A booke of certaine canons, concernyng some parte of the discipline of the Churche of England In the yeare of our Lord. 1571.

Chauncellors, Commissaries. and their Officials.

EVery Chauncellor, Commissary and officiall, shalbe learned in the ecclesi∣asticall and ciuil lawes, and such one as is twenty and sixe yeres olde, and hath taken some degrée in the scholes for lear∣ninges sake, and is reasonably well practised in course of law, touching whose lyfe and ma∣ners, no euill reporte be heard. Besides, euery one of these either shall be in the ministerie, or if he be not, yet shall he be well affected, and zea∣lously bent toward religion, and such he shall openly and freely shew himselfe, and before he enter his office, he shall take an othe of the au∣thoritie and supremacy of the Prince, and also shall subscribe to the articles of religion allow∣ed in the conuocation of Bishops.

None of these, neyther Chauncellor, Com∣missary nor Officiall shal proceede in examina∣tion of matters vnto the sentence of excommu∣nication, but onely in causes of instances. In matters of correction, they shall doe all other things which lawfully they may and are wont to be done.

But the sentence of excommunication they shall leaue onely to the Byshoppe, which either he himselfe shall pronounce, or shall commit the pronouncing therof to some graue man, which is in the ministerie. After that he hath geuen sentence, he shall also adde, for a warning and terror to the people, a certaine order of wordes 〈2 pages missing〉〈2 pages missing〉

vpon in the conuocation, and wheresoeuer the Byshop shall commaunde, shall declare hys conscience to the people, what he thynketh of those articles, and the whole doctrine. And he beyng once admitted into the holy ministery, shall from thencefoorth neuer departe from it, nor shall vse himselfe as a laye man, eyther in apparell, or in any part of his lyfe.

Euery Parson, Vicar, or Curate shall year∣ly before twenty dayes after Easter, exhibite to the Bishop, or to his Chaūcellor or Commis∣sary, the names and surnames of his parisho∣ners, as well men, as women, (of those I say) which beyng fourtene yeares of age, come not to the holy Communion (as by the statutes and ecclesiasticall lawes of thys Realme, they are bound) & such as refuse to be examined by the minister of the church, in learnyng the Cate∣chisme, and articles of christian religion, and what parentes or maisters thincke scorne to sende theyr children or seruauntes to churche, at the tymes appoynted, to heare and learne the same Catechisme. They shall suffer none to vndertake for an Infante at Baptisme, except he haue receiued the Communion, and haue bene partaker of the holy misteries, and he shal admit none to the partaking of the sacramēts, which hath not learned the Catechisme, and articles of the fayth.

Euery sonday and holiday, the parsons, vi∣cars, and curates, shall come to the churche so timely and conueniently in due season, that the

parishioners hauyng done theyr busines, may come thether w^t their children & seruantes. And there they shall reuerently, (as it is fit) & god∣ly say or sing the holy seruice, so plainly, so ma∣nifestly, & distinctly, that the people may heare & vnderstand, what is sayd or song, & therof re∣ceaue comfort and commoditie. The lyke re∣uerence and godlynes they shall obserue in ce∣lebratyng the most holy Sacramentes, so that they turne not to superstition, or worshipping, or Idolatrie. But if that in tyme of the holy Communion there shalbe no sermon, they shall on the booke in the pulpit read some one, or o∣ther of those homelies, which we haue to that end set foorth before. In the meane tyme they shall exhorte the people, to come diligently to Church, that they attentiuely heare that which is read and sayd, and that all the tyme there∣of, they vse themselues reuerently and modest∣ly: and least the godly may be offended tho∣rough wantonnes and lightnes, voyde of reli∣gion, they shall take heede that young men, especially contreymen, (whose nature is more prone to the contempt of godlines, and to disor∣der) neyther ryng belles, neyther walke in the churches, nor haue idle talke together, nor by laughing, or noyse, or vnhonest iesting, eyther let the minister, or offend the people.

They shall admonish the people to come oftner to y^e holy Cōmunion, & that before, they prepare themselues w^t a perfect minde, as it is fit. And that all may vnderstand, what duty they owe

to God: what dutie to the Prince whome they ought to loue & reuerence as the vicar of God: what they owe to the lawes, what to the ma∣gistrates, what to their brethren, what to the people of God: they shall be ready in the church straight after noone, euery sonday & holyday, & there at the least, they shall read two houres, and teach the catechisme, and therein shall in∣struct all theyr flocke, of what age or degree so∣euer, not onely maydens and children, but also the elder, if neede be. But especially they shall warne young folkes, not onely men, but also women, that it is prouided by the lawes, that none of them may either receiue the holy com∣munion, or be maried, or vndertake for a childe in Baptisme, except before, they haue learned the principles of Christen religion, and can fit∣ly and aptly aunswere to all the partes of the Catechisme.

But if the parsons, vicars, or curates, either can not preache, or haue not receiued licence to preach of the Byshop, yet they shall teach chil∣dren to read, to write, and know theyr duty to∣ward God, toward theyr parentes, and also o∣thers: and if they perceaue any of them to be of that disposition, that by teachyng and instruc∣tion, they may attayne to the knowledge of learnyng, they shall counsell theyr parentes, to set them to schole, that beyng endewed wyth learnyng, they may one day become fit for the holy ministery of the mighty God: but whome they perceaue to be duller, and not disposed to

learnyng, to see them set to some other science, or to husbandrie.

They shall also warne their parishioners, that for great and weightie causes it was ap∣pointed in the cōuocation by the Reuerend fa∣ther in God, Matthew Archbyshop of Canter∣burie, and the other bishops, that children mary not, without consent of the parentes, and that no young man hath power in hymselfe to con∣tract mariage, before he be xvj. yeares of age, and no mayde before she be xiiij. yeares olde.