by benevolent principles and practice, and strengthened by length of time.]' The second thing was; Populi Christiani consensus et unitas: [The consent and unity of all Christendom.]' The third thing was: Perpetua Sacerdotum Successio in Sede Petri: [An uninterrupted Succession of Bishops in Peter's Chair.]' The fourth and last thing was: Ipsum Catholicæ nomen: [The very name of Catholic.]' Now if these four things did cause so notable and learned a divine, as S. Augustine was, to continue in his professed religion of Christ, without any change or alteration, how much then ought these four points to work the like effect in your hearts, and prevail with you, not to forsake your professed religion? First, because it hath the authority of Christ. Secondly, because it hath the consent and agreement of Christian people. Thirdly, because it hath the confirmation of all Peter's successors in the See Apostolic. Fourthly, it hath Ipsum Catholicæ nomen, and is and hath been, in all times and places, The Catholic Religion.

"Thus bold have I been, to trouble your Honours with so tedious and long an oration for the discharging, as I said before, of my duty, first unto God, secondly unto our Sovereign Lady the Queen's Highness, thirdly and lastly, unto your Honours, and all other subjects of this realm; most humbly beseeching your Honours to take in good part, and to be spoke of me, for the only causes above said, and for none other."

Thus spoke our learned Abbot, who, because he was the last of his Order that ever sat in an English Parliament, and one besides, that makes no small figure in the Ecclesiastical History of Great-Britain, we presume it may not be unacceptable to the reader, to be made a little better acquainted with his character and merit; and with this view we havé subjoined

Some Account of D. Feckenham, the last Abbot of
Westminster Abbey.

Mr. Fuller, with his usual pedantry, introduces his account of this great man, with telling us, "He was a landmark in history. His personal experience being a chroniclé ; who, like the axle-tree, stood firm and fixed in his judginent; while the times, like the wheels, turned backwards and forwards round about him." [Ful. Ch. Hist. B. IX. p. 359] But dismissing these mechanical comparisons, we

H

beg leave to inform our reader, and to tell him in-plain English, that

D. John Howman (for that was his true name) assumed the surname of Feckenham (or Fecknam, as some contract it) from the forest of Feckenham, in Worcestershire, where he was born, of a family not very considerable in that county. But the lowness of his birth was abundantly compensated by a noble and exalted genius for learning and virtue ; and his extraordinary qualifications recommending him very powerfully to the Monks of Evesham, of the Order of S. Benedict, they made no difficulty of receiving him, very young, into their Monastery. At 18 years of age he was sent to Oxford, where having provided himself with a large stock of academical learning, he was called home, to be employed in teaching the young religious of his Order at Evesham. Upon the dissolution of that noble Monastery by K. Henry VIII. Mr. Feckenham revisited Oxford, and having taken the degree of Doctor of Divinity, became Chaplain to D. John Bell, Bp. of Worcester; and this Prelate dying in 1539, he assisted D. Bonner, Bp. of London, in the same capacity. "He never dissembled his religion," says my author, being a zealous Papist, and suffered much for his conscience under King Edward the Sixth.” [Fuller ubi sup.]

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In this reign, Bonner being deprived of his Bishoprick, both Bishop and Chaplain were committed close prisoners, (Bonner to the Marshalsea, and Feckenham to the Tower) by order of Archbishop Cranmer, for defending the religion of their ancestors, from which Cranmer had now publicly revolted. And in this confinement they both continued, till Queen Mary mounted the throne.

Upon this turn of affairs, Bonner was restored to his pristine honours, and Feckenham being called to court, was made one of the Queen's Chaplains, and Dean of St. Paul's. Soon after, Queen Mary refounded Westminster Abbey, of which D. Heylin gives us the following ac

count.

"The Abbey of Westminster had been founded for a Convent of Benedictine Monks by King Edward the Confessor, valued at the suppression by K. Henry VIII. at the yearly sum of L. 3977, in good old rents, anno 1539. At which time, having taken to himself the best and greatest part of the lands thereof, he founded with the rest a Collegiate Church, consisting of a Dean and Secular Canons. But now the Queen [Mary] put into it a Convent of Bene

dictines, consisting of an Abbot and 14 Monks.”—Heyl. H. R. Q. M.

Over these 14 Monks, which (continues our Author) were as many as the lands left upon it could well maintain, D. Feckenham was appointed the chief Officer, or Abbot; which dignity he sustained with great repute both as to piety and learning. His mildness and moderation are much applauded by our historians; and, in particular, Mr. Fuller assures us, that "in the reign of Queen Mary he was wholly employed in doing good offices for the Protestants, from the highest to the lowest."-Amongst these high ones are reckoned Sir John Cheek, the Earls of Bedford and Leicester, and the Princess Elizabeth, who (as Sleidan, a cotemporary and Protestant Historian relates, was committed to the Tower, because she was suspected to have had a hand in Wyat's rebellion." All these (to make use of Mr. Fuller's expression) tasted of his kindness. "And he interposed so far," says Mr. Collier, "with Queen Mary, for the eulargement of her sister Elizabeth, that he suffered in his interest at court." Yet all these obligations were not only buried in oblivion, but most ungratefully repaid with very severe treatment; Abbot Feckenham, upon his refusing the Oath of Supremacy, being hurried from prison to prison the rest of his life.-Fuller ubi sup.-Sleidan's Reformation, B. XXV. p. 598. Collier's Eccl. Hist. B. VIII. p. 596.

The first prison Eliabeth sent him to was the Tower, from whence he was removed to the custody of Horn, Bp. of Winchester, by whom being ruggedly used, he was remanded back to the Tower, and from thence to the Marshalsea; but this place being prejudicial to his health, he was indulged the convenience of a lodging in Holborn for a while. At last the good Abbot was confined to Wishich Castle, where, after a tedious imprisonment of three and twenty years, he died a venerable confessor, anno 1585. Of the many works which he wrote, the greatest part perished, by reason of his confinement. The titles of those few that have escaped are: A Funeral Sermon at the Obsequies of Queen Mary. A Speech in Parliament against the Oath of Supremacy. Of the Eucharist, against Hooper. Commentaries on David's I'salms.

Bishop Scot's Speech against the New Liturgy.

This is the second speech made by this learned Prelate against the reforming measures of Queen Elizabeth and her

court. In the first (which for brevity's sake we have omitted*), he seconded Archbishop Heath in opposing the Queen's Supremacy; and in this he seconds D. Feckenham against the New Liturgy, or Common-Prayer-Book. Upon which subject he thus delivers his sentiments.

"My Lords,

"This Bill, that hath been here read now the third time, doth appear unto me to be such a one, that it is much to be lamented it should be suffered, either to be read, or any ear to be given unto it of Christian men, and much less of this Honourable Assembly. For it doth not only call in question and doubt those things which we ought to reverence without any doubt-moving, but it maketh further earnest request for alterance, yea, for the clear abolishing of the same. And that this may the more evidently appear, I shall desire your Lordships to consider, that our religion, as it was here of late, discreetly, godly, and learnedly declared, doth consist, partly in inward things, as in faith, hope, and charity, and partly in outward things, as in common prayers, and the holy sacraments uniformly admi...

nistered.

"Now, as concerning these outward things, this Bill doth clearly extinguish them, setting in their places I cannot tell what. And the inward it doth also so shake, that it leaveth them very bare and feeble.

"For first, by this Bill Christian Charity is taken away, and the Unity of Christ's Church is broken. For it is said, Nunquam relinquunt Unitatem, qui non prius omittunt Charitatem: [By breaking the Unity of the Church, Charity is lost]' and S. Paul saith, that Charity is vinculum perfectionis, the bond or chain of perfection, wherewith we are knit and joined together in one. Which bond being loosened, we must needs fail one from another, into divers parties and sects, as we see we do at this present. And as touching our Faith, it is evident that divers of the articles and mysteries thereof are also not only called into doubt, but partly openly, and partly obscurely, and yet in very deed, as the other, flatly denied. Now these two, I mean Faith and Charity, being in this case, Hope is either left alone, or else Presumption set in her place; whereupon, for the most part, Desperation doth follow: from the which I pray God preserve all men!

"Wherefore these matters mentioned in this Bill, where

See it in Parliamentary Ilist. of Eng. Vol. III. p. 389, etc.

in our whole Religion consisteth, we ought, I say, to reverence, and not to call in question. For as a learned man writethQuæ patefacta sunt quærere, quæ perfecta sunt retractare, et que definita sunt convellere, quid aliud est, quam de adeptis gratiam non referre? That is to say, "To seek after things which be manifestly open, to retouch, or retract things made perfect, and to unsettle matters defined, what is it, less than the sin of ingratitude for favours alrea dy received?'-Likewise saith holy Athanasius: Quæ nunc à tot et talibus Episcopis probata sunt uc decreta, clarè que demonstrata, supervacuum est denuò revocare in judicium: [It is quite a superfluous thing, to bring to a rehear ing matters that have been tried, decreed, and manifestly declared, by so many and such, Bishops!]' (meaning the Prelates assembled at the Council of Nice.) For no man will deny, saith he, but if they new examined again, and again new judged, and after that examined again and again, this curiosity will never come to an end, And it is said, in Ecclesiastica Historia: Si quotidie licebit fidem in quæstionem vocare, de fide nunquam constabit:-If it may be Jawful every day to call our faith in question, we shall never have any certainty of our faith.' Now, if Athanasius did think that no man ought to doubt of matters determined in the Council of Nice, where were present three hundred and eighteen Bishops; how, much less ought we to doubt of matters determined and practised in the holy Catholic Church of Christ by three hundred thousand Bishops, and how many more we cannot tell.

"And as for the certainty of our faith, whereof the history of the Church doth speak, it is a thing of all others the most necessary; and if it shall hang upon an Act of Parliament, we have but a weak staff to lean upon. And yet I shall desire your Lordships, not to take me here as speaking in derogation of the Parliament, which I acknowledge to be of great strength in matters whereunto it extendeth. But for matters in religion, I do not think that it ought to meddle; partly for the certainty which ought to be in our faith and religion, and the uncertainty of the Statutes and Acts of Parliament. For we see that oftentimes, that which is established by Parliament one year, is abrogated the next year following, and the contrary allowed. And we see also, that one King disalloweth the statutes made under the other. But our Faith and Religion ought to be most certain, and One in all things, and in no condition wavering. For, as S. James saith, He that doubteth or staggereth in his faith,