74 OF THE PACIFICATION OF THE CHURCH. 



sideration, whether you shall not think fit to give 

 strength to the general council of your clergy, the 

 convocation-house, which was then restrained when 

 the state of the clergy was thought a suspected part 

 of the kingdom, in regard of their late homage to 

 the bishop of Rome ; which state now will give 

 place to none in their loyalty and devotion to your 

 majesty. 



For the second point, which is the deputation of 

 their authority, I see no perfect and sure ground 

 for that neither, being somewhat different from the 

 examples and rules of government. The bishop 

 exerciseth his jurisdiction by his chancellor and com 

 missary official, &c. We see in all laws in the world, 

 offices of confidence and skill cannot be put over, nor 

 exercised by deputy, except it be especially contained 

 in the original grant ; and in that case it is dutiful. 

 And for experience, there was never any chancellor 

 of England made a deputy ; there was never any 

 judge in any court made a deputy. The bishop is a 

 judge and of a high nature ; whence cometh it that 

 he should depute, considering that all trust and con 

 fidence, as was said, is personal and inherent ; and 

 cannot, nor ought not to be transposed ? Surely, in 

 this, again, &quot; ab initio non fuit sic :&quot; but it is proba 

 ble that bishops when they gave themselves too much 

 to the glory of the world, and became grandees in 

 kingdoms, and great counsellors to princes, then did 

 they delegate their proper jurisdictions, as things of 

 too inferior a nature for their greatness : and then, 

 after the similitude and imitation of kings and counts 



