Marginalia1549. and the rest of our priuy counsaile, admonish you of the premises. Wherin, as it had bene your office to haue vsed an earnest diligence, and to haue preferred the same in all places within your dioces, as the case required:MarginaliaBoners negligence noted. so haue wee thought good to praye and require you, and neuerthelesse straightly to charge and commaund you, that from henceforth ye haue an earnest and speciall regard to the reduce of these thinges, so as the Curates may do their dueties more often, and in more reuerent sort, and the people be occasioned by the good aduises and examples of your selfe, your Chauncelour, Archdeacons, and other inferiour ministers, to come with oftener and more deuotion to their sayd common prayers, to geue thankes to God, and to bee partakers of the most holy Communion. Wherin shewing your selfe diligent, and geuyng good example in your own person, you shall both discharge your duety to the great pastor to whom we all haue to accompt, and also do vs good seruice: and on the other side, if we shall hereafter (these our letters and commaundement notwithstandyng) haue eftsones complaynt, and finde the lyke faults in your dioces, we shall haue iust cause to impute the fault thereof, and of all that ensue thereof vnto you, and consequently be occasioned therby to see otherwyse to the redresse of these thynges: whereof we would be sory. And therefore we doe eftsoones charge and commaund you, vpon your allegiance, to looke well vpon your duety herein, as ye tender our pleasure. Geuen vnder our signet at our Manor of Richmond, the 23. of Iuly the 3.yeare of our raigne. 1549.  

[Back to Top]

The Bishop of London among the rest of the Byshops receyuing these letters, did (as alwayes tofore) in outward shew willingly accept the same: and therefore immediately (with the sayd letters) directed this hys precept vnto the Deane and Chapter of hys Cathedrall church of Paules, commaunding them to looke to the due accomplishing therof accordingly.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaA letter of Boner to the Deane of Paules. EDmund by the grace of God. &c. To my well beloued brethren the Deane and Chapiter of the Cathedral church of S. Paul in London, and to the other Ministers there and euery of them do send greeting. And where it is so, that of late I haue receiued the saide soueraigne lord the kinges maiesties letter, of such tenure as is hereunto annexed, and accordyng to my most bounden duetye, am right well willing and desiring, that the said letters should be in al pointes duely executed and obserued according to the tenure and purport of the same, as appertaineth: these therefore are to require, and also straightly to charge you and euery of you on his maiesties behalfe. &c. that you do admonish & commaund or cause to be admonished or commaunded, all and singuler Persons, Vicars, and Curates of your iurisdiction, to obserue and accomplish the same from tyme to tyme accordingly: Furthermore, requiring and likewyse charging you, and euery of you to make certificate herein to me, my Chancellor, or other my officers in this behalfe, with such conuenient celeritie as appertaineth, both of your procedinges in the execution hereof, and also of the persons and names of all such, as from hence forth shall be found negligent in doyng their dueties in the premisses, or any of them. Geuen at my house at Fullome, the 26. of Iuly, in the yere of our Lord. 1549. and in the third yere of our said soueraigne Lorde the kings maiesties raigne.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaSlacknes of Boner in furtheryng good proceedinges. Moreouer for somuch as the king at that instant hearing the muttering of certaine rebellion then stirring (wherof more shall be sayd the lord willing hereafter) and also beyng credibly enformed by diuers, that through the euill example, slacknes of preachyng and administring the Sacraments, and careles contempt of Boner Bishop of London, not onely many of the people within the city of London and other places of hys Diocesse were very negligent and forgetfull of their dueties to God in frequenting the diuine seruice then stablished and set forth by the authoritie of parliamēt:MarginaliaPopishe masse priuely frequented in places agaynst the law. but also that diuers other vtterly despising þ^e same, did in secret places of his dioces often frequent the popish masse and other forraine rites not allowed by the lawes of thys realme, he thought it therefore good (hauyng thereby iust cause to suspect hys former dissemblyng doublenes)  

to appoynt the Lord Protector and the rest of his priuy counsail to call the sayd Bishop before them, and accordyng to their wise and discrete iudgementes, to deale with hym for the same.Marginalia 1549. Wherupon the xj. day of August (an. 1549)   they sent a Messenger for hym, and vppon hys appearaunce, made first declaration of suche informations and complaintes, MarginaliaBoner called before the Counsaile. as had bene thertofore made agaynst him. And then after sharpe admonitions and reproufes for his euil demeanours in the premisses, they deliuered vnto him from the kyng (for his better reformation and amendment) certayne priuate Iniunctions to be necessarily folowed and obserued of hymselfe.MarginaliaCertaine priuate Iniunctions geuen to Boner by the Counsaile.
Boner assigned by the Counsaile to preach at Paules Crosse. And wheras in the first braunch of the sayd Iniunctions, he was personally assigned to preach at Paules crosse the Sonday three weekes then next ensuyng (because both the daungerous and fickle estate of the tyme, and also partly hys own suspicious behauiour so required) they farther deliuered vnto hym in writyng such articles to intreate vpon in hys Sermon, as they thought then most meete & necessary for the tyme and causes aforesayd. All which Iniunctions and Articles, for the farther manifestation thereof, I haue here inserted, as foloweth   .

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaAdmonition geuen to Boner by the Counsaile. FOrasmuch as we are aduertised, that amongest other disorders of our subiectes, at this present there be diuers of our Citie of London and other places within your Dioces, which being very negligent and forgetfull of their duetie to almighty God, of whom all good things are to be looked for, do assemble themselues very seldome & fewer times then they were heretofore accustomed, vnto common prayer and to the holy Communion, beyng now a tyme when it were most needefull with hart and mynde to pray to our heauenly father for his ayde and succour: wherof as we be right sory, so we do vnderstand, that through your euyl example and the slackenes of your preaching and instructing our sayd people to doe their dueties, this offence to God is most generally committed: for where heretofore vpō all principall Feastes and such as were called Maius duplex,  

you your selfe were wont to execute in person, now since the tyme that we by the aduise of our whole Parliament haue set a most godly and deuoute order in our Church of England and Ireland, ye haue very seldome or neuer executed vpon such or other dayes, to the cōtempt of our proceedings, and euil example of others:MarginaliaBoner refrayned to execute al principal feastes, contrary to hys wonted maner. & forasmuch as it is also brought to our knowledge, that diuers, aswell in Lōdon as in other places of your Dioces, do frequent and haunt foraine rytes of Masses, and such as be not allowed by the orders of our Realme, and contemneth and forbeareth to prayse and laud God, and pray vnto his Maiestie after such rytes and ceremonies, as in this Realme are approued and set out by our authoritie: and further that adultery & fornicatiō is maintayned and kept openly and commonly in the sayde Citie of London and other places of your Dioces, wherby þ^e wrath of God is prouoked agaynst our people:MarginaliaBoner noted of slacknes in his dutie and of contempt of publicke lawes. of the which thinges, you beyng heretofore admonished, yet hetherto haue made no redresse, as to the pastorall office, authoritie, and cure of a Byshop doth appertayne: We therefore, to whome the supreme cure and charge of thys Churche doth appertayne, to auoyde from vs the high indignation of almightie God, by the aduise of our most entierly beloued Vncle the Lord Protectour and the rest of our priuie Counsaile, haue thought it no lesse then our most boūden duetie, now at this present, and eftsoones peremptorily to admonishe, charge, & warne you, that you do most straightly looke vppon the premisses and see them so reformed, that there may appeare no negligence on your behalfe, vpon such payne as by our lawes Ecclesiasticall and temporall we may inflicte vpon you, vnto depriuation or otherwise, as shall seeme to vs for qualitie of the offēce reasonable. And to the intēt you should the better see to the reformatiō of the sayd abuses, we haue thought good to geue you these Iniunctions folowing.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaCertaine priuate Articles inioyned to Boner by the Counsaile.
Boner admonished to preach euery quarter at Paules Crosse. 1 First, ye shall preach at Paules Crosse in London in proper person, the Sonday after the date hereof three weekes, and in the same Sermon declare and set forth the Articles hereunto annexed: and ye shall preach hereafter once euery quarter of the yeare there, exhorting in your Sermon the people to obedience, prayer, and godly lyuing: and ye shall be present at euery Sermon hereafter made at Paules Crosse, if sickenes or some other reasonable cause doe not let you.

[Back to Top]

2 Secondly, you your selfe in person shal from henceforth euery day which heretofore was accompted in this Church of England, principall Feast, or Maius duplex, and at all such tymes as the Byshops of London your predecessours were wont to celebrate and sing hygh Masse, now celebrate and execute the Communion at the hygh aulter in Paules, for the better example of all other, excepte sickenes do let.

[Back to Top]

3 Thirdly, ye shall your selfe accordng to your duetie and the office of a Byshop, call before you all such as doe not come vnto & frequent the common prayer and seruice in the Church, or do not come vnto Gods board and receiue the