break of day, at the third hour, the fixth and the ninth, at Evening, at Midnight. Mr. John Spelman, Son of Sir Henry, thought himself obliged to print the Latin Prayers at the end of the Latino-Saxonic Pfalter for their || Purity. For the fame Reason Mr. Wheloc printed fome Saxon Prayers in his Edition of Bede, with the Saxon Verfion; and Mr. Funius others at the end of his Cadmon. In like manner the Purity and Chaftnefs of this daily Office invited me to publifh it, as a Specimen among the Saxons, in which there is not one direct Addrefs or Prayer to any Saint, but only a devout wifh or defire grounded on the belief of the general Interceffion of Saints, that the Virgin Mary, the boly Mother of God, and all the Saints may interceed unto the Lord for us Sinners, that we may be accounted worthy to be affifted and faved by him: The words after the Collect for the Day are, San&a Dei Genetrix Virgo Maria, & omnes Sandli intercedant pro nobis peccatoribus ad Dominum Dominorum, ut mereamur ab eo adjuvari, & falvari, quit vivis & regnas, &c.

Not knowing the time when this Office was compofed, I will not guefs at it. But this I dare fay, that when it was made, the worshipping or invocation of Saints had not yet taken place among our Saxon Ancestors; nor was yet intro

|| Ad finem Pfalmi uniuscujusque optima reperiuntur preces in animum Pfalmi cujufve compofita. Nos quamvis ad Lingua Saxonica notitiam nihil prorfus conducant, eas tamen unà publican das aquum duximus. Tum ut librum ipfum fideliter recitemus, tum ut antiquioris Ecclefia Anglicana praxim Synceram ob oculos ponamus, que fub illo tempore, ut videtur, nec Beatorum animas, nec beatiffimam Virginem Mariam, nec crucem Domini adorandas docuit.

† L. Vivit, Regnat.

duced

duced into any Offices of the English-Saxon Church. It is not till the Xth Century, that we find any Footsteps of it, when in the Homilies on the fictitious Affumption of the bleffed Virgin, we find them conclude in thefe, or fuch like words; Uton nu geopnlice biddan pa eadigan Majian þe nu to * dæi pæƒ ahafen geufeɲod bufan engle ppimme. heo ur pingie to pam ælmihtigin Lose. Se pe leoFab nixad on ealna Populda Populs. AMEN: Come then let us now earnestly pray the blessed Mary, who was this day taken up and exalted above the dignity of Angels, that he would interceed for us to Almighty God, who liveth and reigneth World without end. Amen.

The curious, who delight in fuch ancient Monuments, are beholden to the Reverend and Learned Mr. William Elftob, formerly Fellow of Univerfity-College, Oxon, and now Rector of St. Swithuns, London, for the tranflation of it; and I think my felf obliged to give him publick thanks for his affiftance in this and * another greater Work.

From what I have written in answer to my anonymous Adverfary, p. 188. I think my felf under fome obligation to fpeak my thoughts more freely of the moft Chriftian (I am fure) and (1 think) moft effectual way of difcouraging and disappointing the diligence of the Miffioners, and stopping the growth of Popery among us, which is ftill greater than formerly, notwithstanding the increafe of Penal Laws. This I take to be a full

The fpelling of this word with (i) fhews that this Homily was written towards the latter end of the 10th Century. Sobyri is feveral times written for byrig.

+ See p. 98. Differtationis Epift. ad Barthol. Shower, in Antiqua Literatura Septentrionalis, lib. I.

Supply

Supply of the want of Churches and Parish Priests among us, with an honourable provifion for the Clergy, whereof fo many Thousands of the too fmall number live meanly or miferably, to the great dishonour of God, whofe Minifters they are, and the fin and reproach of the Nation, which ought to provide better for the Servants of their Lord and Saviour, who redeemed them with his Blood. For want of a fufficient number of Churches and Parish-Priefts, and a fufficient Maintenance of them, the People of England in many places are as Sheep without Shepherds, wholly obnoxious to the Wolves, which haunt the places of prey, I mean the Parishes, that are either exorbitant for the number of Souls, or for their compafs and extent, or deftitute of able Ministers to defend them, who being very poor, want not only Books and other helps to the knowledge that is neceffary for 'a Divine, but authority to defend their Flocks. In fome places there is a deplorable concurrence of all or more of thefe caufes, and from one or more of them it is, that Popery and all other Sects have increased fo much in this deplorable ftate of the Church. The firft caufe, which is the too great number of People in a Parish, is moft obfervable in our great trading Cities, and most efpecially in this of London, under which I comprehend all the Parishes within the Bills of Mortality, where the Labourers are indeed too few, though the Harveft is very great. I live in a Parifh where they reckon about Thirty Thoufand People; according to which computation, if it be true, there must be about Five Thoufand Families in it, which are more by Four Thousand Seven Hundred, than can be well known by one Man, or ought to be committed to the care of one Prieft. In this Parish, to my certain knowledge, there are

great

great numbers of Families, who neither know the Minifter's Name, nor Perfon, nor where he dwells; and were it not for the parochial Officers that go about, would not know in what Parish they live. It was in this Parith the young Gentlewoman lived, of whom I have given an account in this Preface. Her Father died in it not many Years fince, firm in the Communion of the Church of England. Her Brother was travelling abroad at the time of his death, and was perverted in France to the Church of Rome, and being returned home perverted his Sifter, which might have been prevented by the Minifter, if in fuch a multitude it had been poffible for him to know this Lamb of his Flock, and what danger she was in of the Wolf. I speak this with fubmiffion to our Superiours to move their Compaffion to the Souls of the People; and I hope the Clergy in Convocation will speedily reprefent the Miseries of the Church, which proceed from this Cause, and fupplicate for timely and effectual redrefs. For in thefe over-grown Parishes there are (I fear) ten, or (it may be) twenty Popish for one Prieft of the Church of England; and therefore no remedy can be found fo honourable and proper against Popery, and fo effectual against the encrease of it, as to multiply the number of Shepherds in proportion to the Flock. I think three hundred Families are a charge fully great enough for any Parish-Prieft; according to which proportion there ought to be in the Parish, of which I have spoken, fifteen or fixteen ; and within the Bills of Mortality, I cannot guess how many above an hundred new Churches, and as many Parish-Priests.

The Coal-A for rebuilding the Churches in London, as I am informed, is now expiring or expired. If that were continued for building of Churches in the vaft Out-Parishes about the City, the Re

venue of it would in the fame number of Years build the fame number of Churches; and in expectation of them, the People of the new parochial Divifions would undoubtedly be willing to erect Tabernacles, as thofe of the City did.

I fay nothing here of the ways of raising maintenance for fuch a new number of parochial Priefis, though I think there are more than one, of making it eafy to the People; who after they found the comfort and benefit of living in much lefs, but • much more regular Parishes, where the Paftors and their Flocks might be known to each other, they would cheerfully fubmit to fuch an Establishment for their maintenance, as publick Wisdom should enact. Nor will I fay how much fuch a divifion of the great Parifhes into many lefs would contribute to the publick civil Order and Peace. For I need but fuggeft it to thofe, who have observed what great numbers of diforderly Houses there are in the over-grown Parishes, and what unknown harbours and lurking places the Rogues and sturdy Beggars, who infeft all the quarters of the Town, find in them, as in fo many great Woods. Which inconveniences and mifchiefs would be remedied in a great measure, by a partition or reduction of thefe greater and ungovernable, into lefs and more governable Parishes; where not only the Manners of fingle Perfons, but of Families would more eafily be obferved and known.

The fecond Caufe of the great growth of Popery and other Sects, which is the exorbitant extent and compass of Parishes, is most visible in the Country; and those who know the Northern Countries and Wales, muft needs be very fenfible of the Mischiefs and Misfortunes of the Church, that proceed from this Caufe. In fuch Parishes, though the number of Houses be not too great, yet

C

the