zi6 The HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap.. IV. Quten by lug and Cawood, 156o. were certain prayers for private and family Elizabeth, ufe which in the later editions are either fhortened or left out. Mr. 'L 5- ` Strype cannot account for this condu&, but Pays, It was great pity that the people were disfurnifhed of thofe aßiflances they fo much wanted; but the defign feems to have been, to confine all devotion to the church, and to give no liberty to clergy or laity, even in their clofets or families, to vary from the publick forms. An admonition was publifhed at the fame time, and fet up in all churches, forbidding all parfons under the . degree of a matter of arts, to preach or expound the fcriptures, or to innovate or alter any thing, or ufe any other rite but only what is fet Lfe of Par- forth by authority ; theft were only to read the homilies. And whereas ker, P. 90. by reafon of the fcarcity of minifters, the bithops had admitted into the miniflry, fundry artificers, and others not brought up to learning, and fonte that were of bafe occupation, it was now defired, that no more tradefmen fhould be ordained, till the convocation met, and took fome better order in this affair. Sad flats of But it was impoflible to comply with this admonition ; for fo many the Clergy. churches in country towns and villages were vacant, that in Tome places there was no preaching, nor fo much as reading an homily, for many months together. In fundry parifhes it was hard to find perfons to bap- tize or bury the dead ; the bithops therefore were obliged to admit of pluralifls, non-refidents, civilians, and to ordain fuch as offered them- felves, howmeanly foever they were qualified, while others, who had force fcruples about conformity, flood by unprovided for ; the learned and in- duflrious Mr. yobn Fox the martyrologtfl was of this number, for in a letter to his Friend Dr. Humphreys, lately chofen prefident of Magdalen college, Oxon, he write thus; " I Bill wear the fame clothes, and " remain in the fame fordid condition, that England received me " in, when I firfl came home out of Germany, nor do I change my de- " gree or order, which is that of the ./Mendicants; or if you will, ofthe " friarspreachers." Thus pleafantly did this grave and learned divine reproach the ingratitude of the times. The puritans complained of thefe hardfhips to the queen, but there was no remedy. rind of roe The two univerfities could give little or no afí'iflance to the reformers; IInive>jtier. for the profeffors and tutors being of the popifh religion, had trained up the youth in their own principles for the lafl fix or feven years. Some of the heads of colleges were difplaced this fummer, and proteftants put in their room ; but it was a long time before they could fupply the ne- ceffities of the church. There were only three proteftant preachers in the univerfity of Oxford in the year 1563. and they were all puritans, (viz.) Dr. Humphreys, Mr. Kingfmell, and Mr. Sampfon ; and though by the next year the clergy were fo modelled, that the bithops procured a con- , vocation
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