cellor of Ireland, "which office, being well skilled in the Civil Law, he performed many years with reputation*." He was also made, in 1557, one of the Lords Justices in Ireland. This is a sbozzo of his life; but we must now endeavour, with the scanty materials we possess, to heighten and enforce the lights and shadows of it as truth and nature require.

Being the King's Chaplain (says Strype in his Life of Parker) he (Curwen) preached often before him. In the year 1532, in a sermon before the King, he spoke much in behalf of the supremacy, when one Elstow, a Friar of Greenwich, openly told him in that presence he lied, for which he was committed to prison. In 1533, when Friar Peto had, in the King's presence at Greenwich, inveighed against the King's marriage with Anne Boleyn, Dr. Curwen the next Sunday preached before the King, and spake as much for that marriage; and added, that he much wondered how a subject dared so audaciously behave himself before the King's face as he had done. But, however, he was for the supremacy and the marriage, and went along with the King in his other proceedings; yet he was a zealous man for the corporal presence, and the death of pious Frith was attributed to him; for in a sermon preached before the King in Lent he inveighed against the Sacramentaries, and, at length,

* Strype's Life of Archbishop Parker, B. iii., ch. 18.

in some heat said "It is no mervail tho' this abominable heresy so much prevail among us, for there is one now in the Tower (meaning Frith) so bold as to write in defence of that heresy, and yet no man goeth about his reformation: but this was the Bishop of Winchester's device to put the King upon prosecuting that poor man, which took place; the King forthwith commanding the Archbishop of Canterbury, that then was, and the Lord Crumwel to call him into examination." How marvellously does this uproar correspond with what reaches us from one of the Western Churches in the presence and hearing of one Dr. Philpotts! Whether any Friar Elstow has as yet dared to call the preacher a liar, or any pious Frith has lost his life by inveighing against the Sacramentaries of St Mary's Ottery is not officially returned.

"Strangers to God, fools in humanity!"

As Curwen was (to use Strype's words) a complier in all reigns*,

"As some rats of amphibious nature,

Are either for the land or watert."

As he was ever steady to his "individuating principle" of living and dying Vicar of Bray, it may, in the absence of positive authority not unfairly be assumed, that Æthiopian-like he neither changed + Hudibras.

* Strype's Life of Cranmer, 54.

his skin, nor leopard-like his spots, during the reign of Edward vith; being content to hold his honors on the feudal tenure of new-born zeal to the New Establishment.

But on Mary's accession to the Throne what was to be done? She a rigid Romanist; He an excommunicated heretic; who had professedly shaken the dust of Babylon from his feet, but with a mental reservation of returning, if the way was open for him, to petition his Holiness for a renewal of the grant of his favorite cure.

now.

"As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly." If we calmly survey men and manners in active life we might à priori determine his policy and conduct "I never (says the immortal Burke) knew a man that was bad fit for any service that was good. It is not in their nature. Their minds are distorted by following the corrupt artificial means of accomplishing their own selfish ends. Out of that track, they are poor, dull, helpless, resourceless creatures. Their faculties are benumbed on that side. They are quite paralytic. There is always some disqualifying ingredient mixing with the compound and spoiling it. Their muscles have lost their very tone and character: they cannot move. In short, the accomplishment of anything good is a physical impossibility in such a man. There is decrepitude as well as distortion. He could not if he would, is not more certain than that he would

not if he could*" Turn to the virtues, how different the decree! Curwen's mind was distorted by following the corrupt artificial means of accomplishing his own selfish ends. He could not if he would do what was right; it was a physical impossibility. His conduct then was natural, for he instantly revolted and boldly fled to Sanctuary in the Church of Rome. "As there are mountebanques for the natural body, so are there mountebanques for the politique bodyt. The Doctor was a great performer, and, for the most part, pocketed in this way divers great gains and profits. There are men in this strange world of ours whose hands, let them play them as they will, always turn up trumps, chez qui la fortune vaut bien mieux que la raison; and who seem unable, with all their efforts, to set Dame Fortune against them; while to others, who mean well, she is coy and distant; indeed, not unfrequently turns her back upon them, or, what is worse, by her looks chills and frowns them into dulness and despair. Curwen was a · mighty favorite of the fickle Goddess. His apostacy was always a gain to him.

He was consecrated, as already stated, in St. Paul's Cathedral, London, according to the forms of the Roman Pontifical, on the 8th September, 1555. He hastened over to Dublin, and on the 20th

*See also Jer. xiii. 23. Matt. vii. 18, and xii. 34. Sheridan on the Begum Charge.

Lord Bacon.

October took possession of his see; he was also shortly afterwards sworn in as Lord Chancellor, when mass was celebrated, and he was censed and sprinkled with holy water. His zeal boiled over; he was intoxicated. He caused to be re-erected in Christ Church the marble Image of our Saviour, which Archbishop Browne (his predecessor) had displaced; though as we shall see in the following reign of the Protestant Elizabeth, he himself again caused the self-same image to be broken down*. He issued a commission of enquiry into Church property and churches, and under a pretence of some supposed devastations in the Archiepiscopal property succeeded, by the cruel servility of Parliament, to bastardize Browne's innocent and helpless children. To what lengths religious fanaticism do lead at timest! As Lord Chancellor, he devoutly and reverendly received and read upon his knees in open Parliament the Bull of Pope Paul ivth. which preceded the temporary restoration of his authority, and the revival of those acts which supplied so much fuel of human flesh to the fires of Smithfield. He convened a synod of his Province, as he pretended, for reformation of religions; and therein made some constitutions

* 1 Strype's Life of Parker, 90. Life of Cranmer, 54. Mant. 239.

↑ Mant. 247.

3 & 4 Ph. & M. c. 8, s. 9.

§ See Mant's Church of Ireland (1840) 241.