truly grounded vpon the law of God.

Item we desire that your fatherly reuerences, considering the greate affection of our people, wyll geue vs the desired liberty to communicate vnto þ^e yonger sort, the sacrament of the supper. For if thys vse of communicating should be taken away, which our kingdome being godlye moued by the writinges of moste great and holy doctors, and brought in by examples, hath receiued as catholike, and exercised nowe a long time: verelye it should rayse vp an intolerable offence amōgest the people, & their myndes wold be greuously vexed & troubled.

MarginaliaThe Gospels and epistles to be red in the vulgare tongue.Item we require you (as before) that for lyke causes your fatherly reuerēces, would vouchsafe to permit, at the least þ^e Gospells, Epistles, and Crede to be song and red in the church in our vulgare toung, before þ^e people, to moue them vnto deuotion: MarginaliaThe Scriptures redde in the Slauons tonge of old timefor in our Slauon language it hath bene vsed of old in the church, and lykewyse in our kingdome.

Item we require you in the name of the sayd kyngdome, and of the famous vniuersity of Prage, that your fatherlye reuerences woulde vouchsafe to shewe suche diligence and care towardes the desired reformation of that Vniuersity, that according to the maner & forme of other Vniuersities reformed by the Church, Prebendes and collations of certayne benefices of Cathedrall and parish churches, MarginaliaIncorporations to be graunted to vniuersities, an vnlawfull request.may be annexed and incorporate vnto the sayd vniuersity, that thereby it maye bee increased and preferred.

Item, we desire you (as before) as hartely as we may, & also (sauing alwaies your fatherly reuerence) requyre you, & by þ^e former compositions we most instantlye admonish you, þ^t with your whole mindes & endeuours, & with al care & study, MarginaliaA request for necessary reformation and discipline.your reuerences wil watch & seeke for that long desired & most necessary reformatiō of the church & Christiā religion, & effectually labour for þ^e rooting out of all publike euils, as wel in the head, as in the members, as you haue often promised to do in our kingdom, in the cōpositions, & as our fourth article, touching the auoiding of al publicke euills, doth exacte & require.

There were certaine answers prouided by the councel, to these petitions of the Bohemiās, which were not deliuered vnto them, but kept backe, for what purpose or entent we know not. Wherfore, because we thought them not greatly necessarye for this place, and also to auoyde prolixitie, we haue iudged it meete at this present to omitte thē. Thus haue ye hearde compendiouslye the chiefe and principall matters intreated and done in this famous councell of Basill. And here (to conclude withal) we haue thought good to declare vnto you, for the ayde and helpe of the ignoraunt people (whych iudge manye things to be of longer time & continuaunce, thē in deede they be, & therupō haue established a great part of their opinions) how that, toward the latter end of thys councell, MarginaliaThe cōception of our Lady, brought into the church.that is to say in the. xxxvi. Session of the same, holden the. xvij. day of September, in the yeare of our Lord 1439. the feast of the conception of our Ladye, was ordayned to be holden and celebrate yearely. MarginaliaThe visitation of our Lady brought inIn lyke case also in the. xliiij. Session of the same councell, holden the first day of Iuly, an. 1441. was ordained the feast of the visitation of our Lady, to be celebrate and holdē yearely in the month of Iuly. We haue also thought it good, before we do end this story, to annexe hereunto certaine decrees, profitably and wholsomly ordayned in the said councell, against the inordinate geuing of þ^e ecclesiasticall benefices and liuinges by the Pope, with certayne other constitutions also, fruitfull for the behalfe and edification of the church.

Duryng the tyme that the generall Councell at Basill, was so diligent and carefull about the reformation of the churche, this one thyng semed good vnto them to be prosecuted and folowed with an earnest care and dilgence, that through euery churche, apte and mete ministers might be appointed, which might shine in vertue &knowledge, to the glory of Christ and the healthfull edifying of the Christian people: whereunto the multitude of expectatiue graces MarginaliaVowsons and giftes of benefice, before they were voyde, debarred by this Councell: which vousons here are called expectatiue graces.hath bene a great impedimēt and let, in þ^t they haue bene founde to haue brought greuous troubles, diuers disorders, and many daungers vpō the ecclesiasticall state. MarginaliaInconueniēces that ryse by vowsons of benefices.For hereby often tymes, scarsly apte or meete ministers haue bene apointed for the churches, whiche are neither knowen nor examined: and this expectation of voyde benefices (as the old lawes do witnesse) doth geue occasiō to desire an other mans death, which is greatly preiudiciall vnto saluation: besides that, innumerable quarels and contentions are moued amongest the seruauntes of God: rancour and malice nourished: the ambitiō and gredy desire of pluralities of benefices maintayned: and the riches & substaunce of kingdomes and prouinces maruailously consumed. Poore men suffer innumerable vexations, by runnyng vnto the court of Rome. They are often tymes spoyled and robbed by the way: troubled and afflicted with diuers plages, and hauyng spent their patrimony and substance lefte them by their parētes, they are constrayned to liue in extreme pouertie. Many do chalenge benefices, whiche without any iust title (yea such in dede as ought not to haue thē) obtayne and get þ^e same: suche I say as haue most craft & subtiltie to deceiue their neighbour, or haue greatest substaunce to contende in the lawe. It happeneth often tymes that vnder the intrication of these prerogatiues, antelations, and such other as do associate these expectatiue graces, much craft and disceit is founde. Also, often tymes the ministery is taken away from yong men, by their ordinary geuers, whiles that by þ^e trouble of those contentions, and diuers discourses, runnyng to & fro by meanes of those graces, they are vexed and troubled, the Ecclesiasticall order is confounded, whiles that euery mannes authoritie & iurisdictiō is not preserued: and the Byshops of Rome also, by chalenging & takyng vpon them to much the office of the inferiours, are withdrawen from more waighty and frutefull matters, neither do they diligently attend to the guidyng and correctiō of the inferiours, as the publike vtility doth require. All whiche thynges do bryng a great confusion vnto the clergy, and Ecclesiasticall state, to the great preiudice and hinderaunce of Gods true woorshyp, and publicke saluation.

In the same Councell also diuers other constitutions were made, not vnprofitable for reformation, and for remouyng of certaine abuses and disorders brought in, especially by the Byshop of Rome, as touching causes not to bee brought vp and translated to the court of Rome: MarginaliaNo controuersies to be brought to Rome beyond iiii. dayes iourney frō thence.Wherin it was decreed, þ^t no actions nor cōtrouersies should be brought frō other countreis, to be pleaded at Rome, which were beyond. iiij. dayes iourney distant frō þ^e sayd court of Rome, a few principall matters onely excepted. MarginaliaNo friuolous appeales to be made to the pope.Also, that no friuolous appeales should bee made to the pope hereafter. MarginaliaAgainst the superfluous number of cardinalsIt was moreouer in þ^e same Councell decreed, for the number, age, and condition of the Cardinals, that they should not excede the number of. xxiiij. besides them that were already, and that they should be frely taken out of all countreis: and that they should not be of kynne to the Byshop of Rome, or to the cardinals, nor yet blemished with any spot or crime. MarginaliaAgainst the popes fyrst fruites.Also for Annates or first frutes, or halfe frutes, it was there prouided, þ^t no such Annates for confirmatiō of electiōs, or collation of benefices, should be payd or reserued any more to the Pope, for þ^e first yeares voydance. All which thynges there agreed and concluded by them, were afterwarde confirmed and ratified by the Frenche kyng Charles. vii. with the full consent of all his Prelates, in his hygh court of Parliament in Bitures, MarginaliaPragmatica Sanctio per Carolū. 7.and there called Pragmatica Sanctio. an. 1438. wherupon great vtilitie ensued afterward to the kyngdome of Fraunce. Albeit in processe of tyme, diuers Friers there were, which wrote