Queen Mary, departing this life, went to her own place, November 17, 1558, in the 43d year of her age, after a bloody and disastrous reign of 5 years, 4 months, and 11 days. Her death was a most happy event for the church of God, both at home and abroad. Some time before she finished her course, such of the exiles as had their chief support from the charity of good people in England, were beginning to be anxious; the usual supplies being, in a great measure, cut off. This was owing to the malicious vigilance of bishop Gardiner; who, gaining intelligence of their benefactors here, threw some of them into prison, and impoverished others by various modes of oppression; so that the current of their bounty to the transmarines, was almost entirely stopt *. Yet, in this difficulty, the exiles were liberally relieved, by the seasonable humanity of several German princes and cities. No sooner was the happy news of Elizabeth's accession to the throne, publicly announced on the continent; than the exiles returned to England: and among the rest, Mr. Jewel. On his arrival, he spent his first six months at the house of Mr. Culverwell, a citizen of London; and then removed into the family of Lord Williams of Tame. The 31st of March following, he was one of the eight protestant divines, who were appointed to hold an open disputation in Westminster Abbey, against eight Romanists. On this occasion, Fuller justly remarks, that the issue of this conference was similar to "the general destiny of such public colloquies; which, like sycamore trees, prove barren: and the larger the leaves of expectation, the less the fruits of success. The assembly dissolved: and it were hard to say which were louder, the papists in complaining, or the protestants in triumphing." In † July, 1559, Mr. Jewel was appointed one of the queen's commissioners, to visit the dioceses of * Clark's Lives. + Biographia Britannica. Sarum, Exeter, Bristol, Bath and Wells, and Gloucester; and to weed them as much as possible of popery. And not many months after (viz. Jan. 21, 1559-60), as a reward for his distinguished learning and merit, he was consecrated bishop of Salisbury. So bright a luminary could not fail of moving to great advantage, in so eminent a sphere. Even at a time, when all the bishops of the church of England were sound in the faith, and eminent for holiness; Dr. Jewel was remarkable for the fervour of his graces, the sanctity of his life, and his laboriousness in the vineyard of Christ. In his first episcopal visitation, he began (what he afterwards happily perfected) such a thorough reformation, not only in his cathedral and in the parochial churches, but also in the courts of his jurisdiction; as procured both to himself, and to the whole order of bishops, the utmost reverence and esteem. He was a strict overseer of all the clergy, and of all the parishes, in his large diocese; and so narrowly watched the proceedings of his chancellor and archdeacons, and of his stewards and receivers, that they had no opportunity of conniving at error, or at vice; much less of being guilty themselves, of oppression or injustice. To prevent those abuses, for which the episcopal courts were sometimes too deservedly censured, he frequently presided in person. And being, moreover, in the commission of the peace, he was no less useful as a civil magistrate, than exemplary as a bishop, and equitable as an ecclesiastical judge. With regard to his more private conduct, he usually rose at four in the morning; and, after prayers with his family at five, and divine service in the cathedral at six, he was so fixed to his studies. all the remainder of the forenoon, that he could not without the greatest difficulty, be persuaded to interrupt them. After dinner, his doors and his ears were open to all comers; and what had been said of the emperor Titus, was justly applied to this Christian prelate, that he never sent any person away from his presence, dissatisfied or grieved. Suitors being thus dismissed, he heard with singular patience and impartiality those causes, which were either debated before him as judge, or referred to him as an arbitrator: and as much of the day as remained unoccupied by these public duties, he considered as clear gain to his studies.-About nine at night, he called all his servants to a spiritual account, how they had spent the day; and thence went to prayers with them, in his chapel: from whence he directly repaired again to his study, and read or wrote until about midnight. He greatly distinguished himself, by preaching and writing in the defence of the church of England, and against the errors of popery. In 1560, he gave a public challenge (in a sermon, which he preached at St. Paul's cross, London) to all the papists throughout the world; defying them to produce but one clear and evident testimony, out of any father that flourished within six hundred years after Christ, for any one of the various articles in which the church of Rome dissents from that of England. His text on this celebrated occasion, was 1 Cor. xi. 23. This vigorous attack involved him in a long, but very useful controversy; for the Romanists mustered their utmost forces, to defend their sinking cause. And to their fruitless attempts we are indebted, for that inestimable work of the bishop's, published in 1562, and entitled, An Apology for the Church of England: written by his lordship in elegant Latin, that all the learned men in Europe might judge on which side the stress of argument lay; and afterwards translated into Eng * The sermon itself was printed the same year; and an extract from it is preserved in Clark's Lives, and in the Biogr. Britann. lish ; and then into Greek, for the benefit of the Eastern churches. Many popish champions, both foreign and domestic, entered the lists against this masterly and unanswerable defence of the gospel. To these (and particularly to the cavils and calumnies of Harding the Jesuit) our prelate replied, in A Defence of the Apology for the Church of England; first printed, A. D. 1564. In so great esteem was this treatise held, that it was ordered by queen Elizabeth, and by king James I. to be read in every parish church throughout England and Wales; and that each of those sacred edifices should be furnished with a copy, chained to the wall. In some of our country churches, this excellent book is still to be seen. Mr. Harding strenuously attacked the Defence, in a treatise published at Louvain, A. D. 1568. To which the indefatigable bishop wrote a rejoinder, printed at London, in folio, A. D. 1568, and 1570. - On the 26th of May, 1565, the university of Oxford conferred on him the degree of Doctor in Divinity, though he was then absent: and the year following, he attended queen Elizabeth, in the visit she made to that noble seminary; and sat as Moderator, at the divinity disputations which were held before her majesty. Providence had furnished this great and evangelical prelate, with such natural talents, as most highly qualified him for the important departments he was destined to sustain. His memory was capacious and retentive, almost to a prodigy. After hearing a remarkable incident, he penned it down in his common place book: and the trouble of once writing any thing, would impress it so strongly on his mind, that he never afterwards forgot it. If he wrote down an intended speech or a sermon (which it was always his custom to do); he just gave it a single perusal, and could then exactly repeat the whole. When the bell began to toll for church, he began to run his eye over his discourse; and was perfect master of it in a few minutes. Such were his firmness of nerves, and power of recollection, that he used frequently to say, If I was to deliver a premeditated speech before ten thousand auditors, and they were shouting or fighting all the while; I should still be able to pronounce the whole of what I intended to speak. After once (or at the most twice) reading the hardest and uncouthest words, in such languages as the Welsh, Irish, &c. and meditating a little upon them; he would repeat any forty of them at a time, either backwards or forwards, without hesitation. In the year 1563, sir Nicholas Bacon, lord keeper of the great seal, having read to him out of Erasmus' Paraphrase, the last clauses of ten lines, in a confused and imperfect manner, on purpose to try him; the bishop, covering his face with his hand, and sitting silent awhile, immediately rehearsed all those broken sentences, both the right way and the contrary, without mistake or embarrassment.-He attained to this amazing memory, partly, by the help of art. It is to be wished, that his method of improving that important faculty, had been recorded. But we only know, that he taught it to some of his friends: and, among them, to bishop Parkhurst; who profited so effectually by Dr. Jewel's rules, that he [Parkhurst] was able in 28 days, and by devoting no more than one hour each day, to repeat the whole 28 chapters of St. Matthew's gospel, both regularly, and in any detached parcels. Though bishop Jewel was a constant preacher, and endued with as profound and lively talents as man could well be; yet, he never presumed so far on his inherent powers, as to preach an extemporary sermon. I do not mean to say, that he carried written notes with him into the pulpit; for I cannot find that he ever did this, so much as once: but he always premeditated, and generally commit |