BOOK

I.

1 Cor. ix.

Heb. xiii.

Esay xlix.

They pinch the ministers by wringing away part of their livings, against God's express commandment, Non concupisces, &c.

St. Paul laboureth with many substantial reasons, to shew how bountiful the Christians ought to be towards their pas tors. Again, St. Paul willeth, that the pastors being watchmen, and must account for the souls of their flocks, so be used, that they might do their office chearfully, and not dolefully. Hoc enim non expedit vobis.

Esay prophesied of kings, and queens, and godly governors, that they shall be nourses to God's flock, to tender them, and to defend them in their just doings, from malicious accusers, slanderors, and persecutors.

St. Paul, tendring the state of God's ministers, and considering the malice of the wicked world, writeth thus: Take no accusation against an elder under two or three witnesses. St. Paul cannot but mean lawful witnesses. For quarellers, hateful and malicious, are excluded by all laws.

It may please you at your convenient leisure to read Mr. Calvin upon this place of St. Paul, 1 Tim. v.

Int. epist.

Number XLIX.

The substance of the complaints of the lord North against the bishop of Ely, in his letter to him. With the bishop's answers to each.

FIRST, What I have done I was urged thereto by such Rich. episc. commandment as I dare not disobey. Yet have I dealt in

Elien.

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nothing against you, but received such griefs as the parties themselves do exhibit.

Answer. I am fully persuaded, that her majesty would not urge you in such sort, but upon your urging and exaggerating of matters against me. And it is not true yee received onely griefs against me: but ye have sent for some to the intent ye might get matters against me.

II. I wish you from the bottom of my heart to shake off

the yoke of your stubbornness, &c. and to lay aside your BOOK stubborn determination.

Answer. My duty to her majesty, I trust, I always shew: who I hope will not so judge of me as ye pronounce. In deed it belongeth to her highness to judge of us both. But you, my lord, thus to judge of me, I may say, satis pro imperio.

III. To whom as yet ye have done no special service.

Answer. Indeed I have done no special service in embas sage to any mortal king, as ye have done. But I do special service daily by ambassage for her highnes to the King of kings. And I do, and by grace will do, her majesty special service, to the uttermost of my power, whensoever I am commanded, either by word, letter, or commission. Her highnes hath many mo special services than embassage.

IV. I hear say, ye have reported to your friends, that ye would leave your bishoprick to her highness, to dispose at her plesure.

Answer. What I have said to her majesty, she well knoweth. I use not to report such matters abroad.

V. I know well how ye are horsed and manned.

Answer. I thank God I have horse, and hable men in livery and wages, well neer fourty, and horse to serve them; as may appear. As for reteyners, I have no rout of them

to brag on.

VI. My lord, it will be no plesure for you to have her majesty and her council to know how wretchedly ye live within and without your house.

Answer. I am open to all the world, how I deal within and without: whereof I have no cause to be ashamed. Malice set apart, I will be judge by noblemen, gentlemen, and other honest men. Wretchedly is no meet term for your lordship.

VII. How extremely covetous.

Answer. Covetousnes lyeth hidden in the heart, which cannot be seen. And this is sore and extremely judged of you. Mine account made, it shall easily appear how covetous I am, if be not mine auditor.

ye

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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 40%. 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.

the undoing of me and mine?

Is not this to seek

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.

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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,