An humble examination of a printed abstract of the answers to nine reasons of the House of Commons, against the votes of bishops in Parliament. Printed by order of a committee of the honourable House of Commons, now assembled in Parliament.

EXAMEN.

The Bishops (so assisted) could not hinder? Nay ra∣ther they could not hinder the Lawes made against the Pope, & Strangers. For, the more the Pope en∣croached, the more our Bishops smarted under those Vsurpations, and groaned under the many & continuall heavy taxes whereby all the Clergy of England were impoverished in their Estates, and the Bishops much curbed in their Iurisdictions. He should shew himselfe an egregious Igna∣ro to the Stories of those times, that should require Instances hereof, there being so many, much elder than Edward the third: Matthew Paris and sundry other Historians abound herein. There∣fore I will content my selfe with only one instance in the reigne of Hen 3.

In his time the exactions & pollings of the Cler∣gy and Kingdome were found to be yearly 60000

Markes, which, at that time, exceeded the Kings owne Revenues. No benefice, or dignity belong∣ing to the Nobility, Clergy, or Gentry, not many pertaining to the King himselfe could bee void, but the Popes Provisors were ready to seize on it instantly for some of his Creatures, Italians and o∣ther forraigners. The Bishops fretted, but durst not complaine. When the King saw their timorous∣nes, and the whole Kingdome heightned up to such a degre of discontent, that they threatned to cast off their obedience to the King, if he tooke not order to case them; a Parliament was called; the King, the Nobility, Prelates, Commons, all complained of the unsupportablenesse of the burden; drew up their greivances into seaven severall Articles; foure letters were conceived and sent with these greivan∣ces to the Pope; one from the Bishops, a second from the Abbots, a third from the Nobility and Com∣mons, and the fourth from the King himselfe; but, to little purpose. The Pope still went on, although sometimes more favourably, and other times more violently, as the times would suffer.

No marvell then, if Bishops and Abbots in Par∣liament were so willing to be over-borne by the votes of the temporall Lords in passing the Statute of Provisors of benefices, in 25. Edw. 3. and against suitors to the Popes Consistory, and receiving of Cita∣tions from Rome in 38. Ed. 3 And against the farming of any Benefices enjoyed by Aliens by the Popes Col∣lation, or conveing of mony to them. 3. Ric. 2, 3. And against Going out of the Realme to procure a Benefice in this Realme in 12, Ric. 2.15. And for confirmation of the Statute de provisoribus among the Statutes

called Other Statutes made at Westminster. in 13. Ric. 2. ca. 2. The like may be said of the Statute of Pro∣vision in 2. Hen, 4.4 of first fruites to Rome more than usuall. 6 H. 4.1 Of moneys carryed to Rome, and con∣firmation of all Statutes against Provisors &c. 9. Hen. 4 8. To say nothing of that famous Statute in 26. Hen. 8.21. which gave the Pope a deeper wound than all the Acts that had been before.

Now, alas poore Bishops that they were so o∣ver-voted that they could not hinder such Lawes as those, made in their favour, and for the rescuing of them from the Italian horse-leeches! No doubt the Bishops laboured stoutly to withstand these Acts: and therefore no marvaile that they be so carefully instanced in, or pointed unto by the An∣swerer, to shew how easily Bishops may bee over-voted in Parliament and how soon emergent exor∣bitancies of their Iurisdiction may be there curbed & redressed. Or rather indeed to shew how unable Bishops bee to withstand the passing of a bill which they desire with all their hearts may bee enacted, or which they know the King wil have to be enacted. But otherwise, I cannot understand his reason in vouching of them: unlesse he meant to make his Readers some mirth. See now how hee winds up this long Answere.

Notes

• Antiq Britan. ex Mat. Paris. in Bonifac.
• The letters Articles are set downe at large in Math. Paris. in Hen. 3. pag 927. &c. edit. Lond. Anno. 1571.