service on Sundays, was a thing of ill report, destructive to the morals of the common people, and even contrary to a statute made in this reign. 1 Caroli, c. 1.* It tended to efface any good impressions received in the worship of God, and it was so inconsistent with the petition or prayer subjoined in the Liturgy to the fourth commandment-Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law! It therefore left a bad impression on the minds of the people, with respect to the king's regard to religion and morality; especially since his Majesty made use of the liberty he gave to his subjects. He scrupled not giving a masquerade on a Sunday:† and it must be allowed that it

* It was the only act relating to religion, which his Majesty passed in the Parliament of 1625, and was entitled, An Act to prevent unlawful Pastimes on the Lord's day. The preamble sets forth, That the holy keeping of the Lord's day is a principal part of the true service of God—“Therefore it is enacted, that there shall be no assemblies of people out of their own parishes, for any sports or pastimes whatsoever; nor any bearbaiting, bull-baiting, interludes, common plays, or other unlawful exercises or pastimes, within their own parishes, on forfeiture of three shillings and sixpence for every such offence to the poor." However," says Neal, "this law was never put in execution. Men were reproached and censured for too strict an observation of the Lord's day, but none that I have met with, for the profauation of it." It was suspended and abrogated by the publication of the book of sports. See Neal's Hist. of the Puritans, vol. ii, pp. 162, 163.

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↑ "The French and Spanish Ambassadors were both at the king's mask, but not received as Ambassadors. The French

was a very strange way to express a pious, care for the service of God, by encouraging Moricedances, May-games, May-poles, and revels, on the day set apart for divine worship. The people, possessing even common sense, could not be brought to believe, that the practice of virtue could be promoted by the mixt dancing of men and women on village greens, or in other places on Sunday evenings, and at wakes and Whitsun-ales. When the common people were encouraged to spend the sabbath in idleness or in diversions, the natural consequence must necessarily have been, that a loose turn of mind would be contracted, and a demoralization, or a great depravity of manners ensue. Therefore it always behoves persons in authority to promote the observance of the Lord's day, and to shew themselves an exemplary and a regular behaviour on that sacred day: for by a strict observance of the sabbath by men in power, decency of manners will be generally increased, knowledge

sat amongst the ladies, the Spanish in a box. It was performed on a Sunday night, the day after the twelfth night, in very cold weather, so that the house was not filled according to expectation. The act of council to drive all men into the country, the coldness of the weather, the day Sunday, and the illness of the invention of the scenes, were given for causes why so small a company came to see it. My Lord-Treasurer (Bishop Juxton) was there by command.”. Strafforde's Letters and

Dispatches, vol. ii, p. 148.

advanced, and a sense of religion (a thing of the greatest importance to society as well as to individuals) will be promoted in the minds of men. This is the duty of men in power: if they neglect it, they are not to wonder at the demoralized state and wickedness of the lower classes, or complain of the breach of social duties.*

Though several of the bishops urged the reading of the book of sports in their dioceses, and caused many of the clergy for refusing to do it, to be suspended and to be oppressed, yet, with respect to the diocese of Exeter, there is no account of any one clergyman suffering on account of it. As one object of publishing the book of sports was to suppress afternoon sermons, so we know that Bishop Hall was a very great encourager of sermons and of lectures; therefore there is strong probability that he did not countenance sports on the sabbath, nor urge his clergy to read the declaration. Considering his great moderation, we may suppose that he left it entirely to the discretion of his clergy to comply or not with the reading of it. In his Works we find no allusion to, or any remarks made upon this declaration for sports; the good bishop probably passed over such a violation of God's law in silence, out of respect, and from

* Harris's Life of Charles I. pp. 59, 60.

obedience, to the powers that be for conscience' sake. But it would have been well, if he had left us a testimony of his decided disapprobation of such a violation of the sabbath; or that he had written purposely on the morality of the Lord's day.

When the declaration for sports was republished, the controversy of the morality of the sabbath was revived. Mr. Theophilus Bradbourne, a Suffolk Minister, had published in the year 1628, a Defence of the most ancient and sacred ordinance of God, the Sabbath day; and dedicated it to the king. But Fuller observes, "That the poor man fell into the ambush of the high commission, whose well-tempered severity so prevailed with him, that he became a convert, and conformed quietly to the church of England." Francis White, bishop of Ely, was commanded by the king to confute Bradbourne: after him appeared Dr. Pocklington, with his Sunday no sabbath; and after him Heylin and others.* These divines, instead of softening some rigours in Bradbourne's sabbatarian strictness, ran into the contrary extreme, denying all manner of divine right or moral obligation to the observance of the whole, or any part of the Lord's day, making it to depend entirely upon ecclesiastical authority, and to oblige no

* Ch. Hist. b. xi, p. 144. See also Heylin's Life of Laud, pp. 257,258.

further than to the few hours of public service: and that, in the intervals, all kinds of revels and diversions were lawful and expedient.

It must be acknowledged that the long Parliament paid a particular regard to the strict and due observation of the Lord's day, and so passed several ordinances or acts to that purpose. All kinds of sports, either before or after divine service, were discountenanced; the preaching of God's word was promoted in the afternoon on Sundays, in the several churches and chapels, and ministers were encouraged thereunto. And it does the long Parliament credit so far as to shew their abhorrence of the infamous book of sports, which was ordered, May 5, 1643, to be burnt by the hands of the common hangman in Cheapside, and other places; and all persons having any copies in their hands, were required to deliver them to one of the Sheriffs of London to be burnt.

Archbishop Laud was so far from undeceiving those who were disposed to imagine that the church was leaning to popery, that he seemed at this time to have taken care to confirm them in their suspicion, by conforming to the Romish church in matters of little moment. There was scarce a church then in England, except the cathedrals, and the king's chapel, where the communion table was placed altarwise at the upper end of the chan

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