SANDERSON. 273 Mr. SANDERSON was minister at Lynn in Norfolk, and troubled for his nonconformity. In the year 1573, he was charged, together with the people of the town, with having impugned the BookofCommon Prayer. This was, indeed, asad crime in those days.. February 8th, in that year, the following articles were exhibited against him in the eccle- siastical court : 1. " That he had called the curate of the place, a dumb dog, and a camelion priest. 2., " That he said the curate would not say the morning prayer, but would bid the popish holy-days, and say the popish service (meaning thecommon prayer)for thosedays. 3. " That, January 17th, he declared in the pulpit, that they who formerly employed their labours, and their goods, for the benefit of their poor and afflicted brethren, were now become judges over them; they sat in judgment upon them; and, like the Galatians, had received another gospel. 4. " That he exhorted the people to pray unto God, to change the heart of the queen's majesty, that she might set forth true doctrineand worship. 5. " That he said the apostle Paul would have contention for the truth, rather than suffer any inconvenience to enter into the church of God. 6. " That, January 24th, he said, that if either bishops, deans, or any others, or even an angel fromheaven, preached any other doctrine than that which he then preached, they should hold him accursed, and not believe him. 7. " That he called the appointed holy-days, Jewish ceremonies ; and the churching of women, Jewish purifica- tions ; and said, that many persons made the queen's laws their divinity. 8. 44 That, February 7th, he said in his sermon, that unpreaching and scandalous ministers were one principal occasion of the present dearth." Upon the examination of Mr. Sanderson, though we do not find what penalty was inflicted upon him, one Francis Shaxton, an alderman of the place, accused him of having delivered these opinions and assertions in two ofhis sermons, and even said he heard them, when in fact, he was in London at the very time when the sermons were preached. " On Christmas-day last," says the Bishop of Norwich, in his letter to Archbishop Parker, " some of the aldermen went to church in their scarlets,and some would not ; some opened their shops, and some shut them up ; some eat flesh on that day, and others eat fish." Surely, then, it waS high time to punish these rebellious people !-Strypes Parker, p. 452. f MS. Register, p. 191. VOL. I.
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