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1288 [1288]

K. Henry. 8. The kinges Iniunctions, for reformation of the Church.

MarginaliaBeneficed men to maintayne their mansions.Also, that all Persons, Vicars, and Clerkes, hauing Churches, Chappels, or mansions within this Deanry, shall bestowe yearely hereafter vpon the same mansions or Chauncels of their Churches beyng in decay, the. v. part of those their benefices, till they be fully repaired, & the same so repaired they shall alwaies keepe and maintaine in good estate.

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All which and singular Iniunctions shall be inuiolably obserued of the said Deane, Persons, Vicares, Curates, Stipendaries, and other Clerkes and beneficed men, vnder the pain of suspension, and sequestration of the fruits of their benefices, vntil they haue done their dueties, according to these iniunctions.

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After these Iniunctions and Articles afore expressed (which were gyuē about the yeare of our Lord. 1536. and. 1537) it was not aboue the space of a yeare, but other Iniunctions also were published, to the further instruction of the people in the procedynges of religiō, whereby both the Persons of Churches, and the Parishes together were enioyned to prouide in euery Churche to be a Bible in Englishe, also for euery Parishoner to bee taught by the Minister, to vnderstand & say the Lordes Prayer and Crede in theyr own vulgare toungue, with other necessary and most fruitefull Iniunctions, the tenour wherof here foloweth.

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¶ Iniunctions exhibited. an. 1538.

MarginaliaIniunctions by the kyng.IN the name  

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These are the second Royal Injunctions of Henry VIII and they establish the programme set forth in Cromwell's Injunctions of 1536. They were a triumph for the evangelical cause and Foxe prints them in full, without amendment.

of God Amen. By the authoritie and commission of the most excellēt Prince, Henry by the grace of God, kyng of England, and of Fraunce, defendour of the faith, Lord of Irelād, and in earth supreme head vnder Christ, of the Churche of England, I Thomas Lorde Cromwell, Lord priuie seale, Vicegerent to the kynges sayd highnes for all his iurisdiction Ecclesiasticall within this Realme, do for the aduauncement of the true honour of almightie God, encrease of vertue, and discharge of the kynges maiestie, geue & exhibite vnto you N. these Iniunctions folowing, to be kept, obserued, and fulfilled vpon the paine hereafter declared.

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First, that ye shall truelye obserue and kepe all & singular the kynges highnes Iniunctions giuen vnto you heretofore in my name by his graces authoritie, not onely vpon the paynes therin expressed, but also in your default now after this second monition continued, vppon further punishment to be straitghtly extended towardes you by the kinges highnes arbitrement or hys vicegerēt aforesayd.

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MarginaliaFor the Bible to be set vp in Churches.Item, that ye shall prouide on this side the feast of N.  

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I.e. Easter 1539.

next comming, one booke of the whole Byble of the largest volume in Englishe, and the same set vp in some conuenient place within the said Churche that ye haue cure of, whereas your parishoners may most commodiously resort to the same and read it. The charges of which booke shallbe ratably borne betwene you, the person, and parishoners aforsayd: that is to say, the one half by you, and the other halfe by them.

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Item, that ye shall discourage no man, priuely nor apartly, from the reading or hearing of the said Bible, but shall expresly prouoke, stirre, and exhort euery person to read the same, as that whiche is the very liuely word of God, that euery Christen person is bounden to embrace, beleue, and folow, if he loke to be saued, admonishing thē neuertheles to auoid all contentiō and altercation therin, and to vse an honest sobriety in the inquisition of the true sense of the same, and to referre the explicatiō of the obscure places, to men of higher iudgement in scripture.

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MarginaliaThe Lords prayer to learned in English.Item, that ye shal euery sonday and holy day through the yeare, openly and plainly recite to your parishners, twise or thrise together, or oftner if neede require, one article or sentence of the Pater noster, or Crede in Englishe, to the entent they may learne the same by hart, and so frō day to day, to geue them one lyke lesson or sentence of the same, till they haue learned the whole Pater noster, and Crede in English by rote, and as they be taught euerye sentence of the same by rote, ye shall expound and declare the vnderstanding of the same vnto thē, exhorting al parents and housholders, to teach their children and seruaunts the same, as they are bound in conscience to doo: and that done, ye shall declare vnto thē the. x. commaundements, one by one, euery sonday and holy day, til they be likewise perfect in the same.

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Item, that ye shall in confessions euery lent, examine euery person that commeth to confession to you, whether they can recite the Articles of our fayth, and the Pater noster in English, and heare them saye the same particularly: wherein if they be not perfect, ye shall declare to them, that euery Christen person ought to knowe the same before they shoulde receyue the blessed Sacrament of the Altar, and monish them to learne the same more perfectlye by the next yere folowing, or els, lyke as they ought not to presume to come to Gods bord without perfect knowledge of the same (and if they do, it is to the great perill of their soules) so ye shall declare vnto them, that ye loke for other Iniunctions from the kings highnes by that time, to stay and repeale all suche from Gods bord, as shall be found ignoraunte in the premisses: wherfore ye doe thus admonishe them, to the entent they should both eschue the perill of their souls, and also the worldly rebuke that they might incurre hereafter by the same.

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MarginaliaSermons quarterly to be made.Item, that ye shall make or cause to be made in the said Church, and euery other cure ye haue, one Sermō euery quarter of a yeare at the least, wherein ye shall purely and sincerely declare the very Gospell of Christ, and in the same, exhort your hearers to the works of charitie, mercy, and fayth, specially perscribed and commaunded in scripture, and not to repose their trust or affiance in other workes deuised by mennes fantasies besides scripture: as in wandering to Pilgrymages, offering of money, candels, or tapers to fained Relikes or Images, or kissyng, or lickynge the same, saying ouer a nomber of beades not vnderstanded ne minded on, or suche like superstitiō: for the doing wherof, ye not only haue no promise of reward in Scripture, but contrariwyse, great threates and maledictions of God, as things tending to Idolatrie and superstition, which of all other offences, God almighty doth most detest and abhorre, for that the same diminisheth moost hys honour and glorye.

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MarginaliaPilgrimages pulled downe.Item, that such fayned Images as ye know in any of your cures to be so abused with Pilgrimages or offeringes of any thing, made there vnto, ye shall for auoyding of that mooste detestable offence of Idolatrye, forthwith take downe wythout delaye, and shall suffer from henceforth no candels, tapers, or Images of waxe, to be set afore any Image or picture, but only the light that commonly goeth a crosse the Church by the roode lofte, the light afore the Sacrament of the Altar, and the light about the sepulchre: which for the adornyng of the church and diuine seruice, ye shall suffer to remayne still, admonishing your parishners, that Images serue for none other purpose, but as the bookes of vnlearned men that can no letters, wherby they might be admonished of the liues and conuersation of them, that the said Images do represent. Which Images, if they abuse for any other intent then for such remembraunces, they cōmitte Idolatrye in the same, to the great daunger of theyr soules: and therfore the kinges highnesse graciouslye tenderynge the weale of hys subiectes soules, hath in part already, and more will hereafter, trauaill for the abolishing of such Images, as might be occasion of so great offence to God, & so great a daunger to the soules of his louing subieces.

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MarginaliaGood ministers to be placed.Item, that in all such benefyces or cures, as ye haue, wherupon ye be not your self resident, ye shall appoynte such Curates in youre stead, as both canne by habilitye, and will also promptly execute these Iniunctions, and do theyr duety otherwyse, that ye are bounden to do in euery behalf accordinglye, & profyt their cure no lesse with good example of liuinge, then with declaration of the word of God, or els their lacke and defaultes shal be imputed vnto you, who shall straightlye aunswere for the same, if they do otherwyse.

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Item, that you shall admitte no mā to preach within any of your benefices or cures, but such as shall appeare vnto you to be sufficyentlye licensed therunto by þe kings highnes or hys graces authoritye, or the Bishop of the dioces, and such as shalbe so licenced, ye shall gladly receyue, to declare the word of God without any resistance or contradiction.

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MarginaliaPilgrimage and images abandoned.Itē, if ye haue heretofore declared to your parishners, any thing to the extolling and settinge forth of Pilgrimages, to fayned reliques or Images, or any such superstition, ye shall nowe openlye afore the same, recante and reproue the same, shewing them (as the trouth is) that you dyd the same vpon no grounde of Scripture, but as beinge led and seduced by a common errour and abuse crept into the Churche, through the sufferaunce and aua-

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