Page:Dean Aldrich A Commemoration Speech.djvu/12

 statutes on his own authority: and as he looked round for an opening, the Deanery of Christ Church fell vacant. He had already let the first flush of his power loose on Oxford by freeing Obadiah Walker, Master of University College, from the trammels in which his conversion had intricated him; yet this was only for the retaining of his old position, not for positive preferment to a new. But now, under the influence of this Walker, he chose for the highest ecclesiastical position in the University, for the Deanery of the Cathedral, for the Headship of this House, a renegade from the Church, a Papist, a Layman, of an alien College—Massey of Merton.

In the December of that year, Massey was met at the gate by the Chapter, with Aldrich, Subdean, at its head, and by him installed. It was not so long since Dean Reynolds had fought his way with hammer and blows into his College; not many years after, Aldrich himself walked as Vice-Chancellor in full procession to find Magdalen Hall gate barred against its new Head, and began 'chopping it in pieces:' but we hear of no murmuring of the Christ Church men. They had voted their principle, and they stuck to it: they at least would not decree passive obedience for others, and active resistance for themselves. Yet it was a bitter cup to swallow. Hear some words from King James's 'Licence, Dispensation, and Pardon to our trusty and well-beloved John Massey. We do give and grant him our royal licence to absent himself from Church or Chapel, to forbear giving his assent to the contents of the Book of Common Prayer; and do free him from doing, declaring or subscribing all and every such acts or things in conformity to the doctrine and