Catholics of any description, native or foreign. The pretext which individuals employed at this juncture was, that this able man, Mr King, was incompetent for the undertaking, and that the knowledge of his having been engaged in the translation would expose the work to general contempt. In 1633, Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury, had been chosen Chancellor of Trinity College, Dublin, and now he, as well as the Earl of Strafford, were induced to join the opposing party. It was by the advice of Primate Ussher, and other eminent characters, that Bedell had first engaged Mr King, whom he had provided with a living, for which King was peculiarly fitted, by his perfect familiarity with the Irish tongue. Yet now, on the ground of some trivial ecclesiastical delinquency, was this aged and worthy man, without a hearing, deprived of his situation by the surrogates of the Archbishop, and even imprisoned; while his place was bestowed on the informer, a man entirely ignorant of the Irish language. For the unjust sufferings of his aged friend, Bedell expressed great sympathy; but the insinuations against the Irish translation he felt bound to expose; yet, with Strafford and Laud in opposition, and even Ussher afraid to befriend him, what wonder if he had sunk? In these peculiar circumstances, he addressed the following letter to the Lord Lieutenant, at once illustrative of the nature of the opposition with which he had to contend, and of the noble Christian spirit which he maintained under it : * * What a pity that the conduct of Ussher on this occasion should have been so unworthy of his uniform principles and sagacity! For some time, however, he had suffered his mind to be alienated from Bedell, and for no other reason than that he now shewed the unshaken courage and constancy of a primitive martyr, in the pursuit of his judicious plans for the benefit of the Native Irish, and because he had openly condemned the unjust and violent proceedings of the Archbishop's surrogates. Before this, indeed, Ussher had said, that the tide ran so high against him, in reference to pluralities and non-residence, that he could assist him no more; but Bedell, not disheartened, thanked him for his assistance hitherto, and added, "that he was resolved, by the help of God, to try if he could stand by himself." "Ussher was too gentle," says Bishop Burnett, "to manage the rough work of reforming abuses;" but this apology will not suffice. There are spots in the sun; and his conduct, in this instance, will not bear rigorous examination. Besides, few men could be more gentle than Bedell, when gentleness was incumbent. Witness his patient continuance in well-doing amidst various provocations, and his fine remarks in a sermon from "Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly." "Finally," he says, " he that, in matters of controversy, shall bring meekness to his defence, undoubtedly he shall overcome in the manner of handling; and, if he bring truth also, he shall prevail at last in the matter." "Right Hon., my good Lord,—That which I have sometimes done willingly, I do now necessarily, to make my address to your honour by writing. The occasion is not my love of contention, or any other matter of profit, but God's honour and (as he is witness) your's. I have lately received letters from my Lord of Canterbury, whereby I perceive that his Grace is informed that Mr King, whom I employed to translate the Bible into Irish, is a man so ignorant, that the translation cannot be worthy of public use in the church, and besides obnoxious, so that the church can receive no credit from any thing that is his. And his Grace adds, that he is so well acquainted with your Lordship's disposition, that he assures himself you would not have given away his living, had you not seen just cause for it.' I account myself bound to satisfy his Grace herein, and desire, if I may be so happy, to do it, by satisfying you. I do subscribe to his Grace's assured persuasion, that your Lordship, had you not conceived Mr King to be such as he writes, would not have given away his living. But, my Lord, the greatest, wisest, and justest men do, and must take many things upon the information of others, who themselves are men, and may sometimes, out of weakness or some other cause, be deceived. Touching Mr King's silliness, (which it concerns me the more to clear him of, that I be not accounted silly myself,) I beseech your Lordship to take information, not by them which never saw him till yesterday, but by the ancient churchmen or statesmen of the kingdom, in whose eyes he hath lived these many years,-as the Lord Primate, the Bishop of Meath, the Lord Dillon, Sir James Ware, and the like. I doubt not but your Lordship shall understand, that there is no such danger that the translation should be unworthy, because he did it; being a man of that known sufficiency, for the Irish especially, either in prose or verse, as few are his matches in the kingdom. And shortly, not to argue by conjecture and divination, let the work itself speak, yea let it be examined rigoroso examine; if it be found approvable, let it not suffer disgrace from the small boast of the workman, but let him rather (as old Sophocles accused of dotage) be absolved for the sufficiency of the work. Touching his being obnoxious, it is true that there is a scandalous information put in against him in the High Commission Court by his despoiler, Mr Baily, (as my Lord of Derry told him, in my hearing, he was,) and by an excommunicate despoiler as myself, before the execution of any sentence, declared him in the Court to be. And Mr King being cited to answer, and not appearing, (as by law he was not bound) was taken pro confesso, deprived of his ministry and living, fined an hundred pounds, and decreed to be attached and imprisoned. His adversary, Mr Baily, before he was sentenced, purchased a new dispensation to hold his benefice, and was, the very next day after, as appears by the date of the institution, presented in the King's title, (although the benefice be of my collation,) and instituted by my Lord Primate's vicar, and shortly after inducted by an archdeacon of another diocese. A few days after, he brought down an attachment, and delivered Mr King to the pursuivant. He was trailed by the head and feet to horseback, and brought to Dublin, where he hath been kept, and continued under arrest these four or five months, and hath not been suffered to purge his supposed contempt by oath and witnesses; that, by reason of his sickness, he was hindered, whereby he was brought to death's door, and could not appear and prosecute his defence; and that, by the cunning of his adversary, he was circumvented,— entreating that he might be restored to liberty, and his cause to his former state. But this hath not availed him. My reverend colleagues of the High Commission do some of them pity his case. Others say the sentence passed cannot be reversed, lest the credit of the Court be attached. They bid him simply submit himself, and acknowledge his sentence just. Whereas the bishops of Rome themselves, after most formal proceedings, do grant restitution in integrum, and acknowledge that sententia Romana sedis potest in melius commutari. My Lord, if I understand what is right, divine or human, these be wrongs upon wrongs, which, if they reached only to Mr King's person, were of less consideration. But when, through his side, that great work, the translation of God's book, so necessary for both his Majesty's kingdoms, is mortally woundedpardon me, I beseech your Lordship, if I be sensible of it. I omit to consider what feast our adversaries make of our rewarding him thus for that service, or what this example will avail to the alluring of others to conformity. What should your Lordship have gained if he had died, as it was almost a miracle he did not, under arrest, and had been at once deprived of living, liberty, and life? God hath reprieved him, and given your Lordship means, on right information, to remedy, with one word, all inconveniences. For conclusion, good my Lord, give me leave a little to apply the parable of Nathan to David to this purpose, If the wayfaring man that is come to us, for such he is, having never yet been settled in one place, have so sharp a stomach that he must be provided for with pluralities, sith there are herds and flocks plenty, suffer him not, I beseech you, under the colour of the King's name, to take the coset ewe of a poor man to satisfy his ravenous appetite. So I beseech the heavenly Physician to give your Lordship health of soul and body. I rest, my Lord, your Lordship's most humble servant in Christ Jesus, WILLIAM KILMORE." Such was the treatment experienced by a venerable old man ; for by this time Mr King was on the borders of eighty, and a man who had been so useful in the translation of the Sacred Scriptures! His parentage or birth-place we cannot trace: in the course of nature he must have died shortly after this period; but where he lies interred no one informs us. His name, therefore, must of necessity be left among the number of those Who lived unknown, Till persecution dragg'd them into fame, And chas'd them up to heaven. Their ashes flew, No bard embalms and sanctifies his song: And history, so warm on meaner themes, Is cold on this. The tide of opposition, so far as it concerned Mr King, even the unshaken energy of a Bedell could not turn; but still nothing could possibly turn him from his purpose! He now resolved to have the Bible printed, not only at his own charge, but in his own house; and, with a view to prepare the Irish for the work itself, he translated, both into Irish and English, some of the homilies of Chrysostom and Leo, containing eloquent recommendations of the Scriptures, and these he circulated with good effect, along with his catechism. At this moment a cloud was gathering over Ireland,—nothing but physical inability could have retarded Bedell; but, alas! before he could accomplish his great design, the rebellion broke out, and, before tranquillity was restored, he himself had been taken away to a better world. Before inquiring after the fate of his much-valued manuscript, it would be unpardonable thus to pass over the closing scene of such a life. Infinite wisdom hath inquired, "Who is he that will harm you if ye be followers of that which is good?" And the last days of this estimable man afford a singular commentary on this passage. In the autumn of 1641, when all around him there was nothing but fire and blood, and desolation, a secret guard seemed to be set upon him, and upon all that he had. He suffered, unquestionably, much distress, as no man could possibly be altogether exempted: but, from the 23d of October, when the civil commotions began, to the 18th of December, Bedell and all within his walls remained unmolested: indeed he was the only Englishman in the county of Cavan who was suffered to continue, during this period, in his own house undisturbed. Not only his house, but all the out-buildings, as well as the church and churchyard, were filled with people who had fled to him for shelter, many of whom had lived in affluent circumstances, but were now glad of a little straw to lie upon, and a little boiled wheat to eat. On the 18th of December, when the Bishop was removed from his house, he and his family were carried to the castle of Lochwater, where all, except himself, were at first put in irons. These, however, were afterwards taken off, and on the 7th of January the family was finally exchanged for other prisoners, and relieved. During the four following Sabbaths Bedell preached regularly in his own church, and upon the last of these from Psalm cxliv., on the 7th and 11th verses of which he dwelt with peculiar emphasis, repeating them again and again. Next day he was taken ill, and, two days afterwards, calling his children around him, he addressed them all in the most tender and scriptural manner. "I am going," said he," the way of all flesh, I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. Knowing, therefore, that shortly I must put off this tabernacle, I know also, that if the earthly house of this my tabernacle were dissolved, I have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, a fair mansion in the New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God. Therefore to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain; which increaseth my desire even now to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better. Hearken therefore to the last words of your dying |