was fo fenfible, that he gives this fad account of the Venality of all facred things in a Letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury: As for the general state of things here, they are fo def perate, that I am afraid to write any thing thereof. Some of the adverfe part have asked me the Question, where I have heard or read before, that Religion and Mens Souls fhould be fet to Sale, after this manner? Unto whom I could reply nothing, but that I had read in Mantuan, That there was another place in the world, where

Cœlum eft venale, Deufque.

Both Heaven and God himself are fet to Sale. But our Bishop thought it not enough to lament this; he refolved to do what in him lay to correct thefe abuses, and to go and fit and judge in his own Courts himself. He carried a competent number of his Clergy with him, who fat about him, and there he heard Caufes, and by their advice he gave Sentence. By this means fo many Caufes were difmifs'd, and fuch a change was wrought in the whole Proceedings of the Court, that inftead of being any more a grievance to the Country, none were now grieved by it but the Chancellor, and the other Officers of the Court; who faw their Trade was funk, and their Profits were falling; and were already difpleafed with the Bifhop, for writing the Titles to Benefices himself, taking that part of their Gain out of their Hands. Therefore the Lay Chancellor brought a Suit

a Suit against the Bishop into Chancery, for invading his Office. The matter was now a common Caufe; the other Bishops were glad at this Step our Bifhop had made, and encouraged him to go on refolutely in it, and affured him they would ftand by him; and they confeffed they were but half Bishops till they could recover their authority out of the hands of their Chancellors. But on the other hand all the Chancellors and Registers of Ireland combined together; they faw this ftruck at thofe Places which they had bought, valuing them according to the Profits that they could make by them: And it cannot be denyed but they had reafon to move, That if their places were regulated, the Money, by which they had purchased that right to fqueeze the Country, ought to have been reftored. The Bishop defired that he might be fuffered to plead his own Cause himself, but that was denyed him, which he took ill: But he drew the Argument that his Council made for him; for it being the firft Suit that ever was of that fort, he was more capable of compofing his Defence than his Council could be.

He went upon thefe Grounds, That one of the most effential parts of a Bishop's duty was to govern his Flock, and to inflict the Spiritual Cenfures on obftinate Offenders: That a Bishop could no more delegate this power to a Lay-man, than he could delegate a power to Baptize or Ordain, fince Excommunication and other Cenfures were a fufpending the rights of Baptifm and Orders; and therefore the F 4 judging

judging of these things could only belong to him that had the power to give them and that the delegating that power was a thing null of itself. He fhewed, that feeding the Flock was inherent and infeparable from a Bishop, and that no Delegation he could make, could take that power from himself; fince all the effect it could have, was to make another his Officer and Deputy in his abfence. From this he went to fhew how it had been ever look'd on as a neceffary part of the Bishop's Duty, to Examine and Cenfure the Scandals of his Cler gy and Laity in Ancient and Modern times: That the Roman Emperors had by many Laws fupported the Credit and Authority of these Courts, that fince the practices of the Court of Rome had brought in fuch a variety of rules, for covering the corruptions which they intended to fupport; then that which is in it felf a plain and fimple thing was made very intricate: So that the Canon-Law was become a great study; and upon this account Bishops had taken Civilians and Canonifts to be their Af fiftants in thofe Courts: But this could be for no other end but only to inform them in points of Law, or to hear and prepare matters for them. For the giving Sentence, as it is done in the Bishop's name, fo it is really his Office; and is that for which he is accountable both to God and Man; and fince the Law made thofe to be the Bishops Courts, and fince the King had by Patent confirmed that Authority, which was lodged in him by his Office of governing thofe Courts, he thought all Dele

Delegations that were abfolute and exclufive of the Bishop, ought to be declared void. The Reader will perhaps judge better of the force of this Argument, than the Lord Chancellor, of Ireland Bolton did, who confirmed the Chancellor's right, and gave him an hundred Pounds Coft of the Bishop. But when the Bishop asked him, how he came to make so unjuft a Decree? he answered, that all that. his Father had left him was a Register's place; fo he thought he was bound to fupport those Courts, which he faw would be ruined, if the way he took had not been checkt. This my Author had from the Bishop's own mouth.

But as this matter was a leading Cafe, fo great pains were taken to poffefs the Primate against the Bishop; but his Letters will beft discover the Grounds on which he went, and that noble temper of mind that supported him in fo great an undertaking. The one is long, but I will not fhorten it.

Right Reverend Father, my
honourable good Lord,

Have receiv'd your Grace's Letters con cerning Mr. Cook, and I do acknowledge all that your Grace writes to be true concerning his fufficiency and experience to the execution of the Ecclefiaftical Jurifdiction: Neither did I forbear to do him right in giving him that Teftimony, when before the Chapter I did declare and fhew the nullity of his Patent. I have heard of my Lord of

attempt,

and

and I do believe, That if this Patent had due form, I could not overthrow it; how unequal foever it be. But failing in the effential parts, befides fundry other defects, I do not think any reasonable creature can adjudge it to be good. I fhall more at large certifie your Grace of the whole matter, and the reasons of my Council berein. I fall defire herein to be tryed by your Grace's own Judgment, and not by your Chancellor's; or (as I think in fuch a cafe I ought to be) by the Synod of the Province. I have refolved to fee the end of this matter: And do defire your Grace's favour berein no farther than the equity of the Caufe and the good, as far as I can judge, of our Church in a high degree do require. So with my humble Service to your Grace, and refpectful commendations to Mrs. Ufher, Ireft

THE report of your Grace's indifpofition,bow forrowful it was to me, the Lord knows. Albeit the fame was fomewhat mitigated by ather News of your better eftate. In that fluctuation of my mind (perhaps like that of your

health)