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388 YORK.
for eighteen weeks, and its gallant defenders, finding
that the place was no longer tenable, capitulated,
and were allowed to march out with the honours of
war. Special guarantees were given, it is said at
the instance of Lord Fairfax, that neither churches
nor other buildings should be defaced by the
Parliamentarians. The garrison retired to Skipton.
On the 3rd January, 1644-5, the Directory for
public worship was established, by an Ordinance of
Parliament bearing that date. That it might have full
effect, a further Ordinance was passed, in the August
following, forbidding the use of the book of Commonprayer
altogether. They were not content with its
prohibition :— in public worship. They went further than
this it might not be used in a man's own house, to
lead the devotions of his family and household, or
even, as it seemed, for his own individual edification
and comfort. All Prayer-books belonging to churches
and chapels were to be delivered up within a month,
and their use forbidden under heavy penalties ; _;^5
for the first
offence, ^10 for the second, and a year's
imprisonment for the third. Ministers who did not
observe the Directory were to- forfeit 40s., and
preaching, writing, or printing anything against it was
punishable by the imposition of a fine, of which the
maximum was ;£s°i the minimum ^5.
Even Neal, the historian of the Puritans, is
ashamed of this infamous law, which he pronounces
"equally to be condemned with the severities and
oppressions of the late times," and he goes on to say
that, though it might be right enough to abrogate the
public use of the Prayer-book, it was highly unreason-