There is no cause for surprise if, even in those times of slow communication, all western Europe was stirred with the news of such an end to such a life. Lullus, at Mentz, whom Boniface had loved before all others,* was inundated with requests for information as to his life and death from Tuscany, from the extreme limits of Gaul, from all parts of Germany, from Britain. + Within the very year of the martyrdom the English synod hastened to decree the observance of the day as a solemn festival; and to mark the more emphatically in what estimation they held him, they associated him with St. Gregory and St. Augustine, the apostles of England, as their special patron. But some who had known Boniface in early days, and did not live to see the full development of his greatness, struck a still higher note in his praise, considering his labours worthy of comparison with nothing less than those of the first preachers of Christianity. And there is no reason why they should wish to retract their words as expressing the too partial feelings of friends; for they only anticipated the sentence pronounced alike by the cold voice of history|| and the unerring judgment of the church. T † p. 430. ‡ p. 263. # p. 265. § p. 162. "Incœptio gloriosa-quæ est, ut arbitror, apostolicis coequanda certaminibus," says Bishop Daniel of Winchester. (p. 65.) e.g. Maclear, in his Christian Missions during the Middle Ages, writing of Boniface: "The roll of missionary heroes since the days of the apostles can point to few more glorious names, to none perhaps that has added to the dominion of the gospel regions of greater extent or value, or that has exerted a more powerful influence on the history of the human race.' (p. 208.) ¶ Multas gentes, multa hominum millia Christo acquisivit Beatus Bonifacius, magnam remunerationem cum sanctis Apostolis vir Apostolicus in cælo comparavit. (Breviary Office for the feast of St. Boniface.) FOSSIL FISH OF NORTH DEVON. BY TOWNSHEND M. HALL, M.A. (Read at Ashburton, July, 1876.) [Published in The Geological Magazine, September, 1876, pp. 410–12] THE JUSTICES OF THE PEACE FOR THE COUNTY OF DEVON IN THE YEAR 1592. BY A. H. A. HAMILTON. (Read at Ashburton, July, 1876.) SOME of you may have seen an article which appeared in Fraser's Magazine for June last, entitled "Quarter Sessions under Queen Elizabeth," and founded upon the records of this county. I may perhaps be permitted to take this opportunity of bringing forward certain details of local interest, drawn from the same source, which I thought it best to omit in a paper intended for general reading. Almost at the commencement of the records we find a list of fifty-five justices, probably the whole number in the county. The subject is introduced by a letter from the Lords of the Council to the Lord-Lieutenant (the Earl of Bath), Sir William Courtenay, Sir John Gilbert, and Sir Francis Drake. I venture to quote it at length, as showing the endeavours of the Government of Elizabeth to reform the commission of the peace, and to purge it of those who were called "Popish recusants." "After our hearty commendations. The Queen's Majesty being lately informed that sundry persons in many of the counties of her realm, being placed to be Justices of the Peace, yet have not taken such oaths as by the laws and statutes of the realm they ought to have taken before they might exercise such office, hath therefore thought very necessary to have speedy remedy hereof. And for that purpose, considering it is uncertain who they are that have not taken the said oath, Her Majesty's pleasure is (without intent to prejudice such as have their oath), that by virtue of these our letters before the 20th day of November next, or within fifteen days after the receipt of these our letters, you shall procure a Sessions of the Peace to be holden at such open and accustomed place within that county as is used, and by notice and warning from you to be given, to require and cause that all the Justices of the Peace dwelling in that county be personally present at the same Sessions, after the usual manner of keeping Sessions for the Peace, to the accomplishment of Her Majesty's pleasure and service. At which time and place you occupying the place of Custos Rotulorum, and you the Sheriff, with such others of the said Justices as shall be appointed by Her Majesty's writ of Dedimus potestatem that shall be directed unto you and them for that purpose, shall require all and every of the Justices of the Peace there present openly and publicly to take the oath accustomed for the Justices of the Peace, and the oath also of Her Majesty's supremacy, as is prescribed by the statutes, and therein you and as many of the other Commissioners appointed by the said writ of Dedimus potestatem as shall be then and there present shall make due return of the said writ under your hands, thereby certifying unto the Chancery how many of the said Justices shall in the said Sessions have taken their said oaths, so as the same may come to me, the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, without any unnecessary delay, to be recorded in the Chancery. And if any of the said Justices that shall be there at the said Sessions shall refuse or forbear to take the said oaths, you shall also cause the same to be in like sort certified to me the Lord Keeper. And therewith you shall declare to me every such person so refusing or forbearing, that Her Majesty's pleasure is that he shall from that time forbear to exercise the office of a Justice of Peace until he shall conform himself so to do, and be newly placed in commission and sworn accordingly. And if any Justice dwelling in that county, and being warned to come unto the said particular Sessions, shall not come thither, you shall by your letters declare unto him that Her Majesty will have him forbear from the exercise of that office until he shall have taken those oaths, either in the Chancery before me the Lord Keeper, or upon reasonable excuse of such his absence to be allowed to have a writ of Dedimus potestatem to certain persons to give him the said oaths in some open Sessions, and shall cause the same duly to be returned and recorded in the Chancery. Which said oaths, if the Justices so dwelling in that county and absent from the said Sessions, shall not take before me the Lord Keeper or the said special commissioners, and cause to be duly returned and recorded in the Chancery as aforesaid within twenty days after the next Sessions of Justice, they so thereof failing shall be removed out of the Commission of the Peace. And because many are commonly in Commission that are not residently dwelling in the county where they are named Commissioners, you shall by your letters signify unto them that so shall reside out of that county and be absent from the so prefixed Sessions of that county, that they shall forbear to execute the office of a Justice of the Peace in that County until they shall certify you credibly that they have by virtue of our letters sent at this time to the county where they shall reside taken those oaths in the said other county where they are Justices and have their dwellings, or before me the Lord Keeper in manner aforesaid. "Furthermore, Her Majesty is informed that divers persons do occupy the offices of Justice of the Peace, who do not repair to their church or chapel accustomed, or upon reasonable lett thereof to some other place where common prayer is used and accustomed for divine service, or whose wives living with their husbands, or sons and heirs living in their houses, or within that county where their fathers do dwell, are known to refuse to come to the church, contrary to the statutes in that behalf made. A matter not agreeable with the vocation of any that ought to inquire of such offenders, and to reform the same. For which purpose also Her Majesty willeth you to certify her pleasure to all persons being justices in that county; that if any of them do forbear to resort commonly to the church, or that their wives. remaining and living in house with them, or their sons and heirs being above the age of 16 years, and living in their fathers' houses, or dwelling in the county where their fathers do dwell, do not usually come to the church to divine service, as by the laws and statutes they are bound to do, the fathers understanding or knowing of their sons' recusancy, that the persons being themselves recusants, or husbands or fathers of such recusants, shall forbear to exercise the offices of Justice of the Peace, and shall be left out of the commission of peace during the time of such recusancy of themselves, their wives, or sons and heirs. And to the intent that this Her Majesty's determination may take effect without delay, we will that you shall forthwith give notice to every such justice within that county of this Her Majesty's last determination for their forbearing from exercise of their offices upon the causes next here above alleged, so as they may be withdrawn out of the commission for that county. So, nothing doubting of your good care in the accom plishment hereof, according to Her Majesty's pleasure and expectation, we bid you heartily farewell. "From Hampton Court, the 20th of October, 1592. "Your very loving friends, "Jo. PUCKERINGE, C.S. "W. BURGLEIGHE (sic). "C. HAWARDE (sic). "J. HUNSDON. T. BUCKHURST. RO. CECYLL J. WOLLEY. J. FORTESCUE. Postscript. We require you all that are named in the writ of Dedimus potestatem, that yourselves will first openly in the sessions take the oath, one of you ministering to the other, saving that the Lords of Parliament are excepted by the act from taking the oath of supremacy." With this letter were sent copies of the writ of Dedimus potestatem, of the oath of a justice, and of the oath of supremacy. The four commissioners executed their office, and returned the following letter: "Our humble duties to your good lordships remembered. These may be to advertise you that, according to the tenor of your lordships' letters to us directed, bearing date the 20th of October last, for the administration of the oaths to the Justices of the Peace in this county of Devon, annexed to Her Majesty's writ of Dedimus potestatem in like sort to us addressed for the same cause, we (in open sessions, held at the Castle of Exeter, the 24th day of this present November) have thoroughly accomplished our duties in that behalf, and made return of the said writ of Dedimus potestatem unto the Chancery, as to you our very good Lord the Lord Keeper shall by the same return more at large appear, the which we humbly leave to your honourable considerations, and ourselves to your accustomed favours, praying God long to preserve your lordships in all honour. "From Exeter, the 25th day of November, 1592. "Your lordships' humble to command, “W. COURTNEY (sic). "JOHN GILBERTE. "FRA. DRAKE.” The return referred to is in Latin, and contains, as I said before, fifty-five names. Thirty-four justices appeared, and took the oaths in open court. Two were sworn before the Lord Keeper at Hampton Court; five, being justices for Cornwall also, were sworn at Bodmin; nine, most of whom seem to have been lawyers, were absent from the county; |