I'lAV.
Sportae, Sportellae, Sportttlae (Lat. sportulu, a ba^k(t), ore fees paiil to the clergy for service ren- dered. I'lie allusion is firolmldy to bringing the first- fruits in a biinket (upmlii) (l)eut. xxvi, 1-12); or per- hupH this mode of paying tlie clergy may \>c traced to a l.'i.tiian practice. In the days of lio'man freedom, client.i were in the habit of paying respect to their j»atron by thronging his allium at an early hour, and
escorting him to places of public resort when he went abroad. As an acknowledgment of these courtesies, some of the number were usually invited to partake of the evening meal. After the extinction of liberty, the presence of such guests, who had now lost all political importance, was soon regarded as an irksome restraint; while, at the same time, many of the noble and wealthy were unwilling to sacrifice the display of a numerous body of retainers. Hence the practice was introduced, under the empire, of bestowing on each client, when he presented himself for his morning visit, a portion of food, as a substitute and compensation for an invitation to supper; and this dole, being carried off in a basket provided for the occasion, received the name of spoiiula. For the sake of convenience, it soon became common to give an equivalent in money. In the time of the younger Pliny, the word was commonly emjiloyed to signify a gratuity, emolument, or gift of any kind. In Cyprian, the term frutres sjwrtuluntes occurs. — Farrar, L'ccles. Diet. s. v.
Sports, Book of, was a book or declaration drawn up by bishop Morton, in the reign of king James I, to encourage recreations and sports on the Lord's day. It was to this eflfect :
"That for his good people's recreation, his majesty's l)leasui'e was, that, after the end of divhie service, they should not be distnrbert, letted, or discouraged from any lawful recreations ; such as dancing, either of men or women ; archery for men ; leaping, vaulting, or any such harmless recreations ; nor having o( Ma;/-!!ame.% WhitsoH' ales, or morrice-danceg ; or setting up oi May-poles, or oth- er sports therewith used, so as the same may be hiid in due and convenient time, without impediment or let of divine service ; and that women should have leave to carry rtushes to the Church for the decoring of it, accord- ing to their old customs; withal prohibiting all unlawful games to be used on Sundays only: as beai-baiting, btill- baiting, interludes, and at all times (in the meaner sort of people prohibited) bowling."
Two or three restraints were annexed to the declara- tion, which deserve the reader's notice:
(1) "No recusant (i. e. iiapist) was to have the benefit of this declaration; (2) nor such as were not present at the whole of divine service; nor (3) such as did not keep to their own parish churches — that is, Puritans."
This declaration was ordered to be read in all the par- ish churches of Lancashire, which abounded with pa- pists; and Wilson adds that it was to have been read in all the churches of England, but that archbishop Abbot, being at Croydon, fiatly forbade its being read there. In the reign of king Charles I, arclibishop Laud put the king upon republishing this declaration, which was accordingly done. The court had their balls, mas- querades, and plays on the Sunday evenings; while the youth of the country were at their morrice-dances, May- games, church and clerk ales, and all such kind of rev- elling. The severe pressing of this declaration made sad havoc among the Puritans, as it was to be read in the churches. Many poor clergymen strained their consciences in submission to their superiors. Some, after publishing it, immediately read the fourth com- mandment to the peo])le, " Remember the Sabl)ath-day to keep it holy;" adding, "This is the law of Clod, the other the injunction of man." Some put it upon their curates, while great numbers absolutely refused to com- ply ; the consecjuence of which was that several clergy- men were actually suspended for not reading it. See Eadie, Kccles. Cyclop, s. v.
Sportulantes (J-'rafres') was a term applied to the clergy because of their sharing equally in the monthly oblations.
Spot is the rendering in the A. V. of C^ITS, miim, a hlenmh (as usually rendered), either physical (Lev. xxi, 17 sq. ; xxii, 20; xxiv, 19, 20, etc. ; 2 Sam. xiv, 25; Cant, iv, 7) or moral (I)eut. xxxii, 5; Job xi, 15; xxxi, 7 ; Prov. ix, 7) ; so (ririXac, literally a breaker or rock in the sea (metaphor. Jude 12) or aniXot; (morally Eidi. V, 27; 2 Pet. ii, 13); n'^2'l3n, chidiarhur/ih, the variegated spots of the panther, or rather the stripes of
SPOTSWOOD
965
SPRAGUE
the tiger (Jer. xiii, 23) ; r"ir;3, hahereth, brightness, the whiiish •' bright spot" of incipient leprosy (Lev. xiii, 2- 39 ; xiv, 56 ) ; pO^, buhak, scurf, the scaly " freckled spot" of pronounced leprosy (xiii, 39); X'lSui, talu, patched (as " spotted" sheep or goats. Gen. xxx, 32 sq. ; or " divers - colored" garments, Ezek. xvi, 16). See
Co LOU.
Spotswood (or Spottiswood), John, a Scot- tish prelate, was born in the parish of Mid-Cakler, Ed- inburgh Co., in 1565, and was graduated from the Glas- gow University in his sixteenth year. When eighteen years old he succeeded his father as minister of Calder; and in 1001 attended Lodowick, duke of Lenox, as chap- lain in his embassy to the court of France. In 1603 James I selected him to be one of the clergy to attend him to England, and the same year he was appointed titular archbishop of Glasgow and privy-councillor for Scotland. In 1610 he presided in the assembly at Glasgow ; and the same year, upon the king's com- mand, repaired to London upon ecclesiastical affairs. While there he, with Lamb and Hamilton, was conse- crated bishop, in the chapel of London House, Oct. 21. Upon their return they conveyed the episcopal powers to their former titular brethren, and the Episcopal Church was once more settled in Scotland. Spotswood was in 1615 translated to St. Andrew's, and became pri- mate of all Scotland. He continued in high esteem with James I during his whole reign; nor was he less regarded by Charles I, whom he crowned, 1633, in the abbey church of Holyrooil House. In 1635 he was made chancellor of Scotland, which post he had not held for four years when the popular confusions obliged him to retire into England. He consented at the king's request to resign the office of chancellor, and received £2500 for the sacrifice he made. He went first to New- castle, where he remained until he gained sufficient strength to travel to London, where he no sooner ar- rived than he had a relajise and died, Nov. 29, 1639. He was interred in Westminster Abbey. "A more generous, learned, and munificent prelate has seldom been called to rule in the Church; and his advice was at all times given for moderate measures, and for the sacrifice of anything but principle for peace." Spots- wood was the author of a History of the Church of Scot- land, from A .D. 203 to the End of the Reign of James VI (Loud. 1655, fol.). He also wrote a tract in defence of the ecclesiastical establishment in Scotland, entitled Itefutatio Libelli (k Regimine Ecclesim Scoticame, See Allibone, Diet, of Brit, and A me?: A uthors, s. v. ; Chal- mers, Biog. Diet. s. V. ; Hook, Eccles. Biog. s. v. ; Hoefer, Nouv, Biog, Generate, s. v,