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Correspondence (1716–1725)

Eastern Patriarchs and the Nonjurors, ed. Williams, 1868

Appendix to the Introduction

1. Archbishop Wake to Chrysanthus, Patriarch of Jerusalem¹

To the Most Holy Prelate
The Patriarch of Jerusalem;
William, by Divine Providence
Archbishop of Canterbury,
Primate and Metropolitan of all England,
Privy Councillor
to the most serene Prince and Lord George
by the grace of God
King of Great Britain, France and Ireland.

I have received, most blessed Father, by the hands of your faithful messenger and servant, Marcus Nomicus, the books which you have deigned to send me; and I most heartily thank your Reverence for the distinguished favour you have been pleased to bestow upon one personally unknown to you, and separated from you by so great a space of land and sea. I cannot express, most Reverend Father, what consolation and joy it is to us, to perceive in your first two most admirable volumes (which is all that our booksellers can procure) with how great care and constancy, and with what consummate wisdom, you protect your rights against the unwearied plots and efforts of the Papal tyranny; which, not content with trampling under foot the liberties of the Latin Churches, does not hesitate to arrogate to itself a supremacy over you and your Churches also, and is everywhere striving to reduce very many of your people to its own side. Against this nefarious project, do you, most prudent Father, following the footsteps of your illustrious predecessor, maintain a vigilant and strenuous opposition. May your other Prelates follow your example; and may God so bless your endeavours, that your Church may enjoy its rights and liberties whole and unimpaired to the end of time.

Nor have you forgotten this same matter in that other great work of yours, which is not so much the history of one See, as of the whole Church. In it the errors of the Roman Church are everywhere disclosed and held up before the reader’s eyes; and it is shewn how far she has departed both from the pure doctrine and discipline of the Gospel, so that from the warnings contained therein the pastors of your Church may learn to guard themselves and their people.

We also, when we consider these things, strive to stand more firm in the liberty which we have received from our forefathers, and not to bow our necks to that yoke which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear.

And now, as I am writing these things to your illustrious Reverence, I ought by no means to pass over what I heard a year ago from one of my presbyters, who is still among our merchants at Constantinople: to wit, that certain schismatical Priests of our Church have written to you under the fictitious titles of Archbishop and Bishops of the Anglican Church, and have sought your Communion with them; who, having neither place nor Church in these realms, have bent their efforts to deceive you who are ignorant of their schism. The true position of these men, and the occasion of their schism, you will learn more fully from that faithful Presbyter of mine, Master Thomas Payne; who will relate to your Reverence how unrighteously they have separated from us; and how they have at once withdrawn their due allegiance from the King’s Majesty, and their obedience from their Bishops, and have broken the unity of the Church, only because we have determined to obey the laws of the land, and to reverence as our Sovereign him whom our Lords and Commons, and the princes and states of all Europe, have acknowledged as King, and unto whom the laws of the realm and the consent of all orders of men among us, to whom alone belongs the right of settling such affairs, have committed the imperial sovereignty of Britain.

For this cause a few of our Clergy, still fewer of our Bishops, have seen fit to separate from us; have enticed many of the people to their party; have established congregations apart from the Church; and have at length reached such a pitch of madness as, on the demise of the first promoters of the schism, to consecrate to themselves new Bishops to succeed them. These are the men who have presumed to write to you. These are they who have endeavoured to withdraw you from the Communion of our Church; one of whom, as I hear, usurping my place and authority, has not, indeed, ventured to call himself Archbishop of Canterbury, but has styled himself by the new title “First Bishop.” Of these men I pray and beseech your Reverence to beware. Meanwhile, we, the true Bishops and Clergy of the Church of England, as, in every fundamental article, we profess the same Faith with you, shall not cease, at least in spirit and effect (since otherwise owing to our distance from you, we cannot), to hold communion with you, and to pray for your peace and happiness. And I, as I do profess myself most specially bounden to your Holiness, so do I most earnestly entreat you to remember me in your prayers and sacrifices at the Holy Altar of God. And so I bid you farewell in the Lord.

Given in my archiepiscopal palace, September, A.D. M.DCC.XXV.

2. Archbishop Tenison to Dr Covel

Lambeth,
September 6, 1701.

Sir,

The Archbishop of Philippopoli in Romania is coming to Cambridge next week. I think he sets out from hence on Wednesday next. He comes recommended by my Lord Paget, Mr Collier Ambassadour for the Dutch at the Port, and divers others; and to me by my Lord Manchester, who much approved of his wise behaviour at Paris in avoiding the Pope’s Nuntio and forbearing everything that might carry with it an appearance of being latinized. He has been very well received at Oxford, and he comes recommended to Cambridge University by the Chancellor, the Duke of Somerset. He has a great desire in particular of seeing yourself, who best understand his language and the present state of the Greek Church. Not doubting of your doing him all good offices,

I remain with true respect,
Your loving Brother,
THO. CANTUAR.

3. Archbishop Tenison to Dr Covel

September 18, 1701.

Sir,

I was mighty glad that it so happened that you were in town when the Archbishop of Philippopoli came to the Universitie; you being the person in England who could most agreablie convers with him, and in his own way. And I am sensible that we owe much to you in the conduct of this affair, tho I cannot but say that all have done their parts; and the management is much applauded. I know not whether you are informed that a book of Nectarius (or perhaps of Dositheus under his name) against the Pope’s power &c. is here, in good part, translated already². I suppose it will be publish’d this winter. I will gett it printed at Cambridge, if a good Bookseller will undertake it, and the Publishers be willing. The latter (I think) will not be difficult.

I am, with true respect,
Sir,
Your assured Friend,
THOMAS CANTERBURY.
(sic)

4. Dr John Covel to Humphrey Wanley³

Christ’s College, Cambridge,
December 13, 1714.

Kind S^r

I long to know whether ever you tryed Arsenius your Metropolite of Thebais and his associate Gennadius about their Belief of μετουσίωσις, Transubstantiation. I make no great doubt, but that for reward they would both declare directly against it, as Philippopoli did when lately here with me. I would heartily desire that you would get something under their hands, whether for it or against it; the Port Royall in France would be most joyfully concerned in it, if they affirme it; Mr Claud’s abetters and le Sieur Aymont would like it as well if they denye it. We hear that they are coming to us; if so, I believe my opinion will be asked of them. If I say anything, it will be to their disadvantage, for I told you the plain truthe of the matter. They struggle, there at Alexandria, for the Patriarchship as they did in my time at Constantinople. The Visier (or the Turck) put it to auction and the fairest bidder take it and after a while a new bidder trips up the present incumbent’s heels; but it is not unlikely that Thebais comes with this fair pretence, not to restore the true elected Samuel, but to intrude himself, or put what he can get in his pocket. But so much for that.

I am, Worthy S^r
Your most humble Serv^nt
JOH. COVEL.

5. Humphrey Wanley to Dr John Covel⁴

Coach Office, 21 December, 1714.

Reverend Sir,

According to your Desire, I did (some months since) enquire of Arsenius the Metropolite of Thebais, and of the Archimandrite Gennadius, touching the μετȣσίωσις, which word they seemed not to understand: and afterwards owned that they had never heard of it before. They said that in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, they receive Christ’s Body πνευματικῶς, and declared that they would give me a Certificate of such their Belief when I should require it. This I did upon the Receipt of yours of the 13th instant, which I also communicated to the Bishop of London, who is much harrassed about them, and cannot as yet get them to accept the £200 given by our late pious Queen for their Departure. His Lordship had them to Dinner last Saturday, and was pleased to have at that time some conference with me and others, with or concerning them. The Result is, The men (although we have reasons sufficient to persuade and satisfy us that they are True and Honest Men) must quickly be gone; we are against a Brief, or any General Collection for them; and we do not like that the Universities should be pestered with them. The poor Archbishop cried out like a child, when my Lord of London told him he must Depart. Only thus far he Relented (upon much Intercession) that they might petition to his Majestie, (which he advised should be done in French, and not in Greek) and if that had any good effect, well; if not, to be gone. They are extremely necessitous, and live in much misery and want. I have lent them some pounds, since I saw you, and have gotten them some Charities; and yet their numerous Family consume all. On Monday, I got the following confession from them, craftily worded. I told them I believed it was taken from some book I had heretofore read: They replied it is taken from the Liturgies of Basil and Chrysostome. I told em roundly, the Question was not, about what Chrysostome or Basil believed but about what They themselves Believed; They Answered, They believe as those Saints did. I would have had them to declare against the μετȣσίωσις in their certificate; They said they would not meddle with what did not belong to them, &c. I am therefore forced to content myself with w^t you see in the margin, which is a faithful copie of the badly spelt and badly accented original, which I keep by me. They would have put no date, nor no names unless I had particularly required them.

+ περὶ τῆς ἁγίας εὐχαριστίας
τοῦ τίμιου Σώματος καὶ αἵματος
τοῦ χριστοῦ. Ὑποκάτω εἰς τὴν
θεωρίαν τοῦ ἄρτου καὶ τοῦ οἴνου,
εἰς τὸ ὁποῖον εἶναι ἀληθῶς καὶ
κυρίως παρῶν, ἤγουν κατὰ τὸ
πράγμα, ὁ ἰησοῦς χριστὸς. καὶ
κατὰ τὸ φενόμενον εἶναι ἄρτος
καὶ οἴνος. εἰδὲ κατὰ πνεῦμα
Σῶμα καὶ αἷμα χριστοῦ. οὕτος
ἔχει.
κὰτετ αψιδ * δικέμβρι 21.
+ ὅ ταπεινός μητροπολίτης θηβαΐδος ἀῤσενίος.

*—here they mistook the day of the month: and as bad as this their certificate is, it had been worse if they were to have drawn it from their heads alone without the help of books; at least for Gennadius his part.

The crosses (+) also were left out, which when I asked the reason of, they said that since that mark was not used in this Country, they complied with the fashion: but at my speaking they freely put them to.

If you have any other service to command me, you may freely make use of

Reverend Sir,
Your most faithful
and obliged Servant,
HUMFREY WANLEY.

The last is ὁ ἀρχιμανδρίτης Γεννάδιος, by way of the monocondylia.

6. Archbishop Howley to the Eastern Patriarchs and Prelates

To our most holy and beloved Brethren in Christ, the Bishops and Prelates of the Ancient and Apostolic Churches in Syria and the countries adjacent, greeting in the Lord:

We, William, by Divine Providence, Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate and Metropolitan of all England, most earnestly commend to your goodwill the most godly man Michael Solomon Alexander, Doctor in Divinity, whom we, being well assured of his discretion and sufficiency and having judged him meet, have consecrated Bishop of the Church in England and Ireland, according to the canons of our holy and apostolic Church, and, having received power from our august Queen, have sent him to Jerusalem with authority to exercise spiritual superintendence over the Clergy and laity of our Church, who sojourn there and in adjacent countries. But that no one may be ignorant why we have sent this bishop our brother, we make known to you, that we have charged him in no wise and in no matter to invade the jurisdiction of you the Bishops or others bearing rule in the Churches of the East, but rather to show you due honour and reverence, and to be ready, on all occasions and by all means, to cultivate diligently whatever promotes brotherly love, intercourse and unanimity. We are persuaded that this our brother is willing, and will feel himself in conscience bound, to follow these our injunctions; and we beseech you, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to receive him as a brother, and to afford him all needful help.

We are persuaded, brethren, that your Holinesses will receive this communication as a testimony of our reverence and brotherly love towards you, and of our longing desire to renew that ancient love towards the ancient Churches of the East which has been suspended for ages, which, if restored, by the will and blessing of God, may have the effect, of healing the schisms which have brought the most grievous calamities on the Church of Christ.

In this hope, and paying all sincere honour to your Holinesses, with all reverence, we have affixed our archiepiscopal seal to this autograph letter, at Lambeth, on the twenty-third day of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty-one.

7. George Williams to the Bishop of Oxford

S. Columba’s College,
December 5, 1853.

My Lord,

Twelve years ago, when it was proposed to me to accompany Bishop Alexander to Jerusalem, my friend Whytehead, to whom it had been before proposed, handed me a letter of yours to him which he allowed me to keep, as belonging then rather to me than to him, and which I still have in my possession.

That letter was chiefly instrumental in removing the apprehensions I had before entertained of aggressive measures against the Eastern Churches; for I understood it to intimate that such interference was not contemplated, and would receive no countenance at home. My scruples were removed, and I accepted the appointment on the faith of this representation, and on the assurance, confirmed in other quarters, that ours was to be a mission of peace to those Churches. Otherwise I would have had nothing to do with it.

Under these circumstances, I trust your Lordship will pardon the liberty I am taking in writing to ask, whether the impression produced on my mind by your letter was correct; and if so, whether you had subsequently any reason to believe that the design of the mission, in its aspect towards the Eastern Churches, was different from what you had represented it to be in your letter to Whytehead.

I have the honour to remain,
My Lord,
Your Lordship’s faithful Servant,
GEORGE WILLIAMS.

The Right Reverend
The Lord Bishop of Oxford.

8. The Bishop of Oxford to George Williams

The Grange,
December 9, 1853.

My dear Mr Williams,

I can have no difficulty in replying to your questions,—

That the meaning of my letter was precisely what you have described; and—

That I had no subsequent reason to suppose that I had misapprehended the object of the Mission.

I am ever, very sincerely yours,
S. OXON.

The Rev. G. Williams.

9. The Bishop of Oxford to the Earl of Aberdeen

Cuddesdon Palace, Wheatley, Oxon,
Dec. 31st, 1853.

My dear Lord Aberdeen,

The Warden of St Columba, in consequence of his having been led to undertake the office of Chaplain to the late Bishop Alexander, by a letter of mine to the late Mr Whytehead, has applied to me to know whether he had rightly understood me to state in that letter that no interference with the authorities of the Eastern Church was contemplated or would be countenanced by the authorities at home; and whether, if such was the meaning of my letter, I had subsequently any reason to suppose that I had misapprehended the intention of those authorities. I have replied to him that he understood my letter aright, and that I had no subsequent reason to suppose myself mistaken.

This I have said to him with great confidence, because the plan was kindly explained to me by the late Archbishop. But it would give the greatest strength to my assurance if you, who can speak with such authority, both as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs at the time, and as an intimate friend of the late Archbishop, should see fit to confirm my view.

I am, my dear Lord Aberdeen,
Most sincerely yours,
S. OXON.

The Earl of Aberdeen, &c.

10. The Earl of Aberdeen to the Bishop of Oxford

Downing Street, Jan. 6th, 1854.

My dear Bishop of Oxford,

I have no difficulty in answering your letter, and in fully confirming the declaration you have made respecting the absence of any intention to interfere with the authorities of the Eastern Church by the establishment of the Jerusalem Bishopric.

The project gave rise to much apprehension, and met with considerable opposition from the Porte. To remove this opposition, Sir Stratford Canning was authorized to assure the Turkish Government that Bishop Alexander went to Syria under strict injunctions from his ecclesiastical superior in this country that he was not to meddle with the religious concerns either of the Mahomedan or Christian subjects of the Porte, and that he was not to attempt to make proselytes to the Church of England from either of those classes.

From my intimacy with the late Archbishop, I had many opportunities of conversing with him upon the subject, and of learning his wishes and opinions. I should say that, in a religious point of view, he was opposed to all attempts at proselytizing from the Greek Communion, and that he did not contemplate giving any sanction to secessions from it. He always spoke with great regard of the Eastern Church, and looked forward with hope to the possibility of some nearer connexion hereafter between that communion and the Church of England.

Believe me, my dear Bishop,
Yours very faithfully,
ABERDEEN.

The Lord Bishop of Oxford.

11. Letter from the Archbishop of Canterbury to the Eastern Patriarchs and others

“In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

To the Patriarchs, Metropolitans, Archbishops, Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, and other Beloved Brethren of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Charles Thomas, by Divine Providence Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England, and Metropolitan, sends greeting in the Lord.

“If one member suffer,” the Holy Apostle says, “all the members suffer with it; if one member is honoured all the members rejoice with it.” Wherefore we, having called to a conference our brethren the Bishops of that part of the Catholic Church which is in communion with us, and which, by God’s Grace, is spreading itself forth in all regions of the earth, and having come together with them for the sake of united Prayer and Deliberation, and having written with all readiness of mind and Brotherly love an Encyclic Epistle to the Priests, and Deacons, and Laity of our communion, notify to you, as Brethren in the Lord, what has lately taken place among us, in order that ye also may rejoice with us in our oneness of mind.

Furthermore, we send to you a Copy of the said Epistle, in order that when ye read it ye may see what is the mind of the Anglican Church concerning the Faith in Christ; and that ye may know, that we acknowledge and, God willing, are resolved to maintain firmly and immoveably, all the Canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, as the sure Word of God; and to contend earnestly for the Faith once for all delivered to the Saints; and to hold fast the Creeds of the One, Holy, Apostolic Church; and to keep pure and undefiled the Primitive Order and Worship, as we have received it from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and from His holy Apostles: and that with one mind and one voice we reject and put far away from us all innovations and corruptions contrary to the Gospel of Christ, very God, and very Man; and that we earnestly desire to fulfil the preaching of His saving Truth to all nations of the earth, in order that the kingdom of the World may become the Kingdom of the Lord and of His Christ.

May the Lord grant unto all to have the same mind in all things, that there may be “One Flock and One Shepherd.”

Given at Lambeth Palace on the 28th day of the month of November, in the year of Our Lord 1867.

12. Petition of Joseph Giorgoreene⁵, Archbishop of Samos in Greece. (Circ. 1682.)

To his Grace the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, &c.
The humble Petition of Joseph, Archbishop of Samos in Greece

Sheweth, That great are the miseries and misfortunes which the Grecians at this day groan under, being prohibited the use of publick Schooles, and reduced to poverty by the Tyranny of the Turks; and also grown into so great Ignorance by the Corruption of their Church which dayly groweth more and more corrupted; That that famous nation is in great danger of being utterly lost, which is to be bewailed by all good Christians and Lovers of Learning; and to prevent which your petitioner holds it very necessary that about 12 Schollers out of Greece be constantly here to be instructed and grounded in the true Doctrine of the Church of England, whereby (with the blessing of God) they may be able Dispensers thereof, and so returne into Greece aforesaid to preach the same, by whiche meanes your petitioner conceives the said people may be edified,

And therefore most humbly prayes That your Grace would be favourably pleased to communicate the contents hereof to his Majesty and the Right Reverend Father in God, the Lord Bishop of London, to the intent some yearly Revenue may be allowed to carry on so pious and good a work.

And your petitioner and his Brethren (as in duty bound) shall ever pray, &c.

13. Translation of the Greek Inscription over the door of S. Mary’s, Crown Street, Soho

IN THE YEAR OF SALVATION MDCLXXVII.
THIS TEMPLE WAS ERECTED FOR THE NATION OF THE GREEKS,
IN THE REIGN OF THE MOST SERENE CHARLES II.
THE LORD JAMES BEING HEIR APPARENT,
THE VERY REVEREND LORD HENRY COMPTON BISHOP,
AT THE COST OF THE ABOVE-NAMED AND OTHER BISHOPS AND NOBLES
AND WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF OUR HUMILITY
JOSEPH .... OF SAMOS, METROPOLITAN OF THAT ISLAND.

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