GEORGE, BISHOP OF CHICHESTER,

ΤΟ

WILLIAM BELUSIS KNIGHT,

Wisheth Salvation in Christ.

IF in the church of God, there were many such as Mr. Gilpin was, I should holde it needlesse, to recommend the memoriall of this man unto the world. But seeing there are so few, or (to speak freely what I think) none at all, who (following the rule of so rare a piety, and sanctimony) have propounded so notable an example, to all those who doe aspire to a blessed life, and constantly walk in the same, I conceive that such a patterne would kindle the zeale of many good men, to walke in so faire a way, though happily they were not able to attaine to the perfection thereof. Examples of the like piety in holy men we have heard of many in auncient histories, and often read of them in their writings, but in men of this our age it is not to be found. For so farre short are we from this zeale in furtherance of piety, that now it is to be feared, lest religion (so eagerly and joyfully undertaken, and professed at first) will come to be even loathed, and rejected of many, and so finally come to confusion: seeing experience of former times hath confirmed this truth unto us, that profanesse of life and manners hath drawne withall the ruine of religion, thereby to give us a taste now of what it is like to doe hereafter. Now we make no doubt, but (in so great a decay of auncient holines) Mr. Gilpin's name (like the owle amongst other birds) when it comes abroad will prove hatefull to many; yet I held this no sufficient reason why to suppresse it: wherein though some pick out matter for their derision and scorne, yet some may meete with matter for their admiration, others for

their imitation to work on. As for you (worthy sir) you hereby injoy the harvest of your earnest and often desire. Many yeeres this writing hath lyne by me from the common view; the edition whereof I did therefore of purpose defer, to prevent them, who may seeme to stand at a distance farre off from this forme of holinesse, from judging themselves prejudized hereby. But as my purpose is to further all, as much as I might, so it was not to hurt any. If any good or furtherance redound to any by this my labour, he must thank you, whose importunity hath extorted it, such as it is, out of my hands. And seeing you live in the very place, wherein Mr. Gilpin's whole life and worth are best knowne, and your selfe have beene so earnest with me for the same, this very carefull desire of yours to preserve and perpetuate Mr. Gilpin's memory, is a most pregnant proofe and an undeniable testimony of the ingenuity and goodnesse of your own minde: which worthy disposition of yours hath commanded me to dedicate this little work to your name, to stand for ever as a pledge of your religious affection to Mr. Gilpin, and my true love unto you. So fare you well.

BERNARD GILPIN.

BERNARD GILPIN was borne at Kentmire in the county of Westmorland in the yeare of our Lord 1517, of an ancient and honourable family', being the son of Edwin Gilpin, the elder brother of which Edwin was slain in the battle of Bosworth, being heire in the fifth descent to Richard Gilpin, who in the raign of king John was enfeoffed in the lordship of Kentmire hall by the baron of Kendall for his singular deserts both in peace and warre. This was that Richard Gilpin who slew the wilde boore, that rageing in the mountaines adjoyning, as sometimes did that of Erimanthus, had much indammaged the countrypeople whence it is that the Gilpins in their coate armes give the boore. The mother of Bernard Gilpin was Margaret the daughter of William Laton of Delamain in Cumberland, a man of an ancient house, and a family famous in that warlike age, as from whence had sprung many right valiant gentlemen.

2

This Bernard being yet a very childe gave testimony of future holinesse, upon this occasion. A certaine begging frier' the better to dispose the hearts of the people to liberality towards him, professed himselfe a zealous preacher: howbeit the friers of those dayes, and that ranke were but a sordid and dishonest people; some of them, yea the greatest part labouring for a forme of holinesse, but denying the power of it in their lives and conversations, whereas others of them retained not so much as an outside thereof. This wandering companion was come upon the Saturday to the house of this Gilpins father, as purposing to

1 Ancient and honourable family.] Nicolson's and Burn's History of Westmorland and Cumberland, vol. i. p. 135.

2 Armes.] Sable, a boar passant or.

1 A certaine begging frier.] Compare The Vision of Pierce Ploughman, fol. 65, 6. edit. 1550.

preach the next morrow, being the Lords-day, where he was enterteined respectively enough; for at that time it was a sinne unpardonable to offend the least of these locusts. The holy frier at supper time eate like a glutton, and like a beast could not give over tossing the pot, untill being overcome with drinke he exposed himselfe a shamefull spectacle to so chast and sober a family. But in the morning as if he had beene some young saint lately dropped from heaven, he causeth the bell to towle to the sermon; and in the midst thereof blustering out certaine good words, he presumed to grow hot against some sinnes of the time, and amongst the rest to thunder loudly against drunkennesse. Young Gilpin who had but newly got the use of his tongue, having observed (as it seemed) the hatefull basenesse of the man by his oversight the night before, and now hearing the beast cry out so loud against these crimes which himselfe had so lately beene guilty of, as he was sitting neere to his mothers lap in the church, sodainly crieth out in these words: "O mother, doe you heare how this fellow dare speak against drunkennesse, who was drunke himselfe yesternight at our house?" The mother made speed to stop the childes mouth with her hand, that he might speake no further.

After this, the parents of the boy perceiving his disposition, by many evident testimonies, were diligently careful to make him a scholler. He had a schoolfellow, one Edwin Airy, whom afterwards he loved intirely for his good disposition and approoved honesty but Gilpin did farre excell the rest in acutenesse of wit. Having therefore with great approbation passed his time in the grammar-schoole, he is by his parents (who had now conceived great hope of their sonne) sent to Oxford.

At that time in Oxford both learning and relligion were in all things out of joynt, and overgrown with the rust of barbarisme. And now was young Gilpin sixteene yeares of age at his comming to Oxford, being in the yeare of our Lord 1533. Being entred in Queenes college, he profited wondrously in humane learning. He became, as almost all the good wits of that time were, very conversant in the writings of Erasmus. He fell very close to the study of logic and philosophy, wherein he was observed to grow excellent, and to beare away the bell in schooles. He added to this his humane learning, the singular knowledge of the Greeke and Hebrew, wherein he made use of the assistance and friendship of one Neale, betwixt whom and this Gilpin was growne

much familiarity by the affinity of their studies. This Neale was a fellow of New-college, and afterwards professour of the Hebrew in Oxford.

And now after some few yeares carefully spent in these studies Gilpin began to be so famous, and so beloved in Oxford, that there was hardly any place of preferment for a scholler, whereof the eminency of Gilpin's vertue had not rendred him worthy in the publick estimation. There was then an enquiry made for men of more than ordinary learning and fame, who might make up a number of schollers in Christ-church at that time newly begun, and honour it with the commendation of learning. Amongst these was our Gilpin one of the first elected.

At that time he had not fully attained to truth and sincerity in religion, as having beene alwayes instructed in the traditions of the church of Rome: for in those dayes the most part of men did not regulate their relligion and piety by the rule of Gods word, but according to the traditions of their fathers received from hand to hand. His minde although disposed to holinesse did for a while remaine in darknesse, and being overclouded with prejudiciall respects laboured under the burthen of superstition not without some shadow of antiquity; being more earnest against

This Neale.] This man is now remembered only for the share he had in propagating the absurd, and oft-refuted falshood of the consecration of archbishop Parker, and other the first Protestant bishops in queen Elizabeth's time, at the Nag's-head tavern, in Cheapside.—That story, I say, has been many times thoroughly examined, and proved, as often (by Francis Mason, bishop Bramhall, bishop Burnet, Thomas Browne, &c. &c.) to be a "lateinvented, inconsistent, self-contradicting, and absurd fable:" and yet a work has recently been re-published in Ireland, to which between one and two hundred Roman Catholic priests have suffered their names to be prefixed as patrons, in which this matter is once more revived, without one word of apology, exception or retractation; and the validity of all the ordinances and offices by all the ministers of the church of England, is openly and daringly denied, and that denial is accompanied by an overflow of the grossest and most virulent invectives against protestantism and protestants, that an unchristian and malignant temper ever suggested.-What the designs of the patrons of such a work can be, at this time, it is not for me to say; but it is a circumstance which ought to give pain to every good man, protestant or papist, to find that there are so many individuals, professing to be preachers of a gospel of truth and love, who have been induced to sanction with the authority of their names the falshoods, malignity and intolerance, and all the manifold outrages against Christian truth and Christian morals, in which the book in question (Ward's Errata of the Protestant Bible, &c., Dublin, 1807, 4to.) abounds.