270 SOCIAL LIFE IN GUERNSEY. 



Governor, as Dean ; but from the very first the appointment 

 was a dead letter. 



But although After and Saravia — who had been made 

 Master of the newly-founded Elizabeth College — had out- 

 wardly got the better of the Bishop of Coutances, they did 

 not find the Islanders a tractable congregation. 



On February 26th, 1565/6, Saravia wrote to Sir William 

 Cecil, Elizabeth's Secretary of State: "The people here... 

 have neither fai^h nor religion . . there are only three or four 

 people in the Island who attend Service, and if an Ecclesiastic 

 goes into the Country, he is greeted with jeers and laughter 



and often has dirt thrown at him They call for vengeance 



on the Huguenots... whom they blame for everything bad. As 

 to Queen Elisabeth's School, I have only ten boys of the 

 Island, all the rest are English," 



In the following August After wrote to the same man 

 that " these people... all lyke well the privileges of Englande, 

 but the Bulles from Rome be in suche singular recommenda- 

 tion that no lawes of the realme can yet pull backe the 

 unbridled sorte from Rome nor the Frenche favours of the 



same Some there are, notwithstanding, whose hartes be 



governed in the feare of God and of faithfull obedyence 

 to their natural prince... albeyt they be the fewest in 

 number..." 



It is evident from these two letters that the new clergy 

 had no power or influence with the people, and so they pro- 

 ceeded to summon the civil power of the law to their aid. 



In September, 1566, the Royal Court ordained* 1 * that 

 every parishioner should be liable to punishment for non- 

 attendance at Divine Service both morning and evening. In 

 the following year a warning was issued to those who behaved 

 irreverently during the service or were found in the roads or 

 disporting themselves in taverns when they should be in 

 Church ; that, not only were they liable to be fined, but also 

 to be exposed for three hours in the cage. Pilgrimages were 

 also forbidden under pain of a heavy fine. 



In October, 1571, the Crown Officers gave notice in each 

 parish that anyone possessing images (" ydolles "), popish 

 books, or other superstitious relics, should deliver them up 

 before the 1st November following, or else be heavily fined. 

 At the same time games of ball, equally with games of dice 

 and cards, dances and frivolous songs, music, musicians, and 

 all merrymakings were all forbidden under pain of public 

 penance and corporal punishment. 

 (1) Recueil d'Ordonnances. Tome i. 



