TO MY RIGHT REVEREND GOOD LORD,

JOSEPH, LORD BISHOP OF NORWICH *.

My very good Lord,—I received, after much entreaty, your meek and modest vindication of yourself. I pretended want of satisfaction concerning some late actions of your lordship's; but now I must tell you, and the world together, I was fully convinced of your desert and integrity before; and this my request was but to draw from your lordship such a declaration of yourself, as might convince others, by my divulging it abroad. But of this you have now sent me, I must say, as not more a friend to you than truth, you have not done yourself right, you have not followed your cause half thoroughly; and, therefore, give me leave (for I will take it) a little more to betray you to the eyes of men, and more openly to bewail your bashful innocence. I cannot, without a vocal compassion, behold your injured virtue, the most remarkable example of the malignity of our times; which, when I looked it should receive its crown from God and men, quite contrary to my expectation, I find cast down and trampled in the

dust.

It is not full two years ago, when, in that innovating age, you suffered under storms and threats from over-busy instruments; every step waited on by entrapping spies and informers, and brought so far into the mouth of danger, that that accuser, Kilvert, durst openly threaten you to be the next man designed for his inquisition. How often have you stood as a shield between those men and danger, who can now complain you are a Bishop; when, if you had not been so, where had they been at this hour? How many of those anti-prelatical men, even the most rigid of them, have we heard blessing God for such a diocesan, by whose provision and government, great hath been the company of preachers; and acknowledging the sun of the Gospel, with your approach, setting in your western sea, or rather rising there in more perfect lustre, when the world justly complained it went

* Subjoined to the original edition of the Bishop's Letter, published in 1642, and now first reprinted.-H.

down in some other parts of the kingdom? What prayers, what praises, what wishes were then, on all sides, poured out for you? I should be accounted your flatterer, should I but mention them. Whereas now in these days of reformation, when you might justly expect a reward of your former sufferings, as deserving (let me confidently speak) the greatest share, I see you as much driven at, on the other side, by an ignorant fury of those you defend ; and smarting as an enemy to that truth, the maintaining of which hath raised against you so many dangerous adversaries. I find you still the same man you were before; and yet, what is strange, groaning under the same burden of censure, and worse, from quite contrary hands, even from those whose duty it is to promote and vindicate you; and yet who think they do that very truth you maintain good service in punishing you its defender. A miserably misguided zeal! Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. In the mean time, what have they to answer for, who, when they can find no real blemish upon you, dare, like the Romish imagers in Q. Mary's days, paint fiends and faults upon your coat; as those cunningly-cruel men, in the primitive times, clothing the harmless Christian martyrs with the skins of savage bears and bulls, that they might be baited, and torn by the deceived mastiffs, which would have fawned upon them, had they appeared in their own shapes? But I forbear: only this, my Lord, if you thus sink, and suffer under evil and killing tongues, happy, thrice happy, are you; you know One hath said it, that will make it good: I shall not, I seriously profess, pity, but envy you for having this eternal honour, to expire among scoffs, and unjust ignominy, with our great Master. And, therefore, now, rouse up those drooping spirits, which age and restless labours have left you; fix your eyes stedfastly, with blessed Stephen, upon heaven, and rest your thoughts there, as no doubt you do, with a calm and smiling confidence; and know, every stone is thrown at you shall turn a precious one, to deck your crown of glory. Into the bosom of our gracious God, whom we have thus long served and enjoyed together, I securely commend you; and, till I meet you in another world, however this world judge of you, shall continue a constant lover of your tried good

ness.

Jan. 29, 1641.

H. S.

BISHOP HALL'S

HARD MEASURE.

NOTHING could be more plain, than that, upon the call of this parliament, and before, there was a general plot and resolution of the faction to alter the government of the church especially. The height and insolency of some church-governors, as was conceived, and the ungrounded imposition of some innovations upon the churches both of Scotland and England, gave a fit hint to the project.

In the vacancy, therefore, before the summons, and immediately after it, there was great working secretly for the designation and election, as of knights and burgesses, so especially, beyond all former use, of the clerks of convocation: when now the clergy were stirred up to contest with and oppose their diocesans, for the choice of such men as were most inclined to the favour of an alteration.

The parliament was no sooner sat, than many vehement speeches were made against established church-government, and enforcement of extirpation both root and branch.

And, because it was not fit to set upon all at once, the resolution was to begin with those bishops, which had subscribed to the canons then lately published, upon the shutting up of the former parliament: whom they would first have had accused of treason; but that not appearing feasible, they thought best to indict them of very high crimes and offences against the king, the parliament, and kingdom: which was prosecuted with great earnestness by some prime lawyers in the house of commons, and entertained with like fervency by some zealous Lords in the house of peers; every of those particular canons being pressed to the most envious and dangerous height that was possible: the Archbishop of York (was designed for the report) aggravating

Mr. Maynard's criminations to the utmost, not without some interspersions of his own. The counsel of the accused bishops gave in such a demurring Answer, as stopped the mouth of that heinous indictment.

When this prevailed not, it was contrived to draw petitions accusatory from many parts of the kingdom, against episcopal government; and the promoters of the petitions were entertained with great respects: whereas the many petitions of the opposite part, though subscribed with many thousand hands, were slighted and disregarded.

Withal the rabble of London, after their petitions cunningly and upon other pretences procured, were stirred up to come to the houses personally to crave justice both against the Earl of Strafford, first; and, then, against the Archbishop of Canterbury; and, lastly, against the whole order of bishops: which, coming at first unarmed, were checked by some well-willers, and easily persuaded to gird on their rusty swords; and, so accoutred, came by thousands to the houses, filling all the outer rooms, offering foul abuses to the bishops as they passed, crying out, "No bishops, no bishops ;" and, at last, after divers days' assembling, grown to that height of fury, that many of them, whereof Sir Richard Wiseman professed (though to his cost) to be captain, came with resolution of some violent courses, insomuch that many swords were drawn hereupon at Westminster, and the rout did not stick openly to profess that they would pull the bishops in pieces. Messages were sent down to them from the lords. They still held firm, both to the place and their bloody resolutions. It now grew to be torch-light. One of the lords, the Marquis of Hertford, came up to the bishops' form, told us that we were in great danger, advised us to take some course for our own safety; and, being desired to tell us what he thought was the best way, counselled us to continue in the parliament house all that night: "For," saith he, "these people vow they will watch you at your going out, and will search every coach for you with torches, so as you cannot escape." Hereupon the house of lords was moved for some order, for the preventing their mutinous and riotous meetings. Messages were sent down. to the house of commons, to this purpose, more than once: nothing was effected; but, for the present, (forsomuch as all the

danger was at the rising of the house) it was earnestly desired of the Lords that some care might be taken of our safety. The motion was received by some lords with a smile. Some other lords, as the Earl of Manchester, undertook the protection of the Archbishop of York and his company (whose shelter I went under) to their lodgings. The rest, some of them by their long stay, others by secret and far-fetched passages, escaped home.

It was not for us to venture any more to the house, without some better assurance. Upon our resolved forbearance therefore, the Archbishop of York sent for us to his lodging at Westminster; lays before us the perilous condition we were in; advises for remedy, except we meant utterly to abandon our right and to desert our station in parliament, to petition both his Majesty and the parliament, that, since we were legally called by his Majesty's writ to give our attendance in parliament, we might be secured, in the performance of our duty and service, against those dangers that threatened us; and, withal, to protest against any such acts, as should be made during the time of our forced absence; for which he assured us there were many precedents in former parliaments; and which if we did not, we should betray the trust committed to us by his Majesty, and shamefully betray and abdicate the due right both of ourselves and successors.

To this purpose, in our presence, he drew up the said petition and protestation; avowing it to be legal, just, and agreeable to all former proceedings; and, being fair written, sent it to our several lodgings for our hands; which we accordingly subscribed, intending yet to have had some further consultation concerning the delivering and whole carriage of it. But, ere we could suppose it to be in any hand but his own, the first news we heard was, that there were messengers addressed to fetch us into the parliament, upon an accusation of high treason. For, whereas this paper was to have been delivered, first to his Majesty's secretary and, after perusal by him, to his Majesty; and, after, from his Majesty to the Parliament; and, for that purpose, to the Lord Keeper, the Lord Littleton, who was the Speaker of the house of peers; all these professed not to have perused it at all; but the said Lord Keeper, willing enough to take this advantage of ingratiating himself with the house of commons and the faction, to which he knew himself sufficiently obnoxious, finding what use might be made of it by prejudicate minds, reads the same