"the government of the diocese, in effect yours, during CHAP. "this commission. And thus laying many burdens upon 66 and grace pro your Lordship, I commit the same to the ❝tection of the Almighty. From Lambeth this —— day "of February 1582." XIII. Anno 1582. his I set down the letter of this ancient and pious Prelate Remarks thus at large, being now one of his last actions in his pub-former letlic administration, approaching near the conclusion of his ter. holy and exemplary life. In which letter may be observed his great care and diligence in looking after matters relating to the Church, his concern for offences and scandals, his labour for peace, his justice and integrity, his tenderness of putting the inferior Clergy to charges, and withal his accuracy in business notwithstanding his age. There was soon after, according to our Archbishop's grave direction and advice, an instrument of the substitution of Beacon and Babington, to exercise ecclesiastical jurisdiction within the city and diocese of Coventry and Litchfield, made to them by the abovenamed Commissioners, viz. the Bishop of Wigorn, Dr. Aubrey, Dr. Cosin, and Mr. Griffith. But notwithstanding this determination, the two that contested could not be brought to agreement, till more pains was taken with them by the Bishop of Worcester, as we shall see. tention be Bishop of And in truth, great reason there was, that the Archbi- The conshop should be so much concerned in deciding and pacify-tween Beaing this quarrel, both as it was brought into his Court, as con and the also because it grew into such sharp and unbecoming pro- Litchfield. secution, to the breach of Christian charity. Dr. Beacon was a learned man, and perhaps had the best right; but the Bishop inclined to confer his interest on Babington, and so did a person not so well qualified; and in the judgment of Whitgift, one of the visitors, not sufficient for the place. And Beacon, partly in anger to the Bishop, and partly in zeal to carry his cause, sued the Bishop in the Star-chamber, in the Chancery, at the Council Table, and before the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the Common Pleas, and at assizes and sessions in the country, yea, and II. BOOK in his own consistory; and brought action upon action against him almost for every thing he did, and every word Anno 1582. he spake, as the Bishop himself complained to the Lord Treasurer, about this very time that the Archbishop sent the above specified letter to the Bishop of Worcester, to proceed in the method mentioned, to put some end to this unhappy controversy. Beacon's character. letter to the of Cambridge. Both the Bishop of Litchfield and Dr. Beacon were to be blamed; but take Beacon of himself, he was a learned and well-deserving man. He was Fellow of St. John's college in Cambridge, and wished well to the study of divinity, and the prosperous estate of learning and the Universities. And for one thing relating thereto he deserves to be men275 tioned with honour. About the year 1587, in a letter to His good the Lord Treasurer, who was also High Chancellor of the Chancellor University of Cambridge, he took the freedom to put him in mind of a singular piece of grace and favour that had been some years past granted by the Queen to the University, by his Lordship's means. And this remained in the records of Cambridge. It was, that she would herself have the names of all them that were learned, and students in divinity, sent to her; and from thence would take out persons from time to time, to supply the vacant benefices in her dispose and patronage. This she communicated to the University by their Chancellor; and it had this effect, that it revived the scholars then under great discouragements, and made every one fall to the study of divinity, in hopes of partaking in due time of the Queen's said favours. But this was hardly ever begun to be put in execution, or soon intermitted, as the said Beacon honestly signified to the Chancellor. He urged also to him the general complaints in those days, for want of sufficient instruction of the people in divers counties, of sharing of ecclesiastical livings between corrupt patrons, ordinaries, and hirelings; and of suffering many godly preachers in both Universities to remain less profitable to the Church, and less comfortable to themselves, and to the no less discouragement of the younger students. He therefore, in the name of all, made XIII. humble suit to him, being Chancellor of Cambridge, or ra- CHAP. ther to both Chancellors, that the said order of the Queen might be hereafter more religiously observed. And that Anno 1582. every second or third year either University should be ordered to send up the names of their learned and well-disposed students in divinity, ripe and willing to be sent into the Lord's harvest; and those names to remain with the principal Secretaries, or Clerk of the Signet, and the Lord Chancellor, as faithful remembrancers of her Majesty's zeal and disposition for their timely preferments. And then he shewed what an influence this would have upon the Queen's subjects for imitation; and how it should revive the dulled and discouraged spirits of the University students; who, after their bodies and strength wearied and spent with study, might have some certain hope of seasonable employment, for the good of the Church, and their own profit and maintenance. But because this is but a digression, I leave the reader to peruse this good motion of Beacon, in his letter placed in the Appendix; and so I go on with our busi- N°. XVIII. ness. of Litch field visited. When the visitation of the church of Litchfield was The diocese despatched, the same Commissioners had order from the Archbishop to visit the diocese also: which was done the spring and summer of the next year; and by this time. the two contending parties about the chancellorship were brought in effect to agreement. But in June, for some considerations, it was thought fit to send to prorogue the said visitation to the last of June, a letter coming to the visitors from the Archbishop's Vicar General, dated June the 13th, so to do; it being his Grace's pleasure in that behalf. Which proved very unseasonable, as well because the Bishop of the diocese was by this means still kept from inspecting and taking care of his own diocese, and also be-276 cause divers things in a good way of readiness were now to be let alone. Whereupon Whitgift sent this letter to the said Vicar General Aubrey, shewing the inconvenience of it, and to move his Grace therein. 1 II. Whitgift to BOOK "Sal. in Christo. I have received your letter for the "prorogation of the visitation of the diocese of Litchfield, Anno 1582. and have taken order accordingly. But I could have Bishop "wished it otherwise. Dr. Beacon and Mr. Babington are Dr. Aubrey "agreed; and so is my Lord the Bishop and Dr. Beacon. "This may be a means to set them at variance again. of the visit-Moreover the diocese in sundry parts is out of frame; ation. "and the Bishop allegeth the cause to be this visitation, about the prorogation "and the restraint of his jurisdiction. You know that we "cannot deal therein, being out of that diocese; and yet "the fault of all is laid in us. As for Mr. Babington, I do "not think him a man sufficient for that government. And "therefore I pray you move my Lord's Grace to be con"tent to suffer the visitation to cease; that the Bishop "may have his jurisdiction, and reform the defects of his "own diocese: that he have no cause to excuse himself by us, and to lay the burden upon our necks, who have no"thing to do therewith, the commission being but pro "forma, as you know, and to reduce the Bishop to that "conformity, which now he hath, as I think, consented “unto, [i. e. in the controversy for the chancellorship, the Bishop standing for one party.] And so with my hearty "commendations, I bid you farewell. From Grimley, the “23d of June 1582, [1583.] 66 66 "Yours assuredly, Which letter had this effect, that the Archbishop soon after sent an instrument, dated June the 27th, called Relaxatio Jurisdictionis Episcopi Coventrien. et Litchf. By virtue whereof he restored to the Bishop the exercise of his jurisdiction and authority in his diocese. The doing of which, I suppose, the Archbishop hastened, feeling his approaching departure, dying within nine days after. The Archbishop blind. Desires to resign. The Queen grants it. His care of a contribution for Geneva. Their case signified from the English Ambassador at Paris. Letters of the Council and Archbishop to the Bishops in their behalf. The Archbishop founds a free-school in St. Bees. His petitions to the Queen. His pension for his life. IT was some time before this, that the good Archbishop Anno 1582. became blind, yet not without some hope of the recovery of The Archbishop his sight; but now in the latter end of this year 1582 all blind. hope thereof seemed to vanish. This made him very willing to lay aside the charge of his bishopric; and as he had formerly desired the Queen to discharge him of his great and weighty office in the Church, which she would not then do; so now in January, she sent Piers, Bishop of Sarum, her Almoner, to him, to signify that it was her pleasure that he should resign, and thereby enjoy her Majesty's fa- The Queen vour, and that he should have an honourable pension as- him to resigned him. And finding him not well able to manage his sign. high function, she soon after signified the same by the Lord Treasurer. sends to As soon as he understood this, he first signified to the said Lord certain causes that had detained him from offering again a resignation: as, "that he had before enter- The Arch"tained some hope of recovering his sight, as some others "in like case had done: also, the good hope he conceived, message. "by divers good likelihoods, of recovering her Majesty's 66 gracious favour; by which, being obtained, he trusted to "discharge the duty of a Bishop as well as some others: " he had also founded a school in the north where he was "born; which for lack of a mortmain was not yet finished: "divers suits also were commenced to the overthrow of "certain leases granted unto some of his servants, being "the only reward of their long service: wherein his little bishop's an swer to this |