payment of any some or somes for the said anticipation, shalbe good and sufficient discharge for any of theym therefore, as well against us in our Exchequer and elsewhere, as against all others our collectoures and subcollectoures having charge of collection thereof, without anything to be taken or receyvyd for the same. Willing and comanding you, as you tender our honour, suertie and defence of this our Realme, and the prosperous successe of our affayres, that yee in soch wise endeavour your selfe in and aboute the speedie execution of this our Comission, that not only the money that shall growe thereof may be brought and paied to the Treasurer of our Chamber before the last daie of this present monethe at the furdist, but also that yee before the said last daie make true and plaine certyficate distinctly and particularly before us, and our said counsail at Westm1 what yee shall do in the premisses. And moreover, wee woll and comaund all and singuler Maiers, Shyreffs, Bailyffes, Constables, and other our officers and faithfull Subiects, that in your executing the premisses they be aiding, helping, counsailing and assisting you, as they woll answere us at their uttmost perilles. Yeven undre our great Seale at our Paleys of Westm', the secound daie of Novembre, in the fifteenth yeere of King Henry the Eight. Civitas Norwici. Civitas Cantuar. Villa Leic. Villa Norhampton. Villa Oxon. REFORM OF THE CHURCH OF IRELAND. [These articles for the reformation of the Church in Ireland, and the promotion of the Protestant religion there, are without date, but the MS. is contemporaneous, and an indorsement in a hand not long subsequent informs us that they were drawn up Anno 34° Henry VIII. It is stated in the title that they were prepared by the Archbishop of Dublin at the command of the King, and in the penultimate article "his grace's weighty letters " on the subject, "late sent," are mentioned.] Indorsed in a handwriting of the time—“ Articles by the Archibishoppe of Dublin," and in a handwriting of the reign of Elizabeth-" Propositions of the Bp. of Dublin for the reformation of religion in Ireland tempore R. H. 8.-Ao. 34 Hen. 8." Theise be articles devised by the moste reverend Father in God, George, Archbusshop of Dublin, at the commaundement of our most dreade Soveraigne lorde the King, for the reformation of certen enormyties and abuses amonges his clergie. IMPRIMIS. That every spirituall person within this lande, being under the lawe and subjection of the Kinges Majestie, of what estate, auctoritie, or dignitie soever he be of, shall be sworne be fore the forsaide Archbusshop, when that he shall demaunde his othe, to bere faythfull and dew obedience unto the Kinges highnes and to his heires, according unto thacte of Parliament for his gracious succession. Itm.—That all spirituall parsons shall swere to take the King our soveraigne supreme hed of the Church of Ingland and Ireland, immediate under Christe moste worthy. Itm. That no spirituall parson, what order soeuer he bee of, exempte or unexempte, shall owe any obedience to any foren potentate, what auctoritie or name so euer he be of, but onelie to our naturall King and prynce, as well for spirituall power as temporall. Itm. That all Abbottes, Priors, Deanes, Collegians, Prebendaries, or Maisters of Hospitalles, exempte or not exempte, shall preache and teache the worde of God merelie, sincerelie and puerly, without coler or paynting, according to the trew meaning and intent of the texte, at all tymes when the said moste reverende Father shall commaund theym, so that they have sufficient warnyng, that is iij wekes. Itm.—That all those spirituall parsons which be estemed by the said most reverend Father to be lerned, shall, at his commaundment, preache eyther in Christechurch or Saynt Patrikes, -that is to be saide, such lerned men as dwell in and aboutes Dublin-following such instructions as the said reverend Father shall gyve unto theym, so that theire faithe and loue which they bere to God and his worde may be there declared before the Kinges Counsaile, and theire obedience, which of dutie they owe to theire prynce, clerely perseyved accordingly, without all coler and fraude. Itm. That all Parsons, Vicars, Curates, with other spirituall mynisters, shall, euery Sonday and holyday after the gospell of theire highe masse, declare and rede openly such instructions as the said reverend Father shall sende unto theym, and sett theym foorthe with all diligence according to theire lernyng; and that if case they wilnot, it shalbe lefull to the saide Archbusshop to commyt theym to warde unto tyme the Kinges pleasure be knowne. Itm. That all those saide parsons which be commaunded by the saide moste reverend Father to preache, and do disobey the saide commaunde, shalbe commytted to the Castell of Dublin there to remayne, and the King to haue the fruictes and profectes of theire benyfices in the meane tyme, reserved onelie to the partie so disobeying his table unto such tyme as they be conformable as aforesaid. Itm. That all monasteries, exempte or not exempte, churches, cathedralles and collages, shall not onelie swere the Kyng to be supreme hed, but shall alsoe gyve out theire Chaptures seales with theire handes subscribed to affirme the same, and they that wilnot so doo, to be taken as rebelles according to theire desertes, and that the saide writynges shalbe enrolled in the Kinges records as they be in Inglande. Itm. That these articles shall extende to all orders of fryers, observantes as other, what so ever they be, and they to affyrme the same under theire seales. Itm.-In places exempte where as vice is most notoriously known, that the said Archbusshop shall at all tymes, no libertie, graunte, ne licences withstanding, ponyshe such as ben culpable within his dioces or province.* Itm. That all sermonds, named bosom sermonds amonges friers, if they be not consonant to Holy Scripture and Catholike doctrine, shalbe brent. Itm.—That the said Archbusshop shall se a unitie and concorde amonges the Gray Friers, named de observancia et de communi vita, and they to stand at his arbitrament. Itm. That those which be in cathedrall churches, prebendaries, or other persons having cure, shall goo to theire owne parishes theymself, orelles to fynde a sufficient curate, souch as * This article is struck out in the original. CAMD. SOC. 12. the saide Archbusshop shall admyt to preache and teache Godes worde. Itm. That neither religious men nor seculer preestes shall not comenly haunte ne use comen tavernes nor ale houses, nor goo a lone suspiciously either in citie, towne, or vilage: if they doo, the said Archbusshop to punysh theym at his discretion. Itm. That every curate shall teche the people, and persuade the same to use their Paternoster and Crede in the mother tonge. Itm. That the saide curates shall, at the receipte of the holy communyon, declare unto the people what the sacrament is, and for what cause they should receyue that blissed sacrament, and what profeete commyth to the receyuer if it be receyued worthily with a pure conscience: agayne, what danger the receyuer is in if it be receyued in to an impure vessell. Itm. That my Lord Deputie and the Counsaile, considering theire office and dutie towardes theire prince and soverayne Lorde, pondering his Grace's weighty letters late sent, do aide and assiste the said Archbusshop in theis his princes causes, commaunding all Archbusshops and Busshopes, with other ecclesiasticall prelates, to see the saide Articles duely and justelie set forth with all dexteritie, as the [y] will avoide the Kinges high displeasure. Itm. That all manner of Archbusshopes and Busshopes whoo holdith theire dignities by the Busshop of Rome's bulles, that within too monethes after the knowledg of the premisses, they do exhibite the saide bulles before the Lorde Chancellor of Irelande and the saide most reverend Father, and so to haue theym ratified vnder the Kynges brode seale of Irelande. |