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. р.бг. 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 nostro 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 Scotia LV. Secundum tenorem et exigentiam literarum commiszo 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, ad omnem et qualemcunque juris effectum dispensamus; teque præfatum Georgium, archiepiscopum Cantuariensem, ac personam tuam ab omnibus et singulis inhabilitatibus, suspensionibus, irregularitatibus, aliisque pœnis, impedimentis, censuris, et coercionibus quibus- 5 cunque ecclesiasticis sive canonicis, si quas forsitan ratione præmissorum aut eorum alicujus incurristi, aut aliquibus incurrisse videaris, ad omnem et qualemcunque juris effectum liberamus, ac tenore præsentium pro liberato haberi decernimus et pronunciamus: quem- 10 que defectum, labem, notam, sive maculam, si quam forsitan ratione præmissorum aut eorum alicujus contraxisti, aut aliquibus contraxisse videaris, penitus abolemus, ac pro abolitis haberi discernimus et pronunciamus; teque etiam præfatum Georgium, archiepiscopum Can- 15 tuarien. ex superabundanti et ad majorem cautelam rehabilitamus et restituimus ad omnem et qualemcunque juris effectum. Et ut in susceptis ordinibus et archiepiscopatu prædicto, ac in omnibus et singulis jurisdictionibus, privilegiis, præeminentiis, prærogativis, dignitatibus, atque aliis rebus quibuscunque, aliquo modo ad dictum archiepiscopatum spectantibus et pertinentibus, libere ministrare valeas, concedimus et indulgemus, perinde ac si prædictum casuale homicidium commissum non fuisset; canonibus, legibus, decretis, ordinationibus, et 25 constitutionibus ecclesiasticis quibuscunque contrariis, si quæ sint in ea parte contraria, in aliquo non obstantibus. In cujus rei testimonium sigilla nostra episcopalia hisce præsentibus apponi fecimus. Dat. duodecimo die Decembris, anno Domini millesimo sexcentesimo vicesimo primo. 30 Teste rege apud Westmon. 24. die Decembris, anno regni regis Jacobi. etc. XIX. et Scotia quinquagesimo quinto. 20 CXXXI. Archiepisc. Cant. Anno Christi Reg. Angliæ The king's letter to the archbishop of Cant. and the bishop of Lincoln about a voluntary contribution from the clergy-Reg. Abbot, II. fol. 195. b. IGHT reverend father in God, our very good lord RIGHT and brother. We have lately received from his majesty certain letters directed unto us the lord archbishop of Cant. and the lord bishop of Lincoln, lord 5 keeper of the great seal, but referring to the rest, whose names are under-written, the tenor whereof here ensueth: : The king's letter] King James' first parliament had been dissolved on the 7th of June 1614, and another was summoned to meet on the 13th of January 1621. Being jealous of uncontroled sovereignty he had 10 fallen into a great dislike of parliaments, and for many years had given way to projects and monopolies and many of his ministers perhaps fearing an inquiry into their own actions might suggest to him that he might better furnish himself by those ways, than by subsidies, usually accompanied with the redress of grievances. Nevertheless he was now 15 minded to call a parliament, conceiving it might be of special use. For he observed the affections of the people to be raised for the recovery of the palatinate; and then concluded that those affections would open their purses to the supply of his wants." (Rushworth, vol. i. p. 20.) In this matter the king was availing himself of an existing impulse, hoping 20 at the same time that events might spring up which would relieve him from the necessity of following it any longer than was convenient to him. He was not unwilling to assist his son-in-law in the recovery of the palatinate; but he was much more anxious to unite his son with the infanta of Spain. He might leave it to be decided by the progress 30 of events, which of these two opposing projects should eventually prosper; but only one of them could be made useful to him in his present difficulties. Supplies were absolutely wanted; and the honour of his |