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Manchester, and, after the death of Worcester, he was lord privy-seal.

"One of king James's own chaplains, preaching before him at Greenwich, took this text, Mat. iv. 8. And the devil took Jesus to the top of a mountain, and shewed him all the kingdoms of the world, saying, All these will I give,' &c. He shewed what power the devil had in the world at that time, when he spake these words; and from thence he came down to the power of the devil now. And dividing the world into four parts, he could not make the least of the four to be Christian; and of those, how few weat God's way? So that he concluded the devil to be a great monarch, having so many kingdoms under his command; and no doubt he had his vice-roys, council of state, treasurers, secretaries, and many other officers, to manage and order his affairs; for there was order in hell itself; which after he had mustered together, he gives a character of every particular oficer, who were fit to be the devil's servants; running through the body of the court; discovering the correspondencies with Jesuits; stret pensions from foreign princes; betraying their masters counsels to deserve their rewards, working and combining to the prejudice of God's people. And when he came to describe the devil's treasurers ex

lities in mercantile affairs, raised to that title, and to one of the highest posts in the kingdom, was son of Thomas Cranfield, esq.; but was no more than a London merchant himself; and being bred up in the Custom House, was looked upon as a fit instrument to detect the frauds in those officers. The king, in his last speech to the lords, has given us an account how he was introduced to court, and by what stops he rose to the height he sud leuly fell from; and, by what his majesty hints, in that speech, there might probably be much malice and envy in his prosecution. Mr. Rapin charges the prince of Wales and duke of Buckingham with a conspiracy to ruin the Lord Treasurer, for refusing them, at times, the exorbitant sums they demanded when in Spain: that they made use of their credit with the par iament for that purpose, and caused him to be accused, by their creatores, of mismanagement in the discharge of his office. This hint our author has strongly improved from Wilson and lord Ciarendon: the former says, "The duke of Buck- ' ingham, remembering how the Lord Treasurer, repined at the monies spent in Spain, and his comportment to him since his return, resolved to bring him down from that height he had placed him in." And the latter, "That the king was against the prosecution of the Treasurer, by an Impeachment; because he fore-actions and gripings, to get money, he fixed his saw, that those kinds of parliamentary proceedings would shake the royal authority, in the choice of his own ministers, when they should find that their security did not depend, solely upon his own protection; which breach, adds the noble historian, upon his kingly power, was so much without a precedent, that, except one unhappy one, made three years before, to gratify likewise a private displeasure," [lord Bacon he means]" the like had not been practised in very many years. The king told the duke, That he was a fool, and was making a rod for his own breech;' and the prince that he would live to have his belly full of parliamentary Impeachments." See History of the Rebellion, volume 1, folio edition 1702, p. 20.

"Sir Henry Mountague, lord chief justice, (as the reports of those times lively voted) laid down 20,000l. for the office of Lord Treasurer; and before the year expired, it was conferred upon sir Lionel Cranfield, who had been a citizen of London, bred up in the Custom-house; and knowing the secret contrivances of those officers, was thought fittest to manage the king's revenue: for in expensive and wasting courts, those great officers are most acceptable, that by their finesses and projects can bring in that, which with riot and prodigality goes out. But the great step to his olice, was Cranfield's marrying one of Buckingham's kindred, which mounted him presently after to be carl of Middlesex. The lord chief justice for his money was made a precedent, as some jested; the king finding him a man intelligent in all the great affairs of state, made him lord president the council, viscount Mandevill, and earl of

eye upon Cranfield, then Lord Treasurer (whose marriage into the house of fortune, and title of earl, could not keep him from being odious to the people) and pointing at him with his hand, said with an emphasis, That man (reiterating it) That man, that makes himself rich, and his master poor, he is a tit Treasurer for the devil.' This the author heard, and saw, whilst Cranfield sat with his hat pulled down over his eyes, ashamed to look up, lest he should find all men's eyes fixed upon him; the king, who sat just over him, smiling at the quaint satire so handsomely coloured over. It seems Neile, the bishop of Lincoln, was not by him then; for when any man preached that had the renown of piety, unwilling the king should hear him, he would in the sermon time entertain the king with a merry tale (that I may give it no worse title) which the king would after laugh at, and tell those near him, he could not hear the preacher for the old B. bishop. We must confess, this relation smells too rank, but it was too true, and hope the modest reader will excuse it, we having had divers hammerings and conflicts within us to leave it out, seeing it proceeds not from any rancour of spirit against the prelacy, but to vindicate God's justice to posterity, who never punishes without a cause, and such-like practices as these were doubtless put upon the score, which afterwards gave a period to that hierarchy. This man's hand helped to close up the countess of Essex's virginity, when he was Coventry and Litchfield; his heart had this kind of vanity when he was Lincoln; and when he was archbishop of York, his head was so filled with Arminian impiety, that in the next king's reiga

he was looked upon by the parliament to be one of the great grievances of the kingdom." Wilson's Account of sir -L. Cranfield in his History of James I. 2 Kennett's Comp. Hist. 727,729.

"The marquis of Buckingham continueth still in fullness of grace and favour; the countess, his mother, sways also much at court. She brought sir Henry Montague from delivering law on the King's-bench to look to his bags in the Exchequer, for she made him Lord High Treasurer of England, but he parted with his white staff before the year's end, though his purse had bled deeply for it (above 20,0007.)

which made a lord of this land to ask him at his return from court, whether he did not find that wood was extreme dear at Newmarket, for there he received the white staff. There is now a notable stirring man in the place, my lord Cranfield, who, from walking about the Exchange, is come to sit Chief Justice in the Chequer-chamber, and to have one of the highest places at the council-table. He is married to one of the tribe of fortune, a kinswoman of the marquis of Buckingham.". James Howell to his Father, March 22, 1622, Letters, Book 1, § 3, letter 1.

123. Proceedings in Parliament against SAMUEL HARSNET, Bishop of Norwich, for Extortion and other Misdemeanors: 22 JAMES I. A. D. 1624. [Lords Journals. 1 Cobb. Parl. Hist. 1478.]

May 11, 1624.

off, and many were old, and not able, for their age, to come so far. That this inhibition was

when the king had commanded more preaching. That his lordship connived at Recusants, all which was the disheartening of the good professors. It may be objected he allowed of catechizing; ergo, no preaching necessary; but he commanded to ask bare questions, and no

THE Bishop of Norwich besought the Lords to remember the Message from the Commons, on the 8th instant, for a Conference touching some Accusations against his lordship, which their lordships then deferred, by reason of the thinness of the house; and desired them to appoint a time for the same, with what expe-thing else; ergo, no instructions. That this dition they conveniently may; whereupon a Committee was then named for that purpose.

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is done against the canons of the church, and that there is no obedience without knowledge. May 19. A Report was made by the arch- The outward man is not confirmed, unless the hishop of Canterbury, of a Conference with the inward man be reformed; and cited the canon, Commons, touching a Complaint against the quicunque contristaverit doctorem veritatis bishop of Norwich, to this effect: "That the peccat in Christum;' with the canon, 1 Jac. Cominons had received a Complaint exhibited c. 45, for commanding preaching.-For the against the said lord bishop, by the citizens of 2nd touching the setting up of images. It was Norwich: and to shew, that it was ordinary for said to be against acts of parliament, against the Commons to complain against the governors the canons of the convocation, the book allowed of the church, divers records of parliament in the time of Hen. 8, 28 Hen. 8, c. 30, against were cited; annis, 18 Ed. 3, 35 Ed. 3, 50 Ed. Images, Pilgrimages, &c. against the 3 Edw. 6, 3, 17 Rich. 2, and 11 Hen. 4, which were and the Homilies approved, anno 1 Eliz. forcited to satisfy tacit objections for their med- bidding images in churches.-The 3rd, for dling with a cause of this nature. That the prayer to the east. Which Gratian affirms Charge against the said bishop consisted of came by tradition, pars 1, dict. 11, and that it six parts: I. That he inhibited or disheartened is superstitious, Linwood in the Glosses, lib. 2, preachers on the Sabbath day in the forenoon. tit. de Feriis, non refert si versus Orientem,' II. That images were set up in the churches, &c. That the bishop excommunicated many, and one of the Holy Ghost fluttering over the and enjoined penance unto divers, for praying font; that a marble tomb was pulled down, to the east; and some did their penance with and images set up in its room, and the bishop a withy rod in their hand; the proof thereof is blessed them that did it. III. That he punished under the bishop's hand.-The 4th, one Peck, those who prayed not towards the east. IV. a minister, catechized his family, and sung That he punished a minister for catechizing his psalms, his neighbours coming in, of a Sunday family, and singing of psalms. V. That he used after evening prayers. The bishop enjoined extortion many ways. VI. That he did not them to do penance, for this their resorting to enter Institutions, to the prejudice of patrons. catechize and sing psalms, and to say, 'I conTo the 1st Article it was said, That there were fess my errors, &c.' which acknowledgment 34 churches in Norwich;, and in those parishes is under the bishop's hand. They who refus30 or 40,000 people: That the lord bishop scnted, were excommunicated, and paid 77. charges. for the preachers, by the apparitors, and told And it was particularly observed by the Comthem, there was no need of preaching on Sun-mons, that this Peck was a conformable day in the forenoon, except in the cathedral preacher.-5thly, Touching Extortion. It was church; although 2 or 3000 could only hear shewn, That, in the Table of Fees is set down, there; many dwelling three quarters of a mile for Institution 24s. 8d. whereof to the bishop

10s. That this lord bishop is register also, and now himself taketh, for institution, 31. 5s. and, for united churches, double; and that, communibus annis, there are an hundred institutions. For Admission into sacred Orders, nothing should be taken; if any, it is simony: yet this bishop taketh now 29 or 50s, the bishop and register being all one. To serve cure, 5s. is due; he takes 6s. 8d. To teach school, 3s. 4d. is due; he takes 6s. 8. and if of ability 10s. For every consignation of a decree 4d, which comes to 80l. per annum, for which there should be nothing paid; no consignation being in the table, but set down in archbishop Whitgif's time, in another hand.-6thly. Touching the entering of Institutions. That the institutions to benefices are not registered; which overthrows the patronages, if it be returned scrutatis archivis non invenitur, when the right | comes in question; yet the fees are greater than before."-The Commons concluded with these two remembrances. 1st, That they received this Complaint before Easter last; yet they proceeded not in the Fromination thereof till they received a certificate from the mayor of Norwich. 2nd, That none shall be punished for complaining in parliament."

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Sarum, hath since declared in print that which he then preached to be no popery. That popery is a fire that will never be quiet, he hath preached a thousand sermons; and nothing of popery can be imputed to him out of any of them.-That there were divers obstacles to keep him tiom popery. 1. The Usurpations of the pope of Rome. His lordship affirmed, That no power on earth can touch a prince; and therefore be abhorred the usurpation of the pope over princes. 2. Their religion is dyed in Blood. 3. The practic course of their religion is all by juggling and feigned miracles; of which his lordship had writ a book against them, which was never as yet answered. That he never spake with priest or jesuit, nor never invited a known recusant to his table; for they never say Amen to our prayers. 4. That their equivocations are the last; worse than which nothing can be; his lordship held it much better to take on with the devil than with such. Then he professed himself to be a true member of this church, and acknowledged the church of England to come nearest to the primitive. That we fetch not our reformation from Wickliff, Huss, and Luther of later times, but from the first 400 years next after Christ.

tion. His lordship confessed, That six or seven of the abler sort of ministers in Norwich used to expound, in their own churches, before the sermon began in the cathedral church; and many resorted from other places to these expositions, (for all the churches have not preachers) and in the afternoon to their sermons. The preachers themselves found fault with this, being willing to be rid of the pains, for they were to preach in the afternoon and on the week days, and shewed him many disorders therein, which they pretended; as the cutting off part of the prayers, or their beginning so early, that many could not come to the common prayers, and the like; and they besought his lordship to remedy it, because they, being stipendary men, were leth to do it, for fear, belike, to lose their stipends; whereupon he sent for them by an officer, and willed them to omit these expositions in the forenoon; and yet he had since taken order for the erecting of three sermons in the most remote parts of the city from the cathedral church; and he also had erected many lectures in several places of the country. II. As touching the Images in a Church. What was done was done without his knowledge, it was meant by St. Peter's church: that he never saw that church till one evening as he came by; and being informed of much cost done upon it, he went in, and kneeled down to his prayers, as his use was. When he rose up, and perceived that they had bestowed very great cost, and not seeing or knowing of any image at all set up there, he said, God's blessing on their hearts that had 'bestowed such cost on God's house.' III. As

This Report being ended, the bishop of Nor-I. As touching the first part of the accusawich stood up in his place, and answered the same to this effect: "1st. His lordship confessed the Charges in the said Complaint to be so great and grievous, that, were he guilty thereof, he would desire, himself, to be punished: but whether he be guilty or not, he will leave to their lordships exact and severe examination; wherein he desired them not to spare him, and he would ever acknowledge and commend their justice and honour.-His lordship protested he was no way guilty of the first part of this accusation; if he were, then he was unworthy to bear the name of a clergyHe shewed the unworthiness of such as should dishearten preachers from preaching the word of God. His lordship shewed also (de- | siring first that he might not be taxed with ostentation) his own practice in preaching, whilst he was vicar and parson; that he preached every sabbath in the morning, and catechized in the afternoon; and that he continued the like preaching whilst he was bishop of Chichester: that in Norwich he never missed the public place, and ever preached there against popery though he had been an unprofitable, yet he had not been an idle servant; which was now his only comfort.-As touching Preaching and Non-residence, he had been reckoned more than half a puritan: he told them of his manner of living, and his leaving the archbishop of Canterbury's service that he might go to his cure. He wondered why he should be thought a papist; he thought it might be owing to his disputations, and his sermons at Paul's Cross, on predestination negative, unadvisedly preached by him; for which he was checked by archbishop Whitgift, and commanded to preach no more of it; and he peyer did, though Dr. Abbot, late bishop of

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touching prayers to the east: he never enjoined it, nor heard of it till now. IV. For the 4th part of his Complaint: he perceived that

which, an Order is entered in the Lord's Journals, "That in respect to the shortness of time and the multiplicity of business, now depending to be determined, the complaint of the Commons, against the bishop of Norwich, shall be referred to the High Commission, to be examined by them; and they to make report thereof to the house, and then the house will judge of it."

he had been sifted through the whole course off to the said Complaint. Immediately after his life; that this Peck was sent to him by the justices of the peace, for keeping an assembly late at night at his house; his catechizing being but a colour to draw them thither. That this Peck had infected the parish with strange opinions; as not to kneel when they came to church; that the name of Jesus is no more than a common name, and that it is superstition to bow down at it. His lordship affirmed, that this Peck had formerly been convicted of nonconformity, annis 1615 et 1617; also, for simony and conventicles in his neighbour's house, as appears by an act in the register. And that anno 1622, he was taken in his house with 22 of his neighbours, at a conventicle; that he was then bound over by a justice and brought to his lordship, and his sentence against him was, only, that he should confess his fault. The others, mentioned in this part of the Charge, were punished for their opinions also; making no difference between an alehouse and the church, till the preacher was in the pulpit. He said, he must confess his fault, That in the penance which he cnjoined, he caused them to confess their errors, omitting their resort to conventicles, which he did at their own earnest suit. V. His lordship absolutely denied that he imposed any Fees, and affirmed that he had not any of those fees which were complained of; only the fees for Institution, which he took as his predecessors did. If therein he had committed any error, erravimus cum patribus; and denied that he had ever seen that Table of Fees which is spoke of by the Commons. VI. His lordship affirmed, That he had registered all the Institutions."

When the bishop had ended his Defence, his royal highness the Prince stood up and told him, "That he had not answered concerning the Paraphrase of the Catechism which he had taken away!" To which the Bishop replied, "That the preachers used to chuse a text from the Creed, &c. and to ask the child some one question, and then to dilate very long upon it, but never descended to the capacity of the child. That he did not forbid the explanation, but ordered that it should be done catechetically."

Thus ended the bishop of Norwich's Answer

The same day the bishop exbibited a Complaint to the house against one Thomas Stokes, clerk, "That whereas the said Thomas Stokes had preferred a Petition to the Commons against his lordship, for excessive fees, pretended to be taken by his lordship, and for other grievances therein mentioned. He acknowledged the proceedings of the said Stokes to be legal, and humbly submitted himself to an examination and strict trial. However, he complained that the said Stokes had sent his lordship this message: That if he would suffer a judgment in the court of common pleas for him, the said Stokes, to be archdeacon of Norfolk, that then Stokes would prosecute no further against his lordship: otherwise, he would smoke him with more Complaints. Moreover, that the said Stokes reported that his lordship did drink a health to Spinola, and refused to pledge a health to the prince of Orange, for that the said prince was a general unto traitors. And that Stokes affirmed his lordship. did take 301. of every one of the archdeacons when he came first to his see. All which his lordship affirmed to be false."

This Complaint, with the witnesses the bishop produced to prove it, was referred to the examination of the archbishop of Canterbury, who was to make report thereof to the house for their judgment of the matter. But we hear no more of this, or the former affair, in the Journals or elsewhere; for neither Wilson nor Rushworth mention one word of it.*

This bishop of Norwich, Le Neve tells us, had been guilty of several scandalous practices, whilst he was master of Pembroke hall in Cambridge. He came into high favour, at court, in the next reign; for in 1628, he was made archbishop of York.

124. Proceedings in Parliament against RICHARD MOUNTAGUE,* Clerk, for publishing a factious and seditious Book: 1 CHARLES I. A. D. 1625. [3 Kenn. Compl. Hist. 1 Rushw. Coll. Cobb. Parl. Hist. 6.]

July 7, 1625.

MR. Richard Mountague, canon of Windsor, and fellow of Eaton, rector of Stamford Rivers, and chaplain in ordinary to his majesty, was

Other particulars of this man and his books are to be found in 1 Rushw. Coll. 173, 176, 199, 634. 2 Cobb. l'arl. Hist. 6, 11, 78, 457 et seq. The king, in 1627, made him bp. of Chichester.

brought to the bar of the house of commons, to answer for his Book intituled An Appeal to Cæsar,' which was there charged upon him, to be contrived and published to put a jealousy between the king and his well affected subjects, and to contain many things contrary to the Articles of Religion established by parliament; and that the whole frame thereof was an encouragement to popery.

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mons, made no application to either house of convocation (who without the king's direction did not apprehend that the cause fell regularly under their cognizance) but wrote a humble Letter to his majesty, dated July 29, 1625, wherein he first plainly laid open the state of his case, and then petitioned that by his majesty's authority and wisdom, he might be protected from those who had no power over his person, as being his majesty's servant in ordinary; nor over his book, as being wrote by the command of bis royal father, and authorized by his

with this Declaration, "That if he could not really and thoroughly answer whatsoever was, or could be imputed to him in any of his books, he would no farther desire any favour or protection, but would be willingly left to the power of his enemies."

This Cause had began in the 21st of king James, when this learned man had published a former Book entitled, A new Gagg for an old Goose,' in answer to a popish book, called 'A Gagg for the new Gospel.' When upon a suggestion that he had receded from some doctrines of the reformed churches, and had too much softened some of the Roman tenets; he was then questioned in parliament, and the cause being of dubious points of belief, was referred to the archbishop of Canterbury; who expressed his dislike of the book, and gave the author a solemn admonition. Some other bi-present majesty himself; and then concluded shops, who were called of the Arminian party, had a different notion of Mr. Mountague's opinions, and encouraged him to re-assert them, and defend them in another treatise to be dedicated to the king; and as an appeal to his royal judgment and authority, to be entitled 'Appello Cæsarem. The archbishop disallowed the book, and endeavoured to suppress it; but the other bishops attested their approbation of it, and hastened the edition. The house now appointed a committee to examine the errors of it, and gave the archbishop thanks for his former admonition to the author; whose books they voted to be contrary to the established articles, to tend to the king's dishonour, and to the disturbance of church and state: for which they assigned him a time of answer, and took bond for his appearance under the penalty of 2,0007. "We are bold to be suitors to you in the beBut on Saturday, July 9, the king himself in-half of the church of England, and a poor memterposed, and signified to the commons, that ber of it, Mr. Mountague, at this time not a 'What had been spoken in their house, and de- little distressed. We are not strangers to his termined against Mr. Mountague, was dis- person, but it is the cause which we are bound pleasing to him. He hoped one of his chap- to be tender of. The cause we conceive (under ⚫lains might have as much protection as the ser- correction of better judgment) concerns the ' vant of an ordinary burgess.' This was look-church of England nearly. For that church ed upon as an arbitrary obstruction of justice, and would but have incensed the house to have proceeded more severely, if on their next day of sitting, Monday, July 11, the parliament had not been prorogued to Oxford, where they met again on Monday, Aug. 1.

The bishops of Rochester, Oxford and St. David's, who had a kind opinion of Mountague and his writings, and seemed very sensible of the danger to the church, in allowing points of divinity to be examined and judged by the com mons in parliament, used all possible endeavours to stop this method of proceeding; and knowing the duke of Buckingham to have the greatest influence upon the king, they begged his intercession in this Letter, dated August 2. "May it please your Grace,

when it was reformed from the superstitious opinions broached or maintained by the church of Rome, refused the apparent and dangerous errors, and would not be too busy with every particular school point.

"Now, may it please your grace, the opiHere at Oxford there was a very small ap- nions which at this time trouble many men in pearance of convocation. Dr. Bowles, the pro- the late book of Mr. Mountague, are some of locutor, absented himself for fear of the infec-them such as are expressly the resolved doctrine tion, Dr. Thomas Goad officiating in his place; their meeting was kept in the chapel of Merton college.

The convocation having neither desired nor received any royal license to treat of ecclesiastical matters, kept only to that civil purpose, for which they were chiefly called, together with the parliament, of assisting the king with a reasonable aid, and accordingly made a grant of three subsidies, which was confirmed by act of parliament, as had been the custom ever since the act of submission: since which time the taxes of the clergy were passed into secular laws, when, before that act, they were enjoined and levied by synodical constitutions, under the penalty of spiritual censures.

Mr. Mountague applies to the King. Mr. Mountague seeing himself under the displeasure and prosecution of the house of com

of the church of England, and those he is bound to maintain. Some of them are such as are fit only for schools, and to be left at more liberty, for learned men to abound in their own sense, so they keep themselves peaceable and distract not the church. And therefore to make any man subscribe to school opinions, may justly seem hard in the church of Christ, and was one great fault of the council of Trent. And to aftright them from those opinions in which they have (as they are bound) subscribed to the church, as it is worse in itself, so may it be the mother of greater danger.

"May it please your grace further to consider, that when the clergy submitted themselves in the time of Henry 8, the submission was so made, that if any difference doctrinal, or other, fell in the church, the king and the bishops were to be judges of it in the National Synod or Convocation; the king first giving leave

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