700 The HISTORY of the PuRITANS. VoL. II. Cb~;~!s II. for~ation fr~~ the church-~ardens of t?eir feveral parilhes on the fol1675. lowmg enqumes, and tranfmtt them to !llm after the next vifitation, r. v'"'V""V What number of perfons are there, by common eftimation, inhabiting within each parilh fubjeet to your jurifdietion ? 2. What number of po– pi!h r~cufants, or .perfons fufpeeted of recufancy, are refident among the Inhabttants aforefatd ? 3· What number of other diffenters are there in each parilh of what feet foever, which either obfl:inately refufe, or whol– ly abfent thernfelves from the communion of the church of England, at Attempts for fuch times as by law they are required ?-- Some of the clergy were 0," .accfiom:~·- grieved at thefe proceedings, and Dr. 'Til/ot!On and Stil/inrrlleet met privateaatJtm rU; - • ':Jv c) ..' trated by the ly with Dr. Manton, Bates, Pool, and Baxter, to confider of terms of bps. accommodation, which when they had agreed upon and communicated ~~xter, part to the bii11ops, they were difa\lowcd; fo that when Tillotjcn faw how 15 s.P· 157 • things were going, he cautioufly withdrew from the odium, and writ the following letter to Mr. Baxter, April r i, r675, "that he was unwil– ,, ling his name i11ould be made public in the affair, fince it was come " to nothing: not but that I do heartily defire an accommodation (fays " he), and (hall always eadeavour it; but I am fure it will be a pre– " judice to me, and fignify nothing to the effeCting the thing, which as " tircumfl-ances are, cannot pafs in either houfe without the concurrence qj' " a coJ!)ia'erab/e part qf the bijhops, and the countenance qf his ntajejiy, " which at prefent I fee ltttle recifon to expeCl." P eople begin But the biil1ops conduCt made them unpopular, and drew on them ma– to compajfton- ny mortifications; people's compallion began to move towards their dif– attthe ~1i, fenting brethren, whom they frequently faw carried in great numbers to -:~~~~10~/ 1 prifon, and fpoiled of their goods, for no other crime but a tender confcience. The very name of an informer became as odious as their beha– viour was infamous. The aldermen of London often went out of the way, when they heard of their coming; and fome denied them their war– rants, though by the act they forfeited one hundred pounds. Alderman Forth bound over an informer to his good behaviour, for breaking into his Comp. Hift. chamber without leave. When twelve or thirteen biiliops came into the P· 338. city to dine with Sir Nathaniel Herne one of the lheriffs of London, and exhorted him to put the laws in execution again!l the non-conformifts, he told them plainly, they could not trade with their fellow citizens one day, Proceedings of the court toejlablijh arbitrary power, and put them in prifon the next. The moderate churchmen i11ewing a difpofition to unite with the non– conformifl-s againfl: popery, the court refolved to take in the old ranting cavaliers, to ftrengthen the oppo!ition; for this purpofe Morley and fome other biiliops were fent for to court, and told, it was a great misfortune that the church party and diffenters were fo difpofed to unite, and run into one 3 the court was therefore willing to make the church eafy, and to
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