the day after all saintes which day not long since was kept holy for the soules of the dead neyther at any tyme at all whereas the custome of ringing shall seeme to encline to superstition They shall suffer ringing onely at those tymes which are appoynted in the booke of aduertisementes and to that onely vse and after that onely order It shall not be lawfull to keepe fayres and common markets vpon the sonday neyther on that day to put to death and openly punish offenders cōdemned by the sentence of the Iudge They shall not suffer that any of these light wanderers in markettes and pelting sellers which carry about and sell pinnes points and other small trifles whom they call pedlars to set out their wares to sale either in the churchyeardes or in the porches of churches or any where els on holidayes or sondayes whilest any part of the holy ministery is in doing or any sermon is preached neyther that beggars or vagabondes which haue no certain dwelling abyde eyther in the churchyearde or in the church porch all the time of seruice or preaching but shall commaunde them either to come in or to depart They shall also search and diligently enquire if any of the parishioners eyther come not at all to church or come later or slower at the times appointed by the lawes and whom they shall finde so to offende they shall punish them according to the appointing of the lawe They shall marke whether al euery of the parishioners come so often euery yeare to the holy communion as the lawes statutes do cōmaund and whether any straingers from other parishes come more often and commonly to their church and shall shew their curate of them lest perhaps he admit them to the Lordes table amongst others but shall sende them rather to their owne curates They shall receiue no parson nor vicar to the ministery of theyr church but whome the Bishop shall allow by his institution and by hys mandate shall put in possession of that church They shall receyue no curate but him that by the letters and seale of the Byshop is specially appointed for that church But if the Parson Vicar or Curate behaue hymselfe otherwise in hys ministery or that he read ill darckly and confusedly or that he lyue more losely and licentiously then is fitte for à man of that calling and therby great offence be taken the churchwardens shall spedely present him to the Bishop that by and by he may be punished and amendment of his fault may follow And that the Byshop may vnderstande what sermons are made in euery church of hys dioces the Churchwardens shall see that the names of all preachers which come to them from any other place be noted in a boke which they shall haue ready for that purpose and that euery preacher subscribe his name in that boke and the name of the Byshop of whom he had licence to preach Last of all the Churchwardens shall see that all thinges be diligently obserued which pertayne to theyr offices and that are contayned in the Queenes iniunctions and the boke of aduertisementes and that shall be set foorth by the Archbishop or Bishop in euery their visitations for the vse of the Churches But if any do rayle vpon them or goe to law with them for doing theyr dutie and detecting of offenders that also they shall presente vnto the Bishop that by his meanes and trauaill they may more easely be deliuered from that trouble Preachers NO man shal openly preach in his parish but being licenced by the Bishop neyther hereafter shall be so bold as preach out of his own cure church except he haue obtayned licence so to preach eyther of the Queenes Maiestie ouer all her realme eyther of the Archbishop through hys prouince or of the Bishop in his dioces And no licence to preach shall hereafter stande in force but that which hath bene obtayned after the last day of Aprill which was in the yeare 1571. Preachers shall behaue them selues modestly and soberly in all their life But chiefly they shall take heede that they teach nothing in their preaching which they would haue the people religiously to obserue and beleue but that which is agreeable to the doctrine of the olde Testament or the newe and that which the catholike fathers and auncient Bishops haue gathered out of that doctrine And because those articles of Christian religion agreed vpon by the Bishoppes in the lawfull and godly conuocation and by the commaundement and aucthoritie of our noble princesse Elizabeth assembled and holden vndoubtedly are gathered out of the holy bookes of the olde and newe Testamente and in all pointes agree with the heauenly doctrine contayned in them because also the booke of common prayers and the booke of the consecration of Archbishops Bishops Ministers and Deacons containe nothing repugnant to the same doctrine whosoeuer shall be sent to teach the people shall not onely in theyr preaching but also by subscription confirm the authoritie and truth of those articles He that doth otherwise or troubleth the people with contrary doctrine shall be excommunicated In preaching they shall weare à very modest and graue garment which may becomme and set foorth the minister of God and such as is prescribed in the booke of aduertisementes They shall require no money or rewarde for theyr preaching but shall be content with meat and drincke and playne prouision and one nightes lodging They shall teach no vayne and olde wiues opiniōs no heresies nor popish errors disagreeing from the doctrine and fayth of Christ neyther any thing at all whereby the rude people may be stirred vp to the desire of nouelties or contention But they shall alwayes teach that which may make for edifying and may vnite the hearers in Christian peace and loue Residences THe absence of the shepheard from the Lords flocke and that careles negligence which we doe see in many and forsakyng of the ministerie is à thing in it selfe to be abhorred odious to the people and pernitious to the Church of god Therefore we exhort all pastors of Churches in the Lorde Iesu that foorthwith they returne euery one to theyr parishes and diligently teach the Gospell according to their liuing to keep house to helpe the poore by hospitalitie and there to be resident euery yeare no lesse then lx dayes Pluralitie IT shall be lawfull for no man of what degree or order so euer he be to haue at one time any more then two ecclesiastical benefices neither shal it be lawful for any man at all to obtain two benifices if they be distant more then xxvj miles Of Scholemasters IT shall not be lawfull for any to teach the Latine tongue or to instructe children neyther openly in the scholes neyther priuately in any mans house but whome the Byshop of that dioces hath alowed and to whom he hath geuen licence to teach vnder the seale of hys office And here we except for honours sake the Lordes of the
declare vnto hys Ordinary When he is come to the Church he together with hys prebendaries resident shall foresee that the statutes of his church if they be not contrary to the woorde of God as many are and that the statutes of this realme whatsoeuer concerning ecclesiasticall order and all Iniunctions eyther set foorth by the Queenes Maiestie or enioyned by the bishop in his visitation of the same Church be diligently obserued Moreouer the Deane and Residentaries shall endeuour as much as lyeth in thē that the peticanons or vicares and other ministers of their Church lest they lyue idlely and vnprofitably in slouthfulnes and geue themselues to vnlawfull gaming be constrayned to the studye of the holy Scriptures and that euery one of them haue the new Testament not onely in Latine but also in English The Deanes and Residentaries shall see that there be no other forme obserued in singing or saying prayers or in the administration of the Sacramentes but onely that which is sette foorth and prescribed in the booke of Common Prayers neyther shall they suffer any straunger to preach vnto the people except the Queenes Maiestie or the Archbishop of the same Prouince or the Byshop of the same Dioces haue graunted him licence thereunto And if such a Preacher so allowed eyther by the Queenes Maiestie or by the Archbishop or Byshop shall in hys Sermon publish any doctrine eyther straunge wicked or disagreeable wyth the worde of God or with the Articles of our Religion agreed vpon in the Conuocation house which no doubt are consonant to the Scriptures or with the booke of common Prayers the Deane or the Residentes shall assone as may be geue notice of the same to the Byshop by theyr letters subscribed also with some of theyr handes which hearde him preach that he may determine on the matter as he shall see good Archedeacons EVery Archedeacon shall haue in hys house both the other bookes and namely those which are entituled Monumentes of Martyrs Euery Archedeacon whiche hath authoritie to visite eyther by common law or by prescription shall visite hys territory once euery yeare in hys owne person and he shall not substitute any to be his Officiall but such a one as hath bene brought vp in the vniuersities and hath studyed the ciuill law and is of the full age of xxiiij yeares beyng able not onely in learnyng but also in grauety and modesty to discharge that office Archedeacons and theyr substitutes whom they call Officialles shall call the clergie to accompt in theyr visitations how much euery one of them hath profited in the study of Scripture and shall geue vnto so many of them as haue not taken the degree of a maister of Arte vpon them in the vniuersitie some parte of the new Testament to be learned without booke and at the next Synode shall compell them to make repetition thereof and they shall detecte vnto the Bishop such as are eyther stubburne or negligent herein When the visitation is finished the Archedeacon shall signifie vnto the Byshop whome he hath founde in euery Deanery so furnished with learnyng and iudgement that they may be thought worthy to enstruct the people in sermōs and to rule and gouerne others Of these the bishop may chuse some whome he wil haue rural Deanes Archdeacons shall straightly and seuerely punish all offenders not winke at their faultes or suffer any man to escape vnpunished who is knowen to haue offended Archedeacons shall haue a speciall care that the monumentes of theyr actes and doinges be faythfully and safely preserued and shall once euery yeare bryng to theyr bishop all the originall copies of such testamentes which shal be proued before them the yeare before that they may be preserued by the Bishops Register They shall write out the copies of the same Testamentes to their owne vse if they wyll Chauncellors Commissaries and their Officials EVery Chauncellor Commissary and officiall shal be learned in the ecclesiasticall and ciuil lawes and such one as is twenty and sixe yeres olde and hath taken some degrée in the scholes for learninges sake and is reasonably well practised in course of law touching whose lyfe and maners no euill reporte be heard Besides euery one of these either shall be in the ministerie or if he be not yet shall he be well affected and zealously bent toward religion and such he shall openly and freely shew himselfe and before he enter his office he shall take an othe of the authoritie and supremacy of the Prince and also shall subscribe to the articles of religion allowed in the conuocation of Bishops None of these neyther Chauncellor Commissary nor Officiall shal proceede in examination of matters vnto the sentence of excommunication but onely in causes of instances In matters of correction they shall doe all other things which lawfully they may and are wont to be done But the sentence of excommunication they shall leaue onely to the Byshoppe which either he himselfe shall pronounce or shall commit the pronouncing therof to some graue man which is in the ministerie After that he hath geuen sentence he shall also adde for a warning and terror to the people a certaine order of wordes vpon in the conuocation and wheresoeuer the Byshop shall commaunde shall declare hys conscience to the people what he thynketh of those articles and the whole doctrine And he beyng once admitted into the holy ministery shall from thencefoorth neuer departe from it nor shall vse himselfe as a laye man eyther in apparell or in any part of his lyfe Euery Parson Vicar or Curate shall yearly before twenty dayes after Easter exhibite to the Bishop or to his Chaūcellor or Commissary the names and surnames of his parishoners as well men as women of those I say which beyng fourtene yeares of age come not to the holy Communion as by the statutes and ecclesiasticall lawes of thys Realme they are bound such as refuse to be examined by the minister of the church in learnyng the Catechisme and articles of christian religion and what parentes or maisters thincke scorne to sende theyr children or seruauntes to churche at the tymes appoynted to heare and learne the same Catechisme They shall suffer none to vndertake for an Infante at Baptisme except he haue receiued the Communion and haue bene partaker of the holy misteries and he shal admit none to the partaking of the sacramēts which hath not learned the Catechisme and articles of the fayth Euery sonday and holiday the parsons vicars and curates shall come to the churche so timely and conueniently in due season that the parishioners hauyng done theyr busines may come thether with their children seruantes And there they shall reuerently as it is fit godly say or sing the holy seruice so plainly so manifestly distinctly that the people may heare vnderstand what is sayd or song therof receaue comfort and commoditie The lyke reuerence and godlynes they shall obserue in celebratyng the most
holy Sacramentes so that they turne not to superstition or worshipping or Idolatrie But if that in tyme of the holy Communion there shal be no sermon they shall on the booke in the pulpit read some one or other of those homelies which we haue to that end set foorth before In the meane tyme they shall exhorte the people to come diligently to Church that they attentiuely heare that which is read and sayd and that all the tyme thereof they vse themselues reuerently and modestly and least the godly may be offended thorough wantonnes and lightnes voyde of religion they shall take heede that young men especially contreymen whose nature is more prone to the contempt of godlines and to disorder neyther ryng belles neyther walke in the churches nor haue idle talke together nor by laughing or noyse or vnhonest iesting eyther let the minister or offend the people They shall admonish the people to come oftner to the holy Cōmunion that before they prepare themselues with a perfect minde as it is fit And that all may vnderstand what duty they owe to God what dutie to the Prince whome they ought to loue reuerence as the vicar of God what they owe to the lawes what to the magistrates what to their brethren what to the people of God they shall be ready in the church straight after noone euery sonday holyday there at the least they shall read two houres and teach the catechisme and therein shall instruct all theyr flocke of what age or degree soeuer not onely maydens and children but also the elder if neede be But especially they shall warne young folkes not onely men but also women that it is prouided by the lawes that none of them may either receiue the holy communion or be maried or vndertake for a childe in Baptisme except before they haue learned the principles of Christen religion and can fitly and aptly aunswere to all the partes of the Catechisme But if the parsons vicars or curates either can not preache or haue not receiued licence to preach of the Byshop yet they shall teach children to read to write and know theyr duty toward God toward theyr parentes and also others and if they perceaue any of them to be of that disposition that by teachyng and instruction they may attayne to the knowledge of learnyng they shall counsell theyr parentes to set them to schole that beyng endewed wyth learnyng they may one day become fit for the holy ministery of the mighty God but whome they perceaue to be duller and not disposed to learnyng to see them set to some other science or to husbandrie They shall also warne their parishioners that for great and weightie causes it was appointed in the cōuocation by the Reuerend father in God Matthew Archbyshop of Canterburie and the other bishops that children mary not without consent of the parentes and that no young man hath power in hymselfe to contract mariage before he be xvj yeares of age and no mayde before she be xiiij yeares olde Churchewardens and and syde men CHurchewardens according to the custome of euery parishe shal be chosen by the consent of theyr parishioners and theyr minister otherwise they shall not be churchwardens neyther shall they continew any lenger then one yeare in that office except perhaps they be chosen againe And all churchwardens once euery yeare shal geue vp iust accounte of such money as they haue receaued and also particularly shall shewe what coste they haue bestowed in reparations and for the vse of the Church Last of all goyng out of their offices they shall truly deliuer vp to the parishioners whatsoeuer money or other ecclesiasticall thinges shall remayne be in their handes that it may be redeliuered by them to the next churchwardens The Churchewardens shall see that the churches be diligently and well repayred with lead tyle lyme and glasse that neyther the minister nor the people either in the holy ministerie and worshippyng of God or in celebratyng the heauēly misteries or in receauing and hearing the Communion be troubled wyth tempestuous weather But especially they shall looke vnto that in euery meting of the congregation peace be well kept and in all visitations of byshops and archdeacons they shal truly and personally presente and name all those which rudely behaue themselues in the church or whiche by vntymely ringing of belles by walkyng by talking or noyse shall let the minister or preacher Churchwardens shall see that the churches be kept cleane reuerently that they be not lothsome to any either by dust sande or any filthynes They shall also see that the holy Bibles be in euery church in the largest volume if it may conueniently be such as were lately imprinted at London that the booke of common prayers that the holy homelies and the homelies which lately were written against rebelliō be in euery church It is meete that these bookes be whole and cleane not torne or foule in any wise lest it breede irksomnes or contempte amongest the people They shall see there be a fayre ioyned table which may serue for the administration of the holy Communion and à cleane clothe to couer it à conuenient pulpit whence the heauenly doctrine may be taught Moreouer they shall see that all roodloftes in which woodden crosses stood all other reliques of superstitiō be cleane takē away that the walles of the churches be new whited and decked with chosen sentences of the holy Scripture that by the reading and warning thereof the people may be moued to godlines Last of all they shall see that in euery church there be à holy founte not a basen wherein Baptisme may be ministred and it be kept comely and cleane They shall also warn tauerners alehousekepers victualers which sel meat or drink that they receiue none into their tauern or alehouse all the time wherin either is preaching or cōmon seruice If any do contrary vpon contempte or stubbernes they shall present both him them whome he receaued by name in the next visitation If any offend theyr brethren eyther by manifest adultery or whoredome or incest or drunkennes or much swearing or baudry or vsurie or any other vncleanes and wickednes of life let the churchwardens warne them brotherly and freendly to amende Which except they do they shall by name shewe them to the parson vicar or curate that they may be warned more sharply and vehemently of them and if they continue so still let them be driuen from the holy Communion till they be reformed And that all which liue vnchastly and loosely be punished by the seueritie of the lawes according to their desertes The same Church-wardens shall present those adulterers whoremongers incestuous drunkardes swearers baudes and vsurers in the Bishops and Archdeacons visitations Churchwardens shall suffer no feasts bankets suppers or common drinkings to be kept in the church neyther the belles to be rong superstitiously either in the feast of all soules or