Manuscript item bound in a volume of printed pamphlets.
Text begins: 'Had any thing offer'd worth your notice you had heard it before this time, but News from Convocation as it has been managed since I had the honour to be in it, is very little...'; text ends: 'Wee shall always approve ourselves true to our Church & faithfull to our Friends; & under that character I desire to be accounted'.
This letter gives news of the proceedings in the Convocation. An Address was sent down'from their Lo[rdshi]ps' to the Lower House of Convocation which was 'so full of invectives against any that dare suggest ye Church of England to be in any danger', that they 'not only refused, but abhorr'd to concur with it'. In the address the danger to the Church is seen to come from 'unworthy, ungratefull, weak & undutifull men, led by humour, interest, and ambition to cast reflections upon her Maj[est]y's government'. The Committee of the Lower House framed their own 'most excellent' Address, rather than revise the one sent to them for consideration. However, this was refused by the Archbishop and the Upper House, and the Lower House were instructed to consider the original Address once more and either concur with it or list their objections. After much wrangling the Lower House finally itemized their exceptions stating that they had 'a plentifull meal of them'. The Convocation has now been adjourned to 'this day sennight' and he expects no further communication between the two houses. Stevenson concludes:'We are like to serve under very severe imputation & are already exposed to ye Dirt of ye Mobb, but our courage is as good as our cause. Wee shall always approve ourselves true to our Church & faithfull to our Friends ; & under that character I desire to be accounted'.
This would appear to be a copy of the original by Thomas Bowdler.
Listed in the Bowdler Manuscript Catalogue: Bundle 238, Item 10, where it is indexed as: 'Ja. Stephenson's lre concerng. the disagreemts betw. ye 2 houses. MS'.