874 A Review of the principal fans objefed to the little purpofe to enquire, by what kind providence they gained re-ad million to their miniftry, whether by the intereft of powerful friends, or by the connivance of forre bithops lets rigorous than others ; or by fubfcription with a proteftation or referve ; or by a promife of occafional compliance. The faits I have mentioned Rand upon record, as a de- monftration of the unjuftifiable rigor of the times. And Mr. N. is of opinion, that the molt effeftual way to confute his hit ory, would be to enter into a particular examination of faits, and to thew from authen- tic teflimonies, that the perlons he mentions as fuffering, did not fuller in the manner he relates; or that the (harp punfinents they underwent were really wholefome (verities, and warrantable both by the laws of the land and the laws of Chrift. For it will anfwer no end to deal in gene- ral propofitions, or to inftance in a few who were difpenfed with, as father Fox, Coverdale, &c. and think by them to throw a veil over all the par- ticulars, which fill up (according to our author) almo/I five hundred pages. However leaf} Mr. N. be thought fingular, or too fevere, in charging queen EL tzABErtes government with unjuflifiable feverities, he will take the liberty to call in the fuffrage ofa perfon of the highefl eminence in the law, and as competent and impartial ajudge as this age has pro- sti- duced, I mean the lord chancellor KING, who in his fpeech at Dr. King's many. Sacheverel's trial has thefe words, `° if there were not a neceffity for it Fof. 81. " (lays his lordfhip), I would not mention what thofe wholefomefeveri- " ties were, but rather raft aveil on that part of the reign of the great and " glorious queen [EL IZABETH.] To give a (fort viewof them ; force hereticks were burnt, other perlons were hanged; force had theirgoods " conffcated ; others had their perlons imprifoned ; and to mention more " particularly, a public aft in writing, which cannot be falfified or mil- reprefented, the aft of the 35th ELIZABETH, entituled, an nil to retain the queen's fubjefis in their due obedience, by which_the diffen- " ters are, among other penalties, to abjure the realm in forty days, or " fuller death, without benefit of clergy, ifthey fhould join, or be prefent " at any religious conventicle, or refufe to repair to tome church to hear " divine fervice an abjuration (lays his lordthip) worfe than for fe- " lony at common law ; in that they had the benefit ofthe clergy, in this FoI. 291 " not ; and, whether this be a wholéfomefeverity (as Dr. Sacheverel had " called it) humane nature will determine." His lordfhip, in his reply to the deftor's defence, adds, " here (i. e. in the doétor's defence) is a " commendation of the piety and zeal of queen ELIZABETH, who refolved entirely to fupprefs the &paters ; and the, in her prudence, " put thofe feverities in execution what thole wholefomefeverities were " your lordfhips have been told ; they were hanging, burning, abjuration, " confìfcation,
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