X. That every bishopb give his metropolitan a strict account yearly of their obedience to our late letters prohibiting them to change any leases from years into lives, and that they fail not to certify, if they find that the dean, or dean and chapter, or any archdeacon or prebendary 5 etc. within their several dioceses have at any time broken our command in any particular contained in the aforesaid letters.

XI. That every bishop to whom in regard of the small revenue of his bishopric, we either have already or shall hereafter not only give power but command to receive and hold as in commendam any lease expired, or near expiring, and belonging to the see, or any ecclesiastical benefice or benefices or other promotions with cure or without, being in his or their own gift, by letters given 15 under our signet and sent to those bishops respectively, do likewise give an account yearly to his metropolitan, that he doth not put any of the aforenamed benefices or other preferment out of his commendam to give to any son, kinsman, friend, or other, upon any pretence whatsoever, thereby to frustrate our gracious intention to the bishops succeeding to those several sees.

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XII. That every bishop respectively do likewise in his yearly account to his metropolitan give notice of any notable alteration or other accident within his diocese, 25 which may any ways concern either the doctrine or the discipline of the church established.

XIII. That whereas John Bancroft, doctor in divinity, and bishop of Oxford, hath very worthily at his own proper cost and charges built a house for himself and the bishops of Oxford successively by both our leave and encouragement upon the vicarage of Cudsden near Oxford, which vicarage is in the patronage and gift of him and his successors; and whereas our further will and pleasure

b X. That every bishop] See No. CXLII.

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is, that the said house together with the vicarage aforesaid shall ever be held in commendam by the bishops of Oxford successively; that therefore the said bishop for the time being do yearly give his particular account of 5 his holding both the house and benefice aforesaid, to the end that we and our successors may upon all occasions be put in mind of keeping that house and vicarage to the see of Oxford at all times of change, when or howsoever that bishopric shall become vacant or void.

XIV. Lastly we command every bishop respectively to give his account in writing to his metropolitan of all these our instructions, or as many of them as may concern him, at or before the tenth day of December yearly, and likewise that you out of them make a brief of your whole 15 province, and present it to us yearly by the second day of January following; that so we may see how the church is governed, and our commands obeyed: and hereof in any wise fail you not.

CXXXIX.

Archiepisc. Cant.
GUIL. LAUD 1.

Anno Christi
1633.

Reg. Angliæ
CAROL. I. 9.

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The king's and archbishop's letters against ordaining any "sine titulo."-Rush. Col. vol. ii. fol. 213. Reg. Laud, fol. 191.

66

SALUTEM in Christo." My very good lord. His majesty hath been often and much troubled upon

The king's and archbishop's letters] See No. CXXXVIII. Archbishop Laud was confirmed on the 19th of September 1633, and on the same day issued the king's letter, which the archbishop, says Dr. Heylin, had both advised and digested, (Laud, p. 255,) against ordaining any "sine titulo." The evil of which he complained was that many persons were admitted into holy orders without any title assigning them to a pastoral

complaints, which have been made unto him by the lords and other men of quality, concerning the multitude of both unlearned and unworthy ministers, which pester the church and are always the causes of great scandal, and too often of schism and divisions therein, and some of 5 them are forced, to the shame of themselves and their calling, for want of means, to beg for their living, and yet are daily made in great numbers, and that directly against the canon of the church, which requires that no man should be made a minister "sine titulo." For to remedy of this great abuse and wrong to the church, his majesty has directed his letters to me, and by them required me to call all such bishops to me, as were then in or about the city, and after consultation with them, to send my letters to every several bishop within the pro- 15 vince, to require obedience to the canon of the church, and his majesty's directions according to it; the tenour of which his majesty's letter followeth: Most reverend father in God, right trusty and right entirely beloved counsellor, we greet you well. There is nothing more 20 dear to us, than the preservation of true religion, as it is now settled and established in this our kingdom, to the honour of God, and the great comfort of ourself, and our loyal people; and there can nothing more conduce to the advancement thereof, than the strict observation of such 25 canons of the church, as concern those, that are to take orders in their several times, more especially to the keeping of that particular canon, which enjoineth, that no man

or collegiate duty, and were therefore compelled, in order to maintain themselves, to become itinerants, or "to undertake some stipendiary 30 lecture, wherever they could find entertainment, to the great fomenting of faction in the state, the danger of schism in the church, and ruin of both." In conformity with the king's commands, the archbishop declared that the 33rd canon allowed of certain cases of title, and of none other. Although his rules were in accordance with the canon, they 35 gave rise to complaints, at a period when any attempt at reviving an

be made a priest or a minister without a title: for we find that many not so qualified, do by favour or other means procure themselves to be ordained, and afterwards for want of means, wander up and down to the scandal of 5 their calling; or to get maintenance, fall upon some courses as are most unfit for them, both by humouring their auditories, and other ways altogether unsufferable: we have therefore thought fit, and we do hereby straitly require and charge you to call such bishops to you, as are 10 now present in or near our city of London, and to acquaint them with this our resolution; and further, that you fail not in the beginning of the next term to give notice of this our will and pleasure openly in our high commission court, and that you call into our said court 15 every bishop respectively, that shall presume to give orders to any man, that hath not a title, and there to censure him as the canon aforesaid doth enjoin, which is to maintain the party so ordered till he give him a title, and with what other censure you in justice shall think 20 fit. And our further will is, that nothing shall be reputed a title to enable a man for orders, but that which is so by the ancient course of the church, and the canon law, so far forth as that law is received in this our church of England. And as you must not fail in these our direc25 tions, nor in any part of them, so we expect that you give

us from time to time a strict account of your proceedings in the same. Given under our signet at our palace of Westm. the nineteenth day of September, in the ninth year of our reign.

30 cient discipline would meet with great obstruction; and this attempt accordingly became another addition to the many points at issue in the great and fierce contention of the times. By reason of these rules,

no lecture whatsoever was admitted to be a canonical title; and so all ordinations of ministers to supply lectures was totally secluded; also no 35 chaplainship to any nobleman's family was allowed to be a sufficient title." Rushw. vol. ii. p. 214. Heylin's Laud, p. 255.

According to these letters, I am to pray and require you, that at all times of ordination you be very careful to admit none into holy orders, but such men, as for life and learning are fit, and which have a title for their maintenance, according to the laws and ancient practice 5 of the church. And his majesty hath further commanded me to advertise your lordship, that he will not fail to call for an account of these his letters both of me and you. Thus not doubting but you will have a special care both of the good of the church, and his majesty's contentment herein, I leave you to the grace of God, and

rest

Your lordship's very loving friend and brother,

Lambeth, Oct. 24.

MDCXXXIII.

W. CANT.

The archbishop's declaration what is a title according to the canon.-Rushworth's Coll. vol. ii. p. 214. Heylin's Life of Laud ad annum.

I. A PRESENTATION to some ecclesiastical pre- 15

ferment.

II. Or, a certificate undoubted, that he is provided of some church void there.

III. Or, a grant of some petty canon's place, or the like, in a cathedral or a collegiate church.

IV. Or, a fellow, or in the right of a fellow in some college in Oxford or Cambridge.

V. Or, a conduct, or a chaplain in some college in Oxford, or Cambridge.

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c V. Or, a conduct] Distinct from a chaplain, holding indeed the same 25 kind of office, but without endowment. "Preces...per aliquem sacris ordinibus initiatum, communi aularium sumptu conducendum, peragantur." Statuta Aul. Univ. Oxon.