those two Prelates, who with much difficulty and patience at last got to Lambeth Houfe."* James accufes the Bishops of "heightening the difcontent by all their little artifices to render his intentions fufpected: for as they went through Westminster Hall, the people falling on their knees in mighty crowds to aske their bleffing, they cry'd out to them Keep your Religion.'" It had been well for him if he could more truly have appreciated their motives, or more clearly have traced to their cause these tokens of fympathy between the Bishops and the people,-an affection for their common religion. But all his measures proclaimed that he was MS. Memoir of Hooper, by Mrs. Prowse. His own Memoirs. Clarke's Life of James II. vol. ii. p. 164. The whole amount of expenfes attending the proceedings was 614/. 8s. 8d., which was divided rateably among the Bishops. The calculation of what each was to pay is curious, as exhibiting the annual value of their Sees; The Archbishop was affeffed at 4,000l. a year. on which they each paid 6 per cent. Ken's income was at first estimated at 850l.; but he appears to have felt fome fcruple whether that was sufficient, and 50l. was accordingly added, making it 900l. The fum total paid to the Counsel was 240l. 165. 6d. It should be mentioned of Sir Robert Sawyer, the leading Counsel of the Bishops, and of his junior, Mr. Finch, that on one occafion they refused to take a fee of twenty guineas each. (Dallaway's Western Suffex: Hiftory of Chichester, p. 91.) They thought the honour of defending the Fathers of the Church an ample remuneration for their fervices.-Gutch's Collectanea Curiofa, vol. ii. pp. 368 to 380, from the Tanner MSS. and D'Oyley's Life of Sancroft. Ed. 1840. p.186. no longer his own mafter. The treacherous or fanatical counsellors to whom his confidence was given, maintained him in the fame extravagant expectations, the fame unyielding fpirit, and a more entire belief that conciliation after defeat would compromise his authority. He had a standing army of 30,000 men to overawe the Kingdom :-this in his opinion was a stronger bulwark than the hearts of his people. The rejoicings in London and the neighbourhood continued for fome days-not only were portraits of the Bishops multiplied through the metropolis and in the country, but various medals* were ftruck to * My friend, Edward Hawkins, Efq., F.R.S., Keeper of Antiquities. in the British Museum, has in his own Collection a series of eight Medals, ftruck on the occafion. I am indebted to him for the following clear description of them, which cannot fail to intereft the reader : : I. The White Tower of London; in the distance are the Bishops ELY. PETER CHICHEST. BRIST. INCARCER. 8 LIBERATI 18 25 Reverse. The Sun and Moon equally balanced in scales fufpended from the clouds. Leg. sIC SOL LUNAQUE IN LIBRA. 24 inch diam. 2. Bust of Abp. Sancroft, wearing a cap and robes. Leg. GVIL. SANCROFT. ARCHIEPISC CANTUAR. 1688. + "These medals were for fome years a fort of badge of the zealous ministers of the Church of England, and of many of its warmeft advocates among the laity. They were worn as an ornament to the person, in token of the wearer's profeffed principles, and bequeathed from father to fon for several generations. I have seen one inclosed in the following memorandum: "This was my Grandfather C's; he always wore it with a riband round his neck; my uncle C- did the fame, and he gave it to me as a new year's gift, and defired I would not let it go out of the family. I leave this with my tendereft love to my dear nephew W- D-, hoping he will, when he fees it, think kindly of his truly affectionate aunt, 'S H. commemorate the happy event. As the news spread into the country the ringing of bells and bonfires proclaimed a jubilee, especially in the Cathedral cities, Rev. Bufts of the fix imprisoned Bishops round that of the Bp. of London, stars interspersed. G.B.F. Geo. Bowers, fecit. Edge. SI FRACTUS ILLABATUR ORBIS IMPAVIDOS FERIENT RUINÆ. 2 inch diam. 3. A variety of the preceding, the date in Roman numerals. 4. Buft of Abp. Sancroft, fame as No. 2. Rev. Seven stars in the middle of the ftarry heavens. Leg. QVIS RESTRINGET PLEIADVM DELICIAS. IOB. C. 38. 2 inch diam. 5. Buft of Abp. Sancroft, wearing a cap and robes. Leg. GVIL SANCROFT ARCHIEPS CANT. Rev. Church founded upon a rock, in the midst of the sea, and assailed by the four winds. Leg. IMMOTA TRIUMPHANS. 1 inch diam. 6. A Jefuit and a Monk, with spade and pickaxe, endeavouring to undermine a Church, which is fupported by a hand from Heaven. Leg. THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAILE. Matt. xvi. 18. Rev. Seven medallions of the Archbishop and fix Bishops, a mitre over each, and name below. Leg. WISDOM HATH BVILDED HER HOVS SHE HATH HEWEN OVT HER 7 PILLERS. Prov.ix. 1. 24inch diam. 7. Same device. Leg. THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAILE AGAINST IT. Rev. Seven medallions of the Archbishop and Bishops, with their names. Stars interfperfed. Edge. UPON THIS ROCK HAVE I BUILT MY CHURCH. 1 inch diam. 8. A Jefuit and a Monk, with spade and pickaxe, endeavouring to undermine a Church, fupported by a hand from Heaven; the field chequered. Leg. incufe. THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT. A border of large beads. Rev. Medallions of the Abp. and Bishop. Legend incufe; the field radiated. 1 inch diam." and other large towns.* One of the absent Prelates thus writes to the Archbishop; "May it please your Grace "Norwich, 2nd July, 1688. "To give me leave, among the thousands in these parts, heartily to congratulate with you, and your late companions in trouble, for the most joyful and most acceptable news we had this day by the poft; namely, your acquittal from the crime endeavoured to be fixed upon you. I do affure your Grace it hath mightily revived our drooping fpirits; and I befeech God to make us all truly fenfible of, and fincerely thankful for fo great a mercy. I know your Grace hath now work enough upon your hands; and therefore it would be the greatest impertinency to interrupt you in those great affairs: wherefore I heartily blefs God for your fafety, and thereby for His great and fingular mercies, vouchsafed to His Church, and am, as in duty bound, "Your Grace's Moft obedient Servant to command, Another letter to the Archbishop from Scotland fays, "It will doubtless be strange news to hear that the Bishops of England are in great veneration amongst the Presbyterians of Scotland, and I am glad that reason has retained so much of its old empire amongst them. But I hope it will be no * At Peterborough, for instance, "the bells rung from three o'clock in the morning till night; when several bonfires were made, with tabor and pipe and drum, and a great part of the night was spent in rejoicing, and all of their own accord; whereas the day before, which was a Thanksgiving for the birth of the Prince of Wales, the bells did not ftir till twelve o'clock." Bishop Patrick's Autobiography, p.177. + Gutch's Collectanea Curiofa, vol. i. p. 383. news to your Grace to hear that no man was more concerned in the fafetie of your confciences and perfons, than, "May it please your Grace, "Your Grace's most humble Servant, "GEO. MACKENZIE."* We do not find any account of the rejoicings at Wells and Bath; but, no doubt, the people there, who loved their cheerful Bishop, and had partaken of his charity, and liftened to his teaching, refponded heartily to the univerfal joy of the nation, for whose liberties a great battle had been fuccefsfully fought. Well might the Bishop of Norwich anticipate that Sancroft had " enough work on his hands." Whilft James was lavishing all his attentions on the army at Hounslow, the Archbishop and his Brethren prepared to refift with other arms. The King's angry and haughty bearing, and the threats of his bigoted advisers, foretold a greater crifis yet to come. Their courage prompted them to more energetic measures for the safety of the Church, now that his hostility and violence were fo openly brought out to view. The facred truft, committed to their keeping, was yet more endeared to them, in proportion to the difficulties that feemed gathering round. All the proceedings of the King indicated that their Trial was but the prelude to a more extended plan for uprooting the national faith. The progrefs of Tyrconnel in Ireland, Sunderland's lately avowed conversion to Romanism, the undisguised joy of the Jefuits at the birth of a Prince, to be brought up in their tenets, the continued appointment of Popish * Gutch's Collectanea Curiofa, vol. i. p. 384. |