566 K. Charles I, The HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. V. tremes ;. for if the guritans were too flriçl in keeping holy the jabbath, his 1633. was too lax in his indulgence, by encouraging revels may-games and (ports, on that facred day. Wakes p and Corr faint having been made to the lord chief juflice Rtchardn, and revels on the .Lord's day baron Denham, in their weftern circuit, of great iuconveniencies- arifing countenanced. from revels, church ales, and clerk ales on the Lord's days,. the two judges Prynne's made anorder at the alfizes for fuppreffing them, and appointed the clerk Cant Doon. to leave copies of the order with every parifh minifter, who was to give 3 a note under his hand, to publifh it in his church yearly, the firft fun- day in February, and the two fundays before Eajier. Upon the return of the circuit the judges required an account of the execution of their order, and punifhed tome perfons for the breach of it ; whereupon thearchbifnop complained to the kingof their invading the epifcopal jurifdiFtion, and pre- vailed with his majefty to fummons them before the council. When they appeared, Richardfon pleaded that the order was made at the requeft of the jut-Bees of the peace, and with the unanimous confent of the whole bench, and juftified it from the following precedents: Sept. xo. Eliz. 38th. the juflices afíembled at Bridgwater ordered, that no church ale, clerk ale, or bid ale, be fuffered ; figned by Popham, lord chief juftice and ten others. The fame order was repeated 1599, and 4ift of Eliz. and again at Exe- ter, 1615. and 13th of lac. and-even in the prefent king's reign 1627, with an order for the minifter of every parifh church to publifh it yearly. But notwithflandingall the chief jullice could alledge, he received a (harp reprimand, and a peremptory injundion to revoke his order at the next affixes; which he did in fuch a manner as loft him his credit at court for the future; for he then delared to the juftices, " that he thought he had done God, the king, and his country good fervice, by that good order that he and bis brother Denham had made, for fuppreffïng " wakes and revels, but that it had been mifreported to his majefty, " who had exprefly charged him to reverfe it; accordingly (fays he) I " do, as much as in me lies, reverfe it, declaring the fame to be null " ° and void, and that all perfons may ufe their recreations at fuch meetings " as before." This reprimand and injunftion almoft broke the judge's heart, for when he came out of the council chamber he told the earl of Dorjët with tears in his eyes, that he had been miferably fhaken by the archbifhop, and was like to be choakedwith his lawn fleeves. Lad' etter Laud having thus humbled the judge, and recovered his epifcopal about them. authority fromnegleéi, took the affair into his own hand, and wrote to the bifhop of Bath and Wells, Oct. 4th. for fuller information. In his letter he takes notice that there had been of late fome noife in Somerfet- Jhire about thewakes ; that the judges had prohibited them under pretence, of fome diforders, by which argument (lays he) any thing that is abufed may
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