At the planting of Christian religion, Monasteries & cathedral Churches were likewise founded, which serued for seed plots of the ministery, & sent them abroad in yerely progresses, to labour the Lords vineyard. Afterwards, about the time of our last conquest, the country was sorted by a more orderly maner into parishes, & euery parish committed to a spirituall father, called their Parson, who stept into that roome, not by election (as some imagine) but mostly, by the nomination of him that eyther built the Church, or endowed the same with some liuelyhood, or was L. of the soyle where it stood. As for Vicarages, those daies knew few, for they grew vp in more corrupt ages, by the religious houses encrochments. Besides this Incumbent, euery parish had certaine officers, as Churchwardens, Sidemen, and 8. men, whose duety bound them to see the buildings & ornaments appertaining to Gods seruice, decently maintayned, & good order there reuerently obserued. And lest negligence, ignorance, or partiality, might admit or foist in abuses, & corruption, an Archdeacon was appointed to take account of their doings by an yerely visitation, & they there sworn duly to make it. He & they againe had their Ordinary, the Bishop, euery 3. yere to ouerlook their actions, & to examine, allow, & admit the ministers, as they and the Bishop were semblably subiect to the Metropolitanes suruey euery 7. yere. For warning the Clergy, & imparting their superiours directions, the Curats chose yerely their Deanes rurall. The Bishop, in his cathedrall church, was associated with certaine Prebendaries, some resident, who serued as his ghostly counsel in points of his charge, & others not bound to ordinary residence, who were called to consultation, vpon things of greater consequence: & for matters of principal importance, the Archbishop had his prouincial Sinod, & the whole clergy their national.
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Now then, if euery one thus entrusted, would remember that he had a soule to saue or lose, by the well or ill discharging of so waighty a function, and did accordingly from time to time bestowe his requisite endeauour, what the least fault could escape the espiall of so many eyes, or the righting amongst so many hands? But I haue thrust my sickle ouer-farre into anothers haruest: let my mistaking be corrected, and in regard of my good meaning, pardoned.
The Temporal gouernment of Cornwall, shooteth out also into two branches, Martiall, and Ciuill.
For martiall affaires, master Camden noteth out of Iohannes Sarisburiensis, that the Cornish mens valiancy purchased them such reputation amongst our ancestours, as they (together with those of Deuon and Wiltshire) were wont to be entrusted, for the Subsidiary Cohort, or band of supply. An honour equall to the Romanes Triarii, and the shoot-anker of the battell. With which concurreth the ancient, if not authenticall testimony of Michael Cornubiensis, who had good reason to knowe the same, being that Countryman, and more to report it: his verses, for which I haue also beene beholding to M. Camden, are these:
Rex Arcturus nos primos Cornubienses
Bellum facturus vocat, vt puta Caesaris enses
Nobis non alijs, reliquis, dat primitus ictum
Per quem pax lisque, nobis sit vtrumq; relictum
Quid nos deterret, si firmiter in pede stemus,
Fraus ni nos superet, nihil est quod non superemus.
I will now set downe the principall Commaunders & Officers, touching these martiall causes, together with the forces of the shire.
Lord Lieutenant generall, Sir Walter Ralegh.
| Sir Frauncis Godolphin, |
| Sir Nicholas Parker, |
| Sir Reignald Mohun, |
Deputie | Peter Edgecumb, | or any 3.
Lieutenants | Bernard Greinuile, | of them.
| Christopher Harris, |
| Richard Carew, |
Colonell generall, Sir Nicholas Parker.
Marshall, Bernard Greinuile.
Treasurer, Richard Carew.
Master of the Ordinance, Will. Treffry.
Colonell of the horse, Iohn Arundell of Trerise.
Sergeant maior, Humphrey Parcks.
Quarter Master, William Carnsew.
Prouost Marshall, Iohn Harris.
Scowt Master, Otwell Hill.