Nov. 12. There was a Bill brought into the K, Edward VI, Houfe of Commons, relating to the Sacrament of

the Altar, which paffed that House on the 17th of the fame Month.

the Sacrament,

This Bill was occafioned by an irreverent Treatment that facred Mystery met with at that Time, from the then growing Sect of the Puritans and others. The Preamble to the Act declares, That fome had difputed and reafoned unreverently and ungodly of that most holy Mystery, and called it by fuch Act relating to vile and unfeemly Words that Chriftian Ears did abhor. The Act forbears to mention them; but fome of the Terms were Round Robin, Jack-in-a- Box, Sacrament of the Halter, &c. because the Wafer was round, and usually kept in a Pix, or Box. The fame Act, in the last Paragraph of it, did injoin the faid Holy Sacrament to be delivered and miniftred to the People in both Kinds, of Bread and Wine; being more conformable, as the Act expreffes, to the common Use and Practice of the Apoftles and primitive Church, by the Space of five hundred Years and more after Chrift's Afcenfion.

Dec. 10. This Bill paffed the Lords, with the Consent of all the Peers, except the Bishops of London, Hereford, Norwich, Worcester, and Chichester, who protested against it.

And to the Con

On the 15th of the fame Month, a Bill for the Admiffion of Bishops by the King's Majefty only, was brought into the Houfe; that is, that Bifhops fhould be placed in their Sees by Collation of the King under firmation of Bihis Letters Patent, without any precedent Election shops. or enfuing Confirmation. By this Act it was fet forth, That the Way of chufing Bishops by Congé d'Eflire was tedious and expenfive, that there was only a Shadow of Election in it, and that therefore Bishops fhould thereafter be made by the King's Letters Patent, upon which they were to be confecrated And whereas the Bishops did exercife their Authority, and carry on Proceffes, in their own Names, as they were wont to do in the Time of Popery; and fince all Jurifdiction, both Spiritual

and

K. Edward VI. and Temporal, was derived from the King, that therefore their Courts and all Proceffes fhould be from henceforth carried on in the King's Name, and be fealed by the King's Seal, as it was in the other Courts of Common Law, after the first of July next; excepting only the Archbishop of Canterbury's Courts, and all Collations, Presentations, or Letters of Orders, which were to pass under the Bishops proper Seals as formerly. Upon this Act great Advantages were taken to difparage the Reformation, as fubjecting the Bishops wholly to the Pleasure of the Court a.

A Subfidy.

On the fame Day another Bill for reading the Scripture was introduced; which will be farther explained in the Sequel.

Nov. 19. A Bill for exercifing Ecclefiaftical Jurifdiction came into the House of Lords; which was, that all Proceffes Ecclefiaftical fhould be made in the King's Name, as in Writs at the Common Law; and all Perfons exercifing Ecclefiaftical Jurifdiction, fhould have the King's Arms in their Seals.

On the 26th ibidem, another Bill was added for erecting a new Court, to be called the Court of Chancery, for Ecclefiaftical and Civil Caufes. The Bill was committed to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishops of London, Durham, Ely, Litchfield and Coventry; the Earls of Arundele and Southampton, the Lord Admiral, and Lord Cobham, Mr. Secretary to the Judges, and others of the King's Council learned in the Laws: But neither of these Bills were paffed into Statutes.

On the 21st, a Bill for a Subfidy of Tonnage and Poundage on Merchandize, called Customs, was brought in; which afterwards paffed both Houses, with a Provifo for the Merchants of the Stilyard. It was granted for the King's Life, and then was rated, the Tonnage at three Shillings on every Ton of Wine; for fweet Wines, fix Shillings; and Twelve-pence for every Aulne of Rhenish. The Poundage was Twelve-pence in the Pound, in Value, of all Goods imported or exported; and

a Burnet, Vol. II. p. 43.

two

1

two Shillings of Aliens for Tin and Pewter ex- K. Edward VI. ported b.

Dec. 12. A Bill was read a fecond Time by the Lords, for fuppreffing Chantries and Colleges. On the 15th it was read a third Time, and paffed that House by the Confent of all the Peers, except the

Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Bishops of Lon- A&t for diffolving don, Durham, Ely, Norwich, Hereford, Worcester, Chantries, &c. and Chichester, who diffented from it. There are two Inftances, in this Day's Proceedings and the Day before, of two or three Lay Lords diffenting from Bills paffing the Houfe, which are the firft we have yet met with in the Journals; but no Protefts are entered against them.

This Bill was afterwards new-modelled by the Commons, and it paffed both Houfes Dec. 24, the Bishops of London, Durham, Ely, Hereford, and Chichefter, then only diffenting. The Purport of it was, That, by this Act, divers Colleges, Chantries, Free Chapels, Fraternities, Guilds, &c. with all their Lands and Goods, were put into the actual Poffeffion of the King. Part of these Goods and Lands being fold at a low Value, enriched many and enobled fome; and thereby, as Sir John Hayward obferves, made them firm in maintaining the Change c.

But, in order to make this remarkable Act the better understood, we fhall fubjoin Mr. Collier's VOL. III. Explanation

P

b Stevens's Hiftory of Taxes, p. 231.

c Life and Reign of Edward VI.

A Chantry was a little Church, Chapel, or particular Altar, in fome Cathedral Church, &c. endowed with Lands or other Revenues, for Maintenance of one or more Priefts, daily to fing Mafs and perform divine Service, for the Ufe of the Founders and fuch others as they appointed.- -Free Chapels were independent on any Church, and endowed for much the fame Purpofe as the former.The Obit was the Anniversary of any Perfon's Death; and to obferve fuch Day, with Prayers, Alms, and other Oblations, was called the keeping the Obit. Anniverfaries were the yearly Returns of the Day of the Death of Perfons, which the Religious regiftered in their Obitual or Martyrology, and annually obferved, in Gratitude to their Founders or Benefactors.. Guild fignifies a Fraternity or Company, from the Saxon Guildan to pay; because every one was to pay fomething towards the Charge and Support of the Company, Jacob's Law Dictionary.

.

K. Edward VI. Explanation of it. That learned Author acquaints us, That Archbishop Cranmer infifted ftrongly against the Diffolution of thefe Chantries, Colleges, &c. or at leaft that it might be poftponed till the King came at Age: That by this Delay the Reafons of the Diffolution would be better answered, and the Lands preferved for the Improvement of the Royal Revenues: That, during his Majesty's Minority, there would be Danger of alienating the Eftates, and wafting the Treasure arifing from the fe Endowments. The Archbishop had likewife a farther View for the Benefit of the Church. The Clergy were much impoverished by impropriated Tythes falling amongst the Laity, which fhould, in all Reafon, have been returned to the Church. Things ftanding thus, Cranmer had no Prospect of retrieving the Misfortune, but by refpiting the Diffolution of the Chantries till the King was a Major. Provided he could make the Matter reft till that Time, he did not queftion the pious Difpofition of this Prince might be prevail'd on to beftow these Foundations upon the Parochial Clergy, who were now lamentably reduced: And thus far, without Doubt, the rest of the above-mention'd Bishops concurr'd with him. But the Courtiers, who push'd the Bill, were acted by different Motives; they wanted Eftates to their new Titles, and had no other Way of fatisfying their Pretenfions than by feizing the Opportunity, and sharing_the Chantry-Lands amongft them, while the Government was in their Hands. When the Bill was fent down to the Lower Houfe, it was ftrongly oppofed by fome of the Members: It was urged, That the Boroughs could not maintain their Churches, nor defray the other Expences of the Guilds and Fraternities, if the Eftates belonging to them were granted to the Crown. The Arguments upon this Head fway'd the Houfe, and brought them towards a Vote against paffing that Part of the Bill in which the Guilds were concerned. The Burgeffes for Lynn and Coventry diftinguifhed themselves moft this Occafion. But thefe active Members were

upon

taken

taken off by the Court-Party, upon an Affurance K, Edward VI. given, that their Guild-Lands fhould be reftored. Thus, dropping their Oppofition, the Bill paffed, and the Promise is said to have been made good by the Protector.

• It hath been already observed these ChantryLands, Colleges, &c. had been granted to the late King, his Heirs and Succeffors. By the Act in the late Reign Commiffioners are named for giving the King Poffeffion; who, when they had enter'd upon any Part of the Lands within their Commiffion, the Statute from that Inftant vefts the King and his Heirs in thofe Eftates: But, as it happen'd, the Commiffioners did not enter into a great Part of the Chantry-Lands in the late King's Time, which was the Reason of making a new Act for this Purpofe in the Reign before us.

And here it may not be improper to acquaint the Reader, that the Endowment of these ChantryLands was for the Maintenance of one or more Priefts, to pray for the Souls of their Founders. Of thefe Chantries and Free Chapels, there were two thousand three hundred and feventy-four. They were commonly united to fome Parochial, Collegiate, or Cathedral Church. The Free Chapels, tho' defign'd for the fame Purpose, were independent in their Conftitution, stood without being annex'd, and were better endow'd. The Colleges exceeded thefe laft Foundations, both in the Beauty of their Building, the Number of Priests, and the Largeness of their Revenues. But now their Fate was determin'd; and to make the feizing of their Eftates better understood, the Statute fets forth in the Preamble, That a great Part of the Superstition and Errors in Chriftian Religion has been wrought in the Minds and Eftimation of Men, by reafon of the Ignorance of their very true and perfect Salvation, through the Death of Jefus Chrift; and by devifing and phantafyng vain Opinions of Purgatory, and Maffes fatisfactory to be done for them who be departed: The which Doctrine and vain Opinion, by nothing more is maintain'd and upholden, than