you, amongst others, to preach God's Word sincerely, and declare abuses plainly, and in no ways contentiously to treat of matters indifferent, which be neither necessary to our salvation, as the good and virtuous ceremonies of holy Church, ne yet in any wise to be contemned and abrogate, for that they be incitements and motions to virtue, and allurements to devotion. All which our travel notwithstanding, so little regards you took to our advertisements therein, that we were constrained to put our own pen to the book, and to conceive certain Articles, which were by all you, the bishops and whole clergy of this our realm in convocation agreed on, as catholic, meet, and necessary to be by our authority, for avoiding of all contention, set forth, read, and taught to our subjects, to bring the same in unity, quietness, and good concord: supposing then that no personage having authority under us, as ye have, would either have presumed to have spoken any word that might have offended the sentence and meaning of the same, or have been any thing remiss, slack, or negligent in the plain setting forth of them, as they be conceived, so as by that means the fruit of quiet and unity should not grow thereupon, as we desired and looked for of the same. And perceiving eftsoons by credible report, that our labours, travail, and desire therein, is nevertheless defeated, and in manner, by general and contemptuous words, contemned and despised: so that by the abstinence of direct and plain setting forth of the said Articles, and by the fond and contentious manner of speaking, that ye, and some others of your sort, do still use, against the honest rites, customs and usages, and ceremonial things of the Church: our people be much more offended than they were before, and in manner exclaim, that we will suffer that injury at your hands; whereby they think God, us, and our whole realm highly offended; insomuch as principally upon that ground, and for the reformation of your abuses therein, they have made this commotion and insurrection, whereby they have offended us, damaged themselves, and troubled many of our good subjects. We be now inforced for our discharge towards God, and for the tender love and zeal we bear to the tranquillity, love, and unity of our said subjects, again to address these our letters unto you, as a peremptory warning to advise you to demean and use yourselves as shall hereafter be declared, upon pain of deprivation from your bishopric; and further to be punished for your contempt, if you shall offend in the contrary, as justice shall require for your own trespass, and as may serve for the example of others. And First. We especially charge and command you, that plainly and distinctly, without any additions, you shall every holy-day, wheresoever you shall be within your diocese, when you may so do with your health, openly in your cathedral church, or in the parish church where you shall fortune to be, read and declare our said Articles, and in nowise in the rest of your words, which you shall then speak of yourself (if you speak any thing), utter any word that shall make the same, or any word in the same, doubtful to the people. Secondly. We will and command you, that you shall, in your person, travel from place to place in all your diocese, as you may with your commodity, and endeavour yourself every holy-day to make a collation to the people, and in the same to set forth plainly those texts of Scripture that you shall treat off, and with the same also, as well to declare the obedience due by God's law to your prince and sovereign lord, (against whose commandment they ought in no wise, though the same were unjust, to use any violence) as to commend and praise all the honest ceremonies of the Church, as they be to be praised in such plain and reverend sort, that the people may perceive that they be not contemned, and yet learn how they were instituted, and how they ought to be observed and esteemed. Using such a temperance therein, that our said people be not corrupted by putting over much affiance in them, which should more offend than the clean silencing of the same. And that our people may therewith the better know their duty to us, being their king and sovereign lord. Thirdly. We straightly charge and command you, that neither in your private communications you shall use any words that may sound to the contrary of this our commandment; ne that you shall keep or retain any man of any degree, that shall in his words, privately or apertly, directly or indirectly, speak in those matters of the ceremonies contemptuously or contentiously. But we will, in case you have, or shall have any such person that will not better temper his tongue; ye shall as an offender and seducer of our people, send the same in safe custody to us and our council, to be punished as shall appertain, and semblably to do with other strangers, whom ye shall hear to be offenders in that part. Fourthly. Our pleasure and commandment is, that you shall on our behalf, give straight commandment upon like pain of deprivation and farther punishment, to all parsons, vicars, curates and governors of religious houses, colleges, and other places ecclesiastical within your diocese, that they and every of them shall, touching the indifferent praise of ceremonies, the avoiding of contentions, and contemptuous communication concerning any of the same, and the distinct and plain reading of our Articles, observe and perform in their churches, monasteries, and other houses ecclesiastical aforesaid, the very same order that is before to you prescribed. And further, that ye permit nor suffer any man of what degree soever he be in learning, stranger, or other, to preach in any place within your said diocese, out of his own church, by virtue of any licence by us, or any of our ministers, granted before the fifteenth day of this month, neither in your presence nor elsewhere; unless he be a man of such honesty, learning, and judgment, as you shall think able for that purpose, and one whom in manner you dare answer for. Finally. Whereas we be advertised, that divers priests have presumed to marry themselves contrary to the custom of our Church of England; our pleasure is, you shall make strict inquiry within your diocese whether there be any such resiant within the same, or no. And in case you find that there be any such priests who have presumed to marry themselves, and have sithhence used or exercised in any thing the office of priesthood, we charge you, as you will answer upon the pains aforesaid, to cause them to be apprehended, and to send them up unto us accordingly. Given under our signet at our castle of Windsor, XL. The Form of the Beads in Ireland. 33. A.D. 1537. Ye shall pray for the universal Catholic Church, both quick Paper-office. and dead, and especially for the Church of England and Ire land. First, for our sovereign lord the king, supreme head in earth, immediate under God, of the said Church of England and Ireland; and for the declaration of the truth thereof, ye shall understand, that the unlawful jurisdiction, power, and authority, of long time usurped by the bishop of Rome in Ireland and England, who then was called pope, is now, by God's law, justly, lawfully, and upon good grounds, reasons and causes, by authority of parliament, and by and with the whole consent and agreements of all the bishops, prelates, and both the universities of Oxon and Cambridge, and also the whole clergy, both of England and Ireland, extinct and ceased for ever, as of no strength, value, or effect, in the Church of England or Ireland; in the which Church the said whole clergy, bishops and prelates, with the universities of Oxon and Cambridge, have, according to God's laws, and upon good and lawful reasons and grounds, knowledged the King's Highness to be supreme head in earth, immediate under God, of this Church of England and Ireland; which their knowledge confessed, being now by parliament established, and by God's laws justifiable to be justly executed; so ought every true Christian subject of this land, not only to knowledge, and obediently to recognize the King's Highness to be supreme head in earth of the Church of England and Ireland; but also to speak, publish, and teach their children and servants the same; and to show unto them how that the said bishop of Rome hath heretofore usurped not only upon God, but also upon our princes. Wherefore, and to the intent that ye should the better believe me herein, and take and receive the truth as ye ought to do; I declare this not only of myself, which I know to be true, but also declare unto you, that the same is certified unto me from the mouth of my ordinary, the archbishop of Dublin, under his seal, which I have here ready to show you; so that now it appeareth plainly, that the said bishop of Rome hath neither authority nor power in this land, nor never had by God's laws; therefore I exhort you all, that ye deface him in all your Primers, and other books, where he is named pope; and that ye shall have from henceforth no confidence nor trust in him, nor his bulls or letters of pardon, which before, with his juggling-casts of binding and loosing, he sold unto you for your money, promising you therefore forgiveness of your sins; whereof truth, no man can forgive sins but only God; and also that ye fear not his great thunder-claps of excommunication or interdiction, for they cannot hurt you: but let us put all our confidence and trust in our Saviour Jesus Christ, which is gentle and loving, and requireth nothing of us when we have offended him, but that we should repent and forsake our sins, and believe stedfastly that he is Christ, the Son of the living God, and that he died for our sins, and so forth, as it is contained in the Creed. And that through him, and by him, and by none other, we shall have remission of our sins, et pœna et culpa, according to his promises made unto us in many and sundry places of Scripture. On this part ye shall pray also for the prosperous estate of our young prince, prince Edward, with all other the king's issue; and for all archbishops and bishops, and especially for my lord archbishop of Dublin, and for all the clergy, and namely, for all them that preach the word of God purely and sincerely on the second part, ye shall pray for all earls, barons, lords; and in especial, for the estate of the right honourable the lord Leonard Gray, lord deputy of this land of Ireland, and for all them that be of the king's most honourable council; that God may put them in mind to give such counsel, that it may be to the pleasure of Almighty God, and wealth of this land. You shall pray also for the mayor of this city, and his brethren, with all the commonalty of the same; and for the parishioners of this parish, and generally for all the temporality. On the third part, ye shall pray for the souls that be departed out of this world, in the faith of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which sleep in rest and peace, that they may rise again with Christ in eternal life; for these, and for grace, every man say a pater noster, and an ave, &c. XLI. Stokesly, Relaxation of the regal Suspension of Episcopal Jurisdiction ; or, Licentia Domini Regis ad exercendam Jurisdictionem. Henricus Octavus, Dei gratia, Angliæ et Franciæ Rex, Registrum Fidei Defensor, ac in terris supremum Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ fol. 48. sub Christo Caput, reverendo in Christo patri Johanni Lond. episcopo salutem. Quandoquidem omnis juris dicendi auctoritas, atque etiam jurisdictio omnimoda, tam illa quæ ecclesiastica dicitur, quam sæcularis, a regia potestate velut a |