CHAPTER XII. Acceffion of James II. Early Measures of the King for the eftablishment of the Roman Catholic Religion - Ken's first vifit to Wells The Palace at Wells His Sermon at Whitehall on the character of Daniel Coronation of James. Hawkins' Life of Ken, p. 12. B ISHOP KEN'S close attendance at the death-bed of Charles, fo immediately after his confecration, prevented any thought of the ufual forms for his admiffion to the temporalities of the See, which required the King's fign manual. But as foon as James came to the throne "new inftruments were prepared for that purpose, and he was accordingly in full possession of his revenues."* It was a time of difficulty and danger to the Church. Much laxity and indifference prevailed; many of the Clergy were non-refident, ecclefiaftical difcipline was remifs, and schism abounded. Ken's firmness and circumfpection, his courage and meeknefs were all tasked to harmonize men's minds, and keep them ftedfast to the truth, when it feemed to be endangered by the King's undisguised endeavour to establish Popery. He had long fince abjured the Church of England. There can be no doubt this was previous to the death † of his first wife, Anne Hyde, who had alfo embraced the + In 1671. Romish Faith, probably through his influence. So early as the 30th of March 1673, " at the Sermon coram rege, preached by Dr. Sparrow, Bishop of Exeter, to a moft crouded auditorie, I ftaid " (fays Evelyn) "to see whether, according to custom, the Duke of York received the Communion with the King; but he did not, to the amazement of everybody. This being the second year he had forbore and put it off, and within a day of the Parliament fitting, who had lately made fo fevere an act against the encrease of Popery, gave exceeding griefe and fcandal to the whole nation, that the heir of it, and the son of a martyr for the Proteftant religion, fhould apoftatize. What the confequence of this will be God only knows, and wife men dread." "'* In 1678 Archbishop Sancroft, affifted by Bishop Morley, had an interview with him in his closet, to represent the danger of his feceffion, and to urge his return. After eulogizing the Anglican Church, and reminding him that he "had been born within her happy pale and communion, and baptized into her holy Faith," the Archbishop proceeded; "your Royal father, that bleffed Martyr of ever glorious memory, who loved her, and knew how to value her, and loft his all in this world for her, even his life too, bequeathed you to her at the last. When he was ready to turn his back on an impious and ungrateful world, and had nothing else now left him but this excellent religion (which he thought not only worth three kingdoms, but ten thousand worlds) he gave that Queen Evelyn's Diary, vol. i. p. 461. (the Church) in legacy amongst you. For thus he bespoke the king your brother, and in him all that were his, words that deserve to be written in letters of gold, and to be engraved in brass or marble. If you never see my face again, I require and entreat you, as your father, and as your King, that you never suffer your heart to receive the leaft check or diffatisfaction from the true religion established in the Church of England. I tell you I have tried it, and after much fearch, and many difputes, have concluded it to be the beft in the world.'"* But it was all in vain: James replied to the Bishops that he also had taken all the pains he could to examine the grounds of his religious faith, that he had not made the change haftily, or without forefight of the inconveniences that must enfue to him from it; and requested that he might not be further urged by any difcuffions. His acceffion had been greeted with the acclamations of the people, who vainly trusted to his promises of tenderness for the Church of England; but it was not long e'er these hopes were difappointed. Sufpicion foon began to obfcure the sunshine of popularity, which generally beams on a new reign. His open celebration of the mafs, his encouragement of Roman Priests and Jefuits, and the immediate choice of Papifts to offices of truft in Ireland, betrayed his defign to overthrow the Anglican faith. Religion thus became an encreasing source of violent controversy and faction. Instead of endeavouring to cement the affections of his fubjects through a common ritual, he D'Oyly's Life of Sancroft, vol. i. p. 167. had refolved to fubftitute his own will for the constituted laws, and to reduce the spiritual interests of the kingdom to a foreign rule. He could not eftimate the unchangeable purpose of the whole nation to maintain the reformed religion. In this unequal conteft he was prepared to risk his throne, placing his whole reliance on the questionable fidelity of his army, commanded by Roman Catholic officers; his only other fupport being a few catholic noblemen, and a band of emiffaries from the papal court. But we must follow Bishop Ken to Wells, that we may witness his introduction to the Diocese. The first dedication of himself in the cathedral was an event of deep intereft to all. It must have been a folemn and impreffive scene, when, preceded by his Clergy, he entered the western doors amidst the crowds of people, anxious to catch a glimpse of their future Bishop. We may well imagine his feelings of awe and reverence, of gratitude and humiliation, as he raised his eyes to the vaulted roof of that beautiful temple, henceforward to be the centre of his paftoral duties; and still more when he was conducted to the episcopal throne. In dedicating his Hymnarium to Dr. Hooper, afterwards his fucceffor in the See, he thus expreffes the feelings of that moment : Among the Herdmen, I a common swain, Liv'd pleas'd with my low cottage on the plain; The Palace at Wells, even to this day, retains much of its former character. It ftands in the midft of a garden, furrounded by a once fortified wall, at the foot of which is a fountain of the pureft water, that burfts from St. Andrew's well, and paffing round the palace flows through the town. A high terraced walk, within the ramparts, overlooks the garden and palace: without are meadows extending to the foot of the Mendip hills. The noble cathedral, close at hand, glowing in all the varied richness of Christian art, is feen through the mullioned windows of the banqueting hall, now in ruins and overgrown with ivy. This hall had witnessed the trial and condemnation of Whiting, the courageous Abbot of Glastonbury, who fuffered martyrdom rather than betray the trufts of his Abbey,—that ancient and once fplendid monument of the wealth and devotion of the Church. At each end of the terrace walk is a stone grotto, formed in the angles of the rampart, and covered with ivy. Over the entrance of one of these is an infcription from Horace, cut into a stone tablet. "ILLE TERRARUM MIHI PRÆTER OMNES The placidness of the scene, these well known lines, and the fimilarity of character between two holy men, who amid the deeper thoughts of their learning and piety did not refuse to delight themselves in the works of the Roman Lyrift, recall to mind a paffage in the life of Hooker. "His former pupils, Edwin Sandys, and George Cranmer, took a journey to Draiton Beauchamp to see their tutor, and found him with a book in his hand (it was the odes of Horace) he being then like humble and innocent Abel, tending his fmall allotment of sheep in a common field."* No lefs *Walton's Life of Richard Hooker. |