number of those who found it necessary to resort to this
disagreeable and degrading expedient.

Other things which offended the reformists were, the queen's
predilection, already mentioned, for crucifixes, which she did not cause
to be removed from the churches till after considerable delay and
difficulty, and retained in her private chapel for many years
longer,--and her wish to continue the use of altars. This being regarded
as a dangerous compliance with the Romish doctrine, since an _altar_
could only suit with the notion of a _sacrifice_ of Christ in the mass,
earnest expostulations on the subject were addressed to her by several
of the leading divines; and in the end the queen found it expedient,
with whatever reluctance, to ordain the substitution of
communion-tables.

She was also bent upon retaining in the church of which she was the head
the use of vestments similar to those worn by the different orders of
popish priests in the celebration of the various offices of their
religion. A very natural association of ideas caused the protestant
clergy to regard with suspicion and abhorrence such an approximation in
externals to that worship which was in their eyes the abomination of
idolatry; and several of the returned exiles, to whom bishoprics were
now offered, scrupled to accept of them under the obligation of wearing
the appointed habits. Repeated and earnest representations were made to
the queen against them, but she remained inflexible. In this dilemma,
the divines requested the advice of Peter Martyr, who had quitted
England on the accession of Mary and was now professor of theology at
Zurich. He persuaded compliance, representing to them that it was better
that high offices in the church should be occupied by persons like
themselves, though with the condition of submitting to some things which
they did not approve, than that such posts should be given to Lutherans
or concealed catholics, who, instead of promoting any further
reformation, would labor continually to bring back more and more of the
ancient ceremonies and superstitions. This argument was deemed
conclusive, and the bishoprics were accepted. But such a plea, though it
might suffice certain men for a time, could not long satisfy
universally; and we shall soon have occasion to take notice of scruples
on this point, as the source of the first intestine divisions by which
the Anglican church was disturbed, and of the first persecutions of her
own