bantur ministerium deserturi. Multi etiam ex plebe contulerunt consilia de secessione a nobis facienda, et occultis cœtibus cogendis. Sed tamen, Domini benignitate, maxima pars ad saniorem mentem rediit. Ad eam rem literæ vestræ, pietatis et prudentiæ plenæ, plurimum momenti attulerunt. Nam eas Latine ac Anglice typis evulgandas curavi. Nonnulli ex ministris, vestro judicio atque authoritate permoti, abjecerunt priora consilia de ministerio deserendo. Sed et ex plebe quamplurimi mitius sentire cœperunt, postquam intellexerunt ritus nostros a vobis, qui iisdem non utimini, nequaquam damnari impietatis: quod ante publicatas vestras literas nemo illis persuasisset. Sunt tamen qui adhuc manent in priori sententia. Et in his D. Humfredus, et Samsonus, &c. Nihil vero esset facilius quam regiæ majestati eos reconciliare, si ipsi ab instituto discedere vellent. Sed cum hoc non faciunt, nos apud serenissimam reginam ista contentione irritatam, nihil possumus. Nos, qui nunc episcopi sumus (eos dico, qui in Germania et aliis locis exulaverant) in primo nostro reditu, priusquam ad ministerium accessimus, diu multumque contendebamus, ut ista de quibus nunc controvertitur, prorsus amoverentur. Sed cum illud a regina et statibus in comitiis regni impetrare non potuimus, communicatis consiliis, optimum judicavimus non deserere ecclesias propter ritus non adeo multos, neque per se impios, præsertim cum pura Evangelii doctrina nobis integra et libera maneret. In In qua ad hunc usque diem (utcunque multi multa in contrarium moliantur) cum vestris ecclesiis, vestraque confessione, nuper edita, plenissime consentimus. Sed neque adhuc pœnitet nos nostri consilii. Nam interea, Domino dante incrementum, auctæ sunt ecclesiæ, quæ alioque Ecceboliis, Lutheranis, et semipapistis prædæ fuissent expositæ. Istæ vero istorum intempestivæ contentiones de adiaphoris, (si quid ego judicare possum) non ædificant, sed scindunt ecclesias, et discordias seminant inter fratres, &c. The rest of the letter relating to Scotland shall be omitted. The date and the ceremony of taking leave stands thus. Londini 27 Augusti, 1566. Deditissimus tibi in Domino EDMUNDUS GRINDALLUS, Episcopus Londinensis. Strype's Life of Abp. Append. April 20, A.D. 1571. in Capella Regis Henrici septimi. LXXXVII. The Form of the Excommunication of the Bishop of Gloucester, pronounced in the Synod an. 1571. Petyt. MSS. In Dei nomine, Amen. Cum nos Matthæus providentia divina Cantuarien. Archiepiscopus, totius Angliæ Primas et Parker, in Metropolitanus, rite et legitime procedens, reverendum in Christo patrem Dom. Richardum Glocestren. episcopum, ac commendatarium episcopatus Bristolien. alias propter suam contumaciam et manifestum contemptum in non comparendo coram nobis, neque per se, neque per procuratorem suum, in hac præsenti convocatione, sive sacra synodo provinciali in domo capitulari ecclesiæ cathedralis D. Pauli, London, tertio die præsentis mensis Aprilis inchoata et celebrata, ac de die in diem, usque ad hos diem et locum continuata et prorogata, juxta citationem et monitionem ultimam et peremptoriam alias sibi ex parte nostra fact. pronunciaverimus contumacem, pœnam contumaciæ, sive hujusmodi ad arbitrium nostrum reservando. Nos Matthæus archiepiscopus antedict. pœnam contumaciæ dicti episcopi et commendatarii nunc declarando, eundem episcopum et commendatarium de consensu confratrum nostrorum nobiscum in hac præsenti convocatione assidentium, excommunicamus in hiis scriptis. 97. Grindal. LXXXVIII. Part of the Queen's Mandate to the Archbishop, for confirming and consecrating the Bishop of Man upon the Earl of Derby's Nomination. Cum perdilectus et perquam fidelis consanguineus noster Henricus comes Derby, ex indultis et largitionibus progenitorum nostrorum, regum et principum hujus regni nostri Angliæ progenitoribus suis comitibus Derb. ab antiquo fact. et elargit. eidem comiti, hæredibus et successoribus suis rite et legitime. confirmatis, et longo usu stabilitis, jus habeat patronatus, nominationis, præsentationis, et dispositionis episcopatus in insula de MAN, Eboracen. provinciæ, in qualibet ejus vacatione; ita quod dict. episcopatu quacunque ratione vacante bene liceat eidem comiti, hæredibus et successoribus suis quamcunque personam dignitati hujusmodi idoneam, et habilem, ad eundem episcopatum nominare, &c. Sciatis igitur quod nos eandem præsentationem acceptavimus, et assensum et favorem nostrum commendavimus, &c. Then follows the queen's order to the metropolitan, to confirm and consecrate the person nominated. LXXXIX. The Address of the London Clergy to the Convocation. Billa London. To the Reverend Fathers in God the Lord Bishops, and the rest of the Convocation. Antonii a num. 8494. I. Whereas throughout the whole realm the benefices of E Cod. MS. London are the smallest, and the ministers the porest, the Wood in sheape well clad, and the pastors go naked, and yet a reasonable Museo Ashmoleano, order taken for tythes by statute; and no order observed in F. 30. payinge ther tythes, because they are for their riches stoute, and will not paye; and because they maye have lawe at hande, they use many shiftes, as may appeare, we humbly require that all collusion against her majesties laws, and their pastors, be punished by triple damages to the behoofe of the partie plaintyffe, yff that so fall out that by judgment of lawe they be convinced of them. 1. The stranger must deliver 300l. to the landlorde, the A breefe note of a landlorde must have the use of the 3007., the stranger must few colhave a fair house for a pepper corn rent, and so the parson must have his tythe of a pepper corn. lusions, and of the weakest, by the which the 2. The landlord maketh a tenant a lease after 67. per annum, poore clearbut he must pay for time by obligation 1607. in five years, so gie of Lonthe rent is 387. per annum by acquittance, and the parson must receive but after 67. 3. If a house have a well, and be worthe 20%. per annum, and so lett, yet the tenant payeth 167. for the well, and 47. for the house, after which 47. the parson receaveth tythes. 4. If a howṣe be worthe 10l. per annum, they will let the house with an old bedstead and a forme called implements, after 87. for implements, and 27. for rent for the parson to receive tythes by. don are de ceaved, to shew our complaint to be just. 5. If a howse be worth 207. per annum, ther shall be two leases made; the one after 40s. yearely, the other after 187.; the first to shewe the parson to receave his tythe by, the other to pay the landlorde by. 6. If a house be worth 207. per annum, the tenant shall pay 47. rent, by lease, and 167. upon a covenant, so the parson shall receave after 47. And they have a hundred such devises to cousen us withall. II. We also humbly beseeche your fatherhoods and wisedomes to tender in greate pitie the pore clergie of London, whose benefices, by the mallice of riche men, have already passed a melius inquirendum, and being racked a-new in her majesties books: so that the shewe being great, and the livings small, that ther are not six competent benefices for six learned men in the whole city, as may well be proved; that it may please you to let loose the statute of privye tythes, with this proviso, that they may be examined by others of ther gayne. For in this whole citye yearlie ther is not 40s. yearlie paied for privy tythe; so that a freeholder of 407. in the country paieth more to the parson than a citizen worth 10,000l. III. Moreover forasmuch as divers English preachers, disallowing the state ecclesiastical in England, doe publicklye read beyond the seas in Flanders, as in Antwerp, in Germany, &c. These are to desire you by proclamation otherwise to provide that none hereafter shall pass over ther to read publicklie anie lectore unless he give testimony to his ordinarie of his conformitie before he goe, because by frequenting ther lectures we receive our parishioners from beyond the seas verie contemptuose, and rebelling against our state ecclesiastical. And if he or they shall so do contrary to any act made, that then the said partie or parties shall be held as excommunicate upon ther return into England againe. IV. Item. Because most of the parsonage howses in London are now in citizens' hands, and unrecoverable, we humbly require that such clergiemen as have no parsonage houses, or not convenient howses, if they dwell in any place of the citie, it may be interpreted for them as a residence. V. Moreover, because that is generally known throughout the whole citie that no one parish or parson can agree to gether, and that the cause thereof is the privatt readinge in howses, and our publick crienge owt against usurie, we humbly require that these readers may be forbidden, and some straight punishment for this general and horrible sinne may be appointed, or else the preachers hereafter commaunded to hold the peace. VI. Also forasmuch as all small almes is geven to the poore, and lesse now to the universities than ever was at the deathe of many riche men, but yett much geven to sectaries and jesuitts, these are to require you that it be enacted, that no straunge preacher shall enter withine anie man's charge without conference had with the parson, vickar, or curate of the same churche, uppon paine of imprisonement for one monthe; and that no scrivener or anie other shall presume to make anie will, unless the parson, vickar, or curate be ther present, upon pain of imprisonment for two months. VII. Also, forasmuch as no manne is in securitie, what prooffe may serve him for reading the Articles, if either his parishioners have forgotten the same, or will not testifie the same, we humbly require that it be enacted, that no man be driven to make proofe of reading his articles after three yeares quiet possession; so that he doe read them withine one monthes warninge, beinge at anie time thereunto required. VIII. Moreover, forasmuch as manie citizens become members of the French and Dutch Church, and refuse contemptuously ther owne Churche, we desier that it be enacted, that no cittizen shall at anie time become anie member or elder in any straunge Church, but that they keep ther own Churche, and communicate ther uppon payne of painge to the poore box of ther owne parrishe, for everie monthe so continewinge, the summ of 20s., or else to be committed to prison at the ordinaries appointment, and duringe his pleasure. IX. Also, for as much as the canons made in the convocation 1571, be stronge enoughe to rule us of the clergie, because of owr othe of canonical obedience, and be utterlie contemned of the laitie, because they be not confirmed by parliament, so that in manie places of the citie the stocke of the Church is lett out to usurie, and the riche men have all the mony in their hands, and the parishioners keep revestries at ther pleasures, and chose church-wardens and sidemen contrarie to those canons, without the consent of the parson, we 98. |