Chap. VI. The HISTORY of the PURITANS." 257 "the queen's birth-day as an HOLIDAY, was to make her an idol. When the eett good man had been thut up fromhis family and friends feveral months, he art)* the bifhop to be brought to his trial, oradmitted to bail. But all the anfwer his lordfhip returnedwas, that he deferved to lie in prifonfeven years. This ufage, together with Mr. Wright's open and nndifguifed bon= efly and piety, moved the compäflián of his keeper, in fomuch that his poor wife being in childbed and diftrefs, he gave him leave with the private allowance of the fecretary of Rate, to make her a vifit at Roéhford, upon his parole ; but it happened that Dr. Ford the civilian, meeting him upóil the road, acquainted the bifhop with his efcape, wlio thereupon fell into a violent paffion, and fending immediately for the keeper, demanded to fee his prifoner. The keeper pleaded the great compaflion of the cafe ; but the bifhop threatened to complain of him to thequeen, and have him turned out. Mr. Wright being informed of the keeper's danger, returned immedi- ately tohis°prifon, and wrote to the lord treafitrer on his behalf. " Oh! « my lord ffays he) I molt humbly crave your lordfhip's favour, that i may " be delivered from fuch unpitiful minds ; and efpecially that your rout- " 'fhip will Rand a good lord tomy 'keeper, that he may notbe difcourag- " ed, from favouring-thole that profefs true religion." Upon this the keep- er was pardoned. But the bifhop refolved to take full fatisfadlion of the prifoner ; accord- ingly he feat for him before the commiflîoners, and exemined-him upon articles, concerning the hook of Commonprayer; concerning rites and cere- monies; concerning praying for the queen and the church ; and concer- .ning the eftablifbed form of ordaining miniflers. He was charged with preaching without a licence ; and with being no better than a mere layman. To which he made the following anfwers ; That he thought the book of 'Commonprayer, in the main, good andgodly, but could not anfwer for ever+ 'particular. That as to rites and ceremonies, he thought his refòrting to churches where they were tiled, was a fufficient proof that he allowed them. That he prayed for the queen, and for all minifters of God's -word, and confequently for archbifhops and bifhops, &c. That he was but a private chaplain, and knew no law that required a licence for fuch a place. But he could not yield himfelf to be a mere layman, having preach- ed feven -years in the univerfity with licence; and fnce that time,'having been regularly ordained, by the laying on of the hands of the prefbyters at ,Antwerp. The bifhop having charged him with Paying, that the election ofmminiflers ought to be by their flocks, the ov 'ned it, and fuppofed it not Yo be an error ; and added further, that in his opinion-, every minifter was a bifhop, though not a lordbifhop ; and that his lordfhip of Lcndon`muft be of the fame opinion, becaule when he rebukedMr. White for ftrikingone of his.parithoners, he alleged that text, Tbat a b /op mull be ft jiriker: VOL. I. L 1 Which
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