BISHOP GOODMAN'S COURT OP JAMES THE FIRST.

LIVING from the reign of ELIZABETH till the government of Caom- WELL, GODFREY GOODMAN was at his zenith as a courtier-divine, celebrated preacher, and theCogical writer in the time of JAMES

the First ; by whose favour, the patronage of some Bishops, and

the friendship of BUCKINGHAM, he was promoted to the Canonry of Windsor, the Deanery of Rochester, and finally to the Episcopal

see of Gloucester. During the Great Rebellion he was plundered of his property, and compelled to live in obscurity,—solacing his poverty by reading, writing, and gossip,—till 1655, when he died ; leaving behind him many manuscripts, which " he desired should be perused by some competent scholar, and if any thing among them was worthy of publication it should be printed." His direc- tions seem not to have been complied with, or the " scholars" of those days were chary in recommending to " publication." And yet the Bishop was a celebrated man in his time. He was a con-

stant attendant at court ; was fitmiliar with the King, intimate

with the Favourite, and on a footing of private intercourse with many of the leading political actors ; who treated him with current news

and bygone fitets, if they did not trust him with present secrets. He was also a well-known author ; having published under JAMES, " The Fall of Man, or the Corruption of Nature proved by Natural Reason ;" which involved him, sonic ten years after, in a contro- versy with HAKEWILL. 1111650, he gave to the world an "Account of his Sufferings " from the Rebellion ; and three years afterwards he published the " Two Mysteries of the Christain Religion, the ineffable Trinity and wonderful Incarnation, Explicated ;" which (sad backsliding !) he dedicated to OLIVER CROMWELL. He was also charged with Popery, and is said to have died in the Romish communion : there is no doubt that he entertained unorthodox opinions in matters of doctrine, discipline, and English law ; as was set forth by PRYNNE and others, in a quaint petition against him to CHARLES the First— "For that lie had at his proper cost rei:dified and repaired the high cross in the town of Windsor in the county of Berks, near the Royal Castle ; told on one side thereof caused a statue, or picture, about an ell long, of Christ hanging upon the cross, to be erected in colours, with this inscription over it in golden letters—Jesus Nuzarenus Rex Judworum ; and on the other side thereof, the picture of Christ rising out aids sepulchre."

He was also accused of purchasing new "altar-clothes," and other decorations savouring of Papistry, for his cathedral church at Gloucester- " And since Xmas last past," continues the petition, "the said Bishop hath superseded one Mr. Miller, minister of Little Dean, within the county and diocese of Gloucester, only for preaching against divers gross errors and idola- tries of the Papists (of which he had divers in his said parish), and then conclud- ing (according to the homilies and learnedest writers in our church) that an obstinate Papist, dying a Papist, could not be saved, and that if we were saved the Papists were not ; and for refusing, to make a formal recantation which the said Bishop prescribed him in writing, in which recantation the said Bishop (who, the last Parliament, [1626,] presumed to broach no less than six gross points in one sermon before your Majesty, which your Majesty appointed hint to recant, though he did it not, lmt obstinately defended them,) most unortho- doxly styled the Church of Rome God's Catholic Church, and in direct terms affirmed that in the eye of the law we are still one with the said Catholic Church, from which we sever only for some political respects ; and that it is impossible there should be any greater offence against the Church of England, than to soy that Papkts are tiamned, in regard of the affinity there is between the two Churches ; tbr we have both the `same holy orders-, the same church service, the same ceremonies, the same fasts, and the same festivals, and we have generally the suite canon law ; and therefore, through the sides of the Church of Rome, they do but give deadly and mortal wounds to the Church of England, who :arm that Papists are damned. Than which recantation of his making, nothing can be more Popish ; it having the Jesuits' 1.11.S. in the front, amid the Jesuits' doctrine in the bowels of it."

Notwithstanding his celebrity, and a " perpetual copyright at common law" to boot, the Bishop's posthumous papers were dis- persed: but an original or a transcript of the work before us fimnd its way to the Bodleian Library at Oxtbrd ; though "by whose means it was deposited there, or by whom it was given," is unknown to Mr. llamvaa the editor; nor is the evidence as to its authenti- city of higher authority than a memorandum "inserted in it by Bishop Barlow," and internal testimony, but which is, as Mr. Bauwaa observes, "conclusive." The work, however, is neither, as the publisher has styled it, "The Court of James the First," nor, as the editor more generally phrases it, " Memoirs." It was intended by Bishop GOODMAN as a reply to the coarse and uncourtly pamph- let of Sir ANTHONY WELDON, descriptive of King JAMES, his court, courtiers, and some passages of his reign. GOODMAN, however, op- poses WELDON'S story by telling his own ; so that when the Knight dismisses a person with a brief, pithy, scurrilous character, the Bishop gives a full-length portrait, and sometimes a biographical notice of his friend or acquaintance, in which the bad is shaded with the art of a "soft dean," and the good suffers nothing in the handling. When the Knight misrepresents a fact, or the Bishop conceives he misrepresents it, we have the narrative of the event as GOODMAN understood it from his own knowledge, or the informa- tion of the actors, or the talk of the time. Sometimes, When he cannot gainsay a charge, he alleges a counter-charge, or makes a sort of set-off: occasionally hq digresses from Sir ANTHONY WELDON to some historical subject on Which the Knight's remark may have furnished a text ; or he strikes off into old reminiscences of his prosperous and courtly days, when, apparently, some remark of WimpoN's has touched the key-note of memory. As regards historical knowledge, the -work will add little to our stores, unless it be to modify one's contempt for the personal cha- racter of JAMES, and we are to receive as gospel truth all the Bishop's praise of him as a king. And if we were to put all that is known of the .times into a mental alembic and reduce it to its simple elements, we do not see that this publication would in any way add to their number or strengthen their character. Neverthe- less, it is a very agreeable work. The Bishop was a contemporary of nearly all he relates—an eye or an ear witness of a good deal ; he was acquainted with the men he depicts, familiar with the man- ners he incidentally describes ; and as neither his intellect nor his morality were of a kind sufficiently elevated to raise him above the ideas and practices of his age, we have the worst of deeds in the choicest phrases, and can note how little effect customary vices Produce upon a man of merely respectable conduct and good feel- ing. Aforeover, though not much of a philosopher, he is a man of observation and worldly sense : if a gossip, he is withal courtly and -scholarly, with well-cultivated University logic, and a pleasant style, to which the quaintness of his age and his own peculiarities give a dash of character. In the main, then, this Court of James the First is a very agreeable melange of anecdote, personal charac- ter, and Court manners under the Sy :ARTS. There are also touches, and information, which to the biographer of the period will be ofvalue. In sonic of his filets, indeed, GOODMAN may be mistaken, writing from memory Lifter a long lapse of time ; and his conclusions are evidently not to be relied on ; but with these draw- backs, he is an honest chronicler, and all the honester perhaps from the absence of any very rigid morality : he contents himself with giving vice a softer name, or does not admit it to be a vice at all. The licentiousness of BreKixGuAir, for example, which so offended the Spanish Court, he calls " wantonness ; " and after noting with dissatisfaction WELDON'S charge of "kingcraft " against JAMES, he proceeds unconsciously to lay open instances of the grossest mean- ness in any man, much more a king,—as, for instance, granting suits himself, and then directing his ministers to withhold them, or pro- fessing himself personally flivourable to the suitor, but telling him he had many enemies at court. Although placed in the latter part of his book, some observations of WELDON on simony, &c. giving rise to the narrative, we will begin our extracts with his

INTRODUCTION TO PROMOTION.

Because here is mention made of much simony, and of pensions and the like, give me leave, for the discharge of my own conscience and in my thankfulness to God and the memory of King James, to relate a truth, and so; let God be merciful to my soul as I shall relate nothing but the truth. Being a little known to King James, when I never used any means unto him, nor to my knowledge (lid ever any man speak one word in my behalf, then did King James in a morning fatal John Packer unto me, to tell one that his Ma. jesty had a full resolution to prefer me, and to bring me to some good place in the Church and, lest his Alajesty should forget me, he had therefore com- manded Buckingham to put him in mind of me; and lest Buckingham, having, many suitors, might forget me, the King commanded John Packer to put hint in mind of me ; and la-t John Packer should 'eget mu, tiro King had scut him unto Me to engage hinisdf auto me that li,: ivonhilsnlicit iny btodliess. Hereupon I never came unto John Packer hut I hurl i tantly access; I m.ver proposed any thing unto him but I had a true and real answer ; no dilatory or compIimental words. The year following I displeased his Alajedy, unit theialry I lost a very good preferment ; the year after, I had the Deanery of ftoebestei., which was a very good peeh:rment and very agreeable to my disposition, lin I did ever love seamen, and those of the King's navy were my special friends. When I came to give his :Slajesty thanks, his Majesty did seem to be more

joyful in giving it than leould express joy in receiving it ; using these words— that I should not give a &falling. When I was made Bishop, in my instru- ments there was the mistaking of Some words, which 1 did flair was wilfully done only to draw on a fee ; then the secretary had for stir oiling those words twenty pieces; then I sent a piece of plate to Buckingham, which I think cost Inc between forty and fifty pottnii. This he would not receive; but sent it back again, and rewarded the messenger with three pieces, So that I think no hoot it man could blame King James or the Duke of Backingliain.

BISHOP GOODMAN'S NOTION OF CONJI:CAL Love:,

And whereas he speaks of the Kil)g's jealousy, truly that might have been forborne: and I am confide nit there was no such cause. And whereas he says that he did not delight in the Queen's company, truly at that time they ifiit keep company ; they bad children ; one of them was lawn at GreenWich, and two of them lie buried at Westminster, where is their monument at this

day. It is true that some years after they did not keep much contrail's- together. The King of hito:elf was a very chaste man, and there was little iii the Queen to make him uxorious ; yet they did love as well as man and wife could do, not conversing together. She had many suits from the King; the King did prefer many upon her recommendations; when she died and left some things unfinished which she had past, the King made all good ; whatso- ever she gave the King made it good ; and it was nu small matter that she should give all her linen to Mn. Anna, so mean a gentlewoman. Nor were they small sums of money which she had from the king, that she should be continually in building, both at Denmark House and in Greenwich. And to conclude, the King gave her a most royal funeral ; and that he was never taxed or tainted with the love of any other lady, I dare boldly say, that there are many thousands in England that would be his compurgators.

SCALE OF LIVING IN HENRY THE EIGHTH'S HOUSEHOLD.

The state and magnificence of the English Court did especially appear in the time of King Henry the Eighth; the order and allowance of his house was contrived by Cardinal Wolsey in as magnificent a mariner as any Prince bath in the world ; here was no putting to board-wages; the meanest yeoman had --- ----- three good dishes of meat, every gentleman's table lad five dishes, the el — comptroller had eight dishes—very substantial meat, more than would he:k served forty or fifty people and his table cost the King, buying the meat at ate King's price, very near 1,000/. per annum. The Lord Chamberlain had sixttele

dishes; two joints of meat went for dish. en

Before the Reformation the office of Lord Chancellor had mostly been filled by a clergyman ; and grievous are our half-Popish Bishop's lamentations over the change. He digresses to Chanc„y; he bewails the delays and costs even then complained of; he falls foul of the whole .race of lawyers; and gives an account of sotne of the Chancellors, intermingling a few pleasant anecdotes.

MARE TIMES FOR SUITOES IN EQUITY.

Then was the Chancery so empty of causes, that Sir Thomas More could live in Chelsea and yet very sufficiently discharge that office; and coming one day home by ten of the clock, whereas he was wont to stay until eleven or twelve his lady came down to see whether he was sick or not ; to whom Sir Thomas More said, "Let yottr gentlewoman fetch me a cup of wine, and .then I will tell you the occasion of my. cominwi" and When the wine came, he drank to his Cady, and told her that he thanked God for it he had not left one console Chancery, and therefore came None for want of liminess and employment there." The gentlewoman who fetched the wine told this to a tishup, who did inform me.

DOINGS OF LAWYERS IN CHANCERY.

Now fur the profits of these two great offices, the Chancellor and the Trea- surer, certainly- they were very small if you look to the ancient fees and allow. ance ; for princes heretofore did tie themselves to give but little, that so their officers and servants might more depend upon them for their rewards, Hr. Coleman, who was to order my Lord Egerton's house and the course of ids ex- pense, told me, than when my Lord had considered the charge, together with the newness of the profits, he was very sorry that he had accepted the dice. How have the Lord Chancellors lived since, how have they flowed with money, and what great purchases have they made, and what profits and advantage have they had by laying their fingers on purchases: For if my lord desired the land, no man should dare to buy it out of his hands, and he must have it at his own price ; for any bribery or corruption, it is hard to prove it ; men do not call others to be witnesses in suth actions: yet the Knight (Weldon) Aims that one who was censured in the Star Chamber for slandering the Lord Bacon and charging him with bribery, the same man was aciptitted by Parliament and the bribery proved. The selling of offices hath been very common and wsual. I have heard that the cursitors office of Yorkshire hath been sold thr IMO/. Certain it is, that an attorney in the Star Chamber did usually pay 1,500T, for the office; and I have hearth the justices of the pace, by their presents, new-year's gifts, and pensions, did not forget the Lord Chancellor.

The venality indicated in this passage, and the matter-of-course air with which bribes and the purehie;i: and sale of offices are every- where mentioned, show a bold and undisguised corruption. In com- paring these practices with our own more refined times, however, we must not be altogether led astray by the forms of things, and thank Heaven that we are not as these publicans. A practice in general use may argue a particular state of society, but does not infer any Particular depravity in the persons following it. Even in these days the sale of offices in the Army is open ; yet the profession of a soldier requires as much experience as many civil employments, and more mischief may ensue from disqualified persons being promoted. The thing is less gross, no doubt, when a place is given fbr a vote, or a discreet silence, or a plausible speech or pamphlet ; but not one jot less corrupt. Perhaps the corruption of influence is even worse than the direct appeal to the totteli. A man who bought an office was made, we may be sure, to dicharge its duties after the accus- tomed mode, (which might be bad enough,) fia. to displace him was a source of profit ; but men prefimred by interest or influence, on the " confidence-in-Alinisters" principle, have a perpetual defenee in operation for their negligence or misdeeds. Between BAeox and Clion3iAN might have been enmity; at all events, his account of the "wisc.:t. britditest, wriiiicsi, of man- kind," a mply justilie.t the charactei• ani. Ames, that no's coarse than " the Knight," the liisip can be quite as caustic. Yet thus passage is full of characteristic ti etches both of the man and the times : the active, unprincipled intriguer, is brought out in every line of the close.

" Now fur Bacon: certainly. Ile was a man of very great intellectuals, and it Mu who did every way comply with the King's desires ; and lie was a great projector in learning, as did appear by his Advaticement of Learning,' to which book I would have given some iii irwin if I thirst have printed it. Over other men he did insult, and took bribes on both sides : and had this property, that he would not question any man for words rig:Mist hut n. as komving himself to be Emily, and theretbre would not bring his ;alma:arks upon the stage. Secretary Vi inwootl was a man of coinage. and the diillwence tell out upon a

very small occasion, that Win wood did beat his dog from lying upoil It stool, which Bacon seeing, said that every gent basalt did love titling. This passed on ; then at the same time, having some laisiness to sit upon, it should seem that Secretary Winwood sate too near my Lord Keeper; mill his lorddiip

willed him either to keep Or to klICIIV his distance. \V hi he prioe from table, and I think he did him no good (Alive_ it is certain there. wen mit it)

exceptions against Bacon : no man got more dishonestly, and no nem spent

more wastefully ; stun how fit this tit ea rry the King's conscience, whom I believe no other man would trim t ! A lid on, no marvel, at lergth he came to he discovered ; and even after his HI he q111 cotif lit nil authitimei, and dill practise on moth as he could fir rise again. Pi :Mimi. that King Chink.; was fiarward With tit(' Slur inn iii he Writ; p1iiiISC11110 write a treatise to justify him and to encourage him. Soch servants HS he had and whom he although he were not able to do himself good, yet he was almilnedttoelpi rtliZrin;itsielart.. supposed to have gotten in his service he would send for, rant ; but I suppose it was nothing but only to make them supply his occa- sions.,, BACON is not, however, the only carrier of the King's conscience " whom no other man would trust." And as regards WINWOOD, the Bishop seems to speak from conjecture. It was not the affronts, we conceive, which caused the " difference," but " dif- ference" which caused the affronts.

A TIRADE AGAINSI"rHE LAWYERS. To be a lawyer, which I did conceive to he Ministerial, was indeed to be a governor of one's country. Thus, the recorders and town-clerks governed corporations; the country lawyer is in commission of the peace, and gives the charge at the quarter-sessions, mod rules all there. It was grown so far, that no man was tit to be a feoffee in trust but a lawyer, no man to be an executor but a lawyer. Nay, they grew so far, no man fit to make a purchase but a lawyer; and very much was gotten by their broking in purchases and keeping court-barons and court-leets. They did stoop to the lowest degree of men ; sad, as I have heard poor people say, they could not raise up a beast but some cause or other Was found out to make them spend the price of the beast. I have heard of some lawyers that did countenance those that did sue in ,ti.orma pauperis, that so the fees of one side should serve rather than the profession should want employment. But I forget myself; I will only conclude with one story of my Lord Privy Seal Montague, who, being an eminent lawyer, my lord Montague, his eldest brother, did intend a suit with him. And certain it is that no lawyer would be retained against him, and for want thereof he was fain to come to a composition. And as they do thus favour themselves, each the other, so sonic will report that if they do not bring up their sons and sous-in-law in their own profession, as ever they do unless they be prevented be death, that then they must favour the sons of lawyers and their sons-in- iw. usually they have all the good matches in the kingdom offered them,

they mu i

must be bred up n the law, and supply the infancy and nonage of their sons; and as it is for matter of profit Riot honour, so for pleasure and sport, 1 dare bs1,11y say that there is Jost a mean lawyer but spendeth as much venison in his house as he (loth that hath an culinary park. I did once intend to have built a church, and a lawyer in my neighbourhood did intend to build himself a fidr liii. :Is ,ffterwards lie did. One sent unto hint to desire him to accept front hint all his timber ; another sent unto him to desire hint that he might supply Iihn with all the iron that he spent about his house. These men bad great woods and iron-mills of their own. The country desired him to accept of their carriage. What reason had tins man not to build ? Truly I think he paid very little hut the workmen's wages. Whereas, on the contrary-, in the staling of my church, where it was so necessary, for without the church they had not (iod's service, and no church was near them within four or five miles, truly 1 could not get the contribution of one farthing. Lord, how are the times altered! It was not so when St. Paul's Church. in Loudon and other cathedrals were built. God's will be done.

The writings of G000mAN are contained in the first volume of the present collection ; the second consists of contemporary letters, collected by Mr. Batmen from a great variety of sources, and re- ferring to subjects which the Bishop either mentions or alludes to. The Nvork is accompanied by notes of a useful kind, illustrative of facts or persons merely touched upon in the test; but the editor seems very like an old Tory in his prejudices, and something like an " Oxford Doctor" in his theology.