church, in case she refused. This not prevailing. pope Pius IVth himself exhorted her by letter, dated May 5, 1570, to reject evil counsellors, and obey his fatherly admonitions, assuring her, that if she would return to the bosom of the church, he would receive her with like affectionate love as the father in the gospel received his son. Parpalio, the nuncio that was sent with this letter, offered in the pope's name to confirm the English liturgy, to allow of the sacra ment in both kinds, and to disaunul the sentence against her mother's marriage; but the Queen would not part with her supremacy. Another nuncio, the Abbot Martmegues, was sent this summer with other proposals, but was stopt in Flanders and forbid to set foot in the realm. The Emperor and other Roman Catholic princes, interceded with the Queen to grant her subjects of their religion churches to officiate in after their own manner, and to keep up a separate communion; but her Majesty was too politic to trust them; upon which they entered upon more desperate measures, as will be seen hereafter.t

Archbishop Parker visited his diocese this summer, and found it in a deplorable condition; the major part of the beneficed clergy being either mechanics or mass priests in disguise; many churches were shut up, and in those that were open not a sermon was to be heard in some counties within the compass of twenty miles; the people perished for lack of knowledge, while men who were capable of instructing them were kept out of the church, or at least denied all preferment in it. But the Queen was not so much concerned for this, as for maintaining her supremacy; his grace therefore, by her order, drew up a form of subscription to be made by all that held any ecclesiastical preferment, wherein they acknowledge and confess, "That the restoring the supre"macy to the crown, and the abolishing all foreign power; "as well as the administration of the sacraments according "to the book of common prayer, and the Queen's injune

§ Foxes and Firebrands, part, iii. p. 15, 18.

“Elizabeth, as Dr. Warner expresses it, was not to be won with either "threats or entreaties to part with her supremacy; of which she was as "fond as the King her father." ED.

+ Strype's Aun. p. 408.

Life of Parker, p. 77.

❝tions, is agreeable to the word of GOD and the practice of "the primitive church." Which most that favored the reformation, as well as great numbers of time-serving priests, complied with; but some refused and were deprived.

The next thing the archbishop undertook was, settling the kalendar, and the order of lessons to be read throughout the year, which his which his grace, as one of the ecclesiastical commissioners, procured letters under the great seal to reform.* Before this time it was left to the discretion of the minister to change the chapters to be read in course for some others that were more for edification; and even after this new regulation the bishops recommended it; for in the preface to the second book of homilies published in the year 1564, there is a serious admonition to all ministers ecclesiastical, to be diligent and faithful in their high functions; in which, among others, is this remarkable instruction to the curates or ministers." If one or other chapter of the Old Testa❝ment falls in order to be read on Sundays or holidays, it "shall be well done to spend your time to consider well of "some other chapter in the New Testament of more edifi"cation, for which it may be changed. By this your pru"dence and diligence in your office will appear, so that your "people may have cause to glorify God for you, and be "the readier to embrace your labors." If this indulgence had been continued, one considerable difficulty to the Puritans had been removed, viz. their obligation to read the Apocrypha lessons; and surely there could be no great danger in this, when the minister was confined within the canon of scripture.

But this liberty was not long permitted, though, the admonition being never legally reversed, archbishop Abbot was of opinion, that it was in force in his time, and ought to have been allowed the clergy throughout the course of this reign. His words are these, in his book entitled, Hill's Reasons unmask'd, p. 317. "It is not only permitted to "the minister, but recommended to him, if wisely and qui"etly he do read canonical scripture, where the Apocrypha upon good judgment seemeth not so fit; or any chapter *M. S. penes me, p. 88. + Life of Parker, p. 84. Strype's Annals, p. 117.

"of the canonical may be conceived not to have in it so "much edification before the simple, as some other parts of "the same canonical scriptures may be thought to have.” But the governing bishops were of another mind, they would trust nothing to the discretion of the minister, nor vary a tittle from the act of uniformity.

Hitherto there were few or no peculiar lessons for holidays and particular Sundays, but the chapters of the Old and New Testament were read in course, without any interruption or variation; so it is in the common prayer-book of 1549, Fol. In the second edition of that book under King Edward VI. there were proper lessons for some few holidays, but none for Sundays; but now there was a table of proper lessons for the whole year, thus entitled, Proper lessons to be read for the first lesson, both at morning and evening prayer, on the Sundays throughout the year; and for some also the second lessons. It begins with the Sundays of Advent, and appoints Isa. r. for mattens, and Isa. ii. for even-song. There is another table for proper lessons on holidays, beginning with St. Andrew; and a third table for proper psalms on certain days, as Christmas, Easter, Ascension, Whitsunday, &c. At the end of this common prayer-book, printed by Jug and Cawood, 1560, were certain prayers for private and family use, which in the later editions are either shortened or left out. Mr. Strype cannot account for this conduct, but says, it was great pity that the people were disfurnished of those assistances they so much wanted; but the design seems to have been, to confine all devotion to the church, and to give no liberty to clergy or laity, even in their closets or families, to vary from the public forms. An admonition was published at the same time, and set up in all churches, forbidding all parsons under the degree of a master of arts, to preach or expound the scriptures, or to innovate or alter any thing, or use any other rite but only what is set forth by authority; these were only to read the homilies.* And whereas by reason of the scarcity of ministers, the bishops had admitted into the ministry sundry artificers, and others not brought up to learning, and some that were of base occupation, it was now desired, that *Life of Parker, p. 90.

Life of Parker, p. 83.

no more tradesmen should be ordained, till the convocation met and took some better order in this affair.

But it was impossible to comply with this admonition; for so many churches in country towns and villages were vacant, that in some places there was no preaching, nor so much as reading an homily, for many months together. In sundry parishes it was hard to find persons to baptize or bury the dead; the bishops therefore were obliged to admit of pluralists, non-residents, civilians, and to ordain such as offered themselves, how meanly soever they were qualified, while others who had some scruples about conformity, stood by unprovided for; the learned and industrious Mr. John Fox the martyrologist was of this number, for in a letter to his friend Dr. Humphreys, lately chosen president of Magdalen College, Oxon, he writes thus, "I still wear "the same clothes, and remain in the same sordid condi❝tion that England received me in, when I first came home "out of Germany, nor do I change my degree or order, "which is that of the mendicants; or if you will, of the "friars preachers." Thus pleasantly did this grave and learned divine reproach the ingratitude of the times. The Puritans complained of these hardships to the Queen, but there was no remedy.

The two universities could give little or no assistance to the reformers; for the professors and tutors, being of the popish religion, had trained up the youth in their own principles for the last six or seven years. Some of the heads of colleges were displaced this summer, and Protestants put in their room; but it was a long time before they could supply the necessities of the church. There were only three protestant preachers in the university of Oxford in the year 1563, and they were all Puritans, viz. Dr. Humphreys, Mr. Kingsmill, and Mr. Sampson; and though by the next year the clergy were so modelled, that the bishops procured a convocation that favored the reformation, yet they were such poor scholars that many of them could hardly write their names.

Indeed the reformation went heavily on. The Queen could scarcely be persuaded to part with images, nor consent to the marriage of the clergy; for she commanded that

1

no head or member of any collegiate or cathedral church, should bring a wife or any other woman within the precincts of it, to abide in the same, on pain of forfeiture of all ecclesiastical promotions:* And her majesty would have absolutely forbid the marriage of all her clergy, if Secretary Cecil had not briskly interposed. She repented that she had made any married men bishops; and told the archbishop in anger, that she intended to publish other injunctions, which his grace understood to be in favor of Popery; upon which the archbishop wrote to the secretary, that he was sorry the Queen's mind was so turned; but in such a case he should think it his duty to obey GOD rather than man. Upon the whole, the Queen was so far from improving her brother's reformation, that she often repented she had gone so far.§

Her majesty's second parliament met the 12th of January 1562, in which a remarkable act was passed, for assurance of the Queen's royal power over all states and subjects within her dominions. It was a confirmation of the act of supremacy. "All persons that by writing, printing, "preaching or teaching, maintained the pope's authority "within this realm, incurred a præmunire for the first of "fence, and the second was high treason. The oath of su66 premacy was to be taken by all in holy orders, by all "graduates in the universities, lawyers,schoolmasters,and "all other officers of any court whatsoever; and by all "knights, citizens and burgesses in parliament." But the archbishop by the Queen's order wrote to the bishops, not to tender the oath but in case of necessity, and never to press it a second time without his special direction; so that none of the popish bishops or divines were burdened with it, except Bonner and one or two more.

* Life of Parker, p. 107, 109.

Of this Dr. Warner gives the following instances: When the dean of St. Paul's in a sermon at court, spoke with some dislike of the sign of the cross, her majesty called aloud to him from her closet, commanding him to desist from that ungodly digression, and to return to his text. At another time, when one of her chaplains preached a sermon on Good-Friday, in defence of the real presence, which without guessing at her sentiments, he would scarce have ventured on, she openly gave him thanks for his pains and piety. Ecclesiastical History, vol. ii. p. 427. ED. + Life of Parker, p. 126.