By the Rev. Canon W. H. Rich Jones. 165 



the enjoyning of penance on them as presumed offenders against 

 ecclesiastical order and discipline. 



But now we come to one of my predecessors of whom I confess 

 I do not feel very proud ; though, guaging him by the world's rule, 

 of always " taking care of Number One," he must have been a clever 

 fellow. Old Thomas Puller mentions, among proverbs peculiar to 

 the county of Berks, this one — " The Vicar of Bray will be Vicar of 

 Bray still.'' And he gives us this illustration : — " The vivacious 

 Vicar of Bray, (a parish close by Maidenhead, and at no great 

 distance from Windsor,) living under Henry VIII., Edward VI., 

 Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth, was first a Papist, then a Pro- 

 testant, then Papist again, then Protestant again. He found the mar- 

 tyr's fire, near Windsor, too hot for his temper, and being taxed for 

 a turn-coat — ' Not so,' said he, ' for I always kept to one principle, 

 to live and dye the Vicar of Bray.' " 



Now this famous vicar held the Prebend of Netheravon for some 

 seventeen years, during the reigns of Henry VIII. and Edward VI. 

 He seems to have been, if I may coin a word, irinominous, for he 

 is known, if I be not in error, as Simon Symonds, alias Simon Aleyn, 

 alias Simon Pendleton, a convenient plan, it may be, in troublous 

 times, when it might be useful to set up a plea of mistaken identity. 

 No doubt there is some truth in the story, though, like many other 

 tales, it has lost nothing in the telling. My worldly-wise predecessor 

 died in the reign of Edward VI., so that as regards all its details 

 the story cannot be true. He was appointed Canon of Windsor in 

 1535, on the deprivation of Miles Willen — so no doubt he swallowed 

 the oath of supremacy, and kept, not only his vicarage at Bray, but 

 got a good canonry besides. Perhaps, after all, people have been a 

 little hard upon Simon Symonds, who, to say the least, was no 

 "simple" Sy mon. He had before him the example of his bi-nominous 

 bishop, John Salcot alias Capon, who did keep his see, whilst he 

 pocketed his conscience, during portions of all four reigns. No 

 doubt, like many others, he tried — and in his own case not unsuccess- 

 fully — to keep his weather-legs, whilst the vessel of the church was 

 tossing in the storm of the Reformation. 



And now we come, happily, to a name that needs no apology. I 



