❧: ❧: ARTICLES to be enquired of, in the Kynges Maiesties Visitacion.
FIrst, whether that the Bishop, Archedeacons, and other, hauynge iurisdiccion Ecclesiasticall, haue caused onely to be song or sayde the English Procession in their Cathedrall churche, & other churches of their Diocesse.
Item, whether your Bishop, Chauncelor, Commissarie, Archedeacon, or Officiall be propense and light in excommunicating of men, for a litle Lucre.
Item, whether they or any of them, for one mans trespasse, haue taken away from the people, and the whole parishioners, their diuine seruice, as for violatyng & suspending the churche yeardes and suche lyke.
Item, whether thei do take excessiue somes of money for consecratinge agayne either of the church yeardes, or of any other ornamentes for the vse of alters, or of belles, where is no nede of consecracion, but is supersticiouse and lucratiue.
Item, whether that they or any of them take any great exactions, for institucions, inducciōs assignations of pencions, or for any other mater Ecclesiasticall.
[Page] Item, whether they do lightly call any Persons before them, ex officio, and put thē to their purgacion, without vrgent suspicion or infamy proued,
Item, whether the Bishop haue not preached without dissimulacion, agaynste the vsurped power of the Bishop of Rome, and setfurth the kynges of Maiesties Iurisdiction to bee the onely supreme power in all his realmes and dominions.
Whether the Bishop haue personally preached in any of your churches, or any wher with in this diocesse, and how ofte in the yere.
Item, whether he and hys officers haue diligētly executed for their part, our late Kynges Iniunctions and his letters missiues, for a due order in the religion of Christe, and caused the sayde Iniunctions and letters, to be diligently put in execution thorough his Diocesse.
Item, whether he hath learned and discrete officers vnder him, that do without any respect of persones punyshe suche crymes, as apperteyneth to Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction.
Item, whether he or any of his officers, do take any money or other gifte, to hyde & cloke adultery, or any other notorious vyce, that ought by them to be punished.
Item, if any commutacion of penaunce haue ben made to a pecuniary some, to what purpose thesame hathe bene conuerted, and what good dedes hathe bene done with thesame, and [Page] specify thesame deedes.
Item whether the bishop hath suche chaplaines aboute hym, as been hable to preache thee woorde of God, and do thesame purely and sincerely, and howe ofte in the yere, how many they be, and what be their names.
ITem whether Persones, Vicars & Curates, and euery of them, haue iustly and truely without dissimulaciō, preached agaīst the vsurped power, and pretensed aucthoritie & iurisdiccion of the Bishop of Rome.
Item, whether thei haue preached and declared, that the Kynges Maiesties power, aucthoritie, and preeminence, is wythin thys Realme and the dominiōs of thesame, the moste supreme and highest vnder God.
Item, whether any persone hath by writyng, Cyphryng, Printyng, preachyng, or teachynge, dede, or acte, obstinately holden and stand with, to extoll, set furthe, maintein or defende, the aucthoritie, iurisdiccion or power of the Bishop of Rome, or of his Sea, heretofore claimed and vsurped: or by any pretense, obstinatly or maliciously inuēted any thyng for the extollyng of the same, or any parte therof.
Item, whether they haue declared to theyr Parishioners the articles concernyng the abrogacion of certayn superfluous holy dayes, and dooen their indeuoure, to perswade their sayed [Page] Parishioners to kepe and obserue thesame articles inuiolably, and whether any of those abrogated daies hath sithens thesayed abrogacion, been kept as holy dayes, contrary to thesaid articles, and by whose occasion they were so kept.
Whether there do remayne not taken doune in your Churches, Chapelles, or els where, any misused Images, with Pilgrimages, clothes, stones, shoes, offerynges, kissynges, Candelstickes, trindilles of waxe, and suche other like, and whether there do remayne not delayed and destroyed, any Shrines, coueryng of Shrines, or any other monumēts of Idolatrie, Supersticiō and Hypocrysy.
Whether thei haue not diligently taught vpon the Sondaies and holy daies, their Parishioners, and specially ye youth, their Pater noster, the Articles of oure faythe, and the Tenne commaundemētes in English, and whether thei haue expounded and declared the vnderstandyng of thesame.
Whether thei haue diligently, duely & reuerently, ministered the sacramētes in their cures.
Whether such beneficed men, as be lawfully absent from their benefices, doo leaue their cure to a rude and vnlearned persone, and not to an honest, well learned and expert Curate.
Whether thei haue prouided & laied in some conuenient place of the churche where thei haue cure, a bible of the largest volume in Englishe.
Whether Persones, Vicars, Curates, Chaū tery [Page] Priestes, and other stipendaries be commō haunters and resorters to Tauernes and Alehouses, geuing themselfes to excessiue drinkyng riotyng, and plaiyng at vnlawfull games, and apply not themselfes chiefly to the study of scripture, teachyng of youthe, or some other honest and Godly exercise.
Whether thei be resident vpon their benefices, and kepe hospitalitie or no: and if thei be absēt or kepe no hospitalitie, whether thei do make due distribucion emonges the poore Parishioners or no.
Whether they hauing yerely to dispēd in spirituall promociōs an. C.l. do not find cōpetenly one scolar in any vniuersitie, or at some grāmer scole, and for asmany. C.l. as euery of them may dispend, so many scolars likewise be founde by them, and what be their names that thei so find.
Whether thei kepe their Chauncelles, Rectories, Vicarages, and all other houses apperteynyng to them, in due reparacions.
Whether thei haue euery lent, required their Parishioners in their confession, to recite their Pater noster, tharticles of our faith, & the Tēne commaundementes in Englishe.
Whether thei haue coūsailed or moued theyr Parishioners, rather to praye in a toungue not knowen, then in Englishe, or to put their truste in any prescribed numbre of prayers, as in saiyng ouer a numbre of beades or other like.
Whether thei haue preached, or caused to bee [Page] preached purely and syncerely the word of God & the faith of christ in euery of their cures, euery quarter of the yere once at the least: Exhortyng their Parishioners to the workes commaunded by scripture, and not to workes diuised by mā nes phantasies.
Whether in their sermōs, they haue exhorted the fathers and Mothers, Masters, and gouernors of youth, to bryng theim vp in some verteous study or occupacion.
Whether thei haue exhorted the people to obediēce to the kynges Maiestie and his officers and to charitie and loue, one to another.
Whether thei haue moued the people to read and heare the scripture in Englishe, & haue not discoraged theim from readyng and hearyng of thesame, suche as be not prohibited so to do.
Whether thei haue declared to their parishioners, that thei ought to knowe and vnderstande the Pater noster, the Articles of our faith, & ten cōmaundemētes in Englishe, before thei should receiue the blessed Sacrament of the aulter.
Whether thei haue taught the people the true vse of Images, whiche is onely to put theim in remembraunce of the Godly and vertoous lifes of them that thei do represent: and haue taught that if thesayed people vse the Images for any other purpose, thei committe Idolatrie, to the greate daunger of their soules.
Whether they haue declared, and to theyr wittes and power haue perswaded the people, [Page] that the maner and kynde of fastynge in Lent & other dayes in the yere, is but a meere posytyue lawe, and that therfore all persons hauing iusie cause of sickenes, or necessitie, or beyng licenced by the kynges Maiestie, maye temperately eate all kyndes of meate without grudge or scruple of conscience.
Whether your Parsonnes, Vicars, and Curates haue shewed and declared vnto you, thee true vse of ceremonies, that is to say: That they be no workers, nor woorkes of saluacyon, but onely outwarde signes and tookens to put vs in remembraunce of thynges, of higher perfection.
Whether thei haue admitted any mā to preache in their cures, not beynge lawfully licenced thereunto, or haue refused or repelled suche too preache, as haue bene so licenced.
Whether they, which haue spoken and declared any thyng for the settingfurth of pilgrimages, fayned reliques, images, or any such supersticion, haue not openly recanted thesame.
Whether they haue one boke or registre sauefely kept, wherin they write the daye of euery weddynge, christeninge, and buriynge.
Whether the kinges Iniunccions wer quarterly red or not.
Whether they haue declared to theyr paryshyoners, that sayncte Markes daye, and the euens of the abrogated holy dayes, should not be fasted.
[Page] Whether the knollynge at the Aues bee vsed.
Whether they haue the procession boke in Englishe, & in their processions vse none other Letany, but that, whiche is setfurthe in thesame boke. And whether thei omitte thesame English Letany at any tyme in their processions: & whether they haue had thesame Letanye as ofte as they were commaunded.
Whether they haue put out of their churche bokes, this woorde Papa, and the name and seruice of Thomas Becket, and prayers hauynge rubricies, conteyning Pardons or indulgences and all other supersticious legendes & prayers.
Whether they bid the beades accordynge to the ordre prescribed by our late souereigne lord kyng Henry the .viij.
Whether they or any of them, haue been admitted to their benefices by Simony, or by any other vnlaufull meanes.
Whether in theyr masses they vse not the collectes made for the Kyng, and make not speciall mencyon of hys Maiesties name in thesame.
Whether they or any of theim, doo kepe mo benefices, and other Ecclesiasticall promocions then they ought to doo, not hauynge sufficient licences and dispensaciōs therunto, and howe many they kepe, and theyr names. ,:,
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WHether you knowe anye person, that is a letter of the worde of God, to be redde in English: So that it bee mekely, humbly, & reuerently done, & without disturbaunce of the people, and by them that haue authoritie thereto.
Whether you knowe any person spirituall or temporall, which doeth let the woorde of God, to be preached, or that the Kinges Iniunctions should not be duely executed.
Whether any persone hath obstinately and maliciously, without a iuste & reasonable cause, broken the laudable ceremonies of the Church, commaunded to be obserued, or supersticiously abused thesame: as in castynge of holy Water vpon theyr beddes and other places, and bearyng about them holy breade, or makyng crosses of woodde vpon Palme Sundaye, or blessyng with the holy Candell, thinkyng therby to put awaye synnes, dryue awaye deuilles, dreames, and phantasies, or puttynge truste or confidence of saluaciō in thesame ceremonies, whereas they be ordeined only to put vs in remembraunce of the benefites, whiche we haue receyued by Christe.
Whether any person spirituall or temporall, kepe the Church holy daye, and the dedication day, at any other tyme, then is appointed by the ordinaunce made in that behalfe by the Kinges Maiestie.
[Page] Whether Matens, Masse, and Euensong, be kept at due houres in the Churche.
Whether any bee braulers, slaunderers, chiders, scolders, and sowers of discorde, betwene one persone and another.
Whether any bee common swearars, or blasphemers of the name of God.
Whether any vse, lewde, vnchast, vnhonest, & filthy communicacion, songes or ballettes.
Whether any doo vse to common, Iangle or talke in the Churche, at the tyme of the diuine seruice, Preachyng, Readyng, or declaryng the worde of God.
Whether any do obstinatly kepe and defend any erronious opinion, contrary to the worde of God, and faith of Christ.
Whether any commit adultery, fornicacion, or incest, or bee common baudes, and receiuors of suche naughtie persones.
Whether you knowe any that vse Charmes, Sorcery, Enchauntmentes, Witchecraft, sothe saiyng, or any other like crafte inuented by the deuill.
Whether you knowe any to be maried within the degrees prohibited by the lawe of God, or that bee separated and diuorced without a iuste cause, approued by the law of God, and whether any suche haue maried again.
Whether the Churche, Pulpit, and other necessary thinges apperteinyng to thesame, be sufficiently repaired.
[Page] Whether you know any to haue made priuie contractes of Matrimony, not callyng twoo or moo thereunto.
Whether any haue maried solempnely without bannes askyng.
Whether you knowe any that haue taken vpon theim, the execution of any mannes testament, or be admitted to the administraciō of the goodes of the dedde, whiche do not duely distribute thesame goodes, accordyng to the trust cō mitted vnto theim, and specially suche goodes, as wer geuen and bequethed, or appointed to be distributed emong the poore people, repairyng of high waies, finding of poore scholars, or mariage of poore maides.
To what vses and intentes, all suche gyftes and bequestes, of cattail, money, and other thynges, as in tymes past wer made, for the findyng of tapers, candelles, or lampes, in the Churche, be now employed, and whether thei be embecilled and withholden, and by whom.
Whether there bee any persones, commonly enfamed of adultrie, fornicacion, common swearyng, blasphemyng the name of God, dronckennesse, Simony, or other notorious crime, whom the bishop, Archedeacon, or other his ordinary, for fauor or feare, haue not corrected accordyngly, although thei haue been sundery tymes presented, and detected in visitacion, or otherwyse lawfully accused.
Whether there be any other primars, vsed by [Page] them that doo not vnderstande Latyn, then the Englysh Prymar, sethfurth by ye kynges Maiestie: And whither they that vnderstand Latin, do vse any other then the latin primar settfurth by lyke aucthoritie.
Whether there be any other Grāmer taught in any schole, within the realme, then that which is setfurth by the kynges Maiestie.
Whether they knowe any alienacion of landes, tenementes, iewelles or goodes, perteyning to the Churche.
For chauntry Priestes.
WHether they be residente on their Chauntries.
Whether they be aydinge and assistynge the persone or Vicar of the Churche, that they be of in the ministracion of ye Sacramentes, and diuine seruice accordingly.
Whether they kepe and perfourme all suche dooles and distribucions to the pore, and other dedes of Charitie, as they are bounde by theyr foundacions to do.
Whether thei be of euil name, fame, or vnhonest conuersacion, fighters, swearars, dronckardes, or incontinent lyuers.
Item, what benefices and how many they haue, besides their Chauntryes, and by what title they do kepe thesame.
¶ Richardus Grafton Regius Impressor excudebat. Cum Priuilegio ad imprimendum solum.