conscience to doe: and that done, ye shall declare vnto them the. x. commaundements, one by one, euery sonday and holy day, til they be likewise perfect in the same.

Item, that ye shall in confessions euery lent, examine euery person that commeth to confessiō to you, whether they can recite the Articles of our fayth, and the Pater noster in Englishe, and heare them say the same particularly: wherin if they be not perfect, ye shall declare to them, that euerye Christē person ought to know the same before they should receyue the blessed Sacrament of the Altar, and monishe them to learne the same more perfectlye by the next yeare folowyng, or els, lyke as they ought not to presume to cōe to Gods bord without perfect knowledge of the same (and if they doe, it is to the great perill of their soules) so ye shall declare vnto them, that ye loke for other Iniunctions from the kynges highnes by that tyme, to stay and repeale al such from Gods bord, as shall bee found ignoraunte in the premisses: wherfore ye do thus admonishe them, to the entent they should both eschue the perill of theyr souls, and also the worldly rebuke that they myght 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 þ^e sayde Churche, and euery other cure ye haue, one Sermon euery quarter of a yeare at the least, wherein ye shall purely & sincerely declare the very Gospel of Christ, and in the same exhort your hearers to the works of charitie, mercy, and fayth, specially perscribed and commaunded in scripture, & not to repose their trust or affiance in other workes deuised by mennes fantasies besides scripture: as in wanderyng to Pilgrimages, offeryng of money, candles, or tapers to fained Relikes or Images, or kissynge, or lickynge, the same saying ouer a number of beades not vnderstanded ne mynded on, or suche like superstition: for the doyng wherof, ye not onely haue no promise of reward in Scripture, but contrariwise great threates and maledictions of God, as things tendyng to Idolatrie and superstition, whiche 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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MarginaliaImages 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 thyng, made therevnto, ye shall for auoydyng of that most detestable offence of Idolatrye, forthwith take down wythout delay, and shall suffer from henceforth no candels, tapers, or Images of waxe to be set afore any Image or picture, but onely the light that commonly goeth a crosse the Church by the roode lofte, the lyght 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 styll, admonishyng your parishners that Images serue for none other purpose, but as the bookes of vnlearned men that can no letters, wherby they might bee 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 cōmit Idolatrie in the same to the great daunger of their soules: and therfore the kynges highnes graciouslye tenderyng the weale of his subiectes souls, hath in part already, and more will hereafter trauaill for the abolishyng of such Images, as might be occasiō of so great offence to God, and so great a daunger to the soules of his louing subiecs.

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MarginaliaGood ministers to be placed. Item, that in all such benefices or cures, as ye haue, wherupon ye be not your selfe resident, ye shall appoint such Curates in your stead, as both can by habilitie, and wyll also promptly execute these iniunctions, and do their duetie otherwise, that ye are bounden to do in euery behalfe accordingly, and profite their cure no lesse with good example of liuing, then with declaration of the worde of God, or els their lacke and defaultes shalbe imputed vnto you, who shall straightly aunswer for the same, if they do otherwise.

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Item, that you shall admit no man to preach within any of your benefices or cures, but such as shall appeare vnto you to be sufficiently licenced therunto by the kings highnes or his graces authoritie, or the bishop of the dioces, and such as shalbe so licenced, ye shal gladly receiue, to declare þ^e word of God without any resistaunce or contradiction.

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MarginaliaPilgrimage and images abandoned. Item, if ye haue heretofore declared to your parishners any thing to the extolling and setting forth of pilgrimages, to fained reliques or Images, or any such superstition, ye shall now openly afore the same, recant & reproue the same, shewing them (as the trouth is) that you did the same vpon no ground of Scripture, but as beyng led and seduced by a cōmon errour and abuse crept into the Church, through the sufferance and auarice of such as felt profit by the same.

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MarginaliaThe worde of God to be preached without stop or interruption. Item, if ye do or shall know any within your parishe, or els where, that is a letter of the word of God to be reade in english, or sincerely preached, or of the execution of these iniunctions or a fautor of the B. of Romes pretensed power, now by the lawes of this realme iustly reiected & extirped: ye shall detect the same to the kinges highnes, or his honorable counsail, or to hys vicegerent aforesaid, or to the iustice of peace next adioyning.

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MarginaliaRegester boke for euery parishe. Item, that you and euery Person, Vicar, or Curate, within this diocesse, shall for euery church kepe one booke of register, wherein ye shall write the day and yeare of euery wedding, christening, and burying, made within your parish for your tyme, and so for euery man succeding you likewise, and also therin set euery persons name that shall be so wedded, christened or buried, and for the safe keping of the same booke, the parishe shall be bounde to prouide of their common charges, one sure coffer with ij. lockes and keyes, wherof the one to remaine with you, and the other with the Wardens of euery such parish, wherein the said booke shalbe layd vp: Which booke ye shall euery Sonday take forth, and in the presence of the saide Wardens or one of them, write and record in the same, all the weddinges, christeninges, and buryinges, made the whole weeke before, and that done, to lay vp the sayd booke in the sayd coffer as afore, and for euery tyme the same shall be omitted, the party that shalbe in the fault therof, shall forfaite to the sayd Church iij. shillings iiij. pence, to be emploid on the reparation of the same Church.

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Item, that ye shall once euery quarter of a yere, read these and the other former iniunctions geuen vnto you by authoritie of the kings highnes, openly and deliberately before all your parishners, to the entent that both you may be the better admonished of your duetie, and your said parishners the more incited to ensue the same for their part.

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MarginaliaTythes to be payed. Item, for as much as by a law established, euery man is bound to pay his tithes, no man shall by colour of duetie omitted by their Curates, deteine their tithes, and so redub one wrong with another, or be his own iudge, but shal truly pay the same as hath bene accustomed to their persones & curates, without any restraint or diminution: and such lack and default as they can iustly finde in their persons and curates, to call for reformation therof, at their Ordinaries and other superiors handes, who vpon complaint & due proofe therof, shall reforme the same accordingly.

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Item  

, that no Person shall from henceforth, alter or chaunge the order and manner of any fasting day that is commaūded & indicted by the church, nor of diuine prayer, nor of seruice, otherwise then is specified in þ^e sayd iniunctiōs, vntill such time as the same shal be so ordered and transposed by þ^e kings highnes authoritie, the Euens of such saintes, whose holydaies be abrogated, only excepted, which shalbe declared henceforth to be no fasting dayes,MarginaliaBeckets day abrogate. except also the commemoration of Tho. Becket sometyme Archbishop of Caunterbury, which shalbe cleane omitted, and in stead thereof the feriall seruice vsed.

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MarginaliaKnoling of Auces forbidden. Item, that the knoling of the Aues after seruice, & certain other tymes, which hath bene brought in and begon by the pretence of the B. of Romes pardon, henceforth be left and omitted, lest the people do hereafter trust to haue pard? for the saying of their Aues betwene the sayd knolyng, as they haue done in tymes past.

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MarginaliaSuffrages of saintes reiected. Item, where in tymes past men haue vsed in diuers places in their Processions, to sing Ora pro nobis to so many saintes, that they had no tyme to singe the good Suffrages followyng: as Parce nobis Domine, and Libera nos Domine it must be taught and preached, that better it were to omit Ora pro nobis, and to sing the other suffrages beyng moste necessary and effectuall. All which and singuler Iniunctiōs I minister vnto you and to your parishners by the kinges highnes authoritie to me committed in this part, which I charge and commaund you by the same authoritie to obserue and kepe, vpon payne of depriuation, sequestration of your fruites, or such other cohercion as to the king or hys vicegerent for thys tyme beyng, shalbe sene conuenient.

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By these Articles and Iniunctions thus comming forth one after an other, for the necessary instruction of the people, it may appeare, how well the kyng deserued then the title of his supreme gouernement, geuen vnto hym ouer the church of Englād: by þ^e which title & authoritie, he did more good for the redressyngMarginaliaThe king better deseruing the name of supreme gouernour thē the Pope. and aduauncing of Christes Church and religion here in England, in these thre yeares, then the Pope, the great Vicar of Christ, with all his Bishops and Prelates had done the space of iij. hundreth yeares before. Such a vigilant care was then in the kyng and in his counsaile, how by al wayes and meanes, to redresse religion, to reforme errours, to correct corrupte customes, to helpe ignoraunce, and to reduce the misleadyngs of christes flock drowned in blynd popery, superstition, customes & idolatry, to some better forme of more perfect reformation. Whereunto he prouided not only these articles, preceptes, and iniunctions aboue specified, to informe the rude people: but also procured the Bishops to helpe forward in the same cause of

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