anfwer to Mr. Jewel's challenge in 1564, a quarto volume; a full refutation of which was published by the bishop in folie, in 1556. It is intituled, "A reply to Mr. Harding's anfwer." His antagonift printed two rejoinders, and thus ended the controverfy. By the perufal of the bishop's work, in which all the arguments in Harding's anfwer are candidly stated, the unbiaffed reader will be able to determine with whom the victory manifeftly

remains.

Our prelate's apology for the church of England, and his reply to Harding, were tranflated into all the modern languages of Europe, and into Greek, fo that his works converted many thoufands to the Proteftant religion, who could not have the benefit of his perfonal inftructions. In reward for thefe eminent fervices, the univerfity of Oxford conferred on him the honorary degree of doctor in divinity, in 1565. The following year, bishop Jewel prefided at the divinity difputations held at this univerfity, in prefence of the queen.

His public conduct in his diocefe, likewife procured him the veneration and esteem of all good men. By paying a particular attention to the proceedings of his chancellor and archdeacons, by prefiding frequently in his confiftory court, and by infpecting the lives of the private clergy, he produced a great reformation, and delivered the people from the fhameful extortions of the ftewards, and the inferior officers of the ecclefiaftical court. His humane concern for the welfare of the poor, was extended alfo to the civil jurifdiction; for as he was in the commiffion of the peace, he frequently fat on the bench with the juftices, and corrected many abufes in the exercife of that office; and acting in the fame capacity at his epifcopal feat (for bishops at that time refided on their dioceses, except they were fummoned to court, or to attend

the

the parliament) he compofed the petty quarrels arifing among neighbours, and prevented vexatious law fuits.

But his conftant unwearied application to fo many pious and important concerns, added to his fondness for study, and the little inclination he had for any recreative amufements, deftroyed his health; yet no intreaties or perfuafions of his friends could induce him to alter his ufual hours, or to remit his inceffant labour. He ftill continued his practice, of rifing about four in the morning; at five, he called his family to prayers; at fix, he attended public worship in his cathedral; the remainder of the morning was paffed in his study; the afternoon was taken up in public audiences. About nine in the evening, he called his fervants to an account, examining how they had paffed their time; and then went to prayers with his family. From this time to midnight he withdrew to his study, and then he went to bed; but generally one of his chaplains read to him till he fell asleep. A life fo watchful and laborious, could not fail of bringing on a decline, but when a visible alteration was observed, all the anfwer he gave to the friendly hints thrown out upon this melancholy fubject was, "A bifhop fhould die preaching." And his words were very nearly fulfilled to the letter: for a fhort time before his death, having promised to preach at fome church in Wiltshire, he was met on the road by a gentleman, who perceiving by his looks that he was very ill, advised him to return home, telling him, that the people had better lofe one fermon, than be totally deprived of fuch a preacher. But the bishop continued his journey, and preached his laft fermon, but with great difficulty, for upon his return he grew worfe, and died in a few days, in September 1571, at Monkton Farley, in his own

diocefe.

diocese. He was buried in the choir of Salisbury cathedral.

It is almost needless to obferve, after the character already given of this primitive bishop, that his death was univerfally lamented; much lefs can we attempt any addition to it; we fhall therefore only mention, that he was remarkable for an uncommon memory, which he improved by art. It is afferted, by the firft writer of his life, Dr. Lawrence Humfrey, that he taught this art to Dr. Parkhurst his old tutor, while they were in exile at Zurich, and enabled him in the space of twenty-eight days, with only one hour's application each day, to repeat the whole Gospel of St. Matthew, and upon naming any feparate verse, to recite the preceding and fubfequent verses. As to his own fermons they were chiefly extempore, from heads put down in writing, on which he ufed to meditate while the bell was ringing to fummon him to church. Several experiments were likewife made of the ftrength of his memory, which are related at large by the fame writer; but it is of much more confequence for us to know, that his theological and polemical works rendered his name celebrated all over Europe; and that all his English works, ftill held in efteem by divines, were published together in folio, at London, in 1609.

*

*Authorities. Wood's Athen. and Hift. and Antiq. of Oxford. Humfrey, and Featly's Life of Jewel. British Biography, 8vo. vol. III.

THE

THE LIFE of

JOHN KNOX.

[A. D. 1505, to 1572.]

UR chronological plan now conducts us to a review of the progrefs of the Reformation in the church of Scotland, where it was manfully propagated by one of the most eminent men of the age in which he lived, the celebrated John Knox, defcended from an ancient and honourable family. He was born at Giffard, near Haddington in Scotland in 1505, from whence he was removed at a proper age to the univerfity of St. Andrew, and placed under the tuition of the learned Mr. John Mair; and he applied with fuch uncommon diligence to the academical learning then in vogue, that, in a fhort time, and while yet very young, he obtained the degree of master of arts.

As the bent of his inclination led him ftrongly to the church, he turned the course of his ftudies very early to divinity, and, by the advantage of his tutor's inftructions, foon became remarkable for his knowledge in fcholaftic theology; fo that

he

he took priest's orders before the period usually allowed by the canons: and, from being a learner, began himself to teach with great applause his beloved science. But, after fome time, upon a careful perufal of the fathers of the church, and particularly the writings of St. Jerome and St. Auftin, his fentiments were entirely altered. He quitted the cobweb fubtilty of the fchools, and took to the ftudy of a more plain, folid, and rational divinity.

Having once embraced the fcriptural doctrines of Christianity, he attended none but fuch preachers, whom he knew to be of the fame way of thinking, the most eminent of whom was Guilliam, a black friar, whofe fermons were of extraordinary fervice to him. This friar was provincial of his order in 1543, when the earl of Arran, then regent of Scotland, favoured the Reformation; and Mr. George Wishart, another celebrated reformer, coming from England in the fucceeding year, with the commiffioners fent from king Henry VIII. Knox being of an inquifitive nature, learned from him the principles of the Proteftants; with which he was fo pleafed, that he renounced the Romish religion, and became a zealous reformer, having left St. Andrew's a little before, to be tutor to the fons of the lairds of Ormiftoun and Languidry, who were both favourers of the Reformation.

Mr. Knox's ordinary refidence was at Languidry, where he not only inftructed his pupils in the different branches of academical learning, but was particularly careful to inftil into their minds the principles of piety and of the Proteftant religion. This coming to the ears of David Beaton, the car dinal and archbishop of St. Andrew's, that prelate profecuted him with fuch feverity, that he was frequently obliged to abfcond, and flee from place

to