t8 The HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. V. ueea -« with pity towards fo many thoufands of your majefty's fubjeEts, daily Elizabeth, 1571 " in danger of being loft for want of the food of the word, and true " cipline, we the commons in this prefent parliament alhembled, are " humbly bold to open the griefs, and to feek the Calving of the fores cc of our country, and to befeech your majefly, feeing the fame is of " fo great importance, if the parliament at this time may not be fo cc long continued, as that by good and godly laws, provifion may be made " for fupply and reformation of thefe great and grievous wants and abufes, " that yet by fuch other means, as to your majefty's wifdom (hall feem cc meet, a perfeEt redrefs of the fame may be had by which the number of your majefty's faithful fubjeEts will be enhreafed, popery will be " deftroyed, the glory of God will be promoted, and your majefty's re- " nown will be recommended to all pofterity." But the queenbroke up the parliament without taking any notice of the fupplication. Convocation. The convocation which fat with this parliament affembled April 3d, when the reverend Mr. Gilbert Alcock, prefented a fupplication to them in behalf of the deprived minifters, praying their intereft with the queen ;2i1 S p, 92. for a redrefs of their grievances ; " If a godly minifter, fays he, omit " but the leaft ceremony, for confcience fake, he is immediately in- " diEted, deprived, cafe into prifon, and his goods wafted and deftroyed; 0 he is kept from his wife and children, and at laft excommunicated, " We therefore befeech your fatherhoods, to pity our cafe, and take " from us thefe fumbling blocks." But the convocation were of ano.. ther fpirit, and inftead of removing their burdens encreafed them, by framing certain new canons of difcipline, againft the puritans ; as, that Sparrow, the bithops fhould call in all their licences for preaching, and give out new P. 223. ones to thofe who were belt qualified ; and among the qualifications they infift not only upon fubfcríption to the doarines of the church, enjoined by parliament, but upon fubfcription to the Common Prayer-book, and Ordinal for confecration of archbifheps, bithops, Fiefs and deacons, as containing nothing contrary to the word of Gad. And they declare, that all fuch preachers who do not fubfcribe, or that difturb peoples minds with contrary doEtrine, fhall be excommunicated. But as thefe canons never had the fanEtion of the broadPeal, finely the inforcing them upon the pu- ritans, was a ftretch of power hardly to be jufífied. BithopGrindal con- feffed theyhad not the force of a law, and might polrbly involve them in a prcemunire ; and yet the bithops urged them upon the clergy of their feveral diocefes. They cancelled all the licences of preachers, and in- . rifted peremptorily on the fubfcription above-mentioned. £srype'sAn The complaints of the minifters under thefe hardthips, reached the ;reads, p. 99. ears of the eleEtor palatine of the Rhine, who was pleafed to order the learned Zanchy, profeffor of divinity in the univerfity of Heidelburgb, to
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