REFORM YOUR UNIVERSITY SYSTEM. 413 



God It declares that no one shall be ordained unless he has previously 

 subscribed these three articles.* No positive direction is given as to the 

 Universities. This is perfectly consistent with the object of this canon, 

 which was to prevent any one from being admitted, into the ministry of 

 the established church, who did not fully acquiesce in her doctrines and 

 discipline ; and the Universities have no power to confer ordination. 

 The thirty- sixth canon ends thus: " Academias vero, si quid in hac 

 parte deliquerint, juris ultioni, et regies censurse relinquimus." 



In the year 1613, King James addressed the following letter to the 

 Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge : 



" JAMES R. 



" Trusty and well-beloved, we greet you well. 



" Upon signification to you, not long since, of our dislike of the degree of 

 Doctor of Physic, granted in that our University of Cambridge, without subscrip- 

 tion to the three articles mentioned in the six-and-thirtieth canon, of the book of 

 Ecclesiastical Constitutions and canons, made and published in the years of our 

 Lord God one thousand six hundred and three, and one thousand six hundred and 

 four, and in the first and second years of our reign of this our realm of England, 

 to Mr. Burgesse, who upon a humour, or spirit of faction or schism, apostating 

 from his orders and ministry, hath betaken himself to the profession of physick ; 

 understanding by your private answer at that time, made unto our challenge to 

 you for the same, that there was no established decree or ordinance in that our 

 University for the denial of degrees to such as should refuse to subscribe as afore- 

 said ; and duly considering with ourselves to how little effect our care and 

 endeavour of preserving, as well uniformity in order, as unity of truth, in this our 

 church will tend, if we should not carefully provide for the deriving- of both out 

 of the nurseries and fountains of our church and commonwealth (our Universities), 

 we have thought good by these our letters to signify unto you both our apprehension 

 of the necessity of the establishing of such an ordinance or decree; and also our 

 pleasure for the performance thereof presently in that our University of Cam- 

 bridge ; to wit, that by a public ordinance and decree of the body of that our 

 University, passed by a grace with you, it may be decreed and ordained that, from 

 henceforth, no man shall have granted unto him the degree either of Bachelor in 

 Divinity, or of Doctor in any Faculty, Divinity, Law, or Physick, unless he shall 

 first, and before the propounding of his said grace to the body of the University 

 in the presence of the Vice-Chancellor, or his deputy for the time being, subscribe 

 to the aforesaid three articles contained in the aforesaid six-and-thirtieth canon, in 

 such manner and form as in the said canon is expressed and required.-^ Hereof 

 we thought it the more necessary to admonish you ; and hereunto require you by 

 these our letters, partly for that in the said six-and-thirtieth canon the neglect of 

 the doing thereof in either of our Universities is provisionally left to our censure ; 

 and partly for that we understand our University of Oxford hath long since made 

 a publick ordinance and constitution in this behalf, in so much that they grant not 

 so much as the degree of a Bachelor of Arts without subscription first had ; 

 whereas with you there hath not hitherto so much care been had in that our 

 University of Cambridge as to require this subscription of such as receive the 

 degrees of Bachelors or Doctors in Divinity with you. 



" Our pleasure therefore is, that you publish these our letters to the body of the 

 University, at the next congregation that shall be had there with you, after the 

 receipt of these our letters : which being done either at the same congregation, or 

 at the next that shall ensue it, we require you to propound, and endeavour to pass 



* Neminem nisi praevia trium articulorum subscriptione ordinandum. 

 t The canon only requires the subscription at ordination 

 M.M. No. 11. " 3 G 



