BOOK "Which caused him to compare her with the emperor ConII. "stantine: O, queen! O, woman! truly godly, that comest Anno 1578. " so near to the example of Constantine the Great.” He proceeded by observing, how wonderfully God had blessed her endeavours, that her kingdom lived in godliness and tranquillity. And when wars and rumours of wars were round about, she in the mean time, by her prudence, preserved peace at home, and likewise contributed her endeavour (as much as possible) to procure it abroad. And concluding with his own private affair, he thanked her majesty, that she had freed him from a tedious lawsuit, remitting it to her chancery, that court of equity; though not without much difficulty obtained and so praying the Lord Jesus to preserve her highness, increasing from faith to faith, safe for many years, blessed in an happy kingdom; and that at last she might obtain eternal life with Christ, in the celestial paradise; subscribing, episcopus tuus humillimus, Richardus Elien. But the whole letter, in the smooth Latin style, in memory of the man, and in respect of the royal person to whom he addressed it, as also of the matter whereof it conNo. XIV. sists, deserves to be preserved. See the Appendix, where it is recorded. The bishop stops vessels I have one remark more to make of this useful, good biof corn go- shop; which is this: that for the public good of the country, ing to Lynn and especially of the poor, to prevent the advance of the portation. price of corn, he appointed some of his officers to seize upon for trans certain vessels, which passed through his jurisdiction, laden with corn, towards Lynn, where it was transported in great quantities. In the month of June, one of these vessels, passing through the isle of Ely, was stopped; and the mariners brought before the bishop. Of this matter, for the better redress hereof, he thought fit to acquaint the lord treasurer, in a letter, to this purport: "That there were 66 daily complaints come unto him, that divers persons, that "occupied keels to Lynn, did engross in their hands very "much corn out of Huntingtonshire and other places, and "carried the same by water through his liberties to Lynn; " and there sold it to merchants, who transported it, he knew "not whither. And that by this means the prices of corn CHAP. "began to rise, and the poverty of the country began to XII. grudge very much at it. And that he [the bishop] there- Anno 1578. "fore, seeking to redress this fault within his jurisdiction, "had given warning to his officers, who dwelt near those "waters where they passed, to stay them, and to bring them "unto him, that he might see what licence they had so ❝ to do. "And that even then his officers of a town in the isle, 530 "called March, had stayed a keel laden with an hundred and "ten comb of pease, passing towards Lynn, without any "licence at all. That the men that owned the pease were “mariners, and had nothing to say for themselves why they did so, but only that poverty constrained them to "seek their living. And that this was the first time, as "they said, that ever they had begun to do it. Great moan 66 66 they made, and seemed very sorrowful for their fact. "And concluded, that he thought good to give his honour knowledge of it; and craved his advice, what he should do "in this and the like case hereafter, if it should come to his "hands." This he dated from his house in Donnington. And thus we leave this bishop till the next year, when we shall have him soliciting the queen for his resignation tween the the earl of about deo dands. There happened some controversy now between the bi- Matter beshop of Salisbury, Dr. Piers, and the earl of Shrewsbury, queen's alabout deodands; which seemed to belong to him, as the moner and queen's almoner, to bestow by his discretion as her majesty's Shrewsbury alms. The earl did not deny them, but was willing to compound with the bishop for them for a term of years: and he appointed his son, lord Gilbert, then at court, to discourse with him thereupon. The sum of which discourse he acquainted the earl with, in a letter dated the beginning of May, which was, that he had spoken with that bishop, who was almner, touching the deodands; and told him, that he could not compound with his lordship, or any other; but that he would be contented to appoint a gentleman, whom his lordship should name to his deputy, for the gathering of all the deodands, which should happen within any of his liberties; so that the II. BOOK gentleman would render his accounts to the bishop once a year. And thereupon he said, that he would command him to deal Anno 1578. reasonably with his lordship: and that for any right that his lordship should have to them within his liberties, unless his lordship had special words of limitation in his charter, no general words, were they never so large, would be sufficient. And therefore he said, that if his lordship would shew his charter, and that those special words were found therein, he [the lord almoner] would not stand with his lordship and others and required that his lordship would not mislike with him; since otherwise he should be utterly condemned by all that should succeed him in that office. Dr. Young This year John Young, D. D. master of Pembroke hall, becomes bishop of in Cambridge, entered upon the see of Rochester. Of whom Rochester. bishop Elmer gave this character: "Commending him for "his quickness in government and readiness in learning; "fit to bridle innovators, not by authority only, but by "weight of argument." This bishop wrote notes upon H. N.'s book, called Evangelium Regni: which were published, anno 1579, when H. N. was the broacher of the sect of the family of love. His arms assigned him. 162. The arms granted him upon his becoming bishop by garter king of arms, were, gyronne of four, gules and Sheld. N. azure, a lion per fesse, passant, guardant between two flower de luce, or. The patent dated, London, 12th April, 1578. I find in the lord treasurer's books the account of the yearly value of the income of the new bishop of Rochester, thus set down; holding, it seems, some preferments in commendam. This bishop's in come. 531 The bishop of Bath and Imprimis, The bishopric valet clare, iic and iiiixxl. Sum, iiiic xl. Item, Perquisites of corn. Item, Parcas, [parks,] and bosci, [woods.] The bishop of Bath and Wells struggled this year with Wells stops the lord Thomas Powlet; who attempted to make a perthe making an impro-petual impropriation of West Monkton, a good benefice in priation. XII. his gift; but changing his mind, devised to make a lease of CHAP. it to the queen for five hundred years; and to take it again of her, without confirmation of the bishop: which he would Anno 1578. not consent unto. Of this he, fearing his own strength, made the lord treasurer acquainted, and begged his assistance. This that lord Powlet endeavoured to bring about, by making over the patronage to the queen, and by the present incumbent; who was to make the queen a lease of five hundred years, and he to have 80l. a year for his life, (though the benefice was worth an 100%. per annum,) and the incumbent afterwards to have 30l. a year. But the 66 good bishop would not give his hand to it, however earnestly by that lord he was moved to do it: "Considering the example that was like to follow, to the great decay (as he "writ) of the clergy, if this should be brought into a cus"tom. And then few benefices of any value, but would be 66 brought to little enough. And besides, by such altera"tions, as the bishop added, the queen would lose her dues; "and the ministers brought to poverty; and so the gospel "and ministry brought at last to utter contempt." Thus that lord's course upon this denial of impropriating it, was to give the patronage unto the queen; and the incumbent to make a lease to her, the better to bring it about. All this the bishop shewed the lord treasurer; whose pains was required to put a stop to it. The bishop's letter may be read in the Appendix, for some memorial of that conscientious No. XV. prelate. BOOK Anno 1578. 532 affected Sectaries. CHAP. XIII. Their principles, and dangerous assertions. Coppin, a prisoner in Bury. Wilsford; makes it an high crime in the queen to be styled caput ecclesiæ. Chark and Dering; their sayings. A bookseller taken up for selling the Admonition to the Parliament. Mackworth holds the having two wives lawful. Imprisoned in the Marshalsea. The council's order about him. Large indulgences accompanying certain crucifixes, given by the pope to Stukely. Exeter college popish. The state of the university of Cambridge. A decree made against the disguised apparel of students. Peter-house: the state thereof. Dr. Perne, master thereof: his good government. The heads complain of mandamuses to their chancellor: which he acquaints the queen with. Several dis- Now for the state of religion. Divers there were that persons to stirred this year against the present establishment of it; who the religion met with trouble for their attempts against its government and discipline. established. John Cop pin, a sectary. And One of these was John Coppin, now a prisoner in the gaol at Bury St. Edmund's, having been committed thither two years before by the commissary of the bishop of Norwich, for his disobedience to the ecclesiastical laws of the realm; whereunto he would not yet conform himself, although he had been sundry times exhorted thereto by many godly and learned preachers, repairing publicly to him to bring him to conformity and so Mr. Andrews, a justice of peace, living in that town, by letter informed the lord treasurer. his wife, being delivered of a child there, at Bury, in August last; and it being now December, the said child remained yet unbaptized. For he said, none should baptize his child, except he were a preacher; and that then also it should be done without godfathers and godmothers. This man held many fantastical opinions, whereby he did very much hurt there, in Bury; by the common opinion of the best, and the most number of learned preachers that had conference with him in those matters: who wished him to be |