not repaire to the church upon Sundays and holydaies, and receave the communion thrise yearly? XI. Item, Whether you do know any persons, that withhold any church-stock, or hathe not made their ac5 compts duly, according to the law, having byn churchwardens? XII. Item, Whether you do know any common swearer, drunkarde or blasphemer, any symonical person, usurer, witch, conjurer, southsayer, charmer, fornicator, 10 adulterer, incestuous person, or any that harboreth incontinent persons, or any vehementlie suspected of any of those crimes? XIII. Item, Whether you do know any scholemaster that doth teach within your parish without license of his 15 ordinarie under his seal or no? XIV. Item, Whether you do know in your parish any man that hath two wiefes living, or anie woman that hath two husbands living? XV. Item, Whether you do know anie that doth ob20 stinately defende papistrye, heresies, errors, or false doctrine? 25 XVI. Item, Whether do you know any person excommunicate in your parish, and whether any such doth repaire to the church? XVII. Item, Whether your parish church or chauncell be ruinous or decayed, and by whose defaulte? XVIII. Item, Whether you know any receivors of jesuites, seminaries, or massing priestes, or any other fugitive persons, or reconcyled to the church of Rome? 30 XIX. Item, Whether you knowe any that use conventycles, or meetings, for expounding scriptures, or saying of prayers in private houses or places? XX. Item, Whether there be any hospitals, or almeshowses in your parish; and whether the same be used 25 according to the foundations and ordinances thereof? XXI. Item, Whether you knowe any person ordered by the law to do penance, or excommunicate for not doing the same, do still so continue unreformed? XXII. Item, Whether you doe knowe any other matter worthey of presentment above not expressyd, yea or noe, which you shall likewise present by virtue of your oathes? 5 CVII. Archiepisc. Cant. JOH. WHITGIFT 6. Anno Christi Reg. Angliæ Orders agreed upon by the archbishopps and byshopps, etc. at the parliament MDLXXXVIII. and commanded by her majestie exactlie and diligentlie to be observed and put in execution.-E MS. col. Caj. Cantab. D. 37. fol. 170. THAT all such as have one benefyce with cure shal be compelled by his ordinarie absolutely and continuallie to be resydent thereupon accordinge to the lawe, unlesse he be absent by occasion of residence in any cathedral churche, or of any service or attendance al- 10 66 Orders agreed upon] In every session of parliament for some time previously endeavours had been made by the commons to improve the state of the law respecting pluralities and non-residence. On a memorable occasion in the year 1584 the archbishop, who was opposed to such a measure, pressed the following consideration in a letter which he 15 wrote to the queen; if it pass by parliament, it cannot hereafter but in parliament be altered, what necessity soever shall urge thereunto. Whereas if it is but as a canon from us by your majesty's authority, it may be observed or altered at your pleasure." (Strype, Whitg. vol. i. p. 391.) This was an appeal to some of the strongest 20 prepossessions of the queen, and too powerful to be unsuccessful. In the session of 1588 a bill connected with church matters was brought, as in former instances, into the house of lords without effect, and the orders before us were considered a sufficient substitute, although very different from the severer provisions of the bill. Strype, Ann. vol. iii. 25 P. 2. p. 53. Collier, vol. ii. pp. 595. 620. 5 lowed the by statutes of this realme, in which cases he shall finde a sufficient preacher to be allowed by the byshoppe of the dioces, yf the lyvinge shal be thought to the byshoppe able to find a preacher. Every incumbent of moe cured benefices then one by lawful dispensation, is to be compelled to be equallie resydent, or to have a sufficient preacher to be allowed by the byshoppe upon that benefice, from the which he shall happen to be absent, yf the lyvinge shall be thought to To the byshoppe able to finde a preacher. If any person having one or more benefyces with cure shal be absent from the same by color of his resydence in any cathedral church, or of the service of any prelate or nobleman, or woman; such a non-resydent that shal be 15 absent by any such occasions by the space of 4. monthes in one yeare, shal be compelled (as before) to fynde such a sufficient preacher to supplye his absence as the bishoppe of the place shall allow of. 20 If any mynister havinge any lyvinge ecclesiastical in perpetuitie, or otherwise, shall so notoriously offend in anye great cryme, that he shall be justly offensyve and scandalous to his profession and calling, and thereby shal be unable to profytte the place where he offendeth, he is to be removed from suche his lyvinge, and not to be ad25 mytted after to serve any cure. That noe mynister unlearned and not able to catechise shal be hereafter admytted to serve any cure. And yf any such be incumbent of any benefyce alreadie, the byshoppe shall, and by the lawe maye appoynt unto him a 30 coadjutor with a convenient stypend accordinge to the value of the benefyce. That none be suffered to place or displace any curate without authoritie from the archbishoppe or byshoppe of the dyocesse, where such a cure lyethe. VOL. II. CVIII. Archiepisc. Cant. JOH. WHITGIFT 6. Anno Christi 1588. Reg. Angliæ A proclamation against certain seditious and schismatical books and libels, etc. By the queen. THE queen's most excellent majesty considering how within these few years past, and now of late, certain seditious and evil disposed persons towards her majesty, and the government established for causes ecclesiastical 5 within her majesty's dominions, have devised, written, A proclamation against] The controversy between Whitgift and Cartwright which had grown out of "the Admonition to the Parliament," published in 1572, had ceased on the publication of Cartwright's second reply in the year 1577, and had been succeeded by other con- 10 tests, whenever an eminent work had been written in favour of any of the three great parties, Conformists, Puritans, and Romanists, that express in general terms the different religious sentiments of this period. But in the year 1588 began a series of publications under the name of Martin Mar-Prelate, commonly ascribed to Penry, Udall, Field, and 15 Throgmorton, which completely changed the character of religious controversy, and alienated some of their most constant and powerful friends from the cause of the non-conformists. The whole progress of puritanism, as connected with this matter, is well shewn in the following statement of secretary Walsingham, himself disposed originally to 20 protect the puritans, but disgusted at last by the scurrilous publications and dangerous conspiracies in which many of the most worthless, but most active, of their party were engaged. "When they inveighed against such abuses in the church as pluralities, non-residence and the like, their zeal was not condemned, only their violence was sometimes 25 censured. When they refused the use of some ceremonies and rites as superstitious, they were tolerated with much connivance and gentleness. Yea, when they called in question the superiority of bishops, and pretended to bring a democracy into the church, yet their propo printed, or caused to be seditiously and secretly published and dispersed sundry schismatical and seditious books, defamatory libels, and other fantastical writings amongst her majesty's subjects, containing in them doctrine very 5 erroneous, and other matters notoriously untrue, and slanderous to the state, and against the godly reformation of religion and government ecclesiastical established by law, and so quietly of long time continued, and also against the persons of bishops, and others placed in authority ecTo clesiastical under her highness, by her authority, in railing sort, and beyond the bounds of all good humanity: all which books, libels, and writings, tend by their scope to persuade and bring in a monstrous and apparent dangerous innovation within her dominions and countries, of all manner of ecclesiastical government now in use, and 15 sitions were heard, considered, and by contrary writings debated and discussed. Yet all this while it was perceived that their cause was dangerous and very popular. As, because papistry was odious, therefore it was ever in their mouths that they sought to purge the church from zo the relics of popery; a thing acceptable to the people, who love ever to run from one extreme to another. Because multitudes of rogues and poverty were an eye-sore and dislike to every man, therefore they put it into the people's heads that if discipline were plaintiff, there should be no beggars nor vagabonds; a thing very plausible. And in like 25 manner they promise the people many other impossible wonders of their discipline. Besides, they opened the people a way to government by their consistory and presbytery; a thing, though in consequence no less prejudicial to the liberties of private men, than to the sovereignty of princes, yet in the first show very popular. Nevertheless this (except it were in some few that entered into extreme contempt) was borne with, because they pretended but in dutiful manner to make propositions, and to leave it to the providence of God and the authority of the magistrate. But now of late years, when there issued from them a colony of those that affirmed the consent of the magistrate was not to be 35 attended; when under pretence of a confession to avoid slanders and 30 imputations, they combined themselves by classes and subscriptions; when they descended in that vile and base means of defacing the government of the church by ridiculous pasquils. . . . . then it appeared to be no more zeal, no more conscience, but mere faction and division. |