deeper, byver befell'hine met thereby lord"?

XVIII.!

health, ufed in the summer to go to Hampshire' for the sake of recreation, and being invited by lord Zouch to hunt in his park at Bramzill, he met there with the greatest misfortune that ever befell him, for he accidentally killed my lord's keeper, by an arrow from a cross-bow which he shot at one of the deer. This accident threw him into a deep melancholy, and he ever afterwards kept a monthly fast on tuer

day, the day on which this fatal mifchance happened, and Fuller's ch. he settled an annuity of 201. on the widow. There were hift. cent. several persons who took an advantage of this misfortune, to lef.

6.*fen him in the king's favour, but his majesty faid, “ An angel p. 87.

66 might have miscarried in this fort.” His enemies alleging, that he had incurred an irregularity, and was thereby incapacitated for performing the offices of a primate; the king directed a commission to ten persons to enquire into this mats ter. The points referred to their decision, were 1. Whether the archbishop was irregular by the fact of involuntary homicide. 2. Whether that act might tend to scandal in a church man. 3. How his grace should be restored in case the coms missioners should find him irregular. All agreed, that it could not be otherwise done, than by reftitution from the king; but they varied in the manner. The bishop of Winchester, the lord chief justice, and Dr. Steward, thought it should be done by the king, and by him alone. The lord keeper and the bishops of London, Rochester, Exeter, and St. David's, were for a commission from the king directed to some bishops. Judge Dodderidge, and fir Henry Martin, were desirous it should be done both ways, by way of caution. The king accordingly passed a pardon and dispensation, by which he assoilied the archbishop of all irregularity, fcandal or infamation, and declared him capable of all the authority

" I know not; yet I will hope the like a noble princess, had profeffed • best : certainly if countenance be « to her husband, not to leave herself • given to the action, many brave ' one jewel, rather than not to main

spiriss will voluntarily go. Our "tain fo religious and righteous a • great maiter, in sufficient want of ' cause. You see that lying on my ' money, gave some aid to the duke ,' bed I have gone too far; but if I ", of Savoy, and furnished out a pretty ,' were with you, this should be my

army in the cause of Cleve, muft ' language, which I pray you humbly < try once again what can be done in and heartily to represent to the o this bufiness of a higher nature, and . ' king my master, telling him, that

• all the money that may be fpared " when I can stand, I hope to do .' is to be curned that way. And his majesty soine service herein.

• perhaps God provided the jewels “ So commending me unto you,. I
• that were laid up in the tower, to remain
• be gathered by the mother for the " Your very loving friend,
' preservation of her daughter, who,

"GEORGE CANT,"

alatt illnelis majelty expireof the coronted with the

of a primate The archbishop thence forward seldom affifted Sounderson's at the council, being chiefly hindered by his infirmities ; but continuat, of

Rymer's le in the king's last illness he was sent for, and attended with dera, vol. great constancy, till his majesty expired on the 27th of March, xvii. po 1625. He performed the ceremony of the coronation of king 337.. Charles I. though very infirm and much troubled with the gout. He was never greatly in this king's favour, and the duke of Buckingham being his declared enemy, watched an opportunity of making him feel the weight of his displeasure. This he at last accomplished, upon the archbishop's refusing to license a fermon preached by Dr. Sibthorpe, to justify a loan which the king had demanded. This sermon was preached at Northampton, in the Lent assizes, 1627, before the judges, and was transmitted to the archbishop with the king's direction to license it, which he refused to do, and gave his reasons for it; nevertheless, the sermon was licensed by the bishop of London. On the 5th of July, lord Con- Ruthworth's way, who was then secretary of state, made him a visit and collect. v. di intimated to him, that the king expected he should with-p. 438. draw to Canterbury, which the archbishop declined because he had at that time a law suit with that city, and desired he might rather have leave to go to his house at Ford, five miles beyond Canterbury, which was granted ; and on the ninth 1b. of October following the king gave a commission to the Bishops of London, Durham, Rochester, Oxford, and Bath and Wells, to execute the archiepiscopal authority, the cause assigned being no more than this, that the archbishop could not at that time in his own person attend those services, which were otherwise proper for his cognizance and direction. The archbishop did not remain long in this situation, for a Ib. vol. I. på parliament being absolutely necessary, his grace was sent for 435. about Christmas, and restored to his authority and jurisdiction. The interest of bishop Laud being now very confiderable at court, he drew up instructions, which having the king's name were transmitted to the archbishop, under the pompous title of his majesty's instructions to the most reverend father in God, George, lord archbishop of Canterbury, containing certain orders to be observed and put in execution by the leveral bishops in his province. His grace communicated them to his suffragan bishops, but in several respects he endeavoured to soften their rigour, as they were contrived to enforce the particular notions of a prevailing party in the church, which the archbishop thought too hard for those who made the fundamentals of religion their study, and were not so Heylip's life zealous for forms. His conduct in this and other respects of a

· made his presence unwelcome at court, so that upon the birth

of the prince of Wales, afterwards Charles II. Laud had the
honour to baptize him, as dean of the chapel. The arch-
bishop being worn out with cares and infirmities, died at
Croydon, the 5th of August, 1633, aged seventy-one years,
and was buried in the chapel of our lady, within the church
dedicated to the Holy Trinity at Guilford. A stately mo-
nument was erected over the grave, with the effigy of the
archbishop in his robes. He shewed himself, in moft circum-
ftances of his life, a man of great moderation to all parties,
and was desirous that the clergy should attract the esteem of
thelaity by the sanctity of their manners, rather than claim
it as due to their function. His notions and principles,
however, not suiting the humour of some writers, have

drawn upon him many severe reflections. Fuller, in his Cent. XVII. church history, says, “ that he forsook the birds of his own Dxi.p' 128.56 feather to fly with others, generally favouring the laity

o more than the clergy, in causes that were brought before
66 him." Mr. John Aubrey having transcribed what is said
of the archbishop on his monument, adds, “ Notwithstand.
“ ing this most noble character transmitted to posterity, he
“ was, though a benefactor to this place, no friend to
6 the church of England, whereof he was head, but
“ fcandalously permitted that poisonous fpirit of puritanism
“ to spread over the whole nation by his indolence, at least,
" if not connivance and encouragement, which some years
66 after broke out and laid a flourishing church and state in
" the most miserable ruins, and which gave birth to those prin-

W ciples, which unless rooted out will ever make this nation Antiquit. of “ unhappy.” The earl of Clarendon speaks of him thus: “Ab. Surrey, vol. 6 bot confidered the christian religion no otherwise than as III. p. 287. c it abhorred and reviled popery, and valued those men most

66 who did that most furiously. For the strict observation 6 of the discipline of the church, or the conformity of the « articles or canons established, he made little enquiry and took « less care; and having himself made a very little progress in 66 the ancient and solid study of divinity, he adhered only 66 to the doctrine of Calvin ; and, for his fake, did not think « so ill of the discipline as he ought to have done. But if " men prudently forbore a publick reviling and railing at the « hierarchy and ecclefiaftical government, let their opinions 66 and private judgment be what it would, they were not only ".secure from any inquisition of his, but acceptable to him, 66 and at least equally preferred by him: and though many « other bishops plainly discerned the mischiefs which daily

66 broke

bot consider The earl or Coated out will eve birth to thorta

“ Brokerials and prevente all their cod though the be

credit we defection had much discing and

« broke in, to the prejudice of religion, by his defects and
s remiffness, and prevented it in their own dioceses as much

as they could, and gave all their countenance to men of
other parts and other principles; and though the bishop of

London (Dr. Laud) from the time of his authority and * credit with the king, had applied all the remedies he could " to those defections, and from the time of his being chanits cellor of Oxford had much discountenanced and almost sup" pressed that spirit, by encouraging another kind of learning

and practice in that university, which was indeed according “ to the doctrine of the church of England ; yet that temper

in the archbishop, whose houfe was a sanctuary to the most U eminent of that factious party, and who licensed their most tt pernicious writings, left his fucceffor a very difficult work to 66 do, to reform and reduce a church into order that had been lo of long neglected, and that was so ill filled by many weak, " and more wilful churchmen.” Dr. Wellwood has done Hift. of the more justice to the merit and abilities of our prelate : « Arch-rebellion,

Oxon. 1707. « bishop Abbot, says he, was a person of wonderful tem- ivo. p. 68, o per and moderation, and in all his conduct shewed an un-89. « willingness to stretch the act of uniformity beyond what “ was absolutely necessary for the peace of the church, or " the prerogative of the crownı any farther than conduced .“ to the good of the state. Being not well turned for a « court, tho' otherwise of considerable learning and genteel * education, he either could not, or would not stoop to the

humour of the times, and now and then by an unfeason« able stiffness, gave occasion to his enemies to represent « him as not well inclined to the prerogative, or too much * addicted to a popular interest; and therefore not fit to be «. employed in matters of government." 'As to the arch- Memoirs, bishop's learning and abilities as a writer, posterity may judge 8vo. 1700. thereof from his writings upon various subjects, of which we P.3 Thall give, in a note, a lift as they were published (f ).

AB

.. Qaefiones sex, totidem præ- 3. His anfwer to the questions of le&tionibus in fchola theologica Oxo- the citizens of London, in January, nice pro forma habitis, discullæ et 1600, concerning Cheapfide cross; disceptatæ, anno 1597, in quibus e London, 1641. The crofs in Cheapfacra scriptura et patribus quid fta. fide was taken down in the year tuendum fit definitur, Oxoniæ, 1598, 1600, in order to be repaired, and 4to. Francoforti, 1616, 400. ' upon this occafion the citizens of

2. Expofition on the prophet Jo. London desired the advice of both nah, in certain sermons preached in“ universities, Whether the crofs should • StMary's church in Oxford; Lonbe re-erected or not?, Dr. Abbot, as don, 1600, .. vice-chancellor of Oxford, said, that

the

ABBOT (Robert) brother to the archbishop, was borni also in the town of Guilford, in the year, 1560, and bred up under the same schoolmaster there. He was afterwards fent to Baliol college in Oxford. In 1582, he took his degree of master of arts, and soon became a celebrated preacher, and to this talent he chiefly owed his preferment. Upon his first sermon at Worcester, he was chosen lecturer in that city, and soon after rector of All-laints in the fame place. John Stanhope, efq; happening to hear him preach at Paul's-cross, was so pleas'd with him, that he immediately presented him to the rich living of Bingham, 11. Nottinghamshire. In 1597, he took his degree of doctor in divinity, and in the beginning of king James's reign was appointed chaplain in ordinary to his majefty, who had such an opinion of him as a writer, that he ordered the doctor's book, de antichrifto, to be printed with his own commentary upon pari of the Apocalyple. In 1609, he was elected master of Baliol college, which trust be discharged with the utmost care and assiduity, by his frequent lectures to the scholars, by his

the crucifix with the dove upon it added, some observable things fince should not be again set up, but ap- September 25, 1613, when the fenproved rather of a pyramid or some tence was given in the cause of the other fimple ornament. This deter- earl of Effex, continued unto the day mination was consistent with his own of the marriage, December 26, 1613, practice, when in his faid office he which appears also to have been wrote caused several superstitious pictures by his grace ; and to it is joined, the to be burnt in the market-place in speech intended to be spoken at Oxford,

1 Lambeth, September 25, 1613, by 4. The reasons which Dr. Hill hath the archbishop, when it came to his brought for the upholding of papistry, turn to declare his mind concerning , unmasked and thewed to be very the nullity of the marriage. weak; Oxon. 1604.

* 9. A brief description of the whole 5. A preface to the examination of world; London, 1634. George Sprot.

10. A mort apology for archbishop 6. A fermon preached at Weft- Abbot, touching the death of Peter minster, May 26, 3608, at the fu. Hawkins, dated October 8, 16213 neral of Thomas earl of Dorset, late 11. Treatife of perpetual visibility Iord high treafurer of England, on and succession of the true church in Jaiah xl. 6. London, 1608.

all ages ; London, 162 4, 4to.. 7. Translation of part of the New 12. A narrative containing the true Testament, with the rest of the Oxford cause of his sequestration and disgrace divines, 1611.

at court, 1627. 8. Some memorials touching the 13. History of the massacre in the nullity betwixt the earl of Eflex and Valtoline. his lady, pronounced September 25, 14. His judgment of bowing at 1613, at Lambeth, and the difficul. the name of Jesus ; Hamburgh, ties endured in the same. To this is 1632.

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