GRAPHIC NOTINGS

Otago Witness, Issue 3854, 24 January 1928, Page 5

GRAPHIC NOTINGS

By

LENS.

(Sfbciallt Written for thb Otago Witness.)

. This being what it is, the writer desires to say at once that he is only reviewing, and then only past happenings, and then again only to the extent of noticing the high lights. The desired further revision of the English Praver Book is a reminder of what brought "the original one into existence. It is not quite explained by referring to the “ Grand Repudiation ” by Henry VIII. England was still as a divided camp, and a Church like anything else must be disciplined in order to survive. Hence the first English Prayer Book, and if it was largely a compromise there is the reason—the “ Uses,” as they were called, being freely availed of in the compilation. The first English Prayer Book issued under Edward VI in i 549 will engage the attention of printers because of°the “ set,” and of many others because of the spelling. It was put up in an inherited text and a Latin one, respecting the latter of which it may be observed that the type-founders have gone in for a revival with the character perfected. The page which is reproduced to extent enough to serve contains the Lord’s Prayer against a wonderful capital letter showing Christ being mocked. It reads—-

“ Oure Father whiche arte in heave (n indicated by a dash over the e), hallowed be thiname. Thy kyngdome come. Thy wyll be done in earth as it is in heaven. Geve us thys daye Oure daily bread. And forgeve us oure trespasses as we forgeve" them that trespasse against us. And leade us not into temptation. But delyver us from evell. Amen.”

The title page is distinguished for its remarkable border. At. the foot are shown two cherubs supporting a mixed escutcheon, flanked by two “ elves ” with goat limbs. And with the sides made of two erect angels, each with a basket of fruit and leaves on the head. The top consists of the Royal Arms of the period —the three lions and the three lilies

repeated under a crown? the supporters being a lion for England and a griffin for Wales. If the writer can go bv his facsimiles, then the first Prayer Book was of large size, as the set of "the page, exclusive of the margin, measures 9in by s|in.The first Prayer Book was embodied in an Act of Parliament . which prescribed these penalties—-with any cleric departing from it, the loss of certain profits

for the first offence, of. all preferments for the second, and of liberty for the third; and with any layman holding it up to either ridicule or contempt, £lO jfor the first offence, £2o'for the second, and the loss of estate and liberty for the third. The danger lay in the conciliatory spirit shown, as among other' things it led to that movement’that be-’ came known as Puritanism.

In coming to Elizabeth it is impossible to avoid referring to that title which ,the Pope had bestowed on Henry VIII for his book, “A Defence of the Seven

Sacraments.” Cancelled with the break, it was revived under his second daughter, who was made “ Defender of the Faith ” by Act of Parliament. And then this—she -was made “Supreme Governor,” which turned her into a dictatress. And yet, very little fault can be found with the new Prayer Book which was issued on that score, as, if anything at all, it carried the conciliatory spirit a little farther. The Book issued in 1578 was a splendid piece of craftsmanship, and opportunity has been taken to give the dedicator}’ page on a reduced scale, this showing tne Queen at prayer. If it were complete, the reader would see under the crown on the right the Royal Arms, and over the curtains two reclining angels, and on “ Elizabeth Regina.” In which connection an old record gives* an engaging account of what happened-at St. Paul’s when next her Majesty visited it to attend to her devotions publicly. Finding a specially-bound Prayer Book on her cushion interspersed w’ith “ cuts,” she went to the Dean about it: — “ What caused you, Mr Dean, to insert these pictures ? ”

“ I thought it would please vou, Madam.”

“It has displeased me, sir. You must needs be ignorant of my aversion towards such things.”

“ I trust, your Majesty, you will put it down to my ignorance, and forgive -'me.” f - “ Who engraved the pictures ? ” .. “I know not. I bought them from a German.” “ Never let it occur again.”

“ It shall not.” Elizabeth allowed no one to challenge her will. Faults she had, but she was still a wonderful." woman. The writer has an account of her by the secretary of a Minister who was present one "day when she returned from churchy* He describes her as of medium height, of fine complexion, wearing a wig, and

smothered in jewels. And extending her hand to be kissed by four Ministers of different nationalities,- she addressed each in his Own language with every facility. He speaks of her eyes—wonderful eyes, as black as sloes, and winds up by saying: “Such was Elizabeth in the fifty-seventh year of her age.” The next part of the story is reached with Charles II on the Throne. They were rather turbulent days, with rancour in the ascendancy. On May 19, 1662, he gave his assent in Parliament to that famous Bill which was destined to lead • to no end of troubles, “The Conformity Act.” Through it hundreds of clergymen had to take leave of their charges, and outstanding was the day that witnessed them in their pulpits for the last time. It would be too long a tale to tell carefully enough to make it clear, as it would bring in the Presbyterians, the Baptists, and the Quakers, and sundry

others. Everything done, whether tvrannieal or not, was in the name of “ discipline,” which, like “liberty,” can be interpreted in different ways. In giving his assent to the Bill, Charles declared his affection for the Chufch of England, when the Speaker, addressing him from the Bar, likened him to the sun in removing by his presence the shadows of doubt and misunderstanding. A further Act provided for offenders against the law being transported—to the American plantations other -than Virginia and New England, which were esteemed as not thorough enough to serve. With the present proposed revision of the English Prayer Book we had 'in a cable a line from the Lords that the new book be presented to his Majesty for hia assent. The King is head,of the Church in this vzay: The Bill of Rights under which William and Mary took the Throne is a misnomer. A Bill is not an Act till it is assented to, arid until they were crowned the authority was not . there. The Bill of Rights was embodied in an Act that bears a different name, one that, however, does not deal with the succession at all. It was a later Act that secured the*'Crown to tha line of the Electress Sophia, one which Parliament passed because, on the death of the Duke of Gloucester, Princess Anne s son, it was esteemed too dangerous to leave the question open. A certain writer elsewhere, signing himself “ Historian,” says that this' further Act was passed' in the reign of William and Mary, but not so, as it was passed in the reign of William alone. Queen. Mary having succumbed to siriallpox six years before. The Act of Settlement assures the Crown to tha lawful' heirs of the Electress Sophia, always provided that thev are in communion with the Church of England. It consists of eight clauses, and that ia the first. For the rest, Parliament made it the f excuse for remedying certain omissions in the previous Act. While of no immediate bearing, the seventh clause will be mentioned because of ita importance, the previous Act had declared through embodying' the Bill of Rights that all “ unusual ” forms of punishment are repugnant to the British spirit, and as such should never receive any countenance. The further Act declared that judges should be independent of the Crown by establishing their salaries and making it impossible to remove them save “ upon the address of both Houses of Parliament.”

Very much could be written about tha English Prayer Book. No one will deny; its beauty of language; l the stately; arrangement of its Lessons, the comprehensiveness of things, the measured form in which one thing leads to another, its scholarship and its dignity. Whatever its faults, it will be conceded that it is a masterpiece of construction, as sweet as it is refined,’ and as refined as it is sweet.