the high commiffion; and what added to the oppreffion, the meffenger had ten-pence a mile from every one he brought before the court. To give the reader a view of the proceedings of this court, I fhall in a few words fet down their ordinary practice. When any person was brought before the Commiffioners, he was committed to the clerk feven weeks, before he was brought to his trial. When the prisoner was brought to the bar, the court immediately tendered him the oath, to anfwer all questions to the best of his knowledge; by which he was obliged not only to accufe himself, but often to bring his relations and acquaintances into trouble. The party to be examined, was not acquainted before hand with the interrogatives, nor allowed to have copies of his anfwers, which were lodged in the hands of the fecretary of the court against the day of trial. If the Commiffioners could not convict him upon his own confeffion, then they examined witneffes, but never cleared him upon his oath. If they could not reach the prisoner by their ordinary jurifdictions as bishops, they then would fit as ecclefiaftical commiffioners; and if they could not convict him upon the ftatute law, they then had recourfe to old ecclefiaftical ones; fo that the prifoner feldom knew by what law he was to be tried, nor how to defend himself. Sometimes they condemned men at once, and at other times they would oblige them to attend for a long time. Mr Brayne, of Cambridge was, upon refufing the interrogatories, condemned of contempt at at once; and fufpended, without ever being allowed to make the smallest defence according to the laws of his country; and his cafe was not fingular. There were certain articles framed by the Archbifhop, for the fervice of the court, which no honeft man could anfwer, without expofing himfelf to the mercy of his adverfaries. * When 1. Objicimus, ponimus, &c. articulamur, i. c. we object, put and article to you, that you are a deacon or minister, and priest admitted; declare by whom and by what time you were ordered; and likewise, that your ordering was according to the book in that behalf by the law of this land provided. Et objicimus conjunctim de ommi, &c. divifim de quolibet, i. e. and we object to you the whole of this article conjunctly, and every Branch of it feparately. 2. Item, objicimus, ponimus, &c. articulamur, that you deem and judge your ordering, admiflion and calling into your ministry to be lawful, and not repugnant to the word of God. Et objicimus ut fepra, i. c. and we object as before. 3. Item, objicimus, ponimus, &c. i. e. that you have fworn, as well at the time of your ordering as inftitution, duty and allegiance to the Queen's Majefty, and canonical obedience to your ordinary and his fucceffors, and to the metropolitan and his fucceffors, or to fome of them. Et objicimus ut fupra. 4. Item, objicimus, &c. that by a ftatute or act of parliament made in the first year of the Queen's Majesty that now is, one virtuous and godly book, entitled the Book of Common Prayer and Administration of Sacraments, &c. was authorized and established to ftand and be from and after the feast of the nativity of Saint John Baptift then next enfuing, in full force and effect according to the faid ftatute, and fo yet remaineth. Et objicimus ut fupra. 5. Item, objicimus, that by the faid ftatute, all minifters within her Majesty's dominions, ever fince the faid feast have been, and are bound to fay and ufe a certain form of morning and evening prayer, called in the act, Mattins, Evening Song, Celebration of the Lord's Supper, and Administration of each of the Sacraments; and all other common and open prayer in fuch order and form as is mentioned in the fame book, and none other, nor otherwife. Et objicimus ut fupra. 6. Item, these articles were prefented to the Lord Treafurer 9. Item, objicimus, that in the faid ftatue, her Majefty, the lords, temporal, and all the commons in that parliament afembled, do, in God's name, earnestly charge and require all the archbishops, bishops, and other ordinaries, that they shall endeavour themselves to the utmost of their knowledge, that the due and true execution of the said act might be had throughout their diocefe and charge, as they would answer it before almighty God. Et objicimus ut fupra. 7. Item, objicimus, ponimus, &c. that you deem and judge the faid whole book, to be a godly and a virutous book, agreeable, or at the least not repugnant; if not, we require and command you to declare, wherein, and in what points. Et objicimus ut fupra. 8. Item, objicimus, that for the space of these three years, two years, one year, half a year; three, two, or one mouth last past, you have, at the time of communion, and at all, or fome other time in ministration, used and worn only your ordinary apparel, furplice, as is required; declare how long, how often, caufe, confideration, or intent, you have fo done or do. Et objicimus ut fupra. your and not the and for what refused fo to 9. Item, objicimus, that within the time aforefaid, you have baptized divers, or at least one infant, and have not used the sign of the cross in the forehead, with the words prescribed to be used in the said book of Common Prayer; declare how many you have fo baptized, and for what caufe, confideration, or intent. Et objicimus ut fupra. 10. Item, objicimur, that within the time aforesaid, you have been fent unto, and required divers times, or at least once, to baptize children, or fome one child, being weak, and have refused, neglected, or at leaft fo long deferred the fame, till the child or children died without the facrament of baptifm; declare whofe child, when, and for what confideration. Et objicimus ut fupra. 11. Item, objicimus, &c. that within the time aforefaid, you have celebrated matrimony other wife than the book prefcribes, and without a ring, and have refused at fuch times to call for the 1ing, and to use fuch words in that behalf as the book appoints, and particularly those words, that by matrimony is fignified the spiritual marriage unity between Chrift and his church. Declare the circumstances of time, per fon, and place, and for what caufé, intent, and confideration. Et objicimus ut fupra. 12. Item, objicimus, &c. that you have within the time aforefaid neglected, or refufed to use the form of thanksgiving or women, for some One woman after child-birth, according to the faid book, declare the furer Burleigh, and he had read them over, he wrote like circumstances thereof, and for what cause, intent, or confideration you have fo done, or refused fo to do. Et Objicimus ut fupra. 13. Item, objicimus, &c. that you within the time aforesaid, baptized divers 'infants, or at the least one, otherwife and in other manner than the faid book prescribeth, and not used the interrogatories to the godfathers and godmothers in the name of the infant, as the said book requireth; declare the like circnmstances thereof, or for what cause, intent, or confideration, you have fo done, or refufed fo to do. Et objicimus ut fupra. 14. Item, we do object, that you have within the time aforesaid, ufed any other form of litany, in divers or fome points, from the said book; or that you have often, or once, wholly refufed to use the said litany: declare the like circumftances thereof, or for what cause, intent, or confideration, you have fo done, or refused fo to do. 15. Item, we do object, &c. that you have, within the time aforefaid, refused and omitted to read divers leffons, prefcribed by the faid book, and have divers times either not read any leffons at all, or read others in their places: declare the like circumftances thereof, and for what intent, caufe, or confideration, you have fo done, or refufed. Et objicimus ut fupra. 16. Item, objicimus, that within the time aforefaid, you have either not used at all, or elfe ufed another manner of common prayer or fervice at burial, from that which the faid book prefcribeth, and have refused there to use these words; we commit earth to earth, in fure and certain hope of refurrection to eternal life: declare the like circumftances thereof, and for what intent, caufe, or confideration you have fo done, or refused fo to do. Et objicimus ut fupra. 17. Item, objicemus, &c. that within the time aforefaid, you have advifedly, and of fet purpose, not only omitted and refused to use the aforefaid parts, or fome of them, of the faid book, but alfo fome other parts of the faid book of common prayer, as being perfuaded that in fuch points it is repugnant to the word of God: declare what other parts of the faid book you have refufed to ufe, for what intent, caufe, or confideration. Et objicimus ut fupra. 18. Item, objicimus, &c. that within the time aforesaid, you have at the communion and in other parts of your miniftration, advisedly added unto, diminished, taken from, altered, and tranfpofed, manifoldly at your own pleasure, fundry parts of the faid book of common prayer, declare the circumstances of time and place, and for what intent, caufe, and confideration. Et objicimus ut fupra. 19. Item, a letter to the Archbishop, wherein he highly 19. Item, objicimus, That within the time aforefaid, you have advifedly, and of fet purpose, preached, taught, declared, fet down, or pub. lished by writing, public or private speech, matter against the said book of common prayer, or of fomething therein contained, as being repug nant to the word of God, or not convenient to be used in the church, or fome thing have written or altered, tending to the depriving, defpifing, or defacing, of fome things contained in the faid book: declare what, the like circumftances thereof, and for what caufe, or confideration, you have so doue. Et objicimus ut fupra. 20. Item, objicimus, &c. that you at this present do continue all, or fome of your former opinions against the faid book, and have a fettled purpose to continue hereafter fuch additions, diminutions, alterations, and tranpofitions, or fome of them, as you heretofore unlawfully have used in your public ministration: and that you have used private conferences, and affembled, or been prefent at conventicles, for the maintenance of their doings therein, add for the animating and en couraging of others to continue in the like difpofition in this behalf that you are of: declare the like circumftances, and for what intent, caufe, and confideration. Et objicimus ut fupra. 21. Item, objicimus, &c. that you have been heretofore noted, defamed, prefented, or detected publicly, to have been faulty in all and fingular the premises, and of every, or fome of them, and that you ́have been divers and fundry times, or once at the least, admonished by your ordinary, or other ecclefiaftical magistrate to reform the fame, and to obferve the form and order of the book of common prayer, which you have refused or deferred to do; declare the like circumstances thereof. Et objicimus ut fupra. 22. Item, that for the testification hereafter of your unity with the church of England, and your conformity to laws established, you have been required fimply and abfolutely, to fubfcribe with your hand, 1. That her Majesty under God, hath and ought to have the fovereignty and rule over all manner of perfons, born within her realm, dominions, and countries of what estate, either ecclefiaftical or temporal foever they be; and that none other foreign power, prelate, state, or potentate, hath, or ought to have, any jurisdiction, power, fuperiority, pre-eminence, or authority, ecclefiaftical or fpiritual, within her Majefty's faid realms, dominions, or countries. 2. That the faid book of common prayer, and of ordering bishops, priests, and deacons, containeth in it nothing contrary to the word of God, and that the fame may be lawfully used, and you who do fubfcribe, will ufe the form in the faid hook prefcribed, in public prayer, and administration of the fa craments, |