and legitimated their children. By this law a heavy burden was entailed on the people, and the tithes which heretofore had gone to repair churches and feed the poor, were not only given solely to the parsons, but was found inadequate to maintain them, and millions have been voted to support the poor clergy out of the public taxes. The church and the poor were thrown upon the land and trade; the parsons' sons and daughters are many of them fastened upon the taxes through the sinecure and half-pay lists; and the bishops are not unmindful of their families, as they take care to promote their sons and sons-in-law to benefices in preference to others, though perhaps more able candidates, and thus the church property is made a kind of family patrimony between the patrons and the prelates. Now this was not the case in Catholic times; then the poor man's son stood as good a chance of a parish or a mitre, if he possessed merit and abilities, as the son of the most powerful nobleman, and the property of the church, as we have before observed, was expended in useful and charitable purposes. This is one of the blessings of the Reformation, and to throw dust in the eyes of the people, these parsons are ever and anon reviling the Catholic church for not allowing her ministers to marry, contending that it is contrary to the word of God, though the word is more in favour of celibacy than otherwise. But what shall we say, after all the abuse that has been lavished on Catholics, since the commencement of the glorious work of reform, and especially after the passing of the parsonmarrying law, to the schemes lately proposed, and we believe actually brought into parliament, to prevent THE POOR FROM MARRYING!!! Not, reader, the poor clergymen, but the poor laymen and women. And this infernal proposition originated too with a Protestant parson. How glorious is the inconsistency, and how great the blessings of Protestantism!

Before we proceed further, we must recall the reader's attention to the consequences which resulted from the act which granted possession of chantries, colleges, &c. to the king. Of these establishments, besides the greater and lesser monasteries, which had been dissolved by Harry, the number was computed to be about 2374, all endowed with lands, pensions, and moveable goods to an immense value. "When "the law passed," says Mr. Collier, "for their dissolution, the act pro"mised the estates of these foundations should be converted to good "and godly uses, in erecting grammar schools, in further augmenting "universities, and better provision for the poor and needy. But these "lands being mostly shared amongst the courtiers, and others of the rich "laity, the promise of the preamble was, in a great measure, impracti "cable."-Dr. Heylin is more diffuse in relating the rapacious and scandalous proceedings of this reign, in his History of the Reformation. As many of the present aristocracy owe their estates and rank to the spoliations and sacrileges of the courtiers of Henry and Edward, and as the work of Dr. Heylin is little known at this time, and the transactions he alludes to much less, from the base cupidity of our popular historians, who wrote for lucre and not for truth, we will here give the doctor's words, which, though long, will nevertheless be deemed important and interesting. He writes, "In the next place we must attend the king's "commisioners, dispatched in the beginning of March into every shire

"throughout the realm, to take a survey of all colleges, free chapels, "chanteries, and brotherhoods, within the compass of the statute or "act of parliament. According to the return of whose commissions, it "would be found no difficult matter to put a just estimate and value on "so great a gift, or to know how to parcel out, proportion, and divide "the spoil betwixt all such, who had before in hope devoured it. In "the first place, as lying nearest, came in the free chapel of St. Stephen, "originally founded in the palace at Westminster, and reckoned for the chapel royal of the court of England. The whole foundation con"sisted of no fewer than thirty-eight persons: viz. one dean, twelve canons, thirteen vicars, four clerks, six choristers; besides a verger, " and one that had the charge of the chapel. In place of whom a certain number were appointed for officiating the daily service in the royal chapel, (gentlemen of the chapel they are commonly called) "whose salaries, together with that of the choristers, and other servants "of the same, amounts to a round yearly sum: and yet the king, if the "lands belonging to that chapel had been together, and honestly laid "unto the crown, had been a very rich gainer by it; the yearly rents "thereof being valued at 10857. 10s. 5d. As for the chapel itself, together with a cloister of curious workmanship, built by John Cham"bers, one of the king's physicians, and the master of the same, they are still standing as they were; the chapel having been since fitted "and employed for an house of commons in all times of parliament.

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"At the same time also fell the college of St. Martin's, commonly "called St. Martin's le Grand, situate in the city of London, not far "from Aldersgate: first founded for a dean and secular canons, in the "time of the conqueror, and afterwards privileged for a sanctuary; the rights whereof it constantly enjoyed without interruption, till all privilege of sanctuary was suppressed in this realm by king Henry the "eighth. But the foundation itself being now found to be supersti"tious, it was surrendered into the hands of king Edward the sixth ; "who after gave the same, together with the remaining liberties and precincts thereof, to the church of Westminster: and they, to make "the best of the king's donation, appointed, by a chapter held the "seventh of July, that the body of the church, with the choir and isles, "should be leased out for fifty years, at the rent of five marks per annum, to one H. Keeble, of London; excepting out of the said grant, "the bells, lead, stone, timber, glass and iron, to be sold and disposed " of for the sole use and benefit of the said dean and chapter. Which "foul transaction being made, the church was totally pulled down, a "tavern built in the east part of it: the rest of the site of the said "church and college, together with the whole precinct thereof, being "built upon with several tenements, and let out to strangers; who very industriously affected to dwell therein (as the natural English " since have done) in regard of the privileges of the place, exempted "from the jurisdiction of the lord mayor and sheriffs of London, and governed by such officers amongst themselves as are appointed there"unto by the chapter of Westminster.

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"But for this sacrilege the church of Westminster was called immediately in a manner to a sober reckoning: for the lord protector, thinking it altogether unnecessary that two cathedrals should be

"founded so near one another, and thinking that the church of West"minster (as being of a late foundation) might best be spared, had cast

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a longing eye upon the godly patrimony which remained unto it. And 66 being then unfurnished of an house or palace proportionable unto his greatness, he doubted not to find room enough upon the dissolution "and destruction of so large a fabrick, to raise a palace equal to his "vast designs. Which coming to the ears of Benson, the last abbot "and first dean of the church, he could bethink himself of no other means to preserve the whole, but by parting for the present with more than half the estate which belonged unto it. And thereupon a "lease is made of seventeen manors and good farms, lying almost altogether in the county of Gloucester, for the term of ninety-nine years; " which they presented to the lord Thomas Seymour, to serve as an ad"dition to his manor of Sudley; humbly beseeching him to stand their good lord and patron, and to preserve them in a fair esteem with the "lord protector. Another present of almost as many manors and farms, lying in the counties of Gloucester, Worcester, and Hereford, was "made for the like term to sir John Mason, a special confident of the "duke's; not for his own, but for the use of his great master; which, "after the duke's fall came to sir John Bourn, principal secretary of "state in the time of queen Mary. And yet this would not serve the "turn, till they had put into the scale their manor of Islip, conferred upon that church by king Edward the confessor; to which no fewer "than two hundred customary tenants owed their soil and service: and being one of the best wooded things in those parts of the realm, was "to be granted also without impeachment of waste, as it was accordingly. By means whereof the deanery was preserved for the later times; "how it succeeded with the bishopric, we shall see hereafter. Thus "Benson saved the deanery, but he lost himself; for, calling to re"membrance that formerly he had been a means to surrender the abbey, " and was now forced on the necessity of dilapidating the estate of the "deanery, he fell into a great disquiet of mind, which brought him to "his death within a few months after."

The doctor then goes on, "I had not singled these two (I mean St. "Martin's and St. Stephen's) out of all the rest, but that they were the best, and richest in their several kinds, and that there was more depending on the story of them than on any others. But bad examples "seldom end where they first began.' For the nobility and inferior gentry, possessed of patronages, considering how much the lords and great men of the court had improved their fortunes by the suppres"sion of those chanteries and other foundations, which had been granted "to the king, conceived themselves in a capacity of doing the like, by "taking into their hands the yearly profits of those benefices, of which by law they only were entrusted with the presentations. Of which "abuse complaint is made by bishop Latimer, in his printed sermons. "In which we find, 'that the gentry at that time invaded the profits of "the church, leaving the title only to the incumbent: and that chantery priests were put by them into several cures, to save their pensions; pag. 38. that many benefices were laid out in free farms, (pag. 71.) or given unto servants, for keeping of hounds, hawks, and horses, and "for making of gardens; p. 91, 114. And finally, that the poor

"clergy being kept to some sorry pittances, were forced to put them"selves into gentlemen's houses, and there to serve as clerks of the "kitchen, surveyors, receivers, &c. p. 241.' All which enormities "(though tending so apparently to the dishonour of God, the disservice "of the church, and the disgrace of religion) were generally connived "at by the lords and others, who only had the power to reform the same; because they could not question those who had so miserably "invaded the church's patrimony, without condemning of themselves.' Here let us pause a moment, and reflect upon the scenes thus described, and those which have passed since they occurred. What apology can be offered for the outrages thus committed? Could Popery, with all its imputed corruptions and oppressions, produce calamities equal to what befel the country under the hands of the evangelical reformers ? Burnet tells us the clergy were ignorant in the time of Popery, but the sackings of the libraries of the public institutions, and burnings of the valuable books found therein, proved the careful regard in which learning was held by the calumniated Catholic clergy, and the little value that was set upon it by the reformers. See too the respect shewn by the godly reformers for the clergy, by causing them to serve the most menial offices in their families, to avoid the horrors of starvation. Then again the appropriation of a portion of the tithes to lay purposes, many of the lords and gentry at this day deriving a part of their income from the tithes thus diverted from their original purport. · All these things considered, and many more that might be added, can any reasonable being conceive that religion had any hand in this pretended reformation, unless indeed to cloak the villanies of the devastators. Oh! how deeply have the people had occasion to deplore this eventful period. Penalties upon penalties have been enacted to restrain their comfort and abridge their liberties. New offences have been heaped upon each other in the statute book, till the most wary have reason to fear they may become trespassers. From the time of the separation of this kingdom from the church of Rome, the laws have been multiplied a hundred fold, and so numerous are they grown, and so complicated in their bearings, that the wisest lawyer existing cannot digest them.Taxes have been imposed on the people till the country is brought nearly to the brink of ruin, and, as in the time of Edward, while the rich are rioting in luxury, the working classes are starving in the midst of plenty.

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Among other devices in the work of reform was the abolition of certain religious ceremonies, and the curtailment of the amusements of the people. Of these, the Book of Martyrs, follow Burnet, speaks thus:"Candlemas and Lent were now approaching, and the clergy and people were much divided with respect to the ceremonies usual at those "times. By some injunctions in Henry's reign, it had been declared "that fasting in Lent was only binding by a positive law. Wakes and "Plough-Mondays were also suppressed, and hints were given that "other customs, which were much abused, should be shortly done "away. The (Burnet says gross) rabble loved these things, as matters " of diversion, and thought divine worship without them would be but "a dull business. But others looked on them as relics of heathenism, "and thought they did not become the gravity and simplicity of the

"Christian religion." We doubt much that the customs thus alluded to were abused, at least to any great extent. But allowing they were abused, why not endeavour to remove the abuse and not abolish the custom. Why deprive the people of their diversions, which had been of so long standing, and afforded mirth and recreation to lighten labour and poverty? The answer is obvious. The retaining the customs would have reminded the people of the old religion, and of the sad changes which had been made by the lamentable plans of the reformers, and therefore it was deemed best to do away with the merriments, as well as with the more solemn rites, which the Catholics had introduced to remind man of his Maker, and cheer him in his pilgrimage through life. Next followed a general order for the removal of all images out of the churches, and stripping the sacred edifices of all unnecessary furniture. To this species of robbery bishop Hooper contributed largely by his doctrine.This reforming prelate was much displeased at the word altar, as well as the situation of it. He therefore exerted himself to have all the altars removed, and a table to be placed in the middle of the chancel.Such a scheme was very serviceable to those who had cast their eyes on the rich decorations which ornamented the Catholic cathedrals and churches. The pretence was the superstitions and abuses occasioned by the use of images, &c. but the real design was that of plunder. Notwithstanding the vast treasure obtained by the confiscation of the chantries, colleges, &c. the king's exchequer was in an empty condition, and it was thought to replenish it by seizing the images, vestments, jewels, crosses, and other costly utensils and ornaments of the church. Commissioners were accordingly appointed to secure the delivery of these spoils for the king's use. But, writes doctor Heylin,—“ In "all great fairs and markets there are some forestallers, who get the "best pennyworth themselves, and suffer not the richest and most gain"ful commodities to be openly sold. And so it fared also in the pre"sent business, there being some who were as much before hand with "the king's commissioners in embezzling the said plate, jewels, and "other furnitures, as the commissioners did intend to be with the king,' "in keeping all or most part unto themselves. For when the commis ❝sioners came to execute their powers in their several circuits, they "neither could discover all, or recover much of that which had been purloined; some things being utterly embezzled by persons not re66 sponsible; in which case the king as well as the commissioners was "to lose his right; but more concealed by persons not detectable, who "had so cunningly carried the stealth, that there was no tracing of "their footsteps. And some there were, who, being known to have such goods in their possession, conceived themselves too great to be called "in question; connived at willingly by those who were but their equals, " and either were or meant to be offenders in the very same kind. So "that although some profit was thereby raised to the king's exchequer, yet the far greatest part of the prey came to other hands: insomuch that many private men's parlours were hung with altar cloths, their "tables and beds covered with copes, instead of carpets and coverlits; 66 and many made carousing cups of the sacred chalices, as once Bel"shazzar celebrated his drunken feast in the sanctified vessel of the "temple. It was a sorry house, and not worth the naming, which had

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