out any delay they supply that defect. Perhaps some may give unto your lordship froward answers, and either refuse or delay to give you satisfaction herein; which if they do, I require you, in his majesty's name, to suspend them for their contempt, and to certify me thereof pre- 5 sently, that I may give order to stay all inhibitions in that case. If any such person keep the benefice in his own hands, whereupon he doth not reside, then I would have you to sequester the fruits of it, and to allow out of them a reasonable portion for a curate that is a preacher. 10 If a pluralist, having one benefice in your lordship's diocese, be resident in another, then you to call him by process; if he be a delinquent herein, I heartily desire your lordship to use your best diligence in this matter, to the end that notice thereof may be had throughout your 15 diocese before the next session of parliament; and fail not to write unto me before that time what you have done therein, and upon any wilfulness shewed to your lordship, or other impediment, whereby you cannot prevail with some party, let me presently be informed of his 20 name, and I will send for him myself. Secondly, you are to inform me of the names and degrees of all those that have two benefices within your diocese, or but one in your diocese and another in another diocese. Thirdly, it is his majesty's strait charge, that you require all your 25 prebendaries to be resident upon their benefices, and there to preach every Sunday, according to the tenour of two canons made in that behalf; and taking the course before mentioned, write unto me the names of such as shall refuse to obey you herein. Fourthly, you must be careful and diligent in the administering of the oath of allegiance, according to the trust reposed in you by the statute made this session, which I pray you procure forth

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a by the statute made this session] Stat. 7 Jac. 1. c. 6. " An act for administering the oath of allegiance, and reformation of married women 35 recusants."

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with, as soon as the same, together with the rest shall be printed: they are now in the press. Fifthly your lordship is to use the best means and help you can, by the assistance of all your officers, that his majesty may 5 receive from you, to be delivered unto him by me, the number of all recusants men and women within your diocese, in as exact a manner as you can possibly procure it, and this not only to be done this vacation, but every year hereafter: it is his majesty's direct commandment. Sixthly, you are to give order to your officers, to use their best endeavours and diligence, that all recusants in every parish may be presented unto them, and then take some pains yourself to see, that they be all truly certified to the judges and justices in their sessions and assizes, to 15 the end they may be there indicted and convicted; and when your lordship doth make your certificate, as is aforesaid, write to the judges and justices, as having received direction therein from me; then they will be careful for the indicting and conviction of such, as shall be 20 presented unto them; letting them know, that if I may be certified of any slackness herein of them, I will assuredly acquaint his majesty with it. I have heard that when recusants are presented, there is some negligence in setting down their true names, whereby they oftentimes 25 escape from being proceeded with; I pray your lordship give your best directions for the prevention hereof. If any gentleman, who keepeth any recusants in his house, shall refuse to deliver to the churchwardens, or to any, whom your lordship shall send unto him, the true names 30 of them; write unto me thereof, and I will cause him to be sent for by the lords of his majesty's privy council. Seventhly, until by the means aforesaid, that all recusants within your diocese shall be convicted, take such order in any wise with them, as that they may be all excommu35 nicated, and accordingly denounced in your cathedral church, and send me the names of all that shall be so

denounced, with their qualities, callings, and abilities, that I may make such use thereof, as shall be fit for the good of the church. Eighthly, I will be bold as of myself straitly to charge you, that forasmuch as our excommunications of recusants are utterly by them contemned, and 5 for that they find more favour, than I would wish, to the increasing of their obstinacy, you do forthwith give your order, if you list in my name, to all the ministers of your diocese, that they do not bury neither in the church nor the churchyard, nor suffer to be buried, as much as in 10 them lieth, any popish recusants, that die excommunicated. We that are bishops, have much to answer before God for our slackness hitherto in this point; the law therein being our warrant. Ninthly, I must likewise charge you to examine very narrowly the proceedings of 15 your chancellors, commissaries, archdeacons, and officials; for whilst we repose so much trust in them as we do, and they intend little, I mean especially chancellors, commissaries, and officials, but their own profit, many true complaints and mischiefs do indeed thereof ensue. If in 20 your lordship's care to reform these kinds of abuses, you find any chancellors, commissaries, or officials, stubborn and disobedient, write unto me thereof, for we may no longer, to our utter discredit, leave these abuses unreformed, and I am well assured, that wherein we shall 25 want ability, his majesty will yield unto us sufficient strength. Tenthly, it being more than notorious, that many parsons and vicars, and especially such as have two benefices, do suffer their houses to run into decay, where they do not reside themselves; it is his majesty's plea- 30 sure, that you take present care in that behalf, by appointing all your underofficers to look upon presentments already made of such defects, and otherwise, by all ways and means to inform yourself, and thereupon to call the parties offending herein before you, and to take such 35 order as that either they themselves shall presently repair

their houses, or else do you sequester their livings, allotting a fit portion for them to live upon, and causing the rest to be so employed; for besides that such neglecting of their houses doth argue too much greediness, and is a 5 great scandal to the best affected in their parish, it is very injurious to their successors. Eleventhly, there have been many constitutions formerly made concerning the apparel of ministers, but never was their pride in that respect so great as now it is, from the dean to every 10 curate, nothing being left that way to distinguish a bishop from any of them; you shall find deans usually either in their velvet, damask, or satin cassocks, with their silk netherstocksb; nay some archdeacons and inferior ministers, having two benefices, are likewise for the most part so 15 attired; to omit that their wives, in the cost and vanity of their apparel, do exceed as much and more, which is one principal motive why there is such exclamation against double-beneficed men, and such as beside their two benefices have some other preferment "sine cura." 20 What to move your lordship in this behalf I well know not, but as any so attired shall come before you, let him know particularly, and in my name, that they do greatly forget themselves in these so chargeable vanities, many of them having more care, to their own scorn, so to garnish 25 themselves and their wives, than to furnish their studies with such books, as might enable them the better to discharge their duties, as well for the confirmation of the truth, as for the refuting of all their opposites and adversaries. Assuredly if at our next session, your lordship,

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b silk netherstocks] "Then have they nether-stocks to these gay hosen, not of cloth (though never so fine) for that is thought too base; but of Jarnsey worsted crewell silke thred, and such like or else at the least of the finest yarn that can be got; and so curiously knit with open seame down the legge, with quirkes and clockes about the ancles, and 35 sometime (haply) interlaced with golde or silver threds, as is wonderful to beholde." Stubs, Anatomie of Abuses, p. 31.

and so the rest of my brethren shall not be able to inform me, that upon this my letter and admonition there is some hope, that these abuses will be redressed, I will be an humble suitor unto his majesty, that some straight order, by his direction, may be taken in that behalf, for 5 that this so chargeable a vanity should not be still continued; whilst many other men endure great want, it is very intolerable; seeing that by such their bravery in apparel, they do procure no manner of credit unto themselves, but rather, upon my knowledge, great envy 10 and heartburning against their calling and estates. These and some other abuses being oft objected unto me, do oftentimes plunge me, as being always ready to cover and excuse our imperfections of the clergy; but I must be forced to leave them, if they will not be content to be 15 advised by me. Twelfthly, I have been content, that all bishop Jewel's works should be printed together in one volume, to the end that every parish in England might have one of them. In the late queen's time of worthy memory, every parish was driven to buy " Erasmus's Para- 20 phrased upon the New Testament," and the said bishop's

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Reply against Hardinge;" one of the said books delivering plainly to every man's understanding the true sense and meaning of the whole New Testament, and the other containing a very notable and learned confutation of all 25 the principal points almost of popery: and therefore forasmuch as the same true causes, which moved her late majesty to impose the said books upon every parish, do remain still in force, there being more recusants now than at that time; I have thought it my duty very 30 heartily to entreat your lordship, so to deal with the

Bishop Jewel's works] This edition was printed in folio in the year 1609 by "John Norton, printer to the king's most excellent majesty." d Erasmus's Paraphrase] See queen Elizabeth's Injunctions No.XLIII. It had been required previously in king Edward's Injunctions No. II. 35 Reply against Harding] See Strype, Parker, vol. ii. p. 151.

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