JA5IES THE SECOND.

183

The demeanour of the seven prelates meanwhile c ^j’-strengthened the interest which their situation excited. On—5^557—the evening of the Black Friday, as it was called, on whichthey were committed, they reached their prison just at thehour of divine service. They instantly hastened to the chapel.

It chanced that in the second lesson were these words: “Inall things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, inmuch patience, in afflictions, in distresses, in stripes, in im-prisonments.” All zealous Churchmen were delighted by thiscoincidence, and remembered how much comfort a similarcoincidence had given, near forty years before, to Charlesthe First at the time of his death.

On the evening of the next day, Saturday the ninth, aletter came from Sunderland enjoining the chaplain of theTower to read the Declaration during divine service on thefollowing morning. As the time fixed by the Order in Councilfor the reading in London had long expired, this proceedingof the government could be considered only as a personalinsult of the meanest and most childish kind to the venerableprisoners. The chaplain refused to comply: he was dismissedfrom his situation; and the chapel was shut up. *

The Bishops edified all who approached them by the firm- Theness and cheerfulness with which they endured confinement, broughtby the modesty and meekness with which they received the £uig>3 lliaapplauses and blessings of the whole nation, and by the loyal Benchattachment which they professed for the persecutor who b”ned.sought their destruction. They remained only a week incustody. On Friday the fifteenth of June, the first day ofterm, they were brought before the King’s Bench. An im-mense throng awaited their coming. From the landing-placeto the Court of Bequests they passed through a lane of spec-tators who blessed and applauded them. “Friends,” saidthe prisoners as they passed, “honour the King; and re-member us in your prayers.” These humble and pious ex-pressions moved the hearers, even to tears. When at lengththe procession had made its way through the crowd into thepresence of the Judges, the Attorney General exhibited theCillers June J5- *688; Lutlrell’s Diary, June 18.