like the Ninivites they replied neither of these shall be because neither shall they repent neither shall God have mercy on them And I demanding when remission of so great calamities might be expected To this they answered concerning this it shall be so as in case of a greene tree if it be cut in the midest and the part 〈◊〉 off be carried farre from the Trunke when that without any helpe shall be reannexed to the Trunke and begin to flourish and bring forth fruit then a remission of such evills may be hoped for The truth of which prophesie writes Matthew Wstminster the English soone after had experience of in this that England became the habitation of strangers and the dominion of forreiners for a little after no English man was either a Duke Bishop or Abbot upon the comming in of the Conqueror neither was there any hope of ending this misery The Conqueror comming to the Crown had some contests with this Bishop whom he would have removed from his Bishoppricke for insufficiency in point of learning but being found more able than he was reputed he held his Bishoppricke and recovered some Lands from the Archbishop of Yorke taken by the Archbishops from this See which some three or foure Archbishops before had held in Commendam with Yorke The Cathedrall of Worceter being stately built a new from the ground in his time the Monkes thereupon forsaking their old habitation built by Oswald which they pulled downe betooke themselves to this new stately building Which Wulstan seeing burst out into teares and being demanded a reason thereof by some that told him he had rather cause to rejoyce our predecessors saith he whose Monuments wee deface rather I doubt to set up the banners of our vaine-glory than to glorifie God they indeede quoth he were not acquainted with such stately buildings but every place was a Church sufficient for them to offer themselves a reasonable holy and lively sacrifice unto God we contrariwise are double diligent in laying heapes of stones so to frame a materiall Temple but are too too negligent in setting forward the building of that lively Temple the Church oâ— God In King William Rufus time this Bishop arming such an number of people as the city of Worceter could afford caused to sally out and set upon Roger Earle of Mountgomery and others who attempted to take it whom they discomfited killing and taking a number of them prisoners Maugere the 36. Bishop of Worceter was one of those foure Bishops who Anno. 1208. upon the Popes command excommunicated King Iohn and put the whole Kingdome under interdict whereupon his goods and temporalities were seised and he inforced to flie the Realme dying at last in exile at Pontiniac in â—rance during the time of this interdict the King writes Matthew Parts had most wicked Councellors Qui Regi in omnibns placere cupientes cousiliura non pro ratione sed pro voluntare dederunt who dâ—sirous to please the King in all things gave counsell not according to reason but will among these he reckons up Tres Episcopi curiales three Court Bishops to wit Philip Bishop of Durham Peter Bishop of Wincester and Iohn Bishop of Norwhich Walter de Cantelupo the 40. Bishop of Worceter as he stoutly opposed the Popes exactions in England so in the yeare 1264. he tooke great paines to worke a peace betweene the King and the Barons in whose behalfe when he had offered the King conditions as he thought most reasonable which might not be accepted he addicted himselfe unto their party exhorted them to fight valiantly in the cause and promised heaven very confidently to them that should die in defence of the same For this he was after justly excommunicated by the Popes Legate and being sicke unto death repenting much this fault of disobedience unto his Prince he humbly craved and received absolution from that excommunication whereupon ensued bloody warres and rapines soâ— as Matthew Paris writes Nec Episcopi nec ahbates nec ulli religiosi de villa in villam progredâ— potuerunt quin à vespilionibus praedaâ—ontur And concludes this yeare thus Transâ—it annus iste frugifer benè temperatus sanusâ— sed in cunctis eventibus Angliae dispendiosus propter bellum commune propter rerum coramunium privatarum flebilem direptionem Most of the succeeding Bishops of Worceter as Adam de Orleton that Arch-traytor and such like were translated to other Sees where I shall meete with them and therefore pretermiting them here I passe to those of Hereford The Bishops of Hereford Iune 16. An. 1056. Griffin King of Wales having overthrowne the forces of the Engishmen about two miles from Hereford immediatly assaulting the city tooke it slew Leovegar the Bishop and seven of the Canons there who denied him entrance into the Church and held it against him spoiled it of all the reliques and ornaments that were portable and lastly fired both Church City and all This See continued voyd foure yeares after the death of Leofuegar after which Walter Chaplaine to Queene Edith was consecrate at Rome by the Pope in the yeare 1060. his end was much more unhappy than his Predecessors He chanced to fall in love with a certaine comely woman that he met in the street A long time he contended with this vile and unseemely affection and he thought hee had quenched the same when a small occasion renewed it to his destruction having certaine linnen to cut out this woman was commended to him for a very cunning Seamster He sent for her and his old flame of filthy desire easily kindling by this little sparke he found errands to send his men out of the way while he set upon her first with words and they not prevailing by force she resisted what shee might but finding him too strong for her thrust her Sheeres into his belly and gave him his deaths wound The King being desirous it should be esteemed false forbid the report of it by a Proclamation which afterwards came to be Chronicled Raynelmus the 30 Bishop of this Diocesse received that Bishoppricke at the hands of King Henry the first who bestowed it freely on him and was invested into it as the manner of those times was by the delivery of the Ring and the Crosier Anselme then Archbishop refused to consecrate him and divers others who received their investitures in this manner from the King he was so farre from importuning him in this matter as being now perswaded this his election to be insufficient he renounced the same delivering againe unto the Kings hands the Ring Crosier that he had received Herewith the King was so offended as he had cause that presently he banished him the Realme after much ado betweene the King and Anselme a reconciliation was wrought and this man consecrated Gyles de Bruse the 30. Bishop of Hereford in the Barons warres was a great stickler wjth them against
his owne prayers unto God and private reading of those sundry confessions that were offered him c. Pag. 543. he thus proceeds Had you beene in the Primitive Church of Christ you would have gallantly disdained these other examples of Christian Kings and Countries converted and instructed by Merchants somtimes by women most times by the single perswasion of one man without all legall meanes or judiciall proceedingâ— the poore soules of very zeale imbracing the Word of life when it was first offered them and neglecting your number of voyces consent of Priestâ— and competent Courts as frivilous excâ—ptions against God and dangerous lets to their Salvationâ— Frumentius a Christian Child taken prisoner in India the farther and brought at length by Gods good Providence to beare some sway in the Realme in the non-age of the King carefully sought for such as were Christians among the Roman Merchants and gave them most free power to have assemblies in every place yeelding them whatsoever was requisite and exhorting them in sundry places to use the Christian prayers And within short time he built a Church and brought it to passe that some of the Indians were instructed in the faith and joyned with them The King of Iberia neere Pontus when he saw his wiâ—e restored to health by the prayers of a Christian Captive and himselfe delivered out of the suddaine danger that he was in onely by thinking and calling on Christ whom the Captive woman named so often to his wife sent for the woman and desired to learne the manner of her Religion and promised after that never to worship any other God but Christ The Captive woman taught him as much as a woman might and admonished him to build a Church and described the forme how it must be done whereupon the King calling the people of the whole Nation together told what had befallen the Queene and him and taught them the faith and became as it were the Apostle of this Nation though he were not yet baptized The examples of England France and other Countries are innumerable where Kings and Common wealths at the preaching of one man have submitted themselves to the faith of Christ without Councels or any Synodall or judiciall proceedings And therefore each Prince and people without these meanes have lawfull power to serve God and Christ his Sonne notwithstanding twenty Bishops as in our case or if you will twenty thousand Bishops should take exceptions to the Gospell of truth which is nothing else but to waxe mad against God by pretence of humane reason and order By all which it is evident that Parliaments may not onely be held and determine Secular matters but likewise Ecclesiasticall and Religious without the presence of Bishops which is no wayes necessary if expedient Touching the parity of Bishops Presbyters by Divine institution their difference only by custom he determins thus The title and authorithy of arch-Arch-Bishops and Patriarkes was not ordained by the Commandment of Christ or his Apostles but the Bishops long after when the Church began to be troubled with dissentions were content to lincke themselves together and in every Province to suffer one whom they preferred for the worthines of his City and called their Metropolitane that is Bishop of the chiefe or mother City to have this prerogative in all doubts of Doctrine and Discipline to assemble the rest of his brethren or consult them absent by Letters and see that observed which the most part of them determined Before there began Schismes in Religion the Churches saith S. Hierome were governed by the Common Councill of the Seniors And therefore let the Bishops understand that they be greater than Ministers or Elders rather by custome than by any truth of the Lords appointment and that they ought to governe the Church in Common and in his Epistle to Evagrius having fully proved by the Scriptures that the Apostles called themselves but Presbyters Elders or Seniors he addeth That after their times one was chosen in every Church and preferred before the rest to have the dignity of a Bishop this was provided for a remedie against Schismes lest every man drawing some unto him should rent the Church of Christ in peeces For what doth a Bishop except ordering of others which an Elder may not doe And lest you should thinke he speaketh not as well of the chiefe as of the meaner Bishops he compareth three of the greatest Patriarkes with three of the poorest Bishops he could name A Bishop of what place soever he be either of Rome or of Eugubium or of Constantinople or of Rhegium or of Alexandria or of Tajus hath the same merit and the same function or Priesthood abundance of riches or basenesse of poâ—erty doth not make a Bishop higher or lower for they all be successours to the Apostles So that the Bishop of Rome by Commission from Christ and succession from the Apostles is no higher than the meanest Bishop in world The Superiority which he and others had as Metropolitanes in their owne Provinces came by custome as the great Councell of Nice witnesseth not by Christs institution Let the old use continue in Egypt Lybia and Pentapolis that the Bishop of Alexandria be chiefe over all those places for so much as the Bishop of Rome hath the like custome Likewise at Antioch and in other Provinces let the Churches keepe theer Prerogatives The generall Councell of Ephesus confesseth the same It seemeth good to this sacred and Oecumenicall Synod to conserve to every Province their right priviledges whole and untouched which they have had of old according to the custome that now long hath prevailed Next their authority was subject not onely to the discretion and moderation of their brethren assembled in Councell but also to the Lawes and Edicts of Christian Princes to be granted extended limited and ordered as they say cause For example the first Councell of Constantinople advanced the Bishop of that City to be the next Patriarch to the Bishop of Rome which before he was not And the Councell of Chalcedon made him equall in Ecclesiasticall honours with the Bishop of Rome and assigned him a larger Province than before he had So Iustinian gave to the City in Africa that he called after his owne name the See of an Archbishop Touching Bishops secular Jurisdiction imprisonment and temporall affaires he writes thus Bishops be no governours of Countries Princes be that is Bishops beare not the sword to reward and revenge Princes doe Bishops have no power to command and punish Princes have This appeareth by the Words of our Saviour expressely forbidding his Apostles to be Rulers of Nations and leaving it to Princes The Kings of Nations rule over their people and they that be great ones exercise authority with you it shall not be so that is you shall neither beare rule nor exercise authority over
with the rest of the Bishops and Abbots mitred and in rich Copes every one of them carrying Censers in their hands going in great solemnity before him and afterwards crowning both him and his Queene according to the custome of the Realme so officious were they to this usurper Cutbert Tonstall the 58. Bishop of Durham December 20. 1551. was committed to the Tower for his disobedience to King Edward the sixth where he continued all his Reigne The King was so farre offended with him that 7. Edward 6. the Bishopricke of Durham was dissolved by Act of Parliament and all the Lands and hereditaments thereof given to the King but he dying this Bishopricke was againe revived and erected 1. Mar. Parliament 2. cap. 3. and this Bishop thereunto restored Who in the first yeare of Queene Elizabeth for his contumacy and disobedience in maintaining the Popes Supremacie which he oppugned formerly and for refusing the oath of Supremacy which he had sworne unto in the raigne of King Henry the eight he was justly deprived and committed prisoner to Lambeth House where he dyed I finde this Tonstall highly applauded by some who lived since his dayes but M. Tyndall who knew him farre better than they writes thus of him And as for the Bishopricke of Durham to say the very truth he to wit Cardinall Wolsie could not but of good cougruity reward his old Chaplaine and one of the chiefe of all his Secretaries withall still Saturne that so seldome speaketh but walketh up and downe all day musing and imagining mischiefe a doubling hypocrite made to dissemble Which for what service done in Christs Gospell came he to the Bishopricke of Londâ—n Or what such service did he therein hee burnt the New Testament calling it Doctrinam peregrinam strange learning The story of whose buying and burning of M. Tyndals New Testaments who with the money set forth a new and better Edition is related by M. Hall at large in his Chronicle 21. H. 8. f. 186. Yea Verily looke how strange his living in whose blood that Testament was made was from the living of the Pope even so strange is that Doctrine from the Popes Law in which onely and in the Practise thereof is Tunstall learned Which also for what cause left he the Bishopricke of London Even for the same cause he tooke it after that he had long served for it covetousnesse and ambition Neither is it possible naturally pray marke this passage that there should be any good Bishop so long as the Bishoprickes be nothing save worldly Pompe and honour superfluous abundance of all manner of riches and liberty to doe what a man left unpunished things which onely the evill desire and good men abhorre For the late Bishops of this See of Durham Neale Howson their dispositions and actions against goodnesse and good men and their turbulencie both in Church and State are so well knowne to most that I neede not mention it And as for the present Bishop Dr Morton whom I honour for his learning and workes against the Papists how farre hee hath degenerated of late yeares from his Pristine zeale and hatred of Romish Superstitions and Innovations and how farre he hath ingaged himself in the late Wars and differences between England and Scotland I leave to others to determine Onely this I cannot preâ—ermit in silence that as the first Popish Innovations and superstitions which lately over-spread our whole Church had their Originall from Bishop Neale and his Chaplaine Dr. Cosens at Durham so God hath made that City and Bishopricke of Durham the onely County of England stiled by the name of a Bishoprick the seate of our late wars wherein the Scottish Armie now resides to manifest to all the world that these unhappie civill warres sprung from the Bishops since the seate of them is no where but in this Bishoprick the Scottish Generall for the most part hath kept his residence in the Bishop of Durhams own Palaces who for feare hath left them vacant and fled that Country which he hath much oppressed From Durham I proceede to Salisbury Salisbury Alstane or Adelstane Bishop of Sherburne which See was not long after translated to Salisbury turned warrior and led an Army into Kent against Ethelwolfe King oâ— that County and chased away both the King and all other that would not submit themselves to Egbert over the Thames out of their Country He fought oft against the Danes provided money and furnished out men to withstand them and tooke upon him to order all matters of the State under King Ethelwolfe When King Ethelwolfe returned from Rome Adelstane who bare no small rule in the Kingdome of the West-Saxons would not suffer him to be admitted King because he had done in certaine points contrary to the Lawes and Ordinances of the Kingdome as he conceived whereupon by this Bishops meanes Ethelbald this Kings sonne was established King in his Fathers steed and so continued till at last by agreement the Kingdome was devided betwixt them This Bishop was fervently set on covetousnesse and greatly enriched his See of Sherburne where he continued Bishop 50. yeares Roger the great rich Bishop of Salisbury advanced and specially trusted by King Henry the first for all the benefits that he and his friends received from him proved not so thankfull or faithfull to his Majestie as was to be expected For King Henry the first having lost his onely sonne and Heire apparent Prince William by mis-fortune upon the Sea and having no issue lawfully begotten to inherit the Kingdome but onely Mawd the Empresse thought good to take an Oath of all the Nobility wherein they promised to yeeld obedience to her as their Soveraigne and to none other This Oath Roger not onely tooke himselfe but likewise administred to all the other being then Chancellour of England yet notwithstanding forgetting all duties of Religion towards God of thankfulnesse towards his patron and Loyalty towards his Prince he was the first man who upon the death of the King fell to plotting for the advancement of Stephen unto the Kingdome who likewise had taken the former Oath and swore homage and fealty unto Mawde which by his perswasion he first attempted and much deale by his ungracious counsell at last obtained At the time of King Henry his death it hapned that Mawde was in Normandy with her Father wherefore Stephen Earle of Bologne taking this advantage wrought so with this Bishop and the Bishop of Winchester and they with him as they were content to set the Crowne upon his head who otherwise than by a kinde of election which they procured had no colour of right unto the same For if they regarded nearenesse of blood not onely Mawde and her sonne were nearer but Theobald also Earle of Bloyes Stephens elder brother Howbeit these Clergie men that bare all the sway in those times desirous to continue their owne greatnesse would needes make choyse
Bishops of Chester after him till towards the later end of King Henry the eight his reigne who erected a new Bishops See at Chester distinct from that of Coventry and Leichfield and subjected it to the province of Yorke by Act of Parliament to wit 33. Hen. 8. c. 30. Iohn Byrd the first Bishop of this new erected See was deprived in Queene Maries dayes for being married Cutbert Scot the third Bishop of this Diocesse in the beginning of Queene Elizabeths dayes was displaced and for his disobedience committed to the Fleet whence escaping he fled into Loraine and there died To passe by the other Prelates of this See I shall give you onely a touch of Iohn Brigdman the present Bishop of it This man in his wives life time seemed to be a favowrer of godly Ministers but since her decease he hath turned a prosecutor if not a persecutor of them â—uspending and driving many of them out of his Diocesse especially in Lancashire amidst the Papists where was greatesâ— neede of them to pleasure the now Archbishop of Canterbury whose great creature and intelligencer he hath been of late yeares he caused divers of the city of Chester to be Pursevanted Articled against in the High Commission Court at Yorke and there fined censured and almost ruined in their estates onely for visiting Mr. Prynne at Chester in his passage to Carnarvan whose Pictures he caused to be publickly defaced and the frames of them to be openly burnt at the high Crosse in Chester before the Major and his brethren in a most disgracefull manner and caused divers of Chester to make a publike impious Recantation both in the Cathedrall Church and Towne Hall at Chester onely for visiting Mr. Prynne at his being there with the license of his Keepers who had no warrant nor authority to keepe any from him in all which proceedings as appeares by his owne letters this Bishop was both the Informer Accuser Director and Judge in some sort To comply with the times he erected divers stone Altars in his Diocesse one in the Cathedrall at Chester used in times of Popery which hee caused to be digged up out of the ground where it was formerly buried which Altar since this Parliament for feare of questioning he hath caused to be taken downe and re-enterred He ordered all the Ministers in Chester not onely to read prayers but likewise to preaâ—h in their Hoods and Surplesses for which there is neither Law nor Canon but his Lordly pleasure he commanded all Sermons there to end before nine of the clock in the morning because the Major Alderman should dance attendance on his Highnesse at the Cathedrall to which end he emplored the ayde of the Archbishop of Yorke causing some to be troubled for not comming to the Cathedrall after they had beene at their owne parish Churches Hee was a great stickler in the late warre against the Scots a vehement presser of the loane on the Clergy to maintaine it threatning to impose armes on those who refused it He greatly promoted the new Canons and late c. Oathâ— which he both tooke and enforced eagerly on his Clergy He hath divers great impropriations of good value where he alloweth little or no maintenance at all to finde either a reading Curate or Preaching Minister he hath caused divers to be excommunicated and vexed in his Consistory for going to heare Sermons abroad when they had none at home If any desire to know more of his Episcopall vertues I shall referre them to a Booke intituled A New Discovery of the Prelates Tyranny and to the Petitions of the inhabitants of Cheshire Chester Lancashire Wiggon and others already exhibited or ready to be preferred to the High Court of Parliament against him and so passe to the Bishops of Coventry and Lichfield out of which this Bishoppricke of Chester was derived The Bishops of Coventry and Lichfield Of the first Bishops of this See there is little extant in our stories but onely their names with the time of their Conâ—ecrations and deathes and the Acts of some others of them I have formerly related in Chester so as I shall be very briefe in those who remaine Roger de Clinton the 36. Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield about the yeare 1147â— tooke upon him the Crosse went to Ierusalem to fight against the Saracens and died at Antioch Aprill 16. 1148. Richard Peche sonne unto Rober Peche Archdeaâ—on of Coventry in the yeare 1162. succeeded him in this Bishoppricke of this Archdeacon and Bishop perchance it was that I reade this merry passage in Giraldus Cambrensis in Camdens Brittannia p. 604. who relates it out of him It hapned that a certaine Iew travelling towards Shrewsbury with the Archdeacon of Malpas in Cheshire whose surname was Peche that is Sinne and a Deane named Devill when he heard by chance the Archdeacon telling that his Archdeaconry began at a place called Ill-street and reached as far as to Malpas towards Chester he considering and understanding with all as well the Archdeacons surname as the Deanes came out with this merry and pleasant conceit would it not be a wonder quotâ— he and my fortune very good if ever I get safe againe out of this country where Sinne is the Archdeacon and the Divell is the Deane where the entry into the Archdeaconry is Ill-streete and the going forth of it Malpas Geoffery Blithe Bishop of this See Anno Dom. 1523. was attached for high Treason And to mention no more Robert Wright the present Bishop of this Diocesse set up a goodly Crucifix in a frame with the pictures of men and women devoutly praying to it in the Cathedrall at Litchfield over the Altar there for oppoâ—ing whereof he caused the Lady Davis to be laid in â—edlam promoted the late Innovations and had a great hand â—n composing and imposing the lateâ— Canons Oath Benevolence and Lone for which he stands now impeached by the Commons in Parliament to whose Censure I remit him CHAP. VI. Comprising the Treasons Conspiracies Seditions Contumacies and Disloyalties of the Bishops of Rochester St. Davids Landaffe Bangor Asaph Bath and Wells With a short touch of the Bishops of Oxford Bristol Peterburgh and Glocester Rochester PVTTA the sixth Bishop of Rochester waxing weary of his Bishopricke was halfe determined to leave it when Edilred King of Mercia upon some displeasure conceived against him burning his Church and City resolved and setled him in that determination So hee went into Mercia where he accepted the Charge of a Parish Church under Saxulf Bishop there mending his living by teaching a singing Schoole for he was a great and cunning Musitian In that kinde of life hee spent the rest of his time and could never abide to heare of returning to his Bishopricke Malmesbury gives this verdict of him Quantum idoneus otiâ— Eccleâ—iastico tantâ—m hebes segnis forensi negotio Anno 983.
revenews was the very bane and poyson of Religion and one principall cause of the Bishops rebellions Treasons and exorbitances forementioned And therefore they may both with good conscience and reason be substracted from them and put to better usâ—s and they like other Ministers be confined to one compâ—tent living with cure there conâ—â—antly to reside and instruct the people like Bishops in the primitive times Tenthly That our Lorâ—ly Prelates will be still undermining the Lawesâ— and libâ—râ—ies of â—he Subjects his Majesties royall pâ—erogâ—tive his Eccleâ—â—asticall and temporall jurisdiction and vexing his Subjectâ— in their Courts till both their usurpâ—d Authoritiesâ— and Consistories be better regulated or totally abolished Eleventhly That the very Spirit of insolency contumacy tâ—eachery sedition rebellion ambition pride covetousnesse vaineglory malice hypocrisie tyranny and oppression is almost inseparably united to the Chaires of Lordly Prelates since they infect almost all who once sit in them and either infuse these vices into them or augment them in them none growing better men but most farre worse by their Sees Twelfthly that the government of our Church in common by a Presbytery or Synod of Ministersâ— or any other way used in the primitive Church and other refoâ—med Churches can no way be so pernicious or inconvenient to our Kings and Kingdomes as the Government by Lordly Prelates is and hath been Our Prelates chiefe objection in point of Monarchy against a Presbyteriall or Synodall government is that if this forme should be introduced the King and Nobles must submit therâ—to and be liable to their excommunications But this is a foolish Bugbear which recoyles and lights heavily on their owne heads For the Archbishops and Bishops of England and those of forraine Countrys too have many times not onely excommunicated their Soveraignes but also interdicted their Kingdomes enjoyned hard penances to them absolved their Subjects from their allegiance and oathes armed their people and strangers against them and deprived them of their Crownes offering them more and greater affronts and requiring more submission from them then all other their Subjects whatsoever Did ever any Presbytery doe the like or take so much upon them or did they ever deal so with their Princes as our Prelates did with King Iohn or with Edward and Richard the second If yea then prove it If no then this is no solid objection but a malicious suggestion against the Presbyteriall and Synodall Government In a word I would demand this question of the Objectors whether Kings and great men when they scandalously offend be subject to the censures of Excommunication by the law of God If so then why may not the Presbytery and Synode of Ministers anathematize them as well as Lord Bishops and Popes If not then there is no feare of such a censure to which they are not liable by Gods Law or mans These twelve conclusions are sufficiently warranted by the premises yet for the Readers better satisfaction I shall back them with some passages and Authorities of our owne approved ancient and Moderne Writers Martyrs Prelates and Authors of speciall note and so conclude Caelius Sedulius Scotus one of the ancientest of our owne Writers flourishing about the yeare of our Lord 390. determines thus of the parity of Bishops and Presbyters by divine right against our Lordly Prelates doctrine in these dayes in his Exposition on Titus Chap. 1. For a Bâ—shop must be blamelesse c. He calleth him a Bishop whom before he named a Presbyter Before by the Devils instinct parties were made in Religion and it was said among the people I am of Paul but I am of Apollo and I am of Cephas the Churches were governed with the common Councel of the Presbyters But after that every one thought those whom he baptised to be hiâ—â— not Christs it was decreed throughout the World that one chosen 〈◊〉 of the Presbyters should be set over the rest to whom all the care of the Church should appertaine and that the seeds of schismes should be taken away In the Acts of the Apostlâ—s it is written thaâ— when the Apostle Paulâ— came to Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the Elders of that Church unto whom among other things he spake thus Take heed to your selves and to all the flocke over which the Holy Ghost hath made you Bishops to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his owne blood And here observe more diligently how that he calling the Elders of but one City Ephesus doth afterwards stile them Bishops These things I have alleadged that we mâ—ght shew how that among the Ancâ—â—â—ts fuisse Presbyteros quos Episcopos Prâ—sbyters to hâ—ve been THE SAME THAT BISHOPS WERE But by little and little that the seeds of dissention might be utterly extïrpated the whole cure was traâ—sferred to one And on the 1 Timothy 5. â—â— It is demanded writes he why Paul here makes no mention of Presbyters but onely of Bishops and Deacons Sed etiam ipsos in Episcoporum nomine comprehendit But truely he also comprehâ—ndeth thâ—m in â—he name of Bishops To him I might annex our famous Gildas in his Acris Correptio Cleri Angliae our Venerable Beda in Acta Apostolorum cap. 20. Tom. 5. Col. 657. and Alcuinus de Dâ—vinis Officijs cap. 35.36 Epistola 108. ad Sparatum and Comment in Evang. Ioannis l. 5. to 25. Col. 547 548 549. Who maintaine the selfe same Doctrine of the Parity of Bishops and Presbyters declaime much against the pride Lordlinâ—sse ambition domineering power and other vices of Prelates and conclude that a Biâ—hopricke is Nomen Operis non honoris A name of Labour not of honour A worke not a dignity A toyle not a delâ—ght But I rather passe to Anselme Archbishop of Canterbury a man without exception and the greatest Scholler in his age who neare 600 yeares since in his Enarration on the Epistle to the Phillippians cap. 1. vers 1. resolves thus With the Bishops that is with the Presbyters and Deacâ—ns for he hath put Bishops for Elders after his custome For there were not many Bâ—shops in one City neither would he intermit Presbyters that he mâ—ght descâ—nd to Deacons But he declares the dignity and excellency of the Presbyters whilâ—s he manifests the same men who are Presbyters to be Bishops But that AFTERWARD one was elected who might be preferred before the rest it was done to prevent schisme leâ—t every one drawing to himselfe the Gospell of Christ should divide it Constat ergo Apostolica institutione omnes Presbyteros esse Episcopos It is therefore MANIFEST BY APOSTOLICALL INSTITVTION THAT ALL PRESBYTERS ARE BISHOPS albeit NOW those greater ones have obtained that Title For a Bâ—shop is called an Overseer and every Presbyter ought to attend the cure over the flock committed to him In his Commentary on the first Chapter of Titus v. 5 7. he hath the selfesame words that Hierom and Sedulius used before him concluding from Acts 20.17 28.
purely â—hat they see no contrary ensample in thee to whatsoever thoâ— teachest them in Christ that thoâ— put no stumbling blocke before them to make them â—aile while they be yet young and weake in the faith But that thou abstaine as Paul teacheth 1 Thes. 5. Ab omni specie mala from all tâ—at might seeme evill or whereof a man might â—urmise amisse and that thou so love them that whatsoever gift of God in them is thou thinke the same theirs and their food and for their sakes given unto thee as the â—ruth is and that all their infirmitâ—es be thine and that thou feele them and that with all thy power to helpe to amend them and cease not to cry to God for them neither day nor night and that thou let nothing be found in thee that any man may rebuke but whatsoever thou teachest them that be thou and that thou be not a Wolfe in a Lambes skin as our Holy Father the Pope is which commeth unto us in a name of hypocrisie and in the Title of cursed Cham oâ— Ham calling himselfe Servâ—s servoâ—um the Servant of all â—ervants and is yet found tyrannus â—yrannorum of all tyrants the most cruell This is to receive young Children in Christs name and to receive young Children in Christs name is to beare rule in the Kingdome of Christ. Thuâ— ye see that Christs Kingdome is altogether spirituall and the bearing of rule in it is cleare contrary unto the bearing of rule temporally Wherefore none that beâ—reth rulâ— in it may have any tempâ—rall jurisdiction or minister any temporall Office that requireth violence to compell withall Thus and â—arre more Mr. Tyndall All whose passages are very remarkable and worthy serious consideration Iohn Friâ—h our learned English Martyr in his Answere to the Prefacâ— of Mr. Moores Book pag. 116 writes thus of Bishops anâ— their great possessions This Canker then began to spread in the Congregation and did full sore annoy the body insomuch that within foure hundred yeares there were very many Sects scattered in every coast Notwithstanding there were faithfull Fathers that diligently subdued them with the sword of Gods Word But surely since Silvester received such possessions hath the Canker so crept in the Church that it hath almost left never a sound member And as Cistercensis writeth in the eighth booke that day that hee received revenues was a voyce heard in the ayre crying over the Court which sayd This day is venome shed into the Church of God Before that time there was no Bishop greedy to take a Cure For it is no honour and profit as it is now but onely a carefull charge which was like to cost him his life at one time or other And therefore no man would take it but he that bare such a love and zeale to God and his â—locke that hee could be content to shed his blood for them But after that it was made so honourable and profitable they that were worst both in learning and living most laboured for it For they that were vertuous would not entangle themselves with the vaine pride of this world and weare three Crownes of gold where Christ did weare one of thorne And in conclusion it came so farreâ— that whosoever would give most money for it or best could flatter the Prince which he knew well all good men to abhorre had the preheminence and got the best Bishopricke and then instead of Gods Word they published their owne Commandements and made Lawes to have all under them and made men beleeve they could not erre whatsoever they did or sayd and even as in the Roomes stead of Moses Aaron Eliazer Iosue Caleb and other Faithful folk came Herod Annas Caiphas Pilate and Iudas which put Christ to deathâ— So now in the stead of Christ Peter Paul Iames and Iohn and the faithfull followers of Christ we have the Pope Cardinalls Arch-Bishops Bishops and proud Prelates with their Proctorsâ— the malicious Ministers of their Master the Devill which notwithstanding transformâ—â— themselves into a likenesse as though they were the Ministers of righteousnesse whose end shall bee according to their workes So that the body is cankered long agone and now are left but certaine small members which God of his puissant power hath reseâ—ved uncorruptedâ— and because they see that they cannot be cankered as their owne â—lesh is for pure anger they buâ—â—e themâ— lest if they continued there might seeme some deformity in their owne cankered carkasses by the comparing of these whole members to their scabbed body Our godly Martyr D. Barnes in his Articles pag. 210 211 212 213. writes thus of Bishops I will never beleeve nor yet I can never beleeve that one man may be by the Law of God a Bishop of two or three Cities yea of an whole Country for it is contrary to Saint Paul which saith I have left thee behind to set in every City a Bishop And if you find in one place of Scripture that they be called Episcopi you shall find in divers other places that they be called Presbyteri I was brought before my Lord Cardinall into his Gallery and there he read all my Articles till he came to this and there he stopped and said that this touched him and therefore he asked mee if I thought it wrong that one Bishop should have so many Citties underneath him unto whom I answered that I could no farther goe than to Saint Pauls text which set in every City a Bishop Then asked hee mee if I thought it now unright seeing the Ordinance of the Church that one Bishop should have so many Cities I answered that I knew none Ordinance of the Church as concerning this thing but Saint Pauls saying onely neverthelesse I did see a contrary custome and practice in the world but I know not the Originall thereof Then said hee that in the Apostles â—ime there were divers Citieâ— some seven miles some sixe mileâ— long and over them was there set but one Bishop and of their Suburbes also So likewise now â— bishop hath but one City to his Cathedrall Church and the country about is as Suburbs unto it Mee thought this was farre fetched but I durst not deny it because it was great Authority and of so holy a Father and of so great a Divine But this date I say thaâ— his Hollinesse could never prove it by Scripture nor yet by any authority of Doctors not yet by any practice of the Apostles and yet it must be trâ—e because a pillar of the Church hath spoken itâ— But let us see what the Doctors say to my Article Athanasius doth declare this text of the Apostle I have left thee behind c. Hee would not commit unto one Bishop a whole Isle but hee did enjoyne thâ—t every Cityâ— should have his proper Pastor supposing that by this meanes they should more diligently oversee
he went sometime on his feete and preached the Gospell all abroad he could play the Apostle but such a poore and lewd person as he was could never have played the royall and Princely Bishop after this fashion Let no man thinke it is to be sayd or done against the heads and governours of Christs Church whatsoever is sayd or done against these sloathfull idle and sluggish beasts given all to the belly For they are not Bishops but plaine Idols and dumbe Images idle Puppets visurs blockes shadowes disguised game players which doe not so much as know what this word Episcopus that is to say Bishop doth signifie so farre off they be from knowing what is the Office or duty of a Bishop Wilt thouâ— that I tell thee at one word what they are Wolves they are tyrants traytors manquellers monsters of the world burdens of the earth the Apostles of Antichrist graven and made to corrupt and destroy the Gospell And to utter at once what I thinke Loe I will here play the Bedell or common Cryer Be it knowne to all men that the Bishops of Rome with their clients Bishops which doe now exercise tyranny upon so many Cities in most ample and large dominion are not Bishops by the Ordination of God but by Errour and by â—he seduction of the Devill and by the traditions of men wherefore without doubt they are the messengers and Vicars of Satan If I doe not shew and prove this by so evident testimonies that mine enemies shall be constrained to confesse this verity and that even themselves so that they doe meanely repent and waxe wise cannot deny it then let them be Bishops then let me be thought to doe injury unto them First Paul writeth unto Titus That he should constitute and ordaine Presbyters in every Towne Here I suppose that no man can deny that all one thing is signified by this word Preshyter and by this word Episcopus in Saint Pauls writings for as much as he doth bid Titus that he should in every City constitute Presbyters And because a Bishop ought to be unreproveable therefore he calleth him Presbyterum It is evident therefore what Paul doth signifie and meane by this word Episcopus Bishop that is to say A man excellently good and vertuous of ripe age which also hath a chaste wife and children obedient in the feare of the Lord. And the Apostle will that he should have the oversight and government of the Congregation in the Ministery of the Word and the Administration of the Sacraments All men whosoever they be which by all honest and lawfull meanes doe spend and bestow their goods honour blood and life to the end that these Bishoprickes so pompous and Courtly so farre unlike and contrary to all the office and duty of an Apostle namely to the ministration of the Word and that all this devillish Kingdome of the Bishop of Rome may be overthrowne and destroyed or if they cannot in very deede destroy itâ— doe cry against it doe dispraise and condemne it and doe avoyde it as abhominationâ— all those persons that so doe are the sonnes of God and true Christian men fighting and helping the Faith of the Gospell in spirituall barraile against the gates of Hell Contrariwise whosoever doe favour the Kingdome of the Popes Bishops so wicked and that so tyrannous and devillish cruelty and doe willingly and gladly submit themselves and obey unto it those persons are the ministers of the Devill fighting as enemies against the Words the Lawes and Ordinances of God This sentence of mine nay rather of Gods Judgement I prove with strong effectuall arguments in this wise The Apostle Paul commandeth Titus That he should Ordaine and constitute a Bishop in every City such one as was the husband of one wife a man vertuous and unreproveable c. This is the Word this is the will and sentence of God Against this sayd Will of God these men doe now strive which have taken quite away all true Bishops ouâ— of all Cities and insteed of true Bishops have constituted shops or worke-houses of most cold Ceremonies Monasteries and Churches Collegiate and have brought in themselves in their steed that by this meanes they might be made Bishops or Over-seers of many Cities and also of many Provinces Now the sentence of Paul or rather the Words of the Holy Ghost doth continue firme stable and not able to be moved or stirred of the gates of hell and doth stand as stiffe as a brasen wall which saith plainely and evidently That in every City there ought to be constituted and Ordained one Bishop and these then shal be every one of them of equal power with the other For Paul speaketh plainly of every City he giveth to every Bishop full power authority in his own City Go to therforenow ye worldly Bishops Why doe ye not here rise Why do ye not boldly manfully resist Why do ye not break forth all of you together Here you have to doe not with me but with the Apostle Paul Here you resist that I may say with the holy Martyr Stephen not me but the Holy Ghost which likewise againe of his part doth mightily resist you â—oe to then what will you say here I beseech you Will you all hold your peace and say nothing at all Loe your sentence is given and pronounced against you you have the matter judged that is to wit that unto all Christian men it belongeth of their part with the Word of God againe to destroy to plucke up by the rootes and utterly to extinct both you and your Kingdome which you doe tyrannously exercise to extinct and destroy the Gospell you have heard now that they be in the indignation of God whosoever favoureth you and on the otherside that they are in the favour of God whosoever overthroweth and destroyeth you But I will not in any wise these words which I doe speake of the destruction and utter subversion of the Kingdome of false Bishops so to be understood or taken as though it ought to be done with the hand or with sword or with violence or bodily invasion of them for with this destruction of the men we shall be nothing further in this so great a matter that is to wit Gods cause or businesse But as Daniel prophecied in the 8. chapter The Kingdome of Antichrist is to be broken all to peeces without any hand of man Saint Peters words you are a regall Priesthood and a Priestly Kingdome are meant of Spirituall Bishops who are all the Preachers of the Word of God in Cities Townes and Villages although they doe neither buy Pall nor Gowne nor yet any other Garment of those bawdes the Romanists the Corporall Bishops are you which bearing â—orked Miters on your heads under the apparell of Aaron doe in very deede play the very Tyrants and are fellowes unto Nero and Caligula riding upon fat and well fed Palâ—ries and sleeke Mules and
afterwards with your rings onely and your Gloves and your silver Sheephooke if God be pleased you doe play the Bishops And here againe I guesse what they will object For all that say they oftentimes many Saints have beene Bishops not onely of one City but of many Cities I make answere As many as have beene â—oly Bishops in very deede and called Pastours by the calling of God all those for the most part were the Bishops of one City alone as Cyprian Hilary Ambrose Augustine Ireneus and these observed the tradition of the Apostles it is found in deede in Hisâ—oriographers that there have beene certaine such was holy Boniface and such also Tite unto Paul which did after their own judgement constitute other Bishops in the Cities as Titus did but yet wâ—re they not therefore the Bishops of many Cities and albeit that such manner of example could be shewed of the Saints shall the examples of holy men be prejudiciall to the Word of God Is not God greater than all Saints how oftentimes doe we finde that holy men have sinned erred God saved Daniel in a Dungeon of Lyons and he saved Ananias Azarias and Misael in the flaming Furnance of Babylon Is the hand or power of God now shortned and minished Is it any doubt but that be might preserve and keepe his elect and chosen persons if it should happen them by any meanes to be seduced and led out of the right way as Christ prophecied even in the middest of mens Ordinations and traditions and of the errours of the Devill we ought not to put confidence in any ensample deed or word of Saints but our Consciences ought to leane and to be grounded onely upon the Word of God which onely is he as Paul saith that cannot lye But let us furthermore heare Paul what he saith of this Ordinance of God for in this wise Luke writeth of him in the 20. Chap. of the Acts And sending messengers from Miletum to Ephesus he sent for Priests of the Church which when they were come to him he sayd unto them Take heede to your selves and to all the flocke in which the holy Ghost hath set or ordained you Bishops to governe the Church of God which he hath purchased and gotten with his owne blood Goe to now is here any new thing Is Paul a foole and doth he not know what he doth Ephesus was but one City alone and Paul calleth openly all the Priests or Elders by one common name Episcopos Bishops But peradventure Paul had not read those bookes and those Apologies wretchedly patched together of Papists nor the holy Decretals For how would he have bin bold else to make many Bishops overseers to one City to call al the Priests of one City Bishops in as much as they were not all Princes neither kept a gard of men and goodly Palfries but were certaine rascall persons and of the most abject and vile sort of men after the worldly estimation For Paul peradventure was ignorant of that which is growne in use now in our time that no man can be a great Bishop in very deed unlesse he doe as the Poet saith keepe an hundred Horses in goodly stables unlesse he have a gorgeous house full of royall Pompe unlesse he have many royall titles of Lordships For this alone is sufficient now in our time to that that Knights and Princes be they never so much unlearned and foolish yea and though their minds other whiles doe stand nothing towards it may by the commendations of their parents and kinsfolkes and otherwhiles by gifts and rewards be suddainely made Bishops But in good sadnesse thou seest plainly that the Apostle Paul doth call these onely Bishops which doe Preach the Gospell unto the people and doe minister unto them the Sacraments as now in our time be the Parish Priests and the Preachers Wherefore I doe not doubt but these although they doe Preach the Gospell but to very little Villages and Granges and if they be the faithfull and true ministers of the Word I doe not doubt I say that they have by good right the Title and name of a Bishop Contrariwise those valiant horsemen aâ—d tyrannous Bishops have no point of the Office of a Bishop saving onely those bare goodly titles and certaine disguised apparell in like manner as those Bishops which are painted on a Wall have indeed the shape and likenesse of Bishops but they are without life and speech For even such dead and idle stockes and blockes are the Popes Bishops in every point albeit that then they are evermore strong and quick when they doe exercise tyrannous cruelty against the very Pastours which doe busily governe Cities in the ministration of the Word of God and by more than devillish tyranny doe forbid them holy Wedlocke and to the open slander of the Church doe winke at the keeping of Whores doe blaspheme the Gospell doe extinct the Word of God and under the pretence and colour of vertue and godlinesse doe with incredible woodnesse exercise continually extreame tyranny upon the silly poore people By the reason whereof we doe see in the Courts and Palaces of some Bishops likewise as in the fountaine of all vice and mischiefe in the Court of Rome not so much as one crum not so much as the least shadow to bee found of Christian manners we see also all the Cities of Priests and namely those Noble â—eates of Priests to be nothing else but schooles of uncleanelinesse and bodily plesures Ware-houses of vices so much that in comparison of their houses the Courts of their secular Princes may be accounted Monasteries and holy schooles of vertue and godlinesse yea and Sodome and Gomorrah in comparison of them may seeme temperate measurable and thrifty For out of their Courts or houses commeth forth neither the Gospell nor any other holy Doctrine but onely Citations Excommunications Exactions Interdictions Citations I say in very deed peremptory that is to say slayers both of goods and of soules For such as the Bishops are themselves such also is their Doctrin And though thou do never so much cloath an Asse with a Lyons skin yet he continueth still an Asse and an Ape is still an Ape although he be clad in purple Besides this S. Paul writeth to the Philippians in this wise Paul and Timothy the Servants of Iesus Christ to all the Saints in Christ Iesu which are in the City of Philippi and to the Bishops also and the Deacons c. Loâ— Philippi was but onely one City and yet S. Paul saluteth all them that beleeveth together with the Bishopsâ— undoubtedly the Bishops whom he meaneth there were the Priests likewise as he was wont to constitute and ordaine in all the other Cities This is now the third place of Paul in which wee doe see what God and the holy Ghost hath constituted and ordained that is to wit that they
read him your owne Canons will tell ye what he saith Idem est ergo Presbyter qui Episcopus antequam Diaboli studia c. An Elder or Priest therefore is the same that a Bishop and before that the studies of the Devill were made in Religion and that the people sayd I hold of Paul I of Apollo I of Cephas the Churches were governed by the Common Councell of the Elders but after that every one did account those to be his and not to be Christs whom hee had baptized in all the world it was decreed that one of the Elders being chosen should be placed above the rest to whom all the care or charge of the Churches should belong and the seede of Schismes be taken away And a little after Sicut ergo Presbyteri as therefore the Elders know that they by the custome of the Church are subject to him that is set over them so let the Bishops know that they more by custome than by the truth of the Lords dispensation are greater than the Elders This was the judgement of the ancient Fathers and yet were they no Arians nor Aerians therefore Yea Peâ—er Lombard the master of the sentences citing also Isidorus to witnesse saith Apud veteres idem Episcopi Presbyteri fuerunt Among the the Ancient Fathers Bishops and Elders were all one And againe alleadging the Apostle S. Paul he saith Qualis autem c. But what manner an Elâ—er ought to be chosen the Apostle writing to Timothy declareth where by the name of Bishop he signifieth an Elder and a non after Cumque omnes and when all of them he meaneth his false seven orders are spirituall and holy yet the Canons account onely two Orders to be excelling holy that is to say Deaconship and Eldership Because the primitive Church is read to have these alone and we have the Apostles Commandement of these alone for the Apostles in every City ordained Bishop and Elders Neither the Master onely writeth thus but almost all your Schoolemen yea though they be themselves of the contrary opinion yet they write this was the ancient opinion And so Durandus though he make a difference betweene the power of Jurisdiction and the power of order yet he sheweth that both the Scripture and S. Hierome maketh no difference but onely the custome and institution of the Church The Apostle saith he writing to the Philippians cap. 1. saith with the Bishops and the Deacons by them understanding the Elders sith in one City as in Philippos many Bishops ougâ—t not to be Againe Act. 2. he saith Looke to your selves and to all the flocke in which the Holy â—host hath placed you to be Bishops And he spoke unto them of the onely City of Ephesus But this appeareth more expressely to Titus the 1. Where he saith For this cause I have left thee at Crete that thou shouldst correct those things that want and ordaine Elders throughout the Cities even as I have appointed to thee if any be blamelesse the husband of one wife And straight he setteth under it a Bishop must me blamelesse and whom before he named an Elder hee calleth now a Bishop and in the 4. of the 1. to Timothy Despise not saith he the grace of God which is given to thee through the imposition of the hands of an Elder that is to say of a Bishop S. Paul called himselfe an Elder when he was the Bishop that ordained him Thus farre and more at large Durandus concluding at length Sic Ergo Thus therefore saith S. Hierome that a Bishop and an Elder olim fuerunt synonyma c. were in the old time diverse names betokening one thing indifferently and also of one administration because the Churches were ruled by the Commune Counsell of the Priests But for the remedy of a Schisme lest each one dâ—awing the Church after him should breake her it was ordained that one should be above the rest Et quoad nomen c. And so farre forth as stretcheth to the name that he onely should be called Bishop and that so farre as stretcheth to the administration of some Sacraments Sacramentals they should be reserved to him by the custome and constitution of the Church And this would Hierome expressely 93. Dist. cap. legimus in Esa super Epistolam ad Tit. recitatur Dist. 93. cap. Olim Presbyteri c. Consuetudo aut institutio Ecclesiae potest dare Iurisdictionem sed non potestatem ordinis aut consecrationis quare c. He therefore that counteth this erronious or perrilous let him impute this to Hierome out of whose saying in the fore alleadged Chapter Legimus in Esa the foresayd authorities are taken Where also he putteth an example That is of a Bishop in respect of Priests as of an Arch-Deacon in respect of Deacons unlesse the Deacons chuse one among themselves whom they call Arch-deacon c. In the end Durandus reconciling Hierome saith and the authorities alleadged by Hierome withstand it not because according to the name and the truth of the thing every Bishop is an Elder and on the other part so farre as stretcheth to the name every Elder having cure may be called a Bishop as Super-attendent on other although the consecration of a Bishop or the chiefe Priest be larger than of a simple Priest or Elder but peradventure in the Primitive Church they made not such force in the difference of names as they do now And therefore they called a Bishop every â—ne that had a cure Thus writeth Durandus of the ancient Fathers opinions And will you count him or them Aerianâ— too And this also doth your Institution in Colonie Councell confesse Non est tamen putandum Wee must not for all this tâ—inke that hee ordained Bishops another order from Priests for in the primitive Church Bishops and Priests were all one The which the Epistles of Peter and Paul the Apostles Saint Hierome also and almost all the ancient Ecclesiasticall Writers do witnesse And chiefly that place of the first Epistle of Saint Peter the fift Chapter is evident to declare this For when Peter had said the Elders that are among you I also an Elder with you beseech which am also a witnesse of the passions of Christ and partaker of the Glory to come that shall be revealed He joyned under it feed or guide the flocke of Christ that is among you and oversee it not by compulsion but willingly according to God wherein it is spoken more expressly in the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say Super-attendent from whence also the name of Bishop is drawne Wherefore Priesthood is esteemed the highest order in the Church In the meane time no body is ignorant that this order is distinguished againe by a certaine order of offices and dignities Thus do your Scholemen and Divines wiâ—nesse First that in the substance order or character as they terme it there is no difference betweene a Priest and a
If hee had seene our Bishops that now bee hee would have said otherwise For now the Pope claimeth a power above all the powers in heaven and earth as it is written in the Councell of Lateran Againe â—rasmus in another place speaking hereof saith thus This holy man Saint Ierome saith plainly and freely and as hee thinketh that the Bishop of Rome is above other Bishops not by Bishoprickeâ— but onely by riches By riches onely M. Harding Erasmus saith the Pope is above other Bishops By riches onely hee saith not by right of Gods word not by vertue not by learning not by diligence in preaching but onely by riches Now it may please you to follow your owne rule and to lay the one saying to the other But Saint Ieromes words are plaine of themselves and have no need of other expositor Thus he writeth What doth a Bishop saving onely the ordering of Ministers but a Priest may do the same Neither may wee thinke that the Chuâ—ch of Rome is oneâ— and the Church of all the world beside is another France England Affrica Persia Levante India and all barbarous Nations worship one Christ and keepe one rule of the truth If wee seeke for Authority the whole world is greater than the City of Rome Wheresoever there be a Bishop be it at Euguâ—ium be it at Rome be it at Constantinople be it at Rhegium Be it at Alexandria be it at Tanais they are all of one worthinesse they are all of one Bishopricke The power of riches and the basenesse of poverty maketh not a Bishop either higher or lower for they are all the Apostles successors What bring you mee the custome of Rome being but one City Here M. Harding findeth great fault for that I have translated these words Of one Bishopricke and not as hee would have it Of one Priesthood God woâ— a very simple quarrell Let him take whether he liketh best if either other of these words shall serve his turne Erasmus saith Bishop Pâ—iest and Presbyter at that time were all tâ—ree all one But Mâ— Harding saith The Primates had Authority over other inâ—eriour Bishops I graunt they had so Howbeit they had it by agreement and custome but neither by Christ nor by Peter nor Paul nor by any right of Gods Word Saintâ— Ierome saith Let Bishops understand that they are above Priests rather of Custome than of any truth or right of Christs institution and that they ought to rule the Church altogether And againe Therefore a Priest and a Bishop are both one thing and before that by the inflaming of the Devill parts were taken in Religion and these words were uttered among the people I hold of Paul I hold of Apollo I hold of Peter the Churches were governed by the common advice of the Priests Saint Augustine saith The office of a Biâ—hop is above the office of a Priest not by the authority of the Scripâ—ures but after the names of honour which the custome of the Church hath now obtained So part 2. cap. 9. Divis. 1. p. 196 He brings in M. Harding the Papist writing thus Even so they which denyed the distinction of a Bishop and a Priest were condemned of heresie as we find in Saint Augustine in the Booke and Chapter aforesaid And in Epiphanius Lib. 3. cap. 75. In the Councell of Constance the same is to be found To whom he answers in the Margent Vntâ—uth for hereby both Saint Paul and Saint Ierome and other good men are condemned of Heresie And p. 202. He gives this further answer But what meant M. Harding here to come in with the difference betweene Priests and Bishops thinkes hee that Priests and Bishops hold onely by Tradition or is it so horrible an heresie as hee maketh it to say that by the Scriptures of God a Bishop and a Priest are all one or knoweth hee how farre and unto whom he reacheth the name of an Hereticke Verily Chrysostome saith Betweene a Bishop and a Priest in a manner there is no difference Saint Hierome saith somewhat in rougher sort I heare say there is one become so peevish that hee setteth Deacons before Priests that is to say before Bishops Whereas the Apostle plainly teacheth us that Priests and Bishops he all one Saint Augustine saith What is a Bishop but the first Priest that is to say the highest Priest So saith Saint Ambrose There is but one consâ—cration of a Priest and Bishop for both of them are Priests but the Bishop is the first In his Sermon upon Haggai 1 p. 176. he writes thus against the temporall possessions and secular Offices of Clergy men When Constantinus the Emperour endowed the Church with lands and possessions they say there was a voyce of Angels heard in the ayre saying This day poyson is powred into the Church If there were poyson powred into Church then I doubt there was nover Treacle powred into it since This wee see that from that time shee hath done worse and worse Augustine findeth fault with the multitude of Ceremonies and saith the Church in â—his time was in worse case by mans devises than was the Church of the Iewes Bernard said There is no part sound in the Clergie And againe They which chuse tâ—e first places in the Church are chiefest in persecuting Christ. And againe they be not Teachers but deceivers they are not feeders but beguilers they be not Prelates but Pilates Which hee thus further prosecutes in his Sermon on Matthew 9. p. 198. And what shall I speake of Bishops Their cloven Miter signifieth perfect knowledge of the new Testament and the old their Crosiers Staffe signifieth diligence in attending the flocke of Christ their purple Bootes and Sandals signifie that they should ever be booted and ready to goe abroad through thicke and thinne to teach the Gospell and thereto they applyed the words of the Prophet How beautifull are the feete of them which bring glad tydings of peace which bring glad tydings of good things But alas in what kind of things do they beare themselves for Bishops These mysticall titles and shewes are not enough to â—eâ—ch in the Lords Harvest they are garments more meete â—or Players than for good Labourers Saint Bernard writes thus to Eugenius the Bishop of Rome who sometime had beene his Scholler Thou which art the shepheard â—ettest up and downe shining in gold and gorgeously attired but what get thy sheepe If I durst speake it these things are not the fodder for Christs sheepe but for devils Whatsoever apparell they have upon them unlesse they will fall to worke Christ will not know them for labourers How then can the Bishop of Rome be taken for the chiefe Pastor of Christ which these 900. yeares hath not opened his mouth to feed the flocke These 900. yeares I say since Gregory the first of that name it can hardly be found that ever any Bishop of Rome was seene in a Pulpit One of
by foolish men If Aerius was an Hereticke in this thing he had Ierome a companion of his Heresie and not onely him but also many other Ancient Fathers both Greeke and Latine as Medina confesseth Alphonsus de Castro saith that the Church was sarre enough off from the minde of Hierome and a certaine man hath written in the Margin that Ieromes opinion is to be dissembled not to be urged Pighius writes that Ierome is involved in such difficulties out of which he could not winde himselfe and that he fell into perplexed absurdities no wayes cohearing and fighting among themselves It is no wonder if they speake evill of us who thus petulantly insult over Ierome Marianus Victorius endeavours to excuse Ierome and writes that he speakes not of Bishops and Presbyters but oâ— Bishops onely and that verily all these are equall and that many did ill interpret Hierome otherwise But Ierome most manifestly compares Presbyters with Bishops and that Marianus had most easily seene unlesse he had beene miserably blinde yet at length by the opinion of Marianus all Bishops are equall Turrianus otherwise and more acutely answers Hieronymum non dicere Presbyterum idem sed eundem esse cum Episcopo What knots doth this Jesuiâ—e here seeke in a Rush If a Presbyter be the same that a Bishop is and the Bishop the same that a Presbyter is what at last good Jesuite canst thou thinke to be between a Presbyter and a Bishop Thus verily our adversaries yea Bpp finde not how they may defend themselves from this sentence of Hierome and truely all of them sticke in the same mire albeiâ— some of them are more foulely plunged than others The matter now returnes to Bellarmine as to the Triary he most confidently pronounceth that Ierome differeth as much from Aerius as a Catholick from an Hereticke I most firmely averre the contrary that their opinions concerâ—ing this thing can by no meanes be disjoyned nor distinguished Aerius thought that a Presbyter differed not â—rom a Bishop by Divine right and authority Hierome contends this very thing and defends it by the same testimonies of Scriptures as Aerius doth Now quam inepte pueriliter how foolishly and childishly Epiphanius answereth to those testimonies all may perceive For he saith that the Apostle was wont to write thus because that at that time there were not any Presbyters in many Câ—urches by reason of the paucity of Presbyters I admire so great a Theologue who tooke upon him to refute all Heretickes saw not how shamefully he was mistaken For what was theâ—â— at that time greater plenty of Bishops than of Presbyters that whereas there were many Bishops in one City yet there were no presbyters there The notable absurdiâ—y of this anâ—were Bellarmine himselfe acknowledged And yet this is that Epiphanius who first of all proscribed Aerius as an Hereticke absque Synodi aut Ecclesiae judicio without the judgement of a Synod or of the Church But what saith Bellarmine he propoundeth a double difference betweene Aerius and Hierom. The first is that Ierom writes everywhere That a Bishop is greater than a Presbyter as to the power of Order I answere that it is most false Hierome never writ so neither doth he by any meanes acknowledg a Bishop to be greater than a Preâ—byter unlesse it be by custome which he distinguisheth from divine disposition And if there were so great a difference wherefore doth Ierome that he may revok Deacons to modesty reduce them into order affirme that Presbyters are Bishops Whence doth he admonish that this contention taken up against Presbyters belongs to B ps themselves seeing Presbyters by the first institution of this order and Ministry are B ps Now if there were the greatest difference between these in the power of order had not Ierome bin very sottish in his argument Now whereas he saith What doth a B p except ordination which a Presbyter may not do He speaks of the custome of those times that not even the when by the custome of the Church a Bishop was greater then a Presbyter could a Bishop doe more then a Presbyter in any thing except in ordination yea elsewhere Hierom himselfe attributes ordination to Presbyters And indeed so he doth for in Zoph 1. 2. Tom. 5. pag. 218. D. he writes thus Sacerdotes c That Priests who baptize and consecrate the Lords Supper which is the greater MANVS IMPONVNT LEVITAS ET ALIOS CONSTITVVNT SACERDOTES lay on hands ordaine Levites and other Priests which is in truth but the lesse The second is that although Ierome doth not acknowledge any difference jure divino betweene the jurisdiction of a Bishop and Presbyter yet he grants that this was lawfully introduced by the Apostles and that necessarily to avoyd Schismes I answere first that Bellarmin hath resolved out of the opinion of Ierome that there is no difference in the Jurisdiction of a Bishop and Presbyter whence it is manifest what Ierome thought of the Jurisdiction and Primacy of the Pope For seeing the Primacy of the Pope consists in Jurisdiction Ierome thinks that Iure Divino the Jurisdiction of a Bishop is not greater than that of a Presbyter it followes from Ieromes opinion that the Papacy and Prelacy Divino mullo juâ—â— nitatur rests upon no divine Law Secondly â—â—llarmine fights with himselfe and makes Ierome to speake contradictions For if Ierome thought that jurisdiction of a Bishop not to be Iuris Divini how theâ— was that difference introduced by the Apostles or how could Ierome prove out of the Apostles writings that there was not any difference betweene them Certainely that which the Apostles instituted and introduced hath the force of divine right Finally this profound Doctor in his adâ—0 â—0 Rationem Campiani p. 51. concludes thus of Aeriusâ—is â—is opinion And â—ruely if to condemne prayers for the deadâ— Et Episcopo Presbyteros aequare sit hâ—â—reticum NIHIL CATHOLICVM ESSE POTEST and â—o equall Presbyters to a Bishop he Heretiâ—all nothing can be Catholike Thus this great Doctor William Whitaker with whom his Coaetaneans Doctor Willet in his Synopsiâ— Papismi Controversie Generall 5. part 2. in the Appendix p. 272. to 284. in the last Edition and Master William Perkins in his Reformed Catholicke Cont. 18. c. 21. concurre I wonder therefore with what impudency and shamelesse brow Bishop Hall and others dare condemne the defenders of the identity and Parity of Presbyters and Bishops by Divine right for Aerian Heretickes Schismatickes Novillers and oppugners of the received Doctrine of the Church of England when as the learnedest Prelates Martyrs and writers of our Church as appeares by the premises have proâ—essedly justified this opinon as Apostolicall Orthodox Ancient and Catholike warranted by the unanimous consent both of Scriptures and Fathers â—s will further appearâ— by the next Authority with which I shall conclude And that is our incomparably learned Doctor Iohn Rainolds once professor of Divinity
though I thinke untrue then it is cleare that this Angel of Ephesus who lost his first love was famous and zealous Timothy not dead when this Epistle was written as Pererius and Alcazar both Jesuites with Lyra Ribera P. Halloix and others confesse And who dare be so presumptuous as to thinke Timothy a man so eminent famous zealous and so much applauded in Scripture would prove an Apostate or backeslider and lose his first love Either therefore you must deny Timothy or this Angell to be the Bishop of this Church Ninthly grant this Angell to be a Bishop yet it was onely such a Bishop as was all one and the same with Presbyters and of which there were many in one Church noâ— one over many Churches according to the holy Ghosts and the Apostles owne institution as appeares by Act. 20.17.28 Phil. 1.1 Tit. 1.5.7 compared with the 1 Pet. 5.2.3 Iam. 5.14 Act. 14.23 1 Tim. 5.17 which maketh nothing for but directly against that Episcopacy you contend for Tenthly and finally grant him such a Bishop as you would make him yet at the best he was an Apostate who had fallen from and lost his first love by being made a Lord Bp And it will be but little credit for our Prelates to found their Hierarchy upon an Apostate And if I conjecture not amisse this may bee one probable reason why so many Ministers prove turne-coates and Apostates losing their first love and zeale to God when they are made Lord Bishops because they have an Apostate Angel both for their foundation and imitation Happy man be their dole let them make the best of this Apostate I will not hinder but rather pitty them in this folly The second Allegation for the divine right of Episcopacy is that Timothy and Titus were Bishops such as our Lordly Prelates now are the one of Ephesus the other of Crete which Bishop White and others endevour to prove especially by the Post-script of the second Epistle to Timothy The second Epistle unto Timotheus ordained the first Bishop of the Church of the Ephesians was written from Rome when Paul was brought before Nero the second time And by this Postscript to the Epistle to Titus It was wriâ—ten to Titus ordained the first Bishop of the Church of the Cretians fâ—om Nicopolis of Macedonia which Post-scripts they say are very ancient if not Canonicall and irrefragable I shall not here enter into a large discourse to prove Timothy neither a Bishopâ— nor first nor sole nor any Bishop at all of Ephesus who as some say preached the Gospell in our Island of Britaine whiles our Prelates would creaâ—e him the Apostâ—ate Angel residing in the Church of Ephesus to whom Christ writ an Epistle by S. Iohn Rev. 2.1.2 or to disprove Titus to be Lord Bishop or rather Lord Arch-bishop of Crete which had an hundred Cities in it in Homers dayes and no lesse than 4. Arch-bishops and 21. Bishops in former times since I have sufficiently manifested this long since in The Vnbishopping of Timothy and Titus not hitherto answered And indeede were there no other Arguments but two First that though Paul in his Epistles mentions Timothy and Titus more frequently than any other persons yet we never finde him so much as once stiling them Bishops no not in the Epistles to them Secondly that Paul doth never write to them in the Ordinary stile of our Lordly Prelates which it seemes he was not then acquainted with and so not with their Office viz. To the Right Reverend Father in God Timothy Lord Bishop of Ephesus To the Most Reverend Father in God Titus Lord Arch-bishop of Crete his Grace Primate and Metropolitan of all that Island which doubtlesse he would have done had they beene such Bishops as ours are and this stile had beene due or fitting for them but onely To Timothy my owne sonne or dearely beloved sonne in the faith To Titus mine owne sonne after â—he common â—aith c. these were sufficient to satisfie any indifferent man that neither of them was a Bishop or Arch-bishop of these places or at least that they were no such Lordly Prelates as ours now are who may well be ashamed of these pompous swelling Titles which no Apostle nor Apostolicall Bishop ever usurped But the onely thing I shall here insist on shall be to take away â—he grounds of this false Allegation to wit the pretended Authority and Antiquity of these two Post-scripts wiâ—h which the world hath beene much abused For their Authority It is confessed by all First that they are no part of the Text or Canonicall Scripture Secondly that they are not of infallible truth many of them being dubious others directly false as Baronius the Rhemists Estius Mr. Beza Mr. Perkins and sundry others prove Thirdly that they were not added to the Epistles Paul bâ— himself when he writ the Epistles as some have dreamed but by some third peâ—son since as the whole frame of the words running onâ—ly in the third person imports For their Antiquity when and by whom they were first added will be the sole question To cleare this doubt I shall have recourse to the Post-script of the first Epistle to Timothy which runnes thus The first to Timothy was written from Laodicea which is the chiefe City of Phrygia Pacatiana This Post-script of the first Epistle no doubt was written either before or at the same time when the Post-script of the Second Epistle was penned and that must needes be after Phrygia was commonly stiled Pacatiana since it is thus named in this Post-script Now we shall not finde Phrygia so stiled in any Authors till about 340. yeares after Christ in the reigne of Constantine the great at which time it begun to be called Pacatiana and that as some conjecture from Pacatianus who as the Code of Theodosius M. Cambden and Speede affirme was Vicegerent of Brittaine some 330. yeares aâ—ter Christ. Who it was who first annexed these Post-scripts to Pauls Epistles onely â—or the other Apostles Epistles have none will be the greatest question For resolution whereof I take it somewhat cleare that Theodoret was the man who flourished about the yâ—are of our Lord .430 For I finde these Post-scripts added to his Commentarie upon Pauls Epistles and in no other Commentator before nor in any after him till Oecumenius his Ape and transcriber who lived about the yeare 1050. Theodoret then being the first in whom Post-scripts are extant and Oecumenius his follower the next it is probable that he was the first Author of them And that which puts it out of doubt is this that Theodoret in his Preface to his Commentaries on Pauls Epistles is the first who doth modestly undertake with scriptum esse existimo onely to shew both the time when and the place from whence Paul writ his severall Epistles which Preface fully accords with the Post-scripts placed not after the text it selfe but after the end of his
suits in Law with Sr Henry Martyn and others of which be would â—ee an end ere he departed London besides he had not as yet furnished his house at Durham for his entertainment that it was a great way to Durham the wayes somewhat foule the weather cold and â—imself aged wherefore he neither would nor could goe out of Towne till the next Summer if then come what would and bid him returne this answere to the Arch-bishop Neither could the Secretary who perswaded him to send a milder answere and to sue to his Majestie for License to abide in Towne obtaine any other resolution from this Cholericke Prelate From him he repaired to Doctor Buckeridge Bishop of Ely at Ely house in Holburne acquainting him with this his Majesties Letter and commanding him by his Majesties Order upon his Canonicall obedience to repaire forthwith to his Bishopricke according to his Majesties command But this dutifull Prelategrew more Cholericke than the former answering him to this effect Let who would obey this Command yet he would not what sayd he have I lately bestowed almost 500. l. in repairing and furnishing my house here in London to make it fit for my habitation and must I now be Commanded to depart from it and sent into the cold waâ—â—y rotten fens of Ely to impaire my health and kill me up quite I will not be so served nor abused And therefore tell your Lord from me that I take it ill â—e should send me such a Command and that I will not goe from my house to Ely for his or any other mans pleasure The Secretary thereupon desired his Lordship to take notice that it was his Majesties pleasure he should depart to his Bishopricke as well as the Arch-bishops who did no more than he was enjoyned by the King whose mandate hee hoped his Lordship would obey however he neglected or disobeyed the Arch-bishops Command which yet was not to be slighted being his Metropolitan In conclusion the Bishop told him plainely he would obey neither the one nor other and that he would not stirre out of London all the winter till the spring if then The Secretary wondring at these two Bishops strange disobedience and contumacy both in words and deeds departes from them to Bishop Harsnet and Bishop Field with his Letter and instructions who gave him the like answers in effect though in calmer Termes not one of them stirring from London either upon the Kings Letter or Arch-bishops Command for all their Oath of Allegiance to the King and of Canonicall obedience to the Arch-Bishop If then these late Prelates have beene so Rebellious so contumacious both against his Majesties and their Metropolitanes commands when they required them onely to reside on their Bishoprickes as the Law of God the Statutes of the Realme the Canons of the Church in all ages yea the very Canon Law it selfe enjoyne them to doe under paine of mortall sinne What Rebels and disobedient Varlets would they have proved thinke you in matters and commands lesse reasonable Eleventhly our Prelates have beene strangely Rebellious contumacious and disloyall above all other Subjects in slighting vilifying affronting the Kings owne Letters Patents and frustrating his Subjects of the benefit of them Thus Doctor Young Deane of Winchester was put by the Mastership of Saint Crosses though granted him by Patent that Doctor Lewis who left his Provostship in Oriel Colledge in Oxford with other preferment and fled into France for buggery as was reported might be thrust in So Doctor Manwering publickely censured in Parliament for a Seditious Sermon and made uncapable of any preferment by the sentence of the House was immediately after the Parliament ended thrust into a living of three hundred pound per annum by our Prelates and hee who had the grant of the next advowson by Patent put by Thus divers others have beene thrust by such places as the King himselfe hath granted them by Patent by our Omnipotent Prelates to advance those of their own saction yea one of them hath not stucke to say that had the King himselfe granted a Patent for the Execution of Writs of Capias Excommunicatum to some who had long sued for it that he would make the King recall it or in case he would not he would withstand and not obey it Nay we know that though the Lord Majors of London by Patent and prescription time out of minde as the Kings Leiutenants and Vicegerents have used to carry up their swords before them in Pauls Church-yard and Church yet a proud ambitious Prelate not long sinceâ— questioned him for doing it before the Lords of the Privie Councell as if the Kings sword of Iustice had nothing to doe within that Precinct but onely the Bishops Crosier Neither hath the City of Yorke scaped Scotfree for the Bishops and Preâ—ends of that City have contested with the Citizens of Yorke even in his Majesties presence about those Liberties which both his Majestie himselfe but five yeares before and his royall Ancestors had anciently granted to them by severall Charters in expresse words endeavouring to nullifie and repeale their Patent and caused the Major of Yorke not to beare his sword within the close as he and his predecessors had usually done and that by speciall Charter from Richard the seconds time till of late Since that the now Arch-bishop of Canterbury hath had contests with the University of Cambridge touching their Charters and Priviledges which must all stop to adore his greatnesse contesting even before the King and Lords with that Universitie and Oxford too whether he as Arch-bishop or his Majestie as King should be their Visitor Now what greater affront almost can there be to royall Majestie than thus publikely to nullifie oppose and spurne under feete the Kings owne Charters and Patents as things of no value or moment Twelfthly they have most contemptuously affronâ—ed his Majesties owne late royall Declarations to all his Loyall Subjects both before the 39. Articles of Religion concerning the dissolution of the last Parliament in the very highest degree and that First in their Court Sermons before his Majesties face Secondly In bookes lately written or publickely authorized by them and their Chaplaines for the Presse Thirdly By their Visitation Oathes and Articles Fourthly by their late Injunctions Censures Orders and instructions by and in all which they have notoriously oppugned innovated altered both the established Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England sundry wayes caused an apparent backâ—liding to Arminianisme Popery Superstition Schisme oppressed and grieved his Majesties good Subjects and deprived many of them both of their livings liberties and freedome of their Consciences contrary to the expresse Provision Letter and purport of these his Majesties Royall Declaâ—ions as hath beene lately manifested in sundry new Printed bookes and voted by the Present Parliament Thiâ—teenthly They have caused some grand Juries and the Judge himselfe as well as the prosecutor to be Pursevanred into the High Commission onely for finding a
with violence branded her in the fore-head with an hot Iron and then banished her into Ireland After which shee returning into England Odo apprehends her the second time and cuts off her sinewes at the â—ocke bone The King being therewith much exasperated spoyled all the Monkes of all their goods banished Dunstan the chiefe of the Monkes inâ—o Flanders who together with Cynesius the Bishop on the day of this Kings Coronation entred most audaciously into his Bed-chamber and by violence dragged him both out of his Bed and Bed-chamber where they pretended hee was sporting with his Concubine and threatned Odo with severe punishments who was taken away by death soone after and so delivered from all feare of the Kings displeasure This Odo together with his Monkes wrought so with the Subjects before his death that the Mercians with the Northumbrians did utterly cast off the yoake of obedience to Edwin and by an unanimous consent made choyce of his Brother Edgar for their King Deo dictante populo annuente God himselfe to wit by the mouth of Odo and the other Prelates and Monks dictating it and the people thereunto consenting writes Matthew Westminster Arch-bishop Parker and Bishop Godwin in the life of Dunstan Arch-Bishop of Canterbury after Odo record That during the time of Dunstan his Banishment into France King Edwin by the Rebellion of his Subjects at the instigation as is likely of our Monkes Prelates and their favourers was deprived both of his life and Kingdome Whereupon Edgar that succeeded him warned by his Brothers example was content to curry savour with them and Dunstan creating him first Bishop of Worcester next of London and finally of Canterbury A good reward for this his Treason Dunstan comming to the Arch-Bishopricke in this manner not long after caused King Edward to be slaine by his Souldiers for refusing to ayde the Bishop of Rochester against his Brother Agelredus who besieged that City and the Bishop The Monkes of that time impute thâ—s trecherous Act to Queene Alsdrith his Mother in Law and Gods Divine Judgement to excuse their Patron Dunstan After his Murther as Iohn Capgrave and Speed record this holy Arch-Bishop Dunstan would have advanced Edgith his sister to the Crowne and invested her against Etheldred the lawfull Heire had she not by the late experience of Edwards fall utterly refused that Titleâ— which neither belonged to hâ—â— Right nor was safe for her Person to undertake Whereupon Dunstan and the Monkes perceiving that Queene Elfrida Alferus Duke of Mercia and many Nobles combined for young Etheldred the right Heiâ—e disavowing Prince Edward surnamed the Martyr as illegitimate did with all their might oppose Etheldred holding their states dangerous and their new-gotten footing unsure if in the Nonage of the King Elfrida his Mother and other their Opposites should rule all under him as was probable For Elfrida hated Dunstan because hee desired to hinder King Edgar from maâ—rying her after he was contracted to her rushing impudently into the Kings Bed-Chamber the first Night hee lay with her demanding of the King who it was he had in Bed with him who answering that it was his Queene and Consort Dunstan replyed that he could not marry her without offending God and breaking the institution of the Roman Church because of the spirituall Kindred that was betweene them he being her God-father often warning the King to be divorced from her which he refused Wherefore Dunstan and the Pâ—elates considering that Edward was altogether wrought in their mould they abetted his Title to the Crowne though a Bastard as one lawfully borne and begot in the Nuptiall Bed of Queene Ethelfleda Their Claimes thus banded among the Sâ—atesmen began to be diversly affected among the Commons and had put the Game to the Hazard if the wisedome of Dunstan had not seene â—he Chase For a Councell being assembled to argue their Rights the Arch-bishop came in with his Banner and Crosse and not staying for further debate de Iure did de facto present King Edward for their lawfull King and the Assembly consisting of Clergie men perswading peace drew the approbation of the rest and so was hee admitted and proclaimed their Soveraigne and after Crowned at Kingston by Dunstan and the true Heire put by for the time by this Arch-Traytor Dunstan and his Clergie till about three yeares after Edward was murthered by the procurement of Queene Elfrida and Etheldred Crowned King by Dunstan much against his will This King Dunstan and his Monkes continued to opposeâ— For Etheldred conceiving a just indignation against the Bishop of Rochester for his obstinacie and contumacious carriage towards him thereupon besieged his Citie Whereupon Dunstan commanded the King to desist from his purpose lest hee should provoke Saint Andrew the Patron of that City which the King refusing to doe without the Bishops submission and unlesse hee would likewise pay him an hundred poundsâ— Dunstan wondring thereat sent this Message to the King Because thou hast preferred Silver before God Money before an Apostle and Covetousnesse before me violent mischiefes shall come upon thee which the Lord â—ath spoken Such an Arch-Traytor and proud imperious Prelate was this Arch-Bishop Dunstan And if â—his Saint was such what thinke you may his Successors prove who were not so holy as to be Canonized This Dunstan before hee became Arch bishop of Canterbury caused King Etheldred to pâ—eferre him before all his Nobles and to â—ay up all his richest Royall Household-stuffe Charters Records with all his Wealth and Treasures in his Monasterie and finally to commit his very Kingdome Body and Soule to him so that all things were in Dunstans power the King not daring to doe any thing either in publike Affaires of the Kingdome or in his owne private Negotiations without Dunstans advice so that he alone exercised Royall Authority in every place In and by which he wholly imployed his endeavours how to enrich those Monasteries with Lands and Revenues which himselfe had founded or the Danes wasted wasting the Kings Treasury and appropriating the Crowne Lands to this purpose Which when King Edwyn comming to the Crowne sought to resume Dunstan much displeased herewith sharpely reprehended him then affronted him and at last cauâ—ed him to be murthered as is before remembred And for all this good service he was not onely made an Arch-Prelate but a Saint Siricius his next Successor but one consilio infausto by an unhappie if noâ— perfidious Traytorly advice perswaded King Etheldred in the thirteenth yeare of his Raigne to buy his Peace of the Danes at ten thousand pound annuall Rent to the ignominie and almost utter destruction of â—he whole Kingdome Which evill writes Henry Huntingdon hath continued to this very day and will longer endure unlesse Gods mercy helpe us For now wee pay that to our Kings out of Custome which was payd to the Danes out of unspeakeable feares Yea we aâ— this day have â—ared
a Councell of the Prelates together how hee might relieve the holy Church that was made subject and thrall It was consulted that the King and all other men that were Rebels should be warned and if they would not amend then the wrecke of censures of holy Church should not sleepe The holy man Edmund assented and went to the King with the other Bishops who threatned to Excommunicate him if he would not reforme the things they demanded and put away his evill Councellors The King asked avisement and he abode but all for nought Therefore the King was spared alone and all other that were Rebells were denounced accursed But thereby would they not be amended This Arch-Prelate at last being continually vexed thwarted and disgraced both by the King the Pope his Legates and others with whom he contested taking his leave of the King departed into voluntary exile and there bewailing the misery of his Country spoyled and miserably wasted by the tyranny and strange exactions of the Pope spent the rest of his time in continuall teares and through extreame griefe sorrow and fasting fell into a Consumption and dyed being afterwards canonized for a Saint by Pope Innocent the fourth Arch-Bishop Boniface his immediate successor raised many commotions and stirs both in Church and State hee was the Kings instrument for polling of England and brought him much money he was also a great warrier better skilled in Military than Church affaires Not to mention this Arch-Prelates combat with the Prior and Monkes of Saint Bartholmewes which put the whole City of London into an uproate and made much worke both at the Kings Court and at Rome Or how he procured a Grant from the Pope to receive one whole yeares profit of all Livings and Cures that should fall voyd within his Province for 7. yeares space to the value of 10000. Markesâ— At which the King at first was sore offended I shall only reciâ—e some traytorly and Anti-monarchicall constitutions made by him his fellow Prelates in a Synod held at Westminster 1270. to the great impeachment of the Kings Prerogative and affront of his Nobles Judges and Temporall Courts of Justice First they decreed That no Arch-Bishop Bishop or inferior Prelate and Clergi-man should eiâ—her by the Kings Writ or any other Noblemans or secuâ—ar Officers warrant be called to answer before any secular Court or Judge for any cause which they there determin to be meerely Ecclesiasticall Or for any extravagances and undue proceedings in their Ecclesiasticall Courts And that no Clergie-man should presume to appeare upon such Writ or summons before any temporall Judge or Court under paine of Excommunication because no Lay power hath any authority to judge the Lords Anointed whom they ought of necessity to obey And to take away so great abuses preserve the liberties of the Church we decree and ordaine say they that the sayd Archâ—bishops Bishops and other Prelates shall not appeare though they be called summoned to do it as aforesaid Yet to preserve the Kings â—onour the greatest Prelates shall goe or write to the King and shew that they cannot obey such his Royall Mandates without the perill of their Order and the subversion of their Ecclesiasticall Liberty And if the King desist not the Bp. whom it concernes shal admonish the King the second time that he looke to the salvation of his soule and altogether desist from such Mandates And if he desist not at the denuntiation of the Bishop the Arch-Bishop or else the Bishop of London as tâ—e Deane of the Bishops calling to him two or three Bishops or more whom he shall thinke meete shall goe to the King und admonish him more seriously requiring â—im to supersediate his Mandates And if the King after such exhortations and monitions shal proceed to attachments and destresses by himselfe or others then the Sheriffes and all other Baylifes who prosecute the Bishops to attach them shall by the Diocesans of the places be driven away in forme of Law by the sentence of Excommunication and interdiction The like shall be done if the Sheriffes or Bayliffes proceed to Attachments or Distresses pretending the foresayd monitions to be made to our Lord the King as afore-sayd And if the Sheriffes or Baâ—liffes shall persevere in their obstinacie the places wherein they live and the Lands they have within the Province of Canterbury shall be interdicted by the Diâ—cesans of the places at the denuntiation of the Bishop in whose Diocesse such Distresses shall be taken And if such Attachers be Clerks Beneficed they shall be suspended from their Office and if they persevere in their malice they shall be compelled to desist and give satisfaction by substracting the profits of theâ—r benefices And if they be not Beneficed in case they be presented to any Beneâ—ice they shall not be thâ—reto admitted â—or five yeares space And the Clerkes who shall dictate write or signe such Attachments or distresses or give any counsell or advice therein shall be Canonically punished and if any Clerke be suspected of the premises â—e shall not be admitted to any Ecclesiasticall Benefice untill he shall Canonically purge himselfe thereof And if our Lord the King or any other secular power competently admonished concerning this shall not revoke such distresses or Attachments the Bishop distrained shal put under Ecclesiasticall interdict the Lands Villages Townes and Castles which the King himselfe or other secular person so distrainiâ—g shall have within his Bishopricke And if the King or any other secular power contemning such penalties shall persevere in their obstinacy then the Arch-Bishop or the Bishop of London at the denunciation of the Bishop complaining calling to him two Bishops or more whom he shall thinke meete shall repaire to the King and diligently admonish and require him to supersede from the foresaid Mandates And if our Lord the King having heard these admonitions and exhortations shall proceed to Attachments or distresses by himself or others then the other two Bishops reputing this distresse as a common injury to the Church by the authority of this present Counsell shall put under Ecclesiasticall interdict all the Demisne Lands Burroughes Castles and Townes of the King himselfe or any other great man being within the Precincts of their Diocesse And if the King or other great Man shall not within 20. dayes after revoke the said Distresses or Attacâ—ments but shall for this bandy against the Church being with Pharaoh made more obdurate amidst the strokes of punishments then the Archâ—bishop shall put his whole Diocesse under inâ—erdict The same shall be done to the Castles Lands and Burroughes of great men who have Royalties within the said Province And if any Bishop shall be found negligent or remisse in the exeâ—utions of the said penalties in such cases he shall be sharpely reprehended by the Metropolitan Afâ—er which they in the same Councell decree the like Interdicts Excommunications and Proceedings against all such who shall intrude
to the French King and the Germans to stirre them up to make warre against King Henry the 8. and to invade England though with ill successe The King thereupon requested thâ—m to send him over into England that he might proceed against him as a Traytor He was intimate with the Pope studied to advance his power and suppresse his Soveraignes stirred up his friends in England against the King by his letters whereupon the King banished both him and his mother the Countesse of Salisbury by Act of Parliament proclaymed him a Traytor whence Father Latimer in his 5. Sermon before King Edward calls him Cardinall Poole the Kings Traytor c. and after that be headed his mother and elder brother Vicount Mountacute for high treason What manner of person and Traytor this Cardinall was to his Soveraigne will appeare by a Letter written to him being at Rome by Cutbert Tonsiall Bishop of Duresme and Iohn Stokerley Bishop of London which begins thus For the good will that we have borne unto you in times past as long as you continued the Kings true subject wee cannot a little lament and mourne that you neither regarding the inestimable kindnesse of the Kings highnesse heretofore shewed unto you in your bringing up nor the honour of the house that you be come of nor the wealth of the Country that you are borne in should so decline from your duty to your Prince that you should be seduced by faire words and vaine promises of the Bishop of Rome to wind with him going about by all meanes possible to pull downe and put under foot your naturall Prince and Master to the destruction of the Country that hath brought you up and for the vain-glory of a Red Haâ— to make your selfe an instrument to set forth his malice who hath stirred up by all meanes that he could all such Christian princes as would give eares unto him to depose the Kings highnesse from his Kingdome and to offer it as a prey to them that should execute his malice and to stirre if he could his subjects against him in stirring and nourishing rebellions in his Realme where the office and duty of all good Christians and namely of us that be Priests should be to bring all commotion to tranquillity and trouble to quietnesse all discord to concord and in doing the contrary wee shew our selves to be but the Ministers of Sathan and noâ— of Christ who ordained all us that be Priests to use in all places the legation of peace and not of discord But since that cannot be undone that is done the second is to make amends and to â—ollow the doing of the Prodigall Sonne spoken of in the Gospell who returned home to his father and was well accepted as no doubâ— you might be if you will say as he said in acknowledging your folly and do as hee did in returning home againe from your wandring abroad in service of them who little care what come of you so that their purpose by you be served This Cardinals Treason ingratitude and perfidiousnesse is yet further exemplified by the same Cutbert Tonstall in his Sermon which he preached before King Henry the 8. upon Palme Sunday in the yeare of of our Lord 1538. Printed anciently by iâ— selfe in part recited by Holinshed p. 1164 1165. and more largely by Thomas Becon where he thus blazons both the Pope and him in their native colours The Bishop of Rome because he can not longer in this Realm wrongfully use his usurped power in all things as hee was wont to doe and sucke out of this Realme by avarice insatiable innumerable summes of money yearly to the great exhausting of the same hee therefore moved and repleat with furious ire and pestilent malice goeth about to stirre all Christian Nations that will give eare to his Devillish enchantments to move warre against this Realme of England giving it in prey to all those that by his instigation will invade it And the Bishop of Rome now of late to set forth his pestilent malice the more hath allured to his purpose a subject of this Realme Reginald Pole comming of a noble blood and thereby the more arrant Traytor to goe about from Prince to Prince and from Country to Country to stirre them to warre against this Realme and to destroy the same being his native country whose pestilent purpose the Princes that hee breaketh it unto have in much abomination both for that the Bishop of Rome who being a Bishop should procure peace is a stirrer of warre and because this most arrant and unkind Traytor is his minister to so devillish a purpose to destroy the Country that he was borne in which any heathen man would abhorre to doe But for all that without shame hee still goeth on exhorting thereunto all Princes that will heare him who do abhorre to see such unnaâ—uralnesse in any man as he shamelesse doth set forwards whose pernitious treasons late secretly wrought against this Realme have been by the worke of Almighty God so marvellously detected and by his owne brother without looking â—herefore so diclosed and condigne punisâ—ment ensued that hereafter God willing they shall not take any more such roote to â—he noysance of this Realme And where all Nations of Gentiles by reasons and by law of nature do preferre their Country before their Parents so that for their Country they will dye against their Parents being traytors this pestilent man worse than a Pagan is not ashamed to destroy if he could his native Country And whereas Curtius an Heathen man was content for saving of the City of Rome where he was borne to leape into a gaping of the earth which by the illusions of the devill was answered should not be shut but that it must first have one this pernicious man is contented to ruâ—ne headlong into hell so that he may destroy thereby his native country of England being in that behalfe incomparably worse than any Pagan And besides his pestilent treason his unkindnesse against the Kings Majestie who brought him up of a very child and promoted both him and likewise restored his blood being tainted to be of the Peeres of this Realme and gave him money yearly out of his coffers to maintaine him honourably at study makes his Treason much more detestable to all the world and him to be repured more wild and cruell than Tyger But for all this thou English man take courage unto thee and be nothing afraid thou hast God on thy side who hath given this Realme to the generation of Englishmen to every man in his degree after the lawes of the same thou hast a Noble Victorious and Vertuous King hardy as a Lyon who will not suffer thee to be so devoured by such wild beasts Onely take an English heart unto thee and mistrust not God but trust firmly in him and surely the ruine intended against thee shall fall on their owne neckes that intend it and â—eare not though the
and that the King himselfe presently after his death was stricken with a Leprosie a manifest lye They likewise reported That a strange judgement hapned upon the Iudges who gave sentence against him Which fabulous lying Legends must not onely be generally bruited abroad to cheate the people justifie the Traytor disparage this honorable Act of Justice slander the King and Judges and all to secure the Bishops in their Treasons and Rebellions that this Act might never bee made a president to punish them capitally for such like offences in future times but likewise chronicled to delude posterity and animate all succeeding Prelates under hopes of impunitie to attempt any Treasons Trecheries or insurrections against their Soveraignes without feare And to make the thing more odious and the Prelates more presumptuous in this kinde the Pope himselfe excommunicates tbe Authors of his death and those that had any hand in his condemnation or execution who must all earnestly entreat for absolution before it would be granted Loe here the quintessence of all Traiterous Rebellious spirits and disloyall practises combined and infused into our Prelates in canonizing this Arch-Traytor scandalizing the very sentence of Justice pronounced and executed upon him with the King and Judges that were the Authors of it and making it a matter worthy an Anathema to condemne and execute a Traytor a Rebell too in the Suparlative degree What confidence can any Princes repose or what fidelitie can they expect from such a desperate generation of Vipers as these who cannot be content to plot to execute Treasons and Conspiracies but thus boldly to justifie them and the Traytors to when they are committed I shall therefore close this story with the words of Edward Hall our Chronicler What shall a man say of such foolish and fantasticall persons who have written of such erroneous Hypocrites and seditious Asses who have indited of such superstitious Fryers and malicious Monkes who have declared and divulged both contrary to Gods Doctrine the honour of their Prince and common knowne verityâ— such manifest lyes as the fore-cited miracles and reports concerning this Arch-Bishops death What shall men thinke of such beastly persons which regarding not their bounden dâ—tie and â—beâ—sance to their Prince and Soveraigne Lord envâ—ed the punishment of Traytors and torment of offendors But what shall all men conjecture of such which favouring their owne worldly Dignitie their owne private authority and their owne peculiar profit will thus juggle rayle and imagine fantasies against their Soveraigne Lord and Prince and put them in memory as a miracle to his dishonour and perpetuall infamyâ— well let just men judge what I have said So â—all Iohn Kemp Arch-Bishop of Yorke was a great opposer of the good Duke of Glocester a Traytor and evill instrument to King Henry the Sixth and the Kingdome and the meanes of the Duke of Gloucesters murther whose death was a most incomparable losse to the Realme of which more at large in Henry Beaufort Bishop of Winchester with whom he confederated against the Duke George Nevill Arch-Bishop of Yorke conspired with his Brother Henry Nevill Earle of Warwicke against King Edward the Fourth after hee had raigned almost nine yearesâ— to pull him from his Throne and being his hap to take King Edward Prisoner at Ownely in Northamptonshire hee carryed the King with him Prisoner first to Warwicke Castle then to Midleham Castle in Yorkeshire from whence the King at last having liberty to ride abroad an hunting escaped being rescued by his Friends and within halfe a yeare after so handled the matter as comming to London suddenly and entring this arch-Arch-Bishops Palace by a Posterne Gate hee surprized at once King Hâ—nry and the Arch-Bishop that had not long before taken him Holinshed and some others relate that the Arch-Bishop being lâ—ft by his Brother the Earle of Warwicke to keepe the Citie of London for King Henry against Edward the Fourth hee perceiving the affections of the people to incline to King Edward and how the most part of the Citie were much addicted to him sent forth secretly a Messenger to him beseeching King Edward to receive him againe into his former favour promising to bee to him in time to come and to acquit this good turnâ— heereafter with some singular benefit and service That the King upon good considerations was hereupon content to receive him againe into his favour of which the Arch-Bishop being assuredâ— greatly rejoyced and well and truely acquitting him of his promise in that behalfe madeâ— admitted him into the Citie where the king comming to the Arch-Bishops Palace heâ— prâ—sented himselfe unto him and having king Heâ—ry by the hand delivered him treacherously to king Edwâ—rdâ— custodie who being seized of his peâ—sâ—n weâ—t to Pauls from Westminster where hee gave God heartie thankes for his safe returne and good successe Thereupon they were both sent to the Towerâ— where king Henry was pittifully murtheredâ— but the Arch-Bishop the fourth of Iuneâ—ollowingâ— â—ollowingâ— was set at Libertie About a yeare after his Enlargement hee chanced to bee hunting at â—â—â—â—â—ore with the king and upon occasion of some spoâ—t thâ—â—â—ad seene there hee made relation to â—â—e king of some extraordinary kinde of Gâ—me wherewith hee was wont to solace himseâ—â—â— at 〈◊〉 housâ— hee had built and furnished very sumptuously called the Moore in Hartfordshire The King seeming desirous to be partaker of this sport appointed a day when hee would come thither to hunt and make merry with him Hereupon the Arch-Bishop taking his leave got him home and thinking to entertaine the King in the best manner it was possible sent for much Plate that hee had hid during the Warres between his Brethren and the King and borrowed also much of his Friends The Deaâ—e which the King hunted being thus brought into the toyle the day before his appointed time hee sent for the Arch-Bishop commanding him all excuses set apart to repaire presently to him being at Windsore As soone as he came hee was arrested of High-Treason all his Plate money and other moveable goods to the value of 20000. l. were seized on for the King and himselfe a long space after kept prisoner at Calis and Guisues during which time the King tooke to himselfe the profits and temporalties of his Bishopricke Amongst other things that were taken from him was a Miter of inestimable value by reason of many rich stones wherewith it was adorned that the King brake and made thereof a Crowne for himselfe This calamitie hapned to him Anno 1472. Foure yeares after with much entreatie he obtained his Libertie but dyed of griefe shortly after This proud Pontifician made so great a feast at his installment that neither our age nor any other before it ever heard or saw the like the particulars whereof you may read in Godwin too tedious here to recite Thomas Rotheram Arch-Bishop of Yorke being Lord Chancellour in Edward the fourth his Raigne upon his death resigned
example In a word he was the worst persecuting Bishop in his age and was twice deposed from his Bishopricke for his misdemeanors first in King Edwards dayes and after in the beginning of Queene Eâ—izabeths raigne by authority of Parliament at which time he was committed to the Marshashey among Rogues and murtherers where he died and was buried at midnight in obscurity Richard Fletcher the 42. Bishop of London incurred Queene Elizabeths just displeasure for his misdemeanors whereupon he fell to cure his cares by immoderate drinking of Tobacco and Iune the fifteenth 1596. died suddenly at his house in London being to see well sicke and dead in one quarter of an houre Richard Bancroft Bishop of London consecrated the eleventh of May 1597. was a great persecuter of godly Ministers a favourer and harbourer of Priests and Jesuites and caused Dolmons Book of Succession against King Iames his tittle to the Crowne to be Printed in his house and published hee was the chiefe Author of the Canons and Constitutions Ecclesiasticall set forth in the first yeare of King Iames which afterwards did breed much trouble and disturbance in our Chuâ—ch and are now voted in Parliament to be made without any lawfull authority and to be repugnant to the Lawes of the Realme and liberty of the subject William Laud the last Bishop of London but one whilst he continued in that See was very like to his predecessors Bonner and Bancroft in his practises and proceedings for some of which and others since he now stands charged of high treason by the Parliaament Of which more before p. 157. c. The present Bishop of London William Iuxon was Bishop Laudes creature advanced by him and the first Prelate in our memory who relinquished the cure of soules and preaching of Gods Word to become a Lord Treasurer and sit as a Publican at the receit of Custome His disposition and carriage as a man have beene amiable commendable but how farre forth he hath concurred with Canterbury in his evill counsells and designes as he is a Prelate time will discover How ever in the interim his forwardnesse in compiling and pressing the late new Canons Loane and c. Oath and his last Visitation Articles wherein these new Canons and Oath are inforced upon the Subjects against the Lawes and their Liberties with some censures of his in the Starre-chamber and high Commission resolved by Parliament to be against the Law and liberty of the Subject and his Innovations in Scotland are inexcusable Winchester From the Prelates of London I now passe to those of Winchester of whom William Harrison in the discription of England hath made this true observation If the old Catalogue of the Bishops be well considered of and the Acts of the greatest part of them weighed as they are to be read in our Histories ye shall finde the most egregious hypocrites the stoutest warriours the cruellest tyrants the richest mony-mongers and politicke Councellours in temporall affaires to have I wote not by what secret working of the divine providence beene placed here in Winchester since the foundation of that See which was erected by Birinus An. 639. whom Pope Honorius sent hither out of Italy and first planted at Dorcester in the time of Kimgils then translated to Winchester where it doth yet continue Wina the third or rather the first Bishop of Winchester from whence some write this city tooke its name about the yeare of our Lord 666. I know not for what misdemeanour so highly offended Kenwalchus King of the West Saxons who advanced him to this See that the King fell into great mislike of him and drave him out of his Country who thereupon flying to Wulfher King of Mercia bought of him for a great summe of money the Bishopricke of London being the first Symonist that is mentioned in our Historyes whence aâ—ter his death he was deservedly omitted out of the Catalogue of the Bishops of London Herefridus the fifteene Bishop of Winchester and Sigelmus Bishop of Sherborne An. 834. accompanied King Egbert to the warres against the Danes and were both slaine in a battell against them About the yeare of our Lord 1016. Edmond Ironside succeeding his father in the Kingdome was crowned at London by the Archbishop of Yorke but the rest of the Bishops Abbots and spiritualty among whom Edsinus the 32. Bishop of Winchester was one favouring Cnute a Dane who had no right nor title to the Crowne assembling together at Southampton within Winchester Diocesse 〈◊〉 proclaimedâ— and ordained â—nuâ—e for their King and submitted themselves to him as their Soveraigne which occasioned many bloody battells and intestine warres almost to the utter ruine of the Kingdome of which you may read at large in our Historians â—nute not long after his inauguration being put to the worst at Durham by Edmâ—â—d immediaâ—ly tooke into Winchesâ—er to secure himselfe a good proofe this Bishop sided with him against his Soveraigne Eâ—mond though a most heroicke Prince Alwyn the 33. Bishop of Winchester was imprisoned by Edmond the Confessor for the suspition of incontinency with Emma the Kings mother and that upon the accusation of Robert Archbishop of Canterbury who likewise accused Queene Egitha of adultery more out of envy to her father than truth of so foule a fact in her whereupon the King expulsed her his Court and bed and that with no little disgrace for taking all her Jewels from her even to the uttermost farthing he committed her prisoner to the Monastery of VVilton attended onely with one Mayde while she for a whole yeares space almost in teares and prayers expected the day of her release and comfort The Clergy at this time were altogether unlearned wanton and vicious for the Prelates neglecting the office of their Episcopall function which was to tender the affaires of the Church and to feede the flocke of Christ lived themselves idle and covetous addicted wholely to the pompe of the world and voluptuous life little caring for the Churches and soules committed to their charge and if any told them faith Higden that their lives ought to be holy and their conversation without coveteousnesse according to the sacred prescript and vertuous examples of their Elders they would scoffingly put them off Nunc aliud tempus alii pro tempore mores Times have mutations So must mens fashions and thus saith he they plained the roughnesse of their doings with smoothnesse of their answers Stigand Anno 1047. was translated to Winchester from whence also he was removed to Canterbury in the yeare 1052. But whether he mistruâ—ted his Title to Canterbury Robert the former Arch-Bishop being yet alive or whether infatiable covetousnesse provoked him thereunto I cannot tell hee retained still Winchesâ—er notwithstanding his preferment to Canterbury which was the cause of his undoing at last For the Conqueror who came into this Realme while he was
threats of his brother Richard and of the Bishops conspiring with him to draw the King hither and thither to make him odious both to the Pope and people among whom the Bishop of Winchester was chiefe to whom power was given by the Pope to interdict the Kingdome yeelded at last to this taxe being overcome and debilitated with feare The passages whereof are more largely related by Matthew Paris together with the Popes intollerable exactions upon England William Raley the 41. Bishop of Winchester imployed in this former service for the Pope Anno. 1243. being unduly elected by the Monkes of Winchester contrary to King Henry the third his command the King hereupon commanded that no man should give him or his any victuall or lodging charging the Major and Citizens of Winchester to forbid him entrance into that city which they did the Bishop thereupon excommunicated the Major Monks and whole city and interdiâ—ted the Cathedrall for which he felt the burthen of the Kings displeasure so heavy upon him in England as he thought good to fly the Realme till at last by Boniface the Archbishops intercession and the Popes earnest Letters to the King and Queene he was restored to the Kings favour and obtained License to returne The Bishop hereupon in thankefulnesse bestowed upon the Pope 6000. markes for his fatherly care of him which hee in good nature because he would not be reputed disdainfull tooke every penny It is recorded of this Bishop that a little before his death he had the Sacrament brought unto him and perceiving the Priest to enter his Chamber with it he cried out Stay good friend let the Lord come no nearer unto me it is more fit that I be drawne to hira as a Traytor that in many things have beene a Traytor unto him His servants therefore by his commandement drew him out of his bed unto the place where the Priest was and there with teares he received the Sacrament and spent much time in prayer and soone after died at Turon the 20th of September 1249. Ethelâ—arns halfe brother unto the King a man saith Matth. Paris in respect of his orders yeares and learning utterly unsufficient was at the Kings speciall request elected next Bishop of this See he had at that time other spirituall livings equivalent in revenue to the Archbishopricke of Canterbury which that hee might keepe and yet receive all the profits likewise of the Bishopricke of Winchester he determined not to be consecrated at allâ— but to hold it by his election and so did indeede for the space of nine yeares In the meane time he and the rest of his countrymen with whom the Realme was much pestered were growne very odious as well with the Nobility as the Commons not onely for their infinite wealth and immoderate preferment much envied but much more for their pride and insolency which a man can hardly beare in his owne friend much lesse in an alien and â—tranger whom men naturally dislike much sooner then their owne countrimen Amongst the rest this Ethelmarus bare himselfe so bold upon the King his brother as he gave commandement to his servants to force a Clergy man out of the possession of a Benefice whereunto he pretended some right and if he withstood them to draw him out of his possession in contumelious manner the poore man loath to loose his living defended it so long till by my Lord Elects men he was slaine himselfe and his people so soare beaten and wounded as within few dayes one or two of them died This fact and other like complained of by the Barons to the Pope and King brought all the Poictavins into such hatred as the Realme was ready to rise against them and the rather upon this occasion Anno. Dom. 1252. a certainâ— Priest intruded himselfe by authority of this Prelate into the Hospitall in Southwerke within this Diocesse founded by Thomas Becket Eustathius de Len. Officiall to the Archbishop of Canterbury conceiving himselfe injured hereby because by reason of the patronage his consent ought to have intervened which was omitted through contemptâ— thrice admonished the said Priest to depart because his entranee was injurious and presumptuous the Priest stiled commonly the Prior of this Hospitall refuseth to doe it keeping possession The â—fficiall hereupon excommunicates him for his contumacy under which excommunication the Prior continued fortie dayes multiplying threats and revilings The Officiall not brooking such pride at last commanded this contumacious Prior to be apprehended who hearing of itâ— enters into the Church in his Priestly Vestments were he fortifieth himselfe the officers purposely sent to apprehend him spared him not because he had contemned the keyes of the Church The Officiall therefore commanded him to be carried to Maydstoneâ— a manner of the Archbishops untill it were determined what should be done hereupon thinking to keepe him there beâ—ause the Archbishop was said to be neare that place But the Bishop of Winchester hearing of it was more angry than became him as if he had sufferâ—d a great injury with disgrace presented a grievous complaint to his brethren with whose ayde and councell being puffed up he calling a band of Souldiers together with no small company following them sent them to seeke and apprehend the authors of this violence They therefore with great â—orce and tumult as in a hostile war came to Suwerke thinking to have found them there where searching all places and finding none of them they went hastily with a swift pace to Maydstone to free the Captive Prior there detained with a powerfull hand and breaking downe all that stood in the way searching all secret corners when they found not him they sought for because hee was hid they called for fire that they might burne all to ashes And after many injuries there committed when they found not him they sought for certified by some whisperers where the Officiall was they sought forâ— to wit at Lambeth neare London they all ran thither in a troope where heaving up the doores from their hinges and breaking them running in altogether in a confused troope sodainely before the houre of dinner they tooke the Officiall premeditating no such thing in a hostile and unseemely manner and haling him away they set him on a horse like a vile slave deprehended in the act of stealing to be carried whether they pleased he being not suffered so much as to touch the reâ—nes of the horses bridle that carried him O rash presumptionâ— O unexcusable â—rreverence saith Matth. Paris which so ignominiously handled and worried such an authenticall man so excellent learned so perspicuosly famous and representing the Archbishops person Moreover they inhumanly handled the Chaplaine serving in his Chappell and flying to the hornes of the Altar rayling upon him The Officiall after they had done all things which anger yea fury had perswaded they drew by the Bridle to Fâ—rnehold till they were certified of the Priors restitution detaining him violently against his will
reddy to submit himselfe to any order of Law whereby hee might cleere himselfe herewith they seemed to be satisfied and appointed to meete and conferre of the matter at a place called Goats-head The Bishop for his better safety betooke himselfe to the Church with his company at which time all the people of the province came to demand justice from the Bishop for some wrongs done them The Bishop answered them over roughly that he would doe them justice for no injury or complaint unlesse they would first give him 400l. of good mony Whereupon one of them in the name of all the rest desired leave of the Bishops that hee might conferre with the rest about this exaction that so they might give him an advised answer which granted the people consulted together without the Church concerning this businesse in meane time divers messages passed betweene the friends of Leulfus and the Bishop about this murther but the more the matter was debated being very odious in it selfe the more his friends and the people too were incensed at last it was told them that the Bishop had harboured Leofwyn and Gilbert too in his house and afforded them countenance since this murther which being once heard and â—ound true they all cryed out it was manifest that the Bishop was the Author of this fact While the company stood in a mummering doubting what to doe both concerning this money and murther too one of some speciall regard among them stepped up and used these words Short read good read slay the Bishop Hereupon without more adoe they â—anall unto the Church killed as many of the Bishops retinue as they found without doores and with horrible noyse and outcryes bid him and his company come out unto them The Bishop to make the best of a bad match and to rid himselfe from danger perswaded his kinsman Gilberâ— there present to goe out unto them if happily his death which he well deserved might satisfie their fury and purchase their safety Gilbert was content and issuing our with divers of the Bishops company were all slaine except two Englishmen servants to the Bishop the rest being Normans They not yet pacified the Bishop besought Leofwyn whose liâ—e hee knew was principally sought to goe out likewise but he utterly reâ—used The Bishop therefore going to the Church dore himselfe intreaâ—ed them not to take his life from him protesting himselfe altogetheâ— innocent of Leulfus his blood shewing them at large how inconvenient it would be to themselves and the whole Country to shed his blood an unarmed Priest and sacred consecrate Bishop their Ruler Governour Magistrate Lastly hoping that his very countenance gravity age white comely head and beard and the Majesâ—y of his person might something move them to compassion hee went out among them carrying a green branch in his hands to testifie his desire of peace when hee saw all this availed not the people running furiously upon him hee cast his gowne over his owne head and committing him selfe to their fury with innumerable wounds was pittifully massacred together with all his retinue to the number of one hundred persons only Leofwyn yet râ—mained in the Câ—urch and being often called would not come forth So they set the Church on fire hee not enduring the fire leapt out at a window and was immediately hewne in a thousand pieces This barbarous slaughter was committed May the 4. 1080. as some Historians or 1075. as others record The King hearing of this tumult sent his brother Odo Bishop of Bayon with many of his Nobles and a great army to take punishment of this murther which while they sought to revenge they brought the whole Country to desolation those that were guilty prevented the danger by â—light so as few of them were appreheâ—ded of the rest that stayd at hâ—me some weâ—e unjustly executed and the rest compelled to ransome themselves to their utter impoverishing and undoing This was the life and death of the first Lord Bishop of this See who joyned both the temporall and spirituall Juâ—isdiction and honour together in his owne person being both a Bishop and an Earle Anno 1074. during this Bishops domination Pluâ—es Episcopi Abbates many Bishops and Abbots with 3. Earles and many Souldiers conspired togeâ—her at Noâ—wich to thrust the Conquerour ouâ— of his Kingdome sending messages â—o â—he King of Denmarke for aide and confederating themselves with the Welchmen whereupon â—hey burnt and spoyled many townes and villages belonging to the Conquerour but at last they were defeated by him some of them being banished the Realme others hanged others deprived of their eyes Who these Bishops were in particular that joyned in this conspiracy and rebellion is not expressed but they were many in number whether this Bishop might not be one of the company I know not William Kairlipho Abboâ— of Saint Vincent his next successour who got so farre into the favour of King William Rufus that he made him his houshold Chaplaine and one of his Privie Councell and did what hee list under him in the yeare of our Lord 1088. joyned himselfe with Odo Bishop of Bayon and Eaâ—le of Kent Geffry Bishop of Constantia and other great men in a rebellious conspiracy against King William who much favoured and trusted him to deprive him of his Crowne as an effeminaâ—e perâ—on both in mind and countenance and of a fearefull heart who would do all things rashly both against right and justice which revolt and treachery of his the King tooke very grievously Whereupon they take up armes against the King wasting the Country in sundry parts intending to set up his Brother Robert in his place as King giving out divers words and sending abroad many Letters to incite men to take armes for this purpose The bishop of Durham held out Durham by strong hand against the King who comming thither in person with his army besieged it so as the Bishop was at length forced to surrender the City and yeeld himselfeâ— whereupoâ— hee was exiled the Land with divers of his complices and for his former preâ—â—nded friendship to the King was suffered to goe Scotfree though worthy a thousand quarterings upon â—hiâ— he presently passed over Sea into Normandy there he continued neere three yeares in a voluntary exile untill Septâ—mber 11. 1190. at what time the King comming to Durham received him into his â—ull favour and restored him to his former dignities After which hee sided with the Kinâ— against Anselme to thrust him out of his Bishopricke that himselfe might succeed him bâ—t hee failed in that projecâ— Falling againe into the Kings displeasure he was summoned to appeare before him at Glocester by a certaine day before which timâ— hee fell sicke of griefe as was â—hought when he appeared not and it was told the King heâ— was sicke he swore by S. Lukes face which was his usuall Oath he lied and did but counterfeit and hee would â—ave him fetcht with a vengeance But it appeares his excuse
Prelates practises Stephen and Maud came to a mutuall agreement Of which you may read more largely in Roger of Salisbury The See of Lincolne continuing voyd almost seven yeeres after the death of Robert de Chisney Geoffry Plantagenet Archdeacon of Lincolne base sonne to King Henry the second was elected Bishop thereto who contenting himselfe with the large revenues of the Bishopricke never sought consecration well knowing that he might so fleece the sheepe though he listed not to take the charge of feeding the sheepe Seven yeeres he reaped the fruits of that See by colour of his election and then by the Popes commandement to Richard Archbishop of Canterbury to compell Geoffry either to resigne his â—ishopricke or immediately to enter into orders and to take the office of a Bishop on him he resigned all his interest in the same the copy of which resignation you may read in Roger Hoveden After which he turned Couttier for eight yeeres space and at last returning to the Church againe became Archbishop of Yorkeâ— How he carried himselfe in that See I have before in part expressed page 185 186. and now shall give you some further account tâ—ough somewhat out of course out of Roger Hoveden and others He was no sooner setled in Yorke but there fell out a great contestation betweene him and Henry deane of Yorke and Buchard the Treasurer whom he excommunicated for refusing to give over singing and to begin their Service afresh upon his entering into thâ— Church whereby the Church that day ceased from Divine Service This difference being composed Buchard and Geoffry soone after fell ouâ— againe whereupon Geâ—ffry excommunicating him the second time he goes to the Pope for absolution and so farre prevailed with the Pope that he would neither confirme Geoffries election nor suffer him to be consecrated And withall the Pope exempted Hugh Bishop of Durham from making any profession of subjection to Geoffry elect of Yorke during his life though he were consecrated because he hâ—d formerly once made his profession to the Church of Yorke and to S. William the Archbishop of Yorke and to his successors Queene Elenor K. Richards mother hereupon passeth from Messana through Rome to intreat and humbly beseech the Pope in the Kings behalfe to confirme his brothers election to Yorke and either to consecrate him Archbishop thereof by himselfe or some other which the Pope doing Geoffry shortly after cites Hugh Bishop of Durham peremptorly to appeare before him at a Synod in the Cathedrall Church at Yorke thereto professe his obedience to him which he endeavoured to substract and to exempt himselfe by all meanes from his jurisdiction Hugh refuseth to come thither or to make his profession or obedience to him being as he said not bound by Law to doe it and thereupon appeales the first second and third time to the Pope and submits his cause to him The Archbishop hearing of it in great fury excommunicates him notwithstanding this appeale threatning to compell him to make profession and obedience by Ecclesiasticall censures notwithstanding this appeale The Bishop of Durham on the other side would not obey the 〈◊〉 but in contempt thereof boldly celebrated and caused to be celebrated Divine offices as before The Archbishop hereupon overturnes all the Altars where the Bishop of Durham had celebrated and breakes the Chalices within his Diocesse wherein any other had celebrâ—ted in the Bishops presence and held his brother Iohn Earle of Morton for an excommunicate person because he had eaâ—en with the Bishop of Duâ—ham after that sentence and would not communicate with him untill he gave him satisfaction and came to be absolved When the Bishop of Durham saw that many refused to speake eate or drinke with him he sent messengers to the Pope who relating to him first in secret then before all the Cardinals how indiscreetly and Archbishop had excommunicated him slighting his appeale the Pope and all the Cardinals adjudged that sentence a meere nullity and that it ought not to be observed and thereupon the Pope writ a letter to the Bishops of Lincolne Rochester and others to declare this sentence of excommunication voyd in their Churches by vertue of the Popes Apostolicall authority and to command the people to communicate with the Bishop of Durham notwithstanding it as they did before and to declare that the Bishop for the injuries done unto him by the Archbishop in overturning the Altars and breaking the Chalices should be exempted from all subjection to him during life Whereupon these Bishops and delegates met at Northampton and after much debate departed without any final agreement In Lent following this Archbishop being summoned to appeare at London by the Kings Justices came to Westminster with his Crosse carried before him whereupon the Bishop of London and the other Prelates prohibited him to presume to carry his Crosse within the Province of Canturbury who contemptuously answered them that he would not let it downâ— for them yet by the advice of his followers he hid it from the face of the people left a tumult should arise among the Clergy The Bishop of London accounting him excommunicate for this transgression suspended the new Temple where the Archbishop lodged both from Divine Service and the tolling and ringing of Bels so as he was forced to goe out of the City After this the Archbishop levied a great Army fortified Doncastre and would have besieged Thifehill Castle belonging to Earle Morton which Hugh Bardalfe and William Stâ—â—ville refusing to doe he departed with his men in a 〈◊〉 from them calling them traitors to the King and Kingdome Soone after the Deanery of Yorke being voyd the Archbishop first gave the Deanery to Simon Apull and after that to one Philip whom the King recommended The Canons of Yorke pretending the right of electing the Deane to appertaine to them elected Apul against the Bishops will The Archbishop hereupon appeales to Rome the Canons notwithstanding proceed in their election of Apul the Archbishops messengers and Apul meeting with the King in Germany in their passage towards Rome he inhibited all their appeales to Rome saying that if any attempted the contrary he should not returne into the Realme againe In the meane time the Canons of Yorke suspended the Cathedrall Church from all their accustomed Divine service and their Bels likewise from their usuall office of ringing for which the whole City was in an uproare they likewise uncloathed their Altars locked up the Archbishops stall in the Quire barred up the doore by which he used to enter into the Church out of his Pallace and Chappell and did many other things in contempt of him which the Archbishop hearing of being ready to take ship to passe the seas returned to the Church admonishing and commanding the Ministers of this Church to minister therein after the ancient manner who contemning his admonition and precept left the Church voyd and destitute of Divine service Hereupon shortly after the Archbishop by
Schollers themselves and so presently authorized to govern them without the admission of any other Thomas Watson Bishop of Lincolne in the first yeere of Queene Elizabeth was deprived of hs Bishopricke and imprisoned for refusing to take the Oath of Allegiance and Supremacy and counselling the other Bishops to excommunicate the Queene for altering religion Of which see more before in Tonstall Bishop of London Of other Bishops of this See since his time I finde little in History As for the present Prelate of that Diocesse as he deserves due praise for his magnificent Structures of Libraries Hospitals and the like So on the other side his excessive pride and miscarriages in his Chancellor-ship for which he lost that office and especially his advancing of the now Arch-bishop of Canterbury who proved a scourge to him as well as others with his procuring Mountagues Appeale to be printed which kindled a great Combustion in our Church and State and laid the foundation of all those Popish Innovations both in doctrine and discipline which have since like a filthy leprosie over-spread our Church and bred such sad effects and distractions among us deserve iust blame Yea his late extraordinary stickling much spoken against to maintaine the Lordly iurisdiction and secular authority of our Prelates without the least diminution or reformation of their excesses hath much ecclipsed all the honour and reputation he had gained by his former sufferings which should have made him as the vulgar truely say more meeke and lowly in heart like Christ his Master of whom he and all other Pontifs should learne Humility not lofty and pontificall domineering like Diotrephes who loved to have the preheminenâ—e for which St. Iohn condemns him or like the ambitious Apostles who contended which of them should be greatest for which Christ sharpely rebuked thâ—m sundry times saying Ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion ovâ—r them and they that are great exercise authority upon them But it shall not be so among you but whosoever will be great among you let him be your minister and whosoever will be chiâ—fe among you let him be your sâ—rvant even as the Sonne of man came not to be ministred unto but to minister and to give his life a ransome for many Which texts together with that of Peter Feed the flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready minde neither as being Lords over Gods Heritage but being ensamples to the flocke c. Yea all of you be subiect one to another and be cloathed with humility for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble it seemes this Prelate and his Brethren have forgotten or at least beleeve not to bee canonicall since they now poynt-blancke oppugne them yet me thinkes he should in this case have remembred what himselfe had but lately published in print as most Orthodox in doctrine and consonant in Discipline to the Church of England and very fit to be printed and published in any place or places where hâ— as Ordinary was inabled and licenced so to doe and so at Westminster In the holy Table Name and Thing pag. 82. against Clergy mens intermedling with secular affaires where thus he writes O foolish St. Basil that bids hâ—s Clergie take speciall heed that their Martha be not troubled with many things O dull Synesius that held it fitter for an Aegyptian then a Christian Priest to be over-troubled with matters of wrangling Well Doctor God helpe the poore people committed to thy Cure they are like to finde but a sorry Shepherd One that will be in the vestry when hee should be in the Pulpit and by his much nimblenesse in the one is like to shew a proportionable heavynesse in the other which he thus seconds p. 166.167 St. Cyprian was angry with one Geminius Victor for making against the Canon one Faustinus a Priest Overseer of his Will and by that meanes withdrawing him from his calling and miniâ—â—ry And enlarging himselfe in that discourse how carefull God had beene in providing Tithâ—s and Oblations for the Priest under the Law giving him not Lands and Husbandries amongst the other Tribes ut in nulla re avocarâ—â—ur that hee might have no occasion to be withdrawne from the Altar He aggravates the offence of these Testators that by making Church-men Executors and Overseers of their last Wills ab altari Sacerdotes Ministros volunt avocare will needs withdraw Ministers from their Ecclesiasticall functions with no lesse offence then if under the Law they had withdrawne the Priests from the holy Altar So that this plâ—ce takes my Doctor a little by the nose that cannot indure to be a looker on and a dull Spâ—ctator confined only to his ministeriall meditations So this Prelate And do not thâ—se pâ—ssages of this Bishop Noseâ—oo â—oo as wâ—ll as the Doctor who cannot endure to be a looker on and a dull Spectator confined only to his ministeriall Meditations unlesse he may likewise sit as a Peere in Parliament and intermeddle with secular affaires If not as some conceive they doe yet sure I am the words of Synesius and Cyprian in their places which hee quoâ—tâ—s will round him in the eare and give him no little checke For Synesius in his 52. Epistle to Andronicus writes thus against Bishops sitting as Iudges and intermedling with publike secular affaires to which Andronicus would have perswaded him To ioyne the power of administring the republique with the Priesthood is all one as to knit those things together which cannot be coupled by any coniunction Ancient times permitted the same persons to be Priests Iudges For the Aegyptians and Hebrewes for a long time used the government of Priests Afterwards when as it seemes to me that the divine worke began to be done in a humane manner Deus ambo vitae genera separavit God separated both kindes of life and one of these was appointed to sacred things the other to government and empire for He designeth some to the dregs of the lowest things others he hath associated unto himselfe Those are imployed in secular affaires not in Prayerâ— But yet in both God requires what is honest and consentaneous Why dost thou therefore againe revoke them Why wilt thou conioyne these things which God hath separated Who requirest us not to administer but to deprave us in administring than which what can be more unhappy Hast thou need of a Patron Goe to him who is President in the Lawes of the Republike or Lord chiefe Iustice. Hast thou need of God in any thing Goe to the Bishop of the City Contemplation is the end of Priesthood if a man not falsly usurpe that name to himselfe Now Contemplation and Action doe no wayâ—s accord for the force of the Will is moved into action which cannot bee without some affection But the Soule which is to
which hee could not obtaine untill for redemption he had given and surrendred up his Patronage of Sowton with a peece of Land all which the said Bishop annexeth to his now Lordship Thus by policy he purchaseth the Mannor of Bishops-Clift by a devise gaineth Cornish-wood and by power wresteth the patronagne uf Sowton from the true owner to the great vexation and disturbance of the Country Petâ—r Quiuill his next successor had great contests with the Citizens of Exeter in so much that in his time 1285. Walter Liâ—hlade the first Chaunter was slaine in a morning as hee came from the morning Service then called the Mattens which was wont to be said shortly after midnight upon which occasion the King came unto this city and kept his Christmas in the same and thereupon a compoâ—ition was made betweene the Bishop and the City for inclosing of the Church-yard and building of certaine gates there as appeareth by the said composition bearing date in festo Annunciationis beatae Mariae 1286. The King at the suit of the Earle of Hereford who at his being here way lodged in the house of the Gray-Fryers which then was neere the house of S. Nicholas obtained of the Bishop that they should be removed from thence to a more wholesome place without South-gate whereof after the Kings departure grew some controversie because the Bishop refused to performe his promise made to the King being disswaded by Peter Kenefield a Dominicane or a Blacke-Fryer and confessor unto the said Bishop for he envying the good successe of the Franciscans adviseth the Bishop that in no wise he would permit them to enjoy the place which they had gotten foâ— saith he as under colour of simplicity they creepe into the hearts of the people and hinder us poore Preachers from our gaines and livings so be ye sure that if they put foote within your Liberties they will in time finde meanes to be exempted from out of your Liberty and jurisdiction The Bishop being soone disswaded utterly forbiddeth them to build or to doe any thing within his See or Liberty About two yeares after the Bishop kept a great feast upon the Sunday next before S. Francis day and among others was present with him one Walter Wilborne one of the Kings chiefe Justices of the Bench who was present when the Bishop at the request of the King made promise to further and helpe the Franciscans He now in their behalfe did put the Bishop in minde thereof and requested him to have consideration both of his owne promise and their distresse The Bishop misliking this motion waxed angry and did not onely deny to yeeld thereuntoâ— but wished himselfe to be choked what day soever he did consent unto it It fortuned that the same weeke and upon the day of S. Frances Eve The Bishop tooke a certaine Sirope to drinke and in too hastily swallowing thereof his breath was stopped so as hee forthwith died The Franciscans hearing thereof made no little adoe about this matter but blazed it abroad that S. Francis wrought this miracle upon the Bishop â—â—cause he was so hard against them Anno. 1326. Walter Stapleton Bishop of Exeter to whom King Edward the second left the charge of the city of London was assaulted by the people at the North-doore of Pauls Church who threw him downe and drew him most outragiously into Cheape-side where they proclaimed him an open Traytor a Seducer of the Kingâ— and a destroyer and subverter of their Liberties the putting off his Aketon or coate of defence with the rest of his garments they shore his head from his shoulders with the heads of two of his servants The Bishops head was set on a pole for a spectacleâ— that the remembrance of his death and the cause thereof might continue his body was buried in an old Church yard of theâ— Pied Fryers without any manner of Exequies or Funerall service done for him Belike he was a wicked instrument that hee became so odious to the people who thus cruelly handled him Symon Mephara Archbishop of Canterbury began his Metropoliticall Visitation in the yeare 1332. and comming to Exeter Iohn Grandison Bishop of that See either scorning or fearing his jurisdiction appealed against it to the Pope and when the ArchBishop came to visite his Diocesse hee resisted him and kept him from entring into it with a Military band of Souldiers and when as the Archbishop resolved to encounter him and his forces in the field with armes and raised an army in Wiltshire for that purpose the King being there with acquainted recalled him by his royall Letters so as he returned shamefully and ignominiously out of that Diocesse without visiting it and falling sicke for griefe of this his repulse he died at Macfield in his returne thence of a deadly feaver This Bishop built a faire house at Bishops Taington which he left full furnished unto his successors and did impropriate unto the same the Parsonage of Radway to the end as he setteth downe in his Testament ut haberent Episcopilocum ubi caput suum reclinarent si forte in manuÌ„ regis eorum temporalia caperentur Presuming no doubt that many of them would prove contemptuous to their Soveraignes and have their temporalties seised for it Thomas Brentingham the 18th Bishop of Exetâ—r at the Parliament holden at Westminester in the tenth yeare of King Edward the second was chosen to be one of the twelve Peeres for the government of the Realme under the King In this mans time Anno. 1388. William Courtney Archbishop of Canterbury intending to keepe a Metropoliticall Visitation in his Province and having formerly visited the Diocesse of Rochester Chichester Worcester Bath and Wells without any resistance or contradiction came into the Diocesse of Exeter and having begun his Visitation there oft times proroged the same from day to day and from place to place and suspended the Jurisdiction of the Bishop and other Prelates in that Diocesse during his Metropoliticall Visitation Herupon the Bishop of Exâ—ter commanded all within his Diocesse that they should not obey the Archbishop in his Visitation and that they should receive their Institutions Collations and Admissions to Benefices Commissions of Administrations Confirmations of Elections Conusances and Decisions of all causes Corrections of crimes and ordinary rights from no other but himselfe and his Officers excommunicating all who diâ—obeyed this his Edict The Archbishop abolished and repealed this Prohibitory and Mandatory Edict of his by a contrary one and made void his sentence of Excommunication After which he appealed foure severall times to the Pope and fixed his appeale in writing on the doores of the Cathedrall Church of Exeter The Archbishop rejected and refuted them all and proceeded in his Visitation notwithstanding citing the Bishop himselfe by divers Edicts to answer to certaine Articles objected to him in his Visitation But some of the Bishops adherents caught Peter Hill the Archbishops Somner in
a Towne called Tapsham and punishing him grieviously compelled him to eate with his teeth and swallow downe a Parchment Citation wax and allâ— written and sealed with the Archbishops sealâ— which he carried in his bosome wherewith to cite the Bishop Of which misdemeanor the Archbishop complaining to the King hee commanded William Courtney Earle of Devonshire to curbe these Rebells and to apprehend and carry them to the Archbishop who enjoyned them pennance and withall removed William Byd a Dr. of Law and Advocate of the Court of Arches from his Order and place because hee had given counsell to the Bishop of Exeter against the dignity of the See of Canterbury and thereupon prescribed a set forme of Oath to all the Advocates of that Court not to give any advice to any person against that See The Bishop of Exeter after much contention finding the Archbishop too potent for him and that his appeales were like to succeede but ill by reason the King favoured the Archbishop submitted himselfe to the Archbishops Iurisdiction and craved pardon for what was past In Edmund Lacyes time the 21. Bishop of this See there arose great contentions betweene him and the city for Liberties which by arbitrement were compounded After which Anno. 1451. King Henry the sixth came in progresse to the city of Exeter where after great entertainment there was a Sessions kept before the Duke of Sommerset and certaine men condemned to die for Treason and had judgement to be executed to death Edmond Lacy and his Clergy understanding hereof with open mouthâ— complained to the King that he caused a Sessions to be kept within his Sanctuary contrary to the priviledge of his Church and that therefore all their doings being done against Law were of no effect And notwithstanding the King and his Councell had discoursed to them the just and orderly proceeding the hainousnesse of the offences and of the offenders and the necessitie of their condigne punishment yet all could not availe for holy Church for neither holy Church nor the Sanctuary might be prophaned as they said with the deciding of temporall matters whereupon the King in the end yeelding to their exclaimes released a coupple of arrant Trayâ—ors reversed all his former lawfull proceedings and so departed and returned to London his Lawes and Justice being thus captivated to this Prelates will and trayterly encrochments upon his Prerogative so farre as even to exempe and rescuee notorious condemned Traytors from his Justice and condemnation even after judgement of death pronounced against them George Nevill the 23. Bishop of Exeter afterwards Archbishop of Yorke March the 4. 1460. after a solemne procession preached at Pauls Crosse where hee tooke upon him by manifold evidence to prove the Title of Prince Edward afterwards Edward the fourth to the Crowne to be just and lawfull answering all objeâ—tions that might be made to the contrary whereupon the â—aid Prince accompanied with the Lords Spirituall and Temporall and a great number of the common people rode the same day to Westminister Hall and there by the consent approbation of them all tooke possession of the Kingdome against King Henry the sixth who made him Bishop See more of him in Yorke part 1. p. 196.197 The Rebellion in Cornewall and Devonshire in Edward the sixe his raigne was imputed to Iohn Voysey Bishop of Exeter and other Priests who thereupon resigned his Bishoppricke into King Edwards hands having much wasted and impoverished it before Godwin writes of him That hee was Lord President of Wales and had the government of the Kings onely daughter the Lady Mary who afterwards proved a bloody persecuter by the Prelates cruell instigation tutership and evill counsell when she came to the Crowne Of all the Bishops of the Land he was accounted the best Courtier being better liked for his Courtly behaviour than his learning which in the end turned not so much to his credit as to the utter ruine and spoyle of the Churâ—h For of 22. Lordships and Mannors which his Predecessors had left unto him of a goodly yearely revenew he left but three and them also leased out and where hee found thirteene houses well furnished too much for one Prelate he left onely one house bare and without furniture and yet charged with sundry fees and anuities So as by these meanes this Bishopprickeâ— which sometime was counted one of the best is now become in temporall lands one of the meanest Iames Turbevill the 32. Bishop of this See was deprived in the first yeare of Queene Elizabeh for denying the Queenes Supremacy and refusing to take the Oaâ—h of Allegiance William Cotton the 37th Bishop of Exeter was a great persecuter and silencer of godly Ministers in his Diocesse and so was Bishop Cary after him for a season but at last both of them being mollified with gifts and gratuities became more milde selling that liberty of preaching for money which they formerly restrained gratis of purpose to advance this sale to an higher price so as may apply that of Bernard to them Episcopi hujus temporis Christi approbria sputa flagella claues lancem crucem mortem haec omnia in fornace avaritiae conflant profligant in acquisitionem turpis quaestus Et praecium vniversitatis suo marsupio includere festinant hoc solo sanâ— a Iuda Ischariota differentes quod ille horura omnium denariorum emolumentum denariorum numero coâ—pensavit isti voraâ—iori ingluvie lucrorum infinitas exigunt â—pâ—cunias his insatiabili desiderio inhiant pro his ne amittant timent cura amittunt dolent Animarum nec casus reputatur nec salus For the present Bishop of this See a man formerly much honored and deservedly respected both for his Writing and Preaching before he became a Bishop he hath much degenerated and lost himselfe of late not onely by his too much worldlinesse but by his over-confident defence of Episcopacy to be Iure Divino in some late Bookes he hath published and that upon such weake sandy grounds as vanish into smoake when seriously examined I read that Osbertus the second and William Warewest the third Bishop of this See became blinde in their latter dayes I wish this reverent Prelate may not doe the like who doth already Caecutire through the splendor of that Episcopall Lordly pompe and honour which some feare hath dazled his eye-sight I come now to Worceter The Bishops of Worceter Dunstan the sixteenth Bishop of Worceter afterwards of Canterbury put King Edgar to seven yeares penance for ravishing Wildfrid and kept him some twelve or fourteene yeares from the Crowne Which fact of Dunstans Mr. Fox thus expresseth you heard before how King Edgar is noted in all Stories to be an incontinent liver in deflouring Maids and Virgins three notoriously are expressed in Authors to wit Vlstride or Vlfride the second was the Dukes maide at Andever neere to Winchester the third
imprison them and to confiscate all their goods moveables and immoveables Item that he should have power to deprive Lay Schismatiques of all secular Offices whatsoever and to conferre their Offices upon fit persons Item That he should have power of depriving and declaring to be deprived all Schismaticall Clergy men and of conferring their Benefices with Cure or without Cure their dignities Personages or Offices to other idoneous persons Item That he should have power over all exempt persons Clerkes or Laicks Seculars or Regulars though they were brethren of the Order of the Mendicants or Professors or Professed of other Houses or of the Hospitall of St. Iohns of Ierusalem or of St. Mary of the Teutonicks or professors of any other Orders Item That he should have power of dispensing with any Beneficed secular Clerks with Cure or without Cure or such who had any dignities parsonages or Offices and with regulars exempt or not exempt that every of them might be absent with him from their benefices dignities offices and houses under the signe of the Crosse without any license of their Prelates obtained with the notice and reception of the fruits of their benefices as if they personally had resided Item It is granted to all who goe oversea with him at their owne cost and expences or at the charges of any other plenary remission of all sinnes and so many priviledges as are granted to those who goe to the aide of the holy Land Item They who out of their proper goods and meanes shall minister sufficient wages to fit souldiers according to the discretion of the said Bishop or of any deputed by him albeit he himselfe shall not be personally present in the execution of the said businesse shall have like remission of sinnes and indulgence as aforesaid as they had beene personally present with him Item All shall be partakers of this remission who shall congruously minister of their goods to the said Bishop towards the expugnation of the said Heretickes Item if any in following the same Standard shall chance to die in the journey undertaken or if the businesse it selfe shall chance to be finished in the interim with a convenient end he shall intirely receive the same grace who shall be partaker of the forenamed indulgence remission Item he hath power of excommunicating suspending interdicting all rebellious persons or those who hinder him to execute the power granted to him of what dignity state degree preheminence order place or condition soever they shall be allthough Regall Queenely or Imperiall or of what other Ecclesiasticall or worldly dignity soever they excell in Item He hath power of compelling all religious persons whatsoever even the professors of the Order of the Mendicants if it shall seeme expedient to him to destinate or transmit them where he please for the execution of the premises This Bishop armed with this large Commission sends out his Mandates every where for the advancement of this holy papall warre and among other his precepts directs this ensuing mandate to the Clergy of the Province of Yorke Henry by Divine permission Bishop of Norwich Nuncio of the See Apostolicke to our beloved in Christ all and singular the Rectors Vicars and Chaplaines Parochiall within the City and Diocesse of Yorke greeting in the Lord Albeit wee have exhorted all and every of you by Apostolicall authoritie in the Lord and strictly commanded you that you should publish the crosse committed to us and its vertue to your parishioners in the most opportune time and places whose sustainers fauters and aiders according to Ours or Our Deputies discretion have plenary remission of sinnes granted and besides this have augmentation of eternall salvation permitted as is more fully contained in the Apostolicall Bulls lawfully published throughout all England And because we understand by the relation of credible men that our exhortation and command hath taken none or small effect especially as is beleeved by reason of the negligence of Curates to the diminution of the Catholicke faith and danger of soules who easily by your councell and exhortation might obtaine the foresaid priviledges and sempiternall grace Therefore wee much affecting the salvation and pofit of soules lest the precious gift of this spirituall universall grace or our power should not as much as in us lieth be unknowne to any of your parishoners for time to come doe you cause the names of all your Parishioners to be written setting downe the summe and donations of those that pay upon their names and those that pay not from day to day as often and when it shall be most expedient not onely the rich but also the poore according to the similitude of the poore widdow the healthy and those that are sicke especially in confession doe you prudently handle and perswade to put their helping hands to this holy voyage to the destruction and extermination of moderne Heretickes that so they may be partakers of the merit and reward granted in this behalfe and your selves hereby very much eased from the burthen of your Cure Moreover the desturbers of this holy Voyage or Rebells to our Commands or rather to the Apostles and fauters of the moderne Schisme you or some of you shall peremptorily cite that they personally appeare before us or our Commissioners by a certaine day perfixed by you or some one of you in the Cathedrall of St. Paul in London to shew cause at a precise and peremptory time wherefore they ought not to be pronounced to have fallen into the censures thundred out against those who perpetrate such things And further to doe and receive what Justice shall perswade You or some one of you shall distinstly and wisely certifie us or our Commissioners of the namâ—â—â— and quantity of the almes conferred in this kindeâ— and also of the dayes of your citations and of the manner and forme thereof Of all and every of which we burthen every of your consciences firmely injoyning you by vertue of that obedience you stand obliged to the See Apostolickeâ— that you publish these our present Letters among your Parishioners reteining the Coppies of them with your selves and that yee speedily transmit them to the next Curate in the foresaid Diocesse In witnesse whereof wee have to these presents set to our usuall Sâ—â—le in this behalfe Given at Our Lodging â—t Charing neare Westmiâ—ster the 9th day of the Monesh of February Anno. Dom. 1382. and the 13th of Our Consecration And withall he granted this forme of Absolution to all ayders and Assistants to this holy warre By the Apostolicall authority committed to me in this behalfe wee absolve thee A. B. from all sinnes confessed with the mouth and sorrowed for with the heart and which thou wouldst confesse if they came to thy memory and we grant thee plenary remission of all thy sinnes and promise thee retribution of just men and augmentation of eternall salvation and we grant to thee so many priviledges as are granted to those who goe to the aide
namely Richard Hurrell Iohn Punchard and others some more some lesse for writing one Presentment to the grievous oppression of his Majesties poore subjects in his Diocesse XXIV Whereas by the Lawes of this Realme no tythes ought to be paid out of the rents of houses nor is there any custome or usage in the City of Norwich for such payment yet the said Bishop indeavoured to draw the Citizens and other inhabitants within the said City against their wills and consents to pay two shillings in the pound in liew of the tithes of houses within the severall Parishes of the said City unto the Ministers there of the said respective parishes And the better to effect this his unjust resolution he did by false and undue suggestions in the fourteenth yeare of his Majesties reigne that now is procure his Majestie to declare under his Highnesse great Seale of England his royall pleasure That if any person within the said City shall refuse to pay according to the said ratâ— of two shillings the pound unto the Minister of any Parish with in the said city That the same be heard in the Court of Chancery or in the Consistory of the Bishop of Norwich And that in such case no prohibition against the said Bishop of Norwich their Chancellors or Commissaries in the sâ—â—d Courts of Consistory be gâ—anting the same upon â—ight of his Highnesse said Order shall forthwith grant a consultation to the Minister desiring the same with his reasonable costs and charges for the same which said Order and Decree under the great Seale of England tended to the violation of the Oathes of the Judgesâ— and was devised contrived and made by the said Bishop And afterwards by his evill counsels and false surmises he did obtaine his Majesties royall consent thereunto and by colour of the order aforesaid and other the doings of the said Bishop the Citizens and inhabitants of Norwich aforesaid viz. Iohn Collar Judith Perkeford and others have beene inforced to pay the said two shillings in the pound in liew of tythes or else by suits and other undue meanes beene much molested and put to great charges and expences contrary to the Law and Justice XXV That he assumed to himselfe an arbitrary power to compell the respective parishioners in the said Diocesse to pay great and excessive wages to Parish Clarksâ— viz. the Parishioners of Yarmouth Congham Tostocke and others commanding his officers that if any parishioner did refuse to pay such wages they should certifie him their names and hee would set them into the High Commission Court for example of them And that one or two out of Ipswich might be taken for that purpose And the said Commons by Protestation saving to themselves the libertieâ— of exhibiting at any time hereafter any other accusation or impeachment against the said Matthew Wren late Bishop of Norwich and now Bishop of Ely and also of replying to the answer to the said Articles or any of them or of offering proofe of the premisses or any other impeachments or accusations that shall be exhibited by them as the case shall according to the course of Parliaâ—ents require doe pray that the said Matthew â—ren may be called to answer the said severall crimes and misdeâ—eanours and receive such condigne punishment as the same shall deserve and that such further proceedings may be upon every of them had and used against him as is agreeable to Law and Justice Sir THOMAS WIDDRINGTONS SPEECH At a Conference betweene both Houses on Tuesday the 20â— of Iuly 1641. At the transmission of the impeachment against Matthew Wren Doctor of Divinity late Bishop of Norwich and now Bishop of Ely My Lords I am commanded by the Knights Citizens and Burgesses now assembled for the Commons in Parliament to deliver to your Lordships these Articles against the Bishop of Ely May it please your Lordships first to heare them read MY Lords These Articles are dipped in those Colours in which this Bishop rendred himselfe to the Diocesse of Norwich they neede no Glosse nor Varnish In them you may behold the spirit and disposition of this Bishop heare the groanes and cries of the people see a shepheard scattering I had almost said devouring his owne flocke He that was desired to paint Hercules thought he had done enough when he had made a resemblance of the Lyons skin which he was wont to carry about him as a Trophee of his honour I will not say that in these you will finde a resemblance of the Lyons skin I am sure you will finde the resemblance of the skins that is to say the tottered and ruin'd fortunes of poore innocent Lambs who have extreamely suffered by the violence of this Bishop In the yeare 1635. this man was created Bishop of Norwich he is no sooner there but he marcheth furiously In the creation of the world light was one of thâ— first productions the first visible action of this Bishop after his creation into this See was to put out many burning and shining lights to suspend diverse able learned and conscientious Ministersâ— he that should have beene the Golden â—nuffer of these lights became the extinguisher and when these are taken away where shall poore men light their Candles My Lords this was not all He put out lights and sets up firebrands in their places suspends painfull Ministers and sets up idle factious and superstitious Priests to use their owne language in their places yet it is the fortune of these men at this time like Rivers in the Ocean to be buried the in extreme activity of their Diocesan He made a scourge not of small cords but of new Injunctions and numerous Articles tyed about with a strong twist of a most dangerous oath and with this he whips not out buyers and sellers but the faithfull dispensers of the word out of their Churches out of their estates out of their deere Country This Noah if I may so call him without offence assoone as he entred into the Arke of this Diocesse he sends nay forces Doves to fly out of this Arke and when they returne unto him with Olive branches in their mouthes of peaceable and humble submissions he will not receive them into this Arke againe unlesse like Ravens they would feed upon the Carrion of his new Inventions they must not have any footing thereâ— he stands as a flaming sword to keepe such out of his Diocesse My Lords unlesse he had done this he could never have hoped to have brought that great worke he undoubtedly aymed at to any perfection Whilst the Palladium of Troy stood that Citie was impregnable The Greekes had no sooner stollen that away but they instantly won the Citieâ— So then he first put out the Candles then was the opportunity to shuffle in his workes of darknesse hâ— first beaâ—s off the Watchmen and seers then was likely to follow that which the impiety of some was pleased to stile the piety of the times This being done he then begins to dresse
As Matth. Westminster and others report King Ethelrede beâ—ieged Godwin the 27. Bishop of Rochester in his owne City a long time and being warned by Saint Dunstane he should take heed least he provoked against him Saint Andrew Patron of that Church yet he would not depart thence till he had wrung from the Bishop 100. l. Dunstan wondring thereat sent this message to the King Because thou hast preferred silver before God mony before an Apostle and covetousnesse before me violent mischiefes shall come upon thee which the Lord hath spoken Yet for all this he continued his siege and would not depart thence without the Bishops submission and unlesse he would likewise pay him an hundred pounds Gilbert de Glanuyll was consecrated Bishop of this See Septem 29. 1185. Betweene this man â—nd his Monkes of Roâ—hester was long and continuall debate by occasion whereof he tooke away from them all their moveable goods all the ornaments of their Church their writings and evidences yea and a great part of their Lands Possessions and Priviledges wanting mony to follow their suits against him they were forced to coyne the silver of Saint Paulines shryne into mony These controversies were ended no otherwise then by his death which happened Iune 24. 1214. But their hatred against him was so farre from dying with him as they would afford him no manner of obsequies but buried him most obscurely or rather basely without either ringing singing or any other manner of solemnity Laurentius de Sancto Martino the 41. Bishop of this See got a dispensatâ—on from the Pope to hold all his forâ—er â—iâ—â—ings in â—ommendam with this Bishopricke And yet alledging that his Bishoprickeâ— was the poorest of Eâ—gland much meaner then Carlile and therefore his living yet unable to maintaine the poâ—t of a Bishop he never ceased till he had extorted from the Clergy of his Dioâ—es a grant of a fâ—ft part of all their Spirituall livings for five yeares and appropriated unto his See for ever the Parsonage of â—riendsbury â—oniface the Archbishop of Canterbury used this man hardly invading his possessions and violenâ—ly taking from him without all right divers things of old belonging â—o his Bishopricke Hee complained unto the King â—nto whose Qâ—eene Boniface was Uncle The King answered him in plaine 〈◊〉 â—e â—new â—e should offend his wife much if â—e should become a flickler betweene them wishing him to seeke some other remedy and if by importunity he inforced him to interpose his authority he should doe him more hurt then good which Matth. â—aris thus expresseth Diebus sab â—isdem Aâ—chiâ—piscopus Cantuariensis Boniâ—acius Ecclesiam Roffensem prâ—grâ—vâ—nâ— ejusque invadens possessiones tâ—ntam de facto suo â—oâ—am incurriâ— vitupeâ—i uâ— Ecclesia câ—â—â—â— esse debet defensâ—v per eum dicatur vâ—xari Episâ—opus autem Roffensis cum Domino Regi â—uâ—us â—ltori lachrymabiliâ—â—r super tanta injuria conquerereâ—ur Rex demisso vulturâ— spondit Non possum eum â—â—ectere ad juâ—titiam vel humilitatem â—e ipsum tam generosum genus suum â—à m magnificâ—m praecipue Reginam offenâ—aâ— vel contristem Hereupon he sought unto the Pope but he was so neere a neighboâ—r to the Dâ—ke of Savâ—y the Archbishops Brother as perceiving quickly little good was to be done there he was faine to take patience for an amends and so sit him downe yet at last he obtained a citation from the Pope against the Archbishop which Matthew Paris thus expresseth Interim Episcopus Roffensis qui intâ—llerabilâ—s ab Archiâ—piscopo Cantuarienâ—i injurias sustinuerat querimonias lachâ—yâ—abiles coram tota curia Romana reposuit repositas continuâ—vit Cumque causa sua cond gâ—am expostulâ—ssâ—t ultionem culpa enim gravis extitit post multâ—s admonitiones tandem ad Regem factas qui dicto Archiepiscopo cornua praestitit auâ—aciâ—â— delinquendi merâ—itidem Archiepiscopus citari ut peâ—sonaliter â—ompareret coram Papa de â—ibi â—bâ—iciendis responsurusâ— de illatis injuriis damnis sâ—tisfactâ—râ—s Iohn Fisher the 65. Bishop of Rochester was grievously questioned in Parliament in King Henry 8. his dayes by the house of Commons for saying that all their doings were for lack of faith Of which you may see more in Canterbury Part. 1. p. 12â— 126 after which he gave credit and countenance to the forgâ—d visions and Revelations of â—lizabeth Barton tending to the reproach perill and destruction of the Kings person honour fame and dignity for whicsh he with others was afterwards condemned of high treason and executedâ— Not long after this Bishop for denying to acknowledge the Kings Supremacy in Ecclesiasticall matters was arraigned and condemned for high Treason and executed on Tower Hill Iune 22. 1535. being made Cardinall about a month before His head was set on London Bridge and his body buried in Churchyardâ— He was a great perâ—ecutor of Gods faithfull ministers servants Gospell and had this deserved reward of his disloyalty both to God and his Soveraigne Not to mention all the late Bishops of this See many of whom were notorious in their generations Doctor Bols the last but one was a very active talkative man in the high Commission till he wearied most of his Colleagues there who commanded him to his Bishoprick where he was very iâ—dustrious in setting up popish ceremonies Innovations and in promoting the Booke of â—ports in the Lords day breathing out nothing but threats and suspensions against those ministers who out of conscience refused to publish â—t in proper person in their Churches whom he intending to suspend and silence in his visitation it pleased God as he was riding towards it to silence them that himselfe was suddenly surprised with a dead palsie which made him speechles for a long season by means whereof the ministers escaped for that season and he never able to recover his priâ—tine health dyed no â—ong after leaving a successor behind him who followeth his foot-steps had a vote in compiling of the New Canons and Oath which he inforced and hath beene a great fomenter of the late Scotish warres and differences being now one of those Prelates impeached in Parliament by the Commons But of those Prelates enough I must now turne about my rudder and take a short survey of our Wâ—lch Bishops beginning with those of Saint Davids once the Metropoliâ—anes of all that Country and of some of our English Bishops too Saint Davids GVido de Mona the 62 Bishop of Saint Davids appointed Treasurer by Richard the 2. in the 21. yeare of his raigne revolting to Henry the fourth from his old Master was made his Treasurer likewise in the 4. yeare of his raigne but continued fo a very short time This Bishop saith Walsingham while he lived was a cause of much mischiefe to the Realme as others of his successors have beene whom I pretermit Landaffe OVdotius the third Bishop of Landaffe Anno 560. assembled a Synod of
Oath first and then administred it to others saying that he was glad in his heart that this Oath was imposed upon all the Clergie of England for now the true Children of the Church would bee knowne from the spurious and bastards And further hee hath deâ—yed to conferre Orders upon such who refused to take the said Oath as namely upon one Mr. Gibbonâ— And hath enforced the sayd Oath upon divers he hath ordained Ministers since the making thereof That the sayd Bishop hath beene a great fomentor and incourager of the late divisions and wars betweene the Kingdomes of England and Scotland conventing and urging the Clergie of his Diocesse in the yeares of our Lord 1638. 1639. to contribute a liberall benevolence towards the maintenance of the sayd wars using this speech as one motive to induce them to this contribution that it was Bellum Episcopale and saying that what ever cause the King had expressed in hiâ— Declaration yet in truth this war was for Vs meaning Vs the Bishops And whereas some of the Clergie denyed the payment of so large a Benevolenceâ—s â—s the sayd Bishop demanded in regard of their poverty and because they were still in their first fruites when they were free from Subsidies the sayd Bishop threatned by his power to put more Armes and horses upon them saying that if they would not serve the King with their purses they should serve him with their Armes And thereupon compelled them to pay the summes he demaunded of them against all Law as namely Mr. Roswell Mr. Ioanes Mr. Abbot and others And not contented herewith the sayd Bishop pretending that there were divers poore Vicars and Ministers in his Diocesse that were noâ— able to pay the Benevolence â—o as hee could not raise the summe he expected thereupon directed his Letters to divers of his wealthier Cleâ—gie causing some of them to pay a second contribution 13. That the sayd Bishop not content with this first Benevolence hath since that in the yeare of our Lord 1642. compelled divers of his Clergie to pay all or part of the sixe illegall subsidies or Benevolences imposed by the late pretended Synod without confirmation of Parliament threatning to excommunicaâ—e and deprive them ipsoâ— facto who fayled paymenâ— of it at the dayes prefixed by the Synod and sent out a processe to Master Newton Minister of Tauâ—ton even whiles the sayd Townâ— was much visited by the Pestilence long before the sayd Subsidy or Benevolence was due to enjoyne him to pay it punctually at the day or else he would inflict on him the penalties prescribed by this Synod and used these speeches that if they did not pay the sayd Subsidie or Benevolence they should be ground to powder And the sayd Commons by proâ—estaâ—ion sâ—â—ing to themselves the liberty of exhibiting at any time hereafter any other accusation or impeachment against the sayd Bishop And also of replying to the answeres that he the sayd Bishop shall make unto the sayd Articles or to any of them and of offering proofes also of the premisses or any of them or any other impeachment or accusation that shall be exhibited by them as the cause shall according to the course of Parliaments require doe pray that the sayd Bishop may be put to answere to all and every tâ—e premisses And that such proceedings examinations tryalls and judgements may be upon every of them had and used as is agreeable to Law and Justice By these Articles of impeachment you may easily discover what a prophane impious turbulent Prelate this Bishop is even such a one whom no age I thinke in many particulars is able to parallell whose prodigiously prophane speeches and actions proclaime to all the world that our present Prelates impieties have made them fit for judgement yea to be castout and trampled under feere of men as the very excrements and off-scouring of all things I have now runne through all our ancient Bishoprickes with that of Chester lately revived and given you a briefe account of the extravagant actions of some of those Lordly Prelates who possessed them I shall now in the close of this Chapter give you but a touch of some of the late Bishops of Oxford Bristoll Peterborough and Glocester which Bishopricks were erected out of dissolved Monasteries by King Henry the eight towards the end of his Reigne and so conclude Oxford TO passe by the first Bishops of this See none of the best there have beene three successions of Bishops in Oxford since I left the University Houson Corbet and Bancroft all of them Patriots of Innovations Erronious Popish Arminian Doctrines superstitious Ceremonies prophane Sports Revels and Bacchanals on the Lords day scandalous in their lives notoriously given to the flesh enemies to frequent preaching and the true Practise of Piety Of the two first of them I have given a touch in Durham and Norwich page 519. to which I shall referre you and for the last of them a Non-preaching Prelate who for ought I can learne never preached above one or two Sermons if so many all his life time he had a finger in the late Canons Oath lone in pressing whereof he was not negligent and had not death arrested him with the other two I doubt not but the Parliament had bin troubled with many complaints against them all which now being buryed together with them I will not revive Bristoll THE Bishopricke of Bristoll was first possessed by Paul Bush who was deprived in Queen Maries dayes for being married Iohn Holy-man a Papist succeeded him after whose death the See continued voyd some foure yeares Anno 1562. Richard Cheyny Bishop of Glocester and Iohn Bullingham his successor held Bristoll in Commendam so as it stood void oâ— a Bishop otherwise than as it was held by Commendamâ— one and thirty yeares Richard Fletcher next enjoyed it till he was translated to Worcester Anno. 1593. After which it stood vacant ten yeares to 1603. and then Iohn Thorneborough Bishop of Limbrick in Ireland and Commendatory Deane of York was translated to it This Bishop and some of his successors had great contests with the Major Aldermen and Citizens of Bâ—istoll whom he would force to come every Lords day morning and solemne Holiday to the Cathedrall Sermon to dance attendance and doe their homage to their Lordships which they for some yeares refused till at last after sundry complaints to the King and Councel the Bishops and they according the Major and Citizens yeelded to come to the Colledge now and then on solemne days if the weather were faire and sometimes in the Sommer season Robert Wright one of the late Bishops of this See had a great contestation with the Deane and Chapter of Bristoll and Master George Salterne Steward of the City for opposing him in setting up Images in the Cathedrall and other Churches which gave great offence to the people he was a great Innovator and maintainer of Superstitious Ceremonies at Bristoll to humor
Vortigerne but to King Powes named Beuly whose successors in tâ—at part of Wales issued from this Herdsmans race Our learned Martyr Doctor Barnes reciting this story and Legend out of Petrus de Natalibus concludes thus I thinke no man will binde me to prove this thing of the Calfe a lye and yet it must be preached and taught in each Church it must be written in holy Saints lives and he â—ust be a Saint that did it and why because hee deposed a King and set in a Neaâ—esherd Odo Bishop of Bayeux was at first in great estimation with his Brother William the Conquerour and bare great rule under him till at last for envy that Lanfranke was preferred before him he conspired against him who understanding thereof committed him to Prison where he remained till the said Prince then lying on his death bed released and restored him to his former liberty When the King was dead William Rufus took him backe into England supposing no lesse than to have had a speciall friend and a trusty Counsellour of him in all his affaires But ere long after his comming thither he fell againe into the same offence of ingratitude whereof he became culpable in the Conquerours dayes For perceiving that Lanfranke Arch Bishop of Canterbury was so highly esteemed with the King that he could beare no rule and partly suspecting that Lanfrancke had beene chiefe cause of his former imprisonment he suffered Duke Robert to bereave his Brother King William Rufus of the dominion of England all he might and conspired with the rest against his Nephew and thereupon writ sundry Letters unto Duke Robert counselling him to come over with an army in all hâ—ste to take the rule upon him which by his practise should easily be compassed Duke Robert thus animated pawnes the County of Constance to his younger Brother Henry for a great summe of gold and therewith returned answer to the said Bishop that he should provide and looke for him upon the South coast of England at a certaâ—ne â—ime appointed Hereupon Odo fortified the Castle of Rochester and began to make sore warres against â—he Kings friends in Kent and procured his other complices also to doe the like in other parts of the Realme And first on the West part of England Geoffrey Bishop of Constans with his Nephew Robert de Mowbray Earle of Northumberland setting forth from Bristow tooke and sacked Bath and Beâ—kley with a great part of Wiltshire and brought the spoile to Bristow where they fortified the Castle for their greater safety Robert de Bygod over-rode and robbed all the Countries about Norwich and Hugh de Grandwesuit spoyled and wasted all the Counâ—ries abouâ— Leicester And Robert Mountgomery Earle of Shrewâ—bury with William Bishop of Durham and others wasted the Country with fire and sword killing and taking great numbers of people where they came Afterwards comming to Worcester they assaulted the City and burnt the Suburbs But Bishop Wolstan being in the Towne encouraged the Citizens to resist who by his exhortation sallying out of the City when the enemies waxed negligent they slew and tooke above 5000. men of them in one day Archbishop Lanfranke in the meanâ— time whilst the Realme was thus troubled by Odoes meanes on each side writeth to and admonisheth all the Kings friends to make themselves ready to defend their Prince And when they were assembled with their forces he counselled the King to march into the â—ield speedily with them to represse his enemies The King following his counsell commanding first all unjust Imposts Taxes and Tallages to be laid downe and promising to restore such favourable Lawes as the people should dâ—sire to ingratiate himseâ—fe with hâ—s Subjects marcheth with a mighty army into Kent where the sedition beganâ— takes Tunbridge and Horne-Castle and afterward bâ—seigeth Bishop Odo in the Pemseyâ— which the Bâ—shop had strongly fortified Robert landing with a great Army in England during this siege Odo through want of victuall was glad to submit himselfe and promised to cause the Castle of Rochesteâ— to be delivered but at his comming thiâ—her they within the City suffred him to enter and straightwayes laid him fast in Pâ—â—son Some judge that this was done under a colour by his owne consent But the King besieging the City they within were glad â—o deliver iâ— up into his handâ— Thus lost Bâ—shop Odo all his Livings and dignities in England and so returned into Norâ—andy where under Duke Robert he had the chiefe government of the Country committed to him Anno Dom. 1196. Earle Iohn King Richard the first his Brother with his forces riding forth into the Country about Beauvois made havocke in robbing and spoyling all aâ—ore him Anon as Phillip the Bishop of Beauvois a man more given to the Campe then to the Church had knowledge hereof thinking them to be a meeâ—e prize for him with Sir William de Merlow and his Sonne and a great number of other valiant men of warre came forth into the fields and encounâ—ring with the enemies fought very stoutly But yet in the end the Bishop the Arch-deacon and all the chiefe Captaines were taken the residue slaine and chased After this Earle Iohn and Marchades presented the two Prelates with great triumph unto King Richard earely in the morning lying yet in his bed as those that were knowne to be his great enemies saying to him in French Rise Richard rise we have gotten the great Chantor of Beauvois and a good Quire man as we take it to answer him in the same note and here we deliver them unto you to use at your discretion The King seeing them smiled and was very glad for the taking of this Bishop for that he had ever found him his great adversary And therefore being thus taken fighting in the field with armour on his backe thought he might be bold in temporall wise to chastise him sith he not regarding his calling practised to molest him with temporall weapons Whereupon he committed him to close Prison all armed as he was It chanced soone after that two of his Chaplaines came unto the King to Roven where this Bishop was detained beseeching the King of License to attend upon their Master now in captivity unto whom as it is of some reported the King made this answer I am câ—ntent to make you Iudgeâ— in the cause betwixt me and your Master as for the evills which he hath either done or else gone about to doe unto me let the same be forgotten This is true that I being taken as I returned from my journey made into the holy Land and delivered into the Emperours hands was in respect of my Kingly state used according thereunto very friendly and honorably till your Master comming thither for what purpose he himselfe best knoweth had long conference with the Emperour After which I for my part in the next morning tasted the fruite of their over-nights talke being then loaden with as many Irons as a good Asse
got him to Edenburgh and assisted with many Lords kept the Queene and her husband out of that Towne whereby great dissention and part-taking was raised amongst the Nobility of the Realme But as I gather peace being made betweene them he was againe made Chancellor After this in the yeare of Christ 1515. he commeth with the Earle of Arrane who submitteth himselfe to the Governour Shortly following the Governour gave to this Archbishop of Glascow the Abbey of Arbroth assigning to the Earle of Murrey a large pension out of the same which Bishop being thus in favour with the Governour was in the yeare of Christ 1517. in May when the Governour went into France appointed amongst others to have the Rule of the Realme untill his returne Two yeares after which the Nobility being divided about the quarrell of the Earle of Angus and Arrane this Bishop in the yeare of Christ 1519. being then also Chancellor with other Noblemen of the Realme kept the Towne of Glascow but after that this Chancellour who would not come to Edenburgh the King of England and of France their Embassadors came to Sterling where a peace was proclaimed amongst the Nobility But what can long continue in one stay or what peace will be long embraced amongst ambitious mindes sith in the yeare following being the yeare of Christ 1â—20 the Noblemen â—ell againe to factions For when divers of the Peeres were come to Edenburgh to aide the Earle of Angus against the Earle of Arrane this Chancellor remaining then in the Towne they pursued the Earle and Chancellour so hotly that they were both constrained to forsake the Towne and to fly through the North locke about the thirteenth day of Aprill But as the events of quarrels be doubtfull now up now downe so this Archbishop not long aâ—ter this disgrace recovered breath and in November following did accompany the Regent come out of France to Edenburgh where was a Parliament holden to summon the Earle of Angus to appeare but he refusing it was agreed that the Earle should passe into England there to remaine The Bishop thus having the better of his enemies Andrew Forman Bishop of Saint Andrewes dyed in the yeare 1522 being about the ninth yeare of Iames the first by occasion whereof this Chancellor Iames Beton Bishop of Glascow was advanced to that See and â—urther made Abbot of Dumfermling Upon which new honour in the yeare of Christ 1524. He was appointed one of the Governours of the Realme by Parliament but he not possessing this honour any long time the Earle of Angus who had gotten the King into his usurped government and denyed the delivery of the King being sent for by this Bishop and the other Nobility sent to the Chancellor for the greaâ— Seale which was delivered to the Messengers upon which this Bishop not forgetting the same hastened the sentence of divorce sued before him between the Queen and the Earle of Angus Whereof the Earle to revenge the same did with the King in the yeare of Christ 1526. seeke for the Queene and the Bishop of Saint Andrewes but because they were kept secretly in their friends houses so that they could not be heard of He spoyled the Abbey of Dumfermling and the Castle of Saint Andrewes taking away all that the Archbishop had Notwithstanding which the Archbishop keeping in favour with the old Queene and the young King did in the yeare of Christ 1529 and in the sixteenth yeare oâ— James the fifth Christen James the Kingâ— Sonne boâ—ne at Saint Andrewes and not long after surrendred his Soule to God Anno 1542. Immediately after the death of James the fifâ—h of Scotland David Beton Cardinall and Archbishop of Saint Andrewes the speciall Minister and factor of the French causes to the advancement and continuance thâ—reof â—orged a Will of the late King departed in which amongst other things he established himselfe chiefe Regent The Protestants to whom this Cardinall was ever a cruell enemy and sharpâ— scourge espyed forth his unjust dealing in this behalfe and thereupon set the Earle of Arran against him who by the helpe of his owne and â—heir friends he removed the Cardinall and his adherents from their usurped roome and Authority and therewith was the said Earle proclaymed Protector and Governour of the Realme The next yeare at a Convention of the Lords at Edenburgh this Archbishop was put in ward in the Castle of Dalkish lest he should goe about to perswade the Nobility not to consent to the Governours desires and the King of Englands match propounded to the Scottish Queene Which match of Prince Edward with Queene Mary of Scotland though concluded on by a Parliament in Scotland this Archâ—ishop Beton hindred fâ—aring lest Scotland should change the Church Orders and reforme Religion as England had begun to doe Whereupon ensued divers Commotions in Scotland and a bloody Warâ—e King Henry the eighth sending an Army into Scotland upon this breach and occasion on the one side and the Pope and French King sending aide to this Cardinall Archbishop and his faction on the other side After this this Archbishop he was removed to his owne Castle of Saint Andrewes with Warders about him to see him safely kept Anno 1â—44 The Patriarch of Hierusalem arriving in Scotland he was honorably received by this Cardinall Arch Prelate and the Bishops of Scotland into the City of Glascow during whose abode there great contentions arose betweene this Arch Prelate and the Archbishop of Glascow who should in that City be of greatest authority and honour Which in the end came to this issue that both families fell together by the â—ares which of them should goe before with his Crosse borne upright For the Cardinall Archbishop of Saint Andrewes and Primate of the Kingdome did affirme that the Archbishop of Glascow should not have his Crosse borne in his owne Church so long as he was present Which the servants of the Archbishop of Glascow tooke so in disdaine that they plucked downe the Cardinals Crosse and threw it to the ground Whereupon the Governour understanding the whole matter and that it was now come from words to swords made haste to appease the factious commotion and caused the Patriarch therewith to be brought to Edenburgh accompanyed with the Clergy and so appeased the controversie That done the Patriarch the Popes Legate comming to Rome procured the â—egantine power to be granted to the Cardinall which he long enjoyed not For being greatly envyed by reason of these honours and some grievous facts by meanes whereof there fell continuall dissentions betweene the Nobility which ended not till this Cardinall was slaine who corrupting his Keepers whiles he was imprisoned in Saint Andrewes Castle he found meanes to escape thence and in the yeare 1543. he came to the Coronation of the young Queene and shortly after perswaded the Earle of Arrane the Governour to leave the part of â—he King of England and wholly to become French At the Coronation the
Oxford William Cliffe Geoffry Dowes Robert Oking Ralph Bradford Richard Smith Simon Mathew Iohn Pryn William Buckmaster William May Nicholas Wotton Richard Cox Iohn Edmunds Thomas Robertson Iohn Baker Thomas Barret Iohn Hase Iohn Tyson Doctors and Professors in Divinity and of the civill and Canon Law with the whole Convocation House and Clergy of Enland in their Booke intituled The Institution of a Christian man dedicated by them to King Henry the eight Printed Cum Privilegio subscribed with all their names and ratified by the Statute of 32. Henry the eight cap. 26. chap. Of the Sacrament of Order fol. 48. c. And King Henry 8. himselfe in his Booke inscribed A necessary erudition for any Christian man published with the advise and approbation of all the Prelates Clergy of England in their Convocation and of the Lords Spirituall and Temporall and nether House of Parliament with the Kings owne royall Epistle to all his loving Subjects before it Anno 1545. by vertue of the Satute of 32 Henry the eight c. 26. Chap. of the Sacrament of Order Doe all thus joyntly determine of the calling jurisdiction Lordlinesse and secular imployments of Bishops The truth is that in the New Testament there is no mention made of any degrees or distinctions in Orders but onely of Deacons and Ministers and of Priests or Bishopâ— And of these two Orders onely that is to say Priests and Deacons Scripture maketh expresse mention and how they were conferred of the Apostles by Prayer and imposition of their hands And to these two the Primitive Church did add and conjoyne certaine other inferior and lower degrees And as concerning the office and duty of the said Ecclesiasticall Ministers the same consisteth in true preaching and teaching the word of God unto the people iâ— dispensing and ministring the Sacraments of Christ in consecratingâ— and offering the blessed body and blood of Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar in loosing and assoyling from sinne such persons as be sorry and truely penitent for the same and excommunicating such as bâ— guilty in manifest crimes and will not be reformed otherwise and finally in praying for the whole Church of Christâ— and specially for the flocke committed unto them And although the office and ministry of Priests and Bishops stand câ—iefly in these things before rehearsed yeâ— neither they nor any of them may exercise and execute any of the same offices but with such sort and such limitation as the Ordinances and Lawes of every Christian Realme doe permit and â—uffer It is out of all doubt that there is no mention made neither in Scripture neither in the writings of any authentical Doctâ—r or Author of the Church being within the time of the â—postles that Christ did ever make or institute any distinction or difference to be in the preheminence of power order or jurisdiction between the Apostleâ— themselves or between the Bishops themselves but that they were all â—quall in power authorâ—ty and jurisdâ—ctâ—on And that there is now and since the time of the Apostles any such diversity or difference among the Bishops It was devised by the ancient Fathers of the Primitive Church for the conservation of good order and unity of the Catholique Church and that either by the consent and authority or else at least by the permâ—ssion and suffâ—rance of the Prâ—nces and civill powers for the time ruling For the said Fathers considering the great and infinite multitude of Christian men so lâ—rgely encreased through the world and taking examples of the Old Testamâ—nt thought it expedient to make an order of degrees to be among Bishops and spirituall Governours of the Church and so ordained some to be Patriarks some to be Metropolitansâ— some to be Archbishops some to be Bishops and to them did limit severally not onâ—ly their certaine Diocesse and Provinces wherein they should exercise their power and not exceed the same but also certaine bounds and limits of their jurisdiction and power c. And lest peradventure it might be thought to some persons that such authorities powers and jurisdictions as Patriarks Primates Archbishops and Metropolitans now have or heretofore at any time have had justy and lawfully over any other Bishops were given them by God in holy Scripture We think it expedient and necessary that all men should be advertised and taught that all such lawfull powers and authority of one Bishop over another were and be given to them by the consent ordinance positive lawes of men only and not by any ordinance of God in holy Scripture and all other power and authority which any Bishop hath used or exercised over another which hath not been given to him by such consent and ordinance of men as is aforesaid is in very deed no lawful power but plaine usurpation and tyranny And therefore whereas the Bishop of Rome hath heretofore claimed and usurped to be head and governour over all Priests and Bishops of the holy catholique Church of Christ by the lawes of God It is evident that the same power is utterly fained and untrue VVee thinke it convenient that all Bishops and Pastors shall instruct and teach the people committed to their spirituall charge that Christ did by expresse words prohibit that none of his Apostles nor any of their successors should under the pretence of authority of the sword that is to say the authority of Kings or any civill power in this world yea or any authority to make Lawes or Ordinances in causes appertaining â—â—to civill powers If any Bishop of what estate or dignity soâ—ver he be be he Bishop of Rome or of any other City Province or Diocesse doe presume to take upon him authority or jurisdiction in causes of matters which appertaine unto Kings and the civill powâ—rs and â—heir Courts and will maintaine or thinke that he may so doe by the authority of Christ and his Gospel although the Kings and Princes would not permit and suffer him so to doe no doubt that Bishop is not worthy to be called a Bishop but rather a Tyrant and a usurper of other mens rights contrary to the Lawes of God and is worthy to be reputed none otherwise than he that goeth about to subvert the Kingdome of Christ for the Kingdome of Christ in his Church is spirituall and not a carnall kingdome of the world that is to say the very Kingdome that Christ by himselfe or by his Apostles and Disciples sought here in this world was to bring all Nations from the carnall kingdome of the Prince of darknesse unto the light of his spirituall Kingdome and so himselfe raigne in the hearts of the people by grace faith hope and charity And therefore sith Christ did never seeke nor exercise any worldly kingdome or dominion in this world but rather refusing and flying the same did leave the said worldly governance of kingdomes Realmes and Nations to be governed by Princes and Potentates in like manner as he did finde them and commanded also his
onely are called Bishops in very deede and by right which doe take and beare the charge of the people in the Administration of Gods Word in caring for the poore â—locke in the Administration of the Sacraments as are now in our dayes the Christian Cuâ—ates or Parish Priests if they might be suffered for those Miâ—red Horsemen And that this belongeth to the Office of a Bishop the very Word it selfe doth very well declare for this Word Episcopuâ—â— is derived of two Greâ—ke words Epi and Scopin which signifie to give attendance to Oversee to give diligence to play the Keeper or watchmen over the people in like manner as watchmen doe keepe watch upon the walls of a Citie or as Shepheards doe keepe watch upon their sheepe And Episcopos in Greeke doth properly signifie in English an Overseer and in the Hebrew it signifieth a Visiâ—our that is to say one which visiteth men at their owne house and doth diligently enquire and search the condition of them and the state of their life being readily and indifferently to helpe and comfort all men So Christ saith in the nineteenth Chapter of Matthew Because thou hast not knowne the time of thy visitation That which is there called time of Visitation we call the time of thy Bishopricke But ouâ— Papisticall Bishops have found and devised a certaine new proofe and declaration of that Episcopall Office seemely for such as they are that is to set themselves a high in a chaire guilded clad in purple with Cushions of cloath of â—issue under their buttockes and their elâ—owes having abundance and plenty of all manner of delights and pleasures as much as any King can have and in the meane season to offer and set forth the men belonging to their governance to be pilled tormented and slaine of their officials to whom they make their flockes subjects men for the most part wicked ungodly and which doe thinke that there is no God which then may also with their Commandements at their owne pleasure by compulsion cause to appeare at those â—heir holy Consistories persons that dwell very farre off not without dammage and hurt both in goods and in their soules and may exercise and use all manner of extreame tyranny upon them For as much then as now it is evident open of these three places of the Apostle that those Bishops which are so far away from ministration of Gods Word and be negligent about their duety are not onely no true Bishops but rather the people of malediction before God as the men which have setled their minds against the Statutes and Ordinances of God to extinct the gospell and doe exalt themselves to destroy soules It is every Christian mans duty by all lawfull aâ—d honest meanes that he may to procure that their tyrannous and sinfull traditions may once be utterly contemned and come to confusion It belongeth I say to every Christian mans duty manfully and with great confidence and boldnesse where charity will suffer without offending the weake to endeavour himselfe to doe all things which are contrary to their traditions none otherwise than he would doe against the Devill himselfe And also to treade under the feete and utterly despise the obedience of them by which they desire to have their owne traditions greatly regarded and observed the Word of God neglected and nothing set by even as they would tread under their feete the very Devill himselfe All we therefore if it be so that we have pitty of so many soules which doe perish for ever if we be earnestly moved and stirred with the Word of God owe pray maâ—ke this passage well with our uttermost diligence to goe about and with very great contentation and strayning of our selves to labour about this that there may againe according to the institution of the Apostle very Bishops and Shepheards be constituted every where in Cities which be men pure and vertuous and well learned in holy Scripture and in spirituall things which have chaste wives and children obedient as the Apostle saith in the feare of the Lord. Wherefore seeing that the Bishops and Pastours every where in the Cities which are now adayes have hitherto rather obeyed the Devill than God banded themselves against the Scripture to this wicked vow of living single or sole if there be any point of Christian breast or minde in us we ought to give diligence and bestow labours for a reformation of the same to be had by the King our onely supreame head of the Church in whom onely the reformation lyeth so that once such a reformation had the poore captive soules may boldly to contempt of the Devill and his Papisticall â—â—aditions revoke those vowes as being through errour made with the Devill and with the very gates of hell and that they may according to the Word of God wed wives or rather to be willing according to the institution of S. Paul to be good married men in the sight of God then for the pleasure of those bauds the Romanists to be Adulterers and whore-keepers Foâ— the very time it selfe doth now in so great revelation of the Gospell require that once at the last the holy ordination of the Spirit of God which canâ—not be but very good should be restored and set up against those prophane and abominable traditions of men Loe this is my decree against those proud puffed Bulls of the Devill and of the Devillish Romanists and their factors Neither doe they heare and obey me but they heare and obey God and the Spirit of God whosoever doe heare and obey this And therefore I can also in very deede promise both everlasting life and also the favour of God to all those whatsoever they be that doe in faith observe and keepe it And because this shall not bee judged the ordination of Paul alone for it is reported that the Deane and Canons of a certaine Cathedrall Church did say after a blasphemous manner and fashion openly to a Preacher whom they did expulse for the Gospell sake What of Paul what of Paul The Pope hath received more power of Christ than ever Paul did and for the pleasure of those so sweeâ—e and gentle men and excellently devillish Priests let us see what Peter and what Christ himselfe did say concerning this matter In the fifth Chapter of â—he first Epistle of Peter it is thus written The Priests that are among you I beseech which am also my selfe a Priest and a record of the afflictions of Christ and also a partaker of the glory which shall be shewed feede as much as lyeth in you to doe the flocke of Christ taking the charge and oversight of them not by compulsion but willingly not for the desire of filthy lucre but of a good favourable and loving mind neither as men exercising dominion in their inheritances but that you may be your selves ensamples to the flocke and when the head shepheard shall appeare you shall receive an incorruptible
crowne of glory Here thou seest that Peter even likewise as Paul did doth use these two words Presbyter and Episcopus both for one thing that is to wit that they are Episcopi which doe teach the people and doe preach the Word of Godâ— and he maketh them all of equall power one with another and he foâ—biddeth them to behave themselves so as if they were Loâ—ds or had dominions over those whom they have charge of He calleth himselfe a fellow Priest that I may so say by these words evidently declaring and proving that all Parish Priests and Bishops of Cities are of equall power among themselves and as touching the Authority of a Bishop that one is nothing superiour to another and that he himselfe also is fellow Priest with them and hath no more power authority in his own City then have the other or every one of them in their owne Congregationâ— Loe Peter maketh himselfe equall and not superiour to the Bishops what I beseech you will those beasts alleadge here against these things which doe not cease nor onely to be Lords and have dominion but also to exercise most cruell tyranny upon our soules and our goods which also doe never cease with exceeding mad brawlings and suites to contend and strive among themselves about the difference and degrees of power and authority And that I may once make an end Christ himselfe in the 22. chapter Luke saith The Princes of the Paynims are Lords over them and they which have power and authority over them are called beneficiall and gracious but it shall not be so among you but he that is eldest among you let him be made as youngest Hereunto hearken and give good attendance you pompous and Lordly Bishops Loe all the holy Christian people require of you a reason and cause of your domination and Lordship which you have hitherto with so many titles and also with so many tyrannous deedes taken violently usurped and challenged unto your selves Loe I say the Christian world requireth a cause of this your doing for this you cannot deny which is so open and evident afore the eyes of all men that your Kingdome is an outward and a worldly Kingdome yea and that more worldly than the Kingdome of any worldly Prince For you play the Lords openly both upon the bodies and also the minds and that not by the Word of God but by exteriour pompe by exteriour and worldly tyranny as other Princes and Rulers of the heathen people doe I say goe to therefore now and tell me how those Words of Christ vos autem non sic that is but so shal not you doe how do tâ—ey agree with that your Kingdome Goe to now because you shall not as you are very slippery slip from me let us ensearch and ponder well the signification of the words What is the meaning of these words But you not so for here undoubtedly is rebuked your Kingdomeâ— your condition state for this ought not to be such a one as it is if it were a Christian state Now let it be whatsoever manner one you will yet for all that Christ speaking of the domination of those worldly Princes saith plainely unto you for you will seeme to be Bishops But ye shall not doe so Which words hee largely prosecutes and afterwards proceedes thus You doe â—eede and nourish your selves most delicately and â—enderly in riot and pleasures with the blood and sweate of poore menâ— besides impoverishing and beggering the world with your guâ—â—es and deceipts you doe with your Excommunications and Interdictions vex and tosse all things up and downe afflicting and tormenting poore men both in soule in body and in their goods you doe extinct and destroy the Gospell and not onely your selves doe no manner of worke belonging to the Office of a Bishop but also you will not suffer any other men to preach the Word of God you doe pursue the Preachers from City to City as it was prophesied in Matth. 24. and you do expulse them as knaves and vild wretches out of all your dominions destâ—â—ctionâ— I verily to give you good and faithfull counsell would advertise you that you should purchase and get unto your selves the favour and love of the people with mildnesse with mercifulnesse with softnesse with patience and Apostolicall sincerity that is to wit with those vertues with those holy means which S Paul did use goe forth and hold on as you have begun this is even the right and next way to undoubted destruction whereunto you do so greatly make haste for even so did your Fathers the Iewes into whose hypocrisie you are succeeded who when they had slaine the Lord and author of life Jesuâ— Christ and had by degrees promulged and published the Gospell to be for bidden yet could they not rest untill they had provoked the Romans and so had sought their owne undoubted mischiefe which said Romans at the last setting violently upon them slew them and utterly destroyed them for how could you better observe and fulfill that which becommeth your personages to do than if you do goe about and endeavour to prove and shew your selves the very right and true sonnes and heires of such manner of Parents But here I see they will put upon them all the whole Episcopall armour that is to say a purple pall and a forked Miter upon their heads their gloves and their rings with precious stones to fence both their hands withall they sâ—all also have their feet shod not with the preparation of the Gospel of peace but of the sandall of vanity and a silver Crosse hanging downe to the midst of their breast and if I be not deceived a Roman Pall also covering their shoulders and a shepheards staffe to measure their pace and so then having this armour upon them with a stately and solemne gate they shall come forth c. Who hath commanded that Bishops should so play the gallants and use such pompe and gorgeousnesse of the Court Christ did openly forbid them to be as the Kings and Princes of the Gentiles where â—ee dotâ— by expresse and open words separate and divide tâ—em from Princes of the World aâ—d saith The Kings and Râ—lers of the Gentiles are Lords over them but you shall not do soe These words that Prince of Princes and King of Kings and that Lord of Majesty will not revoke hee will not abolish them nor suffer them to be thrust out of place and made void for thy peevish excuses wherewith thou dost in thy conscience coldly and faintly comâ—ort thy selfe Why dost thou not rather forsake thy Lordly Port be it never so pleasant if thou caâ—st not eâ—ecute and fulfill the offiâ—e of a Bishop why dost thou for transitory and most vild honour forget thine owne health and salvation yea moreover wittingly and willingly dost cast away thine owne soule for the most deceitfull pleasure of this life Why dost thou I say wittingly aâ—d wilfully perish Even those
might laugh him to scorne more than this they caused Bishops and Monkes and some part of the Nobility to be in the field against our King Iohn and set all the People at liberty from their Oath whereby they owed allegiance to their King and at last wickedly and most abominably they bereaved the King not onely of his Kingdome but also of his life Besides this they excommunicated and cursed King Henry the eight the most famous Prince and stirred up against him sometime the Emperour sometime the French King and as much as in them was put in adventure our Realme to have beene a very prey and spoyle yet were they but â—ooles and mad to thinke that either so mighty a Prince could be scared with bugges and rattles or else that so Noble and great a Kingdome might so easily even at one morsell be devoured and swallowed up And yet as though all this were too little they would needes make all the Realme tributary to them and exacted thence yearely most unjust and wrongfull taxes So deere cost us the friendship of the City of Rome Iohn Ponet sometimes Bishop of Winchester which hee afterwards deserted in his Apologie against Doctor Martin in defence of Priests marriage c. 4.5 p. 44.52.53.54 expressely reckons up Popes Cardinals Bishops Priests Monkes Cannons Fryers c. to be the Orders of Antichrist taxing them likewise severely and comparing them with the Eustathian heâ—etickes for refusing to weare usuall garments and putting upon them garments of strange fashions to vary from the Common sort of people in apparell likewise of the name Bishop and Superintendent And â—urther whereas it pleaseth Martin not onely in this place but also hereafter to jest at the name of Superintendent he sheweth himselfe bent to condemne all things that be good though in so doing he cannot avoyde his open shame Who knoweth noâ— that the name Bishop hath so beene abused that when it was spoken the people understood nothing else but a great Lord that went in a white Rotcheâ— with a wide shaven crowne and that carrieth an Oyle box with him whâ—â—â— he used once in 7. yeares riding about to confirme children c. Now to bring the people from this abuse what better meanes can be devised than to teach the people their errour by another word out of the Scriptures of the same signification which thing by the terme Superintendent would in time have beene well brought to passe For the ordinary paines of such as were called Superintendents â—hould have taught the people to understand the duty of their Bishop which your Papistâ— would faine have hidden from them And the word Superintendent being a very Latine word made English by use should in time have taught the people by the very Etymologie and proper signification what things were meant when they heard that name which by this terme Bishop could not so well bee done by reason that Bishops in the time of Popery were Over-seers in name but not indeed So that their doings could not â—each the people their names neither what they should looke for at their Bishops hands For the name Bishop spoken amongst the unlearned signified to them nothing lesse than a preacher of Gods Word because there was not nor is any thing more rare in any order of Ecclesiasticall persons than to see a Bishop preach whereof the doings of the Popish Bishops of England can this day witnesse but the name Superintendent should make him ashamed of his negligence and afraid of his idlenesse knowing that S. Paul doth call upon him to attend to himselfe and to his whole flocke of the which sentence our Bishops marke the first peece right well that is to take heede to themselves but they be so deafe they cannot hearken to the second that is to looke to their flocke I deny not but that the name Bishop may be well taken but because the evilnesse of the abuse hath marred the goodnesse of the word it cannot be denied but that it was not amisse to joyne for a time another word with it in his place whereby to restore that abused word to his right signification And the name Superintendent is such a name that the Papists themselves saving such as lacke both learning and wit cannot finde fault withall For Peresius the Spaniard and an Arch-papist out of whom Martin hath stollen a great part of his booke speaking of a Bishop saith Primum Episcopi munus nomen ipsum prae se fert quod est superintendere Episcopus enim Superintendens interpretant visitans aut supervidens c. that is to say the chiefe Office of a Bishop by interpretation signifieth a Superintendent a visitor or an Over-seer Why did not Martin as well steale this peece out of Peresius as he did steale all the Common places that he hath for the proofe of the Canons of the Apostles and of traditions in his second and third Chapters Martin in the 88. leafe is not ashamed in his booke to divide the significations of the termes Bishop and Super-intendent as though the one were not signified by the other But it may be that Martin as the rest of the Popish Sect would not have the name of Superintendent or minister used least that name which did put the people in remeÌ„brance of Sacrificing and blood sapping should be forgotten Thus and much more he Walter Haddon Vice-Chancellour of the University of Cambridge for sundry yeares in King Edward the 6. and Deane of the Arches in Queene Elizabeth raigne in his Booke against Hierome Osorius l. 3. fol. 251 writes short but sharpe of the Treasons of our English Prelates against our Kings There have beene few Princes in this our Britaine for the space of 5 hundred yeares to whom most sordid Monkes but especially those who have possessed the See of Canterbury have not procured some troubles Anselme how insolently opposed he himselfe to William Rufus and Henry the first Theobald how proud was hee against King Stephen how great Tragedies did Thomas of Canterbury whom you have canonized for a Saint for Sedition raise up against Henry the second William of Ely and also Thomas Arundell of Canterbury a nefarious Traytor what wonderfull troubles procured he not onely to King Richard the second but to all estates of the Kingdome What King Iohn suffered from Langton and other Bishops who procured him to be judicially deprived of his Crowne and Kingdome by the Pope is unknowne to none neither was Edmund of Canterbury lesse opposite to King Henry the third Edward the first succeeded Henry his Father in the government whom Iohn Peckham of Canterbury resisted with incredible boldnesse leaving Winchelsie his Successor who nothing degenerating from his footsteps had wonderfull contentions with the King Both of them an Archbishop each of them an arch-contemner of Majesty What shall I say of Arch-bishop Walter to whom it was not sufficient by force to rescue Adrian or Alton Bishop of Hereford in despite of King and Parliament
consent placed Bishops where there were Flamines and three Archbishops where there were Arch Flamines turning the three Archâ—flamines Sees in the three chiefe Cities into Arch-bishoprickes and the 28. Flamines Sees into 28 Bishoprickes This is punctually averred for Truth by Geofry Monmoth Histor. Brit. l. 2. c. 1. Edit Ascent l. 4. c. 19. Edit Heidelb by Gildâ—s in his Booke De victoria Aurelii Ambrosii by Gervasius Tilburiensis de Otiis Imperialibus ad Othonem Imperatorem Historiolae Wintoniensis Ecclesiae Alphredus Beuer lacensis Radulphus de Diceto Bartholomaeus de Cotton Gerardus Cornubiensis Ranulphus Cestrensis the Authors of the History of Rochester of the Chronicles of Hales and Dunstaple of the Booke of Abingdon of the Geneologicall Chronicle of the Monastery of Hales and of the Abbreviated Chronicle of the Britaines Thomas Rudburne Thomas Stubs Thomas Harfield Ponticus Virunnius Polydor Virgil Martinus Polonus Pâ—olomaeus Lucensis Tuscus cited by Ioannis Leydensis in Chronico Belgico l. 2. c. 1. Ioannis Bâ—ptista Platina in vita Eleutherii Iacobus Philippus Bergomiensis Suppl Chron. l. 8. Nauclerus vol. 1. Chronograph gen 30. Vol. 2. Gen. 6. Tritemius compend l. 1. Pope Leo the ninth Epist. 4. Guilielmus Durandus Rationaleâ— l. 2. c. 1. n. 21 22. Polydorus Virgilius de Jnventâ— rerumâ— l. 4. c. 11. All quoted to my hand by that excellent learned Antiquary Bishop Vsher. De Britannicarum Ecclesiarum primordiis c. 5. p. 56 57 58 59.99.100 To whom I might adde Matthew Parker his Antiquitates Ecclesiae Brit. p. 7. Iohn Fâ—x his Acts and Monuments Edit ult Vol. 1. p. 138 139. Iohn Speed in his History of Great Britaine p. 132. Richard Grafton in his Chronicle part 7. p. 83. William Harrison in his Description of England l. 2. c. 1 2. With many more of our owne Writers and generally all the Canonists and Glossers on Gratian Dictinctio 80. and the Schoolemen on Peter Lombard sent l. 4. distinct 24 who concuâ—re in this opinion For in Gratian distinct 80. f. 130. I find these two decrees cited the one of Pope Lucinus with this Rubricke prefixed In what places Primates and Patriarches ought to be ordained The Cities and places wherein Primates ought to preside were not ordained by moderne times but long before the comming of Christ to whose Primates even the Gentiles did appeale for their greater businesses In those very Cities after the comming of Christ the Apostles and their Successors placed Patriarches and Primates to whom the businesses of Bishops yet saving the Apostolicall authority in all things and the greater causes after the Apostolike See are to be referred On which Iohn Thierry and others make this glosse Primates are constituted there where heretofore the proto-Flamines of the Gentiles were placed arch-Arch-Bishops where there were Arch-Flamines Bishops where their Flamines were and this for the most part if wee may credite them was done by Saint Peters appointment The second is this Decree of Pope Clemens which warrants this glosse In those Cities wherein heretofore among the Ethnickes their chiefe Flamines and prime Doctors of the Law were placed Saint Peter commanded but God knowes when and where Primates or Patriarches of Bishops to be placed who should agitate the causes of the rest of the Bishops and the greater businesses in Faith But in those Cities in which in times past among the foresaid Ethnickes their arch-Flamines were whom yet they held to be lesse than their foresaid Primates he commanded Arch-bishops to be iustituted but in every other particular Cityâ— he commanded one sole Bishop and not many to be ordained who should onely â—btaine the name of Bishops because among the Apostles themselves there was the like institution sed unus praefuit omnibus but one had authority over the rest which is most false On which the glosse thus descants The Gentiles had three Orders of Priests to wit proto-Flamines arch-Flamines and Flamines In the place of the proto-Flamines Peter commanded Patriarches to be placed who should take conusance of the greater causes of other Bishops in the place of arch-Flamines Arch-bishops in the place of Flamines Bishops of whom there ought to be but one in every City Which Graiâ—an himselfe thus backes in his 21 Distinction There is a certaine distinction observed among Priests whence others are called simply Priests others arch-Priests others chorall Bishops others Bishops othâ—rs Arch-bishops or Metropolitanes others Primates others chiefe Priests Horum discretio a Gentibus maxime introducta est The distinction of these was principally intâ—oduced by the Gentiles who called their Flamines some simply Flamines others Arch-flamines others Proto-flamines All which Peter Lombard the Father of the Schoolemen affirming after Gratian in his lib. 4. Sentenâ—iarum Dist. 24. made this to passe as an undubitable verity among all the Canonists and Schoolemen There is onely one thing needs explanation in these Popes dâ—crees and that is what is meant by Saint Peter who is made the Author of this Institution For this we need resort no further then to the Decree of Pope Nicholas recorded by the same Gratian Distinct 22. c. Omnes f. 33. Omnes sive Patriarchae cujuslibet apicem sive Metropoleon primatus Episcopatuum cathedras vel Ecclesiarum sive cujuscunque ordinis dignitatem instituit Romana Ecclesia By which it is evident that by Saint Peter is meant the Church and Popes of Rome who stile themselves oft times Peter in their bulls and writings as well as his successors By all these Authorities compared together it is evident that our Arch-bishops and Bishops had their Originall Institution from the Church and Popes of Rome and that not out of their imitation of any divine patterne or forme of government prescribed by Christ in Scripture and setled in those primitive Churches of the Genâ—iles which the Apostles planted and to whom they directed their Epistles but out of an apish imitation of the Heathenish Hierarchicall government of the Idolatrous Proto-Flamines Arch Flamines and Flamines used among the Pagan Gentiles and Britaines before their conversion to the Christian Faith in whose very places Sees and forme of government they succeeded Eleutherâ—us instituting and ordaining that all or the most part of the Arch-Flamines which is to meane Arch-bishops and Bishops of the Pagan Law which at that day were in number three Arch Flamines and 28 Flamines should be made Arch bishops and Bishops of the Church of Christ as Grafâ—on and others write in positive termes which if it be true as this cloud of witnesses averre it will thence necessarily follow that our Archâ—bishops and Bishops are not of divine and Apostolicall but rather of Papall and Eâ—hnicall institution and a meere continuance of the Diabolicall heathenish Hierarchy exercised among the Idolatrous Priests in times of Paganisme within our Iâ—land and so by necessary consequence they and their government are rather to be utterly extirpated then perpetuated in our Christian reformed Church which ought
wholly to abandon all Reliques of Idolatry and to have no fellowship nor communion with Infidels and unbeleavers in their discipline or Church government Wherefore to avoid this dangerous rocke and necessary consequence some of our Prelates as Bishop Iuell Bishop Godwin Bishop Vsher together with Doctor Sutcliffe and that learned Knight Sir Henry Spelman reject this originall of our Archbishops Bishops and Bishoprickes as false and fabulous informing us First that Roger de Wendover Matthew Paris Matthew Westmin William of Malâ—esbury the Poet under the name of Gildas Giraldus Cambrensis and Radulphus Niger to whom I may adde William Caxton in his Chronicle part 4. in the life of King Lucie omit this figment of the Arch Flamines and Flamines which they say was first invented wiâ—hout any ground by Monuâ—etensisâ— and relate onely that Lucius erected 28 Bishops and three Arch bishops among us but record not that it was done in imitation of the Arch Flamines or Flamines or that they were substituted in their places and enjoyed their Lands and Sees as the former Historians write But this is no argument to disprove the premised Authours farre more in number since these few Historians silence of what sundry others record expressely is no conviction of their falshood seeing one may relate what another pretermits either out of brevity ignorance or negligence Wherefore in the Second place Bishop Godwin affirmes that there is nothing more absurd in this History then the imagination of â—itting the Sees of Bishops and Arch bishops according to the place and number of Flamines for sooth and arch Flamines of the Pagans A devise writes he so childish and ridiculous as I cannot but wonder that any man of learning and judgement should approve it and yet I perceive not saith he any that have gainsaid it before Master Sutcliffe but contrariwise diveâ—s both ancient and learned are to be found that have partly broached and partly applauded the same among whom he reckons up two especially Fenestella de Sacrif Rom. c. 5. and Gratian Distinct. 21. 80. To confute whose mistakes he produceth these two Reasons First That not so much as the name of proto Flamin or Arch Flamine is to be found in any authour or monument of credit before Gratians time Secondly that it is manifest that divers Cities had many Colledges of Priests and consequently many Flamines which he proves at large Therefore it is not possible that there should be any manner of proportion at all betweene our Bishops and their Flamines they having divers Flamines to almost every towne and we one Bishop not so much as for every whole shire To which Sir Henry Spelman addes in the third place That the Flamines were no other but ordinary Priests among the Romanes so called a filo quasi Filamines or a pilo quasi Pilamines that every one of them received his name from the God hee served as Flamen Dialis Flamen Martialis Flamen Quirinalis Vulcanalis Floralis Volturnalis Pomalis Furinalis Falacer Caesaris Flamen and the like That none of these had any Priestly Jurisdiction over any certaine Province or did solely administer in any one cure but that every cure or Parish had two Flamines at least set over it Neither were these subject to any superiour Flamin who from thence might be called an Arch Flamin or Proto-Flamin whose names are no where to bee found among the ancients unlesse it be in Fenestella which Author he proves to be spurious Sed toti Pontificum Collegio but to the whole Colledge of Pontifs and to the chiefe Priest that governed it not to an Arch-Flamin and though some Flamines were called greater others lesser yet this writes he was not from their power but from their Antiquity the three first being instituted by Numa and the Senators the others afterwards by the people Admit then these their reasons true that the Flamines were but ordinary Priests among the Pagans and not in nature of Arch-bishops or Bishops that they were all of equall authority and had no Jurisdiction one over another that there were many of them in every City and not one of them set over an whole City much lesse a Diocesse and that they were subject onely to the whole Colledge of Priests and not to any Arch Flamin or Proto-Flamin Iâ— our Arch-bishops and Bishops bee derived from them and successors to them in our Island as the first recited Authors affirme this quite overturnes their Archiepiscopall and Episcopall pretended Jurisdiction over other Ministers and their sole Episcopacy and Jurisdiction in or over one City and Province since the Flamines were all equall and many in each Parish and City and directly proves that there ought to be a parity betweene Arch-bishops Bishops and our Ministers now and no disparity because there was none among the Flamines that no Ministers ought to be subject to our Arch-bishops and Bishops but onely to the whole Synod or Convocation of Presbyters because the Flamines were so and that there ought to be not one sole but many Bishops of equall Authority in every City because it was so among the Flamines their Predecessorâ— yea in the first Christian Churches planted by the Apostles as appeares by Act. 14.23 c. 20.17.28 Phil. 1.1 Tit. 1.5.7 1 Tim. 5.17 Jam. 5.14 with other Texts If they be not these Arch Flamines and Flamines Successors as these last Authors testifie then I feare our Prelates can hardly derive their pedegree as high as King Lucius nor yet certainely define at what time or by whom Arch-bishops and Bishops were first erected in our Island For Bishop Godwin who rejects the conceipt of King Lucius his erecting of Arch-bishops and Bishops in steede of Arch Flamines and Flamines gives these three very probable Reasons against his erecting of three Arch-bishoprickes and 28. Bishoprickes in this Isle or any Bishoprickes at all First because he saith and proves by Histories that Lucius was never King of all Britaine but rather some petty King or King happily of some principall part thereof therefore hee could not erect Archbishoprickes and Bishoprickes throughout the Island as the recited Authors Fable Secondly because the multitude of Bishops and Bishoprickes sayd to be ordained at that time seemeth unlikely and that they had any fixed Sees For in the Councell of Arles in the yeare 325. mention is made of one Restitutus a British Bishop not intituled to any certaine See but onely called Briâ—anniarum Episcopus and even so likewise after him Fastidius is mentioned by Gennadius by the same stile which being considered saith he together with the rare and seldome mention that we finde of Brittish Bishops whose Antiquities I have hunâ—ed aâ—ter with all diligence I cannot but rest perswaded that our Brittaines had very few Bishops untill the comming over of Germanus and Lupus to suppresse the Pelagian Heresie which after they had rooted out the History of Landaff saith
Majesties royall prerogative more oppressive to his Loyall Subjects and more destructive to the fundamentall Lawes of the Realme and liberties of the Subject than all other professions of men whatsoever For first they have presumed to keepe Consistories Visitations Synods and exercise all manner of Episcopall Jurisdiction in their Diocesse without his Majesties speciall Letters Patents or Commissions under the great Seale of England authorizing them to doe it contrary to the Statutes of 26. Hen. 8. c. 1.37 Hen. 8. c. 17. 1 Ed. 6. c. 2. 1. Eliz. c. 1.5 Eliz. c. 1. and 8. Eliz. c. 1. Secondly they have dared to make out all their Processes Citations Excommunications Suspensions Sentences Probates of Wills Letters of Administation Writs of Iure Patronatus accounts of Executors and the like in their owne names and Stiles and under their owne Seales alone not the Kings as if they were the onely Kings the Supreame Ecclesiasticall heads and Governours of the Church of England not his Majesty contrary to the Statutes of 37. H. 8. c. 17. 1 Ed. 6. c. 2. 1 Eliz. c. 1. 1 Jac. c. 25. Thirdly they have presumed in Printed Bookes to justifie these proceedings to be Lawfull and not content herewith they have most audaciously caused all the Judges of England to resolve and moved his Majestie to dâ—clare and proclaime these their disloyall unjust usurpations on his Crowne to be just and legall when as I dare make good the contrary against all the Prelaâ—es and Lawyers of England and have done it in part in my Breviate of the Prelates intolerable incroachments upon the Kings Prerogative royall and the Subjects Liberties This resolution of â—he Judges against the Kings Prerogative the Prelates have caused to be â—nrolled both in the High Commission at Lambeth and Yorke and in all their Ecclesiasticall Courts throughout England in perpetuam rei memoriam the Arch-bishop of Canterbury keeping the Originall certificate of the Judges among the records of his Court as a good evidence against his Majesty and his successors Fourthly they have pillored stigmatized banished close imprisoned and cut off the eares of those who have opposed these their encroachments upon his Majesties Prerogative Royall according to their Oath and duty to deterre all others from defending his Majesties Title Fifthly they have taken upon them to make Print and publish in their owne names by their owne authorities without his Majesties or the Parliaments speciall License new Visitation Oathes Articles Injunctions Canons Ordinances Rites and Ceremonies enforced them on Ministers Church Wardens Sidemen and others and excommunicated suspended silenced fâ—ned imprisoned and persecuted his Majesties faithfull and loyalest Subjects for not submitting to them contrary to the Statutes of 25. H. 8. c. 19.21.27 H. 8. c. 15.3 Ed. 6. c. 10.11 1 Eliz. c. 2.13 Eliz. c. 12. Magna Charta c. 29. and the Petition of Right Sixthly they have presumed to grant Licenses to marry without banes and to eate flesh on fasting dayes in their owne names a Prerogative peculiar to the King alone who onely can dispense with penall Lawes and the booke of Common Prayer which enjoyne no marriages to be solemnized unlesse the Banes be first thrice asked in the Church Seventhly they have adventured to hold plea of divers cases in their Consistories of which the Conusance belongs onely to the Kings temporall Courts which the formes of Proâ—ibitions and Ad Iura Regia in the Register determine to be a dis-inheriting of the Kings Crowne and Royall dignity a contempt derogation and grievous prejudice to his Royall authority and intolerable rebellion affront disloyalty and contuâ—acy to his Soveraigne Iurisdiction Eighthly they have stopped the current of the Kings owne Prohibitions to their Ecclesiasticall spitefull Courts in cases where they have beene usually granted in former ages even in times of Popery and of the most domineering Prelates and oft questioned threatned convented the Kings Judgeâ— before the King and Lords of the Councell for granting them An insolency and affront to Soveraigne Justice which no former ages can Parallell Ninthly they have disobeyed his Majesties Prohibitions proceeded in contempt and despite of them yea they have committed divers to prison who have sued for and delivered Prohibitions in a faire dutifull manner in the High Commission Court and Articled against one Mr. Iohn Clobery in the High Commission onely for suing out of a Prohibition to that Court as if it were a Capitall oâ—fence For which contumâ—cy and Rebellion their temporalities might bee justly seised into the Kings hands and themselves attainted in a Preâ—unire Adde to this that the now Archbishop of Canterbury hath many times openly protested in Court that he would breake both the necke and backe of Prohibitions And Matthew Wren whilst Bishop of Norwich in the 14. yeare of his Mâ—jesties reigne procured his Majestie to declare under his Highnesse great Seale of England his royall pleasure That if any person within the sayd City of Norwhich should refuse to pay according to the rate of two shillings the pound in lieu of the Tithes of Houses unto the Minister of any Parish within the sayd City that the same should be heard in the Court of Chancery or in the Consistory of the Bishop of Norwich And that in such Case no Prohibition should be granted against the said Bishop of Norwich their Chancellors or Commissaries in the sayd Courts of Consistory Tenthly they hâ—ve disobeyed and contemned his Majesties just and lawfull-commands in a most pâ—remptory and insolent manner of which I shall give onely one memorable instance His Majesty about the yeare of our Lord 1629. taking notice of the Bishops Non-residence from their Bishoprickes and how they lived for the most part idlely in London hunting after new prefeâ—ments to the ill example of the inâ—erior Clâ—rgiâ— the delapidation and ruine of their mansion houses the decay of Hospitality the impairing of their woods and temporalties the increase of Popery and decrease of Religion was pleased to send a letter to Doctor Abbot then Arch-Bishop of Canterbury for the redresse of the sayd inconveniences commanding him in his Royall name to enjoyne every Bishop then residing about London upon his Canonicall Obedience under paine of his Majesties displeasure forthwith to repaire to his Bishopricke and no longer to abide about London The Arch-Bishop hereupon sends his Secretary with this his Majesties Letter to the Bishops then in London and Westminster charging them upon their Canonical Obedience according to this Letter presently to depart to their several Bishoprickes His Secretary repaired with this Letter and the Arch-bishops instructions to Dr Howson the Bp of Durham lodging on Snowhill neare Sepulchers Church and required him in the Arch-bishops name by vertue of his Canonicall obedience to repaire to his Bishoprick according to his Majesties command He hereupon in a great rage giving the Secretary some harsh words told him plainly that he neither would nor could obey this mandate for he had many great
Wresting of Scripâ—ure Tyranny and cruelty by the Pope * Acts and Monuments Vol. 1. p. 656.657 Alexander Fabritius 1 Tim. 3.1 * Thomas Gascoigne in Dict. Theolog part 3. Ioan. Balaeus Cent. 8. c. 19. Fox Acts and Monuments Edit ult Vol. 1. p. 929 930. Hall 36. H. 8. fo 171. Holinshed p. 946. Reynold Peacocke All the Archbishops Bishops Archdeacons convocation with King H. the eight Nota. Note Cuthbert Tonstall and Iohn Stokerley * Thom. Beacon â—is Reports of certaâ—ne men vol. 3. f. 267. Fox Acts and Monuments p. 972.973 Miles Clericus * Centur. scriâ— Brit. l. 5. sectâ— 18. p. 396. Hebr. 5.1 Fox Acts and Monuments Vol. 1. p. 510 511. Catalog Testium veritatis p. 512.524 525 529. Antoninus m. 4. part Extraâ—agâ— Ioan. 22. * English Waldenses Hist. Angl. p. 101. Sir Iohn Borthwick Fox Acts and monuments vol. 2. edit ult p. 609 610. The sixth Article Civill domion differing fâ—om Ecclesiasticall Christ refuseth the office of a Civill Iudge An objection made by the example of Moâ—es supplying both the offices answered unto Palaces to Princes Churches pertaine to priests Peter could not give that he had not Peter had no Lordly dominion Ergo Peter could not give Lordly dominion to his successors The seventh Article Borthwicke M William Tyndall Martyr David How Bishops instruâ—â— Kings * Pag. 114 115. Kings defend the false authorityâ— of the Pope their office punishing of sinne laid apart Bishops ministeâ— the Kings duty their owne laid apart yea they persecute their owne office Kings doe but wait on the Popes Pleasâ—râ— The jugling of the Pope Bishops of Almany Milaine Bishops of France A Cap of Maintenance Most Christian Kingâ— Defender of the Popes Faith The eldest sonne of the holy seat Blasing of arms The English Bishops The falshood of Biâ—hops A cruell and an abominable example of â—yranranny judge them by their â—leeds saith Christ. * Hee meanes Cardinall Wâ—lsey in case of the Laâ—tie * See Latymers Sermons at Sâ—â—mford f. 97. The Whore of Babylon Note this Bishops Behold the face of the Pope and of the Bishops in this glasse Peters patrimony The Popes authority is improved Bishops have captived Gods Word with their own decrâ—es Kings are in capâ—ivity The duty of Kings Vnlawâ—ull Oaths ought to be broken and may without dispensation The King onely ought to punish sinne I meane that is broken forth the hâ—â—rt must remaine to God Against the Coâ—â—on Law The Kings Law is Gods Law Kings ought to see what they doe and not to beleeve the Bishops namely seeing their living is so sore suspect The Kings are become Antichrists hangmen Be learned ye that judge the â—arth Who slew the Prophets Glorious Names How are they esteemed Kings arâ— downe they cannot goe lower Note this They win somewhat alwayes Note this The Prelates aâ—e cloathed in red Pollaxes Judge the tree by his fruite and not by his leaves Compare their deedes to the Doctrine and deedes of Christ and of his Apostles and judge their fruites What Judas is now Bishops wâ—rke Treason through Conâ—ession Kings be sworne to the Bishops and not the Bishops unto the Kings The 〈◊〉 reape by having Bishops Confessionâ— Note this Pâ—licie The manifold â—â—ormities which their Auricâ—laâ— Confession 〈◊〉 brâ—â—dâ— No wonder then our Prelates and Priests of late were so eager to bring in Confession againe The Pope and his Chaplaines are the Fountaines of all evills in spirituall regiment or temporall Vnder an oâ—tward pretence of Gods honour the Popes Clergie procured their owne dignity Note this Notâ— The keeping downe of Gods Woâ—d promoted the Popes spiriâ—ualties honour The Bishop of Rochesteâ— is a fit patterne to judge all the rest of affinity by Thâ— cauâ—â— why Kings could not come to the knowledge of the truth The ministers of Christs Doctrine may not have â—nâ— temporall offices Mat. 6. Mat. 20. The Officers in Christs Kingdome may have no temporall dominion Mat. 1â— To receive a child in Christs name what it is 1 Thess. 5. The Pope iâ—â— Wolfe in a Lambâ— Skiâ—â— JOHN â—RITâ— Bound up witâ— M. Tyâ—â—â—lls workeâ—â— Silveâ—â—er When corruption entred into the Church Bishoprickes were not greedily sought after in the Primitive Church for then it was a charge and not a Lordship Mat. 27. Mark 25. Joh. 1â— A great alteration in the Châ—rch since the time of Christ and his Apostles â— Cor. 11â— A little flâ—cke is left that are not corrupted D. Barnes The sixt Article Tit. 1. The Cardinall and D. Barnâ—s râ—â—sâ—nâ—d togethâ—r Bâ—t therefore was I am hereticke O figmentum If I fained such a thing I should be an hereticke Athanius com in Tâ—tâ—mâ— c. 1. Chrysostome in Titum The eighth Arâ—iâ—le Officers be but Bishops hangmen God amend it The ninth Arâ—â—â—lâ— The tenth Arâ—icle 2. qu. 7. Secuti sunâ—â— â—ap Noâ— si A supplication to King Heâ—râ— the eight Ioh. 3. Matth. 5. Actâ— 6. Isay 3. Prov. 14.20 Isay. 11. 1 Tim. 6. Luk. 22. 1 Pet. 5. Rom. 10. Joh. 2. 1 Cor. 4. Mat. 6. Ioh. 9. Isay 5. Isay 66. Gal. 1. Psal. 53. Isay â— Note this Ioh. 1â— Iohn 15.19 Iohn Lambert Fox Acts and Monument old edition p. 541. 553. The order and state of Priests Election of Ministers in the old time not without the assent of the people The Image of a very Christian Bishop c. * See Fox Acts and monuments old edition p. 574. The preachers ought much rather to rebuke the spirituall heads than the temporall for divers just causes Nicholaicall Bishops I wene he means the Bishops made of children at Saint Nicholas time Tyrants Temporall Princes and Governours Rom. 13. The Word of God Object Answ. Note this The profit that commeth of our Bishops 2 Cor. 1. Psal. 57. Deafe Serpents They that resist the Word of God be sediâ—ious persons What the Bishops call â—edition The tyranny of the Pope The sloathfulnesse and reachlesnesse of Bishops Objectâ— Answ. An History 〈◊〉 Narration * Fulgâ—sus Collect. lib. â— * The Patron of Colâ—n A true Character of Lordly Prelâ—tâ—â— * Titus 1.5.7 Presbyter Episcopus Tituâ— 1. â— â—â— Acts 7. Ye seâ— here that the Preachers of the Gospel tâ—ach no sedition shedding of blood or fighting with the hand Object Answ. Note this Boniface Titâ— Note this The Examples of holy men may not be perjudiciall to Gods holy Word For all men may erre God saved Daniel in the Dungeon of Lyons Dan. 6. Dan. 3. Note All the Priests of one City be called of Paul Bishops All true Preachers been Biâ—hops The Court of Rome Note Proverbs Philippi â—uraâ—es or Parish Priests Episcopus Bishops Officials what kinde of men Note Bishops werâ— in those dayes deemed intollerable greevances fit to be removed The Decree of the Author Pâ—esbyters Note Note Vos non sic Notâ— this old and new practise of Prelates Object Answer Note Note The causes of the Division betweene the Spiritualty and the Commonalty William Wraughton alias Turneâ— Roderickeâ— Mors. Note well