not wanting those at home who applauded and defended it.

Arminius

Sir Thomas Edmondes) Sir Henry Wooton took fo ten"derly, as thereupon he charged them with the breach "of their amity with his majefty, and declared unto them that in refpect thereof he could not longer ex"ercise his charge of a public minifter among them. "This proteftation of his was found fo ftrange by that ftate, as they fent hither (d) in great diligence to un- (d) This is derstand whether his majefty would avow him there- London, "in, which did very much trouble them here to make oat. 4. "a cleanly answer thereunto, for the falving the am- 1609.

written from

baffador's credit, who is cenfured to have profecuted "the matter to an over great extremity (e)." This (e) Winwood, Vol. must have been a great mortification to fames, had he . p. 77, had much fenfibility of temper; but yet, even this was 78. nothing to the flight which was put upon his piece by the Spaniards; for it was no fooner known in Spain that James was about to write against the pope, than the secretary of ftate fent word to Sir Charles Cornwallis, "that the king his mafter did much grieve at it, "and marvelled that the king of Great Britain (the pope in no fort meddling with him) would put his "own hand into fuch a business (ƒ)." But though the (f) Id. Vol. II. p. 486. minifters of state in England knew this, yet, when Sir Charles Cornwallis received his majesty's letter of revocation," he also received a book of his majefty's, to"gether with a letter to the king of Spain". But for fear of an indifferent reception, or rather a refufal of both the one and the other, he was ordered by lord Salisbury, from the king, to "present the letter and the "book to the king of Spain himself, as fpeedily and "conveniently as might be, without giving any fore"knowledge that he was to prefent any fuch matter; "for which purpose, adds his lordship, the letter for "your revocation may ferve you for a good pretext of "accefs (g)." They faw there was need of dexterity (g) Id. Vol. to get the book accepted; indeed they could not help

1

(b) Winwood, Vol.

III. P. 55.

68.

Arminius dying Oct. 19, 1609. Conrad Vorftius was invited to fucceed him in his profeffor's chair of divinity at Leyden: after a year's deliberation he accepted of it. But James, in the mean time, having seen some of his writings, fent orders to his ambaffador,

it; for the Spanish ambaffador at London had refused the book, when fent him by the lord treasurer (h); and what he had done, it was to be feared, his mafter would do. And fo it fell out; for juft before Sir Charles had his laft audience of the king of Spain, the duke of Lerma let him know plainly, that he was informed that he intended at his taking leave of his mafter, to prefent his Britannic majefty's book to him; that he was furprised that it could be imagined it would be received; and therefore gave him fair warning to forbear prefenting the book, "whereby, faid he, might be avoided a "refufal that would be fo unpleafing to the one to give, "and fo diftafteful to the other to receive." Cornwallis replied to Lerma with zeal and understanding; but 'twas all in vain: he was told pofitively," the king "of Spain would never receive, much less give reading "to any book containing matter derogatory to his re

ligion and obedience to the fee of Rome." This filenced him; he took his leave of the Spanish king, and (i) Id. p.67, was obliged to carry back the book with him (i). What an affront this! how provoking to one fo full of his own abilities as James! he thought, doubtless, that his fellow kings with attention would have read his works, applauded his talents, and magnified his art and dexterity in controverfy. But he was miftaken, few foreigners spoke well of his writings, and we fee with what contempt he was treated by fome of those to whom his book was addreffed. However his flatterers at home kept up his fpirits. Moft wife, most learned, most understanding were the epithets beftowed on him by the defigning courtiers, and afpiring clergy. These he was

so

dor, Sir Ralph Winwood, in Holland, to represent the vileness of his doctrines, and defire that he might not be admitted to his place. The ftates returning an answer not fatisfactory, he renewed his application ; and in order the more effectually to exclude Vor

ftius

fo long used to hear, that 'tis not improbable he might come at length to think he deserved them. It would be useless to take notice of the feveral writers of the English nation who appeared in defence of James against · his adverfaries. Their names may be feen in Fuller (k); but for their works they are almoft out of re- (4) Church membrance long ago, the reverends and right reverends, hiftory, cent. 17. book 10 by cruel fate, were doomed to be P. 43.

Martyrs of pies, and reliques of the bum.

DRYDEN.

But all writings are not formed to abide any confiderable fpace of time: and well were it for the world, if the dread of oblivion would reftrain the zealot, the pedant, the half-thinker from troubling its repose by their controverfies.

I will only obferve before I conclude this note, that Gafpar Scioppius, that man of great reading and much learning, who had parts fuperior to most, and severity and ill manners equal to his abilities, published two pieces against James's apology and premonition; the one intitled Ecclefiafticus auctoritati fereniffimi D. Jacobi Magna Britanniæ regis oppofitus, printed in 1611; and the other ftiled Collyrium regium Britanniæ regi graviter ex oculis laboranti muneri miffum, printed the fame year. It may be fuppofed no great regard could be paid James by a writer of fuch a character; but it had been better for him to have used a little more decency, for he had well near loft his life by the hands of fome of the English ambaffador's fervants at Madrid, for his

(1) See

Bayle's dict. article Sci

fius from the place to which he had been chofen, and also had accepted, he published a declaration (YY) concerning the proceedings

want of it (). The truth is, no men deferve punishment more than writers of Scioppius's temper. He railed, he reviled, he reproached, he uttered a thousand falfhoods against his adverfaries, and ftuck at nothing in (G) and (H) order to defame. Men's reputations he valued not, nor

oppius,

notes

(a) James's

works, p. 348.

cared he who was hurt by his calumnies. He deserved chaftisement from the hand of the magiftrate; and it would have been no more than justice to have treated him as a criminal. For there is a great deal of difference between refuting and defaming an adverfary, between fhewing the inconclufivenefs of his reafonings, and inventing lies in order to blaft his character; and I cannot help thinking that he who does the latter, ought to be looked on as a wretch who is a difgrace both to learning and humanity, and exposed to the punishment of calumniators.

(YY) He published a declaration concerning the proceedings in the caufe of Vorftius.] This declaration is "dedicated and confecrated to the honour of our Lord "and Saviour Jefus Chrift, the eternal Son of the eter"nal Father, the only OEANOРлпо, mediator and "reconciler of mankind, in fign of thankfulness, by "his most humble, and moft obliged fervant, James, "&c.(a)" If this dedication be thought extraordinary, the declaration itfelf will be judged more fo; for he declares it to be the duty of a chriftian king to extirpate herefies; profeffes that 'tis zeal for the glory of God which alone induces him to move for the banishment of Vorftius, whom he ftiles a wretched heretic, or rather atheist, out of the State's dominions; and then goes on to give an account of what he had done in that affair. He gives us a copy of his first letter to Sir Ralph Winwood, in which he orders him to tell the States, that "there had lately come to his hands a piece of

"work

ings with the ftates general of the united provinces of the Low Countries in the cause of D. Conradus Vorftius, in which, among other

"work of one Vorftius, a divine in those parts, where"in he had published fuch monftrous blafphemies, and "horrible atheism, as he held not only the book wor"thy to be burnt, but even the author himself to be "most severely punished;" and withal he commands him to let them know how infinitely he shall be "difpleafed if fuch a monfter receive advancement in "the church; and that if they continue their resolu▾ ❝tion to advance him, he will make known to the "world in print how much he detefted fuch abomi"nable herefies, and all allowers and tolerators of

them;" and that the ftates might not want proper information, he sent a catalogue of his damnable positions (b).— But the ftates were not fo furious as (6) Works, James; they had more knowledge, and confequently p. 350. more difcretion. All the answer he could get amounted to no more than a representation of the good character of Vorftius, his great abilities, the reasonableness of allowing him to defend himself against his adversaries, and an affurance that if upon examination he should be found guilty, he fhould not be admitted to the profeffor's place (c). Before the receipt of this an- (c) Id. p. fwer James was determined to fhew his zeal, and ma- 352, 353, nifest his indignation against the heretic. He ordered his books to be burnt in St. Paul's church-yard, and both the univerfities; by this means confuting them in the shortest manner. But he ftopt not here; he renewed his inftances to the states for the setting afide Vorftius, and again represented his execrable blafphemies, and affures them never any heretic better deserved to be burnt than he; and left they should hearken to his denials of what was charged on him, he asks them, "what will "not he deny, that denieth the eternity and omnipo"tency of God. He concludes with threatning them that if they fhould fail of that which he expected at

I 3

"their