A.D.1687. egregiously, but applauded his taking upon him to difpenfe with the Laws, and affuming 3 Fac. II. an arbitrary Dominion: Popery, and arbitrary Power, with which they had terrified and diftracted the Kingdom, in the four preceding Proteftant Reigns, were now, in the Reign of a Popifh Prince, become innocent harmless Things; or rather the Establishment of them, to which the Diffenters contributed with all their Might, was look'd upon as the likelieft Means to make the English a flourishing and happy People. marks up Upon which a certain Writer makes thefe Some ReReflections. The loyal Church of England, on their fays he, which had conftantly preached and Conduct. practifed Obedience in all Things lawful, was now condemned as difloyal and difobedient, because he could not exceed thofe Limits; and the Diffenters, who were always Rebels, in Speculation, and in Practice, whenever they had Opportunity, were in an Inftant become the only good Subjects: Thofe who had fignalized their Zeal for the King's Intereft, by a Courfe of important Services, were turn'd out of their Employments, and the Promoters of the Exclufion Bill, with the Patriots of Taunton and Tiverton, were now thought the fittest Perfons to be trufted. In Return for the Indulgence granted them, their Lives and Fortunes, Laws and Liberties, were all too fmall a Sacrifice; and while the Church of England was harrafs'd and diftrefs'd, the Diffenters remain'd at Eafe, basking in the Sun-fhine of a Court, which feem'd to have thaw'd all their rigid Humours, and melted them down into a perfect Compliance with their Friends the Papifts: They who were formerly refractory and difobedi ent 3 Fac. II. A.D.1687 ent to the Laws, and were for paring off the legal Prerogatives of the Crown, as if the Romish Priefts had tranfubftantiated them, now carried their Obedience beyond the Laws, and became the Champions of the difpenfing Power. In another Pamphlet, afcribed to Doctor Burnet, fpeaking of the Promifes made to the Diffenters, on which they feem'd to rely; he admonishes them, Not to put too great Confidence in the Royal Word, for they could not be fuppofed to be more lafting than those that were made fome Time before to the Church of England, who had both a better Title in Law, and greater Merit upon the Crown, to affure them they fhould be well ufed, than the Diffenters could pretend to : That as the Church of England was the only Establishment that our Religion had by Law, fo it was the main Body of the Nation; and all the Sects were but fmall and ftraggling Parties And if the legal Settlement of the Church was diffolved, and that Body once broken, thefe leffer Bodies would be all at Mercy. From whence he infers, it could never be their Intereft to join with the Papifts, as they did at that Time, in diftreffing and infulting the Church. But to proceed. The next Step the Court took to fupprefs the Church of England, and introduce Popery, was to attack the two Universities, and bring them under the Subjection of their new erected Head of a Ecclefiaftical Commiffion: They had already College. A Mandate found Means to get one Baffet, a Roman Cato make tholick, chofen Master of Sidney College in Cambridge; and this Year, the King fent a Letter to Mafter of that University, to admit Alban Francis, a Benedictine Monk, to the Degree of Master of A Popish Father Francis Arts. Arts, 3 Jac. II. of Cam with. Arts, without adminiftring to him the ufual AD.1687 Oaths: Whereupon Doctor Peachell, the ViceChancellor, Mafter of Magdalen College, communicated the King's Letter to the Senate, who unanimously refolved not to admit the Which the faid Father Francis, 'till the King had been University petition'd to revoke the Mandate; and fent bridge rea Letter to the Duke of Albemarle, their fufe to Chancellor, to interceed with the King, not comply to infift upon it, as being contrary to their Oaths To which the Duke anfwer'd, he had reprefented the Matter to the King, but he would not hear of a Denial; advifing the whole Body of the Univerfity to join in a Petition to his Majefty, to revoke his Mandate, which they agreed to do, but the King would not receive their Petition. On the contrary, they received a fecond Letter from his Majefty, to admit Father Francis, at their Peril. The Univerfity thereupon wrote to the Duke of Albemarle again, and to the Earl of Sunderland, Lord Prefident of the Council, to interceed for them; but the Duke of Sunderland let them know that the King had feen their Letter to him, and was offended with the University: And the Duke of Albemarle acquainted them at the fame Time, that his Interceffion could not prevail. And it was The Vicebut a very little Time after, that Atterbury, and Senate the Meffenger, was fent to Cambridge, by the fummon'd Commiffioners for Ecclefiaftical Affairs, to before the fummon the Vice-Chancellor to appear before High Commif them in Perfon, and the Senate by their De- fion. puties, which they did on the 21st of April, and obtain'd a Week's Time to put in their Anfwer; when the Vice-Chancellor and Deputies appearing again, their Answer was read, wherein feveral Statutes were recited, VOL. XXIII. Rr re Chancellor 3 Fac. II. A.D.1687 requiring the Oaths to be tender'd to every Perfon admitted to a Degree in the Univerfity. They alfo took Notice of the Statute of the 17th of Charles the Firft, whereby the High-Commiffion Court, and all Courts of the like Nature, (as this was) were abolish'd: The Vice- But their Anfwer was not regarded. The Commiffioners proceeded to deprive Doctor Chancellor deprived. Peachell of the Office of Vice-Chancellor, and fufpended him, ab Officio & Beneficio, of his Headship of Magdalen College; and Doctor Balderfon, Mafter of Emanuel College, was chofen Vice-Chancellor in his Room. Senate alfo were reprimanded, and order'd to fend up Copies of their Statutes. len Col lege, in The A Mandate Magdalen College in Oxford was used with to Magda- ftill greater Severity. Their late Prefident, Doctor Clark, being dead, the Vice-President Oxford, to had appointed a Day for the Election of anoelect a Pre- ther Prefident; but before that Day came, fident named by the King fent the College his Mandate to the King elect Anthony Farmer, a new Convert, who had promised to profefs himself a Papist, and one who was otherwife obnoxious, on account of his Morals: Whereupon, the Fellows of Magdalen College prefented a Petition to the King, that he would not infift upon their electing Farmer, but leave them to the Freedom of their Choice; to which they could obtain no other Anfwer, but That his Majefty would be obey'd. However, the Vice-Prefident and Fellows having waited, 'till the laft Day They elect they were obliged to make their Election on another, and are by the Statutes, ventured to make Choice of fummon'd Mr. Hough, for which they were fummoned before the to appear before the Ecclefiaftical CommiffiCommif- oners, at Whitehall, on the 6th of June; when it was demanded, Why they had not High fion. obey'd 3 Fac. II. obey'd the King's Mandate, in electing Mr. 4.D 1687 Farmer their Prefident? And defiring Time to give in their Anfwer, they were allow'd 'till the 13th Inftant; when they appear'd again, and their Anfwer was read, fhewing, That they were obliged by their Statutes, to Their Plea. which they were fworn, to elect a President out of the Fellows of their own, or of New College; and that Mr. Farmer was of neither of thofe Colleges, and otherwife difqualified, as they had reprefented to the King, by their Chancellor, the Duke of Ormond: That they had waited 'till the laft Day limited by their Statutes, for the Election of a Prefident, and then made Choice of Mr. Hough, a Fellow of their College, who had been fince confirm'd by their Visitor the Bishop of Winchester. This Anfwer was fign'd by Five of the Deputies, fent up by the College; but Dr. Fairfax, the Sixth, not having confented to it, defired to be heard apart, which being granted, he faid, This Caufe was not cognizable here, but in Westminster-Hall, and defired to know by what Commiffion, or Authority, the Commiffioners fat; to which he received no other Anfwer, but that he talk'd like a Madman. The Deputies being order'd to withdraw, and appear again the 22d Inftant, they then made Proof of Mr. Farmer's irregular and vicious Life, which difqualified him to Hough, the be Prefident of their College; nor was Farmer new Prefi able to clear up his Reputation. However, dent, dethe Commiffioners took upon them to deprive Prived by Doctor Hough of the Prefidentfhip, and fuf- miffioners, pended Doctor Aldworth, the Vice-Prefident, with Docand Doctor Fairfax; commanding the reft of tor Aldthe Fellows to cause their Sentence to be exe- Doctor cuted; but the Fellows did not think fit to Fairfax. Rr 2 obey Doctor the Com worth, and |