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not wanting thofe at home who applauded and defended it.

Arminius

London,

III. p. 77,

Sir Thomas Edmondes) Sir Henry Wooton took fo tenderly, as thereupon he charged them with the breach of their amity with his majefty, and declared unto "them that in respect thereof he could not longer ex"ercife 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-written from "in, which did very much trouble them here to make oa. 4. 26 a cleanly anfwer thereunto, for the falving the am- 1609. "baffador's credit, who is cenfured to have profecuted "the matter to an over great extremity (e)." This (e) Winmust have been a great mortification to fames, had he wood, Vol. 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 fecretary of state 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 મંદ own hand into fuch a business (f).", But though the (f) Id. Vol. II. p. 486. ministers of ftate 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 Salifbury, from the king, to" prefent 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

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(b) Winwood, Vol.

III. p. 55.

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 ambassador,

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 master would do. And fo it fell out; for just before Sir Charles had his last 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 present his Britannic majesty'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).

68.

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 controversy. But he was miftaken, few foreigners fpoke well of his writings, and we fee with what contempt he was treated by fome of thofe to whom his book was addreffed. However his flatterers at home kept up his fpirits. Moft wife, moft learned, most understanding were the epithets beftowed on him by the defigning courtiers, and aspiring clergy. These he was

fo

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 deferved them. It would
be useless to take notice of the several 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 superior to moft, 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 Magnæ Britanniæ regis oppofitus, printed in 1611; and the other stiled 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 such 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 ambassador's fervants at Madrid, for his want

Į 2

oppius,

notes

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

(1)See want of it (). The truth is, no men deferve punishBayle's dict. ment more than writers of Scioppius's temper. He railarticle Sci- ed, he reviled, he reproached, he uttered a thousand falfhoods against his adverfaries, and stuck at nothing in (c) and (H) order to defame. Men's reputations he valued not, nor cared he who was hurt by his calumnies. He deserved chastisement from the hand of the magistrate; and it would have been no more than juftice to have treated him as a criminal. For there is a great deal of difference between refuting and defaming an adversary, 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.

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(YY) He published a declaration concerning the proceedings in the cause 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 OEANOРпо2, mediator and "reconciler of mankind, in fign of thankfulness, by his moft humble, and moft obliged fervant, James, &c.(a)" If this dedication be thought extraordinary, the declaration itself will be judged more fo; for he declares it to be the duty of a christian 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 firft 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 66 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 "displeased if fuch a monfter receive advancement in "the church; and that if they continue their refolu❝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 fent a catalogue of his damnable pofitions (b).— But the ftates were not fo furious as (6) Works, James; they had more knowledge, and confequently p. 359. more discretion. 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 adverfaries, and an affurance that if upon examination he should be found guilty, he should 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. nifeft 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 reprefented 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 should fail of that which he expected at I3

their

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