ABBOT, field against the king either upon the score of religion, or Abp. Cant. any other account whatever. Id. "Secondly, That all the doctors and masters, the bachelors of law and physic, in the university of Oxon, shall subscribe the censure and decree above-mentioned. “Thirdly, That all persons to be promoted to any degree shall subscribe these censures, and at the same time take their corporal oath, that they do not only at present condemn and detest the propositions above-mentioned, but that they shall always continue of the same opinion." The oath follows; the reader shall have it in the language it is penned : "Tu jurabis te ex animo et bona fide consentire decreto convocationis habitæ die Martis, viz. vicesimo quinto die Junii anno Dom. CIODCXXII. super quibusdam propositionibus, falsis, seditiosis, impiis, et ibidem damnatis, et quod nullam prædictarum conclusionum, earumve sententiam docebis, defendes vel tenebis publice aut occulte neque aliquem hujusmodi doctorem vel defensorem ope, consilio 726. vel favore juvabis, sed quantum in te est impedies, ita te Deus adjuvet, tactis sacro sanctis Dei evangeliis." p. 328. The king's care that the should not And that Knight's doctrine might not revive upon the scholars, an order was made at the same convocation, that the king's directions above-mentioned, for the regulating their studies, should be hung up in the college chapels, and other public places. And from this time Calvin's authority began to decline in the university. He was not now consulted as their oracle, nor taken upon content as formerly. And as Calvin's authority sunk, the doctrines of the Church of England emerged, and the Fathers recovered a just esteem. The Spanish match, already mentioned, being somewhat English interwoven with the history of religion, I shall touch briefly Reformation upon that affair. In February last, Charles, prince of receive any Wales, embarked at Dover, and landed at Boulogne in prejudice by the Spanish Picardy. He passed through France incognito, being match. attended with no person of condition, excepting George, marquis of Buckingham; Mr. Endymion Porter, and Mr. JAMES 1. Francis Cottington. His curiosity carried him to the French court, where he had a view of the princess Henrietta Maria, whom he afterwards married. His quality being soon discovered through his disguise, the French king sent after him, with orders to bring him back; but the prince had passed Bayonne, and entered the Spanish territories before the messengers could reach him; and then, riding post to Madrid, he came to the English ambassador's house before the Spaniards were apprized of his coming. The lady courted by the prince was the infanta Maria, daughter . to king Philip III., and sister to Philip IV. And that no disadvantage might happen to the English Reformation by this alliance, was carefully provided by the king, as appears by his instructions to his ambassador Digby. "The matter of religion," says the king, "is to us of most principal consideration; for nothing can be to us dearer than the honour and safety of the religion we profess. And therefore seeing that this marriage (if it shall take place) is to be with a lady of a different religion from us, it becomes us to be tender, as on the one part to give them all satisfaction convenient, so on the other to admit nothing that may blemish our conscience, or detract from the religion here established." As for the prince, he had been under the king's instructions so long, and was so well fortified, that his father was under no apprehensions of his being surprised into a foreign belief; the king thought him well prepared to maintain his ground, and stand the shock of a conference, as appears by his majesty's discourse to Maw and Wren, the prince's chaplains. These divines, when they went to wait upon the king for his commands, how they were to manage at the court of Madrid, he advised them, amongst other things, not to engage unnecessarily in religious controversy, but to act defensively in case of a challenge. And when it was answered they should have no motive to enter upon such disputes, in regard there would be no indifferent judge, or moderator between them; the king replied, "That Charles should moderate between them and the opposite party." And when one of them seemed to smile upon the other, the king told them, "That Charles should manage a point in ABBOT, controversy with the best studied divine of them all; and Abp. Cant. that he had trained up George so far, as to hold the conclusion, though he had not yet made him able to prove the premises." His majesty's directions for the English service in the prince's family at Madrid, And, that a face of the Church of England might appear, and the worship be kept up in the prince's apartment at Madrid, the king gave the chaplains above-mentioned the following instructions: "I. That there be one convenient room appointed for prayer; the said room to be employed, during their abode, to no other use. "II. That it be decently adorned chapel-wise with an altar, fonts, palls, linen coverings, demy carpets, four surplices, candlesticks, tapers, chalices, patens, a fine towel for the prince, other towels for the household, a traverse of waters for the communion, a bason and flagons, and two copes. "III. That prayers be duly kept twice a day: that all reverence be used by every one present, being uncovered, kneeling at due times, standing up at the Creeds and Gospel, bowing at the name of Jesus. "IV. That the communion be celebrated in due form, with an oblation of every communicant, and admixing water with the wine; the communion to be as often used as it shall please the prince to set down: smooth wafers to be used for the bread. "V. That in the sermons there be no polemical preachings to inveigh against them, or to confute them, but only to confirm the doctrine and tenets of the Church of England, by all positive arguments, either in fundamental or moral points; and especially to apply themselves in moral lessons to preach Christ Jesus crucified. "VI. That they give no occasions (or rashly entertain any) of conference or dispute, (for fear of dishonour to the prince, if upon any offence taken, he should be required to send away one of them:) but if the lord ambassador, or Mr. Secretary, wished them to hear any that desire some information, then they may safely do it. "VII. That they carry the articles of our religion in many copies, the Book of Common Prayer in several lan guages, store of English service books; and the king's own JAMES 1. works, in English and Latin.” Dominis, A. D. 1623. By these instructions, the reader may perceive how careful the king was to guard on the side of religion; and that he was far from any intention of disserving the English communion, or laying a train to make his son a proselyte to the Church of Rome. And yet the ignorance or malice of some people did not stick to misinterpret the prince's voyage to such a design. But to take leave of this subject, till the order of time calls for it, I shall begin the next year with an account of the dismissal of the archbishop of Spalato. A brief This prelate, Marcus Antonius de Dominis, was a person account of thoroughly acquainted with the writings of the ancients: Antonius de his skill in ecclesiastical antiquity helped him to discover bishop of several innovations in the doctrine and worship of the Church Spalato. of Rome; and being apprehensive the declaring his exceptions might draw a persecution upon him, he quitted his see of Spalato, in Dalmatia, and in the year 1616 retired for shelter to England. At his arrival he had a very honourable reception, both in the universities and at court. The king recommended him as a guest to archbishop Abbot; and here, in the chapel at Lambeth, he assisted at the consecration of some English bishops. Afterwards his majesty preferred him to the mastership of the Savoy, and the deanery of Windsor. However, it is very unlikely his coming to England could proceed from a covetous fancy, as Fuller conjectures for his fortune was well established at home, 727. and there was very little prospect of mending it in a strange country. During his stay here he published his learned book, "De Republica Ecclesiastica," which received no anHis coming off from popery gave the court of Rome no small disturbance. But his pen afterwards attacking them with such vigour and success, doubled their misfortune. swer. Being thus provoked, some of that communion made no difficulty to throw calumnies upon him, to misreport the reasons of his coming over, and make it the result of fear and declension of interest. But their pamphlets of this strain finding little credit, they applied to smoother expe ABBOT, dients: they procured agents to suggest, that he had Abp. Cant. neither any regard or promotions suitable to his merit: that ciled to the Rome. Hist. lib. 13. the new pope Gregory had a particular esteem for him: that provided he would return, he might make his own terms, and choose his station. On the other hand, Gundamore, the Spanish ambassador, lessened his reputation, and brought him into disfavour with the king and the English clergy. He is recon- And thus being, as it were, abandoned by his new protecChurch of tion, he hearkened to the proposals of the Roman Catholics and having brought himself to a resolution to disengage here, he solicited his majesty in several letters for leave to quit the kingdom. The king, being displeased with his irresolution, directed a commission to archbishop Abbot, to the lord-keeper Lincoln, to the bishops of London, Durham, and Winchester, with several lords of the privycouncil, to dispose of him as they thought fit. These lords meeting at Lambeth, after having heard his excuses for going off, ordered him to depart the realm within twenty days that otherwise he must expect to be punished for holding intelligence by message and letters with the popes of Rome. To this sentence he submitted with regret, openly protesting he would never maltreat the Church of England, nor speak reproachfully of her: that her articles stood clear of heresy, and were all serviceable and sound. That he declared thus much, appears by a book, entitled, “Spalato's Shiftings in Religion," published, as it was supposed, by the then bishop of Durham. Heylin, Spalato's "Concilium Reditus." But he failed in keeping his word; for being arrived at Brussels, he recants the English reformation, treats that communion with rough language, and calls his coming hither a senseless unhappy voyage: and that it was inconBook, called sistency, weakness, and passionate disgust, which brought him to that fancy. He stayed six months at Brussels for the pope's brief, which was at last refused. Thus he was forced to venture to Rome without any safe-conduct in writing. He missed the expectation of a bishopric, and He is dis- lived only on a pension from his holiness. This maintenance, appointed, and ventures though continued during the life of pope Gregory XV., was stopped by his successor Urban VIII. This disappointment being resented by Spalato, made him venture on upon in cautious freedoms. |