Page:The History of the Church & Manor of Wigan part 2.djvu/174

Rh prisson ffound that he was taken forth thence & gon to his lodginge, wher this depont & the sd Aparissius goeing found him in bed as aforsd, but no sooner was he come into the howse but the sd Cade, hearing them, riss out of his bedd; & after a litle discourse got to mayntaine yt ther was neither devill nor hell as aforsd: whereupon this depont, beinge greeved at the heering such blassphemous doctrine, said yt he did seriously desire God would soe far glorifie himself as yt ye devill might have power at ye tyme to appear either to confirme or confound ye forsd Cade & Aparissius' doctrine. And further this exam, saith not"

The evidence of Britch was confirmed by Thomas Worrell of Warrington, inn keeper.

This reluctant informer, Bartholomew Cade, is a specimen of the kind of witness summoned by Sir Thomas for the purpose of extracting something damaging to the bishop's character. From Cade, however, he seems to have obtained but little, nor could he get any more material evidence against him from the others whom he called, some of whom refused to be sworn without higher authority, and some avowed that they knew nothing to the bishop's discredit.

The character of the three chief accusers, Martin, Lewes, and Reynolds, appears to have been nearly as bad. This is shewn by the bishop in his petition to the lords of the council presented on 17th May, 1632, in which he charges them with libel, and begs that, "because the said persons are base and fugitive men, and the petitioner groans under these heavy burdens whereof he cannot be so well freed if they run away (as he feareth), they may be sent for and stayed, and then proceeded upon according to law and justice." From this petition it appears that King James had allowed £200 a year out of the Lancashire impropriations for the maintenance of four preachers in Lancashire, to be appointed by the bishop of the diocese. James Martin and John Lewes were two of those preachers; but Martin, for the neglect of his duty, &c., was discharged of that place upon a letter of his (late) Majesty directed to the petitioner for that purpose; and afterwards, for many misdemeanors and especially