THE BISHOPS Last Vote in PARLIAMENT.  
OR, Their Supersedeas from both Houses, in February, 1641.  
Who are now wished to attend their Flock, seeing they have time and leisure.  
Or if they will to preach in the Tower.  Tempora Mutantur. 
Lo●don, Printed for john Thomas, 1641.   

Good Night to the Lord Bishops.  
WHat gone my Lords, clean outed, hath an exit now at last passed upon the Mitre, though with much ado: Why God be thanked for it, and never send us worse news, Now you are eased of your Lordships, we hope that you will be better acquainted with the familiar and Christian term of brother, and seeing ye are dismissed of Temporal, (knowing that you hold it not only a great shame, but a great sin to be idle) we trust to find you more frequent in your spiritual charge and Pastoral employment, the execution whereof would be questionless more consonant to reason, more agreeable to the minds of all good men, and more acceptable to your Master that should be, (and as I hope for hereafter you will better take him to be) jesus Christ. Who for his part we all know never gave order, never allowed greatness in his, save such as proceedeth from contemptaion and annihilation of a man's own self, which indeed is the only greatness greatly, yea; only respected of him, and which if he sees not in his immediate servants, (viz.) his Ministers, they shall be very small with him how great soever they may be either in their own dazzling eyes, or in these of worldly men: Good (Mr. Bishops, for my Lord is gone now) let me be bold to tell you that which I suppose some of you know already (though for all I dare not undertake their Bishoprics fare in revenue surpassing, their knowledge in actu, did you ever observe that creatures living in two Elements, were never beloved, but ever haunted & pursued by either the Beast or Fowl, solely appropiated unto one or the other Element nature love's no division in place, not the God of Nature in employments, are not the Otter, the Beaver the so●●e eshewed, hated, shunned, and fled from by all Fish and Fire of the Sea, are they not sought or watched for, and laid in wait for, by all creatures on land, Dread they not these, fear they not those, are they in peace in the Water; are they quiet on Shore, nor flock they nor sort they together in flocks, or companies as all other creatures that only challenge unto themselves one Element or continual reside and stay, neither are they not termed Animalia Solivaga, creatures wand'ring alone, and that may bid a pox of their Company? Marry are they, what may the reason of this be, it is apparent, divided in nature, divided in disposition out of a covetous desire to share in commons with all other settled & determinate creatures in respect of Station, they utterly lose them in love and affection, would it had not been your fortune or rather faults, that the world had not had so just an occasion and ground to note you, like to the forenamed beasts in the quality of your Function, for then surely it would never have proved to you, as all other creatures did to them in them, in the matter of disaffection, nothing about you that you wore for matter of habit, nothing that you taught for matter of habit, nothing that you taught for matter of belief or Doctrine, nothing that you did for matter of employment and action, none to whom you did belong in matter of service & duty, but savoured, yea stunk of an Otter, Beaver, or Soil, viz. of a strange sundered Hocus Pecus, Hodge Podge, incongruus ridictionus, monstrous exorbitancy, and now let us first by leave examine your Lincie Wolsey habit; that is Magpie like white and black, making show of more cleanness without then ever by good action could appear of innocency within, next a cap God bless upon your heads, and that must have as many corners as a Cushion, or else the fats in the fire, for each corner forsooth points at a Cardinal's virtue, doubt it not, as certainly as the Seaman's Card doth at the four Cardinal Winds, though upon trial made, your pericranium will be found as guiltless of their knowledge, as your lives and do are of the practice (except I cry you mercy good gaffer Bishops) your Cap-corners may point at the four Cardinal Virtues of Rome, there perhaps he points right, for some of you within these late days have been sound as well proceeded in the Cardinal Virtue of Pride, in the Cardinal Virtue of covetousness, and in the cardinal Virtue of detestable Sloth and Idleness, (to say nothing of the cardinal Virtue of Superstition, because if I should name more cardinal Virtues than the cap hath corners) I say with these cardinal virtues you are as ably endowed, as any cardivall in the conclave at Rome whatsoever, now for your Doctrine, if that was not composed of two Elements let the world judge, for what was the scope of your discourse whensoever you were pleased to stand half an hour in the Pulpit, but this that a man might live as safe in the Water as on shore, in the puddles of the Roman Superstition, as on the firm ground of God's Gospel, you were lukewarm forsooth, between the cold Papist, and the hot Zealous Protestant (who you in your temporising temperate discretion are pleased to call Puritan) and are therefore vomited out of the mouth of Christ, and out of the respect of all good men; your employment was part for Heaven, and your Master, Christ, when you had nothing else to do, partly for Earth and your Master the King, whom I must needs say you served a great deal better than Christ, for truly to give you your due you plied his service, but some think your own under his Skirts, both in the Star-chamber, and the High-Commission exceeding well, but it was both with reservation and expectation that the King should ply you with fat Benefices, great Bishoprics, high Honours, for no man must conceive that you must ply for nothing, you plied the King in what you thought fitting, the King must comply with you forsooth in what you please, but now the World is come about, it is day all abroad although it is night with you, there be some others (of whom you little dreamt some two or three years ago) that have plied you now (somewhat to your easel must confess, though not to your content) and as they have plied and served your pompous Titles and Temporal Votes in Parliament, with Courts and jurisdictions with a Writ of Ease, for we trust they will distribute your enclosed hast means and unmeasurable Revenues with a Writ of conscionable division; for to come to the matter, if you are so well skilled in the Scripture, as both your age and place requires, how dare you gape after earthly Titles, when Christ your master (whom now I hope you will hear seeing you can better tend it) commands you plainly, be yea not called Lords? and tell his Disciples (whose successors you would feign be in Dignity, but not in pains) that though it was so among the Heathen yet it should not be so with them, you must needs equal Potentates and Kings, you are personae mixta, you are, no no the Parliament hath contrived you out of that opinion now, you were, and you had somewhat to do about Heaven, and more upon Earth (divisum Officium) but fee the Power and efficacy of a Parliament, they have made you all to mind Heavenly things, yea although it be against your will, to be short good Bishops, mind that calling for which all good men will mind you, think no more of serving two masters, lest you be beloved of neither, hunt no more after earthly employments and preferments, lest at length you have no place neither in one nor other, follow my council, in so doing you may in time gain something that you have lost, but be that cannot be content to come out of the Tower and preach as his Brothers do, let him for my part stay there still, or if he will needs have the Title of Lord, let him quit the Kingdom and trudge Tiber, if he will to Tyburn, no question we shall soon have an ●onester man in his place who will be content with such dignity, as it hath pleased Christ to give him.   
FINIS.