Bastwick, John

Bastwick, John M.D., was born at Writtle, Essex. 1593, and studied at Cambridge. He took his degree of M.D. at Padua, and settled at Colchester, as physician, in 1624. During the rest of his life he seems to have devoted all his leisure time to theological study and controversy. His first publication was Elenchus relig. papisticae, in qua probatur neque Apostolicam, neque Catholicam, imo neque Romanam esse (Leyden, 1624). His next was Flagellum Pontificum et Episcoporum (Lond. 1635, and again 1641). This work greatly offended the bishops; he was fined £1000, forbidden to practice medicine, and imprisoned. In prison he wrote Apologeticus ad Praesules (1638, 8vo), and The New Litany, in which he sharply censured the bishops. This made matters worse, and he was condemned to a fine of £5000, to the pillory, and to lose his ears. He was kept in a prison in the Scilly Islands till 1640, when the Commonwealth Parliament released him. He afterward wrote several bitter pamphlets against Independency, such as Independency not God's Ordinance (Lond. 1645); Routing of the Army of Sectaries (1646). He died about 1650 (?). — Darling, Cyclop. Bibliographica, 1:196; Hoefer, Biog. Generale, 4:726; Allibone, Dictionary of Authors, 1:139.