pointed one of the queen's ecclesiastical commissioners, and in conjunction with the archbishops of Canterbury, reformed the calendar, and ordered that the ten commandments should be set up at the east end of every church in the kingdom. In 1564, when some of the leading prelates began to display the spirit of domination over conscience, Bishop Grindal was ordered by the queen and Archbishop Parker, to prosecute all those who would not comply with the act of uniformity. He obeyed the mandate, but with so much gentleness and forbearance, that Archbishop Parker complained of him to the queen, who sent him a special letter, commanding him to be diligent in punishing all recusants. In 1570, he was translated to the archbishopric of York, a charge which he found exceedingly burdensome. On the death of Archbishop Parker, he was advanced to the see of Canterbury. Happy would it have been for the established church, had all those persons who possessed power and influence, been of the same character and governed by the same principles as our archbishop. He was deeply anxious to fill the episcopal pulpits with men of piety and of talent, but the 'head of the church' was of another spirit, and was more solicitous that her mandate should be implicitly obeyed, than that the people should enjoy the faithful dispensation of the gospel. The same year in which he entered on the see of Canterbury, he held a convocation, in which some articles for the regulation of the church were agreed upon. They were entitled 'Articles touching the admission of apt and fit persons to the ministry, and the establishment of good order in the churches.' In 1576, the encouragement he gave to what was called, 'the exercise of prophesying,' displeased the queen. It appears strange that those meetings which were so directly intended and adapted to promote solid knowledge and evangelical preaching among his clergy, and consequently the truest interest of the laity, should have brought upon him the frowns of his sovereign. These 'prophesyings,' as they were called, were simply meetings of the clergy, under the superintendence of the archbishop, at which, each in his turn explained some portion of scripture, when a moderator made his observations on what had been said and determined its true sense. The queen, however, viewed these meetings as seminaries of puritanism, and took so rooted a dislike to them, that she desired their entire abolition, and gave orders to that effect to Archbishop Grindal. Instead, however, of implicitly obeying her majesty's commands, which he felt to be in opposition to the rights of conscience and the will of God, he wrote a letter to her, in which he remonstrated with her, and exhorted her to leave religious affairs to the bishops and divines of the realm, and not to decide on them in the same peremptory manner as in civil affairs. This letter highly displeased Elizabeth, who knew no law but her own will, and after reiterating her commands, she caused an order to be sent from the star-chamber which confined him to his house, and sequestrated him from his office for six months. The honest archbishop did not choose to comply, and on an application from the lord-treasurer, his sequestration was continued, and some thoughts were entertained of deposing him. This project was, however, laid aside; yet the sequestration was not taken off until 1582, in which year he lost his sight and resigned his dignity. He obtained the promise of a pension from the queen, but never regained her favour. He died at Croydon in 1583. He was a man far in advance of the intoler

ant times in which he lived. He was a prelate of profound learning, deep piety and admirable moderation; mild, affable and generous,—he was universally admired, respected, and beloved by all his protestant brethren. He assisted the French protestants in obtaining permission to open a church in London, which was the origin of the present French church in Threadneedle-street. He was the author of A Dialogue between Custom and Truth,' published in Fox's Acts and Monu

ments.

John Fox.

BORN A. D. 1517.—died a. D. 1587.

THIS eminent martyrologist was born of respectable parents at Boston in Lincolnshire, in 1517, that memorable year in which Luther commenced his attack on the papacy. His father died when he was young, and his mother being married again, his early education was intrusted to his father-in-law. When sixteen years old, he was entered at Brazen-nose college, Oxford, and at the early age of 21, was admitted to the degree of bachelor of arts. His talents and his extraordinary acquirements, the fruit of unwearied industry, soon recommended him to general notice, and in 1543 he became M. A. and was elected fellow of Magdalen college. In his youth, he displayed considerable aptness for poetry, a talent which he exercised in the composition of several Latin plays, founded on sacred history. The one which attracted the most notice, was entitled, De Christo Triumphante,' 8vo. published in London 1551, and at Basil 1556. It was afterwards translated by Richard Day, son of the great printer, in the reign of Elizabeth, under the title of Jesus Christ Triumphant; wherein is described the glorious triumph and conquest of Christ over sin, death, and the law,' &c. The original work has been much admired for its elegant Latinity. But divinity was the great object to which Mr Fox directed his attention. For a considerable period after entering the university, he remained a papist. This was partly the effect of ignorance, partly of prejudice. Neither ignorance nor prejudice, however, could keep him long from the truth. The ardour with which he devoted himself to theological studies corrected the former, and his candour enabled him to triumph over the latter. The diligence with which he devoted himself to the study of every branch of theology, was, indeed, most astonishing. Of this his son, who wrote his life, has given us a most memorable proof. He tells us that his father, before he was thirty years of age, had read over all the Greek and Latin fathers, the schoolmen, and the proceedings of councils and consistories. Such an extensive course of reading, he thought no more than a proper preparation for forming a judgment on the controversies which then agitated the church. In the course of his studies, he became completely convinced of the errors of the Romish church; nor did he stop here, the same honesty and candour of mind, and the same unflinching spirit of inquiry which had reclaimed him from popery, led him to see the errors of the English church. He did not escape the suspicious eyes of his bigotted contemporaries. As he was too open to disavow or disguise his change of sentiments, his enemies 2 c

II.

soon had an opportunity of satisfying their suspicions. In 1545, accordingly, a charge of heresy was brought against him, which terminated in his being convicted of the crime, and in his expulsion from his house,―a very gentle commutation of punishment, as it was generally thought, for the death which such atrocious guilt undoubtedly merited. Thus a mark of infamy was set upon him; his friends forsook him, not daring to hold intercourse with a heretic; and, what was worse than all, his father-in-law basely took advantage of his helpless situation to deprive him of his patrimony. He was thus reduced to the most abject want, but, at length, obtained a situation, however, in the house of Sir Thomas Lucy of Warwickshire, as the tutor of his children, where he continued till his pupils grew up. It was during his stay here that he married the daughter of a citizen of Coventry. The house of his wife's father afforded him a refuge for a considerable time after he left Sir Thomas Lucy's. He then came to London, where he was again exposed to all the hardships of the most cruel poverty. He was, at length, taken into the family of the duchess of Richmond, as tutor to her brother's children, Henry Howard, earl of Surrey, who was thrown into the Tower by the despotic Henry.

In this family living at Ryegate in Surrey, he remained during the rest of Henry's reign, the few years of Edward's and part of Mary's. He was nobly protected by the duke of Norfolk, and according to Wood, was even restored to his fellowship in Magdalen college. The hateful Gardiner, however, now fixed his malignant eye upon him and made every effort to entrap him. The bishop was particularly intimate with the duke of Norfolk, and was incessantly asking that nobleman to introduce him to his tutor. This request was as constantly evaded. At length when the duke saw that his protection would no longer be of any avail, he told Fox they must part, at the same time furnishing him with the means of transporting himself to a foreign land. With this Fox readily complied; but as, before he could embark, his bloody persecutor had a warrant out against him, it was with the utmost difficulty that he accomplished his object. At length he succeeded in reaching Nieuport in Flanders in safety; thence he journeyed to Antwerp, Strasburgh, and Basil. At this last place he maintained himself by correcting the press for Oporinus, the celebrated printer; and there too he meditated his great work—the Acts and Monuments of the churches.' During his exile, he united himself with those fellow-sufferers, who, renouncing the service-book of King Edward, had adopted the peculiarities of the school of Geneva.

At the accession of Elizabeth, and the consequent restoration of the protestant religion, Fox returned to England, where he was heartily welcomed by his former pupil-now fourth duke of Norfolk-from whom he received a pension. The secretary, Cecil, also, obtained for him a prebend in the church of Salisbury. He had many powerful friends, as the names of Grindal, Walsingham, Drake, Gresham, abundantly prove; and if he would have dropped his Geneva peculiarities, there was no preferment which he might not have hoped for. But he was one of the few who will not pay the price of conscience for honours and emoluments, however splendid. Of this we have two or three striking instances. When Archbishop Parker summoned him to subscribe, the venerable man took out a Greek Testament and said, "To this will I

subscribe." When told he must subscribe to the canons, he refused, saying, "I have nothing but a prebend at Salisbury, and if you like to take it away, much good may it do you." As the greater part of the bishops had been his fellow-exiles, and had been taught moderation by suffering, they no longer molested him. He, on the other hand, conducted himself with much prudence and circumspection, openly condemning the violence of some of the more zealous puritans. In 1575, he addressed to the queen his memorable memorial on behalf of the German anabaptists, who had refused to join either the Dutch or English church, and the cruel persecution of whom is one of the darkest blots on the history of protestantism. Fox's petition was rejected-but it did him infinite honour.

Though Mr Fox held nothing in the church but the prebend, of which we have already made mention, he took every opportunity of preaching and doing good. His vast learning, sincere piety and He died in 1587, in

humility, commended him to universal esteem. the seventieth year of his age.

6

Of the numerous works which Mr Fox published, by far the greater part were on controversial theology or ecclesiastical history. The work, however, on which his fame rests, is his History of the Acts and Monuments of the Church,' commonly called, the Book of Martyrs,' and on the composition of this work he spent many years of unwearied labour. Whitgift says, that Mr Fox "laboured very diligently and faithfully in this matter, and searched out the truth of it as learnedly as any man has done." In the compilation of this work, Mr Fox was furnished with every facility by Grindal and many other influential friends. It was first published in one volume folio, 1563, and so eagerly was it read, that in 1583 a fourth edition was required.

The protestants, of course, valued this work highly; while the papists did all they could to depreciate its merits and to check its circulation. They called it the Golden Legend,' and represented it as a tissue of lies and slander. This was natural in catholics; but there have also been professed protestants, who have endeavoured to discredit it. Collier, in his ecclesiastical history, has accused our martyrologist of bigotry, disingenuousness, and using violent language. That his language is here and there coarse and bitter, is only saying that Fox was not entirely free from the faults which characterized all the controversialists of the age; and to say that there are mistakes in the work, is saying no more than that its author was fallible. In a work of such extent, it is impossible to avoid some errors; at the same time, there is not the slightest proof that Fox designedly misrepresented facts, while there is every proof that he consulted with prodigious labour every accessible authority and used his materials in the greatest fairness. The praise of such competent judges as Burnett and Strype, is enough to establish his character for accuracy and impartiality; and that has been most abundantly bestowed. "Mr Fox," says Strype, "must not go without the commendation of a most painful searcher into records, archives, and repositories of original acts and letters of state, and a great collector of MSS. And the world is infinitely beholden to him for abundance of extracts thence, communicated to us in his volumes. And as he hath been found most diligent, so most strictly true and faithful in his transcriptions."

Cardinal Allen.

BORN A. D. 1532.-DIED A. D. 1594.

WILLIAM ALLEN, cardinal priest of the Roman church, was born at Rossal in Lancashire, in the year 1532. His father, John Allen, was a gentleman of good family and some fortune, by whom his education was carried on till he reached his fifteenth year, when he sent him to Oxford, where, in 1547, he was entered of Oriel college, and had Morgan Philip, or Philip Morgan, for his tutor. Under him he studied with great success, especially addicting himself to logic and philosophy, in which he became so great a proficient, that he was unanimously chosen fellow of his college, and took the degree of bachelor of arts in 1550, being esteemed an honour to the university on account of his great parts, learning, and eloquence. In 1556, he became principal of St Mary's hall, and in that and the following year, one of the proctors of the university, being then only twenty-four years of age. In 1558, he was made one of the canons of York, but, on Queen Elizabeth's accession, he, as a zealous catholic, lost all hopes of preferment, and, therefore, in 1560, withdrew to Louvain in the Spanish Netherlands, where an English college was erected, of which he became the principal support. At this time, several persons of great learning, and some of the boldest champions of the popish cause, resided in this place, with whom he quickly grew into great esteem, by the strength of his genius and the politeness of his manners. The gracefulness of his person, it is said, contributed much to obtain the attention of his associates, for with a majestic presence, he had an easy, affable deportment, and with the greatest severity of manners, a mildness of speech and behaviour which won the affection of all who conversed with him. Here he began to write in support of the catholic cause, and his first piece was against a work written by the learned Bishop Jewel, on the subject of Purgatory, and Prayers for the Dead.' The chiefs of the party abroad conceived the greatest hopes of this new disputant; and as a mark of their confidence, put under his care a young man of an honourable family, who was come to study at Louvain.

The care he took of this young pupil, and his application to his other studies, so far undermined his health, that his physicians were of opinion that nothing could restore him but his native air. On this account, he ventured into England in 1565, and went at first, as advised by his doctors, into Lancashire, where he was born. There, without any regard to his personal safety, he laboured, to the utmost of his power, in making converts, and in dissuading such as were already catholics from going to heretical conventicles, that is, to the established churches. He wrote and distributed several little pieces, which were afterwards printed, and by so doing, rendered himself obnoxious to the government. Strict search was made after him by the magistrates, and he was obliged to conceal himself sometime in the neighbourhood of the city of Oxford. In this retreat, he wrote an apology for his party, under the title of Brief Reasons concerning the Catholic Faith.' Some say this was written at the house of the duke of Norfolk, where, in Norfolk,