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Conventio

nes, Acta Publica, &c. tom. 11. p. 468.

In the nineteenth year of this government, the king conveyed all manors and estates of the priories alien then in the crown, to Henry, archbishop of Canterbury; John, bishop of Bath and Wells; John, bishop of St. Asaph; and William, bishop of Sarum; to William, earl of Suffolk; to John Somerseth, Thomas Beckington, Richard Andrewe, Adam Moleyns, clerks; to John Hampton, James Fenys, and William Tresham, esquires. The lands, rents, reversions, &c. belonging to these priories are passed to the persons abovementioned, their heirs, and assigns: they were obliged to do fealty for answering the king all services and demands which might legally be required.

From hence, it is plain there were reservations in the grant: to speak clearly, the conveyance was probably nothing more than making them trustees for transferring these estates upon public benefactions, as the reader may discover in the following history.

Twenty years after, this prince gave Franciscus de Coppinis, Pius II.'s legate, a license to accept any bishopric in England, to which this pope, or his successors, should provide him, excepting the sees of Canterbury, York, Lincoln, Winchester, Durham, and Bath and Wells.

From this restraint it may be observed: first, that the popes had no arbitrary sway in disposing spiritual preferments. 2ndly, by the order in which the reserved sees are mentioned, we may collect that Lincoln, and Bath and Wells, though slenderly endowed at present, were then very wealthy bishoprics.

In the tenth year of king Henry VII., pope Alexander VI. issued two bulls for suppressing the priories of Montisfont in the diocese of Winchester, and Luffield in the diocese of Lincoln. The reason assigned for dissolving these houses, is the decay of the revenues; the first being able to maintain but four, and the other but three religious. The dissolution was granted at the king's request: and the crown empowered by the bull, to erect Montisfont into a collegiate church, consisting of a dean and prebendaries, and settle the revenues of

Luffield on the chapel, chantry, and hospital of St. George's at Windsor.

Conventio

nes, Acta

tom. 12.

xii.

This year, Laurence Burelly, a Frenchman, provincial of Publica, &c. the Carmelites, and deputed by the general to visit the English p. 562, 563. of that order, procured a license from the king to execute his commission. But it was upon condition that he attempted nothing to the king's prejudice, nor levied or exported any money without his majesty's express leave.

Id. p. 574.
An. 19

This prince got a bull from pope Julius II. for exempting H. 7. his chapel at Westminster from the jurisdiction of the ordinary, and putting it under the immediate protection of the see of Rome.

Conventio

nes, Acta

tom. 13.

nes, Acta

Through the reigns prior to king Henry VIII., the custody Publica, &c. of the temporalities of bishoprics was commonly granted to p. 100. bishops, to abbots, or deans and chapters. This was done to Conventioprevent waste, and guard the patrimony of the Church. And Publica, &c. (which deserves to be remarked) the kings sometimes gave the rents and profits, accruing in the vacancy, to the succeeding bishop.

passim.

Conventio

nes, Acta

tom. 13.

They considered, it is likely, the estates of the Church were Publica, &c. settled upon religion, and vested, as it were, in God Almighty; p. 158. and thus they might think that seizure or secular application, though but for a short interval, was breaking in upon the consecration, and foreign to the meaning of the endowment.

I am now advanced to the period of the former volume, and shall charge the Preface with no more remarks respecting it. Since the writing this Preface, and when this second part was almost printed off, Mr. Rymer published the fifteenth volume of the Tower Records. Having looked over this book, I shall transcribe some things which I conceive more particularly supplemental and new to the reader.

A. D. 1546.
Pat. 37.

M. 28.

Conventio

The first I shall mention is the grant from the crown of the H. 8. p. 9. bishopric of the Isle of Man, to Henry Man, doctor in divinity. Fodera, The most remarkable part of the instrument runs thus: "Eundem Henricum Man in episcopum dicti episcopatus &c. vol. 15. præficimus et deputamus, cum omnibus et singulis præfati

nes, Literæ,

p.

A. D. 1546.

A. D. 1549.
An.

3 Edw. 6.
Pat. 3. p. 6.

M. 28.

episcopatus commoditatibus, juribus, et emolumentis quibuscunque, tam spiritualibus, quam temporalibus.

"Curamque regimen et gubernationem, et administrationem ejusdem episcopatus, et in eodem degentium, eidem Henrico in Domino committentes, et per præsentes committimus, &c." The bishop is likewise discharged from the payment of firstfruits and tenths during life.

This volume gives us a copy of king Henry VIII.'s will, transcribed from the original. It agrees with what I mentioned from Fuller, and the thirteen' executors are the same.

In the next reign there is a commission issued to several bishops, divines, and secular gentlemen, for inquiry concerning persons suspected of heresy. In this prosecution the customary Id. p. 181. methods of trial are superseded, the forms of law dispensed with, and, if any statutes happen to clash with the powers in the commission, they are overruled with a "non obstante."

xiii.

The record shall be transcribed at length:

"Rex reverendissimo in Christo Patri, Thomæ Cantuariensi archiepiscopo, totius Angliæ primati, et metropolitano, ac reverendis in Christo Patribus, Thomæ Eliensi, Nicholao Wigorniensi, Thomæ Westmonasteriensi, Georgio Cicestrensi, Henrico Lincolniensi, et Nicholao Roffensi, episcopis.

"Prædilectisque et fidelibus consiliariis nostris Willielmo Petre, Thomæ Smith, militibus, secretariis nostris ; dilectis nobis Richardo Coxe, eleemosynario nostro; Antonio Cooke, militi, Jacobo Hales militi, servientibus ad legem. Willielmo Mey decano sancti Pauli, Johanni Taylour decano Lincolniæ, Willielmo Cooke decano de arcubus, Simoni Haynes decano Exon. Johanni Redman, Hugoni Latimer, Egidio Eyre, et

Tonge, sacræ theologiæ professoribus; - Crooke, Richardo Lyell, et Rolando Taillour, legum doctoribus; Johanni Gosnold armigero, et Willielmo Cycill, salutem.

"Etsi regibus quidem omnibus qui Christi nomen profitentur, nihil æque incumbat ac fidem Christianam in suo populo, ac in ecclesiis suæ auctoritati regiæ subjectis, sartam, tectam, atque 1 There were sixteen executors named in all. Vide our author's history, part 2, page 217.

incolumem conservare, nobis tamen qui fidei defensor peculiari quodam titulo vocitamur, maximæ præ cæteris curæ esse debet, ut non solum pro viribus annitamur ut Christi religio quam purissime atque integerrime populo nostro tradatur, verum etiam ut omni qua possumus ratione caveamus ne Christi adversarius, ut est semper ad omnia corrumpenda paratus, noxium hæresios semen, et labem malæ doctrinæ clanculum in segetem Christiani populi, et hoc arvum nobis commissum seminet; sed siquid forte emerserit tale, quod speramus Deum aversurum, saltem ut quam primum evellatur, ne latius serpens illud virus etiam sanas et salubres partes

corrumpat.

“Et quoniam nos ipsi non possumus ad omnia ejusmodi in nostra persona obeunda et curanda semper esse in otio et parati, et modo, ad charissimum avunculum nostrum Edvardum ducem Somersetiæ, gubernatorem personæ nostræ regiæ, et protectorem omnium regnorum nostrorum, ac cæteros nostros consiliarios perlatum est, exoriri in nonnullis regni nostri locis quosdam qui resuscitant sceleratos Anabaptistarum errores, et qui aliarum hæresium impia et impura dogmata serunt et instillant in aures rudis vulgi et imperitæ plebis nostræ, mentes illis nefariis opinionibus infecerint, ut antequam illud venenum latius serpat, opportunum et necessarium remedium pro facultate nostra regia adhibeamus.

"De consilio et advisamento prædicto, vos selegimus, quibus hanc nostram curam, et hoc tam necessarium munus extirpandæ et reprimendæ hæresios committeremus.

"Ad inquirendum igitur de omnibus articulis hæresios cujuscunque, et examinandum omnes hæresios aut erroris in Christiana doctrina suspectos, detectos, denuntiatos, inquisitos, vel accusatos.

"Et quoscunque testes, aliaque probationum genera quæcunque, pro veritate præmissorum eruenda, quomodolibet requisita, recipiendum et admittendum testesque hujusmodi in forma jurandorum testium jurandum et examinandum.

xiv.

"Ac omnibus aliis viis, modis, et formis quibus melius et efficacius poteritis, de veritate præmissorum etiam summarie et de plano, ac sine strepitu et figura judicii, cognoscendum, inquirendum et investigandum.

"Et si per examinationem et inquisitionem hujusmodi, aliquem de alicujus hæresios sive impiæ opinionis crimine contractum et involutum esse deprehenderitis, ab erroribus suis revocandum eumque si errorum suorum pertæsum esse compereritis, ad errorum suorum hujusmodi abjurationem et renunciationem inducendum. Et subsequenter in sacrosanctæ Ecclesiæ gremium admittendum, aliasve, pro ut juris et æquitatis ratio persuaserit, absolvendum et dimittendum, pœnitentiasque salutares et condignas pro commissis infligendum et imponendum.

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"Pertinacem vero, et obstinatum erroribus suis desperate immersum, siquem deprehenderitis, ex cœtu fidelium ejiciendum et exterminandum, ac sæculari potestati, si ita facti atrocitas exposcat, committendum, tradendum, et liberandum : nec non omnes et singulos rectores, vicarios, clericos, et ministros ecclesiasticos quoscunque, ac laicos cujuscumque conditionis existant, Librum appellatum,' &c., aut divina officia in eodem expressa et inserta, vel aliquam partem eorundem contemnentes, spernentes, adversantes sive obloquentes, siqui tales suspecti, reperti, detecti, inquisiti, aut accusati fuerint, juxta vim, formam, et effectum statuti in ea parte editi et provisi, puniendum et corrigendum: cæteraque omnia et singula faciendum, exercendum, et expediendum, quæ circa dictæ inquisitionis et examinationis negotia necessaria fuerint seu quomodo libet opportuna; vobis 25, 24, &c., aut tribus vestrum (quorum archiepiscopum Cantuariensem, episcopum Elien., episcopum Wigorn., episcopum Westm., episcopum Cicestren., episcopum Lincoln, episcopum Roffen, Willielmum Petre, Thomam Smythe, Richardum Coxe, aut Willielmum Mey, unum esse volumus, et in executione præmissorum interesse) de quorum sana doctrina, fidei zelo, vitæ et morum integritate,

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