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.

and the present Bishop, Dr. Anthony Rudd.

OF this ancient Bishoprick or rather Archbishoprick of St. Davids (as the old true Brittans doe call it) in latter cal∣led Menevia, and the Bishop Menevensis, I was told of an old indulgence granted by Calixtus the second, of a very speciall note, ascribing thereby great holinesse to this place, viz. that two pilgrimages to St. Davids should be equal in merit to one pilgrimage to Rome, expressed since for

brevities sake by some Fryer in a ryming verse, Roma semel quantum, Bis dat Mene∣via tantum. This place hath yielded ma∣ny excellent Bishops, as well for good Learning as good life, and for abstinence miraculous, if we believe stories that 33. Bishops successively did eat no flesh. I can adde little of the Bishops save of him that now lives whom if I knew not, yet by his Looke I should guesse to be a grave and austere man, even like St. David him∣selfe, but knowing him as I doe, he was in more possibility to have proved like to St. John Baptist in my opinion. There is almost none that waited in Queen E∣lizabeths Court and observed any thing, but can tell, that it pleased her very much to seeme, to be thought, and to be told that shee looked young. The Ma∣jesty and gravity of a Scepter borne 44. yeares could not alter that nature of a woman in her; This notwithstanding, this good Bishop being appointed to Preach before her in the Lent of the yeere 1596, the Court then lying at Richmond, wishing in a godly zeale, as well became him, that she should thinke sometime of Mortality, being then 63. years of age, he tooke this text fit for that purpose out of

the Psalms, Psalm. 90. vers. 12. O teach us to number our dayes, that we may incline our heart unto wisedome, which Text he handled so well, so learnedly, and so re∣spectively, as I dare undertake & so should I if I had not been somewhat better ac∣quainted with the humour, that it would have well pleased her, or at least no way offended her. But when he had spoken a while of some sacred and mysticall num∣bers, as three for the Trinity, three times three for the heavenly Hierarchy seven for the Sabbath, and seven times seven for a Jubile; and lastly (I doe not de∣liver it so handsomely as he brought it in) seven times nine for the grand Clima∣ctericall yeare; she perceiving whereto it tended began to be trouled with it. The Bishop discovering all was not well, for the Pulpit stands there Vis a vis to the Closet, he fell to Treat of some more plausible numbers, as of the number 666. making Latinus with which he said he could prove the Pope to be Antichrist also, of the fatall number of 88. which being so long before spoken of for a dangerous year, yet it hath pleased God that yeare not onely to preserve her but to give her a famous victory, against the united For∣ces

of Rome and Spaine; and so he said there was no doubt but she should passe this year also and many more, if she would in her meditations and Soliloquies with God, as he doubted not she often did, and would say thus and thus. So making indeed an excellent prayer by way of Pro∣sopopeia in her Majesties person acknow∣ledging Gods great graces and benefits, and praying devoutly for the continuance of them, but withall interlarding it with some passages of Scripture that touch the infirmities of age; as that of Ecclesiastes 12. When the Grynders shall be few in num∣ber, and they wax darke that looke out of the windowes &c. and the Daughters of singing shall be abased: and more to like purpose, he concluded his Sermon. The Queen as the manner was opened the window, but she was so farre from giving him thanks or good countenance, that she said plainly he should have kept his Arithmetick for himselfe, but I see said she the greatest Clerks are not the wisest men, and so went away for the time discontented. The Lord Keeper Puckering though reve∣rencing the man much in his particular, yet for the present to asswage the Queens displeasure, commanded him to keep his

house for a time, which he did. But of a truth her Majesty shewed no ill nature in this, for within three dayes after she was not onely displeased at his restraint, but in my hearing rebuked a Lady yet living for speaking scornefully of him and his Sermon. Onely to shew how the good Bishop was deceived in supposing she was so decayed in her limbes and senses as himself perhaps & other of that age were wont to be; she said she thankt God that neither her stomack nor strength, nor her voyce for singing nor fingring Instru∣ments; nor lastly, her sight was any whit decayed, and to prove the last before us all she produced a little Jewell that had an inscription of very small Letters, and offered it first to my Lord of Worcester, and then to Sir James Crofts to read, and both protested bona fide that they could not, yet the Queen her selfe did finde out the Poesie, and made her selfe merry with the standers by upon it; and thus much for St. Davids. Yet I have been told of a strange story of a huge waight and bignesse that hath a pretty quality, name∣ly, that with one finger you may stir it, yet twenty yoke of Oxen cannot remove it; but I rather think it is mistaken, for

the stone Mr. Cambden writes of is neere Pensance in your Country of Cornwal, cal∣led Mam amber, of which he writes page 136. hath the very like quality.