* Spurstowe. The date, 1630, of Spurstowe's ' fellowship ' (he was afterwards Master), shews that Mr Masson has made a slip in enumerating his name among the distinguished 'fellows' under Dr Hill's Mastership. Life of Milton, i. 97. I cannot make even this small reference to Mr Masson without, in common with every literary man since the issue of his book, acknowledging my indebtedness to his industry, and almost prodigal elucidation and illustration of contemporary events and names.
Iviii MEMOIR OP KICHABD SIBBES, D.D.
Then opened what proved the ' Thirty Years' War,' in which the emperor, and pope, and the king of Spain were leagued against Frederick, and against the Protestant Union in him. All Europe looked on. Our own England was humiliated, all but treasonous, as James talked his foolish talk and lived his unclean life, and for- got daughter, son-in-law. Protestantism — all. Driven to do some- thing, he did his little when too late. In November 1620, the Protestants were smitten in one decisive battle — Prague ; and Frederick and his queen, losing Bohemia, losing the Palatinate, losing all, fled as refugees to Holland. What followed, only the great sealed 'book' above will declare. The triumphant enemy 'played havoc ;' and, through many dark and terrible years, the sufferings of the Protestants of Bohemia and the ' palatinate,' were something nnimaginable. The cry reached England, and public help was sought and denied. But it went not everywhere unheard, unheeded. The Puritans, Sibbes among the first, recognised their brotherhood, and out of their own private resources sought to do a little, if it were only to shew their sympathy. I have been for- tunate enough to recover a touching memorial of their efforts. Preserved among very different papers in Her Majesty's Record Office is a ' circular' letter, which, in the pathos of its simple words, goes right to the heart. Here it is : —
Whereas, a late information is given to his Ma*'* of the lamentable dis- tresses of two hundred and forty godly preachers, with their wifes and families, and sundrie thousands of godly private persons with them, cast out of their house and homes, out of their cahings and countreys, by the furie of the mercilesse papists in the Upper Palatinate, whose heavie condicion is such as they are forced to steale theh servises of religion in woods and solitarie places, not without continual feare and damage of their lives ; and whose present want is such as they would be very thankful! for coarse bread (and) drinke if they coi;ld gett it. As tenderinge the miserie and want of deare brethren and sisters, desire aU godly persons to whom these presents may come, as fellowe feelinge members of the same body of Jesus Christ, to comiserate their present want and enlarge their hearts and hands for some present and private supply for them till some publique means (which hereafter may be hoped) may be raised for their reiiefe, as- suring themselves that whatsoever is cast into heaven, and falleth into the lappe of Christ in his members, shall return with abundant increase in the harvest ; neither lett any be discouraged least their bounty should misearrie, for we knowe a sure and safe way whereby whatsoever is given shall un- doubtedly come to their hands to (whom) it is intended.
2 Martii 1627. (Signed) Tho. Taylor.
Richard Sibbs.
John Davenport.
William Gouge.*
* ' Circular.' Described in ' Calendar of State Papers, Domestic Series of th& Eeign of Cliarles I., 1627-28.' By John Bruce, 1858 (Longman).
MEKOIR OF RICHARD SIBBES, D.D. Hx
One of two copies of this affecting ' circular ' is endorsed by Laud, and the names noted so carefully, that the Sibbs within is corrected to Sibbes without. One marvels what ground even a Laud could find for opposition, much less persecution, in so piteous an appeal. But when there is a will to hurt or hinder, an occasion is not ill to devise. Perchance the vehement words, ' imerciless papists,' stung. At any rate, the four honoured men, Richard Sibbes, William Gouge, Thomas Taylor, John Davenport, were summoned before the Star Chamber, and reprimanded. It is not at all wonderful that William Prynne, in his ' Canterburie's Doom,' should ask, ' By what laiu of the land' — a question, by the way, that rings all through the charges of this extraordinary book, like a Gerizzim curse — ' did they convert Doctor Gouge, Doctor Sibbes, Doctor Taylor, and Master Davenport, as notorious delinquents, only for setting their hands to a certificate upon entreaty, testifying the distressed condition of some poor ministers of the Palatinate, and furthering a private contribution among charitable Christians for their relief, when public collections failed V
It does not appear what further steps, if any, were taken ; but one thing is certain, the miserable persecution did not 'silence' Sibbes. For he not only preached, but published passionately rebuking words against the national lukewarmness. ' Wha.t,' asks he, ' shall the members of Christ suffer in other countries, and we profess ourselves to be living members, and yet not sympathize ivith tJtem ? We must be conformable to our Head, before we can come to heaven.' * What a pass things had reached, when those in autho- rity would have shut even the hand of private charity against such sufferers ! It is impossible to restrain indignation when reading of James's more than poltroonly, more than mean, desertion of his own ' flesh and blood,' not to speak of Protestantism ; but doubly base was Laud's interference to stamp out as a pestilent thing, this little effort to relieve ' godly preachers and private persons.' It only added to that thunder-cloud, which in a few years was to launch its lightnings on his own head, and whose preluding shadows were even now darkening the sky : such retribu- tion as comes