The archbishop of Canterbury's letter touching recusants.— Reg. Bancroft, 129. b.

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SALUTEM in Christo.” I have written to your

lordship before concerning your proceeding with your factious ministers, and that you should not desist by depriving one, two, or three at once, until you have 5 purged your diocese of them; now I am to signify unto you, that his most excellent majesty hath, with the

c his most excellent majesty hath] This refers probably to a speech made by the king to the privy council on the day before the judges gave their sentence in the star chamber. It is reported thus by sir 10 George Croke (Rep. Jac. 2. p. 37.) Before the breaking up of the assembly [in the star chamber] many of the lords declared that some of the puritans had raised a false rumour of the king, how he intended to grant a toleration to papists; which offence the judges conceived to be heinously finable by the rules of the common law, either in the 15 king's bench, or by the king in council; or now, since the statute of 3 Henry VII. in the star chamber. And the lords severally declared, how the king was discontented with the said false rumour, and had made but the day before a protestation unto them, that he never intended it, and that he would spend the last drop of his blood in his body 20 before he would do it; and prayed that before any of his issue should maintain any other religion than what he truly professed and maintained, God would take them out of the world." The ministers of the king had already information (March 1605) respecting the conspiracy that was forming, and was fomented by the Romanists. A remarkable 25 letter written in October 1605 at Paris, shews how extensive and desperate were their machinations: "Our priests are very busy about petitions to be exhibited to the king's majesty at this parliament, and some further designs upon refusal. These matters are secretly managed by intelligence with their colleagues in those parts where you reside, 30 and with the two nuncios. I think it were necessary for his majesty's service that you found means to have privy spies amongst them, to discover their negociations. Something is at present in hand amongst these desperate hypocrites, which, I trust, God shall divert, by the vigilant care of his majesty's faithful servants and friends abroad, and 35 prudence of his council at home." (Birch's Negociat. of sir T. Edmondes, p. 233.) There can be little doubt that Cecil had acted upon this sug

admiration of all that heard him, most fully, rarely, and resolutely declared himself (as often heretofore) touching such courses, as he wisheth should be held with popish recusants, being most desirous to rid his kingdom as well of these pestiferous adversaries, as of the former; to 5 which purpose he hath dealt very thoroughly and privily both with the lords of his right honourable privy council, and with his judges; expecting likewise that we, who are bishops, should not be negligent in discharging of our duties, so far as lieth in us, for the furthering and effect- 10 ing of so royal and so religious a designment. As therefore my place requireth, and not without due and careful deliberation, I do commend to your good lordship (as I also have done to the rest of our brethren) these particular points following to be thoroughly by you ob- 15 served: first, your lordship is not to depend altogether upon the CXIVth canon, expecting still the minister's diligence in presenting of recusants, but to use your own best endeavour, by the labour and means of all your officers and friends, to inform yourself as well of the 20 number, as of the qualities of them; and the same to certify unto me with all convenient speed: secondly, because order and discretion in all proceedings are principally to be observed, (whereof without my advice, your lordship will be sufficiently mindful) and for that there 25 being differences in the dispositions of the said popish recusants, and cannot all of them be reformed together, your lordship is to take notice by all the means before expressed, first, of all the recusants in your diocese, who

gestion long before the discovery of the gunpowder plot in the No- 30 vember following; and there is reason to believe that he had intimation of the plot itself and communicated it to his royal master, before the receipt of the letter written to lord Monteagle, the interpretation of which has commonly been taken as a decisive proof of the king's sagacity. Winwood, Memor. 2. 170. Lodge, Illustrations, 3. 301. 35 Hallam, vol. i. p. 438. Lingard, vol. vi. p. 51.

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they be, that are the most busy in seeking to seduce others either abroad, or at home to their own families, by bringing up their children in popery, and refusing to entertain any to serve them, especially in places of trust, 5 that are not recusants; secondly, of all such persons of any note, who are become recusants, since his majesty's coming into England, and of them that are the most insolent, as the manner of those usually is, who are newly seduced: thirdly, these three observations thus premised, your lordship is to procure, as much as in you lieth, that for the faithful accomplishment of the LXVIth canon, no pains may be spared in conferring with the said recusants, especially with the two sorts beforementioned, who are the heads and leaders of the rest, 15 that thereby (if it be possible) they may be reduced from their errors, and no sweet or kind means omitted for the recovering of them to the truth: fourthly, in this conference you are to do your best for the reclaiming of those, that are already excommunicated in their private parishes, with whom if such travail will nothing prevail, because it is either obstinately rejected, or wilfully contemned, then let them be publicly denounced in your cathedral church for excommunicate persons, without any forbearance or partiality, according to the LXVth 25 canon, if happily such a notorious punishment may be a means to bring them to repentance: fifthly, if you have in your diocese sundry of the first sort, of the said busy and seducing recusants, not yet excommunicated (with whom conference will prevail no more, than with the 30 former beforementioned) then call two or three of the chiefest of them (for dignity, place, and perverseness, such as are heads and leaders of the rest) forthwith by your ordinary authority; and if either they will not appear, after sufficient admonition to be carefully executed, so as 35 they may not plead any probable ignorance, or appearing, shall obstinately refuse to go to church, (as our phrase is,)

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encourage

ΙΟ

let them be" in scriptis" excommunicated, and after forty days certified unto the chancery. This direction, touching the said first sort, will serve for the second, such as are of latter years revolted. Sixthly, of those that before stood excommunicated, and so have been publicly 5 denounced according to the said canon, if there be amongst them any of the said two sorts, then let two or three of the principallest of them, as is aforesaid, that have stood excommunicated forty days, be presently certified unto the said court. And for better your ment herein, if you shall advertise me of any such certificate, I will use my uttermost endeavour to procure the writ "De excommunicato capiendo," and take such order as that the same shall be faithfully and speedily served; that so they, who have not learned how to use their 15 former liberty, may be better instructed by chastisement in prison. Your lordship knoweth, that the people are commonly carried away by gentlemen recusants, landlords, and some other ringleaders of that sort, so as the winning or punishing of one or two of them is a reclaim-2 ing, or kind of bridling of many, that do depend upon them; which hath induced me to prescribe to your lordship by the directions precedent such a moderation and course, as I think fit to be generally pursued; hoping that when they, who have been seduced under pretence 25 of toleration, or I know not what vain imagined thing, shall hereby find that such disobedient persons are no longer to be borne with, but that the laws, made in that behalf, are carefully to be executed, they will be better advised, and reform themselves; and that the rest of 30 such simple people will be more heedful hereafter, that they be not misled and carried away by lewd persuasions of any person whatsoever. Lastly, we that are bishops, being all of us (as is supposed) justices of the peace, it is much marvelled, that so many priests and Jesuits range 35 about in our dioceses, without any impeachment or regard

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almost had of them; we ourselves seldom or never seeking after them; it is said, that our remissness therein doth discourage the rest of the justices of peace from taking such pains in that behalf, as heretofore they have 5 been accustomed, and that they would be as ready as they were to join with us in that service, if they might see our willingness thereunto, either by effecting something ourselves, or by our intelligence (having all the ministers of our diocese at our commandment) would give them our best directions, where those impostors might be met with, and apprehended. These things, I fear, may justly be objected against some of us; and I am driven now and then into some straits, how to excuse such our security. I do therefore very heartily 15 pray your lordship, to think thereof, not that I have any cause to suspect you to be one of the number (if I shall speak properly), but rather to inform you what is expected at our hands, that with better discouragement we may therein discharge our duties. And thus not doubting, 20 but that your lordship will have due regard both of this last point, and likewise of all the premises, and letting you understand, that I keep the copy of this my letter, that if any of our brethren shall neglect them, or any part of them, I may have the same for my discharge, and 25 every one of us be driven to bear his own burden; I

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commit your lordship, with my hearty commendations, unto the tuition of Almighty God. From Lambeth the twelfth of March, MDCIV.

Your lordship's very loving friend and brother,

R. CANTUAR.

Postscript. After I had written this letter, I received, upon occasion, this direction from his majesty, that when your lordship depriveth any of your factious ministers for