audience; but if any of them be grieved one with another, let them complain to the King's Highness, or to the Archbishop, or Bishop of the diocese where such chance shall happen, and there to be remedied, if there be cause why; and if the complaint be not true, the complainer to be punished.

Item, Also to forfend, that no preachers for a year shall preach neither with nor against purgatory, honouring of saints, that priests may have wives, that faith only justifieth, to go on pilgrimages, to forge miracles, considering these things have caused dissension amongst the subjects of this realm already, which, thanked be God, is now well pacified.

Item, That from henceforth all preachers shall purely, sincerely, and justly preach the Scripture and word of Christ, and not mix them with man's institutions, nor make men believe that the force of God's law and man's law is like; nor that any man is able or hath power to dispense with God's law.

Item, It is also ordained, that the declaration of the Sentence which hath been used in the church four times in the year, shall not from henceforth neither be published nor esteemed in any point contrary to the preeminence and jurisdiction royal of our King and his realm, or laws and liberties of the same; and any so doing to be competently punished by the Bishop of that diocese, where it shall fortune him to be or inhabit: and this throughout the realm and dominions of our Sovereign, shortly the bishops to set order in.

Item, It is also ordained, that the Collects for the preservation of the King and Queen by name, be from henceforth commonly and usually used and said in every cathedral church, religious house, and parish church, in all their high masses, throughout all the realm and dominions of our King and Sovereign.

Item, It is further ordained, that wheresoever the King's just cause of matrimony hath either been detracted, and the incestuous and unjust set forth, or in places where as it hath not been dilated, that in all those places, till the people be fully satisfied and justly instruct, all manner of preachers whatsoever they be, happening to come into any such part of the realm, shall from henceforth open and declare the mere verity and justness of this latter matrimony, as nigh as their learning can serve them, and according to the true determinations of a great num

ber of the most famous and esteemed Universities of Christendom; according also to the just resolution and definition of both the Convocations of this realm, concurring also in the same opinion; by the whole assent of Parliament, our Prince, the Lords spiritual and temporal, and Commons of this realm; wherefore now they must declare this matter neither doubtful nor disputable, but to be a thing of mere verity, and so to be allowed in all men's opinions.

Item, It is further ordained, that the foresaid preachers shall also declare the false and unjust handling of the Bishop of Rome, pretending to have jurisdiction to judge this cause at Rome; which in the first hearing thereof, did both declare and confess in word and writing the justness thereof to be upon our Sovereign's side, insomuch as by a decretal delivered to the legate here then sitting for the same cause, he did clearly determine, that if prince Arthur was our Prince's brother, and then of competent age allowed in the law, when he married the lady Katharine, she being so likewise, and that as far as presumptions can prove, carnal copulation ensued between them; that these proved before the said cardinals and legates, (which indeed were accordingly to the laws justly proved,) that then the unjust copulation between our Sovereign and the said lady Katharine was neither lawful, nor longer to be suffered, and so, eo facto, pronounced in the foresaid decretal, the nullity, invalidity, and unlawfulness of their pretensed matrimony, which was by his law sufficient judgment of the cause; which decretal by his commandment, after and because he would not have the effect thereof to ensue, was, after the sight thereof, imbesiled by the foresaid cardinals, and one which then was here his cubicular, contrary to all justness and equity; wherein he hath done our Sovereign most extreme wrong.

Secondly, Contrary to all equity and determinations of General Councils, he hath called the cause (which ought to be determined here) to Rome, where our Sovereign is neither bound to appear, nor send proctor: and yet hath he detained wrongfully the cause there these three or four years at the instance of the other party, which sued to have it there, because they knew he durst not displease the Emperor, who maketh himself a party in it, as by the sequel it doth evidently appear, and so could our Prince get no justice at his hand, but was wrongfully delayed to

no small hinderance, both to his succession, and this his realm,

eminent danger.

Thirdly, Where it is a natural defence that the subject ought and may defend his natural sovereign or master, both in word and deed, and ought thereto to be admitted, this foresaid Bishop of Rome, contrary to this equity in nature, hath rejected our Sovereign's excusator, contrary both to his own laws, (which he most setteth by,) and also God's law, which he ought to prefer. Upon which cause, and other great injuries, our Sovereign did appeal to the General Council; notwithstanding the which, he hath, contrary to all justice, proceeded ad ulteriora, wherein by a General Council he is damned as an heretic; yet thus injuriously from the beginning hitherto, he hath handled our Prince's cause and matter there.

Fourthly, The said Bishop of Rome, since our Prince's appeal, hearing of the laws and Acts of Parliament which we then went about, and that our King having just ground (the premises considered) would provide according to his bounden duty, both for the surety of his succession and realm, gave out a sentence in manner of excommunication and interdiction of him and his realm, in which when he was spoken to for the iniquity and unjustness thereof by our Prince's agents, he and his Council could nor did otherwise excuse them, (the fact being so contrary to all laws and right,) but that the fault was in a new officer late come to the court, which for his lewd doing should grievously be punished, and the process to cease. This they promised our Prince's agents; which notwithstanding was set up in Flanders to the great injury of our Prince, and for partiality to the other part, as it may well appear by the foresaid sentence.

Fifthly, The said Bishop of Rome sought all the ways possible with fair words and promises both by his ambassadors and our Sovereign's own, which by any means could be invented, to have abused our Prince and Sovereign; which when he saw that by none of his crafts our Prince would be no longer abused with them, then sued he to the French King, to be a mediator between our Sovereign and him: declaring to him and his Council that he would gladly do for our Sovereign, allowing the justness of his cause; so that they would find the means that our Sovereign would not proceed in his acts and laws till that were proved. And that he would meet with him at Marcelles for

the finishing thereof, for at Rome he durst not do it for fear of the Emperor. The good French King admonished our Prince hereof, offering to him to do all pleasure and kindness that lay in him in this cause, trusting that if the Bishop of Rome came once to Marcelles, he should give sentence for our Sovereign in his just cause, and therefore prayed our Prince to be content with that meeting, in which he would labour for it effectuously, and so he did to the which our Prince answered, that touching the meeting he was content, but touching the forbearing of making laws, he prayed his good brother to hold him excused, for he knew well enough both the craft and delays of the Bishop of Rome; by which from thenceforth he would never be abused: and that likewise he feared that he would abuse his good brother, which so indeed after followed; for after he had gotten the marriage of the Duke of Orleance, he then promised the French King to give judgment for our master, so he would send a proxy, which the said Bishop of Rome knew well before, that he neither would, nor was bound to do; yet notwithstanding his subtle imaginations, his promise was to the French King, that our Prince sending a proctor, should there, before his departure, have judgment for him in the principal cause; for he openly confessed further, that our master had the right but because our Prince and master would not prejudicate princes' jurisdiction, and uphold his usurped power by sending a proctor, ye may evidently here see that this was only the cause why the judgment of the Bishop of Rome was not given in his favour; whereby it may appear that there lacked not any justness in our Prince's cause, but that ambition, vainglory, and too much mundanity, were the letts thereof: wherefore, good people, I exhort you to stick to the truth and our Prince according to our bounden duties, and despise these naughty doings of this Bishop of Rome; and charitably pray that he and all others, abusers of Christ's word and works, may have grace to amend.

Wilkins,
Concilia,

vol. iii. p. 797.

IV.

Inhibitio pro Visitatione Regia.

THOMAS, permissione divina Cant' archiepiscopus, &c. venerab' confratri nostro Domino Johanni, London' episcopo, sa

lutem et fraternam in Domino charitatem. Cum nuper receperimus serenissimi domini nostri Regis Henrici octavi, Dei gratia Angliæ et Franciæ Regis, Fidei Defensoris, Dominique Hiberniæ, ac in terris Supremi Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ sub Christo Capitis, literas inhibitorias sub verborum tenore sequent'-Henricus octavus Dei gratia Angliæ et Franciæ Rex, Fidei Defensor, Dominus Hiberniæ, ac in terris Supremum Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ sub Christo Caput, dilecto nobis reverendissimo in Christo patri, Thomæ, miseratione divina Cant. Archiepiscopo, ac totius Angliæ Primati, salutem. Cum nos auctoritate nostra suprema ecclesiastica, omnia ac singula monasteria, domos, prioratus, et loca alia ecclesiastica quæcunque, totumque clerum infra et per totum nostrum Angliæ regnum constituta propediem visitare statuerimus; vobis tenore præsentium stricte inhibemus atque mandamus, et per vos suffraganeis vestris confratribus episcopis, ac per illos suis archidiaconis infra vestram provinciam Cant' ubilibet constitutis, sic inhiberi volumus atque præcipimus, quatenus pendente visitatione nostra hujusmodi, nullus vestrum monasteria, ecclesias, ac loca alia prædicta, clerumve visitare, aut ea quæ sunt jurisdictionis exercere, seu quicquam aliud in præjudicium dictæ nostræ visitationis generalis quovis modo attemptare præsumat, sub pœna contemptus. In cujus rei testimonium has præsentes literas inde fieri, et sigilli nostri, quo ad causas ecclesiasticas utimur, appensione communiri curavimus. Dat' 18. die mensis Septembris, A. D. MDXXXV.

Quocirca fraternitati vestræ committimus et mandamus, quatenus omnibus et singulis episcopis et suffraganeis nostris, in nostra provincia Cant' constitutis, ac eorum archidiaconis, commissariis, officialibus, et ministris quibuscunque, secundum tenorem et effectum literarum domini nostri Regis inhibentis, quibus nos etiam tenore præsentium ex mandato Regiæ Majestatis prædict' inhibemus, quatenus pendente visitatione regia hujusmodi, nullus eorum monasteria, ecclesias, ac alia loca ecclesiastica, clerumve visitare, aut ea quæ sunt jurisdictionis exercere, seu quicquam aliud in præjudicium regiæ visitationis quovis modo attemptare præsumat, vobis insuper mandantes, quatenus præfatos coepiscopos et suffraganeos nostros moneatis peremptorie, quos nos etiam tenore præsentium sic monemus, quatenus ipsi modum et formam concionand' ac preces inter prædicand' a juxta [See the preceding article.]

VOL. IV.

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