' H. BURTON. 51 and compassion of the populace, were highly offensive to Laud's proud spirit; as appears fromhis letter to Wentworth, dated August 28, 1637 " What say you to it," observes the intolerant prelate, " that Prynne and his fellows should be " suffered to talk what they pleased while they stood in the " pillory, and win acclamations from the people, and have " notes taken of what they spake, and those spread in written " copies about the city ; and that when they went out of " town to their several imprisonments, there were thousands " suffered to be upon the way to take their leave, and God " knows what else ?-And I hear Prynne was very much " welcomed, both in Coventry and West-Chester, as he " passed towards Carnarvon."f A writer of some eminence observes, that nature seemed to have designed Laud foe the office of an inquisitor. He was fierce and unrelenting in his * Strafforde's Letters, vol. ii. p. 99. 1- Mr. Prynne, on his way from.London to Carnarvon, spent the Lord's day at Coventry ; where he twice attended divine service at church, and several persons, his friends, 1, isited him at the inn, his conductors having received no orders to the contrary. Archbishop Laud hearing of this, immediately sent a messenger to Coventry, to bring the mayor and six others up to London, and convened them before the council-table. Though most of them never spoke to Mr. Prynne, they were obliged to a continued attendance for, some time, and put to two or three hundred pounds expense, when they were reprimanded and dismissed. On Mr. Prynne's arrival at Chester, Mr. Calvin Brewen and some others visited him at the inn, assisted him in the purchase of some necessary furniture for his chamber at Carnarvon, and manifested certain other acts of kindness towards him. But by the direction of Laud, pursuivants were sent with warrants to apprehend them, and bring them before the high commissionat York ; when some were fined three, and some five hundred pounds, and forced to enter into bonds of three hundred pounds each, not only to abide by the further appointment of that court, but to make such public acknowledgment in the cathedral of Chester, and before the mayor, aldermen, and citizens, in the town-hall, as the commissioners should prescribe. Also, these pious high commissioners hearing that there were five paintings of Mr. Prynne, in the possession of his friends in Chester, they not only prosecuted the poor painter, but sent iorth two warrants, first to deface the paintings, then to burn them. Accordingly, the inoffen- sive paintings were apprehended and defaced, and then publicly burnt at the high-cross in Chester, in the presence of the mayor, aldermen, and citizens. It is curious further to observe, that the Bishop of Chester, who took anactive part in these barbarous proceedings, out of enmity to Mr. Prynne, called his crop-eared horse by the name of Prynne. Thus the angry and revengeful prelates, not glutted by the severe sentence obtained against Mr. Prynne, pursued and grievously oppressed those who, as he was, conveyed to prison, shewed him any acts of civility. Mr. ,Prynne's servant was also severely prosecuted in the high commission, and sent from prison to prison, only for refusing to accuse hls master. The archbishop, who was leader in all these barbarous proceedings, and whom Granger considers eminent for sincere and ardent piety, seemed destitute of the feelings of humanity. Prynne's Prelates' Tyranny, p. 92-108.-Nees Puritans, vol. ii. p. 280.--Granger's Biog. Hist. vol. ii. p. 153.
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