[XIV.] And further, our will and pleasure is that you or six of you, as aforesaid, shall name and appoint one other sufficient person to gather up and receive all such sums of money as shall be assessed and taxed by you or six of you as aforesaid, for any fine or fines upon any person or persons for their offences: and that you or six of you, as aforesaid, by bill or bills signed with your hands, shall and may assign and appoint as well to the said person for his pains in recovering the said sums, as also to your messengers and attendants upon you for their travail, pains and charges to be sustained for or about the premises or any part thereof, such sums of money for their rewards, as by you or six of you, as aforesaid, shall be thought expedient: willing and commanding you or six of you, as aforesaid, after the time this our commission expired, to certify into our court of exchequer as well the name of the said receiver as also a note of such fines as shall be set or taxed before you; to the intent that, upon the determination of account of the said receiver, we be assured of that, that to us shall justly appertain: willing and commanding also our auditors and other officers, upon the sight of the said bills signed with the hand of you or six of you, as aforesaid, to make unto the said receiver due allowances according to the said bills upon his accounts. [XV.] Wherefore we will and command you, our commissioners, with diligence to execute the premises with effect; any of our laws, statutes, proclamations or other grants, privileges or ordinances, which be or may seem to be contrary to the premises, notwithstanding. [XVI.] And more, we will and command all and singular justices of the peace, mayors, sheriffs, bailiffs, constables and other our officers, ministers and faithful subjects, to be aiding, helping and assisting, and at your commandment in the due execution hereof, as they tender our pleasure, and will answer to the contrary at their utmost perils. [XVII.] And we will and grant that these our letters patents shall be a sufficient warrant and discharge for you and every of you against us, our heirs and successors, and all and every other person or persons whatsoever they be, of and for or concerning the premises or any parcel hereof, of or for the execution of this our commission or any part thereof. Witness the Queen at Westminster, the 19th day of July. 173. Ordinance of the Star Chamber for the (1566. Prothero, 168, 169.) *** or bring into I. THAT no person should print the realm printed any book against the force and meaning of any ordinance contained in any the statutes or laws of this realm or in any injunctions, letters patents or ordinances set forth by the Queen's authority. II. That whosoever should offend against the said ordinances should forfeit all such books, and from thenceforth should never exercise * the feat of printing; and to sustain three months' imprisonment. * III. That no person should sell, bind or sew any such books, upon pain to forfeit all such books and for every book 205. IV. That all books so forfeited should be brought into Stationers' Hall, and all the books so to be forfeited to be destroyed or made waste paper. * V. That it should be lawful for the wardens of the [Stationers'] Company * * to make search in all workhouses, shops * ** and other places of printers, booksellers and such as bring books into the realm * * ; and all books to be found against the said ordinances to seise and carry to the Hall to the uses above said and to bring the persons offending before the Queen's Commissioners in causes ecclesiastical. VI. Every stationer, printer, bookseller * should enter into several recognizances of reasonable sums of money to her Majesty that he should truly observe all the said ordinances Upon the consideration before expressed and upon the motion of the Commissioners, we of the Privy Council have agreed this to be observed and kept * * * At the Star-Chamber the 29th of June 5, 1566 174. Act against bringing Decrees of the Pope into England WHERE (1571. 13 Elizabeth, c. 2. Prothero, 60-63.) WHERE in the parliament holden at Westminster, in the fifth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lady the Queen's Majesty that now is, by one Act and Statute then and there made, entitled, An Act for the assurance of the Queen's Majesty's Royal Power [&c.] it is among other things very well ordained and provided, for the abolishing of the usurped power and jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome That no person shall maintain, defend, or extol the same usurped power, or attribute any manner jurisdiction, authority or preeminence to the same to be used within this realm * upon pain to incur the penalties provided by the Statute of Provision and Præmunire *** : and yet nevertheless, divers seditious and very evil-disposed people *** minding, as it should seem, very seditiously and unnaturally, not only to bring this realm and the imperial crown thereof (being in very deed of itself most free) into the thraldom and subjection of that foreign, usurped, and unlawful jurisdiction [&c.] claimed by the said see of Rome; but also to estrange and alienate the minds and hearts of sundry her Majesty's subjects from their dutiful obedience, and to raise and stir sedition and rebellion within this realm * have lately procured and obtained to themselves from the said Bishop of Rome and his said see, divers bulls and writings, the effect whereof hath been and is to absolve and reconcile all those that will be contented to forsake their due obedience to our most gracious Sovereign Lady the Queen's Majesty, and to yield and subject themselves to the said feigned, unlawful and usurped authority; and by colour of the said bulls and writings, the said wicked persons very secretly and most seditiously, in such parts of this realm where the people for want of good instruction are most weak, simple and ignorant, and thereby farthest from the good understanding of their duties towards God and the Queen's Majesty, have by their lewd and subtle practices and persuasions, so far forth wrought, that sundry simple and ignorant persons have been contented to be reconciled to the said usurped authority of the see of Rome, and to take absolution at the hands of the said naughty and subtle practisers, whereby hath grown great disobedience and boldness in many, not only to withdraw and absent themselves from all divine service * **but also have thought themselves discharged of all obedience to her Majesty, whereby most wicked and unnatural rebellion hath ensued, and to the further danger of this realm is hereafter very like to be renewed, if the ungodly and wicked attempts in that behalf be not by severity of laws in time restrained and bridled: For remedy and redress whereof, and to prevent the great mischiefs and inconveniences that thereby may ensue, be it enacted that if any person, after the first day of July next any place within this realm ment coming, shall use or put in use in any such bull, writing, or instruof absolution or reconciliation * * or if any person after the said first day of July shall take upon him, by colour of any such bull* * or authority, to absolve or reconcile any peror if any person within this realm, son after the said first day of July, shall willingly receive any such absolution or reconciliation; or else, if any person have obtained since the last day of the parliament holden in the first year of the Queen's Majesty's reign, or after the said first day of July shall obtain from the said Bishop of Rome strument any manner of bull or in or shall publish or by any ways or means put in use that then every such act any such bull shall be deemed by the authority of this Act to be high treason, and the offenders therein, their procurers [&c.] * *shall be deemed high traitors to the Queen and the realm; and being thereof lawfully indicted and attainted according to the course of the laws of this realm, shall suffer pains of death, and also forfeit all their lands [&c.] as in cases of high treason by the laws of this realm ought to be forfeited. IV. And be it further enacted, that all aiders [&c.] of any the said offenders, after the committing of any the said acts shall incur the penalties contained in the Statute of Præmunire V. Provided always shall conceal the same within six weeks then *that if any person to whom any such absolution * ** or instrument as is aforesaid shall, after the said first day of July, be offered and not disclose and signify the same next following, to some of the Queen's Majesty's Privy Council, or else to the President or Vice President of the Queen's Majesty's Council established in the north parts, or in the marches of Wales that then the same person so concealing the said offer *shall incur the penalty of misprision of high treason. VII. And be it further enacted, that if any person shall at any time after the said first day of July bring into this realm of Eng land * any thing called by the name of an Agnus Dei, or any crosses, pictures, beads or such-like vain and superstitious things, from the Bishop or see of Rome, *** and that if the same person so bringing in as is aforesaid such Agnus Dei and other like things, as be before specified, shall deliver * * the same to any subject of this realm * * to be worn or used in any wise that then as well the same person so doing, as also every other person which shall receive the same, to the intent to use or wear the same, being thereof lawfully convicted and attainted by the order of the common laws of this realm, shall incur the penalties ordained by the Statute of Præmunire and Provision IX. And be it further enacted, that all persons which at any time since the beginning of the first year of the Queen's Majesty's reign have brought *** into this realm any such bulls [&c.] and now have any of the same bulls [&c.] in their custody, and shall within the space of three months next after the end of any session or dissolution of this present parliament deliver all such bulls [&c.] to the bishop of the diocese where such absolution hath been given and received * and shall publicly before such bishop confess their offence therein and humbly desire to be restored to the Church of England, shall be clearly pardoned and discharged of all offences done in any matter concerning any of the said bulls [&c.] touching such absolution or reconciliation only; and that all persons which have received any absolution from the said Bishop of Rome * * since the said first year of the reign of our said Sovereign Lady the Queen, and shall within the said space of three months next after any session or dissolution of this present parliament, come before the bishop of the diocese of such place where such absolution or reconciliation was had or made, and shall publicly before the same bishop confess *their offence therein, and humbly desire to be restored, and admitted to the Church of England, shall be clearly pardoned and discharged of all offences committed in any matter concerning the said bulls, [&c.] touching only receiving such absolution or reconciliation; * * * |