for his pardon, but he was caft into prifon as foon as he landed. His modeft behaviour foftened the Archbishop, that upon his promife to live peaceably and quietly, he was fuffered to go at large. All the intereft that was used for him by his friends could not obtain a licence for him to preach; but the Earl of Leicester made him Governor of the hofpital of Warwick, where he was permitted to preach for fome time, and enjoyed a falary of an hundred pound a year with a free dwelling-house.

Mr Travers and Mr Hooker had a controverfy about this time concerning doctrine; the one was was a strict Calvinist, the other of larger principles: they were both lecturers at the temple, and preached against one another; from this they proceeded to write against each other, and the controverfy grew warm. Hooker had the Archbishop on his fide, and was fure to gain the day, though the other was thought to have the better of the argument. Travers was forbidden to preach any more, by order of the Archbishop, and was accused of not being ordained by the church of England, and of tranfgreffing the orders of the Queen. He made answer to these charges in a petition, to which Hooker replied, and the matter was left undetermined, and Mr Travers under the fufpenfion of the Bishop. The parliament affembled this year on the twenty-ninth of October, when the 1586. non-conformists prefented another petition for relief. In this petition they fet forth the dif

mal fituation of the people for want of the gofpel; affirming, that the Bishops either did not preach at all, or fo feldom, that many places had no preaching; that they were fo incumbered with civil affairs, that they had no time to mind fpiritual matters, and mingled the affairs of the church fo much with thofe of the ftate, that it was impoffible they could pay proper attention to the duties of their calling; that they made priests of the lowest of the people, and caufed many to forfake their callings in which they had been brought up, for the fake of filthy lucre to ferve in an employment, for which they were in no manner qualified. These and many other reasons were offered in this petition, why the parliament fhould interpofe their authority for the relief of the nonconformists. Along with this petition, they prefented a furvey of feveral counties,

con

taining the names of ministers, and livings they poffeffed, who neither refided upon their charge, nor were in any refpect capable of doing their duty. Lastly, they proceeded to offer a bill to the houfe of commons for a further reformation of the church, and redress of grievances. All this had no effect; the convocation continued to fit after the parliament, and gave a fubfidy to the Queen, contrary to the custom of the kingdom, which fhewed the Puritans what they had to expect, when the power was lodged in fuch hands. The Archbishop had now the prefs in his own power, and took care to restrain the Puritans from printing or publishing their grievances to

the

the world; while he allowed popish books to be scattered over the Kingdom, and granted licence to book fellers to import them. This was altogether unfair and partial; for it was certainly no more than justice to fuffer the people to hear both fides of the queftion. Whitgift appears to have been a greater friend of the papifts than of the non-conformifts, for he allowed them feveral favours which he refufed to the others; even when they were contriving the death of the Queen, and fome of them convicted this fame year of a design to murder her. Ballard,. a papift, and a few more were convicted on this account. Whether this was a true or a fham plot, is not easy learded from the hiftory of these times; for such is the partiality of party writers, that they have frequently given falfe colourings to facts, when they had their own ends to ferve, which makes it difficult to ascertain what is precifely the truth. The papifts had been engaged, in the practice of affaffinations, and the policy of princes found it fometimes convenient to contrive fham plots and father them upon them, on purpose to cover certain defigns which they meant to keep fecret. At this time it was neceffary for faving appearances to facrifice a few Roman catholic's to the policy of the court, that they might with a better grace proceed in perfecuting the Puritans. Ballard appears to have been a man of good understanding, and one who knew the controverfies of thofe times with great accuracy. His obfervations on

Whitgift's writings against Cartwright, which he

made

po

made before Sir Francis Knollis, Treafurer of the Queen's houfhold, are pertinent and juft. He faid, he would not defire a better defence of pery than the Archbishops writings againft Cartwright, and his injunctions fet forth in her Majefty's name; that if any men among the protestants lived virtuously, they were the Puritans who renounced their ceremonies, and would not be corrupted by pluralities. That unlearned, and reading, ministers were rather a furtherance than an hindrance to the catholic caufe. That though the Bishops owned her Majefty to be fupreme governor in caufes ecclefiaftical, yet they did not keep their courts in her name, and that though the names and authority of Archbishops and Bishops were in ufe in the primitive church, they forgot that they were then Lords or Magiftrates of order only, made by the Prince, and not Lords of abfolute power, ruling without appeal. This Roman catholic appears to have understood his fubject much better than the Bishops, and has given his fuffrage fairly in behalf of the Puritans.

The Puritans being wearied with applying to their fuperiors for redrefs of grievances, began to defpair, and proceeded to form a plan of church order of their own. They held claffical conferences every fix weeks, and every half year provincial affemblies, and general affemblies once every year; among thofe who approved of this order, were Meffrs Cartwright and Travers, Dr Knewftubs, Meffrs Chark, Edgerton, Reynolds, Gardiner, Gifford, Barber, Spicer, Greenham, Payne,

Nenner,

Nenner, Nield, Snape, Johnfon, Nicholas, Dr Sparkes, Meffrs Ward, Stone, Warkton, Lark, Fletcher, Lord, Scarmer, Rufhbrook, Littleton, Oxenbridge, Seyntclere, Standen, Wilcox, Whitaker, Chadderton, Perkins, Allen, Edmunds, Gellibrand, Bradshaw, Harrifon, Maffie, Hilderfham, Dod, Brightman, Cawdry, Rogers, Udal, Dyke, Wight, Paget and others, to the number of five hundred, all beneficed clergymen in the church of England, perfons of good characters and able preachers, and many of them members of the univerfity of Cambridge, where they had ftrong influence, and many friends,

This year Dr Wallard was called to an account for teaching, that our Saviour and his Apoftles adopted the order of the jewish fynagogue into the chriftian church, and defigned it as a conftant model of church government. He was ordered to make a public, recantation, and fufpended till he should perform it: he was alfo bound over in a recognizance of one hundred pounds for his good behaviour: many others fuffered in the fame manner and for the fame caufes. Mr Settle was fummoned before the Archbishop at Lambeth, and charged with denying the article concerning the defcent of our Saviour's foul into hell, or the place of the damned. He confeffed that it was his opinion, that Chrift did not afcend locally into hell, and that Calvin and Beza were of the fame opinion. This put the Archbishop into fuch a paffion, that he called him afs, dolt and fool. Mr Settle told his Lordship, that he ought not

to