tice or action, tending in any degree to the hurt or prejudice JAMES I. of the person of our sovereign lord the king, the prince, nobility, counsellors, or officers of state; but towards them in their several places and degrees, to behave themselves as becomes dutiful subjects, and religious Catholics, to their Biblioth. royal king, his counsellors, and officers, serving in place of authority under him. The 28th of November, 1605. "Vester servus in Christo, "BLACKWELLUS, Archipresbyter." About six months after, being furnished with a more particular authority from the pope, he wrote again to his brethren of the clergy, with orders to publish his instructions to the laity of that communion. This second letter, transcribed in Sir Edward Coke's hand, runs thus: Titus. B. 7. circa finem. "Reverendis suis Assistentibus, D. Sharb, D. Standishio, D. Blackwell's Stanford, D. Clenoko, et aliis Compresbyteris : second letter to dissuade violent ut the account "My very reverend good brethren, what I write unto tempts upon you now is his holiness's mandatum, that you endeavour to of religion. Paper-office. suppress all the late suspected attempts and proceedings for liberty. "Quia non solum multa incommoda eaque gravissima religioni allatura, sed etiam Catholicos omnino in discrimen. perniciemque vocatura, sua sanctitas nullo modo probat tales tractatus agitari inter Catholicos; imo jubet, ut hujusmodi cogitationes deponantur. Pro viribus ergo in illud incumbamus efficiamusque nostra authoritate ne tales cogitationes et molitiones tractentur, aut perficiantur, non solum ob insigne damnum, quod inde omnino consequeretur omnes Catholicos, verum etiam et mandatum papæ, qui sic jubet et prohibet. "Of this much you are to give notice to all our brethren, especially to such as are in or about those parts in which such unlawful matters are suspected to have been contrived or devised myself never allowed of any such attempts, but still was of the self-same mind which is now plainly delivered unto us from his holiness. I hope you will be forward to BAN CROFT, publish this mandatum, to the suppressing of all suspected Abp. Cant. discommendable actions. And so I commend myself unto your prayers. July 22, 1606. A. D. 1606. The anner- repealed liament of Perth. James 6. parl. 18. cap. 1, 2, and 20. Several of the Scotch ministers sent for to Hamptoncourt. "Vester servus, “GEORGIUS BLACKWELLUS, Archipresbyter." At a Parliament held at Perth, the 9th of July, this year, an act passed touching the king's prerogative. In this statute, his majesty's sovereign authority, royal prerogative, and privilege, is acknowledged over all estates, persons, and causes whatever, within that kingdom. By another statute, the bishops are restored to their temporalities, and the Act of Annexation is repealed. And thus those bishops' estates which were lately vested in the crown were recovered to their respective sees. But then the act is clogged with exceptions, and confirms the grants of several castles and other estates granted by the crown to the nobility and gentry. There is likewise an act passed, entitled, "Anent salvo jure cujus-libet," which seems to be made on purpose to secure the late alienation of Church lands to the laity. Soon after the dissolution of this parliament, several of bishops and the Scotch clergy were ordered to attend the king at Presbyterian Hampton-court. The business was, to give the king satisfaction concerning the late assembly at Aberdeen. His majesty sent for several of both parties. The archbishops of St. Andrew's and Glasgow, the bishops of Orkney, Galloway, and Mr. James Nicholson, designed for the see of Dunkeld, made one part of the division; those on the other side were Mr. Andrew and Mr. James Melvil, Mr. James Balfour, Mr. William Watson, Mr. William Scot, Mr. John Carmitchel, and Mr. Adam Colt. The king ordered some of the English bishops to attend him at the same time, and preach by turns upon the subjects given them. Barlow, bishop of Lincoln, began the exercise : his text was Acts xx. 28, "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers," &c. From these words he took occasion to prove the superiority of bishops over presbyters, both from the Scriptures and the testimony of the ancients. He JAMES I. likewise insisted upon the inconvenience of parity in the Church, and the confusions consequent upon that scheme. Buckeridge, bishop of Rochester, came next, and preached upon Romans xiii. 1. "Let every soul be subject to the higher powers." From this text, which seems somewhat surprising, he endeavoured to establish the regale. However, he is said to have maintained the king's supremacy in ecclesiastical causes to the satisfaction of the audience. But the Scotch ministers were somewhat galled to hear a parallel drawn between the pope and the Presbyterians, in their encroachment upon princes. Andrews, then bishop of Chichester, followed Buckeridge, and took some of the first verses of the tenth chapter of Numbers for his text, "Make thee two trumpets of silver," &c. From these words his business was to prove the authority of secular princes for convening synods and councils. King, bishop of London, came up at last. His text was the eleventh verse of the eighth chapter of the Canticles. The discourse, though somewhat remote from the words, was suitable to the occasion: for the sermon was principally spent in proving that lay-elders were Church-officers unknown to the ancient Church; and that the modern scheme had no warrant either from precept or example, no counte- Spotswood's nance in Scripture or primitive practice. The king ordered these sermons as a preliminary expedient he hoped the controversy between the Kirk and the hierarchy, being thus learnedly managed, might bring the Scotch out of their mistakes, or at least make them more tractable. Church At their first appearing in the presence, the king acquainted them, "that the reason of his sending for them was to know their opinions touching the meeting at Aberdeen, where a few ministers, in contempt of his authority, had convened themselves; and notwithstanding they failed, both in numbers and customary method, they had the presumption to keep together, and call their junto a general assembly, and that some of them had since maintained their Sept. 22. CROFT, 692. misbehaviour, and declined the jurisdiction of his council. Abp. Cant. His majesty, therefore, desired to hear their thoughts upon this conduct, because he was informed several ministers justified that meeting, and recommended the principal criminals to the prayers of their congregation." Now this, as the king observes, was in effect to proclaim him a tyrant and a persecutor. The Presbyterian ministers refuse to condemn the Aberdeen assembly. Idem. To this Mr. James Melvil answered, that the ministers had no such peremptory command to break up the assembly as was reported; and, turning to Sir Alexander Straiton, then present, conjured him to declare his knowledge of that matter. In short, Melvil endeavoured to defend the legality of the assembly, notwithstanding the defects objected in numbers and form. The king, finding them disposed to maintain their ground, demanded their answer to these three questions: "1. Whether it is lawful to pray publicly for criminals convicted by a legal court, as persons afflicted and in distress? 2. Whether I may not," continues the king, "as a Christian prince, by virtue of my authority royal, convene, adjourn, and dissolve any assembly within my dominions for necessary reasons best known to myself? 3. Whether I am not empowered by my regal authority to summon any person whatsoever, either civil or ecclesiastical, before me and my council, to answer for misdemeanours by them committed in any place of my dominions? And whether it is not lawful for me to try the offence, and proceed to judgment? And further, whether all my subjects, being summoned before me and my council, are not obliged to make their appearance, and own me or my council competent judges?" Mr. James Melvil desiring some time to deliberate upon such weighty questions, the king was contented to stay for their resolution till the next day. When they came, the Scotch bishops, being first asked their opinion, unanimously condemned the Aberdeen assembly as illegal, turbulent, and They answer factious. But the two Melvils, Balfour, and Scot, made the king's shuffling and evasive answers; upon which these ministers October 20. and the rest of the brethren that came along with them evasively to questions. were ordered not to return into Scotland without the king's JAMES I licence, and forbidden to appear at the queen and prince's court. Idem. nisters con The king, being thus disappointed by the obstinacy and The misingularities of these men, sent an order into Scotland, for victed of banishing the ministers convicted of treason. About this time, pope Paul V. published a brief, directed to the English Roman Catholics. treason banished. brief, for papists to church or The pope, after having lamented the suffering of those of The pope's his communion in England, acquaints them of his being bidding the informed, "that the government had lately obliged them, English under severe penalties, to go to the heretics' churches, to come to make part of their congregation, and hear their sermons; take the oath that he hopes those who have behaved themselves with such of allegiance. remarkable constancy will never yield to so criminal a compliance. However, out of his pastoral care and paternal affection, he charges them never to indulge themselves in any such latitude, or take such dangerous steps; that they cannot join with heretics in religious worship without incurring God Almighty's displeasure, and hazarding their own salvation." From hence he proceeds to caution them against taking the oath of allegiance. The rest may be seen in the See Records, records. And how slenderly the pope was founded in his num. 101. exceptions to the oath of allegiance, will be observed by and by. taken. The reader may remember a new translation of the Bible 4 translation of the was resolved at the late Hampton-court conference. To Bible underencourage this work, the king had already made some preparatory advances, as appears by his letter to the archbishop of Canterbury. It stands thus: encouraging ing the work. "Right trusty and well-beloved, we greet you well. The king's Whereas we have appointed certain learned men, to the letter fr number of four and fifty, for the 'translation' of the Bible, and advanc and that in this number divers of them have either no eclesiastical preferment at all, or else so very small, that the same is far unmeet for men of their deserts, and yet we of ourself in any convenient time cannot well remedy it. Therefore we do hereby require you, that presently you write in our name, as well to the archbishop of York, as to |