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yet been sent out by them. In fact, the difficulties are very great, and 
are well pointed out by Miss Goodwin in her preface. 
In the first place, it is not worth while to publish such a work at all, 
unless it is thoroughly well done ; and the first thing must be to get 
satisfactory accounts of the vessels used in each parish ; and to do that 
well it is quite necessary that some one well up to the subject should 
personally inspect every piece, and such persons are not easy to find, 
and when found might not have the necessary leisure to carry out the 
work. From the experience gained so far, it is probable that there are 
very few specimens of silver plate earlier than the time of Queen 
Elizabeth, which could be discovered by the most rigorous search, 
beside those which are already well known ; perhaps there may be 
one or two in each Diocese, not reckoning the specimens belonging to 
Colleges at Oxford and Cambridge and Cathedrals. Mr. Cripps says 
in his 3rd and last edition of ‘‘ Old English Plate,” p. 159: “‘ We are 
now in a position to say what the antiquary may expect to find around 
him in Church or Cabinet. It may be summed up very shortly: 
he will find a few—a very few—gothic chalices and their patens, 
remains of pre-Reformation art. The writer does not know, after 
extensive enquiry, of much more than a score, and these have, no 
doubt, owed their preservation in each case to some favouring local 
circumstances. He will find, here and there, a communion cup with 
its cover of the reign of Edward VI., made, no doubt, of the materials 
afforded by some more ancient chalice. Of these there are still fewer 
than of the chalices which preceded them. Ard next in order he will 
find broadcast over the whole country a multitude of examples of the 
communion cups provided in the first years of Queen Elizabeth, each 
with its paten cover; and he will find flagons of shapes varying with 
their date and other circumstances to be further mentioned.” 
Now, how has this scarcity come about? For, at first sight, there 
does not seem any adequate reason for their almost total dis- 
appearance. It might be supposed that the times of the Civil War 
are responsible for this, as we know that many private families melted 
up their old family silver for the use of the King ; and perhaps that 
might have been the case also with the Church Plate, if it had lasted 
down to that date; but Mr. Cripps shows by undoubted testimony 
that the greater part of it had already disappeared at the time of the 
Reformation. Before the Reformation, the cathedrals and larger 
parish churches (and, in a measure, many of the smaller churches 
also) were handsomely furnished with everything that was necessary 
for the due celebration of the Mass. This is shown by the lists of 
Church furniture which have come down to us from various quarters. 
