Peter Smart

a Ministers Son of Warwickshire, was born in that County, educated in the College School at Westminster, became a Batler of Broadgates Hall 1588. aged 19 years, and in the same year was elected Student of Christ Church, where he was esteemed about that time a tolerable Latin Poet. Afterwards taking the degrees in Arts, he entred into orders, became Chaplain to Dr. W. James Bishop of Durham, who not only confer’d upon him a Prebendship in that Church, but also the Parsonage of Bouden, and was the chief instrument of promoting him to be one of his Majesties High Commissioners in the Province of York. But this person being puritannically given, took occasion in 1628. to preach against certain matters, which he took to be popish Innovations, brought into the Church of Durham by Mr John Cosin and his Confederates, as Copes, Tapers, Crucifixes, bowing to the Altar, praying towards the East, turning the Communion Table of Wood, standing in the middle of the Choire, into an Altar-stone railed in at the East end thereof, &c. But this his Sermon, or Sermons, preached several times to the people, being esteemed seditious, and purposely made to raise commotion among them, he was first questioned in the High Commission Court at Durham, then brought into the Commission Court at Lambeth, and at length transmitted thence to the High Commission at York: where for his said seditious Sermon or Sermons, and his refusal to be conformable to the Ceremonies of the Church, he was deprived of his Prebendship and Parsonage, degraded from his Ministry, fined 500 l. and imprisoned many years. At length when the Long Parliament began, he, upon petition and complaint, was freed from his Prison in the Kingsbench, (where he had continued above eleven years) was restored to all he had lost, (tho he enjoyed them but a little while) had reparations made for his losses, and became a witness against Archbishop Laud when the Presbyterians were sedulously raking up all things against, in order to bring, him to his Trial. Our Author Smart hath written and published

The vanity and downfal of Superstition and popish Ceremonies, in two Sermons in the Cathedral Church of Durham, preached in July 1628, on Psal. 13. part of the 7. verse—They were twice printed in that year, one impression whereof was at Edinburgh.

A brief, but true historical, narrative of some notorious acts and speeches of Mr. John Cozens, and some other of his Companions contracted into Articles.

Various Poems in Lat. and Engl.—These, which are called in one or more Auction Catalogues Old Smarts Verses, I have not yet seen, nor other matters of his composition.1642. He departed this mortal life in sixteen hundred forty and two, or thereabouts, having several years before been the senior Prebendary of the Church of Durham, leaving then behind him this Character given by the Presbyterian, that he was a godly and judicious Minister, and a zealous enemy against superstition and the maintainers thereof. Also that he was the Protomartyr of these latter days of Persecution, &c.