how the Psalter is appointed to be read" is written; and from this fact the Editor inclines to the opinion, that the Manuscript Book never had any other commencement.

"The Order how the Psalter is appointed to be read," is succeeded by "The Order how the rest of Holy Scripture is appointed to be read," "Proper Lessons to be read at Morning and Evening Prayer, on ye Sundays and other Holydays throughout the Year," "Proper Psalms on certain Days," "The Kalendar," "Tables & Rules for the Moveable and Immoveable Feasts," and "The Order for Morning Prayer."

The other Services in the Manuscript Book, to the end of "The Commination Service," appear as in the Sealed Books; but a change then occurs, and the following arrangement is followed:-"The Form and Manner of Making, Ordaining, and Consecrating of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons," "The Forms of Prayer to be used at Sea," and "The Psalter, or Psalms of David."

"The Preface," " Concerning the Service of the Church," the Rubric for Morning and Evening Prayer daily, "Of Ceremonies," Table of the "Days of Fasting or Abstinence," the "Table of the Moveable Feasts calculated for fourty years," the Table "to find Easter for ever," and the Rubrics respecting the place for Divine Service, and the Ornaments of the Church and of the Ministers thereof at all times of their ministration, do not appear: and it may be here observed, that no allusion is made to the Occasional Services.

The paper is of a very ordinary texture, and three or

four different descriptions seem to have been used; but there is not the slightest ground for assuming that any portion was introduced subsequently to the enactment of stat. 17 & 18 Car. II. c. 6. (Ir.); but between pages 386 and 388 of Archbishop Magee's numbering, there have been six leaves cut out, and as there is no break in the matter, the fair presumption is, that they were cut out before the Manuscript was finished.

There seem to have been about twelve different scribes employed in writing the Manuscript, and two different persons employed in revising it, one correcting in light ink, the other in darker ink.

Alterations have, however, been made by at least two different persons, at a recent period, and in a most slovenly

manner.

No pencil marks appear in the shape of corrections; but pencil lines occur in part of the Psalms, and a × in pencil occurs in a few of the pages.

The pages are mostly inclosed in ruled lines: these lines up to the Form of Ordering of Deacons are in red ink; the Forms of Prayer to be used at Sea are ruled in black ink; and a part of the Psalter has a ruled line in pencil.

In certain places, Arabic numerals occur in the margin, and were evidently inserted at the time when the Manuscript was written. The numeral "1" does not appear: the others, and the places where they occur, are indicated in the subjoined Table.

TABLE of the Numerals written at the bottom of the left-hand margin of certain pages (according to Archbishop Magee's numbering) of

It is a principle of law, that with respect to the contents of a Statute, it will be presumed that omnia ritè acta sunt until the contrary be established by a court of law; consequently, although it is clear to any practised eye that alterations have been made in the Manuscript Book of Common Prayer, subsequently to the enactment of stat. 17 & 18 Car. II. c. 6. (Ir.), yet the record would have to be read as it now appears, until some competent tribunal had decided what alterations were illegal.

In stat. 25 Henry VIII. c. 20. the important words "to confirm

From the mode which has been pursued in making the alterations, it is in numerous cases impossible to ascertain what was the original text and punctuation. Under such circumstances, the Editor conceived that the only proper plan for him to adopt, was to give as near as possible a facsimile of the original, and thus not to take upon himself arbitrarily to decide, whether the alterations were made before or after the enactment of the Statute, or to speculate upon the words, letters, or punctuation which have been obliterated.

Where letters have been obliterated they are thus distinguished- I.

Where words have been obliterated they are thus distinguished-III.

Where words or letters have been cancelled, but the words or letters underneath are perceptible, they are thus distinguished-¢ μl.

Where letters or words are introduced apparently of a subsequent date, they are thus distinguished- a, b, &c.

Where letters or words are introduced in pencil, and apparently of a modern date, they are distinguished by Italic.

Where capitals have been written over lower case, they are thus distinguished- A, 13, &c.

Where lower case have been written over capitals, partly by erasure and cancellation, they are thus distinguished-a, b, &c.

the said Election and" in sect. 5, and the word "confirm" in sect. 7 are inserted by interlineation. Vide The Case of Dr. Hampden, by Jebb, 28.; 2 Stephens on the Laws of the Clergy, 1399, in not.

Where "f" is changed into a capital by prefixing another "f," the first "f" is thus distinguished-ff.

Where modern punctuation has apparently been substituted for the original punctuation, it is thus distinguished,..

Doubts having been expressed as to whether the Manuscript Book under consideration is the one that was originally annexed to the Statute of Uniformity, 17 & 18 Car. II. c. 6., it may be useful to explain, that in the reign of Charles II. the mode pursued in enacting a statute for Ireland was as follows: - The bill passed the Irish Parliament, and was transmitted by the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland to England in order to receive the assent of the Lords and Commons in England, and then it was returned by the King to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, who, upon its receipt, in consequence of a writ to that effect, went down to the House of Lords and gave the Royal assent. The statute was then deposited in the Irish Parliament Office, and a copy sent to the Rolls Office, at Dublin.

It is, however, extraordinary that no copy either of the Book of Common Prayer belonging to the English Act of Uniformity, or of that belonging to the Irish Act of Uniformity, was forwarded to the Rolls Chapel in England or to the Rolls Office in Ireland; and it may also be remarked, that of the Calendar and Tables annexed to stat. 24 Geo. II. c. 23. no trace is to be found among the Rolls at the Rolls Chapel.

The Editor has examined the bundle of statutes in which the Act of Uniformity is to be found. As the