y 1589 he preached at
Paul's Cross a sermon on 1 John iv. 1, the substance of which was a
passionate attack on the Puritans. He described their speeches and
proceedings, caricatured their motives, denounced the exercise of the right
of private judgment, and set forth the divine right of bishops in such
strong language that one of the queen's councillors held it to amount to a
threat against the supremacy of the crown. In the following year Bancroft
was made a prebendary of St Paul's; he had been canon of Westminster since
1587. He was chaplain successively to Lord Chancellor Hatton and Archbishop
Whitgift. In June 1597 he was consecrated bishop of London; and from this
time, in consequence of the age and incapacity for business of Archbishop
Whitgift, he was virtually invested with the power of primate, and had the
sole management of ecclesiastical affairs. Among the more noteworthy cases
which fell under his direction were the proceedings against "Martin
Mar-Prelate," Thomas Cartwright and his friends, and John Penry, whose
"seditious writings" he caused to be intercepted and given up to the lord
keeper. In 1600 he was sent on an embassy, with others, to Embden, for the
purpose of settling certain matters in dispute between the English and the
Danes. This mission, however, failed. Bancroft was present at the death of
Queen Elizabeth. He took a prominent and truculent part in the famous
conference of prelates and Presbyterian divines held at Hampton Court in
1604. By the king's desire he undertook the vindication of the practices of
confirmation, absolution, private baptism and lay excommunication; he
urged, but in vain, the reinforcement of an ancient canon, "that
schismatics are not to be heard against bishops"; and in opposition to the
Puritans' demand for certain alterations in doctrine and discipline, he
besought the king that care might be taken for a _praying clergy_; and
that, till men of learning and sufficiency could be found, godly homilies
might be read and their number increased. In March 1604 Bancroft, on
Whitgift's death, was appointed by royal writ president of convocation then
assembled; and he there presented a book of canons collected by himself. It
was adopted and received the royal approval, but was strongly opposed and
set aside by parliament two months afterwards. In the following November he
was elected successor to Whitgift in the see of Canterbury. He continued to
show the same zeal and severity a