(3) CHAP. Ir. The Englifh Diocefan Prelacy, and Church-Government, trulydefcribetl ; that it may be known what it is which we difown. T being not Epifcopacy in General, but (the Popifl: and) theEnglifh Species of Prelacy, which our Judgments cannot approve, and which we cannot fwear to as approvers, it is nccetfary that we tell ftrangers, what this Prelacy is, that the fubjeft of our Con-. troverfie benot unknown, or mifunderftood. But the fubjeit is fo large, that the very naming of the parts of our Ecclefiaftical Government, in Tables by Dr. Ri. Colns, maketh up a Volume in 16 Tables, and many hundred branches. Which being written in Latin 1 mutt refer the Foreign Reader to it; Not at ali for the underftanding of our Practice, but only of our Rule, or Laws with our Church-Conftitution: feeing it would take up a confiderable Volume to open but one half of his Scheme. All that I than now do is to give you this brief Intima- tion. That in England there are 26 or 27 Bifhopricks : of which two are Archbifhops : In all thefe fa together there was when Speed numbred them, nine thoufand feven hundred twenty five Parifh Churches, but nowmanymore. Inthe Diocefs that I live in( Lincoln)there is above a loco or i loo. In very many of thefe Parifhes ' betides the Parilh-Churches, there are Chapels, that have Curates, in fome Parifhes one Chapel, in fome two, in fome three, if not more. In thefe Parifhes the number of Inhabitants isvarious, as they are greater or leßèr : The greateft about London, fuch as Stepny, Giles-Cripplegate, Sepulchres, Martins, &c. have force about 50000 perfons, (force fay much more) Some about 30000 force about 20000, &c. But ordinarily in Cities and Market-Towns through the Country, the number is about 2oo0, or 3000, or 4.000, or s000 at the molt, except Plimouth, and fome few great Parifhes that have far more. And in Villages, in force 2000, in force woo, in force final( ones Soo, or 300, or in force very fmall ones fewer. There are in England 641 Market-Towns (faith Speed) which are of the greater fort . of Parifhes, and fuch as in old times were called Cities, though now a few have got that title; at leaft a great number ofthem are equal, and fume much greater and richer than force that now are named Cities. TheDiocefs that I live in is about fix-fcoe Miles in length. By all this you may conjecture how many hundred thoufand fouls are in force Dio- ceffe% and at what a diftance from each other: and what perfonal Com- nnanioo. :
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