allowance. "The many falsities, defects, and mistakes of that book [Church-History] the Doctor discovered and refuted; of which Mr. Fuller afterward being ingeniously ashamed, came to the Doctor's house in Abingdon, where he made his peace; both became very good friends, and betwixt them for the future was kept an inviolable bond of friendship." There is in the Worthies a trace of Fuller's good feeling towards his old antagonist, where he makes "respectful mention" of a "worthy work of my honoured friend." This subject forms a fitting conclusion to Lloyd's notice of Fuller: "And because Dr. Heylyn and he agreed so lovingly in their mutual charity one towards another at last, after they had differed in opinion at first, let Dr. Heylyn dwell by him." The notice of Heylyn accordingly follows that of Fuller. He had said in the con Heylyn's future life was troubled. troversy with Fuller that he then put an end to his correction of the errors in other men's writings; and in the postscript to his Quinqu-articularis, he speaks of having done with these polemical discourses, "and shall not easily engage in a new adventure. . . . It is time to leave the stage to more able actors." He refers to his fading eyesight in his Simeon-like exultation that his "old bad eyes had seen the King's return.” Evelyn heard him preach on 29th March, 1661, concerning friendship and charity: "He was I think at this time quite dark, and so had been for some years." He got back his prebend, glad" that his old friends the house of Commons, and the Lord of Lincoln were out of Westminster." By many of the bishops he was resorted to as an oracle of the past. He did not long enjoy his restored livings, as his health rapidly gave way in consequence, it is said, of his claims for Church-preferment having been overlooked. Shortly before his death, he dreamed that he saw Charles I., who said to him: "Peter, I will have you buried under your seat at church, for you are rarely seen but there or at your study." He died in May, 1662, and was buried under the sub-dean's seat, according to his dream. The contest with one of his own Church troubled Fuller, who was unwilling that their differences should be made public. The quotation made by Fuller from the Iliad implies that a great attention was given to the quarrel; and it seems that none watched it more closely than the Roman Catholics. As to his views generally on the Romish tenets, his biographer makes the following observations: "He was likewise, on the other side, a 1 Page xx. Fol. ed. 2 § Warwickshire, p. 133. professed and avowed adversary to the Mass and traditions, which caused him no little slander and obloquy. But the spirit of this pious Doctor was exceedingly stirred in him against all Popish insinuators; because he was too sensible that through the mad zeal of the vulgar, whom they had by Jesuitical practices inflamed, the house of God in these kingdoms was set in combustion. Therefore with much prudence, courage, and boldness, did he everywhere in his books, as occasion offered, unmask the deceits and designs, resist and curb the pride, convince, and lay open the errors of the Church of Rome, though he never wrote anything particularly by way of controversy against it, because (as he said) there was no end of it, and more than sufficient had already been wrote; if any ingenuity had been in the adherents of that See, to have submitted to truth. "Nor was there ever any of that religion who were so hardy as to challenge or tax the Doctor but obliquely, for anything wherewith he had charged them, either of apostasy, heresy, or manifest idolatry, their abuse of antiquity in their rasures and additions, which did very often occur to him in most of his books-from which they were sure to hear of them to the purpose. It much rejoiced the Roman party when that misunderstanding happened betwixt Doctor Heylyn and himself about his Ecclesiastical history, though they caught no fish in those troubled waters; while they tossed of their proud billows forward and backward, the Protestant cause was safely anchored and moared between them." 1 He proceeds to refer to Fuller's religious contentions generally" As he never had occasion to engage in any polemical discourse with any of that party; so in these miserable bandyings of our late unhappy times did he always refrain from stickling in any side, though it was sufficiently known how firmly grounded and addict [he was] to the true Protestant religion; in opposition to the innovations of Presbytery, and the schism of Independency, against whom also he had a zeal, but allayed with a greater compassion, then to the Papist, distinguishing between the seducers and the seduced, whom notwithstanding he did very severely deal withal in his writings. He may be said to have been a right-handed enemy to the stubborn Romanist, and a left-handed one to the cunning Sectary." 2 1 Pages 83-85. 2 Page 86. CHAPTER XXI. "MIXT CONTEMPLATIONS IN BETTER TIMES." 66 FULLER'S DEATH. (1659-1661.) 66 THE RESTORATION AND FULLER'S LITERARY EFFORTS.—(1.) THE DUTCH EDITION OF ANDRONICUS."-PROPOSED OATH OF ABJURATION OF THE STUARTS.(II.) FULLER'S ALARUM TO THE COUNTIES OF ENGLAND AND WALES: THE HAPPY HANDFUL OF DECLARATIONS, ETC.-THE NEW PARLIAMENT.— (III.) FULLER'S "MIXT CONTEMPLATIONS IN BETTER TIMES : THEIR MODERA 66 TION AND INFLUENCE.-LADY MONCK.-FULLER AT THE HAGUE.-THE RE STORATION.-(IV.) THE "PANEGYRIC" TO THE KING.—(V.) Verses in sparke's Let "The death of the godly ought to put life into the godly; the loss of pious men of the former generations ought to enrich such of the age present to succeed in their places, take up their arms, and valiantly acquit themselves in their rooms. those, therefore, who have read over the life of this worthy man now gathered to God, summon their strength and unite their forces, according to the distance of their parts and places, to discharge themselves to the glory of God and good of His Church. For it is high time when such Pauls set, for other Timothies to arise." (Abel Redevivus, Life of Junius, p. 449.) HE literary work of the closing years of the life of our author is full of intimations of the approach of the "Restauration," in which he was more concerned than has yet been suspected. Its progress can indeed be traced by his own pen; for, prepared but calm, he was as earnest to bring that event about as the rest of the clergy, who had been aroused to action by the exhortations of Barwick. Dr. Brounrig, Fuller's old friend, favourably regarded by the Presbyterians, and then Preacher at the Temple, was alone regarded by the Court-advisers as lukewarm; he died on the 7th December this year, and at his funeral Fuller noticed that the prime persons of all persuasions were present. Our divine regretted that the Bishop did not live to be instrumental to the composure of Church-differences.1 Upon the death of Cromwell, Fuller was perhaps consulted by the Cavaliers exiled in Holland as to the publication of the Dutch edition of Andronicus, which was issued under a title and application adapted to the circumstance (see page 383, ante). His interest in the critical affairs of the nation is further shown by the penning of a vigorous political pamphlet which is the more worthy of interest from the fact that it has been overlooked by all Fuller's former biographers. The subject of the pamphlet introduces us into the debates of the unsettled months to which it refers. After the dissolution, in the spring of 1659, of the first and only Parliament of Richard, the officers and republican leaders summoned such members of the Long Parliament as had sat since 1653, Lenthall being made Speaker, and a new council of state being formed (May). Richard, who is mentioned with the good opinion of Fuller, then left Whitehall. This new Parliament was not in accord with the views of the officers of the army, and it was, in October, dissolved by Lambert after a precedent which Cromwell had fully established. Amidst the confusion Royalist plots were meanwhile formed, and anonymous Royalist pamphlets appeared. The abortive Cheshire insurrection under Sir George Booth belongs to August. In December the rising hopes of the exiled courtiers were dashed by the surprising resurrection of what Fuller termed the "long-lasting Parliament," a body that had been "so often exploded, so often dead and buried, twice garbled, twice turned out, twice restored." Accessions were gradually made to the numbers, but the body was contemptuously spoken of as "the Rump." For the support of Government a tax of £100,000 per month was levied; and early in January, 1660, a new oath was framed "to compel the people to swear not only that they should bear faith and true allegiance to the Commonwealth of England and the present Parliament, but that they should also renounce and abjure all allegiance to Charles II. and the whole royal family." This 1 Fuller relates of him (Worthies, § Suffolk, p. 62) that "he continued constant to the Church of England, a champion of the needful use of the Liturgy, and for the privileges of ordination to belong to bishops alone. Unmoveable he was in the principles of loyalty, witness this instance: O. P., with some show of respect unto him, demanded the bishop's judgment (non plus't, it seems, himself) in some business; to whom he returned, 'My lord, the best counsel I can give you is, Give unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and unto God the things that are God's;' with which free answer O. P. was rather silenced than satisfied." The anecdote is also told in the Memorials (1660, p. 187), by Gauden, who preached and published the funeral sermon. oath had formerly been imposed on the officers in the previous September, and a proposal was made to apply it to those who should join the Rump.1 Upon the arrival (Feb. 3) in London of Monk, who had advanced from Scotland and had received the "Declarations" of the counties, &c. through which he passed, it was also tendered to him; but he took time to consider it. It was also avoided by Lenthall, who, feigning gout, absented himself ten days. It was hotly discussed and condemned by the returning Royalist feeling which set in against the " Rumpabjurors ;" and it formed the chief topic in Fuller's pamphlet, which, under the name of "A Lover of his Native Country," he put forth in February before the publication of Monk's historic letter of the 11th, declaring for a free Parliament. A second edition of the pamphlet immediately followed the first. The interest attaching to this shrewd and well-timed production is a sufficient reason for its insertion, verbatim et literatim, in this chapter. It is copied from the third edition, which was published under Fuller's name, and included in a collection of the Declarations" of cities, counties, &c., for a cessation of civil strife and a free Parliament. The first piece in the collection (pp. 1-6) is "An Express from the Knights and Gentlemen of Cheshire, now engaged with Sir George Booth: To the City and Citizens of London, and all other Free-men of England." Then follow the representations, addresses, petitions, &c., twenty-nine in all, arranged apparently in chronological order, from London, Westminster, Kent, Berks, &c. addressed to Monk, Lenthall the Speaker, and others. One and all demanded in very bold terms a full and free Parliament. The fifth from the end (pp. 66—73) is as follows: 66 [p. 66] AN ALARUM | TO THE COUNTIES | OF | ENGLAND | AND | WALES. With the Ab-renunciatiation of the Oath. BY THO. FULLER, B.D. OUR Nation, which long since hath lost the Lustre and Well-Being, now at last strugleth for the Life and Being thereof. Our many (temporal) miseries are reducible to two principal Heads :— 1. Decrease of Trading. Daily 2. Increase of Taxes; so that every hour the Burden groweth weightier, and the Back of our Nation weaker to support it. Troubles of England, part ii. 28; Whitelocke, 692, 683; Kennet, 3. |