college, Cambridge. He was afterwards removed, and admitted fellow of Sidney college; where he got an easy admission into the ministry, being dispensed with in some things that he scrupled. He preached first as a lecturer at Abingdon, and then at Steeple-Morton. At length by the recommendation of Dr. Chadderton, he was settled at Chatham in Kent, in the year 1601; but before he had been there a twelve-month, he was sent for by the archbishop to Shorne, a town situate between Rochester and Gravesend, and commanded to subscribe; which he refusing, was immediately suspended. The inhabitants of Chatham, in their petition for his restoration, say, that his doctrine was most wholesome, true, and learned, void of faction and contention; and his life so garnished with unblemished virtues and graces, as malice himself could not reprove him. But all intercessions were to no purpose: he therefore removed into another diocese, where he obtained a licence, and at length was chosen lecturer of Christ church in London.Here he published a treatise against the ceremonies, for which he was obliged to leave the city, and retired to his friend Mr. Redriche's at Newhall in Leicestershire. bishop's chancellor followed him thither, with an inhibition to preach, but by the mediation of a couple of good angels (says my author) the restraint was taken off.* In this silent and melancholy retirement he spent the vigor and strength of his days. At length as he was attending Mrs. Redriche on a visit to Chelsea, he was seized with a violent fever, which in a few days put an end to his life, in the forty-eighth year of his age. He was full of heavenly expressions in his last sickness, and died with great satisfaction in his non-conformity. Dr. Hall, bishop of Norwich, gives him this character: "That he was of a strong brain, and of a free spirit, not suffering himself for small differ'ences of judgment, to be alienated from his friends, to 'whom, notwithstanding his seeming austerity, he was very 'pleasing in conversation, being full of witty and harmless 'urbanity: he was very strong and eager in arguing, hearty in friendship, regardless of the world, a despiser of com

The

* Gataker's Life of Bradshaw, in Clarke's Lives, annexed to his GENERAL MARTYROLOGY.

'pliments, a lover of reality, full of digested and excellent notions, a painful laborer in God's vineyard, and now no 'doubt, gloriously rewarded." Such was this light, which by the severity of the times, was put under a bushel!

In order to put a stop to the growth of puritanism, and silence the objections of papists against the strictness of the reformed religion; his majesty this year published, a Declaration to encourage recreations and sports on the Lord's day, contrary to his proclamation in the first year of his. reign, and to the articles of the church of Ireland, ratified under the great seal, 1615, in which the morality of the Lord's-day is affirmed. "But," says Heylin, "the puritans, by raising the sabbath, took occasion to depress the festivals, and introduced, by little and little, a general neglect of the weekly fasts, the holy time of lent, and the 'embring days, reducing all acts of humiliation to solemn ' and occasional fasts."* Sad indeed! But this was not all the mischief that ensued," says the doctor, "for sev'eral preachers and justices of the peace took occasion from hence to forbid all lawful sports on the Lord's-day, by 6 means whereof the priests and jesuits persuaded the peo'ple in the northern counties, that the reformed religion 'was incompatible with that christian liberty which God and nature had indulged to the sons of men: so that to preserve the people from popery, his majesty was brought 'under a necessity to publish the book of sports.

It was drawn up by bishop Moreton, and dated from Greenwich, May 24, 1618, and it was to this effect: "That for his good people's recreation, his majesty's pleasure 'was, that after the end of divine service, they should not 'be disturbed, letted, or discouraged from any lawful recre'ations; such as dancing, either of men or women, archery 'for men, leaping, vaulting, or any such harmless recre'ations; nor having of may-games, whitson-ales, or mor"rice-dances, or setting up of may-poles, or other sports 'there with used, so as the same may be had in due and convenient time without impediment or let of divine service; and that women should have leave to carry rushes to the 'church for the decoring of it, according to their old cus

Heylin's Hist. of Presb. 389, 390.

toms; withal prohibiting all unlawful games to be used on • Sundays only; as bear-baiting, bull-baiting, interludes. and at all times (in the meaner sort of people prohibited) bowling." Two or three restraints were annexed to the declaration, which deserve the reader's notice: (1.) No recusant [i. e. papist] was to have the benefit of this declaration. (2.) Nor such as were not present at the whole of divine service. (3.) Nor such as did not keep to their own parish churches, that is, puritans.

This declaration was ordered to be read in all the parish churches of Lancashire, which abounded with papists; and Wilson adds, that it was to be read in all the churches of England; but that archbishop Abbot, being at Croydon, flatly forbid its being read there. It was certainly an imprudent project, as well as a grief to all sober protestants; and had the king insisted upon its being read throughout all the churches at this time, I am apt to think it would have produced the same convulsion as it did about fifteen years afterwards.

It is hard to account for the distinction between lawful and unlawful sports on the Lord's-day: if any sports are lawful why not all? What reason can be given why morrice dances, revels, may-games, whitson-ales, wakes, &c. should be more lawful than interludes, bull-baiting, or bowls. It cannot arise from their moral nature; for the former have as great a tendency to promote vice, as the latter. But the exceptions to the benefit of this declaration are more extraordinary: Could his majesty think that the puritans, who were present at part of divine service, though not at the whole or that those who went to other parish churches for their better edification, would lay hold of the liberty of his declaration, when he knew they believed the morality of the fourth commandment, and that no ordinance of man could make void the law of God? Further, his majesty debars recusants [i. e. papists] from this liberty, which their religion had always indulged them; but these are now to be restrained. The papist is to turn puritan, with regard to the sabbath, being forbid the use of lawful recreations on the Lord's-day; and protestants are to dance and revel, and go to their may-games on that sacred day, to preserve

them from popery. This subject will return again in the next reign.

This year and the next proved fatal to the protestant interest in Germany, by the loss of the Palatinate into the hands of the papists, and the ruin of the elector Frederick V. king of Bohemia, who had married the king's only daughter. This being a remarkable period, relating to the ancestors of his present majesty King George II.it will be no useless digression to place it in a proper light. The kingdom of Bohemia was elective, and because their king did not always reside with them, a certain number of persons were chosen by the states, called defenders, to see the law put in execution. There were two religions established by law ;* one was called sub-una, the other sub-utraque; the professors of the former were Roman catholics, and communicated under one kind; of the latter Hussites, and since the reformation protestants, who communicated under both kinds. The emperor Sigismund, in order to secure his election to this kingdom, granted the Hussites an edict in the year 1435, whereby it was decreed that there should be no magistrate or freeman of the city of Prague, but what was of their religion. This was religiously observed till the year 1570, when, by order of the emperor Maximilian, a catholic was made a citizen of Prague, after which time, the edict was frequently broken, till at length the jesuits erected a stately college, and put the papists on a level with the protestants.† Matthias, the present emperor, having adopted his cousin Ferdinand of Austria, had a mind to get him the crown of Bohemia; for which purpose he sum

*These are the words of Rapin; but bishop Warburton says, "this is 'a mistake. These were not two religions, but one only, administering a single rite differently." This remark would be accurate, if the difference between the two parties had lain only in this point: but this could not be the case between the Catholics and Hussites; the difference between whom extended to many essential heads, though they were, with respect to this matter, denominated from one single point. But the bishop asserts, that "the fancy of two established religions in one state is an absurdity." But absurdities may exist, and this very absurdity exists, and did exist at the time his lordship wrote, in Great-Britain: in one part of which episcopacy is the established religiou, and in the other (Scotland) presbyterianlsm. Ed.

↑ Rapin, vol. ii. p. 197, folio edit.

moned an assembly of the states, without sending as usual, to the protestants of Silesia, Moravia, and the upper and lower Alsatia ; these therefore not attending (according to the emperor's wish) made the catholics a majority, who declared Ferdinand presumptive successor to Matthias ; after which he was crowned at Prague, and resided at Gratz. The DEFENDERS taking notice of this breach of their constitution, and perceiving the design of the Imperial court to extirpate the protestant religion, summoned an assembly of all the states, and among others, those of Silesia, Moravia, and Alsatia, who drew up a petition to the emperor, to demand the execution of the laws, and a reasonable satisfaction for the injuries they had received; after which they adjourned themselves to the Monday after Rogation week, 1618. The emperor, instead of granting their requests, ordered his lieutenant to hinder the reassembling of the states, as being called without his licence; but the states assembled according to the adjournment, and being informed of the force that was designed against them, went in a body to the chancery, and having seized the emperor's chief justice, the secretary and another of his council, they threw them out of the castle window, and then drove the jesuits out of the city. In order to justify their proceedings, they published to the world an apology, and having signed a confederacy, to stand by one another against all opposers, they chose twenty-four protectors, empowering them to raise forces, and levy such taxes, as they should find necessary.

In this situation of affairs, the emperor, who was also king of Bohemia, died, and on the 18th of August 1619, Fedinand was chosen his successor in the empire, but the Bohemians not only disowned him for their king, but declared the throne vacant, and on Sept. 5, chose Frederick elector palatine, king James' son-in-law, for their sovereign. Deputies were immediately sent to acquaint him with the choice, and pray him to repair immediately to Prague. Frederick dispatched an express to England, to desire the advice of his father-in-law; but the affair not admitting of so long delay, he accepted of the kingdom, and was crowned at Prague, November 4.