Basire in his _Dead Man's Real Speech_ (pp. 59, 60.), amongst other
"notable instances" of Bishop Cosin's zeal and constancy in defence of
the Church of England, mentions
"A solemn conference both by word and writing betwixt him and
the Prior of the English Benedictines at Paris, supposed to be
Robinson. The argument was concerning the validity of the
ordination of our priests, &c., in the Church of England. The
issue was, our Doctor had the better so far, that he could never
get from the Prior any reply to his last answer. This conference
was undertaken to fix a person of honour then wavering about
that point; the sum of which conference (as I am informed), was
written by Dr. Cosin to Dr. Morley, the now Right Reverend Lord
Bishop of Winchester, in two letters bearing date June 11, July
11, 1645."
The substance of this conference has been preserved among the Smith
Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library; but it is not in the form of
letters to Dr. Morley. Vol. xl. of this valuable collection of
manuscripts contains (as described in Smith's table of contents):--
1. "Papers of Bp. Cosins in defence of the Ordination of the
Church of England against father Prior.
"The first of these is Bp. Cosin's Review of the Father's
Letter, &c. [the title-page is placed at p. 77.]
"Then follows a letter (which is indeed the Bishop's first
paper, and should be put first) from Bishop Cosin to the Father.
"After that the Father's Answer to Bishop Cosin's Review at p.
81.
"Then come two other papers about the validity of our
Ordination, with a preface concerning the occasion, p. 89."
2. "Then, p. 101., A Letter from a _Rom. Cath._ to a Lady about
communicating in one kind,--with Bishop Cosin's Answer."
3. "Lastly, in p. 123., is A Letter of Bp. Cosin's to Dr.
Collins concerning the Sabbath."
The order in which the papers under the first head, about our English
ordination, should fall, appears to be as follows:--
1. There is a note attached to p. 65., evidently written by Dr. Tho.
Smith himself in the following words:
"Transcript of several papers of Bishop Cosin's sent to me by
Dr. J. Smith, Prebendary of Durham.--T.S."