88 THE LIFE OF 



C H A P. self. He was convicted upon his own confession, publicly 



__ in his sermon to have depraved the Book of Common 



Prayer, saying, that the same was a vile book, andj^/ upon 

 it ; and that he had not observed the order of the said book 

 in his ministration. For this he was divers and sundry 

 times moved, commanded, and enjoined, publicly to retract 

 and revoke his said words, and to acknowledge the book to 

 be good and godly, and to promise to observe the order 

 thereof in his future ministration ; but this he wilfully re 

 fused. The Court long expected his conformity ; that is, 

 from December 1586, to May the 30th 1687: which he 

 not performing was then deprived. 

 Which he The very next day he acquainted the Lord Burehley 



would not . , , i i ? i 



abide by. with the sentence passed against him, and only craved that 

 And why. ^y jjjg f av our he might enjoy his benefice till Michaeltide 

 next, as he called it ; (not liking, I suppose, to name it Mi 

 chaelmas ;) and intending quietly to relinquish it. But af 

 terwards, by the instigation of certain persons, he found 

 fault with the sentence as unjust, and refused to submit to 

 it, and prayed the favour and assistance of the said Lord. 

 But that noble personage advised him to submit himself to 

 the determination of the Archbishop and the Bishop of 

 London. But this now he would not do ; and in a letter to 

 that Lord, dated March 22, 1587, gave his reasons why 

 His letter he would not abide by their award ; viz. &quot; Because he was 

 Burghiey!&quot; d &quot; P ersua ded in his conscience, and lamentable experience 

 &quot; proved it, that these Lord Bishops after a sort, though not 

 &quot; directly, were the greatest enemies her Majesty had this 

 &quot; day in England : for that they had been, and yet were, 

 &quot; the greatest lets of a learned ministry. Through lack 

 &quot; whereof her Majesty s subjects, in six parishes for one 

 &quot; through her dominions, were yet as ignorant of the right 

 &quot; knowledge of their obedience towards God and her Ma- 

 &quot; jesty, as though they had lived under Popery. For had 

 &quot; it been possible, said he, that such a riotous rout of re- 

 &quot; bels could have been assembled together, and that in one 

 &quot; corner of this realm, as were assembled together not many 

 &quot; years ago, (viz. anno 1569,) against her Majesty in the 



