28 THE LIFE OF 



CHAP. This was the letter of some well-affected to religion be- 

 _____!_ longing to this prison, that, as secret soever as the Papists 



here were, had observed these their practices. Whence we 

 may see what reason the Bishop and the rest of the eccle 

 siastical Commissioners had to look about them for the pre 

 venting the mischief of these creatures of the Pope ; who 

 even in the prison made it their business to propagate the 

 treason for which they were committed. And the work was 

 not very hard to do towards discontented persons laid up 

 Thimble- for debt and misdemeanours, as the Thymblethorps were ; 

 who were committed to the Fleet for endeavouring to cheat 

 the Queen of the tenths of the Clergy of Norfolk, which 

 they were appointed by the Bishop of the diocese receivers 

 of, and to leave the debt upon the Bishop. 



The Bishop The Bishop of London was a real enemy to Popish error 

 Papists!^ an d superstition, and thought it greatly conducible to keep 

 it out, now it was out. But he with many other good men 

 were in continual fears of the re-entry of it, partly by the 

 means of the neighbourhood of Scotland, where was a great 

 faction of Papists ; and partly by the Scotch Queen, pri 

 soner in England, a pretender to the crown imperial of this 

 realm, and a busy and zealous woman of the Guisian fac 

 tion, bigoted Papists, and mortal haters of Queen Elizabeth. 

 But it chanced about this time, that is, anno 1578, or there 

 abouts, the young King James of Scotland received the Pro 

 testant religion, and rejected the mass ; forbidding upon cer 

 tain penalties to be present at it. And together with this, 

 news came that the said Queen of Scots was fallen very ill 

 of a palsy; whose death alone in all human appearance 

 could put an end to England s fears. And it was wished 

 to be rather natural than violent. But still the Bishop 

 knew that nothing could have a good issue without God ; 

 and therefore that he was at this juncto to be earnestly in 

 voked. These things the Bishop communicated to his old 

 fellow-exile John Fox : and especially that he might excite 

 the devotion of that pious reverend man, who was esteemed 

 in his time a man powerful in prayer with God ; and sent 

 for this purpose a letter to him to this tenor : 



