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 ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY a lecture on Sunday at the same hour was added/" The accounts of St. Martin Orgar show a payment of £^1 in i 579—80 to ' him that read our lectures.' In 1 580-1 £1 s. %d. was paid to various preachers for twelve sermons, and there is no mention of any lecture. From that time onwards there was a regular annual payment of /^4 5^. for seventeen sermons preached in the course of each year.^*^ The well-known lectures at St. Antholin's were read on two week-days in 1576, and daily from 1581, if not earlier.^" At St. Giles' Cripplegate a lecture was read at 6 o'clock in the morning.^" The number of afternoon and evening lectures increased rapidly towards the close of the 1 6th century. ^*^ Still more irregular were the celebrations of Holy Communion. At one church there were from nine to twelve celebrations every year^*'* ; at another there were seven in 1577—8, and ten in subsequent years ^^° ; at another the number of celebrations varied from three to nine ^" ; while at St. Andrew's Holborn, in 1583—4, there were twenty-eight. ^^^ Nor does any rule seem to have been followed in the selection of the days for these services, except that Easter Day was always one.'" In St. Stephen's Walbrook there were ' Communion pews ' in the chancel.'^* The ' quire ' of AUhallows the Great was ' seated for communicants ' in 1574.'" In 1564 the 'long forms in the church ' of St. Andrew Holborn were ' new made for communicants,' and in 1583—4 pews were constructed for them ' round about the high chancel,' and a new carved Communion table, with two ends to draw out and lengthen it, was set up.'*^ There are entries in the accounts of St. Andrew Hubbard,'" St. Margaret's New Fish Street,"^ and St. Olave's Southwark,''' of the purchase of mats, or lengths of matting, to lay round the Communion table ' for folks to kneel on.' By the end of the i6th century the great majority of the London churches, if not all, were provided with at least one'"" Communion cup, as distinguished from the ancient chalice,'" with or without a cover, and with one or more patens. '^^ The vessels were for the most part of silver, seldom gilt, and in some cases the patens were of pewter."' The sanctus bell was used throughout this period,'^* apparently not for its original purpose, but to summon people to church.'" At a time when preaching was coming so much into vogue the pulpit naturally became a more important part of church furniture than it had previously been ; '^^ it was not unusual for London churches to have two, '" Vest. Min. I 591. '" Chwdns.' Accts. ''" Par. Rec. ' The case of Mr. Bell,' &c. "' S.P. Dom. Eliz. cliv, 53. At St. Margaret's Lothbury morning prayer, followed twice a week by a lecture, was read at 5 a.m. ; Vest. Min. 1573. "' This is clearly shown by the largely increased expenditure for ' candles for the lecture ' in the Chwdns.' Accts. of most parishes. '" St. Alphage London Wall, Chwdns.' Accts. "° St. Margaret's New Fish Street Chwdns.' Accts. '" St. Stephen's Walbrook Chwdns.' Accts. '"' Rec. Bk. 26 Eliz. '" See Chwdns.' Accts. generally. '" Chwdns.' Accts. 1575. '" Vest. Min. 1574. "« Rec. Bk. 6, 25 & 26 Eliz. ''' Chwdns.' Accts. 1562-4. '" Ibid. 1578-9. '" Ibid. 1583-5. '«» Many churches had two. ""' For the difference between the two, and other details about Elizabethan church plate, see J. F. Russell, ' Notes on Elizabethan Communion Plate,' Arch. Journ. xxxv, 44. '" Par. Rec. gen. "" e.g. at St. Martin's Ludgate, and St Alphage London Wall. '"St. Botolph Aldersgate Chwdns' Accts. 1569; St. Margaret's New Fish Street Accts. 1578; St. Margaret's Westm. Accts. 1602-4, ^'^• '" St. Bartholomew by the Exchange Vest. Min. 1567 "* See St. Saviour's Southwark Vest. Min. 1604.