Chap. IX. '?TeHISTOI Yof the PURITANS. 707 " that where ignorance andfupollition reigned, the f tcere worJhip f God IC Charles r. " might flour*, and the 4ofpel of Chrifl refus be purely preached; and ' 4 "further, that the encreafe of the chriftian faith andpiety, the infiruc- tion of youth in good learning, and thefufientation of the poor may be "for ever kept maintained and continued." He then produced the ftatutes, which ordained, " That the laid deans, prebends, and canons, " fhall always refide and dwell in the houles of the laid cathedrals, " and there keep a family withgood hofpitality to feed the poor, and to diftribute alrns. That they fhould preach the word in lesion and out " of feafon, efpecially in the cathedral church, and have youth profitably " taught there. To this end they are to have a common table in the " common hall of the cathedral, where the canons, fcholars, chorifters, " and under officers, are to eat together. The faid dean and chapter " are to give yearly 201. to the poor, befides what is given to their own " poor alms-men, and no 1. more to the repairing bridges and highways " thereabouts. For the performance of the faid ftatutes and premifes, " the deans, prebendaries, canons, andother minifters of the cathedral, are " obliged to take an oath, and every one of them doth fwear, that to " the utmoft of his power he will obferve them inviolably." The alderman obferves from hence, " That not one of the above- " mentioned flatutes are, or have been kept, or the matters in any of " them contained, performed by any of the deáns orprebendaries of the " faid cathedral in his memory. That they come once a year to re- " ceive the rents and profits of the lands, but do not diftribute to the " poor their proportion; nor do they mend the highways and bridges; " nor do they keep any common table ; and inftead of preaching in "feafon and out offeafón, they neither praitife it themfelves, nor encou- " rage it in others. Infinite are the preffures that manycities near un- " to deans and chapters, have endured by them and their procure- " ment; fo far have they been from a common benefit. Since then " the faid deans and chapters are but truftees, and the profits of the " faid lands have been fo ill employed, contrary to the truft in them repofed, the alderman was of opinion, that by a legiflative power in " parliament it was fit to take them away, and to put them into the " hands offeces, to be difpofed of to fuch pious and charitable ufes " as they were firft intended for ; by which means the preaching of the gofpel might be effe&ually encouraged, fmaller livings augmented, and " the neceffities of the poor better fupplied." Tilde fpeeches made fuch an impreffion upon the houle, that after Re/au/ions of a long debate they came to thefe refolutions, That all deans, deans and theboulee, but chapters, archdeacons, prebendaries, chaunters, canons, and petty canons, tñe bill let. and their officers, (hallbe utterly abolifhed and taken away out of the church; 4 X 2 and
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