Page:VCH London 1.djvu/412

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A HISTORY OF LONDON and to communicate.^" Various London Romanists suffered confiscation of property under these laws,"* whilst others submitted.-" In 1610 Bishop King received a circular letter from Archbishop Bancroft, commanding that all recusants should be excommunicated forthwith.'*" Shortly after- wards efforts were made to prevent celebrations of the mass being held in Newgate,'" and to check the resort of English people to those held at the houses of the foreign ambassadors ; ■" and the lord mayor set on foot a campaign against the popish recusants of London,"*' who were at this time very numerous.'" On one occasion the Spanish ambassador interfered on behalf of his persecuted co-religionists and rescued thirteen priests.'" The cessation, in 1614, of the war with Spain led to a reaction against extreme Puritanism,-" and comjjarative peace descended upon the English Church.'" About this time a Baptist congregation returned from Holland and settled in London.'** The Dutch Church in the City was rapidly growing in importance. Many of its members were wealthy and able men, and all were zealous in religion.'*' They were favoured by James I, and the authority of their ministers in matters of internal discipline was upheld by Bishop King.'™ The members of the French Church on the other hand were for the most part very poor ; '" in 1621 collections were ordered to be made in every parish church in the province of Canterbury for their relief.'" Selden's book on tithes, published in 161 8, helped to foment the dis- pute between the London clergy and their parishioners on that subject. The citizens had endeavoured to cheat the clergy of their dues,'" and between 1 61 5 and 1 62 1 a good deal of litigation took place ; "* but the matter does not seem to have been of very great interest or importance. In 1634 difficulties once more arose, the City clergy complaining that the existing system reduced many of them to poverty.'" The matter was referred to the king for arbitration,"* and the Privy Council issued an order laying down rules to be observed for the future.'" In the reign of James I a grant of incorporation was made to the parish clerks of London. Each was required to be able to sing the Psalms and to write.'" The ' tuning' and the dictating of the Psalms became an important feature of the worship in London churches later on, under the Presbyterian system ; '" and a new translation, by William Barton, minister of St. John Zachary, was published by order of Parhament in 1648.'*° »" Gardiner, Hist, of Engl, i, 286 ; ii, 15-21. '" S.P. Dom. Jas. I, xxviii, Nov. 1607 ; xxxi, Feb. 1607-8 ; xlviii, Oct. 1609 (Docquets) ; lii, 22, 28 ; liii, 28, 41, &c. "' Ibid. XXXV, 29 ; xxxvii, 10. **° Lamb. Lib. Wharton MS. 595, p. 126. '«' S.P. Dom. Jas. I, Ixi, 99. *" Ibid. 60. '^ Corp. Rec. Rememb. iii, 66, 67. '" S.P. Dom. Ja5. I, Ixxi, 64 ; Corp. Rec. Rememb. iii, 74. »" S.P. Dom. Jas. I, Ixxiv, 58 ; Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. v, App. 464. '«= Gardiner, Hist, cf Engl, ii, 253-4. "' Ibid, ii, 28, 252. S6S w Wilson, Hist, of Dissenting Ch. i, 30. *" Corp. Rec. Rememb. iii, 75, 76, 80. '•" Lond. Epis. Reg. Grindal, fol. 376,*. »"' S.P. Dom. Jas. I, cxxii, 44.

  • " Ibid. I 36. "' Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. iv, App. 1 1 7.

"' Corp. Rec. Repert. xxiii, fol. 174 ; xxvi, pt. 2, fol. 360 ; xixiv, fol. 177^ ; Journ. xxx, fol. 320 ; X xi, fol. 72, 121^ ; Letter Bk. GG, fol. 54, 185^, 207 ; B.M. Lansd. MS. 162, no. 57. »" S.P. Dom. Chas. I, dxxxv, 4, 5 ; Corp. Rec. Letter Bk. MM, fol. 118, 159. '"' Ibid. fol. 1593, 160, 1723 ; Journ. xxxvii, fol. I I et seq., 34 ; xixviii, fol. 168. '" Corp. Rec. Letter Bk. OO, fol. 68/5. '" S.P. Dom. Jas. I, Ixvii, Dec. 161 1 (Docquet). '"' See St. Peter Westcheap 'est. Min. 1651 ; St. George Southwark Chwdns.' Accts. 1640-60. •* Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. vi, App. 79, 108 ; vii, App. 19. Lords' Journ. vii, 627 ; viii, 236 ; x, 17S. 326