SECT. 1. His birth, parentage, and education.

THe world since its first creation, being by the fall of man, something degenerated from the first perfection and purity of na­ture, wherein the most blessed Almighty was pleased to vouchsafe it, the nature and qualitie of exceeding good, and by the fall of man, sin entring into the world, and by sin death and corrup­tion of nature, ruling and conquering all living creatures, so that by sin, death, corruption, and depravation of na­ture, and naturall things; the world hereby not being what it was at first, at sundry times, and severall ages, and in divers places, from various causes, or rather imperfecti­ons and blemishes of nature; it hath been observed to pro­duce monsters of severall kinds, some of one fashion, and some of another, some whose causes were knowne and understood by the learned & judicious, and some where­of the reason was inscrutable; but of all Monsters, those Monsters in soule, seeme more marvellous than those which are either deficient, or redundant in body.

The subject that now we are to treat of, hath not been esteemed a Monster in body, nor a wonder to behold in person, but whether a monster in soule (if he thinke to [Page 2]have any) or a wonder to behold his profession and pra­ctises, I leave to other mens judgements; who (not so much as feeling the least part of h [...]s tyranny) shall but one­ly heare, that one procreated of He was born in Cheap-side, his father (be­ing an Haber­dasher of small wares) kept the corner stall, next unto Cheap-Crosse, & was brought up in the Uni­versity of Cam­bridge. ordinary parentage, some well disposed kindred, in so eminent a Citie (as be­ing the chiefe in the Kingdome) and brought up in so fa­mous an Universitie, should commit so many monstrous outrages, and such prodigious wickednesse.

2. His first preferments in the Ʋniversitie.

DUring his time at Cambridge, he first attained unto a fellowship of a Colledge, which was the beginning of his rising, and so spent some yeares in that place; where whilest he was fellow, there fell out an accident, which I cannot passe by, but as it was reported to By a credible person yet li­ving. me, I shal relate; this M ^r. Wren greatly frequented one M ^r. Parishes house, and this M ^r. Parish had a very handsome and proper wo­man to his wife; in whose life time, M ^r. Wren lived a bat­chellour, and since her death hath married a wife of his owne, and they say, he hath preferred or provided for M ^rs. Parishes children: but to the matter; this being known and well noted in the Towne, that the little bird fluttered so often about M ^r. Parishes house, it happened that D ^r. Batchcroft was in election to be Master of Keys Colledge, which M ^r. Wren hearing of, said, What? He? Why he is not a fit man to governe a Colledge; which words came to D ^r. Batchcrofts eare, who afterwards upon some occasion speaking to M ^r. Wren, said; I thanke you M ^r. Wren, it seemes I had your good word, yet methinkes, I might be as fit a man to governe a Colledge, as you to governe a Parish; which word strooke M ^r. Wren with si­lence.

After this, M ^r. Wren attained to the degree of Doctor, and obtained to be Master of Peterhousse, and was prefer­red to be Clerke of the Kings Closet; where he got the length of Canterburies foot so exactly, that the freshmen of Cambridge smelt his Bishopricke at least two or three [Page 3]yeares before it fell, knowing him to be a notable craftie insinuating fellow, as they would often say among them­selves.

3. His bringing Latine Service into the Colledge.

THis wicked Wren, being Master of Peter-house Col­ledge, and Clerke of the Kings Closet, besides other preferments, being intimately familiar with Canterbury, and being a quick-sighted bird, and of an active spirit, perceived the times drive so hard after Popery, he smelt the way to a Bishoprick, and studied nothing more than to please the Papists, and Canterbury; and among other devises, he was noted to be either the first or one of them who brought in use againe, Latine service in his Col­ledge; thinking that young Students being trained up therein, and used thereto, would be an introduction to Latin service in Churches; which when he should come to be Archbishop, might be effected: and in the meane time, thought it would be excusable if any question should arise, because the Rubrick of the Service book, doth allow private prayers in any tongue that they them­selves doe understand, (perhaps intending forrainers and strangers Churches here in England) which words he spied, and wrested to his own advantage, and so brought up Latine Service in Peter-house; and by his example, some other Colledges did the like.

4. His introducing Altars, and bowing thereto.

ANother of his feats, and that no small one to please Canterbury, was the bringing in of an Altar, which was the direct way to the bringing in of Masse; for in vain should the Prelatists & Papists, labour to bring in the Masse, if there should not first way be made for to bring in an Altar, which after that they had but gotten that, and Latine service, and that both these were well setled, and all quiet, the work were more than almost done; for [Page 4]how easie were it for the Priest, having an Altar, and La­tine service, to say Masse, there being so little difference, and the Countrey people so unable to distinguish them, or to discerne the diversitie between Latine service, and Latine Masse, and how easie were it for the Prelatists to dispute and cavill upon transubstantiation; especially when Controversies must be decided by Bishops an [...] Archbishops, and they to have power of undoing other Ministers, that should oppose them▪ all which this wic­ked Wren well knowing, he first practiseth to bring in an Altar, and to doe it smoothly, he first for many causes him moving, makes an Altar of a Table, and tumes it Altar-wise, that so it may have an Altars place, and after that it onely wants the name, and for that purpose he will not all on a sudden baptize it anew; but first promis­cuously confounds the names of Table, and Altar; calling it sometimes one, sometimes another; and an Altar in one sense, and a Table in another, that so at last he might call it an Altar altogether; and then being an Altar in­deed, and having both name and place, the materialls (if need be) might easily be changed from wood to stone, and so having Latine service, or Masses, a Priest, an obla­tion, (as one of his Chaplains called it) and an Altar, the [...] wanted nothing that could give the Pope and Canterbury content, but onely worshipping the Host, or Sacrament, which himselfe practised and performed in his own per­son, as hath been proved before a Committee, and bow­ing to the Altar, which he, and all his, and many others did; so that hereby, he had almost done all that could be desired by the Jesuites, or requisite for a reconciliation to Rome.

5. His being made Bishop of Herefore.

THese things being so bravely performed, and hand­led with such dexterity, and admirable skill, gave Canterburyes little grace such Archcontent, to see his lit­tle bird so active, nimble, stirring, and so reall, he thought [Page 5]to requite him well, both for his reward, and encourage­ment, and to animate others to follow his steps, and like­wise to enable him to doe more, and greater service; he plods with might and maine, to advance this wicked Wren; and the Bishoprick of Hereford falling then voyd, he with all hast and speed, procures him to be made Bi­shop, and so he is immediately, and now the little bird having done his Arch-grace so great, and such illaudable service, he is gotten into his Pontificalibus, and so having him for his fast friend, and ready to promote him high­er, he studies nothing more, than to requite his Grace, and to manifest his further deserts.

6. His procuring Cosens to succeed him in the Colledge.

ANd to shew himselfe mindfull of his worke, and watchfull care, looking as well behind him as be­fore, he remembers what service he hath done in his Ma­stership of the Colledge, and considers how conducible to the purpose it will be, to leave his like in his place, and after much debating with himselfe, he can fearce finde in all England, an ill lookt Machiavell bad enough to suc­ceed him, but Popish Cosens; him he pitcheth upon, he having lately playd his notorious pranks, in silencing Mi­nisters (being visiter of Yorke) and having long beene knowne to hold Popish opinions, to have written Popish Bookes, and to have playd many notable Popish parts, and persecuted Master Smart, and many others; for re­ward of his deeds, and furtherance of other services, he shall be the man to succeed him; he onely of all men in England shall be Master of Peter-house, and indeed (to say truth) of all the wretches in England, he is most like unto wicked Wren, and cursed Canterbury, and therefore let him take it; and so farewell Fryer.

7. His notorious Articles, called Wrens Articles.

AND now this wicked Wren being in his Pontificali­bus, and having attained to the first step towards the long desired honour and splendour, to which his ambiti­ous minde aspired, hoping at last to arrive at the very Fastigium of Arch-Prelacy, (if Gregory come not between) his next businesse is to hold his Visitation; which that he may doe it laudably, to curst Canterburyes content, he plods and ponders such mischievous and most abhomi­nable Articles, that he, and the devill to helpe him, could devise; and these he intends to foyst upon the poore Churchwardens, whom he knowes to be such hand­tamed slaves, to the Prelates his predecessours, that the stoutest of them all, durst not disobey his Prelate-ships pleasure, but nolens volens, must obey, though to the ha­zard of their soules, or else if any should but so much as dare to refuse, he should be beggard and undone, by this cruell proud wretch, and therefore he very well knowing their necessitated submission, lays on load, both for them and the Ministers; verifying the old saying, Set a beggar on horsebacke, and beele ride boyond measure; so this wicked Wren, drawes such Articles, as the wisest and learnedst Church-wardens in England, could not possibly know how to answer in their presentments; and thus he begins his projects.

8. His harrowing the Diocesse of Hereford.

THese Articles though they were most odiously base, and more than halfe devillish, yet that poore igno­rant Countrey durst by no meanes refuse them, though they should all have sworne to betray their own Fathers, such was the rage and insolency of this cruell proud ty­rant; and thus having received these Articles, and taken the oath, they all became Wrens sworne vassalls, and bound in conscience upon their oathes to present unto [Page 7]him any man that should discourse prophanely (as he esteemed it) at meale-time, touching Religion, or the holy Scripture, thereby to make men afraid ever so much as to mention Gods Word, or any goodnesse, and injoyning an impossibilitie of avoyding manifest perjury in the Church-wardens, who could not possibly if they had beene so many Spirits, have beene present, waiting at so many severall mens Tables at once; and likewise they were bound by oath, to certifie by their present­ment, whether the Ministers expounded the holy Scrip­tures according to the sense of the a [...]ncient Fathers? which was a taske requiring Church-wardens better learned than ever Bishop Wren was, and rather requiring the Doctors of the Chaire to be Church-wardens, and come to Bishop Wrens Visitations. And thus it pleased the great wisdome of God to besot this doltish Asse, as not to see his owne blind foolishnesse in these and many such like abnominable absurdities put upon the poore Church-wardens. Which Articles with his other lewd and tyrannous demeanour, made such havock in the Church, vexed and molested the Church Officers, grie­ved the people, excommunicated, presented, molested, so many innocent people, suspended, deprived, banished, begger'd, so many honest, able, religious, painfull Mini­sters, that this miscreant wretch, the devills Plow-Chu [...]le, did even harrow up the whole Countrey, so that he brought it into a most miserable case, as ever did any Antichristian Prelate.

9. His translation to Norwich.

THis wicked Wren having thus mischievously behaved himselfe in Hereford, and having made such hurly burly, and such stirres, that all the whole Countrey was in griefe, vexation, and unquietnesse, and having swept out, by one villanous trick or other, by one tyrannicall practise or other, all the most painfull, honest, and lest Ministers; and in their places, brought in idle drones, [Page 8]dumb curres, idost Shepheards, and Altar-cringing Asses, and thereby having rendred the Countrey very flexible and tractable to Arminianisme, Papisme, Prelatisme, or Atheisme, partly by feare of his tyranny and cruell pra­ctises, and partly by taking away their good and faithfull Shepheards, who stood in the gap, and would be ready to speake for the truth, so that the Countrey might seeme very reducible to Popery for any succeedant, and being become very disquiet and dangerous for himselfe so odi­ously hated, to reside in it any longer, under whose heavy burden and pressure the Countrey groaned, in so short a time; it was now become high time for that little devill curst Canterbury, to bestirre himselfe for his Journeyman Wrens sake, and to prevent a forcible detrusion or some such dangerous attempt, he thought it best by a timely translation to take him away, both to reward his dili­gent service, by promoting him to a better place, and to rid him of the cumbersome enterprises he had entred too far into, (having done all that could be done or desi­red in that place,) and also to make way for his further service, to doe as much in another Diocesse; he procured with all haste, care, and diligence, his translation to the Diocesse of Norwich; too good a nest for such a shame­full uncleane bird.

10. His silencing and depriving fiftie or sixtie Ministers.

AND no sooner was this Matthew mischiefe, or wic­ked Wren settled in the Prelaticall dignity of Norwich, and being very mindfull and studious of his Arch-ma­sters will and pleasure, and knowing singularly well, that nothing could be so pleasing and acceptable to cursed Canterbury, as to doe mischiefe enough, to persecute all good religious people, to oppose all profession of Reli­gion, to hinder all good Preaching, to root out all pra­ctise of Religion, to prophane the Sabbath, to forbid all Lectures and after-noone Sermons, to suspend, silence, deprive, banish, imprison, and ruine all good Preachers, [Page 9]faithfull Pastours, honest Ministers, and faithfull labou­rers in Gods harvest, that so there might be none left that could teach the Word sincerely, truely, powerfully, none that durst professe and practise Religion honestly, uprightly, boldly, thereby to make way for Popery, the onely thing in the world, which he knew very well Can­terbury desired and aymed at, and at which he saw him drive with all his force; but presently this ungodly wretch was so far from mending his manners since he left Here­ford, that rather growing worse, by seeing how Canter­bury had stuck to him, and rewarded his former pro­jects, he falls to worke lustily, without either feare or wit, and prosecutes his purpose, so keenely, so eagerly, as if he were starke madde, and not a Minister in the whole Countrey, though never so conformable a man, if he be but any reasonable Preacher, but that he will have him downe, and doth so bestirre himselfe, that at one Visitation he silenced, suspended, deprived, impriso­ned, or drave out of the Countrey, no lesse than filtie or threescore of the best Ministers in the Countrey, all at one clap, and turned many of them, their wives and chil­dren, out of all their living and maintenance, for any thing he either knew or cared a begging.

11. His silencing of Master Ward of Ipswich.

THis notorious wicked wretch this Matthew mischiefe was in these his wicked acts and lewd enterprises, so far from bearing with age, reverencing grace, regarding learning and true abilities for the Ministery, respecting paines, or commiserating the wants of families and chil­dren, that he still without any of these respects aymed principally to doe the most hurt to the best men, his care was chiefly to suppresse good men, to oppresse religious men, to represse all pietie and grace, and to impresse his stampe of Arminianisme and Popery in all places where he had to doe. Among many other honest, good, and gracious men, who felt the sting of this venomous Scor­pions [Page 10]taile, that ancient, famous, good, and painfull man, Master Ward of Ipswich, was one who because he was an able, eminent, and noted man, therefore so much the more at him did this venomous Viper swell, and tooke such speech course to bring him downe, that he never re­sted till he had it effected.

12. His putting in wicked and corrupt Arminian Ministers.

AND as this infamous wretch, and lewd Prelate, was most vehemently circumspect to watch all opportu­nities to doe all the harme he could in the Church; to spie all advantages against all good men; to be notoriously subtill in finding faults; mightlly aggravating the smal­lest, where he found any; wonderfully cunning to make faults where none were, desperately wicked, to out-face the innocent, to suspend honest Ministers for scarce any cause, to silence them without a cause, not suffering them to preach after-noones without his License, which per­haps he would not grant, to deprive the best men some­times for very small causes, sometimes and most often for denying his innovations, imprisoning, degrading, ba­nishing for what cause he pleased, or meerely for his pleasure, the poore men being utterly remedilesse; the Arch-antichrist, and this his Journeyman Prelate being both so vehemently resolute to sweepe out all that they thought untractable to Popery, so to empty the Chur­ches, to voyd the Countrey of all good men, to make way for innovations and mutations, and as he was like­wise most eager, keene, and active, to innovate, change, alter, and deforme what he pleased in or concerning the Church, to erect Altars, to remove Tables, to make railes, to set up Tapers and Candlesticks, golden plate on Altars, embroidred and carved images, crucifixes, Saints pictures, and such Babylonicall idolatries, so was he most fervently zealous, and most wonderfully carefull to intro­duce a Ministery that should yeeld to all things, to bring in such as he knew most certainly to be for all turnes, for [Page 11]all purposes, for all matters whatsoever should be put up­on them, such as would be willing to omit preaching, to observe bowing, crowching, cringing; to set up Al­tars, to worship Altars, to speake for Altars, to preach for Altars, and to be ready to alter both the Church and themselves at his will and pleasure, and frame themselves for all sizes, for otherwise though he had been never so wary, and circumspect to root out all good Preachers, never so active and diligent to bring in innovations and alterations, all had been in vaine, all to no purpose with­out this, without placing and bringing in such as were for his purpose, and therefore this he was most carefull of, this he thought would make sure worke for all the rest, so that hereby we may be certaine what to thinke of them that he thus brought into Churches.

13. His worshipping the Sacrament of his Altar.

AND thus this Matthew mischiefe, or wicked Wren, having thus ungraciously effected the most of his damnable plots, facinorous acts and idolatrous services, practising so much superstition in his owne person, and compelled others to the same, having rooted out like a wild Bore, many hundreds of better men than himselfe, having wasted the Church, and made havock of the ser­vants of God, and having set up so much idolatry, and compelled so many thousands to the same, to the eter­nall hazard of their soules, partly by sore constraining them to bow downe to his altars and images, and partly by sleight and satanicall cunning, deluding them in cau­sing all the pewes and seats to be so contrived, that the people must of necessitie kneele downe and bow towards the East, where he had placed his Altar Altar-wise, and having exercised his whole power, might, and authori­tie, for the suppressing of powerfull preaching, prohibi­ting all Sundayes after-noone-Sermons, weeke-day-Ser­mons, and all catechising, except the common Cate­chisme in the Service-Booke, and all exposition of that [Page 12]Catechisme, but onely the bare Question and Answer, least as he and his Officers said, the expounding of the Catechisme and Service-Booke, should be as ill as Prea­ching; and commanding all Bells to be rung alike, that thereby people should not know where any Sermons were, and where onely prayers were; and having thus set himselfe wholy against Preaching, and not that one­ly, but likewise against prayer, not suffering any prayer before Sermons, but onely that in the thirty-ninth Ca­non, a notable piece of Canonicall non-sence, nor suffe­ring any prayer at all after Sermons but onely Gloria pa­tri, &c. He grew still more and more rooted in sin and not onely bowed to the Altar, but also bowing to the Sa­crament, and elevating it above his head, that the people, being behind his back, with his face towards the East, might see the same above his head, as the Priest useth to doe in Masse, which the Papists call the elevation of the Host; at which elevation they use to fall downe and wor­ship it, so that Sathan having fully possest his heart, in stead of growing better, he waxed continually worse and worse, so that it is marvellous to consider, that one impe to the devill, though he were possessed with a legion of devills, should doe him so great service in so short a time.

14. His translation to Ely.

AND now, lastly, having committed so many outra­ges, and villanies, and filled so many Countreys with so much superstition, idolatry, and Popery, and having silenced, excommunicated, deprived, or banished so ma­ny honest Ministers, besides all others, at least fiftie god­ly, learned and painfull Ministers, in two yeares space, with many more other times; and having so playd the arch persecuter, that England never had nor heard of the like; far worse by many degrees, than ever bloudy Bon­ner, or gracelesse Gardiner were, their Religion, times, and lawes considered, and compared with this wicked [Page 13] Wrens; he grew so hatefully odiously abominable againe to the very vulgar and common people, that for feare least Ipswich Sea-men should hurt his satanicall corps, he smelt no Mustard, and for the safetie of his person, was glad some certaine time to make buttons in private, standing in great need of his old arch-friend and Master-Prelate once againe to stand his Journeyman-Bishop in some stead by a friendly and timely translation, least by some violent mischance or other, Gregory should be wronged of his due expectations, which his sure friend and Master the arch-prelate, not unmindfull of his state, nor forgetfull of his services (whom he intends for his owne successour at his advancement to the papall chaire, if Gregory crosse not them both in the very nick) he be­friends him with a desired removall to the unwelcom­ming chaire of Ely, where his goodnesse not much en­creasing he stayes, expecting onely one other translation by the favourable equitie of our Worthies, now assem­bled for such purposes, from his chaire of Prelaticall residence, to be suspended from all earthly af­faires, at the triangle posts neere the Church of S ^t. Egidius in campis, to which Justice I leave him.