In the fourth year of this reign it was enacted in parliament, that all murderers and robbers fhould be denied the benefit of clergy. Though the reasonableness of this law, one would have thought, was fufficient to make it pass, yet to take off all objections there was added, that all fuch as were within the holy orders of bishop, prieft, or deacon, should be excepted; and it was alfo continued in force only till the next parliament. Though this gave the greatest satisfaction to the people, the clergy were fo offended, that the most inferior perfons, who were any ways related to the church, should be proceeded againft by the laity, that the act by their oppofition was fuffered to determine next parliament. But fee the effects of an ill-judged compliance with whatsoever that body of men fhall at any time be pleafed to call their privileges: they were not satisfied, that it was suffered to expire, but with great audaciousness resolved to fix a public cenfure on this act of the legislature. Accordingly, the abbot of Winchelcomb openly preached against it at St. Paul's cross.

As this could, not fail of making a noise, the temporal lords and house of commons con

* Hi. of the refor. vol. 1. p. 13.

curred

curred in petitioning the king to fupprefs the growing infolence of the clergy. Upon this a hearing was appointed before the king with all the judges and his temporal council. It will be too tedious to infert here the particulars of the difpute, which are to be seen in the hiftory of the reformation: but in fhort, Dr. Standish, who was ecclefiaftical council for the king, maintained his arguments against the immunities of the church with fo much reason, and fo clearly confuted the affertions of the abbot, that all the laity prefent were fo confirmed in their former opinions, that the bishops were moved to order the abbot to make a recantation of his fermon in the place, where he had preached it; but they all flatly refused to do it, and openly juftified the affertions of the abbot in every point. As this was followed by very great heats in parliament, an affair, that fell out juft after, made the matter to be prosecuted still more warmly the Michaelmas term following.

One Richard Hunne, a merchant-taylor in London, was fued in the ecclefiaftical court by a Middlefex clerk for refufing a mortuary, which the clerk pretended was due to him on account of a child of Hunne's that had died five weeks old. As this spiritual court fat by the legate's authority, therefore was a foreign

D 3

foreign court, Hunne was advised to fue the clerk in a præmunire. The clergy were touched to the quick at this, and ufed all their arts to faften herefy on Hunne; and having found Wickliffe's bible in his cuftody, he was taken up, and put in the Lollards tower at St. Paul's, and had several articles of herefy objected to him by the bishop of London. On his examination he denied them in the manner charged upon him; but owned he had faid fome things, which might feem to tend that way, for which he was forry, and asked God's pardon, and fubmitted to the bishop's correc tion. For this, fays our author, he should have been enjoined penance, and fet at liberty. But as he fill continued his fuit in the king's court, he was used in a barbarous manner; for foon after he was found hanged in the chamber, where he was prifoner. This was given out to be done by himfelf; but when the coroner held his inqueft on the body, fo many circumstances appeared, that made it undeniably evident, he was murdered; upon which the dead body was acquitted, and the murder charged upon the officers of the prison: and by other proofs, they found the bishop's fumner and bell-ringer guilty of it; and by the depofition of the fumner himself it appeared, that Dr. Horfey, the bishop Lon

don's

don's chancellor, and he, and the bell-ringer did murder him, and then hang him up.

At the fame time the bishop began a new process against Hunne for herefy; of which being found guilty, he was delivered over to the fecular power to be burnt, which was accordingly done in Smithfield. When judg

ment was given, the bishops of Durham and Lincoln, with many doctors both of divinity and canon-law fat with the bishop of London; fo that this (fays our Author) was looked on as an act of the whole clergy, and done by common confent. The intent of this was to stifle all enquiry about the murder; for it was fuppofed that when once the deceafed had been declared a heretic, no man would be fo bold as to appear for him.

But it fell out London, was en

quite otherwife. The city of raged to the greatest degree at the cruelty of the clergy, and made it a common cause. That a poor fellow for fuing a clerk according to law, fhould be long imprifoned, and at laft murdered, and the reproach of it caft upon himfelf to defame him, and ruin his family; and then to burn the dead body that had been fo ufed, was thought fuch a complication of cruelties, as few Barbarians had ever been guilty of.

So that notwithstanding the very great pains taken to stop the proceedings, and the endeavours of the cardinal to forbid their going on, the thing was fo foul and evident, that they were ineffectual and the trial went on, and the chancellor and fumner were indicted as principals in the murder. Hunne's children were also restored in parliament.

The convocation, which was now fitting, finding all this ftir made, refolved to call Dr. Standish to an account; whofe arguments in the affair before mentioned they thought greatly to have contributed in raising this flame. When he was first fummoned, fome articles were objected to him by word of mouth concerning the judging of clerks in civil courts; but the next day a bill was delivered to him in writing, to which a day was appointed for his answer.

Standish finding they were determined to opprefs him, begged the king's protection for what he had done only in discharge of his duty, as his counsel: but the clergy pretended to the king, that it was for fomething he had faid in his lectures, which he had read at St. Paul's and therefore begged him to maintain the rights of the church. On the other hand, the temporal lords and houfe of commons addreffed