other; in this cafe, the criminal is allowed the benefit of his clergy for the first time, and only burnt in the hand.

Chance-medley, is the accidental killing of a man without an evil intent, for which the offender is alfo to be burnt in the hand; unlefs the offender was doing an unlawful act, which laft circumftance makes the punishment death.

Shop-lifting, and receiving goods knowing them to be stolen, are punished with transportation to his majesty's colonies, or burning in the hand.

Perjury, or keeping diforderly houses, are punifhed with the pillory and imprisonment.

Petty-larceny, or fmall theft, under the value of twelve-pence, is punished by whipping.

Libelling, ufing falfe weights and meafures, and foreftalling the market, are commonly punished with standing on the pillory, or whipping.

For striking, so as to draw blood, in the king's court, the criminal is punished with lofing his righthand.

For ftriking in Westminster-hall while the courts of justice are fitting, is imprisonment for life, and forfeiture of all the offender's estate.

Drunkards, vagabonds, and loofe, idle, diforderly perfons, are punished by being fet in the ftocks, or by paying a fine.

Of the Religion of England.

Chriftianity was very early planted in England, but when, or by whom, is very uncertain; probably in the latter end of the first, or the beginning of the second century. The reformation in England, begun in the reign of Henry VIII. was greatly promoted under his fon Edward VI. It was, however, checked by queen Mary, but compleated by queen Elizabeth. This reformation being conducted by the bishops, the established church of England became Epifcopal.

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Calvin

Calvin indeed ufed many endeavours to obtain a fhare in the advancement and direction of this ecclefiaftical reformation; but being defirous of depriving the bifhops of their temporal grandeur, of banishing all external ornaments and pomp from divine worship, and introducing the Genevan conftitution; the bishops declined his offers of affiftance. Many, however, approving of Calvin's doctrine, formed an ecclefiaftical government on his plan. These were afterward termed Puritans, from their avowed defire of freeing the church from the impurities ftill retained in it, and Nonconformists, from their not conforming to the rules of the established church. Agreeably to Calvin's model, they inftituted prefbyters without bifhops, from whence they obtained the name of Prefbyterians; inftituting alfo church-laws among themfelves, and being governed by fynods compofed of the minifters of feveral different churches. Others maintaining, that every Chriftian congregation ought to be free, and fubject neither to bishops nor fynods, thefe were termed Independents.

The Epifcopalians and Prefbyterians are the two principal parties, and differ the least from each other; the first form the established religion of England and Ireland, and the latter of Scotland. The most numerous of the other religious fects are the Baptifts, who do not believe that infants are the proper fubjects of baptifm, and in the baptism of adults practife immerfion. It is here proper to obferve, that the English Prefbyterians differ almost as much from the church of Scotland, as from the church of England; fynods growing gradually out of ufe, each feparate congregation is become, in a manner, independent of the reft: they have mott of them forfaken the opinions of Calvin, and believing univerfal redemption, maintain that the univerfal Parent has excluded none of his offspring from a poffibility of fal-vation; while the Independents, and many congregations of the Baptifts, agree with the church of

Scotland

Scotland in the doctrines of particular election and reprobation. It must also be added, that the prefbyterians, with the church of England, receive the facrament of the Lord's fupper at noon, while the Independents and Baptifts receive it after the conclufion of the afternoon fervice.

One of the principal of the other fects is the Quakers, who profefs to be guided by an internal revelation dictated by the Spirit of God: they have no regular minifters, and neither practise baptifm, nor commemorate the death of Christ in the Lord's Supper.

The Methodists have lately arisen, and now form a very numerous body; molt of them are alfo members of the church of England, and profefs to adhere more closely than the other members of that church to the thirty-nine articles; and the greatest part of them are rigid Calvinifts.

The number of Papifts here is also very confiderable, particularly in Lancashire, Staffordshire, and Suffex.

Many authors have exclaimed, with great heat, of the many fects in England; but let it be confidered, that civil and religious liberty are clofely connected and that it does not become any church, who makes no pretenfions to infallibility, to fet up the ftandard of perfecution.

But to return: the church of England is under the government of two archbishops and twenty-five bishops, who are fubject to the king as fupream temporal head of the church. The archbishop of Canterbury is ftiled the first peer and metropolitan of the kingdom; he takes place immediately after the royal family, and confequently precedes not only all dukes, but likewife the great officers of ftate. In addre les to him he enjoys the title of Your grace, in common with dukes, and allo that of moft reverend father in God. He has the power of holding juridical courts in church affairs, with many other privileges relating to the granting of licenfes and difpenfations, in all D 3

cafes

cafes formerly fued for at the court of Rome, where they are not repugnant to the law of God, or the king's prerogative. He has alfo within his province, by common law, the probate of all wills, where the party dying is worth upward of five pounds. He has under him twenty-one bishops, befide his own particular diocese; these are the bishops of London, Winchefter, Ely, Lincoln, Rochester, Litchfield and Coventry, Hereford, Worcester, Bath and Wells, Salisbury, Exeter, Chichester, Norwich, Gloucester, Oxford, Peterborough, Bristol; and in Wales, St. David's, Landaff, St. Afaph, and Bangor.

The archbishop of York likewife takes the precedence of all dukes who are not of the blood royal; as alfo of all the great officers of ftate, excepting the lord chancellor, who is immediately next in rank to the archbishop of Canterbury. In his diocese he is ftiled primate of England and metropolitan; he also enjoys the title of his grace, and most reverend father in God. Exclufive of his own diocefe, in his province are Durham, Carlisle, Chefter, and Sodor and Man. In Northumberland he has the power of a palatine, and jurifdiction in all criminal proceedings.

The twenty-five bishops are ftiled right reverend, and your lord hip; all thefe walk next after the vifcounts, and precede the barons. In parliament they fit in a double capacity, as bifhops and barons; they alfo enjoy many other privileges, as freedom from arrefts, outlawries, &c. They live in great ftate; their revenues are alfo confiderable; but where the income is not very large, fome other lucrative preferment, as a deanry, is generally annexed to it.

The business of a bishop is to examine and ordain priefts and deacons, to confecrate churches and burying-places, and to adminifter the rite of confecra

The jurifdiction of a bifhop relates to the probation of wills; he is to grant adminiftration of goods to fuch as die inteftate; to take care of perifhable

able goods, when no one will adminifter; to collate to benefices; to grant inftitutions to livings; to defend the liberties of the church; and to visit his own diocefe once in three years.

Next to the bishops are the deans and prebends of cathedrals, out of whom the bishops are chosen. After these are the archdeacons, of which every diocefe has one or more, the whole number in the kingdom of England amounting to fixty. Their office is to vifit the churches twice or thrice every year. The archdeacons are followed by the rural deans, who were formerly ftiled archi-prefbyters, and fignify the bishop's pleasure to his clergy, the lower clafs of which confifts of priests and deacons.

With refpect to the ecclefiaftical government and courts, it is proper to obferve, that the principal part of the ecclefiaftical government was formerly lodged in the convocation, which is a national fynod of the clergy, affembled to confider of the state of the church, and to call thofe to an account who have advanced new opinions, inconfiftent with the doctrines of the church of England: but in the reign of his late majefty, they being thought to proceed with too much heat and feverity against fome learned divines, and to be too great a check upon free inquiry, they have not been permitted to fit for any long time fince. However, they are affembled at the fame time with the parliament, by the authority of the king, who directs his writs to the archbishop of each province to fummon all bishops, deans, archdeacons, &c. to meet at a certain time and place.

The court of arches is the most ancient confiftory of the province of Canterbury, and all appeals in church matters, from the judgment of the inferior courts, are directed to this. The proceffes run in the name of the judge, who is called dean of the arches; and the advocates who plead in this court must be doctors of the civil law. The court of audience has the fame authority with this, to which the archbishop's

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