In the beginning of the reign of queen Elifabeth, which foon followed, when the return of protestantism might have been expected to produce a speedy change for the better, puritanism began to prevail; and, as the firft fervours of a new sect are always violent, retarded for fome time the progrefs of ingenuous and useful knowledge. The fcriptures being translated into English, and every man affuming a right to dictate in matters of faith, and to chuse his own principles, weak heads drew false conclufions, and erected an infinite variety of petty religions. Such is the abuse which attends the best designs, that the meanest reader of the new Testament thought he had a full comprehension of the most mysterious metaphyfical doctrines in the christian faith; and scorned to acquiefce in the fober and rational expofitions of fuch difficult fubjects, which he might have received from a competent and intelligent teacher, whom it was his duty to follow. The bulk of the people, who now poffeffed the means of difcuffing all theological topics, from their fituation and circumftances in life, were naturally averfe to the fplendor, the dominion, and the opulence of an hierarchy, and disclaimed the yoke of episcopal jurifdiction. The new deliverance from the numerous and burthenfome fuperftitions of the papal communion, drove many. pious reformers into the contrary extreme, and the rage of oppofition ended in a devotion entirely spiritual and abstracted. External forms were abolished, as impediments to the vifionary reveries of a mental intercourse with heaven; and because the church of Rome had carried ceremonies to an abfurd excefs, the use of any ceremonies was deemed unlawful. The love of new doctrines and a new worship, the triumph of gaining profelytes, and the perfecutions which accompanied thefe licentious zealots, all contributed to fan the flame of enthusiasm. The genius of this refined and false species of religion, which defied the salutary checks of all human authority, when operating in its full force, Vol. II.

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was attended with confequences not lefs pernicious to fociety, although less likely to laft, than those which flowed from the establishment of the antient fuperftitions. During this unfettled ftate of things, the English reformed clergy who had fled into Germany from the menaces of queen Mary, returned home in great numbers: and in confideration of their sufferings and learning, and their abilities to vindicate the principles of a national church erected in oppofition to that of Rome, many of them were preferred to bishopricks, and other eminent ecclefiaftical stations. Thefe divines brought back with them into England those narrow principles concerning church-government and ceremonies, which they had imbibed in the petty ftates and republics abroad, where the Calvinistic difcipline was adopted, and where they had lived like a fociety of philofophers; but which were totally inconfiftent with the nature of a more extended church, eftablished in a great and magnificent nation, and requiring an uniform fyftem of policy, a regular fubordination of officers, a folemnity of public worship, and an observance of exterior inftitutions. They were, however, in the prefent circumstances, thought to be the moft proper instruments to be employed at the head of ecclefiaftical affairs; not only for the purpose of vindicating the new establishment by argument and authority, but of eradicating every trace of the papal corruptions by their practice and example, and of effectually fixing the reformation embraced by the church of England on a durable basis. But, unfortunately, this measure, fpecious and expedient as it appeared at first, tended to destroy that conftitution which it was defigned to fupport, and to counteract those principles which had been implanted by Cranmer in the reformed fyftem of our religion. Their reluctance or refufal to conform, in a variety of inftances, to the established ceremonies, and their refinements in theological discipline, filled the church with the most violent divifions; and introduced end

lefs

less intricate disputations, not on fundamental doctrines of folid importance to the real interefts of christianity, but on pofitive points of idle and empty fpeculation, which admitting no elegance of compofition, and calling forth no vigour of abilities, exercised the learning of the clergy in the most barbarous and barren field of controverfial divinity, and obftructed every pursuit of polite or manly erudition. Even the conforming clergy, from their want of penetration, and from their attachment to authorities, contributed to protract these frivolous and unbecoming controverfies for if, in their vindication of the facerdotal veftments, and of the cross of baptism, instead of arguing from the jews, the primitive christians, the fathers, councils, and customs, they had only appealed to common fenfe and the nature of things, the propriety and expediency of thofe formalities would have been much more eafily and more clearly demonftrated. To these inconveniencies we must add, that the common ecclefiaftical preferments were fo much diminished by the seizure and alienation of impropriations, in the late depredations of the church, and which continued to be carried on with the fame fpirit of rapacity in the reign of Elifabeth, that few perfons were regularly bred to the church, or, in other words, received a learned education. Hence, almost any that offered themselves were, without diftinction or examination, admitted to the facred function. Infomuch, that in the year 1560, an injunction was directed to the bishop of London from his metropolitan, requiring. him to forbear ordaining any more artificers and other illiterate perfons who exercifed fecular occupations'. But as the evil was unavoidable, this caution took but little effect".

Strype's GRINDAL. B. i.ch. iv. b. 40. * Numerous illuminated artificers began early to preach and write in defence of the reformed religion. The first mechanic who left his lawful calling to vindicate the cause of the catholics, was one Miles Hoggard, a

fhoe-maker or hofier, of London'; who, in the reign of queen Mary, wrote a pamphlet entitled, The Displaying of proteftants, and fundry their practices, &c. Lond. 1556. 12mo. This piece foon acquired impor tance, by being anfwered by Lawrence Nnn 2 Humphries,

About the year 1563, there were only two divines, and thofe of higher rank, the prefident of Magdalen college', and the dean of Christ Church, who were capable of preaching the public fermons before the univerfity of Oxford". I will mention one inftance of the extreme ignorance of our inferiour clergy about the middle of the fixteenth century. In the year 1570, Horne, bishop of Winchester, enjoined the minor canons of his cathedral to get by memory, every week, one chapter of faint Paul's epiftles in Latin: and this formidable task, almost beneath the abilities of an ordinary fchool-boy, was actually repeated by fome of them, before the bishop, dean, and prebendaries, at a public epifcopal vifitation of that church ". It is well known that a set of homilies was published to fupply their incapacity in com-. pofing fermons but it should be remembered, that one reason for prescribing this authorised fyftem of doctrine, was to prevent preachers from disturbing the peace of the church by diffeminating their own novel and indigefted opinions.

The taste for Latin compofition in the reign of Elifabeth, notwithstanding it was fashionable both to write and speak in that language, was much worse than in the reign of Henry the eighth, when juster models were ftudied, and when the novelty of claffical literature excited a general emulation to imitate the Roman authors. The Latinity of Afcham's profe has little elegance. The versification and phraseology of

Buchanan's Latin poetry are splendid and fonorous, but not marked with the chafte graces and fimple ornaments of the Auguftan age. One is furprised to find the learned archbishop Grindal, in the statutes of a school which he founded, and amply endowed, recommending fuch barbarous and degenerate claffics as Palingenius, Sedulius, aud Prudentius, to be taught in his new foundation. Thefe, indeed, were the claffics of a reforming bishop: but the well-meaning prelate would have contributed much more to the fuccefs of his intended reformation, by directing books of better taste and lefs piety. That claffical literature, and the public inftitution of youth, were now in the lowest state, we may collect from a provifion in archbishop Parker's foundation of three scholarships at Cambridge, in the year 1567. He orders that the scholars, who are appointed to be elected from three the most confiderable fchools in Kent and Norfolk, shall be " the best and apteft fchollers, well instructed in "the grammar, and, if it may be, fuch as can make a verse." It became fashionable in this reign to ftudy Greek at court. The maids of honour indulged their ideas of sentimental affection in the fublime contemplations of Plato's Phaedo: and the queen, who understood Greek better than the canons of Windfor, and was certainly a much greater pedant than her fucceffor James the firft, tranflated Ifocrates. But this paffion for the Greek language foon ended where it began: nor do we find that it improved the national taste, or influenced the writings, of the age of Elifabeth.

All changes of rooted establishments, especially of a national religion, are attended with fhocks and convulfions, unpropitious to the repofe fcience and ftudy. But these unavoidable inconveniencies laft not long. When the liberal genius of protestantism had perfected its work, and the first