The following may serve as a further specimen of the language in the same period, it is the WILL of Thomas Cavendish, Esq. of Cavendish, father of Sir William Cavendish, the great founder of the family of the Duke of Devonshire.

In the name of the Fader, the Sonne, and the Holy Goost, Three Persones and One God, I Thomas Cavendishe of the King's Escheker, being hole of mynd, and in good memory, the xiiith day of Apr. in the xvth yere of the reigne of King Hen. VIII. make my testament and last wille, in manner and fourme as ensueth. First, I bequeth and geve my soul to Almighty God, my Maker and Redemptor, to whom I crye for help and grace, during my natural lyfe in this worlde, and toh is blissid moder our Lady St. Mary, and to all the companye of Hevyn, to pray for me at the departyng of my soule out of my wretched body, for marcy and pitie; and that my soule may be saved by the merits of the most precious passion of my Sovrayn Lord God Jesu Criste. Also I will,That all other testaments and willes made, and bering date before this day, be void, adnulled, and of noon effecte: and my body to be buried in holy sepulture, that is to witt, with Godd's sufferaunce, in the church of Saint Thomas of Acres, within London, in the north isle of the quere, next unto my grandfather William Cavendishe, if it may conveniently be. And if it may not, then sumwhere ells in the same churche, by license of the maister of the same place for the time being, yfit fortune me to depart this present lyfe in London, or nygh about; or ells in Christen Sepulture, in such place, as it shall please God to provide and ordeyne for me. Also I will, require, beseke, and pray, on Godd's behalf, myn executors, that they paye and content my own debts, which I owe of right or conscience, that may be provid dew before myn executors, and the maister of the said church of St. Thomas of Acres for the time being, in the discharging of my soul, and their consciences. Also

I bequeth to the Church Werks, of the church of Saint Botulphe without Aldriche Gate of London, vis. viiid. And to the reparacions and bilding of the chauntry of the Trinitie in the same parish xxs. Also I bequeth to the said master of Saint Thomas xiiis. iiiid. for my sepulture there, and xiid. for being at the dirige and masse; and to every priest of the same place iiid. and to every clerk iid. Item, I bequeath to the high awter of the parishe churche of Saint alban Wood-street, where I am a parishioner, for my offerings and tythes forgotten, or negligently paid, in discharging of my soule, vis. viiid. Also I bequeth to the iiii orders of Freers in London, That is to say, White, Black, Greye, and Augustine, to every of them vis. viiid. bringing my corps to the said churche, and there say de profundis for my soule, and all Cristen soules. Also I will, That myn executors shall finde, and geve twenty pounds at my burying, and for other my funeral expences, and all other the circumstances belonging thereto. And over that xls. for a stone to lye upon my grave. Also I will, that Agnes, my wife, shall have all my landes and tenements in the countie of Kent to sell. And the money thereof, coming of the said sale, to take and retayn to her own use, one hundred and twenty pounds. And of the residue of the said money, that the same Agnes content and paye, or cause to be contended and paid, to my doughter Mary fourty pounds, at the time of her marriage. And yf the said Mary decesse before she be married, then I will, That the said forty pounds be equally divided between Thomas Cavendisshe, and William Cavendisshe, my sonnes. And yf any of my said two sonnes happen to decesse, ar they come to lawful age of xxi yeres, then I will, That the parte of him so departing, shall remayne to the other brother so overlyving. And of this my last will and Testament, I ordeyn and make myn executors, Agnes my wife, Sir Richard Broke, Knyght, one of the Justices of the Comen Place, and Henry Walter, Gentleman. And to every of the said Richard Broke,

and Henry Walter, I geve and bequeth a black gowne, and xxs. for their labours, desiring them to take the labour for to se the execution of this my last will and testament. And George Cavendisshe my sonne, to be my overseer of the same, after my decesse, in manner and and fourme aforesaid. These witness, Sir John Webbe, John Newynton, Henry Walter, and others.

PROGRESS OF KNOWLEDGE.

INTRODUCTORY SKETCH.

1546 to 1558.

IN IN the reign of Edward the Sixth, to which we are now arrived, many remarkable changes took place in the state of religion. The king was in his minority, and the government of England was in the hands of men who were chiefly enemies to the Roman Catholic Religion, and accordingly, such steps were taken by them, as soon effected its overthrow.

Shortly after the young King's coronation, the regents, notwithstanding the opposition of the Popish clergy, appointed a royal visitation, and divided the kingdom into six circuits, one divine being appointed for each. Those divines were by their preaching, to instruct the people in the doctrines of the reformation, and to withdraw them from their old superstitions. At the same time a book of "Homilies" was drawn up by Archbishop Cranmer, and ordered to be left with every parish priest, to supply the want of preachers who were at that time very scarce. At the same time thirty-six "Injunctions," were pub

lished, and ordered to be observed, on pains of excommunication, sequestration, or deprivation. By those injunctions, pilgrimages and praying to images were ordered to be preached against by all ecclesiastical persons, all images were ordered to be taken down, as well as shrines, tables, candlesticks, and other monuments of pretended miracles. Every church was to be provided with a Bible in English, and Erasmus's Paraphrase of the New Testament. The bishops were to give orders to none but such as were able to preach, and to recal their licences from others. It was soon after enacted by the parliament, that all books, as, Missals, Primers, Grailes, Manuals, Antiphones, &c. which were used for the service of the church, not set forth by the king, should be abolished, and that all images whether of timber, alabaster, or earth, graved, carved, or painted, belonging to any church or chapel should be, as well as the books utterly destroyed, or delivered to the archbishop, or bishop, &c. of the diocese, in order to be publickly burnt, on pain of very severe penalties. At the same time the statute of the six articles, called "The Bloody act" was repealed; and an act was made, ordaining, that, the election of bishops should be abolished, and that they should be appointed by the King's Letters Patent only.

Such alterations in religion as these, could not fail of exciting the indignation of the popish clergy, as well as a great number of the common people; most of the former conformed with the new regulations; Bonner, Bishop of London, was one who partly did so. Gardiner, however, refused to comply with them, and was therefore confined in the Tower, where he was unjustly detained, for two years.

The next step taken by the reformers, was to appoint a committee of divines, consisting of some of the ablest men of the time, in order to examine and reform the offices of the church, and the produce of their labours was the celebrated "Liturgy," which occasioned so many disputes and controversies, not only with the Romanists, but even among themselves.