[2] St. Mary de Crypt is a parish in the city of Gloucester, and is so called from a large vault under the body of the church. In connection with the church, and on the north side of it, stands St. Mary de Crypt School, founded by "John Coke, Esq.," and his "Lady Joane Coke," about the beginning of the sixteenth century. The master of the school had to be chosen by the mayor, the recorder, and the senior aldermen of the city. In 1712, two years before Whitefield's birth, a salary of £30 a year was allowed to the head-master, and £16 a year to the usher. There was also an annual allowance to several magistrates of the city for visiting the school once a year; the mayor and four burgesses of Worcester were made overseers, with an allowance of seven nobles for their charges; and if the mayor and magistrates of Gloucester were guilty of neglect, they had to forfeit £10 to the mayor and magistrates of Worcester. The school also had two exhibitions for the maintenance of two scholars at Pembroke College for eight years--the scholars to be elected by the mayor, the six senior aldermen, and the head-master of the school. (" Ancient and Present State of Gloucestershire," by Sir Robert Atkyns, 1712; and "The Gloucester Guide," 1792.) "During the time of my being at school, I was very fond of reading plays, and have kept from school for days together to prepare myself for acting them. My master, seeing how mine and my schoolfellows' vein ran, composed something of this kind for us himself, and caused me to dress myself in girl's clothes, which I had often done, to act a part before the Corporation. The remembrance of this has often covered me with confusion of face, and I hope will do so, even to the end of my life. ["And I cannot but here observe, with much concern of mind, how this way of training up youth has a natural tendency to debauch the mind, to raise ill passions, and to stuff the memory with things as contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as light to darkness, heaven to hell. However, though the first thing I had to repent of was my education in general, yet I must always acknowledge my particular thanks are due to my master, for the great pains he took with me and his other scholars, in teaching us to speak and write correctly.]