confer with him. There were long arguings between them; the debate kindled into fome heats; from being perfonal, the controverfy became general; the pulpits and fchools engaged in the difpute, de re Veftiaria, as it was called; and feveral learned foreigners became parties in it. These contentions alarmed the Council; they fent for Hoper, 'required him to cease the occafion of the controverfy, and conform himself to the laws: he defired he might be permitted to write his fentiments on the fubject; which was allowed him. The Council alfo wrote to the Bishop of London, to defire that he would endeavour to put an end to the controverfy. He defired that he might justify himfelf in writing; which was granted him; but his reply to Hoper hath not been found. At length the Council began to think Hoper blameable, and his great Patrons to give him up. At firft he was confined to his houfe, only with permiffion to refort to fome of the Bishops for conference. This order of Council the did not obey; they therefore removed him to a more effectual but honourable confinement, committing him to the care of the Archbishop, at Lambeth, to be reformed of punished. After fome time fpent in vain to reduce him to a compliance, he was reported as obftinate to the Council, who committed him to the Fleet, with an order that he should be kept from conference with any person, saving the Minifters of that house. Here, after fome time, he became more tractable: and at length was confecrated at Lambeth chapel, in his linen furplice and cope, the Bishops of London and Rochefter aflifting in the like habits.

We have given an account of this tranfaction without one reflection on either fide; in this refpect departing from our Au thor's manner, who is very liberal in commending the prudence and fteadiness of Ridley, and blaming the vanity and obftinacy of Hoper. Here appear, fays he, the diftinguishing lines of Ridley's character, which run uniformly through his life; meek and gentle to tender confciences, patiently bearing with their weakness: but where he faw the will was in fault, from vanity, malice, and obftinacy, he fet himself with great earnestness to reduce it to fubmiffion.' We acknowlege that we do not fee many marks of meekness and gentleness to tender confciences in this part of the Bishop's behaviour; but rather fomewhat a little favouring of the contrary. Hoper, as above obferved, had converfed much with the learned Proteftants abroad; he had learned to think, that following the Scriptures only in matters of religion, was his duty; he had feen nothing but great fimplicity with respect to the article of veftments; he, perhaps, fufpected, or was well affured, that the Civil Magiftrates had no right to fowereignty in religion, and that it was foreign to his province;

he might fee too, that by allowing the Magiftrate a power to enjoin the use of copes, hoods, and furplices, it was acknowleging that, upon the fame authority, he might introduce any modes or rites that he pleafed, however trifling, infignificant, or fuperftitious. It was furely poffible for Hoper to have thought very gravely in this manner, without having his will in fault at all; without the leaft degree of vanity, malice, or obstinacy. Thefe are qualities which men in power have been always apt to charge upon their adverfaries, when they could not convince them by reafon and argument: we fhall prefently see the fame charge thrown upon Dr. Ridley himself, for not fubmitting to the inftructions and admonitions of the holy Gentlemen who had the management of the proceedings against him: it is poffible he might then fee matters in a different light. But if Hoper was not to be convinced in the method of argument and disputation; and if the Bishops did not chufe to depart from their ufual cuftoms, (which, however, they had done before in the cafe of Sampfon and Rogers, who had been ordained by Cranmer and Ridley, without the customary veftments) if they did not chufe to difpenfe with the laws, expofe themfelves to premunire, and did not think even the King's letter and fignet a fufficient authority to go upon, they certainly ought not to have imprisoned him in the Flect, nor to have meditated thofe things against him, which it is probable he only prevented by a timely compliance. Thefe good men had, alas! but a very few years after, too dreadful an experience of the fame kind of feverity in their own perfons; on which account we cannot help quoting, without a very fevere application,

Nec lex eft juftior ulla

Quam necis Artifices, arte perire fuâ.

But to return.-In January 1551, the Bishop of London was joined in a fpecial commiffion with the Archbishop and twentynine perfons more, to review the Common Prayer à fecond time; a large account of which our Author inferts in this place.

In this year the Sweating Sickness prevailed, which deftroyed a great number of lives, efpecially in London; and, in the midst of that malignant and peftilential diftemper, did the Bifhop refide at his diocefe, affiduous to difcharge his duty, and endcavouring to improve the vifitations of God to the reformation of the manners of the people, neither fearing the peftilence that walketh in darkness, nor the fickness that deftroyeth in the noon-day.

In the year. 1552, the Bishop of London was engaged in a good and truly chriftian work, contriving means to render the lives of indigent perfons more comfortable, by making them more ufeful." The King had a wide, large, empty houfe in the

eity, called Bridewell, which he made application to have employed for this purpofe. In this he fucceeded; and in about a year after the houte was endowed, and granted by the Crown, for correcting and reclaiming idle, loofe vagrants, finding them work, and training up boys to feveral ufeful trades.

This year the Bishop vifited his old college at Cambridge, and upon his return called at Hundfdon, to pay his duty to the Princefs Mary. She thanked him for his civility, and entertained him with very pleasant difcourfe for a quarter of an hour, telling him, that the remembered him at Court, and mentioned particularly a fermon of his before her father and then leaving her chamber of prefence, the difmiffed him to dine with her officers, After dinner fhe fent for him again; when the Bishop in converfation told her, that he did not only come to pay his duty to her Grace by waiting upon her, but farther to offer his fervice, to preach before her the next Sunday, if she would be pleased to permit him. Her countenance changed at this; and the continued fome time filent: at laft fhe faid, As for this matter, I pray you, my Lord, make the answer to it yourself. The Bifhop proceeding to tell her, that his office and duty obliged him to make this offer; fhe again defired him to make the answer to himself, for that he could not but know what it would be. Yet if the answer must come from her, fhe told him the doors of the parish church fhould be opened for him if he came, and that he might preach if he pleased; but that neither would fhe hear him, nor fhould any of her fervants. Madam, faid the Bishop, I trust you will not refufe God's word. I cannot tell, fays he, what you call God's word: that is not God's word now, that was God's word in my father's days. The Bishop obferved, that God's word is all one at all times, but has been better understood and practised in some ages than others. Upon which she could reftrain her anger no longer, but told him,

you durft not for your ears have avouched that for God's word in my father's days, that you do now: and then to shew how able a Judge fhe was in that controverfy, fhe added, as for your new books, I thank God I never read any of them; I never did, and never will. She then flew out into many bitter expreffions against the form of religion at prefent established, and parted from him with thefe words, My Lord, for your civility in coming to fee me, I thank you; but for your offering to preach before me, I thank you not a whit. After this the Bishop was offered a glass of wine, by Sir T. Wharton; which when he had drank, he feemed concerned, and faid, Surely I have done amifs! and vehemently reproached himself for having drank in that place where God's word had been refufed; whereas, faid he, if I had remembered my duty, I ought to have departed im

mediately,

mediately, and to have shaken off the duft from my feet for a teftimony against this house. This bigottry of the Princefs gave him but a forrowful profpect of what was to be expected if ever fhe came to the Crown.

This event, fo much to be dreaded, was now near at hand. In July 1553 the excellent King Edward died. For three days his death was concealed, but could be fo no longer. The Council then waited on Lady Jane Grey, and acquainted her with her fucceffion to the Throne, by the late King's will. The Bishop of London was commanded to preach at St. Paul's, and recommend Queen Jane to the people: which order he obeyed with great zeal and earnestnefs, pointing out the danger the nation would have been in, had the Lady Mary fucceeded, who was a rigid Papift, and would bring back again the papal power, to enslave them, and fubvert the true religion already establish

Then he related his own experience of her averfion to the Reformation, as has been mentioned above. But fuddenly affairs took another turn; Lady Jane was obliged to disappear; and the Princess Mary was acknowleged and proclaimed Queen.

Queen Mary was now at Framingham; all haftened to her, to implore her mercy; which the extended to all, but the Earl of Northampton, Dr. Ridley Bishop of London, Lord Robert Dudley, afterwards the great Earl of Leicefter, and Sir Robert Corbett; who were committed to the Tower.

Auguft 5th, Boner was releafed from the Marfhalfea; and complaining that he had been unjustly deprived, Delegates were appointed to examine the affair; who pronounced fentence in his favour, and decreed him to be reftored, as well to the poffeffion of the faid Bifhoprick, as to all his goods and things, with their rights and appurtenances; allowing him to take his courfe for the expences and incommodities of his imprisonment.

About the middle of September, Latimer and Cranmer were committed to the Tower; the latter for matters of treason against the Queen. He was afterwards attainted of high treafon; but the Queen pardoned his treafon, having mercifully determined to burn him for herefy. Of which mercy Ridley alfo partook, being never queftioned for his fermon at Paul's Crofs, as the Queen had refolved to punish him more feverely than by the axe.

Notwithstanding this refolution, Ridley might have redeemed himfelf, and recovered her favour, if he would have brought over the weight of his learning and authority to countenance her proceedings in religion. He was therefore treated with great refpect and indulgence: he had the liberty of walking at large in the Tower, to fee whether he would be voluntarily prefent at

the

the Mafs or not; which, tho' faid by Fox, it is probable he never was.-Ridley was now defirous of a conference with his fellow prifoners, to fift his own opinions, and correct or trengthen them from the experience of thofe Veterans. He knew his life was at stake, and he verily believed the truth of Christ was so likewife: he would not willingly rush on death thro' tortures, for a mistaken question, of a point of little importance; nor weakly betray the caufe of truth, either over-reached by their fophiftry, or terrified by their cruelties. He therefore defired the fincere advice of thefe true friends, either to point out his errors, or confirm his refolution. For which purpose they had feveral conferences, exchanging papers and letters on thefe fubjects: a very particular account of which our Historian hath given us, full of great entertainment,

Thus did the good Bishop employ himself in his prifon; exa mining himself, and trying his own spirit carefully, left either ignotance or prejudice fhould millead him; fecking the advice of the elder and more experienced; propofing his reasons, and fubmitting them to the cenfure of others. In fhort, all thro' his life, he applied with great industry to acquaint himself with the truth, and when affured, no man fhewed more refolution in maintaining it.

In 1554, a public difputation was appointed at Oxford, in which thefe three principal Profeffors were appointed, like Criminals in the amphitheatre, to be firft baited, then facrificed. They were conveyed to Oxford from the Tower, a little before Eafter, which fell on the 25th of March. The questions to be debated on were these three, viz. 1. Whether the natural body of Chrift was really in the Sacrament? 2. Whether any other fubftance did remain after the words of confecration, than the body and blood of Chrift? 3. Whether in the Mafs there was a propitiatory facrifice for the fins of the dead and living?Our Author is very particular in the preparations made for this difputation, and in the behaviour of Cranmer and Latimer: we confine ourselves to Ridley; who was brought before the affembly immediately after the Archbishop. Upon hearing the articles read over, he anfwered without any mufing or delay, they were all falfe; and that they fprung out of a bitter and four root. The Commiffioners charged him with preaching a fermon, while he was Bishop of Rochefter, in maintenance of Tranfubftantiation. This he denied, defying them to produce one Witness who heard him; which they could not do. They next afked him, whether he did not, about the fame time, defire the prefent Lord Chancellor to ftick to the Mafs? He anfwered, that the Lord Chancellor would fay no fuch things or words of him; for if he did, he reported not the truth. It was then

demanded