444 LIVES OF THE PURITANS. LEVER WOOD was minister at Brenchley in Kent, but was much persecuted for nonconformity. Upon the publi- cation of Whitgift's three articles, in 1583, he and sixteen of his brethren, all ministers of Kent, waited upon the archbishop at Lambeth. When' they appeared before his grace, they declared that they could not, with a good con- science, subscribe to his articles, and desired to know whether they might still proceed in their ministry.. But, instead of obtaining his lordship's approbation,they were all immediately suspended, and Mr. Wood, with some others, if not the whole, was cast into prison, where he con- tinued twelve months. At the expiration of that period, upon his subscription as far as the law required, and pro- mising to use the Book of Common Prayer, and no other, he was released fromprison.+ His troubles however, were not over. He still continued under suspension. Therefore, he made interest at court, that he might be restored to his former labours. He applied to Sir Francis Walsingham, secretary of state,t who interceded with the archbishop for his restoration to his ministry, but without success. Whitgift would not remove the ecclesiastical censure, and allow Mr. "Wood to preach, unless he would subscribe without the least reserve, and practise a perfect conformity.§ And the good man's conscience not allowing him to do this, he remained under suspension at least eight years. He was under his lord- ship's censure, in the year 1591, and whether he was ever restored is extremely doubtful.l 11UMPHREY FENN.-This most learned and venerable divine was several years minister at Northampton, and above forty years a laborious and faithful preacher in Coventry, and uncommonly successful in his ministry'; yet See Art. Dudley Fenner. + Neal's Puritans, vol. i. p. 406. Sir Francis Walsingham was a steady promoter of the reformation ; ft zealous and constant friend to the puritans ; and a most' celebrated states- man. His talent for business, his.eloquence, insinuating address, universal intelligence, and profound secrecy, are mentioned by all our historians. He was employed by Queen Elizabeth in the most important embassies, and advanced to the post of secretary of state ; notwithstanding' which, he was so far from accumulating a fortune, that he spent his patrimony 1.1.) the service of the public, and was buried in the night, at the expense of his friends, through fear of his corpse being arrested for debt ; a fault which few statesmen since his time havebeen guilty of. He died April 6,1590.- We/wood's Memoirs ' p. 9-12.-Granger's Biog. flirt. vol. i. p. 232. § Fuller's Church Hist. b. ix. p. 162, 163. -Stripe'sWhitgift, p. 226,227. I MS. Register, p. 585.
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