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"It may please your grace,

"I am sorry to trouble you so oft as I do, but I am more troubled myself, not only with many private petitions of sundry ministers, recommended for persons of 'credit, and peaceable in their ministry, who are greatly

like circumstances thereof, and for what intent, cause, or consider ation, you have so done, or refused so to do." Et obj. ut supra.

13. Item, "Objicimus, &c. That you within the time aforesaid baptized divers infants, or at the least one, otherwise and in other manner than the said book prescribeth, and not used the interrogatories to the godfathers and godmothers in the name of the infant, as the said book requireth. Declare the like circumstances thereof, or for what cause, intent, or consideration, you have so done, or refused so to do.' Et objicimus ut supra.

14. Item, "We do object, That you have within the time aforesaid, used any other form of litany, in divers or some points, from the said book; or that you have often, or once, wholly refused to use the said litany. Declare the like circumstances thereof, or for what cause, intent, or consideration, you have so done, or refused so to do.'

15. Item, "We do object, &c. That you have within the time aforesaid, refused and omitted to read divers lessons prescribed by the said book, and have divers times either not read any lessons at all, or read others in their places. Declare the like circumstances thereof, and 'for what intent, cause, or consideration, you have so done or refused.' Et obf. ut supra.

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16. Item, Ojicimus, That within the time aforesaid you have either not used at all, or else used another manner of common prayer or service at burial, from that which the said book prescribeth, and have refused there to use these words, We commit earth to earth, in sure and certain hope of resurrection to eternal life. Declare the like circum'stances thereof, and for what intent, cause or consideration, you have so done or refused so to do.' Et obj. ut supra.

17. Item, Objicimus, &c. That within the time aforesaid you have advisedly, and of set purpose, not only omitted and refused to use the aforesaid parts, or some of them, of the said book, but also some other parts of the said book of common prayer, as being persuaded that in such points it is repugnant to the word of God. Declare what other 'parts of the said book you have refused to use, for what intent, cause, or considertion.' Et objic. ut supra.

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18. Item, Objic. &c. That within the time aforesaid you have at the communion, and in other parts of your ministration, advisedly added unto, diminished, and taken from, altered and transposed manifoldly at your own pleasure, sundry parts of the said book of common prayer. 'Declare the circumstances of time and place, and for what intent, cause, and consideration.' Et obj. ut supra.

19. Item, "Objic. That within the time aforesaid you have advisedly, and of set purpose preached, taught, declared, set down, or published by writing, public or private speech, matter against the said book VOL. I.

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'troubled by your grace, and your colleagues in commis'sion; but I am also daily charged by counsellors and pub'lic persons, with neglect of my duty, in not staying your ' grace's vehement proceedings against ministers, whereby of common prayer, or of some thing therein contained, as being repug. nant to the word of God, or not convenient to be used in the church; or some thing have written or uttered, tending to the depraving, despising, or defacing, of some things contained in the said book. 'Declare what, and the like circumstances thereof, and for what cause, ' or cansideration, you have so done.' Et objic. ut supra.

20. Item, "Objicimus, &c. That you at this present do continue all, or some of your former opinions against the said book, and have a settled purpose to continue hereafter such additions, diminutions, alterations, and transpositions, or some of them, as you heretofore unlawfully have used in your public ministration: and that you have used private conferences, and assembled, or been present at conventicles, for the maintenance of their doings herein, and for the animating and encouraging of others to continue in the like dispsoition in this behalf that 'Declare the like circumstances, and for what intent, 'cause, and consideration.' Et objic. ut supra.

you are of.

21. Item. "Objicimus, &c. That you have been heretofore noted, defamed, presented, or detected publicly, to have been faulty in all and singular the premises, and of every, or some of them; and that you have been divers and sundry times, or once at the least, admonished by your ordinary, or other ecclesiastical magistrate, to reform the same, and to observe the form and order of the book of common prayer, which you have refused, or defer to do. Declare the like circumstances thereof.' Et objic. ut supra.

22. Item, "That for the testifications hereafter of your unity with the church of England, and your conformity to laws established, you have been required simply and absolutely, to subscribe with your hand, (1.) That her majesty under God hath and ought to have, the sovereignty and rule over all manner of persons born within her realm, dominions, and countries. of what estate either ecclesiastical or temporal soever they be; and that none other foreign power, prelate, state or potentate, hath, or ought to have, any jurisdiction, power, superiority, pre-eminence or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual, within her majesty's said realms, dominions, or countries. (2.) That the book of common prayer, and of ordering bishops, priests and deacons, containeth in it nothing contrary to the word of God, and that the same may be lawfully used; and that you who do subscribe will use the form in the said book prescribed, in public prayer and administration of the sacraments, and none other. (3.) That you allow the book of articles of religion, agreed upon by the archbishops and bishops of both provinces, and the whole clergy in the convocation holden at London in the year of our Lord God, 1562, and set forth by her majesty's authority; and do believe all the articles therein contained to be agreeable to the word of GOD. Declare by whom, and how often, which hitherto you have advisedly refused to perform, and so yet do persist.' Et objic. &e.

papists are greatly encouraged, and the Queen's safety endangered.-I have read over your twenty-four artiticles, found in a Romish style, of great length and curiosity, to examine all manner of ministers in this time, without distinction of persons, to be executed ex officio mero.—And I find them so curiously penned, so full of 'branches and circumstances, that I think the inquisition of Spain used not so many questions to comprehend and 'to trap their priests. I know your canonists can defend these with all their particles; but surely, under correction, this judicial and canonical sifting poor ministers, is 'not to edify or reform. And in charity I think they ought not to answer to all these nice points, except they were 'notorious papists or heretics. I write with the testimony 'of a good conscience. I desire the peace and unity of the church. I favor no sensual and wilful recusant; but I conclude, according to my simple judgment, this kind of 'proceeding is too much savoring of the Romish inquisition, and is a device rather to seek for offenders than to reform any. It is not charitable to send poor ministers to your 'common register, to answer upon so many articles at one 'instant, without a copy of the articles or their answers. I pray your grace bear with this one (perchance) fault, that I have willed the ministers not to answer these ar'ticles except their consciences may suffer them.

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'July 15, 1584.

W. Cecil."

This excellent letter was so far from softening the archbishop, that, two days after, he returned his lordship a long answer, vindicating his interrogatories, from the practice of

23. Item, "That you have taken upon you to preach, read, or expound the scriptures, as well in public places as in private houses, not being licensed by your ordinary, nor any other magistrate having authority by the laws of this land so to license you. 'Declare the like

circumstances hereof.' Et objic. ut supra.

24. Item, "Quod præmissa omnia & singula, &c. i. e. That all and "singular the premises, &c."

Could the wit of man invent any thing more like an inquisition! Here are interrogatories enough to entangle all the honest men in the kingdom, and bring them into danger.

Life of Whitgift, b. iv. Rec. No. 4.

the Star-chamber, the Court of Marches, and other places. The treasurer found it was to no purpose to contend, and therefore replied in a short but smart letter, in which he tells him, "That after reading his grace's long answer, he ' was not satisfied in the point of seeking by examination to have ministers accuse themselves, and then punish them for their own confessions: That he would not call his proceedings captious, but they were scarcely charitable; his grace might therefore deal with his friend Mr. Brayne as he thought fit,--but when by examining him it was meant only to sift him with twenty-four articles, 'he had cause to pity the poor man."*

The archbishop, being desirous to give satisfaction to the treasurer, sent him two papers of reasons, one to justify the articles, and the other the manner of proceeding ex mero officio. In the former he says, That by the ecclesiastical [or canon] laws, articles of enquiry may be administered, and have been ever since the reformation; and that they ought not to be compared with the inquisition, because the inquisition punished with death, whereas they only punished obstinate offenders with deprivation.† In the latter his lordship gives the following reasons, among others, for proceeding ex mero officio. If we proceed only by presentment and witnesses, then papists, brownists, and family men, would expect the like measure. It is hard to get witnesses against the puritans, because most of the parishioners favor them, and therefore will not present them, nor appear against them. There is great trouble and charge in examining witnesses, and sending for them from distant parts. If archbishops and bishops should be driven to use proofs by witnesses only, the execution of the law would be partial, their charges in procuring and producing wit nesses would be intolerable; and they should not be able to make quick dispatch enough with the sectaries. These were the arguments of a protestant archbishop! I do not wonder that they gave no satisfaction to the wise treasurer; for surely, all who have any regard for the laws of their country, or the civil and religious rights of mankind, must be ashamed of them.

The treasurer having given up the archbishop, the lords of the council took the cause in hand, and wrote to his grace and the bishop of London, in favor of the deprived ministers, Sept. 20.* In their letter they tell their lordships, That they had heard of sundry complaints out of divers counties, of proceedings against a great number of eccle'siastical persons, some parsons, some vicars, some curates, but all preachers; some deprived, and some suspended by their lordships' officers, chancellors, &c. but that they had taken no notice of these things, hoping their lordships would have staid their hasty proceedings, especially a'gainst such as did earnestly instruct the people against popery. But now of late, hearing of great numbers of zeal'ous and learned preachers suspended from their cures in the county of Essex, and that there is no preaching, prayers or sacraments in most of the vacant places; that in 'some few of them, persons neither of learning nor good 'name are appointed; and that in other places of the coun'try great numbers of persons that occupy cures, are notoriously unfit; most for lack of learning; many chargeable with great and enormous faults, as drunkenness, filthiness of life, gaming at cards, haunting of ale-houses, &c. against whom they [the council] heard of no proceedings, but that they were quietly suffered." To fix this charge home on the bishops, they sent with their letter a catalogue of names; one column of learned ministers deprived; a second of unlearned and vicious persons continued; "a matter ve❝ry lamentable, say they, for this time!" and a third of pluralists and non-residents; "against these latter we [the 'council] have heard of no inquisition; but of great dili6 gence, and extreme usage against those that were known 'to be diligent preachers; we therefore pray your lordships to have some charitable consideration of their causes, that 'people may not be deprived of their diligent, learned, and zealous pastors, for a few points ceremonial, which entangled their consciences." This letter was dated from Oatlands, Sept. 20th, 1584, and signed by lord Burleigh, the earls of Warwick, Shrewsbury, and Leicester; the lord

* Life of Whitgift, p. 166.