application from Archbishop Raynold and his Suffragans. They remind the Pope that the deceased Earl of Lancaster had applied to his Holiness upon the same subject. They dwell at considerable length upon the learning, virtues, and sufferings of Winchelsey, and conclude by submitting a few of the numerous miracles which had been wrought for his sake to the consideration of the Apostolic See; hoping that it may be deemed expedient to institute an inquiry upon the subject, and to take such farther steps as may redound to the glory of God, and the exaltation of the Catholic faith.

This epistle appears to have experienced the fate which it deserved. Not that the reigning Pope, John XXII, was backward at discovering miracles or granting Canonization. For three years before the date of the preceding epistle, he had expressed his anxiety to elevate Thomas Aquinas to the Saintship, provided proof could be obtained of his miracles. The evidence, as might be expected, was forthcoming, and Aquinas was exalted to the highest rank in his Church. But the favour thus bestowed upon the greatest writer of his age, was deemed too precious for an English Primate, whose services had been confined to his own country, and whose character for sanctity was of more importance to the English Barons than to the Popish Hierareby. Had Winchelsey been as use. ful to the Apostolic See, as he was to the Parliament and Aristocracy of Britain, the miracles which were so fully proved at Canterbury, would have been received without scruple at Avignon or Rome.

The whole affair furnishes a melancholy instance of the advantage which the Clergy were disposed to derive from the fame of this great Prelate. It is evident that they were no believers in Winchelsey's miracles, nor did they expect the Pope to be so. But the common

alty were ignorant enough to credit any thing, and for the sake of Holy Church and the Earl of Lancaster, it was deemed expedient to make them suppose that the course of nature was suspended at the tomb of the deceased Primate.

A much more creditable spe. cimen of Ecclesiastical conduct is to be met with in the history of William Grenefeld, Archbishop of York.

He interfered with great earnestness to prevent the adoration of an Image of the Virgin, comparing it with the Brazen Serpent destroyed by Hezekiah, and pronouncing the respect which was paid to it idolatry. The image was placed in the parish church of Foston; crowds assembled to worship, oblations poured in abundantly, and much strife, confusion and danger, were the result. Archbishop Grenefeld required his Ecclesiastical officers to put an end to these proceedings, to inhibit both Clergy and Laity from resorting to the aforesaid image either at Foston, or at any other place to which it might be removed; and pronounced the penalty of the greater excommunication against every one by whom the mandates were disobeyed. It does not appear, however, that the Prelate's anger was excited by the mere invocation of Saints, but he found fault with the Foston worshippers, because they considered their image more sacred and divine than others, and adored it not only on account of that which it represented, but for the sake of the idol itself. His letters, therefore, give an express sanction to the adoration of the Virgin; but they shew that the Archbishop would not suffer her image to be worshipped, althongh such an event, like a belief in the miracles of Winchelsey, might have contributed to the exaltation of the Catholic Faith.

The other Ecclesiastical events of this reign, with the exception of the abolition of the order of the Templars, which will be considered

hereafter, are neither important or numerous. School divinity flourished, and heresies, of more or less consequence, were continually springing from that fruitful source. The King and the Clergy accused each other of transgressing the bounds of their respective jurisdictions, and there was a singular contest between the nonks of Ely and St. Alban's, respecting the relics of Albanus, the proto-martyr. The monks of the former place produced a coffin, in which they declared that the saint's body was inclosed. The coffin was opened, and contained nothing but clothes, freshly sprinkled with blood. It

was agreed on all hands that they were the clothes in which St. Albanus suffered martyrdom, and that the blood was that of the martyr himself; and King Edward, who moderated between the contending monks, exclaimed, "that here was fresh proof of the singular merit of St. Albanus, and that since his robe worked miracles at Ely, greater wonders might reasonably be expected from his body at St. Albans." The ignorance and superstition thus manifested, are particularly deserving of notice, as tending to explain the difficulties with which the suppression of the Templars is so thickly enveloped.

The Life and Death of the most Rev. and learned Father Dr. James Usher, late Archbishop of Armagh, and Primate of all Ireland.

(Concluded from p. 723. Vol. V.)

UPON his return to Ireland he was conseerated Bishop of Meath, at Drogheda, by Primate Hampton, with the assistance of two suffragan bishops, according to the custom, and the then book of consecration; there was then given him an Anagram of his name, as then he was to write kimself, which he made good ever after, "James Meath," I am the same. He did not now slack in his constancy of preaching, but was still the same; and bound himself the rather to it by the motto of his episcopal seal, Væ mihi si non evangelizavero, which he continued in the seal of his primacy also.

In the year 1622, there was a censure of some Papists in the Star-chamber, for refusing to take the oath of supremacy; he was called thither to inform them of it, before sentence, which occasioned that learned speech of his to that purpose, printed with his English works.

After the Bishop had been in Ireland about two years, it pleased King James to employ him to write the antiquities of the British Church, and that he might have the better opportunity, and means for that end, he sent over a letter to the Lord De

puty and Council of Ireland, commanding them to grant a licence for his being absent from his see. Upon which summons the Bishop came over into England, and spent about a year here in consulting the best manuscripts in both universities, and private libraries, in order to the perfecting that noble work, De Primordiis Ecclesiarum Britannicarum, which was not published till about two years after.

About this time he answered the challenge of the Jesuit Malone; and his coming over to England for the printing of it occasioned another learned tract on the Universality of the Church of Christ, and the Unity of the Catholic Faith, delivered in a sermon preached before King James, from Ephes. iv. 13. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, &c. While he was in England, Primate Hampton dying, he was made (ann. 1624,) Primate of Ireland, the hundredth bishop of that see from the first, supposed to be Patricius, who lived in St. Augustine's time, 480 years after. Curist, whom we read much of in divers ancient writers; and this reverend Primate, in his book called the Religion of the Ancient Irish, hath made it appear, at least to he very probable, that the doctrine St. Patrick planted and preached among them at first was in substance the same which is now taught and professed by us.

When he was thus promoted to the high. est step his profession was capable of in his native country, he was the more humble

putations, and so hinder their becoming better men, which is the main design of preaching.

IV. Insist most on those points that tend to effect sound belief, sincere love to God, repentance and amendment of life. Press these things home to the conscience of your hearers, as of absolute necessity, leaving no gap for evasions, but bind them as close as may be to their duty; and as you ought to preach sound and orthodox doctrine, so ought you to deliver God's message as near as may be in God's words, that is, in such as are plain and intelligible, that the meanest of your auditors may understand: to which end it is necessary to back all practical precepts and doctrines with apt proofs from the Holy Scriptures, avoiding all exotic phrases, scholastic terms, unuecessary quotations of authors, and forced rhetorical figures, since it is not difficult to make easy things appear hard, but to render hard things easy is the hardest part of a good orator, as well as preacher.

V. Get your hearts sincerely affected with the things you persuade others to embrace, that so you may preach experimentally, and your hearers perceive that you are in good earnest, and press nothing upon them but what may tend to their advantage, and which yourself would venture your own salvation on.

VI. Dissemble not the truths of God in any case, nor comply with the lusts of men, or give any countenance to sin by word or deed.

VII. But above all, you must never forget to order your own conversation as becomes the Gospel, that so you may teach by example, as well as precept, and that you may appear a good divine every where, as well as in the pulpit, for a minister's life and conversation is more heeded than his doctrine."

The discourses which daily fell from him at his table, in the clearing of difficulties in the Scripture, and other subjects, especially when learned men came to visit him, were of great advantage to such as were about him. And such was his humility, that he would, on practical subjects, apply himself to the information and satisfaction of the poorest and weakest person that should desire it. The order observed in his family, as to prayer, was four times a day; in the morning at six, in the evening at eight, and before dinner and supper in the chapel, at each of which he was always present. On Friday, in the afternoon, constantly an hour in the chapel was spent in going through the principles of religion in the catechism, for the instruction of the fa

In

mily. And every Sunday, in the evening, there was a sermon in the chapel. the winter evenings he constantly spent two hours in comparing old MSS. of the Bible, Greek and Latin, in which about five or six of us assisted him, and the varia lectiones of each were taken by himself, with his own hand.

About this time a very high mark of esteem was shewn him: the Lord Deputy Falkland, being called back into England, at his taking boat at the water side, reserved this Lord Primate for the last person to take leave of, and fell upon his knees on the sands, and begged his blessing. Add to this, the many letters that came to him from foreign parts, as well as from persons at home, upon several occasions; some for resolving of difficulties in divinity, others in cases of conscience and practical subjects, which proved the respect in which he was held.

He endeavoured, in Ireland, to augment the means of the Clergy, for which end he had obtained a patent for impropriations, to be passed in his name, for their use, as they did fall; but it was too much neglected by themselves.

As to his own expenses they were much in books; and while he enjoyed the receipts of his Archbishopric, a certain sum every year was laid aside for this end; but especially for collecting manuscripts and rarities, as well from remote parts of the world, as near at hand. He was the first that procured the Samaritan Bible, (which is only the Pentateuch) to the view of these western parts, as Mr. Selden acknowledgeth. It was sent him from Syria, by the way of Aleppo, anno 1625. He had four sent him by a factor he employed for the search of things of that nature, and were thought to be all that could be had there. He gave one to the library at Oxford; a second to Leyden, for which Ludovicus de Dieu gives him public thanks, in a book dedicated to him; a third to Sir Robert Cotton's library; and the fourth, having, as I take it, compared it with the other, he kept himself. The Old Testament, in Syriae, a rarity also in these parts, was sent to him from thence not long after.

And now his trials began to approach. I will first mention, that a little before the parliament in Ireland, 1634, there was: a letter sent over from the late king to the Lord Deputy and Council, for de termining the precedency of the Primate and Archbishop of Dublin there, of which

* Marm, Arundel, edit. causa.