in the tyme of divine servicie, onles necessitie oderwise re- BOOK quire for them that travaile in journey.

Item, All houses of religion, colleges, hospitalls, and all oder havyng any beneficies appropriated unto theme, shall according to the value of their beneficies, have in their churches appropried certain sermons every year; as in like ordinance for curates as afore is comprised.

Item, All curates and oder havyng benefices appropriated by them self yf they can, or by oder preachers ons every quarter, must teache and instruct the people of their dewtie of fathefull and loyall obedience to our soverand lord the king, declaring that they be bounden to. yield entier and perfect obedience to his highnes by Goddes lawe, expresse under the payn of dampnation everlasting: and that to make any styrryng, gathering of people, or commocion, withoute his expresse commandment, is to breke, not only Goddes commandment and lawe, but also all natural and politique order, in which the heed governethe the membres, and not the membres the heed, and in which also all the members, as well by nature as by good policie, employe them selffe and indaunger them self for the preservation and mayntenance of the heed.

All which Injunctions by thauctorite which we have under God, and our soveraigne lord the kynge, we charge all to whom it apertenythe to observe and kepe under the paynes lymyted in the same, and under the paynes of suspencion and sequestracyon of the frutes of theyre beneficies and promocyons ecclesiasticall, and oder paynes arbytrary, as we shall thynke convenient and reasonable.

Number 58.

Injunctions given by the bishoppe of Coventre and Lychefelde throughe out his diocesse.

To all and singular of the clergie within the diocess of Coventree and Lichefelde, I Rolande, by the grace of God byshop of the sayd diocesse, beynge commaunded therunto by the kinges majestie, gyve these Injunctions following, for

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PART the honour of God, thencrease of vertue, and abolyshmente of ignorance, vice, and viciouse lyvinge.

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Fyrste, That ye and every one of you shall, with all your diligence and faythful obedience, observe and cause to be observed, all and syngular the contentes of the kynges highnes Injunctions, by his graces commissarys gyven, in such places as they in tymes paste have vysited, and also sent unto you at this tyme. And that ye and every of you, shal provyde for copies of the same, to be had before the feast of Lammasse nexte ensuynge.

Item, That ye and every of you do instructe and teach your parishoners, the kinges majestie to be only the supreme heed under Chryst in erthe of this his churche of Englande, unto whom all potentates and powers of the same owen to obey, being therto obliged and bounde by Goddes worde. And that the bishop of Rome, and his predecessours, did ever heretofore usurp upon the kynges of this realme, in the using any maner of jurisdiction or auctorite within the same. And that ye shal exhorte every Sonday al your parishoners to the due obedience of our prince and soveraigne lorde, his heires, and successours kynges of Englande.

Item, That every person or proprietary of any parishe churche within my diocesse, shal on thisside the feast of Pentecoste nexte commynge, provide a boke of the hole Byble, bothe in Latin and also in Englishe, and laye the same in the quiere, for every man that will, to loke and reade theron and shal not discorage, but ernestly comforte, exhorte, and admonishe every man to reade the Bible in Latin or Englishe, as the very worde of God, and the spiritual foode of man's sowle, wherby they maye the better knowe their deutyes to God, to their soveraigne lord the kinge, and their neighboure: alwaye gentely and charitably exhorting them to use a sober and a modeste haviour in the readynge and inquisition of the true sence, and that in no wise they stiffely or egerly contende, or strive with one another about the same, but referre the declaration of those places that be in controversie to the judgement of them that be better learned.

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Item, I decree and ordeyne that all monasteries, collegiate BOOK churches, and al persons to whom any benefyces be impropried within my diocese, shal from henceforth four times in the year at the leaste, that is, one tyme every quarter, cause one sermon to be preached, purely, sincerely, and according to the true scripture of God, in al such churches where they, or any of them, receive any profytes or commodities, upon peyne of sequestration of theyr fruites.

Item, I require and exhorte you, in our soveraigne lordes name, and as his gracis mynister, I straitly charge and commaunde you, to declare and publishe every Sondaye in the pulpet at high masse tymes, the Pater Noster, Ave, and Crede in Englishe, distinctely, and in suche wyse as the people maye lerne the same. And that four tymes in the quarter ye declare to your paryshoners, the Seven deedly Sinns, and the Ten Commaundments, so as the people therby may not only lerne how to honour God, their prince, and parentes; but also how they shall avoide sinne and vice, and to lyve vertuousely, folowinge Goddes lawes and his commaundements.

Item, That ye bothe in your preachinges, secret confessions, and al other workes and doings, shall excite and move your parishioners unto such works as are commaunded expressely of God: for the whiche God shall demaunde of them a strayte reckeninge; as the Articles of the Fayth, and the Ten Commandments, and all other workes which men do of their own will or devotion, to teache and instruct your parishioners, that they are not to be estemed, in comparison of the other. And that for the not doinge of any wilfull workes, God wyll not aske any accompte.

Item, That ye, nor any of you, sufre no fryer or other religious man, to have any cure or servyce within your churches or cures, excepte they be lawfully dispensed withal, or licensed by the ordinary.

Item, That ye, and every one of you, doo your dyligence, and endevour your selfes to your best industries and labour, to instructe and teache aswell chyldren as all other your people, both men and women, of that your parishe, the VOL. III. P. 3.

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PART Pater Noster, Ave, and Crede, and the Ten Commaundments in Englishe, and that ye or any of you do admyt no man nor woman to receyve the sacrament of the aultare, untyl that ye have harde them recite and declare at the least, the same Pater Noster, Ave, and Crede in Englishe, without boke.

Item, That ye, and every of you, shal two tymes in a quarter declare to your parishoners the bande of matrimony, and what great daunger it is to al men, that use theyr bodies, but with suche personnes as they lawfully may by the lawe of God; and to exhorte in the said tymes your parishoners, that they make no privye contractes of matrimonie, but that they call two honest menne at the leaste to recorde the same, as they wyll avoide the extreme payne of the lawes used within the kinges realme by his gracis auctoritie.

Item, Where some frowarde persons, partly for malice and disdaine, neglecte theyr curates, and such as have the cure and charge of their soules, and partly to cloke and hyde their lewde and naughtie livinge, as they have used all the yere before, use at Lent to go to be confessed to the fryers, and such other religious houses. Therefore I wyl you to declare, and shew to your parishoners that no testimoniall, brought from any of them, shall stande in any effect nor any such persones shall be admitted to Goddis bourde, unto they submit themselves to be confessed to their owne curates, onlesse for certayne arduate and urgent considerations of conscyence, they be, or shall be otherwise laufullye dispensed or lycensed withall, either by me or my deputies.

Item, Whereas unyversally reigneth this abhominable, detestable, and dyvelishe use and custome, that upon the holy dayes, in the tyme of divine servyce and preachyng, that youthe and other unthriftes, resorteth to ale-houses, and there use unlawfull games, blasphemie, dronkenness, with other enormities; so that good people therat be offended, and no punyshment hadde as yet; therefore I wil and commaunde you to declare to suche that kepe alehouses

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or taverns within your parishes, that at suche they suffre BOOK no more such unlawfull and ungodly assemblies; nor to receive suche persons to bollynge and drynkinge at such seasons in their houses, under peine of the kinges high displeasure, and to be punished for so doinge.

Item, Ye shall teache and instructe your paryshoners, at the least 12 tymes in the yere, the essential maner and forme of Christeninges in Englishe, and that the mydwife may use it in tyme of necessitie: commaundinge the women, when the tyme of birthe draweth nere, to have at all seasons a vessell of cleane water for the same purpose.

Item, Where I am credibly informed, that certain priestes in my diocesse, go in habite dissimuled more liker of the temporaltie than of the clergie, whiche may and dothe minister occasion to suche light persons whan they come in places, and to persons not knowen, to be more licentious, bothe of their comunication and actes, to the great sclaunder of the clergie: therfore from hensforthe I charge and commande, that in cities, towns, and villages, and in al other places, they weare mete, convenient, and decent apparrell, wherby they may be knowen of the clergie; as they and every one of them will avoide the penaltie of the lawes.

Item, I desire, require, and exhorte you and every of you, in the name of God, that he firmely do observe and kepe these all and singular mine Injunctions. And that ye and every one of you that are priestes, having cure or not cure, as well benefyced, as not benefyced within my diocesse, do gette a copie of these Injunctions, to the intente ye maye observe, and cause to be observed the contentes of the

same.

GOD SAVE THE KING.

Londini in ædibus Thomæ Bertheleti regii impressoris excus. Anno M.D.XXXVIII. cum privilegio.