Sr. Tho. Widdringtons SPEECH At a Conference between Both Houses, on Tuesday the 20. of July, 1641.  
At the transmission of the impeachment against Matthew Wren Doctor in Divinity, late Bishop of Norwich, and now Bishop of Ely.   printer's device, consisting of a factotum block of a rose used with a fleur-de-lis inserted as an ornament, belonging to E. Griffin (McKerrow No. 422) 
LONDON, Printed by E. G. for R. Best at Gray's Inn gate in Holborn, 1641.   

Sr. Thomas widdrington's SPEECH The 20. of july 1641.  
My Lords, I am Commanded by the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses now assembled for the Commons in parliament, to deliver to your Lordships these Articles, against the Bishop of Ely. 
 May it please your Lordship's first to hear them read.  
MY Lords,  
These Articles are dipped in those Colours, in which this Bishop rendered himself to the Diocese of Norwich, they need no Gloss, nor Varnish. In them you may behold the spirit and disposition of this Bishop, hear the groans and cries of the people, see a shepherd scattering, (I had almost said) devouring his own flock; He that was desired to paint Hercules, thought he had done enough, when he had made a resemblance of the Lion's skin, which he was wont to carry about him as a Trophy of his honour.  
I will not say that in these you will find a resemblance of the Lion's skin, I am sure you will find the resemblance of the skins (that is to say,) the tattered and ruind fortunes, of poor innocent lambs, who have extremely suffered by the violence of this Bishop.  
In the year 1635. this man was created Bishop of Norwich, he is no sooner there, but he marcheth furiously.  
In the creation of the world light was one of the first productions, the first visible action of this Bishop after his creation into this See was to put out many burning and shining lights, to suspend divers able learned and conscientious ministers, he that should have been the Golden snuffer of these lights, became the extinguisher, & when these are taken away, where shall poor men light their Candles?  
My Lords, this was not all.  
He put out lights, and sets up fire brands in their places, suspends painful Ministers, and sets up idle factious and superstitious Priests, (to use their own language) in their places, yet it is the fortune of these men at this time, like Rivers in the Ocean co be buried in the extreme activity of their Diocesan.  
He made a scourge, not of small cords, but of new Injunctions and numerous Articles tied about with a strong twist of a most dangerous oath; and with this he whips not out buyers and sellers, but the faithful dispensers of the word out of their Churches, out of their estates, out of their dear Country.  
This Noah (if I may so call him without offence) assoon as he entered into the ark of this Diocese, he sends, nay forces Doves to fly out of this Ark, and when they return unto him, with Olive branches in their mouths of peaceable and humble submissions, he will not receive them into this ark again, unless like Ravens they would feed upon the Carrion of his new Inventions, they must not have any footing there; he stands as a flaming sword to keep such out of his Diocese.  
My Lords, unless he had done this, he could never have hoped to have brought that great work he undoubtedly aimed at to any perfection.  
Whilst the Palladium of Troy stood, that City was impregnable, The Greeks' had no sooner stolen that away but they instantly won the City; So than he first put out the Candles, than was the opportunity, to shuffle in his works of darkness: he first beats off the Watchmen and seers, than was likely to follow that which the impiety of some was pleased to style, the piety of the times.  
This being done, he than gins to dress out God's Worship, according to his own fancy, this he expresseth in Injunctions and directions the Minerva's of his own brain; we find them styled Regales Injunctiones Domini Episcopi● a stile too sacred, to Baptism his brats withal; I shall be bold to call them Tyrannicus injunctiones Do. Episcopi; stories afford not a more barbarous cruelty then to join a dead & a living body together, the one is miserably killed with the stinch of the other.  
This Bishop, who like Aaron should have stood between the living and the dead, hath joined to lively ordinances many dead and venomous ceremonies, which have no other life, than what they received from the breath of his Injunctions, and these are pressed upon the Gonsciences, even these must be observed, as moral laws.  
An arbitrary government in the Church is more dangerous, more grievous, then that in the state; this is exercised upon men's consciences, the most tender parts, and is the very penacle of tyranny, and of all other most intolerable; that blow which will hardly be felt by the arm, will put out the eye.  
(My Lords) in the time of King Rich. 1. one of this man's predecessors a valiant Bishop went into the holy war, this Bishop hath raised a war at home in his own Diocese; a war not against Saracens, Barbarians, Turks or Infidels, but against good and well disposed people, I know not what stile to give this war: without doubt (my Lords) this was no holy war.  
The weapons of this warfare were 28 Injunctions, 139 Articles containing 879 questions.  
The soldiers were Chancellors, Commissaries, Officials, Commissioners, Rural Deans, etc.  
Himself commanded in chief.  
The ways of assault and killing were by excommunications, suspensions, deprivations,— I stay here: mille modis morimur mortales.  
The Magazine wherein all these were originally hatched and lodged, was the superstitious and malicious breast of this Bishop.  
This Diocese was the stage where the direful tragedies of this war were acted by the space of two years and upwards.  
Thus did he trouble Israel in the time of peace, nay by these he put some of the Chariots and Horsemen of Israel to flight, out of these he raiseth a farm of 500 pounds for his primary visitation, if it be considered cum pertinentiis, it was not dear, yet well improved, for formerly but 40 pound in the time of some of his predecessors.  
Will it please your Lordships with patience to cast your eyes upon the model of this Bishop's zeal, piety, and Religion: Let his affection to prayer and preaching speak for all the rest.  
First for prayer. It was his hap to find a prayer which is no prayer pretended to be prescribed by a Canon which is no Canon, I mean the 55 Canon set forth in the year 1603, and no other prayer must be used in his Diocese before Sermons. That monster of conceived prayer (pardon the expression, it's not my own) seemed as bad to him as a spell or charm. It must not be used upon any occasion, without doubt he would never have been so straight laced and severe in this particular, if he had but dreamt of that strait which a minister a friend of his was put unto by this means; the story is short. A Butcher was gored in the belly by an Ox, the wound was cured, the party desired public thanksgiving in the Congregation, the Minister finding no form for that purpose reads the Collects for Churching of women:  
Next for preaching. That he is most able in this kind is agreed by all. But that he ever preached himself in this Diocese saving once, I never heard affirmed by any.  
His next care was that others should not preach too often: if they did, they must be put into his black bill: He changed that golden sentence of (vae mihi si non praedicavero) into vae aliis si praedicaverint; he was so far from the practice of Saint Paul the great Preacher of the Gentiles, who we read preached till midnight, that there must be no Sermons in the afternoon, there may be, nay there must be sports and pastimes then. And as if he had stood in fear of the inarticulate language of bells which might foretell a Sermon, he cannot endure to hear the noise of a Sermon in the toll of a Bell.  
In a word; he adorned Churches at the charge of other men, and spoilt Pulpits, which ought to have been the greatest part of his own charge.  
(My Lords) you have now presented to your Lordships a brother, nay one whose place engaged him to be a father of the Clergy, yet one who like joseph's brethren hath taken the coats from Joseph nay they were forced to fly from him as Joseph from his Mistress, or else they must taste of his forbidden waters, but in their going away he rends their skirts, nay their whole garments and lively hoods from them, he hath taken the locks from many sampson's, and done what he could to put out their eyes, and to make them grind in the mill of his pernicious and dangerous innovations.  
He should like Moses have led his flock. Moses led the children of Israel through the red Sea; this man drives part of his flock over the Sea, but went not himself.  
Like Nimrod he hath invaded the laws and liberties of the subject, he hath been as great a robber as ever was presented to your Lordships: He hath rob the King of his Subjects, the greatest glory of Kings; the Kingdom of trade, of tradesmen, the supporters of it.  
He that deprives the King of one subject, you know his punishment, and what shall be the punishment of him who hath rob the King of so many subjects?  
In the time of King Henry the third, we find a tenant in Dower punished 
16. H. 3. F. waist. 128.  in action of waste, because she had destroyed two rich villeynes, and made them beggars.  
I appeal to your Lordships, what is his offence who hath committed so much wilful waist and spoil, beggared hundreds, not villains, but free borne subjects.  
He rob the souls of that sweet Manna which is pabulum animarum, the Word of God.  
(My Lords) I have not yet recounted all his robberies; he hath rob God of part of his day, makes part of that a day of sports; he hath rob the subjects of their indubitable birthright, the Laws of the Kingdom.  
The Citizens of Norwich must pay tithes for the rents of houses; there's no Law in England, nor custom in Norwich for it: Nay and that they may be sure to be rob of justice too, the suit for these tithes must be in his own Consistory, from whence there must be no appeal, no prohibition.  
The true Patrons of Churches they are rob of their presentations, others who had none or small pretence of right are admitted upon this unhallowed maxim, That if he should institute those who had right, the pretendor was without remedy; by this he inverted a fundamental Law of this Nation, to invest remediless rights with unjust possessions.  
(My Lords) I cannot tell you all, but you can measure a Lion by the paw.  
I am commanded to lay this great malefactor at your doors, one who hath been a great oppugner of the life and liberty of Religion, and who set a brand of infamy (to use his own words) upon Ipswich education.  
In sum, one who is a complete mirror of innovation, superstition, and oppression, he is now in the snare of those articles, which were the works of his own hands.  
The rod of Moses at a distance was a serpent, it was a rod again when it was taken into his hands: this Bishop was a serpent, a devouring serpent in the Diocese of Norwich; your Lordships peradventure will by handling of him make him a rod again; or if not, I doubt ●●t but your Lordships will chastise him with such rods as his cri●es 〈◊〉 deserve.  
(My Lords) I am commanded by the House of Commons to des●● your Lordships that this Bishop may be required to make answer 〈◊〉 these Articles, and that there may be such proceed against him 〈◊〉 the course and justice of parliament doth admit:   
FINIS.