Page images
PDF
EPUB

come before any temporal court of judicature; I fufpect it never has. But I think I can explain what the Diffenter means, which is this, viz. that the courts of judicature do receive as evidence, certain proofs of diffenting baptifm: that is, diffenting baptifm is valid in a court of judicature to prove fuch and fuch facts, which the court want to ascertain. So a Jewish oath upon the Old Teftament, or the Mahometan oath upon the Koran, may be called a valid oath in a court of judicature. But this is quite a different thing from the validity of baptifm in the view of the Chriftian church of this kingdom, which has no concern with baptifm, but as it is the means of admiffion into the Church of Christ, and making inheritors of the kingdom of heaven.

I believe, Sir, I have now remarked upon every thing in the Diffenter's letter that is of importance. As for those few contemptuous fentences with which his production is clofed, he had better not have penned them fuch things never do a cause any good. If he wishes to convince us that the diffenters have a right to church burial, he muft take different means. If they have the right, (and it is the right, not an indulgence, which they contend for,) they must have it by fome grant of church or ftate. Let him then, in your next number, fhew how they came by that right. If by church law, let him at once produce it; if by fecular law, let him point out the ftatute which obliges the clergyman to bury them. I really at prefent am acquainted with none whatever. I will therefore requeft of the Bafingstoke Diffenter a plain and unequivocal reply to two plain questions. The first is this. Why do the diffenters difturb the peace of fociety, by endeavouring to compel the clergy, against their judgment, to bury their dead with a fervice which they defpife, where they can have a minifter and a fervice of their own?

The fecond is this. Where do we find that law, which gives to the diffenters a right to the burial fervice of the church?

66

I am, Sir,
Your obedient Servant,

Jan. 8, 1808. J. W. N. B. If any of your readers are defirous of found infor mation upon this fubject, they will perufe with pleasure Leflie's Difcourfe fhewing who they are that are now qualified to adminifter Baptifm and the Lord's Supper," which is to be found in vol. 2. of his Theological Works; "Laurence's Lay Baptifm Invalid;" or rather, a shorter

treatife

treatife of Laurence, and more to our purpose, entitled, "Diffenters and other Unauthorised Baptifms, Null and Void, by the Articles, Canons, and Rubricks of the Church of England." In all of thefe, he will find much informa tion, and ftrong argument.

MURDER OF DEAN RALEIGH.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN's

SIR,

THE

MAGAZINE.

HE account which you lately gave of the fufferings of Mr. Swift, is very interefting and important, as a fpecimen of what might be expected in the afcendancy of fanaticifm and republicanifm. You will do well, I think, to favour your readers with fome more inftances of Prefbyterian perfecution from the fame fource. They will be the more acceptable as Dr. Walker's book is becoming fcarce, and the promifed new edition is not likely to appear. I have here fent you the account of the murder of Dr. Walter Raleigh, dean of Wells, for your purpose, if you judge the hint here given deferving attention.

AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT.

DR. WALTER RALEIGH was the second son of Sir Carew (elder brother to the famous Sir Walter) Raleigh, and was born at Downton, in Wilts. He had his education at Magdalen College, in Oxford; and taking orders, became chaplain to the earl of Pembroke, prebendary of Wells, and rector of Chedzoy, in Somersetshire; and chaplain to king Charles I. who, in 1641, promoted him to this deanry of Wells. Upon the breaking out of the rebellion, he was, for no other cause than loyalty to his prince, and zeal for the church, perfecuted in the most outrageous and barbarous manner imaginable; being fequeftered, and hurried from one prifon to another; and still there immured where several prifoners died of the plague; and at laft, fhut up in his own houfe at Wells, which they had turned into a jail; and after he had escaped the peftilence in many places, was villainoufly murdered

murdered by the man appointed to be his keeper. Some of the particulars are thefe: "It being the doctor's month to wait upon the king, as his chaplain, the committee of Somerfet raised the rabble, and commiffioned the foldiers to plun, der his parfonage-houfe of Chedzoy; in his absence seized upon all his eftate, fpiritual and temporal, drove away the cattle and horfes they found upon his ground, and barbaroufly turned his family out of doors. His poor lady was forced to lie two nights in the corn fields; it being a capital crime for any of the parishioners to afford them lodgings, After this, fhe made the beft of her way to Downton, in Wilts, the feat of Sir Carew Raleigh, the doctor's father, and here her husband returning from waiting, met her. The king's party meeting with fome fucceffes in the Weft, the doctor had an opportunity to return to his family, and refettle at Chedzoy; but the rebels foon getting the upperhand, by the defeat of lord Goring, he was forced to fly to Bridgwater (a place garrifoned for the king) for refuge. Here he continued, with other loyal gentlemen, till that town was furrendered to Fairfax and Cromwell; at which time he was taken prifoner, and after much barbarous ufage, was fet upon a horfe, with his legs tied under the belly, and fo sen in triumph to his parfonage-house in Chedzoy, to expofe him. as a malefactor to his parishioners. The doctor's houfe was then the head-quarters of Fairfax and Cromwell, and the dean being violently fick, in confequence of his former ufage, obtained the favour of them to continue prifoner in his own houfe. But as foon as these two generals were marched, Henry Jeanes (who coveted his rectory of Chedzoy, and afterwards fucceeded him in the fame,) entered violently into the house, took the doctor out of his bed, and carried him away prifoner with all his goods.* His wife and children were turned out to the wide world, and must have perifhed, had not colonel Afh procured them the income of fome small tenements, that were purchased by the doctor in Chedzoy. After this, Dr. Raleigh was fent a prifoner to Ilchefter, the county jail, then to Banwell-Houfe, and lastly, to the deanery in Wells: where he was committed to the cuftody of one David Barrett, a fhoemaker, and at that time a conftable of the city; who treated him far beneath

It is worthy of observation, that Dr. Calamy, who rarely fails to vindicate his heroes of nonconformity from the charges brought against them, by roundly denying the accusations, or by palliating excuses, in this instance leaves Mr. Jeanes without say ing one word in his favour.

per

neath his quality and function, and at laft murdered him in the following manner. Whilft the committee of Somerset were fitting at Wells, the doctor took the opportunity of preferring a request to them for liberty to go to his wife and children, in order to fettle fome affairs which nearly concerned them; and at the fame time a gentleman of 1000l. annum, offered to be bound for his return at the time they hould appoint him: but this common favour being inhu manly denied him, the excellent doctor was moved and concerned at it; and replied, that it was hard he should not be permitted to go, who afked leave, whilft others who afked no leave, had that liberty allowed them for a week or fortnight together. This faying of the doctor's proved an intimation to the committee, that Barrett the jailor took the liberty of let ting fome of the prifoners abroad without their privacy; upon which they were very angry, and threatened to turn him out if ever he fhould grant fuch a liberty to any prifoner for the future. This fo incenfed Barrett, that coming the next morning into the doctor's chamber, who happened to be then writing to his wife, he prefently laid his hand upon the letter to fee it; but the doctor refused to permit him, unless he had an order from the committee for that purpofe; and fo wrefted the paper out of his hands; upon this, the fellow flipped back, drew his fword, ran it immediately into the good man's belly home to his back-bone; and gave him fuch an incurable wound, that he fell out of his chair dead; but being brought to life again by fome help and affiftance, he lingered on about fix weeks, and then died of his wound. Thus was the blood of this great and good man shed as the blood of a dog! Nor was this all: for though his wife profecuted the vile murderer two affizes ogether, the could not get him brought to a trial; but the falling fick, before the third time came, and not able to attend it, then the fellow appeared, and was acquitted! And what is yet more, the committee fo much favoured the execrable murderer, that they fent out their warrants to apprehend the doctor's eldest fon, because he carried on the profecution against Barrett; infomuch that Mr. Raleigh was forced to fly for his fecurity; and then Barrett was releafed, and restored by the com mittee, to his place. To which let me add this one thing more, that the committee likewife apprehended, imprisoned, and kept in custody (till the very hour of his death) one Mr. Standifh, a priest vicar of this church, because he had given the doctor Chriftian burial; that is, in other words, had buried him by the Common-Prayer. The day of Dr. Raleigh's death

death was October 10, 1646. He was perfon not only of genteel behaviour, but of great wit and elocution; a good orator, and a mafter of ftrong reafon; which won him the familiarity and friendship of thofe great men, who were the envy of the laft age, and wonder of this; viz. Lucius, lord Falkland, Dr. Henry Hammond, and Mr. William Chilling worth; the laft of whom was wont to fay, that Dr. Raleigh was the beft difputant that he ever met withal. What became of the reft of his family, I know not; but I am informed, that his fon Henry was, after his father's murder, taken and maintained by Mr. Mallet of Enmore; and did laftly ride in the duke of Northumberland's guards. As for Barrett, who murdered Dr. Raleigh, I am informed by a very ancient gentleman of Wells, that he was a renegado Welchman, not worth a groat when he came to Wells; but that by plundering, and fuch like practices of those times, he had got an eftate, (which to observe that by the way, is now crumbled into nothing again) and that having married a woman in Wells, there was another from Wales, who had two children by him, came after him, and fued him for her hufband. Such was this reforming faint, (exactly agreeable to the principles of the times) whom neither murder nor adul tery could blemish; but he must be ftill continued in the favour and fervice of the committee, as one of the godly. I have been further informed at Wells, that the fifter of this fellow's wife had her mouth drawn back into her neck, in a moft frightful and difmal manner; and expired in that pofture, crying out on her death-bed, that her brother-in law had made her damn her foul by falfe fwearing; because she had upon her oath depofed, that Dr. Raleigh ftruck Barrett first."

Such is the account given by Dr. Walker, to which it is proper to add from Wood, (Athen. Oxon. Vol. II. 96.) that" Dr. Raleigh's papers after his death, fuch as could be kept, were for more than thirty years referved in obscurity. At length they coming into the hands of the worthy and learned Dr. Simon Patrick, then rector of St. Paul's, Covent Garden, and afterwards bishop of Ely, he viewed, amended and methodized them, which being done, they were made public under this title "Reliquiæ Raleighanæ, being Difcourfes and Sermons on feveral fubjects." London, 1679, 4to. It is faid that the dean wrote a tract on the Millennium, for which he was an advocate, but it was never printed.

« PreviousContinue »