Holdings of the Society of Antiquaries

Society of Antiquaries MS 201 No. 37: Account of the Consecration of the chapel of Lincoln’s Inn, by George Montaigne, Bp of London, Ascension Day, 1623.

Transcription by Dr Steven May, Emory University

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Assencion Day 1623        

Vppon Thursday beinge Assention Day was y^e Chappel of Lincolnes Inne Consecrated, where there was such a Concourse & Confluence of people that S^r Francis Lee was soe thronged that hee fell downe deade in y^e presse, And was Caryed away into a Gentlemans Chamber & w^th much a doe Recouered, The Kings Councell vppon especiall Command sate that Day att white Hall, soe that only y^e Bishop of London two Iudges & foure sergeants were y^e men of <  > that were present att y^e Consecration.

The manner of itt was in this Manner./

First y^e Bishop himselfe alone w^th Wilson his Chaplayne entredd y^e Chauncell <  >[wher]e there was a Table decently furnished w^th a greene Carpett, A lynnen Cloth two flaggons & two Cupps all double Guilt, The Bishopp kneelinge att y^e Table sayd a longe prayer w^ch  Consisted of a thanckesguinge, for our peace & plentye, Liberty, y^e Establishinge & Contynuance of Religion & y^e true professi on of y^e Gospell Amongst vs, And for moveinge y^e Heartes of such as bee Able [to]<  > y^e Aleanes to further & Contynue &  [A]d vance y^e same, As allsoe of a prayer to blesse that place w^ch was Erected devoted & Consecrated to his Honour & service, [so] y^e prayer Ended y^e Bishop rose vppe, And there was presented vnto him by some of y^e Auncient Benchers an Instrument or

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Facultye w^ch hee deliuered to his Chauncelor & hee to y^e Register who reade itt, ye Effect whereof was this that whereas itt had pleased god to putt into y^e Heartes of ye worshipfull Societye of y^e students of y^e Lawe of Lincolnes Inne to builde a Chappell w^thin that Inne to y^e Honour of God & his service, they Accordingly had fynished y^e sayd worke Conteyninge in Length soe manye foote & in breadth soe manye, And now desyred ye Bishop that it might bee Consecrated to y^e same and wherevnto it was builded, and herevppon y^e Bishop yeelded to theire request, And then tooke y^e faculty into his owne Hande, And Commendinge there holy Desyres & pious Act hee named y^e Chappel by y^e name of ye blessed indivisible Trinitye & se perated itt from all profane & secular vses, And Consecrated itt wholy to y^e Hono^r & service of God, And y^e pious & Religious vses of that societye only Exceptinge allwayes such Right as ye Parson Vicar Curate or [blank] of ye Parish Church of S^t Dunstons in y^e West or S^t Andrewes in Holborne or all such Dutyes oblations obventions w^ch they or either of them Haue formerly had or Haue bin Held as Due or may lawfully bee Claymed out of that Societye before y^e buildinge & Consecratignge of that Chappel/

This beeinge done y^e Mynister beganne Devine service & reade y^e 24.27 & 28 psalmes, And for y^e Chapters y^e i of Kinges 8. & Iohn y^e 10^th, And then y^e Letanye & soe to y^e Sermon, where Doctor Doonre preached & tooke or his Text a scrip ture out of Iohn ye tenth 22.23. & from y^e

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 Iewes [blank] he prooued y^e Instiution of Holy Dayes or festivall Dayes, As allsoe out of Leviticus Cap. 23. As well there festivall as there Sabbathes, were Called by the name of Sabbathes, And though there festivalls were Ceremoniall, yet they had there Morallity allsoe, And there was a Difference to bee made betweene y^e festivalls of Gods Institution & mans Institution, yet those of Mans Institution were Duly to bee obser=ved because y^e Church is gods  delegate Here vppon Earth & because they haue y^e same Morality in them that Jewish festivalls had, And that those festivall Dayes were Gods Courte Dayes, wherein hee tooke a viewe of our order & obedience & rest, And from y^e Dedication of y^e Temple hee prooued y^e Conse=cration of y^e Churches showinge itt from y^e Instinct of Nature because it was from before y^e Lawe And this hee proued by Iacob Genesis 28:18: As allsoe by y^e Examples of y^e Patriarches vnder y^e Lawe As by Moses Consecratinge y^e Tabernacle, Dauid Consecratinge y^e Sanctuary of Solomon Consecratinge y^e Temple, Hee prooued itt likewise by the Heathen who Ministred oathes & made vowes in y^e Temple from y^e practise of y^e Primitiue Church, likewise as by Basell who Consecrated two Churches in one Day, soe prooued itt allsoe out of Scripture Levitticus 19 & y^e 30, Hee prooued itt by Resemblances allsoe as a Childe in y^e Wombe Although it haue all y^e Lyneaments of a Humane bodye, yet it was not a Humane Creature till y^e soule was infused into it, noe more a Church

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though it had both all y^e Materialls & forme w^ch Art Could devise, yett it was noe Church till it was Consecrated, Hee prooued itt allsoe by y^e Cannon Lawe Nulla Ecclesia siue [sine?] missa con secretur, where hee showed that Missa was taken for λετυρ And therefore that Churches must be Consecrated by prayer preachinge Administration of y^e Sacrament of y^e Bodye & blood of Christ, And singinge of Hymnes & psalmes, And this was y^e substance of y^e Sermon wherein hee showed superficiem but not Medullam Theologiae haveinge Eloqentiae satis but sapientiae parum, And thus Haue you what I Could Collect out of y^e Sermon./

After y^e Sermon Ended there was a Generall voydance out of y^e Chappel, And then y^e Bishop began y^e 10 Commandements, And Administred y^e Sacrament to Certeyne Auncient Benchers of y^e House, And then came downe into y^e Cloysters of y^e sayd Chapple, but what hee did there I did not stay to see for I was euen wearyed <  >inge & observinge y^e former Ce[remony]/

                                                                                    Finis./