Paul teacheth you, that faith is by the word of God. And it was a true saying of him that said, Non qui cuivis credit, fidelis est, sed qui Deo. For where hath your Grace ground for such a faith, to think common prayer in the English Church should not be in English; that images of God should be set up in the Church; or that the sacrament of Christ's body and blood should be offered by the priests for the dead; yea, or that it should be otherwise used than by the Scripture it was instituted? Though you have no Scripture to maintain them, we have evident Scriptures to forbid them. And although fault may be found, that of late baptism hath been used in your Grace's house, contrary to law, and utterly without license, yet is it the worse, that, contrary to the primitive Church, it hath been in a tongue unknown, by the which the best part of the sacrament is unused, and as it were a blind bargain made by the godfathers in a matter of illumination; and thus in the rest of the things in which your Grace differeth from the common order of the realm, where have you ground or reason, but some custom, which oftentimes is mother of many errors? And although in civil things she may be followed where she causeth quiet, yet not in religious, where she excuseth no error, as in Leviticus it is said, Ye shall not do after the custom of Egypt, wherein ye dwelled, nor after the custom of Canaan; no, you shall not walk in their laws, for I am your Lord God, keep you my laws and commandments. The points wherein your Grace differeth in your faith, as you call it, may be showed where, when, how, and by whom they began since the Gospel was preached, the Church was planted, and the Apostles martyred. At which time your faith depended upon the Scripture, and otherwise there was no necessity to believe. For as Hierome saith," Quod de Scripturis non habet authoritatem, eadem faci"litate contemnitur qua probatur." And because your Grace, as we hear say, readeth sometimes the doctors, we may allege unto you two or three places of other principal doctors. Augustine saith, "Cum Dominus tacuerit, quis nostrum dicat, illa vel illa sunt: "aut si dicere audeat, unde probat?" And Chrysostome's saying is not unlike; "Multi, inquit, jactant Spiritum Sanctum, sed qui "propria loquuntur, falso illum prætendunt." And if you will have their meaning plain, read the fifth chapter of the first book of Ecclesiastica Historia; and where Constantine had these words in the Council. "In disputationibus, inquit, rerum divi

narum habetur præscripta Spiritus Sancti doctrina; Evangelici "et Apostolici libri cum prophetarum oraculis plene nobis osten“dunt sensum numinis: proinde, discordia posita, sumamus ex "verbis Spiritus quæstionum explicationes." What plainer sayings may be than these to answer your fault? Again, too infinite it were to remember your Grace of the great number of particular errors, crept into the Church, whereupon you make your foundation. The fables of false miracles and lewd pilgrimages may somewhat teach you. Only this we pray your Grace to remember with yourself, the two words that the Father said of his Son Jesus Christ, Ipsum audite.

To the second point of the commodity that may follow your obedience, we having by the King's authority in this behalf, the governance of this realm, must herein be plain with your Grace. And if our speech offend the same, then must your Grace think it is our charge and office to find fault where it is, and our part to amend it as we may. Most sorry truly we be, that your Grace, whom we should otherwise honour for the King's Majesty's sake, by your own deeds should provoke us to offend you; we do perceive great discommodity to the realm by your Grace's singularity, if it may be so named, in opinion; and in one respect, as you are sister to our sovereign lord and master, we most humbly beseech your Grace to show your affection continually towards him, as becometh a sister. And as your Grace is a subject, and we counsellors to his Majesty's estate, we let you know, the example of your Grace's opinion hindereth the good weal of this realm, which thing we think is not unknown unto you; and if it be, we let your Grace know, it is too true. For God's sake, we beseech your Grace, let nature set before your eyes the young age of the King your brother. Let reason tell you the looseness of the people: how then can you without a wailing heart think that you should be the cause of disturbance? If your Grace see the King, being the ordinary ruler under God, not only of all others in the realm, but of you also, call his people by ordinary laws one way, with what heart can your Grace stay yourself without following; much worse to stay other that would follow their sovereign Lord? Can it be a love in you to forsake him, his rule, and law, and take a private way by yourself? if it be not love, it is much less obedience. If your Grace think the King's Majesty to be over his people as the head in a man's body is over the rest, not only in place but in

dignity and science, how can you, being a principal member in the same body, keep the nourishment from the head? We pray your Grace most earnestly, think this thing so much grieveth us, as for our private affection and good wills to you though we should dissemble, yet for our public office we cannot but plainly inform your Grace, not doubting but that your wisdom can judge what our office is; and if it were not your own cause, we know your Grace by wisdom could charge us, if we suffered the like in any other. Truly every one of us apart honoureth your Grace for our master's sake, but when we join together in public service, as in this writing we do, we judge it not toler able, to know disorder, to see the cause, and leave it unamended. For though we would be negligent, the world would judge us; and therefore we do altogether, eftsoons, require your Grace, in the King's Majesty's name, that if any of your two chaplains, Mallet or Barkley, be returned, or as soon as any of them shall return to your Grace's house, the same may be, by your Grace's commandment or order, sent and delivered to the sheriff of Essex, who hath commandment from the King's Majesty, by order of the law and of his crown, to attach them; or if that condition shall not like your Grace, yet that then he may be warned from your Grace's house, and not kept there, to be as it were defended from the power of the law. Which thing we think surely neither your Grace will mean, nor any of your counsel assent thereto.

And so to make an end of our letter, being long for the matter, and hitherto deferred for other our great business, we trust your Grace first seeth how the usage of your chaplains differeth from the manner of our license, and what good intent moved us to write unto you in our former letters; lastly, that the things whereunto the King and the whole realm hath consented, be not only lawful and just by the policy of the realm, but also just and godly by the laws of God. So that if we, which have charge under the King, should willingly consent to the open breach of them, we could neither discharge ourselves to the King for our duties, neither to God for our conscience. The consideration of all which things we pray Almighty God, by his holy spirit, to lay in the bottom of your heart, and thereupon to build such a profession in you, as both God may have his true honour, the King his due obedience, the realm concord,

and we most comfort. For all the which we do heartily pray, and therewith, for the continuance of your Grace's health to your heart's desire. From Westminster, the xxv. of December.

Wilkins, Concilia, vol. iv.

XLI.

Mandatum pro publicatione Actus Parliamenti contra Rebelles. THOMAS, &c. per illustrissimum et invictissimum in Christo principem et dominum nostrum dominum Edwardum sextum, p. 68. from &c. ad infra scripta rite suffultus, dilecto in Christo filio Craumer's Archidiacono nostro Cantuarien', seu ejus officiali, salutem, Register, fol. 61. a. gratiam, et benedictionem. Literas missivas dicti metuendissimi

domini nostri Regis, manu sua regia signatas, ejusque signeto obsignatas, nominibus illustrissimorum virorum dominorum a secretis consiliis suis regiis in calce earundem subscriptas, nobis inscriptas et directas, nuper cum debito officii nostri obsequio accepimus, tenorem subsequentem complectentes:

Most reverend father in God, right trusty and right well-beloved counsellor, we greet you well. And whereas it is come to our knowledge that there be divers lewd and seditious persons in certain parts of our realm, that practise and devise the means to stir up unlawful assemblies and commotions, to the trouble and unquiet of us and our loving subjects; forasmuch as we intend to meet with the said practisers in time, we have thought good, among other things that we have set forth for the purpose, to address unto you, as we have done the like to all other prelates of our realm, the books of an Act of Parliament made and established in the third year of our reign, for the containing of our subjects in quiet and good order, and the suppression of the rebellion, if at any time any should happen to be practised or begun within our realm. Wherefore we require, and straitly charge and command you, to give substantial order throughout all your diocese, that within every parish church within the same, the said Act may be openly and distinctly read by the parson or curate to the parochians every Sunday, or second Sunday at the least, at such time in the morning as the assembly of the said parochians is most frequent; to the end they may be from time to time admonished of their duties, and of the peril that shall ensue to them that shall devise or attempt any thing contrary to the said

Act. And like as we in this perilous time have thought it necessary for the preservation of the common quiet of our realm, to address to you, and the rest of our prelates, these our letters with our said Act; so our special trust is, that you for your part will see the same effectually done and executed throughout your diocese, so duly and with such regard and care as the importance of the case requireth; whereof fail you not, as you tender our pleasure, and will avoid our indignation. Yeven under our signet at our manor of Grenewhyche, the sixth of May, in the fifth year of our reign.

In calce hæc nomina habentur: E. Somersett, R. Ryche, Canc', W. Wilteshire, J. Warwick, J. Bedford, E. Clinton. Inscriptio talis est; To the most reverend Father in God, our right trusty and right well-beloved counsellor the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Nos vero affectantes ex animo ejusdem domini nostri Regis literis et mandatis obtemperare, volentesque pro nostro erga suam regiam celsitudinem officio in demandatis nobis negotiis omnem nostram curam et solertem adhibere diligentiam, vobis pro parte suæ regiæ Majestatis districte præcipiendo mandamus harum serie, quatenus receptis præsentibus, cum omni qua poteritis celeritate et diligentia maturis, dilectos filios nostros rectores, vicarios, et curatos quarumcunque Ecclesiarum parochialium nostræ dioceseos Cantuariensis moneatis, et præcipiendo mandetis, quatenus ipsi et eorum quilibet vel singuli actum sive statutum Parliamenti in eisdem literis regiis specificatum, cujus unum exemplar typis excusum vobis una cum præsentibus per latorem præsentis nostri mandati transmittimus, singulis diebus dominicis vel saltem qualibet secunda die dominica in Ecclesia sua parochiali coram parochianis ejusdem, mane quum et quando parochiani cujuslibet parochiæ ad divina audienda in Ecclesia sua frequentes adfuerint, publice, distincta, aperta, ac alta et intelligibili voce perlegant, ac cætera omnia et singula in dictis literis regiis descripta perimpleant, exequantur, et sedulo fieri curent, omnibus mora, dilatione, et fuco penitus remotis, prout eidem domini nostro Regi sub vestro incumbente periculo obtemperare et respondere velitis, et vult vestrum alter. Et quid in præmissis feceritis, et exequi curaveritis, id totum et omne nobis quam citissime significatum iri non postponatis. Dat' in manerio nostro de Lambehith, nono die mensis Maii,