Some popish priests and Jesuits were executing their mis sion at Stamford-Rivers, in Essex, of which he was then rector; and to secure his flock against their attempts, he left some propositions at the place of their meeting, with an intimation that, if any of those missionaries could give a satisfactory answer to the queries he had put, he would immediately become their proselyte. In these, he required of the papists to prove, that the present Roman church is either the catholic church, or a sound member of the catholic church; that the present church of England is not a true member of the catholic church; and that all those points, or any one of those points which the church of Rome maintains against the church of England, were, or was, the perpetual doctrine of the catholic church, the decided doctrine of the representative church in any general council, or national approved by a general council, or the dogmatical resolution of any one father for 500 years after Christ. On their proving all this in the affirmative, he promised to subscribe to their faith. Instead, however, of returning any answer, a small pamphlet was left at last for him, entitled "A new Gag for the old Gospel." To this he replied, in "An Answer to the late Gagger of the Protestants," 1624, 4to, which gave great offence to the Calvinists, at that time a very numerous and powerful party in the church, and thus drew upon him enemies from a quarter he did not expect: and their indignation against him ran so high, that Ward and Yates, two lecturers at Ipswich, collected out of his book some points, which they conceived to savour of popery and Arminianism, in order to have them presented to the next parliament. Mountagu, having procured a copy of the information against him, applied to the king for protection, who gave him leave to appeal to himself, and to print his defence. Upon this, he wrote his book entitled "Appello Cæsarem; a just Appeal against two unjust Informers;" which, having the approbation of Dr. White, dean of Carlisle, whom king James ordered to read, and give his sense of it, was published in 1625, 4to, but addressed to Charles I. James dying before the book was printed off.

In this work many of the acknowledged doctrines of the church of England are undoubtedly maintained with great force of argument, but there are other points in which be afforded just ground for the suspicions alleged against him; and that this was the opinion of many divines of that period

appeared from the answers to his "Appeal" published by, 1. Dr. Matthew Sutcliffe, dean of Exeter. 2. Mr. Henry Burton in his "Plea to an Appeale," Lond. 1626, 4to. 3. Mr. Francis Rous, afterwards provost of Eton college, in his "Testis Veritatis," ibid. 1626, 4to. 4. Mr. John Yates, B. D. formerly fellow of Emanuel college in Cambridge, afterwards minister of St. Andrew's in Norwich, in his book entitled "Ibis ad Cæsarem," ibid. 1626, 4to. 5. Mr. Anthony Wotton, professor of divinity in Gresham college. 6. Dr. Daniel Featly, in his "Pelagius Redivivus; or, Pelagius raked out of the ashes by Arminius and his scholars," ibid. 1626, 4to. This book contains two parallels, one between the Pelagians and Arminians; the other between the church of Rome, the appealer, Mr. Mountagu, and the church of England, in three columns; together with a writ of error sued against the appealer. 7. Dr. George Carleton, bishop of Chichester, in his " Examination of those things, wherein the author of the late Appeale holdeth the doctrines of the Pelagians and Arminians to be the doctrines of the church of England," ibid. 1626, 4to.

The controversy, however, was not to be left to divines, who may be supposed judges of the subject. The parlia ment which met June 18, 1625, thought proper to take up the subject, and Mr. Mountagu was ordered to appear before the House of Commons, and being brought to the bar July 17, the speaker told him, that it was the pleasure of the House, that the censure of his books hould be postponed for some time; but that in the interim he should be committed to the custody of the serjeant at arms. He was afterwards obliged to give the security of 2000l. for his appearance. The king, however, was displeased with the parliament's proceedings against our author; and bishop Laud applied to the duke of Buckingham in his favour; Mr. Mountagu also wrote a letter to that duke, entreating him to represent his case to his majesty; and this application was seconded some few days after by a letter of the bishops of Oxford, Rochester, and St. David's, to the duke. In the next parliament, in 1626, our author's Appello Casarem" was referred to the consideration of the committee for religion, from whom Mr. Pym brought a report on the 18th of April concerning several erroneous opinions contained in it. Upon this it was resolved by the House of Commons, 1. "That Mr. Mountagu had disturbed the peace of the church, by publishing doctrines, contrary to VOL. XXII.

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the articles of the church of England, and the book of homilies. 2. That there are divers passages in his book, especially against those he calleth puritans, apt to move sedition betwixt the king and his subjects, and between subject and subject. 3. That the whole frame and scope of his books is to discourage the well-affected in religion from the true religion established in the church, and to incline them, and, as much as in him lay, to reconcile them to popery." And accordingly articles were exhibited against him; but it does not appear, that this impeachment was laid before the House of Lords, or in what manner the Commons intended to prosecute their charge, or how far they proceeded. Rushworth, after much inquiry, could not find that Mr. Mountagu was brought to his defence, or that he returned any answer to the articles.

This prosecution from the parliament seems to have recommended him more strongly to the court, for, in 1628, he was advanced to the bishopric of Chichester, on the death of one of his opponents, Dr. Carleton. On August 22, 1628, the day appointed for his confirmation, a singular scene took place. On such occasious it is usual to give a formal notice, that if any person can object either against the party elected, or the legality of the election, they are to come and offer their exceptions at the day prefixed. This intimation being given, one Mr. Humphreys, and William Jones, a stationer of London, excepted against Mountagu as a person unqualified for the episcopal function, charging him with popery, Arminianism, and other heterodoxies, for which his books had been censured in the former parliament. Fuller tells us, "that exception was taken at Jones's exceptions (which the record calls 'prætensos Articulos)' as defective in some legal formali

I have been informed," continues he, "it was alledged against him for bringing in his objections viva voce, and not by a proctor, that court adjudging all private persons effectually dumb, who speak not by one admitted to plead therein. Jones returned, that he could not get any proctor, though pressing them importunately, and profering them their fee to present his exceptions, and therefore was necessitated ore tenus there to alledge them against Mr. Mountagu. The register mentioneth no particular defects in his exceptions; but Dr. Rives, substitute at that time for the vicar-general, declined to take any notice of them, and concludeth Jones amongst the contumacious,

quod nullo modo legitime comparuit, nec aliquid in hac parte juxta Juris exigentiam diceret, exciperet, vel opponeret.' Yet this good Jones did bishop Mountagu, that he caused his addresses to the king to procure a pardon, which was granted unto him, in form like those given at the coronation, save that some particulars were inserted therein, for the pardoning of all errors heretofore committed either in speaking, writing, or publishing, whereby he might hereafter be questioned."

With the bishopric of Chichester, he was allowed to hold the rectory of Petworth, and having now a protection from his enemies, he applied himself closely to his favourite study of ecclesiastical history; and first published his " Originum Ecclesiasticarum Apparatus," at Oxford, 1635, which was followed in 1636 by his "Originum Ecclesiasticarum, Tomus Primus," Lond. fol. In 1638, on the promotion of Dr. Wren to Ely, bishop Mountagu was translated to Norwich. Although now in a bad state of health, from an aguish complaint, he continued his researches into ecclesiastical history, and published a second volume under the title of "Theanthropicon; seu de vita Jesu Christi originum ecclesiasticarum libri duo. Accedit. Græcorum versio, et index utriusque partis," Lond. 1640. He died April 13, 1641, and was interred in the choir of Norwich cathedral. After his death appeared a posthumous work, "The Acts and Monuments of the Church before Christ incarnate," 1642, fol. with the singularity: of a dedication to Jesus Christ, in Latin, which he had himself prepared. In 1651 also was published his "Versio et notæ in Photii epistolas," Gr. Lat. fol.

Bishop Mountagu was allowed by his opponents to be a man of extensive learning, particularly in ecclesiastical history; but of a warm temper, and from his attachment to the writings of the fathers, holding some peculiar opinions, which were acceptable neither to churchmen or sectaries. Fuller says of him, that "his great parts were attended with a tartness of writing; very sharp the nib of his pen, and much gall in the ink, against such as opposed him. However, such the equability of this sharpness of his style, he was impartial therein: be he ancient or modern writer, papist or protestant, that stood in his way, they should equally taste thereof." Selden was one of those against whom he exercised, not a little of this sharpness of style; and yet, which is a considerable testimony,

in his favour," he owns him to have been a man well skilled in ancient learning."

MOUNTFORT (WILLIAM), an English dramatic writer, but in much greater eminence as an actor, was born in 1659, in Staffordshire. It is probable, that he went early upon the stage, as it is certain that he died young; and Jacob informs us, that, after his attaining a degree of excellence in his profession, he was entertained for some time in the family of the lord-chancellor Jefferies, "who," says sir John Reresby, "at an entertainment of the lordmayor and court of aldermen, in the year 1685, called for Mr. Mountfort to divert the company (as his lordship was pleased to term it): he being an excellent mimic, my lord made him plead before him in a feigned cause, in which he aped all the great lawyers of the age in their tone of voice, and in their action and gesture of body, to the very great ridicule not only of the lawyers, but of the law itself; which, to me (says the historian) did not seem altogether prudent in a man of his lofty station in the law: diverting it certainly was; but prudent in the lord high-chancellor I shall never think it." After the fall of Jefferies, our author again returned to the stage, in which profession he continued till his death, in 1692. Cibber, in his "Apology," says that he was tall, well made, fair, and of an agreeable aspect; his voice clear, full, and melodious; a most affecting lover in tragedy, and in comedy gave the truest life to the real character of a fine gentleman. In scenes of gaiety, he never broke into that respect that was due to the presence of equal or superior characters, though inferior actors played them, nor sought to acquire any advantage over other performers by finesse, or stage-tricks, but only by surpassing them in true and masterly touches of nature. He might perhaps have attained a higher degree of excellence and fame, had he not been untimely cut off, by the hands of an assassin, in the thirty-third year of his age. His death is thus related. Lord Mohun, a man of loose morals, and of a turbulent and rancorous spirit, had, from a kind of sympathy of disposition, contracted the closest intimacy with one captain Hill, a still more worthless character, who had long entertained a passion for that celebrated actress Mrs. Bracegirdle. This lady, however, had rejected him, with the contemptuous

1 Gen. Dict.-Biog. Brit.-Fuller's Worthies and Church History,-Haiwood's Alumni Etonenses.