Miles Smith

. sometimes a Member of Bras [••] se coll. afterwards Petty-Canon of Ch. Ch. was consecrated B. of Glocester in 1612. and died in sixteen hundred twenty and four; under which year you may see more of him 1624 among the writers. In the said See of Glocester succeeded Godfrey Goodman, born at Ruthyn in Denbighshire in the first Gregorian year, an. Dom. 1582.-1583. [〈◊〉] . 28-Mar. 10. between the hours of one and two in the morning, being the Son of Godfr. Goodman Gent. (Nephew to Dr. Gabr. Goodman) by Jane Cruxton his Wife, made Chorister, and after Scholar, of Westminster under Camden, an. 1592. Scholar of Trin. coll. in Cambridge in 1600. Parson of Stapleford-Abbats in Essex, 1607. Canon of Windsore, 1617. installed Dean of Rochester in the place of Dr. Rob. Scot deceased, 6. Jan. 1620. and at length was made B. of Glout. in 1625. with leave to hold his Canonry of Windsore, and the Rectory of West-Ildesley in Berks, in Commendam: About which time maintaining several heterodox opinions in his Sermons at Court, he was check’d for so doing in 1626. In 1640. he dissented from the Canons, for which, after three admonitions pronounced by Archb. Laud in little more than half an hour, to subscribe, he was to his great honour (as ’twas esteemed by some.) imprison’d, and thereupon accounted a Papist. In certain writings which sometimes belonged to Archbishop Laud I find these matters relating to Goodman.—The Synod was dissolved 29. May 1640. wherein were 17 Canons subscribed by the Bishops, Deans, Archdeacons, and Doctors, to the number of 100. or 120.—The last business insisted on was of the deprivation of Dr. Goodman Bishop of Glocester for refusing to subscribe to the said Canons, which had been done by all the Bishops except him of Gloc. and all the lower house of Convocation.—With much perswasions he was drawn to subscribe, notwithstanding after his subscribing, for his obstinate refusal at first, and the scandal of it, he was by both houses with a general consent suspended ab officio & beneficio, till he had given the King and Church satisfaction. The Archbishop, upon his refusal to subscribe, told him, that he must be either a Papist, or Socinian, or Puritan; which he utterly denied, and said it was a matter of another nature, &c. Afterwards the Archbishop made an exhortation to the Clergy, wherein he exhorted them to carry themselves well both in life and doctrine: And professed that all his sufferings were for supporting them; and this he spake with a great deal of passion. He protested before God that the King was far from Popery, that there was no man in England more ready to be a Martyr for Religion than his Majesty. Bishop Goodman who was first committed to a Pursevant, and afterwards to the Gate-house, wrote a letter to Archb. Laud and told him he dissented from the Canons, and entred an Act in the 19. Session to that purpose, &c. In 1643. he the said Goodman was plunder’d, spoyl’d, rob’d, and utterly undone. His losses were so extraordinary and excessive great, that he was ashamed to confess them, lest they might seem incredible, and lest others might condemn him of folly and improvidence. About that time he lived obscurely in S. Margarets Parish within the City of Westminster in the house of one Mrs. Sibilla Eglionby, making frequent use of the Cottonian Library, and the company of certain R. Priests; whose perswasion he having taken up for several years before, died at length in their belief (Fr. à S. Clara his old acquaintance being then with him) on the nineteenth day of Jan. 1655. whereupon his body was buried near to the Font in S. Margarets Church; leaving then behind him, the character of a harmless man, that he was hurtful to none but himself, that he was pitiful to the poor, and hospitable to his neighbours. In his last (d)(d) In Offic. praerog. Cam. in reg. Berkley part. 2. Qu. 65. Will and Testament dated 17. Jan. and proved 16. Feb. 1655. I find these matters.—I do profess that as I have lived, so I die most constant in all the Articles of our Christian Faith, and in all the doctrine of Gods holy Catholick and Apostolick Church, whereof I do acknowledge the Church of Rome to be the Mother Church. And I do verily believe that no other Church hath any salvation in it, but only so far as it concurs with the Faith of the Church of Rome.—My body to be buried in S. Marg. Ch. in Westminster near to the Font, in the meanest manner according to the deserts of my Sins,— Item, I give 20 s. for the painting, or otherwise, of the said Font.— It. I give my tenement in Yale, and the two tenements in Caernarvanshire, Cordmaur, and Tudne to the Town of Ruthyn in Denbighshire where I was born, &c. The rent of the tenement in Yale he bequeathed to several uses, and among the rest was 20 l. to be given to some Gentleman who should desire to travel, and that he, together with good security, should undertake within the compass of two years to live two months in Germany, two months in Italy, two months in France, and two months in Spain, and that his own kindred be chosen before others for that purpose, &c. The books that he designed for Chelsey college, he gave to Trin. coll. in Cambridge; but with this condition, that if Chelsey coll. be ever restored, the books should be restored thereunto. He gave 16 l. to outed and sequestred Ministers of the Loyal Party, and a 100 l. to poor distressed Churchmen (Rom. Catholicks) according to the discretion of his Executors Gabriel Goodman and Mrs. Sib. Eglionby. He desired also that his collection of notes be perused by some Scholar, and if any thing should be found worthy of printing, that they be published, &c. It must be now known that in hate and detestation of Socinianism, he did, in his younger years, examine all the mysteries in Religion, and all the miracles in Scripture, how far they agreed with natural reason, and wherein they transcended, and thereupon did publish a book intit. The fall of man, or the corruption of nature, proved by natural reason. Lond. 1616. and 1624. qu. And then he undertook to proceed in the rest of the Mysteries. Together with these he drew up an History from the beginning of the World to his time, and so he ended with the Church of England, as se [•] led by Laws, little regarding the opinion of particular men, but Statutes, Acts of State, Proclamations, Injunctions, &c. In which work he was much beholding to Sir Tho. Cottons Library. But these with the rest of his goods were lost, and whether they were ever recovered before his death, I know not. He hath also written, Arguments or animadversions and digressions on a book intit. An apology, or declaration of the power and providence of God in the government of the World, &c. written by Dr. George Hakewill. Which arguments and digressions are with Hakewills answere involved in the sixth book of the said Apology, printed at Oxon, the third time, 1635. fol. See more in G. Hakewill among the writers, an. 1649. Bishop Goodman also wrote, The Court of K. James by Sir A. W. reviewed. ’Tis a MS. in a thin fol. in Bodl. Library, and hath this beginning, I cannot say that I was an eye and ear-witness, but truly I have been an observer of the times, and what I shall relate of my own knowledge, God knows is most true. My conjecturals I conceive, &c. The conclusion which is imperfect is this—Yet notwithstanding I have given him (Sir A. W.) the name of a Knight, because he hath pleased so to stile himself, and that I might not offend him. This manuscript book was made in answer to a published book intit. The court and character of King James. Lond. 1650. oct. written and taken by Sir A. W. Which book being accounted a most notorious Libel, especially by the Loyalists and Court-party, was also answered in print by Anonymus, intit. Anlicus Coquinariae: or a vindication in answer to a Pamphlet intituled, The Court and Character of K. James, &c. Lond. 1650. The author of the said Court and Character was one Sir Anth. Weldon of Kent, whose Parent took rise from Queen Elizabeths Kitchin, and left it a legacy for preferment of his Issue. Sir Anthony went the same way, and by grace of the Court got up to the Greencloth; in which place attending K. James into Scotland he practiced there to libel that Nation. Which, at his return home, was found wrapt up in a Record of that Board; and by the hand being known to be his, he was deservedly removed from his place, as unworthy to eat his bread, whose birth-right he had so vilely defamed. Yet by favour of the King. with a piece of money in his purse, and a pension to boot, to preserve him loyal during his life, tho as a bad creditor, he took (e)(e) See the Preface to Aulieus Coquinariae. this course to repay him to the purpose. In his life-time he discovered part of this piece to his Fellow-courtier, who earnestly disswaded him not to publish so defective and false a scandal; which, as it seems, in Conscience he so declined. I have also been credibly informed that Sir A. Weldon did at the beginning of the Long Parliament communicate the MS. of it to the Lady Elizab. Sedley, (Mother to Sir Will. and Sir Charles,) accounted a very sober and prudent Woman; who, after perusal, did lay the vileness of it so much to Sir Anthony’s door, that he was resolved never to make it publick: Which perhaps is the reason why a certain author (f)(f) Will. Sanderson in his Proem to the Reign and death of K. James. 1. printed 1655. fol. should say, that with some regret of what he had maliciously written, did intend it for the fire and died repentant; tho since stolen to the Press out of a Ladies closet: And if this be true, our exceptions may willingly fall upon the practice of the publisher of the said libel, who by his additions may abuse us with a false story, which he discovers to the Reader in five remarkable (g)(g) So in the said Pre [•] to Aul. Coq. passages, and therefore in some manner gives us occasion to spare our censure on Sir Anthony, who was dead some time before the said libel was published. The second edition of it printed at Lond. in oct. an. 1651. is dedicated to the said noble Lady Elizab. Sedley, and hath added to it, (1) The Court of K. Charles continued, unto the beginning of these unhappy times, &c. (2) Observations (instead of a character) upon this King, from his Childhood. (3) Certain Observations before Q. Elizabeths death. But these are not animadverted upon by Aulicus Coq. or B. Goodman, because they came out after they had written their respective answers. The said Bishop Goodman hath also written The two mysteries of Christian, religion, the ineffable Trinity and wonderful incarnation explicated, &c. Lond 1653. qu. Dedicated by one Epist. to Oliver Cromwell L. General, and by another to the Master, Fellows, Scholars and Students of Trin, coll. in Cambridge. Also An Account of his sufferings; which is only a little pamphlet, printed 1650.