Page:A new and general biographical dictionary; containing an historical and critical account of the lives and writings of the most eminent persons in every nation v1.djvu/49

 <c ct ABBOT. ,3 Church Hiftory, fays, "that he forfook the birds of hi* own Cent.xvu. " than the clergy, in caufcs that were brought before him." Mr. John Aubrey, having tranfcribed what is laid of the arcli- bifliop on his monument, adds, " Notwithstanding tbi$ moft " land, whereof he was head ; but fcanJaloufly permitted nation by his indolence, at Jeaft, if not connivance and en- couragement; which fome years after broke out and laid a " flourifhing church and (late in the moft miferable ruins, and " which gave birth to thofe principles which, unlefs rooted " out, will ever make this nation unhappy." The earl of Cla- Amiquit. O f rendon fpeaks of him thus : " Abbot confidered the ChriUian ^ rfey ' v g ", 1 ' " religion no otherwife, than as it abhorred and reviled Po- " pery; and valued thofe men moft, whodid that molt furi- " oufly. For the ftriCt obfervation of the difcipline of the " church, or the conformity of the articles or canons efta- " blifhed, he made little enquiry, and took lefs care ; and, hav- " ing himfelf made very little progrefs in the ancient and " folid ftudy of divinity, he adhered only to the doCtrine ot" " Calvin ; and, for his fake, did jiot think fo ill of the difci- pline as he ought to have done. But if men prudently for- bore a publick reviling and railing at the hierarchy and ec- clefiaftical government, let their opinions and private judg- ment be what it would, they were not only fecure from any inquifition of his, but acceptable to him, and at leaft equally preferred by him : and though many other biihops plainly difcerned the mifchiefs which daily broke in, to the preju- " diceof religion, by his defeCts and remiiTnefs, and prevented " it in their own diorefes as much as they coukl, and gave all " their countenance to men of other parts and other principles; " of his authority and credit with the king, had applied all the " remedies he could to thofe defections, and from (he time of ' and almoft fupprelTed that fpirit, by encouraging another " kind of learning and praCtice in that univerfity, which was " indeed according to the doCtrine of the church of England ; " yet that temper in the archbimop, whofe houle was a fanc- " tuary to the moft eminent of that faCtious party, and who " licenfed their moft pernicious writings, left his fuccefinr a '* very difficult work to do, to reform and reduce a churcli " into order, that had been fo long mgleCted, and that was fa Well wood c * " '*  f-
 * ' noble character tranfmitted to poflcrity, he was, though a
 * ' benefaCtor to this place, no friend to tru- church of Kn<;-
 * ' that poifonous fpirit of Puritanifm to fpread over the whole
 * ' and though the bilhop of London (Dr. Laud) from the time
 * ' his being chancellor of Oxford had much discountenanced
 * ' ill filled by many weak and more wilful churchmen." Dr.