cern the confession of the true Christian faith and the doctrine of the sacraments, comprised in a book imprinted, entitled 'Articles whereupon it was agreed by the Archbishops and Bishops of both provinces and the whole clergy in the Convocation holden at London in the year of our Lord God 1562 [&c.] put forth by the Queen's authority'; and that if any such person or persons being convented before you or any three of you, as is aforesaid, for any such matters, shall persist therein or not revoke his or their error, or after such revocation eftsoons affirm such untrue doctrine, then to deprive from all promotions ecclesiastical all and every such person and persons so maintaining or affirming or persisting or so eftsoons affirming as is aforesaid. [XI.] And because there is great diversity in the persons that are to be called before you, some of them dwelling far off from you, some being fugitives, and some to be charged with grievous crimes and faults, the speedy redress whereof is most requisite and therefore more speedy, effectual and straiter process than by your letters missive is required in most of those cases; We, for the better execution and furtherance of our service here, do give full power and authority unto you or three of you [quorum as before] to command all and every our justices and other officers and subjects within this our realm, in all places as well exempt as not exempt, by your letters to apprehend or cause to be apprehended any person or persons which you shall think meet to be convented before you, to answer to any matter touching the premises or any part thereof; and to take such sufficient bonds to our use as you or three of you [quorum as before] shall by your letters prescribe for his or their personal appearance to be made before you or three of you, as aforesaid, and so to attend as appertaineth. And in case any such person or persons so apprehended be not able or will obstinately refuse to give sufficient bonds to our use for his or their personal appearance before you, as aforesaid, then we will that in our name you or three of you [quorum as before] give commandment to such justices [&c.], under whose charge he or they so to be convented afore you shall happen to remain, either for the bringing him or them before you, either else to commit him or them to ward or other safe custody, so to remain until you or three of you [quorum as before] shall further order for his or their enlargement. [XVI.] And where also we are informed there remaineth as yet still within this our realm divers perverse and obstinate persons which do refuse to acknowledge the jurisdiction, power, privilege, superiority and preeminence, spiritual and ecclesiastical, over all states and subjects within this our realm and other our dominions, which is given to us by virtue of the aforesaid two acts, the one entitled 'An Act' for restoring to the Crown the ancient jurisdiction [&c.],' and the other entitled An Act 2 for the assurance of the Queen's Majesty's royal power [&c.]'; We therefore do assign, depute and appoint, and by these presents do give full power and authority and jurisdiction to you or three of you, whereof you the Archbishop of Canterbury or the Bishops of London, Winchester, Ely, Worcester, Norwich, Chichester or Rochester for the time being to be one, to tender or minister the oath expressed and set forth in the said Act entitled 'An Act for restoring [&c.]' to all and every archbishops, bishops and other persons, officers and ministers ecclesiastical and also to every other person or persons appointed or compellable by either of the said acts to take the said oath, of what state, dignity, preeminence or degree soever he or they be, and to receive and take the said oath of the said persons and every of them, according to the tenor, form and effect of the said acts or either of them; willing and requiring you or three of you, as aforesaid, after the refusal or refusals of the same oath by any person or persons aforesaid made, to certify us accordingly under the seals of you or three of you, as aforesaid, the refusal to take the same oath, and of the names, places and degrees of the person or persons so refusing the same oath, before us in our court commonly called the King's Bench, [XVIII.] And that, for the better credit and more manifest notice of your doings in the execution of this our commission, our pleasure and commandment is that unto your letters missive, processes, decrees, orders and judgments from or by you or any three of you to be awarded, sent forth, had, made, decreed, 1 Stat. I Eliz. c. I. 2 Stat. 5 Eliz. c. I. given or pronounced at Lambeth or London, you or three of you, as aforesaid, shall cause to be put and affixed a seal engraved with the rose and the crown over the rose, and the letter E before and the letter R after the same, with a ring or circumference about the same seal, containing as followeth; Sigil Comissar: Reg: Ma: ad Caus. Ecclesiast. . . . At Gorambury, the 23rd day of April, in the 18th year of our reign. State Papers (domestic), Eliz. cvIII. 71. (e) The Commission of 1601 2. [I.] Elizabeth [&c.] to the most reverend father our right trusty and well-beloved counsellor, John Lord Archbishop of Canterbury... Sir Thomas Egerton Knight, Lord Keeper of our great seal of England... Thomas Lord Buckhurst, Knight of the noble Order of the Garter and Lord high treasurer of England, and to the reverend fathers, our right trusty and wellbeloved, the Bishops of London, Winchester, Ely, Rochester, Lincoln, Hereford, Worcester, Norwich, Chichester, Gloucester, Exeter, Salisbury and Peterborough, for the time being [and to 38 others] greeting. [II.] Whereas in our Parliament summoned to be holden at Westminster the 23rd day of January in the first year of our reign. . . by one Act then made and established, entitled 'An Act restoring to the Crown the ancient jurisdiction [&c.],' amongst other things it was established and enacted [&c.]. . . ... [III.] We therefore for sundry good weighty and necessary causes and considerations us thereunto especially moving, of our mere motion and certain knowledge, by force and virtue of our supreme authority and prerogative royal and of the said Act, do assign, name and authorize by these our letters patents under our great seal of England you the said John Archbishop This copy, being signed by the Queen, appears to be the original. The Commission is incorrectly printed in Strype's Life of Grindal; Appendix, No. VI. This Commission, besides reciting the Statutes 35 Eliz. caps. I and 2, in addition to those previously recited, and empowering the Commissioners to execute them, sums up in § III the powers conferred upon the Commissioners in terms rather more sweeping than those previously used. Otherwise the commission differs in no important particular from that of 1576. of Canterbury [&c.] or any three or more of you (whereof you the said John Archbishop of Canterbury [and 31 others named] to be one), being all our natural born subjects, from time to time and at all times during our pleasure, to exercise... under us all manner of jurisdictions, privileges, and preeminences in any wise touching or concerning any spiritual or ecclesiastical jurisdiction within these our realms of England or Ireland or any other our dominions or countries... At Westminster, the third day of February [a. r. 43]. Rymer, Fœdera, XVI. p. 400. (f) Ecclesiastical Commission for Wales, 1579. causis ecclesiasticis in Wallia. Elizabeth by the grace of God, &c. to our trusty and right well-beloved Sir Henry Sydney, Knight, Lord President of our Council within our principality and marches of Wales, and to the reverend father in God, John Bishop of Worcester, Vicepresident of the same council [and 18 others] greeting. Whereas we are given to understand that divers and sundry disorders and misbehaviours, as well in causes ecclesiastical as other, have been committed and done by divers evil-disposed persons, as well spiritual as temporal, and are very likely daily to increase, to the pernicious example of all our loving subjects inhabiting and dwelling within our principality and marches of Wales, except some speedy remedy be had for reformation thereof; know ye therefore that we, having special trust and confidence in your approved wisdoms and fidelities, have assigned, nominated and appointed you to be our commissioners, and by these presents do give full power and authority unto you... or four of you, whereof ye the said Lord President or Bishop of Worcester shall be one, to enquire, not only by the verdict of twelve good and lawful men but also by all other good and lawful means whatsoever, of all misdemeanours, misbehaviours, trespasses and offences whatsoever, and them to see reformed and amended from time to time according to such articles of instructions as ye shall receive from our Privy Council in writing signed with six of their hands, and the offender or offenders to punish according to the orders of our R laws set down in the same instructions, or otherwise according to former injunctions published by us heretofore concerning causes ecclesiastical. Wherefore we will and command all and singular our justices of peace. . . and all other our officers, ministers and subjects to be aiding... you in the due execution of this our commission as they tender our pleasure and will answer to the contrary at their uttermost perils. [Dated] Westminster, June 13. Patent Roll, 21 Eliz. part 7. 29. Proceedings in connexion with the appointment of a bishop. (1) The congé d'élire. De licentia eligendi pro episcopo Eliensi. Regina, &c., dilectis nobis decano et capitulo ecclesiae nostrae cathedralis Eliensis salutem. Cum ecclesia nostra cathedralis praedicta per legitimam inde remotionem Thomae ultimi episcopi ibidem jam sit pastoris solatio destituta, Nos alium vobis eligendi in episcopum et pastorem licentiam per praesentes duximus concedendam, mandantes quod talem vobis eligatis in episcopum et pastorem, qui sacrarum literarum cognitione ad id munus aptus, Deo devotus, nobisque et regno nostro utilis et fidelis ecclesiaeque praedictae necessarius existat. In cujus rei, &c. Teste Regina apud Westmonasterium xviii die Julii [1559]. Rymer's Fœdera, XV. · P. 537. Trusty and well-beloved, we greet you well. Whereas the bishopric of Hereford is now void by the death of the late incumbent of the same, we let you wit that, calling to our remembrance the virtue, learning and other good qualities of our trusty and well-beloved Herbert Westphaling, D.D., we have thought good, by these our letters, to name and recommend |