and favoured according to their merit; and being satisfied that the lord archbishop of Canterbury, John earl of Radnor, George earl of Halifax, Lawrence viscount Hyde, the lord bishop of London, and Edward Seymour esq., are proper and competent judges in such cases; we have 5 thought fit, and do hereby declare our pleasure to be, that neither of our principal secretaries of state do at any time move us on the behalf of any person whatsoever, for any preferment in the church, or any favour, or dispensation in either of our universities, without having first 10 communicated both the person and the thing, by him desired, unto the said lord archbishop of Canterbury now, and for the time being, John earl of Radnor, George earl of Halifax, Lawrence viscount Hyde, the lord bishop of London, now, and for the time being, and Edward Sey-15 mour esq., and without having the opinion and attestation of them, or any four of them in the case. And if at any time we be moved in like manner by any other person whatsoever; our pleasure is, and we do hereby declare, that neither of our principal secretaries shall present any 20 warrant unto us for our royal signature in such a case, until the said lord archbishop of Canterbury, John earl of Radnor, George earl of Halifax, Lawrence viscount Hyde, the lord bishop of London, and Edward Seymour esq., have been acquainted therewith, and have given their 25 opinion and attestation as aforesaid. And to the end that this our declaration may stand as a lasting and inviolable rule for the future; our further pleasure is, that the same be entered not only in both the offices of our said principal secretaries, but also in the signet office, 30 there to remain as upon record. Given at our court at Windsor the 12th day of August, MDCLXXXI. in the XXXIII. year of our reign. By his majesty's command, L. JENKINS. 35 Archiepisc. Cant. CLX* Anno Christi Reg. Angliæ Suspensio Thoma Wood, S. T. P. episcopi Lichf. et Covent. ab officiis ejus exequendis.-E Regist. Sancroft. IN N Dei nomine amen. Cum coram venerabili et egregio viro Dom. Ric. Lloyd milite et legum doctore surrogato venerabilis et egregii viri Dom. Rob. Wyseman militis et legum doctoris almæ curiæ Cantuariensis de 5 Arcubus Londin. officialis principalis legitime constituti, quoddam negotium officii promotum per Philippum Jacob. gen. contra reverendum in Christo patrem ac dominum dominum Thomam permissione divina Covent. et Litchf. episcopum nuper pendebat et vertebatur: cumque dictum negotium per præfatum Philippum Jacob promotorem officii prædicti et præfatum reverendum patremdominum Thomam episcopum antedictum commissum et relatum fuerit arbitrio reverendorum in Christo patrum ac dominorum dominorum Henrici permissione divina Londin. 15 episcopi ac domini Wilhmi, permissione divina Petrobur IO gensis episcopi arbitrorum hinc inde electorum per eos audiendum et terminandum, prout in actis hujus almæ Suspensio Thoma] "Thomas Wood, D. D., was consecrated bishop of Lichfield on the 2d of July 1671, and enjoyed that honour, though 20 a person of no merit, unless it was for his preaching, to the time of his death. But so it was, that he not caring to live at Lichfield or Eccleshall (where is a seat belonging to the see), either for not being beloved, or to save charges, he retired to Hackney, and lived in the house where he was born, in an ordinary condition; whereupon Dr. Sancroft, arch25 bishop of Canterbury, suspended him of his office. He died very wealthy at Astrop, near King's Sutton, in Northamptonshire, (where he had continued about two years for health's sake,) on the 18th of April, or thereabouts, in 1692." Ath. Oxon. vol. iv. p. 881. ed. Bliss. The suspension was removed in May 1686. D'Oyly's Life of Sancroft, vol. i. p. 194. 30 curiæ Cantuariensis de Arcubus plenius liquet et apparet: cumque dicti reverendi patres per judicium laudum sive sententiam eorum manibus et sigillis infra tempus eis præfixum et limitatum, subscriptum sigillatum et deliberatum inter alia in dicto judicio laudo sive sententia præ- 5 fatum reverendum dominum Thomam permissione divina Covent. et Litchf. episcopum ab officio suo et functione episcopali et a beneficiis proficuis et perquisitis episcopatus prædicti suspendendum fore adjudicaverint et determinaverint, donec mihi Wilhelmo providentia divina Can- 10 tuariens. archiepiscopo plenam fecerit et debitam submissionem pro absentia sua a sua diœcesi, neglectu officii sui et cæteris criminibus contra eum allegatis et probatis: cum denique dictum judicium laudum et sententia arbitrorum antedictorum fuerit et sit per sententiam definiti- 15 vam hujus almæ curiæ Cantuariensis de Arcubus confirmat. ratificat. et sententiat. Idcirco nos Wilhelmus providentia divina Cantuariensis archiepiscopus totius Angliæ primas et metropolitanus præfatum reverendum in Christo patrem ac dominum dominum Thomam permissione divina 20 Covent. et Litchf. episcopum ab officio suo et functione episcopali et a beneficiis, proficuis et perquisitis episcopatus prædict. donec fecerit nobis plenam et debitam submissionem pro absentia sua a sua diœcesi neglectu officii sui et omnibus aliis criminibus contra eum allegatis 25 et probatis, suspendimus in his scriptis. W. CANT. Lecta die Sabbath. 19 Julii 1684, inter horas undec. et duodec. antemeridianas per revm. in Christo patrem ac dominum dominum Wilhelmum providentia divina Cantuar. archiep. in capella sua infra manerium suum de 30 Lambehyth in com. Surriæ, ad humilem petitionem M. Everardi Erton etc. præsentibus tunc et ibidem reverendo in Christo patre ac domino domino Francisco permissione divina Roffen. episcopo ac reverendo in Christo patre Joanne permissione divina insulæ Man et 35 Sodorensis episcopo domino Bristolen. electo. CLXI. Archiepisc. Cant. GUIL. SANCroft 8. Anno Christi Reg. Angliæ Articles for the better regulation of ordinations, and institutions, and other admissions to cure of souls, into which much abuse and many uncanonical practices have lately crept.-Ex autographo archiep. Sancroft apud Tho. episc. Assaven. IT T is agreed by and between the archbishop and bishops of the province of Canterbury, and they do hereby mutually and solemnly promise for themselves respectively to one another as followeth : 5 I. That they will henceforth ordain no man deacon, except he be 23 years old, unless he have a faculty; which the archbishop declares he will not grant, but upon very urgent occasion; nor priest, unless he be full and complete 24 years old, as it is indispensably required 10 Articles for the better regulation] In the 2d article it is stated that "none but those who are so ordained are by the late act of uniformity and the statute 13 Eliz. c. 12. §. 5. capable to be admitted to any benefice with cure." Whatever might be the construction of the stat. of Eliz. as applicable to the year 1685, it is certain that persons who had not 15 been episcopally ordained, were admitted to benefices with cure of souls from the time of queen Eliz. to the commencement of the civil war. The practice was effectually prevented by the act of uniformity 13 and 14 Charles II. c. 4. See Nos. CII. CXLIX. Burnet, O. T. vol. i. P. 332. Baxter's Life, p. 448. 20 These articles are taken from the copy written by the archbishop, and now preserved in the Tanner MSS. vol. cclxxxii. p. 116. In an earlier copy of the same (at p. 144 of the same vol.) are the following notes in the archbishop's handwriting. "Letters dimissory from one bp. to another. Priorius de l'ris Canonicis, p. 77. 86. 89, &c." and 25" In ordination of ministers three things required. 1) μαρτυρία. 1 Tim. iii. 7. good testimonials. 2) dokuaσía. Ibid. examination. 3) Xeipodeσía. 1 Tim. iv. 14. imposition of hands." in the preface to the book of ordination; nor unless the canonical age be either by an extract out of the register book of the parish, where the person to be ordained was born, under the hands of the minister and churchwardens there; or if no register be kept or found there, by some 5 other means sufficiently attested. II. That they will not admit or institute any person, who hath been formerly ordained, to cure of souls, unless it appear by a like testimonial, that when he was ordained, he was of canonical age; none but those who are so 10 ordained being by the late act of uniformity and the statute 13 Eliz. c. 12. §. 5. capable to be admitted to any benefice with cure. III. That they will ordain no man deacon or priest, who hath not taken some degree of school in one of the 15 universities of this realm, unless the archbishop in some extraordinary case, and upon the express desire and request of the bishop ordaining, shall think fit to dispense with this particular, the person, so to be dispensed with, being in all things else qualified, as the said 34th canon 20 requires. IV. That they will ordain none but such, as either have lived within their respective dioceses for the three years last past, and are upon their own personal knowledge, or by the testimony of three of the neighbouring 25 ministers, whom they think fit to rely upon, found to be worthy of what they pretend to, or else do exhibit sufficient and authentic testimony thereof from the bishop or bishops, within whose jurisdiction they have resided for the three last years, or from some college in one of the 30 universities, in which they are, or lately have been gremials; to the end, that there may be (by one or more of these methods) sufficient moral assurance to the bishop, by competent witnesses, of the good life and conversation of the persons to be ordained, for full three years last 35 past, as the said canon requires. And the archbishop |