meeting-place at Cockermouth." Mr. Lewis does not quote the date of this "ordination." It will be observed that Larkham is here described as pastor of the church at Tavistock, although he says he left Tavistock with a purpose to return thither no more; and in the following April he describes himself as sometime Minister of Tavistock." "re Larkham remained in the North until April, 1652, ceiving in Cumberland £90, besides £1 11s. given him there.' He also "received 23s. for a muster in Carlisle for my men," showing that he must again have acted as chaplain in some regiment. He left Cumberland 5th April, 1652,1 and the 21st April a petition is received from him by the commissioners for advance of money, he being then presumably in London. This petition, which is entirely in his own handwriting, is headed 2 "The humble petition of Thomas Larkham sometime Minister of Tavistock ffor and on behalfe of himselfe and the Inhabitants of the s'd place Sheweth," how it was that Lamerton had to pay £50 per ann. to the minister of Tavistock, "so it is that your Petitioner out of four harvests hath received one only 50, and that Walter Godbeare and William Grills feofses (sic) and John Pointer Tennant do share and keepe the profits of the s'd Rectory and are insolvent persons whereby not only your peticioner but the Minister of Lamerton (wch yet hath had nothinge at all out of the s'd Rectory) are like to be defrauded and the people of Tavistocke beinge many thousand 3 (poore ignorant people for the most part) are like (as they have beene for above halfe a yeare) to be still without a minister to instruct them. Your Peticioner desireth that this great abuse may be taken into consideration and a proceeding as to your grave and pious wisdomes shall seeme good and as to justice concerninge the revenues of the state shall appertaine "And etc. THOMAS LARKHAM.” The Commissioners order on the 23rd April: "The County Commissioner for Devon to summon God beare and Grills to account for the profitts of the rectory, and pay the arrears or show cause to the contrary and to examine Pointer as to what he has paid to the trustees and how he holds the premises, and to take their examinations to discover the abuse." (Published abstract.) MS. diary, under September 15th, when he received the first gift since he came out of Cumberland. 2 Record Office. 3 Surely there is some exaggeration here. A few days later appeared Larkham's volume of Sermons, entitled the "Wedding Supper . . . Being the effect of twelve Sermons preached by Thomas Larkham the oppressed Pastor of the despised Church of Christ there." The letters which precede the Sermons are dated "From my chamber in London May 12th, 1652." It must be noticed how at one moment he signs himself "Pastor" and at another "sometime" or formerly "Pastor of the Church of Tavistock." The Wedding Supper is now very rare, there are I believe but two copies known and only lately did I hear of the second. The first belonging to Miss Rooker of Plymouth, contains only the sermons without even a title page, and is bound up with Larkham's latter work on Tithes. The second copy, which is perfect but for the portrait engraved by T. Cross, (one of the best engravers of the period, who engraved portraits of Thomas Bastwick, Francis Quarles, William Silby, Philip Massinger and others) is in the library of the Memorial Hall, Farringdon Street. It is interesting as having belonged to "Deliverance Larkham, authoris nepos" (son of George) then to "John Wightman Del. Larkham nepos, June 20, 1758" and finally to Joshua Wilson who bought it 17th December 1836 for 1s. 6d. His widow gave it to the Library where it now is, and where by the courtesy of Dr. Newth I was allowed to copy out the long Epistle dedicatory to the Parliament, and the shorter addresses to Tavistock and the Reader. The book is in its original binding, no doubt the portrait was removed when the terrible fever of Granger was at its height. I will merely give here the dedications of these epistles and one or two facts from them. The first is dedicated "To the Supream Power, next and immediately under God and his Son Christ Jesus, within the Dominions of England, Ireland and Scotland and the adjacent Isles; The Parliament of the Commonwealth of England." Several extracts from this epistle have already been given, he says that he left "Tavistock with a purpose to return thither no more to dwell among them. But receiving letters from the godly party from time to time in which there seemed to be a strong continued Call that I must return, I began to consider what was best to be done, whether to prefer my profit and ease before suffering affliction with the People of God (as I had cause to fear I did), or to trust God of whose owning of me (with humility be it written) I had so • Evans, a print seller in the Strand, advertised one of Larkham's portraits for sale in 1853, evidently cut from a copy of the Wedding Supper. "Aged 50, 1652. 12mo." many, so great experiences. And at last I resolved to advise with Godly learned and judicious Ministers which thing I also did, and found them all to agree (upon view of the Letters sent me) that I must return. "Mr. H. P. One said, that I could not part with the Godly party at Tavistock, and that he believed others would be of his minde when they did view the Call. "Mr. L. S. Another, that I would go off lame and not recover until I did return. Mr. J. B. And so a third likewise; adding that my case was his and he must return to whence for want of maintenance he had departed. Here God enabled me to deny myself and I wrote from London news of my resolution to come among them. But as soon as that news came among them it cannot be imagined with what wrath of pride they run together. I will set down an extract of a letter.-' For since we heard of that happy news of your coming, the enemies do most furiously rage, and have acted together (as we hear) to send a letter to the Earl of Bedford that at no hand he shall present you etc.' This certainly does not seem as if Larkham had already had as he says "a legal presentation." He then relates how he had been chosen by the inhabitants of Tavistock : "I continued Preaching Minister quietly some time and might still, had not my judgement concerning Discipline made me liable to dislike and obloquy. But now they that were otherwise judgemented and profane ones gnash their teeth to see Christ's ordinances on foot in publique and themselves laid by as Reprobate Silver; and begin to quarrel at my preaching and to joyne shoulder to shoulder against the new Church (as they were pleased to call us that laboured to serve God in the spirit according to his word) and would have another to be their minister that would (according to custome) carry on (as they call it) God's good service. Hereupon the Rascall Multitude are encouraged to abuse the Godly Party. Such as were officers, Troopers and Foot soldiers in the late King's Army are thought fitter to be chosen officers for the Parish, than men that have lain in prison or by the hedges in cold nights and have been plundered for their fidelity to the Parliament by their own wicked neighbours" (all this is because "one Hawksworth, a late trooper in the King's army, had been chosen churchwarden, confirmed by Glanvill, and others,"-Larkham wished apparently to choose both Churchwardens) "While the ringleader of this present adverse Party was in the King's Quarters in Cornwall" (in 1644-45, when the King was in Cornwall, Francis Glanvill would have been but sixteen years old) "who now stands up like a Champion and with big words thinks to trample down God's People whom he (in a letter written to one of them) called the Rigid Faction. I humbly crave leave in the heat of a Christian and fidelity of a Commoner of England to write, and I will write no more than I can prove (for I know whom I appeal unto) that the differences at Tavistock are no other but between Christ and Belial; the Commonwealth of England and Royalty, worshipping of God according to rule and superstitious customary formality, whatever men pretend to the contrary." There is not much of Christian charity in this diatribe, which if Larkham had been believed, and could have " proved his words, would have certainly brought confiscation and imprisonment on Francis Glanvill of Kilworthy, at whom it is aimed. Many a dart did he launch from the pulpit at this young man, the "most civilly eminent " among the people of Tavistock. It was probably for this very reason that he was singled out: Larkham liked to reign supreme. He says "It is thought now among us to be a sufficient cause of injustice, iniquity, and oppression, because Ministers shall not be Trustees of the Town, because they shall not have their will; which yet indeed is God's will." And again," "All the silly (yet proud) fools and all the knaves in the country, think that Gospel Preachers are fit to be made a Parable of reproach and object of despight. O how do some among us ruffle it in the second or third Generations, whose ancestors infamously scrapt a little dung together, and ended their days remarkably!" This passage is specially alluded to in the Bodleian Tract as referring to Francis Glanvill, and I suppose to his grandfather, Sir John, whose monument (erected 1615) was then and is now in Tavistock Church, and who so far from having acquired his money infamously was greatly respected, being one of Princes' Worthies of Devon, M.P. successively for Launceston, Tavistock, and St. Germans; he was also one of the Justices of the Common Pleas, appointed 30th June 1598, 40 Eliz., "the first attorney who is reported to have reached the bench."7 8 "Stand amazed, O ye proud worms, that have such proud implacable stomachs, that swell with venome like toades and are better like mischievous Devils than like men, so far are ye from being like Christian men." It is not very surprising after this (one of many like passages) to read in Larkham's Epistle Dedicatory that "these Sermons are so cried down for unsufferable railing with which they are stufft by report of the enemy," he therefore prints them in self-justification! 5 Page 64. Wedding Supper. • Page 60 The following from the Sermons refer to himself,1 "And to this very place may we apply it; O Tavistocke" (it is the Deity speaking) "I have afforded that to thee which I have not to all towns. Hath not the Lord striven with you Mr. G. H. in former times, in regard of that powerful Ministry you enjoyed? And hath he not (as it were) made you the first in church resurrection in these parts? 02 how have I been deceived in you! What fine promises were made, if the Lord would but let you see the face of a minister of your own again? . . . . The base carriage of the Great Ones among you (the like whereof I have hardly met with wherever I have lived) and of the most besides, threatened a removall of the meanes of Grace from you. 4It is a monstrous absurdity to think that the removal of Ministers is in the power of two or three addle-headed fools." I think these extracts will be sufficient to explain why discontent arose, especially when it is remembered that it was a punishable offence not to attend sermons. Larkham concludes his epistle to the Parliament: "That so if it seemed good unto you, I may be restored to my brethren and employment in the work of the Lord at Tavistocke, (though I shall in regard of means of subsistence have much less than I am to have should I continue Minister there, whence I am come under the bond of conscience, and whither I am by jealous letters, and by strong arguments wooed to return again) or otherwise may submit to God's will and pleasure . . . with this comfortable testimony in mine own Soul that I am ready to do my duty, keep my station and go in and out before the people, over whom the Lord hath made me Overseer." The next address is "to all them in the Town and Parish of Tavistock in Devon, that love the Lord in sincerity and are now oppressed by an ungodly generation; Thomas Larkham, their Rightful Pastor, wisheth increase of Faith Patience and wisdom etc. "Beloved because the day is cloudy among you, and the warming beams of that bright Sun of liberty (which so many saints in England Ireland and even in Scotland sit under) is obstructed and kept off from you, by the furious marching of a youthful Jehu (among you) in the head of a party that knows not God and will not obey the Gospell of Christ, . . . In the meantime wait and read over these Sermons which once you heard; put in practice what is in them contained, rejoice in the consolation that you shall find here and there in them dispersed . . . and remember your Remembrancer and loving brother in Christ "THOMAS LARKHAM From my Chamber in London, May 12th. 1652." 1 Page 52. 2 Page 85. 9 Page 86. 4 Page 145. |