1553-4. AN.REG.1, all such canons and ecclesiastical laws heretofore in the time of King Henry the Eighth used within this realm of England and the dominions of the same, not being directly and expressly contrary to the laws and statutes of this realm. (2) That no Bishop or any his officer or other person hereafter in any of their ecclesiastical writings, in process or other extrajudicial acts, do use to put in this clause or sentence, Regia authoritate fulcitus2. (3) That no Bishop nor any his officer or other person do hereafter exact or demand in the admission of any person to any ecclesiastical promotion, order, or office, any oath touching the primacy or succession, as of late [in] few years past hath been accustomed and used. (4) That every Bishop and his officers, with all other persons [aforesaid], have a vigilant eye, and use special diligence and foresight, that no person be admitted or received to any ecclesiastical function, benefice, or office, being a sacramentary, infected or defamed with any notable kind of heresy, or other great crime; and that the said Bishop do stay and cause to be stayed, as much as lieth in him, that benefices and ecclesiastical promotions do not notably decay or take hindrance by passing or confirming unreasonable leases. (5) That every Bishop and all other persons aforesaid do diligently travail for the repressing of heresies and notable crimes, especially in the Clergy, duly correcting and punishing the same. (6) That every Bishop and all other persons aforesaid do likewise travail for the condemning and repressing of corrupt and naughty opinions, unlawful books, ballads, and other pernicious and hurtful devices, engendering hatred and discord amongst the people. And that Schoolmasters, Teachers, and Preachers, do exercise and use their offices and duties, without teaching, preaching, or setting forth any evil and corrupt doctrine, and that doing the contrary they may be by the Bishop and his said officers punished and removed. (7) That every Bishop and all other persons aforesaid, proceeding summarily and with all celerity and speed, may and shall deprive or declare deprived, and remove3 according to their learning and discretion, all such persons from their benefices and ecclesiastical promotions, who contrary to the state of their 1 Edd. Heyl. "or." 2 (Sic.) 3" "amove," Burnet, 36 206 1553-4. order, and the laudable custom of the Church, have married and AN. REG. 1, used women as their wives, or otherwise notably and slanderously disordered or abused themselves, sequestering also, during the said process, the fruits and profits of the said benefices and ecclesiastical promotions. (8) That the said Bishop and other persons aforesaid do use more lenity and clemency with such as have married whose wives be dead, than with others whose women do yet remain alive. And likewise such Priests as with the consent of their wives or women openly in the presence of the Bishop do profess to abstain, to be used more favourable. In which case, after the penance effectually done, the Bishop according to his discretion and wisdom may, upon just consideration, receive and admit them again to their former administrations, so it be not in the same place, appointing them such a portion to live upon, to be paid out of their benefice whereof they be deprived, by the discretion of the said Bishop or his officer, as he shall think may be spared of the same benefice. (9) That every Bishop and other person aforesaid do foresee that they suffer not any religious man, having solemnly professed chastity, to continue with his woman or wife, but that all such persons, after deprivation of their benefice or ecclesiastical promotion, be also divorced every one from his said woman, and due punishment otherwise taken for the offence therein. (10) Item, That every Bishop and all other persons aforesaid do take order and direction with the parishioners of every benefice where Priests do want, to repair to the next parish for Divine Service, or to appoint for a convenient time, till other better provision may be made, one Curate to serve alternis1 cicibus in divers parishes, and to allot the said Curate for his labour some part of the benefice which he so serveth. (11) That all and all manner of processions in the Church be used, frequented2, and continued after the old order of the Church, in the Latin tongue. (12) That all such Holy Days and Fasting Days be observed and kept as were observed and kept in the latter time of King Henry the Eighth. (13) That the laudable and honest Ceremonies which were wont to be used, frequented, and observed in the Church, be 1 Edd. 1, 2, and Fox, " alienis." Edd. Heyl." used frequently." 2 AN. REG. 1, hereafter frequented, used, and observed'; and that children be 1553-4. christened by the Priest and confirmed by the Bishop as here Imposture of "the spirit in the wall. tofore hath been accustomed and used. (14) Touching such persons as were heretofore promoted to any Orders after the new sort and fashion of Orders, considering they were not ordered in very deed, the Bishop of the diocese, finding otherwise sufficiency and ability2 in those men, may supply that thing which wanted in them before, [and] then according to his discretion admit them to minister. (15) That by the Bishop of the diocese an uniform doctrine be set forth, by Homilies or otherwise, for the good instruction and teaching of all people. And that the said Bishop and other persons aforesaid do compel the parishioners to come to their several churches, and there devoutly to hear Divine Service, as of reason they ought. (16) That they examine all Schoolmasters and Teachers of children, and finding them suspect in any wise, to remove them, and place Catholic men in their rooms, with a special commandment to instruct their children so as they may be able to answer the Priest at the Mass, and so help the Priest to3 mass, as hath been accustomed. (17) That the said Bishops and all other the persons aforesaid have such regard, respect, and consideration of and for the setting forth of the premises, with all kind of virtue, godly living, and good example, with repressing also and keeping under of vice and unthriftiness, as they and every of them may be seen to favour the restitution of true religion, and also to make an honest account and reckoning of their office and cure, to the honour of God, our good contentation, and profit of this our realm and the dominions of the same." 31. The generality of the people, not being well pleased before with the Queen's proceedings, were startled more than 37 ever at the noise of these Articles; none more exasperated 207 than those whose either hands or hearts had been joined with 1 In Fox, Burnet, and Wilkins, the latter part of this paragraph is a distinct article, so that the number of the whole is eighteen. 2 Edd. Heyl. "sufficient ability." 3 Edd. Heyl. "at." 4 Edd. Heyl. "or." 5 Fox, vi. 427; Burnet, 1. App. 252, (folio); Wilkins, iv. 89. 1554. Wyat. But not being able to prevail by open army1, a new AN. REG.1, device is found out to befool the people, and bring them to a misconceit of the present government. A young maid called Elizabeth Crofts, about the age of eighteen years, was tutored to counterfeit certain speeches in the wall of a house not far from Aldersgate, where she was heard of many but seen of none, and, that her voice might be conceived to have somewhat in it more than ordinary, a strange whistle was devised for her, out of which her words proceeded in such a tone as seemed to have nothing mortal in it. And thereupon it was affirmed by some of the people (great multitudes whereof resorted daily to the place) that it was an angel, or at least a voice from heaven; by others, that it could be nothing but the Holy Ghost; but generally she passed by the name of the Spirit in the wall. For the interpreting of whose words there wanted not some of the confederates, who mingled themselves by turns amongst the rest of the people, and, taking on them to expound what the spirit said, delivered many dangerous and seditious words against the Queen, her marriage with the Prince of Spain, the Mass, Confession, and the like. The practice was first set on foot on the 14th of March, which was within ten days after the publishing of the Articles, and for a while it went on fortunately enough, according to the purpose of the chief contrivers. But the abuse being searched into, and the plot discovered, the wench was ordered to stand upon a scaffold near St Paul's Cross on the 15th of July, there to abide during the time of the Sermon, and that being done, to make a public declaration of that lewd imposture. Let not the Papists be from henceforth charged with Elizabeth Barton, whom they called the Holy Maid of Kent; since now the Zuinglian Gospellers (for I cannot but consider this as a plot of theirs3) have raised up their Elizabeth Crofts, whom they called the Spirit in the wall, to draw aside the people from their due allegiance. 1 Qu. "arms?" 2 Sanders, 255; Stow, 625. 3 Burnet, II. 549, and ii. 565, protests against "the malignity of one of our historians" (Heylyn), in having adopted this notion from Sanders. But the subject of the words uttered by the "Spirit" appears to bear out the remark in the text; moreover Speed, a writer of principles very opposite to Sanders, ascribes the imposture to certain giddy reformers." 851; and the girl herself declared that she was instigated by a servant of Sir Antony Knevett-one of Wyatt's adherents. Machyn, 66. 66 AN. REG.1, 1554. 32. Wyat's rebellion being quenched, and the realm in a condition capable of holding a parliament, the Queen convenes conditions of the Lords and Commons on the second of April; in which Further the Queen's marriage. New Peerages. session the Queen's marriage with the Prince of Spain, being 33. For the clearer carrying on this great business, and 1 Godwin, 178. |