cessful preacher, for twenty-seven years. In the year 1643, he was chosen a member of the assembly of divines at Westminster. When he was at London he was offered several considerable preferments, but refused them, re solving to return to his people at Welby, who honored bim as a father; for by his awakening sermons, and exemplary life and conversation, he accomplished a great reformation of manners in that town. He was full of spiritual warmth, (says the preacher of his funeral sermon) filled with au holy indignation against sin, active in his work, and never more in his element than in the pulpit. As his life was holy, so his death was comfortable. He blessed God that he was not afraid to die; nay, he earnestly desired to be gone, often crying out, in his last sickness, When will that hour come? One assault more, and this earthen vessel will be broken, and I shall be with God. He died the be ginning of December, 1654, before he was arrived to the age of sixty.

Dr. Samuel Bolton was educated in Cambridge, and from thence removed to the living of St. Martin's, Ludgate. Upon his coming to the city he was chosen one of the additional members of the assembly of divines, being a per son of great name and character for learning and practical preaching. He was a burning and shining light, (says Mr. Clarke an interpreter one of a thousand, an admir able preacher, and his life was an excellent commentary upon his sermons. Upon the death of Dr. Bainbrigge he was chosen master of Christ's college, Cambridge, which he governed with great wisdom and prudence till his death, which happened about the 10th of October, 1654. He was buried with great solemnity in his parish church of Ludgate on the 16th of the same month, very much lamented by the London clergy of those times.

Mr. Jer. Whitaker was born at Wakefield in Yorkshire, 1599, and educated in Sidney college, Cambridge, where he proceeded in arts. He taught the free-school at Okeham, in Rutlandshire, seven years, and then became minister of Stretton in the same county, where he continued thirteen years. In 1643, he was nominated one of the assembly of divines at Westminster, which brought him to

Lives of eminent persons, p. 43.

London, where he was chosen to the rectory of St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey, in Southwark. He preached three or four sermons every week; two in Southwark, one at Westminster, and one at Christ church, London. He.never withdrew from any opportunity of preaching if he was in health; and though he preached often, bis sermons were solid and judicious. He was an universal scholar, both in arts and languages; well acquainted with the fathers and school-men, an acute disputant, and inferior to none in his acquaintance with the holy scriptures.* He was of the presbyterian persuasion, and had a chief hand in composing the defence of the gospel ministry, published this year by the provincial synod of London. He refused the engagement, and lamented the wars between England, Scotland, and Holland. No man was more beloved by the presbyterian ministers of London than Mr. Whitaker. When he was seized with the violent and acute pain of the stone about the beginning of November, many days of prayer and fasting were observed for his recovery, but the distemper was incurable. He bore his pains with uncommon patience, fearing nothing more than to dishonor God by unreasonable complaints. When his distemper was most violent he would desire his friends to withdraw, that they might not be affected with his roarings. At length nature being quite spent, he cheerfully resigned his soul into the hands of his Redeemer, about the fifty-fifth year of his age. His funeral sermon was preached by Mr. Calamy, who gave him a large and deserved encomium.

Mr. Richard Vines, of whom mention has been made already, was born at Blazon in Leicestershire, and educated in Magdalen-college, Cambridge, where he commenced M. A. He was first school-master at Hinckley, then minister of Weddington in Warwickshire. At the begin. ning of the civil war he was driven from his parish, and forced to take shelter in Coventry. When the assembly of divines was convened he was chosen one of their num ber; and, as Fuller says,t was the champion of their party. While he was at London he became minister of St. Clement's Danes; afterwards he removed to Watton in

* Clarke's General Martyrology, in the Lives, p. 264.

VOL. IV.

Fuller's Worthies. p. 134.

20

Hertfordshire, and was chosen master of Pembroke hall in Cambridge, but resigned that, and his living of St. Lawrence Jewry, on account of the engagement. He was a son of thunder, and therefore compared to Luther; but moderate and charitable to those who differed from him in judgment. The parliament employed him in all their treaties with the king; and his majesty, though of a differ ent judgment, valued him for his ingenuity, seldom speak. ing to him without touching his hat, which Mr. Vines returned with most respectful language and gestures. He was an admirable scholar; holy and pious in his conversation, and indefatigable in his labors, which wasted his strength, and brought him into a consumption, when he had lived but about fifty-six years. He was buried in his own parish church, Feb. 7, 1655, his funeral sermon being preached by Dr. Jacomb, who gave him his just commendation. He was a perfect master of the Greek tongue, a good philologist, and an admirable disputant. He was a thorough calvinist, and a bold, honest man, without pride or flattery.* Mr. Newcomen calls him disputator acutissimus, concionator felicissimus, theologus eximius. Many funeral poems and elegies were published on his death.†

The protector having dissolved his second parliament without confirming their acts, was obliged still to rely on the military arm; this, together with the insurrections in several parts of the country, induced him, for his greater security, to canton the nation into eleven districts, and place over them major.generals, whose commission was to in

wars.

Dr. Grey insinuates a reflection on Mr. Vines' simplicity and integ. rity, by a story of his praying in the morning of an Easter Sunday, before the marquis of Hertford, for the king's restoration to his throne and regal rights; but, in the afternoon, when the marquis was absent, and lord Fairfax came to church, praying, in stylo parliamentario, that God would turn the heart of the king, and give him grace to repent of his grievous sins, especially all the blood shed in those civil, uncivil On which it was observed, that Mr. Vines was much more altered between the forenoon and afternoon, than the difference between an English marquis and an Irish baron. The reader, perhaps, will think, that each prayer might very consistently be formed by the same person. Not a week before Mr. Vines' death, as he was preaching at St. Gregory's, a rude fellow cried out to him, "Lift up your voice, for I cannot hear you :" to whom Mr. Vines returned, "Lift up your ears, for I can speak no louder." Fuller's Worthies, p. 446, 8vo. edition, 1684. Ed. Clarke's Lives of Eminent Persons. B. 48.

spect the behavior of the inferior commissioners within their districts; to commit to prison all suspected persons; to take care of collecting the public taxes; and to sequestér such as did not pay their decimation. They were to enquire after all private assemblies of suspected persons, and after such as bought up arms; after vagabonds, and idle persons; after such as lived at an higher rate than they could afford; after such as frequented taverns and gaming-houses, and after scandalous and unlearned ministers and school-masters; and there was no appeal from them but to the protector and his council. They were ordered to list a body of reserves both horse and foot at halfpay, who were to be called together upon any sudden emergency, and to attend so many days at their own expense, but if they were detained longer to have full pay ; by which means the protector had a second army in view, if any disaster should befal the first; but these officers became so severe and arbitrary, that his highness found it necessary after some time to reduce their power, and when affairs were a little more settled to dissolve them.

Having provided for the security of his government at home, the protector concluded an alliance with France, Oct. 23, in which it is remarkable that Lewis XIV. is not allowed to stile himself king of France, but king of the French,his highness claiming the protectorship of that kingdom among his other titles; and, which is more surprising, the name of Oliver stands in the treaty before that of the French king. At the same time he sent admiral Blake with a fleet into the Mediterranean, who spread the terror of the English name over all Italy, even to Rome itself; processions being made, and the host exposed for forty hours, to avert the judgments of heaven, and preserve the patrimony of the church. But Blake's commission was only to demand sixty thousand pounds of the duke of Tuscany,for damages sustained by the English merchants while he harbored prince Rupert, which he paid immediately. The admiral released all the English slaves on the coast of Barbary, to the number of four hundred, and obtained satisfaction for the ships taken by the pirates of Algiers, Tunis, &c. Upon the whole he brought home sixteen ships laden with booty, which sailed up the river Thames

to the port of London, as a grateful spectacle of triumph to the people.

While Blake was in the Mediterranean, admiral Pen and Venables, with thirty men of war and some land forees, sailed to the West-Indies, with a design to suprise the town of Hispaniola ; but miscarrying in the attempt, they res embarked and took possession of the island of Jamaica, which is in possession of the crown of Great-Britain to this day.

The protector did not commission Blake to assault the Spanish coasts in the Mediterranean, because there was no open rupture between the two nations in Europe; but the West-Indies not being included in the treaty, he thought himself at liberty in those parts; which occasioned a declaration of war, on the part of Spain, with all the English dominions; upon which Blake was ordered to cruise upon the Spanish coasts, and to wait for the return of the Plate fleet, of which he gave a very good account the next summer.

To support these additional expenses, the protector, by advice of his council, raised some extraordinary taxes before the parliament met, which he knew to be illegal, and did not pretend to justify upon any other foot than the ab solute necessity of the public safety; the distracted condi tion of the nation; that it was impracticable in the present juncture to call a parliament, or to proceed in the ordinary course of law; and that in extraordinary cases, wherein all was at stake, some extraordinary methods were allowa1 ble. How far this reasoning will excuse the protector, or vindicate his conduct, must be left with the reader. But it is agreed on all hands, that in things that did not affect the very being of his government, he never interposed, but let the laws have their free course. He had a zeal for trade and commerce beyond all his predecessors, and appointed a standing committee of merchants for advancing it, which met for the first time in the painted chamber, Nov. 27, 1655, and continued to his death.

The provincial assembly of London, finding their attempts to establish their discipline ineffectual, employed themselves this year in promoting the religious education of youth; for which purpose they published an exhortation to catechising; with the following directions for the more orderly carrying it on.