LIVES Ot THE PIMITANS. Tower. Here, however, he did not continue long ; for, having fully acquitted himself before his judges, he was soon after released, and restored to his place and the king's favour. He was about this time, a member of parliament, and held in high esteem by men of piety and worth. Upon King Henry's coming to the parliament house in 1545, and exhorting the members to charity, unity, and concord, he published a translation of Erasmus, entitled "An Intro- duction to Christian concord and unitie in matters of Religion." In the year 1552, Mr. Taverner, though he was not ordained, obtained a special license subscribed by King Edward, to preach in any part of his dominions ! and hedid not fail to make use of the liberty granted him. He preached from place to place through the kingdom ; also at court before the king, and in other public places, wearing a velvet bonnet or round cap, a damask gown, and a chain of gold about his neck; in which habit, he sometimes preached in St. Mary's church, Oxford, in the days of Queen Elizabeth. When Queen Mary came to the crown, he retired to his country house called Norbiton-hall, in Surrey, where he continued during the whole of her reign. Upon the acces- sion of Elizabeth, he presented her majesty with a congra- tulatOry epistlein Latin, for which she exceedingly respected him, placed great confidence in him, and, besides offering him the degree of knighthood, put him into the commission of peace for the county of Oxford. Here numerous con- cerns were entrusted to him, and, in 1569, he was made high sheriff of the county. Notwithstanding his high station, he did not relinquish his ministerial labours but continued preaching as he foundopportunity. While he was in the office of high sheriff, he appeared in St. Mary's pulpit, with his gold chain about his neck, and his sword by his side, and preached to the scholars, beginning his sermonwith the followingwords :---" Arriving at the mount " of St. Marys, in the stony* stage where I now stand, " have brought you some fine biskets, baked in the oven of " charity, and carefully conserved for the chickins of the " church, the sparrows of the spirit, and the sweet swallows " of salvation. 't This way of preaching was then mostly, fashionable, and commended by the generality of scholars wood says the pulpit of Si. Mary's was then of fine carved stone but it was taken away in 1651, when Dr. John Owen was vice-chancellor, anda pulpit of wood set tip in its place.-Athence Oxon. 1.1. i. p. 144. bote. 4 Fuller's Church Hist. b. ix. p. 65.
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