·+56 The HIS T 0 R Y oj the PuRITANs; VoL. II. P?a~i,";:, .. p·opa~ating the goJP.el in :Wales, had r~ceived o: d~fpo_fed of any of the 1654 • profit, of the reetones, v1carages, &c. m that pnnc1pahty; and to give an ~ ~ccount upon oath, of all.f~ch ren ts and profi:s ;. and the furplus money m th e hands .of the. comm1fi10ners 1 to be be patd mto the exchequer. -iadjlate 'of To fet th1s affcur before the reader in one view; the principality of that princi- T17a!es, by reafon of the poverty of the people, and the [mall endowments pality. f l hI' · l Calamy's o c mrc 1vmgs, was never we. 1ft1pplied with a learned or pious clergy; camp. of the people were generally very 1gnorant, and only one remove from hea– churcb and ·thens. In 1641 a petition was prefented to the king and parliament d1ffenters. h' 1 d 1 h h r r · · d 11 ' w JC 1 ec ares, t. at t ere were not 10 many con1clentwus an conuant preachers in Wales as there were counties; and that thefe were either fi– lenced, or much perfecuted. The civil wars had made their condition worfe; for as they generally adhered to the king, and received great num– bers of irijh pa pit1s into their country, their preachers went into his majefl:y's ferv.ice, or fled from their cures, when the parliament forces took polfef-- Ordinance fion of it. After the king's death the p.1rliament palfed the ordinance al– f~r propaga ready mentioned, for the better propagating the preaching of the gofpel in tm 1 g_tbwegof 1 : !Vales, and for ejecting fcandalou s miniflers and fchool-m~llers, and for pe zn a .s. d r. f . b Caiamy's re re,s o fome grievances; Jt bears date Fe. 22. 1649, and empov1ers camp. the commiffioncrs therein mentioned, or any twelve of them, to receive of ~hu;1ch and difpofe of all and fin gular rents, iffues, and profits of all ecclefiafl:ical ~~-s. d~. e~~ . .livings, impropriations, and glebe lands, withlll the fa id coun ties, which then were, or afterwards lhou ld b~ under fequeil:ration, or in the difpol:ll of the parliament, and out of them to order and appoint a conllant yearly maintenance for fuch perfons as fhould be recommended, and approved for the work of the mini !try, or education of children; and for fuch o– ther minifl:ers as were then refiding in the faid counties. The ordinance to continue in force for three years, fromMarch 25. 1650. By virtue of this ordinance many clergymen were ejeCled, but not all, for in Montgomeryfoire eleven or twelve remained, as did feveral i11 other counties; but all who were ejected for manifefl: fcandal. After– wards complaints being made, that the people were turning papjjls or heathens, for want of the word of God, fe veral were fent into Montgome– r)foire, where there were at ieail: fixteen preachers, of which ten were univerlity men, the rneanefl: of whom were approved and fettled in pariilies at the refl:oration. The commiilioners were empowered to examine in to the behaviou r of fuch as were reputed ignorant, infu!Jicimt, non rtjdent, {i:anda/ous, or enemies to tbe prcjent government. And it bt:ing impo1Ii ble to fill up the vacant livings with fuch as could preach in the welch )Jn– guage, the revenues were to be colleCted and brought into a co~Enon treafury, out of which one hundred pounds per annum, was to be g1ven to fundry itener.ant preachers in each county. 2
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