than they ought to have. Whereby might follow great danger unto the people. For as long as there be disorders in the clergy, it will be hard to bring the people to good order.

And all this that I have touched before may be reformed, without any rebuke to the clergy that now is. For the pretence of such Unwritten Verities, ne yet of making of laws, to bind kings and princes and their people, ne yet that both powers, that is to say, spiritual and temporal, were in the clergy, began not in the clergy that now is, but in their prede

cessors.

And as to the said other pretensed Unwritten Verities, that is to say, that all men should resort to Rome, as to the most high and principal Church; and that it is a tradition and Unwritten Verity that images ought to be set up; it were well done that they and such other opinions, whereby pride, covetyse, or vain glory might spring hereafter, were prohibit by authority of the parliament upon great pains. And as to the said Unwritten Verity, that holy cream should be made after the Maundy, it pertaineth only to them that have authority, to judge whether it be an Unwritten Verity or not, and to judge also, what is the very authority of making of that cream. And therefore I will no further speak of that matter at this time.

XXXVI.

c 1. Preface to the Book of Common Prayer, 1549. 2. Of Ceremonies. 3. Preface to the Ordination Services, 1550.

1. Preface to the Book of Common Prayer.

THERE was never any thing by the wit of man so well devised, or so surely established, which (in continuance of time) hath not been corrupted; as (among other things) it may plainly appear by the common prayers in the Church, commonly called Divine Service; the first original and ground whereof, if a man would search out by the ancient Fathers, he shall find that the same was not ordained, but of a good pur

[Nos. 1 and 3 have been placed by Bale on the list of Cranmer's works, but, as it seems, without sufficient grounds. See Preface. But together with No. 2, which was printed at the end of the Prayer Book of 1549, they were probably written under his direction, and undoubtedly received his sanction.]

pose, and for a great advancement of godliness. For they so ordered the matter, that all the whole Bible (or the greatest part thereof) should be read over once in the year, intending thereby, that the clergy, and specially such as were ministers of the congregation, should (by often reading and meditation of God's word) be stirred up to godliness themselves, and be more able also to exhort others by wholesome doctrine, and to confute them that were adversaries to the truth. And further, that the people, by daily hearing of holy Scripture read in the church, should continually profit more and more in the knowledge of God, and be the more inflamed with the love of his true religion. But these many years past, this godly and decent order of the ancient Fathers hath been so altered, broken, and neglected, by planting in uncertain stories, legends, responds, verses, vain repetitions, commemorations, and synodals, that commonly when any book of the Bible was begun, before three or four chapters were read out, all the rest were unread. And in this sort, the book of Esaie was begun in Advent, and the book of Genesis in Septuagesima; but they were only begun, and never read through: after a like sort were other books of holy Scripture used. And moreover, whereas St. Paul would have such language spoken to the people in the Church, as they might understand and have profit by hearing the same; the service in this Church of England, these many years, hath been read in Latin to the people, which they understood not; so that they have heard with their ears only, and their hearts, spirit, and mind have not been edified thereby. And furthermore, notwithstanding that the ancient Fathers had divided the Psalms into seven portions, whereof every one was called a nocturn; now of late time a few of them have been daily said, and oft repeated, and the rest utterly omitted. Moreover, the number and hardness of the rules called the pie, and the manifold changings of the service, was the cause, that to turn the book only, was so hard and intricate a matter, that many times there was more business to find out what should be read, than to read it when it was found out.

These inconveniences therefore considered, here is set forth such an order, whereby the same shall be redressed. And for a readiness in this matter, here is drawn out a Calendar for that purpose, which is plain and easy to be understanded; wherein (so

much as may be) the reading of holy Scripture is so set forth, that all things shall be done in order, without breaking one piece thereof from another. For this cause be cut off anthems, responds, invitatories, and such like things, as did break the continual course of the reading of the Scripture. Yet because there is no remedy, but that of necessity there must be some rules, therefore certain rules are here set forth; which, as they be few in number, so they be plain and easy to be understanded. So that here you have an order for prayer (as touching the reading of holy Scripture) much agreeable to the mind and purpose of the old Fathers, and a great deal more profitable and commodious than that which of late was used. It is more profitable, because here are left out many things, whereof some be untrue, some uncertain, some vain and superstitious; and is ordained nothing to be read but the very pure word of God, the holy Scriptures, or that which is evidently grounded upon the same; and that in such a language and order as is most easy and plain for the understanding both of the readers and hearers. It is also more commodious, both for the shortness thereof and for the plainness of the order, and for that the rules be few and easy. Furthermore, by this order the curates shall need none other books for their public service, but this book and the Bible; by the means whereof the people shall not be at so great charge for books as in time past they have been.

And where heretofore there hath been great diversity in saying and singing in churches within this realm; some following Salisbury use, some Hereford use, some the use of Bangor, some of York, and some of Lincoln; now from henceforth all the whole realm shall have but one use. And if any would judge this way more painful, because that all things must be read upon the book, whereas before, by the reason of so often repetition, they could say many things by heart; if those men will weigh their labour with the profit in knowledge which daily they shall obtain by reading upon the book, they will not refuse the pain, in consideration of the great profit that shall ensue thereof.

And forsomuch as nothing can, almost, be so plainly set forth, but doubts may rise in the use and practising of the same: to appease all such diversity, (if any arise,) and for the resolution of all doubts concerning the manner how to understand, do, and

execute the things contained in this book: the parties that so doubt, or diversely take anything, shall alway resort to the bishop of the diocese, who by his discretion shall take order for the quieting and appeasing of the same; so that the same order be not contrary to any thing contained in this book.

Though it be appointed in the afore written Preface that all things shall be read and sung in the church in the English tongue, to the end that the congregation may be thereby edified; yet it is not meant but when men say matins and evensong privately, they may say the same in any language that they themselves do understand. Neither that any man shall be bound to the saying of them, but such as from time to time, in cathedral and collegiate churches, parish churches, and chapels to the same annexed, shall serve the congregation.

2. Of Ceremonies.

Why some be abolished and some retained.

Of such Ceremonies as be used in the Church, and have had their beginning by the institution of man; some at the first were of godly intent and purpose devised, and yet at length turned to vanity and superstition; some entered into the Church by undiscreet devotion, and such a zeal as was without knowledge and forbecause they were winked at in the beginning, they grew daily to more and more abuses, which not only for their unprofitableness, but also because they have much blinded the people and obscured the glory of God, are worthy to be cut away and clean rejected. Other there be, which although they have been devised by man, yet it is thought good to reserve them still, as well for a decent order in the Church, (for the which they were first devised,) as because they pertain to edification: whereunto all things done in the Church, (as the Apostle teacheth,) ought to be referred. And although the keeping or omitting of a ceremony, in itself considered, is but a small thing; yet the wilful and contemptuous transgression and breaking of a common order and discipline is no small offence before God. Let all things be done among you, saith St. Paul, in a seemly and due order. The appointment of the which order pertaineth not to private men; therefore no man ought to take in hand, nor presume to appoint or alter any public or

common order in Christ's Church, except he be lawfully called and authorized thereunto. And whereas in this our time the minds of men be so diverse, that some think it a great matter of conscience to depart from a piece of the least of their Ceremonies, they be so addicted to their old customs: and again on the other side, some be so new fangle that they would innovate all things, and so do despise the old that nothing can like them, but that is new: it was thought expedient not so much to have respect how to please and satisfy either of these parties, as how to please God and profit them both. And yet lest any man should be offended, whom good reason might satisfy, here be certain causes rendered why some of the accustomed Ceremonies be put away, and some be retained and kept still.

Some are put away because the great excess and multitude of them hath so increased in these latter days, that the burden of them was intolerable: whereof Saint Augustine in his time complained that they were grown to such a number, that the state of Christian people was in worse case (concerning that matter) than were the Jews. And he counselled that such yoke and burden should be taken away, as time would serve quietly to do it. But what would St. Augustine have said, if he had seen the Ceremonies of late days used among us, whereunto the multitude used in his time was not to be compared? This our excessive multitude of Ceremonies was so great, and many of them so dark, that they did more confound and darken, than declare and set forth Christ's benefits unto us. And besides this, Christ's gospel is not a ceremonial law, (as much of Moses's law was,) but it is a religion to serve God, not in bondage of the figure or shadow, but in the freedom of spirit, being content only with those ceremonies which do serve to a decent order and godly discipline, and such as be apt to stir up the dull mind of man to the remembrance of his duty to God, by some notable and special signification, whereby he might be edified.

Furthermore, the most weighty cause of the abolishment of certain Ceremonies was, that they were so far abused, partly by the superstitious blindness of the rude and unlearned, and partly by the insatiable avarice of such as sought more their own lucre than the glory of God, that the abuses could not well be taken away, the thing remaining still. But now as concern