pretenders to tenderness of
conscience; his design being, by their means, to bring such an odium
upon the Bishops, as to procure an alienation of their lands, and a
large proportion of them for himself: which avaricious desire had at
last so blinded his reason, that his ambitious and greedy hopes seemed
to put him into a present possession of Lambeth-House.

[Sidenote: Scottish Non-conformists]

And to these undertakings the Non-conformists of this nation were much
encouraged and heightened by a correspondence and confederacy with
that brotherhood in Scotland; so that here they become so bold, that
one [Mr. Dering][16] told the Queen openly in a sermon, "She was
like an untamed heifer, that would not be ruled by God's people, but
obstructed his discipline." And in Scotland they were more confident;
for there [Vide Bishop Spotswood's History of the Church of Scotland]
they declared her an Atheist, and grew to such an height, as not to be
accountable for any thing spoken against her, nor for treason against
their own King, if it were but spoken in the pulpit; shewing at last
such a disobedience to him, that his mother being in England, and then
in distress, and in prison, and in danger of death, the Church denied
the King their prayers for her; and at another time, when he had
appointed a day of Feasting, the Church declared for a general Fast,
in opposition to his authority.

[Sidenote: Remedial measures.]

To this height they were grown in both nations, and by these means
there was distilled into the minds of the common people such other
venomous and turbulent principles as were inconsistent with the safety
of the Church and State: and these opinions vented so daringly, that,
beside the loss of life and limbs, the governors of the Church and
State were forced to use such other severities as will not admit of an
excuse, if it had not been to prevent the gangrene of confusion, and
the perilous consequences of it; which, without such prevention, would
have been first confusion, and then ruin and misery to this numerous
nation.

[Sidenote: Spectator ab extra]

These errors and animosities were so remarkable, that they begot
wonder in an ingenious Italian, who being about this time come newly
into this nation, and considering them, writ scoffingly to a friend in
his own country, to this purpose; "That the common people of England
were wiser than the wisest of his nation; for here the very women and
shop-keepers were