A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



and diligence in our ministerie.' The form of prayer was prescribed, and 

 the manner of the discourse ordered with the warning that ' all the speakers 

 ought carefuUy to keepc them to the text, abstainynge from hepynge uppe 

 of manie testimonies, allegations of prophane histories, exhortations, appli- 

 cations, common places and divisions not aptly grounded uppon the Text ; 

 not falling into controversies of our private tyme or state, nether glancynge 

 closely or openly at anie persons publique or private, much lesse confutyng 

 one a nother.' At the close of the meeting the first speaker went out and 

 those present delivered their criticisms to the moderator. ' This done, the 

 first speaker must be contented to be admonished by the moderator and the 

 rest of the brethren of such things as shall seem to the company worthy of 

 admonition.'" The moderators appointed in 1574 were Home, vicar of 

 Hemel Hempstead, Hammon, rector of Letchworth, John Potkins, rector 

 of Lilley, and Thomas Mountford, vicar of Tring. Little more is known 

 of the Hertfordshire prophesyings. In spite of Grindal's defence of the 

 exercise as ' a thing profitable to the Church ' ^^ it was held in distrust by 

 the Government and in 1576, finding that the archbishop would not quash 

 the meetings, the queen sent letters to the bishops individually ordering their 

 suppression." The ' godly exercises ' were, however, restored by Convocation 

 in March 1585, and probably played an important part in the furtherance of 

 Puritan methods and ideals. 



It will be noticed how closely the order of these ' prophesyings ' followed 



the course still adopted for training the preacher. And this, indeed, 



was the main object of the work, for the attention of every party in the 



State was at this time concentrated on preaching. The growth of education 



and of the cheap press has lessened both the popularity of sermons and the 



influence of preachers, but in the i 6th century when politics and religion 



stood in such close relationship, when the press was censored and expensive 



and the ability to read not universal, the spoken word was a force which 



cannot be overestimated. The power of the pulpit in the formation of 



popular opinion was fully recognized by Elizabeth and her advisers, and in 



December 1558" the queen issued a proclamation forbidding 'any person, 



whether papist or gospeller, to preach to the people.'" In 1559, however, 



the Injunctions of i 547 were again promulgated with certain alterations and 



additions, one of which provided that the clergy ' shall preach in their own 



persons, once in every quarter of the year at least, one sermon, being licensed 



especially thereunto, as is specified hereafter ; or else shall read some homily 



prescribed to be used by the queen's authority every Sunday at the least, 



unless some other preacher sufficiently licensed, as hereafter, chance to come 



to the parish for the same purpose of preaching.' '' Licences were to be 



issued by the queen, the archbishops, the bishop of the diocese or the royal 



visitors.'" From the return made for the deanery of Braughing" in 1561 



no indication of the number of preaching ministers there can be obtained, 



and in 1565 all existing licences were revoked.'^ Doubtless the Crown would 



^ Lansd. MS. 19, fol. 47-9. ^6 Morrice MS. (Dr. Williams's Lib.), B, fol. 261. 



2^ Frere, op. cit. 193. For the letter see Cott. MS. Cleop. F ii, fol. 287. 



" Strype, Jnna/s, i (i), 59. 28 ZUricA Letters, 1558-79 (Parker See), 7. 



" Gee, op. cit. 48. «> Ibid. 49. " Visit, of Grindal, 1 561 (Lond. Epis. Reg.). 



" Frere, op. cit. 127. 



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