Chap. VIII. 2J6eHISTORY of the PURITANS. 385 was fuch a little man, that Fuller Pays, when the fearchers were clearing izaueen fhip in which he made his efcape, the merchant put him into a great 559e wine butt that had a partition in the middle, fo that Mr. Aylmer fat en- (,, -.) clofed in the hinder part, while the fearchers drank off the wine which hul e l 's Ior they law drawn out of the head on the other part; he was of an at-bye, 23 bufy fpirit, quick in his language, and after his advancement of a flout P. and imperious behaviour : In his younger days he was inclined to puri- tanifm, but when he was made a bifhop he becat4te a refolute champion of the hierarchy, and a bitter perfecutor of his former friends. In his latter days he was very covetous, and a little too lax in his morals : he ufually played at bowls on fundays in the afternoon ; and ufed fuch language at his game, as juftly expofed his charaSter to reproach ; but with all thefe blemifhes, the writer of his life (Mr. Strype) will have -him a learned, pious, and humble bifhop. He died at Fulham, rune 3. 1594. in the 74th year of his age. Aylmer was fucceeded by Dr. Fletcher bifhop of Worce/ler, who in his 5595. primary vifitation gave out 27 articles of enquiry to the church wardens Hded bÿ6,- concerning their preachers; as, whether they prayed for the queen as fu- popFletcher. preme head overall perfons and caufes within her dominions, ecclefiaftical and temporal ? Whether they were learned or frequented con- venticlesor taught innovations or commended the new difcipline or (poke in derogation of any part of the common prayer or did not ad- minifter the facrament in their own perlons at certain times of the year? &c. By thefe, and fuch like enquiries, the prifons which had been lately Who perfi- cleared, were replenifhed ; for by an account fent to the queen from the cures the pu- ecclefiaflical commifíîoners towards the clofe of this year, it appears that r.tan'. in the Marfhalfea, Newgate, the Gate-houfe, Bridewel, the Fleet, the Compters, the White Lion, and the King's- Bench, there were eighty-nine prifoners for religion; tome popifh recufants, and the refl proteftant non- conformifts; of whom twenty-four had been committed by the eccle- fiaflical commiffion, and the rest by the council and the bithops courts. But his lordfhip's proceedings were quickly interrupted, by his falling un- der her majefly's difpleafure a few months after his tranflation, for mar- rying a fecund wife, which the queen looked upon as indecent in an el- derly clergyman ; for this fhe banifhed him the court, and commanded the archbifhop to fufpend him from his bifhoprick ; but after fix months, her majefty being a little pacified, ordered his fufpenfion to be taken off, though fhe would never admit him into her prefence, which had fuch an influence upon his great fpirit, as wasthought to haften his death, which happened the next year, as he was fitting in his chair fmoaking a pipe of tobacco. The year following he was fucceeded by Dr. Bancroft, the great adverfary of the puritans. VoL. I D d d Theft
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