Certain Discourses, Part 8 – Postscript
A CHARACTER of Bishop Bedell late Bishop of Kilmore, in Ireland.
UPon the occasion of publishing this Sermon of his (on Revel. 18. 4.) I have thought fit to give this exemplary character of him. Somewhat of his life is already extant, within that of Sir Henry Wotton's, the enlargement of which, I leave to the prudence of others, onelyonly thus much in brief.
He was Fellow of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, where he was one of the eight that commenced Batchellours of Divinity of that house in one yeare: whereof Bishop Hall and Doctor Ward were two, between whom and him, there was a continuall intercourse of Letters to their last. From that Colledge and Vniversity, he had that Character given him of learning, and prudence, that he was chosen to go with the Embassadour Sir Henry Wotton unto Venice. What the fruits of his some yeares being there produced upon Padre Paulo, and other learned men, sufficiently appears by the testimony given of him in a letter of the Embassador's hereunto annexed. The Interdict of Venice (wrot by the foresaid Authour,) he translated out of Italian into Latin, for whose use he also translated the book of Common Prayer into Italian, and made an English Grammar (which I have seen writ with his own hand.)
After his return from Venice, were wrot those learned Letters of his to Mr. Wadesworth, who at the same time, going with the Embassadour into Spain, had been withdrawn to the See of Rome, whose temper and meeknesse of stile to an Apostate, I wish were so far exemplary with some Writers among our selves, as to abate that heat and bitternesse, which hath broke forth in matters of lesse consequence.
At his Benefice of Horningeshearth near St. Edm. Bury in Suffolk, he continued long in great esteem, sometimes chosen by the Diocesse to be a member of the Convocation.
Upon the death of Sir William Temple Provost of the Colledge in Dublin, the late Primate wrot earnestly to him to accept of it, being unanimously chosen by the Fellowes. During his abode there, he performed the duty of the Catechist, & preached a Lecture Sermon once a week in Christ Church.
He was not long Provost, but he was promoted to be Bishop of Kilmore, where (I being then the Dean) it gave me the occasion to be more known to him.
In relation to the Liturgie of the Church of England, he gave this direction; viz. to observe whatsoever was enjoyned in the Rubrick without addition or diminution; not to be led by custome, but by rule. And in speciall, he ordered that the whole Doxology to the blessed Trinity, Glory be to the Father, &c. should be alwayes read by the Minister alone, without the respond of the people, and the like for the Psalms: Te Deum, &c. with the rest, appointed to be read between and after the Lessons, though the custome had prevailed otherwise in most Churches.
The Communion Table was placed by him, not at the East end, but within the body of the Chancell, and for other Innovations elsewhere introduced, he observed them not. His judgement being, that those were as well Non-conformists, who added of their own, as those who came short of what was enjoyned, as he that addes an inch to the measure, disownes it for a rule, as well as he that cuts an inch off.
He was a careful observer of the Lords Day both in the publick and private, at one of the clock in the after-noon; he had then the Book of Common-Prayer read in the Irish tongue in the Church for the benefit of the Irish; at which he was constantly present himself, who in that little space had obtained the knowledge of the language. And as the New Testament had been long before translated into Irish; so had he caused the Old Testam. to be accordingly, & was almost ready for the press.
And Whereas Doctor Heylene hath censured the late Primate very liberally for his approbation of the Articles of Ireland, he must take Bishop Bedell into the number also, who was so much for them, that I was present when, at the examination of an*Mr. Thomas Price then Fellow of the Colledge of Dublin, who afterwards suffered much in the same Diocesse by the Rebellion of Ireland, and is yet living in Wales. able Minister then to be ordained, he did in the Church examin him in each, or most of the Articles, in a solemn meeting of the Clergy of that Diocesse for that end, at least 2 full hours, whereby our votes might be also given for his approbation.
At his Courts of Iurisdiction, he frequently sate himself; where he caused alwayes some of the Clergy, (if any were there) to sit covered on each side of him, with liberty to give their opinion in each case, and at a sentence, he asked their votes man by man: In some degree reducing then his Episcopall to a Synodicall Government, according to the Primates proposall by way of accommodation an. 1641. It was his custome usually on the Lord's dayes, to preach upon those select portions of Scripture commonly called the Epistles and Gospels of the day.
At the Visitations, he usually preached himselfe. The Procurations were bestowed in defraying the charges of the Ministers, and the rest given to some pious uses.
After dinner and supper, a Chapter, was constantly read at his Table, and some time spent by him in opening some difficulties in it.
The publick Catechisme, he had branched out into 52 parts; whereof, he appointed one to be constantly explain'd in the Afternoons in each Church, within his Diocess.
He was very indulgent to the Irish Natives, in the preferring and encouraging of them for the Ministery; and yet such was their Ingratitude (i. e. the Popish party) that in that horrid rebellion, 1641. they exempted him not from their rapine; but seized upon his cattle, pillaged his house, ransack't and spoyled his Library; put him into a Castle, standing in a Lough, (called Lough-outre) about a mile and a halfe from his house, where he was imprisoned that winter. And at length being permitted to come out, died in a poor house of one who was an Irish-man, and a Protestant, and continued faithfull to him; by whose means an Hebrew manuscript Bible of his, (which he brought from Venice) was preserved, and is now in Emmanuel Colledge Library in Cambridge.
He was buried acccording to his own appointment in the Churchyard of the Cathedral of Kilmore, where he had caused his wife and son some years before to be buried. His judgement being against burials in Churches, as an abuse introduced by pride & superstition.
I conclude only with this, if the Moderation of this Bishop had been observed elsewhere, I believe Episcopacy might have been kept upon its wheeles.
A Letter of Sir Henry Wotton's to the late King, in the behalf of Bishop Bedel, when he was desired by the Archbishop of Armagh, to accept of the Provostship of Dublin Colledge in Ireland, which hath been lately published in the Life of Sir Henry Wotton.
May it please your most Gracious Majesty,
HAving been informed that certain persons have by the good wishes of the Arch-Bishop of Armagh, been directed hither with a most humble Petition unto your Majesty, that you will be pleased to make Mr. William Bedell (now resident upon a small Benefice in Suffolk) Governour of your Colledg at Dublin, for the good of that society; and my self being required to render unto your Majesty some testimony of the said William Bedell who was long my Chaplain at Venice in the time of my employment there; I am bound in all conscience, and truth (so far as your Majesty will vouchsafe to accept my poore judgement) to affirm of him that I think hardly a fitter man for that charge, could have been propounded unto your Majesty in your whole Kingdom, for singular erudition and piety; Conformitie to the rites of the Church, and Zeal to advance the Cause of God wherein his Travels abroad were not obscure in the time of the Excommunication of the Venetians.
For may it please your Majesty to know that this is the man whom Padro Paule took, I may say, into his very soule; with whom he did communicate the inwardest thoughts of his heart; from whom he professed to have received more knowledge in all D…vinity, both Scholastical and positive, then from any that he had ever practiced in his dayes, of which all the passages were well known to the King your Father, of most blessed memory. And so with your Majestie's good favour, I will end this needlesse office; for the generall fame of his Learning, his Life, and Christian temper, and those religious labours which himself hath dedicated to your Majesty, do better describe him, then I am able.
Your Majestie's most humble and faithfull Servant, H. WOTTON.
A Postscript.
Mr. Thomas Pierce hath in an Appendage to a late book of his, printed five Letters wrot unto me by him, in each of which I cannot but much acknowledge his respects to me. To the four first I gave little else but brief returnes of the like to him, which consisting chiefly, either in the asserting of the nearnesse of his judgement to the Primate's, or the remotenesse of Mr. Barlee's, I did not conceive it fitting for me to interpose, and where there was a professed full agreement, it was no good office in me to make a difference. Now for those, the cause rendred of his not publishing them is good, there being nothing (as he saith) needfull, or of concernment, in any one of them, Only to the fifth of his, wherein three Certificates are published as testimonies to confirm his former assertion of a late change of judgment in the Primate, with other applicatory passages from thence, I did return him a larger answer in this Letter following, (excepting somefew circumstantiall alterations) having then no imagination that either of them should have bin made publick. And I have as little mind to it now, only by the provocation of divers of my Friends who conceive the Primate suffers in the interpretation of many by the silence of it, I have been compelled upon this occasion, to put forth this brief defence of him without any offence to Mr. Pierce. For his Appendage (wherein his respects to me are rather encreased then lesse…ed) I have thought fit to clear one passage. He saith I have spoken indiscriminately of Universal Grace, and Vniversall Redemption, and the place he quotes for it, is out of my second Letter to Mr. Barlee, p. 64. in these words, viz. But that by an Vniversall Redemption should be understood, an Vniversall Grace, &c. will not be attested to have heen affirmed by the Primate, &c. doth not this clearly imply a distinction to be made between them▪ I am sure I then so intended it. And therefore that which he addes immediately after. viz. That there is a wide difference between them, I do fully concurre with him in it. Yet it seems to me, that himself puts them together often indiscriminately, as in the page before this, thrice in one page, 86. and p. 88. l. 32. as in his Philanth. p. 15. and elsewhere. And if I have in any other place done it, as in the title of the Letter, I was led to it by him. In this we have no disagreement, and I wish this following Letter may not occasion any, which I am forced thus to publish, as followeth.