ARTICLES ministered IN THE VISITATION OF THE RIGHT worshipful master JOHN KING Archdeacon of Nottingham, in the year of our Lord God. 1599.  
Printed at Oxford by JOSEPH barns, Printer to the Universitie.   

THE church OR PLACE of common prayer.  
IN primis whether your Chancel, & Church, or chapel ve sufficiently repaired, aswell in stone, timber, led, tile, glass, as al other necessary things, & if they be not, through whose default the same is omitted?  
2 Whether your Church-yard be sufficiently fenced and decently kept, and the trees thereing growing, not spoiled, if not in whose default?  
3 Whether the walls of your Church, be within whited, & beautified with fruitful sentences out of the holy Scriptures, & paved comely in the body of the Church and chancel, and convenient seats placed in the Church and chancel, for the necessary use of the parishioners in time of divine service?  
4 Whether you haue in your parish Church and chapel, all things necessary for the setting forth of common prayer, and the administration of sacramentes: namely the book of common prayer, two Psalters in prose and metre, the English Bible in the largest volume, the two tomes of homilies, the paraphrases of Erasmus in English, the table of the ten commandements: a convenient pulpit well placed, a decent table standing on a frame, for the holy communion, with a faire linen cloth to lay vpon the same, and some covering of silk buckerome, or other such like, for the clean keeping thereof, a comely communion cup of silver, with a cover of silver for the same, a decent surples with large sleeves, a register book, of Christinings, weddings, and burials. A font fastened in some convenient place of the Church sweet and decently kept. A sure coffer with two locks and keys for the keeping of the said Register book, and a strong chest or box, with two locks and keys to put in the alms, and other things belonging to the premises?  
5 Whether your Church and Chancel be kept clean & decently at all times, and especially against time of divine service, by such as are especially appointed for that purpose: and whether is your chancel well paved or no:  

The service used in the Church.  
6 Whether doth your person, Vicar, or Curate, or the person, Vicar, Curate, or any other of, or in, any other Parish, near about the same, within the archdeaconry of Nottingham, to your knowledge, or as you haue heard by common report, upon sundays or holidays, use to say the Morning and Eveninge Prayer, and the litany, in such manner and form, and under such words as are set forth and prescribed, in, and by the book of common prayer? If not, then what other form or manner hath or doth he or they use?  
7 Whether your person, Vicar, Curate, or any other within your parish, or else where, near about the same, within the archdeaconry of Nottingham to your knowledge or as you haue heard by common report, hath preached, declared, uttered, or spoken any thing against the said book of common prayer, or any thing therein contained, or against any doctrine, office or calling ecclesiastical within this realm, established by public authority or against the ordination or election of Archbishops, Ministers, Deacons or any of them, and what was the thing, or fault found uttered declared or preached and by whom?  
8 Whether hath your person, Vicar, or Curate, or any other within your Parish or else where near about the same within the archdeaconry of Nottingham to your knowledge or as you haue heard by common report, preached, declared or uttered in word or writing, any thing in maintaining, commending or persuading of any doctrine or discipline, or any other form of common prayer election or ordination of any other offices, officers, Deacons, pastors, elders, presbyteries or ecclesiastical censures, then are by the laws of this realm established, or whether haue you heard of any that useth to dissuade any person from the religion now professed, or to persuade them to the Romish Religion?  
9 Whether haue you as well vpon sundays, and holidays, as vpon Wednesdaies, Fridaies, and Saterdaies, service in your Church and chapel, according to the order, appointed by lawful authority, and whether doth your Minister in time of divine service and at the ministration of the sacramentes always use and wear the surplice and read the service plainly and distinctlye, that the people may bee edified thereby, and bid such holidays and fastingdaies, as are appointed by the book of common prayer?  
10 Whether haue you sermons, preached by able and sufficient men, lawfully licensed thereunto, at times convenient, and namely every quarter once at the least, according to her majesties injunctions?  
11 Whether your person, Vicar, or Curate, do every Sunday when there is no sermon red plainly some part of the Homilies prescribed to he red? Or whether any of them not being found to haue sufficient ability to preach, or not lawfully admitted thereunto, do take vpon them to expound any part of the scripture, and thereby omit the reading of Homilies?  
12 Whether your children and servantes, that be above seven yeares & under twenty, be catechized vpon sundays, & Holiedaies by the space of one hour, before evening prayer by order of households, at the appointment of the minister: and whether the said minister do give notice thereof plainly the next Sundaie or holi-daie before in the Church that every one may know the time that he is to resort thether to be catechized? and if this be not done who they be that make default therein?  
13 Whether any do presume to say service in your Church or chapel openly, who is not a lawful Minister and sufficiently licenced by the ordinary of this archdeaconry, under the seal of his office?   

The ministering of the sacraments and other rights and Ceremonies used in the Church.  
14 Whether doth your person, Vicar, or Curate, or any other within your parish, or else where near about the same within the archdeaconry of Nottingham, to your knowledge, or as you haue heard by common report, use the ministration of the lords supper, and baptism, instruction of children, solemnization of matrimony, the visitation of the sick, the burial of the dead, and the churching of women, in such manner and form and under and with such manner of words, as are set forth and prescribed in the book of common prayer. If not then what other form or manner doth he or they use in the premises, or any of thē? And do not they use the ring in marriage, and crossing the childes head in baptism?  
15 Whether the communion bee administered monthly, where the parishes be great, 
Communion  or else so often every year as that the parishioners may receive three times at the least yearly?  
16 Whether your children baptized at home in cases of extreme weakness and danger, be brought to Church after their recovery, 
Private baptism.  that the minister may examine whether they bee lawfully baptized or no?   

matrimony.  
17 Whether any haue been married within your parish that haue not had their banes asked three several sundays or holidays in time of divine service in the presence of the people, 
marriage.  unless the same haue been lawfollye licenced by the ordinary, under the seal of his office, and with such bands as are usually taken in like cases?  
18 Whether any have been married within your parish, that haue dwelled in other parishes, without a certificat of the banes asking from the Minister, or Curate of the parishes, where the said parties or any of them haue dwelled. And whether any marriage haue been solemnized in any other place, then in the Church, or at any time of the day that is not lawfully usual or in the night?   

Visiting of the sick.  
19 Whether your Minister hath been diligent in visiting the sick persons of your parish, and comforting them with godly and wholesome sentences out of the sacred scriptures, and in persuading them to dispose of their goods, by making their testament, and to bestow some part of their goods to good and godly uses?   

The office, function, and behaviour of Ministers.  
20 Whether your person, Vicar, or Curate, do labour diligently and painfully according to his ability, as well by doctrine, as by good example of life to set forth true Religion, to beate down superstition and Idolatry, and all other 'vice to exhort the people to unity and brotherly love, and to dutiful obedience to their Prince, and to such as be in authority under her, and to the diligent hearing, reading, and teaching, of Gods word.  

Private exercises of religion.  21 Whether there be within your parish, or else where near about, any preaching, reading, or other such like exercise, in any private houses whereunto others not resort, not being of the same family? And whether any do preach, read, or catechize, in the Church, or else where, that doth not at divers times yearly say service, and minister the sacraments according to order appointed by public authority?  
22 Whether the Register of all weddings, Buryings, 
Register.  & Christenings within your parish be well kept, and a copy of the same once every year by Indenture presented to the ordinary?  
23 Whether in the week before whitsuntide, commonly called Rogation week, your perambulation bee kept by your Minister with a sufficient number of the parishioners of all sorts as well of the Elder, as younger sort, for the better knowledge of the circuits, and bounds of the parish, with prayers for better increase of the fruits of the earth, according to the order in that behalf provided?  
24 Whether the Mansion houses of your Parsons and Vicars be kept in good Reparation?  
25 Whether your Minister bee suspected to bee guilty of any not orious crime, as simony, adultery, blasphemy, perjury, drunkenness, idleness, unseemly and vain talk, and whether he bee scandalous, in his conversation, through brawling, fighting, quarreling, peace-breaking, unlawful gains, or haunting of places suspected, and not of good report?  
26 Whether your person, or Vicar, hath at any time since the thirteenth year of the queens majesties reign, made any lease or grant of his parsonage or vicarage, or any part thereof he being absent and not Resident upon the same, to any other then to his Curat, that did or doth serve the cure in his absence. And whether your person, or Vicar, if he bee not resident with you, and may dispend twenty pounds yearly or above, do not distribute every year among the poor of your parish at the least the fortieth part of the bnfice where he is not resident?   

schools and schoolmasters.  
27 Whether your whoremasters, and other teachers within your Parish, bee allowed by the Ordinary? And whether they do teach their scholars the catechism, and do encourage them to love true Religion, and do cause them daily, Morning and evening, to join together in prayer unto God, for increase of Learning and of other his good graces: and whether they do instruct them to say grace before and after meate?   

Church-wardens account.  
28 Whether the Church-wardens yearly do make their accounts to their Parish, of all their receipts and necessary expenses of the said Parish, if not, who haue not accounted?  
29 Whether they do levy for not coming to Church, to hear divine service vpon sundays and holidays, xii. d. for every person that is absent without lawful cause?  
30 Whether they do faithfully distribute the stock of the poor mans Box, and are careful to call for, and to gather al such money, as is due unto the Church, or to the poor of the Parish, either by legacy, or by such as are butted in the Church, or by other means?   

The Parishioners.  
31 Whether the people as well men as women do resort unto to their own parish Church or chapel one sundays, and holidays at time of divine service, and remain and abide, and there behave themselves reverently during all the whole time of service and sermons?  
32 Whether any of the said parishioners do use any profane work or labour, or selling of victuals or wears upon the sabbath date, or any other day, that is appointed to bee kept holy by public authority?  
33 Whether all the Parishioners being of lawful yeares, haue received the holy Communion thrice for the year last past, & namely at Easter last.  
34 Whether any person within your Parish, bee suspected or known to tell destinies, or to restore things lost, and to use charms, or to exercise witchcraft, sorceries, southsayings, and such other superstitious and devilish illusions?  
35 Whether any within your Parish, haue to your knowledge or by common famed or report, committed adultery, Fornication, Incest, or bee common drunkards, Swearers, and Blasphemers of Gods holy name, or usurers, or bee commonly suspected thereof and what are their names?  
36 Whether any within your Parish do keep company together as Man and Wife, who be not lawfully married, or who haue been lawfully and vpon just cause divorced?  
37 Whether there be within your Parish, bawds, or that do receive into their houses women begotten with child unlawfully, and do keep them until they bee delivered, and then let them depart before they haue done pennance?  
38 Whether you know any within your Parish, that receiveth into their house any Massing Priest, jesuit, or other seminary man come from veyond seas?  
39 Whether there be any within your parish, that presume to administer the goods of those that be departed out of this world, without lawful authority, or haue falsified or suppressed the will of any Person deceased, without sufficient authority from the ordinary, under the seal of his office?  
40 Whether any Lords of Misrule, or other disguised persons in maie-games, and such like disordered pastimes, haue danced, or unseemly entered into your Church, or Church-yard? Or whether there hath been any common feasting kept in your Church or Church yard, or any plays or interludes there had?  
41 Whether any excommunicate person be suffered to come in to the public assembly or congregation in time of divine service?  
42 Whether any of your parishioners do detain in their hands any of their Church Goods, and who they bee that do detain or withhold the same?  
43 Finally, if you do know any other crime or offence to bee committed within your parish, which is punishable by the ecclesiastical laws of this land, and not mentioned particularly in these Articles above specified, you shall likewise detect it and truly present it.    

The oath of the Church-wardens and side-men.  
you shall faithfully administer all such Churchgoods as are, or shall come to your hands to the use of your Church, and thereof make a true and faithful account at the end of your office, delivering all that remaineth thereupon to your next successors. Also you shall diligently inquire of, and faithfully present all such persons as you shall either vpon your own knowledge, or by public famed understand to be guilty of any offence or fault mentioned in any of the Articles afore-said, or any other fault which is to be punished by the laws ecclesiastical of this realm, wherein you shall not present any person for malice, hatred, or evil will, nor spare any for favour, for fear, or any corrupt affection, but you shall faithfully discharged your consciences, as men having the fear of God before your eyes, and seeking the reformation of his Church, so God help you in Christ our Saviour.  
FINIS.