Chap. IX. 7be HIS T 0 R Y of the PuRITANS. 32 -5 c, temporal and fpiritual peace and profperity of all forts of men be the K Charles I. d d " !647· '' more a vance . ~ The boufes thanked the petitioners for their good affection, but did nothing upon it. By an ordinance of Feb. 1I. this year, ''all ftage-players were.declar- Stage plays " ed to be rogues punifhable by the acts of the 39th of queen Eltzabeth, put down. " and 7th of king J ames, notwithllanding any licence they might have Scobel, " from the king, or any other perfon. All ftage galieries, feats and P· 14 3· " boxes, are ordered to be pulled down by warrant oft wo juftices of " peace; all aCtors in plays for time to come being convicted fhall be pub- " licly whipped, and find fureties for their not offending in like manner cc for the future; and all fpe&ators of plays for every offence are to pay " five fhillings." The controverlies about church-government, and liberty of con- State ofreli– fcience, ran llill as high as ever; the pn:Jbyteriam who had the gion. f 1 · f L d · h · 1 d r r:r. Clarend. government o 1 e ctty o on on 111 t etr 1an s, were wr preumg V I. V. covc11ant zm!formity in their fermons, which the independents and others 1 ; 5 , 11 !.' of more catholic principles, endeavoured to oppofe with all their might, Lord Clarendon is pleafed to reprefent this in a ludicrous manner; " the cc pulpit {kirmilhes (fays his lordfhip) were now higher than ever; the "prejb_yterians in thofe fields loling nothing of their courage; having a " notorious power in tbe city, notwithllanding the emulation of the inde- " pendr:nts, who were more learned and rational, who though they had " not fo great congregations of the common people, yet infeCted and " were followed by the mofl: fubllantial citizens, and by others of better " condition. To thcfe men Crmmoe/1 and moll: of the officers of the '' army adhered ; but the divinity of the times was not to be judged by " the preaching and congregations in churches, which were now thought " not to be the fit and proper places of devotion, and religious exercifes, " where the bilhops bad exercifed fuch illimited tyranny, and which had " been polluted by their confecrations. Liberty if confcience was now be- " come the great charter, and men who were infpired preached and pray- " eel when and where they would. Anabaptijls grew very numeroLJS, " with whom the indr!pendents concurred, fo far as to join with them for " the abolilhing of tithes, as of judaical inllitution~ If any honeft man " could have been at fo much eafe as to have beheld the profpeCl: with de- " light, never was fuch a fcene of confulion as had fpread itfelf at this " time over the whole kingdom." And yet it is certain, that the laws againfl: vice and immorality were firietly executed, the lord's day was duly obferved, the churches were crowd(ld with attentive hearers, family devotion was in repute, neither fervants nor children being allowed towalk 2 in
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