676 The HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. VIII. %Charles I. for within the compafs of this and the next year, there were refented to 1640. the king and houfe of lords no lefs than nineteen, from the two univer- fities, from Wales, Lancafhire, Stafrdfhire, and other counties, fub- fcribed with about one hundred thoufand hands, whereof according tò Dr. Walker, fix thoufand were nobility, gentry, and dignified clergy. One would think by this account, that the whole nation had been with them ; but can it be fuppofed, that the honeft freeholders of Lancafhire and Wales could be proper judges of fuch allegations in their petitions as thefe ? -- . That there can be no church without bifhops --- that no ordination was ever performed without bifhops, that without bi- fhops there can be no prefbyters, and by confequence no confecration of the Lord's fupper that it has never been cuftomary for prefbyters to lay hands upon bifhops, from whence the difparity of their function is evident that a bifhop has a charaéter that cannot be communicated but by one of the fame diftin Lion and that the church has been governed by bifhops without interruption for fifteen hundred years. Thefe are to- pics fit to be debated in a fynod of learned divines, but the tacking a hund- red thoufand names of freeholders on either fide, could prove no more than that the honeft countrymen acted too much by an implicit faith in their clergy. Loud complaints being made to the parliament of unfair methods of procuring names to petitions, the houfe appointed a committee to ex- amine into the matter; but there being great faults (as I apprehend) on both fides, the affair was dropt. Root and The RooT AND BRANCH petition was prefented to the houle Decemb. Branch peat:- I I. 164o. by alderman Pennington and others, in the name of his ma- in7afavay the jetty's fubjeds in and about the city of London, and adjacent counties. whole hie- It was thought to be the contrivance of the ¡cots commif loners, who rarchy. were become very popular at this time. The petition fheweth, " That " whereas the government of archbifhops, and lord bifhops, deans, and " archdeacons, &c. with their courts and miniftrations in them have " proved prejudicial, and very dangerous to the church and common- " wealth ; they them/elves having formerly held, that they have theirju.. " rifdiftion or power of human authority, till of late they have claim- " ed their calling immediately from Chrift, which is againft the laws of " this kingdom, and derogatory to his majefty's (late royal. And where- " as the faid government is found by woful experience, to be a main caufe and occafion of many foul evils, preffures, and grievances of a " very high nature to his majefty's fubjets, in their confciences, liberties, " and eftates, as in a fchedule of particulars hereunto annexed, may in part appear. " We therefore molt humbly pray and befeech this honourable affem- « bly, the premifes confidered, that the faid" government with all its dependauces, ROOTS ANDBRANCHES, may be abolifhed, and all the laws
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