ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 



bull excommunicating and deposing the Queen. On 15 May 1570 a 

 copy of this document was found on the gates of the house of the 

 Bishop of London, placed there by a man named Felton. It was the 

 casting of the die. The pace of the reforming movement was quick- 

 ened and developed into a struggle between England and Rome. We 

 shall not stop to notice the precautions taken on the English side to 

 protect the Queen and to safeguard the future of the established religion. 

 But one cannot help expressing compassion for the men who were not 

 altogether dissatisfied with the national policy, and yet unable to disso- 

 ciate themselves from the fascination of the old worship. A new situa- 

 tion was created. Civil allegiance was now declared to be incompatible 

 with papal sympathies. Though Felton's act was known and discussed 

 in Cumberland very soon after the excommunication was set up, and 

 was producing disastrous results in places so near as Lancashire, Bishop 

 Barnes of Carlisle could write on 27 October 1 570 that he was most 

 hopeful of his work in his new diocese. Of a truth, he told Cecil, he 

 never came to a place in the land where more attentive ear was given 

 to the Word than in Carlisle, and that if he could receive the aid of 

 the civil power, he could promise ' as faythfull, paynefull (and if God 

 will) effectuall travell as ever poore Bisshoppe did performe within his 

 cure.' For ten years he had acted as bishop in those north parts, and knew 

 the disposition of the people right well, as he persuaded himself. To 

 tell the truth he had found the commonalty of Cumberland and West- 

 morland far more conformable and tractable in all matters of religion 

 than ever he found in the better sort in Yorkshire. All will most 

 quietly and reverently hear, ' none will reclayme nor feare by deede,' 

 except the lowland men and certain gentlemen, but attentively and 

 gladly seem to hear and yield to the truth. The bishop was sanguine 

 of great and good success in this ' so rude a countrie,' and yet not by 

 far so rude as the people of many places in the south, nor so far from 

 God's religion as they had been thought. But the publication of the 

 papal bull, though it had not the effect its authors expected, was a real 

 danger, and unless precautions were taken in time, a papal reaction 

 might set in which would prove disastrous to the commonwealth. As 

 a preliminary, he enclosed ' a brefe note ' of the gentlemen of his dio- 

 cese as they showed themselves, and as he found them, in order that 

 the authorities might know how to act in the case of emergency. 1 



1 The bishop's ' brefe note ' is as follows : ' Comb'. Simon Musgrave, miles, licet evangelium 

 profiteatur circa religionem tamen negligens, vanus, atheist,' etc. Henricus Curwen, miles, vir multum 

 jurans, nee timens Deum nee religionem ullam curans : domi nescio quid monstri alit. Christoferus 

 Dacre, armiger, pauperum insignis oppressor, ceterum in partes evangelii inclinare potius videtur quam 

 papismi. Cuthbertus Musgrave de Crokedake, armiger, vanus, inconstans, supersticiosus, ac sanguin- 

 arius papista. Johannes Dalston, armiger, vir vafri ingenii, tempori serviens, etqui maxime extinctum 

 cuperet evangelium. . . . Lee, armiger, licet fautor avitas religionis, corrigibilis tamen ac mansuetus 

 papista, ingenuzque naturae, virtutis ac justiciz amans. Anthonius Barwis, armiger, jurisperitus, 

 evangelio inimicus capitalis in quo signa ir<e Dei apparent. Thomas Salkyld, armiger, jurisperitus, 

 maximus hostis evangelii. Richardus Salkyld, armiger, (et) Thomas Hutton, armiger, veritati resist- 

 unt, quamque qui maxime. Thomas Dcnton de Warnehill, armiger, papista, Lovaniensium fautor 

 maximus. Johannes Briskoe, generosus, cordis obdurati veritatem odit. Cane pejus et ang. . . . 

 Henricus Denton de Cardcwe, generosus, vir timens Deum ac fautor veritatis. Richardus Blaner- 



