Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 22 · Quality 1
A Bishoppe must be faultlesse, as becommeth the Minister of God: Not stubburne, nor angrie, no drunkard, no fighter, not geuen to filthy luker▪ but harberous, one that loueth goodnesse, sober minded, righteous, holy, temperate, and such as cleaueth vntounto the true word and doctrine, that he may be able to exhort. &c.
Unto this rule and touchstone, to lay now the life and conuersation of this Archb. we will first begin wyth that which is thus wrytten:… A Bishop must be faultlesse, as becommeth the Minister of God. Like as no man is without sinne, and eueryevery man carieth with him his especiall vice & fault: so yet neuerthelesse, the Apostle meaneth, that the Bishop and minister must be fautlesse, in comparison of the common conuersation of men of the world, which seeme more licentiously to liue at their owne liberties and pleasures, then the bishop or minister ought to doe, hauing small regard vntounto good example geuing: which a bishop and minister most carefully ought to consider, least by hys dissolute life, the woord of God be sclandered & euill spoken of. Which thing to auoide, and the better to accomplish thys precept of the Apostle, this woorthy man euermore gaue him selfe to continuall studie, not breaking that order that he in the Uniuersitie commonly vsed:t…e order … Cran… study. that is, by 5. of the clocke in the morning at his booke, and so consuming that time in studie and praier, vntill 9. of the clocke, he then applied himselfe (if the Princes affaires did not call hym away) vntill dinner time, to heare suters, and to dispatche suche matters as appertained vntounto his speciall cure and charge, cōmitting his temporall affaires both of his housholde and other forraine businesse, vntounto his officers. So that such things were neuer impediments neither to hys studie, nor to his pastoral charge, which principally consisted in reformation of corrupt religion, & in setting foorth of true and sincere doctrine. For ye most parte alwaies being in Commission, he associated himselfe wt learned men for sifting and boulting out of one matter or other, for the commoditie and profite of the Church of Englande. By meanes wherof, & what for his priuate studie, he was neuer idle: besides that, he accounted it no idle poynte to bestow one houre or twaine of the day in ouer reading such woorkes and bookes as daily came from beyond the seas.
After dinner, if any suters were attendant, he woulde very diligently heare them, and dispatch them in such sort as eueryevery man commended hys lenitie and gentlenesse, althoughe ye case required that some whiles diuers of them were committed by him to prisone. And hauing no suters after dinner, for an houre or thereabout, he would play at the Chests, or behold such as could play. That done, then againe to his ordinarye study, at the which commonly, he for the most part stoode, and seldome sate: and there continuing vntill 5. of the clocke, bestowed that houre in hearing the common prayer, and walking or vsing some honest pastime vntill supper time.… At supper, if he had appetite (as many times he would not suppe) yet would he sit downe at the table, hauing his ordinarie prouision of hys m…sse furnished with expedient companye, he wearing on his hāds his gloues, because he would (as it were) therby weane himself frō eating of meat, but yet keping the company with such fruitful talke as did repast, & much delight the hearers: so that by this meanes hospitalitie was well furnished, and the almes chest well maintained for reliefe of the poore. After supper he would consume one houre at the least, in walking, or some other honest pastime: and then againe vntill 9. of the clocke, at one kinde of study or other. So that no houre of the day was spent in vaine, but the same was so bestowed, as tended to the glory of God, the seruice of the Prince, or to the commoditie of the Church. Which his well bestowing of his time, procured to him most happely a good report of all men, to be in respecte of other mennes conuersation fautlesse, as it became the Minister of God.