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 first of Doctor Thomas Young.

Concerning the Arch-bishops of Yorke that have been in the former ages, whose lives are particularly-related by this Au∣thor, it seèmes to me a matter worthy some note, that there have been of them, for devotion and pietie, as holy, for blood and nobilitie, as high, of wealth and abi∣lity as huge, as any not onely of England but of Europe. Now that every age may have his excellency, I will say of this our age, I meane for some fifty yeares past, in

which there hath bin seven Arch-bishops of Yorke, that these have been as excellent in courage, in learning, and eloquence; for Doctor Nicholas Heath whom her late Majesty found both Arch-bishop and Chancellor (though she did take or rather receive both from him) yet did she ever gratefully acknowledge both his courage & fidelity show'd in her cause, & used no man of his Religion so graciously. Of Arch-bishop Grindall I have spoken be∣fore, and in his due place given him his due praise; now I am to adde a word or two of Arch-bishop Young, that in the third yeare of Queen Elizabeth was made Arch-bishop. He was first Bishop of Saint Davids, and either next or very soon after Bishop Farrar, who among other articles that were alleaged against him, had one that I thinke was never alleaged against Clergy-man or Lay-man before, and that was for riding on a Scottish saddle; but this Bishop walked more warily then that Bishop did ride, so as this came to live in a state when t'other died at a stake: and how great soever his honour was in being both Arch-bishop and President, he left one president that too many are apt to follow, which was the pulling downe of

a goodly Hall, for the greedinesse of the Lead that covered it. Plumbi faeda fames. A drossie desire and unworthy part, with which he stained the reputation of learn∣ing and religion, that was before ascribed to him, and although by meanes of some great friend this was lesse spoken of in his life time then after, yet if I have beene rightly informed, even by that he was made no great gainer. True it is, he pur∣chased great things of the Earle of Arun∣dell, and how his heires thrive with it, I do not heare, but there is a perilous verse, Demale quaesitis vix gaudet tertius baeres. For my owne part I must confesse, that where I finde that same destroying and reviving spirit, that in the Apocalyps is named in Hebrew Abaddon, & sounds in my English care and heart, a bad one, I suspect there is little true vertue or godlines harbour'd in that breast. But if he were finely beguil∣ed of all this Lead by his great friend that would be bold with him, I imagin that none that heares it will much lament it; at a venture, I will tell your Highnesse the tale that I heard, from as good a man as I tell it of, onely because he named not the parties, I cannot precisely affirme it was this man, but I dare affirme this man

was as worthy of it. A great Lord in the Court in those daies sent to a great Prelate in the North to borrow 1000 li. of him: The Prelate protested on his faith (I think not a justifying faith) that he was not able to doe it, but if he were, he would be very willing, acknowledg∣ing great favours of the said Lord, and sending some present enough perhaps to pay for the use of 1000 li. The noble man that had a good espyall both North and South, hearing of a certaine Ship loaden with lead, belonging to this Prelate, that came to be sold at London, even as it came to land, sends for the Prelates Agent, shows him his Lords Letter and Protestation under his hand, proves the ability de∣monstrable by the Lead, and so by treaty or terrour, or treachery of the servant, made him betray his Master for 1000 li.