Chap. XI. The HISTORY if the PuRrTANS, and fecured one conquefl: before he had attempted another, he might have . King fucceeded, but he gave .himfelf up :o the fury of ~is priefis, who advifJa;~s/1· ed him to make haite With what he mtended. This was difcovered by a ~ letter from the jifuits from Liege to thofe of Friburgh, which fays, the kiJig wia1ed they could furni!h him with more priefls, to ,affifl: him in the ·· converfion of the nation, which his majefl:y was refolved to bring about, 775 or die a martyr in the attempt. He faid, he mujl make h4Je that he might Burnet, p. accomplijh it in his life-time_'; and when one of them was lamenting that 7 II, 7 12 • his next heir was an heretic, he anfwered, God will provide an heir; which argued, either a il:rong faith, or a formed defign of impofing one on the nation. Father Petre was the king's chief miniil:er, and one of his majefiy's privy council, a bold and forward man, who fiuck at nothing to ruin the church. The king defigned him for the archbia1opric of York, now vacant, and for a cardinal's cap, if he could prevail with lb. p. 733· the pope ; for this purpofe the earl of Cafllemain was fent ambaifador to Rome; and a nuncio was fent from thence into England, to whom his majefiy paid all poffible refpe<'l, and gave an audience at Windfor, tho' it was contrary to law; ~1! commerce with the court of Rome having been declared high treafon by t.he fiatute of king Henry VIII. But the king {aid bq was above law ; and becaufe the duke of Somerfet would not officiate in his place at the ceremony, he was difmiffed from all his employments. It was il:range infatuation in king Janus, to put a flight on the an- Bijhop Par– cient nobility, and turn moll: of his fervants out of their places, becaufe k:,r writesfor they were protejlants: This weakened his interefi, and threw a vail: k~,~~';.'74o, weight into the oppofite fcale. Indeed it was impoffible to difguife his majefiy's defign of introducing popery, and therefore Parker bifhop of Oxford, was employed to jufiify it, who publi!hed a book, entituled, reajons for abrogating the tejt impojed 012 all members qf parliament; which mufl: refer to the renouncing tranjubjtantiation, and the idolatry qf the church if Rome; becaufe the members of parliament had no other qualification impofed upon them, befides the oaths of allegiance and fitpremacy. The bi!hop faid much to excufe the doctrine of tranfubll:antiation, and to free the church of Rome from the charge of idolatry. His reqfons were licenfed by the earl of Sunderland, and the fiationer was commanded not to print any anfwer to them; but Dr. Rurnet, then in Holland, gave them a very fmart and fatyrical reply, which quite ruined the bi!hop's reputation. ~ut ~is majefiy'~ chief dependance was upon his army, which he was Protejlants cafilllg Into a pop1!h mould ; proteflant qjjicers were ca!hiered; Port.f dijplaced anti h d H 11 h · · 1 r f !. d · '!h roman catbomout an u , t .e .two pnnc1pa ~ea-ports o Eng an , wer~ 1.n pop1 lies put into hands; and the majonty of the garnfons were of the fame religiOn, lre-tbeir places, land
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