A briefe view of the state of the Church of England as it stood in Q. Elizabeths and King James his reigne, to the yeere 1608 being a character and history of the bishops of those times ... / written ... by Sir John Harington ..., Knight.

Doctor Thomas Bilson.

My Author, following his own reso∣lution of forbearing to speak of men now living, or but lately dead; and I holding my purpose to speak frankly and truly, as farre as my understanding will serve me, both of dead and living; I am now comming to speak of the present Bishop of VV inchester, of whom I finde in this book but foure lines; and if I should give him his due in proportion to the rest, I should spend foure leaves. Not that I need make him better known to your Highnesse, being (as on just occasion, as I noted before) one of the most eminent of his ranck, and a man that carried pre∣lature in his very aspect. His rising was meerly by his learning, as true Prelates should rise. Sint non modo labe mali sed suspicione errantis, not onely free from the spot, but from the speech of corrup∣tion. Hee ascended by all degrees of schooles; first, wherein to win know∣ledge himselfe, next whereby to impart it to others, having sometime taught the schoole that doth justly boast of the

name of VVinchester, where, if I mistake not, he succeeded the excellent scholler and schoolmaster Doctor Johnson, that wrote that forecited Poem of VVickham; and having praised all his predecessors in pretty Disticks, he wrote this at the last in modesty of himselfe.

Ultimus hic ego sum, sed quam bene quam male nolo Dicere, de me qui judicet alter erit.

And accordingly his successor gave this judgement,

Ultimus es ratione loci, re primus Johnson, Sed quis qui de te judicet aptus erit. Tam bene quam nullus qui te praecesserit ante Tam male posteritas ut tua pejus agat.

Wherein Mr. Johnson became truly fortunate, according to the saying, Laudari a laudato viro, laus est maxima. Him fame doth raise, whose praiser me∣rits praise.

From Schoolmaster of VVinchester, he became Warden, and having been infi∣nitely studious and industrious in Poetry, in Philosophy, in Physick; and lastly, (which his genius chiefly call'd him to)

in Divinity, he became so compleat, for skill in Languages, for readinesse in the Fathers, for judgement to make use of his readings, as he was found to be no longer a souldier, but a Commander in chiefe, in our spirituall warfare, being first made Bishop of Worcester, and after of Winchester. In the mean season a crew of mutinous souldiers (a forlorne hope) untertook to surprize one of the twelve fortresses of our faith, I mean one of twelve Articles of the Creed, and ere men were aware they had entred by a Postern cor∣rupted, a Watchman or two thrown down a battlement and set up their Colours of white and black (black and blew had been fitter for them) publishing a book in print, that Christ descended not into Hell. The alarum was taken by many faithfull servitors of the Militant Church, but many were not found fit for this en∣terprize, for that was whispered, (nay rather publisht in the enemies Camp, that some cowardly souldiers of our side had made a motion to have this Fort, or part thereof rased, because there was thought to be perill in defending of it; for so Campian writes confidently, that Cheyney Bishop of Gloucester had affirmed to him,

how it had been moved in a Convocation at London, Quemadmodum sine tumultu penitus eximatur de symbolo; how with∣out many words it might be taken out of the Creed wholy. But I leave Erasmus eccho to answer it, oly. True it is, there was a hot shot one Mr. Browghton, no Can∣nonere, for he loves no Cannons, but that could skill of such fireworks, as might seem to put out hell fire; this hot braine having with a Petard or two broken open some old dore, tooke upou him with like Powder out of some Basilisk (as I think) to shoot Hades quite beyond Sunne and Moon; such a Powder-work against all Divinity and Philosophy, as was never heard of, alwaies excepting the powder∣treason. Then this learned Bishop, like a worthy leader (that I proceed in this metaphor) with a resolute Troop, not of loose shot, but gravis armaturae, arm'd to proofe out of Christs armorie, the old and new Testament, Fathers, Doctors, Schoolmen, Linguists, encounters these Lanzbezzadoes, casts down their Colours, repaires up the raines, beautifies the bat∣tlements, rams up the mynes, and makes such ravelings, and counter-searfes about this Fort, that now none of the Twelve

may seem more impregnable. Their great Inginere, before mentioned, upon griefe of this repulse, is gone (as I heare) to teach the Jewes Hebrew; God send him to scape Hades at the end of his journey. Yet in the heat of these skirmishes there happened an accident worthy to be re∣membred, and I think by the very devise of the divell. This Bishop preaching at Pauls Crosse, upon this Article of the Creed; and there proving by authority irrefragable, that hell is a place prepared for the Divel and his angels; that it is be∣neath in corde terrae, and that Christ de∣scended into it. Satan, that knew all this to be true, and was sorry to remember it, and wisht that none of the Auditors would believe it, raised a sudden and causelesse feare, by the fraud or folly of some one auditor. This feare so incre∣dibly possest not onely the whole multi∣tude, but the Lord Major and other Lords there, that they verily believed Pauls Church was at that instant falling down, whereby such a tumult was raised, as not onely disturbed their devotion and atten∣tion, but did indeed put some of the gra∣vest, wisest and noblest of that assembly into evident hazard of their lives, as I

have heard of some of their own mouthes. The Bishop not so dismayed himselfe, sympathizing in pitty, rather then feare of their causelesse dismay, after the tu∣mult was a little pacified, finished his Sermon; upon which accident, some fa∣vourers of that opinion make themselves merry with this story, that at least that which they could not confute they might seem to contemn.