MarginaliaAn. 1547.
Iniunctions geuen to the Byshops. Iniunctions, thertofore geuen, or after to bee geuen from time to time, in and through their Dioces, duely, faithfully, and truely to be kept, obserued and accomplished, and that they should personally preach within their Diocese, euery quarter of a yeare once at þe least, that is to say once in their Cathedrall Churches, and thrise in other seuerall places of their Diocesses, wheras they should see it most conuenient and necessary, except they had a reasonable excuse to the cōtrary. Likewise, that they shoulde not retain into their seruice or houshold, any Chaplein, but such as were learned, or able to preach the word of God, and those they shoulde also cause to exercise the same.
Moreouer, that they should not geue Orders to any person, but vnto such as were learned in holy Scripture: neither should deny them that were learned in the same, being of honest conuersation and liuing. And last, that they shoulde not at any time or place preach or set forth vnto the people anye doctrine contrary or repugnant to the effect and entent conteined and set forth in the kings highnes Homelies, neither yet should admitte or geue licence to preache to any within their Diocesses, but to such as they should know (or at the least assuredly trust) would doe the same. And if at any time by hearing, or by report proued, they should perceiue the cōtrary, they should then incontinente not onely inhibite that person so offendinge, but also punishe him and reuoke their licence.
[Back to Top]Now duringe the time that the Commissioners were occupied abroad in their circuites about the speedy and diligent execution of these godly and zelous orders and decrees of the king and his Counsel, his maiesty (with the aduise of the same) yet still desiring a farther reformation as well in this case of Religiō, as also in some others of his Ciuill gouernment,MarginaliaA Parlament called in the first yeare of kyng Edward. appointed a parlament of the three estates of his Realme to be summoned against the 4. day of Nouember, in the firste yeare of his raigne and the yeare of our Lorde. 1547. which continued vnto the 24. day of December then next following. In the which Session, forasmuche as his highnes minded the gouernaunce and order of his people to be in perfect vnitie and concord in all thinges and especially in the true faith and religion of God, and therewithall also duely wayed the great daunger that his louing Subiectes were in for confessing the gospell of Christe, through many and diuers cruell statutes made by sondry his predecessors against the the same (which being still left in force mought both cause þe obstinate to contemne his graces godly procedyngs, and also the weake to be fearefull of their christianlike profession) he therfore caused it among other thinges by the authoritie of the same Parlament to be enacted,MarginaliaStatut. an. [illegible text]. Reg. Edwardi. 6. Cap. 12 The statute made An. 1. Reg. Rich. 2. An. 2. Reg. Henr. 5 An. 25. Reg. Henr. 8 Item. An. 33. Henr. 8. An. 34. Henr. 8 An. 35. Hen. 8. repealed. De haeretico comburendo ('Concerning the heretic who is to be burned'), 1401. 2 Hen. IV, c. 15; Statutes, 2.125-28. This notorious legislation ordained that those who translated or owned translations of the Bible would be burnt at the stake.
Item note for the statute, An. 2. Reg. Henr. 4. cap 15
Possibly a mistaken reference to 5 Rich. II, stat. 2, c. 2 (1382); Statutes of the Realm, 9 vols. in 10 (London: George Ayre and Andrew Strahan, 1810-22), 2.25-26.
2 Hen. V, stat. 1, c. 7 (1414). Statutes, 2.181-84.
Act for the Punishment of Heresy, 1534 (25 Hen. VIII, c.14; Statutes, 3.454-55.
Act Abolishing Diversity in Opinions, also known as the Act of Six Articles, 1539 (31 Hen. VIII, c. 14); Statutes, 3.739-43. This notorious legislation ordained that individuals who denied the doctrine of transubstantiation were to be burnt alive. It also imposed stringent penalties for violation of official policy in favor of administration of communion in one kind, clerical celibacy, the binding nature of vows of chastity or widowhood, celebration of private Masses, and auricular confession.
[Back to Top]I.e., thirty-fourth year.
Act for the Advancement of True Religion and for the Abolishment of the Contrary, 1543 (34 Hen. VIII, c. 1; Statutes, 3.894-97
A Bill Concerning the Six Articles, 1544 (35 Hen. VIII, c. 5; Statutes, 3.960-62).
Act of Repeal, 1547 (1 Edw. VI, c. 12); Statutes, 4.i.18-22.
By occasion whereof, as well all such his godly subiectes as were then still abiding within this Realme, had free liberty publickly to professe the Gospel: as also many learned and zealous preachers (before banished) were now both lycensed freely to returne home agayne
Exiled preachers who now returned included John Hooper and William Turner, both of whom received appointment as chaplains to Protector Somerset, Miles Coverdale, and others.
Moreouer in the same Session his maiestie with the Lordes spirituall and temporall, and the Commons in the same Parliament assembled, throughly vnderstandyng by the iudgement of the best learned, that it was more agreable vnto the first institution of the sacrament of the most precious body and bloud of our Sauiour Christ, and also more conformable to the common vse and practise both of the Apostles, and of the primatiue Churche by the space of fiue hundreth yeares and more after Christes Ascension, that the saide holy Sacrament shoulde bee ministred vnto all Christen people vnder both the kyndes of bread and wyne
Protestants rejected the practice of denying wine to members of the laity on the ground that it was a non-biblical practice that did not come into general use until the twelfth century.
After whiche most godly consent of the Parlament, the kyng beyng no lesse desirous to haue the fourme of the administration of the Sacrament truely reduced to the right rule of the scriptures and fyrst vse of the primatiue churche, then he was to establishe the same by the authoritie of hys owne regall lawesMarginaliaThe assembly of Byshops and others at Windsore. appointed certayne of the most graue and best learned Byshops and others of his Realme, to assemble together at his Castle of Windsor, ther to argue and entreate vpon this matter, and conclude vpon and set foorth one perfecte and vniforme order accordyng to the rule and vse aforesayd.
[Back to Top]And in the meane while that the learned were thus occupyed about their conferences, the Lorde Protector and the rest of the kynges Counsell farther remembryng that the time of the yeare dyd then approch, wherin were practised many superstitious abuses and blasphemous ceremonies against the glory of God, and truth of his worde (determining the vtter abolishing therof) directed their letters vnto the godly and reuerend father Thomas Cranmer, then archbishop of Canterbury, and Matropolitane of England, requiring him, that vppon the receite therof he shoulde will euery bishop within his Prouince, foorthwith to geue in charge vnto all the Curates their Diocesses,MarginaliaCandles not to be borne on Candlemas day.
Ashes forbidden on Ashe Wedensday. that neither candels shoulde bee any more borne vppon Candlemas day, neither yet ashes vsed in Lent, nor Palmes vpon palm Sonday
In conjunction with the endorsement of iconoclastic destruction of 'abused' religious images, the systematic abolition of ecclesiastical ceremonies on appropriate feast days eradicated the highly affective experience of late medieval worship. King, English Reformation Literature, pp. 150-51.
Whereupon the Archebishop zealously fauouryng thee good and Christianlyke purpose of the kyng and his Counselll, dyd immediatly in that behalfe wryte vnto all the rest of the Byshops of his prouince, and amongest them vnto Edmond Boner then bishop London. MarginaliaEdm. Boner. Of whose rebellious and obstinate contumacie, for that we haue hereafter more to saye, I thoughe not to stande longe hereupon, but onelye by the waye somewhat to note his former dissimulation and cloked hipocrisie
Foxe's attack on Bonner for dissimulation is typical.
MarginaliaBoners letter for the abolishyng of Ashes, Palmes, &c. MY very good Lord, after my most harty commendatons, these bee to aduertise your good Lordshippe, that my