¶ Articles to be inquired of, in the visitation, of the right reverend Father in GOD, Iohn bishop of lyncoln, in the sixte year of the reign of our most drade Souereygne lord king Edwarde the sixte. &c. with certain general aduertysementes, then given by the said bishop to the clergy and people of his Dioces, for an uniformity, to be observed in the same.  
Anno dni. 1552.   

 royal coat of arms 
dieu ET DROYT  
HONY SOYT QVI MAL Y PENSE   
WHether you know any person that haue committed adultery, fornycacion, incest, bawdrye, or be vehemently suspected of the same, or be common dronkardes scoulders or common swerers and blasphemers of Goddes holy name.  
¶ Whether your {per}sons or vicars doth maintain their houses, & chauncels in sufficient reparation or if their houses be indecay whether they bestow yearly the fift parte of the fruits of the benefice until the same be repaired.  
¶ Whether such persons and vicars as be absent from their benefices doth leave their cure to curates sufficient and able. And yf he may dispend yearly .xx. ɫi. or above, in this deanery, or else where, whether he doth dystrybute every year, amongs his poor parysheners there at the least the forty parte of the fruits of the same. And likewise spendynge yearly. ¶. pound whether he doth finde one scholar ateyther of the vnyuersytes, or some grammar school. And so for every other hundreth pound one scholar. ☞ ❧ ☞ ❧  
¶ Whether any parson, or vicar haue come to their benyfyces by simony or haue .ii. benyfyces or more without lawful dyspensacion.  
¶ Whether your ministers haue diligently procured such as are lycensed to preach in their cure or haue refused any that haue beyn●… lycensed or haue absented themselves or caused other to be a way from the sermon or haue admitted any to preach that are not lycensed. ☞ ❧ ☞  
¶ Whether any haue hid and kept secretly any Images, Antyphonares, Messals, primers, and other such books of latin service which are forbid by the order of this realm.  
¶ Whether ministers do diligently, & reverently minister the sacramentes in their Cure.  
¶ Whether your curate do earnestly exorte their parisheners to dispose themselves to the often Receauynge of the communion.  
¶ Whether your ministers receyuyth the sacrament, except there be one at the least to communycate with him. ☞ ❧  
¶ Whether the minister useth any eleuacyon or showynge the Sacrament before the distribucion thereof. ☞ ❧ ☞ ❧ ☞  
¶ Whether the minister or any other do reserve the sacrament and not immediately receive it.  
¶ Whether the parisheners do offer every sunday the just value of the holy Loffe to the use of the curate in that order as they were wont to pay the holy Loffe. And whether the same person to whom such course do come or one at the least of his howsolde or else one appoynted by him do receive the communion that same day with the minister.  
¶ Whether baptism be ministered out of; itye in any other time then on the sunday or holy day or in any other tongue then english.  
¶ Whether any tarrieth in the quere after the offertory other then those that do communycat, except clerkes and ministers.  
¶ Whether your curate do admit any such to the lords table as are open and notaryous evil unbelievers, or hath done wrong to their neighbour by word or dede whereby other are offended or be openly known to be in malice or hatred before the amendment of their life and satisfaction, and reconsylyacion to their neighbours.  
¶ Whether the curate do admyte any to the communion before he be confirmed or any that cannot the Pater noster, the articles of the faith, & the .x. commandments in english.  
¶ Whether curates do minister the communion for money or useth to haue trentall of communyons.  
¶ Whether there be any that pryuatly in their pryuat house haue their masses contrary to the form and order of the book of the communion.  
¶ Whether any be married within degrees prohibited by gods lawe, or seperat without cause lawful or, is married  
¶ Whether every wednesday and friday is said or song the english procession in the church, and whether the minister, yf none be there to communycate with him doth say such prayers after the Let any as are appointed for the communion until the offortory.  
¶ Whether the said service and mynystracion of Sacramentes be said or song so audibly dystinctly and plainly and in such place of the church as the people may best here it and betherby edified.  
¶ Whether inholders or ale house keepers or taueners do use commonly to sell meate drink, or vitals in the time of service or preaching, or whether any other do sell wears or keep barbores shops at service time so that by that means the people be rather occasion to be absent.  
¶ Whether any grace be said at dinner or supper in any of her tongue then in the english.  
¶ Whether orgaynes do play away any parte of the prayer or seruece.  
¶ Whether any do use to pray vpon beads.  
¶ Whether your curate once in. vi. weeks at the least vpon some sondaye or holiday before euynsonge do openly in the church instruct & examine children not confirmed, in some partes of the catechism. ❧ ☞ ❧ ☞  
¶ And whether parentes and masters dosend thē thither vpon warning given by the minister. Whether there be set up in some conuenye at place of the church one book of the whole bible in the largest volume in english and the paraphrasys of Erasmus vpon the new testament likewise in english, And whether your minister doth dyscorage any to look and read thereupon, so that it be done quietly without contention.  
¶ Whether you haue one book or Regyster in your church safely kept wherein every sunday are written the weddings chrystenynges & buryenges that were had the weke before.  
¶ Whether every minister under the degree of a bachyler of dyuynytye haue of his own the new Testament both in english and latynge with paraphrasis of Erasmus vpon the same and do diligently study the same in conferring the one with the other. ☞ ❧ ☞  
¶ Whether any useth any other primers then the english set forth by the kings mayieste or any other latin primers, then is set forth by the same aucthoryte yf he understandeth latin except those primers that were set forth by king henry the eight so that Inuocacion or prayer to saints in the same primers be blotted out.  
¶ Whether any other grammar be taught then the which is set out by the kings majesty.  
¶ without banes th●yse first asked three several holidays or sundays openly in the church at service time.  
¶ Whether any Curate do marye them of other parishes without that curat{is} licence and Certyfycat from him of the banes thrice solemnly asked.  
¶ Whether you haue a decent & a comely Table, touered with a fair white linen cloth for the mynystracion of the holy communion.  
¶ Whether your Person, or Curat, use his table altar like having vpon the same tapers or candles burning tossyng the book from the one end to the other or otherwise by lyckynge washing dowkynge holding up hands or ryngnyg of sacryng belles do counterfeit the popyshe mass.  
¶ Whether any useth to keep abrogat holidays or pryuayt holidays as Bakers, Shoinakers, brners smythes and such other.  
¶ Whether any useth to hallow water, bread, sal●e belles or candles vpon candelmas day ashes vpon ashewenesday, palms vpon palms sunday, the font on easter euyne fire, or paschal, or whether there was any sepulchre on good friday.  
¶ Whether any be a letter of the word of god to be preached or red in the english tongue.  
¶ Vhether every sondaye one parte of an homely as it is now divided is read imedyatly after the creed yf there be no sermon openly & dystynctly that all the church may hear and understand it, and so likewise the epystell gospel and the lessons.  
¶ Whether dean archedecon & prebendary being pressed do personally by himself preach twice every year at the least either where he is entitled, or where he hath Iurysdyccion, or in some place vnyted or appropriate to the same.  
¶ Whether any by preaching writing words or dede hath or doth maintain the usurped power of thee by shop of rome.  
¶ Whether any do preach declare or speak any thing in derogacion of the book of common prayer or any thing therein contained or any parte therof.  
¶ Whether any do preach or otherwise openly maintain any erroneous opinion contrary to the word of god. ❧ {fleur-de-lys} ❧ ☞  
¶ Whether your ministers haue been diligent in callymge vpon and exhorting fathers and mothers masters and servants either in learning in some honest occupation or in husbandry.  
¶ Whether your ministers every holiday do recite openly and plainly in the pulpit the Pater noster, the creed and the ten commandments in english.  
¶ Whether persons, Vyears and Curates and every of thē haue exhorted the people to be obedient to the kings majesty and his ministers and to charity and love one to another.  
¶ Whether the service is used to be said or song vpon sundays and holidays in dewetyme and the sacramentes ministered after that order, that is set out & appoynted in the book of common prayer and none otherwise, and the latanye also in the middle alley of the church kneeling.  
¶ Whether your parisheners every sunday & holiday do come to their own perish church to hear divine service with silence in prayer, pay there dewtyes there and ons in the year at the least receive the holy communion as it is in the book of common prayer appdynted. ☞ ❧  
¶ Whether any doth in interludes, plays, songs, rhymes or by open words declaring, or speak any thing in deprabynge or, despysinge the said book or any thing therein contained.  
¶ Whether any by open fact dede or threfynge do compel cause or otherwise procure or maintain any minister to sing or say any common or open prayer or to minister any sacrament other or otherwise then is mentioned in the said book.  
¶ Whether any do wilfully Interrupt or, let any minister to sing or say the said common or open prayer or to minister the sacrament in such form as is mentioned in the said book.  
¶ Whether any do use to talk or, I angle in the church, in the time of service, preaching, reading the homely or, communion till or, ring belles at the same time or, maketh any other noise to let the