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THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF HEREFORD. By Canon Bannister. (S.P.C.K. 7s. 6d.)
The record of our cathedrals is a key to English Church history ; and, in the case of Hereford, the important pub- lications of the Cantilupe Society, edited by Canon Capes— to whose memory as artium humaniorum cultor the present volume is dedicated—and Canon Bannister, have enabled the author to enter into detail, not easily accessible even to students, which makes the past live again in his pages. It may be ,noted that St. Thomas of Hereford (Cantilupe) died under -exeommunication, and that miracles which are
described as " marvels of faith-healing " were worked at his tomb. The Chapter was not free from scandals ; we read of blows exchanged between certain canons in choir, of corcubinage, and even of house-breaking ; and the Reforma- tion added religious to personal differences. Scory, a Domini- can friar who had been Protestant under Edward, Papist under Mary, and Bishop under Elizabeth, was an unpleasant type of an .unpleasant time. - " The canons," he writes to Cecil, " will neither preach, read homilies, nor minister the Holy Communion," and he describes his cathedral as " a veric nursery of blasphemy, whoredom, pride, superstition and ignorance." The Statutes 'of 1583, printed here for the first time, prescribe a monthly communion ; and a weekly sermon " for the space of an hour or thereabouts ; and the Laudian revision of 1636 directs the " sub-canons "—always a source of difficulty at Hereford—to" communicate four t me ; a year. The Civil War brought further changes. An officer in the Parliamentary garrison writes (1642) :—
" Sabbath day, about the- ti:ne of morning prayer, we went to the Minster, when the pipes played and the puppets sang so sweetly that our soldiers could not forbeare dauncinge m.the holie quire ; whereat the Baalists were sore displeased. Not satisfied with this humane service, -we went to the divine ; where Mr. Sedgwick gave us two famous sermons, which much effected the poore in- habitants, who, wondering, said they never heard the like before."
Which was probably the ease.
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