Almighty God, and the adminiftration of his holy facraments within this church of England, do daily devise, imagine, propound and put in execution fundry new rites and forms in the church, as well by their unordinate preaching, reading, and miniftring the facraments, as by procuring unlawfully of affemblies, and great number of our people out of their ordinary parishes, and from places far diftant (and that alfo fome of our fubjects of good calling, tho' therein not well advised) to be hearers of their difputations, and new devised opinions upon points of divinity, far unmeet for vulgar people: which manner of innovation, they in some places term prophesyings, and in fome other places exercifes. By which manner of affemblies great numbers of our people, especially the vulgar fort (meet to be otherwise occupied, with honeft labour, for their living) are brought to idleness, and feduced; and in manner fchifmatically divided among themselves into variety of dangerous opinions, not only in towns and parishes, but even in fome families, and manifeftly thereby encouraged to the violation of our laws, and to the breach of common order, and finally to the offence of all our quiet fubjects, that defire to live, and serve God according to the uniform orders eftablished in the church: whereof the fequel cannot but be dangerous to be fuffered.

WHEREFORE Confidering it should be the duty of the Bishops, being the principal ordinary officers

in the church of God, as you are one, to see these disorders against the honour of God, and quietness of the church reformed; and that we see that by the encrease of thefe, through fufferance, great danger may enfue, even to the decay of christian faith, whereof we are by God appointed the defender; beside the other great inconveniences, to the Dif turbance of our peaceable government: we therefore according to the authority we have, do charge and command you, as the bishop of that diocese, with all manner of diligence, to take order through your diocefe, as well in places exempt as otherwife, that no manner of public and divine service, nor other form of administration of the holy facraments, nor any other rites and ceremonies, be in any fort used in the church, but directly according to the orders established by our laws: neither that any manner of perfon be fuffered within your diocefe to preach, teach, read, or exercise any function in the church, but fuch as fhall be lawfully approved and licensed, as perfons able for their knowledge, and conformable to the ministry in the rights and ceremonies of this church of England, And where there fhall not be fufficient, able perfons for learning in any cures, to preach and instruct your cures as were requifite, there shall limit the curates to read the public homilies, ac

you

cording to the injunctions heretofore by us given for like cafes.

AND

AND furthermore, confidering for the great abuses that have been in fundry places of our realm, by reafon of the aforefaid affemblies called exercifes; and for that the fame are not, nor have not, been appointed nor warranted by us, or by our laws, we will and ftraitly charge you, that you do cause the fame forthwith to ceafe, and not to be used: but if any fhall attempt, or continue, or renew the fame, we will you not only to commit them unto prison, as maintainers of disorders, but alfo to advise us, or our council, of the names and qualities of them, and of their maintainers and abetters: that thereupon, for better example, their punishment may be made more fharp for their reformation.

AND in these things we charge you to be careful and vigilant, as by your negligence, if we should hear of any perfon attempting to offend in the premises without their correction, or information to us, we be not forced to make fome example in reforming of you according to your deferts.

Given under our fignet at our manor of Greenwich, the 7th day of May 1577, in the XIXth year of our reign.

You

You next appeal to the canons of the church; or rather having put your own conftruction on one of them, you infer in general that "from their a authority likewise it is moft clear that there is no prohibition laid on any member of the church of England for meeting together for religious purpofes, (I quote your own words though they are not very grammatical) provided fuch meeting tend not to the impeaching or depraving the doctrine of the church of England, the book of common prayer, the public peace, nor any part of the government and discipline established in the church." Suppofing this to be the cafe, I believe the meetings which these men frequented, and in which fome of them officiated, will justly come under the above description, and manifeftly tended to the impeaching and depraving the doctrine of the church of England, the book of common prayer, and the government and difcipline of the church.

BUT is this the only canon of the church which relates to the point in question? does not the 71ft canon forbid even ministers to preach, or adminifter the holy communion, in any private house, except it be in times of neceffity; upon pain of fufpenfion for the firft offence, and excommunication for the fecond? Laymen therefore are a fortiori prohibited from prefuming to do either. Nor bare all ministers permitted even to expound any scripture b 49. can.

a P. 13.

or

or matter of doctrine, in their own cure, or elfewhere; but fuch only as have been examined and approved by the Bishop of the diocefe, or licensed. Will you now fay that these meetings in private houses, in which not only minifters, but illiterate laymen take upon them to preach, and expound the scriptures, are not prohibited by, or that the perfons guilty of fuch prefumption do not offend against, the canons of the church? And if they offend against the canons of the church, they certainly incur the penalty of the statutes of the University; which forbid all persons to frequent illicit conventicles under pain of expulfion; and call all fuch conventicles illicit, in which men meet either publicly or privately in a way not allowed by the ftatutes of the realm, or the canons of the church, or the rules of the Univerfity; they are prohibited by the two former, and confequently must be a violation of the latter. Befides, these young men, had they been capable of conftruing the University ftatutes, which they had fworn to obferve, muft have known that all scholars are forbidden to frequent the houses of townfmen, and consequently that meetings held at such houses are not allowed by the rules of the University. And surely in this place there can be no occafion or pretence for fuch religious meetings: there are prayers here in every chapel twice a day; there are fermons at the University church twice every Sunday, and once every holiday; befides other occafional fermons. If this were not fufficient, thofe pious gentlemen might