E. PAGET. 257 contrary to certain statutes, and other ecclesiastical laws ; there being no clause in the commission allowing them to require subscription to articles of their own invention. They further argued, that, on supposition the suspension had been warrantable, all irregularity was done away by the queen's pardon, long before his deprivation. Besides, Mr. Paget did not exercise himself in the ministry after his suspension, nor even attempt to do it, till after he had obtained from the archbishop himself a release from that suspension ; which he apprehended, in such a case, to be sufficient, seeing his grace was chief in thecommission. And in addition to this, all the canonists allowed, that mistakes of ignorance, being void of wilful contempt, as in the present case, were a lawful excuse from irregularity. Not- w;thstanding these arguments in favour of the poor, lame minister of Christ, the learned prelates remained inflexible ; and, right or wrong, were determined to abide by what they, had decreed ; therefore, the patron disposed of the living to another. Mr. Paget's enemies were resolved to ruin him. From the above statement, his case was, indeed, very pitiable. This, however, was not the conclusion of his troubles : his future hardships were still more lamentable. After being deprived both of his ministry and benefice, and having to provide for a numerous family, the poor man set `up a small school : but there the extended arms of the high commissioners reached him. For, as he was required to take out a license , and to subscribe to the articles of reli- gion, which he could not do with a good conscience, they shut up his school, as they had before shut him out of the church, and left him to suffer in extreme poverty and want. In this painful condition, he sent an account of his case in a letter to the lord admiral,. to whom he was well known, and by whom he was much beloved. In this letter, dated June 3, 1591, he expressed himself as follows :i- " I never gathered any separate assemblyfrom the church, nor was I ever present in them; but always abhorred them. I always resorted to my parish church, and was present at service and preaching, and received the sacrament ac- cording to the book. I thought it my duty not to forsake the church because it had some blemishes ; but while I have endeavoured to live in peace, others have prepared themselves for war. I was turned out of my living by MS. Register, p.572, 573. f Strype's Whitgift, Appen. p. 166, 167. VOL. II.
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