STAT. 24. De comoediis ludisque in Natali Christi erkibendis. Novem domestici lectores, quo juventus majore cum fructu tempus Natalis Christi terat, bini ac bini singulas comoedias, tragoediasve exhibeant, excepto primario lectore quem per se solum unam comoediam aut tragoediam exhibero volumus. Atque hasco omnes comoedias seu tragoedias in aula privatim vel publico, praedictis duodecim diebus, vel paulo post pro arbitrio magistri et octo seniorum, agendas curent. Quod quidem si non praestiterint, pro unaquaque comoedia seu tragelia omissa, singuli corum quorum negligentia omissa sit decem solidis mulctetur.

(B) p. 192.

THE BIDDING PRAYER.

'The Bidding Prayer,' says a recent investigator of the subject, 'is not so much a form of prayer, as a bidding of the bedes or prayers of the people, calling aloud upon them to pray and directing them what to pray for, or, as in after-times, calling upon them to use certain specified devotions, with a required attention,-Paternosters, and afterwards Paternosters or Aves, or Aves only.

"They were used not only in this country, but in Western Germany and in France, where they held their ground as a part of the prone without interruption until the old Gallican Church was overthrown at the Revolution, the primitive custom of the priest speaking in the mother tongue being everywhere retained.'...'It was probably (being unknown at Rome) one of those customs which the Gallican Church received from the East-and very possibly one of those which our own Augustine adopted from the Church in Gaul, when he gathered the English Use from those of Rome and Gaul in accordance with the advice of Pope Gregory the Great. At all events...bidding the prayers of the people was practised in this country before the Conquest.

In 1534 the Upper House of the Convocation of Canterbury considered the question of correcting and reforming portesses, missals, and other books; and the more complete rasing and abolishing of the names of the Roman pontiffs and Thomas Becket by all priests. It continued to be one of the questions at visitations down to the year 1547, "Whether they have put out of their church books this word Papa and the name and service of Thomas Becket?" The Lay Folks Mass Book (ed. T. F. Simmons, M. A., for Early English Text Soc.), pp. 315—16.

The subjoined extracts are specimens of the different forms of this Prayer used in the University Church at different periods:

The earliest instance that I have been able to discover of the omission of the Pope's name, is that contained in an official report made to the university authorities at Oxford of a sermon preached at St Mary's Church in that city, on Ascension Day, 1352, by Dr Nicholas Hereford, a zealous follower of Wyclif. The following is a translation of the passage, as given by Mr Thomas Arnold in the Academy, 3 June 1852:

'He recommended the states of the Church under this form, "Ye shall pray" [orabitis]-he said to the people-"for the lord the King, the lady the Queen, and the lady mother, and for the lord Duke [John of Gaunt] ye shall pray, that God would give him the grace of obeying the King, and enticing him to what is good; and next ye shall pray for all the temporal lords of this realm; afterwards ye shall pray”—he said

-"for all who are spiritual officers of God" [the chancellor, the university, the mayor, the citizens, etc.), and in the whole recommendation he made no special mention of the supreme pontiff [non fecit mentionem de summo pontifice specialem

The following is the form prescribed for general use by the Injunctions of Edward v1 (1547); here the substitution of king Henry's (and subsequently king Edward's) name for that of the Pope and that of the Cardinals, as supreme lead, represents the main deviation from earlier forms:

'You shall pray for the whole congregation of Christ's church; and especially for this church of England and Ireland; wherein first I commend to your devout prayers the King's most excellent majesty, supreme head immediately under God of the spirituality and temporality of the same church; and for queen Katherine dowager, and also for my lady Mary, and my lady Elizabeth, the King's sisters.

'Secondly, you shall pray for the lord protector's grace with all the rest of the King's majesty's council; for all the lords of this realm, and for the clergy and commons of the same; beseeching Almighty God to give every of them in his degree, grace to use themselves in such wise as may be to God's glory, the King's honour, and the weal of this realm.

"Thirdly, ye shall pray for all them that be departed out of this world in the faith of Christ, that they with us, and we with them at the day of judgement, may rest both body and soul, with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.'

See Caldwell, Documentary Annals of the Reformed Church of England, 1 21-22.

On the occasion of Dr Perne's sermon (supra, p. 192) 6 Aug. 1564, we recognise the substitution of 'supreme Governor' for 'supreme Head' a change attributed, as we have already seen, to Lever's influence (supra, p. 173, n. 2; p. 192, n. 4).

Commendo igitur vestris precibus universam ecclesiam Catholicam per totius orbis partes distributam, nominatim vero ecclesiam Anglicaram et Hibernicam, in quibus imprimis orabitis pro excellentissima principe et domina nostra Elizabetha Angliae, Franciae et liberniae regina, fidei defensatrice, et ecclesiarum Angliae et Hiberniae in omnibus causis tum ecclesiasticis tum civilibus suprema gubernatrice, ut Deus det ei vitam prolixam, imperium securum, beatum, et diuturnum, consiliarios prudentes et fideles, domum tutam, subditos obedientes, et reges vicinos undique amicissimos. Secundo, orabitis pro omnibus archiepiscopis, episcopis, et omnibus ecclesiae Dei ministris: nominatim pro reverendissimo in Christo patre archiepiscopo Cantuariensi, totius Angliae primati; pro reverendo patre episcopo Eliensi, pro eximie a nobis honorando Domino Gulielmo Cecilio, primario Reginae Majestatis Secretario longe prudentissimo, ac hujus Academiae Cancellario longe dignissimo; pro Domino Procancellario, Dominis Procuratoribus et Dominis

Taxatoribus, et omnibus hujus Academiae bonarum litterarum studiosis; pro honoratissimo Reginae Majestatis privato consilio; imprimis vero pro nobilissimo viro Domino Roberto Dudleo, summo hujus Academiae senescallo, et totius hujus Academiae patrono munificentissimo; pro reliquis hujus regni proceribus, magistratibus, ac judicibus, ut ita se gerant omnes in officiis suis, memores rationis illius quam reddituri sunt omnipotenti Deo coram illius tribunali; pro omnibus hujus regni subditis; gratias agentes pro omnibus qui in fide Christi hac luce commigrarunt, ut nos ita pie in hac vita geramus, ut in futura regnemus cum illis in regno coelorum, cum Abrahamo, Isaaco, et Iakobo. Pro his et pro gratia vobis mihique necessaria, piis precibus Deum ex Christi institutione invocemus.

Nichols's Progresses (ed. 1805) III 54.

The following form is remarkable for its reference to the reigning sovereigns without any attempt to define the relation of the Crown to the Church. It occurs on the fly-leaves of a copy of Thorndike's Just Weights and Measures (St Jolm's Coll. Lib. Qq. 10. 37), and must be assigned to the period between 1694, when Tenison became archbishop of Canterbury, and 1702 when William III. died. The master of St Catherine's not being mentioned, it is probable that it was used either by a master himself, in this case either Eachard (1675-97) or Dawes (1697-1714), or by a member of the College during the vacancy.

'Let us pray for Christ's Holy Catholic Church, that is for the Congregation of all Christian people dispersed over the face of the whole carth-more especially for the Churches of Great Brittain and Ireland -and herein for his Majesty our most Gracions Sovereign King William -Catherin the Queen Dowager, Her Royal Highnesse the Princesse Ann of Denmark and all the Royall Family. For all the Clergy of the Land, by what names or titles soever dignified or distinguished; whether they be Archbishops or Bishops; particularly for the Most Reverend Father in God, Thomas, Lord Archbishop of this Province, the Right Reverend Father in God, Symond, Lord Bishop of the Diocese, together with all Priests and Deacons. For the King's most honourable privy Councell, the High Court of Parliament now assemble1; for all the nobility and Magistrates of this realm: that these and every one of these in their several stations may serve truly and painfully to the Glory of God, to the edifying and well governing of His people, remembering the great accompt that they must one day make. Let us pray likewise for all nurseries of Learning and religious Education. For the two famous universitys of this Land: this of Cambridge and that other of Oxford: and herein for his Grace Charles Duke of Somerset, our Chancellor, the Reverend and learned the Professors, Mr Proctors, Mr Taxers and all that bear oflice in this our Body. For all particular Colleges, and, as I am more particularly bound, for the religious and ancient Foundation of St Catherine's Hall: for the Fellows, Scholars,

and all the Students in the same. For all civil Incorporations: particularly that of this Town: for the Worshipful the Mayor, the Aldermen his brethren, and all that bear office in that body. Let us pray likewise for all the Commons of this Realm: that they may all live in the true faith and fear of God, in humble obedience to his Majesty and in Brotherly love and Kindness one towards another-etc., etc.'

In the 'Form of Prayer to be read before a Clerum' printed in Wall's Ceremonies of the University of Cambridge (edit. by Gunning, 1828, p. 439), the first part runs as follows:

Oremus,

Pro Sancta Christi Ecclesia Catholica; scilicet pro universo coetu populi Christiani per orbem terrarum diffusi; speciatim tero pro Ecclesiis Anglicana et Hibernica: et in his praecipue pro Augustissimo GEORGIO, Britanniarum rege, fidei defensore, et super omnes cujuscunque ordinis homines, in omnibus causis, tam Ecclesiam quam Rempublicam spectantibus, intra regna et dominia sua summo gubernatore, etc.

(C) pp. 291, 292, 302.

THE DISCIPLINA.

In the library of St John's College there are several copies of the book referred to on page 291 as Walter Travers' Disciplina; the titlepage of the work is as follows:

Ecclesiasticae Disciplinae, et Anglicanae Ecclesiae ab illa aberrationis plena e Verbo Dei et dilucida explicatio. [Rupellac.] Excudebat Adamus de Monte. M.D.LXXIIII

There is also in the same library (A. 2. 45 Univ. Lib. h. 6. 16) a copy of the English Version of this work, in small quarto and printed in the same year, the title-page being as follows:

A full and plaine declaration of Ecclesiastical Discipline out off the word off God | and off the declininge of the churche off England from the same. Imprinted. M.D.LXXIIII.

The former of these two volumes is by no means uncommon, and the statement of Strype, that it was written by Walter Travers, is made on the authority of Whitgift (supra, p. 303) has been accepted by Strype, Baker, and others, and never called in question. The author matriculated as a student of Christ's College, 14 Dec. 1560, was elected a junior fellow of Trinity, 8 Sept. 1567, and a senior fellow, 25 Mar. 1569,

The latter volume (the translation) was the work of Cartwright after his retirement to Geneva (supra, pp. 227, 263). It is, as Baker, in an