the seas, and there set up and taught the natives there, the said manufactures, to the great hinderance of trade in this kingdom, and to the impoverishing, and bringing to extreme want, very many who were by those parties formerly set on work, to the great prejudice of his ma Warren, Mr. John Allen, and others; and if a Disters. XVII. That he the said bishop, finding the people to distaste his innovations, hath often in public and private speeches, declared in the said year 1636, that, what he did in the same, was by his majesty's command; whereby he, contrary to the duty of his place, which he held under his majesty, being dean of his majesty's royal chapel, and contrary to the duty of a good and loyal subject, endeavoured to free himself of blame, and to raise an ill opinion of his royak majesty, in the hearts of bis loving subjects. XVIII. That he the said Matthew Wren, XIV. That during the time he was bishop of the said see of Norwich, he did unlawfully compel the inhabitants of the several parishes within that diocess, to raise the floors of the chancels of their respective churches, to rail in their communion tables, to remove the pews and seats, and to make other alterations in the respective churches; in the doing whereof the said inhabitants were put to great, excessive, and unnecessary charges and expences, amounting in the whole, to the sum of 5,000l. and up-being bishop of Norwich in the said year 1636 wards; which said charges and expences, he did by unlawful means and courses, enforce the said inhabitants to undergo; and such of the said inhabitants, as did not obey the same, he did vex, trouble, and molest by presentments, citations, excommunications, tedious and frequent journies, and by attendances at the courts of his chancellor, and other his officials, viz. the churchwardens of Linne, Ipswich, St. Edmundsbury, and others. XV. That for not coming up to the rail to receive the holy communion, kneeling there before the table altarwise, for not standing up at the Gospel, and for not observing and performing of his unlawful innovations and injunctions, many other of his majesty's subjects, viz. Peter Fisher, Samuel Duncon, James Percival, John Armiger, Thomas King and others, have been by him, his chancellors, visitors, commissaries, and officials, by commands and injunctions, much molested, disquieted, and vexed in their estates and consciences, by citations to the courts, long attendance there, dismission, fees, excommunications, penances, and other cen sures. XVI. That by reason of the rigorous prosecutions and dealings in the last precedent Articles mentioned, and by reason of the continual superstitious bowing to, and afore the table set altarwise, the suspending, silencing, driving away of the painful preaching ministers, the suppressing and forbidding of sermons and prayers, the putting down of lectures, the suppressing means of knowledge and salvation, and introducing ignorance, superstition, and prophaneness; many of his majesty's subjects, to the number of three thousand, many of which used trades, spinning, weaving, knitting and making of cloth, stuffs, stockings, and other manufactures of wool; that is to say, Daniel Sanning, Michael Metcalf, John Berant, Nicholas Metcalf, John Derant, Busby, Widow Maxes, Richard, Cock, John Dicks, Francis Laws, John Senty, and many others; some of them setting an bundred poor people on work, have removed themselves, their families and estates, into Holland, and other parts beyond VOL. IV. | in the tower church in Ipswich, and other places, did in his own person use superstitious and idolatrous actions and gestures in the administration of the Lord's Supper, consecrating the bread and wine, standing at the West side of the table with his face to the East, and his back towards the people,, elevating the bread and wine so high, as to be seen over his shoulders; bowing low, either to or before them; when he, after the elevation, had set them down on the table. XIX. That be the more to manifest his Popish affections, in the said year 1636, caused a Crucifix, that is to say the figure of Christ upon the cross, to be engraven upon his episcopal seal, besides the arms of the see. XX. That he hath chosen and employed such men to be his commissioners, rural deans, and to be his houshold chaplains, whom he knew to be, and stand affected to his innovated, courses, and to Popish superstition, and to be erroneous and unsound in judgment and prac tice, as namely Mr. John Nowell, Mr. Edmund Mapletoft, Mr. John Dunkin, Mr. Boucke, Mr. Dun and others. XXI. That he hath very much oppressed divers patrons of churches, by admitting, with out any colour of title, his own chaplams, and others whom he affected, into livings which be camne void within his diocess; unjustly enforc ing the true and right patrons to long and chargeable suits to evict such incumbents, and to recover their own right; some of which he did against his priestly word given to the said patrons, or their friends, in verbo sacerdotis, not to do the same; this he did in the case of one Mr. Rivet. XXII. That he and others, in the year 1635, sold, or granted away the profits of his primary visitation for 5001. over and above the charges of the visitation, and for the better benefit of the farmer, set forth a Book in the year 1636, intituled, Articles to be enquired of within the Diocess of Norwich, in the first visitation of Matthew, lord bishop of Norwich, cons sisting of 139 articles; and wherein are con tained the number of 897 questions, according D to all which, the churchwardens were enforced | to present upon pain of perjury; and some churchwardens, that is to say, Robert Langley, Charles Newton, Richard Hart, William Bull, and Zephany Ford, and others, not making preseniments accordingly, were cited, molested and troubled, and enjoined penance; notwithstanding many of the said articles were ridiculous and impossible. XXIII. That the church-wardens, and other men sworn at the visitation, were enforced to have their presentments written by clerks, specially appointed by such as bought the said visitation, to whom they paid excessive sums of money for the same: some twenty-two shillings, as namely, Richard Hurrell, John Punchard, and others, some more, some less, for writing one presentment, to the grievous oppression of his majesty's poor subjects in that diocess. XXIV. Whereas by the laws of this realm no tithes ought to be paid out of the rents of houses, nor is there any custom or usage in the city of Norwich for such payments; yet the said bishop endeavoured to draw the citizens, and other the inhabitants within the said city, against their wills and consents to pay 28. in the pound, in lieu of the tithes of houses within the several parishes of the said city, unto the ministers there of the said respective parishes; and the better to effect this his unjust resolution, he did by false and undue suggestions in the 14th year of his majesty's reign that now is, procure his majesty to declare under his highness's great seal of England his royal pieasure, That if any person within the said city shall refuse to pay according to the said rate of 2s. in the pound unto the minister of any parish within the said city; that the same be heard in the court of Chancery, or in the consistory of the bishop of Norwich; and that in such case no prohibition against the said bishop of Norwich, their chancellors or commissaries in the said courts of consistory, be granted; and if any such writ be at any time obtained, the Judges so granting the same, upon sight of his highness's said order, shall forthwith grant a consultation to the minister desiring the same; which said order and decree under the great seal of England tended to the violation of the oaths of the judges, and was devised, contrived, and made by the said bishop; and afterwards by his evil counsels and false surmises he did obtain his majesty's royal consent thereunto, and by colour of the order aforesaid, and other the doings of the said bishop, the citizens and inhabitants of Norwich aforesaid, viz. John Collar, Judith Perkeford, and others, have been enforced to pay the said 2s. in the pound in lieu of tithes; or else by suits and other undue means been much molested, and put to great charges and expences, contrary to the law and justice. XXV. That he assumed to himself an arbitrary power, to compel the respective parishioners in the said diocess, to pay great and excessive wages to parish-clerks, viz. the pa rishioners of Yarmouth, Congham, Tostock, and others, commanded his officers, that if any parishioner did refuse to pay such wages they should certify him their names, and he would set them into the high commission court for example of the rest, and that one or two out of Ipswich might be taken for that purpose. And the said commons by protestation saving to themselves the liberty of exhibiting at any time hereafter any other accusation or impeachment against the said Matthew Wren, late bishop of Norwich, and now bishop of Ely; and also of replying to the Answer that he the said Matthew Wren shall make unto the said Articles or any of them, or of offering proof of the premises or any other impeachments or accusations that shall be exhibited by them, as the case shall, according to the course of parliaments, require, do pray that he the said Matthew Wren may be called to answer the said several crimes and misdemeanours, and receive such condign punishment as the same shall deserve, and that such further proceedings may be upon every of them had and used against him, as is agreeable to law and justice. After reading these Articles, the Commons resolved, "That Matthew Wren, bishop of Ely, is in their opinion unfit, and unworthy to hold or continue any spiritual promotion or office in the church or common-wealth; and that the lords be desired to join with this house, to move his majesty to remove the said bishop from his person and service." Upon this, Sir Philip Parker, knight of the shire for Suffolk, took occasion to speak as follows:"Mr. Speaker; I stand not up in my own particular behalf, but in the universal and general name of the whole kingdom. Alas! Mr. Speaker, they depend all upon our exemplary justice; which, if we do fully execute, will not only give great and plenary satisfaction to our nation, but will likewise cause the land to smile hereafter with the blessed beams of prosperous felicity; but if the least error or smallest deliberation be overseen by us, (Oh! it strikes my trembling mind with horror to think on it) how will all things precipitate themselves into ruin most irrevocable? But I speak not this, as if any here would omit, or extenuate, the supremacy of justice in the least thought. To admonish you of that point were to bid the moon keep her monthly course, the spheres to reduce themselves in their circumference, or the sun to shine upon the earth. But I speak this only to add a spur unto you, lest we should at any time languish in our Heaven-proceeding journey. The cries of the people have come up to me: the voice of the whole nation tingles in my ears; and, methinks, I hear each subject wish, that we would briefly establish the church-government with all expedition. Let us first begin to confirm our religion, and God will bless our other proceedings the better. That was always my opinion, and, I am sure, the expectation of the whole kingdom. How long have we sat here, and how little have we effected? How much time have we consumed, and what little have we performed therein? How long have we laboured in this our daily travail, and as yet have brought forth but an embryo in what we did intend? It is true, I confess, we have tormented ourselves with daily troubles and vexations, and have been very solicitous for the welfare of the common-wealth; but what have we performed, what have we perfected? I will once more relate what my former opinion was, let us I say, begin in the real establishment of our religion; and as I said all our other determinations will succeed with a better omen; for indeed most of our delinquents are linked to this chain, they depend most on this point; therefore we should do well to enter speedily upon the work. "Mr. Speaker, excuse my zeal in this case; for my mouth cannot imprison what my mind intends to let out, neither can my tongue conceal that which my heart desires to promulge. Behold the archbishop, that great incendiary of this kingdom, lies now like a fire-brand raked up in the embers; but if ever he chance to blaze again, I am afraid that what heretofore he had but in a spark, he will burn down to the ground in a full flame. Wherefore, let us begin, for the kingdom is pregnant with expectation in this point. I confess there are many more delinquents, for the judges and other knights walk in querpo; but they are only thunderbolts forged in Canterbury's fire. I look upon them all but as polluted rivers, flowing from that corrupt fountain. Well, is it so then, that all depend on religion? Why are we then so backward in reforming the church? Why do we stick in this point, and not rather proceed in it with all expedition? For indeed according to the laws of this kingdom, as it hath the dignity of pre-eminence, so let us give it the priority in our determinations. "Mr. Speaker, think with yourself, I pray, in what faction the church is now; in what schism; In what confusion of distracted sectaries it is promiscuously shaken; behold the Papists will have their way, the Brownists will have their way, the Anabaptists their way, the Puritans, as some call them, their way, the Jesuitical priests their way; and in these various ways, they make such a labyrinth of religion, that few or none scarce can find out the right way. It behoves us therefore, and is expedient, that we should add a period to those irregular ways, that the vulgar may no longer wander in these distracted paths. "Mr. Speaker, I have now unloaded my mind of her weary burthen; and I beseech you digest my words, with your serious consideration, in this respect of establishing the church government, in true, sincere, perfect, and unpolluted religion; which if we do perforin, and fully effect, we shall do great honour to God, get credit to ourselves, and give great satisfaction to the whole kingdom. This is my opinion; this is my expectation: this is my prayer; and lastly, this is my hope." July 20. The Commons sent up the aforesaid Articles of Impeachment against Matthew Wren, bishop of Ely, by sir Thomas Widdrington, member for Berwick: who, upon presenting the same, made the following Speech: "My Lords; I am commanded by the knights, citizens, and burgesses now asssembled for the commons in parliament, to deliver to your lordships these Articles against Matthew Wren, D. D. late bishop of Norwich, and now bishop of Ely; may it please your lordships to hear them read. [Here the Articles were read.] "My Lords, these Articles are dipped in those colours in which this bishop rendered himself to the diocess of Norwich: they need no gloss nor varnish. In them you may behold the spirit and disposition of this bishop: hear the groans and cries of the people; see a shepherd scattering (I had almost said devouring) his own flock. He that was desired to paint Hercules, thought he had done enough, when he had made a resemblance of the lion's skin, which he was wont to carry about him as a trophy of his honour. I will not say, in these, you will find a resemblance of the lion's skin. I am sure you will find the resemblance of the skins, (that is to say, the tattered and ruined fortunes) of poor innocent lambs, who have extremely suffered by the violence of this bishop. In 1635, this man was created bishop of Norwich. He is no sooner there, but he marcheth furiously. In the creation of the world, light was one of the first productions. The first visible action of this bishop, after his creation into this see, was to put out many burning and shining lights; to suspend divers able, learned, and conscientious ministers. He, that should have been the golden snuffer of these lights, became the extinguisher; and, when these are taken away, where shall poor men light their candles? "My Lords, this was not all: he puts out lights, and sets up firebrands in their places; suspends painful ministers, and set up idle, factious and superstitious priests, to use their own favourite word, in their places; yet it is the fortune of these men, at this time, like rivers in the ocean, to be buried in the extreme activity of their diocesan. He made a scourge, not of small cords, but of new injunctions and numerous articles, tied about with a strong twist of a most dangerous oath; and with this he whips, not buyers and sellers, but the faithful dispensers of the word, out of their churches, out of their estates, out of their dear country. This Noah (if I may so call him without offence) as soon as he entered into the ark of this diocese, he sends, nay, forces doves to fly out of this ark; and when they return unto him with olive branches in their mouths of peaceable and humble submission, he will not receive them into this ark again; unless, like ravens, they would feed upon the carrion of his new inventions, they must not have any footing there. He stands as a flaming sword, to keep such out of his diocese. "My Lords, unless he had done this, hel del of this bishop's zeal, piety, and religion; could never have hoped to have brought that let his affection to prayer and preaching great work, he undoubtedly aimed at, to any speak for all the rest. First, for prayer. perfection. Whilst the Palladium of Troy It was his hap to find a prayer, which is stood, that city was impregnable. The Greeks no prayer; pretended to be prescribed by a had no sooner stolen that away, but they canon, which is no canon; I mean the 55th instantly won the city: so then he first put canon, set forth in 1603; and no other prayer out the candles, then was the opportunity to must be used in his diocese before sermon.shuffle in his works of darkness: he first That monster of conceived prayer (pardon the heats off the watchmen and seers; then was expression, it is not mine own) seemed as bad likely to follow that which the impiety of some to him as a spell or charm. It must not be was pleased to stile, The piety of the times.' used upon any occasion. Without doubt he This being done, he then begins to dress out would never have been so strait laced and se God's worship, according to his own fancy. vere in this particular, if he had but dreamed This he expresseth in injunctions and direc- of that strait which a minister, a friend of his, tions, the Minervas of his own brain. We was put unto by this means: the story is short; find them stiled, Regales injunctiones domini A butcher was gored in the belly by an ox; episcopi;' a stile too sacred to baptize his the wound was cured; the party desired pubbrats withal: I shall be bold to call them Tylic thanksgiving in the congregation; the ♦ rannicas injunctiones domini episcopi.'--Stories afford not a more barbarous cruelty, than to join a dead and a living body together; the one is miserably killed with the stench of the other. This bishop, who, like Aaron, should have stood between the living and dead, hath joined to lively ordinances many dead and venomous ceremonies; which have no other life than what they received from the breath of his injunctions; and these are pressed upon the consciences; even these must be observed, as moral laws. An arbitrary government in the church is more dangerous, more grievous than that in the state: this is exercised upon men's consciences, the most tender parts; and is the very pinnacle of tyranny, and of all others the most intolerable. That blow, which will hardly be felt by the arm, will put out the eye. minister, finding no form for that purpose, read the collect for churching of women. — Next for Preaching. That he is most able in this kind is agreed on by all; but that he ever preached himself in his diocese, saving once, I never heard affirmed by any. His next care was that others should not preach too often; if they did, they must be put into his black bill. He changed that golden sentence of Væ mihi si non prædicavero,' into Væ aliis 'si prædicaverit.' He was so far from the practice of St. Paul, the great preacher of the Gentiles, who, we read, preached till midnight, that there must be no sermons in the afternoon; but there may be, nay, there most be, sports and pastimes then. And, as if he had stood in fear of the inarticulate language of bells which might foretell a sermon, he cannot endure the noise of a serinon in the toil of a bell. In a word: be adorned churches, at the charge of others; and spoiled pulpits, which ought to have been the greatest part of his own charge. "My Lords, in the time of Richard 1, one of this man's predecessors, a valiant bishop, went into the Holy War: This bishop hath raised a war at home in his own diocese; a war not against Saracens, Barbarians, Turks, or In- "My Lords, you have now presented to your fidels, but against good and well disposed peo- lordships a brother, nay, one whose place enple. I know not what stile to give this war: gaged him to be a father of the clergy: yet one without doubt, my lords, this was no Holy War. who, like Joseph's brethren, hath taken the The weapons used in this war were 28 Injunc- coats from Joseph; nay they were forced to fly tions, 139 Articles, containing 879 Questions. from him as Joseph from his mistress, or else The soldiers were chancellors, commissaries, they must taste of his forbidden waters; but, in officials, commissioners, rural deans, &c. Hin-their going away, be rent their skirts, nay their self commanded in chief. The ways of assault whole garments and livelihood from them. He and killing were by excommunications, sus- hath taken the lock from many Samsons, and pensions, deprivations.-1 stop here. Mille done what he could to put out their eyes, and inodis morimur mortales," The magazine, to make them grind in the mill of his perniciwherein all these were originally hatched and ous and dangerous innovations. He should, lodged, was the superstitious and malicious like Moses, have led his flock. Moses led the breast of this bishop. His diocese was the children of Israel through the Red Sea: this stage where the direful tragedies of this war man drives part of his flock over the sea, but were acted, by the space of two years and up- went not himself. Like Nimrod, he hath inwards. Thus did be trouble Israel, in the vaded the laws and liberties of the subject: he time of peace; nav, by these, he put some of hath been as great a robber as ever was prethe chariots and horsemen of Israd to flight; sented to your lordships: he hath robbed the out of these he raiseth a farm of 5001. for his king of his subjects, the greatest glory of kings; primary visitation. If it be considered, com a kingdom of trade, of its tradesmen, the sup'pertinentis,' it was not dear, yet well improv-porters of it. He that deprives the king of one ed; for it was but 40, in the time of some of his predecessors. Will it please your lord-ha; s, with patience, to cast your eyes upon the mo | subject, you know his punishment; and what shall be the punishment of him who hath robbed the king of so many subjects?—In the 16th of Hen. S, we find a tenant in dower punished in action of waste, because she had destroyed two rich villains, and made them beggars. I appeal to your lordships what is his offence who hath committed so much wilful waste and spoil, beggared hundreds, not villains, but freeborn subjects. He robbed souls of that sweet manea, which is Pabulum Animarum, the Word of God. * My Lords, I have not yet recounted all his robberies: he hath robbed God of part of his day, making part of that, a day of sports: he hath robbed the subjects of their undubitable | birthright, the laws of the kingdom. The citizens of Norwich must pay tythes for the rents of bouses; there is no law in England, nor custom in Norwich for it: nay, and that they may be sure to be robbed of justice too, the suit for these tythes must be in his own consistory, froni whence there must be no appeal, no prolubition. The true patrons of churches; they are robbed of their presentations; others, who had none or small pretence of right, are adinitted upon this unhallowed maxim, That if he should institute those who had right, the pretender was without remedy. By this he inverted a fundamental law of this nation, to invest remediless rights in unjust possessors. "My Lords, I cannot tell you all, but you can measure a lion by the paw. I am commanded to lay this great malefactor at your doors; one who hath been a great oppugner of the life and liberty of religion; and who set a brand of infamy (to use his own words) upoa Ipswich edu cation. In sum: one who is a complete mirror of innovation, superstition, and oppression. He is now in the share of those Articles, which were the works of his own hands. The rod of Moses, at a distance, was a serpent; it was a rod again when it was taken into his hand: This bishop was a serpent, a devouring serpent, in the diocese of Norwich; your lordships peradventure will, by handling of him, make him a rod again; or, if not, I doubt not but your lordships will chastise him with such rods as his crimes shall deserve. My lords, I am commanded by the house of commons to desire your lordships, that this bishop may be required to make Answers to these Articles; and that there may be such proceedings against him, as the course and justice of parliament doth admit." No further proceedings upon this Impeachment appear to have taken place. But see the Trial of the Twelve Bishops, No. 158. "Wren was of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, and afterwards became master of l'eter-House, chaplain to Charles 1., prebendary of Winchester, dean of Windsor, and in 1634 was made bishop of Hereford: He was afterwards translated to Norwich, and in 1688 to Ely; during the Civil Wars his property was seized, and his person imprisoned in the Tower, where he continued 18 years without being brought to trial. At the Restoration he was reinstated in his bishoprick, and died at Ely House, London, 1667, aged 81." Lempriere. 154. Proceedings in Parliament against Sir FRANCIS WINDEBANK," knt. Secretary of State, for High Crimes and Misdemeanors: 16 CHARLES I. A. D. 1640. [4 Rushw. Coll. 68. 2 Cobb. Parl. Hist. 682.] IN the month of November 1640, the fifth and last parliament of king Charles 1, met, and very soon this Parliament of Inquisition, as Saunderson calls it, began to look terrible to all *" Mr. Francis Windebank (soon after knighted) was made Secretary of State by the interest of bishop Land, who has thus entered it in this Diary, 1032, June 15. Mr. Francis Windebank, my old friend, was sworn secre*tary of state; which place I obtained for him of my gracious master king Charles.' He proved so much a creature of the Queen's, and such an advocate and patron of all suffering Priests and Jesuits, that he got the character of a Papist, and brought the greater odium upon bishop Laud, who preferred him, and who for that reason was to answer to the people for his good behaviour. That which created the more envy, was the turning out an old secretary, sir John Coke, whose age and infirmities had indeed made him unfit for business." Kennett. "About this time," says Clarendon, "sir that lodged but under a suspicion of guilt; but insufferable to those whose consciences condemned themselves. Sir Francis Windebank, Secretary of State, was said to be one of the Francis Windebank, one of the principal Secretaries of State, and then a member of the house of commons, was accused of many transactions on the behalf of the Papists, of several natures (whose extraordinary patron indeed he was) and he being then present in the House, several warrants under his own hand were produced for the discharge of prosecutions against priests, and for the release of priests out of prison: whereupon, whilst the matter should be debated, according to custom he was ordered to withdraw, and so went into the usul place, the committeechamber; imm diately whereupon, the house of commons went to a Conference with the lords upon some other occasion, and returning from that Conference, no more resumed the debate of the Secretary, but having considered some other business rose at their usual hour; and so the Secretary had liberty to go to his own house; |