Chapter 4, Item 45d
Parish officers: Church wardens
Parish officers
The Church-Wardens, and Sides-Men.
The next are the Guardians of the Church, called Church-Wardens, anciently Church-Reeves: whose Office it is to see the the Church be in good Repairs, fitly Adorned, and nothing wanting for Divine Service, Sacraments and Sermons; that the Churchyard be sufficiently bounded or inclosed: to observe that that all Parishioners come duely to Divine Service, to present scandelous Livers; these are Officers elected every Week after Easter usually by the Parson and the Parishoners, if they so agree, if not, then one by the Parson, and one by the Parish, except the custome of the place be to the contrary.
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Chapter 4, Item 45e
Collectors for the poor
The Collectors and Overseers.
The Collectors for the Poor, are Officers which gather Money for the Poor of the Parish, and distribute the same amongst them according to their necessities. These are chosen by the Church-Wardens Yearly.
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Chapter 4, Item 45f
Overseer of ways
The Overseers of the Ways, are Men chosen Yearly for to see, and put in repair all decayed Highways for Carts, Wagons and Horses within the Bounds of the Parish.
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Chapter 4, Item 45g
Parish clerk
The Clerk and Sexton.
The Parish Clerk, is a kind of Holy Order, though he be a Lay-man; whose Office is to help the People in the responses or answers, to those Versicles uttered by the Priest in Divine Service, to say Amen, and to Read Tune the Psalm; to Write the Parish accounts, &c.
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Chapter 4, Item 45h
Sexton
The Sexton, anciently called the Sacristan; whose Office was to serve at Church the Priest and Church-Wardens, and therefore ought to be Twenty Years old, or above, of good Life, and that can Read, Write, and Sing. But this Office is now swallowed up in the Clerk, the Sextons Office being at present only to Ring the Bells, clean the Church, and make Graves for the Dead, and to provide Water for the Font: and such like several things.
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Chapter 4, Item 49a
Rhetoric
Arts
Rhetorick described.
This Noble Science, and one of the Liberal Arts, is set forth either by Man or Woman, or both; crowned with Bays, with a Caduceus Winged in one of their hands, and a Book and Scrowls by them.
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Chapter 4, Item 49c
Poetry
Poetry described.
It is a Branch of the Liberal Sciences, having witty Inventions and Sayings from them all; it is confined to no Rules, but hath liberty (like the Kings Jester) to say what it will, to ly by Authority, so it come off with a good Fancy and none to contradict. A Poet then is described sitting at a Table, or standing thereby; looking into the Sky, with the Finger of the right hand pointing to them of the left; and before him laid several Books, and all sorts of Instruments, Mechanick, Domestick, Military and Agriculture, as raising matter from all things that are seen, or heard, or understood.
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Chapter 4, Item 49e
Logic
Logic described.
It is one of the seven Liberal Sciences, and is that Art by which is taught the way and method of Reason and Disputation; and is described by a Man or Woman, or both, in the antientest way of Habit, with long Coats, Vests, Mantles and Scarfs with Books before them, and putting their fore-finger of the right hand to the end of any finger of the left, as if they were scanning of Verses or numbering the feet in a Verse.
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