HALIFAX LAW TRANSLATED TO OXON: OR, The New Visitors justice, Displayed in a Letter to a Friend, concerning the late Reformation begun there by the E. of Pembroke.  
More particularly in Brasennose College, and S. John's.  
Printed in the Year 1648.   

YOur last Letters, (Gentle Sir) show me that you keep close to your old wont, and are still as eager after News as other Men are after Meat. You show me that you would be satisfied how it fareth with your Mother the University in this newfound Visitation: How with your Nurse the College of Brazen Nose, where you were trained: How with the Precedent of S. John's, unto whom you profess yourself obliged for some special Favour afforded unto you in the renewing of your Lease from the Church of Sarum, by his means as Dean. I see your desire, and the Method how you would be satisfied, and I shall endeavour for the staying of your stomach (until some one of more leisure may cook you out a full Meal) to give you a Taste of each of those Dishes, which you have named unto me.  
On Tuesday, April 11. My Lord of Pembroke came to Oxon, in the common expectation, attended with Gentlemen of the Country, and Men of special Rank and Quality; but in very deed accompanied with a very lank and mean Retinue: before him came five Beadles, that would be, and the Clergy Visitours, with some of their Seekers, who were in hope to rake something out of the Rubbish, when their Masters had ruined the Colleges: there followed his Honour some Gentlemen of his own Household, and thence unto Merton College, an Herd of Townsmen and ragged Gowns, who were entertained (as they conceive) all alike with an Oration from M. Cheynel, he telling them, that Englishmen were to be entertained in the English Tongue, and so after some few Words answerable to this latter part of his Auditory, he shut his Mouth, and the Roat came bacl with open Mouth, that they had often seen Sir Cranion or the Fly at Whitsuntide fetched in by the Cooks of Oxon, with much more grace and solemnity.  
On Wednesday, his Lordship was brought to the Convocation-house, his five Staffe-less Beadles preceding with empty hands, and his five Visitours with empty heads, pursuing his Honour, it is agreed these later were empty heads but it was discovered by a secret Spy, that Langley a broken Tailor who first led the Beadles without Staves had a Needle in his hand, which he bore (they say) as Ensign that the Visitours were now come, who meant to botch up the University, or otherwise as the only prosse, that these Men were the Fellows indeed, who were like to make good the Latin Proverb, Rem acu targe, and to put out the Eye of the University with their Needle.  
On Thursday his Lordship went to divers Colleges with these Nothings before and behind him; who to make themselves pass for something, had joined unto them a Torne-breeched Smith with a Cyclopian Sledge or Hammer: and that was the thing which made the terrible noise, and proclaimed those Visitors what they are, the Enemies to all Doors which might keep in Sober men and Students. This Magdalen College, Alsoules, and Trinity College were made sensible of; whose doors being broken down to the ground, were made the only things pertaining to Learning which sell down and worshipped these, those, those, etc.  
On Friday his Lordship went out of the Town, not one Beggar retarding his passage with a breath to beg for an Alms; Some unhappy jacks have collected, that either the poor were very glad to be rid of their new Chancellor, or other wise, that they had resolved to take Alms at no hand, but from whence they might likewise hope for a blessing, But that I may not surfeit you while I am giving you the Taste I promised, you shall now hear the last of this Pageantry, or antedated May-game.  
The Chancellor being departed, the younger Fry spend their Mouths and judgements upon him, That he came into the Town like a Butcher, proceeded to knock down Learning like a Butcher, and went out like a Pinch-penny. But these were the extravagancies of younger and wilder Fancies: The more Authentic and Sober men were very sparing of their words, but sure they paid it with thinking. Yet some of them were heard to say at a close meeting, that it was a marvellous condescension for a Gentleman of so Noble Birth, and so much Honour to be led up and down a City in the execution of a Petty-Constables Office, for the breaking open of Gates and Doors according as a company of Cockbrained men, a medley or Composition of Fools, Knaves, and Madmen should direct him. How say you? Is not your Mother the University in a ready way to become a famous and glorious. University, just after the same manner as her Foster-Father hath been made a most famous and glorious King.  
Your Nurse hath been long sick in her head, but little looked for such Physicians, who cure not but by killing. The plain and brief English is this. Upon Thursday night last the Visitors came unto Brasennose College, went into the Hall, caused the Order from the Committee above to be read, wherein it was declared, that Dr. Ratcliff was thought guilty by the Commons of high Contempt of Parliament, and thereupon resolved that he should be removed from being Principal, and Mr. Greenwood should be made Principal in his place. The Visitors without more ado (D. Ratcliff the Principall-remaining in full possession, and his place being never declared actually void) put Mr. Greenwood into possession. But you must not call this an Error among them, with whom it hath ever passed currant, that the house which they have a mind unto, admitteth not of the distinction of Plena and Vacua, Voidable and Voided. But is as pervious to these holy men, as is the air to a celestial body, or the light. Well Sir, the Earl of Pembroke telleth Mr. Greenwood out of the Vn-eccing Chair, which ruleth at the high Mess at Brasennose that he was Principal. And Mr. Cheynell immediately telleth my Lord, that he must now rise out of the Chair, and give Mr. Greenwood the place. The first Precedent that any called Chancellor gave way to any of the University in any place of the University. But the heady Cheynell would have it so, and the good dutiful Lord obeyed, and came out of the Chair, and set Mr. Greenwood in it; and then Mr. Greenwood came out, and both of them together went out of the Colleges; so they were in and out, and out and in, and out throughout.  
Doctor Bailiff at St. John's had some fair play for his Presidentship: But little better success. He met the blow which was to smite him beside his Head-ship in the Quadrangle; and so was taken by the Earl of Pembroke and the Visitors into the College. Hall, and admitted to hear his Doom, the Fatal and irrespective Decree of the Committee, which condemneth and executeth before men have done any Evil; and cannot be prevented though you should do never so much Good.  
Mutatis mutandu, Names and the like, what was read at other Colleges was repeated at St. John's, and the Doctor required by the Earl of Pembroke to put in his Answer: Which was as soon done as demanded: The Doctor instantly replying, That he conceived the Honourable Houses of Parliament had never either seen or heard the Answer which he had formerly in writing given up unto the prentending Visitors of Oxford. His reason this; For that he had humbly presented in that Paper 8. several Clauses of Statute, which bond him by a Corporal Oath, and the rest of the Fellows of that College, to admit of no other Visitors under pain of Perjury and Expulsion from the College for ever, than the Visitor precisely named in the Statute. The words running all along, Nulli alij nec aliis sub penâ perjurij & amotionis perpetuae, ne admittant, with exception against Quemcunque and Quoscunque. Alium vel alsos, intra vel extra Collegium,  vel express, sed eis resistam expressè etc. And more as my Curiosity hath since been witness of: I prevailing with a Fellow of that House to show me the Answer which the Doctor put in to the Visitors, whereof he had a Copy. Whereto the Doctor further added, That in the Answer returned by him to the Visitors, he had humbly besought them so far to mediate with the Parliament, in the behalf of himself and his College, as that he and they might be referred for strict examination upon any accusation commenced against them, unto any Court of justice in the Kingdom, or be any other ways most strictly Sifted and Adjudged, save only by this Course in present propounded: Which, upon their entertainment of it, manifestly involved them in Perjury; and for this one very Act of Submission rendered them so obnoxious, that if no other Argument of Offence could be possibly made good against them, yet these Visitors might have recourse to this act of their Submission; and for this justly accuse, convince and condemn them of Perjury, and accordingly statutably amove and expel them for ever our of their Colleges. The Statutes of our particular Colleges are all I believe like unto these: Ours (I am sure) are, and so I presume our several Pleas do, and must respectively accord with this of the Doctors. This first reply of the Doctors was received by the Earl with this Answer, that the Commissioners above had interpreted him guilty of high Contempt, and for an adjunct, avoiding of this first reply of the Doctors, it was avouched by Mr. Wilkinson, that the Commit above had seen or heard his Answer; which made some of us who stood by some what to wonder at the acuteness of the Committee, who out of a man's tenderness not to be Perjured, and his voluntary Provocation to be tried by any Public course of Law in the Kingdom, should extract the guilt of high Contempt against the authority of Parliament. But the Doctor easily waved this first Plea, and upon the Earl's Allegation of the Committees judgement, being by the Earl urged to further Answer, then openly called to his Lordship and the whole company of some hundreds present to witness, that however the Committee were pleased to interpret him, and his past or words or deeds, that he took God to witness that he was most ready to submit to all authority, and in the present and heretofore he is and had been ready to submit unto the Orders of this Parliament in all things which consisted with the safety of his Conscience and Livelihood; For the Rationality whereof, he first referred to the law of God and his Son Christ; and for the other to the law of Nature and this Kingdom.  
And here he took the Liberty to enlarge himself, that the things he craved were, First, the liberty of a Christian; to wit, that he might not be forced to do any thing contrary to the Law of God and his Son Christ. In particular that he might not be forced to Forswear himself. Secondly, the Liberty of a Freeborn Subject granted in Magna Charta by H. 3. received by Ed. 3. continued by all Parliaments from H. 3. more precisely renewed in the 3. of K. Charles, where his Lordship thought it ht to crave the same by himself from the King, and to grant it to other Subjects as a Peer and Member of that Parliament.  
The Doctor to bring himself and his Discourse home to the business in agitation, observed that there were punctually two things required of him in the present Visitation. First, that he should submit to these Visitors. The second, that he should for non-submitting divest himself of all Emoluments, and remove himself out of the College: to each of which he regested in order. First, that by the first he must be enforced to involve himself in Perjury: and for that he plainly professed that no Authority under the Sun should prevail with him so to do, and thereby to lose the Liberty of a Christian, and incur the main hazard of his soul For the other he appealed to his Lordship and all the bystanders, whether it could be adjudged reasonable that he should lend, or arm, or knife to the cutting of his own throat? Divers other things were alleged by the Doctor, which though they had no present answer, yet they obtained promise of answer from some Lawyer present, when they should come again to visit: that is, when the Doctor shall be absolutely turned out, and not there to reply. His Lordship for conclusion vouched a saying of the old Lord Burleight, that A Parliament could do any thing but turn a man into a woman, and a woman to a man. Whereat the Westminster Lads who know Hid Park and the Spaing Garden, and that my Lord had in his younger daye● made that easy enough, laughed in their sheves: and the company were now to wait on his Lordship unto the Precedents Lodging, where he meant formally to dispossess the Doctor and induct M Cheynel, in the Hall was the Doctor's wife and children, on whom Sir Nath. Brent was pleased to cast a favourable eye, and drawing towards Mrs Baily while the Doctor was talking with my Lord, moved her to accept of a fortnight for removal of her sick children and goods; she replied, less than a month would not suffice, the Lord overhearing the discourse, interponed, and after some words used by his Lordship to Miss Baily, professed to the Doctor that he was willing to yield him any favour, and would consider with the Visitors, what might be done for him. The Doctor civilly acknowledged his Lordship's proneness to favour him; but in this particular he renounced favour, and professed that he only expected justice. The Lord replied, he must turn the Doctor out, and give M. Cheynel possession. The Doctor replied he might use his pleasure, but he hoped his Lordship did not expect that he or could or would contribute to his own prejudice. Much p●ate these was, but in fine they left the Doctor without a formal voidance, & with some show that a month should be indulged for the removal of his goods, & we conceived it might be so.  
Yet smee we hear, that the Visitors have agreed, and will print the same, that Doctor Barley upon condition of compliance with M. Cheynell, and the like, shall enjoy part of his Lodging for a Month, being deprived of all other Emoluments. How the Doctor will bear this (whom we know to be of a natural stoutness, and well settled upon his Principles) we know not: but we think him very much mistaken by the Visitors, who put him to stoop to one so much below him, and to derive his Water from a stinking Channel, as yet he is in the College, but providing (I must tell you) suddenly to remove his Goods. And truly I must further add, that myself, though yet unquestioned, am not like to hold long the Place I obtained when I left Brazen Nose. I will not have any Fellowship with and among these Wretches, into whose hearts the Devil I fear hath entered, and filled them full of all iniquity, that he may bring them to destruction both of body and soul. The God of Heaven purge their hearts from this Gall of bitterness, and lose them from this bond and Covenant of iniquity: otherwise, God preserve your and my soul that they enter not at any time into their Counsels.  
So I am yours. Oxen, April 17. 1648.   

POSTSCRIPT. One pretty odd Passage there was betwixt Sir Will. Cob and the Doctor, and you shall have it for Marmalade to close up your stomach. The Doctor strongly assevering something, said, as I think In good Faith; Sir Wil harving ruminated a good space on the business, at length as in aneztasie cries out, Blasplemy, horrid blasphemy, Is there never a justice of Peace here? This made a general silence, until the Doctor spoke to Sir William, and desired to know, what it was that caused him thus to amuse the Company, Sir Will. replied The Doctor had blasphemed. The Doctor asketh, In what? The Knight replied, In swearing by your Faith. The Doctor said, He did not remember that he 〈◊〉 used those words, but admit he had, he desired to know where the blasphemy 〈◊〉. In this, said the Knight, for that you have sworn by that which is none of your own, that is your Faith. How, said the Doctor? By your good leave Sir Wil my Faith ●●mine own, and if you mean to be saved, you must get you a Faith of your own, it will be a hard matter for you to live by the Faith of another. Yea, find the Knight, Your Faith is none of your own, it is the Gift of God. Then reh●●ed the Doctor, It is so much the more mine own, for what freer than gift? In●●d, Sir Will: you are here quite beside the Cushion. I confess, replied Sir Wil that I'm no Doctor. True, said the Doctor, nor Physician. And so the Tongue … bat ended, and the Foils were laid down on both cider,   
FINIS.