1. THat hee hath by his owne arbitrary power against Law since he was Bishop of Bath and wells (being about ten yeares space) of purpose to keepe the peo­ple in ignorance, and hinder the Salvation of their Soules which he should promote, suppressed all Le­ctures within his Diocesse, both in Market Townes and elsewhere, aswell those that the Ministers kept in their severall cures, as others that were maintained by severall yearely stipends (given by the founders) our of their piety and devotion, for such goodnesse or by the voluntary assistance of neighbour Ministers; some of which Among thes he hath supper­sed the ancient weekly lecture at the City of Bath, whither many Nobles, and other strangers ro­sort, especially in the spring and fall, who by reason of their sicknesse, both desire & need preach­ing for the consolation & in­struction of their soules, of which now they are there destitute, to their great dis­comfort. Lectures had continued for 50.40.30. yeares, without interruption, and where countenanced by his predecessors, who used to preach at some of them in their turnes.

2. That in stead of incouraging he hath suspended, excommunica­ted and otherwise vexed the said Lectures; glorying in this so doing and thanking God that he had not a Lecture left in all his Diocesse; the very name whereof he sa [...]d he disliked, and affirmed unto Master Cun­nant a Minister, who desired a continuance of a Lecture, that hee would not leave one within his Diocesse; the B [...]shop alleadging, that though there was neede of Preaching in the infancy of the Church of the Apo­stles time, yet now their was no such neede; and thereupon required the said Minister upon his Canonicall obedience, not to Preach: and in like ma [...]ner he dealt with many other godly Ministers within his Diocesse. And in par [...]icular he suspended Mastere Devenish the Minister of Bridge­water, for preaching t [...]e Lecture in his owne Church on the market day there, (which Lecture had continued from Queene Elizabeths time till then;) and refused to absolve him, till he had promised never to preach it more; upon which promise, the said Bishop absolved him with this admonition of our Saviour, most prophanely applyed, Iohn 5.14. I dare say no Commentator whatsoever, e­ver made so ill an application of this Text. Goe thy way sin no more, least a worse thing happen to thee. And not content to put downe Lectures in his own Diocesse, he hath indeavored the suppression of them in others by conventing some ministers of his Diocesse before him, as namely one Master Cunnant and Master Stickland) and threat­ning to suspend them for preaching their turnes at Lectures in other Di­ocesses neere them.

3. That in opposition to Preaching, and the Sirituall cood of the peo­ples Soules, It appears by Act, 20.20.31. Act. 2 46. [...]3. & 4. & 5. Lu. 21 37.38. Ioh. 8 22.19.47.2, tim 4.2. by Basil. Magnus Hexa­emeron. Hom. 2.7 8.9. & Hom. in Psal. 114. by Saint Chry­sostom. Hom. 10.22. & 34. in Gen. Ad Pop. Antioch. Hom. 19.13. & 5. De saceidotio. l. 6. hom. de Laza­ro. by Augusti Concio. 2. in Psal. 68. Tract. 16.18. & 21. in Ioan. and o­ther Fathers, that Christ, his Apostles, and the Fathers preached eve­ry day, and forenoone and afternoone on the Lo [...]ds day, how dare then this prelate thus to affront their practise? he hath most impiously, and against Law put downe all af­ternoone Sermons on the Lords day, throughout his Diocesse, and char­ged the Ministers both publique in his visitation, and privately, not to preach at all on the Lords day on the afternoone, upon any occasion un­der paine of suspension: after which charge he suspended one Master Cor­nish a Minister, onely for preaching a funera [...]l Sermon on a Lords day Evening.

4. That divers godly Ministers of his Diocesse, being restrained from Preaching did thereupon take great paines, to Chatechise the people in the principals of Religion, on the Lords day in the afterno [...]ne, enlarg­ing themselves upon the questions and answers of the Catechisme, in the Common-prayer booke, for the peoples better instruction, using some short prayers before or after that exercise: of which the said Bish [...]p ha­ving in [...]elligence conven [...]ed the said Ministers before him, reproving them sharpely for the same, threatning to punish them if they persisted in that way, which he said, was a Chatechisme Sermon-wise, and as if they preached; charging them that they should aske no questions, nor re­ceive any other answers from the people but such as were contained in the Catechisme in the Service booke, which some not observing, were con­vented threupon before the said Bishop, and punished, as namely Master Barret Rector of Barwick, who was enjoyned Penance for transgres­sing the Bishops said order; and likewise Humphrey Blake, Church­warden of Bridgewater, was enjoyned penance by the Bishop, for not presenting Master Devenish Minister there, for that he expounded upon the Church-Catechisme on the Lords day in the afternoone, and made a short prayer before he began the same; the Bishop alleaging, that it was against his order and command, as is abovesaid.

5. That he hath both by precept & example most prophanely opposed the due sanctification of the Lords day, by approving and allowing of prophane Wakes and Revels on that day, contrary to the Lawes and Sta­tutes of this Realme, for which purpose he O prophane Impiety and Iniustice, to punish mini­sters for prea­ching, Catechi­sing, and doing that which God enioynes them. commanded afternoone ser­vice on the Lords day not to be long, that so the people might not bee hin­dred from their Recreations; pressed and injoyned all the Ministers in his Diocesse in their proper persons, to reade the booke of sports, in their severall parish Churches, in the middest of Divine Service at morning prayer on the Lords day, contray to the words, and perport of the said booke, which some Ministers (as Master Humphry Chambers, and Ma­ster Thomas refusing to doe, Impiety and prophanenesse which no age can patterne, many minister have been sus­pended and censured for shortning the Service, that they might preach the longer, and yet they are commanded to cor [...]al it by this Bishop, that the people might have more time to play in Gods own day he therefore suspended them both from their Office and Benefice and kept them excommunicated for divers yeares, notwithstanding the said booke was by the Bishops Order published in their churches by others he convented the ministers of Beererockham be­fore him for having two Sermons on the said parish Revell day, alleadging [Page 5] that it was a hinderance, to the said Revell, and to the [...] of the Church-Ale, provided to be spent on that day. He converted and puni­shed one Master Thomas [...]ford a Minister, for Preaching at the Parish of Mountagu, upon the Revell day upon the Praphet Ioels exhortation, to fasting, weeping and mourning, charging him, that not onely his Ser­mon, but his very Text was A pious, [...] ­pall reason, fit­ter for an Ale­wife then a Bi­shop an A­theist then a Prelate. scandalous to the Revell, and gave offence to the meeting. And or the same reason, the said Bishop commanded the said Church-warde's of the Parish of Batcombe, to blot out of the Church wall, this Text of Scripture therein written, taken out of Esay 58.13.14. O blasphemy why was not the Revell ra­ther scanda­lous to the text. If thou turne away thy foote from the Sabboth, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord honorable, and shalt honour him, not doing the owne waie [...]s nor finding thine owne pleasure, nor speaking thine owne words, then shalt thou delight thy selfe in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth and feede thee with heritage of Jacob thy Father, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. And he likewise caused to be rased out this clause in Doctor Bisse his monument in that Church, formerly P [...]stor there; he was an enemy to heathenish Revell. To countenance which Revells, the said Bishop (in opposition to the orders of the Judges of Assise, and Justices of Peace of Somerset-shire, for the suppressing of Sports and Revells and their Petition to the King, to that purpose) did call before him divers ministers of his Diocesse and presented unto them a writing in approbation and commendations of the said sports and Re­vells, whereupon many of the said Ministers subscribed their names, by the Bishops perswasions, which writing the said Bishop sent up to the Archbishop of Canterbury, who after the receipt thereof suppressed the Justices Petition. And partly after the booke for sports and Revells on the Lords day was published.

6. That hee hath both by example and cammand, contrary to the Lawes of the Land, introduced into all or most Churches in his Diocesse sundry Innovations in the Rives and Ceremonies of the Church, and o­ther new inventions of his owne, tending to Popery and Superstition: (as namely, setting up of Alters, and enjoyning the seats about them to be taken away, saying, O the despe­rate impiety and prophane­nesse of this Bishop, who might as well obliterate this Scripture out of the Bible, as out of the Church wall. This speech he borrowed from Canterbury, who might doe well to prove that God al­mighty sits ac­tually on the Lords Table, & that as well when there is no Communi­on there, as when there is. none shall sit equall with or above God Al­mighty; bowing and crin [...]ing to the said Altars, (and reading the se­cond and third service at the Alter) and enjoyned the strict observation of them under the heaviest Censures of the Church; in so much that the Communion Table of Stretton in his Diocesse, which he had caused to be railed in Altarwise, being brought downe againe in his former place and not turned to the East, thereupon no Communion was there permitted to the Parishioners on Palme-Sunday and Easterday 1637. the minister having received an Order from the said Bishop, O monstrous superstition sa­criledge & im­piety, to de­prive the peo­ple of the Sa­crament, be­cause the Table stood not after his new [...]ancy No age I am certain yeelds such a presi­dent. not to ad­minister the Communion untill the Table was againe set up Alterwise: and caused deverse to be punished for not standing up at the Gospel and Gloria Patri. And he hath likewise forced divers parishes, as Tanto Shep­ton Mallet, and others, to their intolerable cost, to set up Organs, [Page 4] [...] [Page 5] [...] [Page 6] It seemes his Lordship de­lighted more in piping then preaching, and will have men goe merrily dancing not mouthing to heaven. where there were none at all, or not a long time before; causing the Churchwarden, to levie mony towards the building of them, upon the Parishioners against their wills and punishing them in his Ecclesiasti­call Court that would not pay towards them, and that hee hath put the County of Somerset to excessive oxpences, by reason of such Innovations as aforesaid.

7. That he hath contrary to Law, vexed and molested in his Ecclesia­sticall Courts divers of the Clergy and Laity of his Diocesse for triviall and small matters; excommunicated and vexed divers Churchwardens, for not rayling in the communion Table, and placing it Alterwise against the East wall of the Chancell; and by name, the Churchwardens of Beck­ington; whom he not excommunicated, but likewise caused them and o­thers to be unjustly indicted at the open Assizes held in the County in Lent, 1636. as for a Riot in hindring the removing of the Table in that Church putting the said Parish to the expence of 1800. pound or more, and not absolving the Churchwardens from their excommunion till the they had done such open and ignominious pennance, as the said Bishop enjoyned them, in three eminent Parish Churches within his Diocesse as likewise at the Market-crosse at Wells. The performance of which pen­nance wrought so farre upon Iames Wheeler one of the said Churchwar­dens that thereupon he fell into a consumption through griefe, and so dyed; saying often before his death, that the performance of the said pennance being so ignominious and against his Conscience, was the cause of his death; and by his vexatious suites in his Ecclesiasticall Courts he hath raised his Registers office in former Bishops time not worth above 60, pound per annum, to the value of 3 or 4 hundred pounds or more by the yeare.

8. That the said Bishop hath undoubtedly and against Law, pressed the Oathes Ex Officio upon divers inhabitants of Wells without com­plaint or accusation, and likewise the Oath of Deanes Rurall, with other unlawfull Oathes, both upon the Clergie and Laity within his Diocesse, and other places; and suspended and excommunicated divers of them that ref [...]sed to take the said Oathes: and that not only in his Consi­story Court but in his owne private Chamber, there being none but a R [...]g [...]ster with him.

9. That he hath for his owne Lucre and gaine extorted divers summes of money against Law, as of one Fort one of the Churchwardens of South Pederton twenty pounds. And also of one Master Francklyn the sorne of three pounds (besides the some of ten pounds given in Fees and rewards to the Bishops servants) for instituting him into the Personage of Standerweeke. And hath likewise exacted the summe of sixe shillings eight pence or more, of divers Churchwardens and Parishes within his Diocesse, onely for not ringing the Bells when hee passed through the bounds of their severall Parishes, in his Uisitation, though privately without giving them any notice of his comming that way,

10. That he hath against Law deferred and denyed Institutions upon [Page 7]presentations to Benefices, practising in the interim under hand to con­setre the sonie upon his Sonne servants, or other dependants, and to de­prive the Patrons of their rights: and hath even by force, against all law and equity, conseired s [...]me of the Benefices upon his sonne, servants, and dependants, viz upon his sonne, the Parsonage of Buckland, and endea­vored by the lik force to conferre the Personage of Standerweeke upon his said sonne, and other Parsonage upon his servants and a lives and did against Law and by force conferr the Uicarage of Hynstridge upon his servant Flamstead.

11. That hee hath it ampered with witnesses examined by and before him upon Oath, to make them testifie untruths, and hath falsified their depositions, setting downe his owne words, and what hee would have them depose, instead of what they test [...]fied; as namely in the Case of the Church wardens of Becking [...]on, and in that of M. I [...]nes Minister of Beer [...]rocombe.

12. [...] is a common vexer, persecuter and molester of worthy and [...] Ministers, and a countenancer of those who are negligent [...] as namely, he hath vexed and, persecuted, Mr, Chambers Mr, Thomas Mr. Croake, Mr. Newton, Mr. Barnard, Mr. Cunnant, Mr. Roswell, and many, other good and pa [...]efull Ministers of the Diocesse, [...] him Chaplaine Mr. Egl [...]rf [...]ld Gawler, and [...] with other vitious Ministers, and Mr: [...] and others [...]

13. If [...] said Bishop according to Law, did severely exact and im­pose upon lives of the Clergie within his Diocesse, the new Oath pre­scribed by thesixt Canon of the late pretended Synod and caused and and inforced them to take the said illegall Oath, himselfe kissing the Seale or the Commission which authorised him to exact the faid Oath of his Clergy, and kneeling downe upon his knees tooke the Oath first ,and their administred it to others; saying, that he was glad in his heart that this Oath was imposed upon all the Clergy of England for now the true Children of the Church, would be knowne, from the spurious and Bastards. And [...] hath [...] to conferre Orders upon such who refused to take the Oath, as namely upon one Mr. Gibbens. And hath enforced the said Oath upon divers, he hath ordained Ministers since the making thereof.

14. That the said Bishop was a great fomenter and incourager of the late-divisions and wa [...]res betweene the Kingdoms of England and Scot­land conventing and urging the Clergy of his Diocesse to contribute a a liberall benevolence towards the maintenance of the said warres, using this speech as one motive to induce them to this contribution; that it was Bishop Hall labours to ex­cuse it, in his Answer to the vindication. p. 14.15. as if the Bishop mean: it only in a less evil construction, as referring to the northern use of that quarrell, not our prosecuti­on, when as it is most cleare by the words and circum­stances, that he meant quite contrary Bellum Episcopale and [...]ing that what eve [...] cause the King had ex­pressed in the Declaration [...] in [...] this war was for us, meaning us the Bishops. And whereas some of the Clergie [...] the payment of so large a Benevolence as the said Bishop demanded, in regard of their po­verty, and because they were still in their first fruits, when they were [Page 8]free from Subsidies, the said Bishop threamed by his power to put more Names and Horses upon them, saying that as they would not [...] the King with their purses, they should serve him with their Armes. And thereupon compelled them to pay the summes he demanded of them is gainst Law as namely Mr. Roswell Mr. Iames, Mr. Abbot, and others, And not contented herewith, the said Bishop pretending that there was divers poore Uicars and Ministers in his Diocesse that were not able to pay the benevolence, so that he could not raise the summe hee expected thereupon directed his letters to divers of his welthier Clergie, causing some of them to pay a Which some of the Countie conceive hee hath pursed up or discharged his owne share in this contri­bution there­with. fee and contribution.

15. That the said Bishop not content with this first benevolence hath since that compelled divers of his Clergy to pay all or part of the sixe il­legall subsidies or benevolences imposed by the late pretended Synod, without confirmation of Parliament, threatning to excommunicate and deprive them ipso facto who failed payment of it at the dayes prefixed by the Synod and sent out a proces to Mr. Newton, minister of Taunton (even whiles the said Towne was much visited by the pestilence) long before the said Subsidy or Benevolence was due, to enjoyne him to pay it punctually at the day, or else hee would inflict on him the penalties prescribed by this Synod; and used these speeches, that if they did not pay the said Subsidies or Benevolence they should be ground to powder.

16. And the said Commons by Protestation saving to themselves the libertie of exhibiting at any time hereafter any other accusation or im­peachment against the said Bishop; And also of replying to the answers that he said Bishop shall make unto the said Articles, or to any of them, and of offering proofes also of the premisses or any of them, or any other impeachment or occasion that shall be exhibited by them (as the cause shall according to the course of Parliaments require) doe pray that the said Bishop may be put to answer to all and every the premisses. And that such proceedings, examinations, tryalls, and judgements may bee upon every of them had and used, as is agreeable to Law and Justice.

By these Articles of impeachment you may easily discover what a desperately prophane, impious, turbulent Pilate the Bishop is, even such a one, whom no age (I thinke) in many particulars is able to paralell, whose prodigiously prophane speeches and actions proclaies to all the world, that our present Pilates impieties have made them fit for judge­ment; yea good for nothing but to be cast out and trampled under feete of men, as the very excrements and off-scourings of all things.