LIFE OF ARCHBISHOP SHARP. 353 



approved of all the minutes that had been laid 

 before her about the Convocation, and that she 

 meant to send to every bishop to come to her, 

 and that she would send my Lord Dartmouth 

 to my Lord of Canterbury, to prorogue the 

 Convocation for one week longer. 



Having set the design upon this fair footing, 

 he was obliged to leave the execution of it to 

 other hands. For it was not proper for him, 

 as he belonged to another province, to concern 

 himself further in it. 



There were other ecclesiastical matters, about 

 which he had formerly conferred with the Pro- 

 locutor, as being proper subjects for the Con- 

 vocation to take into their consideration ; such 

 as these. To think of means to prevent clan- 

 destine marriages, by enforcing the canon about 

 licences. To find out a method of restraining 

 ecclesiastical officers from taking ea:orbitant fees, 

 and of regulating Spiritual Courts. To con- 

 sider of one book or foi^m of Singiiig Psalms to 

 be used throughout England, and the like. 

 Upon which he thought the Convocations might 

 be both usefully and itioffensively employed. 



But though he thought of these things, and 

 suggested them in a private way, yet it doth 

 not appear that he took any further steps to- 

 wards bringing them to bear. He might pro- 

 bably be apprehensive, that the times in which 



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