some report from your lordship before it be long, what is done in this behalf, with my hearty commendations I leave you to the Almighty. From Lambeth the ninth of October, MDCXIX.

CXXX.

Archiepisc. Cant.
GEO. ABBOT 11.

Anno Christi
1621.

Reg. Angliæ
JACOB. I. 19.

5

Dispensatio cum Georgio, archiepiscopo Cantuariensi, super irregularitate.-Ex Reliq. Spelm.

RE

EVERENDISSIMO in Christo patri Georgio, providentia divina Cantuariensi archiepiscopo, totius Angliæ primati et metropolitano, Johannes Lincoln. Georgius London. Lancelotus Winton. Samuel Norwicen. Thomas Coven. et Lich. Arthurus Bathon. et Wellen. 10 Nicolaus Elien. et Georgius Cicestrensis, permissione

Dispensatio cum Georgio] Great as were the anomalies both of character and of conduct in king James, there were few acts of his reign more inconsistent in themselves or more pregnant with important consequences than the elevation of Dr. George Abbot to the province 15 of Canterbury. The king was uniform in his aversion to the puritans ; and the archbishop was known to be leniently, if not favourably, disposed towards them. The king was extremely jealous on the subject of the prerogative; and the archbishop, as he afterwards shewed by refusing to license Dr. Sibthorp's sermon on apostolical obedience, 20 could resolutely oppose it. It may be inferred from lord Clarendon's well-known description of him, (Hist. Reb. vol. i. p. 135.) that his appointment was highly distasteful to the court; but whatever opinion may be formed of his positive qualifications, (and he certainly possessed many high endowments,) it is clear that the violent contrast afforded 25 between his administration of the church, and that of the prelates who immediately preceded and followed him, and that the many personal altercations, which could not fail to accompany his appointment, were directly the cause of great danger to the establishment, and ultimately

divina respective episcopi de provincia Cantuar. salutem et gratiam in Domino sempiternam. Recepimus literas commissionales a serenissimo in Christo principe ac domino nostro, domino Jacobo, Dei gratia Angliæ, Scotiæ, Franciæ, et Hiberniæ rege, fidei defensore, etc. sub magno 5 sigillo Angliæ confectas et nobis directas, quarum tenor sequitur in hæc verba:

Jacobus, Dei gratia Angliæ, Scotia, Franciæ, et Hiberniæ rex, fidei defensor, etc. reverendo in Christo patri, et perdilecto et perquam fideli consiliario nostro Johanni, 10 episcopo Lincoln. custodi magni sigilli nostri Angliæ, ac reverendo in Christo patri Georgio, episcopo London. ac reverendo in Christo patri, ac perdilecto et perquam fideli consiliario nostro Lanceloto, episcopo Winton. necnon reverendis in Christo patribus Samueli Norwicen. Thomæ 15 Coven. et Lichen. Nicolao Elien. Arthuro Bathon. et Wellen. et Georgio Cicestren. respective episcopis, salutem et gratiam.

Humili nobis supplicatione exposuit reverendissimus in Christo pater, perdilectus et perfidelis consiliarius noster 20

the occasion of its downfall. These evils were in themselves sufficiently serious and aggravated; but they were greatly increased by the lamentable occurrence that led to the necessity for this dispensation, and embarrassed him in the discharge of his duties for the rest of his life. It occurred too at a time when several bishops elect were waiting for 25 consecration, (Dr. William Laud being one of them,) who would naturally feel anxious that no possible suspicion should attach to the canonical authority of the archbishop, or to his power of conveying to themselves the spiritual functions of the episcopal order. The occurrence and its consequences were announced by the lord keeper Williams to the 30 duke of Buckingham, in the following manner (Cabala, p. 284.): "His grace, upon this accident, is by the common law of England to forfeit all his estate unto his majesty, and by the canon law (which is in force with us) irregular ipso facto, and so suspended from all ecclesiastical function, until he be again restored by his superior; which, I take it, 35 is the king's majesty, in this rank and order of ecclesiastical jurisdictions." "The king," says bishop Hacket, (Life of Abp. Williams, p. 67,) saw that whether the person of the archbishop were tainted by this

Georgius, Cantuar. archiepiscopus, quod cum nuper in parco quodam vocato Bramzil-park, apud Bramzil in comitatu nostro Southampton. per honorandum virum ejusdem parci dominum rogatus et invitatus damam sa5 gitta figere destinaret, debita adhibita diligentia, ne quid inde periculi cuiquam eveniret, forte tamen accidit, ut sagitta ab eo emissa, et in feram directa, in quendam Petrum Hawkins, adtunc parci prædicti custodem, improvide et temere se periculo ictus sagittæ exponentem, et 10 per locum ubi a præfato archiepiscopo conspici non potuit, cum impetu transcurrentem incideret, eique brachium sauciaret; ex quo quidem vulnere infra unius horæ spatium expirabat. Et quamvis propter hujusmodi homicidium casuale nulla præfati archiepiscopi culpa, sed 15 ipsius occisi temeritate contingens, idem reverendissimus pater bona fretus conscientia, se nullam omnino irregularitatem incurrisse, persuasissimum habeat; provida tamen animi circumspectione, et ut omnis infirmorum mentibus scrupulus eximatur, secum a nobis super omni et 20 omnimoda irregularitate, et irregularitatis nota, aut suspi

fact or not, yet his metropolitical function was unsettled in many men's opinions: he heard that the acts of spiritual courts were unsped, and came to no end, till sentence were pronounced one way or other by the supreme authority. Therefore a commission was directed from his 25 majesty to ten persons to meet together for this purpose about the beginning of October." The result of their deliberations was that the king appointed a commission of bishops, and by their means "assoiled the archbishop from all irregularity, scandal or infamation, pronouncing him to be capable to use all metropolitical authority." The bishops 30 elect still entreating, as a case of conscience, that they might receive consecration from other hands, their prayer was granted; but his canonical authority was fully admitted afterwards, and bishop Laud himself acted with him at a subsequent consecration in the year 1628. The remembrance however of this period was an occasion of mourning 35 and dejection to the archbishop for the remainder of his life. Bishop Hacket's Life of Abp. Williams, fol. p. 68. Collier, vol. ii. p. 720. Biog. Brit. art. Abbot. Heylin's Laud, p. 87. Rushworth, vol. i. p. 61.

cione, si quam præmissorum ratione contraxisse forsitan aliquibus videri possit, ad cautelam et ex superabundanti dispensari humiliter supplicavit. Sciatis igitur, quod nos petitionis hujusmodi vim et efficaciam regio animo et pio affectu ponderantes, et de veritate præmissorum solicita 5 indagatione certiores facti, et ut piam reverendissimi patris intentionem hac in re sequamur, et ad abundantiorem cautelam perfidelis consiliarii nostri, optimeque de ecclesia et republica meriti præsulis, statum, famam et dignitatem, nostri etiam patrocinii munimine tueri et firmare 10 dignoscamur, ad præsentem venimus dispositionem; vobisque vel aliquibus sex vestrum, quorum vos præfat. Johannem Lincoln. Georgium London. Lancelotum Winton. et Samuelem Norwicen. respective episcopos, quatuor esse volumus, de quorum etiam fide, judicio, et industria 15 plurimum confidimus, mandamus, et de gratia nostra speciali, et ex auctoritate nostra regia suprema et ecclesiastica, qua fungimur, pro nobis, hæredibus, et successoribus nostris damus et plenam concedimus facultatem et potestatem per præsentes, quatenus vos vel aliqui sex 20 vestrum, quorum vos præfatos Johannem Lincoln. Georgium London. Lancelotum Winton. et Samuelem Norwicen. respective episcopos, quatuor esse volumus, cum præfato reverendissimo patre super omni et omnimodo juris vel facti defectu, censura sive pœna aliqua canonica 25 et ecclesiastica, præsertim vero irregularitate omni seu irregularitatis nota, si quæ forsitan ratione præmissorum contracta fuit, vel quibusdam contracta esse videatur, utque in susceptis ordinibus et jurisdictionibus secundum concreditam sibi ratione ordinis, et archiepiscopatus sui 30 potestatem libere ministrare, frui, exercere, et gaudere valeat, ad majorem cautelam dispensetis, ac cætera omnia et singula, quæ ad statum, commodum, et honorem præfati reverendissimi patris conservandum et corroborandum in hac parte necessaria fuerint, seu quomodolibet oppor-35 tuna, faciatis; et dispensationem hujusmodi, cæteraque

sic, ut præfertur, per vos aut aliquos sex vestrum, quorum vos præfatos Johannem Lincoln. Georgium London. Lancelotum Winton. et Samuelem Norwicen. respective episcopos, quatuor esse volumus, facienda in debita juris 5 forma concepta, et in scripta redacta, sigillisque vestris seu sigillo aliquo auctentico munita, præfato archiepiscopo tradere non differatis. Quam quidem dispensationem, cæteraque sic, ut præfertur, per vos aut aliquos sex vestrum, quorum vos præfatos Johannem Lincoln. Georgium 10 London. Lancelotum Winton. et Samuelem Norwicen. respective episcopos, quatuor esse volumus, peragendam sub magno insuper sigillo nóstro Angliæ confirmari volumus, et super his præfati magni sigilli nostri custodi aliisque cancellariæ nostræ ministris quibuscunque expresse manda15 mus, et plenam tenore præsentium concedimus potestatem. Teste meipso apud Westmon. vicesimo secundo die Novembris, anno regni nostri Angliæ, Franciæ, et Hiberniæ decimo nono, et Scotiæ LV.

Secundum tenorem et exigentiam literarum commis20 sionalium prærecitatarum, et ad eximendum omnem scrupulum ab infirmorum mentibus, siquis forsitan sit, aut fuerit in ea parte conceptus; nos prædicti Johannes Lincoln. Georgius London. Lancelotus Winton. Samuel Norwicen. Thomas Coven. et Lichfeld. Arthurus Bathon. 25 et Wellen. Richardus Elien. et Georgius Cicestren. respective episcopi, Dei nomine primitus invocato, ac Deum præ oculis solum habentes, et considerantes atque pro certo habentes, quod dicta venatio, cui per te data erat opera, quando dictum casuale homicidium (te nihil tale 30 suspicante) accidebat, erat modesta, decens, et quieta, et quod debita per te adhibita erat diligentia in dicta venatione ad præcavendum, ne quid periculi alicui inde eveniret, tecum præfato Georgio, archiepiscopo Cantuariensi, super omni irregularitate et irregularitatis nota, si quam 35 forsitan ratione casualis homicidii sive mortis præfati Petri Hawkins incurristi, vel aliquibus incurrisse videaris,