Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 05.djvu/105

 civil allegiance in a declaration published by them in the last year of Queen Elizabeth's reign. He was examined on 4 May 1611, when he said he was opposed to the Jesuits, but declined to take the oath of allegiance, as Blackwell and others had done, because he wished to uphold the credit of the secular priests at Rome, and to get the English college there out of the hands of the Jesuits (State Papers, James I, Dom. vol. lxiii.) On being again set at liberty he went to Paris and joined the small community of controversial writers which had been formed in Arras College.

Ever since the death of Thomas Goldwell, bishop of St. Asaph, in 1585, when, according to the view taken by Roman catholics, the ancient hierarchy came to an end, the holy see had been frequently importuned to appoint a bishop for England. Some obstacle always intervened, but at length, after three archpriests had been appointed in succession to govern the secular clergy, the holy see acceded to the wishes of the English catholics, and nominated Bishop as vicar-apostolic and bishop elect of Chalcedon in February 1622-3. In the following month a bull issued for his consecration, and it was followed almost immediately by a brief, conferring on him episcopal jurisdiction over the catholics of England and Scotland. 'When thou shalt be arrived in those kingdoms,' says the brief, 'we give thee license, at the good will of ourselves and our successors in the holy see, freely and lawfully to enjoy and use all and each of those faculties committed by our predecessors to the archpriests, as also such as ordinaries enjoy and exercise in their cities and dioceses.' Thus Bishop had ordinary jurisdiction over the catholics of England and Scotland, but it was revocable at the pleasure of the pope, so that in the language of curialists he was vicar-apostolic with ordinary jurisdiction. In exercise of his power he instituted a dean and a chapter as a standing council for his own assistance, with power, during the vacancy of the see, to exercise episcopal ordinary jurisdiction, professing at the same time that 'what defect might be in his own power he would supplicate his holiness to make good from the plenitude of his own.' The appointment of this chapter occasioned many warm debates between the secular and the regular clergy. Bishop was consecrated at Paris on 4 June 1623, and he landed at Dover on 31 July. The summer he spent in administering the sacrament of confirmation to the catholics in and near London. He passed most of the winter in retirement, intending to visit the more remote parts of the kingdom in the spring, but falling sick at the residence of Sir Basil Brook, at Bishop's-court near London, he died on 13 April 1624. Wood is mistaken in supposing that Bishop was in his latter days a member of the order of St. Benedict.

His works are : 1. 'Reformation of a Catholic deformed by Will. Perkins,' 2 parts, 1604-7, 4to. 2. 'A Reproofe of M. Doct, 1 Abbot's Defence of the Catholike Deformed by M.W. Perkins. Wherein his sundry abuses of Gods sacred word, and most manifold mangling, misaplying, and falsifying the auncient Fathers sentences, be so plainely discouered, euen to the eye of euery indifferent reader, that whosouer hath any due care of his owne saluation, can neuer here-after giue him more credit, in matter of faith and religion,' 2 parts, Loud. 1608, 4to. 3. 'Disproof of Dr. R. Abbots counter-proof against Dr. Bishops reproof of the defence of Mr. Perkins' reform. Cath.,' Paris 1614, 4to, i part i. 4. 'Defence of the King's honour i and his title to the Kingdom of England.' 5. Several pieces concerning the archpriest's jurisdiction. 6. Preface to John Pits's book, 'De illustribus Angliae Scriptoribus,' Paris, 1619. 7. 'An Account of the Faction and Disturbances in the Castle of Wisbech, occasioned by Father Weston, a Jesuit,' MS.

In the second part of Thomas Scot's 'Vox Populi, or Newes from Spayne ' (1624), there is a curious picture of Bishop presiding at a meeting of the Jesuits and prists : as they vse to sitt at Counsell in England to further ye Catholicke Cause.'  BISLEY, GEORGE (d. 1591), catholic missioner. [See .]

BISSAIT or BISSET, BALDRED (fl. 1303), a native of the county of Stirling, became rector of Kinghorn, in the diocese of St. Andrews. When in 1300 and 1301 a discussion arose between the pope Boniface VIII, King Edward of England, and the Scottish government, with regard to the independence