The Judgment of Babylon, Tract · Biographical sketch
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 Wottons, 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 Ʋniverſity, 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 Embaſſadors 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 Wadeſworth, who at the ſame time, going with the Embaſſadour into Spain, had been withdrawn to the See of Rome, whoſe temper and meekneſſe of ſtile to an Apoſtate, I wiſh were ſo far exemplary with ſome Writers among our ſelves, as to abate that heat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 Horningeſh-earth 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 I…eland, 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 Juriſdiction, 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 Lords 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 Wottons 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 Divinity, 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 Majeſties 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 Majeſties moſt humble and faithfull Servant, H. WOTTON.