BOOK

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VIII. How marvaillous a dairy man, how rich a fermour, how great an owner.

Answer. As for dairy man, I have made answer; a few things I have gotten for my children, to the value of 401. If ye envy that, I cannot do withal. To other things which ye charge me with, I have fully answered.

IX. Imposts which ye raise on God's ministers.

Answer. This is utterly false. I never raised peny of any minister: but I have been forced by process out of the exchequer to pay unto the queen's majesty a great sum of mony for issues, for not payment of the subsidy; due before I came unto the bishoprick by divers poor ministers in the diocess of Ely, in the 4th and 5th years of Philip and Mary. Which issues I shall never recover again. Onely I have a Constat for the subsidy, which I paid out of my purse to be levied of the best benefices in the same dioces, according to the law. And to this hour I cannot get one peny of it. Nevertheless of very pity I bestow yearly upon divers poor vicars: on some, four nobles; and upon some, fourty shillings, in respect of their great penury.

X. Ye enrich the evil, and discourage the good.

Answer. Surely this is untrue, and spoken of an uncharitable affection. I maintain no evil to my knowledge. I might return that fault to you.

89 XI. If my learned counsil deceive me not, I will draw you into a premunire, by 6 or 7 several points.

Answer. Let all men judge, whether this your dealing tend not to the utter undoing of me and mine.

Ubi supra.

Number L.

More objections to the said bishop by the said lord, in another letter to him: with the bishop's answers.

I. I HAVE been a poor justice these eighteen years, and I never granted the good abearing; and seldom have heard it granted. Howbeit your lordship maketh it a common bond in the isle. It is ungodly and uncharitable.

Neither like a bishop nor a Christian, to bind any man to BOOK impossible bands.

Answer of the bishop. The law bindeth no man to impossibilities. And the justices and judges are not antichristians. It is a necessary band to restrain troublesome and evil doers, slaunderers and raylers: and, by the judgment of good lawyers, a most necessary band in this licentious world.

II. When I hear the bishop of Ely hath forgiven any man, I will say, Nunc dimittis.

Answer. To say the truth, I have forgiven more these sixteen years, than I can presently tell of. I doubt not, but I am able to make a book of a great sum.

III. I mervail your lordship shameth not to throw this in my dish, especially [viz. dismissing a popish recusant] yee did as much for Cook at Mr. Hutton's request.

Answer. At your request, and at Mr. Hutton's request, I gave time to Parris and Cook, to win them to God's true religion. Cook yieldeth himself to me; offering that he would come to the church. But Parris could never be brought to that point. And how your lordship hath earnestly travailed with me and divers others for him a great many years, I am sory to see it. You say, my favour came not gratis. Indeed you brought me 107. from himself towards the amendment of Somersham bank. Which

is to be employed to that use. If ye give more to that use, it shall be well employed. But the fault [of letting an obstinate recusant loose] thereby nothing excused.

IV. Your lordship doth untruly and dishonestly charge me, that I devise ways and means to practise the utter undoing of you and yours.

Answer. In your letter the 20th of November you wrote, that ye are to search all injuries that I have done: and so charge me with a number of matters. And that ye have found 6 or 7 points of a premunire. Is not this to seek the undoing of me and mine?

V. Many grievous facts committed by you and yours,

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BOOK as the parties themselves say to me. And to me they come as their high steward, for remedy.

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Answer. My lord, I made you high steward, to be my friend and defender; and not to hear every light and untrue tale, to mine infamy and hindrance. I acknowledge you not such an high steward, to hear causes and complaints, and to redress them at your plesure. For that appertaineth partly to me, and partly to the chief justice of the isle, with the rest of the justices, according to mine ancient graunts. If Balam, your man, or Hasyl, have any wrong done unto them by me or mine, in orderly sort I am to satisfy them.

90

Ubi supra.

Number LI.

A large book of sundry articles of complaints against the bishop of Ely: with his answers to each. Many of those articles false, and matters in all of them misrepresented, I. DOCTOR Ty, bound to make a lease of the parsonage of Dodington at half the value of the rent.

The bishop's answer. I know no such bond that Dr. Ty made at any time, saving a bond that I had of him at the request of his wife, that he should not let any part of his benefice without my consent, but from year to year.

II. One Goodrike was expulsed his farm, and driven to make the bishop a lease of the moyety for xx nobles by year.

Answer. Bishop Thirleby was in suite with Thomas Goodrike for an unlawful lease, and was in possession of the thing so long as he continued bishop; which if queen Mary had lived, bishop Thirleby had obtained. And when I entred, at the suit of Mr. Richard Goodrike, one of the counsil, I stayed the suit, and was content to allow of the lease, retaining only the moyety: I paying therefore xx nobles by year, the fermour paying to me for the whole but xx shillings by the year. This agreement being made twelve years ago, I mervail it should be complained of now,

seeing we have quietly enjoyed our parts hitherto, according BOOK to the agreement.

III. The bishop contending with Robert Styward for a common, the lords of the council gave order it should be tryed at the assizes in Ely, and that the pregnotaries [protonotaries] of the court of Common-Pleas should draw up their books of pleading. Which was performed. Means was found, the original writ was embezzilled off the file. So as the matter is yet undetermined.

Answer. If the original writ was embezzilled from the file, God knoweth: I wot not. And at that time I was as much offended with it as Robert Styward was. I mervail, that this should be laid to my charge, the thing being nine or ten years past. I mervail also this should now be revived, he dying in good friendship with me.

IV. The bishop denyed his benevolence to the collectors for the poor, alledging poverty. He hath no mony, but all goeth in his childrens name. He grazeth for his children: and setteth the names of John, Roger, &c. his sons, upon the baggs of his mony.

Answer. Touching my benevolence towards the poor, I will report me both to the poor, and to the collectors also. Indeed I denyed some time, and told the collectors, that I would distribute it to mine own folks. As I did indeed; because they [i. e. the collectors] were suspected of partiality. I graze not for my children: and at this day they have not one bullock to sell, nor never had. As for baggs, I protest before God, they have not one penny in any bag: except one 1007. for the mariage of my child.

V. Hee is a dairy man, and letteth out his milches to farm, as garden [guardian] for his sons.

Answer. At the first, certain beasts were let to some for butter and cheese (as my predecessor had used before me). to serve my house: and to the intent the market might be the more plentifully served, mine officers forbear to take up any such thing there. Indeed I gave my lord North a patent for the keepership of my park in Somersham, with the allowance of certain milch kine; and bought it again

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BOOK for my sons. And I do use it for them as he did use it for his sons: but it is not lawful for to do the like, by Mr. Styward's judgment.

91 VI. The bishop oppresseth his tenants for cariages.

Answer. I take no cariage of my tenants, but such as have been used of my predecessors time out of mind, and pay them for it. Where, by duty divers of my tenants are bound by their tenure, in consideration of the small rent they pay, to cary onely for bread and drink; as appears by mine antient records, called The cowcher.

VII. He converteth three parks into dairies, and farmeth them out.

Answer. I have in every park twenty kine, more or less, which serve for my necessary things, as aforesaid: and serve also for the benefit of the poor. Who for their necessity fetch daily milk and whey for their relief. And in their necessity they have butter and cheese also. And every Sunday in the year they have the milk of all the kine distributed among them. And yet there is sufficient pasture both for deer, geldings, and bullocks. Would God, all the parks in England were no worse used.

VIII. Tolls accepted by the bishop.

Answer. I know of no tolls, saving only of Watersey bank: which is used, as it hath been time out of mind, for the maintenance of the said bank. The repairing whereof at my first entring, stood me in fourteen score pounds: and now of late confirmed by the commission of sewers, as a thing needful and necessary for the preservation of the country.

IX. The bishop having graunted the office of the clerkship of the crown within the Isle of Ely unto sundry persons, did, by way of forfeiture, violently thrust them out of

the same.

Answer. This is an untrue report. If any were put out, (as it might be there were,) I doubt not but there was good cause so to do; or else it should not have been done.

X. Upon controversies between Neal and Styward, for the auditorship of the bishoprick of Ely, the bishop willed