her Year on the Firft of January; the State on the 25th of March: But I believe the Reader will rather believe the Church herfelf, which declares, that her Supputation of the Year begins on the 25th of March. See Rubr. under the Table of Moveable Feafts. As therefore the Church complies with the State in reckoning January the firft Month of the Year, and in calling the last of December, New-Years Eve, (Rubr. after the Collect for St. Stephen's Day) in condefcenfion to the Capacities of the People, and to avoid Confufion; and yet ex prefly fays, that the Ecclefiaftic Year begins not till Lady-day,; fo fhe does the fame thing in calling the beginning of the greater Festivals, the Evening next before, namely, becaufe according to the State Account, the foregoing Day is not ended till Twelve at Night: Tho' I think all Divines, Rationalifts and Canonifts are agreed, that the Sacred Day begins at Six in the Evening, and which yet once at least, viz. in the Collect on Purification-Day, the Church mentions as part of the Feaft.

This firft part of the Feftivals was, very early among the primitive Chriftians, fpent in Hymns, and other Devotions; (fee the Martyr dom of St. Ignat.) which were oftentimes continued till late in the Night, and were from thence called Vigils; which Vigils were by degrees enlarged, till at last the whole preceeding Day was call'd by that Name: Nor only fo, but latter. ward they were fo loath to part with their Religious Feafts, that they did not think them ended at the beginning of the next Evening, but lengthen'd out the Solemnity fo long as the

Twi

Twilight continued: And what Lyndwood fays of our Lady-day, may, I fuppofe, be applied to all other Feafts of the Church; viz. Quoad Feftivitatem, five celebrationem Divini Officii, incipit Annunciatio, in primis vefperis, finitur poft fecundas. L. 1. T. 3. c. Nullus verb. ante Annunciationem.

CHAP. XXIII.

of PARISH-CLERKS.

THere

"Here were of old, feveral Clergymen be-longing to all Churches (that were not extreamly Poor) befides the Incumbent, and all of them were under the Infpection and Care of the Incumbent, or his Reprefentative, who on this Account was ftiled a Prelate: Greater Rectories were to have three, or two at leaft, in Priefts Orders. Prov. L. 3. T. 15. c. Ad inftar. Thefe the Rector, or Vicar, might chufe at his own Difcretion, without exprefs Leave from the Bishop. Conft.Otho.ad Vicar. Gloff.in propriis Perfonis. And they were to be maintain❜d by the Incumbents, who gave them their Title, if they were not Ordain'd before. Stilling. Eccl. Cafes, p. 131, 132. and thefe were called Chap. lains, Parish-Vicars, and Parish-Priefis; (for it does not appear, that Incumbents ever were fo called). There were many Altars in most Churches, and the Bufinefs of these Clerks was to fay Malles for the Dead, and to join with the

In

Incumbent in rehearfing the Hours of the Breviary in the Church, efpecially on Festivals. Conft. Oth. Ecel. v. Altar.

And it feems neceffary, that there fhould have been as many in inferior Orders to attend those in the fuperior, whilft they were Celebrating. And let no one wonder how these were maintained, fince it appears, that he who had only the Office of carrying the Holy-Water, was thereby provided of a Livelihood by the Alms of the People, which if they withheld, they were to be Cenfur'd, L. 3. T. 7. c. a noftris. And it fhould feem a Cuftom was growing up in Lynd wood's Time, of giving them certain Fees every Sunday, and especially at the greater Festivals, and fome Sheaves of Corn in Harveft. Ibid. It was fufficient, that they who thus attended the Priefts, had taken any of the Inferior Orders, or if they were but Pfalmifts, and had the Prima Tonfura, of whom the Canonifts, fometimes difpute, whether they might be called Clerks or not.

From what has been faid, it feems evident, that before, and at the beginning of the Refor mation, there were feveral Perfons to attend the Incumbent in performing Divine Offices, efpecially in larger Parifhes, as there are ftill in Cathedral and Collegiate Churches; and these were all called Clerks, tho' they were not in Orders, at least not all of them; of these, that Rubric is, I fuppofe, to be understood in the Burial Office, viz. the Priest and Clerk meeting the Corps, &c. In fome Choires, thofe Singing Men who read the firft Leffon, are called Lay Clerks (a contradictory Name it is not to be

doubted)

doubted), but before the Reformation they were in fome of the Inferior Orders, Pfalmifts, or Lectors at leaft; of this fort probably were thofe, who are, and have long fince been called Parish-Clerks, whereof now there is but one in a Parifh. See Prov. L. 3. T. 1. Gloff.

By Canon 19 the Incumbent has the Choice of the Parish-Clerks, as he formerly had of the Aquabajulus: But as the People of old, in fome Places, difputed this Right with their Rectors, and Vicars, fo they have of late Years; and it has been feveral Times adjudged, that where the People have a Cuftom of chufing their Parish Clerk, the Canon cannot alter it. Godol. c. 17fect. 15. and that the Ordinary cannot Deprive the Parish Clerk, tho' he may Cenfure, and Excommunicate him for any Fault; but they only who put him in, can deprive him. Ibid.

In fome Places, where the Incumbent has an undifputed Right of chufing his Clerk, the Parishioners have pretended a Right of chufing a Saxton, to have the Privilege of the Bells, and digging the Graves; but I never knew that this was actually done in any Place, but where, of ancient Custom, there ufes to be a Saxton, till about five Years ago this was practifed at Maidftone, in the Diocese of Canterbury. And the Saxton there chofen, by a Majority of the Pa rishioners in Veftry, was confirmed by a Verdict. at the Affizes there, the Lord Chief Juftice Holt fitting on the Bench, and directing the Jury to find for the Saxton fo elected. But here too, it was pretended, that before the late Rebellion, the two Offices of Clerk and Saxton, had been in two feveral Perfons..

Parish

Parish Clerks, after having been chofen, and declared by the Minifter, are usually Licensed by the Ordinary, and may fue for their Dues in the Ecclefiaftical Courts. To have ferved the Place a competent Time without Objection, is fufficient without a License; as I heard a certain Vicar-General to an Archbishop once de clare in Court. When a Parish-Clerk is Licenfed, he is fworn to obey the Minifter. So all the old Parish-Priests and Clerks, took an Oath of Obedience to the Rector, or Vicar, of the Church. Prov. L. 1. T. 15. So they that Offi ciate in any Chappel of Eafe, do, to this Day, fwear Obedience to the Incumbent of the Mother-Church.

CHAP. XXIV.

Of Tythes and Offerings.

TYTHES are of three forts, Prædial, Mixt Perfonal: Predial Tythes are fuch as arife wholly, or chiefly of the Earth, as of Corn, Hay, Under-Wood, Seeds, Herbs, Apples, Pears, Cherries, &c.

Mixt Tythes are fuch as arife from Beasts, or other Animals Paftur'd, or fed with the Fruits of the Earth; as Colts, Calves, Lambs, Wool, Milk, Fowls, &c.

Perfonal Tythes are the Profits arifing from the Labour, Art, Trade, Navigation, Industry

of Men.

Great