A HISTORY OF LONDON tenance of the navy, as in sparing and increase of flesh victual.' By this Act Wednesday, in addition to Friday and Saturday, was made a fast day, and a penalty of ^^3 or three months' imprisonment w^as imposed for a breach of the law, while the person in whose house the offence was committed was to be fined £2."^^ Licences issued by the ecclesiastical authorities for the eating of meat were to hold good, and due provision was made for the needs of the sick, but for a licence issued by the State a payment was to be made ranging according to the rank of the person from £1 6s. Sd. to 6s. %d. The enforce- ment of this law was a matter of considerable difficulty, especially in London, and the records of the Privy Council throughout the reign of Elizabeth show that the Government had to exercise constant pressure on the City authorities to prevent the unlawful consumption of meat during Lent." The number of butchers licensed to sell meat and poultry in Lent was strictly limited,-^' and frequent complaints were made about unlicensed butchers.* The appointment of these privileged butchers was an invidious task which the lord mayor sometime shirked, leaving it to the Council."" Not even the French ambassador was allowed to buy from an unlicensed butcher, and the amount he might receive weekly was carefully stated by the Council.'" A search was ordered to be made several times a week ' at dinner and supper time ' through all the inns and eating-houses of the City to discover offenders,"* and the officials of the Fishmongers' Company, who had a natural interest in the carrying out of the law, were associated with those of the Butchers in preventing the unlicensed sale of meat."' Whatever may have been the success of the regulations for the observance of Lent, the transformation of a religious duty into a matter of political and social expe- diency is thoroughly characteristic of the Elizabethan settlement. The early years of the 17th century were marked in London by a temporary reaction in favour of reverence, solemnity, and careful observance of ritual in worship. This was probably due in the first place to the influ- ence of Richard Bancroft, who, after holding for seven years the bishopric of London, became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1 604. In both capacities he made great effiDrts to ensure the due observance of fasts and festivals ; to secure instruction for the young and ignorant by means of catechizing ; to have the parish churches throughout his diocese and province repaired and beautified ; and to restore to the services of the Church that beauty and dignity which had been to a great extent lost since the Reformation."* In spite of the opposition of the Puritans, which found expression in the Millenary Petition of 1603,"° these efforts were largely successful. The "* The Wednesday fast was abolished in 1585 (Stat. 27 Eliz. cap. 1 1), and in 1593 the penalties for eating meat on fast days were reduced ; Stat. 35 Eliz. cap. 22. ^ Jets of P. C. passim, esp. xiv, 309-10 ; xxxi, 1 76-7. "* Ibid, xvii, 83-4 ; xxiv, 71-2 ; xxv, 176. "* Ibid, xviii, 375-6 ; xx, 322-3, &c. One butcher was licensed in each liberty besides those in the City (ibid, xv, 418) ; and in 1 593 the Lieutenant of the Tower and other holders of franchises were taken to task for issuing licences on their own account. "" Ibid. XX, 271 (Feb. 1590-1). At first the licences were issued free of charge, but in 1593 it was decided to charge j^io for each, the money to go to the ' maimed and impotent soldiers ' ; ibid, xxiv, 92—3. "' Ibid, vii, 330 (Feb. 1566-7) ; ix, 300 (Mar. I 576-7) ; xii, 329 (Feb. 1580-1). '" Ibid. XX, 273-5 (F^'^- I59O-0- •" Ibid, xxiv, 1 1 2-1 3, 134 (Mar. 1592-3) ; xxv, 270 (Mar. I 595-6), &c. '" Heylin, Presbyterians, 376 ; Bp. Bancroft's Visitation Articles, 160 1.
- " Gardiner, Hist, of Engl, i, 148.
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