398 LIVES OF ME PURITANS. said, the chief points relative to the imprisonment of the two divines :-" That the court would have been hard indeed, in these-proceedings, if all good means had,not been first used.-That their proceeding is according to the canon law and the law of the realm.-That it is according to the former precedents of the university.-That the university, without this course, is hardly to be governed.- That by the relation of the physicians, as well as Mr. Bainbrigg himself, he was not sick.-That they have had liberty to attend their recreations in the fields, and their public exercises in the town." To each of these points the two prisoners gave the followinganswers :-Thevice-chancellor confesseth the offer of the oath to have been hard, but that all gentle means were first used. Let the means, say they,,be examined. They were convened upon the delivery of their sermons, when articles were brought against them. They offered to answer these articles, but were refused; and they wererequired to swear to the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. They humbly desired that they might not be pressed to swear, because it was impossible for them to deliver every thing uttered in their sermons of an hour and half long. It is very hard to try the conscience of a man, to take the holyname of God in witness of that which he knoweth he cannot perform ; and it is contrary to the law of God to offer in his name, to do that which is impossible. Their reasons not being admitted, the ministers prayed the vice-chancellor, that they might be informed by the law of God and the realm, that they might and ought thus to swear, protesting their willingness to yield thereto ; but, if this could not be done, they desired that they might be spared. They were then committed to prison ; and, at the time these answers were given, they had been detained upwards of twenty weeks, without being admitted on bail. Hence it may appear, say they, that no very gentle means have been used. On the contrary ; that all gentle means have been refused, is, indeed, too apparent.. For about six weeks after their commitment, Sir Henry Knevett and Sir William Bowes, knights, offered bail to the vice-chancellor and Dr. Perne, which was rejected. Sir William Bowes afterwards renewed his application and his offer, but with no better success. He prayed them to be well informed of the issue, about which, he conceived, they were greatly mistaken. He recommended them to take down the fact
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=