A Quench-Coal, Description
THE MANNER OF ALTERING THE Communion Table of the Collegiate Church of WOLVERHAMPTON in the Countie of STAFFORD: & consecrating it for an Altar, the 11. day of October. Anno Domini 1635.
VPONUPON Satarday being the 10. of October 1635. Maister Edward Latham, one of the Proctors of Leichfeild, & Surrogate of Woluerhampton accompanied with some 20. or 30. Persons, men, weomen and Chorasters, came to the Towne, many of the Inhabitants, but cheifly the Clergie going to meet him.
The intent of his & their coming, was to performe the solemnity of Dedicating the Communion Table to be an Altar, and of consecrating certeyne Altar Cloathes (as they said) to the glory of God.
The Table was made new for this purpose, being about a yard & an halfe in lenght, exquisitely wrought and inlaid, a fayre wall of waynscot being at the backe of it, & the rayle before it, was made to open in the middle, & not at one side; the middle, where the Ministers tread, being matted with a very fayre Matt.
VponUpon the Table was placed a faire Communion Booke, couered with cloth of gold, & bossed with great silver Bosses, together with a faire Cushion of Damaske, with a Carpet of the same; both party coulored of skie coulor & purple, the fringe of the Carpet being blew & white.
On each side of the Table hangs two peices of white Callico, & betwixt them the 10 Commaundements, written in a fayre Table with guilded Letters, the foresaid Cushion standing just below it.
But on the North end where the Minister stands to consecrate, & in that peice of white Callico, is represented at the top, the picture of Angels with faces, cloudes; & birdes fleying; about the middle, the picture of Peter on the Crosse, at the bottome, George on horsebacke treading on the Dragon, leaues, & grasse, with some trees, being beneath all, almost at the end of it.
In the other peice of white Callico on the West end, is the same as on the North end, only the picture in the middle differs, being the picture of Paul with his*Like a Persecutor not an Apostle. sword in his hand, all this being the curious worke of some needle woman.
Now the mysterie why, the Pictures of Peter, & Paul & George on horsebacke, & more other are in this worke, is imagined, because the Church is dedicated to the memorie of Peter and Paul & it is vnderunder the Iurisdiction of Sant Georges Chappell at Windsor.
The next day being the Lords day, assoone as the Preists (for so they would be called, to suite the better with their Altar) came to the Church, each of them made a Low Congie a peece at their very first entring in at the great Church dore, and an other Congie a peece at the Ile dore, & after that 3. Congies apeece towards the Altar (before its dedication,) and so they went into the Chancell where a bason of water & a towel was provided for the Preistes to*It seemes they come to Church with poluted hands, & s…inking soules, that they thus needed water & incense. wash in, where was incense burnind which perfumed the whole Church; & then they returned backe making 3. Congies a peece, & went to service; which was solemnely performed, the Organs blowing, great singing, not heard of in this Church before, which kinde of seruice lasted two howres at least.
Seruice being finished there was a Sermon Preached by one Maister Ieffery Arch-deacon of Salop in the County of Salop, whom the Surragate brought with him.
His text was, Iohn. 10. 22. 23. And it was at Hierusalem the Feast of the Dedication, & it was winter, & Iesus walked in the Temple in Salomons Porch.
All his whole Sermon was to prove the truth of the Altar. He had not one place of Canonicall Scripture as we remember, & but one place in all, which was out of the Maccabees: His Sermon lasted an hower.
After Sermon they went to the Dedication, or rather as the Preacher stiled it, Renouation of the Altar: and in the Bellhouse *One Preist can consecrate the Sacrament, what need then 4. (& neither of them a Bishop, contrary to the Canons) to Consecrate the Altar? It sermes the Altar is more holy then the Sacrament which hath but one to hallow it.4. of them putt on the rich broydered Copes, and eueryevery one of them had a Paper in his hand, which they termed: Censer, & so they went vp to the Altar, reading as it went, for they looked often on it.
As they went they made 3. Congies apeece, & when they came to the Altar, they kneeled downe & prayed ouer the cloth, & the other Consecrated things, the Organs blowing all the while; this solemnity lasted almost halfe an hower.
After all this was performed there was a Communion, and one was appointed to stand with a Bason to receyve the offertory; divers gaue mony, & it was thought it had been giuen to the poore; but the man that held the Bason gaue it to the Surragate, (the somme gathered being reputed about 40. s,) he calling the Church-wardens gaue them as he said 10. s, the remainder he told them he would bestow on other pious vses, but the 10: d. being counted, proved to want. 6. of the just somme he said he had deliuered them.
None gaue the Communion, but the 4. that had Copes.
This finished, they*Defiled belike with the very Consecration of the Altar & have Altar-clothes. washed their hands & returned, making 3. Congies apeece as before.
These Copes & the siluer Basons were brought from Leich-feild.*Its well they would allaw an afternoone sermon to grace this Dedication since they admit none their since.
The Communion and Dedication ended,*Quod Nota. they went to dinner, & in the*Quod Nota. Afternoone they come to Church againe, where was a Sermon preached by one Maister Vsuall a Minister, & his text was in the 2. Sam: 7. 2. And David said to Nathan the Prophet, se now I dwell in an house of Cedar, And the Arke of God abideth vnderunder Curtaines.
This Sermon did justify and magnify the Altar, & lasted more then an hower: which being finished, they went to prayer; which was very solemnely performed, the Organs blowing, & diuers Anthems & Responds being sung at that time: which done, they departed from the Church to their lodging, where they were very merry; & to grace this solemnity and Consecration of the Altar the Higher, the next day being munday, they of Leich-feld went out of Towne*This was an holy Dedication of an Altar indeed, belike it was to Bacchus not to God. many of them very drunke, defiling themselues with this swinish sinne like so many filthie brute beastes, to make the Altar the more holy & venerable, and themselves more apt to nod & Congie to it, & this maner of keeping this feast of Dedication, a patterne for all the Country to Imitate. Thus ended this late Dedication, with which I here conclude my rude Discourse, and Quench-Coale.