testie hath set, and hereafter shall appoynt, be kept, neither can the realme be defended, if the enemie should inuade, nor in peace it cannot stand: but vpon the contempt of good and wholesome lawes all disorder and inconueniences should come, the people should be wyld and sauage, and no man sure of his owne.

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MarginaliaThe fruite of obedience in a Realme.If at any tyme there was occasion and cause to be circūspect and diligent about the same, there was neuer more tyme then now. How we stand in Scotland you know, & that their foreine power maketh great preparation to aide them, and in deed doth come to their ayde: wherof we are surely informed and certified. Wherfore if there should not be good order and obedience kept in the realme, the realme were lyke vtterly to be destroyed. Neuer forreine power could yet hurt, or in any part preuaile in this realm, but by disobedience and misorder within our selues. That is the way wherwith God will plague vs, if he mynd to punish vs. And so long as we do agree among our selues, and be obedient to our prince, and to his godly orders and laws, we may be sure that God is with vs, & that foreine power shall not preuayle agaynst vs, nor hurt vs.

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MarginaliaOrder taken for Iustices.Wherfore once againe, and stil we must and do lay this charge vpon you that are the better of the shiere, and Iustices of the peace, that with so conuenient speed as you can, you do repayre downe into your Countries, and you shal geue warning to the gentlemen of the shiere which haue not necessarie busines here, that they repaire downe eche man to his countrey, and there both you and they who be reckoned the stay of euery shiere, to see good order and rule kept: You that your Sessions of gaole deliuery and quarter Sessions be well kept, and therein your meetyngs be such, that iustice may be wel and truly ministred, the offenders and malefactors punished according to the lawes of this Realme, without any feare of any man, or that for fauour you should suffer those to escape, which with their euill example might bring other to the like mishap: & that all vagabonds and lewd and light tale tellers and sedicious bearers of false newes of the kings maiestie, or of hys counsaile, or such as will preach without licence, be immediately by you represt and punished.

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MarginaliaProuisiō against priuy conspiracy & rebellion.And if there should chaunce any lewd or light fellowes to make any routes or riotes, or vnlawfull assemblies, any seditious meetings, vprores, or vprisings in any place by the seditious and diuelish motion of some priuy Traitors, that you and they appease them at the first, and apprehend the first authors and causers thereof, and certifie vs with speed. The lightnes of the rude and ignorant people must be represt and ordered by your grauitie & wisedome. And here you may not (if any such thing chance) dissemble with those such lewd men, and hide your selues, for it shall be required of you if such misorder be, and surely without your ayde and helpe, or your dissembling, such misorder can not be. Nor we do not say that we feare any such thing or that there is any such thing likely to chaunce: but we geue you warning before, least it should chaunce.

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MarginaliaProuision agaynst foreine power.We haue to much experience in this realme, what inconuenience commeth of such matters. And though some light persons in their rage do not consider it, yet we doe not doubt but you way it and know it well enough. And if it should chaunce our enemies (who are mainteyned by other forraine power, and the bishop of Rome) should sodainly arriue in some place of England, eyther driuen by tempest, or of purpose to do hurt, ye should see such order kept by firing of their Becons, as hath already bene written vnto you by our letters to repulse the same in so good aray as you can, as we do not doubt but you will for the safegard of your countrey, so that the enemy shall haue little ioy of his comming: and for that purpose you shall see diligently that men haue horse, harnesse, and other furniture of weapon ready, according to the Statutes and good orders of the realme, and the kings maiesties commandements. And so for this tyme ye may depart.

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MarginaliaThe singular zeale of king Edward and his Vncle, in reforming religion.What zealous care was in this yong kyng, and in the L. Protector his vncle, concerning reformatiō of Christes Church and sincere religion, by these Iniunctions, letters precepts, and exhortations, as well to the bishops, as to þ^e Iustices of the realme aboue premised, it may right well appeare. Wherby we haue to note, not so much the careful diligence of the king and his learned counsaile: MarginaliaThe slacknes of Popish Curates in furthering the kinges proceedinges.as the lingering slacknes and drawing backe on the other side, of diuers the said Iustices and Lawyers, but especially of Bishops, and old popish curates, by whose cloked contempt, wilfull winkyng and stubburne disobedience the booke of common prayer was long after the publishing therof, eyther not knowen at all, or els very irreuerently vsed thoroughout many places of this realme. Which when þ^e king by complaint of diuers, perfectly vnderstood, beyng not a little agreued, to see the godly agrement of the learned, the willyng consent of the Parliament, and his graces owne zealous desire to take so small effect among his subiects: decreed presently, with the aduise of his whole Counsaile, agayne to write vnto all the bishops of his realme, for spedy and diligent redresse therin: willing and commanding them therby, that as well they themselues should thenceforth haue a more speciall regard to the due executiō of the premisses, as also that all others within their seuerall precincts and iurisdiction should by their good instructions & willing example, be the more oftener and with better deuotion, mooued to vse and frequent the same. As further appeareth by the contents of hys letter here ensuyng.

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MarginaliaAn other letter to Boner Byshop of London.RIght reuerend father in God: right trusty and welbeloued, we greete you well: and where as after great and serious debating and long conference of the bishops, and other graue and well learned men in holy Scriptures, one vniforme order for common prayers and administration of the Sacramentes, hath bene and is most godly set forth, not only by the common agreement and full assent of the nobilitie and Commons of the late Session of our late Parliament, but also by the lyke assent of the bishops in the same Parliament, and of all others the learned mē of this our realme in their Synodes and conuocations prouinciall. Like as it was much to our comfort to vnderstand the godly trauaile then diligently & willingly taken for the true openyng of things mentioned in the sayd booke, whereby the true seruice and honour of almighty God, and the right ministration of the Sacraments beyng well and sincerely set forth accordyng to the Scriptures & vse of the primatiue church, much idolatry, vayne superstition, & great and slanderous abuses be taken away: MarginaliaThe kinges booke neglected.so it is no small occasion of sorow vnto vs, to vnderstand by the complaints of many, that our sayd booke so much traueled for, & also sincerely set forth (as is aforesaid) remayneth in many places of this our realme, eyther not knowen at all, or not vsed, or at the least if it be vsed, very seldome, and that in such light and irreuerent sort, as the people in many places either haue herd nothing, or if they heare, they neither vnderstand, nor haue that spirituall delectation in the same, that to good christians appertaineth. The fault wherof, lyke as we must of reason impute to you and other of your vocation, called by God thorough our appointment to haue due respect to this and such lyke matters: so consideryng that by these and such like occasions, our louyng subiectes remaine yet still in their old blyndnes, and superstitious errors, and in some places in an irreligious forgetfulnes of God, wherby his wrath may be prouoked vpon vs and them, and remembring with all, that amongst other cures committed to our princely charge, we thinke this the greatest, to see the glory and true seruice of hym maintained & extolled, by whose clemency we knowledge our selues to haue all that we haue, we could not, but by aduise and consent of our deerest vncle Edward duke of Somerset, gouernour of our person, and protector of our realme, dominions, and subiects, and the rest of our priuy counsaile, admonish you of the premisses. Marginalia

Anno 1549.

Boners negligence noted.

Wherein, as it had bene your office to haue vsed an earnest diligence, and to haue preferred the same in all places within your Diocesse, as the case required: so haue we thought good to pray 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 things, so as the Curates may do their dueties more often and in more reuerent sort, & the people be occasioned by the good aduises and examples of your selfe, your Chauncellor, Archdeacons, and other inferior ministers, to come with oftener and more deuotiō to their sayd common prayers, to geue thanks to God, and to be pertakers of the most holy Communion. Wherein shewyng your selfe diligent, and geuyng good example in your owne person, you shall both discharge your duty 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 eftsoones complaint, 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 things: wherof we would be sory. And therfore we do eftsoones charge and commaund you vpon your allegiance, to loke 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.  

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The B. of London among the rest of the bishops, receiuyng these letters, did (as alwayes tofore) in outward shew willingly accept the same: and therfore immediately