706 The HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. IX. K.Chartes h a ufelefs and hurtful. He made a diflinét anfwer to the particulars of r> Br. Hacket's fpeech ; and in conclufion Paid, " though he apprehended " it neceffary to apply thefe foundations to better purpofes, it was by " no means lawful to alienate them from publick and pious ufes, or " to convert them to any private perfon's profit." Rufhw. p. The further debate of this bill was adjourned for a week, and then 2 Ì. p, committed to a committee of the whole houle, when the two follow - 282, ing remarkable {peaches were made again{{ thefe foundations. Serjeant The firft by Mr. ferjeant Thomas who admits, " That there were Thomas's " deans in St. Auflin's time, but that they were not officers of the church `"h a- " es after. , 'till Tome centurifter. St..da to gives this account of their origi- gainf1 deans and chapters. nal ; that the monks, for their more convenient retirement and con- Original of " templation, appointed officers whom they called DEANS, Es quad deans, &c. cc deals 'ant pra'pofiti ; becaufe every dean had the care of ten monks, and " ° was to provide them with all neceßäries of life, that their devotions " might not be interrupted with worldly cares. In the following ages " of darknefs and fuperflition, princes and others bellowed large re- " venues upon thefe monks, from the opinion they had of the auflerity " ° and fanétity of their lives; and as the monks grew rich, the office " of the dean who was the preepofitus or Award, grew more confider- " able, till in St. Bernard's time it was ordained, that none but a pref " byter fhould be a dean : nefit decanas nifi prefbyter. At the refor- " 0 mation of religion, when many other religious foundations were " broke up, thefe were preferved; and in the conftitutions of king Henry " VIII. and Edward VI. 'tis ordained that all deans fhould beprefbyters,. " men of gravity, learning and prudence, that they fhould govern the " cathedral churches according to their feveral ftatutes ; that they fhould preferve difcipline, and fee that the holy rites be performed in a grave " and decent manner ; that they be afiiftants to the bithops within their " feveral cathedrals, as the archdeacons are abroad, for which reafon " they fhould not be abfent from their cathedrals without the molt ur- " gent neceffity, to be allowed by the bifhop, but one or other of them " is to preach in their cathedrals every Lord's day." The fer'eant then obferved, how unlike our prefent deans were to their predeceffors; how little they obferved the flatutes of their inftitution; and gave it as his opinion, that it was not realonable that fuch vaft revenues fhould be allowed to perlons who were of fo little ufe to the church or common- wealth. Aid. Pury's Mr. Pury alderman of Gloucefier purfued the fame argument; he fpeech them. produced a copy of the flatutes of the dean and chapter f Gloucefier, Mallon, p. with their original grant about the time of the reformation, '° Pre have 289. " ercfled (lays the king) cathedrals and colleges in the place of monafieries, " that
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