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A HISTORY OF LONDON additional expense being incurred,'-' on the ground that a large number of lectures had already been founded in the City parishes, besides those at the Temple, the Inns of Court, St. Paul's Cathedral, and Christ Church New- gate.'-* The objection was a perfectly just one; lectures had already been established in many of the most important churches, e.g. at St. Botolph's Aldersgate in 1569,'" at St. Peter's Cornhill in 1574,^-^ at St. Anthohn's, certainly in the reign of Edward VI, if not earlier,'" at St. Saviour's South- wark,' at St. Christopher's,'^^ and at St. Margaret's New Fish Street," before 1578, and at St. Martin Orgar before 1580.'" In January 1586—7 Archdeacon Aylmer, in accordance with the decree of Convocation (1586), relative to the better education of the clergy, sent for the London ministers, especially those who were not preachers, and enjoined them each to have a Bible in English and Latin, a copy of Bullinger's Decades, and a paper book, in which to write one sermon every week, to be shown quarterly to an examiner. Meanwhile every non-preaching minister was to procure at his own cost a preacher to deliver a sermon in his church once a quarter, and licensed preachers were to preach sixteen times a year."* Whether as a result of these injunctions or not, a great influx of preachers into London took place during the next two years."' Some of these were not ordained at all, some had ' no sufficient warrant,' some had been ' detected ' in other countries, and some stirred up the people to innovations."* In March 1588—9, the archbishop and bishop once more forbade the clergy of London to allow any unlicensed person to preach or lecture in their churches, and also cautioned them against allowing any private assemblies for worship in their parishes. The injunctions were ordered to be read at morning prayer, copied into the church book, and fastened up in each church."" It is hardly too much to say that no rule whatever was followed in the London parish churches during this period as to the number of services or the hours at which they should be held. At St. Olave's Southwark morning prayer began at 8 a.m. on Sundays and holy days and at 6 a.m. on week- days."* A sermon was preached regularly once a quarter,"^ and in 1587 the vestry decided that the minister should deliver a lecture during the summer months every Sunday and Wednesday, and during the winter on Wednesday and Friday."' At St. Alphage London Wall there was a sermon once a month, the preacher being paid 3J. 4^. on each occasion,"' and a lecture was founded there before 1 594.'*" In i 579 it was decided by the vestry of St. Peter's Cornhill that morning service on Sundays and holy days should begin at 8 a.m. in the summer and 9 a.m. in the winter.'*' At St. Margaret's New Fish Street the hour for morning service was nine,'*' from 1582 onwards a lecture was read in the church on Monday from 5 to 6 p.m.,'*' and in 1591 '" The Bishop of London wrote to Burghley that he could not persuade the Corporation to act, and that the Council had better write direct to them, else ' a good purpose shall be overthrown by might of Mammon ; ' B.M. Lansd. MS. 33, no. 23. '" Anal. Rememb. 365-7 (i, 250, 255-6, 291) ; S.P. Dom. Eliz. cxlvi, 134. "' Chwdns.' Accts. 1568-9. « Vest. Min. 1574. '" Par. Rec. 'Case of Mr. Bell,' &c. •" Vest. Min. 1578. '« Par. Rec. 1576-7. '=» Chwdns.' Accts. 1577-8. '" Ibid. 1579-80. "' Strj'pe, Aylmer, cap. vii. •" St. Margaret's New Fish Street Vest. Min. 1589. "' Ibid. '" Ibid. "'Vest. Min. 1572, 1577. '" Chwdns.' Accts. 1562-4, 1564-6. "» Vest. Min. 1587. ™ Chwdns.' Accts. 1574-86, &c. '" Vest. Min. 1594. "' Ibid. 1579. '" Ibid. 158*. '« Ibid.