602 
PAR 
which had been laid afide in the reign of king Edward VI. 
Thefe injunftions occafioned a great diverfity of praftice 
in the church ; many conforming themfelves implicitly in 
every circumllance, while others rejefted a part of the 
habits, and not a few the whole, confidering them to 
be relics of popery, and confequently fuperftitious and 
finful. Square caps, copes, and furplices, in particular, 
were ftrongly objefted to; and many forfook the fervice 
of the churches where thefe habits were ufed, while others 
deferted thofe places where they were rejefted. The 
great majority of the laity, however, who were zealous 
for the reformation, were again ft thefe habits; and the 
clergy who wore them were lubjeft totheinfults of the 
common people, who believed them to be papillsat heart, 
and conformifts to the proteftant religion only from inte- 
refted motives. At length the matter was laid before the 
queen, who was highly offended at this diverfity in the 
praftice of the clergy, and efpecially that any oppofition 
fhould be made to law’s enabled with her concurrence 
and authority. She therefore direfled a letter to the 
archbilhops of Canterbury and York, refledling with 
fome acrimony on thefe diverfities, as if they were owing 
to remiffnefs in the bifhops ; and requiring them to con¬ 
fer with her ecclefiaftical commiffioners, “and to take 
effeflual methods that an exafl order and uniformity be 
maintained in all external rites and ceremonies; and that 
none hereafter be admitted to any ecclefiaftical prefer¬ 
ment, but who was well difpofed to common order, and 
fhould formally promile to comply with it.” In com¬ 
pliance with this letter, arch'oifhop Parker, together 
with the hilltops of London, Ely, Wincheller, and Lin¬ 
coln, drew up “ Ordinances for the- due Order in Preach¬ 
ing, and adminiftering the Sacraments, and for the Ap¬ 
parel of Perfons ecclefiaftical.” According to fome of 
thefe ordinances, ail the licences for preaching were to 
be direftly cancelled ; but were to be renewed to fuch of 
the clergy as their bifhops fhould think worthy of the 
office. Thofe who fhould be licenfed, were to preach 
once in three months ; and thofe who fhould be unli- 
cenfed, were to read homilies. In adminiftering the fa- 
crament, the principal minifter was to wear a cope; but, 
in the other parts of the devotional fervice, only the fur- 
plice. In cathedrals they were to wear hoods, and 
to preach in them. The facrament was to be received 
by every perfon kneeling. Communion-tables were 
to be placed in all churches towards the eaft, and 
the ten commandments fet up on the walls above them. 
No perfon was to be ordained without having firft 
taken his degrees; and a fubfcription was to be required 
of all who were admitted to any office in the church, 
that they would oblerve uniformity, and conform to 
all the laws and orders already eftablifhed for that pur- 
pofe, &c. 
Thefe ordinances the archbifhop publifhed, under the 
title of advert ifements ; and foon gave the clergy to under- 
ftand, that he would enforce them with rigour in the 
fpiritual court. Among thofe whom he cited before him, 
were Mr. Thomas Sampfon, dean of Chrilt-church, and 
Dr. Lawrence Humphreys, regius profeffor of divinity 
and prefident of Magdalen-college, Oxford, who were 
univerl’ally refpefted for their great learning, piety, -and 
zeal for the reformation, and had been exiles on account 
of their religion in the reign of queen Mary. Thefe 
men, together with the reft of their brethren who enter¬ 
tained confcientious fcruples about wearing the habits, 
were now clafl'ed under the general denomination of Pu¬ 
ritans. Upon their appearance before the archbifhop, he 
endeavoured to remove their fcruples by arguments, ac¬ 
companied with menaces of deprivation in cafe of their 
refufal to conform ; but found them inflexible. After a 
long attendance, and many checks front fome of the 
ltigh-commiffioners for their refraftorinefs, they were 
ordered not to depart the city without leave. The cont- 
millioners were divided in their opinions how to proceed 
with them ; fome being difpofed towards a connivance, 
K E R. 
and others towards a compromife. But the archbifhop, 
who guided their ultimate determinations, would not 
grant them the leaft indulgence; and on their next ap¬ 
pearance he peremptorily told them, that they mull com¬ 
ply with the advertilaments, or part with their preferments. 
Upon their anfwering that, whatever the event might be, 
their confciences would not allow them to comply, they 
were taken into cultody, and confined in prifon for foma 
time, by way of terror to others; and, when this pro¬ 
ceeding was found not to produce the defired effeft, they 
were deprived, and then difmifled. Soon afterwards the 
archbilhop fummoned the whole body of the incumbents 
and curates of the city of London to appear before him 
and fome of the other commiffioners at Lambeth ; and 
when, on the appointed day, they appeared in court, the 
archbilhop’s chance.lor ordered them to declare, by a 
fubfcription under their hands, whether they would pro- 
mife conformity to the habits or not. After much per- 
fualion, and many threatenings, fixty one fubfcribed, and 
thirty-leven abfolutely refufed ; in which latter number 
were fome of the bell preachers in the city, as archbilhop 
Parker acknowledged. Thefe were immediately fuf- 
pended from the office of the miniltry, notwithllanding 
their crying out for compaffion to themfelves and fami¬ 
lies; and they were allured, that, if they did not conform 
within three months, they fhould be deprived. When 
they offered a paper containing the reafons of their refu¬ 
fal, the chancellor told them, that it was not the bufinefs 
of the commiffioners to argue and debate, but to execute 
the queen’s injunft-ions. 
In confequence of thefe proceedings againll the Puri¬ 
tans, many churches in London, and in every part of the 
kingdom where the queen’s injunftions were rigidly 
executed, were Ihut up for want of preachers; the fe- 
rious well-wilhers to the reformation lamented to fee its 
progrefs impeded by fuch arbitrary and oppreffive mea- 
iures; and tiie papilts rejoiced with inexpreliible pleafure 
to lee the protellants thus weakening their own hands by 
filencing fuch numbers of their belt divines. The fuf- 
ferers under thefe perfecutions, having been refufed a 
hearing by the archbilhop and the reft of the commiffion¬ 
ers, thought it theirduty to lay their cafe before the world, 
and publifhed various books and pamphlets in defence of 
their nonconformity. To fome of thele, anfwers were 
written on the part of the bilhops, either by themfelves 
or their chaplains; which were followed by replies from 
the Puritans, whole tracts were eagerly fought after, and 
were widely lpread among the people. Provoked at the 
attention which was paid to them, the archbilhop and 
the other cohimiffioners complained to the privy council, 
that, notwithllanding the queen’s injunftions, thefchifm 
in the church was kept open, and increafed, by the print¬ 
ing and publication of feditious libels. In confequence 
of this complaint, they obtained a decree from that arbi¬ 
trary tribunal the liar-chamber, prohibiting all books 
and pamphlets in which any thing lhould be advanced 
againll the queen’s injunftions, ordinances, or letters 
patent; and empowering the wardens of the ftationers* 
company to fearch all lufpefted places for fuch books, 
and to bring the offenders before the ecclefiaftical com¬ 
miffioners. . This high liretch of tyranny, which took 
place in June 1566, was a difgrace to the caufe in behalf 
of which it was exerted, and excited againll the men who 
had recourfe to Inch an expedient for filencing their op¬ 
ponents, the detellation of all the confident friends of truth 
and liberty. 
The Puritans, thus Ihut out of the church by fequef- 
trations, imprilonments, the taking away of their li¬ 
cences to preach, and the rellraints of the prefs, were at 
firft at a lofs how to aft, being unwilling to l’eparate from 
a communion in which they admitted that the faith and 
elfentials of religion were uncorrupted, though they con¬ 
ceived that the adminiftration of the word and facra- 
ments was defiled with popifti fuperltitions. At length, 
after much ferious difculfion, they came to this determi¬ 
nation. 
