yet was it probably often bestowed amifs; and indeed he was frequently told fo by those who envied his virtues, but would not imitate his example. "It may be fo," he said, "but I would rather give to ten unworthy objects than that one deserving object should go without relief." If the perfons who applied were inhabitants of the ifland, they were generally recommended by a note from their parith minifter: Thefe notes of recommendation he kept regularly filed, and from these he entered the name and circumftances of his poor petitioner, in a large book kept for that purpofe, which he called Matricula Pauperum, or the Register of the Poor.

The Bishop accustomed himself to a frequent recollection and review of his conduct, and his pious refolutions were ftrictly and religiously obferved. His prayers and his fermons furnish a fufficient proof of his ftudy; his prayers were conftant and devout, with his flock and with his family; and three times a day he communed with his own heart privately, in his clofet. During the fifty-eight years of his paftoral life, except on occasion of sickness, he never failed on a Sunday to expound the fcriptures, preach the gospel, or adminifter the facrament, at fome one or other of the Churches of his diocefe; and if abfent from the island, he always preached at the church where he refided for the day.

When in London he was generally folicited to preach for fome one or other of the public charities, being much followed and admired;and many who heard him have remarked the great beauty of his prayer before the fermon, particularly where he offers up prayers for those who never pray for themselves.

In the year 1699, he published a small tract, in Manks and English, entitled, "The Principles and Duties of Chriftianity," for the ufe of the ifland; the first book ever printed in the Manks language; and, with the affiftance of Dr. Thomas Bray, he began to found parochial libraries, which he afterwards established and completed throughout the diocefe, and gave to each a proper book-cafe, furnishing them with bibles, teftaments, and fuch books as were calculated to inftruct the people in the great truths of the gospel, and which we hope are still remaining.

His family prayers were as regular as his public duties; every fummer morning at fix, and every winter morning at feven, the family attended him to their devotions in his chapel, where he himself, or one of his ftudents, performed the fervice of the day, and in the evening they did the fame. And thus it was he formed his young clergy for the pulpit, and a graceful delivery. In the prayer for his clofet we meet with the pureft fentiments of Chriftianity, and his facra privata bear ample teftimony of his uniform piety, and the excellency of his understanding. He kept a diary as well of the fpecial favours in extraordinary deliverances, as of the merciful vifitations, and chaftifements he experienced in a variety of inftances. On the 9th of December, 1700, a fire broke out in the Bishop's palace, about two o'clock in the morning, in the chamber over that in which the Bishop flept, "which" he fays, " by God's providence, to which I afcribe all the bleffings and deliverances I meet with, I foon extinguithed; had it continued undiscovered but a very short space of time, the wind was fo high, that in all probability it would have reduced my houfe to afhes!"

In the year 1703, he obtained an act of fettlement, of which mention is made in his hiftory of the Ifle of Man, which hiftory was at the defire of Bishop Gibson inferted in his fecond edition of Cambden's Britannia ; — but

SS2

but his great modefty would not permit him to say that he was author of that benefit to his diocefe, though it was attained folely by his indefatigable pains and application.-This year alfo was remarkable for the Ecclefiaftical Conftitutions, which were read to the Clergy, and agreed to in full convocation, and meeting with the approbation of the Lords, Deemfters, and Keys, paffed into a law. Thefe conftitutions, planned, and framed by his Lordship, will afford and exhibit to the world a fpecimen of that primitive difcipline which exifted in this diocefe, during his Lordship's Epifcopate, and long after; fuperfeding virtually, the preface to the Communion office.

Lord Chancellor King was fo much pleased with these constitutions, that he faid, "If the antient difcipline of the Church were loft, it might be found in all its purity in the Isle of Man."

On the 5th of September, 1704, the Bishop accompanied Mrs. Wilson, who had been for fome time in a declining ftate of health, to Warrington, for the benefit of her native air, and continued with her praying for her foul, which full of hope of a bleffed immortality, the refigned into the hands of her Creator. In this fevere trial his prayers abound with religious fentiment, and Chriftian refignation; pronouncing with a feeling emphafis, "Thy will be done, O God." He felt like a man, but not like a man without hope. He had loft a comfort; but the happiness the had gained overcame his forrow, and gave him that ferenity of mind which none but good men can feel like him in the hour of affliction.

On the 3d of March, 1707, he was made Doctor in Divinity in full convocation, at Oxford: and on the 11th of June following, the fame honour was decreed him by the Univerfity of Cambridge. About the fame time he was admitted a member of the Society for promoting Christian knowledge. In the fame year, he had the Church Catechifm tranflated and printed in Manks and English. On the 21ft of September, 1708, he confecrated a new Chapel at Douglas, to which he was a confiderable benefactor. April 2d, 1710, the library of Caftle-town was finished; the greater part of the expence, which amounted to eighty-three pounds five fhillings and fix-pence, he fubfcribed himself.

(To be continued.)

ADDITION TO THE CATALOGUE OF BISHOPS TO THE YEAR 1608;

Being a Character and Hiftory of the Bishops during the Reigns of Queen ELIZABETH, and King JAMES; and an additional Supply to Dr. GODWIN'S Catalogue. By Sir JOHN HARRINGTON, Kt. Written for the private Ufe of Prince Henry.

NUMBER IX. EXETER.

(Continued from Page 206.)

DOCTOR WILLIAM COTTON.

WHEN I reflect my thoughts and eye upon that I have written for

merly, and fee that I am like to equall, or rather exceed my author in quantity of volume, taking the proportion of the longest Kings raigne to that of Queen Elizabeth, I am the leffe troubled to thinke, that for

lack

lack of fufficient intelligence, I fhall be constrained to doe as he alfo hath done with divers of those former Bishops, namely, to obfcure and omit the good deferts of fome, and to conceale and hide the demerits of others, which if I fortune to doe, yet will I neither crave pardon of the one, nor thanks of the other, being to be excused of both by an invincible ignorance. Howbeit, if in these I have or thall treat of, I have been so plain and liberall, as thereby I may move the spleen of fome Bishop to write against me, as Bishop Jovius did againft Petro Aretino, whom notwithftanding fome Italians call Unico & divino, whofe Epitaph Paulus Jovius made thus, the man being long after alive:

Qui giace l'Aretino l' amoro Tofco,
Che befthemia ognicno fuor che dio,
Scufandoi con illi dire non lo cognofco.

Which one did put thus into English:

Here lies Aretine, that poyfonous Toad,

Whofe fpightful Tongue and Pen (all Saints befhrew him,)
Did raile on Prieft and Prince, and all but God,

And faid (for his excufe) I doe not know him.

I fay, if any fhould follow this humour of Jovius, yet fhall he not thereby put me into the humour of Aretine, that anfwered him. For I reverence all their places, and many of their perfons. I know how high their calling is, that may fay, pro Chrifto legatione fungimur. I know that next to Kings, Bifhops are most facred perfons, and as it were Gods on earth; howbeit alfo fome of them have the imperfections of men, and those not prejudicial to the acts of their office. For my part, I would I could fpeak much good of all, and no ill of any, and fay (for mine excufe) I doe not know them.

Accordingly of the Bishoprick and Bishop of Exeter, I can fay but little, namely, that it is fince Bishop Harman's time (as my author noted, pag. 337.) reduced to a good mediocrity, from one of the best Bishopricks of England; fo as now it is rather worthy of pitty then envy, having but two mannors left out of two and twenty; and I will adde thus much to your Highneffe, that as in publique refpect, your Highneffe fhould fpecially favour this Bishop, in whofe Dioceffe your Dutchy of Cornwall, and your Stanneries are; fo the Duke may uphold the Bishop, and the reverend Bishop may bleffe the Duke.

OF NORWICH.

CONCERNING Norwich, whether it be the praise of the Bishops, or the people, or both, I know not, or whether I have here a partiall relation. But by that I have heard, I fhall judge this City to be another Utopia: The people live all fo orderly, the ftreets kept folemnly; the Trades-men, young and old fo induftrious; the better fort fo provident, and withall fo charitable: that it is as rare to meet a beggar there, as it is common to fee them in Westminster. For the four Bishops that were in Queen Elizabeth's time, I know nothing in particular, but that they lived as Bishops fhould doe, fine querela, and were not warriours, like Bithop Spencer their predeceffor in Henry the fourths time; nor had fuch store

of

of Gold and Silver, as he had that could leavy an Army. But for the prefent Bishop, I knew him but few yeeres fince Vicechancellor of Cambridge; and I am fure he had as good Latine as any of his Predeceffors had, and was accounted there a perfect divine; in both which respects he is to be thought very fit for the place, being a Maritime Town, and much frequented with ftrangers, very devoutly given in Religion, and perhaps underftands Latine as well as English.

OF WORCESTER, DOCTOR GERVASE BABINGTON.

WORCESTER hath been fortunate in this laft age to many excellent

Bifhops; of which but two in an hundred yeeres have died Bishops thereof, the reft having been removed. Also in leffe then fourteen yeeres that had one Bishop that became Pope, namely Clement the feventh; another that was a Proteftant, as Hugh Latymer. Of the feven therefore that were in Queen Elizabeths time, I fhall in this place speak but of one, and that is him now living, who by birth is a Gentleman of a very good houfe; for Learning inferiour to few of his rank. Hee was fometime Chaplaine to the late Earle of Pembrooke, whose Noble Counteffe used this her Chaplaines advice, I fuppofe, for the tranflation of the Pfalmes; for it was more then a womans kill to expreffe the fence fo right as the hath done in her verse, and more then the English or Latine translation could give her. They firft were means to place him in Landaffe, neere them where he would say merrily his true title should be Aff, for all the Land was gone thence. He came back over the Sea to the Sea of Exeter, and thence on terra firma to Worcester; a place where both the Church and Town are at this day in very flourishing eftate, and the Church especially in good Reparations, which I take ever for one good argument of a good Bithop; for where the theep be ragged, and the folds rotten, there I ftraight fuppofe is no very good thepheard: yet, as every generall Rule, hath commonly fome exceptions, fo hath this in fome places in England, and many more in Wales, of which I thall in their due place note fome; what in the enfuing Treatise. And thus much of Worcefter.

:

OF HEREFORD.—JOHN SCORY,

OF this twice Bishop Scory I have heard but little, yet it hath been my fortune to read fomething that will not be amiffe to acquaint your Highneffe with, that you may fee how Satan doth fift the lives and doings of English Bishops with the Quills fometimes of Strangers and Foraigners. For whereas this our English modeft writer onely reports how he was first Bishop of Chichester, being but Batchelor of Divinity, and deprived for no fault but that he continued not a Batchelour, whereupon he fled for Religion (as the phrafe was) till comming home in the yeere 1560 he was preferred to Hereford: the French writer ftayeth not there, though he profeffed to be a great enemy to Idolatry, yet in another fence according to St. Paul, he became a worshipper of Images (not Saints but Angels). belike he feared fome future tempeft, and therefore thought to provide better for himselfe then he had at Chichester, fo as what with pulling downe houses and selling the Lead, and fuch loofe ends, what with fetting up good husbandries, what with leafes to his tenants, with all manner of viis et modis, he heaped together a great maffe of wealth. He that hath ftore of metal must also have fome droite, and no marvaile if this

Bishop then according to his name had much Scoria with this treasure. A noble and honourable Councellour and then Lord Prefident of Wales, hearing fo frequent complaints made of him for oppreffions, extortions, fymonies, and the like, caufed a bill to be preferred into the Star-chamber against him; in which bill was contained fuch matter as was enough not onely to difgrace him, but to degrade him, if it had been accordingly followed. His Sollicitour of his caufes brings him a Copy of the bill, and in reading it with him feemed not a little difmaid in his behalfe, much like to the fervant of Elisha that came trembling to his Mafter, and told him how they were beleagred with a huge army. But this Bishop, though not indewed with the fpirit of a Prophet, yet having a spirit that could well fee into his profit, bids his Sollicitour (who was his kinfman, perhaps his fifters brothers fonne) to be of good comfort; adding it may be the very words of Elifha, for there are more of our fide then againft us. But when his Gehezi (for the comparison fuits better to the man then to the Mafter) could fee as yet no comfortable vifion. The good Bifhop did not open his eyes to let him fee as Elitha did the Chariots of fire on the tops of the mountains: but he opened his own bags and thewed him fome legions or rather chiliads of Angells, who entring all at once, not into a herd of Swine, but into the hoard of a Lady that then was potent with him that was Dominus fac totum, caft fuch a cloud into the Star Chamber, that the bill was never openly heard of after. This or the like and much more to the like effect writes this French Author of the said Bishop of Hereford, though the Treatise it selfe was not fpecially meant against the Bishop, but against a temporall Lord of a higher ranck that was not a little nettled with the fame. In fo much as many travelling Gentlemen, and among others this Bishops fonne was called in queftion for the publifhing of this booke, belike because fome particularities of this matter were difcovered that could come from none but him. But to come againe to this Bifhop, I hope it fhall be no just scandall to other good Bithops, Judas will have Succeffors as well as James, and Simon Magus as well as Simon Peter (and fometime perhaps both in one chaire.) This man indeed had been brought up in the age of the Fryars that made much of themfelves, and relinquifht their cells, that read in the old Testament lætare & fac, but left out bonum; for fo he followed the Text in the new Testament. Make you friends of the wicked Mammon, but left out that part that thould have brought him to everlafting Tabernacles. For if Gods mercy be not the greater, I feare his friend and he are met in no pleasant manfion, though too durable, if the vifion of Henry Lord Hunfdon were true, as an honeft gentleman hath often reported it. But all this notwithftanding, his pofterity may doe well, for God himfelfe forbids men to fay, That the fathers eate foure grapes, and the childrens teeth be on edge; and if the worit be, the English proverb may comfort them, which, left it want reafon, I will cite in rime,

It is a faying common, more then civill,

The fonne is bleft, whofe fire is with the devill.

After his decease a great and long fuit was held against him about his dilapidations, which makes the former report to seem the more probable.

DOCTOR