observari volumus et mandamus. Volumus insuper, ac ex mero motu et certa scientia nostris, ut supra, ordinamus, atque pro nobis et futuris successoribus nostris Cant' archiepiscopis perpetue statuendo, ordinando, et stabiliendo mandamus, quatenus de cætero nullus prorsus in numerum procuratorum præfatarum curiarum nostrarum, aut alicujus earundem admittatur, seu procuratoris officium in eisdem curiis aut earum aliqua exercere quovismodo permittatur, donec et quousque numerus præfat' procuratorum superius nominatorum jam existentium usque ad numerum novem decreverit et pervenerit, nec numerus ipsorum decem procuratorum ullatenus deinceps excedatur, etiamsi in contrarium a nobis aut dictis successoribus nostris Cant' archiepiscopis, vobis in mandatis haberi, seu alias indulgeri vel dispensari contigerit; quibusvis clausulis dispensationum, commissionum, privileg seu indult' præsentium derogatoriis, cæterisque in contrarium facientibus, non obstant', nec in futurum valituris quibuscunque, etiamsi de hujusmodi statuto, ordination', stabilition', confirmation', et corroboration', ac cæteris præmissis, seu de præsenti ordinatione nostra hujusmodi de verbo ad verbum specialis, specifica, expressa, et individua fiat mentio; decernentes, quod in contrarium fieri contigerit, exnunc prout extunc, et extunc prout exnunc, irritum et inane, viribus quoque et effectu juris et facti omnino carere, prout tenore præsentium sic decernimus. Volentes præterea ac vobis vicario generali, officiali, decano, et prærogativæ commissario hujusmodi præsentibus, et quibuscunque in eisdem officiis futuris firmiter injungendo mandamus, quatenus vos proximis sessionibus in dictis curiis nostris audientiæ, de Arcubus, et prærogativæ Cant' præsentationem et intimationem præsentium vobis factas immediate sequentibus, has præsentes literas nostras publicari et divulgari, ac inter alia statuta

et ordinationes ipsarum curiarum nostrarum registrari et inseri faciatis, necnon pro statutis haberi et reputari, et debite ac inviolabiliter observari, vestris respective decretis judicialibus ibidem publice decernatis, et vestrum quilibet respective decernat. Ut autem præmissa omnia et singula per nos, ut præmittitur, superius facta et gesta, perpetuæ firmitatis robur perenniter obtineant, nec super illis ulla dubietatis seu ambiguitatis valeat questio suboriri; nos Thomas archiepiscopus, primas, et metropolitanus antedictus, has nostras præsentes literas sigilli nostri ad facultates, quo utimur in ea parte, fecimus appensione muniri. Dat' in manerio nostro de Lambith 12 die mensis Januarii anno Domini secundum cursum et computationem ecclesiæ Anglicanæ MDXLI. felicissimi regni dicti potentissimi et invictissimi principis et domini nostri regis anno XXXIII. et nostræ consecrationis anno nono.

T. CANT."

Abp. Cranmer's Works, vol ii. Appendix, pp. 491–493. Park. Soc. ed.]

NUMBER XVIII.

ARCHBISHOP CRANMER'S ORDER CONCERNING THE PROCTORS
OF THE COURT OF ARCHES, SHEWN TO BE INCONVENIENT, BY
A PAPER PRESENTED TO THE PARLIAMENT, AS FOLLOWETH.

ALTHOUGH it be expedient, that every thing, which any [Cotton MSS.] way may be noiful unto the common weal, be duly Cleop. reformed; yet is there nothing that should be rather F. 2. p. 91. [British looked upon for reformation, than such abuses as may be Museum. Original.] occasion of not indifferent ministration of justice. Wherefore among so many things as heretofore hath been well and condignly reformed, touching other the spiritualty, or the temporalty, there is nothing that requireth speedier

reformation', than a certain ordinance lately procured in the court of the Arches at London, by the means of the proctors there, for the advancement of their singular will only. By which may and do come divers abuses in the said court, and occasion not indifferent ministration of justice, and chargeable and prolix process there. The effect whereof is this.

The proctors of the said court of Arches hath of late, upon feigned suggestion, surmised unto the most reverend father in God, my lord archbishop of Canterbury, president and head of the said court, to have been for the common weal and ease of his provincials, induced his grace to make such an ordinance or statute in the said court of the Arches, That where heretofore there were in the same twenty or twenty-four proctors, and my said lord's grace at his liberty always to admit mo[re] or fewer proctors there, as should be seen expedient to his grace for the sufficient attending of the causes there depending for the time; there should be from thenceforth no mo[re] admitted 31 proctors there, until the said number of proctors then being there were decreased, and come down to the number of ten; and then the said number of ten proctors never after to be exceeded. And furthermore, lest my said lord's grace might be advertised afterwardsTM, upon better causes and considerations, to dissolve the said statute, as his predecessors did alike other statutes, made in semblable cause long before: the said proctors knowing that his grace would, as [he] always did, apply himself to that thing that should be most profitable for the common weal; and

intending to take away that liberty from him, abusing also his grace's benignity and good zeal to the restraint of his liberties, and fulfilling of their covetous intent; incontinently upon the obtaining of the said statute, procured the same to be confirmed by the chapter and convent of Christ's Church in Canterbury. So that by reason of the same confirmation, my said lord's grace, nor his successors cannot, as the said proctors do pretend, (though they see never so good a cause thereto), infringe nor dissolve the same. And so thereby made in manner an incorporation among them, though they call it not so.

Wherein be it considered, whether they have first offended the king's laws, which do prohibit such incorporations to be made without license had of the king's highness first thereunto. And though all incorporations in any mystery or faculty be not lightly to be admitted, in this case, whereupon depends good" or evil ministration of justice, most of all such confederacies are to be eschewed.

Also the said statute is divers ways noiful to the commonweal of this realm, and prejudicial to the king's grace's subjects in the same, and occasion of divers abuses in the said court hereafter to be declared.

But because the said proctors are persuaded, that my said lord of Canterbury cannot himself dissolve the same, and seeing that no man will lightly contend alone with all the said proctors for the dissolving thereof, (for though it touch every man generally, no man singularly will suppose the same to touch him so much, that he should for the impugnation of the same put himself in business against so many and so rich a company, as the said proctors be), it were not only expedient, but also

n["Whereupon dependeth all good." Cott. MSS.]

necessary for the indifferent and speedy ministration of justice in the said court, that his said unreasonable statute were infringed, and dissolved by the authority of this present parliament, (where all other abuses and excesses noiful to the commonweal ought to be reformed), for these causes following.

First, The said statute is prejudicial unto the commonweal, because it is occasion of prolix suits and superfluous delays in the said court, else more necessary to be restrained than augmented. For the said number of ten proctors appointed by the said statute is insufficient for the speedy and diligent attending of men's causes in the said court, though all ten were procuring there at once, as it is not like but that three or four of the same shall be always impotent or absent: for such they account also with the number of ten". And besides that the same ten or fewer, that shall be only procuring, shall serve not only for the said court of the Arches, but also for my said lord of Canterbury's audience, (wherein be as many causes as in the Arches), and for the consistory of the bishop of London. For by the statutes of both the same courts of 32 Audience and consistory, there is no man admitted to procure in the same, unless he be a proctor admitted first in the Arches. So that so few proctors, appointed for so many causes as shall be under travail in all the said courts, can never be able to speed their business without great delays taking.

For heretofore when there were in the said court twenty proctors continually occupying, and more, it hath been seen, that divers of them hath been then so overlaid with causes

["That the said unreasonable statute." Cott. MSS.]

P["Within the said number of ten." Cott. MSS.]