illustrated border framing title page Matthew the evangelist, represented by a winged man or an angel HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE royal blazon surmounted by a crown John the evangelist, represented by an eagle with outspread wings, holding a pencase and inkwell in its beak emblematic representation of Faith with a flaming sword and shield FIDES emblematic representation of Humility holding a lamb HUMILITAS Mark the evangelist, represented by a lion blazon or coat of arms Luke the evangelist, represented by an ox ARTICLES to be inquired in the visitation, in the first year of the reign of our most dread Sovereign Lady Elizabeth, by the grace of God, of England, France, and Ireland, Queen, defender of the Faith. etc. Anno domini. 1559. Articles. 1 Residency. FIrst, whether any Parson, Vicar or Curate be resident continually up on his benefice doing his duty in Preaching, reading and duly ministering the holy Sacraments. 2 False miracles. Item whether in their Churches & Chapels, all images, shrines, all tables, candlesticks trindelles. and rolls of wax, pictures, paintings, and all other monuments of feigned and false miracles, pilgrimages, Idolatry, and superstition, be removed, abolished, and destroyed. 3 The lords prayer. Item, whether they do not every holy day when they have no Sermon, immediately after the Gospel, openly, plainly and destinctlye, recite to their parishioners in the pulpit, the lord's prayer, the belief, and the ten commandments in English. 4 To bring up youth. Item, whether they do charge Fathers and mothers, masters, and governors of youth, to bring them up in some virtuous study and occupation. 5 Curates. Item whether such beneficed men, as be lawfully absent from their benefices, do leave their cures to a rude and unlearned person, and not to an honest, well learned, and expert Curate, which can and will teach you wholesome doctrine. 6 Reading the scripture. Item, whether they do discourage any person from reading of any part of the Bible, either in Latin or English, and do not rather comfort and exhort every person to read the same at convenient times, as the very lively word of God, and the special food of man's soul. 7 Taverns and gains. Item whether Parsons, Vicars, Curates, and other ministers, be common haunters and resorters to Taverns or Alehouses, giving themselves to drinking, rioting, and playing at unlawful games, and do not occupy themselves in the reading or hearing of some part of holy scripture, or in some other Godly excercise. 8 Preachers. Item, whether they have admitted any man to preach in their cures, not being lawfully licenced thereunto, or have been licenced accordingly. 9 Superstition. Item, whether they use to declare to their parishioners, any thing to the extolling or setting forth of vain and superstitious religion, pilgrimages, relics, or images, or lighting of candles, kissing, kneeling, or decking of the same images. 10 Register. Item, whether they have one book or register kept, wherein they writ the day of every wedding, christening and burying. 11 Obedience Item, whether they have exhorted the people to obedience to the Queen's Majesty, and Ministers, and to charity and love one to another. 12 The Sacrament. Item, whether they have admonished their parishioners, that they aught not to presume to receive the Sacrament of the body and blood of Christ, before they can say perfectly the lords prayer, the articles of the faith, and the ten commandments in English. 13 Hospitality. Item, whether they be resident upon their benefices, & keep hospitality or no. And if they be absent, and keep no hospitality, whether they do relieve their parishioners, & what they give them. 14 Reparations. Item, whether Proprietaries, Parsons, Vicars, and Clerks, having Churches, Chapels, and Mansions, do keep their Chancels, Rectories, Vicarages, and all other houses appertaining to them in due reparations. 15 Prayer in English. Item, whether they do counsel or move their parishioners, rather to pray in a tongue not known, then in English, or put their trust in any certain number of prayers, as in laying over a number of Beads, Beads. or other like. 16 defamed persons. Item, whether they have received any persons to the Communion, being openly known to be out of charity with their neighbours, or defamed with any notorious crime, and not reformed. 17 Poor men's box. Item, whether they have provided, and have a strong chest for the poor men's Box, and set and fastened the same in a place of the Church, most convenient. 18 Testament. Item, whether they have diligently called upon, exhorted and moved their parishioners, and especially when they make their testaments to give to the said poor men's box, and to bestow that upon the poor, which they were wont to bestow upon pilgrimages, pardons, trentals and upon other like blind devotions. 19 Sick. Burial. Item, whether they have denied to visit the sick, or bury the dead being brought to the Church. 20 Simony. Item, whether they have bought their Benefices, or come to them by fraud, guile, deceit, or simony. 21 Adulterers. Item, whether they have given open monition to their parishioners, to detect and present to their Ordinary all adulterers & fornicators, and such men as have two wives living within their parishes. 22 Church goods. Item, whether they have monished their parishioners openly, that they should not cell, give, nor otherwise alienate, any of their Church goods. 23 Many benefices. Item, whether they, or any of them do keep more benefices and other Ecclesiastical promotions than they aught to do, not having sufficient licenses, and dispensations thereunto, and how many they be, and their names, 24. Communion. Item, whether they minister the holy Communion any otherwise, then only after such form and manner, as it is set forth by the common authority of the Queen's Majesty and the Parliament. 25 Letters of the word or preaching. Item, whether you know any person within your parish or else where, that is a letter of the word of God to be read in English, or sincerely preached in place and times convenient. 26 Goersout of the Church. Item, whether in the time of the tyranny, or any other common prayer, in the time of the Sermon or Homily, and when the Priest readeth the scriptures to the parishioners, any person have departed out of the Church without just and necessary cause, or disturb the Minister otherwise. 27 Church money. Item, whether the money coming and rising of any cattle, or other movable stocks of the Church, and money given and bequeathed to the finding of Torches, Lights, Tapers, or Lamps, not paid out of any lands have not been employed to the poor men's chest. 28 Keepers of the Church money. Item, who hath the said stocks and money in their hands, and what be their names. 29 Contempt of Priests. Item, whether any undiscreet person do uncharitably contemn & abuse Priests and Ministers of the Church. 30 The kings Grammar. Item, whether there be any other Grammar taught in any school within this Diocese, then that which is set forth by the authority of king Henry the eight. 31 The time of Service. Item, whether the service of the church be done at due and convenient hours. 32 Talkers in the Church. Item, whether any have used to common, jangle, and talk in the church in the time of the prayer, reading of the Homily, preaching, reading or declaring of the scripture. 33 Heresies. Item, whether any have wilfully maintained and defended any heresies, errors, or false opinions, contrary to the faith of Christ and holy scripture. 34 Drunkards. Item, whether any be common drunkards, swearers or blasphemers of the name of God. 35 Adulterers. Item, whether any have committed adultery, fornication or incest, or be common bawds, or receivers of such evil persons, are vehemently suspected of any of the premises. 36 Brawlers. Item, whether any be brawlers, slanderers, chyders, scholders, & sowers of discord between one person and an other. 37 Sorcerers. Item, whether you know any that do use charms, sorceries, enchantments, invocations, circles, witchcrafts, soothsaying, or any like crafts or imaginations invented by the Devil, and specially in the time of women's travail. 38 pulpits. Item, whether the Churches, pulpits, and other necessaries appertaining to the same, be sufficiently repaired, and if they be not, in whose default the same is. 39 Resorters to other Churches. Item, whether you know any, that in contempt of their own parish Church do resort to any other church. 40 Inholders. Item, whether any Inholders, or Alehouse keepers, do use commonly to cell meat and drink in the time of common prayer, preaching, reading of the Homilies, or scripture. 41 Devorse. Item, whether you know any to be married within the degrees prohibited by the Laws of God, or that be separated or divorced without the degrees prohibited by the law of God, and whether any such have married again. 42 Privy contracts. Item, whether you know any to have made privy contracts of matrimony, not calling two or more witnesses thereunto, nor having thereto the consent of their parents. 43 Banes. Item, whether they have married solemnly, the banes not first lawfully asked, 44 executors. Item, whether you know any executors, or administrators of dead men's goods which do not only bestow such of the said goods, as were given and bequeathed, or appointed to be distributed among the poor people repairing of high ways, finding of poor scholars, or marrying of poor maidens, or such other like charitable deeds. 45 Images. Item whether you know any that keep in their houses any undefaced Images, Tables Pictures, paintings, or other Monuments of feigned and false miracles, pilgrimages, idolatry and superstition, and do adore them, and specially such as have been set up in Churches Chapels and Oratories. 46 ●ookes. Item, what books of holy Scripture you have delivered to be burnt, or otherwise destroyed, and to whom ye have delivered the same. 47 Bribes. Item, what bribes the accusers, promoters, persecutors, Ecclesiastical judges, and other the Commissioners appointed within the several Diocese of this Realm, have received by themselves or other of those persons which were in trouble, apprehended or imprisoned for Religion. 48 Loss of goods. Item, what goods movable, lands, fees, offices, or promotions, hath been wrongfully taken away in the time of Queen Mary's reign, from any person which favoured the Religion now set forth. 49 How many burned. Item, how many persons for religion have died by fire, famine, or otherwise, or have been imprisoned for the same. 50 Certificate of the dead. Item, that you make a true presentment of the number of all the persons which died within your parishes, sithen the feast of saint john the Baptist, which was in the year of our Lord God a thousand five hundred, fifty and eight, unto the same feast last passed, making therein a plain distinct declaration, how many men, women, and men children the same were, and the names of the men. 51 Secret Masses. Item, whether you know any man in your parish, secretly, or in unlawful conventicles, say, or hear Mass, or any other service prohibited by the law. 52 False rumours. Unlawful books. Item, whether you know any person in your parish, to be a slanderer of his neighbours, or a sour of discord between party and party, man and wife, parents & their children, or that hath invented, bruited, or set fourth any rumours, false and seditious tales, slanders, or makers, bringers, buyers, sellers, keepers, or conveighers of any unlawful books which might stir and provoke sedition, or maintain superstitious service with in this realm, or any aiders, counsellors, procurers or maintainers thereunto. 53 Patron. Tithes. Vacation. Item, whether the Church of your parish be now vacant or not, who is the patron thereof, how long it hath been vacant, who doth receive the tithes oblations, and other commodities, during the time of the vacation, and by what authority, and in what estate the said Church is, at this time, and how long the Parson or Vicar hath had that benefice. 54 Minstrels Item whether any Minstrels, or any other persons, do use to sing or say any songs, or Ditties that be vile or unclean, and specially in derision of any godly order now set forth and established. 55 Litany in English. Item whether the Litany in English with the Epistle & Gospel which was by the Queen's highness proclamation willed to be read to the people, were put in use in your Churches, and if not, who were the letters thereof. 56 Distinct reading. Item, whether the Curates and Ministers do leisurely, plainly, and distinctly read the public prayers, Chapters and Homilies, as they aught to do. God save the Queen. IMPRINTED AT London, by Christopher Barkar, Printer to the Queen's Majesty. Cum privilegio Regiae Maiestatis.