The antipathie of the English lordly prelacie, both to regall monarchy, and civill unity: or, An historicall collection of the severall execrable treasons, conspiracies, rebellions, seditions, state-schismes, contumacies, oppressions, & anti-monarchicall practices, of our English, Brittish, French, Scottish, & Irish lordly prelates, against our kings, kingdomes, laws, liberties; and of the severall warres, and civill dissentions occasioned by them in, or against our realm, in former and latter ages Together with the judgement of our owne ancient writers, & most judicious authors, touching the pretended divine jurisdiction, the calling, lordlinesse, temporalities, wealth, secular imployments, trayterous practises, unprofitablenesse, and mischievousnesse of lordly prelates, both to King, state, Church; with an answer to the chiefe objections made for the divinity, or continuance of their lordly function. The first part. By William Prynne, late (and now againe) an utter-barester of Lincolnes Inne.

Bristoll.

THE Bishopricke of Bristoll was first possessed by Paul Bush, who was deprived in Queen Maries dayes for being married.* 1.1 Iohn Holy-man a Papist succeeded him, after whose death the See continued voyd some foure yeares, Anno 1562. Richard Cheyny Bishop of Glocester, and Iohn Bullingham his successor, held Bri∣stoll in Commendam, so as it stood void o•• a Bishop (otherwise than as it was held by Commendam•• one and thirty yeares. Richard Flet∣cher next enjoyed it till he was translated to Worcester, Anno. 1593. After which it stood vacant ten yeares to 1603. and then Iohn Thorneborough Bishop of Limbrick in Ireland and Commendatory Deane of York was translated to it. This Bishop and some of his successors had great contests with the Major, Aldermen, and Citizens of B••istoll, whom he would force to come every Lords day morning, and solemne Holiday, to the Cathedrall Sermon, to dance attendance, and doe their homage to their Lordships; which they for some yeares refused, till at last after sundry complaints to the King and Councel, the Bishops and they according, the Major and Citizens yeelded to come to the Colledge, now and then on solemne days, if the weather were faire, and sometimes in the Som∣mer season.

Robert Wright,* 1.2 one of the late Bishops of this See, had a great contestation with the Deane and Chapter of Bristoll, and Master George Salterne, Steward of the City, for opposing him in setting up Images in the Cathedrall and other Churches, which gave great offence to the people: he was a great Innovator and maintainer of Superstitious Ceremonies at Bristoll to humor Canterbury, by whose meanes he was translated to Coventry and Litchfield, where you may reade more of him.

Bishop Cooke who succeeded him,* 1.3 was a more moderate and in∣genuous man at first, but became too obsequious to Canterburies wayes and Innovations afterward.

Robert Skinner,* 1.4 the present Bp of this See, promoted to it by Can∣••••rburies meanes, (whose great creature he is) hath bin very violent in railing in, and turning Communion Tables Altar-wise, (himself with his owne hands, and his men turning some:) in magnifying the booke for sports on the Lords-day (which he hath * 1.5 used to give others good example) in bowing to Altars, to the † 1.6 bread and wine at the administration, and at the naming of Jesus; hee threatned to punish a Church-warden for perjury in not presen∣ting the Minister for Preaching twice on the Lords day, comman∣ding some able ministers to Preach but once a fortnight, and not to preach on holy-dayes. He affirmed in his last Visitation, That conceived prayers before and after Sermons were never used till Cart∣wright, that factious fire-brand brought them up. Hee hath beene a

great Patriot of Arminianisme, and stiled the Doctrine of the Saints ••inall perseverance in grace, A Doctrine of Devills; enjoyning a minister to recant it, else he would vexe him in the high Commis∣sion, and running violently at him, sayd, He would have no such Vipers preach such Doctrine in his Diocesse: upon which ground he prohibited a Schoolemaster to teach children Mr. Perkins his Chatechisme; and sayd of his booke entituled, A golden Chaine, that he might stile it as one had done, A chaine of damnation. Hee hath reviled divers ministers calling them Vipers, Dunces, Devils, Traytors, Dogges, Scottish-hearted-Raskals, and the like, for tea∣ching Orthodox Doctrine, and preaching out of their Cures in his owne Diocesse; and commanded the ministers of Bristoll not to suffer any strangers to preach in their Churches, unlesse they first asked his leave, and shewed him the Notes of their Sermons. Hee caused the Kings Armes to be taken down in a Church in Bristoll, onely because it stood over the Altar. He tooke the late &c. Oath at his Visitation upon his knees, and imposed it upon others, as∣suring them, that if they did not take it, the Church would not suffer her selfe to be at a losse. He hath forced ministers to pay in the Be∣nevolence money granted by the late pretended Synod, and con∣strain••d them to pay for their very acquitances. He caused a mini∣ster to be brought up by a Pursevant before the Councel Table, for omitting some words of the prayer against the Scots, and praying God to discover more & more the Kings enemies in this Kingdom; he hath excommunicated divers for denying to take an Ex Officio Oath; threatned to pul down a house built by a Tenant of the Dean and Chapter, neare his Palace, in such furious manner, that the Tenants wife soone after with the feare fell distracted and dyed: Neither will he permit another of their Tenants who hath an house at the West end of the Cathedrall to place a Tenant in it, saying, He will not suffer so great a Prophanation; threatning to put the Deane and Chapter into the High Commission, and there to fine them more than they had for the house, if they admitted of a Tenant; alleadging he could not looke the Arch-Bishop in the face as long as ••hat house stood: he was an active instrument in com∣piling the late Canons, Oath and Benevolence, for which hee now stands impeached by the Commons. He hath much disaffe∣cted, and censured late Parliaments,* 1.7 and after the dissolution of the last Parliament, was so confident we should never see another, as he openly said, We should go whoop when he saw another and should say the King was brought to a very low ebbe. He threatned to interdict a Faire kept in the Parish of S. Iames in Bristoll, if they would not set up a pair of de••ayed Organs in that Church. But of him enough.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Godwin. Cat. p. 411.412••
• * 1.2

  Robert Wright.
• * 1.3

  Cooke.
• * 1.4

  Robert Skin∣ner.
• * 1.5

  See a Loo∣king glasse for all Lordly Pre∣lates, p. 23, 24.
• † 1.6

  Of w^ch ••o shed any on•• ••rum or drop, he holds is damnable and Sacrilegious.
• * 1.7

  See the Bistoll mens Petition to the Parliament against him, where much more is expres∣sed.