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YORK.
CHAPTER XXIV.
Every reader of English history is aware of the
perple.xities and troubles which the turbulent and
unreasonable demands of the Puritans brought upon
Elizabeth during many years of her reign. At first
there was no formed intention of separating themselves
from the Church of which they professed to be
members. What they wanted was to carry out the
reformation of that Church further and further, in
conformity with German and Genevan discipline.
Dissent may be said to date from about 1566, but it
did not assume anything like a definitely organised
form until 1580, when the sect called Brownists arose,
who were the first actual Separatists. In 1593 the
offence given by the Mar-prelate publications occasioned
the passing of a severe statute against Nonconformity.
But concerned as we are with the
diocese of York only, a passing notice of it may be
sufiicient, since, as we have seen, the religious difficulties
with which her majesty had to deal in Yorkshire
were exclusively connected with the recusancy of the
Roman Catholics.
One result, however, of the Puritan controversies
of this period must not be left unnoticed. They gave
rise to the great work of one whose learning, whose
calm dispassionate wisdom, and irreproachable life
shed a lustre over the reformed Church of England,