example by their punishments not to adhere to such false and detestable opinions, but utterly to forsake and relinquish them. And that wheresoever any of them be known, they be detected, and his majesty or council be informed with all convenient speed, with all manner abettors and printers of the same opinion. And his majesty charged the same anabaptists and sacramentaries not apprehended or known, that they within eight or ten days depart out of the realm, upon pain of loss of their life and forfeiture of their goods. Item, Forasmuch as the holy sacrament of the altar is the very body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and so hath and ought to be taken upon peril of damnation, his majesty minded to continue his subjects in this true and just faith, and that they be not beguiled away from it, charged that none should henceforth reason or dispute upon the said blessed sacrament, as of the mysteries thereof, upon pain of life and forfeiture of goods. 12 Except to learned men in holy scripture instructed, and taught in the universities, their liberties and privileges in their schools and places accustomed concerning the same; and otherwise in communication without slander of any man, for the only confirmation and declaration of the truth thereof. Item, And forasmuch as many brooked divers and many laudable ceremonies and rites heretofore used and accustomed in the church of England, not yet abrogated by the king's authority; whereby arose different strifes and contentions; as for and concerning holy bread, holy water, processions, kneeling and creeping on Good Friday to the cross, and Easter day, setting up lights before the Corpus Christi, bearing of candles on the day of purification, ceremonies used at the purification of women delivered of child, and offering of their chrisms, keeping of the four offering days, payment of tithes according to the old custom of the realm, and other such like ceremonies; his majesty charged and commanded all his subjects to observe and keep them; so as they shall use and observe the same without superstition, and esteem them for good and lawful ceremonies, tokens and signs to put us in remembrance of things of high perfection, and none otherwise. And not to repose any trust of salvation in them but take them for good instructions, until such time as his majesty change or abrogate any of them, as his highness upon reasonable consideration both may and intendeth to do. : Finally, Whereas a few priests, as well religious as others, have taken wives and married themselves, contrary to the wholesome monitions of St. Paul to Timothy and Titus, and to the Corinthians, and contrary to the opinion of many of the old Fathers and expositors of Scripture, not esteeming also the promise of chastity, which they made at the receiving of holy orders; his highness, minding in no wise that the generality of the clergy should, with the example of such a few light persons, proceed to marriage without a common consent of his highness and the realm, doth straitly charge and command that all such as have attempted marriage, as also such as will presumptuously proceed in the same, not to minister the sacrament or other ministry mystical, nor have any office, cure, privilege, profit or commodity, heretofore accustomed, and belonging to the clergy of the realm: but shall be utterly after such marriage expelled and deprived, and be held and reputed as lay persons to all purposes and intents. And that such as after this proclamation shall of presumptuous minds take wives and be married, shall run into his grace's indignation, and suffer further punishment and imprisonment at his grace's will and pleasure. Regist. Cranm. fol. 97. Burnet, [NUMBER XXV*. INJUNCTIONS GIVEN BY THOMAS ARCHBISHOP OF CANTER- I. First, That ye and every one of you shall, with all 96. b. fol. your diligence and faithful obedience, observe and cause to be observed, all and singular the king's highness' inReformat. junctions, by his grace's commissaries given in such places B. iii No. as they in times past have visited. Hist. of vol. i. p. ii. 12. pp. 285, 6. ed. II. Item, That ye and every one of you shall have by Oxon. 1829. the first day of August next coming, as well a whole Bible in Latin and English, or at least a New Testament of both the same languages, as the copies of the king's highness' injunctions. III. Item, That ye shall every day study one chapter of the said Bible or New Testament, conferring the Latin and English together, and to begin at the first part of the book, and so to continue until the end of the same. IV. Item, That ye, nor none of you, shall discourage any layman from the reading of the Bible in Latin or English, but encourage them to it, admonishing them that they so read it for reformation of their own life and knowledge of their duty; and that they be not bold or presumptuous in judging of matters afore they have perfect knowledge. V. Item, That ye, both in your preaching and secret confession, and all other works and doings, shall excite and move your parishioners unto such works as are commanded expressly of God, for the which God shall demand of them a strait reckoning; and all other works which men do of their own will or devotion, to teach your parishioners that they are not to be so highly esteemed as the other; and that for the not doing of them God will not ask any account. VI. Item, That ye, nor none of you, suffer no friar or religious man to have any cure or service within your churches or cures, except they be lawfully dispensed withal, or licensed by the ordinary. VII. Item, That ye and every one of you do not admit any young man or woman to receive the sacrament of the altar which never received it before, until that he or she openly in the church after mass or evening song, upon the holy-day, do recite in the vulgar tongue the Pater Noster, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments. VIII. Item, That ye and every one of you shall two times in a quarter declare to your parishioners the band of matrimony, and what great danger it is to all men that useth their bodies but with such persons as they lawfully may by the law of God. And to exhort in the said times your parishioners, that they make no privy contracts, as they will avoid the extreme pain of the laws used within the king's realm by his grace's authority. Abp. Cranmer's Works, vol. ii. pp. 81, 2. Park, Soc. ed.] NUMBER XXVI. PART OF A LETTER FROM A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT CON CERNING THE TRANSACTIONS OF THE HOUSE ABOUT PASSING [fol. 128. b. AND also news here, I assure you never prince shewed [Cotton MSS.] himself so wise a man, so well learned, and so catholic, as the Cleop. E. 5. king hath done in this parliament. With my pen I cannot British express his marvellous goodness which is come to such Museum. Original.] effect, that we shall have an act of parliament so spiritual, that I think none shall dare say, in the blessed sacrament of the altar doth remain either bread or wine after the consecration: nor that a priest may have a wife: nor that it is necessary to receive our Maker "sub utraque specie:" 48 nor that private masses should not be used as they have been nor that it is not necessary to have auricular confession. And notwithstanding my lord of Canterbury, my lord of Elyk, my lord of Salisbury', my lords of WorcesterTM, Rochestern, and St. David's°, defended the contrary long time; yet finally his highness confounded them all with God's learning. York P, Durham 9, Winchester', [London3, Chichester', Norwich",] and Carlisle, have shewed themselves honest and well learned men. We of the temporalty have been all of one opinion: and my lord chancellor, and my lord privy seal, as good as we can devise. My lord of Canterbury and all these bishops have given their opinion and come in to us, save Salisbury, who yet continueth a lewd fool. Finally, all in England have cause to thank God, and most heartily to rejoice of the king's most godly proceedings. k [Thomas Goodrich.] 1 [Nicholas Shaxton.] m [Hugh Latimer.] [Cuthbert Tunstal.] Without any name subscribed. [Stephen Gardiner.] s [John Stokesley.] t [Richard Sampson.] u [William Rugge, alias Repps.] v [Robert Aldrich.] w[Sir Thomas Audley.] |