after reading them, boasted to the pope (which then was Clement the eighth) "that though he had lately said he had never met with an English book whose writer deserved the name of author, yet there now appeared a wonder to them, and it would be so to his holiness if it were in Latin; for a poor obscure English priest had writ four such books of Laws, and Church Polity, and in a style that expressed such a grave and so humble a majesty, with such clear demonstration of reason, that in all their readings they had not met with any that exceeded him :" and this begot in the pope an earnest desire that doctor Stapleton should bring the said four books, and looking on the English, read a part of them to him in Latin, which doctor Stapleton did to the end of the first book; at the conclusion of which the pope spake to this purpose: "There is no learning that this man hath not searched into; nothing too hard for his understanding: this man indeed deserves the name of an author: his books will get reverence by age, for there are in them such seeds of eternity, that if the rest be like this, they shall last till the last fire shall consume all learning."

Nor was this high, the only testimony and commendations given to his books: for at the first coming of king James into this kingdom he enquired of the archbishop Whitgift for his friend Mr. Hooker that writ the books of Church Polity. To which the answer was, that he died a year before queen Elizabeth, who received the sad news of his death with very much sorrow; to which the king replied, " and I receive it with no less, that I shall want the desired happiness of seeing and discoursing with that man, from whose books I have received such satisfaction. Indeed, my lord, I have received more satisfaction in reading a leaf or paragraph in Mr. Hooker, though it were but about the fashion of churches, or church music, or the like, but especially of the sacraments, than I have had in the reading particular large treatises written but of one of those subjects by others, though very learned men and I observe there is in Mr. Hooker no affected language, but a grave, comprehensive, clear manifestation of reason, and that backed with the authority of the Scripture, the fathers and schoolmen, and with all law both sacred and civil. And though many others write well, yet in the next age they will be forgotten; but doubtless there is in every page of Mr. Hooker's book the picture of a divine soul, such pictures of truth and reason, and drawn in so sacred colours, that they shall

never fade, but give an immortal memory to the author." And it is so truly true that the king thought what he spake, that as the most learned of the nation have and still do mention Mr. Hooker with reverence, so he also did never mention him but with the epithet of learned, or judicious, or reverend, or cenerable Mr. Hooker.

Nor did his son, our late king Charles the first, ever mention him but with the same reverence, enjoining his son, our now gracious king, to be studious in Mr. Hooker's books. And our learned antiquary Mr. Cambden mentioning the death, the modesty, and other virtues of Mr. Hooker, and magnifying his books, wished, "that for the honour of this, and benefit of other nations, they were turned into the universal language." Which work, though undertaken by many, yet they have been weary and forsaken it; but the reader may now expect it, having been long since begun, and lately finished, by the happy pen of Dr. Earl. now lord bishop of Salisbury, of whom I may justly say (and let it not offend him, because it is such a truth as ought not to be concealed from posterity, or those that now live and yet know him not) that since Mr. Hooker died, none hath lived whom God hath blessed with more innocent wisdom, more sanctified learning, or a more pious, peaceable, primitive temper; so that this excellent person seems to be only like himself and our venerable Richard Hooker, and only fit to make the learned of all nations happy in knowing what hath been too long confined to the language of our little island.

There might be many more and just occasions taken to speak of his books, which none ever did, or can commend too much,

[In his Annals, 1599.1

* Confined to the language. It is to be regretted, that neither Earle's translation, nor any other, has hitherto been pubüshed.

To the wishes for such a work we may add that of the illustrious Grotius, as expressed in a letter to Meric Casaubon.

• Reard Hookeri scripta ante annos muitos vidi, et quanquam in sermone mihi non percognito, facile cognovi exactissimi operis utilitatem ; quæ tanta est, ut hunc quoque abrum verti, sed in Latinum sermonem, pervelim. Quær si quis die est, qui si efficere cupiat. Cæterum thi id ipsum cordi esse veùm indication of the Lord's Pyer, p. 81. 1660.

Sin zammeni. Booker may justly be regarded as the genuine lineal descendant of the most enlightened English reformers; and possessing learning equal to that of any of them, with more opportunities for meditation, and the accumulated advantage of their labours and expenence, he may,

but I decline them, and hasten to an account of his Christian behaviour and death at Borne; in which place he continued his

perhaps not improperly, be considered as exhibiting in his writings a model of the true, settled, most improved, mature, and catholic principles of the English Reformation. But these virtues did not screen him from having many adversaries. At the time when Hooker wrote, Calvinism, doctrinal as well as disciplinarian, had made considerable progress in England; and Hooker's, unhappily for his own peace of mind, were almost the only works of great extent which were calculated to arrest the progress of the doctrinal Calvinists. In the year 1599 a tract was published in 4to., entitled A Christian Letter of certaine English Protestants, unfaigned favourers of the present state of Religion, authorised and professed in England, unto that reverend and learned man, Mr. R. Hooker, requiring resolution in certaine matters of doctrine (which seeme to overthrow the foundation of Christian religion, and of the Church among us), expresslie contained in his five books of Ecclesiasticall Pollicie. This book is one of the earliest productions of those mal-contents, who were afterwards called doctrinal Puritans. It is the doctrines of Hooker with which they quarrel: and they profess (in contradistinction to the abettors of the Geneva Discipline) an unfeigned attachment to the external establishments of the church of England. The work is further deserving of notice, as exhibiting, I believe, the earliest example, both in the matter and inanner of the argument, of those numerous publications in which some Calvinistic writers have thoughtlessly and intemperately indulged themselves, from the days of this Christian letter, and from Prynne and Hickman downwards, to Edwards, and Toplady, and Bowman, and sir Richard Hill, and Overton. Can it be believed, the authors of the letter in question tax the meek, the wise, the virtuous, the saint-like Richard Hooker with betraying and renouncing the doctrines to which he had solemnly subscribed? They charge him with designs of bringing back popery. They accuse him of a wanton attack on the memory of Calvin. They condemn him of unsoundness of doctrine respecting grace, and free-will, and justification, and predestination, and the conditions of the Christian covenant, and the sacraments of the Christian church. It is curious to see the Thirty-nine Articles, the Liturgy, the Homilies, bishop Jewel's Apology, dean Nowell's Catechism, and the writings of many others of Hooker's protestant predecessors, solemnly cited against him, and confronted in due form with extracts from the Ecclesiastical Polity, for the purpose of convicting him of deserting and denying the principles of that church of which he was a minister, in whose cause he toiled day and night, and in the defence of which, I believe, it may truly be said, that it was God's good pleasure that he should die. The following extracts may serve as specimens of this performance.

"The reverend fathers of our church call Mr. Calvin one of the best writers, &c. (J. Whitgift, p. 300. Bp. Jewel, Defence of Apolog. part ii. p. 149. Read any English writer defending the church of England; and namely, Fulke against Stapleton's Fortress, p. 71. Read Apolog. Anglican.) Howe greatlie all Christian churches are to prayse God for that man's faithfull labours, and how instantlie therefore all sortes of papistes have and doe

customary rules of mortification and self-denial; was much in fasting, frequent in meditation and prayer, enjoying those blessed

indevour and strive to diminish his credit, all the Christian world most aboundlie both by word and by writing do testifie. Wherefore we wonder not a little, what moved you to make choyse of that worthie pillar of the Church above all other, to traduce him, and to make him a spectacle before all Christians.” P. 37.

:

By the way, some may think it strange, and yet it is very true that this same character of Calvin, which is here referred to, and thus accounted of, has in the present day been more than once appealed to, as a proof of the high esteem in which Calvin was regarded by Richard Hooker; and, what shall we say? why, perhaps, as a proof that the Articles of the Church of England are Calvinistical. Ex quovis ligno fit, &c. Again, "In all your books-Reason is highlie sett up against Holie Scripture, and reading against preaching the church of Rome favourablie admitted to be of the house of God: Calvin with the Reformed churches full of faults and most of all they which indevoured to be most reformed from conformitie with the Church of Rome: almost all the principall pointes of our English Creede greatlie shaken and contradicted. If you do not sincerelie, plainlie, and trulie answere all these our necessarie doubtes and demandes, what shall we have cause to thinke of these your tedious and laborious writings? Shall we doe you wronge to suspect you as a privie and subtill enemie to the whole state of the English church, and that would have men to deeme her majestie to have done ill in abolishing the Romish religion, and banishing the Pope's authoritie?—Will you bring us to atheisme or to poperie?" P. 43. “We beseech you therefore in the name of Jesus Christ, and as you will answere for the use of those great giftes which God hath bestowed upon you, that you would returne and peruse advisedlie all your five bookes, compare them with the articles of our profession sett out by public authoritie, and with the workes apologeticall, and other authorised Sermons and Homilies of our church, and of the reverend fathers of our land, and with the holie booke of God, and all other the queenes majesties proceedings." P. 44. "All the articles of our religion, and many partes of our church government checked, blamed, and contradicted." P. 45. Thirdly that you would be careful not to corrupt the English creede and pure doctrine, whereunto you have subscribed, either by philosophie &c." P. 47. "The church of England beleeveth, that Predestination unto life is the eternal purpose &c. But you maister Hooker seem to us to affirme contrarie, when you saie, If anie man doubt &c." P. 15 "You make it (the Sacrament) a meanes condicionall, and no lesse required than faith itself.—And herein we are suitors unto you to tell us, whether the condition of sacraments make not for the additament of works unto faith, in that which the English church holdeth to be onelie and properlie of faith." P. 28.

After some delay, Hooker was prevailed upon to undertake a reply to this letter, but death prevented the execution of his purpose. Dr. Covel, his friend, then undertook the work: and he speaking of his own performance, and what Hooker's would have been if executed, expresses himself thus,

returns which only men of strict lives feel and know, and of which men of loose and godless lives cannot be made sensible; for spiritual things are spiritually discerned.

At his entrance into this place his friendship was much sought for by Dr. Hadrian Saravia, then or about that time made one of the prebends of Canterbury; a German by birth, and some time a pastor both in Flanders and Holland, where he had studied and well considered the controverted points concerning episcopacy and sacrilege; and in England had a just occasion to declare his judgment concerning both unto his brethren ministers of the Low Countries, which was excepted against by Theodore Beza and others, against whose exceptions he rejoined, and thereby became the happy author of many learned tracts, writ in Latin, especially of three; one, of the Degrees of Ministers, and of the Bishops superiority above the Presbytery; a second against Sacrilege; and a third, of Christian Obedience to Princes; the last being occasioned by Gretzerus the Jesuit. And it is observable, that when in a time of church tumults, Beza gave his reasons to the chancellor of Scotland for the abrogation of episcopacy in that nation, partly by letters, and more fully in a treatise of a three-fold episcopacy (which he calls divine, human,

"His answer would have been far more general and more speedy, if he could either have resolved to have done it, or after he had resolved, could have lived to have seen it finished. But first of all he was loth to intermeddle with so weake adversaries; thinking it unfit (as himselfe said) that a man that hath a long journey should turne backe to beate every barking curre; and having taken it in hand, his urgent and greater affairs, together with the want of strength, weakened with much labour, would not give him time to see it finished." Preface to a Just and temperate Defence of the five books of Ecclesiastical Policie, p. 12.

Somewhere I have seen the "Christian Letter" attributed to Dr. Andrew Willet, but I cannot at present recall the authority. I remember, however, that, at the time, it seemed to me to be good.

Some preparations of Hooker towards a reply to this letter were known to be in existence by a slight notice given of them in Tanner's Bibliotheca Britannico Hibernica, p. 411, A. D. 1748; thus, "Some Strictures on the Letter that was printed Anno 1599, against his Ecclesiastical Polity, MS. in biblioth. C.C.C. Oxon. 215;" but very little notice seems to have been taken of remains, likely to prove so curious and interesting, and actually being so, till Mr. Keble has published them, at large, in his recent very valuable edition of Hooker's writings. The passages are subjoined as notes to the several places in the Ecclesiastical Polity to which they appertain. For a further account, the reader may consult Mr. Keble's Preface, p. xii-xix. vol. i.