answer hereof. And thus, beseeching the living God to direct your hearts to the making of a quiet end of these terrible tumults, we bid your Lordships most heartily well to fare. From the King's Majesty's Castle of Windsor, the eight of October, 1549.

3.

CLXXII.

from Cot

It may like your good Lordships, with our most hearty com- Ellis, Orimendations, to understand, that this morning Sir Phillip Hobbey ters, 1st hath, according to the charge given to him by your Lordships, series, presented your letters to the King's Majesty, in the presence of Cox Co us and all the rest of his Majesty's good servants here, which was ton MSS. Calig. B. there read openly, and also the others to them of the chamber. and of the household, much to their comforts, and ours also ; Burnet, and, according to the tenours of the same, we will not fail to Ref. vol. ii. endeavour ourselves accordingly.

Now touching the marvel of your Lordships, both of that we would suffer the Duke of Somerset's men to guard the King's Majesty's person, and also of our often repeating the word cruel

. . although we doubt not but that your Lordships hath been thoroughly informed of our estates here, and upon what occasion the one hath been suffered, and the other proceeded; yet at our convening together, (which may be when and where please you,) we will, and are able to make your Lordships such an account, as wherewith we doubt not you will be satisfied, if you think good to require it of us. And for bycause this bearer, Mr. Hobbey, can particularly inform your Lordships of the whole discourse of all things here, we remit the report of all other things to him, saving that we desire to be advertised, with as much speed as you shall think good, whether the King's Majesty shall come forthwith thither, or remain still here; and that some of your Lordships would take pain to come hither forthwith. For the which purpose, I the comptroller will cause three of the best chambers in the great court to be hanged and made ready. Thus, thanking God that all things be so well acquieted, we commit your Lordships to his tuition. From Wyndsor, the xth of October, 1549.

Your Lordships' assured loving friends,

T. Cant. William Paget. T. Smith.

To our very good Lords and others

of the King's Majesty's Privy
Council at London.

vii. f. 412.

App. b. i.

No. 45.

Wilkins,

vol.iv.p.37.

from Craum. Regist. fol. 56. b.

XXXVIII.

The King's Order, and the Mandate of the Archbishop of Canterbury, for bringing in Popish Rituals.

THOMAS, permissione divina Cantuariensis Archiepiscopus, toConcilia, tius Angliæ Primas et Metropolitanus, per illustrissimum et invictissimum in Christo principem et dominum nostrum, dominum Edvardum Sextum, Dei gratia Angliæ, Franciæ, Hiberniæ Regem, &c. ad infrascripta sufficienter et legitime fulcitus, dilecto filio Archidiacono nostro Cantuariensi seu ejus officiali, salutem, gratiam, et benedictionem. Literas missivas dicti metuendissimi domini nostri Regis signatas, et nominibus honorabilium virorum dominorum consiliariorum suorum in calce earundem subscriptas, signeto suo obsignatas, nobis inscriptas et datas, nuper cum honore et reverentia debitis accepimus, tenorem subsequentem complectentes e.

By the King. Right reverend Father in God, right trusty and well-beloved, we greet you well. And whereas the book entitled, "The Book of Common Prayers and Administration of the Sacra"ments and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church, after the 66 use of the Church of England," was agreed upon and set forth by Act of Parliament, and by the same Act commanded to be used of all persons within this our realm; yet nevertheless we are informed, that divers unquiet and evil-disposed persons, sithence the apprehension of the Duke of Somerset, have noised and bruited abroad that they should have again their old Latin service, their conjured bread and water, with such like vain and superstitious ceremonies, as though the setting forth of the said book had been the only act of the said Duke: we therefore, by the advice of the body and state of our Privy Council, not only considering the said book to be our own act, and the act of the whole state of our realm, assembled together in Parliament, but also the same to be grounded upon holy Scripture, agreeable to the order of the primitive Church, and much to the reedifying of our subjects, to put away all such vain expectation of having the public service, the administration of the sacraments, and other rights and ceremonies again in the Latin tongue; which were but a preferment of ignorance to knowledge, and darkness

e [See Burnet, Ref. vol. ii. App. b. i. No. 47; Strype, Memorials, vol. ii. pp. 211-213.]

to light, and a preparation to bring in papistry and superstition again, have thought good, by the advice of the aforesaid, to require and nevertheless straitly to charge and command you, that, immediately upon the sight hereof, you do command the dean and prebendaries of the cathedral church, the parson, vicar, or curate, and churchwardens of every parish within your diocese to bring and deliver unto you or your deputy, any of them for their church and parish, at such convenient place as you shall appoint, all antiphoners, missals, grayles, processionals, manuals, legends, pies, portasies, journals, and ordinals, after the use of Sarum, Lincoln, York, or any other private use; and all other books of service, the keeping whereof should be a let to the usage of the said Book of Common Prayers: and that you take the same books into your hands, or into the hands of your deputy, and them so deface and abolish, that they never after may serve either to any such use as they were provided for, or be at any time a let to that godly and uniform order which by a common consent is now set forth. And if you shall find any persons stubborn or disobedient, in not bringing in the said books, according to the tenour of these our letters, that then ye commit the said person to ward, unto such time as you have certified us of his misbehaviour. And we will and command you, that you also search, or cause search to be made, from time to time, whether any book be withdrawn or hid, contrary to the tenour of these our letters; and the same book to receive into your hands, and to use as in these our letters we have appointed.

And furthermore, whereas it is come to our knowledge that divers froward and obstinate persons do refuse to pay towards the finding of bread and wine for the holy communion, according to the order prescribed by the said book, by reason whereof the holy communion is many times omitted upon the Sunday; these are to will and command you to convent such obstinate persons before you, and them to admonish and command to keep the order prescribed in the said book; and if any shall refuse so to do, to punish them by suspension, excommunication, or other censures of the Church. Fail you not thus to do, as you will avoid our displeasure. Given under our signet, at our palace of Westminster, the 25th of December, the third year of our reign. By the King. Inscriptio hæc est. To the most re

verend Father in God, our right trusty and well-beloved counsellor, the Archbishop of Canterbury. In calce hæc nomina habentur, Thomas Cantuarien', R. Ryche, Canc', Wm. Seint John, J. Russell, H. Dorsett, W. Northampton.

Nos vero affectantes ex animo domini nostri Regis literis et mandatis obtemperare, volentesque pro nostro erga Regiam celsitudinem officio in demandatis negotiis omnem nostram curam et solertem adhibere diligentiam, vobis pro parte suæ Majestatis districte præcipiendo mandamus harum serie, quatenus receptis præsentibus, cum omni qua poteritis celeritate et diligentia maturis, dilectos filios nostros decanum, canonicos, et præbendarios Ecclesiæ Christi Cantuarien', necnon rectores, vicarios, curatos, plebanos, ac syndicos et iconicos quarumcunque ecclesiarum parochialium nostræ diœceseos Cantuarien' moneatis, hortemini, et præcipiendo mandetis, quatenus ipsi et eorum quilibet vel singuli, omnes et singulos libros in eisdem literis Regiis specifice nominatos, nobis aut nostro in hac parte commissario vel deputato infra palatium nostrum Cantuarien', infra novem dies monitionem et intimationem vestras eis fiendas proxime sequentes, realiter afferant, adducant, et penes nos vel nostrum deputatum hujuscemodi relinquant et deponant, cæteraque omnia et singula in dictis literis descripta perimpleant, exequantur, et sedulo fieri curent, quatenus eos et eorum quemlibet contingunt vel concernunt, sicque vos et vestrum alter sedulo exequatur, sincere perimpleat, et diligenter obediat, quæ ad vestram in hac parte functionem pro congrua executione literarum prædictarum dignoscuntur pertinere, omnibus mora, dilatione, conniventia, et fuco penitus remotis, prout eidem domino nostro Regi sub tui et deputati tui periculo incumbente obtemperare et respondere velitis, et vult vestrum alter. Et quid in hac parte feceritis, et exequi curaveritis, id totum et omne nobis quam citissime significatum iri non postponatis. Dat' in manerio nostro de Lambithe, decimo quarto die mensis Februarii, anno Domini 1549. [1550.] et regni dicti invictissimi in Christo principis et domini nostri Edwardi Sexti quarto, et nostræ consecrationis decimo septimo.

f["Forte, œconomos." Wilkins.]

XXXIX.

The Council's Letter to Bp. Ridley to take down Altars, and

place Communion Tables in their stead.

many

Right reverend father in God, right trusty and well-beloved, Foxe, Acts, &c. p. 727. we greet you well. And where it is come to our knowledge ed. 1563. Heylyn, that being the altars within the more part of the churches of this realm, already upon good and godly considerations taken Eccles. Restaur. p. 96. down, there doth yet remain altars standing in divers others churches, by occasion whereof much variance and contention Wilkins, Concilia, ariseth among sundry of our subjects, which, if good foresight were not had, might perchance engender great hurt and incon- p. 65. venience; we let you wit, that minding to have all occasion of contention taken which times groweth by those and away, such like diversities, and considering that amonges other things belonging to our royal office and cure, we do account the greatest to be, to maintain the common quiet of our realm; we have thought good by the advice of our Council to require you, and nevertheless specially to charge and command you, for the avoiding of all matters of further contention and strife about the standing or taking away of the said altars, to give substantial order throughout all your diocese, that with all diligence all the altars in every church or chapel, as well in places exempted as not exempted, within your said diocese, be taken down, and in the stead of them a table to be set up in some convenient part of the chancel, within every such church or chapel, to serve for the ministration of the blessed communion. the same may be done without the offence of such our loving subjects as be not yet so well persuaded in that behalf as we would wish, we send unto you herewith certain considerations gathered and collected, that make for the purpose; the which, and such other as you shall think meet to be set forth to persuade the weak to embrace our proceedings in this part, we pray you cause to be declared to the people by some discreet preachers, in such places as you shall think meet, before the taking down of the said altars; so as both the weak consciences of other may be instructed and satisfied as much as may be, and this our pleasure the more quietly executed. For the better

And to the intent

[See these considerations in Foxe, Acts, &c. vol. ii. p. 700 ]

1