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COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF RIPOX. 367
The accession of James VI. of Scotland was at
once proclaimed. No opposition was offered either
by the Romanist or Puritan party. The latter had
great hopes that the new sovereign would be on their
side. The former welcomed him with a petition for
toleration. The latter presented what was called the
Millenary Petition, praying for the redress of what
they deemed abuses in the service-book and ceremonial
of the Church of England. Of this the
Hampton Court conference was the result. The
issue of it was a Royal Proclamation, declaring the
exceptions taken by the Puritans to be of little weight,
—though a few trifling concessions were made,—and
requiring all his subjects to conform to the Liturgy
of the Church as established by law in the realm.
James had not been long on the throne before we
find him remedying to some extent the mischief
which had been wrought at Ripon by Edward VI. 's
act for the dissolution of collegiate foundations and
chantries. The possessions belonging to the church
of Ripon were leased out by the crown, a wretched
pittance being reserved for the minister who conducted
the parochial services. Archbishop Sandys,
supported by Lord Burleigh, endeavoured to procure
from Elizabeth an endowment suitable to an extensive
and populous parish. Promises, which were never
fulfilled, were all that he obtained. In 1596 a project
was mooted for the foundation of an Ecclesiastical
College at Ripon. Many eminent persons, including
men like Dean Nowell, Hooker, and others of similar
position, took much interest in the scheme, but it
was never carried into effect. The spiritual needs of