WHIT- TON WAS whether the speaker had a voice, which being decided in the negative, the bill was lost. And here the The speaker himself owned he was foreclosed from giving his voice by taking the chair; and that by being elected to this os sem post, he was to be indifferent to both parties, and therefore to vote on neither side. Sir Walter Raleigh and secretary Ceeil delivered themselves to the same opinion, and the 5 house acquiesced in it. This parliament, being the last of this reign, was dissolved on the 19th of December. A. D. 1901 The convocation met on the 18th of October: the archbishop presiding, exhorts the bishops to manage with vigilance and vigour, and be careful to observe the canons passed in the last convocation. And particularly he gives them the following cautions: "First. Not to proceed in court upon apparitors' suggestions, without churchwardens' presentment, or other just inquisition. "Secondly. That ecclesiastical juges hold no more than one court within the compass of five weeks. “Thirdly. That chancellors and officials do not call men to several courts for the same cause. "Fourthly. To have bills of presentment but once a quarter. "Fifthly. That the curates of non-residents be able persons, and have good allowances. "Sixthly. That none but chancellors grant licenses for marriage." There was nothing more material done this convocation, excepting the granting of four subsidies, payable in four 668. years, which grant, according to custom, was confirmed in Extract of parliament. Convocat. The secular Jesuits. The next year, one Watson, a secular priest, published a priests write book against the Jesuits: it is written in a scholastic way. against the It is made up of ten quodlibets, as he calls them, with the same number of articles in each subdivision. He draws up a severe charge against the Jesuits for their latitude in equivocation and mental reservation, flies out into strong reproaches, and treats the society with the last extremity BETH. them with of language. The paper war between the seculars and ELIZAJesuits ran now as high as ever. The secular priests were much disgusted that Blackwell was put over them for their arch-priest. For this Blackwell, it seems, they looked on as a person at the disposal of Garnet, the Jesuits' provincial. A. D. 1602. Blackwell's commission being thus contested, he first disabled them in their character, and afterwards got them censured for schismatics and heretics, in a brief from Rome. But the university of Paris declaring for them, this blemish would not stick. In their prints against their adversaries, they spoke very honourably of the queen's clemency, and that, every thing considered, she had all along dealt gently with the Papists. For the purpose: they proved that in the first eleven years of her reign, not one Roman Catholic was capitally prosecuted for his religion. And that ten years. after Pius Quintus's excommunicating bull, and the rebellion under the earls of Westmoreland and Northumberland, there were not above twelve priests executed, and even some of these were convicted of practices against the state. And thus matters stood till the year 1580, when the Jesuits And charge made their first mission into England. That these religious, disloyalty. by their disloyalty and treason, embroiled business to the last degree, disserved the Catholic religion, and provoked the legislature to severities against that communion. That notwithstanding this misbehaviour, there were not in the next ten years above fifty priests executed, and fifty-five banished, who had forfeited their lives by law. That afterwards, at the instance of the Jesuit Parsons, there were English seminaries founded in Spain: and from hence, every year, several turbulent priests were dispatched into England. That this Parsons prompted the Spaniard to a second invasion of England and Ireland: that in a printed tract he maintained the Infanta's title to the crown of England: and required an oath of the students of the seminaries, to declare for her. That Holt of the same society did his utmost to push Hesket to a rebellion, and tampered with Cullin, York, and Williams, to kill the queen. And that Walpole, a Jesuit, persuaded Squire to the same villany. And thus the queen, whose opinion it was that conscience ought not to be overborne with rigour and compulsion, was GIFT, forced in her own defence upon methods of severity: for Abp. Cant, that without such rugged expedients, the preserving herself and her kingdoms was thought impracticable. As for Parsons, they describe him as a rank incendiary, and one remarkably defective in common honesty. The libels published by the Jesuits against the queen, these seculars charged with downright falsehood, and that the authors are no better than traitors against God and her majesty. And here they argue very commendably that religion is not to be propagated by insurrections, by fire and sword; but that proselytes are to be gained by persuasion, meekness, and inoffensive behaviour. And, lastly, they cautioned the English Papists against sending their children for education to the Jesuits' seminaries: for that these men would make a dangerous impression upon their youth, form them to treason and rebellion, and poison them in their principles. Cambden, Notwithstanding these professions of loyalty, the queen and council suspected some latent reserves. A proclamation therefore was published, commanding the Jesuits, and those secular priests who joined them, to quit the kingdom immediately and that the rest who appeared more moderate and better disposed, should be gone within two months, unless they would give a satisfactory declaration of their allegiance: and that neither Jesuits nor seculars should return under the penalty of suffering the law. This year Alexander Nowel, doctor of divinity, and dean Phedrock of of St. Paul's, London, departed this life. He was educated in Brasenose-college in Oxford; which house he endowed e with two hundred pounds per annum, for the maintenance of thirteen students. He was a person of learning and exemplary life. Dr. John Overal, divinity professor in Cambridge, succeeded him in his deanery. Herbert Westphaling, bishop of Hereford, a very religious prelate, died about this time, and lefty twenty pounds per annum to Jesus College in Oxford. To go back a little for Scotland: in November last a general assembly met at Holyrood-house, where, amongst other things, it was agreed, that in memory of his majesty's deliverance there should be sermons in all the boroughs every Tuesday, and the fifth of August solemnly kept, pur BETH. suant to the late act of parliament. By the way, the par- ELIZAliament not only provided for this anniversary, but enacted the name of Ruthven should be extinguished, the bodies of the earl and his brother brought to Edinburgh, there hanged and quartered, and their heads fixed upon the top of the common prison; this was all executed accordingly, excepting the clause relating to the name of Ruthven, which the king dispensed with in favour of those unconcerned in the plot. Ch. Hist. The king having a near prospect of being monarch of the whole island, and resolving to bring the churches of England and Scotland towards an uniformity, prevailed with the assembly to pass an order that marriages might be solemnized without distinction of days; whereas by the rules of the discipline it stood prohibited on Sundays. Further, before this time the initiating sacrament was not administered, unless at the times of preaching. Some are of opinion this practice proceeded from an opinion of the indifference, or at least the non-necessity of baptism. But now the assembly ordained, "that in case this sacrament was required by the parents, or others in their names, it Spotswood's should neither be refused to infants, or delayed upon any MS. penes pretence whatsoever:" and thus the Scotch ministers made Archibald Campbell somewhat of an advance towards the Church of England. Armig. About this time pope Clement VIII., perceiving the dis- Pope Cleputes between the English seculars and Jesuits was like to to Blackwell, disserve his interest, wrote to the arch-priest Blackwell to priest. stop the progress of the contest: to call in all defamatory October, books, and not to suffer either party to maltreat the other; 669. and that they should print nothing upon the controversy without a licence from the cardinal protector. The pope takes notice that some English priests had appealed, and preferred a complaint against Blackwell: he therefore cautions him to manage his commission with temper: as for his instructions at length, I shall refer the reader to the records. ment's letter the arch 1602. See Records, num. 98. zabeth's The queen, who had hitherto been all along happy in her Queen Elihealth, began now to decline very sensibly. On the last of death and January she removed from Westminster to Richmond for character. retirement and the benefit of the air. She was seized some GIFT, Abp. Cant. Cambden, WHIT time before her death with a deep melancholy. Whether this distemper proceeded from conscience or constitution,whether her mind affected her health, or ill habit of body clouded her imagination,-is somewhat uncertain. It is possible her extraordinary usage of the queen of Scots, embroiling the neighbouring kingdoms and harassing the patrimony of the Church, might not altogether please in the retrospection. The earl of Essex's friends pretended her giving way to the execution of that nobleman sat hard upon her spirits. Some thought she suspected the inclinations of her subjects began to remove, that they grew weary of her government, and looked towards the king of Scots. But, without pronouncing upon the cause, it is certain the last scene was dark and disconsolate. However, her silence and solitary appearance, her refusing conversation, unless with archbishop Whitgift, might proceed from a religious disposition. She was willing, we may charitably suppose, to keep herself in a posture of recollection, and reserve her time for eternity. When the symptoms grew mortal, the lord keeper and secretary Cecil waited on her by the direc tion of the privy council. Their business was to ask her pleasure concerning her successor. She told them "her throne was a throne of kings, and that she would not have any mean person succeed her." And the secretary desiring her majesty to explain herself further, she answered, “that the king of Scots, her nearest relation, should succeed her." After this, the archbishop put her in mind to turn her thoughts to the other world, and think upon God. "That Idem I do," says she; "nor does my mind at all wander from him." And when her speech failed her, her gestures were devout and significant. She died on the 24th of March, in the seventieth year of her age, and the forty-fifth of her reign. To say something of this princess by way of description: she seems formed by nature and education for the greatness she was born to. It must be said her qualities were many of them correspondent to her station. To be somewhat particular; she was furnished with learning, sense, and courage, to an unusual degree; she spoke Latin, French, and Italian, with ease and propriety, and under |