heard in our defence; yet the next news we heard was, the House of Commons had drawn up a Bill against us, wherein they declared us to be delinquents of a very high nature, and had thereupon desired to have it enacted that all our spiritual means should be taken away: only, there should be a yearly allowance to every Bishop for his maintenance, according to a proportion by them set down; wherein they were pleased that my share should come to four hundred pounds per annum. This Bill was sent up to the Lords, and by them also passed; and there hath, ever since, lain.

This being done, after some weeks more, finding the Tower, besides the restraint, chargeable; we petitioned the Lords, that we might be admitted to bail, and have liberty to return to our homes. The Earl of Essex moved: the Lords assented, took our bail, sent to the Lieutenant of the Tower for our discharge. How glad were we to fly

out of our cage!

No sooner was I got to my lodging, than I thought to take a little fresh air, in St. James's Park; and, in my return to my lodging in the Dean's Yard, passing through Westminster Hall, was saluted by divers of my parliament acquaintance, and welcomed to my liberty: whereupon, some, that looked upon me with an evil eye, run into the House, and complained that the Bishops were let loose: which, it seems, was not well taken by the House of Commons; who presently sent a kind of expostulation to the Lords, that they had dismissed so heinous offenders without their knowledge and consent.

Scarce had I rested me in my lodging, when there comes a messenger to me with the sad news, of sending me and the rest of my brethren the Bishops back to the Tower again from whence we came, thither we must go; and thither I went with a heavy, but I thank God, not impatient, heart.

After we had continued there some six weeks longer, and earnestly petitioned to return to our several charges,

we were upon five thousand pound Bond dismissed; with a clause of revocation at a short warning, if occasion should require.

Thus having spent the time betwixt New-year's Even and Whitsuntide in those safe walls, where we by turns preached every Lord's Day to a large auditory of citizens, we disposed of ourselves to the places of our several abode.

For myself, addressing myself to Norwich, whither it was his Majesty's pleasure to remove me, I was at the first received with more respect, than in such times I could have expected. There I preached, the day after my arrival, to a numerous and attentive people: neither was sparing of my pains in this kind, ever since; till the times, growing every day more impatient of a Bishop, threatened my silencing.

There, though with some secret murmurs of disaffected persons, I enjoyed peace till the ordinance of sequestration came forth, which was in the latter end of March following; then, when I was in hope of receiving the profits of the fore-going half year for the maintenance of my family, were all my rents stopped and diverted: and, in the April following, came the Sequestrators, viz. Mr. Sotherton, Mr. Tooley, Mr. Rawley, Mr. Greenwood, &c. to the Palace; and told me, that, by virtue of an Ordinance of Parliament, they must seize upon the palace, and all the estate I had both real and personal; and, accordingly, sent certain men appointed by them, whereof one had been burnt in the hand for the mark of his truth, to apprize all the goods that were in the house: which they accordingly executed with all diligent severity; not leaving so much as a dozen of trenchers, or my children's pictures, out of their curious inventory. Yea, they would have apprized our very wearing clothes, had not Alderman Tooley and Sheriff Rawley, to whom I sent to require their judgment concerning the Ordinance in this point, declared their opinion to the contrary.

These goods, both library and household stuff of all

kinds, were appointed to be exposed to public sale. Much enquiry there was, when the goods should be brought to the market; but, in the mean time, Mrs. Goodwin, a religious good gentlewoman, whom yet we had never known or seen, being moved with compassion, very kindly offered to lay down to the Sequestrators that whole sum which the goods were valued at ; and was pleased to leave them in our hands for our use, till we might be able to repurchase them which she did accordingly, and had the goods formally delivered to her by Mr. Smith and Mr. Greenwood, two Sequestrators. As for the books, several stationers looked on them; but were not forward to buy them at last, Mr. Cook, a worthy Divine of this Diocese, gave bond to the Sequestrators, to pay to them the whole sum whereat they were set which was afterwards satisfied out of that poor pittance, that was allowed me for my maintenance. As for my evidences, they required them from me. I denied them; as not holding myself bound to deliver them. They nailed and sealed up the door, and took such as they found with me.

But, before this, the first noise that I heard of my trouble was, that, one morning, before my servants were up, there came to my gates one Wright, a London Trooper, attended with others, requiring entrance; threatening, if they were not admitted, to break open the gates: whom I found, at my first sight, struggling with one of my servants for a pistol, which he had in his hand. I demanded his business at that unseasonable time. He told me, he came to search for arms and ammunition, of which I must be disarmed. I told him I had only two muskets in the house, and no other military provision. He, not resting upon my word, searched round about the house, looked into the chests and trunks, examined the vessels in the cellar. Finding no other warlike furniture, he asked me what horses I had, for his commission was to take them also. I told him how poorly I was stored, and that my age would not allow me to travel on foot. In conclusion, he took one horse, for

the present and such accompt of another, that he did highly expostulate with me afterwards, that I had otherwise disposed of him.

Now not only my rents present, but the arrearages of the former years which I had in favour forborne to some tenants, being treacherously confessed to the Sequestrators, were by them called for, and taken from me. Neither was there any course at all taken for my maintenance. I therefore addressed myself to the Committee sitting here at Norwich; and desired them to give order for some means, out of that large patrimony of the Church, to be allowed me. They all thought it very just; and, there being present Sir Tho. Woodhouse, and Sir John Potts, parliament men, it was moved, and held fit by them and the rest, that the proportion which the votes of the Parlia ment had pitched upon, viz. four hundred pounds per annum, should be allowed to me. My Lord of Manchester, who was then conceived to have great power in matter of these sequestrations, was moved herewith. He apprehended it very just and reasonable; and wrote to the Committee here, to set out so many of the manors belonging to this Bishoprick, as should amount to the said sum of four hundred pounds annually; which was answerably done, under the hands of the whole Table.

And now I well hoped, I should yet have a good competency of maintenance out of that plentiful estate which I might have had but those hopes were no sooner conceived, than dashed; for, before I could gather up one quarter's rent, there comes down an order from the Committee for Sequestrations above, under the hand of Sergeant Wild the Chairman, procured by Mr. Miles Corbet, to inhibit any such allowance; and telling our Committee here, that neither they, nor any other, had power to allow me any thing at all: but, if my wife found herself to need a maintenance; upon her suit to the Committee of Lords and Commons, it might be granted that she should have a fifth part, according to the Ordinance, allowed for the sustentation of herself and her family. Hereupon she sends

a petition up to that Committee; which, after a long delay, was admitted to be read, and an order granted for the fifth part.

But still the rents and revenues, both of my Spiritual and Temporal Lands, were taken up by the Sequestrators, both in Norfolk, and Suffolk, and Essex, and we kept off from either allowance or accompt.

At last, upon much pressing, Beadle the Solicitor, and Rust the Collector, brought in an account to the Conmittee, such as it was; but so confused and perplexed and so utterly unperfect, that we could never come to know what a fifth part meant: but they were content that I should eat my books, by setting off the sum, engaged for them out of the fifth part. Mean time, the Synodalls both in Norfolk and Suffolk, and all the Spiritual profits of the Diocese, were also kept back: only Ordinations and Institutions continued a while.

But after the Covenant was appointed to be taken, and was generally swallowed of both Clergy and Laity, my power of Ordination was, with some strange violence, restrained for when I was going on in my wonted course, which no law or ordinance had inhibited, certain forward volunteers in the city, banding together, stir up the Mayor and Aldermen and Sheriffs to call me to an account for an violation of their Covenant.

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To this purpose, divers of them came to my gates at a very unseasonable time; and, knocking very vehemently, required to speak with the Bishop. Messages were sent to them to know their business: nothing would satisfy them but the Bishop's presence. At last, I came down to them, and demanded what the matter was: they would have the gate opened, and then they would tell me. answered that I would know them better first if they had any thing to say to me, I was ready to hear them. They told me they had a writing to me, from Mr. Mayor, and some other of their Magistrates. The paper contained both a challenge of me for breaking the Covenant, in ordaining Ministers; and, withal, required me to give in the