Page:The History of the Church & Manor of Wigan part 2.djvu/192

Rh of those Diocesses of Chester and Carlile, all the particulars of the defaults, and of the reformacions enjoyned and promised to be reformed; and pray them to prosecute ye same wth effect.

It may be your Majestie will aske how it cometh to passe that thinges should be suffered to be so generally out of order in those Diocesses, ye Bishops being able and understanding men, professing all conformitie in themselves and their care of requiring the like in others subject to their jurisdiction.

I must ingenuously confesse I can neither justifie nor excuse them. Yet this I know they will say, That finding their Diocesses so distracted wth papists and puritans they thought by a mild way to recover ye puritan part, least yt by carrying a severer hand upon ye puritans then they had power to carry upon ye papists, the Popish party might take heart and opinion of favour. For ye Ordinarie jurisdiction can proceed no farther against Popish recusants then to excommunicate, and certifie them who doe excommunicate themselves.

It may be they will also say: It is in a manner impossible for ye Bishop to know how ye publick service is performed in every church and chappell of his Dioces. The Bishop can but enquire by ye othes of church wardens and sidesmen, who make no conscience of dispensing we their othe, and can hardly be brought to present eny thing, be things never so farr out of order.

It may also be said in their excuse, yt ye Bishop executeth his jurisdiction by his inferior officers, his Chancellor, his Archdeacons, his Commissaries and Officialls, and if they be negligent or corrupt it is not possible for the Bishop to know and reforme things y' are amisse. The truth is, if the Bishop be not very vigilant, & resolute to have things kept in order, and exact the same of his Officers and an accompt of their doings, things wilbe amisse, be ye Bishop in his owne person never so well disposed and affected to government. And ye inferior Officers, that make least advantage of corrections in this kind, may (perhaps) make good advantage of connivence at small faults, as usually they hold such inconformities. And Chancellors, Commissaries, and Officialls, ye hold their places by patent for life, stand lesse in awe of the Bishop then it were fitt they should.

In yt it is said before that these Diocesses are full of recusants, your majestie may perhaps aske how it cometh to passe that, in all this