Chap, V. The HISTORY of the PURITANS. 189 " importance to the peace and welfare of the nation, and the ftrengthening Queen of the reformation ;. and therefore, there is nothing the queen's majefty Eljeazeth, "" and her council fhould fooner think of than this, however great and L,.,57 ;, " difficult the work might be, efpecially fince the Englifh nation affords " fo many divines of prudence, learning, and judgment, in thefe affairs : " If they together with the bifhops, to whom indeed efpecially, but not " alone, this care belongs, would deliberate hereupon, I doubt but not " fuch things would follow, whence other nations would take example." Thus did this learned divine interceed for the recoveryof difcipline, and the cafe of tender and fcrupulous confciences. But this was more than our archbifhop thanked him for, fays Mr. Stripe, after he had taken fo much Life ofPar- pains in preffing the aft of uniformity. ker, p. 344. The parliament met May 8. the lord-keeper opening it with a fpech, Attempts in in which he recommended to the houfes in the queen's name, " to fee parte'rent " that the laws relating to the difciplineand ceremonies of the church, were 1,1'. eforma- " put in due execution ; and that if anyfurther laws were wanting, they Strvpe's An- " thould confider of them, and fo, fays his lordibip, Gladius Gladium ja- nais, Vol, 1L " vabit, the civil word will u ort the eccle as Kcal, as before time has ! 5' f fp fJ D'Ee's been ufed." But the 'parliament feeing the ill ufe the queen and bi- journal, (hops made of their fpiritual power, inftead of framing new laws to en- p 207 force the ceremonies, ordering two bills to be brought in to regulate them; in one of which, the hardfhips that the puritans complained of were redreffed. The bills paffed fmoothly through the commons, and were Lip vepar_ referred to a feleft committee of bothhaufes, . which alarmed the bithops, kcr, p. 394 and gave the queen fuch offence, that two days after the feat to acquaint the commons by their fpeaker, that it was her pleafure, that no bills con- St,pt by the . cerning religion fhould henceforth be received, unlefs the fame Ihould be queen. firft confidered, and approved by ,the bithops or clergy in convocation ; and further, her majefty commanded them to deliver up the two bills lift read in the houle, touching rites, and ceremonies. This was a high ftrain Ann. Vol. It: of the prerogative, and a blow at the very root of the freedom of P. 127,. 128,_ parliament. But the commons lent her majetîy the bills with.a fervile requeft, that the would not conceive an ill opinion of the houfe,,if the lhould not approve them. Her majefty feist them word, within a day or two, that the utterly difliked the bill,, and never return. ed them. This awakened a.brave fpirit of liberty among fouie ofthe members ; many. free fpeeches were made upon the occafion, and among. others, Peter Wentworth, Efq;.fkood up and Paid, " That it grieved: " him to fee,, how many ways the liberty of free. fpeech in parliament, had been infringed. Two things, Jays he,, do, great hurt among us, Stripe's AL_ " one is -a rumour that.run about the honk, when the bill about the rz6;.. "' 51 of the church was depending;., Take heed. what you do, the queen ' liketh not fitih a matter, fhe will be oi'nded with them that frofxute it.
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