LEVER. 219 have been some hinderance to his return to the mastership of his college.. In the year 1561, according to Mr. Strype, hewas pre. ferred to a prebend in the church of Durham, and to the mastership of Sherborn hospital, near Durham ; the former of which, he says, in one place, he supposes Mr. Lever was deprived of for nonconformity, and in another, that he resigned it in the year 1571.t In addition to this informa- tion, he tells us that upon Mr. Lever's return from exile, he obtained no other preferment besides that of the mastership of the above hospital, which he kept to his death : yet he mentions him as Archdeacon of Coventry, and in this capacity, sat in the convocation of 1562, and subscribed the Articles of Religion.t It is extremely difficult, not to say impossible, to reconcile these accounts of the learned and voluminous historian. By another writer, he is said to have been collated to the mastership of the above hospital, January 28, 1562 ; and, the year following, to his prebend in the church of Durham; both of which, he supposes Mr. Lever held by connivance from Bishop Pilkington, who had formerly been one of the fellows in the university.s Archbishop Parker having pressed conformity to the habits and ceremonies, sequestered and deprived many learned and faithful ministers. This was a great affliction to the Lord's servants. They were exceedingly tempted and tried. The sorrow of most ministers was, indeed, very great ; and they murmured, saying, We are killed in our souls, by this pollution of the bishops. We cannot perform our ministry in the singleness of our hearts. We abide in extreme misery, our wives, and our children, by the proceedings of the bishops, who oppose us, and place ignorant ministers in our places." 11 Mr. Lever, therefore, addressed an excellent letter to the Earl of Leicester and Sir William Cecil, dated February 24, 1565, in which he exposes the extreme hardships under which the puritans laboured, by the imposition of the habits and ceremonies ; and earnestly solicits them to use their utmost endeavoursto procure some favour for his silenced brethren, who had been lawfully admitted into the ministry, and had always * Baker's MS. Collee. vol. i. P. 155. Strype's Annals, vol. i. p. 133.-Parker, p. 325. Strype's Annals, vol. i. p. 290. vol, ii. Appen. p. 15. § Baker's MS. Colic. vol. i. p. 150. if Ibid. vol. axvii. p. 388, 389.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=