I. BOOK ever, added he, it were not àmiss: that is, within the city, or three miles compass, upon pains, as well to the player, as Anno 1563. to the owners of the houses where they played their lewd interludes. Two things required of ters from the Coun cil. And it being now the beginning of March, the Lords of him by let the Council also sent their letter to the Bishop and the Lord Mayor; wherein he took notice of two things that concerned his office. The one was, for restraining of preachers, 83 who were said to have persuaded the people to break the orders set forth against the spreading of the infection; as keeping within doors, not consorting in great companies, and the like. Whereupon he demanded of the Mayor, if he knew any such persons; who answered, No. Since which he called all the preachers before him, and they all denied, that either they had done it heretofore, thinking it a matter very unfit, or that they intended to do it hereafter. One indeed there was that spake something last summer against the fires then commanded to be made in the streets: but he had been sick ever since of the plague, and had three or four plague sores one after another. "So that God," said the Bishop, "hath sufficiently corrected him." The second thing required of him by the Lords was, that he should set forth an Admonition to be read in all churches of the city and suburbs, by the Pastors and Ministers, to keep the good order made by the Lord Mayor, for avoiding danger of infection; and that the sick should not come into company with the well, nor the well with the sick, and to use convenient means to keep themselves from infection. The Bishop in obedience hereunto soon drew up an Admonition, and caused it to be printed, and read in all the churches: which was to this tenor. The Bishop's Admonition, to be read by Min isters to their people. "According to a certain order sent of late from the "Queen's Majesty's most Honourable Privy Council, to the Reverend Father in God the Bishop of London, our Ordinary; I am by the said Bishop willed to exhort and "admonish you that be of this parish, diligently to observe, " and obediently to keep those good orders which lately have 66 VIII. "been set forth by the Lord Mayor of this city, for avoid- CHAP. ing the danger of the infection of this contagious sickness, "wherewith God hath of late visited this city, and which Anno 1568. .66 66 as yet is not clearly taken away. And further, on the be"half aforesaid, I do most earnestly exhort and beseech "those, whom it hath pleased God to visit with this sick66 ness, and are in the way of recovery, to forbear to company with the whole, for such convenient time, as is by "order of the said Lord Mayor appointed in this behalf, "or longer, if need so require; that thereof no infection "increase to others by their occasion; considering that ❝even by the rule of charity all men are bound in con"science not to do any thing that by common judgment " and experience may bring a manifest peril and danger to "their brethren, or neighbours, as may well appear by the "law of God, in separating the leprous persons from the Levit. xiii. "clean; wherein Ozias being a king was not spared; the "disease of leprosy being nothing so dangerous for infection "as this is. "And likewise I exhort, as afore, those that be whole to "use convenient means and helps, being not against God's "word, to keep themselves from infection, and not to resort "to places infected, whereunto by their duty and vocation "they are not bound to resort; lest, by rash and wilful entering into companies or places of danger, they tempt "God, casting themselves into unnecessary perils, which is 66 against his express commandment: and by loving peril "(as the Wise Man saith) perish in the same. 66 2 Paral. xxvi. "This thing therefore being both so charitable and 84 "godly, and also very like to be profitable for this afflicted city, I trust all godly men will gladly embrace and re"ceive, the rather for that it may be easily observed, the "number of the sick (thanks be to God) being now but "small: and for that also by the godly order now set forth "by the said Lord Mayor, those that be not of hability are sufficiently provided for in this case. 66 "4 die Martii an. Dom. 1563." ་ BOOK I. The Bishop had now finished an office of thanksgiving for the ceasing of the plague, according to his purpose menAnno 1568. tioned before; and about the 7th of March sent both the an office upon the plague's ceasing. Composes psalm and the collect composed for this purpose to the Secretary, who in some places added his own corrections to the said collect. And because it may be acceptable to some to read the manner of the devotions in those days, I shall here insert them in the Appendix, as I did the psalm used upon the abating of the infection. Num. V. Moves the keeping of the term at Westminster, His care for the Queen. 2 Kings xviii. By what hath been above said, we easily observe how the Secretary, out of his great care of the public, was much concerned about this infection of the plague: and now being greatly decreased, all means were used that it might not increase again with the coming on of the spring. He accordingly sent many messages to our Bishop for this purpose; and now once again in March, he sent to him to confer with the Dean of Westminster about it: and the Bishop promised on his part, that all diligence should be used, thanking God that the peril was past for that time. And withal, like a careful father of the people's temporal, as well as spiritual welfare, moved the said Secretary, that the next term might not be kept but at Westminster only, (whence it had been of late removed,) and that he would procure a proclamation to be issued out to that purpose: which he said would be a great comfort to many poor men. And when the Secretary had expressed his fears of the Queen's safety, as an impediment to the keeping of the term according to the Bishop's desire; and prayed him to take care against the spreading of the plague now in so fair a way of ceasing; he signified back again, that he did his diligence for avoiding the peril of infection: that he trusted that week's certificate had much diminished the fear of the Court. For the Queen's person, he was of opinion, as David's subjects were in the war against Absalom, it was good her Highness were in some place, by human judgment, free from peril. But for the Law, he did not see why it should remove for the next term, (it was now about March the 11th,) the time of the year, the small number dying in CHAP. so great a city, and other circumstances considered. VIII. Anno 1563. CHAP. IX. His Christian concern for his own country. Uses his in- To year. 85 for the Grindal's care for his own country appeared upon every Interposes turn. Best, the Bishop of Carlisle, had often complained to church of him for want of preachers in his diocese, and that he had Carlisle ; no help at all of his cathedral church: that the Dean, Sir Thomas Smith, was busied in the Queen's Majesty's affairs, and so was necessarily absent; and all the Prebendaries were ignorant Priests, or old unlearned Monks, put in at the dissolution of monasteries, except one Sewel only, who was discredited by reason of his inconstancy, [having probably been a complier under the late religion.] One of the said unlearned Prebendaries was lately departed: fled abroad perhaps to Louvain, or some other place, as many of the Papists now did. The said Bishop of Carlisle therefore wrote to Grindal, to help as he might one Scot to this place, being that countryman born, well learned, and of good zeal and sincerity, as he [Grindal] knew partly by his own experience. Our Bishop was ready enough of himself to further such things, so behoveful both to religion and to his own country: and therefore he soon applied himself to the Secretary, as he told him he used to be bold with him in such cases; entreating him to help the said Scot to this preferment, thinking this man should do much good in his country; and so commended his case to him, which, as he said, was indeed God's cause. He added, that he knew the I. And for the BOOK nature of his country, believed that horse-flesh had not been spared for prevention: but that if it might be stayed Anno 1563. for Scot, he believed he would do most good. Our Bishop stopped not here, but commended him also to the Lord Keeper, doubting whether the presentation pertained to his office, being a Prebend of the new erection, and in value just twenty pounds, as he was informed. And applying again to Cecil, he prayed him, that as he doubted not that the Lord Keeper would be good, if it passed from him, so he would put to his helping hand, if it passed from the Queen. It was but the month after, viz. in January, he interceded with the Secretary in behalf of the same Bishop of Carlisle, who, since he had been Bishop, had met with very ill dealings in that country, replenished with Papists, and such like: which perhaps was the cause that Bernard Gilpin prudently declined this bishoprick. So that this Bishop was forced to come up, and make his complaint above. And there were two especially of whom he complained. Grindal thought that if these were touched by the author86 ity of the Lords, it would be a terror to the rest: for, as he said, "there were marvellous practices to deface that Bishop "in his lawless country, and by him, the cause:" meaning, that by defacing him, they intended to deface the cause of the reformed religion itself. This business by the pious diligence of our Bishop came at length to this effect, that in March he obtained a commission for the church of Carlisle; wherein he was appointed the chief, if not only, commissioner: but he sent to Smith (i. e. Sir Thomas Smith, the Dean, I suppose) to solicit the Secretary, that he might have two or three more joined in commission with him. And this commission, I make no doubt, our Bishop managed with the most earnest application, to do service to his superstitious country, and to give a countenance and authority to the godly Bishop there, in the promoting of good religion. The Bishop Something happened about the latter end of the year, relating to the English merchants trading in the Low CounEnglish merchants tries, wherein the Bishop being solicited to give his assistance, shewed both his gratitude to them who had of late in assists the oppressed by King Philip. |