George Herbert and his times . heldthe prebend as a layman, as he already heldthe sinecure rectorship of Whitford, given himby King James. Whether he was then ordainedor not, he at once accepted the secular responsi-bilities of his charge. The prebend carriedwith it the patronage of Leighton Bromswold,a small country parish in Huntingdonshire, theChurch of which, an ancient building dedicatedto St. Mary the Blessed Virgin, was one ofthose neglected and nasty lying sanctuarieswhich Laud at his trial held to be largely ac-countable for the decline of religion throughoutthe land. The manner in wh
George Herbert and his times . heldthe prebend as a layman, as he already heldthe sinecure rectorship of Whitford, given himby King James. Whether he was then ordainedor not, he at once accepted the secular responsi-bilities of his charge. The prebend carriedwith it the patronage of Leighton Bromswold,a small country parish in Huntingdonshire, theChurch of which, an ancient building dedicatedto St. Mary the Blessed Virgin, was one ofthose neglected and nasty lying sanctuarieswhich Laud at his trial held to be largely ac-countable for the decline of religion throughoutthe land. The manner in which Herbert setabout its restoration is characteristic ; and thestory is told in Waltons best style:— 11 This Layton Ecclesia, he says, using theolder spelling, is a village near to Spalden,in the County of Huntingdon, and the greatestpart of the Parish Church was fallen down, andthat of it which stood was so decayed, so little,and so useless, that the parishioners could notmeet to perform their duty to God in public prayer. Q b TRANSITIONAL 177 and praises ; and thus it had been for almost twenty-years, in which time there had been some faintendeavours for a collection, to enable the parish-ioners to rebuild it; but with no success, till undertook it ; and he, by his own andthe contributions of many of his kindred, andother noble friends, undertook the re-edificationof it, and made it so much his whole business thathe became restless till he saw it finished as it nowstands ; being for the workmanship a costly mosaic;for the form an exact cross ; and for the decencyand beauty, I am assured, it is the most remark-able Parish Church that this nation affords. Helived to see it so wainscoted as to be exceededby none ; and by his order the reading pew andpulpit were a little distant from each other, andboth of an equal height ; for he would oftensay, They should neither have a precedency orpriority of the other; but that prayer and preach-ing, being equally useful, migh
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