GILPIN. 251 " know,,, shortly, either in this university, or at least in some " abbey hereby ; where I should not lose any time ; and this "kind of life, if God be pleased, I desire before any " benefice. And thus I pray Christ always to have your " lordship in blessedkeeping. By your lordship's humble " scholar and chaplain, " BERNARD GILPIN." The bishop was not offended with this letter. The unaff%cted piety which it discovered disarmed all resent- ment, and led him rather to admire a behaviour, in which the motives of conscience shewed themselves so much superior to those of interest. " Which of our modern "gaping rooks," exclaims Bishop Carleton, "could endea- " your with greater industry to obtain a benefice, than this " man did to avoid one !" Mr. Gilpin having got over this affair, continued some time longer at Louvain, daily im- proving in religious knowledge. And having remained about two years, he went to Paris ; where his first care was the printing of Tonstal's book, which he performedentirely to the bishop's satisfaction, and received his thanks for it. Mr. Gilpin having spent three years on the continent, was fully satisfied in all his former scruples. He was firmly convinced of the errors and eviltendency of popery ; and of the truth and importance of the doctrines of the reformation. Therefore, in the year 1556, he returned to England, though the persecutions of Queen Mary were carrying on with unabating fury. Tonstal received his kinsman with great kindness ; and soon after his arrival, gave him the archdeaconry of Durham, to which the rectory of Easington was annexed. He immediately repaired to his parish, where he preached with great boldness against the vices, errors, and corruptions of the times ; also, by virtue of his office as archdeacon, he took great pains to reform the manners of the clergy. His free and open reproofs soon roused the malice of proud ecclesiastics, who used every method in their power to remove so inconvenient aperson. It soon became their popular clamour that he was an enemy to the church ; a scandalizer Of the clergy ; a preacher of damnable doctrines ; and that if he was spared much longer, religion Must suffer from the heresies he was daily propagating.. Indeed, a charge of heresy, consistingof Mr. Gilpin, in a letter to hisbrother, makes the following observa- lion t.-" After I entered upon the parsonageof Easington, and began to " preach," says he, " I soon procured many mighty and grievous adversa- s. ries;.for that Ipreached against pluralities and nonresidence. Some said, ti
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