334. HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. VII, Queen but partly by forms, and partly by the valour and wife conduct of Ole Elizabeth, .queen's admirals and fea captains, the whole fleet was burnt and deftroyed, fo that not a Spaniard fet foot upon Engli/h ground ; nor was there a fhip left entire to carry the news back to Spain. The queen ordered the coals to be well guarded, and railed a land army, which the animated by appearing at the head of them. A terror was fpread through the whole nation, by reports of the engines of cruelty that were aboard the fleet; their barbarous ufage of the poor proteflants in the LowCountries under duke D'2lva was remembered, as well as their bloody maffacres of the poor Indians in flrnerica : But the form blowing over by the blefling of God upon the queen's arms, the nation was foon . refrored . to its former tranquility. Puritans ap- The following winter the queen fummoned a parliament to meet [Fe. mteat pQrteo bruary the 4th.} in order to defray the extraordinary expenses of the year, and make fame new laws againf the papifs. The puritans having expreffed their zeal for the queen and the protefant religion, by lifting in her army and navy, thought it advifeable once more to addrefs the houles for Tome favour in point of fub/cription. Upon the delivery of the petition,, one of the members flood up and moved, that an enquiry might be made, how far the bithops had exceeded the laws in the pro-_ fecution of her majefy's proteftant fubjefts. Another moved, for re- viving the bill againf pluralities and non- refidents, which was brought in, andhaving gaffed the commons was Pent up to the lords. This alarmed the convocation, who addreffed the queen toprotect the church ; and having. G'onvocation's flattered her with the title of a goddef, o dea certe! they tell her, " That petition to " the palling of the bill will be attended with the decay of learning, and, . the queen. Z. of whit- the fpoiling of their livings; that it will take away the let forms of gift, p. 280, " prayer in the church, and bring in confufron and barbarifm. They " put her in minds how dangerous innovations are in a fettled fate;. " and add,, that all the reformed churches in Europe cannot compare with England in the number of learned minifters. We therefore, fay " they, not as direétors, but as humble remembrancers, befeech your highnefs's favourable beholding of our prefent fate, and not to fufferr, . the bill againfb pluralities to, pats." Hereupon the queen forbid the houfe of lords to proceed, and Pent for thofe members of the houle of commons into cuflody who had dared to breakthrough her orders, of not meddling with affairs of religion without her fpecial allowance;.. which, put an end to all expectations of relief for the prefent Death of This year died the reverend and learned Mr., Thomas Sampfen, of 1ó1"r. Same whommention has been made already ; be was born about the year. ton Isar, and educated at Oxford; he afterwards fudied at the Temple, and was ameans of converting the famous martyr ohn Bradford to the pro-. tef#ant.
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