gination. 5. Problems against Cox, in Latin. 6. The Key of Prophecy. 7. Commentaries on the fifth, sixth, and seventh Chapters of St Matthew. 8. Commentaries on the three first Chapters of the Revelation. 9. Of the Temptation of Christ, from Matthew iv. 1-12. 10. An Exhortation to Repentance. 11. Two excellent Treatises of Ministers' Calling. 12. A Commentary on Jude's Epistle. 13. A Treatise of Poisoning. 14. Against Prognostics. 15. Of Household Discipline, in Latin. No. 1. written in English, is translated into Latin: And No. 4, and 15, written in Latin, have been translated into English."

THOMAS CARTWRIGHT.

THIS

HIS divine was born in Hertfordshire, about the year 1535; and being by his parents kept at school till he was fit for the university, he went to Cambridge, and was admitted into St John's-college, in 1550. There he followed his studies very hard; and being a man of excellent natural parts, he profited in learning more than ordinary; which he pursued with unremitting diligence to the end of his life.

At the death of K. Edward VI. he left the university, and betook himself to the service of a counsellor, yet followed his studies very hard, taking more pleasure therein than in the study of the law: Thus he continued till the beginning of Q. Elizabeth's reign, at which time his master, meeting with doctor Pilkinton, master of St John'scollege in Cambridge, told him of his man's learning and studious disposition. The doctor desired to speak with him, and perceiving his great abilities and hopefulness, with his master's consent, took him again to St John's college, where his proficiency in the arts and tongues was so eminent, that in the year 1560 he was chosen fellow in that college. About three years after he was removed to a fellowship in Trinity-college, where for his great worth he was ere long made one of the eight senior-fellows.

In the year 1564, Q. Elizabeth coming to Cambridge, great preparation was made for her entertainment, and four of the most eminent men in the university being cho

sen

sen to keep a philosophy-act before her, he was one of them, who performed it with extraordinary abilities, and to the great satisfaction both of the queen and other auditors. In 1567, he commenced bachelor of divinity, and three years after he was chosen to be the lady Margaret's divinity-reader. He read upon the first and second chapters of the Acts of the apostles, and performed it with such acuteness of wit, and solidity of judgment, as caused admiration in his hearers; and even at that time he was so famous for his ministry, that when his turn came to preach at St Mary's, the sexton was obliged to take down the windows, by reason of the multitudes that came to hear him. In his lectures he used to discover his judgment about church-discipline, which gave offence to the doctors and heads in the university; Mr Cartwright's sentiments being in favour of the Geneva discipline, and opposite in some particulars to the establishment of the church of England. At length, he was convened before the vicechancellor and other doctors, and examined upon sundry articles or propositions of doctrine delivered by him publicly in his lectures, and elsewhere; which they affirmed to be contrary to the form received and allowed by public authority in this realm; and thereupon they demanded whether he would stand to, or revoke, the said opinions and doctrines delivered by him *.

Mr Cartwright, upon deliberation, desired that he might have leave to set down in writing what his judgment in those things was, and what he would stand to; _which being granted, he drew up in six propositions what hist judgment was, and, setting his hand to it, delivered it to the vice-chancellor, who thereupon admonished him to revoke the same; and upon his refusal, punished him by the suspension of his stipend, and so he continued in his lectures that year; but the year after, Dr Whitgift being chosen vice-chancellor, he again convened him before him, requiring his absolute answer whether he did mind to teach his auditors otherwise, revoking what he had before. taught,

* It has been generally conceived, that Mr Cartwright was the first great diffenter from the established church; but improperly. Dr Turner, dean of Wells, (about the year 1563,) feems to have been the first, or one of the firit, after the church of England was fettled, who oppofed both its epifcopacy and ceremonies, and made a difturbance about them. This Turner was a very intemperate and indifcreet man, as appears by an anecdote, recorded of him even by Martin Marprelate, (an abusive writer,) concerning his rude treatment of a bifhop whom he invited to dinner. See Strype's Life of Archbishop Parker, p. 151.

taught, or whether he would abide in the maintenance of the same? To this Mr Cartwright answered, "that for "the propositions delivered by him under his hand to "Dr May, and now shewed to him, they were his own "hand writing, such as he had openly taught, and still "continued fully determined to maintain and defend as "truths." Hereupon, after Mr Cartwright had a while withdrawn, and the vice-chancellor had conferred with the other doctors, Mr Cartwright was again called for, and this definitive sentence was pronounced against him by the vice-chancellor Dr Whitgift: That perceiving that no admonition would help, but that he still persisted in the same mind, he did therefore pronounce him, the said Mr Cartwright to be removed from his said lecture, and by his final decree or sentence did then and there remove him, and declare the said lecture to be void; and that he minded, according to the foundation thereof, to proceed to the election of a new reader. And further he did then and there, by virtue of his office, inhibit the said Mr Cartwright from preaching within the university and the jurisdiction of the same.

The articles, which Mr Cartwright drew up, are as follow, translated from the original Latin.

"1. The titles, as well as the offices and duty of archbishops and archdeacons, ought to be abolished.

2. The titles of the lawful ministers in the church, such as those of bishops and deacons, being separate from their functions as described simply in the word of God, ought to be disallowed, and brought back to the apostolic institution; so that a bishop should be exercised in the word and in prayer, and a deacon in taking care of the poor.

"3. The government of a church ought not to be intrusted with the chancellors of bishops, or the officers belonging to archdeacons, but should be committed to a proper minister, and one who is a presbyter of the same church.

4. It does not behove a minister to be either without a charge, or exempt from attendance on his charge, but every such person should devote himself to the care of one particular flock.

5. None should solicit the ministry as a candidate. "6. Ministers are not to be appointed and made merely by the authority and power of the bishops; much less in a study or any other private place; but the election ought to be made by the church.

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"These reformations being effected, every one should labour in his calling (for I mean to speak of the calling) that the magistrate should act by his authority, the minister by the word, and all persons by their prayers.

"By me, THOMAS CARTWRIGHT."

Mr Cartwright being thus expelled, and finding the way for the exercise of his ministry in England obstructed, he went beyond the seas to visit other Reformed churches, where he grew acquainted with the most eminent men for piety and learning in Christendom, with whom he kept correspondence all his life after. He was also highly prized by them, insomuch that Beza, writing about that time into England to a friend of his, hath this expression; Est quidam Anglus nobiscum, nomine Thomas Cartwright, c. Here is now with us your countryman Thomas Cartwright, than whom I think the sun doth not see a more learned man, &c. He was also chosen preacher to the English merchants at Antwerp, and afterwards at Middleburgh, where he had great success in his ministry; and when he understood that the merchants, by whom he was maintained, through their great losses, decayed in their estates, he returned their salary to them again.

Not long after he came over into England, being earnestly solicited by letters from Mr Deering, Mr Fulke, Mr Wisburne, Mr Leaver, and Mr Fox; about which time the non-conformists having drawn up AN AdmoniTION TO THE PARLIAMENT for the Reformation of the church, Dr Whitgift, who was then preferred to the archbishopric of Canterbury, answered the same in print; whereupon the ministers who wrote the Admonition,' consulting, but not agreeing upon the choice of to reply to Dr Whitgift, Mr Cartwright was at last chosen by lot to undertake it, and performed it so weil, that some of his very adversaries were heard to advance and commend him for it.

Mr Walton says, in his life of Hooker, that Mr Cartwright appearing to justify himself and his party in many remonstrances, which he caused to be printed, the bishop (Whitgift) made a first answer, and Cartwright replied upon him; and then the bishop having rejoined to his reply, Mr Cartwright either was, or was persuaded to be satisfied; for he wrote no more, but left the reader to judge which had maintained their cause with most charity and reason,' p. 13.

However,

However, Mr Cartwright, with others of the nonconformists, was brought into the high commission court, where, for refusal of the oath ex officio, they were put in prison, and afterwards proceeded against in the starchamber; but those very witnesses, who were brought to accuse them, did so clear them, that they were dismissed, and sent home much more honoured and beloved than they were before.

Whilst Mr Cartwright was prisoner in the Fleet, he had thirty pounds sent him from a noble friend, of which he took but ten shillings, returning the rest with many thanks to the donor; and when the earl of Leicester offered him the provostship of Eaton-college, saying, that it was a hundred pounds a year more than enough, besides the conveniency of the place, Mr Cartwright answered, "that the hundred pounds more than enough was enough "for him."

About the year 1580, his fame was so spread through the Reformed churches, that K. James, then king of Scotland, sent for him, offering to make him professor in the university of St Andrews, whereof, twenty years after, upon K. James coming into England, Mr Cartwright makes mention in his Epistle before his Commentary upon Ecclesiastes, which he dedicated to K. James, returning humble thanks for that royal favour. The archbishop of Dublin also sent for him into Ireland, offering him preferment in the kingdom.

Mr Walton says, that after some silence (meaning of the controversy between archbishop Whitgift and him) Mr Cartwright received from the archbishop many per*sonal favours, and retired himself to a more private living, which was at Warwick, where he was made master of the hospital, and lived quietly and grew rich [which last, when the profits are considered, seems doubtful;] and where the bishop gave him a licence to preach, upon promise not to meddle with controversies, but incline his hearers to piety and moderation: And this promise he kept during his life, which ended in 1602, or 1603, the bishop surviving him but one year, [Strype says, only two months,] each ending his days in perfect charity with the other.' Who, reading this, cannot but wish, that two such excellent men had never maintained a controversy between them at all; but that, as they could at last, in the wisdom of grace, find out the way of charity and peace, they had never entered any other? What disputes, what factions in religion, to the disgrace of

our