Chap. IV. The HISTORY of the PURITANS. 557 hundred and forty-five parifh churches appropriated to cathedrals, or toK. ióharlesI. colleges, or impropriated as lay fees to private perlons, having formerly wti belonged to abbies. The gentlemen abovementioned dealt only in the latter, and had already bought in thirteen impropriations, which colt be- tween five and fix thoufand pounds. Molt people thought this a very laudable defign, and whited the fèofees good fuccefs; but bifhop Laud looked on themwith an evil eye,'and reprefented them to the king as in a confpiracy againft the church, becaufe inftead of reftoring the impro- priations they purchafed to the feveral livings, they kept them in their own hands for the encouragement of faétious and feditious lefturers, Faller, - who were to depend upon their patrons, as being liable to be turned out a XI, if they negleéted their duty. He added further, that the feofees pre- Áppéal, ferred chiefly non-conformift minifters, and placed them in the moft po- p, r3. pular market towns, where they did a great deal of mifchief to the hier- Prynne, archy. For there reafons an information was brought againft them in the p 399. 385. Exché equer by Mr. Attorney General Noy, as an illicit fociety, into Ruthw. q Y y Y, part 2d, . a body corporate, without a grant from the king, for the purchafing rec- p. rso.. tories, tithes, prebendaries, &c. which were regiftered in a book, and the profits not employed according to law. The defendants appeared, and in their anfwer declared, that they ap- prehended impropriations in the hands of laymen, and not employed for the maintenance of preachers, were a damage to the church ; that the purchafing of them for the purpofes of religion was a pious work, and not contrary to law, it being notorious, that impropriations are frequently bought and fold by private perlons ; that the donors of this money, gave it for this and fuch other good ufes as the defendants fhould thinkmeet, and not for the endowment of perpetual vicars; that they had not converted any of the money to their own ufe, nor ere&ed themfelves into a body corporate ; and that to their knowledge they had never prefented any to a church, or place in their difpofal, who was not conformable to the doc- trine and difcipline of the church of England, and approved of by the or- dinary of the place. But notwithftanding all they could fay, the court was of opinion, that their proceedings were contrary to law, and decreed that their feoffment fhould be cancelled; that the impropriations they had purchafed fhould be confifcated to the king, and the feofees themfelves finedin thefiar-chamber; however the profecution wasdropt as too invidious, it appearing in court by the receipts and difburfements, that the feefees were out of pocket already above one thoufand pounds. The odium of this profecution fell upon Laud, whole chancellor told him upon this occafion, that he was miferablycenfured by the feparatifts; upon which he made this reflection in his diary, pray God give me patience and for- give them. But
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