V. with such forms) into this fool's paradise; first, to suspect, DISCOURSE and upon suspicion to conclude, that they were about an ordination there; and, lastly, to broach his brainsick conceits in corners, and finding them to be greedily swallowed by such as wished them true, to assert his own drowsy suspicion for a real truth. But the mischief is, that Dr. Parker who was to be consecrated, was not present in person, but by his proxy. After the confirmation is done, commonly about three or four days (but as it happened in Archbishop Parker's case, [Dec 9Dec. 17.] nine days), the commissioners proceed to the consecration; for the most part, out of their respect to the Archbishop, in the Chapel at Lambeth; with sermon, Sacrament, and all solemnity requisite, according to the form prescribed by the Church of England; in the presence of public notaries or sworn officers, who reduce every thing that is done with all the circumstances into acts, and enter them into the register of the see of Canterbury; where they are carefully kept by the principal officer in a public office, as records; where every one who desireth, may view them from time to time, and have a copy of them if he please. And it is to be noted, that at any consecration, especially of an Archbishop, great numbers of principal courtiers and citizens are present; so as it is no more possible to counterfeit such a consecration, than to walk invisible upon the exchange at noon-day. After the consecration is done, the person consecrated is 447 not presently admitted to his Bishopric. First, the Archbishop maketh his certificate of the consecration with all the circumstances of it, under his Archiepiscopal Seal; thereupon the king taketh the new Bishop's oath of fealty, and commands that he be put into the actual possession of his Bishopric; then he is inthroned, and at his inthronization his ordination is publicly read; then he enjoyeth his spiritualties; then issueth a writ out of the exchequer to the sheriff, to restore him to the temporalties of his Bishopric. This custom is so ancient, so certain, so general, that no Englishman can speak against it. [For the legal forms and requisites of admission to an English Bishopric, see 25 Hen. VIII. (A.D. 1533) c. 20. (repealed 1 and 2 Phil. and Mary, BRAMHALL. F c. 8. § 9, 11, revived 1 Eliz. c. 1. § 7, PART [All of them ne cessary to give possession of a Bishopric.] [Such a consecra tion as that supposed, both useless and ruinous to Here we see evidently how all things do pursue one another, and what a necessary and essential connection there is between them. So as the stealing of an election, or the stealing of a consecration, can get no man a Bishopric; as Mr. Neale dreamed. He that would advantage himself that way, must falsify all the records, both ecclesiastical and civil. He must falsify the records of the Chancery, of the Signet Office, of the Exchequer, of the registries, of the Bishop, of the Dean and Chapter. He must counterfeit the hands and seals of the King, of the Archbishop, of the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Privy Seal, of the clerks and public notaries; which is not imaginable. If Mr. Neale, who first devised this drowsy dream (or somebody for him), had had more experience of our English laws and customs, he would have feigned a more probable tale, or have held his peace for ever. Answer me;-they who are calumniated to have had their consecration at the Nag's Head, did they mean to conceal it and have it kept secret? Then what good could it do them? 'De non existentibus et non apparentibus eadem est ratio.'— the agents If it were concealed, it was all one as if it had never been. in it.] Or did they mean to have it published? Such an ordination had been so far from helping them to obtain a Bishopric, that it had rendered them uncapable of a Bishopric for ever; and moreover subjected both the consecraters and the consecrated cern the state, may be found in Rymer, Bishop in England, see Blackst., bk. i. c. 11-Collier, Ch. Hist., Pt. ii. bk. iv. vol. ii. pp. 236, 237, and Records num. 57 (who is wrong however in dating the origin of the Congé d' Eslire itself in 1533);Antiq. of Canterb. by Somner and Battely, Pt. ii. cc. v, vi.and Brett, Acc. of Ch. Gov., cc. xixxxi. 1 Edw. VI. c. 2. abolished the whole form of election by Dean and Chapter, and substituted collation by Royal letters patents (which was only the alternative in King Henry VIII.'s Act, if the Chapter outran the twelve days without electing); but was repealed 1 Mary Sess. 2. c. 2; and upon the repeal of this last-named Act by 1 Jac. I. c. 25. § 48, was held not to be revived, as being also sufficiently repealed by another Act, viz. 1 Eliz. c. 1. § 7. See Gibson, tit. V. c. ii. pp. 113, 114; and Collier, as above quoted.] V. to deprivation, and degradation, and a præmunire, or for- DISCOURSE feiture of their lands, goods, and liberties, and all that were present at it to excommunication. Rome is a fit place wherein to publish such ludibrious fables as this; where they can persuade the people, that the Protestants are stupid creatures, who have lost their religion, their reason, and scarcely retain their human shapes'. It is too bold an attempt, to obtrude such counterfeit wares in England. CHAP. V. THE SIXTH and seveNTH REASONS; THAT ALL THE Records of ENGLAND HITHERTO We have been taking in the outworks: now I come directly to assault this castle in the air. That which hath been said already, is sufficient to persuade any man, who is not brimful of prejudice and partiality: the other five reasons which follow next, have power to compel all men, and command their assents. reason VI. My sixth reason is taken from the diametral opposi- [VI. Sixth tion which is between this fabulous relation of the Nag's against the Head Ordination, and all the records of England, both eccle- Nag's Head siastical and civil. Consecration;that it con the re date as First, for the time. The Romanists say, that this ordina- tradicts tion was before the ninth of September, anno 1559m; but cords. ] it is apparent by all the records of the Chancery, [that] all 1. In the the distinct letters patents or commissions for their re- signed.] spective confirmations and consecrations, whereupon they were consecrated, did issue out long after; namely, Archbishop Parker's letters patents (which were the first) upon the sixth day of December following; next the commissions for Grindal, Cox, and Sandes; then for Bullingham, Jewel, and Davis; then for Bentham and Barkley; and in the [Compare Andrewes, Tortura Torti, p. 152; quoted by Mason, bk. iii. c. 8. § 2.] m [See above p. 43.] PART I. year following, for Horne, Alley, Scambler, and Pilkington ". Rot. [Patent.] 2 Eliz., P. 14. [m. 5, 6;-P. 7. m. 3 ;-P. 9. m. 33; -P. 11. m. 8; printed in Rymer, tom. xv. The originals are in the Rolls' Chapel. Bramhall quotes from Mason (bk. iii. c. 8. § 12); who has reckoned the years according to the old style, has followed the order of the consecrations, which differs from that of the commissions, and has omitted several of the Bishops named by Champney (see p. 43, note s), reciting indeed V. [twenty] first of March ensuing, that is, at the latter end of DISCOURSE the very next term3. But, by their relation, the consecration was long before the election was confirmed, which cannot be the letters patents, to license the confirmation and consecration, come out three months after the consecration was done, which is incredible: as for the confirmation, Mr. Neale, who was their contriver, knew not what it was: the instalment followed three months after the consecration, and the restitution to the temporalties six months after; which have no probability. : Thus for the time, next for the place. Their lying [2. In the relation saith, the elected Bishops were consecrated at the place.] Nag's Head all the ecclesiastical records say, they were consecrated at Lambeth. The king's commission enjoineth a legal consecration according to the form prescribed by law: such a legal consecration ours at Lambeth was; such a legal consecration theirs at the Nag's Head was not, neither for the place, nor for the rites, nor for the essentials of consecration. And without good assurance that the consecration was legal, neither the person consecrated could have been inthroned, nor made his oath of fidelity to the king, nor have been restored to his temporalties; but he was inthroned, and did his fealty, and was restored to his temporalties; that is as much as to say, that his consecration was legally performed at Lambeth, not illegally at the Nag's Head. consecra Thirdly, for the consecrater. That fabulous relation feign- [3. In the eth, that there was but one consecrater, or at the most ter.] two: the authentic records of the Church of England testify, that there were four consecraters. The letters patents require that there should be four consecraters; and without an authentic certificate, that there were four consecraters, the king's writ for restitution had not issued. They feign, that they imposed hands mutually; Scory upon them, and they upon Scory: but the records witness, that Scory was solemnly ordained Bishop in King Edward's |