Page:The History of the Church & Manor of Wigan part 2.djvu/191

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370
History of the Church and Manor of Wigan.

have answered him, so I tell you that I will not endure that anie Lay Persone (muche lesse a corporation) have power to place & displace curates or beneficed Preistes at ther pleasur, therefore ye may bee sure of more then my protection in this.

respect of Episcopall jurisdiction; and their graunts to ye preacher & ye curate runne, To have and to hold quam diù se bene gesserint. The place is said to be a good Nursery for Novelists, and the curate and Lecturer there were found altogether unconformable, presuming yt ye Bishop of Chester had no power over them, wch I wonder that ye Bishop of Chester endured. This curate and Lecturer, being suspended by my Visitors, submitted themselves to subscribe, and have bound themselves to joyne in the due performance of the whole service according to the Booke of Common Prayer and your Majestie's Declaration and Instruccions, and undertaken to certifie their performance thereof; and thereupon obteyned license both for serving the cure & for preaching. It may be that the Haberdashers will reprehend them for so doing, as having therein prejudiced their right, wch if they shall doe, I shall humbly present the cause to your Majestie, and crave your Majestie's protection, both on ye behalf of ye Ecclesiasticall jurisdiction and of ye poore men, that they may not suffer at ye Haberdashers' hands by wthdrawing their Exhibition for doing their duty.

11. Your majestie's Collegiate church at Manchester, where the Warden and fellowes pretend an exempcion from all Episcopall and Archiepiscopall jurisdiction & subjection to canons, was found to be altogether out of order; where there is neither singing men, nor quiristers, nor organ fitt to be used. The Warden & fellowes altogether out of order, scarsely coming to prayers, but never are, when they come, in Collegiate-Quire habit of surplisse and hoods, but all the service layd upon two poore chaplens. But upon consideracion, all of them (save one Mr. Bourne) reformed themselves, came to ye prayers in their habits, and read the service, wch (they say) hath not before ben scene. And Mr. Bourne himself was contented to read prayers wthout a surplisse, saying he refused not as opposing order, but that he was ashamed now Let him be so now except he conforme. to put on ye surplisse, wch in 30 years before of his being fellow there he hath not done. The rest have promised reformacion for ye time to come. And Bourne stands suspended.

I trust your Majestie wilbe gratiously pleased to allow of that course wch is taken for reformacion, and of remitting of the faults past so as due reformacion and amendment may ensue. And that I may hope it may so come to passe I will, together wth ye relaxacion of my inhibitions for my Metropoliticall Visitacion, send to each of my Brethren, ye Bishops