Articles to be inquired of vvithin the dioces of Ely in the first visitation of the R. Reverend Father in God Matthevv, Lord Bishop of Ely.

Chap. 7. Concerning the Parishioners.

DO any in your Parish prophane any Sunday or Holyday, by any unlawful gam∣ing, drinking, or tipling in Tauernes, Innes, Tobacco-shops, or Alehouses, in the time of Common Prayer or Sermon; or by working, or doing the work of their trades and Occupations? Do any in your Parish buy or sell, or kéep open their Shops, or set out any wares to be sold on Sundayes or Holydayes by themselues, their seruants, or apprentises; or haue they any other wayes prophaned the said dayes? And hath the Kings Declaration concerning the lawfull sports and recreations béene published a∣mong you, yea or no. If so, when was it done, in what manner, and by whom?

2 Is the fifth day of November obserued and kept in your Parish, with Prayer and Thanksgiuing unto God, in such forme, as is by publike Authority appointed for the day? Is the 27. day of March also well and duely obserued? are the Bels usually rung in ioy of those dayes? Do any in your parish take vpon them (in such publike manner) to obserue any other dayes in the yéere but these two?

3 Is there any in your Parish that hath béene heard to impugne or speake against the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England, or the lawfull use of them; or to affirme by word or writing, that the forme of making and Consecrating Bishops, Priests and Deacons, or any thing therin contained, is repugnant to the word of God or that the Government of this Church under his Maiesty by Arch-bishops, Bishops, and other Ecclesiasticall Officers is Antichristian? Or hath spoken reproachfully, or disgracefully of the Kings Maiesties Courts Ecclesiasticall, or of the procéedings thereof?

4 Haue yon any in your Parish, that doe come to the Sermon only, and not to di∣uine Service; or which use to come late to Church, and to depart from Church before the Blessing be given, wherewith they are to be dismissed at the end of Seruice? Or that doe not reuerently behaue themselues entring into the Church, and during the time of diuine Seruice? Do all (both men and women) deuoutly knéele, when the Ge∣nerall confession of sinnes, the Letany, the ten Commandements, and all Prayers and Collects are read, as well as Baptismes, Mariages and Burialls, as at other parts of the diuine Seruice? Do all vse due and lowly reuerence, when the blessed name of the Lord IESUS is mentioned: and stand vp when the Articles of the Créed are read? Doe anymen couer their heads in the Church, (vnlesse it be for infirmity, in which case they may only weare coifes or night-caps,) or then and there giue themselues to bab∣ling, talking, or walking, and are not attentiue to the Prayers and Hymnes, and to heare Gods word read and preached? Doe all say Amen audibly, and make such o∣ther answers both in the Letany, and all other parts of diuine Seruice, as by the rule of the Common Prayer booke, are to bée made by the people?

5 Do any within your Parish, men or women, being sixtéene yéeres of age and up∣wards, or any other, lodging or commonly resorting to any house in your Parish, wil∣fully absent themselues, from your Parish Church or Chappell, vpon Sundaies and Ho∣lydayes and other dayes appointed, at morning and euening Prayers, or refuse to re∣ceive the Communion. or perswade others from comming to Church, or receiuing the holy Communion?

6 Haue you any popish or puritanicall Recusants in your Parish, that bée of insolent behauiour, not without publike offence; or that do boldly b••esse themselues in perswad∣ing seducing or withdrawing others, either abroad, or in their owne families from the Religion established in the Church of England? And how long haue the said po∣pish or puritanicall Recusants obstinately abstained, either from diuine Seruice, or from the Communion? Whether of any long time, or of late only?

7 Are there any in your Parish, who do absent themselves at any time from your owne Church, and do resort to any other Parish or place to heare other Preachers? Or are there any in your Parish, that do communicate, or that doe baptize their chil∣dren in any other Parish? Or doe the Parishioners of any other Parish resort vnto your Church? how long haue they done so? and vpon what occasion or licence?

8 Is there within your Parish or in any Parish néere you that you know of, in any house or family, any one that is called or reputed a Chaplaine, or that is known or suppo∣sed to haue entred into holy orders? Or any that liue there in imployment as a Schol∣ler? Present there names if there bée any such, and how long they haue béene there, and his name in whose house they kéepe.

9 Is there any in your Parish, who do refuse to haue their children baptised, or them∣selves to receive the Communion, at the hand of your Minister, because he is no Prea∣cher, or doth not edifie in their phansie?

10 Doth any maried woman within your Parish, after child-birth neglect to come to Church according to the booke of Common Prayer to giue thanks to God for her safe deliuerance, valled in a decent manner, as hath béen anciently accustomed? doth she also come to Church at or néere the beginning of diuine Seruice that day, and when the thanksgiuing for her is to bée said, doth she goe and knéele in some conueni∣ent place nigh to the Table, (but without the inclosure) while the Priest standing within, by her, giueth thanks for her? And doth she then offer her accustomed offe∣rings, and receiue the holy Communion, if there be one?

11 Are there within your Parish or thereunto resorting, any players on Stage, or with Puppits, or any Musitians; Fidlers, Rimers, or Iesters, which do vse any pro∣phane or filthy passages, in their songs, spéeches, or gestures, to the dishonour of God,

abuse of Scripture, or the corrupting of good manners; or which doe publish any thing scandalous to the Church, or reproachfull to the holy Clergie?

12 Do you know of any man or woman, that hath abused their Parson, Vicar, or, Curate, or any other that is in holy Orders, with contumelious words, or unciuill ge∣stures or déeds, or behaued themselues rudely towards them? Or that haue reproach∣ed either the mariage or the single life of Priests, or haue said, or done any thing else that did redound to the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 or dishonour of their persons or of their holy function and calling?

13 Haue you any in your parish that are commonly known, or reputed to bée blas∣phemers of Gods holy name, common and vsuall swearers, drunkards, vsurers, filthy speakers, adulterers, fornicators, incestuous persons, bawdes, concealers of fornicators or adulterers? Haue any in your parish béene detected of such notorious crimes, and what penance haue they done for the same?

14 What corporall punishment for any such, or any other offence, hath béen com∣muted and changed into a pecuniary mulct or summe of money, by any Ecclesiasti∣call Iudge exercising iurisdiction within this Dioces, what was the summe of money by any of them so receiued and taken, and to what vses was the same imployed? And vpon such Commutations, was the vnfained repentance of the delinquent published in the Church? And hath Commutation béen granted to one and the same party aboue once, for any crime of the same kind

15 Do all Fathers, Mothers, Masters, and Mistresses, cause their children, seruants and apprentises to come to the publike catechizing on Sundayes and Holydayes, to be instructed and taught therein? And those that do not their duties herein, in not send∣ing them to it, or not duly comming, or not learning and answering, you shall present their names?

16 Haue any in your Parish receiued or harboured any woman begotten with child out of wedlock, and suffered her to depart without punishment first inflicted on her by the Ordinarye You shall truly present as well the party harbouring, as harboured; and who is suspected to be the father of the child?

17 Is any person or persons suspected or detected héertofore of incontinency, and therefore departing out of your parish for a season, now returned againe? Or in what place else is he or she now abiding to your knowledge, or as you haue heard? You shall not faile to present the whole truth in that behalfe, as far as you know?

18 Do all your parishioners, of what sort soeuer, receiue the blessed Sacrament, thrice euery yéere at least, and when they do receiue it, doe they all according as the Church expresly them commandeth, draw néere, and with all Christian humility and reverence come before the Lords Table? And not (after the most contemptuous and vnholy usage of some, if men did rightly consider) sit still in their seates or pewes, to haue the blessed Body and Blood of our Sauiour go up and down, to séeke them all the Church ouer?

19 Are there any deceased in your parish, whose last Wills and Testaments haue not yet béene proued? or did they dye intestate? And if so, who hath taken vpon him the administration of their goods, and whether by lawfull authority from the Or∣dinary, or without? What be the names of such deceased, and of their Executors and Administrators?

20 What persons bée excommunicated in your parish, and for what cause to your knowledge? And how long haue they stood excommunicate? And do any of them, not being absolued, presume to be present in the Church at diuine Seruice? And do any familiarly use the company of such as do obsturately stand excommunicate, knowing the same; and what be their names?