ADVERTISEMENT I CAN confidently say that this is a Book which will, and indeed must, be received as a great boon by English Churchmen. The plan on which it is conceived, the selection of documents which it contains, and the way in which they are arranged and edited, are alike very good; and the result is a practically most useful volume. I hope that it will be received as it deserves. W. OXON. Feb. 14, 1896. a 3 PREFACE THIS volume of 'Documents Illustrative of English Church History' has been compiled in order to meet a want frequently felt by students who desire to see for themselves the text of the more important documents referred to in the course of their reading. It was obviously impossible, within a limited space, to include all such documents; but we hope that we have given at least the majority of those of primary importance which are of a later date than the Norman Conquest. Our meagre selection prior to that date is to be accounted for by the fact that our original scheme was to include nothing earlier than the year 1066; but, on the suggestion of Dr. Bright, Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Oxford, we have inserted a few more ancient documents which are intimately connected with the great landmarks in our early Church history. In making our selection we have considered not only general theological students, but also those who may desire to acquaint themselves more fully with Church history at the chief constitutional epochs. We have, therefore, given a particularly large number of documents belonging to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. We have not, as a rule, inserted the post-Reformation canons and articles of religion; not merely because of their length, but on account of their being contained in such books as Hardwick's History of the Articles, and Walcott's Canons of the Church of England, which are readily accessible works. We have printed, in most cases, from originals or nearly contemporary copies, but we have not gone behind Haddan and Stubbs' Councils and Ecclesiastical Documents, the volumes in the Rolls Series, or the official edition of the Statutes of the Realm. With regard to the last, we have however, in cases of doubt, referred to the manuscript source from which they were printed. We have thought it best to translate documents written in Latin or Norman French, and have modernized the spelling of those written in English. We desire to return our sincere thanks to the Bishop of Oxford, to Dr. Bright, and to Archdeacon Perry for most kindly advising us as to the list of documents we proposed to include in this volume. To the Bishop of Oxford we are further indebted for reading over the proof-sheets, and for his numerous and deeply valued suggestions thereon. HENRY GEE. W. J. HARDY. |