Dignitie his Majesty pleased to design me to his atâ—â—â—dance into Scotland where the great love and respect that I found both from the Ministers and people wâ—ought me no small envy from some of our own Suggestions were made to his Majesty of my plâ—usible demeâ—nour and doctrine to that already prejudicate people for which his Majesty after a gracious acknowledgment of my good service there done called me upon his return to a favorable and mild account not more freely professing what informations had been given against me then his own full satisfaction with my sincere and just answer as whose excellent wisdom well saw that such winning carriage of mine could be no hinderance to his great designs At the same time his Majesty having secret notice that a Letter was coming to me from Mr W. Struther a Reverend and Learned Divine of Edenborough concerning the five points then proposed and urged to the Church of Scotland was pleased to impose upon me an earnest charge to give him a full Answer to those modest Doubts and at large to declare my Judgment concerning those required Observations Which I spedily performed with so great approbation of his Majestie that it pleased him to command a transcript thereof as I was informed publickly read in their most famous University The effeâ—â— whereof his Majestie vouchsafed to signifie afterwards unto some of my best friends with allowance beyond my hopes 14. It was not long after that his Majestie finding the exigence of the Netherlandish Churches to require it both advised them to a Synodical Decision and by his incomparable wisdom promoted the work My unâ—orthinesse was named for one of the Assistants of that Honorable Grave and Reverent Meeting where I failed not of my best service of that woful distracted Church By that time I had staid two months there the unquietnesse of the nights in those Garrison Towns working upon the tender disposition of my body brought me to such weakness through want of rest that it began to disable me from attending the Synod Yet it pleased God the very night before I was to preach the Latin Sermon to the Synod to bestow upon me such a comfortable refreshing of sufficient sleep as whereby my spirits were revived and I was enabled with much vivacity to perform that Service But when notwithstanding all means my weaknesse encreased it pleased his gracious Majestie to call me off c. 15. After not many years settling at home it grieved my Soul to see our own Church sicken of the same disease which we had endeavoured to cure in our Neighbours Sides were taken and Pulpits every where rang of these opinions Now as one that desired to do all good offices to our dear and common Mother I set my thoughts on work how so dangerous a quarrel might be happily composed and wrote a little projest of Pacification gathering out of Bishop Overal on the one side and out of our English Divines at Dort on the other such common propositions concerning these five busie Articles as wherein both of them are fully agreed These reconciliatory papers were presented to his Majestie together with an humble motion of a peacesible silence to be enjoined to both parts in those other collateral needlesse Disputations These fell under the eyes of some grave Divines of both parts who pâ—oferd their hands to a ready subscription so as much peace promised to result out of that weak and poor enterprize had not the confused noise of the misconstructions of those who never saw the work crying it down for the very name sake meeting with the royal edict of a general Inhition buried it in a secure silence I was scorched a little with this flame which I deâ—ired to quench yet this could not stay my hand from thruâ—â—ing it self into a hotter fire 16. Some insolent Romanists pressed nothing so much as a Catalogue of the professions of our Religion to be deduced from the Primitive times and with the peremtory challenge of the impossibility of this pedigree dazled the eyes of the simple Whiles some of our learned men undertaking to satisfie so needlesse and unjust a demand gave as I conceive great advantage to the Adversary in a just indignation to see us thus wrongd by mistareing the Question betwixt us as if we yeelding our selves of another Church originally and fundamentally different should make good our own Eâ—ection upon the Ruines yea and Nullity of others and well considering the infinite and great inconveniences that must needs follow upon this defence I adventured to set my pen on work desiring to rectifie the opinions of those men whom an ignorant zeal had transported to the prejudice of our holy cause laying forth the damnable corruptions of the â—oman â—hurch yet making our Game at the outward visibilitie thereof and by this means putting them to the probation of those newly obtruded corruptions which are truly guilty of the breach betwixt us The drift whereof being not well conceived by some spirits that were not so wise as fervent I was suddenly exposed to the rash censures of many well affected and zealous Protestants as if a Remission to my wonted zeal to the truth attributed too much to the Roman Church and strengthned the Adversaries hands and weakned our own This envy I was fain to take off by my speedy Apologetical Advertisement and after that by my Reconcilor seâ—â—â—ded with the unanimous Letters of such Reverend Learned sound Divines both Bishops and Doctors as whose undoubtable Authority was able to bear down calumny it self Which done I did by a seasonable Moderation provide for the peace of the Church in silencing both my Defendants and Challengers in this unkind and ill-raised quarrel 17. Immediatly before the publishing of this Tractate which did not a little aggravate the envy and suspicion I was by his Majesty raised to be Bishop of Exeter having formerly with humble deprecation refused the See of Glocester earnestly proferd to me I entred upon that place not without much prejudice and suspicion on some hands For some that sate at the Stern of the Church had me in great jealousie for too much favour of Puritanisus I soon had intelligence who were set over me for Espials my waies were curiously observed and scanned However I took the resolution to follow those courses which might most conduce to the peace and happinesse of my neâ— and weighty charge Finding therefore some factious spirits very busie in that Diocesse I used all fair and gentle means to win them to good order and therein so happily prevailed that saving two of that numerous Clergy who continuing in their refractoâ—inesse fled away from censure they were all peâ—fectly reclaimed so as I had not one Minister professedly opposite to the antiently received Orders for I was never guilty of urging any neâ— impositions of the Church in that large Dioâ—ess 18. In the last year of presiding theâ—e after the Synodical Oath was set on foot which yet I did never
sitting short and his whole discourse such as pleased none but those that were either learned or pious For soon after he had said Grace his Boy read a Chapter distinctly and aloud out of S. Paul's Epistles or Solomon's Proverbs from which he himself for the most part pickt the subject of that meals discourse asking not onely Scholars but even ordinary people if they were ingenuous what was the meaning of this or that passage with as much satisfaction to their minds as refreshment to their bodies He affected neatness in his housholdstuff cloaths books meat but not magnificence and was so much averse from all filthinesse that he could not endure solecisms or barbarous language He was hugely delighted with the conference of his friends who oft kept him till late at night but all his conference was either of literature or Jesus Christ If he had no acceptable friend to chat with for every one did not please him his boy did read somewhat to him out of godly books Sometimes he called me to ride abroad with him and then he was as merry as any man alive but a good book was alwaies his Comrade in his journey and his talk was continually of Christ 7. Whatsoever Revenues accrued unto him by the Church he entirely committed to his Steward to be distributed and spent in house-keeping His own hereditary rents and profits which were vast he himself distributed to pious uses For his Father being dead money flowed in apace from what was left him by inheritance and lest that being kept should breed some disease in him he therewith erected a stately new School in Paul's Church-yard dedicated to the Holy Child JESUS whereunto he joyned fair dwellings for two Schoolmasters to whom he assigned liberal stipends that they might teach gratis but so as they should not admit above a certain number viz. 153. from Jo. XXI 11. Above the Masters Chair stands the Holy Child JESUS curiously engraven in the posture of one reading a Lecture with this Motto HEAR HIM which words I advised him to set up And all the young fry when they come in and go out of School besides their appointed prayers salute Christ with an Hymn †Which you may read amongst Erasmus's Epigrams Every Classe containeth 16. boyes and the best Scholar of each sits in a seat somewhat more eminent than the rest with the word CAPITANEUS engraven in golden letters over his head 8. Our quicksighted Dr Colet saw very well that the main hope and pillar of a Common-wealth consists in furnishing youth with good literature and therefore did he bestow so much care and cost on this School Though it stood him in and infinite sum of money to build and endow it yet he would accept of no partner One left indeed a Legacie of an 100 pounds sterling to the structure of it but Colet thinking that if he took it Tam ingentes sumtus ut sâ—trapaÌ„ quoque deterrere possint Eras Ep. ded ad Cop. Verb. which book he wrote for the benefit of Paul 's School as he wrote his book called Ecclesiastes at the request of B. Fisher for Christ's Coll. and S. Johns in Cambrige some lay people would challenge to themselves I know not what authority over the School did by the permission of the Bishop bestow it upon holy Vestments for the Quire Yet though he would suffer no lay man to have a finger in the building he entrusted no Clergy man not so much as the Bishop Dean and Chapter of S. Pauls nor any of the Nobility with the oversight of the Revenues but some married Citizens of honest report When he was asked why he would do so he answered That there was nothing certain in human affairs but he found least corruption in such men 9. As all men highly Morus in Epist ad Col. Neque valde miror si clariss scholae tuae rumpantur invidia Vident enim uti ex equo Troj predierunt Graeci qui barbaram diruêre Trojam sic è tua prodire Schola qui ipsorum arguunt subvertunt stultitiam esteemed him for his School so many wondred why he would build so stately an house within the bounds of the Carthusian Monastery not far from the Palace at Richmond but he told them That he provided that seat for himself in his old age when he should be unfit for labours or broken with diseases and so constrained to retire from the society of men There he intended to philosophize with two or three eminent friends among which he was wont to reckon me but death prevented him For being few years before his decease visited thrice with the sweating sicknesse a disease which seised no Country men but English though he recovered yet he thereupon grew consumptive and so dyed He was buried in the South side of the Quire of his own Cathedral in a low Sepulchre which he to that end had chose for himself some years before with this inscription JOHN COLET 10. Somewhat I shall adde first of his Nature secondly of his paradoxical Opinions and lastly of his Afflictions wherewith his ingenuous piety was exercised for some whereof he might have thanked his own natural temper For he was of a very high spirit huge impatient of any injury wonderfully prone to lascivioufnesse luxury and overmuch sleep to feasting and facetiousnesse above measure all this he confessed to me himself and he was not wholly safe from covetousnesse But against each of these he fought such a good fight by Philosophy Divine Contemplations watching fasting and prayer that he led the whole course of his life free from the infections of this world and as far as I could any waies gather by familiarity and much liberal converse with him was a pure Virgin to his dying day All his wealth he distributed to pious uses He did so dayly endeavour to conquer all his passions and subdue the haughtinesse of his mind by reason that he would take it well to be admonished even by a child Lasciviousnesse sleep and luxury he chased away by abstaining constantly from supper by continual sobriety indefatigable study and holy Conferences But yet when there was occasion either to discourse with fair Ladies or jest with witty persons or feast with pleasant a man might easily perceive some footsteps of his nature which made him for the most part keep from the society of all lay people but especially from banquets to which when he must needs come he commonly took with him me or some learned friend with whom he discoursed in Latin that he might avoid idle talk His custom was to eat onely of one dish to content himself with one glasse of bear or ale or two at the most And though he was delighted with good wine yet he drank very little of it alwaies suspecting his own sanguine complexion and inclination and being wary of all those things by which he might offend any person whatsoever In all my life I never saw a
more happie Wit and thence it came that he was exceedingly pleased with such Wits as were like himself but at all times when he might chuse his discourse it was of such things as prepared him for the immortality of a life to come And when at any time he refresht himself with pleasant stories he did not fail to make use of his Philosophy in them He was much pleased with the simplicity of nature in little children to the imitation of â—hom we are called by our blessed Saviour being wont to compare them to Angels 11. Now for the second particular his Opinions he much differed in them from the Vulgar The Scotists of whose acutenesse most men have an high conceit he esteemed heavy fellows and any thing rather than ingenuous And yet he had a worse opinion of Thomas Aquinas than of Scotus who said he if he had not been verie arrogant would never so rashlie and yet so magisteriallie have presumed to define all points of religion and if he had not savoured too much of the spirit of the world he would not have polluted all the doctrine of Christ with so much of his own prophane Philosophie No man was more a friend to true Christian piety yet he had little or no kindness for Monks or rather I should say for those who are now for the most part falsly so called and therefore while he lived he gave them but little and when he dyed nothing not that he hated their profession but because he saw they did not live according to it Yet his desire was to have disengaged himself from the world and betaken himself to a Monastery if he could any where have found a Society that was truly and unanimously resolved upon an Evangelical life Though he lived very chastly himself yet he had a very charitable opinion of those Priests and Monks who had no other crime but venery not that he did not heartily abhor the sin but because he found such men far lesse mischieveous than others if compared who were haughty envious backbiters hypoctites vain unlearned wholly given to the getting of money and honour And he was not more averse to any sort of men than such Bishops who were Wolves instead of Shepherds and commended themselves by external service of God ceremonies benedictions and indulgences to the people while with all their hearts they served the world i. e. glory and gain He was not much displeased with them who would not have images either painted or carved gold or silver worshipt in Churches nor with them who doubted whether a notorious wicked Priest could consecrate the Sacrament Hereby not favouring their error but expressing his indignation against such Clergy-men who by an open bad life gave occasion to this suspicion As he did much approve of secret confession professing that he never had so much comfort from any thing as that so he much condemned anxiety in it and repetition He was content to Sacrifice on Sundays and Holy daies or some few daies beside either to gain more time for his sacred studies and fit himself the better for his Pulpit employments and the businesse of his Cathedral or because he found that his dovotion had a greater edge when it was sharpned with intervals and yet he would not condemn them who were minded to come to the Lords Table every day Though he was a very learned man himself yet he did not prize the vast and confused learning of such as wander among various sciences and books saying They got rather a learned sort of madness than any true incentive to Christian innocence simplicitie and charitie He dissented from innumerable opinions commonly received in the Schools in which he would sometimes tell his mind to his friends but say nothing to others lest he should incur a double inconvenience loose his own credit and do them no good perhaps harm 12. And now in the last place hear his Afflictions He never agreed well with his Bishop who to say nothing of his manners was a superstitious and stubborn Scotist Neither was the Doctor acceptable to most of his own Colledge because he was very tenacious of regular discipline and the Prebends complained that he used them as Monks whereas indeed that Colledge was antiently called East-monasterie The old Bishop exhibited Articles against him to the Archbishop of Cant That he said Images were not to be worshiped c. But the Archbishop being well acquainted with Colet's excellencies instead of being his Judge became his Advocate Then the old man strove to incense the Court against him especially K. Henry VIII himself because the Doctor when the King was raising forces against the French had said in a Sermon That an unjust peace was to be preferred before a most just war Here the King who was an excellent person in his youth gave an evident proof of his Royal parts exhorting the Dean privately To go on in his preaching freelie to tax the corrupt manners of that age and not to withdraw his light in those most dark times adding That he knew very well what incensed the Bishops so highlie against him and how much good the Dean had done by his Divine life and holie Doctrine to the English Church and Nation Lastly that he would so curb their endeavours that it should appear to the world Whoever troubled Colet should not escape unpunisht Hereupon the Dean humbly thanked the King for his Royal favour but beseeched him not to do so professing That he had rather lay down his preferment then that any should suffer for his sake Again upon Good-Friday the Dean made a Sermon to the King and Courtiers which was much admired concerning the victorie of Christ wherein he exhorted all Christians to fight under the banner of their heavenly King and overcome saying That they who either through hatred or ambition or covâ—teousness do fight with evil men and so kill one another fight not under the banner of Christ but the Divel shewing withal How hard a thing it is to die like a Christian How few go forth to battel free from hatred and covetousnesse and how difficult for such to be in charitie without which no man shall see God who sheath their swords in their brethrens bowels adding That they should rather imitate their King Christ than Pagan Caesars and Alexaâ—ders And he had so many other smart passages to this purpose that his Majesty was somewhat afraid lest this Sermon would dishearten the Soldiers that were listed But when Colet came before the King in his garden at Greenwich the King bids him cover his head and speak his mind freely and then his Highness began thus Dean be not surprised with needlesse fears I did not send for you hither to disturb your most holy labours which I resolve to cherish as much as I can but to unlode my conscience of some scruples and to desire your advice concerning my dutie The Conference lasted almost an hour and an half and I must not relate