Item, Whether you know any person within your parish or elsewhere, that is a letter of the word of God to be read in English, or sincerely preached, or of the execution of the king's majesty's Injunctions, or other his majesty's proceedings in matters of religion. Item, Whether every parish have provided a chest with two locks, (and keys), for the book of wedding, christening, and burying. Item, Whether in the time of the litany or any other common prayer, in the time of the sermon or homily, and when the priest readeth the Scripture to the parishioners, any person have departed out of the church without a just and necessary cause. Item, Whether any bells have been knolled or rung at the time of the premises. Item, Whether any person hath abused the ceremonies, as in casting holy water upon his bed, or bearing about him holy bread, St. John's Gospel, ringing of holy bells, or keeping of private holydays, as tailors, bakers, brewers, smiths, shoemakers, and such other. Item, Whether the money coming and rising of any cattle, or other moveable stocks of the church, and money given or bequeathed to the finding of torches, lights, tapers, or lamps, (not paid out of any lands), have not been employed to the poor men's chest. Item, Who hath the said stocks and money in their hands, and what be their names. Item, Whether any undiscreet persons do uncharitably contemn and abuse priests and ministers of the church. Item, Whether they that understand not the Latin do pray upon any primer but the English primer, set forth by the king's majesty's authority; and whether they that understand Latin, do use any other than the Latin primer, set forth by like authority. Item, Whether there be any other grammar taught in any other school within this diocese, than that which is set forth by the king's majesty. Item, Whether any person keep their church holyday, and the dedication day, any otherwise, or at any other time than is appointed by the king's majesty. Item, Whether the service in the church be done at due and convenient hours. Item, Whether any have used to commune, jangle, and talk in the church in the time of the common prayer, reading of the homily, preaching, reading or declaring of the Scripture. Item, Whether any have wilfully maintained and defended any heresies, errors, or false opinions, contrary to the faith of Christ, and holy Scripture. Item, Whether any be common drunkards, swearers, or blasphemers of the name of God. Item, Whether any have committed adultery, fornication, or incest, or be common bawds, and receivers of such evil persons, or vehemently suspected of any of the premises. Item, Whether any be brawlers, slanderers, chiders, scolders, and sowers of discord between one person and another. Item, Whether you know any that use charms, sorcery, enchantments, witchcraft, soothsaying, or any like craft invented by the devil. Item, Whether the churches, pulpits, and other necessaries appertaining to the same, be sufficiently repaired. Item, Whether you know any, that in contempt of your own parish church do resort to any other church. Item, Whether any inn-holders or ale-house keepers do use commonly to sell meat and drink in the time of common prayer, preaching, or reading of the homilies, or Scripture. Item, Whether you know any to be married within the degrees prohibited by the laws of God, or that be separated or divorced without a just cause, allowed by the law of God, and whether any such have married again. Item, Whether you know any to have made privy contracts of matrimony, not calling two or more thereunto. Item, Whether they have married solemnly, the banns not first lawfully asked. Item, Whether you know any executors or administrators of dead men's goods, which do not bestow such of the said goods as were given and bequeathed, or appointed to be distributed among the poor people, repairing of highways, finding of poor scholars, or marrying of poor maids, or such other like charitable deeds. Item, Whether any do contemn married priests, and for that they be married will not receive the communion or other sacraments at their hands. Item, Whether you know any that keep in their houses undefaced any abused or feigned images, any tables, pictures, paintings, or other monuments of feigned miracles, pilgrimages, idolatry, or superstition.] MSS. C.C.C.C. cii. pp.337, NUMBER XL. ARCHBISHOP CRANMER'S ANSWERS TO THE FIFTEEN ARTI- WHEN I first read your request, O ignorant men of h [The text follows that of Strype, and has been collated with the C.C.C.C. MS., of which the different readings are given at the foot. See Foxe's Acts and Monuments, p.1305 et seqq. ed. Lond. 1583; Burnet's Hist. of Reformat. vol. ii. p. 237–242. ed. Oxon. 1829; Devonshire and Cornwall, straightways came to my mind 408. Original and a request, which James and John made unto Christ; to holograph. whom Christ answered: "You ask you wot not what." Todd's Life of abp. Even so thought I of you, as soon as ever I heard your Cranmer, articles, that you were deceived by some crafty papist i, 76–139. which devised those articles for you, to make you ask you wist not what. As for the devisers of your articles, if they understand them, I may not call them ignorant persons, but, as they be indeed, most rank papists, and wilful traitors and adversaries, both to God and to our sovereign lord the king, and to the whole realm. But I cannot be persuaded so to think of you, that in your hearts willingly you be papists and traitors; but that those that be such have craftily seduced you, being simple and unlearned people, to ask you wot not what. vol. ii. p. Wherefore, my duty unto God, and the pity that I have of your ignorance, move me now at this time to open plainly and particularly your own articles unto you, that 87 you may understand them, and no longer be deceived. In your first article you require, that all the general councils, and holy decrees of our forefathers, may be observed and kept, and whosoever shall againsay them to be holden as heretics. This you all ask, but what you ask, I dare say k, very few or none of you understand. For how many of you, I pray you, do know certainly which be called the general councils, and holy decrees of the fathers, and what is in Holinshed's Chronicles, vol. iii. p. 1002. The heading in the C.C.C.C. MS. is "Against the articles of the Devonshire men."] i [" Papists." MS. C.C.C.C.] ["I dare boldly say." Id.] 1 [See Speech on the Authority of the Pope and of General Councils ;-Works of abp. Cranmer, vol. ii. p. 76. et sqq. Park. Soc. ed. them contained? The holy decrees, as they call them, be nothing else but the laws and ordinances of the bishop of Rome: whereof the most part be made for his own advancement, glory, and lucre; and to make him and his clergy governors of the whole world, and to be exempted from all princes' laws, and to do what they list. And would you ask, if you knew what you asked, that we should put away the laws of our own realm, and be governed by the bishop of Rome's laws? If you mean this, then be you traitors to the king, and enemies to your own realm. And if you mean it not, consider what persons they be, and how they have deceived you, that make you ask you wot not what. And as for the general councils, you say you will have them all kept: but you be not so destitute of all reason, that you would have spoken such words, if you had known what you had said. For a great number of the councils repugn one against another. How should they then be all kept, when one is contrary to another, and the keeping of one is the breaking of another? And among your own articles you say, you will have divers things observed, which be not only contrary to the general councils, but also contrary to the law m of this realm, and also to God's laws", as it shall be plainly declared when we come to the articles. And all reason is contrary that you should have asked such things, if you had known what you had asked. I have this opinion of the great number of you, that you would fain walk in the right way, if you could find it. And forasmuch as I perceive that wicked and false guides, under pretence to bring you to the high way, |