JAMES THE SECOND.

175

serving, both in and out of Parliament, the designs of theSovereign.*

On the twenty-seventh of May it was notified to the Bi-shops that on the eighth of June they must appear before theKing in Council. Why so long an interval was allowed weare not informed. Perhaps James hoped that some of theoffenders, terrified by his displeasure, might submit beforethe day fixed for the reading of the Declaration in their dio-ceses, and might, in order to make their peace with him,persuade their clergy to obey his order. If such was his hopeit was signally disappointed. Sunday the third of June came;and all parts of England followed the example of the capital.Already the Bishops of Norwich, Gloucester, Salisbury,Winchester, and Exeter, had signed copies of the petition intoken of their approbation. The Bishop of Worcester hadrefused to distribute the Declaration among his clergy. TheBishop of Hereford had distributed it: but it was generallyunderstood that he was overwhelmed by remorse and shamefor having done so. Not one parish priest in fifty compliedwith the Order in Council. In the grert diocese of Chester,including the county of Lancaster, only three clergymencould be prevailed on by Cartwright to obey the King. Inthe diocese of Norwich are many hundreds of parishes. Inonly four of these was the Declaration read. The courtlyBishop of Rochester could not overcome the scruples of theminister of the ordinary of Chatham, who depended on thegovernment for bread. There is still extant a pathetic letterwhich this honest priest sent to the Secretary of the Ad-miralty. “I cannot,” he wrote, “reasonably expect yourHonour’s protection. God’s will be done. I must choosesuffering rather than sin.”**

On the evening of the eighth of June the seven prelates,furnished by the ablest lawyers in England with full advice,

' Barillon,

Wrv 3(1.

May 31,

IC88; Citters, July

Tl* »

June#. June ID.

June ; Clarke’s Life ol James the Second, ii. 158.

Adda

Mny 85 .June4.

** Burnet, i. 740.; Life of Prideaux; Citters, June $j. 1688;Tanner MS.; Life and Correspondence of Pepys.

6HAP

_V1U.

16SS.

They areexamined