like an honest man. Marry, said Walter, he would have fled into Scotland. (The vessel in which the bishop embarked in the port of Dublin was bound for Scotland.) Why, said the bailiff, know you any impediment why he should not have gone into Scotland? If it be treason for a man, having business in Scotland, to go thither, it is more. than I knew before. Walter was so confounded by what the bailiff said, that he had nothing to reply. In the interim, the captain and purser coming in deposed in favour of the bishop, assuring the bailiff that he was a very honest man, and that Walter was a vile fellow, and deserved no credit. For the captain, our author observes, was afraid lest the money he had stripped him of should be taken out of his hands.

The bishop being discharged, they sailed from thence, and after a passage of several days, the ship arrived in Dover Road, where the poor bishop was again put in danger by a false accusation. One Martin, a Frenchman by birth, but an English pirate, persuaded the Dutch captain and his crew, that our Author had been the principal instrument in putting down the mass in England, and in keeping the bishop of Winchester, Dr Gardiner, so long in the tower; and that he had poisoned the king. With this information, the captain and purser went ashore, carrying with them our Author's episcopal seal, and two letters sent him from Conrad Gesner, and Alexander Alesius, with commendations from Pellican, Pomeranus, P. Melancthon, Joachimus Camerarius, Matthias Flaccius, and other learned men, who were desirous to inform themselves in the doctrines and antiquities of the English church. They had likewise taken from him the letter from the council, concerning his appointment to the bishopric of Ossory. These things aggravated the charge against him. For the episcopal seal was construed to be a counterfeiting of the king's seal, the two letters were heretical, and the council's letter a conspiracy against the queen. When the captain returned to the ship, it was proposed to carry the bishop to London; but at length they resolved to send the purser and one more, with a message to the council in relation to the affair. However, this resolution was dropped, upon our Author's strong remonstrances to the captain, and his agreement to pay fifty pounds for his ransom, on his arrival in Holland.

He was carried into Zealand, and lodged in the house of one of the four owners of the ship, who treated the bishop with great civility and kindness, He had but

twenty

twenty-six days allowed him for raising the money agreed upon for his ransom, and could not obtain the liberty of going abroad to find out his friends. In the mean time, he was threatened to be thrown into the common gaol, sometimes to be brought before the magistrates, sometimes to be left to the examination of the clergy, at other times to be sent to London, or else to be delivered to the queen's ambassador at Brussels. At last his kind host interposed in his behalf, and desired the captain to consider how far he had exceeded the limits of his commission, in misusing a subject of England, with which nation they were not at war. This produced the desired effect, and the captain was persuaded to take only thirty pounds for the bishop's ransom, as he should be able to pay it, and so to discharge him. From Holland he retired to Basil in Switzerland,, where he continued during the reign of Q. Mary.

On the accession of Q. Elizabeth, he returned to England, but not to his bishopric in Ireland, contenting himself with a prebend of Canterbury, to which he was promoted the fifteenth January, 1560, and in which city he died in November, 1563, being then in the sixty-eighth year of his age, and was buried in the cathedral of that place.

This prelate is author of a celebrated WORK, containing the lives of the most eminent writers of Great Britain, written in Latin. When it first made its appearance, it was entitled Summarium illustrium Majoris Brytanniæ, 4to. Wesel, 1549. It was addressed to K. Edward VI. and contained only five centuries of writers. He afterwards added four more, and made several additions and corrections throughout the whole work. The title of the book thus enlarged is as follows, Scriptorum illustrium Majoris Brytannia, quam nunc Angliam & Scotiam vocant, Catalogus, à Japheto, per 3618 annos usque ad annum hunc Domini 1557, ex Beroso, Gennadio, Bedá, Honorio, Bostone Buriensi, Frumentario, Capgravo, Bostio, Burello, Trissa, Trithemio, Gesnero, Joanne Lelando, atque aliis authoribus collectus, et ix. centurias, continens, &c. &c. Basil, apud Joannem Oporinum. This title at full length, is an exceeding good analysis of the Author's design in this work. It informs. us, that the writers, whose lives are there treated of, are those of the Greater Britain, namely, England and Scotland; that the work commences from Japhet, one of the sons of Noah, and is carried down, through a series of 3618 years, to the year of our Lord 1557, at which time the Author was an exile for religion in Germany; that it

is collected from a great variety of authors, as Berosus, Gennadius, Bede, Honorius, Boston of Bury, Frumentarius, Capgrave, Bostius, Burellus, Trithemius, Gesner, and our antiquarian John Leland; that it consists of nine centuries, comprising the antiquity, origin, annals, places, successes, the more remarkable actions, sayings, and writings of each author; in all which, a due regard is had to chronology. The whole with this particular view, That the actions of the reprobate as well as the elect minis⚫ters of the church may historically and aptly correspond with the mysteries described in the REVELATION, the stars, angels, horses, trumpets, thunderings, heads, horns, mountains, vials, and plagues, through every

of the same church.' There are appendixes to many of the articles; also an account of such actions of the contemporary popes as are omitted by their flatterers, Carsulanus, Platina, and the like; together with the actions. of the monks, particularly those of the mendicant order, who (he supposes) are meant by the locusts in the Revelation, chap. ix. ver. 3 & 7. To these appendixes is added a perpetual succession both of the holy fathers and the antichrists of the church, with curious instances from the histories of various nations and countries; in order to expose their adulteries, debaucheries, strifes, seditions, sects, deceits, poisonings, murders, treasons, and innumerable impostures. The book is dedicated to Otho Henry, prince Palatine of the Rhine, duke of both the Bavarias, and elector of the Roman empire; and the epistle dedicatory is dated from Basil in September, 1557. In February, 1559, came out a new edition of this work, with the addition of five more centuries, making in all fourteen; to which is prefixed an account of the writers before the deluge and the birth of Christ, with a description of England from Paulus Jovius, George Lilly, John Leland, Andrew Althamerus, and others. This volume is dedicated to count Zkradin, and Dr Paul Scalichius of Lika.

The following is a catalogue of his other WORKS, as given by Mr Fuller. The titles are not given, only the subjects on which he wrote, briefly expressed; for as our Author's pieces are very scarce, it was impossible to supply all the titles. Those he compiled whilst he was yet a Papist are,

"1. A Bundle of Things worth knowing. 2. The Writers from Elias. 3. The Writers from Berthold. 4. Additions to Trithemius. 5. German Collections. 6. French Collections. 7. English Collections. 8. Di

vers Writings of divers learned Men. 9. Catalogue of Generals. 10. The Spiritual War. 11. The Castle of Peace. 12. Sermons for Children. 13. To the Synod at Hull. 14. Answer to certain questions. 15. Addition to Palaonydorus. 16. The History of Patronage. 17. The Story of Simon the Englishman. 18. The Story of Francis Senensis. 19. The Story of Brocard. 20. A Commentary on Mantuan's Preface to his Fasti. The following he wrote after he had renounced Popery, first in Latin: 1. The Heliades of the English. 2. Notes on the three Tomes of Walden. 3. On the Bundle of Tares. 4. On Polydore de Rerum Inventionibus. 5. On Textor's Officia. 6. On Capgrave's Catalogue. 7. On Barnes's Lives of the Popes. 8. The Acts of the Popes of Rome. 9. A Translation of Thorpe's Examination. Secondly, in English metre, and several sorts of verse: 1. The Life of John Baptist. 2. Of John Baptist's Preaching. 3. Of Christ's Temptation. 4. Two Comedies of Christ's Baptism and Temptations. 5. A Comedy of Christ at twelve Years old. 6. A Comedy of the Raising of Lazarus. 7. A Comedy of the High Priest's Council. 8. A Comedy of Simon the Leper. 9. A Comedy of the Lord's Supper, and the Washing of the Disciples' Feet. 10. Two Comedies (or rather Tragedies) of Christ's Passion. 11. Two Comedies of Christ's Burial and Resurrection. 12. A Poem of God's Promises. 13. Against those that pervert God's Word. 14. Of the corrupting of God's Laws. 15. 15. Against Carpers and Traducers. 16. A Defence of K. John. 17. Of K. Henry's two Marriages. 18. Of Popish Sects. 19. Of Popish Treacheries. 20. Of Thomas Becket's Impostures. 21. The Image of Love. 22. Pammachius's Tragedies, translated into English. 23. Christian Sonnets. The following in English Prose. 1. A Commentary on St John's Apocalypse. 2. A Locupletation of the Apocalypse. 3. Wickliffe's War with the Papists. 4. Sir John Oldcastle's Trials. 5. An Apology for Barnes. 6. A Defence of Gray against Smith. 7. John Lambert's Confession. 8. Anne Askew's Martyrdom. 9. Of Luther's Deceasc. 10. The Bishop's Alcoran. 11. The Man of Sin. 12. The Mystery of Iniquity. 13. Against Antichrists, or false Christs. 14. Against Baal's Priests, or Balaamites. 15. Against the Clergy's single Life. 16. A Dispatch of Popish Vows and Priesthood. 17. The Acts of English Votaries in two Parts. 18. Of He

retics indeed. 19. Against the Popish Mass. 20. The Drunkard's Mass. 21. Against Popish Persuasions. 22. Against Standish the Impostor. 23. Against Bonner's Articles. 24. Certain Dialogues. 25. To Elizabeth the King's Daughter. 26. Against customary Swearing. 27. On Mantuan of Death. 28. A Week before God. 29. Of his Calling to a Bishoprick. 30. Of Leland's Journal, or an Abridgement of Leland, with Additions. 31. A Translation of Sebald Heyden's Apology against Salve Regina. 32. A Translation of Gardiner's Oration of true Obedience, and Bonner's Epistle before it, with a Preface to it, Notes on it, and an Epilogue to the Reader."

Gesner, in his Bibliotheca, calls bishop Bale, vir diligentissimus, a writer of the first diligence;' and bishop Godwin, in his treatise of the Conversion of the Britons to Christianity, gives him the character of a laborious enquirer into the British antiquities. The reverend Laurence Humphrey, in his Vaticinium de Romd, has this distich on our Author:

Plurima Lutherus patefecit, Platina multa,
Quædam Vergerius, cuncta Balaus habet.

6

That is, Luther and Platina discovered many things, [viz. the errors and frauds of the Papists] and Vergerius some; but Bale detected them all. Valentine Henry Vogler, (in his Introduct. Universal. in notit. Scriptor. c. 22.) thinks. it will be less matter of wonder, that Bale inveighs with so much asperity against the power of the pope, when it is considered, that England was more grievously oppressed, by the tyranny of the holy see, than any • other kingdom'-And adds, that notwithstanding our • Author had rendered himself so odious to the Papists, yet his very enemies could not help praising his Catalogue of English Writers.'

WILLIAM

FAREL.

T

HERE are diversities of gifts (says the apostle) but it is the same Spirit: And this Spirit divideth to every man severally as he will. GOD useth all sorts of means VOL. II. G

for