Samaria; and likewise that of St. Paul, with reference to those at Ephesus above mentioned.

L.

A Copy of the Letters Patent which were to be signed by King Henry VIII., for giving Authority to a Book entitled "Reformatio Legum Ecclesiasticarum.”

Officina Jo

Henricus Octavus, Dei gratia Angliæ et Franciæ Rex, Londini ex Fidei Defensor, et Dominus Hiberniæ, ac in terris Anglicanæ hannis Day. sub Deo Caput supremum, omnibus archiepiscopis, episcopis, An. 1571. abbatibus, clericis, ducibus, marchionibus, comitibus, baronibus, militibus, generosis, ac aliis cujuscunque generis hominibus, subditis et ligiis nostris, per regnum nostrum, et dominia nostra ubilibet commorantibus, salutem et Evangelicæ veritatis incrementum. Cum vos optimi cives mei mihique charissimi, me nunc unum atque solum hujus regni principem; in terrisque secundum Deum hujus Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ unicum supremumque caput, quemadmodum divini atque humani juris ratio postulat, potestatemque tam Ecclesiasticæ quam mundanæ politiæ mihi, majoribusque meis, ipso jure divino concessam, (verum multis sæculis unius Romani episcopi malitia, fraude, dolis, atque astutia ereptam) ad me et successores meos pertinere una voce, uno omnium sensu agnoscitis: non possum indies magis magisque muneris, atque officii mei rationem non habere, deque illustranda Dei gloria, de Christianæ pietatis vera doctrina propaganda, de imperii hujus incolumitate, et quiete tuenda, summa animi cura, atque cogitatione non esse sollicitus. Occurrunt enim subinde animo meo verba illa quæ Sapientiæ cap. vii. habentur ad hunc modum. Audite reges, et intelligite, "quoniam data est a Domino potestas vobis et virtus ab Altissimo, qui interrogabit opera vestra, ut scrutabitur cogitationes, ad vos ergo reges sunt hi sermones mei, ut discatis sapientiam, et ne excidatis. Qui enim custodiunt justitiam, juste judicabuntur, et qui didicerunt justa, invenient quid respondeant," &c. Hinc facile perspici potest, exactissime a regibus potestatis suæ reddendam esse rationem, illosque gravissimos manere pœnas, si non, ut oportuit, in republica administranda sese gesserint.

Quod si tanta cura, ac solicitudine quibuscunque regibus opus est, quam anxios ac sollicitos Christianos reges esse de

bere censendum est, quibus non politia modo civilis, sed ecclesiastica etiam potestas data est? Hos enim non tantum quæ ad humanam societatem pertinent, sed etiam quæ divinæ Christianæque religioni maxime consentanea sunt, curare necesse est; præsentem hujus sæculi fœlicitatem principes Christianos ita metiri convenit ut hac potestate sua ad Dei cultum dilatandum utantur, ut in hoc incumbant, ut recta doctrina propagetur, orneturque Dei gloria.

Cum igitur a Christianis regibus justitiam in imperio, pacis tuendæ curam, pietatem, studium juvandæ et ornandæ religionis Christianæ exigi animadverterem, nihil mihi potius esse debere judicabam, quam ut omnes inirem rationes, quo minus in hoc meo regno hæc a me desiderentur, et quoad possem, muneri imposito satisfacerem: hoc ut facilius expeditiusque præstare valeam, non ignoratis vos, quantam curam adhibuerim in illis rebus promovendis, tuendisque quæ huic negotio maxime conducere atque adjumento esse videbantur. Quæ contra impedire atque obesse visa sunt, quanto studio tollere, ac delere conatus sum, assidueque conor. Abunde enim vobis declaratum hactenus fuit, quam in hac nostra Britannia, multis vero sæculis, episcopi Romani vis injusta ac non ferenda, sacrosancto divino nomini inimica fuit, quantopere religioni Christianæ veræ doctrinæ propagandæ adversata est, quantum hujus reipublicæ pacem ac tranquillitatem sæpissime interturbavit, potestatemque regiam divinitus constitutam labefactando, omnium obedientiam, a vero ac justo principis sui imperio, contra omne jus divinum et humanum ad se transferre ausus est. Hujus potestatem hic cum divino munere sublatam esse manifestum est, ne quid superesset, quo non plane fractam illius vim esse constaret, leges omnes, decreta atque instituta, quæ ab authore episcopo Romano profecta sunt, prorsus abroganda censuimus. Quorum loco, ut facilius in posterum Dei Optimi Maximi gloria illustretur, et vera philosophia Christiana, regnumque Christi vigere possit, et quo omnia decenter, et ordine in Christi hac Ecclesia gerantur: en vobis autoritate nostra editas leges damus, quas a vobis omnibus suscipi, coli, et observari volumus, et sub nostræ indignationis pœna mandamus, ut vestra in Deum pietas, amor erga patriam, principemque vestrum obedientia, non sine immensa divini nominis gloria omnibus conspicua sit, ac vosmetipsos non minus de vestris rationibus sollicitos ostendatis, quam ego

vestra causa de officio fuerim meo, stricte præcipientes, ut his nostris constitutionibus, vos omnes et singuli, tam in judiciis, quam in gymnasiis, utamini, severe prohibentes, ne quisquam vestrum alias præter has, et regni nostri leges admittere præsumat. Valete.

LI.

Part of King Henry VIII's last Will and Testament relating to matters of Religion.

Ch. Hist,

In the name of God, and of the glorious and blessed Virgin Fuller's our Lady St. Mary, and of all the holy company of heaven, book 5. we, Henry, by the grace of God king of England, &c., most p. 24 humbly and heartily do commend and bequeath our soul to Almighty God, who in the person of the Son redeemed the same with his most precious body and blood in time of his passion; and, for our better remembrance thereof, has left here with us in his Church militant the consecration and administration of his precious body and blood, to our no little consolation and comfort, if we as thankfully accept the same, as he lovingly and undeservedly on man's behalf hath ordained it for our only benefit, and not his.

Also we do instantly require and desire the blessed Virgin Mary his mother, with all the holy company of heaven, continually to pray for us whilst we live in this world, and in the time of passing out of the same, that we may the sooner attain everlasting life after our departure out of this transitory life, which we do both hope and claim by Christ's passion.

We also will and specially desire and require, that where and whensoever it shall please God to call us out of this transitory world to his infinite mercy and grace,—be it beyond the sea, or in any other place without our realm of England, or within the same,-that our executors, as soon as they conveniently may, shall cause all divine service accustomed for dead folks to be celebrated for us, in the next and most proper place where it shall fortune us to depart out of this transitory life; and ever that we will that whensoever and wheresoever it shall please God to call us out of this transitory life to his infinite mercy and grace, be it within the realm or without, that our executors, in as goodly, brief, and convenient haste as they reasonably can or may, order, prepare, and cause our

VOL. IX.

Q

57.

body to be removed, conveyed, and brought into the said college of Windsor, and the service of "Placebo et Dirige," with a sermon and mass on the morrow, at our costs and charges, devoutly to be done, observed, and solemnly kept, there to be buried and interred in the place appointed for our said tomb, to be made for the same intent, and all this to be done in as devout wise as can or may be; and we will and charge our executors, that they dispose and give alms to the most poor and needy people that may be found, common beggars as much as may be avoided, in as short space as possibly they may after our departure out of this transitory life, one thousand marks of lawful money of England, part in the same place and thereabout where it shall please Almighty God to call us to his mercy, partly by the way, and part in the same place of our burial, after their discretions; and to move the poor people that shall have our alms to pray heartily unto God for the remission of our offences and the wealth of our soul.

And we will, that with as convenient speed as may be done after our departure out of this world, if it be not done in our life, that the dean and canons of our free chapel of St. George, within our castle of Windsor, shall have manors, lands, tenements, and spiritual promotion to the yearly value of viC pounds over all charges made sure to them and to their successors for ever upon these conditions hereafter ensuing, and for the due accomplishment and full performance of all other things contained with the same in the form of an indenture, signed with our own hand, which shall be passed by way of covenant for that purpose between the said dean and canons, and our executors, (if it pass not between us and the said dean and canons in our life,)—that is to say, the said dean and canons and their successors for ever,-shall find two priests to say masses at the said altar, to be made where we have before appointed our tomb to be made and stand.

And also after our decease keep yearly four solemn obits for us within the said college of Windsor, and at every of the same obits to cause a solemn sermon to be made, and also at every of the said obits to give to poor people in alms ten pounds, and also to give for ever yearly to thirteen poor men, which shall be called poor knights, to every of them twelve pence a day, and once in the year yearly for ever a long gown of white

cloth, with the garter upon the breast, embroidered with a shield and cross of St. George within the garter, and a mantle of red cloth, and to such one of the thirteen poor knights as shall be appointed to be head and governor over them, 31. 6s. 8d. yearly for ever, over and beside the twelve pence by the day. And also to cause, every Sunday in the year for ever, a sermon to be made at Windsor aforesaid, as in the said indenture and covenant shall be more fully and particularly expressed, willing, charging, and requiring our son prince Edward, all our executors and counsellors which shall be named hereafter, and all other our heirs and successors which shall be kings of this realm, as they will answer before God Almighty at the dreadful day of judgment, that they and every of them do see that the said indenture and assurance, to be made between us and the said dean and canons, or between them and our executors, and all things therein contained, may be duly put in execution, and observed and kept for ever perpetually, according to this our last will and testament.

LII.

The Order for the Coronation of King Edward, Sunday, February 13, at the Tower, &c.

Book.

Records,

p. 93.

This day the lord-protector, and others his executors, whose Council names be hereunto ascribed, upon mature and deep delibera- Bp. Burnet, tion had among them, did finally resolve, that forasmuch as part 2. divers of the old observances and ceremonies aforetimes used at the coronations of the kings of this realm were by them thought meet for sundry respects to be corrected, and namely, for the tedious length of the same, which should weary and be hurtsome peradventure to the king's majesty, being yet of tender age, fully to endure and bide out, and also for that many points of the same were such as by the laws of the realm at this present were not allowable,-the king's majesty's coronation should be done and celebrated upon Shrove Sunday next ensuing, in the cathedral-church of Westminster, after the form and order ensuing.

First, the archbishop of Canterbury shall show the king to the people at four parts of the great pulpit or stage to be made for the king, and shall say on this wise: "Sirs, here I present king Edward, rightful and undoubted inheritor, by the laws of

58.