Nov. 8. 1851.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



365 



•without a great loss of time.* Unfortunately also, 

 the Catalogues are encumbered by a hnst of 

 exploded German works, which, remaining on the 

 hands of the Leipzig publishers, are mostly sold as 

 waste paper. The works of the greatest Slavian 

 literati are wanting; for instance, Falacky's His- 

 tory of Czechia (in German), published by order 

 and at the expense of the house of representatives 

 at Prague, of which a second edition (reprint) has 

 already appeared so far back as 1844. 



Dr. J. LoTSKYj Panslave. 



ON AKCHBISHOP USSHER. 



Without designing to take part in the question 

 at issue regarding archbishop Ussher, I may be 

 permitted to record the evidence of one of the 

 earliest and best-informed witnesses on it — • 

 Nicholas Bernard, doctor of divinity, and preacher 

 to the honourable society of Grayes-Imte, London. 



" Anno 1641. The great businesse of the Earle of 

 Strafford came in agitation, in which there is one 

 thing he gave me a charge, as I had occasion, to clear 

 him, viz. of a scandaU raised on him, by a rash, I will 

 not say malicious pen, in his Vocall forrest, as if he had 

 made use of a pretended distinction of a Personall and 

 potiticall conscience, to satisfy the late King, that he 

 might consent to the bthcading of tlie said Earle ; that 

 thourjh the first resisted, he might do it hi/ the second ; 

 which, I wonder men of prudence, or that had any 

 esteem of him, could be so credulous of: but there is 

 a presumptuous Observator of late, hath more ridicu- 

 lously and maliciously abused him. in it, as if the root 

 of it was in revenge, for the Earles suppressing the Arti- 

 cles of Ireland ; both are of the like falshootl, as hath 

 been already made apparent, in an answer to him. 



" And I have lately seen it under the hand of a 

 person of quality, affirming, that some yeers agone, a 

 rumour being spread of the death of this Reverend 

 Primate (who was much lamented at Oxford) and this 

 concerning the Earle being by one then objected 

 against him. He was an ear-witnesse, that the lale 

 King, answered that person in very great Passion, and 

 with an oath protested his innocency therein." 



Bernard received ordination from the hands of 

 U.ssher ; was his librarian at the [)eriod in question ; 

 and was honoured with his confidence for thirty 

 years. His Life of L^ssher is a work of authority,. 

 and deserves to be held in remc:nbrance. 



Boi-TON Cornet. 



ANGLO-CATIIOUC LIllRAttY — BISHOP OVERALL'S 

 CONVOCATION IIOOK. 



The volume which is known under the title of 

 Bishop Overall's Convocation Book, is a document 

 possessing no ordinary degree of interest. It con- 



* [Our correspondent will find it in the King's 

 Catalogue, torn. i. p. 281., under Bihliotheca. The 

 press mark is 273. i. 20. — Ei>.] 



sists of a series of arguments and canons, in 

 which are discussed and decided several questions 

 of great moment relative to the authority of 

 princes, the divine right of episcopacy, and the 

 dilFerences between the Church of Englantl and 

 the see of Rome. Though this document never 

 obtained the sanction of the Crown, yet its in- 

 trinsic value is considerable ; and its claini to be 

 regarded as an authentic exposition of the doctrine 

 of the Church of England, in the beginning of the 

 seventeenth century, is unquestionable. Drawn up 

 by the eminent divines who constituted the lower 

 house of the Convocation of 1G03, the signature of 

 Bishop Overall at the end attests that the whole 

 had been read three times in the hearing of the 

 house, and unanimously approved.* 



In the year 1844, a new edition of this docu- 

 ment was issued to the subscribers to the Library 

 of Anglo -Catholic Theology. Some care and labour 

 appear to have been bestowed in editing it. The 

 name of the editor is not given : the preface- does 

 not even bear his initials. Consequently, the 

 Committee, whose names are before the public, 

 and to whom, as the subscribers are informed in 

 the Rules of the Society, " tlve whole management 

 of the fund subscribed is entrusted,"]" have taken 

 on themselves the entire and sole responsibilitj' of 

 this edition, and are the only parties in any way 

 answerable to the subscribers, for the manner in 

 which it has been prepared for publication. 



Hov,^ that has been done the following observa- 

 tions may help to determine. 



In the second part of the work this passage 

 occurs (book ii. chap, vii.) : — 



" In these times it may well be granted that there 

 was no need of any other bishops but the Apostles, 

 and likewi-se that then their churches or particular 

 congregations in every city were advised and dirtcted 

 touching points of religion in manner and form afore- 

 said by the common and joint advice of their priests or 

 ministers. In which respect, the same persons, who 

 then were named priests or ministers, were also iu a 

 general sense called bishops. Howbeit this course 

 dured not long, either concerning their said commo;i 

 direction, or tlieir names of bishops so attributed unto 

 them ; but was shortly after ordered far otherwise, by 

 a common decree of the Apostles, to be observed in all 



* •' Hac omnia suprascripta ter lecta sunt in domo 

 inferior! convocationis in frequenti synodo cleri, et 

 uiianimi consensu coinprohata. Ita testor, 



"Johannes Overall, Prolocutor. 



" April 16. 1606." 



The whole of this passage, the editor informs us, " is 

 in the handwriting of Overall." — P. 272. 



"j" The fifth rule is as follows : — 



" 5. That the whole management of the fund sub- 

 scribed be entrusted to a Committee, consisting of not 

 less than twelve nor more than twenty- four subscribers, 

 who shall fill up all vacancies that may occur in their 

 own body." 



