188 LIVES OF THE PURITANS. Mr. Johnson, at the, same time, presented a petition to the queen or council, desiring to be restored to his former liberty of preaching, fromwhich he was restrained by the foregoing heavy sentence. This petition, together with a letter from the court, dated Greenwich, March 19, 1573, were sent to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London, pressing them to take the case into considera- tion, and take such order therein as should appear most convenient. The council also sent another letter to the Bishop of London, dated Greenwich, May 16, 1574, signi- fying that their lordships were given to understand, that Mr. ,Johnson, committed to the Gatehouse for noncon- formity, was very sick and likely to die, unless he might enjoymore open air. Therefore they commandedhis grace to give order for the poor afflicted man to be bailed, and upon sureties to be removed to his own house, but not to depart thence without further order.. All these efforts were, however, without any good effect. The relentless prelate continued inflexible. Mr. Johnson experienced neitherhis lenity, nor his charity,nor any other favour : for the good man died soon after, a prisoner in the Gatehouse, through the cruelty of his imprisonment, and his extreme poverty and want+ Herein, surely, his inhu- man persecutors would be highly gratified. BishopSandys, who was at the head of these proceedings, is said to have been " a man very eminent for his learning, probity, and prudence ;"t but, surely, it may be questioned whether he exercised these excellent qualifications on the present occa- sion. This is even admitted by his partial biographer : for he observes, that during the above period, the good bishop proceeded so vigorously against the puritans, that his doings brought public reproach on his name and reputation.§ Mr. Johnson wrote a letter, a little before his death, to the Dean of Westminster, another zealous promoter of his persecution. This letter is still preserved.fl Mr. Strype charges Mr. Johnson as a false accuser, and, in 1609, as reviling the puritans. But the fact of his being dead several years before either of these events are said to have taken place, at once acquits him of the twofold charge. Some other person of the same name, who was a rigid churchman, we believe to have been guilty of those crimes.! Baker's MS. Collect vol. vii. p. 383, 384. Parte of a Register, p. 111, 118. t Le Neve's Lives, vol. i. part ii. p. 69. 1, Ibid. p. 31. I Parteof a Register, p. 112-116. If Strype's Parker, p. 328, 3294
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