Dec. 8. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



443 



LONDON, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1855, 



BISHOP COVEEDALB. 



In searching one of the oldest parish-church 

 registers in London, some entries were found 

 which throw a pleasing light upon the last days 

 of this venerable minister. It is the church-war- 

 dens' accounts of their receipts and expenditure 

 from 1566 to 1686. 



Strype, in the Life of Parker, says, that after 

 the deprivation of the London ministers, in 1566, 

 for not wearing the habits nor observing other 

 usages, for seven or eight weeks, their hearers 

 either came to the churches and heard the con- 

 formable preachers, or went no whither. Many 

 of them ran after Father Coverdale, who took 

 that occasion to preach the more constantly, but 

 yet with much fear, so that it would not be 

 known where he preached. This register lets us 

 into the secret that the good old father, then in 

 his eightieth year, between November 1, 1567, 

 and January 18, 1568, preached eleven sermons 

 in the Church of Holy Trinity, Minories, On 

 three days he preached two sermons each day. 

 Collections were made for the repairs of the 

 church to the amount of 8Z. 15«, Id. There were 

 no church-rates in those days, but a voluntary 

 "aessemente geueri by the inhabitants of every 

 man's good-will towards the repairs of the church," 

 followed by eighteen names, the highest contri- 

 bution being two pounds, the lowest eighteen 

 pence. The cost of labour and materials is in- 

 teresting. The highest price of a day's labour was, 

 to a mechanic, fifteen pence ; a labourer, eight- 

 pence ; and the average price of wheat 8a-. per 

 quarter. The Book of Homilies, three shillings and 

 eightpence ; service-book, five shillings. A bun- 

 dle of " ryshes, the same day that Mr. Rawlins 

 was married," fourpence ; and for " strawinge 

 yerbes that same day," threepence, 

 ^' 1567. Injunctions for the church - - - 4d. 



A pint of malmesj', and for bread - - 3d." 



Several entries are for materials to repair the 

 womerts pews, as if the sexes were at that time 

 separated in church. 

 " One pound of candles - - - - 2d." 



Twenty of the Inhabitants contributed what is 

 called " chyrch dewty " at Lady Day, St, John 

 Baptist, and " St, Mychell tharchangell." 



"1568. Fees on a marriage ... I2rf. 



Fees on a burial in the quyer - - 13s. id. 



Fees on a burial in the body of the 



church - - - - 6s. 



Fees on a burial at the door - - 3s. 4d. 



Fees on a burial in the churchj'ard - Qd. 



Fees on a burial in the churchj'ard, chil- 

 dren - _ . . 4d." 



Tithe, called church duty, upon a house rented 

 No. 319,;] 



at eight pounds, was charged twenty-two shillings, 

 or two shillings and ninepence in the pound, 



" To Mr. Hill^'ard for ministering the Commu- 

 nion - - - - - 2s. Qd." 



" 1570. Out of the box of the poor, for the minis- 

 ters -wliich were in prison, and for the 

 poor of this parish .... 28s," 



Can any of the readers of " N, & Q." explain this 

 item, as to the ministers in prison ? * 



1569, ^lany poor were relieved belonging to 

 other parishes ; one of these payments is curious : 



" Given to a poor man that lies buried in Gutter 



Lane that same day - - - 3». id." 



" 1570. Paid to Mr. Jackson for this quarter that 

 he was in prison, and that we were fain 

 to hire other ministers ; and therefore 

 he had but - - - - 35s." 



The tithe- ofluirings, dues, collections, and gifts 

 in two years amounted to 85^. 16s. Ad. 

 The items of expenditure were, • 



50TE ON SOME PECIII.IARITIES IN MK, BYCE 8 

 EDITION OF MIDDLETOn's WOHKS, 



Reverting to the law of English grammar, as- 

 sumed by Mr. D' Israeli, and sanctioned by that 

 branch of the legislature whereof he is a distin- 

 guished member, to the effect that two or more 

 singular nouns require a plural verb, I would 

 draw the attention of those interested in per- 

 petuating undefaced the records of the progress 

 of the English tongue, which a faithful transcript 

 of the writings wherein they are transmitted can 

 alone accomplish, to the circumstance that one of 

 the most judicious and erudite editors of the day, 

 i the Rev. Mr. Dyce, has, in his edition of Middle- 

 ! ton's Works, endeavoured to give this law a re- 

 I trospective operation ; or, to speak more precisely, 

 i has made a sort of compromise between what 

 ! would seem to be all but universally recognised as 

 the proper custom at present, and a usage which 

 enjoyed a prescription of at least two centuries in 

 its favour before the later practice, one among 



i [* This entry seems to refer to the imprisonment of 

 ; " the ringleaders of the second set of Nonconformists," as 

 i Dr. Fuller calls them (Church Bint., A.T). 1568). "Wonder 

 i not," says he, " if the Queen proceeded severely against 

 i some of them, commanding them to be put into prison, 

 I though still their party daily increased."] 



