to pieces, by the fierce contentions which then subsisted
concerning the doctrines of Arminius: he saw this with concern, and
was sensible true religion, piety, and virtue, could never be promoted
by such altercation; and therefore with the little power of which he
was master, he endeavoured to effect a reconciliation between the
contending parties: he wrote what he calls a project of pacification,
which was presented to his Majesty, and would have had a very happy
influence, had not the enemies of Mr. Hall misrepresented the book,
and so far influenced the King, that a royal edict for a general
inhibition, buried it in silence. Hall after this contended with the
Roman Catholics, who upon the prospect of the Spanish match, on the
success of which they built their hopes, began to betray a great
degree of insolence, and proudly boast the pedigree of their church,
from the apostles themselves. They insisted, that as their church was
the first, so it was the best, and that no ordination was valid which
was not derived from it. Hall in answer to their assertions, made a
concession, which some of his Protestant brethren thought he had no
right to do; he acknowledged the priority of the Roman Church, but
denied its infallibility, and consequently that it was possible
another church might be more pure, and approach more to the apostolic
practice than the Romish. This controversy he managed so successfully,
that he was promoted to the see of Exeter; and as King James I. seldom
knew any bounds to his generosity, when he happened to take a person
into his favour, he soon after that removed him from Exeter, and gave
him the higher bishoprick of Norwich; which he enjoyed not without
some allay to his happiness, for the civil wars soon breaking out,
he underwent the same severities which were exercised against other
prelates, of which he has given an account in a piece prefixed to his
works, called, Hall's hard Measure; and from this we shall extract the
most material circumstances.

The insolence of some churchmen, and the superiority they assumed in
the civil government, during the distractions of Charles I. provoked
the House of Commons to take some measures to prevent their growing
power, which that pious monarch was too much disposed to favour. In
consequence of this, the leading members of the opposition petitioned
the King to remove the bishops from their seats in Parliament, and
degrade them to the station at Commons, which