his majesty's pleasure, I have thought good to signify unto you: requiring you, not only to cause a sermon to be made in your cathedral church the next holy day after receipt hereof, declaring the goodness of God, and exhorting the people to faith and amendment of life; and to give thanks to God for this victory; but also at the same time, immediately after the sermon, and in presence of the mayor, aldermen, and other the citizens of London', to cause the procession in English, and “Te Deum," to be openly and devoutly sung. And that you do also cause the like order to be given in every parish church in your diocese, upon some holy day, when the parishioners shall be there present, with as much speed as you may; not failing, as you tender his majesty's pleasure. Thus fare you heartily well. From Otelands, the 18th day of December *, the year of our Lord God, * It should 1547. be Sept. I suppose. "Your loving friend, "THOMAS CANTUARIEN. "The counsellors' pleasure isk, you shall see this executed on Tuesday next. [To the Dean and Chapter of] St. Paul's in London, this be given in haste'." i ["Citizens of the city of London." Cranm. Reg.] [It is written December in Cranm. Reg., which is probably a mistake for September. See Heylyn's Hist. of Reformat. p. 47. ed. Lond. 1674.] k["The council's pleasure." Cranm. Reg.] 1 [See Jenkyns' Remains of abp. Cranmer, vol. i. p. 324, n. 5. and Works of abp. Cranmer, vol. ii. pp. 417, 18. Park. Soc. ed. 155 A convoca first year of CHAPTER IV. A CONVOCATION. THE parliament now sat: and a convocation was held tion in the November the 5th. Some account of what was done here I will in this place set down, as I extracted it out of the notes of some member, as I conceive, then present at it. the king. C.C.C.C. Session I. Nov. 5. "John Taylor, dean of Lincoln", chosen prolocutor by universal consent." Session II. Nov. 18. "This day the prolocutor was presented to the archbishop and bishops in the upper house." Session III. Nov. 22. "It was then agreed, that the prolocutor, in the name of the whole house, should carry some petitions unto the most reverend father in God, the archbishop, viz. "I. That provision be made, that the ecclesiastical law may be examined, and promulged, according to that statute of parliament in the thirty-fifth year of Henry VIII. "II. That, for certain urgent causes, the convocation of this clergy may be taken and chosen into the lower house of parliament, as anciently it was wont to be. "III. That the works of the bishops and others, who by the command of the convocation have laboured in examining, reforming, and publishing the divine service, may be produced, and laid before the examination of this house. m [MSS. C.C.C.C. No. cxxi. p. 5 a.] n ["Succeeded in 1548, and in 1552 was made bishop of this see." Le Neve's Fasti, pp. 141, 146. and Cranm. Reg. fol. 335 b.] "IV. That the rigour of the statute of paying the king the first-fruits may be somewhat moderated in certain urgent clauses, and may be reformed, if possible." The fourth session is omitted in the manuscript, the writer probably being then absent. Session V. Nov. ult. "This day Mr. Prolocutor exhibited, and caused to be read publicly, a form of a certain ordinance, delivered by the most reverend the archbishop of Canterbury, for the receiving of the body of our Lord under both kinds, viz. of bread and wine. To which he himself subscribed, and some others, viz. Mr. Prolocutor, Mr. Cranmer, archdeacon of Canterbury, Mr. May, Mr. Jenyngs, Mr. Williams, Wilson, Carleton," &c. Session VI. Dec. 2. "This session, all this whole session, in number sixtyfour, by their mouths did approve the proposition made the last session, of taking the Lord's body in both kinds, "nullo reclamante." "The same day with consent were chosen Mr. Dr. Draycot, Bellasis, Dakyns, Jeffrey, Elize ap Rice, Oking, Pool, and ap Harry, to draw up a form of a statute for paying tithes in cities," &c. This was a thing the clergy now were very intent upon. For I find in the archbishop's reformation of the ecclesiastical laws, there is a law made for paying tithes in cities, as was done in London. Session VII. Dec. 9. "By common consent were nominated and assigned Mr. Rowland Merick, John ap Harry, John Williams, and Elizeus Price, DD.LL. to obtain the following effects, viz. That the petition made to have this house adjoined to 156 the lower house of parliament, may be granted. Item, That a mitigation of the sore penalty expressed in the statutes against the recusants, for non-payment of the perpetual tenths, may be also obtained. "And the same day were likewise appointed Mr. Dean of Winchester", and Mr. Dr. Draycot, to accompany Mr. Prolocutor to my lord of Canterbury, to know a determinate answer, what indemnity and impunity this house shall have to treat of matters of religion, in cases forbidden by the statutes of this realm to treat in.” Session VIII. Dec. 17. "This day was exhibited a certain proposition under these words, viz. That all such canons, laws, statutes, decrees, usages, and customs, heretofore made, had or used, that forbid any person to contract matrimony, or condemn matrimony already contracted by any person, for any vow or promise of priesthood, chastity, or widowhood, shall from henceforth cease, be utterly void, and of none effect. To which proposition many subscribed, partly in the affimative, partly in the negative." In the affirmative, 53 voices. In the negative, 22 voices. And here I will insert a few words, which I take out of a book writ very near this time, and by one who was well Defence of acquainted with the affairs of this convocation: "The priests' marriage, P. 352.0 affirmants," saith he, "of this proposition were almost treble so many as were the negants. Amongst which affirmants, divers were then unmarried, and never did afterwards take the liberty of marriage; as Dr. Taylor the bishop, Dr. Benson, Dr. Redman, Dr. Hugh Weston, Mr. Wotton, &c. Of them that denied it, notwithstand157 ing their superscriptions to the contrary, as few as they n [William Kingsmill.] [See vol. i. p. 113. n. г.] were, yet some of them took upon them the liberty of marriage not long after, as Dr. Oken, Mr. Rayner, Mr. Wilson, &c." This subscription following was made by the hand of Dr. Redman's judgJohn Redman, S. T. P.P in this very convocation, who, ment of being absent this session, (for his name is not among the priests' marriage. fifty-three), was desired to declare his own sense in this point, under his own hand, being so learned a man, and in such great credit universally, for his ability in deciding questions of conscience. "I think that although the word of God do exhort and counsel priests to live in chastity, out of cumber the of the flesh and the world, that thereby they may more wholly attend to their calling yet the band of containing from marriage doth only lie upon priests of this realm by reason of canons and constitutions of the church, and not by any precept of God's word; as in that they should be bound by reason of any vow, which, in as far as my conscience is, priests in this church of England do not make: I think that it standeth well with God's word, that a man which hath been, and is but once married, being otherwise accordingly qualified, may be made a priest. And I think that forasmuch as canons and rules made in this behalf be neither universal nor everlasting, but upon considerations may be altered and changed: therefore the king's majesty, and the higher powers of the church, may, upon such reasons as shall move them, take away the clog of perpetual continency from the priests; and grant that it may be lawful to such as cannot, or will not, contain, to marry one wife. And if she die, then the said priest to marry no more, remaining still in his ministration." P[John Redman, S.T.P. was appointed the first master of Trinity college. Cambridge, A. D. 1546, and died A. D. 1551. See Le Neve's |