[43] Southey says of Laud, "Offence was taken because the University of Oxford, to which he was a most munificent and judicious benefactor, addressed him by the titles of His Holiness, and Most Holy Father; and because he publicly declared, that in the disposal of ecclesiastical preferments, he would, when their merits were equal, prefer the single to the married men."—Book of the Church, 448. Laud furnishes an elaborate defence of some of the titles applied to him.—Works, iv. 157.
See curious entry in Laud's Diary of a dream he had that he was reconciled to the Church of Rome.—Works, iii. 201. He afterwards says (264), "I hope the reader will note my trouble at the dream, as well as the dream."
Zeal in crushing dissent, appears in a letter addressed to justices of the peace, which probably Laud procured from the High Commissioners:—"There remain in divers parts of the kingdom sundry sorts of separatists, novalists [sic], and sectaries, as, namely,—Brownists, Anabaptists, Arians, Traskites, Familists, and some other sorts, who, upon Sundays and other festival days, under pretence of repetition of sermons, ordinarily use to meet together in great numbers, in private houses, and other obscure places, and there keep private conventicles and exercises of religion, by law prohibited, to the corrupting of sundry his Majesty's good subjects, manifest contempt of his Highness's laws and disturbance of the Church. For reformation whereof the persons addressed are to enter any house where they shall have intelligence that such conventicles are held, and in every room thereof search for persons assembled, and for all unlicensed books, and bring all such persons and books found before the Ecclesiastical Commission as shall be thought meet."—Cal. 1633-4, p. 538.
At an earlier period, Laud says:—"We took another conventicle of separatists in Newington Woods upon Sunday last, in the very brake where the King's stag should have been lodged for his hunting next morning." P.S. to letter of Laud, June 13, 1632.—State Papers. Printed in Laud's Works, vii. 44.
[44] Articles for Diocese of Winchester. Laud's Works, v. 419-435. Numerous visitation articles, injunctions, and orders appear in this volume, highly interesting as illustrations both of the Archbishop's minute superintendence, and of the religious life of the period.
[45] Reprinted in Laud's Works, v. 315, 370.
[46] Laud's Works, v. 331.
[47] See Cal. Dom., 1633-4, and Laud's Annual Accounts of his province just referred to.
[48] There is an extract of a letter in the State Paper Office (dated 1633, March 18, from the ambassador at the Hague) in the handwriting of Laud's secretary, upon the uncanonical proceedings of the English Congregation there.
[49] These points receive abundant illustration in Mr. Bruce's Calendar, 1633-4, and in his very interesting preface.