[729] Dom. Chas. II., 1677, Sept. 12.
[730] Mystery and Iniquity of Nonconformity, 1664. A curious tract entitled The Ceremony-Monger, his Character, in Six Chapters, describes "bowing to the altar, implicit faith, reading dons of the pulpit, reading the Psalms, &c., alternately, bowing at the name of Jesus, unlighted candles on the altar, organs, church music, and other popishlike and foppish ceremonials," all of which are unmercifully ridiculed. The author is E. Hickeringhill, Rector of the Rectory of All Saints, in Colchester. There is no date to the publication, but from abundant internal evidence, it must have been written after the Act of Uniformity. Hickeringhill is justly described by Chalmers as "a half crazy kind of writer." He was a pensioner of St. John's, Camb., in 1650; junior Bachelor of Gonville and Caius; Lieut. in the English army in Scotland, and Captain in Fleetwood's Regiment. He took orders in 1661 or 1662, being ordained by Bishop Sanderson; became Vicar of Boxted, Essex, in October, 1662, and about the same time, Rector of All Saints, Colchester. In reference to the Act of Uniformity, he says it is an unnatural, impossible, irrational, wicked, and vain attempt. "Go teach God," he says, "to make a new heaven, with uniformity of stars and skies,—teach Him to make men uniform," &c. Hickeringhill wrote The Second Part of Naked Truth, and A Vindication of it. The copy of it which I have seen is in the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge. The Bishop of London brought an action against him, in March, 1682, for slander. A report of the trial may be found in the same Library, Political Tracts, Y 24. Hickeringhill held his Rectory until his death in 1708.
[731] Quotation in Vindication of the Clergy, 82.
[732] Chamberlayne, part 1. 205, 207. The following entries indicate the poverty of clergymen:—
"1669. Given to a poor minister who preached here, at the church, April 25, 3s. Bestowed on him in ale, 4d.
"Feb. 13, 1669. Collected then, by the churchwardens, in the church, upon a testimonial, and at the request of the Lord Bishop of York, for one Mr. Wilmot, a poor minister, 8s. 4d.
"1670, April 10. Given then by the neighbours, to a poor mendicant minister, one Mr. John Rhodes, who then preached here, and after the sermon stood in the middle aisle to receive the charity of the people, the sum 12s. 3d.
"1670, July 3. Given then by the neighbours to a poor lame itinerary, one Mr. Walker, who preached here, and after the sermon stood in the middle aisle to receive the people's charity, which was 9s. 3d."—See History of Morley Old Chapel, by the Rev. J. Wonnacott.
[733] Hunter's Life of Heywood, 336.
[734] Grounds and Occasions, 19. It is from this paragraph, and other similar authorities, that Macaulay draws materials for his humorous one-sided satire on the clergy—Hist. of Eng. i. 340.