Articles to be inquired of by the church-wardens and sworne-men, in the ordinarie visitation of the reuerend father in God, Lancelot Lord Bishop of Elie, within the Diocesse of Elie, Ann. 1613. Church of England. Diocese of Ely. Bishop (1609-1619 : Andrewes). 1613 Approx. 25 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 7 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2009-03 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). B00011 STC 10196 ESTC S92330 52633219 ocm 52633219 174022 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. B00011) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 174022) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 2114:36) Articles to be inquired of by the church-wardens and sworne-men, in the ordinarie visitation of the reuerend father in God, Lancelot Lord Bishop of Elie, within the Diocesse of Elie, Ann. 1613. Church of England. Diocese of Ely. Bishop (1609-1619 : Andrewes). [12] p. Printed by Cantrell Legge., At Cambridge, : 1613. Printers' ornaments, t.p. and at end; initial. Reproduction of original in: Jesus College (University of Cambridge). Library. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Visitations, Ecclesiastical -- England -- Early works to 1800. 2008-01 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2008-01 SPi Global Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2008-02 Pip Willcox Sampled and proofread 2008-02 Pip Willcox Text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-09 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion ARTICLES To be inquired of by the Church-wardens and sworne-men , in the ordinarie visitation of the Reuerend Father in God , LANCELOT Lord Bishop of ELIE , within the Diocesse of Elie , Ann. 1613. AT CAMBRIDGE Printed by Cantrell Legge . 1613. The tenor of the Oath of the Church - wardens and sworne-men . YOu shall sweare , that vpon due consideration of these Articles giuen you in charge , you shall present euery such person of or within your Parish , as you shall know to haue committed any offence , or omitted any dutie mentioned in any of these Articles , or which are publikely defamed , or vehemently suspected of any such offence or negligence . So helpe you God by the contents of his holy Gospell . Articles . Touching the Church . WHETHER is your Church or Chappell , with the Chauncell thereof , and euery part of either of them , well and sufficiently repaired , the windowes well glased , the floares paued plaine and euen , without dust , or any thing noisome or vnseemely ? 2. Whether is your Churchyard well fenced with walles , rayles , pales , as hath beene accustomed : if not , whose default is it ? 3. Whether hath there beene any fighting , chiding , brawling , or quarrelling , any plaies , feasts , temporall Courts or Leets , lay Iuries , musters , or other prophane vsage in your Church or Churchyard : any bels superstitiously rung on holy dayes or their Eues , or at any other time , without good cause allowed by the Minister and Churchwardens : haue any trees beene felled in your churchyard , and by whom ? 4. Whether is the mansion house of your Parson , Vicar , or Curate , with all the buildings therunto belonging , your Parish Almes-house , and church house sufficiently repaired , maintained , and to godly and their right vses employed ? 5. Whether haue you in your church the Bible in the largest volume , the booke of common prayer lately authorised by his Maiestie , the books of Homilies allowed , the two Psalters , a conuenient pulpit for the preaching , a decent seat for the minister to say seruice in conueniently placed , a strong chest with an hole in the lidde , and three locks and keies , one for the Minister , the other for the Churchwardens , for the Almes of the poore , and the keeping of the Register booke of the Christenings , mariages , and burials ? 6. Whether haue you in your Church a Font of stone for baptisme , set in the auncient vsuall place , a decent table for the Communion conueniently placed , couered with silke or other decent stuffe in time of diuine seruice , and with a faire linen cloath ouer that at the administration of the Communion ? 7. Whether haue you all such bells , ornaments , and other vtensils as haue aunciently belonged to your Church , a communion cup of siluer with a couer , a faire standing pot or stoope of pewter or purer mettall , for the wine vpon the communion table , a comely surplesse with sleeues , a Register booke of parchment for christenings , marriages , and burials , booke for the name of all strange preachers , subscribed with their names , and the name of the Bishop or others where they had licence ? 8. Whether is your almes for your poore quarterly at the least distributed by you the church-wardens and the Minister in the presence of sixe of the chiefe Parishioners to your poore ? And are weekely the names and surnames of all persons married , christened , and buried , and of their Parents , with the day and yeare , entred in your said parchment booke , and is euery leafe beeing full , subscribed by you the Minister and churchwardens ? 9. Whether are the tenne commandements set vp in the east ende of the church , and other chosen sentences of holy Scripture vpon the wals in conuenient places : are all your seates in your church in good repaire , cleanly kept , conueniently placed , and the Parishioners in them , or elsewhere orderly set , and is there no contention or striuing for any seat or place among them ? Touching the Ministrie , Seruice , and Sacraments . WHether is the common prayer said or sung by your Minister both morning & euening distinctly & reuerently , euery Sonday and holy-day and on their Eues , and at conuenient and vsuall times of those dayes , and in most conuenient place of the church for the edifying of the people ? 2. Whether doth your Minister obserue the orders , rites , and ceremonies prescribed in the booke of common prayer , in reading the holy Scriptures , prayers , and administration of the Sacraments , without diminishing , in regard of preaching or any other respect , or adding any thing in the matter or forme thereof ? 3. Whether doth your Minister on wednesdayes and fridaies , not being holydaies , at the accustomed houres of seruice resort to the church and say the Letanie prescribed , and doth your clarke or sexton giue warning before by tolling of a bell on those dayes ? 4. Whether doth your Minister as oft as he administreth the communion , first receiue it himselfe . Whether doth he vse any bread or wine newly brought , before the words of institution be rehearsed , and the bread and wine present on the table , doth he not deliuer the bread and wine to euerie communicant seuerally ? 5. Whether doth your Minister giue warning publikly in the church at morning prayer the Sonday before hee administreth the communion for the better preparation of the parishioners ? 6. Whether hath your Minister admitted to the communion any notorious sinner openly knowne or defamed , or any who hath openly and maliciously contended with his Neighbour , before repentance and reconciliation made and done by appointment of the Ordinarie ? 7. Whether hath your Minister admitted to the communion any church-warden or Side-man , who hath wittingly and willingly neglected , contrarie to his oath , to present any publike offence or scandall , beeing mooued to present either by some of his neighbours , the Minister , or his Ordinarie ? 8. Whether hath your Minister administred the Communion to any but such as kneele , or doe any refuse to kneele : hath he administred to any who refuseth to be present at Publike prayer : or who hath depraued the Booke of common prayer , administration of the Sacraments , or the Rites and Ceremonies prescribed , or the Articles of Religion agreed vpon , or the Booke of ordering Preists and Bishops ; or against his maiesties Supremacie ; or haue any beene for these causes repelled , and haue they repented in writing , or otherwise , and what be their names ? 9. Whether hath your Minister more Benefices then one , if he haue , how farre distant are they , how often is he absent in the yeare : when he is absent , hath he an allowed preacher for his Curate ? 10. Whether is your Minister an allowed Preacher , if he be , doth he euery Sunday in your church , or some other neere adioyning , where no Preacher is , preach one Sermon euery Sunday ? 11. Whether doth your Minister beeing no Preacher allowed , presume to expound the Scripture in his owne Cure , or else where doth he procure euery moneth a Sermon to be preached in his cure by Preachers lawfully licensed , and on euery Sunday when there is no sermon , doth he or his Curate read some one of the Homilies prescribed ? 12. Whether is your Curate allowed by the Ordinarie , vnder his hand and seale , to serue for your cure , and whether doth he serue two churches or chappels in one day ? 13. Whether doth your Minister in saying the publike prayers , and administring the Sacraments , weare a decent surplesse with sleeues , and beeing a graduate , doth he weare therewith a hood , by the order of the Vniuersities , agreeable to his degree ? 14. Whether hath your Minister or any other Preacher in your church , preached any thing to confute and impugne any Doctrine deliuered by any other Preacher , and hath he and they praied for Christs catholike church , as is prescribed by the canon ? 15. Whether hath or doth any preach in your church , which refuseth to conforme himselfe to the Lawes , Rites , and ordinances established , or which hath not first shewed a sufficient licence ? 16. Whether doth your Minister in his sermons , foure times in the yeare at the least , teach and declare the Kings Maiesties power within his Realmes to be the highest power vnder God , to whom , all within the same owe most loyaltie and obedience , and that all forraine power is iustly taken away ? 17. Whether doth your Minister euery sunday and Holyday , halfe an houre before euening prayer or more , examine and instruct the youth in the ten commandements , the Beleefe , the Lords prayer , and the catechisme set forth in the Booke of common Prayer ? 18. Whether hath your Minister maried any which haue not bin three seuerall Sundayes or Holidayes asked in your Church in the time of Diuine seruice , without licence , and hath he with licence or without married any , wherof neither dwelt in your Parish , or with any licence but only from the Bishop of Elie , or his Chancellers , or from his grace of Canterbury ? 19. Whether hath your Minister with licence or without , married any at any other times then betweene the houres of Eight and Twelue in the fore-noone , or in any priuate house , or when there is no licence , before their Parents and Gouernours ( the parties beeing vnder the age of 21. yeares ) haue testified their consents ? 20. Whether doth your Minister declare to the people euery Sunday at the time appointed , what Holydaies and fasting-dayes be the weeke following ? doth he beeing a Preacher , conferre with all Recusants and persons Excommunicate or suspended ? beeing no Preacher , doth he procure a sufficient Preacher to reclaime them thereby ? 21. Whether doth your Minister keepe a Note of all persons excommunicate , and once euery sixe moneths doth he denounce them which haue not obtained their absolution , on some Sunday in seruice time , that others may be admonished to refraine their company ? 22. Whether doth your Minister hauing notice giuen him , diligently visit the sicke ( the Disease not beeing infectious , ) doth he instruct and comfort them , doth he then mooue them to make their Testaments , and remember the poore , and other workes of charitie , and the passing Bell tolling , doth he then neglect his last dutie ? 23. Whether hath your Minister refused to baptize any Childe brought to the Church vpon any Sunday or holiday , or to burie any Corps brought into the Church or churchyard , or to church any women hauing had conuenient warning thereof ? 24. Whether hath your Minister beeing truely enformed of the danger of death of any Infant vnbaptized , and beeing desired to goe to the place where the child is , to baptize it , neglected to goe , by meanes whereof the child died vnbaptized ? 25. Whether doth your Minister at any time preach or administer the Communion in any priuate house , except when any are so impotent that they cannot goe to Church , or verie dangerously sicke ? 26. Whether hath your Minister held or appointed any publik fast , or beene present at such , doth he or any other in your Parish hold any lecture or exercise , or attempt by fasting or prayer , or otherwise , to cast out any Deuills , without the licence of the Bishop vnder his hand and seale ? 27. Whether hath there beene any secret conuenticles or meetings in your parish by any Priest , Ministers , or others , tending to the deprauing of the forme of prayer , doctrine , gouernment of the Church ? 28. Whether doth your Minister in his iourney , weare a cloake with sleeues called a preists cloake , without gards , welts , long buttons , or cuts ? 29. Whether doth your Minister weare a wrought night-cap abroad , or a peccadilly , with a broad falling band , or doth hee weare any cut or pinckt apparell , doth he in publike goe in his Dublet and Hose , without a coat or cassocke , and doth he weare any light coloured stockings ? 30. Whether doth your Minister resort to any Tauerns or Ale-houses , except for his honest necessities , or doth hee boord or lodge in any such place , doth he vse any base or seruile labour , drinking , ryot , dice , cards , tables , or any other vnlawfull games ? is he contentious , a hunter , hawker , swearer , dauncer , suspected of incontinencie , or giue euill example of life ? 31. Whether is there in your parish any Minister or Deacon , who hath forsaken his calling , vsing himselfe in his course of life as a gentleman or other lay man ? Touching Schoole-masters . WHether haue you in your Parish any Schoole-master , who teacheth either in publike Schoole , or priuate house , doth he giue any euill example of life , is he allowed by the Ordinarie , or doth your Minister or Curate teach , and is he allowed in like manner ? 2. Whether doth your Minister or Schoolemaster , who teacheth , teach the catechisme by authoritie set forth , doth he when there is any sermon or diuine seruice , bring his Schollers to church , & see thē quietly and soberly ordered , doth he examine them after their returne what they haue learned of the sermon ? 3. Whether doth he at other times teach them such sentences of holy Scripture as may induce them to godlinesse , doth he teach the Grammar set forth by King Henrie the eight , continued by King Edward the sixt , and Queene Elizabeth ? 4. Whether hath he spoken , writ , or taught against any thing whereunto he formerly subscribed , as the Kings supremacie , the Articles of religion , Booke of common prayer , or any thing therein contained ? Touching the Parish Clarke and Sexton . WHether haue you a Parish Clarke sufficient for his place , of the age of 20 , yeares at the least , is he of honest conuersation , can he read , write , and sing , is he diligent in his office , and seruiceable to his Minister , and not giuen to ouermuch drinke ? 2. Whether doth your Clarke meddle with any thing aboue his Office , as churching of women , burying of the dead , reading of Prayers , or such like ? 3. Whether doth your Clarke or Sexton , keep your church cleane , the doors safe locked , is any thing by his default lost or spoiled in the church , doth he suffer vnseasonable ringing , or any prophane exercise in your Church ? 4. Whether doth your Clarke or Sexton , when one is passing out of this life , neglect to toll a Bell hauing notice thereof : or the partie beeing dead , doth he suffer any more then one short peale , and before his buriall one , and after the same another ? 5. Whether doth any of your Parish , refuse to pay vnto the Parish Clarke or Sexton such wages as are vnto them due , and haue been accustomably paid ? Touching Parishioners . WHether hath any in your Parish spoken against , or any way impugned the Kings Maiesties supremacie in causes Ecclesiasticall , the Truth and Doctrine of the Church of England , the forme of Gods worship contained in the booke of common praier , and administration of the Sacraments ? 2. Whether hath any in your Parish spoken against or impugned the Articles of religion agreed vpon in An. 1602. the Rites , and ceremonies established in the Church , the gouernment by Archbishops , Bishops , Deanes , Archdeacons , and others that beare office in the same ? 3. Whether haue any in your parish spoken against or impugned the forme of making and consecrating Bishops , Priests , or Deacons , or haue any separared themselues from the societie of the congregation , and combined in a newe Brotherhood , or depraued the Synod lately held by the Kings authoritie ? 4. Whether hath any in your parish maintained or defended any such Ministers or Schoolemasters as refuse to subscribe to the order of the Church , haue they affirmed that such Ministers , and their adherents may make rules and orders in causes Ecclesiasticall , without the Kings authoritie ? 5. Whether doth any in your parish prophane , violate , or mispend the Sabbath , or holy daie , or any part of them , vsing any offensiue conuersation , or worldly labour in those dayes , or any of them ? 6. Whether hath any in your Parish in the time of diuine seruice couered his head , albeit he hath an infirmitie , in which case a cap or night-quoife is allowed , or is there any who hath not reuerently kneeled when the generall confession , Letanie , and other prayers are read , and which haue not stood vp at the saying of the beleefe ? 7. Whether hath any in your Parish disturbed the seruice or Sermon by walking , talking , or any other way , or departed out of the church during the seruice or Sermon without some vrgent cause , or loitered about the church or church porch ? 8. Whether doth all parishioners receiue the holy communion thrise euery yeare at the least , whereof the feast of Easter to be one , and haue all beeing of the age of 16. yeares , dulie receiued , or not ? 9. Whether hath any Parent beene vrged to be present or admitted to answeare as Godfather for his owne childe , or hath any Godfather or Godmother made any other answer or speech then is prescribed by the Booke , or haue any beene admitted for such at Baptisme , who haue not first receiued the communion ? 10. Whether doe all Fathers , Mothers , masters , mistrisses come , and cause their children , seruants , & apprentises to come duely to the church , and according to the ministers direction to be instructed and catechised , or who be they that haue not obeyed the minister herein ? 11. Whether haue any persons married together within the degrees of consanguinitie or affinitie prohibited , set forth in a table , appointed to be placed in euery church , or haue any married or contracted themselues vnder the age of 21. yeares , without the consent of their Parents or Gouernours , if their Parents be dead ? 12. Whether haue any persons , once lawfully married , forsaken each other , or doe liue asunder without the authoritie of the Ordinarie , or doe any beeing diuorsed or separated , marrie againe , the former wife or husband yet liuing ? 13. Whether haue any beene married in the times wherein marriage is by law restrained , without lawfull licence , viz. from the Saturday next before Advent Sunday , vntill the Fourteenth of Ianuarie : and from the Saturday next before Septuagesima Sunday , vntill the Monday next after low Sunday : and from the Sunday before the Rogation weeke , vntil Trinitie Sunday ? 14. Whether hath any of your Parish vnreuerētly vsed your Minister , or haue any laid violent hands vpon him , or disgraced his Office and calling , by word or deed ? 15 Whether haue you in your Parish any dweller or soiournour , a maintainer of Popish Doctrine , or suspected to keepe scismaticall books , or to fauour any heresie or errour ? 16. Whether haue you any common resorters to your Church , which are not of your parish , or doe any such receiue the Communion amongst you : what be their names , and of what parishes are they ? 17. Whether haue any in the time of seruice opened their shops , exercised their trade , vsed any gaming , beene in any Tauerne , or Alehouse , or otherwise ill imployed ? 18. Whether are there in your parish any Adulterers , Fornicators , incestuous persons , bawdes , receiuers , close fauourers , conueyers away , or which suffer to depart any incontinent person vnpunished , any blasphemers , common swearers , drunkards , ribauds , vsurers , malitious slanderers , scolds , or sowers of discord , or any defamed of the said crimes ? 19. Whether doe any in your parish administer the goods of the dead without authoritie , or suppresse their will or Testament , haue any Executors neglected to performe their Wills , especially in paying of Legacies giuen to the church , to the poore , or to any other charitable , or godly vses ? 20. Whether doe any refuse to pay to the reparations , ornaments , and other things required in your church , as they are ceassed by a lawfull vestrie , or any dwelling out of your Parish , which hold land in your Parish ? 21. Whether hath any person suspended or excommunicated , beene suffred co heare diuine seruice , or the Sermon , to receiue the Sacraments , to be maried or churched , or haue any Excommunicants beene buried in christian buriall ? 22. Whether haue any in your Parish beene christened , churched , buried , or receiued the communion , or been maried out of your church , both parties dwelling in your parish ? 23. Whether haue all women in your parish deliuered of child , come at conuenient time after to church to giue thanks , and haue they beene churched according to the forme of the Booke of common prayer ? 24. Whether hath the preambulation of the circuit of your Parish beene obserued once euery yeare , if not , whose default is it ? 25. Whether haue any in your parish giuen the churchwardens , or sidemen , or any of them euill words for doing their dutie , according to their oath and conscience in making presentment for any fault ? Touching Churchwardens and Swornemen . WHether doe any in your Parish take vpon them to be churchwarden or side-man , which is not lawfully chosen by the Minister , & Parishioners according to the canon , or do any continue that office longer then one yeare , except they be chosen againe , and are all such Officers chosen yearely in Easter weeke ? 2. Whether doe your churchwardens within one Moneth at the most after their yeare ended , before the Minister and Parishioners giue vp a iust account of all such money , and other things , as they haue receiued and bestowed , haue they deliuered all remaining in their hands belonging to their church or parish , by bill intended , to bee deliuered to the next church wardens ? 3. Whether haue the church-wardens with the advise of the the Minister , from time to time prouided a sufficient quantitie of fine white bread and wholesome wine for the number of communicants ? 4. Whether doe the church wardens and Swornemen , before euerie Visitation , and at other times when there is iust occasion , meete and conferre about their presentments , and the answering of these Articles , and who hath ( after notice giuen him of the time and place ) carelesly absented himselfe ? 5. Whether the forfeiture of twelue pence for absence from church , appointed by statute for the vse of the poore , be taken and leuied by the church-wardens , and employed according to the said Statute : and whether is the same forfeiture taken of all persons which stand wilfully suspended or Excommunicated ? 6. Whether haue any churchwardens lost , sold or detained any 〈◊〉 ornaments , Bels , Rents , or implements of the Church ? 7. Whether doe you the Churchwardens and Sidesmen about the middest of Diuine Seruice , vsually walke out of the Church , and see who are abroad in any alehouse , or elsewhere absent , or euill employed , and haue you presented all such to the Ordinarie ? 8. Whether doe you know , or haue heard a fame of any offence , cōmitted , or dutie omitted by any of your Parish before your time , and heretofore not presented to the Ordinarie , or as yet not reformed , and haue you presented the same ? 9. Finally , doe you know of any matter or cause which is a breach of the lawes Ecclesiasticall here not expressed , and haue you presented the same ? FINIS .