HVmbly beseecheth this ho­nourable Assembly, to take into their serious and religi­ous consideration, your pe­titioners extream sufferings, by the violence and wrongs done unto them, by Bryan Walton Doctor in Divinity their Parson, but a man of an un­quiet and unpeaceable carriage, making dif­ferences with his Parishioners, both by the new way of officiating in his Function to the scandall & offence of many, and his eager pro­secution of such of his Parishioners as are not of his party and opinion, and also by his greedy and covetous gaining into his power by indi­rect meanes the disposition of a great part of the Rents and proffits of the Church lands, [Page 2] which are directed for other imployment, whose turbulent courses, and troublesome cariage is such, that your Petitioners have but little comfort from him for matter of consci­ence, nor quiet in their temporall estate and abiding.

1 That the said Doctor Walton about the end of March 1637. did in despight and malice toward divers of his Parishioners, whom he knew well would be troubled at it, repaire to the said Church of St. Martins Orgar, ac­companied, for the better countenancing of his unlawfull act, with Mr. Doctor Warner, now Lord Bishop of Rochester, Doctor Brough, and Doctor Baker, together also with two other men, whose names your Petitio­ners have learned to be Hayward and Smith, and then sent for Mr. Gore then Churchwar­den, who being come, they commanded him in the Kings name, & in the name of the Lord Archbishops grace of Canterbury, forthwith to take the Communion Table, which then stood in the midst of the Chancell compassed in on all sides with a very faire raile, and to set it, and mount it up under the East win­dow in forme of an Altar; Mr. Gore for that [Page 3] they made shew to come with authority, de­sired to have sight of their warrant, No, they had it, but he should not see it; Whereupon Mr. Gore did deny to obey their Command; then came Doctor Warner to the Table in a ryotous way, and calling to the rest to helpe him, they together tooke hold of the Table, lifted it over the Railes, and carried and placed it under the East window; And the said Do­ctor Walton threatned the said Mr. Gore, that if he should cause the Table to be removed backe againe to the place where it did stand, that he should be punished for it in the high Commission court; Whereof Mr. Gore being fearfull, knowing well the malice of the man, suffered it to stand where the said Doctor had placed it, and where it now stands raised up with severall ascents and degrees in the fashi­on of an Altar, to the scandall and discontent­ment of the Parishioners, whom he causeth to come thither to receive the Sacrament; And for the morning service, part thereof he reades, or causeth to be read in the usuall read­ing pew, and thereof all that are present may be partakers, a second part hee carries with him to the Altar where it is read, but so that [Page 4] a great part of his parishioners scarce heare more then a sound or noise, and in stead ther­of their eyes observations are taken up with his lowly incurvation and bowing towards the Altar, which he often useth, and untill the Sermon be ended, his Curates station is appointed to be at the Altar in his Surplice, and then concludes with a third part of Service.

2. The said Doctor hath refused to admi­nister the sacrament of Baptisme to Infants, who have been presented in the Church for that purpose, on the holy day before divine Service, though hee hath beene before-hand made acquainted therewith and desired; For what cause your Petitioners know not, other then that their parents were not in his fa­vour.

3. Hee neither preacheth nor catechiseth on Sundayes in the afternoones, nor will per­mit the Petitioners to procure a Preacher, though at their owne charge, yet he puts in­to an account which he makes in the spiri­tuall Court twenty pounds for afternoones Sermons, which is allowed him there, he is non-resident all the Summer, and commits [Page 5] the charge of your Petitioners soules to an ig­norant Curate, maintaining him no other­wise then with a salary catched out of the Revenue of the Parish-lands, which he doth in this manner, wherein also lieth another grievance. One William Cromer Knight, 10. H. 6. gave divers Tenements in London to God, and the said Church, and to Iohn Nicholl then Parson and his successours for ever, to find therewith a Chaplaine to pray for his soule, and to keepe an Anniversary, and the resi­due to repaire the Church and Ornaments, which Tenements by reason of the super­stitious use aforesaid were seized into the hands of E. 6. upon the Statute of Chantries, and granted away. These lands of late yeares, at the great charge and labour of the Parishio­ners, have bin recovered by Iudgement upon Argument in the Kings Bench, and for main­tenance of that suit the Parish hath beene for­ced to sell other houses; It fortuned that neere about the end of this suite the Doctor comes to be Parson there, And then as if the lands were all his owne, he falls to letting of Lea­ses, and taking Fines, which he puts into his owne purse. This wrong to the Parish, oc­casioned [Page 6] a suit with him in his Majesties high court of Chancerie; Where upon hearing, a re­ference was made to Sir Edward Littleton then Solicitour generall, now Lord chiefe Iustice of the Common-Pleas, and to Mr. Chute being then the Counsell on both sides to settle the businesse, who not onely allowed the Do­ctor to goe away with the Fines he had taken by making Leases at undervalues of the hou­ses recovered at the parish charges, but giving faith to an Affidavit by him then made of a bill of great disbursments out of his owne purse expended in the recovery of the said houses, gave allowance of them also, & upon their report to the Court a Decree was passed, and now he takes & receives all the rents and proffits to his owne use, accompts not at all to the Parish, but keepes them strangers to all, as if it concern'd them not: Whereas the Decree allowes charges to your Petitioners aswell as to him, and directs that de futuro, in the Leases that should bee made, the Churchwardens for the time being should be named, and though the Rents are directed to be made paiable to the Doctor and his suc­cessours, yet they are to be delivered over to [Page 7] remaine in the hands of the Churchwardens, for the reimbursing the parishioners their charges expended about the recovery of the said Lands, and the rest to be employed by the Parson and Churchwardens, for the perfor­mance of the charitable uses aforesaid, ap­pointed by the Will of the said Cromer; Thus it stands decreed; And the said Doctour, though this Decree is made by his own con­sent, and is so expressed in the very De­cree, finds this way to elude it; He makes his addresse by Petition to the Lord Archbishops grace of Canterbury, and prayes that hee might retaine in his hands forty markes per annum without accompt, and that twenty pounds per annum onely might bee allowed towards the repaire of the said Church, and for Orna­ments and other uses; Vpon this petition an Act is made by Sir Iohn Lambe, directed by his Grace, and entred into a Registry, whereby Mr. Doctor Waltons desire is accomplished, and the Parish deprived of so much, and the Decree in Chancery made frustrate; And by this contrivance and device, against Law, a­gainst the Will of the Donor, and against the Decree in Chancery, the said Parson hath [Page 8] wrought and procured for himselfe and his Successours the Tenements aforesaid, which out of Lease are worth above two hundred pounds per annum, whereby your Petitioners are defeated of their charges, and the Church of its right, and in such a way as is without president or example, all which the Petitio­ners can make plainly appeare by the De­cree in Chancery, and the Petition of the said Doctor, and order of the said Archbi­shop of Canterbury, and by his unjust ac­compts made in the Ecclesiasticall Courts, wherein all his demands are allowed, ready to be produced to this honourable Assembly: And that posterity may bee the more decei­ved, he hath taken the boldnesse, as if it were a thing of undeniable truth, to assume to him­selfe the title of recovering the possessions of the Church, and hath caused this untrue In­scription to be set up in the East window o­ver the Altar, (viz.) Sir William Cromer Knight Anno 1431. gave to the Parson of this Church and his Successors for ever, all his lands and tenements in the parishes of St. Swithin and St. Olaves Hart-street London, towards the dai­ly Celebration of divine Service, and reparati­on [Page 9] of this Church and Chancell, and the Or­naments thereof, which lands being taken a­way the first of E. 6. were in part recovered to the said Church, for the said uses, by the said Brian Walton now Incumbent, and with the profits thereof this Church and Chancell were repaired, Anno Dom. 1637. and over that Inscription the said Brian Walton hath set his owne Armes and the said Cromers, and gives the charge thereof in accompt in the spirituall Court, to be allowed out of the rents of the said Church lands.

4. The said Doctor not content with the usuall Tythes of the Parish which have been paid according to the Statute, to gaine an Aug­mentation of 2 ^s. 9 ^d. in the pound, according to the very valew of mens houses, he hath preferred severall Petitions to the King, and to the Lord Major of London, and commen­ced severall suites in the Ecclesiasticall Courts, and very lately (viz.) upon the sixteenth of No­vember 1640. preferred his bils in Chancery against one of the Parishioners for the said 2. shillings 9. pence in the pound, and formerly preferred a bill there, and never proceeded therein, meerely to vex and weary out the Pe­titioners, [Page 10] making them to forsake their dwel­lings; Hee exacteth with threatnings tythes of many poore people, and of such as receive the almes of the Parish, and yet hath another Benefice of 200. pounds per annum, or there­about, in Essex.

5. Hee turmoileth the Petitioners with In­formations and Excommunications, prose­cuting them in the high Commission upon that extorted, and selfe-accusing oath Ex offi­cio, framing divers Articles against them con­taining divers charges of severall natures, ma­king your Petitioners a prey to Officers, and though wronged, yet left at last without re­liefe; for although some of your Petitioners after sentence of Excommunication against them, (with much difficulty) have obtained their absolution, and delivered the same to the Curate or Clerke, yet the said Doctor getting knowledge thereof, hath not forborne to publish the Excommunication, and forbid­den the Curate to declare the Absolution, and such is his power and countenance in the high Commission, and other Ecclesiasticall Courts, that he daily gets heart and incou­ragement to vex your Petitioners in these [Page 11] Courts, glorying and rejoycing in his vexati­on of his Parishioners, who are committed to him for better purposes.

6. The said Doctor appropriateth to him­selfe divers Pews in the Chancell, and hath caused divers of the most ancient Pewes to be cut up, to make way, and open passage to the said Altar, and although the Petitioners to prevent the said disturbance, procured the Chancellours command for stay of his in­tended worke, yet presuming upon his favour in those Ecelesiasticall courts, with a high hand he proceeded, and did finish his worke; he appropriateth to himselfe the upper part of the North and South Iles of the Church for buriall, digging Vaults, and taking great summes of money, of some more, of some lesse, and of whom he pleaseth, for their bu­riall there, making promises and warrantees to defend them against the parish, or whom­soever should gainsay; he hath cut, and cau­sed to be cut and defaced the Table of Rates for Burials and Weddings, and other Parish duties, usually hanging in the Vestry, & since the defacing thereof, he exacteth extraordina­ry sums of money for burial both of strangers [Page 12] and parishioners, and hath caused their Vestry booke to be carried into the high Commissi­on Court, where it hath remained three or foure yeares, which booke he hath both en­terlined at his pleasure, and crossed out his own name subscribed to certaine Orders, and hath gotten into his possession, and wrong­fully detaines from the Parish their evidences and writings which belong not to him, to the great detriment of the parishioners, and disorderly carriage of the Parish affaires, and he forbiddeth and putteth downe their Ve­stry-meetings.

7. The turbulency and malignity of this mans spirit appeareth also in this, that he dis­gracefully & contemptuously asperseth those persons of qualitie and worth, which at this time serve the Common-wealth in the Ho­nourable house of Parliament, as men chosen for the Knights and Burgesses of this City, affirming that the City had chosen Soame be­cause he would not pay Ship-money, Vassall because he would not pay the King his cu­stomes, Penington because he entertaines si­lenc'd Ministers, and Cradocke to send them o­ver into New England.

[Page 13]Now forasmuch as the rehearsed innova­tions, usurpations, vexations, and wrongs tend to the high dishonour of God, blemish and scandall to the Religion established, and the peaceable government of the Church, as also to the great distraction and disturbance of the Petitioners in the service of God, cau­sing great disorder, trouble, and charge to the Petitioners, and the griefe of their hearts, in that they cannot injoy the Ordinances of God in their purity, without the interposing and mingling of such Ceremonies introdu­ced by the said Doctor,

The Petitioners humbly beseech this Ho­nourable Assembly to examine their abuses, and to take some course for their Reformati­on, that your Petitioners may as their Prede­cessors and Ancestours have done serve God in quiet, and enjoy themselves and their owne peace, being set free from the oppressi­ons and troubles, wherewith the said Doctor hath made them too well acquainted; And that the Lands and rents may be injoyed and imployed to the good and religious uses in­tended by the first Donor, and since confir­med [Page 14] by the Decree of the Honourable Court of Chancerie,

And your Petitioners as in duty bound shall continue their prayers for the happy successe of your great designes.