MEMOIRS

OF THE LIFE OF THE RIGHT REVEREND GEORGE MORLEY, BISHOP OF WINCHESTER.

EORGE MORLEY was fon of Francis Morley, efq. by Sarah, his wife, fifter to fir John Denham, one of the barons of the Exchequer; and born in Cheapfide, London, the 27th of February 1597. He loft his father when fix of age, his mother years at twelve, and that little patrimony which he was born to, by his father's being engaged for the payment of fome people's debts. At the age of fourteen he was elected one of the king's scholars in Weftminfter-School, and in the begin. ning of the year 1615 became a ftudent of Chrift-Church, in Oxford; where he took the degree

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of bachelor of arts, December 19, 1618; and that of mafter, June 14, 1621. After he had continued in that college feven' years, in the degree of mafter, he was invited by Robert, earl of Caernarvon, and his lady, to be their domeftic chaplain; and there he lived till he was forty-three years old (the year 1640) without having or feeking any preferment in the church. After that, he was prefented to the rectory of Hartfield in Suffex, which being a fine. cure, he exchanged with Dr. Richard Steuart, clerk of the closet to the king, for the rectory of Mildenhall, near Marlborough in Wiltfhire. But, before this exchange, king Charles the firft, to whom he was chaplain in ordinary, had given him a canonry of ChriftChurch, Oxon, in 1641, which was the only preferment he ever defired, and of which he gave the first year's profit to his majefty, 6 A towards

towards the charge of the war then begun. About that time, he preached one of the first folemn fermons before the House of Commons; but fo little to their liking, that he was not commanded to print it, as all the other preachers had been. Notwithstanding which, he was nominated one of the af fembly of divines, being then doctor of divinity (which degree he took November 1, 1642); but he never appeared among them: on the contrary, he always remained with the king, and did him what fervice he could. When his majefly was confined at HamptonCourt, he employed the doctor to engage the university of Oxford not to fubmit to the parliamentary vifitation: which he managed with great fuccefs. Afterwards, he was -appointed by the univerfity, with other affiftants named by himself, to negotiate the execution of the articles agreed upon at the furrender of the Oxford-garrifon to the parliament-forces; wherein he behaved with great addrefs. In De cember 1647, he was, by the committee for reforming the univerfity, voted out of his canonry. The ed of March following, his deprivation was publifhed and declared; and foon after he was actually difpoffeffed by force and violence. March the 17th, 1647-8, he was threatened to be taken into cuflody, for not obeying the orders of the reforming committee; and, for that, or fome other reafon, afterwards actually imprisoned. Some months before, he had been permitted to attend upon the king at Newmarket, as one of his chaplains; and he was alfo one of the divines that affifted his majefty at the treaty of Newport in the Isle of Wight. In March 1648.9, he

prepared the brave lord Capel for death, and accompanied him to the fcaffold on Tower Hill. After which, finding no manner of fatisfaction in his native country, deprived as he was of all his pof. feffions and of liberty of confcience, he refolved to go to king Charles the fecond abroad, and not return home, till the conftitution in church and fate were reftored. He therefore left England in 1649, being the 51ft year of his age; and waited upon the king at the Hague, who received him very graciously, and carried him from thence into France with him, and afterwards to Breda. But the king not being permitted to take his own divines along with him, when he fet out upon his expedition into Scotland, in June 1650, Dr. Morley thereupon withdrew to the Hague, and after a fhort flay there, went and lived with his friend Dr. John Earle at Antwerp, in the houfe of fir Charles Coterel. After they had thus continued about a year toge ther, fir Charles being invited to be fleward to the queen of Bohemia, and Dr. Earle to attend upon James, duke of York, in France, Dr. Morley then removed into the family of the lady Frances Hyde, wife of fir Edward Hyde, in the fame city of Antwerp. And all the time he remained there, which was about three or four years, he read the service of the church of England twice every day, catechifed once a week, and administered the communion once a month to all the English in that city who would come to it; as he did afterwards at Breda, for four years together, in the fame family. But, betwixt his going from Antwerp and his coming to Breda, he offici

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ated at the Hague upwards of two years, as chaplain, to the queen of Bohemia, without expecting or receiving any reward. As he had been happy at home in the acquaintance and intimacy of the moft valuable perfons, fo he was alfo abroad in that of many learned men. When all things were preparing for king Charles the Second's refloration, Dr. Morley was fent over, two months before, as a very trufty perlon, to pave the way for that great event. And, upon the king's return, he was not only restored to his canonry, but alfo promoted foon after to the deanry of Chrift-Church, into which he was inftalled July 27, 1660. No fooner had he reinftated the members of that college, which had been illegally ejected in 1648, and filled the other vacant plaup ces, but he was nominated to the bishopric of Worcefler, into which he was elected the 9th of October, 1660, confirmed the 23d, and confecrated the 28th of the fame month. In the year 1661, he was one of the principal managers, at the conference between the Epifcopal and Prefbyterian divines, commiffioned under the great feal to review the liturgy. Some time after, he was made dean of his majefty's royal chapel; and, upon the death of Dr. Duppa, in 1662, tranflated to the bishopric of Winchefter, being confirmed therein the 14th of May: to which he became a great benefactor. As he enjoyed great affluence, he spent the remainder of his days in repeated acts of beneficence and charity. Among other inftances of it, he gave a hundred pounds a year to Chrift-Church in Oxford, the place of his education, for the public use of that college; and

founded, in Pembroke-College, in the fame univerfity, three fcholar fhips for the island of Jerfey, and two scholarships for Guernsey, of ten pounds per annum each. Hay ing enjoyed an honourable eafe and quiet for many years, and by temperance and regular exercise, arrived to a good old age of eighty-fix years, eight months, and upwards, he died at Farnham-Caftle, October 29, 1684, and was buried in Winchester cathedral. He was a good and pious man; to which biThop Burnet adds, "of a very exemplary life, but extreme paflionate and very obftinate, however, very honest." Before the wars, he was thought a friend to the Puritans; and though the ill ufage he received from them, which forced him into exile, foured his temper in fome degree, yet, after his pròmotion, he cannot justly be faid to free himself from all fufpicion of that kind: for, in the general opinion of fome, he was a moderate orthodox man! and Dr. Calamy gives feveral inftances of his remarkable moderation towards Dif fenters. But, waving this, he was a man of unfhaken loyalty, and a faithful fon of the church of England, notwithstanding any difcou ragements or perfecutions. The conftitution of his body was excellent; for, in the feventy-fourth year of his age, and even after, he was without any remarkable decay, either in his limbs or fenfes. His ufual courfe then was to rife about five o'clock in the morning, winter and fummer; and to go to bed about eleven at night, and in the coldest mornings never to have a fire, or warm his bed at night. He eat but once in twentyfour hours, and never had either gout, ftone, frangury, or head6 A 2 ache