II. BOOK "choristers, to provide, that the choristers should be virtuously brought up in the principles of religion; and to be Anno 1571. " examined thrice every quarter of a year in the English 170" Catechism, now lately set forth and enlarged.” [The au Whittingham cited before the of York. thor whereof was Alex. Nowell, Dean of St. Paul's, London, and approved by the synod anno 1562.] "No charter, evidence, or other writing belonging to "the church, to be taken out of the treasury, or vestry, or "library, except he that take it write his name in a book, "and bind himself to restore it, &c." These injunctions were dated in the chapter-house, 10th October, 1572. The Archbishop also ordered the course of preachers for the cathedral church every Sunday and holiday, and a table to be put up with the names of them; and so settled the ordo perpetuus pro concionibus in ecclesiis: which was observed (as Dr. Mat. Hutton hath noted in his book of Collections, from whence I have transcribed these injunctions) till the year 1685, when John Dolbin, then Archbishop of York, ordered a new one. The Archbishop of Canterbury, together with the Bishops of Winton and Ely, chief of the Ecclesiastical ComArchbishop missioners for the province of Canterbury, had been called upon by the Queen to have regard to uniform order in the Church, and to reform abuses of such persons as sought to make alteration in what was established. Many of these were Ministers who enjoyed benefices and places of profit in the Church, and yet lived not in obedience to the rules and injunctions of it. The men of this rank of the most fame were, Goodman, Lever, Sampson, Walker, Wyburne, Goff, Whittingham, Gilby. These the said Commissioners thought very fit to convent before them, and to press their duty upon them; and if they persisted in refusal of it, to deprive them. Some part of this work would lie upon the Archbishop of York: for Lever, Whittingham, and Gilby, being of the north, and so of his province, were thought to fall under his cognizance. These two last had been exiles at Geneva in the days of Queen Mary, and the heads of those that then opposed the Communion Book. Whitting II. ham was he that had wrote a preface before that danger- CHAP. ous wild book of Goodman, against the lawfulness of women's government, and exciting the deposing of Queen Anno 1571. Mary. Canterbury therefore writes to York, to send for both these to appear before their Commission Ecclesiastical at York. Whittingham was accordingly sent for by our Archbishop; and he looked for his appearance within three days, that is, by the 31st of August: of which he certified his brother of Canterbury, and that he would not fail to advertise him what his answer should be to the matters objected. And he added, that he trusted to find conformity in him, having subscribed concerning apparel, in his predecessor's days, as he took it. As for Gilby, he signified to Gilby. the said Archbishop, that he could not deal with him; for he dwelt at Leicester, out of the province of York, and much nearer to London than to York. So Gilby was left to the Commissioners in the south. Lever had a prebend Lever. in the church of Durham; of which he was deprived, I suppose, about this time: but continued Master of Sherborn hospital till his death. sends him against the Henry Bullinger, the chief pastor in Zurich, and of the 171 highest reputation there for learning, a great lover of Eng-Bullinger land, took the pains to answer that unworthy bull of Pope his answer Pius the Fifth, lately set forth against the Queen, deposing to the bull her from her kingdom, and commanding all her subjects, Queen. and other Christian princes, to take up arms against her. This seasonable answer that reverend man sent in writing to our Archbishop, about August this year; as he had also sent copies of it to the Bishops of Ely and Sarum; who were his acquaintance formerly in their exiles. Of this writing he certifies the Archbishop of Canterbury in the correspondence between them, making no doubt but he had seen it. But he hinted, how he stood in doubt, whether her Majesty and the Council could be contented, that it were published in Latin or English, or both. For that possibly they would not have the multitude to know, that any such vile railing bulls had passed from that see. And withal he signified to his brother of Canterbury, that he BOOK should be glad to know his Grace's opinion on it. Wherein II. the said Archbishop soon resolved him, by letting him Anno 1571. know, that Bullinger's book was printed in Latin, and that not without the advice of the Lord Burghley; and that it was translating in English: and one of the Latin books was sent by him to the Queen, fairly bound. And that there was no alteration at all, but in the 60th page only; which he might compare with his written book. The Archbishop of inquiry an Arch bishop of York. I am unwilling to omit the mention of a more private Canterbury matter in these two Archbishops' correspondence. Archmakes an bishop Parker was a great searcher into the ecclesiastical concerning history of England, and wanted now to know a particular (and one would think a slight) piece of history of the church of York: but such was his exactness in this kind of knowledge, that he sent twice to our Archbishop to be informed about it; viz. what the punctual day was of that great and celebrated installation feast of Archbishop Nevyl, brother to the great Earl of Warwick in Edward the Fourth's time; which was so extravagantly sumptuous and expensive, that the like had hardly ever been heard of, as it is set down in Godwin's Catalogue, under his name, together with the names of the noble guests and officers which attended; who were no less than divers earls, lords, and knights. But this remarkable day whereon this feast happened our Archbishop could not learn: and so he wrote to Archbishop Parker; adding, that the records there at York had been kept very negligently; but that he would cause further search to be made. Perhaps the most splendid entertainments that that brave Prelate had, or was about to make at Canterbury, occasioned this his inquisitiveness. A prebend between the Toward the latter end of the year, the Archbishop in contest shewed his resolution, as well as his care of providing his Archbishop church of York with worthy men. For a good prebend and others. there this year falling void, the presentation to which fell in contest between three; viz. the Archbishop, Webster, and Woodroff. The title Webster (who was by calling a cook) claimed by, was some pretended right of the next II. For Archbishop con- sured by Young cen bishop. advowson made over to him by Young, the last Archbishop; CHAP. which, whatever it were, was lodged in Woodroff, by some conveyance from Webster to him. And perhaps neither of Anno 1571. them were innocent of some unlawful dealings herein. But 172 now Webster and Woodroff were themselves fallen to pieces about the right of presenting. The Archbishop notwithstanding esteemed the true right to be in himself: and for this he had the judgment of the best lawyers. whatsoever the former Archbishop had done to the trary, it was not in his power to grant away the advow- our Archson. For which act our Archbishop passed this just censure on him; "That he did in this, as in some other things, "præter officium, in taking away (as much as in him lay) "the nominating and collating of a Canon to the church, "from himself and his successors Bishops, who by common supposition were thought to be men learned, and most fit to judge in such cases, and to grant the same to a master "cook unlearned, and therefore less able to judge. It were "more reason," said the Archbishop somewhat sharply, "that every man should deal in his own faculty, according "to the old proverb, Tractent fabrilia fabri; i. e. Let the 66 66 66 66 carpenter meddle with his tools: and so likewise, Trac"tent culinaria coci; i. e. Let cooks meddle with the af"fairs of their kitchen. So as Mr. Webster's case, being "both against a reasonable and good law, and having a corrupt original, both in the Bishop's predecessor and "himself, was a cause odious, and deserved no favour be"fore any judge." But however Webster pretended a right to present; and so did Woodroff. And both presented their Clerks to the Archbishop. Woodroff had presented one or two, whom the Archbishop refused. But matters now so stood, that the more probable right of the two lay in Woodroff. Therefore, for the prevention of law-suits, he chose to close in with an offer made by the said Woodroff; which was, that he would present one such whom the Archbishop should nominate unto him. By which he thought, as he said, that by God's providence that thing was restored to him, which his predecessors II. BOOK against all good order had taken from him. He was content, as he said, to follow St. Paul's counsel, which was to Anno 1571. take benefit of all occasions, whereby Christ might be the better preached: and thereupon got his own Chaplain into the prebend. But Webster obtained so much interest with the Lord Treasurer, that he procured an earnest letter from him to the Archbishop in his behalf; and, if it might be, to discharge again him that was presented. The Archbishop in his answer to the said Lord, shewed all which is before said: adding, that Webster had no injury done him. For if men might trust either the lawyers spiritual or temporal in those parts that he had talked withal, (besides the common practice used there in like cases,) Woodroff's presentation was good in law; and then qui suo jure utitur nemini facit injuriam. And as for equity, it was all on the Archbishop's side, both for nominating the best, and for other causes. And that if Webster were only desirous, as he 173 ought to be, that a very good preacher should be placed in the prebend, then, he said, he had satisfied his good meaning. For he had placed a better preacher in it than Webster presented unto him; and such an one, as, if he had sought both the Universities, he should hardly, of those that were unpreferred, find his like. But if he had other indirect meaning, the same, he said, was not to be favoured. His pro the Lord But yet the Archbishop was concerned, that his great testation to friend, the Lord Treasurer, had interceded with him in Treasurer; this matter, whom by all means he studied to gratify. To him therefore he protested, "that the Queen's Majesty ex "cepted, there was no creature's request upon earth could 66 66 weigh more with him. And therefore, that in all his re quests made to him, either at London (which he con"fessed were not many) or there, he either did that which ❝he requested, or else satisfied him by answer to his conBut will not ❝ tent. In this matter he told him, that his letter came, quum res non erat integra: for his Chaplain was then "presented, and also under his hand and seal instituted. "And so there was a right grown to him, till law reversed reverse what he has done. 66 |