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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

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the actions of the reprobate as well as the elect ministers 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 age 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. Generals. 10. The Spiritual War.

9. Catalogue of 11. The Castle 13. To the Sy

of Peace. 12. Sermons for Children. nod 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. S. 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. 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 Decease. 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. Acts of English Votaries in two Parts.

17. The

18.

Of He

rétics 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 Roma, has this distich on our Author:

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

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.'

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WILLIAM

FAREL.

THERE

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.

for

for the accomplishment of his work, to shew us, that all means are in his hand: And he suffers many persons to come within the sound and compass of them, who are not in the least affected by them, to demonstrate, that not all the means in the world can have any efficacy, without the concurrence of his divine power. He uses sometimes soft and lenient methods, and sometimes cutting and severe. To some souls he blesses the gentle persuasives and comforts of a Barnabas; while to others he succeeds the vehemence and thunder of a Boanerges, to awaken them from their sins, and to drive them from ruin.

Of this latter kind was WILLIAM FAREL, the subject of the present article. This learned minister of the Protestant church, and most intrepid Reformer, was the son of a gentleman of Dauphiny in France, and was born at Gap, in the year 1489. He studied philosophy and the Greek and Hebrew tongues at Paris with great success, and was for some time a teacher in the college of cardinal Le Moine. Briconnet bishop of Meaux, who being inclined to the Reformed religion, invited him to preach in his diocese in the year 1521; but the persecution, raised there against those that were styled heretics, in the year 1528, obliged him to seek his security out of France. He retired to Strasburg, where Bucer and Capito readily admitted him as a brother; and he was afterwards received as such by Zuinglius at Zurich, by Haller at Berne, and by Oecolampadius at Basil *? As he was thought a very proper man for the purpose, he was advised to undertake the Reformation of religion at Montbellecard, in which design he was supported by the duke of Wittenberg, who was lord of that place; and he succeeded in it most happily. He was a man of the most lively zeal, which however he tempered a little according to Oecolampadius's advice. A femarkable instance of this warmth is recorded of him, which however

we

* At Bafil, in 1524, Farel proposed several thefes for public disputa tions, among which were the following:

"That Chrift hath prescribed for us a perfect rule of life, "That the commands of Chrift are to be obeyed; among which it is "ordained, that they, who have not the gift of continence, should marry. "That long and wordy prayers are dangerous, and contrary to the "( precept of Chrift.

"That he, who believes that he fhall be faved and juftified by his own " righteoufnefs and strength, makes himself God,

"That fuch facrifices, as the Holy Ghost prescribes, are to be offered to ""God alone."

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