did urge the Obfervation of thefe Times; but 'tis evident the Convocation thought there was no Occafion for any fuch Law to be made, and therefore judged it fufficient to have their Opinion publifh'd in all Churches, without any fuch Declarative Law. Mr. Strype takes notice of a Scheme intended to be offered to Parliament, or Convocation, or both, A. D. 1562. That it fhall be lawful to Marry at any time of the Year, except Christmas-day, Eafter-day, and fix Days before, and upon Pentecoft-Sunday. All this fhews that the Men of Thought in that Age did believe, that these Times mention'd in the old Ritual were no longer of any Obligation, or at least, that they ought not fo to be, though the inferior Ordinances countenanced by the Queen did ftill press the Obfervation of them.

Indeed the Council of Enham does mention fuch Times; but, among them, reckons all the greater Feafts, and fifteen Days after Eafter, and the Ember-Days, but omits the Rogation. So that this is a Rule obferv'd by none, and indeed it was made, A. D. 1009. long before any Canon or Statute now in force: See Spelman's Vol. 1. p. 518.

2. Nor do any of our Canons made fince the Reformation, take notice of any fuch Times. The 62d of the Canons made in 1602. forbids Minifters to Marry at unfeasonable Times; but it is evident, that thereby are meant Times of the Day, not of the Year, for 'tis prefently added, but between the Hours of 8 and 12 So that it does not appear, that these Times were

ever intended to be prohibited by our Prelates, fince the Reformation.

Dr. Cofins, that moft exact Civilian, takes no notice of any fuch Times prohibited in his Tables, though he had a fair Occafion to do it. Tab. 4, 8, 9.

Dr. Comber, in his Defence of our Liturgy, Part. 4. pag. 4. only fays, Thefe Times are obferved by fome: Which is, indeed, the most, that can in Juftice be faid. Farther, in the Form of Licenfe drawn up by Convocation, A. D. 1597. to be feen in Sparrow's Collection, there is no mention of any prohibited Times: The Words, Et fi tempore de jure probibito have fince been foifted in by the Proctors. So that if ever there were any fuch Cuftom, I fuppofe it might truly be faid, That 'tis now out of Doors.

Thus much have I faid on this Subject, not fo much for the fake of the Clergy, as the People. For, indeed, the greateft Hardship is to them, who are hereby, for a great part of the Year, reftrained from ufing that Liberty which God and Nature allows all Men, and which all Governments ought to encourage, I mean, Honeft Marriage. For the greateft part of the Nation are fuch as cannot be at the Charge of a Licenfe, without hurting themfelves, and their future Families; and indeed, by the Canon, Licenfes ought not to be granted, but only to fuch as be of good State and Quality, Can. 101.

Some have indeed queftion'd the Bishop's Power to grant Licenfes for Marrying in any Cafe, without Banns first publifhed, becaufe this is difpenfing with an Act of Parliament; for the

Mar

Marriage Office, which requires Banns, is part of the Statute Law. But then it is anfwer'd, That this Power of difpenfing is granted to the Bishop by Statute Law too; I mean, by the 25 Hen. VIII. c. 21 by which all Bishops are allow'd to difpenfe, as they were wont to do: And fuch Difpenfations have been granted by Bishops ever fince Archbishop Mepham's Days at leaft, who died Anno Dom. 1333. See Prov. L. 4. T. 3. c.1. Or rather the fixth Conftit. of Zouch, Archbishop of York, 1347.

Many of thofe Churches which formerly were exempt from the Vifitation oth of Bishop and Archbishop, by virtue of the Pope's Bull, in favour of fome Monaftery of Regular Monks or Friars, do ftill remain fo exempted; and fo are vifitable only by the Crown, and have now for fome Ages been vifited by no body at all: Thefe are called Lawlefs Churches; because the Minifters belonging to them being not obnoxious, to the Vifitation of any Spiritual Ordinary, marry without either Banns or License.

Marriage without Banns or Licenfe is good, and valid in Law, if there be no Legal Impedi ment; but the Minifter is liable to three Years Sufpenfion who married fo: And the Parties married may be corrected in the Spiritual Court. Godol. c. 33. Seff 3.5. and no Prohibition lies. If there be any Legal Impediment, the Marriage is null, tho' Banns have been publifhed, or Licenfe granted; for fo many as are coupled together otherwife than God's Word doth allow, are not joined together by God, neither is their Matrimony Lawful. Office of Matrimony.

CHA P.

CAH P. XXII.

Of the Chriftian Era, and our Account of Time.

WE now reckon 1730 Years fince the Birth

of Chrift, which Account was first settled by Dionyfius Exiguus, a Scythian born, and afterwards a Roman Abbot: He drew a Pafchal Cycle for 97 Years, beginning 527. From him others took this Way of Reckoning. The first time we find it ufed here, is at the Council of Baccanceld, which is dated A. D. 694. at the Council of Calecyth, A. D. 816. c. 9. all the Bishops are required to take an Account of the Year of our Lord. The French and Germans did not receive it, or use it in any of the Epiftles and Charters, till the latter end of that Century. Bede was the first who is obferved to have made ufe of it in Hiftory, either here or any where else.

But Scaliger, and others fince him, will not allow that the Annus vulgaris Dionyfii is the Annus veras; he places it almost two Years fooner; fome four, fome five; but one of our Nation has fix'd it precifely three Years, two Months, and feven Days, before the Common Account. Harm. of the Gospels, p. 161.

The exact Obfervations of later Ages have dif cover'd an Error in the Julian Account of Years; fo called becaufe fettled by Julius Cæfar, 45

Years

Years before the Birth of Chrift, and by him order'd to be obferv'd throughout the Roman Empire, of which Britain was then a Province, and is ftill retain'd here, and called the Old Stile.

By this Account the Year is fuppofed to confift of 365 Days and 6 Hours; the odd Hours added together, amounted every fourth Year to a whole Day, which is therefore added every fourth Year, call'd Biffextile or Leap-Year.

But there are not fix full Hours above 365 Days in the true Solar Year, there are 10 Minutes, 44 Seconds wanting to make the 6 Hours compleat; and therefore the addition of a whole Day every fourth Year was too much, and in 134 Years makes a Variatian of a whole Day; by which means it is come to pafs, that the Vernal Equinox, which was in Julius Cæfar's Time, on the 24th of March, and at the Council of Nice on the 21ft, now falls, according to our Old Stile, on the 10th of that Month.

Pope Gregory XIII. to correct this Error, in the Year 1582, order'd 10 Days of that Year to be left out, by calling the 5th of October the 15th; by which means, the next Vernal Equinox, which would otherwife have been on the 11th of March, fell on the 21ft, as it did at the time of the Council of Nice, 325 Years after Chrift. He alfo order'd the Intercalary Day, the 29th of Frbruary, to be omitted at the end of the three enfuing Centuries, and to be retained at the beginning of the fourth. This is called the Gregorian or New Stile, which fince the beginning of this 18th Century, differs eleven

Days