ABBOT, Abp. Cant. Dec. 16. Bib. Regia. Cyprian. Anglic. p 141. The king's coronation. An alteration in some of the prayers. The king, to satisfy the late remonstrance in parliament against the growth of popery, wrote to the two archbishops to perform their part for discovering and apprehension of Jesuits, and seminary priests, requiring them to proceed against popish recusants by excommunication, and other censures of the Church but withal, the letter takes notice of another sort of people, no less dangerous than the Papists, to the established religion that to prevent mischief from this quarter, the two archbishops are commanded to send directions to the rest of the clergy. That all of them might be particularly careful in their respective stations, for the suppressing those disaffected to the national Church: that none of these religious mal-contents might have any countenance or shelter from any ecclesiastics in authority: but that all proper endeavours might be used to pull off the fucus, and expose the false reasoning of those, who pretend to refine upon the Church establishment : and that his majesty could have no good opinion of those prelates, who either encouraged their singularities, or so much as connived at them. Upon the receiving the king's letter, the archbishop of Canterbury transmited copies to his respective suffragans. But here the king's order was partially executed by Abbot; the Roman Catholics were struck at, and the Puritans overlooked. The king, having summoned another parliament to meet on the 6th of February, resolved to proceed to his coronation before the session: the purification of the blessed virgin was fixed on for this solemnity. And for the better adjusting every part of the ceremony to the service and orders of the Church of England, the king issued a commission to the archbishop of Canterbury, and some other bishops, Laud being one of the number, to settle the form. This committee having compared the ceremonial used in the late reign with the public rituals, it was agreed to make some alterations and additions in the ceremony, and the prayers. For instance, the unction was to be made in the figure of a cross, which was accordingly done by archbishop Abbot. The supplemental part in the form consisted chiefly in a prayer for the king, and a request to him, in behalf of the clergy: the first sounds extremely high for the regale; and might serve very well at the consecration of a patriarch. It stands thus : "Let him obtain favour for the people like Aaron in the CHARLES tabernacle, Elisha in the waters, Zacharias in the temple; give him Peter's key of discipline, and Paul's doctrine." In the request made to him, these prelates were by some thought to remember their character too far, and take too much upon them: it follows the unction in these words: "Stand, and hold fast from henceforth the place to which you have been heir by the succession of your forefathers, being now delivered to you by the authority of Almighty God, and by the hands of us, and all the bishops, and servants of God: and as you see the clergy to come nearer to the altar than others, so remember that in place convenient you give them greater honour; that the mediator of God and man may establish you in the kingly throne, to be the mediator between the clergy and the laity, that you may reign for ever with Jesus Christ, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who with the Father and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth for ever. Amen." And here the oath taken by the king being part of the solemnity, it may not be improper to lay it before the reader. tion oath. "Sir (says the archbishop), will you grant, keep, and by The coronayour oath confirm to your people of England, all laws and customs to them granted by the kings of England, your lawful and religious predecessors; and, namely, the laws, customs, and franchises granted to the clergy, by the glorious king St. Edward your predecessor, according to the laws of God, the true profession of the gospel established in this kingdom, and agreeable to the prerogative of the kings thereof, and the ancient customs of this land?" The king answers, "I grant and promise to keep them." Archbishop. "Sir, will you keep peace and godly agreement entirely (according to your power) both to God, the holy Church, the clergy, and the people?" Rex. "I will keep it." Archbishop. "Sir, will you, (to your power) cause justice, law, and discretion in mercy and truth, to be executed in all your judgments?" Rex. "I will." Archbishop. "Sir, will you grant to hold, and grant to keep, the laws and rightful customs which the commonalty of this ABBOT, your kingdom have? And will you defend and uphold them to Abp. Cant, the honour of God, so much as in you lieth?" 736. The oath not Rex. "I grant and promise so to do." Then one of the bishops reads this admonition to the king before the people with a loud voice. "Our lord and king, we beseech you to pardon, and to grant, and to preserve unto us, and the churches committed to our charge, all canonical privileges, and due law and justice; and that you would protect and defend us, as every good king in his kingdom ought to be a protector and defender of the bishops, and the churches under their government?" The king answereth, "With a willing and devout heart I promise and grant my pardon, and that I will preserve and maintain to you, and the churches committed to your charge, all canonical privileges, and due law and justice; and that I will be your protector and defender to my power, by the assistance of God, as every good king ought in his kingdom, in right to protect and defend the bishops and churches under their government." The king ariseth, and is led to the communion-table, where he makes a solemn oath, in sight of all the people, to observe the premises; and, laying his hand upon the book, saith, "The things which I have before promised, I shall perform Husband's and keep, so help me God, and the contents of this book." Collections. I have the rather transcribed this oath, because both the king and Laud were afterwards charged with altering it to the disadvantage of the subject. But this calumny was effectually silenced by his majesty's referring the objectors to the records in the exchequer; where they might see his coronation oath was the same with that which had been customarily taken by his predecessors'. altered by bishop Laud or the king. Idem. In the other solemnities of the coronation, the abbots formerly, and after them the deans of Westminster, had a considerable share. They had the custody of the old regalia,that is, the crown, the sword, the sceptre, the spurs, &c., of king Edward the Confessor. These royal curiosities are never made use of excepting at a king's coronation, or his going to parliament. Williams, the late lord-keeper, was now dean; This coronation service, illustrates the fact frequently noticed in the course of this work, that the king combines in his own person the ecclesiastical with the laical characteristics. I. but, being under the king's disfavour, had orders not to appear CHARLES at this solemnity, but to depute one of the prebendaries to officiate in his place. This order put him somewhat to a stand. He was unwilling to nominate Laud, then one of the prebendaries, because he looked on him as his rival at court; but then, to have overlooked a bishop, and named another of a lower rank, would have been too plain a discovery of disaffection. He therefore prudently sent the king the names and distinctions of all the prebendaries, leaving the choice to his majesty, who pitched upon Laud. Laud being thus nomi- Laud per nated, did the dean's part in preparing for that pompous dean of appearance. And finding the old crucifix among the regalia, ster's part at he placed it upon the altar, according to ancient usage. The duke of Buckingham, keeping on his misunderstanding with the bishop of Lincoln, was a weight upon that prelate's fortune, and kept him from emerging at court. He seems to have lain under a particular hardship at this time; for he had not received his writ of summons to sit in parliament. This, though with submission to his majesty's pleasure, he represented as unprecedented usage; and that this privilege was not denied to any prisoners, or condemned peers in his father's reign. He therefore entreated the king for leave to make his proxy, if not permitted to attend in person. He likewise begged the king to soften the duke, and bring him off his resentment; who, though he had never received any real provocation from him, was not to be reconciled by any thing the bishop could do, or suffer. And lastly, he humbly desires the king's name might not be used to his disadvantage, and that his reputation might not suffer by his absence from the parliament. He concludes with strong protestations of duty and affection to the king; stands boldly upon his innocence; and solicits for no protection against the charge of any subject whatever. forms the Westmin the corona tion. the com And now the second parliament being met, a commission for 4 committee of religion religion was settled, and Montague's " Appeal to Cæsar" was first ap again debated. This book being referred by the commons to pointed by the committee abovementioned, Mr. Pym made his report of mons. several erroneous opinions extracted from it; upon which the house made this resolve: "That Mr. Montague endeavoured to reconcile England to Rome, and alienate the king's affection from his well-affected subjects." By the way, this is the ABBOT, first time we hear of a committee of religion in the house of Abp. Cant. Commons. The articles exhibited against Montague were drawn up in the form following. Articles exhibited "That he, the said Richard Montague, in or about the against twenty-first year of the reign of our late sovereign king James Montague. of famous memory, hath caused to be printed, and in his name to be published, one book, called, An Answer to the late Gag of Protestants.' And in or about anno twenty-two of the same king, he caused to be printed and published one other book, entitled, 'A Treatise of the Invocation of Saints.' And likewise in the first year of his majesty's reign, that now is, he procured to be printed, and in his name to be published, another book, entitled, An Appeal to Cæsar.' In every of which books he hath maintained and confirmed some doctrine contrary or repugnant to the articles agreed by the archbishops and bishops of both provinces, and the whole clergy, holden in the convocation at London A.D. 1562, according to the computation of the Church of England, for avoiding diversity of opinions, and for establishing consent touching true religion;' all which appears in the places hereafter mentioned, and in divers other places and passages of the same books; and by his so doing hath broken the laws and statutes of this realm in that case provided, and very much disturbed both the peace of Church and commonwealth. 66 "I. Whereas, in the five-and-thirtieth article of the articles aforementioned, it is declared, that the second book of homilies doth contain a godly and wholesome doctrine; in the sixteenth homily of which book it is determined, that the Church of Rome, as it is at present, and hath been for the space of nine hundred years and odd, is so far wide from the nature of a true Church, that nothing can be more. He, the said Richard Montague, in several places in the said books, called, 'The Answer to the Gag,' and in his other book, called, 'The Appeal,' doth advisedly maintain and affirm, that the Church of Rome is and ever was a true Church, since it was a Church. "II. Whereas, in the same homily, it is likewise declared, that the Church of Rome is not built upon the foundation of the prophets and apostles. And in the eight-and-twentieth article of the said articles, that transubstantiation overthroweth |