No. III.

Residents, but omitted in the Church Book.

[NOTE. The individuals excepted here from the preceding Table are those not named in the first part of the 'Book.' Some of them were members of the church or congregation, but, through some oversight, were not recorded in the proper place. Thus, Coverdale was one of the elders, and must have belonged to the church, though he happens to be known only from his incumbency of the office to which he was chosen.]

25. Willyes, Peter, named in the third part, as father of a daughter baptized in 1558, of whom Knox is god-father,

27. Baron, John, named in the third part, as father of a daughter baptized, and in the fifth part, on the death of the same,

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

69. Cant, Edward,

74. Coverdale, Miles, occurs in the second part, among the elders elected the 16th December, 1558, and in the third part, as god-father of Eleezer Knox, the 29th November 1558,

77. Colins, John,

1

.

1

1

78. Withers, William,

79. Hawell, Richard,

80. Kaulius, Erkenwalde, is named in the fifth part, as deceased,

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

30

No. IV.

Continuation of Persons inscribed in the First Part of the Book, but not mentioned in the Registers.

Those mentioned in the Book, but not mentioned elsewhere.

143. Milles, Peter, second part, one of the deacons named the 16th

144. Duwick, Thomas, third part, father of Marie Duwick, baptized
the 8th of December, 1558,

145. Dowes, John, fourth part, married the 10th of April, 1558 (said
to be from Tunbridge, in the county of Kent),
146. Stivens, Cornelius, second part; mentioned with Marguerite, his
wife, on occasion of the death of two infants and that of their
mother,

The object of this memoir requires us to glance at the personal history of some of the men whose names appear in the 'book,' and impart to it so much of its interest. The most prominent among them are the following.

William Stafford. The first in the order of time, and as it seems also the first in rank, is Sir W. Stafford, Seigneur de Rochefort. He was a rich and influential man. He arrived, in fact, the 29th of March, 1555, with his wife named Dorothée, his sister named Jeanne, a cousin (Mrs. Sanders or Foster), a son, a daughter, and five domestics, of whom four were men, in all eleven persons. At the end of six months a special favor was shown to him, explained and justified by these words: "Because he is an excellent person, a man of property and education: Decreed, that he be permitted to wear his sword, he only, and not those of his family."

The book of the English' informs us that on the 4th of January, 1556, this dignitary presented, in baptism, a son who was named John, after Calvin his god-father. On the 24th of February, Jeanne Stafford, widow, called also Williams, afterwards again the countess, and probably the sister of Sir William, was married to Maximilien Celsus, who belonged to the noble family of the counts of Martinengo, and was pastor of the Italian church. She died a year after that (26th of Feb., 1557). As regards Sir William himself, he is mentioned in the trial of the Libertines, as having been insulted and violently attacked some time after the disturbance of the 16th of May, 1555, by a number of seditious fugitives. He was in company at the time of the seigneurs of Verace and Mallane, returning with them from a country seat situated beyond the bridge of the Arve.'

Histoire de Genève, par Gautier, T. IV. p. 45 (Manuscrit des Archives).

He died the 5th of May, 1556, and that event was the occasion, some weeks later, of a violent controversy between his widow, instigated by Robert Stafford, her brother-in-law, on the one side, and Calvin on the other. The former demanded of Calvin that he should give up the children of the deceased. The matter was brought before the Council. Calvin resisted the demand, especially in regard to the child whom he had presented in baptism. He urged that the surrender would be unjust to the memory of the deceased father, who out of affection to himself had called the child by his name, and inconsistent with his own obligations. since he had promised to instruct the child in the gospel, and to take care that it was not, by any neglect or artifice, led away into popery. He complained that the mother was unstable in her religious principles, and wished to go back to the follies of the world, from which she had been withdrawn by the influence of her husband. Stafford, in reply, insisted on the rights of the mother, who wished to return to France, where also the gospel was preached in some places. He complained of the arrogance of the ministers at Geneva, and assailed them in terms which Calvin resented with boldness and warmth. The parties were heard at different times on the question, and after consultation with the clergy and other learned men, the Council refused the demand of Robert Stafford. The grounds were, that the oath taken by Calvin to instruct the child, in default of the father, was now obligatory on him; that the father's becoming an inhabitant of the city declared sufficiently his desire both to live himself, and to have his children live, according to the gospel; and that in his last sickness his wish was distinctly made known, that his children should remain at Geneva and be brought up and educated there. Some time after this the Council received a letter from the same Stafford, in which he threatened that if they did not give up his sister and her children, he would appeal to the king, and obtain redress from him against the Genevans: The record closes its account of this affair with the remark: Let no one who seeks to benefit others be surprised at anything.