1806.] 



Memoirs of the Rev. Sanmel Bold. 



1^9 



nous, &c. and the BilliO^j-., AicL-Jca- 

 coiis, esccuuivj; thcni. He was char;:od 

 with ainr:um. iiiany tiuugs to ihc fcaiiitui 

 of the v^iiuiui of Enjiliuitl uiid ilie oalio- 

 iiour ot' IS ccicntoiiics. liis rctlecdons 

 on iiif.)nnLi\= v».eie c'<tiUniecl a^ jjoiiuiiii; 

 at lUiis^iltiiiLcs, and even at tue Aichbi- 

 iliops Hi.d Uilli'ps; and us iiiiiiidcd to 

 obliruct itje exocutioii ot'julUcc. Ti.e 

 cpitiiels \> .iicli lie Ii-id upplied to puixicu- 

 liir opiuions, or conceits, iuipulicio.is, and 

 fuiicies ui uiei), were ccufuivd us niciUit 

 of tliO iitcs. ol the Cluirch of iviiiiiiiid. 

 And iho cundid a.id liandi'uiuc tonus in 

 wliicii he liud fpo'.eii of the ii'sniiing, 

 pietv, iiiid lo.^iiity oi Uic Diireiilei\s, were 

 tbnued into a charge of being a fcaiida- 

 loas advocate for, and favourer of, fec- 

 tar cs. 



Mr. BokVs anfivci-b to the articles were 

 confide. ed as woiie tiian the ". Sermon" 

 p.iid " Pica." '1 iie BiOiop, with the ad- 

 vice of hi.s cl('ij:y, liiveii under their 

 hands, determined, that e^ory charge 

 nas fully proved : and it wa^ decreed, 

 that Mr. B.;ld Ihould preach, on iii,ee 

 Sunday;* before Kaiter, in ttie foreiiooii, 

 at D(uchcfier, Blaudtord, and Slia;ief- 

 >jury, three recaiitatu)n-fernions, wliich 

 Ihould be given u; hnu before he pieach- 

 pd : or ou refufai, Ihould be fui'peuded 

 from tlie ofticc and bciieGt of his paro- 

 chial church and leinory of Stecide, and 

 /hould afleruarcls be deprived of tlieni, 

 find proceeded aj;aiiirt according to the 

 canon and ecclclialiical law. It was alio 

 part of his fentencc, that he Ihoul.l pay 

 thecxpcnces of Andrew Cofen, tiie Pro- 

 moter, as taxed by the Bilhop, who itiied 

 hjni a gentlenian, vvlie^i the man was only 

 Jms butli-'i-. 



On the Thurfday evening after thcfe 

 proceedings, the Judge came to Doi- 

 ciiciter, and on I'rickiy two indictments 

 ag linft Mr. Bold were tried : one for the 

 ^<' Plea," and the other for " A Letter." 

 Tiie fonner was qualhed by reafon of a 

 fault ill the fonn of it : which the Judge 

 directed to be correlated, and the indict- 

 BQcnt to be brought up attain in the after- 

 ^on. 



The other indictment was for " A Let- 

 ter." An apothecary, at Blandfoid, had 

 li.'en fined yol. on a profccution for fome- 

 thing which be hud done as a Dilfenter. 

 Aljont ilv.or levtii weeks after this, he 

 was feen by IVlr. B ild regidarly attending 

 pne .Snmlay, through the morning and 

 suiernoon fervice, at a church where he 

 was olheiating. i lie gentleinan, it was 

 reported, wiia rhreateatd witli a | rofeeu- 

 jion fume wci^ks afte.wards, fir three 

 ^ontiis ubfencc U'uiu churc^i, aiid wh« 



adv'fed to compound with his adver- 

 fancs rather tl.an ftaud trial. Mr. 

 Bold, in tlie firlL i.dlance, by a nieQ'aj^e, 

 dilfuadcd liini from lollowing that advice, 

 as to ins perfonal knowledge a whole pa- 

 nih could wituets his attendance at 

 cnu.cii vMihin three months. But having 

 occallon, on tlie next week, to fend for 

 fonie articles from his iliop, he, the mat- 

 ter occurring to his recollection bctwceu 

 fubfcribing and icaling liis letter, wrote 

 li) iiim, by a way of polifcript, the fol- 

 lown.L; words : " Be fare you do not itoop 

 to, nor be afraid of tlic Tories, but aj - 

 prove j'ouiltlf a refohite, faithful Pro- 

 ttfftaat; ih;iieit rroteiiants will not be 

 iilways under a cloud." Tliis letter was 

 improved into an iadiCtnicnt aiiainil Mr,; 

 Boid, as a libel of gootl and faithful fub- 

 jecis, and of the e-iiiling govci-nment. 

 He was convicted on eiuh intlicduent; 

 tiiat on the " Plea for Moderation" iiav- 

 ing been rcotificd ..ad brought into Court 

 agiun in tiic evening. I'he .lud':.e having;- 

 let a line upon Mr. Ikddfor every one of 

 ti.e uithctinents, the gaoler w:u> com- 

 manded to take hnn into Ids culiody, and 

 to keep liim in prifon till the fines were 

 |yaid. Ou the following Monday, the 

 Apparitor, with the Promoter, came to 

 the pnfon, and cited him, in tiic Bilhop'^ 

 name, to appear on the next day in his 

 Court, or that he llioidd be proceeded 

 agaiiilt for contempt. Mr. Bold, on this, 

 appealed to a higher Court; the orders 

 of which were next day executed upon 

 the infedor othcers in their own Court. 

 Tims the Biihop's deiinitive i'eiitencc, 

 final decree, and further proce^tiding's, 

 w ere vacated : and before the ne.^t Court- 

 day the Bidiop died. 



After ftven weeks imprifonment, and 

 the payment of the Hues, Mr. Bold was 

 releafed trom prifon and returned to.'^tee- 

 ple. The promoter being alive, the ap- 

 peal was again followed ; and they who 

 had principally declared tliemfeivcs 

 againll him exprclVed a full allurance of 

 luc;-els above. The proceedings in the 

 Biihop's Court were tranfmitted : but be- 

 fore tlie prolecution could begin the Fro- 

 motor fell hck and died ; and thus ended 

 the eceleliaftical proceedings againft 

 him. 



On the review of thefe ti-anfaf^iions 

 nitmy years afterwards, i\Ir. Bold, in his 

 *' Brief Relation of them," prefixed to a 

 new edition of his Sermon, cxjircffed 

 liimfelf tims : " I dv) own 1 elleem uiy 

 being indicted, ar.d iVilFciing for iny Ser- 

 mon, &c. and for my ' I'lea for M'.?dcra- 

 tiop.,' and mure particularly for lay pei- 

 fuutlin^ a„perio.u in Ihoie cvU days to a]»- 



prcva 



