180 THE LIFE OF 



CHAP, hand a little nettled, and, being somewhat a hot man in his 

 nature, called these undigested surmises; and, conscious 



that he had done nothing but what he could answer, was 

 resolved to stand to the justifying of his own doings. But 

 what his pleas and vindication of himself was, we have seen 

 already. 



Charged for The Bishop was again blamed for his too hastily and 

 for mar- 068 negligently granting licences for marriage, without due exa- 

 riage. mination concerning the consent of the parents, guardians, 

 and friends of the parties to be married. The occasion 

 whereof was, that in July 1583 some noble person s son or 

 daughter was matched unequally and unhappily, by means 

 of one of these licences. Whereupon the complaint was 

 brought before the Council-table h . And the officer named 

 Mr. Blackwel, was sent for by a warrant from the Lord 

 Treasurer, to appear before the Council, to examine him 

 about granting this licence. But both he and Dr. Stanhop, 

 the Bishop s Chancellor, protested they neither knew nor 

 heard of the fault till the Lord Treasurer s warrant came : 

 whose charge they confessed it was, if they had been pre 

 sent, to have looked unto it. The Bishop himself was also 

 sent for to the Council, where he was twitted for his li 

 cences: though if there were any fault committed in this 

 particular, the blame lay in his officers, not in him. But 

 effectually to prevent such unfortunate accidents for the 

 future, out of his good zeal and fatherly care, he forthwith 

 sent order to Dr. Stanhop, inhibiting him for granting any 

 licences at all : which he professed most willingly to obey : 

 but withal desired, that there might be one uniform order 

 in aD courts, whence these licences were to be granted. 

 Faculties. For the courts out of which they were taken, besides that 

 of the Bishop of London, were that of the Archbishop of 

 Canterbury s Vicar General, the Court of Faculties, whereof 

 Dr. Lewin was Judge; the Consistory of every Bishop: 

 and in some places the Commissary in partibus used it ; and 

 some Archdeacons challenged it by prescription : there was 



h See Additions, Numb. VIII. 



