ARTICLES TO BE INQVIRED OF WITHIN THE ARCH-DEACONRY OF CHICHESTER. IN THE ORDINARY VISItation of the Right worshipful, D. ANDREWES, archdeacon of Chichester.  
Anno Domini, 1634.  
LONDON, Printed by Richard Badger.   

The form of the Oath to be ministered to all and every the Church-wardens and Quest-men.  
YOu shall swear, that all affection, favour, hatred, hope of reward and gain, or fear of displeasure, or malice set aside, you shall upon due consideration of the Articles given you in charge, present all and every such person of, or within your Parish, as hath committed any offence mentioned in these or any of these Articles, or which are vehemently suspected, and defamed of any such offence: wherein you shall discharge your consciences uprightly, and according to truth; neither of malice presenting any contrary to truth, nor of corrupt affection sparing to present any, and so conceal the truth, having in this action God before your eyes, with an earnest zeal to maintain truth, and to suppress 'vice: So help you God, and his faithful promise contained in his holy books.  
God save the King.   

Articles concerning RELIGION, PRAYER and SACRAMENTS.  

heretical and schismatical opinion.  FIrst, Whether there be any abiding in or resorting to your parish, that be known to defend or maintain any heretical or schismatical opinions, contrary to the holy Scriptures of God, or do openly or secretly impugn, or dislike the public worship of God, or the Rites or Ceremonies now established in the Church of England?  

Absent from the Church.  2 Item, Whether all and singular the inhabitants or dwellers within your parish, do diligently repair to your parish Church every Sabbath-day and Holi-day, to morning and evening prayers, according to the orders of the Church of England prescribed in that behalf?  

Labourers on sundays or holidays.  3 Item, Whether any person or persons within your parish haue laboured or wrought, or gone to plow or cart vpon any Sabbath-day, or Holiday: or haue profaned any Sabbath or Holiday by unlawful games, drinking and tippling, especially in the time of common prayer?  
4 Item, Whether all and every one in your parish being of the age of 16. yeares, and of discretion, haue received the holy Communion, thrice at the least this last year, whereof once at Easter or thereabouts?  

Outward behaviour at Prayers and Sacraments.  5 Item, Whether all and every one within your parish do use due reverence in the time of divine service by the outward gesture of their bodies, in keeping their heads vncouered, in kneeling, standing, and other decent behaviour, as they are enjoined by the 18. Constitution, and Canon ecclesiastical?  

Children not baptized.  6 Item, Whether any children died within your parish vnbaptised and by whose default was not the Sacrament of baptism administered?  

profanation of Churches.  7 Item, Whether haue you in your Church or chapel, or Church, or Chappell-yard, any plays, Feasts, Banquets, Suppers, Church-ales, Drinkings, temporal Courts, or Léets, Lay-iuries, Musters, or any other profane usage, and who are the offenders, or by whom are such abuses suffered?  

Articles concerning Ministers and Preachers of Gods holy Word. 
Titul. 2. observation of the form of Common Prayer.   
FIrst, whether doth your Minister say or sing divine service( according to the prescript form confirmed by his majesties Authority) distinctly and reverently on sundays and Holi-dayes, wednesdays, and Fridayes, and the eves of every Sunday and Holiday, and at convenient and usual times of those dayes, and in such place as is meetest for the hearing of the people? and whether your Minister do observe the Orders, Rites, and Ceremonies, prescribed in the book of Common Prayer, as well in reading of the holy Scripture, and prayers, as in administration of the Sacraments, without either adding or diminishing to or from the book of Common prayer?  

Diligent in execution of his office.  2 Item, Whether he be diligent and careful, faithfully to execute his pastoral Office and Function, by reading of the holy Scriptures: and( in case he be an allowed Preacher) whether having no lawful impediment, he doth preach ordinarily: and being not allowed, doth procure Sermons in his Cure, once in every month at the least?  

Residence of the Minister.  3 Item, Is he a licenced Preacher, and by whom, is he resident vpon his bnfice or not? if not, then by whom is the Cure served; is your Curate licenced to serve the said Cure, if yea, then by whom: doth your Curate preach, if yea, then by whom is he licenced so to preach?  

Prayer for his Majesty.  4 Item, Doth your Minister before his Sermon, Lecture, or Homily, pray for his majesty, giuing him his lawful title, as in his just style, and commend his Highnesse, and our royal queen, the Prince, and princess, in his prayers to Almighty GOD?  

Notorious offenders not to be communicants.  5 Item, Doth your Minister admit any to the holy Communion, that are known to be notorious offenders, or any malicious, or openly contentious persons, until they be reconciled?  

Sober conversation in Ministers.  6 Item, Doth your person, Vicar, or Curate, keep any suspected woman in his house, is he an incontinent person, given to drunkenness or idleness, a haunter of taverns, Ale-houses, or suspected places, or one that doth board or lodge in any such place; a dicer, carder, tabler, swearer, or given to base or servile labour, or otherwise doth give any evil example of life, and whether his apparel be comely and grave, as becometh his function and calling?  

A Register of christenings, Weddings, and Burials.  7 Item, do your Minister and Church-wardens keep a Register of the christenings, weddings, and burials, according to the prescript form?  

Ministers habits.  8 Item, Doth your Minister in time of divine service and ministering the Sacraments( being a Graduate) wear a decent and comely surplice with large grieves, and vpon it a Hood suitable to his degree in the university: and if he be no Graduate, then doth he wear at such times such a surplice, as is above mentioned?  

Perambulation of the bounds of the Parish.  9 Whether doth your Minister and parishioners yearly in Rogation week, walk the bounds of your parish, according to the ancient custom?  
10 Doth your Minister catechize duly, 
Catechizing.  according to the order set down in the 59. Canon, and whether your parishioners do duly sand their children and seruants( especially such as be no Communicants) to the catechizing: if not, then certify the Parents and Masters names of such children and seruants not sent, that a reformation may be had of the great defect in that Religious exercise?  
11 Whether al houses, out-houses, barns, stables, and other buildings belonging to your person, Vicar, or Curate, be kept in sufficient reparations, or no: if not, what are the decays and defects thereof, present the same and every part thereof?   

Articles concerning the Church.  
FIrst, haue you in your Church or chapel, 
Titul. 3. books and other implements of the Church.  the book of common prayer, by the Kings majesty confirmed, according to the laws of this realm; a Bible of the largest Volume and last translation; the book of Homilies allowed by authority; a decent Communion Table, with a decent cloth and cover for the same, a comely Pulpit, a cloth and cushion for the same: a faire Communion Cup, a decent font-stone, wherein baptism onely is administered; a fine large surplice, a coffer with three locks and keys, for the Register book to be safely kept: is it there kept, and whether one key be kept by the Minister, and the other two by the Church-wardens each of them one, certify the truth hereof?  
2 Item, Is your Church-yard kept sweet and clean, and are swine and all other cattle kept out of the same, and is it well and sufficiently repaired, fenced and maintained with walls, rails, or Pales, as hath been in each place accustomend?  

Church to be repaired.  3 Item, Is your Church or chapel, with all parts belonging thereunto decently kept in good and sufficient Reparation as becometh the house of God: if not, what are the decays, and are the decays thereof prevented, so much as may be: if not, by whose default is the same hindered or not done?  
Minister, that do absent themselves from his sermons and resort to other places, to hear other Preachers, or do any dwelling in your parish communicate or baptize their children in any other parish?  
7 Haue any in your parish administered the goods of any person dying intestate, without lawful authority to them granted by the Ordinary, or before they haue proved the Will or Testament of any person deceased that made any Will or Testament? Are there any Wils vnproued, or goods not administered in your parish?  
8 What persons be excommunicate in your parish, for what cause were they so excommunicate, how long haue they so stood excommunicate: and do any of them repair to your parish Church, or to any other parish Church( to your knowledge) in time of prayer vnabsolued?  
9 Haue any excommunicate person or persons been butted in your Church or chapel, or Church-yard, if yea, what were their names so butted, by whom were they so butted, and who were present at the same burials?  
10 do you know of any other matter worthy of presentment, or any person or persons that haue committed any fault or offence contrary to any other his majesties ecclesiastical laws, not set down or expressed in these Articles? or do you know of any person or persons that are vehemently suspected for committing any such fault or offence: by virtue of your oaths present the said faults, and the names of the persons that haue committed, or are vehemently suspected for committing the same offences?  
There must bee a full and several answer made to every particular Article and branch thereof. 
Note.  Or else the Church-wardens will be called to the Court, and enjoined to make a full answer to the same Articles, wherein any omission shall be found.   

MEmorandum, it is lawful for every Minister( be he person, Vicar, or Curate) to present any enormity, or common famed of any enormous crime that shall arise within his Parish. And it is lawful and meet for every Minister or Church-wardens, and Side-men, to make notorious offenders known to their Ordinaries, as often as occasion is offered, to the end that such offences may in due time be punished and reformed.