XVII. "ness of the charge and number of churches would be CHAP. ❝either little or nothing diminished. The troublesomeness " and the danger of the diocese far greater than where he Anno 1579. "was then, as late experience had declared. The credit of "the place nothing more: the benefit of the living no whit "amended: the charges of the alteration very great; as his "wisdom well knew; neither by his own poverty able to "be sustained, nor by the benefit of the living to be re"compensed. દ "Wherefore he heartily desired his honour so to deal in “this case, as her majesty might graciously spare him, and "suffer him to be where he was, rather than to be trans"lated. And thus he ceased, desiring God long to preserve "his honour to his glory." Dated from Lincoln, the 8th of June, 1579. of Chiches the vicar of Curtess, or Coortess, bishop of Chichester, was called The bishop upon by some at this time to deprive the vicar of Cuckfield, ter required in his diocese, a very vile and vicious man, and to place a to deprive more worthy and sufficient man in his room; and charging Cuckfield. the bishop himself, as it seems, with some neglect in his office and care of his diocese, in permitting such a minister to officiate in the parish; wherein the number of the communicants were eight hundred, and the inhabitants well affected to religion, and the living sufficient for a learned preacher. But as for the pastor he was informed against," That he was His crimes. "no better than idolum; void of all learning and discre- PaperOffice. ❝tion; a profaner of the sacrament, a depraver of preachers, 66 66 a scoffer at singing of psalms, a common alehouse hunter, "accused of incontinency, a maintainer of strumpets' causes, "a seeker to witches, a drunkard, a quarreller and fighter; "convicted for a common barrator; infected with a loath"some and contagious disease: his talk was of ribaldry: "consignatus in natura, and a contemner of her majesty's "laws and justice." A hideous character indeed of a clergyman, if there were not some malice at the bottom. The tidings of his behaviour came to court; as sation was brought into the ecclesiastical commission. much, that the lord treasurer had wrote to the bishop con- cerning this T3 his accu Inso The bishop to the trea surer con man's education. BOOK cerning the ill account he had heard of this man; done perII. haps out of respect to the bishop, whose son, or relation at Anno 1579.least, he was; (his name being Edmund Coortess;) having been charged, (as he told the bishop he had been informed,) both with insufficiency of learning, and also with evil demeanour. To which the bishop in answer, in respect of his sufficiency, writ, That he was ordained by the bishop of Ely; and that Dr. Whitgift was then the positor, [poser;] and that he had been a student at St. John's college. This vicar had been summoned before the commissioners ecclesiastical; and as yet no sentence had passed against him: but remained still in his place. Whereat several per592 sons, his parishioners, and gentlemen there, resorted unto the said lord treasurer, for the removal of so scandalous a person. That lord was moved upon these complaints to send again to the bishop, to suffer him to abide no longer in his living; since he had been blamed for that neglect. His case lay before the ecclesiasti To whom he gave this answer; "That his causes had "been heard before archbishop Parker and bishop Sandes, cal commis- and divers others, and yet the cause depended before the "high commissioners in St. Paul's; and that from thence sioners. an inferior judge could not well call the same. And "therefore, that he feared some men rather sought to ali"enate that honourable loving affection, which they knew " or heard his lordship had borne to him of late, to his great "comfort; than for any likelihood of ability in him [the "bishop] to perform this request: and therefore had pre"ferred this suit to his lordship. That if it were through "ignorance, they dealt not in an unknown matter. That it "was a love to his books, prayers, and preaching, his juris"diction, and the disposition of other livings in his gifts, "granted over to others. And that his only desire was to "live in quiet. And so concluded, that he would not for 66 get in his daily prayers to recommend his honourable ser"vices to God, his most merciful protection and direction. "Dated from Cherisworth, the 30th of March, 1579." CHAP. XVIII. Parry false: hath leave to go abroad, and give intelligence to the queen. Returns. His letters to the lord treasurer : and protestation of service: notwithstanding, privately reconciled at Paris. His earnest letters thence, to be employed. The family of love increase. Some account of the first rise of this sect here. Some of them in Colchester in queen Mary's reign. Free-will men. Christopher Vitelli comes from Delph to Colchester. Crinel's confession concerning him and his doctrine. Henry Nicolas, the founder of the family of love, his doctrines. Libertines. Their speculations. A book writ against them. Puritans. One of them expostulates with the lord Burghley. And that he should use more liberty of speech with the queen. The queen calls in her commissioners for concealments. Proclamations for the length of swords, bucklers, &c. Against carrying and shooting in guns, &c. nor where the queen's residence should be. No coats or doublets of defence to be worn: nor pocket dags suffered. Proclamations about apparel. Letters from the privy-council for keeping Lent. 593 leave to be for the queen. As for the state of religion now, I meet this year with Anno 1579. some letters of William Parry; who had privately recon- Parry hath ciled himself to the church of Rome, and was a sworn ser- a spy abroad vant to the pope and his cause; and undertook for that purpose no less a villainy than to kill queen Elizabeth; having the encouragement of the pope, and one of the cardinals, to execute the same. For which barbarous design he suffered the death of a traitor in the year 1584. This man had earnestly requested (and that with solemn protestations of his zeal to the queen's service) of the lord treasurer Burghley, to travel abroad to do the queen service, as a spy and private intelligencer in the popish countries: which, he being a subtle, quick man, and of good parts, the queen had yielded unto. And some years before this, both from BOOK Rome and Siena, he had advertised the treasurer of such matters as he had heard and seen in those parts. II. Anno 1579. home. tations to the lord treasurer. And now this man being come home, writ to that lord, that Returns he was returned; and weary with his long journey, deHis protes-ferred his attendance upon his honour till his coming to court; and, (with glorious words,) that he would humbly wait upon the same, being most desirous to live and die in his good favour, upon hope to be able to do his lordship some good service, [such] as he never intended to do or offer to any before that time; pretending some special matter, whatever it was. vately abroad. 594 Writes to the treasurer in excuse. 66 66 66 Thus far he carried all things smooth, (but scarcely sinGoes pri- cere,) till after his going abroad again into France, (which was soon after,) privately, and without the knowledge of any. And being at Paris, where he was reconciled, he still pretended all sincerity and faithful observance towards the treasurer. And this year, 1579, January 15, he excused his departure so suddenly and secretly. Writing, "That "his departure out of England might in reason leave cause “of offence behind him; his necessity and his demeanour "on that side might, and he trusted would, in part crave pardon for him. The rather, if it might please his lordship for his dutiful mind, and privy good-will borne (though not discovered) unto his lordship, to receive him "into his lordship's good favour and protection. And that having not, since the death of his very good lord and "master, the earl of Pembroke, served or followed any be"sides her majesty, (whose faithful poor servant and sub"ject he would ever be,) he hoped his lordship would not reject his humble suit; grounded upon no greater war❝rant than his desire to deserve well of him by such ser"vice as he should be able to do him hereafter." And concludes, the better to conceal his treachery, and obtain his end, (viz. a good salary to maintain him abroad in the pope's service,) "My good lord, pardon my plain nature, "if I am at any time less ceremonious than your greatness or my duty do require. And be assured to find in me all 66 66 66 plainness and truth:" [this damnable hypocrite hoping CHAP. with this clause to impose upon the treasurer.] Adding, XVIII. "That if it might stand with his good pleasure to bind him Anno 1579. "to such observations [there at Paris] that might do him "service, he would do his duty, and endeavour to satisfy "his lordship's expectation. That in the mean time, and "always, he would not fail dutifully to pray to God to bless "him with long, happy, and healthful years." the said And this crafty man so artfully concealed his falsehood, Writes to that it seems this great statesman discovered it not: Parry lord for serfrom time to time sending him letters of intelligence from vice and employabroad: but serving in truth the popish interest all the ment while. Thus I meet with another letter of his writ the abroad. next year, 1580; therein endeavouring much to get employment under that lord. And in another he writ, "That he "was emboldened, as he did in his last, to lay before him "his service: the service of such an one as studied daily, "how, and in what sort he might best and most accept"ably discover his readiness to honour and serve him." Divers other letters he sent to that lord in hypocrisy; soliciting for service, pretending great loyalty, and ambition of doing service to the queen; but in truth to serve the ends of the pope, and those that were of that church, and sworn enemies to her and her kingdom. The further relation whereof I shall reserve to the next year. The queen and government were however watchful Papists imagainst papists, as well they might, to prevent dangers from prisoned, them: who were very busy to destroy her, and seize her kingdoms, as well as to overthrow the reformed religion established. There were also great numbers of such disaffected in the kingdom. Which may be conjectured at by the numbers of such as were at this time in durance, in the prisons in London, Southwark, and Westminster; as in the Tower, in the Fleet, in the Marshalsea, in the King's Bench, in the White Lion, in Newgate, in the Counter, and the Gatehouse; likewise in the custody of the bishops 595 of Ely and Rochester: and many more in the prisons of |