ILDERS 379 illegal and unkind usage.* Whatever might be the inten- tion of this noble person, he did not hold his fellowship two years. He entered in the mean time upon his public ministerial function; but he presently received a sudden check, and was convened before the high commission, sus- pended from his ministry, and deprived of his fellowship, chiefly for preaching occasionally before he took orders. This was done by the particular instigation of Archbishop Whitgift, who commanded him to make a public recanta- tion, and required him to enter into bonds to appear again on a certain day before the high commission, if he presumed to refuse. The form of his recantation, dated January 10, 1588, was the following : " I confess that I have rashly and indiscreetly taken upon " me to preach, not being licensed, nor admitted into holy " orders, contrary to the orders of the church of England ; " contrary to the example of antiquity ; and contrary to " the direction of the apostle in the Acts : whereby I have given great and just offence to many ; and the more, be- " cause I have uttered in my sermons certain impertinent, " and very unfit speeches for the auditory, as moving their " minds to discontent with the state, rather than tending to " godly edification. For which my presumption and indis- cretion, I am very heartily sorry, and desire you to bear " witness of this my confession, and acknowledging my 44 said offences. "t It is extremely doubtful whether Mr. Hildersham ever recanted ; for he was, previous to the above date, called from the university by the Earl of Huntingdon, and appointed topreach at Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire. In this situation he continued to the end of his days, though not without frequent molestations and interruptions. He was a man of great piety, learning, charity, and peaceable- ness, and one who loved all pious and learned men, what- ever might be their opinions of the discipline and ceremo- nies. Although he was a minister in the established church, and so far opposed a total separationfrom it, that he was called the hammer of schismatics; yet " he was," says Mr. Clark, " always, from his first entrance into the ministry, a resolved and conscientious nonconformist;" and he laboured hard, in concert with his brethren, to obtain a more pure reformation of the national church. His honest and decided attachment to what he considered to be the Baker's MS. Collec. vol. ii. p. 445. S MS. Register, p. 825.
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