at Nottingham, detecting in some sort the deceitful trade in these latter days of casting out devils," 1599. This induced Mr. Darrell to publish a reply, entitled, "A Detection of that sinful, shamful, lying, and ridiculous Discours, of Samuel Harshnet. Entituled: A Discoverie of the fraudulent practices of John Darrell. Wherein is manifestly and apparently shewed in the eyes of the world. Not only the unlikelihoode, but the flate impossibilitie of the pretended counterfayting of William Somers, Thomas Darling, Kath. Wright, and Mary Couper, together with other 7 in Lancashire, and the supposed teaching of them by the saide John Darrell," 1600. The same year, Mr. Darrell also published, "A true Narration of the strange and grevous Vexation by the Devil, of 7 Persons in Lancashire, and William Somers of Nottingham. Wherein the doctrine of Possession and Dispossession of Demoniakes out of the word of God is particularly applied unto Somers, and the rest of the persons controverted: together with the use we are to make of these workes of God." Mr. George Moore, his intimate friend, and fellow-sufferer in the same cause, likewise published a reply to Harsnet, entitled, "A true Discourse concerning the certaine Possession and Dispossession of 7 persons in one familie in Lancashire, which also may serve as part of an Answere to a fayned and false Discoverie which speaketh very much evill, as well of this, as of the rest of those great and mightie workes of God, which be of the like excellent nature," 1600.+ Mr. Darrell, upon his imprisonment, published another work particularly in his own defence, entitled, "The Trial of John Darrell, or a Collection of Defences against Alligations not yet suffered to receive convenient Answer, tending to clear him from the Imputation of teaching Somers and others to counterfeit Possession of Devils," 1599. Also, while he was in prison, he published " An Apology or Defence of the Possession of William Somers, &c. Wherein this work of God is cleared from the evil name of counterfeiting. And thereupon also it is shewn, that in these days men may be possessed with devils; and that being so, by prayer and fasting the unclean spirit may be cast out." At the close of this work, Mr. Darrell made the * Harsnet was one of the principal persecutors of Mr. Darrell, and was advanced to the bishopric of Norwich, as the just reward of this meritorious service. But our author, by mistake, calls Mr. Darrell a popish priest.Bloomfield's Hist. of Norfolk, vol. ii. p. 403. + Biog. Britan. vol. iv. p. 2547. Edit. 1747. following protestation :-" If what I am accused of be true, even that I have been accessary to a vile imposture, with a design to impose on mankind, let me be registered to my perpetual infamy, not only for a notorious deceiver, but such an hypocrite as never trod on the earth before. Yea, Lord! for to Thee I direct my speech, who knoweth all things, if I have confederated more or less, with Somers, Darling, or any others; if ever I set my eye upon them before they were possessed, then let me not only be made a laughing-stock, and a by-word to all men, but raze my name also out of the book of life, and let me have my portion with hypocrites." While Mr. Darrell was suffering in close prison in the Gatehouse, the productions of his pen were spread through the kingdom. His books found their way to the two universities, particularly Cambridge, where many of them were purchased by the learned collegians. This presently roused the attention of the ecclesiastical governors; when the bookseller was convened before Dr. Jegon, the vicechancellor, as will appear from the following letter, addressed "To the right Rev. Father in God, the Lord Bishop of London :"+ "Right reverend, my very good lord, my duty most humbly premised. May it please you to be advertised, that certain books of Darrell's, in two volumes, the one "A Detection of the shameful, lying Discoverie," &c. the other "A true Narration of the strange Vexation," &c. have been sold underhand, by a taylor, since Christmas last, to the number of sixty books, as the party before me hath confessed. To whom he hath sold them in particular, he will not confess: whereupon I have bound him here, with surety, to be forth coming until I know your lordship's pleasure, thinking it my duty to signify the same, knowing that Darrell hath been censured for a dissembler, and supposing that such books come not out with allowance and privilege. The examination I send here inclosed. "JEGON, Vice-chancellor of the "University of Cambridge." What further prosecution the poor man underwent, or when Mr. Darrell was released from his cruel imprisonment, it is very difficult to ascertain. * Strype's Whitgift, p. 495. + Baker's MS. Collec. vol. xxvii. p. 11. CHRISTOPHER GOODMAN, B. D.-This distinguished puritan was born in the city of Chester, about the year 1519, and educated in Brazen-nose college, Oxford. Åfter taking his degrees in Arts, he was constituted one of the senior students of Christ's Church, then newly founded by Henry VIII. Towards the close of the reign of King Edward, he was admitted to the reading of the sentences, and chosen divinity lecturer in the university. But upon the accession of Queen Mary, and the return of popery and bloody persecution, he withdrew from the storm, and went into exile. He retired, with many of his brethren, to Frankfort, and was deeply involved in the troubles of that place, occasioned chiefly by the officious interference of Dr. Cox and his party. Here, when it was proposed to make choice of officers for the church, Mr. Goodman gave it as his opinion, "That they ought first to agree to some godly order for the church; and, in agreeing to this order, to obtain the consent of the congregation, whereby it might appear that they contemned not the rest of their brethren and further, to proceed to the election, which he thought, also, ought not to be attempted without the consent of the whole church." In neither of these proposals, however, did Mr. Goodman succeed. For it was replied, that they should have no other order than the English Book of Common Prayer; and Dr. Cox had assembled the ministers, at his lodgings, to make choice of a bishop and other officers. Upon the separation at Frankfort, Mr. Goodman went to Geneva, where he and Mr. John Knox, the famous Scotch reformer, were chosen pastors of the English church, and there remained till the death of Queen Mary. While at Geneva, he assisted Mr. Knox in composing "The Book of Common Order," which was to be used as a directory of worship in the protestant congregations.+ Upon receiving the news of the queen's death, Mr. Goodman and his brethren at Geneva, wrote a most affectionate, healing letter to their fellow-exiles at Frankfort. This letter, with the answer, is still preserved.‡ : It will be proper here to observe, that during Mr. Goodman's exile, and some time before the queen's death, a report came to them that she was dead. The rumour occasioned him to write to Mr. Bartlet Green, a lawyer, a pious professor of the gospel, and his former acquaintance * Troubles at Frankeford, p. 39, 40. + Scott's Lives of Reformers, p. 250. Edit. 1810. Troubles at Frankeford, p. 160-163. at Oxford, inquiring whether the report was true. His worthy friend replied, The queen is not yet dead. The letter, however, being intercepted, Mr. Green was apprehended, committed to the Tower, and, after lying a long time in prison, condemned and committed to the flames, under the cruel severities of Bonner, bishop of London. While our divine remained at Geneva, he took an active part, with several of his learned brethren, in writing and publishing the Geneva translation of the Bible.+ On the accession of Queen Elizabeth, Mr. Goodman, after finishing the Translation, returned from exile, but did not immediately come to England. He went to Scotland; and, for several years, was actively employed in promoting the reformation, and preaching the gospel, in that country. In the year 1560, having preached for some time at Ayr, the committee of parliament, who nominated the ministers for the principal towns in Scotland, appointed him to be minister at St. Andrews, where it was thought expedient that the officiating minister should be a man of established reputation. About the same time, he was employed in a public disputation at Edinburgh, betwixt the papists and protestants. Those on the side of the papists were Dr. Lesley, Dr. Anderson, Mr. Mirton, and Mr. Stracquin; who disputed with Mr. Knox, Mr. Willock, and Mr. Goodman. The points of disputation were, "The holy eucharist, and the sacrifice of the altar." In the conclusion, though the papists gave it out, that the protestants were completely baffled, and declined the contest in future, the nobility, who attended the dispute, were certainly of another mind. As minister of St. Andrews, Mr. Goodman was present in the assembly, December 20, 1560, with the assistant elders, David Spens and Robert Kynpont, who accompanied him. In 1562, he and Mr. John Row, minister of Perth, were appointed to assist John Erskine of Dun, in the visitation of the sheriffdoms of Aberdeen and Banff. And in 1563, he argued in opposition to Mr. Secretary Lethington, that the tithes ought to be appropriated to the clergy. Lethington was on this occasion much chagrined; and ungenerously said, that it was not fit that a stranger should meddle with the affairs of a foreign commonwealth. Mr. Goodman calmly, but firmly, replied, "My lord secretary, * Fox's Martyrs, vol. iii. p. 523–526.-Strype's Cranmer, p. 370. + See Art. Coverdale. Hist. of Church of Scotland, p. 258. Edit. 1644. Collier's Eccl. Hist, vol. ii. p. 476. though in your policy I be a stranger, yet I am not so in the kirk of God; and, therefore, the care thereof appertaineth no less to me in Scotland, than if I were in the midst of England." In the year 1564, he was appointed to preach for the space of a month, at Edinburgh, in the absence of Mr. John Craig, one of the ministers of that city, who had been commissioned to visit some of the southern parts of the kingdom. Also, the assembly, June 25, 1565, laid many appointments upon him, some of which he did not fulfil; for, before the assembly again met, December 25th, in the same year, he had left the kingdom; which is thus noticed in the church-register :-" Commissioners from St. Andrews appeared, who requested that Mr. John Knox should be transplanted, and placed at St. Andrews. The assembly refused their request, and desired them to choose a minister out of their own university, in the room of Mr. Christopher Goodman, who had lately departed into England."+ Dr. Heylin, with his wonted peevishness and slander, says, "It cannot be denied, that Goodman, Gilby, Whittingham, and the rest of the Genevean conventicle, were very much grieved, at their return from exile, that they could not bear the like sway here as Calvin and Beza did at Geneva. They not only repined and were envious at the reformation of the English church, because not fitted to their fancies, and Calvin's platform; but laboured to sow those seeds of heterodoxy and disobedience, which brought forth those troubles and disorders that afterwards followed."+ So much reproach, misrepresentation and falsehood, is seldom found within so small a compass. About the year 1568, our celebrated divine became chaplain to Sir Henry Sidney, in his expedition against the rebels in Ireland, and shewed his great diligence and faithfulness in that service. And in 1571, he was cited before Archbishop Parker, and other high commissioners, at Lambeth. He published a book, during his exile under Queen Mary, entitled, "How Superior Powers ought to be obeyed of their Subjects, and wherein they may be lawfully, by God's Word, obeyed and resisted: Wherein also is declared the Cause of all the present Misery in England, and how the same may be remedied," 1558. In this work, he spoke with some freedom against the government of women, but especially the severe proceedings of Queen + Ibid. p. 252. Troubles at Frankeford, p. 168. Scott's Lives of Reformers, p.251. |