THat concerning the Bishop of Canterbury it is most notorious, hee hath beene the speciall cause of the troubles in Scotland, and jar [...]es betwixt them and the English; for when he went to the North with his Majesty, he being of a high and lofty spirit, re­marking the government of the Church of Scot­land, began his innovations by setting up of Altars, Episcopall robes, and Organs, which were not seene since the birth of King Iames, more then 80 yeares before in Scotland; at which they were much incensed, in so much that when the common people upon a Sunday perceiving his Majesty to goe on foot from the Palace of Holirood house, to the Church at Edenburgh, and so to returne, and all his Nobles with him on foot, my Lords Grace and the Bishop of Ely were seene to goe in their Coach. They exclaimed on them, and said, How dare you presume to goe so, when our Soveraigne goes on foot? you are the ragges and servants of the Pope.

That same time did he move his Majesty to make that Church a Cathedrall, and appoint a Bishop, where was never any before, and so the people were more and more stirred up. At his returne from thence he moved his M [...]jesty to erect a high Commission in all the Bishopricks of that Ki [...]gdom, by vertue of a Proclamation which he extorted from his Majesty in August (if I be not deceived) 5. yeares agoe, wherein was ordered that the Bishops Courts here in England should have no subordination to any other Courts, no not to his Majesties owne Councell but should proceed without any depen­dency, not to make use of his Maj [...]sties Armes in their Seales, but their owne, and so deprive his Maj [...]sty of his Supremacy, which was never done since the reigne of King Henry the 8.

So soone as he had obtained that of his Maj [...]sty, he in all hast sends his Proclamation to all the Bishops of Scotland, who being blowne up with pride, following the Archbishops footsteps, began to erect a [Page] High Commission Court in their Diocesses, and called to it the No­bles and the Gentry, punishing them for trifling things, and fining and confining them to the farthest parts of that Kingdome, from Gal­loway to Cachnes, neare 300. miles, a cruelty never practised be­fore in Scotland in any age. Nay they became so insolent, being made Privy Councellours by the Archbishops solicitation of S. Andrewes, being made great Chancellor in that Kingdome, never practised these 300. yeares, that at open Councell Table they gave the lye to the Peeres of the Land, namely to the Earle of Argile, which affront was done by one Sedserfe, now Bishop of Galloway, and resident at this present in London, where began the fire to appeare, which be­fore was but smoke: the Nobles, Gentry, and Commons made a league which they called a Covenant, and combined together for the rooting out of Bishops, and conservation of their ancient liberties, upon which is ensued a million of miseries, putting both the King­domes to excessive charges, exhausting the Kings cofers, and oppres­sing the people. I beleeve if my Lord Archbishop were neerly que­stioned, it would bee found he stirred up his Majesty to make up his Army two severall times, which hath beene the occasion of the ruine of two Shires, Northumberland, and the Bishopricke of Durham, which losse will not be repaired in 100. yeares.

These two fire-brand Bishops of Galloway and Rosse, who are clients to Canterbury, and altogether guided by him, it is more then expedient that they and other incendiaries were given to the Scots Commissioners to be tryed by their Parliament. But I beleeve Rosse will fl [...]e to Ireland, where his Majesty hath given him a Bishoprick, and Galloway will be forced to hide himselfe in some Island, and shake off his robes, or become a Pedler in Poland, as his father was before him.

One Sandal, a Clarke of the Rolles, told mee hee saw my Lord Sterling, Secretary of Scotland, agent at Court for the Bishops, viewing narrowly the Rolles, to see the originall institution of the High Commission, which he would never have done, had he not bin informed by my Lords Grace. I may not omit to let you know how of his large liberality he hath given to these fire-brand Ministers (re­fuged in this Kingdome) at some times very large and profuse cha­rity, which he would never have bestowed on the poore Clergy of his Diocesse.

I come to his government, wherein hee hath beene like to a Ca­melian of divers colours, now punishing of Romish Priests, but [Page] poore ones, for the fattest he protected and cherished above mea­sure, as Father Leader, superiour of the Benedictines, Master Flam­ders, and Master Price after Leaders death, and Master Gascoyne, and the whole order of the Iesuites.

The poore Recusants for going to heare Masse, or onely upon sup­position were cruelly used by him, but the chiefe he tenderly loved and feasted, as Kenelme Digby, and others, to what end you may conjecture.

After he took a fit to punish Anabaptists, Familists, and Brownists, sometimes one, sometimes another: he followed the steps of Cardi­nall Wolsey, and intended (because he could not be Pope at Rome) to be a Patriarch in these Kingdomes; to which end (tis wel known) he did so credit and grace Father Leader aforesaid, cherishing him above the rest, giving him his eare at all times, remaining here at London till his death, and after him Price and Gascoyne aforemen­tioned.

At the comming of Father Leader he beganne to looke chearfully upon Recusants; then began he to erect Altars, to take away Com­munion Tables, to make all kneele at the Sacrament, to be all unco­vered at time of Divine Service, to stand up at the reading of the Gospell, to bow at the name of Iesus, and consecrate anew the Church of Saint Giles in the fields, with many other Arch trickes, that he might be in the Popes and Queenes favour, and so continue in his Majesties good liking. Then began hee to use rigour against Puritane Ministers, calling them into the High Commission, some for symony, as master Ward (and others) of Suffolke, some for con­tradicting the Bishop of Norwich, some for heresie, as Doctor Eve­rard Chaplaine to the Earle of Holland.

Then beganne hee to practise his Excommunications and ag­gravations against Sir Robert Willoughbie sonne in law to the Bishop of Worcester, and Master Hope a Scotsman Cupbearer to his Majesty for contemning his citations: In the end such were his Actions as he is an admiration to the whole world for inconstan­cie; at the last hee became more outragious then ever were any of his Predecessors, conventing before him the Bishop of Lincolne, whose heavie hand and Dragon like wrath he felt many yeares, being imprisoned in the Tower of London, so was Bishop Goodman soundly whipt for refusing to subscribe his Canons, being layd in the Gatehouse, so that he became the wonder of this age; no lesse wonderfull hath he beene in his Vatican at Lambeth, sitting in his [Page] gracefull Throne, compassed with Bishops, Deanes, Archdeacon [...], and Doctors, Proctors, Notaries, Registers, guarded with a multi­tude of Tipstaves from all the prisons in and about London, besides a hellish guard of Promoters in his Tribunall, sitting in his Corner cap, Lawne sleeves, and Rochet; no Pope is so glorious on most festivall daies, as his Grace was on thursday in Tearme time.

Tis a pitteous thing worthy of consideration, to see what injustice is done in that Court by his owne knowledge, and what extortion and exaction is used by his officers, there is not a more corrupt Court in the world, wherein innocency is punnished and publique sinnes countenanced, the greatest extortions of that Court cannot be ex­prest, some are a whole yeare before they can bee heard, and at last for a fatherly benediction are remitted to Sir Iohn Lambe and Doctor Duck: I will instance two parties; first, the Lady Willoughby spent in suite in l [...]sse then two yeares (as she related to me) 500. pound and above, and all tendered, that her husband should weare a white sheete at the Church doore (when God knowes) her selfe deser­ved no lesse, for Doctor Reeves assured me she was declared innocent by bribery.

The other was Mast. Stapleton, Nephew to the Earle of Kingston, who claimed a certaine Lady to bee his wife having married her be­fore two witnesses, and used the formall words of Matrimony, and seene by the s [...]me witnesses in naked bed, yet by force of mony he was divorced from her, having spent in the suite in charges only 300. pound.

In like sort Francis Conne Brother to Seignior George Conne now Cupbearer in extraordinary to her Majesty, was convented at the high Commission for having married one Mistris Steward his Country woman in Scotland, and had married another one Mistris Wiseman in England, with whom he coinhabited here in London, the Scottish woman claimed him, but she being poore, and having none to protect her, after two yeares suite he was declared to bee Wisemans husband, mony was the cause, for himselfe assured me, it cost him in gifts, feasting his Advocates, and Clerks, above a 150, pound: What intollerable injustice was this, it being notoriously knowne that the Scottish woman was his wife?

The chiefe extortioners are the Registers of the Court, Stephen Knight and his companion, Nephew to Sir Iohn Lambe, when his Grace foresaw the Parliament would call them in question, he pre­sently deposed them, and made the said Knight principall Proctor in [Page] his Court, who feared to be questioned for the same misdemeanors, fled with his whole family to Norwich, and bought of that Bishop the Registers Office there, and so is like to continue his accusto­med trade of extortion, except this honourabe house call him coram to answer his innumerable oppressions, which are to be seene in the Registers Booke of the high Comission; he hath two bonds of mine, and two Letters of Atturney made by me to him; his ordinary course was this, to take from every one 20 shillings, for that which hee should have had but two shillings six pence, which extends to a great summe in the yeare, and out of Tearme hee had fees for six Clerks and so many Promoters which went throughout England plaguing the poore, and enriching themselves, and their Master Knight like­wise.

The other extortioner was Bonragg, the greatest knave in the Countrey, for mony he would doe any thing, he carried in his pouch a number of Citations, and when he pleased for mony dismissed any one; Master Quashet, Master Smith the Iesuite, and Master Fisher of the same order, and one Cuthbert a lay Brother of theirs of whom I spake before, a great number of lay persons Recusants whom I know have beene dismist by him, some for 40. some for 20. but the least was 10. shillings; of a great part of Anabaptists and Brow­nists some that were poore he imprisoned, but the rich for mony escaped, as themselves will depose.

It is fit that Bonrag, and also the Bishop of Londons Pursuivants be called in question, with many other of his Promoters, and under Officers, as Arthur Husse, living in Saint Peters street in West­minster.