Cornish Characters and Strange EventsBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
History
Cornish Characters and Strange Events
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Cornwall (England : County) -- Biography; Cornwall (England : County) -- History; Legends -- England -- Cornwall (County)
When Convocation was elected, it became evident to all that the bulk of
the priests were against all watering down of the formulas of the
Church, her faith, her ritual. The most important office in Convocation
was that of Prolocutor of the Lower House. The Prolocutor was to be
chosen by the members; Tillotson was proposed by the Protestant party as
one whom the King delighted to honour, and who it was well known would
be appointed to the Archbishopric of Canterbury when vacant.
On November 20th, Convocation met in Henry VII's Chapel at
Westminster. "Compton was in the chair. On the right and left those
suffragans of Canterbury who had taken the oath were ranged in
gorgeous vestments of scarlet and miniver. Below the table was
assembled the crowd of presbyters. Beveridge preached a Latin sermon,
in which he warmly eulogized the existing system, and yet declared
himself favourable to a moderate reform." In a word, he blew hot and
cold with the same breath.
The Lower House listened, unstirred, cold and resolute. Dean Shays,
put forward by the members favourable to Comprehension, proposed
Tillotson; Jane was proposed on the other side. After an animated
discussion, Jane was elected by fifty-five votes to twenty-eight.
The Prolocutor was then formally presented to the Bishop of London,
and made, according to ancient usage, a Latin oration, in which he
eulogized the Church in England as maintaining the faith as delivered
to the saints, and as preserving all the marks of the Catholic Church
throughout all ages and all the world; and he very plainly declared
that no alteration in a downward direction would be tolerated; and he
concluded with the significant and well-known words, "Nolumus leges
Angliæ mutari."
It soon became evident that the Lower House was absolutely determined
not to have the proposed alterations made; but the plan they adopted
was to shun the discussion of the recommendations made by the
Commissioners, so as not directly to reject what they knew lay very
near to the King's heart. With this object they adopted a system of
tactics that in the end answered their purpose.
"The law," says Macaulay, "as it had been interpreted during a long
course of years, prohibited Convocation from even deliberating on any
ecclesiastical ordinance without a previous warrant from the Crown.
Such a warrant, sealed with the Great Seal, was brought in form to
Henry the Seventh's Chapel by Nottingham. He at the same time
delivered a message from the King. His Majesty exhorted the assembly
to consider calmly and without prejudice the recommendations of the
Commission, and declared that he had nothing in view but the honour
and advantage of the Protestant religion in general and of the Church
of England in particular.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account