preach without a license. This excellent minister was thus exercised with tribulations in the south, as well as in the north.

At length, our divine finding that the high commissioners, with Aylmer and Whitgift at their head, were anxious to apprehend him; that they had issued several warrants for this purpose; that a printed order was sent to all the churches in London and its vicinity, that none should preach without a license; and that his name, with several others, was particularly mentioned, he wisely concealed himself for a season, and retired into the north. Towards the close of the year, he returned to London; and after his arrival, Mr. Glover and Mr. Weblin, two of his cordial friends living in the parish of Alhallows, waited upon Archbishop Whitgift at Lambeth, soliciting his favour in behalf of Mr. Wilson. They had no sooner mentioned his name, than his lordship asked, "What that factious fellow who intruded himself into the church in Cornhill, and there delivered a seditious sermon ?" "Yes," said Mr. Glover, "that is the man; but he hopeth to clear himself of all faction, intrusion, and sedition." "Let him then come to me any day after tomorrow," said the archbishop, " and I will say more about him." Therefore, December 1st, Mr. Wilson and his friends

The worthy divines whose names accompanied this order, were Mr. Wilson, Mr. Davison, Mr. Barber, Mr. Wigginton, Mr. Gifford, Mr. Carew, and some others. The order itself, dated August 16, 1587, being descriptive of the spirit of the times, was the following:-" Whereas sundry 66 ministers, preachers, have lately come into the city of London and "the suburbs; some of them not being ministers, some having no suffi"cient warrant for their calling; and others having been detected in "the country, have taken upon them to preach publicly in the city, to the 46 great infamy of their calling and some of them in their preaching, "have stirred up the people to innovation, rather than sought the peace of "the church. These are, therefore, in her majesty's name, by virtue of "her high commission for causes ecclesiastical to us and others directed, "strictly to enjoin, command, and charge, all parsons, vicars, curates, and "church-wardens, of all churches in the city of London and the suburbs "thereof, as well in places exempt as not exempt, that neither they nor 46 any of them, do suffer any to preach in their churches, or to read any "lectures, they not being in their own cures; but only such whose licenses "they shall first have seen and read, and whom they shall find to be "licensed thereto, either by the queen's majesty, or by one of the univer"sities, or by the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, or the Bishop of "London, for the time being. And that this may be published, and take "the better effect, we will that a true copy thereof shall be taken and "delivered to every curate and church-warden of all the churches afore"said. Signed,

"JOHN CANTERBURY,
"JOHN LONDON,

ED. STANHOPE,

RIC. COSINS."

" VAL. DALE,

MS. Register, p. 835.

waited upon his grace at Lambeth; and upon their appearance, after asking Mr. Wilson his name, where he was born, and where educated, the archbishop thus addressed him : Archbishop. Did not you intrude yourself into a church in Cornhill, and there preach a seditious sermon ?

Wilson. That I preached there is certainly true; but there was nothing seditions. And as to intrusion, I will prove upon the oath of honest men, that I had the minister's consent, both before and after I came into the church. A. Did you not then intrude yourself?

W. I will prove, I say, upon the oath of honest men, that it is an impudent falsehood.

A. Say you so. I did not know this before.

W. It is malice that hath propagated these things.

A. But why did you not remain in your own country? W. Because I cannot and may not place myself where I please, much less in mine own country; for I must go where I am called, and be placed where the Lord shall appoint.

A. If you will then be placed here, you must subscribe

to certain articles.

W. I will subscribe to any thing that is lawful.

A. Do you mean any thing according to law? W. Surely, I dare very well say so. But I meant the law of God, which is the only rule of conscience.

A. You must subscribe to those articles.

W. I must first see them, and then I can answer you.

A. There is good reason why you should see them; and therefore I refer you to my lord of London. If he will allow you, I will not disallow you. But you Londoners, (speaking to Mr. Glover and Mr. Weblin) are so much given to novelty, that if there be one man more new than others, him you will have.

Glover. Surely, my lord, we cannot be justly accused of novelty. For we have had neither new nor old at our church since I knew the place, having now only a drunken reader, who can do us no good.

A. Well, you know my mind about this matter.
Stanhope. You must be sworn.

W. To what must I be sworn.

S. You shall know that afterwards.

W. No, by your leave, sir, I will see the articles before I take any oath.

S. No, you may not see them till you are sworn.

W. I will not swear till I see them. It is hard dealing

to make men swear to they know not what. You may ask me things which it is not lawful for me to make known. S. What are those things?

W. It is against the law of the land, that a man should be sworn to accuse himself. And by this oath, you may urge me to disclose the secret things of my heart, or the secrets of my friends, both of which are unnatural and unlawful. Such dealing is intolerable and cruel. Let me see the articles; and if I may lawfully answer them, I will do it upon my oath.

S. Let him then see the articles.

W. Setting aside all circumstantial questions, I will answer these articles upon my oath.

S. Well, all other matters shall be set aside.

W. I will make a true answer to these articles, so help me God.*

S. I can tell you, Mr. Wilson, if you mean to preach here, you must also minister the communion, at least thrice every year.

W. There is one to do that in the place already.

S. That is no matter. You must join him in that action,

to shew that you do not divide your ministry.

W. My ministry shall be to preach the word only.
S. The laws of the realm allow of no such ministry..
W. But the laws of God do.

S. But I am set to examine the laws of the realm.

W. And I am set to maintain the laws of God, and to declare the truth of them.

S. It must be as I tell you. And that is not all: you must subscribe to certain articles.

W. What are those articles?

S. I think they are here. Read them, and tell me what you think of them.

W. I think it is unlawful to subscribe to them.

S. What is there you dislike?

W. Many things, and the second article altogether.
S. Shew me this at large.

* These articles, nineteen in number, consist of certain things professedly collected from his sermon at Cornhill. They are said to have been his expressions, and are mostly against pluralities, nonresidents, and idle, ungodly, and nonpreaching ministers. In one of them he is charged with having said of such ministers, "They eat up the sins of the people." And in another, "That by the word of God, it is necessary that every congregation should have a preaching minister." This is a specimen of the treasonable charges brought against Mr. Wilson; but the whole, together with his answers, is too long to be inserted.-MS. Register, p. 829-881.

W. I fear you seek some advantage against me.

S. I promise you, that you shall have no hurt for any thing you may speak here.

W. I dislike private baptism by laymen or women.

S. You know my lord of Canterbury denies that the book alloweth any such thing.

W. It is too plain to be denied. And though he do deny it, he alloweth that if a woman or any private person perform the action, it is a sacrament, and is not to be renewed by the minister. Where there no other things, this is sufficient to keep me from subscribing.

S. But if you may have favour in that point, will you yield to the rest ?

W. I wish they were such things, that I could yield to them.

S. What else then do you dislike.

W. The book of making bishops and ministers.

S. Why so?

W. Because I find no such thing done by one man, and in that manner, in the word of God.

S. Then I can say nothing to you.

W. But I could say something to you, sir, if you would patiently hear me.

S. What is that? Say what you please.

W. If you can shew me any statute, now in force in England, which requireth me to subscribe to the Book of Common Prayer, to the book of making bishops and ministers, and to the whole book of articles; I will promise before you and these people, that I will subscribe. But if I offer my hand to subscribe, as far as any statute doth require, why is the offer not admitted? or by what law can it be rejected?

S. There is a statute which alloweth these things. This, I think you will not deny.

W. I do not deny it. But where is the statute which commandeth subscription to them?

S. The bishops have a commission from her majesty, to deal in these matters according to their own discretion.

W. But neither their commission, nor their discretion, may oppose the discreet laws made by her majesty and parliament. If they do, I dare boldly say, that they abuse her majesty, her subjects, and their own commission.

S. Take heed what you say. You must yield to this subscription, or you cannot be admitted. Besides, you are no proper minister, and were never authorized to preach.

I W. That is a slander. For I am a deacon, and was licensed to preach by the present Archbishop of York.

S. What think you of the titles of grace, lord, and others of the same kind?

W. I think the law doth require them.

S. Do you take them to be lawful?

W. Yes, they are lawful, if you mean according to law.* Here the conversation closed, when Mr. Wilson was suspended, and admonished to appear before the Bishop of London and other commissioners, on the Tuesday following. This was the unkind usage he met with, though at the beginning of the conference, he was promised that no evil should befall him for what he might say. The reader will here see how little such persons were to be trusted. However, according to appointment, the good man appeared before the bishop, Dr. Stanhope, Dr. Walker, Mr. Mullins, and others. When he was called, his lordship said nothing, but left the management of the case wholly to the other commissioners, when his former opponent thus addressed him:

S. Mr. Wilson, you remember certain articles exhibited against you, as collected out of your sermon preached at St. Michael's in Cornhill. You also confessed that you were not a minister, but a deacon, and licensed to preach by the present Archbishop of York, and not by my lord of London, W. I remember these things well, and many others.

Mullins. It was not necessary that all things should be set down.

W. Neither was it necessary he should mention only those things, when I spoke many others.

S. Well, sir, you remember I did suspend you from preaching, which sentence, by the judgment of the court, must stand. As for other matters, Dr. Walker and Mr. Mullins will attend unto them next term.

W. It is hard dealing to keep a man so long in suspense, and for so small a matter. I am chargeable either to myself, or friends, or both. I have been almost a month in town already, and now I must be put off so long a time. This is more than christian charity would do. Therefore, I pray you, sir, that I may have a more speedy dispatch.

S. You may apply to them, and they will perhaps make greater haste in this matter. (Mr. Mullins having read the charges against Mr. Wilson, thus addressed him :)