ture never heard of heretofore: they cast away all respect, and set upon men with impudency. They dare prove the invocation of saints from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This fellow doth obstinately affirme that the Church of Rome hath not erred in any one thing. Their most horrible errours touching indulgences, falsified miracles, falsified reliques, pilgrimages, worshipping of images, and the rest of the same sort, all these this wonderful man fiudeth out in the Gospell. And hee standeth upon it stiffely that all these things are good and holy. I desire not to have any more to doe with such a monstrous kinde of men, with such fierce natures, who open their mouthes against heaven; for what is it to open their mouthes against heaven, if this be not, so violently and disgracefully to handle the holy Scriptures? they have devised and daily doe devise horrible strange expositions, such as were never heard of before in the Church of Rome: I therefore desire to rid mine hands of this fellow as of a scabbed sheepe, for feare he might infect my whole flocke."

After that his leane body was quite worne out"

6 Quite worne out.] "While he was thus struggling with an advanced age, and impaired constitution, he met with an accident, which entirely destroyed his health. As he was crossing the market-place at Durham, an Ox ran at him, and pushed him down with such violence, that it was imagined the bruises he received would have occasioned his death. He lay long contined; and though he again got abroad, he never recovered even the little strength he had before, and continued lame as long as he lived. But accidents of this kind were no very formidable trials to a mind so well tempered as his. It was a persuasion he had long entertained, that misfortunes are intended by Providence to remind us of our neglected duty: and thus he always used them, making self-examination the constant attendant upon whatever calamities befel him. To this it was owing that he was never dejected by misfortunes: but received them rather with thankfulness than repining." Gilpin's Life of Bernard Gilpin, p. 296.

with diversity of paines-taking, at the last even feeling before hand the approach of death, he coinmanded the poore to be called together, unto whom hee made a speech, and tooke his leave of them. Afterwards he did the like to others. He fell sick about the latter end of February, and after many exhortations used to the schollers, to his servants, and to divers others, at the last he fell asleep in the Lord in great peace, the fourth day of March, in the yeare of our Lord 1583, and in the 66. yeare of his age.

J

He was tall of stature, and slender, being hawkenosed. His clothes were ever such as cost not very deare. He could never away with gay apparell. In things belonging to his owne body he was very frugall, and retained the austerity of the auncient In things which might tend to the good of others he was exceeding bountifull, especially towards poore people and schollers. He desired still to keep his dores open 7 for the entertainment of any poore, or stranger. In his owne house he boorded

and

To keepe his dores open.] "Strangers and travellers found a chearful reception. All were welcome that came: and even their beasts had so much care taken of them, that it was humorously said, "If a horse was turned loose in any part of the country, it would immediately make its way to the Rector of Houghton's." Gilpin's Life of Bernard Gilpin. p. 284.

"Whatever" (says the same writer) " becomes of the notion of the soul's transmigration,, one would imagine however, that Mr. Gilpin's example at least had its influence upon thre Rectors of Houghton; for perhaps few parishes in England can boast such a succession of worthy pastors, as that parish can since Mr. Gilpin's death." p. 314.

We may believe that the influence of this good man's example did not stop here. His amiable Biographer himself, it is well known, spent a long life, distinguished by purity of manners, useful learning, deeds of charity and piety, and an apostolical zeal in the discharge of his duties as a preacher of

the

and kept at the most foure and twenty schollers, sometimes fewer, but seldome. The greater number of his boorders were poore mens sonnes, upon whom he bestowed meat, drink, aud cloth, and education in learning. He was wont to enterteine his parishioners and strangers at his table not onely at the Christmas time, as the custome is, but because he had a large and wide parish, and a great multitude of people, he kept a table for them every Sunday from Michaelmas to Easter. He had the gentlemen, the husbandmen, and the poorer sort set every degree by themselves, and as it were ordered in ranks. He was wont to commend the marryed estate in the clergy, howbeit himselfe lived and dyed a single man. He bestowed in the building, ordering and establishing of his schoole, and in providing yearly stipends for a schoole-master and an usher, the full summe of five hundred pounds out of which schoole he supplied the Church of England with great store of learned men. He was carefull to avoid not onely all evill doing, but even the lightest suspicions thereof. And he was accounted a saint in the judgements of his very enemies if he had any such. Being full of faith unfeigned, and of good workes, he was at the last put into his grave as a heap of wheat in due time swept into the garner.

the Gospel. His good works in kind as well as degree, and some of the circumstances of his life, can hardly fail to call back, to those who are at all acquainted with the particulars, the memory of Bernard Gilpin: to whom perhaps he was very little inferior, excepting in so far as his powers of doing good were limited by a less portion of the gifts of fortune.

RICHARD HOOKER.

As the weightiest conflicts the Church hath had, were those which touched the Head, the Person of our Saviour Christ, and the next of importance, those questions that are at this day between Us and the Church of Rome, about the actions of the Body of the Church of God: so these which have lastly sprung up from Complements, Rites and Ceremonies of Church-actions, are in truth for the greatest part, such silly things, that very easiness doth make them hard to be disputed of in serious manner. HooK.R.