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conformists, or Puritans. This name was given them, as it is supposed, because they either could not, or would not, conform to the Religion of the Court; stiffly maintaining the necessity of a further and still purer Reformation. Hence their way of worship came to be styled Nonconformity. Of the rise and progress whereof, Mr. Fuller has left us the following whimsical account.

"Nonconformity in the days of King Edward was conceived, which afterwards in the reign of Queen Mary (but beyond the sea at Frankfort) was born, which in the reign of Q. Elizabeth was nursed and weaned, which under King James grew up a young youth, or tall stripling, but towards the end of King Charles's reign, shot up to the strength and stature of a man [he might have said a giant] able not only to cope with, but conquer the hierarchy its adversary. And this conquest was actually made during the time of Oliver Cromwell's usurpation."

§ 8.-Some Account of the Dissolution of the Bishoprick of Durham.

THE Duke of Somerset being taken off in the meridian of his glory, by an unlucky stroke of an axe on Tower-hill, the Duke of Northumberland, from that time, became the great and mighty man. He governed as he pleased, not the King alone, but the kingdom too; and engrossed all the power, and every prerogative of a sovereign, excepting only the name. He was an enemy to the Church, but with no other view than to enrich himself. In fine, he committed many sacrilegious depredations; but that which made the most noise, was his bold attempt upon the rich, and therefore tempting Bishoprick of Durham.

The opulence of this See was the great, and, it is believed, the only crime that provoked the great Dudley to contrive its ruin. For he was politician enough to perceive it might be an easy matter (after it was by parliamentary authority annexed to the crown) to procure a grant of it to himself. This was his project. And in order to facilitate the execution of it, he neither wanted power nor interest to procure an Act of Parliament. As this act is somewhat curious and uncommon, so we thought it might not be improper to subjoin a recital of it; not only upon that ac

*Fuller's Ch. Hist. Book vii. p. 401.

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count, but also because we shall have occasion to mention the repeal of it in the next reign.-It sets forth :

That that Bishoprick being then void of a Prelate, so that the gift thereof was in the King's pleasure; and the compass of it being so large, extending to so many shires so far distant, that it could not be sufficiently served by one Bishop; and since the King, according to his godly disposition, was desirous to have God's holy word preached in these parts, which were wild and barbarous, for lack of good preaching and good learning; therefore he intended to have two Bishopricks in that diocese, the one at Duresme, which should have 2000 marks revenue, and another at Newcastle, which should have 1000 marks revenue; and also to found a Cathedral at Newcastle, with a Deanry and Chapter, out of the revenues of the Bishoprick. Therefore the Bishoprick of Duresme is utterly extinguished and dissolved, and authority is given for letters patent to erect the two new Bishopricks, together with the Deanry and Chapter at Newcastle; with a proviso, that the rights of the Deanry, Chapter, and Cathedral of Duresme, should suffer nothing by this act.'

Yet, notwithstanding this proviso (which is only thrown in by way of a sweetener), it is easy to conceive that the Deanry, Chapter and Cathedral of Durham, must inevitably have suffered very much in their ancient rights, in case this Act had been carried into full execution. But, luckily for that wealthy Bishoprick, the Duke of Northumberland was made shorter by the head before he could find time to dissipate or dismember it." Had such a dissipation of the parts thereof been made, no less than a state-miracle had been requisite for a recollection thereof. Whereas now within two years, Queen Mary restored Tonstal to this Bishoprick, and this Bishoprick to itself, resettling all the lands on the same." 12

To these reflections I have nothing more to add, but that the Bishop, Dean, and Chapter of the Cathedral of Durham, are bound in gratitude to entertain and preserve an inviolable respect for the name and memory of Queen Mary, to whose piety and bounty they are indebted for their lands and livings, which are well known to be very considerable.

Burnet's Hist. Ref. Vol. II. Book i. P. 215.
Fuller's Ch. Hist. Book vi. p. 419. 9

The Supremacy disclaimed by Queen Mary. 35

9.-Queen Mary disclaims the Supremacy, and reconciles this Nation to the See of Rome by its Representatives in Parliament.....Cardinal Pole, in Quality of the Pope's Legute, absolves them from all Ecclesiastical Censures.

KING Edward being dead, his sister, the Princess Mary, after a short struggle with the Lady Jane Gray, stept into the throne and being a zealous Catholic, the Supremacy in Spirituals was immediately disclaimed by her, as a thing inconsistent with her religion and principles. So the first public business she set her hand to, was the great work of reconciling her kingdom of England once more to the See of Rome; and this she effected by the ready concurrence of this nation's representatives in her first Parliament, where both the Houses being assembled (and King Philip being likewise present) a supplication or petition was drawn up and presented to their Majesties, of which the following is a copy.

+ We the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and the Commons in this present Parliament assembled, representing the whole bodie of the realme of England and dominions of the same, in the name of ourselves particularly, and also of the sayd bodie universally, offer this our most humble supplication to your Majesties, to this ende and effect, that the same, by your Grace's intercession and meane, may be exhibited to the most Reverend Father in God the Lord Cardinal Pole, sent specially hether from our most holy Father Pope Julius the Thirde, and the See Apostolique of Rome, wherein we do declare ourselves very sorry and repentaunt of the long schisme and disobedience committed in this realme and the dominions of the same agaynst the sayd See Apostolique; eyther by making, agreeing to, or executing any lawes, ordinaunces, and commaundements, agaynst the primacy of the same See; or otherwise doyng, or speaking that might impugne or prejudice the same: offering ourselves, and promising by this our supplication, that for a token and knowledge of this our sayd repentance, we be, and shall be ever readie, under and with the authorities of your Majesties, to the uttermost of our power, to that shall lye in us, for the abrogation and repealyng of all the sayd lawes and ordinaunces, made or enacted to the prejudice of the See Apostolique; as well for ourselves as for the whole bodie whom we represent. Wherefore most

+ Parliamentary Hist. of England, Vol. III. p. 321,

humbly we beseech your Majesties as personages undefiled in the offence of this bodie towards the sayd See, to set forth this our humble suyte, as we the rather, by your intercession, maye obteine from the See Apostolique, by the sayd most Reverend Father, as well particularly as generally, absolution, release, and discharge, from all daungers of such censures and sentences, as, by the lawes of the Church, we be fallen into. And that we may, as children repentaunt, be receyved into the bosome and unitie of Christe's Church, so as this noble realme, with all the members thereof, may in this unitie and perfect obedience to the See Apostolique and Popes for the tyme beyng, serve God and your Majesties to the furtheraunce and advauncement of his honour and glorie. Amen'

"This humble Petition," continues my Author, "being first openly read, the same was delivered by the Chancellor to the King and Queen, with a request to them, that they would give it to the Lord Cardinal. Their Majesties rising off their seats, and doing reverence to the Cardinal, did deliver the said Petition to him. Who perceiving the effect thereof to answer his expectation, received it most gladly at their hands. And then, after that he had in few words given thanks to God, and declared what great cause he had, above all others, to rejoice that his coming from Rome into England had taken such a happy turn; he caused his commission to be read, by which it might appear, that he had authority from the Pope to absolve them. The commission was very long and large; which being ended, and all the Parliament, both Lords and Commons, on their knees, the Cardinal, by the Pope's authority, gave them absolution as follows.

Our Lord Jesus Christ with his most precious blood has redeemed and washed us from all our sins and iniquities, that he might purchase to himself a glorious Spouse without spot or wrinkle; and whom the Father hath appointed Head over all his Church, he by his mercy absolve you: And we, by the Apostolic Authority given to us by the most holy Lord Pope Julius the Third, his Vicegerent on earth, do absolve and deliver you, and every of you, with the whole realm and the dominions thereof, from all heresy and schism, and from all and every judgment, censures and pains, for that cause incurred. And also we do restore you again to the Unity of the Holy Church, as in our Letters of Commission more plainly shall appear: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.'

"After this general absolution was so given and received, the King, Queen, and all the Lords, with the rest, went into the King's Chapel, and there sung Te Deum with great joy and gladness, for this new reconciliation."

And thus was the old Religion of England solemnly restored and admitted, once more, to take possession of all the privileges and immunities it had enjoyed, before King Henry VIII. took it into his head to disturb the happy repose of this nation with an unfortunate passion for a new wife and a new title.

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We must not forget to take notice, that in Queen Mary's first Parliament, "+ All consecrations were declared void and null, which had been made according to the ordinal of K. Edward VI.-‡ So that, for want of Canonical Ordination on the one side, and under colour of Uncanonical Marriages on the other, we find a general remove amongst [K. Edward's] Bishops and Clergy." Of which a more explicit account shall be given in the ensuing section.

§ 10.-Queen Mary displaces the Edwardian Intruders, and restores the Catholic Bishops to their respective Sees.... A short Character of King Edward's Bishops. Dissolution-Act of the Bishoprick of Durham is repealed. ....The Preamble to that Act.

THE

...

.. The

HE following Catholic Bishops, viz. Bonner, Gardiner, Tonstal, Heath, and Day, had been committed, and detained prisoners during the greatest part of King Edward's reign; but, upon his death, a change of the times happened intheir favour; for they were happily enlarged, and summoned to Parliament 1 Marr. where also Samson of Coventry and Lichfield, Salcot (alias Capon) of Salisbury, King of Oxford, Chambers of Peterborough, Thirlby of Norwich, Buckley of Bangor, Parfen (alias Warbington) of St. Asaph, and Kitchin of Landaff, who had all temporized pretty much; but being now reconciled to the Old Religion, were admitted to take their seats. Some other Catholic Divines were also, about this time, ordained Bishops, to fill up such Sees as were become vacant by the removal of several of the Edwardian intruders and other time-serving Prelates, whose names, as also the names of those by whom they were replaced, are here subjoined.

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