466 The HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. TT;, Xingjames I. inflexible temper, yet a tool of theprerogative, and an enemy to the laws rt ro. and conflitution of his country. Some have reprefented him as inclined to popery, becaufe he maintained feveral fecular priers in his own honk; but this was done, (fay his advocates) to keep up the controverfy between Uàl,I. 88. them and the Jefuits. Lord Clarendon fays, `° That he underftood the church excellently well, that he had almoft refeued it out of the hands °` ofthe Calvinianparty, and very much fubdued the unruly fpirit of the " non-conformifis; and that he countenanced men of learning."% His- lordthip might have added; that he was covetous, paffionate, ill -natured, and a cruel perfecutor of good men ; that he laid afide the hofpitality becoming a bifhop, and lived without frate or equipage, which gave oc cafron'to the following fatire upon his death, which happened Nov. 2; 261o, e2tatis 66. Here lies his grace in cold clay. clad, Who 'diedfor want ofwhat he had. CHAP: - XI-.. From the deathof arehbilhop BANCROF T to the death of king JAMEs I. tótr, p)ANCROFT was fucceeded by Dr. GEORGE ABBOT bifhop of Abbot made 1111 London, a divine of a quite different fpirit from his redecefí-or. A ercbbi58Q . found proteftant, a thorough Calvinifl,.an avowed enemy to-popery, and even fufpec ed of Puritañifm, becaufe he relaxed the penal laws, whereby p, 88. Pays lord Clarendon, `° He unravelled all that bis predeceffor had been doing "for many years; who if he had lived a little longer, would have fub-- " dued the unruly fpirit of the non-conforrnifcs, and extin-uifhed' that " fire in England which had been kindled at Geneva; but ABBOT. (lays "his lordfhip) confidered the chriftian religion no otherwife than as it "'abhorred and reviled popery, and valued thofemen molt who did that " molt furioufly.. He enquired but little after the ftrift obfervation of the. " difcipline of the church, or conformity to the articles or canons efta- " blifhed, and did not think- fo ill of the [prefbyterian] difcipline as he. ought to have done, but if men prudently forborea publick reviling at " the hierarchyand ecclefiaftical government, theywere fecure--from any "'-inquifition from him, and were equally preferred. Hishoufe wasa fandu- "ary to the moil eminent of the faltious party, , and he licenfed their per a` nicious writings." This is the heavy charge brought by the noble hi- ftorian
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