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tuum super sepulturam justi constitue: "Put thy bread and thy wine upon the sepulture of the just man :" but no such words appear in the place alleged, though some such like are found in Tobit iv. 17; where, notwithstanding, no mention of wine, which the Jesuit adds of his own, that it might not be a dry (as some since have added wax, that it might not be a dark) feast; bread, wine, and wax being the essentials of every potation. The charges of an anniversary obit was also deducted, whereof forty shillings the market-price; though some were so free they gave more, and some so favoured they had them for less.

12, 13. Charitable swallowed with superstitious Uses: The Righteous destroyed with the Wicked.

Some deductions were made, by the will of the founders, to uses merely charitable, and no whit superstitious, out of the surplusage of the chantry-lands, (the priest or priests therein first paid,) as, to the necessary relief of many poor people, and breeding of scholars. in the universities. But, as the stork in the fable, found amongst the cranes in destroying the corn of the husbandman, in vain pleaded his own piety to his parents, being killed for company-sake with those birds amongst whom he was caught; so it is more than suspicious, that these pious uses were utterly extinguished at the suppression of abbeys; to teach men's charities hereafter, (if it be not a lesson now too late to be learned,) to beware of too familiar converse with superstition. Nor do I speak at guess herein, but from the complaints of credible and unpartial authors, of which this one I will insert :

There was a maid born in Cornwall, called Tomasin Bonaventure; and well did she brook the same, which, from a keeper of sheep, came at last to be the wife of Sir John Percival, lord mayor of London. In her widowhood, she laid out her estate, which was very great, in charitable uses; and, amongst the rest, founded a chantry and a free-school, at St. Mary Week in Cornwall,* (the place of her nativity,) with fair lodgings for the schoolmasters, scholars, and officers, and twenty pounds a-year (beside their salaries) to support incident charges. And here the best gentlemen's sons in Devon and Cornwall were virtuously trained up, under one Cholwell, a religious teacher, until the said school was suppressed, in the reign of king Edward VI. only for a smack of popery, the chantry being annexed thereunto. And I suspect the like happened in other places. But to return to St. Paul's: All deductions discharged, the clear remainder belonged to the dean and chapter of St. Paul's.

* CAREW'S "Survey of Cornwall," fol. 119.

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ful annexing of Chantries.
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Note, that the dean and chapter aforesaid assumed this power to themselves, that, in case (to use their own terms) "the exility of the lands or rents," bestowed on any chantry, were insufficient to maintain so many chaplains as were appointed in the foundation, then they would reduce them to a smaller number. For instance: The executors of Adam Burie, some time mayor of London, founded a chantry wherein seven priests should pray continually. This I may call a college-chantry, equalling Catherine Hall in Cambridge for the number therein; but the means not holding out in full proportion, these seven were shrunk to four at the time of their suppression.

Another help the dean and chapter had; when the maintenance of any chantry fell short, by uniting two or more mean chantries together. Thus Margaret Bigod gave a marsh, called Richerness in Essex, with a stock of eleven-score sheep thereon, to found a chantry with two chaplains; which, not sufficient for the same, was annexed to a small chantry of Richard Green's, and one priest, Sir Christopher Bricket by name, effectually no doubt! discharged

both.

And yet, notwithstanding all these shifts, the dean and chapter of Paul's, in giving up their accounts to the king's commissioners, pretended themselves yearly losers by some of these chantries. For, generally, they were founded on candle-rents, (houses are London's land,) which were subject to casualty, reparations, and vacations. In such intervals, though the house (wherewith the chantry was endowed) wanted a tenant, yet the chantry must not want a chaplain to officiate for the dead. Yea, so charitable was the dean and chapter in such cases, as sometimes to allow lands in augmentation of maintenance, and assign houses of their own for the habitation of such chaplains as wanted a mansion. The king therefore may be said, in some sort, to have done a courtesy to the chapter of Paul's when suppressing such poor chantries, formerly not beneficial but burdensome unto them.

By other chantries they were only savers, no gainers; having only their labour for their pain, in seeing things performed according to the will of the testator, as in bishop Fitz-James, and many others; so that, the priest paid, and other allowances deducted, remanet nil, as they brought in the reckoning of their receipts and disbursements. However, we may take notice, that herein the dean and chapter of Paul's were both their own accountants and auditors, VOL. II.

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and none could disprove their reckonings therein. But grant, that, among forty-seven chantries, two or three of them were unprofitable servants, returning no emolument unto them: yea, suppose as many prodigal children, wasting the stock of their parent, (understand the church wherein they were founded,) yet, from the collective body of them altogether, she gained a grand revenue. And it is considerable, that, in this their audit, they only brought in their bare annual rent of houses, their fines not being charged on their account, but swallowed in silence, to the great commodity of the chapter.

18. The great, though uncertain, Number of Chantries.

Vast was the wealth accruing to the crown by the dissolution of chantries. "Many a little," saith the proverb, "make a mickle." These foundations, though small in revenue, yet being many in number, mounted up a great bank. There was not a cathedral or collegiate-church in England, but some chantries were founded therein, as in many parochial churches. Thus at Oldwincle in

Northamptonshire, the village of my nativity, a chantry in the parish-church of All Saints was endowed with house and lands for a priest, at the cost of Sir John Oldwincle, knight, about the reign of king Henry VI. Yea, let the model of country-churches be well observed wherein such excursions of building as present themselves beyond the old fabric, from which oft-times they differ, as neater and newer, were since erected, and added, as intended and used for chantries.

19. Free Chapels and Colleges.

Free chapels succeed, not so called from the freeness and bounty of their founders, but because subsisting of themselves, as children of full age, whose parents are still alive. For though "chapel speaks a relation to a mother-church, yet "free" avoweth them sui juris, especially so far forth that right of burials belonged unto them. These were greater than chantries, having more room for priests, and more priests for that room, to pray for the souls of their founders. Colleges come the last (as the heaviest, and best-laden with land) into consideration. These, though fewest in number, were richer than both the former; insomuch that the college of Fotheringhay in Northamptonshire was yearly valued at four hundred nineteen pounds, eleven shillings, ten pence halfpenny. And no wonder, since this college had the rare happiness to be endowed by the kings both of York and Lancaster,* at deadly mutual enmity, yet jointly agreeing in their bounty to this place.

* See SPEED'S Catalogue in Northamptonshire.

20. A Nemo Scit of Wealth accruing to the Crown.

How much the yearly revenue of all these chantries, free chapels, and colleges, amounted to, God knows; for the king knew as little as some in our age. Indeed, some of his officers did, but would not know, as wilfully concealing their knowledge herein. Yea, some of these chantries may be said in a double sense to be suppressed, as not only put down, but also concealed, never coming into the exchequer, being silently pocketed up by private (but potent) persons. True it is, the courtiers were more rapacious to catch, and voracious to swallow, these chantries than abbey-lands. For at the first many were scrupulous in mind, or modest in manners, doubting the acceptance of abbey-land, though offered unto them, till profit and custom, two very able confessors, had, by degrees, satisfied their consciences, and absolved them from any fault therein. Now, all scruples removed, chantry-land went down without any regret. Yea, such who mannerly expected till the king carved for them out of abbey-lands, scrambled for themselves out of chantry-revenues, as knowing this was the last dish of the last course, and after chantries, as after cheese, nothing to be expected. As for those who fairly purchased them of the king, they had such good bargains therein, that thereby all enriched, and some ennobled, both themselves and posterity. But, for satisfaction herein, I refer the reader to his pen, who never spared any that came under it, and seldom such as came near it; who speaks more bitterness than falsehood in this particular.

21. Pensions assigned to Chantry-Priests.

The chantry-priests, by this suppression outed at once of all their livelihood, were not left to the wide world to shift for themselves, but had, durante vitâ pensions settled on them by king Edward's letters patents. I have seen in the auditor's office for the north part of the duchy of Lancaster, the account of William Mallet, esq.† particular receiver of the rents, colleges, chantries, &c. in the county of York; namely, of so many of them as were in that shire annexed to the duchy of Lancaster; which parcel alone amounted yearly to seven hundred ninety-six pounds, four shillings, two pence halfpenny out of which sum was deducted one hundred twenty-six pounds, two shillings, four pence, for annual pensions to chantrypriests and others, (five pounds a-piece the general proportion,) assigned them for term of life, by king Edward VI.

• SIR JOHN HAYWARD in Henry VI. page 155. Philip and Mary.

† Made in the 3rd and 4th of

22. Some Tenderness to Hospitals.

The parliament at the same time put hospitals also into the king's possession. Yet, surely, more tenderness was used to hospitals; and I find very few of them finally suppressed. Indeed, that of the Savoy at this time was much abused with loiterers, vagabonds, and strumpets, which lay all day in the fields, and at night were harboured there.* In which consideration king Edward dissolved the hospital, but gave the land thereof, worth six hundred pounds per annum, to the city of London,+ to endow Bridewell therewith. Thus, he did not extinguish charity, but only regulate and remove it from the Strand to Fleet-steet; or, rather, took away with one hand what was abused, and restored it, with the other, to such as would better employ the same.

III. QUEEN MARY, ON HER OWN COST, RESTORETH SOME CONVENTS.

1. Queen Mary imparts her Intents to four Counsellors. QUEEN Mary, a princess more zealous (according to her devotion) than politic, resolved by way of essay and trial, to restore certain dissolved convents, and endow them with competent maintenance. In order hereunto, she called four of her principal counsellors most interested in money-matters, namely, William, marquess of Winchester, lord treasurer; Sir Robert Rochester, controller of her house; Sir William Petre, secretary; and Sir Francis Inglefield, master of the wards: and by a long speech acquainted them with her intentions therein. Now, though the lord Pawlet, as treasurer, (much being the want of money at this present,) might dislike the motion, yet, as courtier, he complied with the queen's desires, the rather, because it was in vain to withstand them, so really strong were her resolutions: but it is worth our attention to hear her oration :

"You are here of our council, and we have willed you to be called to us, to the intent ye might hear of me my conscience, and the resolution of my mind, concerning the lands and possessions, as well of monasteries, as other churches whatsoever, being now presently in my possession: First. I do consider, that the said lands were taken away from the churches aforesaid, in time of schism; and that by unlawful means, such as are contrary both to the law of God and of the church. For the which cause my conscience doth not suffer me to detain them; and therefore I here expressly refuse either to STOW's "Survey of London," page 344. † STOW, ut prius, page 491.

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