or sure which if propping will helpe I would not have demolished till a modell of a better be agreed upon In King Edwards reigne did not the reverend Bishop O griefe to heare saith mine Authour perswade and subscribe to the dis-inheriting of the two daughters of Henry the 8. the sisters of his King contrary to the Statute of the 35. of Henry the 8. as also in prejudice of the right of Scotland Margaret being eldest sister to Mary grandmother to Iane on whose head they would settle the Crowne which plot I thinke I may say wicked and disloyall if it had taken effect in all likelihood the blessed union of both Kingdomes had not ensued which as I said before was hindred by Betton Bishop of Saint Andrewes in Henry the 8. time I have not yet spoke any thing as to the point of Idolatry the most wicked highest degree of treasons being against the King of Kings did not the Archb. Cranmer and Bish. Ridley perswade nay earnestly presse K. Edward the sixth that the Lady Mary might have Masse said in her house and that to be done without all prejudice of Law the greatnesse of her person being the immediate successor and the might of Charles the Emperor moved those Bishops too forword and so farre urged this to the King and from Divines becomming Politicians alleadged the danger in breach of amity with the Emperor and when hee convincing them by scripture and tould them he would rather hazard his life then grant that which was not agreeable to truth they alledge the bonds of nature at last tell him they would not be said nay this they offered and thus farre they pressed although they could not prevaile with this pious Prince These were not the baits that Peter angled with to catch soules or the weapons that Saint Paul fought with when he professed they were not carnall but mighty through God to cast downe holds they propose not honour and security to Christs disciples but hazard and basenesse A most godly speech of a good Christian Prince the like whereto I reade that King Iames uttered in his protestation made to Watson as he after confessed to the Earle of Northampton upon some occasion offered All the Crownes and Kingdomes in this world saith he shall not induce me to change one jot of my profession which is the pasture of my soule and earnest of my eternall inheritance A pious speech of a magnanimous King whose memory shall ever bee justly blessed and I doubt not but our gracious Soveraigne as he holdeth his Kingdomes so possesseth the like religious courage and constancy But to returne to our former Bishops viz. Cranmer Ridley c. did they repent them of this upon better consideration and upon the death of this good King advance the title of the right heyre Nothing so for when queen Mary hearing that Iane her cosin was to be proclaimed queene writ her letter to the Lord declaring her owne right and marvelling that they so unjustly attempted to put her from it contrary to their loyalty allegiance and the Statute which had formerly settled the Crowne upon her they I meane the Bishops as well as the Lords for I finde Canterbury and â—ly to have subscribed told her that she had no right thereto but â—â—nâ— must be queene and she must submit her selfe to her as her Soveraigne And what they wâ—it did Ridley Bishop of London preach And though this was not done or spoken in Parliament yet no men doubteth but if it had been effected they would have pleaded in justification thereof and confirmed it as rightfull in the next Parliament that should have been called Now I have declared them disloyall traytors and most unjust and ungodly in these passages To passe from this Queen to the next I finde that in the first yeare of good Queen Elizabeth there was a further reformation desired and what was then earnestly pressed by good Divines as Doctor Scorie Cox Mr. Iewel Elmer Grindal Whitehead Horne Gest was thus farre granted by that godly Princesse that there should bee a conference at Westminster where being come they were opposed by the Bishop of Winchester Lincolne Lichfield Carlile and Chester together with some others These Bishops saith mine Author Stow abruptly broke off this conference pleading a mistaking of their directions and in the next sitting utterly refused either to write their owne or to read the others reasons whereby all was undone that was intended whereof part was imprinted by Richard Iugge and Iohn Cawood as is to be seene and this was in time of Parliament Much more I might declare of Bishops actions in this queenes time as that the Bishops at queene Elizabeths inauguration did refuse to anoint or consecrate her viz. Yorke Canterbury dying a little before also these chiefe Bishops denied the same as London Duresme Winchester Ely Lincolne Exeter Bath and Wells Coventry and Lichfield Chichester and Peterborough But I hasten to conclusion And as this vertuous Queene did yeeld that a disputate should bee had for reformation so did the gracious Prince King Iames grant the like at Hampton Court where were Doctor Reynolds and Doctor Sparkes of Oxford and Knewstubs and Chaderton of Cambridge Now who resisted the reformation Sure none other but the Bishop of Canterbury Duresme London Winchester Chichester Worcester Carlile and Saint Davids and the Deanes of Westminster Windsor Paules Chester Worcester and Christchurch alledging that there was no need of reformation But God and good men did know the contrary but I will not trouble you with their actions 〈◊〉 this Kings reigne their introduction of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and idolatry of â—opery and 〈◊〉 and what not of irreligion to the Deity mischiefe and danger to the King and prejudice to the people and Kingdome few or none within these walles but know them and felt the harmfull fruits thereof As for their actions in his Majesties reigne which I thinke doe poyâ—e downe and over-ballance all formerly done since the beginning of Parliaments put together in the other Scale I will referre them to the reports of the Committees for the â—ope of Lambeth and his Cardinalls Wren and others and briefly conclude That whereas from their first sitting in Parliament to this time they have as well in Parliament as ouâ— beene so prejudiciall and appeared to have during their sitting there plotted and contrived treasons and conspiracles rebellion and war domestick and forraigne beene incendiaries and grievances to State and Church and Arch-enemies to King and Common-weale introducing Salique Law making this Kingdome elective and our Princes onely Kings durantâ— bene gâ—rend or rather bene placiâ— in worse case and lesse hold then a Duke of Venice I hope his Majestie will â—ege talionis make their Episcopacie to bee onely titular which is as much as is due to them whether Archbishops or Bishops for they are to have priority or precedencie quoad ordinem not quoad ministerium wherein the poorest Curate is
by learned Fathers and Divines by Synods and generall Councels but by great Lords and Barons yea by the whole Peerage of these Kingdomes of England and France Peter Lord Primandy and Barree who writ the French Academy and dedicated the same to Henry the 3. King of France and Poland in that booke and chapter of the causes that bred change saith that Bishops and Prelates neglecting their charge to bestow their times in worldly affaires grew to misliking and contempt have procured great offences and marvellous trouble which may more easily be lamented then taken away or reformed being such abuses as have taken deepe root And what he affirmeth did the Peeres of France unitely deliver That Bishops should follow Saint Peters steps to winne soules and not to meddle with wars and murder of mens bodies But to come neere and to speake of this Kingdome of England let us heare what the English Lords did declare we read that they did decree in the time and reigne of King John that Bishops should not intermeddle in civill affaires or rule as Princes over their Vasâ—alls and the reason is â—enderd for Peter say they received no power but onely in matters pertaining to the Church and further enlarging themselves use these words It appertaines not to Bishops to deale in secular affaires since Peter onely received of our Saviour a power in matters Ecclesiastic all what say they hath the Prelats to entermeddle with wars such are Constantines successors not Peters whom as they represent not in good actions so neither doe they in authority Fie on such Rascal Ribaulds the words in Paris are Marcidi Ribaldi how unlike are they to Peter that usurpe Peters place But this point of intermedling in secular affaires though I have often digressed and intermingled with the former parts is proved in its proper place to bee unlawfull viz. in that part that treateth therof craving pardon for this deviation I will pursue the present argument the obnoxiousnesse of their sitting in Parliament and come to the points I intended to insist on viz. the entrance of Bishops into the Parliament house and by what meanes they came there and continued That they have sate there from the first Parliament to this is not denied But as we are not now to consider an suerunt but an profuerunt so are we not to debate and discusse an factum but an sieri debuit for it was the argument of a Pagan viz. Symmachus to the Emperor Theodosius recorded by Saint Amb. servanda est tot saeculis fides nostra sequendi sunt majores nostri qui secuti sunt faelicitur suos Our religion which hath continued so many yeares is still to be retained and our ancestors are to bee followed by us who happily traced the steps of their forefathers but with Tertullian nullam vâ—lo conâ—uetudinem defendas if good no matter how short since if bad the longer the worse Antiquity without truth as saith Cyprian is but ancient error The first Parliament as I reade began 1116. or thereabouts and in the sixteeneth or seventeenth yeare of King Henry the first who being an usurper brought in by the Bishops to the disherison of Robert his elder brother admitted the said Bishops to be members of the said high Court partly ingratefulnesse but rather for that he durst not doe otherwise for was not Ralfe the then Archbishop of Canterbury so proud and insolent a Prelate that was read of him that when Roger Bishop of Salsbury was to celebrate the Kings Coronation by reason of the palsie of the Archbishop this â—holerick outdaring Prelate could hardly be intreated by the Lords to withhold his hands from striking the Crowne from the Kings head Of such spirits were these spirirituall Prelates and the jealousie to lose their pompous preheminence of honors yet had he no other reason for this his sauâ—ines and bold attempt but for that Roger did not this by his appointment At the same time Tâ—urstoâ— was Archbishop of Yorke who though a disloyall and perjured man by breach of his oath to the King yet was hee highly favoured and countenanced by the Pope and put into that See by him in dispite of the said King And as hee so the rest of the Bishops not lesse guilty nor much lesse potent were likewise admitted members of that high Court and to speake plainly how could he spare their being in that house who were to justifie his title to the Crowne Now passe we to King Stephen another usurper nephew to the former King Henry him though he had an elder brother and before them both the title of Anjou by his wife Maud the Empresse as also of his son Henry to precede the Bishops did advance to the Royal Throne no lesse persidiously then traiterously having formerly sworne to Maud the Empresse We are also to understand that the Bishop of Winchester was his brother a very potent man in the State and it is worthy our noting that the Bishops did endeavour to salve their disloyalty and perjury by bringing in the Salicke Law to this Kingdome traiterously avowing that it was basenes for so many and so great Peers to be subject to a woman Nay it seemeth the Bishops did not intend to be true subjects to him though a brave and worthy Prince had his title to the Crowne been as good as the Prelates at his election did declare for read we not that the Bishops of Salisbury Lincolne Ely and others did fortifie Castles against him and advanced to him in armed and warlicke manner nay did not his brother the Bishop of Winchester forsake him and in a Synod of Clergie accursed all those that withstood the Empresse Maud blessing all that assisted her Surely this curse ought to have fallen on himself and the Archbishop who did trouble the Realm with fire and sword Sure as these were too great to bee put out of Parliament so were they very dangerous therein Vnto Stephen succeed Henry 2. In this time Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury what his demeanour toward his Soveraigne was and what mischiefe was by him occasioned to the Kingdome would take too much time to declare and though some Papists that adore him for a Saint will say he resisted on just cause yet I will deliver what I read and render him with the Chronicles an Arch-traytor and tell you that the Doctors in Paris did debate whether he were damned for his disloyalty Rogerus the Norman avowing that he deserved death and damnation for his contumacie toward the King the Minister of God From him I passe to his sonne Richard the first who had two brothers that were Bishops the one of Duresme the other of Lincolne and after Archbishop of Yorke and going to the holy Land appointed for Governour of the Kingdome William Longchampe chiefe Iusticiar and Lord Chancellour of England and Papall Legat. This Viceroy or rather King for so
A SPEECH OF VVilliam Thomas ESQVIRE IN PARLIAMENT In May 1641. Being a short View and Examination of the Actions of Bishops in Parliament from Anno Dom. 1116. to this present of 1641. in the severall Reignes of 23. Kings and Queens of this Kingdome of England c. In all and each of their times it is made to appeare they have been most obnoxious to Prince and People and therefore that it is not fit or convenient that they should continue members of that Honourable House in which they have beene so disloyally and traiterously affected to Regality And no lesse mischievous and pernicious to Church and Commonwealth A SPEECH OF WILLIAM THOMAS ESQVIRE I Have formerly spoken of the present Church government by Archbishops Bishops c. Declaring the corruption and unsoundnesse thereof and how farre degenerate if not contrary to the pure Primitive Apostolicall institution Also I have touched a little of the other parts as how unlawfull it was for them to intermeddle in temporall affaires to use civill power or to sit as Iudges in any Court much lesse in the Court of Parliament where they passe censure and judgement not onely of our lives and liberties but on the Estates and inheritance and blood as of us so of our posterity And as this is unlawfull by the Divine Law so by the Canons of the Church yea of this Church and Acts of Parliament of this Realme whereof I shall further enlarge myselfe in my â—â—â—â—ing discourse So hath their sitting there beene prejudiciall and obnoxious to Kings and Subjects Now I desire briefly to declare when and how the Bishops came to be members in the Parliaments in the House of the Lords and by what meanes they continued their sitting there because prescription is much insisted upon although long usage as King Iames truly delivereth confirmeth no right if unlawfull originally or at convenient times interrupted And whereas it hath beene demanded why the first of our reasons viz. that it hindreth Ecclesiasticall vocation was not urged 600. yeares agoe I answer There was then no cause for the first beginning of Parliaments was not 74. yeares after But if this had beene delivered of the lawfulnesse and conveniency of their intermedling in temporall affaires I should have replyed that it hath beene declared not onely 600. but 1600. yeares agoe and in each century since But supposing and granting that it was meant of such Parliaments as were before the Conquest you shall finde that above 600. yeares agoe the Prelates are charged by their intermedling in secular affaires to neglect the office of Episcopall function For this we read The Clergy altogether were unlearned wanton and vicious for the Prelates altogether neglected the office of Episcopall function which was to tender the affaires of the Church and to feed the slocke of Christ lived themselves idle and covetoâ—s addicted wholly to the pompe of the world and voluptuous life little caring for the Churches and soules committed to their charge And if any saith Higden told them that their lives ought to be holy and their conversation without covetousnesse according to the sacred prescript and vertuous example of their Elders they would scoffingly put them off with a Nunc aliuá tempus alii pro tempore mores Thus saith he they plained the roughnesse of their doings with the smoothnesse of their answers Briefly they were so loose and riotous saith Gervasius of Canterbury that they fell so fast to commit wickednesse as to be ignorant of sinfull crimes was then held to be a great crime it selfe And the Clergy saith Malmsbury contenting themselves with triviall literature could scarcely hack and hew out the words of the Sacrament Robert was then Archbishop of Canterbury who instigated King Edward the Confessor against his mother queene Emma charging her with incontinency with Alwyn Bishop of Winchester observe how one Locust stings another which she washt away and cleared her selfe of by a sharpe tryall of fire Candentes ferri being put according to the Law Ordalium to cleare her selfe by passing nine Plough-shares glowing red hot bare-footed and blind-folded which she did without hurt And as this Bishop had charged the queene his mother with incontinence so did he likewise the queene his wife Edith or Egith with adultery but no lesse untruly and unjustly then maliciously and enviously as saith Malmesbury shee being a Lady incomparable as for beauty so for vertue in whose breast there was a Schoole of all liberall Sciences And the like testifies Ingulphus that had often conference with her that as she was beautifull and excellent well learned so in her demeanour and whole course of life a virgin most chaste humble and unfainedly holy milde modest faithfull and innocent not ever hurtfull to any And doe we not reade that about the yeare 1040. that Bishop Alfred had his hand deepe in the murder of Prince Alfred who having his eyes inhumanely put out lived not long after in torment and griefe Some say he died by a more horrible kinde of cruelty as his belly was opened and one end of his bowels fastned to a stake his body pricked with sharp poniards till all his entrailes were extracted in which most savage torture he ended his innocent life These Bishops little regarded Ecclesiasticall vocation or function but worldly pompe and courtly rule They cannot bee at assemblies of States and Parliaments but their neglected flock must be starved these feed not their hungry sheepe but hunger to feed on them and this care of the world volves them in a world of cares What hath beene spoken of those Bishops I wish had not been delivered of other latter Prelates wherein I crave leave to speake what others write That they are growne to that height of idlenesse the mother of ignorance and luxury within themselves and by reason thereof in contempt and base estimation with the people that it is thought high time that blood should bee drawn from their swelling veines I will not though perhaps I might say with them that the Commonwealth hath little use of such I mean of over Lordly Bishops out for that they are so far degenerated from the Primitive institution I wish there were reformation I speake not of demolishing but of amendment and restitution and untill it appeare that the whole is unsound I shall not assent to utter extirpation or eradication Thus much I have made bold to deliver though not in due place nor in any purpose to plead against those or any of them that have declared themselves to bee of contrary opinion I am not ignorant of my disability to enter the lists with any or to contend with such Worthies in this or other argument but I hope there will not be denied to me leave and liberty to declare the cause and reason of my vote in this house in which I have the honour to sit as a member and if I have erred I have beene mis-led not onely
grandchilde who succeeded him we read that when in Parliament in London the Laity had granted a fifteenth on condition that the Clergie would likewise give aâ—tenth and a halfe William le Courtney then Archbishop did stifly oppose it alleaging they ought to be free nor in any wise to be taxed by the laity which answer so offended the Lords and Commons that with extreame fury they befought the King to deprive them of their temporalties alleadging that it was an almesdeed and an act of charity thereby to humble them that was then deliverd for an almesdeed and an act of charity which is now accounted sacriledge and cruelty The next that succeeded him was Henry the fourth but an usurper also for at that time there were living of the house of Yorke others whose right by the title of Clarence was before his as Mortimer c. In opposition to his claime and right the Bishop of Carlile made a most eloquent oration but to what purpose to perswade his dethroning now vested in the regall government and therby to engage the Kingdome in a civill warre which when his oratory could not effect he laboured and so farre prevailed that by his subtile insinuations and perswasions many Princes of the bloud royall and other great Lords were drawne to a conspiracy himselfe laying the plot and together with the Abbot of Westminster the chiefe wheeles of all the practice as moving the rest for the Kings death whereby he brought to the block those noble Peeres and as his pestilent counsell had infected their minds so was the bloud of them and theirs tainted by this foule treason but as I discommend his disloyall actions so I no better approve the other flattering and timeserving Bishops who did pleade the right of the title of the said King more eloquently then honestly more rhetorically then divinely for which their expressions they were imployed as Embassadours to forraigne parts to declare and justifie his title and right to the Scepter the Bishop of Hereford to Rome the Bishop of Duresme to France the Bishop of Bangor to Germany and the Bishop of St. Asaph to Spaine which Bishop of Asaph sate as Iudge in that Parliament and pronounced the sentence of deposition against King Rich. The forme as neare as I remember was We John Bishop of St. Asaph John Abbot of Glastenbury Commissioners named by the house of Parliament sitting in place of judgement c. Here you may note that the Bishop did passe judgement of a great inheritance no lesse then two or three Kingdomes and though not betweene two brothers but cosins yet did adjudge most wrongfully as was most apparant I note withall that the title of Lord is not assumed by this King-deposing Bishop nor any other that I reade of Now what hee had judged in Parliament his holy brother of Canterbury must make good in Pulpit delivering What unhappinesse it was to have a childe either of age or discretion to be a King and what felicity it was to a Kingdome to have it governed by a man Certainly a most dangerous position to an hereditary Monarchy I also note that this Archbishop was brother to the Earle of Arundell and at the same time the Archbishop of Yorke a neare kinsman to the Earle of Wiltshire and who durst then plead against the right of the Bishops sitting in Parliament In the same Kings reigne Richard le Scroope the Archbishop of Yorke did in Parliament enter into conspiracy with Thomas Mowbray Earle Marshall against the said King for which they were both beheaded I say the Archbishop as well as the Earle Marshall had his head cut off iterate it because some have doubted whether an Archbishop may be beheaded And now in the said Kings reigne in the Parliament of Coventry let me also tell you that in the said Parliament as in other both before and after a Bill was exhibited against the Temporalties of the Clergy who called that Parliament Parliamentum indoctorum saying that the Commons were fit to enter Common with their cattle having no more reason then bruit beasts This is Speeds delivery but I take it that he repeateth it as the Prelates censure of the house of Commons But to him succeeded Henry the 5. in his time did not Henry Chichley in an eloquent oration in Parliament revive the warres with France by declaring the Kings right thereunto to the effusion of much Christian blood and to the losse of all we had there To expiate which he built a Colledge in Oxenford to pray for the soules slaine in France Though what hee did then deliver was true of the Kings right to the Crowne of France as was also the other of Iohn Archbishop of the same See in Ed. 3. time and no lesse true was that of Carlile against Hen. 4. title Yet I may say it was not the office or function of a Bishop to incense warres domesticke or forraigne Nay this Bishop did set this warre on foot to divert the King from reformation of the Clergy For in that Parliament held at Leicester there was a petition declaring that the temporall lands which were bestowed on the Church were superâ—â—uously and disorderly spent upon hounds and hawkes horses and whores which better imployed would suffice for the maintenance of 15. Earles 1500. Knights 6200. Esquires an hundred Almeshouses and besides of yearly rent to the Crowne 20000. pounds From him I come to his sonne H. 6. I reade many accusations that Gloucester the good protector did lay to the charge of Beaufort the Cardinall of Winchester and Lord Chancellor great uncle to the King living sonne to Iohn of Gaunt alledging him a person very dangerous both to the King and State his brother of Yorke a Cardinall also together with the other Bishops no better For wee reade of Archbishop Bourchier and other Bishops that they did shamefully countenance the distraction of the time These as I delivered before though bad in Parliaments yet too great to put out I will not now speake of many other particulars that I might either in this Kings reigne or his successors to King H. 8. for that I desire to declare what they did since the reformation yet therein will be as briefe as I may having already too much provoked your patience for which I crave humble pardon To Henry the sixt succeeded Edward the fourth who indeed had the better title to the Crowne notwithstanding Archbishop Nevill Brother to the King-make-Warwick with others did conspire and attempt his dethroning and after tooke him prisoner and kept him in his Castle of Midleham and after in Parliament at Westminster did they not declare him a traitor and usurper confiscate his goods revoke abrogate and make frustrate all Satutes made by him and intaile the Crowne of England and France upon Henry and his issue male in default thereof to Clarence and so disabling King Edward his elder Brother But to hasten I will passe over