GRINDAL had a design to abandon the Reformation, and betray the kingAbp. Cant. t; dom to a foreign power. To. prevent the people from being poisoned with such calumnies, the statute enacts, An act against sedi "That if any person or persons within forty days after the tious libels. end of that session shall advisedly, or with a malicious intent, devise, write, print, or set forth, any manner of book, rhyme, ballad, letter, or writing, containing any false, seditious, or scandalous matter, to the defamation of the queen's majesty, or to the encouraging, stirring or moving of any insurrection or rebellion within the queen's dominions: or if any person after the end of the said forty days, either within the queen's dominions or elsewhere, shall procure such book, ballad, letter, or writing, to be written, printed, published, or set forth (the said offence not being punishable by the 25th of king Edward III., nor within the compass of treason by any other statute) that then the said offenders being thereof lawfully convicted, shall suffer pains of death, and forfeiture of goods, as in cases of felony. And here neither benefit of clergy, or sanctuary were to be allowed." But this statute expiring with Statutes at the queen's life, left the government unguarded. 23 Eliz. cap. 2. Large. A convoca To pass from the parliament to the convocation. The protion meets. vince of Canterbury met at St. Paul's on the 17th of January. Archbishop Grindal signed an instrument for substituting Ailmer, bishop of London, to preside. There was little remarkable done by this convocation, excepting the grant of a subsidy, and an address made to the bishops from the lower house, for executing the late book of articles: to which we may add the bishop of London's reading a letter from the privy council; in which it was moved some provision might be made to check the heresy maintained by the "Family of Love." Some of the members were strongly affected with the disgrace of Grindal's sequestration. These men, out of a generous zeal for their metropolitan, moved against entering upon any business, or so An address much as granting a subsidy, till the embargo was taken off, the dean of and the archbishop restored. But the majority were too church for cautious to be governed by this suggestion. However, Fuller taking off reports, they came to a unanimous resolution for petitioning questration. the queen for Grindal's restitution. The address was drawn drawn by Christ Grindal's se Fuller's Hist. Church by Toby Mathews, dean of Christ-church. It was penned in Latin, in a handsome moving style, and with a profound acbook 9, p. 119, 120. knowledgment of the regale. It was presented, as this histo-. BETH. rian will have it, but failed of success. That such an address ELIZAwas presented to the queen needs not be questioned: but that it was passed as an act of convocation, is more than appears by the extracts from the journal. And besides, the learned Heylin, who perused the convocation records at length, found no such petition. Journal Convoc. Heylin's byt. p. 288. The clergy of London petitioned this convocation for redress fol. 144. against the frauds and evasive methods practised in the city, Hist. Presfor detaining the tithes from the incumbent. The complaint in The London the address being somewhat remarkable, I have put it amongst clergy's adthe records. dress to the convocation. See Records, others sent This year some English Jesuits, most distinguished for learn- num. 39. ing and courage, were sent over into England for the conver- Jesuits and sion, as they call it, of the country. Amongst these mission- missionaries into Engaries, Robert Parsons and Edmund Campian were the most land. remarkable. And to proportion the numbers to the design, several secular priests belonging to the English seminaries came along with them. These men, as Sanders reports, prosecuting their mission with great alacrity and vigour, prevailed with abundance of the common people to return to the communion of Rome, and over and above gained several persons of learning and quality: and all this in a few months' time. Sanders de Schism. About this time, Egremond Ratcliff, of the house of Sussex, Angl. and another English gentleman, were seized in Flanders, for attempting the life of Don John of Austria, governor of the Low Countries. Don John dying soon after this discovery, Ratcliff was beheaded at Namur by the prince of Parma. It is possible this charge of assassination might be disbelieved in England, and the two gentlemen thought to have had hard measure. But let this be as it will, the face of affairs abroad, and the progress of the missionaries at home, gave an alarm to the government. The queen took care it should be publicly reported she was certainly informed a league was concerted against her at Rome: that the pope, the king of Spain, and several Italian princes, had engaged in the alliance: that the restoring their religion was the business of the treaty: and that all this was done at the instance of the English refugees, both laity and priests: but that her majesty, relying Idem. upon the protection of Heaven, the justice of her cause, and the valour and fidelity of her subjects, was prepared for the worst that could happen. GRINDAL As to the Jesuits, and other English missionaries, in what Abp. Cant. manner they managed, and what hazards they ran in the enterprise, may be partly collected from Campian's letter to the general of his order. Part of Campian's letter to his general. 571. "I got to London," says he, "and my good angel directed me to the same house which had formerly entertained father Robert (meaning Parsons). I was immediately accosted by several young gentlemen of figure, who, saluting me in a friendly manner, furnished me with a handsome disguise, and equipped me in a military habit. And thus being conveyed out of town, and my route assigned me, I am almost every day moving on horseback. I meet with strong encouragement, and abundance of people to work upon. While I am travelling the road, my method is, to strike out some heads, and prepare matter for a short sermon. This rough draught I touch over, and draw to farther length when I come to my journey's end. When any body makes me a visit upon the score of religion, I either discourse with them, or receive their confessions. In the morning after prayers, I preach to the company, and administer the sacraments to great numbers. For in this latter office I seldom want the assistance of some Catholic priests, my countrymen. These men, being remarkable for their learning and regularity, draw the regard of the people, and make our employment less burdensome. But there are so many snares set, so many spies upon us, that it is impossible to escape the heretics any long time. I am in a most whimsical dress but this, and my name too, I am forced to change very often. I sometimes read letters, where at the first sight I meet with the report of Campian's being taken. This news is grown so common, wherever I go, that the frequency of the danger has almost made me disregard it, and grow more hardy. "At this very time the persecution rages in a frightful manner the family where I am receive nothing but melancholy advices. We scarcely hear of any thing but the absconding or imprisonment of our friends, or the punishing of them in their estates. However, our people move boldly on, and the satisfaction they meet with in doing their duty, is more than a counterpoise to what they suffer. A good conscience, a glorious undertaking, an ardour for the propagating truth, and an incredible number of proselytes of all ages, sexes, and condi BETH. tions, are wonderful encouragements. Heresy is generally ELIZAdecried, and nothing can be more despicable than their ministers. It would vex one to see such mean, illiterate, and scandalous parsons pretend to govern people of sense and education. But I am just now alarmed with immediate danger, and therefore can give you nothing farther'." missiona ous to the government. Hist. Pres Eliz. These missionaries are said to have managed in a very sedi- Some of the tious manner. Some of them were so hardy as to affirm the ries dangercrown belonged to the queen of Scots: that queen Elizabeth ought to be deposed: that if the pope commanded one thing, and her majesty the contrary, his holiness was to be obeyed. Now Heylin's when men declared thus openly against the government, it is byt. lib. vii. no wonder if they drew a storm upon themselves. To prevent Cambden, the danger from such a mission, the queen published a proclamation, commanding that all those who had either children, relations, or wards beyond sea, should certify their names to the ordinary, and recal them home within four months. And in case they refused to return, not to supply them with remittances by bills of exchange, or any other way. They were likewise forbidden to entertain or support any Jesuits or seminary priests and that those who failed in taking due notice of the proclamation, should be prosecuted as abettors of rebellion. And lastly, when they knew where any such persons might be found, they were commanded to discover them, and put them into the magistrates' hand, under the penalties above-men- June, 1580. tioned. And that the strictness of the order might not be surprising, the proclamation sets forth, "that the business of these missionaries was not only to gain proselytes to their church, but embroil the kingdom, and draw off the subjects from their allegiance." Cambden, Eliz. Before this proclamation came out, the Roman Catholics found themselves embarrassed with the excommunicating bull, and seemed very uneasy at so rough an expedient. They took care to suppress Sanders's defence of this censure, and forbid disputing upon the pope's power to excommunicate and depose princes but all this caution was not sufficient to silence the controversy. When Parsons and Campian were coming for Pius V.'s England, they procured a faculty from pope Gregory XIV., at the instance of the to make the bull more inoffensive to their own communion. missionaries. : 'If Campian had duly appreciated the amount of talent, loyalty, virtue, and courage displayed by the British in defending the supremacy of the crown against the grinding despotism of the popes, he would have written with mor eliberality. Bull softened Idem. GRINDAL They desired his holiness would please to explain and qualify Abp. Cant. the bull published by Pius V. They desired this instrument might be declared in force only against queen Elizabeth and her adherents and that the Catholics might not be affected with the censure, until the juncture should present fair, and the sentence might be executed without danger. Their request was granted, and the bull qualified to this construction on the 14th of April this year. Idem. Regist. fol. 193. Parsons, a warm rugged-tempered man, was very bold and seditious in his discourse, went such extravagant lengths as to propose the dethroning the queen; insomuch that Roman Catholics designed to seize him, and deliver him up to justice. Campian, though more modest, and of a smoother disposition, offered to dispute with the English clergy, and sent them a public challenge. He likewise published his "Decem Rationes" in defence of the Roman communion. The book is penned in elegant Latin, and managed to advantage. It was answered by Dr. Whitaker. About this time one Howlet printed a tract to dissuade the Papists from going to our churches. Archbishop Grindal, being thought too gentle and remiss in his management, the privy council wrote to him to complain of the relaxation of discipline. The letter stands thus: "Whereas the queen's majesty has been informed that divers persons within the province of Canterbury, both of the common and better sort, who of late time have been conformable to the laws of this realm concerning religion, are now fallen away, and have withdrawn themselves from coming to church, to the evil example of others her majesty's good subjects, and to the great offence of her highness, who does not a little marvel, by what means this relapse should happen, having delivered sufficient authority unto your lordship, and others joined unto you, by virtue of her commission ecclesiastical, warranted by the laws of this realm. Whereby you might at all times have repressed the insolency and corrected the disobedience of such as therein should have presumed to offend, if such care and vigilancy had been used within your charge as appertaineth. Her highness's pleasure therefore is, that for the present reforming and punishing of those that have had and do herein disobey the laws, that you give order to have them forthwith convented, before such as do attend the execu |