that my hand with two other Bishops onely was to a writing touching the monies to be levyed on the Papists here for maintainance of the men of warre c. Indeed if I should have had such ad intention this had been not only to oppose the service of his Majesty but to expose with the publike peace mine own neck to the sâ—eans of the Romish Cut-throats I that know that in this Kingdome of his Majesty the Pope hath another Kingdome farre greater in number and as I have heretofore signified to the Lords Justices and Counsell which is also since justified by themselves in print constantly guided and directed by the Order of the new Congregation de propaganda side lately erected at Rome transmitted by the meanes of the Popes Nuncioes residing at Bruxels or Paris that the Pope hath here a Clergie if I may guesse by my owne Diocesse double in number to us the heads whereof are by corporall Oath bound to him to maintaine him and his Regalities contra omnem hominem and to execute his Mandates to the utmost of their forces which accordingly they doe stiling themselves in print Ego N. Dei c. Apostolicae Sedis gratia Episcopus Fermien Ossorien c. I that know there is in this Kingdome for the moulding of the people to the Popes obedience a rabble of irregular Regulars commonly younger Brothers of good houses who are growne to that insolency aâ— to advance themselves to be Members of the Ecclesiasticall Hierarchy in better ranke then Priests in so much as the censure of the Sorbon is faine to be implored to curbe them which yet is called in againe so tender is the Pope of his owne Creatures I that know that his Holinesse hath erected a new Vniversity at Dublin to confrant his Majesties Colledge there and to brâ—ed up the youth of this Kingdome to his devotion of which Vniversity one Paul Harris the Author of that infamous Libell which was put forth in print against the Lord Armaths Wansted Sermon stileth himselfe in print to be Deane I that know and have given advertisement to the State that these Regulars dare erect new Fryeries in the Country since the dissolving of those in the Citys that they have brought the people to such a sottish senselesnesse as they care not to learne the Commandements as God himselfe spake and writ them but they flock in great members to the preaching of new superstitious and detestable doctrines such as their owne Priests are ashamed of and at these they levy collections three four five six pound at a Sermon Shortly I that know that these Regulars and this Clergie have at a generall meeting like to a Synod as themselves stile it holden at Drogheda decreed that it is not lawfull to take the Oath of Alleagiance and if they be constant to their own doctrine doe account his Majesty in their hearts to be King but at the Popes discretion In this estate of this Kingdome to think the bridle of the Army may be taken away it should be the thought not of a brain-sick but brainlesse man c. The day of our deliverance from the popish Powder-plot Your Lordships in all duty WILLIAM KILMORE By these two Letters it is most apparent that this Arch-Prelat was from time to time acquainted with the extraordinary encrease and insufferable insolencies of the Papists in Ireland as likewise of their popish Arch-bishops and Bishops audacious proceedings in that Kingdome which he was more fully informed of by two printed papers sent to him by Archbishop Vsher the one in Latin the other in English found in his Study endorsed thus with his Secretary Dels hand May 3. 1632. Protestations of the Secular Priests in Ireland against Thomas Flemming Arch-bishop of Dublin one whereof was read at the Lords Barre To all the most Illustrious Archbishops and Bishops of Ireland but more particularly to those of the Province of Dublin their honourable Lords David Bishop of Ossory John of Fernes Rosse of Kildare and Matthew Vicar Apostolicall of Lagblem MOST Illustrious Lords and Reverend Bishops the Priests of Dublin make their complaint before you that the most Illustrious Arch-bishop of Dublin Thomas Flemming of the Order of Saint Francis without alleaging my cause against them onely for his will and at his pleasure useth to exile and banish Priests out of his Diocesse and they protest that in so doing he exerciseth a tyranny over the Clergie contrary to the Canons of holy Church and the Lawes and Statutes of this Kingdome Most Illustrious Lords and Reverend Fathers in Christ the aforesaid Priests doe make their complaints that the same most Illustrious Arch-bishop of Dublin Thomas Flemming of the Order of Saint Francis though humbly sought unto and desired doth refuse to doe them justice in their causes neither yet will be permit the Clergie to follow their
actions meerly civil before the Magistrate coÌ„trary to the received customs of this kingdom from the first conversion of this Nation they protest that in so doing be exerciseth a tyranny over the Clergie contrary unto the Canons of the Church and the Laws and Statutes of this Kingdome c. Most Illustrious Lords and Reverend Fathers in Christ the aforesaid Priests doe complain that the Illustrious Arch-bishop of Dublin Thomas Flemming of the Order of Saint Francis is accustomed to answer the Clergy complaining of their grievances to him If I doe you wrong you may goe to Rome to complaine In the meane time reporting himselfe so powerfull in the Court of Rome that be feares no adversary And of this that reverend Priest Father Patrick Caâ—ill Doctor of Divinity had experience who for a yeere treating of his injuries and grievances done unto himby the Arch-bishop of Dublin could by no meanes prevaile once to be admitted to the presence and audience of the most eminent Cardinall Ludovifius Vice-Chancellour of Rome which Cardinall notwithstanding is given by his Holinesse unto the Irish at the only Patron and Protector of the Irish Nation These things we may remember with griefe but amend them we cannot but we professe before Almighty God his Holinesse and all faithfull people that this is nothing else but to tyrannize over the Clergie to the dishonour of the Church and no small contempt to the See Apostolick For which and other causes besides to be alleaged and in their due time and place to be proved against the above named Thomas Flemming of the Order of Saint Francis we the aforesaid Priests and hereafter to be named doe set before your eyes most Illustrious and reverend Lords these our grievances as meet and honourable witnesses of this our deed writing and publike instrument and as far as is possible and lawfull for us by the Canons of holy Church declining the jurisdiction of our aforesaid Ordinary by this our present writing and from this time forth we appeale unto the See Apostolicke from all Ecclesiasticall censures hereafter to be inflicted upon us by the same Illustrious Arch-bishop Thomas Flemming of the Order of Saint Francis and in the meane time providing for our innocency and safety according to the example of Saint Paul and Saint Athanasius we doe invocate the ayde of the secular arme for our present remedy against the aforesaid Illustrious Arch-bishop Thomas Flemming of the Order of Saint Francis and all Regulars of what Order soever as well Monks as begging Fryars Abettars Counsellours and Participants with him in the premises as violators and contemners of all Lawes divine and humane and men by the Law excommuicate Humbly beseeching your Lordships in the bowels of the Crucified that you would be pleased to intimate with as much speed as may be this our Protestation and Appeale unto the See Apostolick and the God of peace and love long preserve your Reverend Lordships in safety Dated at Dublin May the third in the yeer of our Lord 1632. Peter Caddell Doctor of Divinity Paul Harris pr. Deacon of the University of Dublin From which Protestation we may observe these considerable particulars First that the Papists in Ireland had their owne popish Archbishops Bishops and a Vicar Apostolicall residing then amongst them as the title and body of this Protestation manifests Secondly that their Archbishop Flemming had a popish Clergy under him in his Province and did exceedingly tyrannize over them usurping jurisdiction even in temporall causes and over the Kings own Courts among the Catholikes of Ireland Thirdly that the popish Bishops in Ireland did usually conferre Orders and exercise all Episcopall jurisdiction there Fourthly that they had a speciall Cardinall at Rome Ludovifius given by the Pope unto the Irish as the onely Patron and Protector of the Irish Nation Fifthly that they were grown extraordinary bold and insolent there so as they openly published this their Protestation and Appeal in print both in Latin and English to all the world and avowed it under their hands subscribed to it Sixthly that they had then erected a popish University in Dublin it self of which Paul Harris professeth himself Deacon or Dean as Bishop Beadle stiles him even in print This Prelat though he knew all this yet for ought we find he never took any severe course at all to prevent the encrease and insolencies of the popish Prelats Priests Fryars Papists there but rather to foment them For first he promoted and sent over divers superstitious popish Clergy-men thither as young Mr. Croxton Doctor Bramball his principall Agent and Informer Chaplain to the Lord Deputy Master Chapple and others who set up sundry popish innovations and brcohed popish Doctrines there to the great encouragement of the Papists Secondly he sent over the Lord Wentworth his grand instrument and confederace to be Lord Deputy of that Kingdome who extraordinarily favoured the popish party there and at last proceeded so far as to make use of them even in Parliament to ballance the Protestants the better to conquer and enslave that Kingdome even by Parliaments witnesse this remarkable clause in A Duplicate of a Dispatch of this Lord Deputies to his Majesty Jan. 22. 1633. with this subscription For my Lords Grace of Canterbury found in his private Study at Lambeth thus endorsed with his own hand Rec. Mar. 2. 1633. Comp. Ang. Reasons for the present calling of a Parliament in Ireland Where thus he writes concerning the Parliament then intended to be there called I Shall endeavoour that the lower House may be so composed as that neither the Recusants nor yet the Protestants shall appear considerably more one then the other holding them as much as may be upon an equall ballance for they will prove thus easier to govern then if either party were absolute Then would I in private discourse shew the Recusant That the contribution ending in December next if your Majesties Army were not imployed some other way before the twelve pence a Sunday must of necessity be exacted upon them Shew the Protestant that your Majesty must not let goe the 20000li. contribution nor yet discontent the other in matter of Religion till the Army were some way else certainly provided for and convince them both that the present quarterly paiments are not so burthensome as they pretended them to be And that by the graces they have had already more benefit then their mony came to Thus poising one by the other which single might perchance prove more unhappy to deal with With this Machiavillian policy he then acquainted this Archbishop and acaccordingly pursued it which what desperate effects it hath of late produced in that Kingdom by making the Irish Papists able to over-master and almost extirpate the English-Irish Protestants and their Religion there we now experimentally feel to our greatest grief and danger Neither did the Archbishop only approve this hellish policy of the Lord Deputy but likewise in the late Scottish
and that was no extravagancy As for the consecrating of Churches only repaired or somwhat enlarged we know no Law nor Canon in our Church to warrant it And to take sees for it is both Symony and extortion For the restoring of them it is only affirmed not proved and to take them illegally to bestow them on the poore is but to rob Peter to cloath Paul Thirdly For the consecration of Chappell 's and meere private Oratoties there is no president in Antiquity yea Gratian himselfe and the Roman Pontificall allow the use of them without any consecration Therefore to consecrate them is to exceed even Popery and Papists in Superstition As for his Chapell of Aberguilly his owne Diary proclaimes his Superstition both in its consecration and denomination of it For the Patterne and furniture of it his owne notes and papers clearly prove it was the same with that of Bishop Andrews whose forme of conscration himselfe alleageth he punctually pursued And if this were the true patterne furniture of Bishop Andrews owne Chapell Anno 1623. all the world may justly censure him for a professed Papist his Chapell Altar and their furniture being as Popish Superstitious Idolatrous every way as the Pops in Rome yea exceeding the very Roman Ceremoniall and Pontificall For Wafers they are directly contrary to the Rubrick at the end of the Communion in the Book of Common prayer we wonder therefore with what face this Prelate dares justify them That a Bishops breath puts only a badge of reverence not holinesse on Churches is diametrially contrary to what he formerly affirmed Perchance he now remembers that Quicquid effecit tale est magis tale and therefore Bishops cannot make other things holy with their breath who have little or no holinesse at all in their hearts For his solemne consecration prayer at the laying the first stone of Hammersmith Chappell it hath neither Scripture Law Canon Antiquity but the Roman Pontificall to warrant it Therefore it is meerly Popish Wheras he objects by way of jeare that he hopes the consecration of Churches and Chapells is no Treason we answer that we do not charge it to be so in it selfe But we have proved it to be a branch of Popery and a grosse one too and being introduced by him among other things to set up Popery and subvert Religion it will prove Treason in this respect as we shall manifest in due time And so this intre charge remaines unavoyded in any the least particle 8ly The next Charge urged against me Is The Kings Declaration for the use of sports on the Lords day prescribing the observation of Revells Wakes Feasts of Dedication likewise formerly suppressed where I am accused 1. For causing this Booke to be enlarged reprinted in his Majesties name to prevent the petition of the Iustices in Somersetshire and make way for Mr. Prynnes censure 2. For pressing Ministers to read it in their Churches without any Warrant suppressing of Sermons censuring those who refused to publish it as Mr. Wilson Master Player Master Heiron Mr. Snelling with sundry others encouraging other Bishops to suspend silence many Godly preaching Ministers for this cause pressing this Book and ordering Churchwardens to present such who refused to publish it by Visitation Oathes and Articles 3ly For reviving disorder by wakes Revels and causing the Iudges Orders to be reversed To the first of these I answer That the Kings Declaration for sports was printed and published by his Majesties speciall command Yea I had a Warrant under his hand to see it printed and there is no proofe at all that it was printed published or enlarged by my procurement Besides the Declaration is but for the use of lawful Sports and that only after evening prayer ended and the cause of publishing it at that time was partly Barbourous Book of the Sabbath who would revive the Iewish Sabbath and the Iewish rigidities positions of others touching the Lords day whose positions drew Brabourne into that Error In Geneva it self as I have bin ceedibly informed by Travellers they use shooting in peeces long bowes Crosse Bowes Musters and throwing of the bowle too on the Lords day as well before as after Sermons ended and allow all honest recreations without reproofe of their Ministers yea Mr. Calvin the great professor there Instit l. 2. c. 8. sect 34. blames those who infected the people in former ages with a Iudaicall opinion that the morality of the 4th Commandement to wit the keeping of one day in 7. did still continue which what else is it then in dishonour of the Iews to change the day and to affix as great a sanctity to it as the Iewes ever did And that those who adhored to their constitutions who broached this Doctrine Crassa carnalique Superstitione Judaeos ter superant Men may be too strict as wel as prophaneherein Yet I for my part have ever strictly observed the Lords day in point of practise And whereas it was attested by Mr. Prynne that this Declaration was published to prevent the Petition of Somersetshire for the reviving of Iudge Richardsons forecited order Sir Robert Philips and many other Gentlemen of that County complained against the order to the King whereupon the Iudge was ordered to reverse it and the Declaration was not published till after the reversall 2ly The Declaration was ordered to be published in the Church and that was sufficient warrant to enjoyne Ministers to publish it there although no penalty be prescribed in it to such who should refuse to publish the same yet it is implyed otherwise the command were idle in case of disobedience That it was published with intent to suppresse afternoon Sermons that so the people might â—ave more time for Sports This could not be since none were to use any Recreations till after Evening Prayer ended That I gave my Visitor command to suspend those who refused to read it was only within my Diocesse of Canterbury not in my Metropoliticall Visitation throughout my province I suspended but three Ministers in my whole Diocesse who had first time of consideration granted them to wit Mr. Wilson Mr. Culmer and Mr. Player only suspended ob officio for their contumacy being men of factious Spirits For Mr. Wilson and others being brought into the High Commission for not reading this Declaration it was the act of the Court not mine As for Mr. Snelling he was excommunicated by Dr. Woode not me and he was questioned in the High Commission for not bowing at the name of Iesus and as well as not reading this Book Besides I was not present at his censure there neither did I expunge his answer Nor did I presse the reading of the Declaration in my Visitation Articles if other Bishops did it t is nothing to me themselves must answer for it not I. 3ly Feasts of dedication have beene of great Antiquity and in generall use in some Coutries and there is a lawfull use of them for Hospitality and increase of
Court of Parliament in this Realme WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE CLERGY IN THEIR CONVOCATION Fourthly that I did not alter or rase out those passages but onely left them to the Doctors owne consideration who thereupon of himself amended and left them out To this was replied First that Doctor Potter writ to him onely to correct or alter by his servant Master Dell or others any thing in his Booke OFFENSIVE TO HIM To which he returned this answer I have done that which you have so desired c. So as these very passages against the Pope and Papists were offensive to him as well as to them at which as it seems by the Doctors Letter he had formerly taken some offence else why should he thus write to him to alter and correct any thing in his Booke offensive to his GRACE It seemes by this that whatever offended the Pope or Papists be it but an harsh expression offended his Grace too who was all for Charitable expressions towards them who are so uncharitable towards us Secondly for the expressions themselves The first of them is not so harsh as true and fitting since Papists not onely beleeve the Pope but beleeve in him too viz. That his Exposition of Scripture is infallible that he cannot erre in his chaire that this Lord God the Pope cannot onely pardon sinnes and release soules out of purgatory at his pleasure but infallibly save all such who adhere to beleeve in and trust upon him for salvation The latter of them the Idol of Rome is a proper Periphrasis or Character of the Pope himselfe who is there idolized adored sundry wayes Thirdly the deleting his exposition on Matth 18. 17 18. upon the reason rendred by him is both derogatory and destructive to the Ecclesiasticall Jurisdiction of Parliaments in Ecclesiasticall causes and affaires which our Parliaments have alwayes judged setled established in all Ages oft times without yea against the Clergies consent the Convocation onely propounded advised and submitted wholly to the Parliaments judgement Yea our Parliaments have made Lawes concerning Heresie its punishment and matters of Religion sometimes without the Clergies consent as it is evident by the Statutes of 25 Hen. VIII c. 14. 28 Hen. VIII c. 10. 35 Hen. VIII c. 5. 1 Edw. 6. c. 1. 2. 12. with others Sometimes upon their Petition and earnest request as 5 Ric. II. c. 5. 2. Hen. IV. c. 15. repealed though never truly a Statute since the Commons never consented to them 2 Hen. V. c. 7. Sometimes by their request and advice too as 31 Hen. VIII c. 14. 34 Hen. VIII c. 1. 1 k 2 Ph. Mary c. 6. As for the Statute of 1 Eliz. c. 1. it no wayes inferres that the Parliament it selfe cannot adjudge or determine any Ecclesiasticall matters without the assent of the Clergy in the Convocation for then they had never cast our Popery and the Popes usurped authority which the Clergy still maintained nor wrought any reformation of Religion in our present or former Parliaments but onely Enacts That the High Commissioners shall adjudge nothing to be Heresie not formerly resolved to be so as this Act expresseth but what the Parliament shall adjudge â—rder and determine to be Heresie by assent of the Clergie in their Convocation from whence no argument can be deduced but this Nonsequitur The High Commissioners can judge no new opinion to be nor punish it as Heresie unlesse the Parliament of England first adjudge it to be Heresie with the assent of the Clergy in Convocation by the expresse provision of this Act Ergo the Parliament can make no Ecclesiasticall Lawes meddle with no Church affaires nor determine ought to be Heresie unlesse the Clergy in Convocation first assent thereto Pretty incoherent Logick and Anti-parliamentary Divinity Fourthly that Doctor Potter himselfe voluntarily corrected them upon his Letter appeares not but if he did it was to please this Archbishop in deleting those passages which he signified to be displeasing to him the better to obtaine the Prebendary he sued for to him in this Letter Wherefore these purgations must rest still upon his score To the Popish Alterations and Delections under his owne hand made in the SCOTTISH COMMON-PRAYER BOOKE which the Commons desired to presse he pleaded the ACT OF PACIFICATION AND OBLIVION against the very reading of them Whereupon they did forbeare and wave the reading of them for the present though cleane out of the ACT alleaging onely that this Plea of his was a plaine confession of his Guilt The fifth sort of purgations objected to me are those in SIR ANTHONY HUNGERFORDS Books which DOCTOR BAAR my Chaplaine would have expunged Of which SIR EDWARD HUNGERFORD his Sonne complained to me as he deposeth after he had expostulated with my Chaplaine who would crosse them out or not license the Bookes Whereupon I told him I having many other imployments had trusted my CHAPLAINES with those things which I wholly referred to them therefore what they thought fit to leave out you must Submit to And thereupon would not redresse his Grievance herein To this I Answer First that if there were any Errour herein it was not mine but my Chaplaines since dead who if he were alive and might have been heard to speake for himselfe would doubtlesse have given a good account and reason to your Lordships why he thought these passages unfit to be printed Saint Augustine saith that oft times infinite harme did accrew to the Church per temerarios veritatis assertatores and every Treatise written against Papists is not so satisfactory but that it may prove so disadvantagious to the Cause as to be unfit to be printed It may be these were such however God be thanked the Books were printed with those passages in them and so no harme done by my Chaplaine Secondly for my answer to Sir Edward it was true I had so many publick businesses then upon me that I had no leisure to peruse Books for the Presse and thereupon referred that trust wholly to my Chaplaines therefore if they offended they onely must answer for it not I and should I herein controll what my Chaplaines had done in this kind it would have so discouraged them that none of them have undertaken the office of a Licenser afterwards Besides I should have been perpetually troubled with clamours against that which my Chaplaines thought fit to be blotted out of Books tendred to them to be licensed for them every man would have appealed from them to me in this kind so as I should have had no quiet To this was replied First that we have formerly proved at large that his Chaplaines errours and delinquencies in this kind are his owne because the care of licensing Books was originally vested in himselfe and they were but his entrusted servants for whom he must be responsible at his perill and the rather in this case because he confesseth his Chaplaine is dead and cannot be punished for it
expertnesse and diligence in discovering priests and assisting other Messengers to apprehend them for this hainous crime alone Windebanke complained of him to the Queen and for this very cause Thatcher is specially charged by the Arcishop himselfe not to keep company with him under paine of being turned out of his place and Goldsmith deposeth that the Archbishop himselfe gave a publick charge to all the Messengers of the High Commission not to keep company with Gray any more for if they did he would lay them by the heels pull their Coats off their backs and turne them out of their places Committed he was to the Fleet upon the Archbishops complaint only for using words implying his coldnesse in prosecuting priests hoping to see better times a very poor cause to imprison him so long His own hand as we proved is to the Warrant for his commitment He oft times petitioned for his enlargement by his wife but his petitions were still rejected with scorn He answers He will have nothing to doe with that Priest-catching knave proved by two Witiesses Elizabeth Gray and Goldsmith Vbi dolor ibi digitus here was the cause of all the malice against Gray this was his grand crime he was a priest-catcher and a knave for catching them strange language from an Archbishop But what followes his favourite Windebank must come in to act the second part and close up the Tragedy Gray must not be enlarged after many moneths imprisonment till he put in baile never to discover or prosecute Priests more and then they should all be quiet in short time with our prelats and popish Clergies concurrence quickly reduce us all to Rome This is the upshot of the Designe which this evidence concerning Gray most cleerly discovers and proves too Eightly for Egertons testimony concerning his restoring of popish Books it is more then a report it was from the mouth of Mottershead a sworne Officer to the Archbishop now dead who durst not report an untruth of this nature and the Archbishop himselfe confesseth the many Books forementioned were restored by order of the High Commission Court whereof himselfe was a chiefe member therefore by him a cleer confirmation of Mottersheau's words Egerton's testimony and Master Jones his papers Ninthly for the liberty of Priests Jesuits and their saying Masse in prisons it was his owne negligence and connivance the Keepers being under his command the High Commissioners who could look narrowly enough to Puritans and godly Ministers and indeed their commitment thither to secure them from our common Goales and all legall prosecutions was but a meer fallacy to delude the people and advance the Catholick cause with greater facility and lesse suspition Tenthly Mayoes testimony and Thatchers are so farre from extenuating that they aggravate his offence their Warrants and imployments being meer dissimulations and shadowes to gull the people for naught was done upon the intelligence of the one to whom he refused to grant a Warrant because he was too hot against Priests and no Priests apprehended by the other who had his Warrant upon this condition Not to imploy or keep company with Gray the onely man that could discover Priests and Jesuits to him and help him in their apprehending Finally his owne objected confession in his Epistle to the King God forbid I should ever offer to perswide a persecution in any kind or practice it in the least c. against Priests and Jesuits coupled with the premises when as he was so terrible so bloody a persecutor of Orthodox godly Ministers and zealous Protestants unanswerably proues his connivance at his protection of and confederacy with them to re-enthrall us in their Romish bondage So that this whole charge however he conceives he hath shaken it quite off and laid it in the dust recoiles upon him with greater vigor and rests heavier on his back then ever The last charge of this nature against me is that I complyed with Papists Priests and Jesuits in concealing their very Treasonable plots and conspiracies both against our State Church and Religion to reduce us unto Rome for which they produce two instances my threatning and committing Mistris Hussey for discovering a dangerous plot of the Queen Mother and others to cut the Protestants throats and my concealing of Habernfields plot discoverd to me not prosecuting or revealing it to the Parliament or Lords to fift it to the bottome To this I answer that I did not conceale nor discourage the discoverers of either of these two plots For the first of them I conceived it very improbable and I thought Anne Hussey to be crazy when she revealed it and so much I told her For her commitment to the Sheriffes it was at her owne desire for her greater safety and there was as strict an examination as possible of this conspiracy but no cleer evidence For the latter plot as soon as I received intelligence of it I presently revealed it to the King as appeares by my Letter and the Kings Answer to it in the margin under his owne hand which Master Prynne hath printed and the subsequent Letters prove that I did all I could therein but could make nothing of it This I beleeve a noble Lord here present well remembers to whom I disclosed it to wit the Earle of Northumberland who presently replyed he did remember no such thing However it is one of the greatest evidences that can be of my steadfastnesse in the protestant Religion and opposition against popery if the plot were reall and if but counterfeit then no crime to conceale it To which was replyed First that all the premises abundantly prove that he was privy and assistant to many Jesuiticall plots and devices to usher in popery and reduce us to Rome therefore it is no wonder that he opposed not nor prosecuted but smothered them all he could Secondly that the first of the plots which he then conceived improbable hath since experimentally proved reall both in England and Ireland yea his b Owne with Straffords dangerous advice to the King To bring in an Army of Irish Papists at that time to subdue the Scots because they durst not trust the English was cozen Germane to this plot which she discovered and probably a branch thereof For his deeming and calling her Mad-woman when she spake both punctually and rationally with his reviling terrifying words to her his laying an imputation on the whole City of London that she was hired by them to make this discovery with his menaces to have her punished c. were unsufferable abuses in such a case as this to smother a most execrable Treason and such a terrifying of a Witnesse as we shall not read the like especially when all the other Lords encouraged and gave her good words As for the further examination of the businesse afterwards and commitment of the Priest it proceeded only from the other Lords not him who did all he could to dant the Witnesses and conceal the