Furthermore that no man shall cauille or surmise this fatall fall & ruine of the Pope to haue come rashly vpon the kynges own partiall affection, or by any sensuall temeritie of a few, and not by the graue and aduised iudgement, approbatiō, and consent generally and publickely, as wel of the nobles and commons temporall, as also vpon substantiall groundes, and the very strength of truth, by the discussion and consultation of the spirituall and most learned persons in this realme: it shalbe requisite moreouer to these premisses to adioyne the wordes and testimonies also of the Byshops owne othes and profession made to the kyng, yeldyng and renderyng vnto hym onely the stile of supreme head next vnder Christ, of the Churche of England, all other seruice, subiection, & obedience to bee gyuē to any other forreine Potentate, which should be preiudiciall to the kynges highnes in this behalfe being excluded, & that both frankely and freely, of their owne voluntary motion, and also vppon the fayth and fidelitie of their priesthode, as by their owne wordes and hand writing may appeare in forme as here vnder foloweth.

EGo Stephanus Wintonien. Episcopus pure, sponte, & absolute, in verbo pōtifico, profiteor ac spondeo, Illustrissimæ vestræ Regiæ maiestati, singulari ac sūmo Domino meo, & patrono, Henrico Dei gratia Angliæ & Franciæ Regi, fidei defensori, Domino Hiberniæ, atq̀ in terris Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ supremo immediatè sub Christo capiti, ф posthac nulli externo Imperatori, Regi, Principi aut Prælato, nec Romano pontifici (quem Papam vocāt) fidelitatem & obedientiā. &c.

MarginaliaThe othe of Steph. Gardiner to the king.I Steuen Byshop of Winchester do purely, of myne own voluntary accord & absolutely, in the word of a bishop, professe & promise to your princely maiestie, my singular and chief Lord & patron Henry viij. by the grace of God, kyng of England and of Fraunce, defendour of the fayth, Lord of Ireland and in earth of the Churche of Englād supreme head immediatly vnder Christ, þ^t from this day forward I shall swere, promise, giue, or cause to be giuē to no forein Potētate, Emperour, Kyng, Prince, or Prelate, nor yet to the B. of Rome, whom they cal Pope, any othe or feaultie directly or indirectly, either by worde or writing, but at all times & in euery case & conditiō I shal obserue, hold, and mainteine to all effectes & intentes, the quarel & cause of your royall maiestie & your successors, and to the vttermost of my power, shall defende the same against al maner of persons whō soeuer I shall know or suspecte to be aduersaries to your maiestie or to your successours, and shall giue my faith, truth, and obedience sincerelye and with my very harte, onely to your Royall maiestie, as to my supreme Prince. MarginaliaStephen Gardiner abrenounceth the Pope.I professe the Papacie of Rome not to bee ordeyned of God by holy Scripture, but constantly do affirme and openly declare & shall declare it to bee set vp onely by man, & shall cause diligently other men likewise to publishe the same. Neither shal I enter any treatie with any person or persons either priuely or apertly, or shall consent thereto, that the Byshop of Rome shall haue or exercise here any authoritie or iurisdiction, or is to bee restored to any iurisdiction hereafter.

Furthermore, that the sayd Byshop of Rome now beyng, or any that shall succede him hereafter in the sayd Sea, is not to bee called Pope nor supreme Byshop or vniuersall Byshop, nor most holy Lord, but onely ought to be called Byshop of Rome and felow brother, (as the old maner of the most auncient Byshops hath bene) this I shall to my power, openly mainteine and defende.

Also I shall firmely obserue and cause to be obserued of other, to the vttermost of my cunning, witte, and power, all such lawes and Actes of this realme, how and what so euer, as haue bene enacted and established for the extirpation and suppression of the Papacie, & of the authoritie, and iurisdiction of the sayd Byshop of Rome. Neither shall I appeale hereafter to the sayd Byshop of Rome, nor euer consent to any person, that shall appeale to him, neither shall I attempt, prosecute, or folowe any suite in the Court of Rome for any cause of right or Iustice to bee had, or shall make aunswere to anye plee or action, nor shall take vppon mee the person and office either of the plaintife or defendent in the sayd Court. And if the sayd Byshop by hys messenger or by his letters shall make any meanes or signification vnto me of any matter what so euer it be, I shal with al speede & diligēce make declaratiō & aduertisemēt therof, or cause þ^e same to be signifyed, either to your princely maiestie, or to some of your secret counsaile, or to your successours or any of their priuy Counsell: Neither shall I send or cause to be send at any tyme, any writyng or messēger to the sayd Byshop or to hys Court, without the knowledge and consent of your maiestie or your successours willyng me to send writyng or messenger vnto him. Neither shall I procure or gyue Counsell to any person, to procure bulles, breues, or rescriptes what soeuer, either for me or for any other, frō the said B. of Rome or his Court. And if any such shall be procured agaynst my will & knowledge either in generall or in speciall, or els how soeuer they shalbe graunted vnto them, I shall vtter and disclose the same, and not consent thereunto, nor vse them in any case, & shall cause them to be brought to your maiestie or your successours.

Furthermore for þ^e cōfyrmatiō hereof, I giue my faith & truth by firme promise & in þ^e fayth of a bishop, þ^t against this my foresayd profession & promise made, I shall defēd my self by no dispēsatiō, exceptiō, nor any remedy or cautele of law or example, during this my natural life. And if heretofore I haue done or made any protestation in preiudice of this my profession and promise here made: the same I do reuoke at this present and for euer hereafter, and here vtterly do renounce, by these presentes. Whereunto I haue subscribed and vnder writtē the name both of my selfe & of my Byshoprike, with my proper hand, & therto also haue put to my seale, in perpetual & vndoubted testimony of the premisses. Geuē the x. day of February. an. 1534. and of our soueraigne Lord K. Hēry viij. 26.

Steph. Winton.

MarginaliaThe othe of Stokesley.I Iohn Byshop of London, do purely, and of myne own voluntary accorde, & absolutely, in þ^e word of a bishop, professe and promisse to your princely maiestie, my singular, & chiefe Lorde and patrone Henry. 8. by the grace of God, kyng of England, and of Fraunce, defender of the fayth, Lord of Ireland, & in earth of the same church of England supreme head immediatlye vnder Christ, &c. Lyke to the othe before.

Ioan. London.

MarginaliaThe othe of Lee Archb. of Yorke.I Edward, by the permission of God, Archbyshop of Yorke, doe purely, of myne owne voluntarye accorde, & absolutely, in þ^e word of a bishop, professe & promisse to your royall maiestie, my singular, and chiefe Lorde and patrone, &c. In lyke forme to the othe before.

Edouardus Eborac.

MarginaliaThe othe of Tonstall of Duresme.I Cutbert, by the permission of God, Byshop of Durresme, doe purely, of myne owne voluntarye accorde, and absolutely, in þ^e word of a byshop, professe & promisse to your royall maiestie, my singular, and chiefe Lord and patrone, &c. As before.

Per me Cutbertū Duelmen.

And so likewise all the other Bishops after the same order and forme of othe were obliged and bound to the kyng, as to their supreme head of the Church of England immediatlye vnder Christ, renouncing and abiuring vtterly and voluntarilye, the Popes too long vsurped iurisdiction in this realme: testifying moreouer the same, both with their own hand, and also with their seale.

Besydes these cōfirmations and testimonials of the Bishops aforsayd, ye shall heare yet moreouer, the decree and publicke sentence of the vniuersitie of Cambridge writen likewise and subscribed and signed with þ^e publike seale of there vniuersitie, the tenour of which their letter here foloweth.

VNiuersis Sanctæ matris Ecclesiæ filijs, ad quos præsentes literæ peruenturæ sunt, cœtus omnis regentium & non