Chap. IX. ne HISTORy of the PurHTANS, 6gs. and a great many other popi(h officers, religned their preferments, but King 'IT h b . {i h. h d . 'ft . Charles II not one proteftant dlllenter, t ere not emg one uc tn t ea m1m ratiOn; 6 • however, as the church party iliewed a noble zeal for their religion, biiliop ~JJurnet obferves, that the aiifenters got great . reputation by the!r ~- l ent deportment; tho' the king and the court b1lhops refolved to lhck 10 p. 352. their lkirts. This b~ing the laft penal law made againfl: the non-conformifts in this Summary if reign, it may not be improper to put them all together, that the reader Jhe penal may have a full view of their dillreffed circumfl:ances: for befides the awr. penal laws of queen Elizabeth, which were confirmed by this parliament_; one of which was no lefs than bmzijhment ; and another a nzu/8 on every one for not coming to church. There were in force, 1/l:. An aC! for well governing and regulating corporatiom, r 3 Car. If. Ch. r. Whereby all who bear office in any city, corporation, town, or borough, are required to take the oaths and fubfcribe the declaration therein mentioned, and to receive the facramen! qf the Lord's Jupper ac– cording to the rites qf the .church qf England. This effectually turned the diifenters out of the government of all corporations. zd. 'The aC! qf uniformity, 14 Car. 11. Ch. 4· Whereby all parfons, vicars, and minifiers, who enjoyed any preferment in the church, were obliged to declare their unfeigned a!Jent and corijimt to every thing con– tained in the book of common-prayer, &c. or be ipfo faCio deprived : And all Jchool-majlers and tutors are prohibited from teaching youth without licenfe from the archbifhop or biiliopJ under pain of three months impri– fonmen t. 3d. An aC! to prevetzt and jitpprrfs feditious conventicles, I 6 Car. IT. Ch. 4· Whereby it is declared unlawful to be prefent at any meeting for religious worlhip, except according to the ufage of the church of Entfand, where five belides the family lhould he affembled ; in which cafe the firfl: and fecond o·ffences are made fubject to a certain fine or three months imprifonment, on conviction before a jufl:ice of peace on the oath of a lingle witne[s ; and the third offence, on conviction at the fef– fions, or before the jufl:ices of affize, is puni(hable by tranJPortation for feven years. . 4th. An afl for rejlraini11g non-coiformifls from inhabiting ia corpora– from, 17 Car. II. Ch. 2. Whereby all dillenting minifl:ers who wou ld not.take an o~th therein fpecified, againfl: the lawfulnefs of taking up arms agamfl: the klllg on any pretence whatfoover, and that they would never attem~t any alteration of government in church and ftate ; are banilhed five 1mle~ from all corporation towns, and fubjeCl:ed to a fine of forty pounds, m cafe they i'hould preach in any conventicle. 5th. An.
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