II.

BOOK "general fasting, both in times of common calamities, &c." Wherein I do observe, that it was here acknowledged as a Anno 1568. fault, that this was the first fast that was kept in the Queen's reign, and said to be for a beginning of redress herein. Then were prescribed the rules of this fast; which may not be impertinent to transcribe here; and the rather because I believe they were of the Archbishop's drawing up.

I. It was ordained that the Wednesday of every week shall be the day appointed for this general fast.

II. All persons between the age of sixteen years and sixty (sick folks and labourers in harvest or other great labours only excepted) shall eat but one only competent and moderate meal upon every Wednesday. In which said meal shall be used very sober and spare diet, without variety of kinds of meat, dishes, spices, confections, or wines; but only such as may serve for necessity, comliness, and health.

III. Item, In that meal it shall be indifferent to eat flesh or fish; so that the quantity be small, and no variety or delicacy be sought. Wherein every man hath to aunswer to God, if he, in such godly exercises, either contempne publique order, or dissemble with God, pretending abstinence, and doing nothing less.

IV. Item, Those that be of health and habilitie ought that day to abate and diminish the costliness and variety of their fare, and encrease therewith their liberality and alms towards the poor. The same poor which either indeed lack food, or else that which they have is unseasonable, and cause of sickness, may thereby be relieved, and charitably succoured, to be maintayned in health.

V. Last of all, this day, being in this manner appointed for a day of general prayer and fasting, ought to be bestowed, by them which may forbear from bodily labour, in prayer, study, reading or hearing of the Scriptures, or good exhortations, &c. And when any dulness or weariness shall arise, then to be occupied in other godly exercises. But no part thereof to be spent in plays, pastimes, or ydleness, much less in lewd, wicked, and wanton behaviour.

XIV.

Then follows this order; when there is a sermon, or other CHAP. just occasion, one of the Lessons may be omitted, and the shortest of the three prayers appointed in the Litany by Anno 1568. this order may be said, and the longest left off.

An order.

Then comes the new homily, entitled, Concerning the The hoJustice of God in punishyng of Impenitent Synners, and mily. of his Mercies towards all such as in their Afflictions unfeignedly turn to him: Appointed to be read in the time of Sickness. Beginning thus: "The most ryghteous God, "and the same our most mercyful Father, abhorryng all "wickedness and impiety, and delighting in all ryghteous"ness and innocencye, and wyllyng that we his people "and chyldren should herein be conformed, &c." A very good, pious, and plain discourse, and consisteth of two parts.

enjoined in

The Secretary prevailed with the Queen likewise to send 135 her letters to the Archbishop of the other province, viz. of The fast York, to enjoin him to cause the form to be used there, the province conveying withal some few of these books of prayers, to of York. begin with, in the city of York, and promising that the impression for that province should follow with convenient speed. I find it observed in Durham in the month of December, on Wednesdays and Fridays, attended also with preaching. In which quarters give me leave here to insert also what progress religion made; and particularly what care was taken for the public service of God in the cathedral, and for the instruction of youth in the city. A prospect whereof will be shewn in a letter from W. Whittingham, Dean of that church, to Secretary Cecil; which ran as ensueth:

of Durham

The state

"Grace, mercy, and peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. The Dean "Albeit I am not ignorant how unbeseeming it is to trouble to the Se"your Honour with letters of small importance, yet I colde cretary. "not in so long tyme omit to shew some signification of my of their special duety; aswel to yielde unto your Honor most MSS. Ce"humble thanks, with promise of my service where you cilian. "shall appoint, as also to certify you of our doings here.

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church.

BOOK
II.

"First, in the morning at six of the clock the grammar "schoole and song schole with all the servants of the Anno 1563. "house, resort to prayers into the church. Which exercise " continueth almost half an houre. At nyne of the clock "we have our ordinary service; and likewise at thre after none. The Wenesdays and Fridays are appointed to a

A thanksgiving ap

a plague.

66

general fast, with prayers and preaching of God's word. "The Sundaies and holydays before none we have sermons; "and at after none the catechisme is expounded.

"Because we lak an able scholemaster I bestow daily "three or four hours in teaching the youth, till God pro"vide us of some that may better suffice.

"The people in the country are very docile, and willing "to hear God's word; but the towne is very stiff, notwith"standing they be handeled withal lenitie and gentleness. "The best hope I have, that now of late they begyn to re"sort more diligently to the sermons and service. God “make us all profitable setters forth of his glory, and pre"serve long, bless, and direct your Honour to his glory and "all our comforts. My brother Mr. Hallyday most humbly "saluteth your Honour: so doth Mr. Benet. From Dur"ham, this 19th Decemb.

"Your Honours most humbly to commande
"W. Whittingham."

This Dean Whittingham I find, September 12. had so much favour, as to preach before the Queen, then at Wind

sor.

January 22. the plague ceasing, there was a short form pointed for of thanksgiving drawn up and appointed to be used Sunthe ceasing days, Wednesdays, and Fridays, instead of the common prayer used in the time of the mortality: set forth by the Bishop of London. It consisted of an hymn composed of divers suitable verses taken here and there out of the Psalms, and prayer of some length.

The thanksTo which I may add, that there was another different giving used in the dio- form of thanksgiving also appointed by the Bishop of Ely, cese of Ely. entitled, A short Form of Thanksgiving to God for ceasing

XIV.

the contagious Sickness of the Plague; to be used in Com- CHAP. mon Prayer on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, instead of the Common Prayer used in the Time of Mor- Anno 1563. tality; commanded by the Lord Bishop of Ely to be used in his Cathedral Church at Ely, and the rest of his Diocese. This office is transferred to the Appendix: the reading of No. XXII. which may be acceptable to some, studious of the devotions of our Church in those times.

CHAP. XV.

Some of the Archbishop's doings in his diocese. He hears of some writings of Archbishop Cranmer. Searches af ter them. Recovers them. Visits Sandwich. Furthers the foundation of a freeschool there. The good behaviour of the strangers settled there.

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endeavours

ARCHBISHOP PARKER being now in his diocese was His pious loath to be idle, but took into his consideration how he might in his diobe serviceable to God and the Queen in those quarters. cese. And that none might escape his diligent inspection, nor the benefit he was minded to do them, he divided his flock into the Laity and the Clergy. The Laity he divided again into the common sort, and into those of highest rank and quality. As to the common sort, his care was to maintain and settle a peaceable and quiet state among them. As for the other, whom he called the better sort, he consulted for the making them instrumental to maintain and further the Queen's service, and her affairs. And as to both, he sent up at length The good this account to the Secretary, that he found them all in so which he good order, that he rejoiced therein. And for the eccle- found the siastical persons, he signified, that with them he dealt in- the ecclesidifferently, and found obedience in them. And in this good case stood his diocese at this time, occasioned, as one may rationally conjecture, by the long care and diligency of Archbishop Cranmer: the influences of whose paternal

state in

laity and

astics.

BOOK government, notwithstanding the interval of Queen Mary, .II. still remained in Kent. Though afterwards the county ran Anno 1568. into such ecclesiastical disorders, as created a great deal of trouble to Whitgift, one of this Archbishop's successors; as may be shewn hereafter.

He is in pursuit of some writings of Archbishop

As one of our Archbishop's designs, wherever he came, was to retrieve as much as ever he could the British and Saxon antiquities, or any other ancient writings of our own Cranmer. countrymen, whether Divines or Historians, of which there had been such a fatal destruction by the dissolution of monasteries, when the respective libraries of those houses underwent the same fate with the places where they were kept; so he being now at Canterbury, made this one of his businesses, to pick up what he could of this nature. And by searching and prying, (as he styled it himself,) among other things, he found, by very credible information, in whose hands the learned writings of his predecessor Dr. Cranmer did remain. But the parties denied they had them. However, he, loath to be deprived of such a treasure, in the month of August earnestly requested the Secretary to procure him the Council's letters, to authorize him to make the best search he could after them, and to give him all the advantage that might be, strictly to examine such as he suspected might have them. Which letters were prepared for him by the Secretary, being himself a person so studious of learning, and having so high a value for, and having been so Cranm. Me- great a friend and acquaintance of, the said Cranmer. Of this I had occasion to write in the Memorials of that Archbishop; look into the Appendix, to which I did transfer Archbishop Parker's letter concerning this matter: to which I refer the reader.

mor. p. 217.

Dr. Nevinson has the writings.

But to give some larger relation hereof, and to shew what kind of books these were that the Archbishop was in this earnest pursuit of, and in whose possession they were. They were in the possession of Dr. Nevinson, one of the Prebendaries of Canterbury. Yet was he not, it seems, the rightful owner of them, but somebody else, that appears not. But who could that be but Cranmer's heir? And who was he