16. Eicasmi, seu Meditationes in Apocal. S. Johannis, 1587.— 17. Papa Confutatus.-18. A brief Exhortation, to be read in the time of God's Visitation.-He published several translations of the works of other learned men: but his most celebrated work is his History of the Acts and Monuments of the Martyrs," commonly called "The Book of Martyrs."

JOHN WILSON was born in the parish of Kildwick in Yorkshire, and ordained deacon according to the order of the church of England; when he obtained a license from the Archbishop of York to preach at Skipton, in the same county. He was a pious, faithful, and useful preacher, but endured much severe usage for nonconformity. Archbishop Sandys receiving complaints against him, sent his pursuivant with all haste to apprehend him, and bring him before the high commission. Upon his appearance before their lordships, and inquiring what charges were alleged against him, he was told that he must obtain two sureties to be bound in two hundred pounds for his future appearance. Accordingly, he obtained the securities demanded, and, January 9, 1587, appeared again before the archbishop and other commissioners at Bishopsthorp, when he underwent the following examination :

Archbishop. You are brought before us for certain disorders, contempts, and disobedience, by you committed, to which you must answer as they shall be objected against

you.

Dean. You must answer as truly as if you were sworn. A. He must be sworn, and answer upon his oath. Hold him a book, and let him take the oath.

Wilson. If the law require me to be sworn, I am contented. But I think it doth not compel a man to accuse himself; and I hope I shall not be urged to do more than the law requireth.

A. If you refuse to be sworn, answer as you will; but be sure, if I prove any thing against you which you deny, you shall smart for it.

W. Let me have the law, and spare not. But because I mean to deny no truth objected against me, whether I be sworn or not, I am, therefore, contented to answer upon my oath. (He then took the oath.)

A. Read the first article against him.

Fathergill. You have taken upon you to execute the office of a minister for the space of three years, without any warrant so to do.

W. I know not what law maketh known the minister's duty. I must, therefore, be informed of this, before I can

answer.

A. Tell him.

Hudson. It is to say service, to preach the word, to minister the sacraments, to marry, and to bury the dead. W. I have not done all these things without the law. A. What warrant of law have you?

W. I have the orders for the office of a deacon, according to law.

A. Shew unto us your orders. (Here Mr. Wilson produced his orders, which was read by the dean, but nothing was observed.)

W. Write, Mr. Proctor, that I am deacon, according to law.

A. What say you of your preaching? At what churches have you preached?

W. At all the churches near Kildwick. Mr. Proctor, record this.

A. You must always have that refuge to fly to.

W. My lord, I am sworn. There may be more, though I do not remember them. I dare not upon mine oath set down an uncertain thing as certain; therefore, I say, these are all, so far as I recollect.

A. What authority then had you to preach?

W. I had your grace's authority in writing.

A. That was only upon condition that the people would receive you, and be willing to hear you.

W. I know not what was the condition. I followed the direction under the hand of Mr. Cock, in which I am sure no such thing was expressed.

Cock. My lord, I wrote that it was your grace's pleasure that he should preach at Skipton, until your return from London, if he behaved himself according to law.

A. I ordered you to write no such thing, unless the people would receive him willingly, as Mr. Palmer said they

would.

C. My lord, they are ill-natured people, and would willingly receive none.

A. You have said service without surplice, and not according to the Book of Common Prayer.

W. That is not true.

A. You have not used the surplice in reading the service.

* Here Mr. Wilson, by request of the archbishop, named, as far as he could recollect, all the churches in which he had 'preached.

W. I have no pastoral charge. I said service only in the absence of the pastor, which was very seldom; and, on those occasions, I thought I was not bound to use it.

A. You say not the service according to the book.
W. I do.

H. You use a prayer of your own at the beginning.
W. That is not true, Mr. Proctor.

A. Let me know the order you have observed.

W. I first read one of the portions of scripture appointed, and then exhorted the people to the confession of their sins. That being done, I read some of the Psalms, after that two chapters, and then the sermon.

A. Then you say not according to the book.

W. Yes, my lord, that which I read is according to the book.

A. But you omit many things.

W. And so I may according to law, especially when there is preaching, or any more profitable exercise.

A. More profitable exercise! that is, your talking.

W. I am sure that preaching is more profitable than reading. And I am sure your lordship will not deny, that my talking, being out of the word of God, is more profitable than saying service.

A. Nay, you have your tongue at your will. What is

the next article?

F. When you should say the epistle and gospel, according to the book, you will not call them the epistle and gospel, but the portion of scripture.

A. Have you never administered the sacraments?
W. No.

H. Did you never christen?

W. Some few times, though very seldom.

A. Did you use the sign of the cross?

W. No, my lord, I said the words, but did not use the cross. A. Did you say, "I sign thee with the sign of the cross ?" W. No.

A. Tell me then what words you used.

W. "We receive this child into the congregation of Christ's flock, that hereafter he shall not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified upon the cross."

H. Did you never minister the communion?

W. No.

H. What, neither the bread, nor the cup?

W. Yes, I have ministered the cup by the appointment of the pastor, being warranted in this by law.

A. Did you ever receive the communion ?
W. Yes, my lord.

W. At the last communion, if I remember right.
A. You must ever take this advantage.

W. My lord, seeing I answer upon mine oath, you should not think the worse of me, because I am so careful not to speak wrong, or that which is not true.

H. You do not bury the dead according to the book.
W. I do.

H. You do not meet the corpse at the church-stile, and walk before it into the church.

W. Though I have sometimes done this, the book doth not bind me to do any such thing.

H. You do not read the prayers and places of scripture appointed.

W. I do.

H. You omit the prayers.

W. Sometimes I do, and sometimes I do not.

A. What is the next article?

F. You have gone from your own ordinary, without his consent, and have received orders from another bishop. W. My own ordinary giveth no orders; but if his consent be his dimissary, I had his consent.

A. If you have his dimissary, shew it us.

W. See, it is here, my lord.

A. What is the next article?

F. You have taken upon you to say service without any authority by license or toleration from your ordinary.

W. I have all the authority which the orders of a deacon can give; and I hope that is sufficient to say the service. F. You confess yourself that you were born in Kildwick parish.

W. Yes.

F. Do you acknowledge yourself to belong to this diocese, and submit yourself to the authority of your diocesan ? W. I acknowledge all this.

A. You have a haughty and a proud spirit.

W. I confess, my lord, I am not free from any one sin; but I hope that sin hath not so great a power over me as you represent.

A. Nay, you care not for mine authority.
W. My lord, I reverence your authority.

Swinborn. That is not likely, Mr. Wilson, seeing you have so much disobeyed.

W. And that disobedience is no likely argument to disprove my reverence of his authority. If your argument were good, few subjects would be found who reverence even the queen's authority.

A. You can speak for yourself I warrant you. But what say you of your calling? The scripture mentions only the offices of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and doctors. Which of these then have you?

W. The office of a doctor or teacher.

A. Where do you exercise it?

W. At Kildwick.

A. Who called you?

W. The minister and the people of that place earnestly entreated me to teach and instruct them.

A. Tush that is nothing.

W. But it hath been something in time past.

A. Lo! this fellow would have ministers to be elected by consent of the people!

W. My lord, the word of God is plain enough upon that point, and this you know well enough yourself. Your grace made this sufficiently manifest in refusing me to be at Skipton, unless the people would consent to receive me.

A. That I did, because I would not intrude you upon them.

W. Then it follows, that you think intrusion is not the right calling; and on the contrary, that the right calling is by the consent or choice of the people.

A. There is no end to your talk.

W. Yes, my lord, but I had the license of your own word for that place.

A. That is true; but it was a donor.

W. And when the donor came, I stayed.

A. Yes, but you have preached there since that time. W. I have, indeed, preached there once; which, I hope, is not so great a crime, but that your grace will deal favourably with me, and thus cause me the more to revere and esteem you.*

Mr. Wilson's first examination being concluded, the good man was taken away and sent to prison, where he remained

MS. Register, p. 782-784.