apud Sanctos Apostolos tertio dIdus Octobris, Pontificatus BOOK nostri Anno decimo. XL. An Instrument of the Speech the Archbishop of Canterbury made to the House of Commons about it. DIE veneris penultimo mensis Januarii, Anno Domini secundum cursum et computationem Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ millesimo quadringentesimo decimo septimo, indictione sexta, Pontificatus Sanctissimi in Christo Patris et Domini nostri Domini Martini Divina Providentia Papæ quinti Anno undecimo, Reverendissimi in Christo Patres et Domini Domini, Henricus Dei Gratia Cantuariensis et Johannes Eboracensis Archiepiscopi, nec non Reverendiss. Patres W. Londinensis, Benedictus Menevensis, Philippus Eliensis, Johanes Bathon. et Well. W. Norvicensis, Episcopi, et cum eis venerabiles Patres et viri religiosi Westmonasterii et Radingæ Abbates de palatio regio Westmonasteriensi de Camera, viz. Ubi tam Domini Spirituales quam Temporales in Parliamento adtunc tento negotia Regni tractaverint et tractare solebant, recedentes, et dimissis ibi Dominis Temporalibus, in simul transierunt ad viros illos qui pro communitate Regni ad Parliamentum hujusmodi venerant in loco solito, viz. in Refectorio Abbatiæ Westmonasteriensis prædictæ personaliter existentes, et incontinenter eisdem Dominis Spiritualibus cum reverentia debita, prout decuit à viris hujusmodi communitatem Regni facientibus et repræsentantibus, receptis: Præfatus Reverendissimus Pater Archiepiscopus Cantuariensis causam adventus sui et confratrum suorum adtunc exponere cœpit in vulgari; Protestando primitus, et protestabatur idem Dominus Cantuariensis vice sua et Confratrum suorum prædictorum, quod pro dicendo tunc ibidem non intendebat ipse Reverendissimus Pater, aut aliquis confratrum suorum, Domino Regi Angliæ aut Coronæ suæ vel communitati Regni in aliquo II. II. BOOK derogare, et sic adhærendo Protestationi suæ hujusmodi, idem Reverendissimus Pater prosequebatur et exposuit solemniter causam adventus sui et confratrum suorum, sumpto quasi pro themate, Reddite quæ sunt Cæsaris, Cæsari, et quæ sunt Dei Deo. Super quo procedendo, ea quæ ad Jurisdictionem Ecclesiasticam, et ea quæ ad Cæsaream pertinebant, notabiliter et ad longum declaravit, materiam Provisionis et pro Statuti illius contra Provisores editi abolitione, cum bona et matura deliberatione prosequendo, et in processu declarationis hujusmodi jura nonnulla et Sacræ scripturæ Auctoritates convenientes allegavit, pro jure Domini nostri Papæ in Provisionibus habendis, sicut Sancti Prædecessores sui summi Pontifices in Regno Angliæ et alibi per Universalem Christianitatem habuerunt, ipseq; Dominus Papa modernus in cæteris Regnis habet et possidet in præsenti: Unde præmissis, Bullisq; et literis Apostolicis, quas pro hac re idem Dominus Papa jam tarde ad Regnum transmiserat, diligenter consideratis, et quod dictus Dominus noster Papa tot Ambassiatas et nuncios solemnes ad prosequendum jus suum et Ecclesiæ libertatem in præmissis, non absq; laboribus magnis, periculis et expensis, de Curia Romana ad Regnum Angliæ destinavit, idem Reverendissimus Pater Cantuar. Archiepiscopus, nomine suo et confratrum suorum adtunc ibidem præsentium, et absentium in dicto Parliamento per procuratores comparentium, ad quos ut asseruit divisim saltem principalis cura animarum totius Communitatis Regni pertinere dignoscitur, dictos viros omnes et singulos tunc præsentes, Communitatem (ut præmittitur) repræsentantes, requisivit et in Domino exhortabatur, quatenus ob salutem animarum suarum totiusq; Regni prosperitatem et pacem, materiam prædictam sic ponderarent, et taliter in eodem Parliamento super eadem deliberarent, ut Sanctissimus Dominus noster Papa placari, ac Regis zelum ad Sedem Apostolicam totiusque Regni devotionem in hac parte habere posset materiam commendandi. Et addidit ultra hujusmodi Requisitionem et Exhortationem præfatus Reverendissimus Pater Archiepiscopus Cantuariensis : et ex corde, ut apparuit, exposuit lacrymando, pericula per censurarum, viz. Ecclesiasticarum et etiam Interdicti fulminationem, et alias tam Regi quam Regno (quod absit) verisimiliter II. eventura alia, in casu quo responsio Parliamenti illius, in mate- BOOK ria tunc declarata, grata non foret Domino Papæ et accepta, sic dicendo; Forte videtur quibusdam vestrum, quod hæc quæ Regni Prælatos potissime concernunt ex corde non profero, Sciatis pro certo, et in fide, qua Deo teneor et Ecclesiæ; affirmo coram vobis, quod magis mihi foret acceptum nunquam conferre aut etiam habere aliquod beneficium Ecclesiasticum, quam aliqua talia pericula seu processus meo tempore in Ecclesiæ Anglicana Scandalum venirent. Ulterius idem Reverendissimus Pater expresse declaravit, qualiter dictus Dominus noster Papa in diversis Bullis suis obtulit et promisit, se et Sedem Apostolicam, ad quascunq; causas et occasiones editionis Statuti prædicti rationabile remedium apponere, et materias causarum et occasionum hujusmodi Statuti in toto tollere et abolere; et sic Requisitione, Exhortatione et periculorum hujusmodi expositione finitis, Reverendissimi Patres Cantuar. et Eborac. Archiepiscopi, cum confratribus suis Episcopis et Prælatis prædictis, recesserunt, Regni Communitate, seu saltem dictis viris Communitatem Regni repræsentantibus remanentibus, et circa materiam eis expositam tractantibus, præsentibus, et Declarationem, Requisitionem, et Exhortationem, hujusmodiq; periculorum expositionem per dictum Dominum Archiepiscopum Cantuariensem (ut præmittitur) factas audientibus, venerabilibus viris Richardo fCaudray Archidiacono Norwici in Ecclesia Norwicensi, Magistro Joanne Forster Canonico Lincolniensi, Johanne Pye Canonico Bangorensi, Thoma Bladsmith, Capellano præfati domini Archiepiscopi Eboracensis cruciferario, et Johanne Bold Notario Publico et multis aliis. f Coudray 8 &c. et Joanne Boold Notario BOOK XLI. Act. 33. Anno Regni vicesimo tertio. An Act concerning Restraint of payment of Annates to the See of Rome. FORASMUCH as it is well perceived, by long approved expe rience, that great and inestimable Sums of money have been daily conveyed out of this Realm, to the impoverishment of the same; and specially such sums of Money as the Pope's Holiness, his Predecessors, and the Court of Rome, by long time have heretofore taken of all and singular those Spiritual Persons which have been named, elected, presented, or postulated to the Archbishops or Bishops within this Realm of England, under the Title of Annates, otherwise called First-Fruits. Which Annates, or First-Fruits, have been taken of every Arch-Bishoprick, or Bishoprick, within this Realm, by restraint of the Pope's Bulls, for Confirmations, Elections, Admissions, Postulations, Provisions, Collations, Dispositions, Institutions, Installations, Investitures, Orders, Holy Benedictions, Palls, or other things requisite and necessary to the attaining of those their Promotions; and have been compelled to pay, before they could attain the same, great sums of Money, before they might receive any part of the Fruits of the said Arch-Bishoprick, or Bishoprick, whereunto they were named, elected, presented, or postulated; by occasion whereof not only the Treasure of this Realm hath been greatly conveighed out of the same, but also it hath hapned many times, by occasion of death, unto such Arch-Bishops, and Bishops, so newly promoted, within two or three years after his or their Consecration, that his or their Friends, by whom he or they have been holpen to advance and make paiment of the said Annates, or First-Fruits, have been thereby utterly undone and impoverished. And for because the said Annates have risen, grown, and increased, by an uncharitable Custom, grounded upon no just or good title, and the paiments thereof obtained by restraint of Bulls, until the same Annates, or First-Fruits, have been paid, or Surety made for the II. same; which declareth the said Paiments to be exacted, and BOOK taken by constraint, against all equity and Justice. The Noble Men therefore of the Realm, and the Wise, Sage, Politick Commons of the same, assembled in this present Parliament, considering that the Court of Rome ceaseth not to tax, take, and exact the said great Sums of Money, under the Title of Annates, or First-Fruits, as is aforesaid, to the great damage of the said Prelates, and this Realm; Which Annates, or FirstFruits, were first suffered to be taken within the same Realm, for the only defence of Christian People against the Infidels, and now they be claimed and demanded as mere duty, only for Lucre, against all right and conscience. Insomuch that it is evidently known, that there hath passed out of this Realm unto the Court of Rome, sithen the second year of the Reign of the most Noble Prince, of famous memory, King Henry the Seventh, unto this present time, under the name of Annates, or First-Fruits, payed for the expedition of Bulls of Arch-Bishopricks and Bishopricks, the sum of eight hundred thousand Ducats, amounting in Sterling Money, at the least, to eightscore thousand pounds, besides other great and intolerable Sums which have yearly been conveyed to the said Court of Rome, by many other ways and means, to the great impoverishment of this Realm. And albeit, that our said Sovereign the King, and all his natural Subjects, as well Spiritual as Temporal, been as obedient, devout, Catholick and humble Children of God, and Holy Church, as any People be within any Realm christned; yet the said exactions of Annates, or First-Fruits, be so intolerable and importable to this Realm, that it is considered and declared, by the whole Body of this Realm now represented, by all the Estates of the same assembled in this present Parliament, that the King's Highness before Almighty God, is bound, as by the duty of a good Christian Prince, for the conservation and preservation of the good Estate and Common-Wealth of this his Realm, to do all that in him is to obviate, repress, and redress the said abusions and exactions of Annates, or First- Fruits. And because that divers Prelates of this Realm being now in extream Age, and in other debilities of their Bodies, so that of likelyhood, bodily death in short time shall or may succeed unto |