III. trusty and well-beloved Counsellor, the Lord Cromwell, Keeper BOOK of our Privy-Seal, to take for us, and in our Name, special care and charge, that no manner of Person, or Persons, within this our Realm, shall enterprise, attempt, or set in hand to print any Bible in the English Tongue of any manner of Volumn, during the space of five Years next ensuing after the Date hereof, but only all such as shall be deputed, assigned, and admitted by the said Lord Cromwell. The 13 Novemb. Tricesimo primo Regni. XVI. The Attainder of Thomas Cromwell. Item quædam alia petitio, formam cujusdam actus attincturæ in se continens, exhibita est suæ Regiæ Majestati in Parliamento prædicto, cujus tenor sequitur in hæc verba. Rolls. Act cesimo se IN their most humble-wise shewing to your most Royal Ma- Parliament jesty, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and all your most 60. Anno loving and obedient Subjects, the Commons in this your most Regni trihigh Court of Parliament assembled; That where your most cundo. Royal Majesty, our Natural Sovereign Lord, is justly, and lawfully, really entituled to be our sole Supream Head and Governour, of this your Realm of England, and of the Dominions of the same; to whom, and to none other under God, the Kingly Direction, Order, and Governance of your most loving and obedient Subjects, and People of this your Realm, only appertaineth and belongeth. And the which your most loving and obedient Subjects, your Highness prudently and quietly, without any manner of disturbance by a long time most graciously hath preserved, sustained and defended: And your Highness, for the Quietness, Wealth, and Tranquility of your said humble and obedient Subjects, hath made, and ordained, divers and many most godly, vertuous and wholsome Laws; and for due execution of the same, hath not desisted to travel in your own most Royal Person, to support and maintain, as III. BOOK well the Laws of Almighty God, as the Laws by your Highness made and ordained, by due and condign Execution of the same Laws upon the Transgressors offending contrary to the same: And your Majesty hath always most vertuously studied and laboured, by all ways, and all means, to and for the setting forth thereof, in such wise as might be most to the Honour, Glory, and Pleasure of Almighty God; and for the common accord and wealth of this your Realm, and other your Dominions And for the true execution of the same, hath elected, chosen and made divers, as well of your Nobles as others, to be of your most Honourable Council, as to the Honour of a Noble Prince appertaineth. And where your Majesty hath had a special Trust and Confidence in your said most trusty Counsellors, that the same your Counsellors, and every of them, had minded and intended, and finally purposed to have followed and pursued your most Godly and Princely Purpose, as of truth the more number hath most faithfully done; Yet nevertheless Thomas Cromwell, now Earl of Essex, whom your Majesty took and received into your trusty Service, the same Thomas then being a Man of very base and low degree, and for singular Favour, Trust and Confidence, which your Majesty bare and had in him, did not only erect and advance the same Thomas unto the state of an Earl, and enriched him with manifold Gifts, as well of Goods, as of Lands and Offices, but also him, the said Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex, did erect and make one of your most trusty Counsellors, as well concerning your Grace's Supream Jurisdictions Ecclesiastical, as your most high secret Affairs Temporal. Nevertheless your Majesty now of late hath found, and tried, by a large number of Witnesses, being your faithful Subjects, and Personages of great Honour, Worship, and Discretion, the said Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex, contrary to the singular trust and confidence which your Majesty had in him, to be the most false and corrupt Traitor, Deceiver, and Circumventor against your most Royal Person, and the Imperial Crown of this your Realm, that hath been known, seen, or heard of in all the time of your most noble Reign: Insomuch that it is manifestly proved and declared, by the Depositions of the Witnesses aforesaid, That the same III. Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex, usurping upon your Kingly BOOK Estate, Power, Authority, and Office; without your Grace's Commandment or Assent, hath taken upon him to set at liberty divers Persons being convicted and attainted of Misprision of High Treason; and divers other being apprehended, and in Prison, for Suspection of High Treason; and over that, many and divers Times, at sundry Places in this your Realm, for manifold Sums of Money to him given, most traiterously hath taken upon him, by several Writings, to give and grant, as well unto Aliens, as to your Subjects, a great Number of Licenses for conveying and carrying of Money, Corn, Grain, Beans, Beer, Leather, Tallow, Bells, Mettals, Horses, and other Commodities of this your Realm, contrary to your Highness's most Godly and Gracious Proclamations made for the Commonwealth of your People of this your Realm in that behalf, and in Derogation of your Crown and Dignity. And the same Thomas Cromwell, elated and full of Pride, contrary to his most bounden Duty, of his own Authority and Power, not regarding your Majesty Royal; And further, taking upon him your Power, Sovereign Lord, in that behalf, divers and many times most traiterously hath constituted, deputed and assigned, many singular Persons of your Subjects to be Commissioners in many your great, urgent and weighty Causes and Affairs, executed and done in this your Realm, without the Assent, Knowledge, or Consent of your Highness. And further also, being a Person of as poor and low Degree, as few be within this your Realm; pretending to have so great a Stroke about you, our, and his natural Sovereign Liege Lord, that he letted not to say publickly, and declare, That he was sure of you; which is detestible, and to be abhorred amongst all good Subjects in any Christian Realm, that any Subject should enterprize or take upon him so to speak of his. Sovereign Liege Lord and King. And also of his own Authority and Power without your Highness's Consent, hath made, and granted, as well to Strangers as to your own Subjects, divers and many Pass-ports, to pass over the Seas, with Horses, and great Sums of Money, without any Search. And over that, most Gracious Sovereign Lord, amongst divers other his Treasons, Deceits, III. BOOK and Falshoods, the said Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex, being a detestable Heretick, and being in himself utterly disposed to set and sow common Sedition and Variance among your true and loving Subjects, hath secretly set forth and dispersed into all Shires, and other Territories of this your Realm, and other your Dominions, great Numbers of false erroneous Books, whereof many were printed and made beyond the Seas, and divers other within this Realm, comprising and declaring, among many other Evils and Errors, manifest Matters to induce and lead your Subjects to diffidence, and refusal of the true and sincere Faith and Belief, which Christian Religion bindeth all Christian People to have, in the most Holy and Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, and other Articles of Christian Religion, most graciously declared by your Majesty, by Authority of Parliament: And certain Matters comprised in some of the said Books, hath caused to be translated into our Maternal and English Tongue: And upon report made unto him by the Translator thereof, that the Matter so translated hath expresly been against the said most Blessed and Holy Sacrament; Yet the same Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex, after he had read the same Translation, most heretically hath affirmed the same material Heresie so translated, to be good; and further hath said, that he found no fault therein; and over that, hath openly and obstinately holden Opinion, and said, That it was as lawful for every Christian Man to be a Minister of the said Sacrament, as well as a Priest. And where also your most Royal Majesty, being a Prince of Vertue, Learning, and Justice, of singular Confidence and Trust, did constitute and make the same Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex, your Highness's Vicegerent within this your Realm of England; and by the same, gave unto him Authority and Power, not only to redress and reform all, and all manner of Errors, and erroneous Opinions, insurging and growing among your loving and obedient Subjects of this your Realm, and of the Dominions of the same, but also to order and direct all Ecclesiastical and Spiritual Causes within your said Realm, and Dominions; the said Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex, not regarding his Duty to Almighty God, and to your Highness, under the Seal of your III. Vicegerent, hath without your Grace's Assent or Knowledge, BOOK licensed and authorized divers Persons, detected and suspected of Heresies, openly to teach and preach amongst your most loving and obedient Subjects within this your Realm of England. And under the Pretence and Colour of the said great Authorities and Cures, which your Majesty hath committed unto him in the Premisses, hath not only, of his corrupt and damnable Will and Mind, actually, at some time, by his own Deed and Commandment, and at many other Times by his Letters expresly written to divers worshipful Persons, being Sheriffs, in sundry Shires of this your Realm, falsly suggesting thereby your Grace's Pleasure so to have been, caused to be set at large many false Hereticks, some being there indicted, and some other being thereof apprehended, and in Ward: and commonly, upon Complaints made by credible Persons unto the said Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex, of great and most detestible Heresies committed and sprung in many places of this your Realm, with Declaration of the Specialities of the same Heresies, and the Names of the Offenders therein, the same Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex, by his crafty and subtil Means and Inventions, hath not only defended the same Hereticks from Punishment and Reformation; but being a Fautor, Maintainer, and Supporter of Hereticks, divers times hath terribly rebuked divers of the said credible Persons being their Accusers, and some others of them hath persecuted and vexed by Imprisonment and otherwise. So that thereby many of your Grace's true and loving Subjects have been in much Dread and Fear, to detect or accuse such detestable known Hereticks; the Particularities and Specialties of which said abominable Heresies, Errors, and Offences, committed and done by the said Thomas Cromwell, being over-tedious, long, and of too great Number here to be expressed, declared, or written. And to the Intent to have those damnable Errors and Heresies, to be inculcated, impressed, and infixed in the Hearts of your Subjects, as well contrary to God's Laws, as to your Laws and Ordinances. Most Gracious Soveraign Lord, the same Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex, hath allured and drawn unto him by Retainours, many of your Subjects sunderly inhabiting in every of your said |