XVI. 1634. That general uniformity is de asirable in a church, was the pole-star of Laud's policy. In the convocation of Dublin, held in the -year 1615, a body of strongly Calvinistic articles, drawn up by Archbishop Usher for the church of Ireland, had been stamped with the approbation of the bishops and clergy; but they were at this time superseded by the Thirty-nine Articles sent from England, which still regulate the faith of the united churches *. Uniformity was also pressed upon the Dutch church in London: but the attempt to impose the English Liturgy on Scotland, in the year 1638, produced a renewal of the cele brated covenant, which led, among other disasters, to the abolition of episcopacy as the established religion in that part of the realm†.

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-XVII. The profanation of the Sabbath, in the western circuit, by revels, church-ales, bid-ales, and clerk-ales, having been complained of as a nuisance and offence to two of the judges, they

Land this year had prompted the King to restore to Ire, land the impropriations which belonged to the Crown. Pos sibly, this measure may have contributed to bring about the acceptance of the Thirty-nine Articles.

To enlarge on these subjects belongs not to our plan, Fuller was afraid lest his fingers should be frost-bitten, in writing of that cold country.

As the war with Scotland was not unaptly termed, a Bellum episcopale, the sum of three shillings and ten pence in the pound was contributed by the clergy towards its support, according to the valuations of their livings in the king's book.

issued an order for the suppression of these scenes of riot, and occasions of seduction; directing that it should be published, three Sundays in each year, by all the parish ministers, several of whom were punished for disobedience to the mandate. For this arrogant assumption of ecclesiastical jurisdiction, these judges were summoned before the council, where they alleged, in their defence, the unanimous request of the justices, strengthened by several precedents in the late and present reigns. Their pretences, however, proved of no avail: they received a severe reprimand, and were directed to rescind their order at the next assizes.

In the mean time, many of the clergy in Bath and Wells, having been consulted, delivered their opinion in favour of these festivities; as drawing friends together, reconciling enemies, and refreshing the labouring poor. The churches were always fullest on these occasions. Revel-days were the feast of the dedication, and, happening on the Sabbath before or after the day of the saint, prevented tippling on the week-days. The church-ales were pastimes after the service, which introduced benevolence of much use to the church: the clerkales were attended with charitable subscriptions for the maintenance of the parish clerk; and the bidales, for re-establishing the fortunes of a poor decayed labourer or tradesinan, by the alms of a Sunday feast.

XVIII. In consequence of these representations

Laud persuaded Charles to revive the proclamation of 1618, for encouraging recreations on the Lord's Day, provided the people had first presented their duty to God, and continued in obedience to the laws. Man, in his lapsed condition, requires a curb, rather than a loose rein; hence a censure must again he passed on the Book of Sports, since, to lead to the extreme border of indulgence, is to provoke transgression of the line. A small portion of the evening in the labourer's Sabbath, might innocently be withdrawn from purposes purely religious; and the Puritans may have prescribed an extravagant and unreasonable austerity; but the pernicious consequence of the proclamation of sports was not to encourage a grave and calm relaxation, but to stamp with the sanction of legiti, mate authority, the balls, masquerades, and private theatricals of the court; and the riots, morrice-dances, May-games, cudgellings, wrestlings,

* White, bishop of Ely, and Dr. Heylin, wrote treatises ip defence of the Book of Sports; but even Collier justly thinks that they admitted of too much liberty.

As several battles in the civil wars were afterwards fought on the Lord's Day, many deemed the losses sustained by the King a punishment for the Book of Sports. To this it was replied, that, as every day in the week is be-rubricked with English blood, some must needs fall on Sunday." But excessive strictness is as likely to transgress the bounds of reason as immoderate indulgence. The Transcendants afterwards ob served the Sabbath without any peculiar solemnity, by pretend ing to keep every day alike.

and wakes of a licentious peasantry. To provide that this declaration should be published in the parish-churches, was a task imposed upon the bishops; and the seven following years exhibited a series of suspensions and deprivations in the High Commission Court, sustained by many pious and conscientious clergymen, whose minds revolted, as they well might, at the idea of being thus compelled to sanctify profanation, and to blow aloud the trumpet of riot and intemperance.

XIX. In the existing irritation of the public mind, the slightest grievances were aggravated into serious injuries. The Archbishop, in his attachment to the ecclesiastical order, highly offended the lawyers, by drawing into the spiritual courts much of the business of Westminster Hall; as well as by obtaining from the King an order, that one half of the Masters in Chancery should be civilians. Unpopularity was likewise incurred, though with less reason, by permission given to the bishops to

"Wakes, or watchings; but somewhat different," says Fuller, "from the watching taught and practised by our Lord."

Some ministers threw the reading of the proclamation on their curates; and many read the fourth commandment immediately after it. But if the Puritans erred on the side of strictness, their adversaries were undoubtedly too remiss. “A rage against Popery," says the civil historian of England, "and devoting the festival of the Sabbath to the most melancholy indolence- (indolence! is it not a day of rest from labour?)was the characteristic and symbol of the puritanical party,"

hold courts, in their own names, and with their own seals; and to administer an oath of inquiry to churchwardens. Other causes of complaint were, the appointment of Laud to the civil office of com missioner of the revenue, and of Juxon to that of lord treasurer; but, above all, the lenity shown to Papists, whom the bigotry of the Putitans would fain have not indulged in the quiet and unoffending enjoyment of their religion *.

XX. 1637. Bishop Williams, to whom a grudge was still due in consequence of his recent opposition to the removal of communion-tables, was prosecuted afresh in the Star-chamber on an old charge of showing a libellous letter which had been addressed to him by Osbaldeston, the master of Westminster school. Kilvart, a proctor in the Commons, the Bishop's present accuser, perceiving

1635. A subscription having been proposed for the ba nished ministers of the Palatinate, Laud started two objections to the letters patent: first, that they termed the religion of these ministers the same as ours, whereas they were sublapsarians; and secondly, that the church of Rome was pronounced to be an anti-christian yoke; but, if so, where are our orders? The King assented to the validity of these scruples: the words were altered, and Laud promoted the collection.

1636. Several of the bishops, in the year following, pubJished their primary articles of visitation. Those of Wren, of Norwich, comprised 897 questions, addressed to churchwardens, and bearing chiefly on the Puritans. Neale pronounces some of them to have been insignificant, some superstitious, and some impossible to be answered; but, as usual, he subjoins but a sorry proof of his assertion.