Critical Apparatus for this Page
Commentary on the Text
Names and Places on this Page
Unavailable for this Edition
1336 [1336]

K. Henry. 8. The Acte of the vj. Articles.

practise, to be ordeyned and enacted by the king and the Lordes spirituall and temporall, and the commons in the sayd parliament, as foloweth.

¶ The penalties vpon the. 6. Articles.  
Commentary   *   Close

In 1570, 1576 and 1583, Foxe replaced 1563's lengthy verbatim quotes from the text of the Act with verbal summaries which are, as he says, 'briefly collected' from the Act. Only this first clause, on the penalties for denying transubstantiation, is reproduced in full. However, exactly the same material is included and excluded as in the 1563 edition.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaThe penalties vpon the vj. articles.That if any person or persons within this Realme of England, or any other the kinges dominions, after the. xij. daye of Iuly next comminge, by worde, writing, imprinting, ciphring, or any otherwise, should publish, preach, teach, saye, affirme, declare, dispute, argue, or hold any opinion, that in the blessed Sacrament of the Altar, MarginaliaTransubstantiatiō.vnder fourme of bread and wine (after the consecration therof) there is not present really, the naturall body and bloud of our Sauiour Iesus Christe, conceyued of the virgin Mary, or that after the sayd consecration, there remayneth any substance of bread or wyne, or any other substance but the substance of Christ, god and man: or after the time aboue sayd, publish, preach, teach, say, affirme, declare, dispute, argue, or holde opinion, that in the flesh, vnder fourme of bread, is not the very bloud of Christ, or that with the bloud of Christ, vnder the fourme of wyne, is not the verye fleshe of Christ, aswell aparte, as though they were both together: or by any of the meanes aboue said, or otherwise, preach, teach, declare, or affirme the sayed Sacrament to be of other substance then is aboue sayd, or by anye meane contemne, depraue, or dispise þe sayd blessed Sacrament: that then euery such person, so offending, their ayders, comforters, consaylers, consenters, and abbetters therin (beyng therof conuicted in fourme vnder writtē, by þe authority aboue sayd) should be deemed and adiudged heretickes, and euery such offence should be adiudged manifest heresye: and that euery such offender and offenders, MarginaliaSuffering without any abiuration.should therfore haue and suffer iudgement, execuiton, payne & paynes of death, by way of burning, wtout any abiuratiō, benefite of þe clergie, or Sanctuarye, to be therfore permitted, had, alowed, admitted or suffered: MarginaliaLosse of goods.and also should therfore forfaite & lose to the kinges highnes, his heires and successours, all his or their honours, manours, castelles, landes, tenements, rents, reuersions, seruices, possessions, and all other his or their hereditamentes, goods, and cattel, termes & freholdes, what soeuer they were, which any such offender or offenders should haue at þe tyme of any such offence or offences committed or done, or at any tyme after, MarginaliaOpinion agaynst the Sacramēt of the altar, made treason.as in any cases of high treason.

[Back to Top]
¶ The penaltie of the last v. Articles.

MarginaliaThe penalties of the last v. articles.And as touchyng þe other v. Articles folowyng, þe penaltie deuised for thē, was this: That euery such person or persons, which did preach, teache, obstinately affirme, vphold, mainteine, or defend, after the 12. day of Iuly, the sayd yeare, any thing contrarie to the same, or if any being in orders, or after a vowe aduisedly made, did mary, or make Mariage, or contract Matrimonie, in so doyng should be adiudged as felons, and lose both lyfe, and forfeite goods, as in case of felonie, without any benefite of the Clergie, or priuiledge of the church, or of Sanctuary. &c.

[Back to Top]

Item, that euery such person or persons, whiche after the day aforesayd, by worde, writyng, printyng, cyphryng, or otherwise, did publishe, declare, or hold opinion contrary to the v. Articles aboue expressed, beyng for any such offence duely conuict or atteinted, for the first time, besides the forfeite of all his goods and cattell & possessions what so euer, should suffer imprisonment of his body at the kynges pleasure: and for the second tyme, being accused, presented, & therof conuict, should suffer, as in case aforesayd, of felonie.

[Back to Top]

Item, if any within order of priesthode, before the tyme of the sayd Parlament, had maryed or contracted Matrimonie, or vowed wydowhead, the sayd Matrimonie, should stand vtterly voyde and be dissolued.

Item, that the same daunger þt belonged to Priests marying their wyues, should also redound to þe wemen maryed vnto the Priestes.

MarginaliaInquisition vpon the vj. articles.Furthermore, for the more effectuall executiō of the premisses, it was enacted by the sayd Parlament, that full authoritie of Inquisition of all such heresies, felonies, and cōtemptes, should be committed and directed downe into euery shyre, to certeine persons specially therunto appointed: of the which persons three at least (prouided alwayes the Archbyshop or Byshop, or hys Chauncellour, or his Cōmissarie to be one) should sitte foure tymes, at least, in the yeare, MarginaliaA bloudye inquisition.hauyng full power to take information and accusation by the depositions of any two lawfull persons at the least, as well as by the othes of xij. men, to examine and inquire of all and singular the heresies, felonies, and contemptes aboue remembred, hauing also as ample power to make proces agaynst euery person or persons indited, presented, or accused before them: also to heare & determine the foresaid heresies, felonies, contemptes and other offences, as well as if the matter had bene presented before the Iustices of peace in their Sessions: And also that þe said Iustices in their Sessions, & euery steward or vndersteward, or his deputy in their law dayes, should haue power by the othes of xij. lawfull men, to enquire likewise of all & singular the heresies, felonies, cōtemptes, and other offences, and to heare & determine the same, to all effectes of this present Acte. &c.

[Back to Top]

Prouided withall that no person or persons therupon accused, indited, or presented should be admitted to chalēge any that should be enpanelled for þe triall of any matter or cause, other thē for malice or enuie: Which chalenge should forthwith be tried in lyke maner, as in cases of felonie. &c.

Prouided moreouer that euery person that should be named Commissioner in this Inquisition, should first take a corporall othe: the tenour of which othe here ensueth.

¶ The othe of the Commissioners.

MarginaliaThe othe geuē to the Cōmissioners to enquire vpō true Christians.YE shall sweare, that ye to your cunnyng, wytte and power, shall truly & indifferently execute the authoritie to you giuen by the kynges Commission, made for correction of heretickes and other offenders, mentioned in the same Commission, without any fauour, affection, corruption, dread, or malice, to be borne to any person or persons, as God you helpe, and all Saintes.

[Back to Top]

And thus much briefly collected out the Acte and Originals, MarginaliaStatut. an. 31. Reg. Henr. 8.whiche more largely are to be sene in the Statute. an. 31. Reg. Henr. 8. concernyng the sixe Articles, which otherwise for the bloudy crueltie therof, are called the whyppe with sixe strynges, set forth after the death of Queene Anne, and of good Iohn Lambert, deuised by the crueltie of the Byshops, but specially of the Byshop of Wint. and at length also subscribed by kyng Henry. But herein, as in many other partes mo, the craftie policie of that Byshop appeared, who lyke a lurkyng Serpent, most slylye watchyng his time, if hee had not taken þe kyng  

Commentary   *   Close

As is often the case with Gardiner, Foxe's innuendo is the only evidence for this incident, but it is not implausible. Henry VIII was notoriously susceptible to face-to-face appeals of this kind at critical moments.

cōmyng out vpon a sodein, there where it was (I spare here to reporte as I heard it) it was thought, and affirmed by certeine, whiche then were perteining to þe king, that Winchester had not obteined the matter so easely to be subscribed, as he did.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaTruth in daūger, lefte desolate.These sixe Articles aboue specified, althoughe they conteined manifest errours, heresies, and absurdities agaynst all Scripture and learnyng, (as all mē hauing any iudgement in Gods woorde may playnly vnderstand) yet such was the miserable aduersitie of that tyme, and the power of darkenes, that the simple cause of truth and of Religion, was vtterly left desolate and forsaken of all frēdes. For euery man seing the kinges minde so fully addicte vpon politicke respectes, to haue these Articles to passe forward, few or none in all  

Commentary   *   Close

This is an unduly sweeping judgement. A series of other bishops joined Cranmer in opposing some of the Articles - in particular William Barlow of St. David's, but also Hugh Latimer of Worcester, Nicholas Shaxton of Salisbury, Thomas Goodrich of Ely, John Hilsey of Rochester, and William Benson, abbot of Westminster. National Archives, SP 1/152 fo. 19 (LP XIV (i) 1065); British Library, Cotton MS Cleopatra E.v fo. 138r (LP XIV (i) 1040). Latimer and Shaxton were compelled to resign their bishoprics because, unlike Cranmer, they openly opposed the entire Act in the House of Lords.

[Back to Top]
that Parlament would appeare, whiche either could perceiue that was to bee defended, or durst defende that they vnderstode to be true: MarginaliaCranmer stoode openly in the Parlament agaynst the vj. articles.saue onely Cranmer Archbyshop of Canterbury, who then beyng maryed (as is supposed) lyke a constant patron of Gods cause, tooke

[Back to Top]
vpon
KKK.ij.