The humble and earnest request of Thomas Iames, Dr of Diuinity, and subdeane of the Cathedrall Church of Welles, to the Church of England; for, and in the behalfe of bookes touching religion

THE HVMBLE AND EARNEST REQVEST OF THOMAS IAMES, Dr OF DIVINI∣TY, AND SVB DEANE of the Cathedrall Church of Welles, to the Church of England; for, and in the behalfe of Bookes tou∣ching Re∣ligion.

1 THat the Latine-Fathers workes, (whereof di∣uers are already done)

the Bookes of Councels, and the body of the Canon Law, may be diligently reviewed and com∣pared With the best Manuscripts; and the Collections and need∣full obseruations thence-from arising, printed; together with the pieces and fragments of the Fathers workes (if any shall be found.)

2 That the Latine Translation of the Greeke Fathers may be collationed by able and fit per∣sons, by reason of diuerse Chri∣stophorsons and Iesuits, that haue too-too much abused the igno∣rant of the tongue.

3 That the Jndices: Expurga∣tory

may be likewise perused, all of them, as many as can be got∣ten, the places forbidden to be transcribed, of which labour there is a third part at the least already taken either by me, or my procurement.

4 That Lyra and the Glosse, the Great Bibliotheea sanctorum Pa∣trum, Platina, Caietan, Alphonsus de Castro, and sundry others of all sorts of Authors, may be compared with former Editi∣ons, and Manuscripts (if need be) to meet with their secret Jndi∣ces Expurgatorii, which are the more dangerous, because they print, and leaue out what they

list, at pleasure, and yet make no words of it, neither haue any Commission knowne for to doe it.

5 That the Authors of the middle age, that wrote in the de∣fence of that Religion, which is now (thankes be to God) pub∣likely established in the Church of England, for the substance thereof, may be faithfully trans∣cribed, diligently collated, & di∣stributed into volumes, where∣of many may be made of or∣thod oxe-writers;; if not so ma∣ny as of their Bibliotheca Patrum Probabilium: adding hereunto such Writers, as being bred and

brought vp in the bosome of the Roman Church saw the dis∣orders, discouered their abuses both in doctrine and manners, and wished almost for the same reformation, that was after∣ward most happily wrought & brought to passe by Martin Lu∣ther and his companions: of the first sort are Wickliffe, Pea∣cocke, Gu. de S. Amore, Jo. P. Mi∣••orita, Normannus Anon, Nic. O∣••em & sundry others: of the La∣ter kinde, Wesselus, Wicelius, P. de Alliaco, Faber, Gerson, Cusa∣rius, and such like.

6 That the Catalogus testium veritatis, compiled by Illyricus,

may be rectified out of the ori∣ginals, quoting Booke, Chap∣ter, & Edition; & supplyed out of the vnprinted Manuscripts.

7 That out of all these an An∣ticoccius may be framed out of Fathers, and middle-aged Writers, that were in their times estee∣med of the Church of Rome, and out of them onely: nothing doubting but we shall be able to match, if not exceed, his two large Volumes both in greatnes and goodnesse; quoting as be∣fore, precisely, our Editions, and doing all fide optima & antiqua, religiously and vnpartially as becommeth Diuines.

8 That the supposititious and Bastard Workes of the Fathers, noted by Doctor Rivet, or Ma∣ster Cooke, or any other, may be re-examined; their exceptions scanned or weighed with indif∣ferency, & other reasons added to their challenge, if any shal be found.

9 That the suspected places may be viewed in the true Fa∣thers, which are justly challen∣ged of corruption, either by our own men, or the aduersary, with the like indifference of minds, and vnpartiality of judgments, being cōpared with the touch∣stone of the old Manuscripts, and

printed bookes, which are quasi Manuscripts.

Tenthly and lastly, the per∣petuall Visibility of the Church, more or lesse, and the History of the same Religion that we professe for the substance there∣of, throughout all ages, may be shewed to the Eye, noting when those Novelismes & su∣peradditaments of the Church of Rome, came in as neare as may be guessed, the time when, and parties by whom they were op∣posed.

All vvhich 10 Propositions, (needfull and important as they are) I doe vvillingly commend

vnto my deare Mother the Church of England, and from her to the Cleargie & Gentry of this Land, to be proceeded in, as they shall see it most expedient for the common good; promi∣sing nothing but my paines to be commanded in these pub∣lique seruices. And I make no doubt (if God vvill) but that all this may be effected, vvithin some fevv yeares, if the Al∣mghty giue grace, the Rich vvhom God hath blessed vvith this vvorldly substance, incou∣ragement; & the rest their pray∣ers. Of the likelihood hereof I am the rather persvvaded, be∣cause

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already by my ovvne meanes, and small endeauours, there is almost a fourth part of the Worke done in all these 10 Articles. If one alone may doe so much vvithin such a time, vvhat may a dozen able Schol∣lers (such as I knovv and could name) doe vvithin 5, 6, 7, or 8 yeares, vvhich is the vtmost in my conjecture?

For the raising of the char∣ges, vvhich vvill amount to three thousand pound Stock, or three hundred pound a yeare at the least, (so much shal vvell cō∣tent both me and them,) that shall be imploied in this happy

Worke: (though if more be of∣fered, vve knovv vvell hovv to vse and imploy it to the pub∣lique benefit:) and of raising such a summe as this is, I doubt not, if some one of the Cleargie or Laitie shal not take vpon him the whole charge, as many in this Kingdome are (thankes be to God) able, and would be willing, if they either knew of the good that is likely to come vnto the Church, or the Honor vnto themselues, and chiefly how much this busines doth concerne the glory of God, the assuring of the most materiall points controverted, whiles

there are daily questions made, & doubts arising either about the Editions, Readings, Trans∣lations, Corruptions of whole Bookes in Pseudepigraphous Writers, or of diuers hundreds of places in the True Bookes, all which difficulties will easily be auoided (as I trust) by this one Worke being once well done. But that such a Stocke or annuall rent may be made, I doubt not; but am somewhat confident, when I see how fruit∣full our Religion hath bin of good Workes, and how many Suttons and Bodleyes, and other godly men it hath yeelded, no

Nation more: and herein no ci∣ty, (I except not Rome her self) without the hope of pardon, guile of Confessours, and feare of Purgatory, is able to match or equalize, much lesse to surpasse or exceed our fa∣mous City of London in the right vse and end of giuing as tokens of our Faith, not as the meanes of our saluation. What shall I speak of the Sages of our Law, or Innes of Court? but my desire is, and proposall shall be to offer this great Honour, first vnto the Cleargie of this Land. The Popish Cleargie in France haue (as I am informed) at their

owne charges printed the Greek Fathers, & shall not we be pro∣uoked to doe the like for the Latine, and many things else that import the Weale Pub∣lique of Learning? Twelue pound out of euery Diocese one with another, from the Cathe∣drall Churches, the Reuerend Bi∣shops and Cleargie, will make vp the sūme; or if euery one of the Cleargie of this famous Church, will either giue yearely xij^d, or but lend ij^f, till any thing be printed, he shall haue the same againe with thankes, (if it be de∣manded,) deducted out of the Booke, when any thing shall be

printed; I meane this xij^d or two shillings of euery hundred pound, they making their own estimates of their liuings, and paying the same halfe yearely to the Register of euerie Diocese. But my intent is to desire, & not to prescribe vnto my Superiours, who know better then I how to manage so weightie and im∣portant a busines, resting theirs

Wholly to command T. I. S. T. P. B. P. N.