come, I shall do you right. And so excusing his boldness, being a stranger to us, he, with much seeming satisfaction, departed to the town again, where he left the lady. And I heard afterwards, he would say, that the family of Gidding were much wronged by scandalous reports. But these kinds of visits were ordinary at Gidding, not from hundreds, but thousands, it may be said: yet it was never known that any man or woman came there, that did not seem, before they went away, fully and clearly satisfied.

67. One day there was a worthy gentleman, that dwelt not far from Gidding, and very often came to visit N. F., and greatly delighted in his company and discourse (this was a wise and learned gentleman), was at dinner at an earl's' house, not far

families (all from one grandmother) lived together in a strict discipline of devotion. They rose at midnight to prayers; and other people most complained thereof, whose heads, I dare say, never ached for want of sleep. Sure I am, strangers by them were entertained, poor people were relieved, their children instructed to read, whilst their own needles were employed in learned and pious work, to bind Bibles; whereof one most exactly done was presented to king Charles. But their society was beheld by some as an embryo nunnery, suspecting that there was a pope Joan therein; which causeless cavil afterwards confuted itself, when all the younger of those virgins practised the precept of St. Paul, to marry, bear children, and guide their houses."— Worthies in Huntingdonshire.

1 Either the earl of Manchester's at Kimbolton, or the earl of Westmoreland's at Apethorp.

1

from Gidding, where was store of great company. In the end they fell upon discourse of Gidding. Every man being ignorant of the place (for they were never there), began to report one to the other what they had credibly heard of Gidding, and spake very boldly all untruths, as if they had known all to be as they said. Yet this gentleman sat and heard all, for so he was resolved to do; the lord thinking, because he held his tongue, all to be true: till one bolder than the rest did affirm, that they were so superstitious, that they had twelve several crosses1 in their chancel-window, to his knowledge, to which they bowed when they entered the church, and that his eyes had seen them, within so many days ago. This set them all afire. When the gentleman heard this, he could no longer forbear, and beginning to speak, the lord said, Let us, I pray you, hear what Mr. (and so called him by his name) can say. For, said he, I now remember, that he once long ago told me that he used to go thither. I pray, Sir, said the lord, let us now have upon your knowledge. My lord, said he, there is little

On this subject

1 Lenton too had heard of the crosses. see Morton's Defence of the innocencie of the three ceremonies, &c., part ii. ch. 2, (Of the sign of the cross in baptism), Prynne's Canterburies Doome, 204 seq., Dowsing's Journal. "Cur tanta sufflas proba in innocuam crucem? Non plus maligni dæmones Christi cruce Unquam fugari, quam tui socii solent." Herbert, Epigr. Apolog. x. 1-3. Dr. Cornelius Burgess was the barbarian who overthrew Paul's Cross, (Heylin, Cypr. Angl. 202). Cf. Grey on Hudibras, iii. 2. 314.

credit to be given to reports in this kind, from hearsays: as I have well observed, all that this gentleman has spoken is because he knows no better and takes all upon trust, hand over head'. Your lordship shall first give me leave only to ask that gentleman that spake last, and upon his knowledge (as he saith), of twelve crosses in the chancel-window, to which they bow at entering into the church. Sir, I pray you, when were you there? He boldly replied, So many days ago, and such a day, the doors being open, I went into the church, but then they were not there. My lord, replied the other gentleman, this is a strange story, I myself was but the day before in the church with them at prayers, and three days after I was there again, as I passed by, and as then, nor ever before, did I see any such thing as one cross in the chancel-window;-much more twelve to be there was strange, and I not see them. I dare pawn my life this gentleman is mistaken; and give me leave, now we are upon this point, that I tell your lordship as a truth, that I was there about a year ago, the same time that Dr. M.2 came there to visit that and

1 "Hand over head. Tumultuario, fortuito."—-Coles. Cf. Johnson. Add from Gataker's Answer to Walker, (Lond. 4to. 1642), 86: "To admit hand over head whatsoever he or they shall hold and maintaine." Again, from his God's eye on his Israel, 29: "Who draw up whatsoever commeth to hand, with the hooke, and sweep all away hand over head with their net." The phrase is not yet obsolete.

2 "Morison, in marg."-BAKER. He was chancellor to bishop Williams (Heylin, Cypr. Angl. 163; cf. Hacket, ii.

other churches, as was his office once a year to do. He and I and Mr. N. F. went into the church. The doctor wonderfully liked it, as well he might for the comeliness of all things in it and about it, only said to Mr. N. F., that there wanted one thing, that would do well in the chancel-window. "What, doctor," said he, "is that?" "Painted glass and in it a crucifix." I heard Mr. N. F. reply "that if there had been any when they came, he would not have pulled it down except authority had commanded: so neither would he set up anything without command of authority." When the gentleman had thus said, all began to look one upon the other, and upon him that affirmed twelve crosses to be in the chancelwindow, and said: What say you now, Sir, to this? say, said he, it is true, what I told you, but this gentleman, it may be, thinks that iron crosses in church windows are no crosses. How do you mean that? said the other. Thus then you cannot deny but I have spoken a truth. There are three windows in the chancel, or the one window is divided into three parts. That is so, said the other. And will you not confess that there are three great iron bars go upright, and four shorter bars go cross each of those windows? So shall they make four crosses in each window, and that twelve in all, be it of iron, wood, stone, paint. That you cannot deny: so I told no untruth you see, though you did not see nor

I

112, Fuller, Ch. Hist. vi. 128, ed. Brewer). In 1634 Dr. Farmery was chancellor (Hacket, 123).

observe them. Well, said the other gentleman, if those be your twelve crosses, then all the other windows in the church have three times twelve crosses, and all my lord's windows here have crosses. Then all the company fell a laughing, and said the thing was a riddle, true and not true. But, said the lord, you that know Gidding so well, tell us, that we may be truly satisfied what your opinions are of that family, what are they for their religion? else we hear that they are charitable, and live well and peaceably. My lord, if you will needs have my opinion of them, I must say that they are orthodox, regular, puritan protestants. Come then, said the lord, let us let them alone, and fall to some other discourse. This gentleman not long after came to Gidding and told what had happened. This is only by the by, to let be known, how impudent and foolish malice is in some men, and the historian may take notice, if he please, in the passage of Dr. Morison's proposition and the answer of N. F. to it.

68. N. F. with some divines talking about the mass, and he expressing more than ordinary dislike of it, one of them said to him: Sir, suppose it should so happen that against your will mass should be said in your house, what would you do, seeing you have intimated dislike of the place, where such thing should be used? His answer was by a known story of the king of Spain's sending to one of his nobility, to borrow his house to lodge the duke of Bourbon: which that peer granted, but solemnly declared he would burn his house, as soon as that traitor was