VIII. of which, they had granted sundry immunities, faculties, HENRY licenses, &c. to the king's subjects. It is therefore enacted, that all bulls, briefs, faculties, and dispensations, of what natures or qualities soever, obtained of the bishop of Rome, or any of his predecessors, are declared void and of no force, and never to be used, allowed, or pleaded, in any courts of the realm, under the penalty of a præmunire. And here by way of remedy, and to prevent inconveniences, all marriages solemnized before the twenty-third of November, in the twenty-sixth year of this reign, not prohibited by the law of God, and where no divorce had passed upon them in the spiritual courts, are declared good in law. All consecrations of bishops, promotions of abbots, and other heads of religion, &c. by virtue of such bulls are confirmed. And for the future, all who enjoyed any privileges or interests upon the score of such papal authorities, were to bring their faculties to the masters of Chancery, or to such persons as the king should nominate. And if the persons appointed for this purpose shall judge their faculties such as may be lawfully granted by the archbishop of Canterbury, that then they were to make application to the lord chancellor, who was to pass the substance of their faculties under the great seal." This act struck at the privileges of exempted abbeys; and unless they could get their privileges renewed in Chancery, brought them under the jurisdiction of their ordinaries: but the juncture was critical, and they were glad to acquiesce for fear of a greater misfortune. The Journal Cromwell norandus Thomas Generalis. On the ninth of June, this year, the convocation met. And 1536. now Cromwell, lately made a baron, and lord privy seal, ap- of Conecu peared among the prelates, and by the strength of his vicar-tion styles generalship took place of the archbishop of Canterbury. The only Hofigure that Cromwell made in this assembly was somewhat sin- Magister gular, especially since he had neither birth, learning, nor cha- Cromwell, racter to bear him out. "For an ignorant layman," says Vicarius bishop Godwyn, "to preside in a synod of the most learned June 16. bishops that ever were in England, was but a scandalous sight. DeformiIf this function could have been executed by one of the laity, tulis spectaculo, &c. the king would have done much better in person, than by such Godwin, a proxy." However, Cromwell had courage enough to support his commission: and represented the king up to all the points of state and ceremony. He appeared first in the upper house June 16. by his proxy doctor Petre, who claimed precedency, and had it, Fol. 63. Annal. p. 59. CRAN MER, upon the score of his deputation. About a week after CromAbp. Cant. Well came thither himself, and exhibited the divorce between the king and Anne Boleyn, to be signed by the convocation. This instrument passed and was subscribed by both houses. June 28. A remonstrance of the lower house of against several erroneous tenets. On Friday following, Mr. Gwent, the prolocutor, laid a book of erroneous opinions before the bishops: it was delivered with a protestation of the lower house against the heterodoxies publicly preached and printed, requesting that order might be taken to check the progress of such dangerous tenets. The protestation stands at the head of the list; and runs thus: "In very humble and reverend manner, with protestation that we, the clergy of the lower house, in the province of Canconvocation terbury, neither in word, deed, or otherwise, directly or indirectly intend any thing to speak, attempt, or do, which in any manner of wise may be displeasant unto the king's highness, our most dread sovereign lord and supreme head of the Church of England; but in all things according to the command of God to be most obedient to his grace, to whom accordingly we submit ourselves, minding in no wise by any colourable fashion, to recognise privily or apertly the bishop of Rome, or his usurped authority, or in any wise to bring in, defend, or maintain the same into this noble realm, or the dominions of the same. But that the same bishop of Rome, with his usurped authority, utterly for ever, with his inventions, rites, abuses, ordinances, and fashions, to be renounced, forsaken, extinguished and abolished: and that we sincerely addict ourselves to Almighty God and his laws, and to our said sovereign lord the king, our supreme head in earth, and his laws, statutes, provisions, and ordinances, made here within his grace's realm. We think in our consciences and opinions these errors and abuses following to have been, and now to be, within this realm, causes of dissension, worthy special reformation." 120. Now follows a recital of the errors: "1. That it is commonly preached and discoursed to the slander of this noble realm, the disquiet of the people, and to the hinderance of their salvation, that the sacrament of the altar is not to be regarded: for several profane and scandalous persons are neither ashamed nor afraid to say, 'Why should I 1 see the sacring of the high mass? Is it any thing else but HENRY a piece of bread, or a little pretty round robin?' "2. Item. They deny extreme unction's being a sacrament. "3. Item. They affirm that priests have no more authority to administer the sacraments than the laity. "4. That children ought not to be confirmed by the bishop till they come to years of discretion. "5. Item. That all church ceremonies not expressly warranted in Scripture, are human inventions, and for that reason to be laid aside. "6. That all those deserve the character of Antichrist, who refuse to communicate the laity under both kinds. “7. That all who are present at the mass, and do not receive with the priest, have no benefit by that office. "8. That the Church, in the common acceptation of the word, is the old synagogue; and that, properly speaking, the Church consists only of good people. "9. That it was never merry in England since the Litany was brought into the service, and Sancta Maria, Sancta Catharina, &c., sung and repeated. "10. That a man has no such faculty as freedom of will. "11. That God never gave grace or understanding in the Scriptures to men of quality or fortune and that such persons never govern themselves by such directions. “12. That all monastic distinctions are a plain contradiction to the Christian religion. "13. That all things ought to be common: and that priests should marry. The convocation complains, "14. That preachers will not conform themselves to the Catholic Church, nor be governed by unexceptionable authorities, but resign themselves to the liberty of their own imaginations. The following heterodoxies are censured. "15. That no reverence ought to be paid to the images of the saints and that it is downright idolatry to light lamps or tapers before an image, or to have any lights at Divine service till after sunset. "16. That it is idolatry to make any oblations. "17. That it is as lawful to christen a child in a tub at home, or in a ditch in the field, as in a church font. "18. That the font is only furnished with conjured water. 1 Sacring, consecrating. VIII. CRAN- "19. That the holy oil is no better than the grease or Abp. Cant. butter in the pope's kitchen. "20. That the tonsure of priests is a mark of the whore of Babylon. "21. That the stole about the priest's neck is the bishop of Rome's rope, and nothing better. "22. That it is a breach of God's command for Christians to make a reverence or curtsy to our Saviour's picture. "23. That it is no fault to eat meats prohibited by the Church in Lent. "24. That it is as lawful to eat flesh upon Good-Friday as Easter-day, or any other time. "25. That a sin committed in Lent, or at any other solemn season, deserves nothing of extraordinary punishment. "26. That auricular confession, absolution, and penance, are neither necessary nor beneficial. "27. That auricular confession is only a practice to unlock a man's breast, and rob him of his thoughts and money. "28. That a ghostly father has no authority to enjoin penance. "29. That confession to God alone is sufficient for any body. "30. That we may as well confess to a layman as to a priest. "31. That confession is nothing but whispering in a priest's ear, and may be done as well before company as privately. "32. That in this case it is sufficient for the penitent to say, he owns himself a sinner. "33. That bishops, ordinaries, and ecclesiastical judges, have no authority to excommunicate or absolve. "34. That it is neither necessary nor serviceable to have churches or chapels for Divine service. "35. That burying people in churches and church-yards is insignificant, and to no purpose. "36. That rich ornaments in churches are rather displeasing than acceptable to God Almighty. 37. That it is pity, mass, matins, vespers, or any other part of Divine service, was ever made, or suffered to be read or sung in a church: their reason is, because they tend only to impose upon the people. "38. That the saints are not to be honoured with invoca 6 tion that they understand nothing of our prayers, nor are in HENRY a condition to mediate between God and us. "39. That our Lady the blessed Virgin was no better than another woman, and that she can prevail with our Saviour no more than another sinful person of her sex. "40. That it is no more purpose to pray to the saints, than to throw a stone against the wind. "41. That all recommending prayers and offices, such as Diriges, masses, distributions of charity, &c., for the souls of those departed, signify nothing. "42. That at the commencement of the state of separation, the soul goes immediately either to heaven or to hell. "43. That there is no third place, distinct from heaven or hell, for the punishment of departed spirits. "44. That if there be such a place as purgatory, our Saviour was never incarnate. "45. That prayers, suffrages, fasting, and alms, have no efficacy to dispose God to forgiveness. "46. That venial and mortal, with respect to sins, is a chimerical distinction. "47. That after the conversion of a sinner, all sins are by the merits of Christ's passion made venial, that is, are wholly forgiven. "48. That Almighty God does not require fasting or alms of a sinner, but only that he should be sorry for what is past, and reform his practice. "49. That holy water, holy bread, hallowing of candles, ashes, branches of palm, and such ceremonies, are altogether insignificant, and used only as amusements to delude the people. "50. That holydays of ecclesiastical institution are not to be regarded for all days are alike, and a man may go to plough and cart on those solemn festivals as well as at any other time. "51. That the saying or singing of mass, matins, or vespers, is no better than roaring and whistling, masquerading and leger-de-main and the playing on the organs nothing but levity and folly. "52. That going on pilgrimages, fasting, and giving of alms are not to be used; and that a man is not bound to come to Church excepting to hear the sermon. VIII. 121. |