before him, as begot in them then a devout contrition, and at least resolutions to amend their lives; and having done that, he would take them, though never so poor, to dinner with him, and use them friendly, and dismiss them with his blessing and persuasions to a virtuous life, and beg them for their own sakes to believe him. And his humility and charity, and all other Christian excellencies were all like this. Of all which the reader may inform himself in his Life, truly writ and printed before his excellent Sermons.

And in this year, also, the very prudent and very wise Lord Elsmere, who was so very long Lord Chancellor of England, and then of Oxford', resigning up the last, the right honourable, and as magnificent, William Herbert Earl of Pembroke, was chosen to succeed him.

And in this year, our late King Charles I. (then Prince of Wales) came honourably attended to Oxford; and having deliberately visited the University, the Schools, Colleges, and Libraries, he and his attendants were entertained with cere

This great and good man was elected Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Nov. 3, 1610, and installed the 10th of the same month. Upon his resignation, January 24, 1616, William Earl of Pembroke, Knight of the Garter, and Lord Chamberlain of the Household, was elected Jan. 29, in the same year.

monies and feasting suitable to their dignity and merits ".

And in this year King James sent letters to the University for the regulating their studies; especially of the young Divines: Advising they should not rely on modern sums and systems, but study the Fathers and Councils, and the more primitive learning. And this advice was occa

u On this occasion Prince Charles was pleased, with his own hand-writing, to matriculate himself of the University, Aug. 28, with this symbol or sentence: " Si vis omnia subjicere, subjice te "rationi." Carolus P.

At this time Puritanism and Calvinism increased daily at Oxford. Not only the Lecturers in each College, but other preachers in and about the University, positively maintained such points of doctrine as were not maintained or allowed by the Church of England. The King, by the advice of such Bishops and others of the Clergy as were then about him, dispatched upon the 18th of January, 1616, these directions following to the Vice-Chancellor, certain Heads of Houses, the two Professors of Divinity, and the two Proctors of the University, to be carefully and speedily put in execution:......

"JAMES REX.

1. "His Majesty signified his pleasure that he would have "all that take any degree in schooles to subscribe to the xxxix " Articles.

2. "That no Preacher be allowed to preach in the town, but "such as are every way conformable, both by subscription and "every other way.

3. "That all students do resort to the sermons at St. Mary's, " and be restrained from going to any other Church in the time "of St. Mary's sermons; and that provision be made that the

"sermons

sioned by the indiscreet inferences made by very many preachers out of Mr. Calvin's doctrine concerning predestination, universal redemption, the irresistibility of God's grace, and of some other

"sermons in St. Mary's be diligently made and performed, both "forenoon and afternoon.

4. "That the ordinary divinity act be constantly kept with "three replyers.

5. "That there be a great restraint for scholars haunting of "town-houses, especially in the night.

6. That all scholars, both at chappel and at the schooles "keep their scholastical habits.

7. "That young students in divinity be directed to study such "books as be most agreeable in doctrine and discipline to the "Church of England, excited to bestow their time in the fathers " and counsels, schoolmen, histories and controversies, and not "to insist too long upon compendiums and abbreviators, making "them their grounds of their study in divinity.

8. "That no man, either in pulpit or in schooles, be suffered "to maintain dogmatically any point of doctrine that is not al"lowed by the Church of England.

9. "That Mr. Vice-Chancellor and the two Professors, or two " of the Heads of Houses, do every Michaelmas term when his "Majesty resorts into those parts, wayte upon his Majesty, and "give his Majesty a just accompt how these his Majesty's in"structions are observed."

It will not be deemed necessary to notice any other of the degrees proposed by the delegates, than that which regards the seventh direction: "In prælectionibus catechisticis, quae in sin"gulis collegiis aulisve haberi solita sunt, Christianæ fidei et "religionis articuli xxxix in Synodo Londinensi, anno CIɔDLXII "decreti leguntor, explicantorque per sacrarum Scripturarum "axiomata, patrum antiquorum, conciliorum testimonia solide "conformantor." See "Wood's Annals," &c. B. I. p. $23. 321, 327, 328.

knotty points depending upon these: which many think were not, but by interpreters, forced to be Mr. Calvin's meaning; of the truth or falsehood of which I pretend not to have an ability to judge; my meaning in this relation being only to acquaint the reader with the occasion of the King's letter.

It may be observed that the various accidents of this year did afford our Proctor large and laudable matter to dilate and discourse upon: And that though his office seemed, according to statute and custom, to require him to do so at his leaving it; yet he chose rather to pass them over with some very short observations, and present the governors, and his other hearers, with rules to keep up discipline and order in the University; which at that time was either by defective statutes, or want of the due execution of those that were good, grown to be extremely irregular. And in this year also, the magisterial part of the Proctor required more diligence, and was more difficult to be managed than formerly, by reason of a multiplicity of new statutes, which begot much confusion; some of which statutes were then, and not till then, and others suddenly after, put into an useful execution. And though these statutes were not then made so perfectly useful as they were designed, till Archbishop Laud's time (who assisted in the forming and promoting them), yet our present Proctor made them as effectual as discretion and diligence could do: Of which one example may seem worthy

the noting, namely, that if in his night-walk he met with irregular Scholars absent from their College at the University hours, or disordered by drink, or in scandalous company, he did not use his power of punishing to an extremity; but did usually take their names, and a promise to appear before him, unsent for, next morning; and when they did, convinced them with such obligingness, and reason added to it, that they parted from him with such resolutions as the man after God's own heart was possessed with, when he said to God, "There is mercy with thee, and therefore thou "shalt be feared." And by this, and a like behaviour to all men, he was so happy as to lay down this dangerous employment, as but very few, if any, have done, even without an enemy.

After his Proctor's speech was ended, and he retired with a friend into a convenient privacy; he looked upon his friend with a more than a common cheerfulness, and spake to him to this purpose;— "I look back upon my late employment with "some content to myself, and a great thankfulness "to Almighty God, that he hath made me of a

temper not apt to provoke the meanest of man"kind, but rather to pass by infirmities, if noted; " and in this employment I have had (God knows)

many occasions to do both. And when I con"sider how many of a contrary temper are by "sudden and small occasions transported, and "hurried by anger to commit such errors, as they "in that passion could not foresee, and will in