'Sir Robert Wingfield and others to Archbishop Parker.

'Our humble commendations and duties remembered unto your grace. Great necessity doth occasion us to write unto you for one Master Lawrence, a late preacher, of whom we have good experience both for his modesty, faultless life, and sound doctrine; who hath been well exercised amongst us this five or six years with great diligence. He commonly preached twice every Sunday; and many times on the working days if there chanced any marriages or funerals: and that he did of his own charge, never taking anything, as his enemies cannot accuse him neither of that nor yet of anything else justly worthy of reproach. And so we testified unto your grace's visitors, and desired them that he might continue his preaching still, for we knew very well that we should have great need of him. And now we see it more evident, for here is not one preacher in a great circuit, viz., from Blythburgh to Ipswich, which is twenty miles distant and ten miles in breadth along by the seacoast; in the which circuit he was wont to travel.

'Thus we have thought good to certify your grace of the necessity of our country, and the diligence and good behaviour of this man, trusting that your grace will either restore him again, or else send us some other in his room, the which we most heartily desire, commending the same to Almighty God, who preserve your grace. Dated the 27th of October, Ao 1567. Your grace's to command:

'Robert Wingfeld.

'Wym Hopton.

Wyllyam Canndysh.

Thomas Felton. 'Thomas Colbyn, of Beckles. 'Thomas Playter.'

This petition seems to have been more favourably received than most of the same nature, for when Canterbury and Norwich once more experienced simultaneous vacancy, in 1575, Bishop Freke found Mr. Lawrence still

an admired preacher, and suspended him for not complying with the rites and ceremonies of the Church of England. This time Mr. Calthorp petitioned Burghley, who replied by a little gentle pressure on the Bishop, who referred the Lord Treasurer to the Queen's letter. This reference was final, and Lawrence remained silenced.

These difficulties and the like, serious as they were, did not prevent Church work from thriving. Matters had begun to assume a more settled and healthy aspect during the later years of Parkhurst's episcopate-at least, so far as we can judge from written evidence.

We have no record of Confirmations, but if an inference may be drawn from the amount of wine required at the great festivals, there must have been large assemblies of communicants. Preaching, neglected as we have seen it, maintained its importance and its length whenever a preacher's voice was heard.

Controversy is apt to thrust philanthropy to the wall, and the sad history of a poor little boy on the tramp comes to us from the Metfield register. The nip of winter is probably felt in the post-Lucan October weather. The hand of death is on the child as he comes into the place, and he is hastily buried, not without dread of infection.

'The xxjti of October for the yere of or Lord God 1576 one Nicholas Snowdon of the age of Ayght or x yeres as it is supposed beinge browght to this p'ishe by the inhabitants of mendham by vertue of a passpote (sic) directed from Thomas ffuller and Oliver Tompson cunstables of Harlston to be conducted to Sowthwold where he was borne as he make reporte. And as it appeare by his said passporte, was buried in this p'ishe of Metfeld the xxijti daie of the saide month of October, 1576.'

Difficulties arose earlier in the towns, from conceit or from enlightenment, according to the view of him who reads the past.

The Prayer-Book was a remnant of Popery; it was stained with superstition and steeped in error, or, to take a less rigorous view, was formal and ineffective. So said

and felt the Puritan. On the other hand, the Churchmen deeply resented these imputations. They rebutted the charge of superstition, and showed that, if their use of words was erroneous, it was such as had obtained all along the line of Church history. Formalism and ineffectiveness were things which were not excluded by the abolition of a liturgy. These irreconcilable views brought much heat and little light. Ecclesiastical insolubilities have to engender a still more acute pain in the body politic in the seventeenth century.

Recusancy was a standing cause of danger. Apparitors and constables had a busy time of it, hunting up and down the country for Roman reactionaries as well as vestment-hating progressives. Mrs. Freke, odious as her very existence must have been to the Queen, was shrewdly suspected of conniving at the former. It would have been a fine thing to hear Elizabeth's opinion of this lady.. But the Bishop had to go forward with his work, whether his wife liked it or not. In 1584 he was translated to Worcester, and succeeded at Norwich by Dr. Edmund Scambler, Bishop of Bishop of Peterborough, who, having ministered in Mary's reign, at the hazard of his life, to a little congregation in London, was in greater antagonism to Rome. The rapid course of events-the plots against Elizabeth, the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, and, above all, the threatened invasion of England-caused the recusants on the whole to keep as quiet as possible. Many outwardly conformed, no doubt, perhaps by dispensation, perhaps in hope of pardon when the times should have changed. Many genuinely threw themselves into the martial movement which pervaded the whole of England when it became clear that to escape the Spanish yoke the nation must rise as one man. Lord Howard of Effingham had many of his, the loyal and patriotic Roman Catholic, type within the borders of our county.

Suffolk was regarded as an especially vulnerable part, and Suffolk was not behindhand in preparation against

the day of trial. The nautical and amphibious element abounds in East Suffolk, and no love was lost between this class and the Spaniards. So the parishes cheerfully bore the charges incurred in putting armour in order, drilling and quartering soldiers and the like. We learn from the Cratfield parish-book that there was a great muster at Beccles on February 29 in the Armada year. This little parish paid 23s. 7d. at that time 'for part of the charges of the trayned sougers, and other charges for mete and drynke, and for our [the churchwardens'] horse mete.' The caliver cost 16d. to carry to Beccles, and another was bought for 15s. to supply its place. The armour items show that a wholesome desire to turn out the parish soldier in style existed in the parish authorities. Such necessaries as a headpiece for 5s., two long girdles for 11d., and four crampets, the transverse guard of a sword for protection to the hand, might have been expected; but ornament was not wanting-red cotton and fringe for pikes, gray thread and 'ij yards of yellowe sylke lace,' show that those externals which under all circumstances have a cheering effect on humanity were not omitted. The peculiarity of breeches must not be passed over, for the parish spent 8d. for 'a yarde of beryng lynyng,' this 'bearing' substance being that which effected the marvellous form of the Elizabethan farthingale, and was here used for an analogous purpose in male attire. Training at Dunwich and Laystof' cost the village 3s. and 12s. respectively. The constables received £3 10s. 8d. for the soldiers' coats, 18s. 3d. 'for the settynge forth of the sowldyers,' and for the charge of them at Snape, 20s. These items may be taken as types of similar ones all over the county, and show us the manner of carrying out the well-known instructions :

:

'The trained soldiers of those shires, which lay near the sea-coast, had orders to defend those places, and be ready at the alarm to hinder the enemy from landing; but if he did land, then to spoil the country round about that he might find no food; and by continual crying,

"Arm! arm!" give the enemy no rest, but yet should not give battle, till good store of commanders were come together.'

When the French Republic, after an interval of two centuries, threatened our isles, Mr. Bruce was directed to search the public records and report on the measures taken by the Queen's advisers in 1588. It appears that inquiries had been made by Burghley six years earlier with regard to ships, that Ipswich had eight of 100 tons, Orford one of 140 tons, and Southwold three, from 140 to 170 tons. Fourteen more between 100 and 80 tons are registered, six from Ipswich, four from Aldeburgh, two from Southwold, and two from Lowestoft, and of hoys, etc., down to 14 tons, twelve from Ipswich, six from Woodbridge, six from Orford, four from Aldeburgh, ten from Dunwich, five from Walberswick, ten from Southwold, and six from Lowestoft. The masters and men in the county were 98 and 1,184. In 1588 we find from Ipswich the Catharine (Thos. Grymble) and the William (Barnabie Lowe) serving under Lord Henry Seymour.

Our county stands well in respect of the loan made to her Majesty in this year, the order being, first Kent, then Sussex, Essex, Yorkshire, Suffolk; and the sums £5,025, £4,535, £4,125, £3,692, £3,625, there being thus only £67 less raised in Suffolk than in the greatest county in England.

Whatever amount of fact may be wanting to Macaulay's brilliant lines:

'From Eddystone to Berwick bounds, from Lynn to Milford Bay, That time of slumber was as bright and busy as the day,'

and the Eschylean description of the war-flame:

'Till broad and fierce the star shone forth from Ely's sacred fane, And tower and hamlet rose in arms o'er all the boundless plain,'

none can fail to appreciate them.

It was on July 29 that the main action took place off Calais and Gravelines, after which disastrous laceration the remnants of the conquered Invincibles betook them