themselves again but they were routed the second time in the rebellion of the earls of Northumberland and Westmoreland.

VI. THE RETURN OF THE VISITORS OF ABBEYS.

1, 2. The Return of the Lord Cromwell's Agents. The principal Commissioners.

By this time, the instruments employed, by the lord Cromwell, to make discovery of the vicious lives of monks and friars, were all returned in their persons, or in their intelligence sent unto him. They were men who well understood the message they went on, and would not come back without a satisfactory answer to him that sent them, knowing themselves were likely to be no losers thereby. And now they had found out water enough to drive the mill, (besides what ran by,) a sufficient detection to effect the business. Of these, some were put in commission to visit abbeys; others moving in a lower (but no less needful) sphere of activity.

Of these commissioners the principal were, Richard Layton, Thomas Legh, William Peters, doctors of the law; Doctor John London, dean of Wallingford. Of the three former I can say nothing; but find the latter, though employed to correct others, no great saint himself; for afterwards he was publicly convicted of perjury, and adjudged to ride with his face to the horse-tail at Windsor and Oakingham with papers about his head; which was done accordingly.

3, 4. Their two-edged Sword. Monks weary of their Lives. Their power was partly inquisitive, to search into the former lives of religious persons; partly impositive, to enjoin them stricter rules for their future observation. It is hard to say whether their eyes were more prying for what was past, or hands more heavy for the time to come; and most true it is, that, betwixt both, many monks formerly lazy in, were now weary of, their present profession.

Some counted their convents their prisons, being thus confined; for, once out of the House, (without lawful cause and leave obtained,) and never in again. It was a fine thing when they might, but sad case when they must, live in their monasteries; the eighty-six articles of the visitors (looking with Janus partly backward, partly forward) did so vex them, that many who had hopes of others' subsistence cast off the cowls and vails, and quitted their convents.

LORD HERBERT in "the Life of Henry VIII." page 398. Monuments," page 1221, where is a picture thereof.

+ Fox's "Acts and

VII. THE SECOND SORT OF INSINUATING EMISSARIES.

1, 2. Others undone by their own Dissensions. A charitable Censure.

THESE visitors were succeeded with a second sort of public agents, but working in a more private way, encouraging the members in monasteries to impeach one another: for, seeing there was seldom such general agreement in any great convent, but that factions were found, and parties did appear therein, these emissaries made an advantageous use thereof. No abbey could have been so soon destroyed, but by cunning setting it against itself, and secret fomenting of their own divisions. Whereupon, many, being accused, did recriminate their accusers; and, hopeless to recover their own innocency, pleased themselves by plunging others in the like guiltiness. Others, being conscious to themselves, prevented accusing, by confessing their faults, and those very foul ones. Insomuch that some have so much charity as to conceive, that they made themselves worse than they were, though it was a needless work for a Black-Moor to besoot his own face.

Yea, some hold that as witches, long-tortured with watching and fasting, and pinched when but ready to nod, are contented causelessly to accuse themselves to be eased of the present pain; so some of these poor souls, frighted with menaces, and fearing what might be the success, acknowledged all, and more than all, against themselves; the truth whereof none on earth can decide,

VIII. SOLICITING AND TEMPTING EMISSARIES COMPLAINED OF BY THE PAPISTS.

1-4. A Devilish Design, if true. A memorable Story: Sin plot, Sin pay for. Application as far as concerns the Matter in Hand.

THE papists do heavily complain, (how justly, God alone knoweth,) that a third sort of agents were employed, to practise on the chastity of the nuns, so to surprise them into wantonness. Some young gallants were on design sent to some convents, with fair faces, flattering tongues, store of gold, and good clothes, youth, wit, wantonness, and what else might work on the weaker sex. These having with much craft screwed themselves into the affections of nuns, and brought them to their lure, accused them afterwards to the king's commissioners for their incontinence: a damnable act, if true, and

which mindeth me of the ensuing story, here not impertinently inserted.

Some sixty years since, an English gentleman had the chastity of his wife in suspicion, jealous of a particular person, who kept her company. To put it to trial, this her husband so contrived the matter, a private place was appointed, with all accommodations for such a deed of darkness, whither the woman, with her suspected paramour, were, by set design, (but wearing to them the visage of a seeming casualty,) brought, and left together. Mean time her husband made himself master of a secret inspection out of the next room, where, with some of his friends, he was the witness of his wife's dishonesty and his own disgrace. Soon after he entered his action, sues for a divorce, and the court seemed generally inclined to the granting thereof.

But a reverend judge, there present, refused to consent thereunto, alleging it the duty of every husband, by his prayers, counsel, and all other lawful means, to save and secure the chastity of his wife; and not to tempt temptations to tempt her; who, otherwise, might charitably be presumed honest, if such a fore-plotted occasion had not debauched her, and this not the detecting, but first causing, of her disloyalty. Seeing therefore in some sort he had been a pander to his wife, let him satisfy himself in the assurance of what was doubtful before, and bear the burthen of his own betraying her.

How just this judge's sentence was, (all circumstances considered,) I will not interpose. Only in application to the present purpose, though I confess the relation betwixt husband and wife the nearest, (and therefore most obliging to their mutual preservation,) the general principles of religion, and the communion of saints, tieth all Christians, as they tender the honour and glory of God, to preserve the consciences of others undefiled. It was therefore a mere satanical trick, who is commonly called "the tempter," in Scripture, Matt. iv. 3, and 1 Thess. iii. 5, first to solicit souls to sin, and, after the committing thereof, to be an "accuser of the brethren," Rev. xii. 10; and seeing the tempter is deeper guilty than the tempted, as more active and voluntary, no reason that he should escape, and the other be punished. But all this discourse sinketh, the foundation failing; namely, if the premisses cannot be (which as yet are not) proved,-that such indirect dealing was used in surprising of any votaries into uncleanness.

5-7. A Complaint of the Papists; a sad Story, if true. The Pedigree of this Tradition.

But still the papists go further, complaining of false returns, that many of these inveiglers of nuns met with impregnable pieces of

chastity, neither to be battered by force, nor undermined by fraud, who, despairing to lie with their bodies, did lie on their reputations, making their fames to suffer in those false reports which they returned to the king's commissioners. And the following story is, I assure you, traditioned with very much credit amongst our English catholics :

Two young gentlemen, whose names for just cause I forbear, went to a nunnery within twelve miles of Cambridge, in the nature of travellers on the highway; who, being handsomely habited, and late at night, were admitted into some out-lodgings of that nunnery. Next day their civil addresses to the abbess were returned with such entertainment as became the laws of hospitality. Afterwards producing or pretending a commission to visit their convent, they abode there certain days; and, how bad soever they were, met with no counterpart to embrace their wanton proffers. However, at the return, they gave it out, that nothing but their weariness bounded their wantonness, and that they enjoyed those nuns at their own command.

One of the aforesaid gentlemen, with great grief and remorse of heart, did in private confess the same to Sir Williain Stanley, knight, afterwards employed in the Low Countries; avowing that nothing in all his life lay more heavy on his conscience than this false accusation of those innocents: and the said Sir William told this passage to a noble catholic still alive. All I will say to this story is this, that if this Sir William Stanley was he, who, contrary to his solemn oath to the earl of Leicester and the United States, betrayed the strong city of Daventer to the Spaniards,* and lived many years after in a neglected, forlorn condition,+ one so faithless in his deeds may be presumed false in his words, and the whole credit of the relation may justly at least be suspected.

IX. SOME CONVENTS ON EXAMINATION APPEARING VERY VIRTUOUS.

1, 2. Some Convents retaining their primitive Piety; but too few to preserve the Rest.

It is confessed by unpartial people, that some monasteries of both sexes, being put to the test, appeared very commendable in their behaviour; so that the least aspersion could not justly be cast upon them. I read in one author, that "some societies behaved themselves so well, that their lives were not only exempt from † Idem, ibidem.

CAMDEN'S "Elizabeth" in anno 1587, page 507.

notorious faults, but their spare times bestowed in writing books, painting, carving, engraving; so that their visiters became intercessors for them."* Amongst these, the nunnery of Godstow near Oxford must not be forgotten, which, as it hath a good name, (being a Bethel, that is, "God's house or habitation,") well answered thereunto, in the conditions of the people living therein.

But there were few such black swans; and these innocent convents, being inconsiderable in number, could not preserve the rest from ruin. Eight and one pious persons are insufficient to save Sodom from destruction, if ten be the lowest number to which Divine mercy will descend, Gen. xviii.

X. THE GENERALITY OF MONASTERIES NOTORIOUSLY

VICIOUS.

1, 2. Charitable Premisses. Read, and blush, and sigh. I SAY, "the generality;" otherwise take any numerous society, and where there be many people, there will be many offenders; there being a Ham amongst the eight in the ark, Gen. vii. 7; yea, a Cain amongst the four primitive persons in the beginning of the world, Gen. iv. 1. I add also, "notoriously vicious," for "in many things we offend all," James iii. 2. Yea, if the visitors had been visited, they were conscious to themselves of many failings, which might make them more favourably to reflect on the infirmities of others.

Here I shall present the reader with a black bill of some eminent malefactors, as I find them in my author† in the same nature:

IN BATTLE ABBEY :-John Abbot, Richard Salchurst, Thomas Cuthbert, William March, John Hasting, Gregory Champion, Clement Westfield, John Cross, Thomas Erambrook, Thomas Bayll, John Hamfield, John Jherom, Clement Grigge, Richard Tovey, John Austine, Sodomites.

IN CANTERBURY:-Richard Gomershan, William Liechfield, John Goldingston, Nicholas Clement, William Cawston, John Ambrose, Thomas Farley, Thomas Morton, Sodomites: Christopher James kept three married whores.

IN ST. AUGUSTINE'S :-Thomas Barham, a whoremonger and a Sodomite.

IN CHICHESTER :-John Champion and Roger Barham, both of them natural Sodomites.

• LORD HERBERT in "Henry VIII." page 399. Great Britain," page 791, col. 1.

JOHN SPEED'S "History of