Articles TO BE INQVIRED OF within the Diocese of Peterborough in the visitation of the Reverend father in God, THOMAS, by the permission of God, Lord Bishop of Peterborough this present year 1605. And presentment to be made thereof by the Churchwardens and Sidemen for that purpose lawfully appointed, in visitations, Synods, or elsewhere, within the Diocese aforesaid, at any other time, when occasion shall be offered, giving in an answer to every particular Article.  
Printed by JOHN LEGAT, Printer to the University of Cambridge. 1605.   

The tenor of the Oath to be ministered.  
YOu shall swear, that all favour, hatred, malice, hope of reward, or gain, fear of displeasure, and all other unlawful affections set aside, you shall upon due consideration of these Articles given you in charge, present every such person of or within your parish, as hath committed or made any offence or fault mentioned in any of these Articles, or which are vehemently suspected or defamed of any such offence or fault, wherein you shall deal uprightly, neither of malice presenting any contrary to truth, nor corruptly sparing to present any, or to 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 in jesus Christ, and by the contents of this book.   

ARTICLES TO BE INQVIred of within the Diocese of Peterborough. Ann. Dom. 1605.  
IN primis, whether is there any in your parish, that hath affirmed that the form of God's worship in the Church of England established by law, and contained in the book of Common prayer, and administration of Sacraments, is a corrupt, superstitious, or unlawful worship of God, or containeth any thing in it that is repugnant to the Scriptures: or any that hath affirmed, that any of the nine and thirty Articles agreed upon by the Archbishop and Bishops of both Provinces, and the whole Clergy in the Convocation holden in London, in the year of our Lord 1562. for the avoiding of diversities of opinions, and for the establishing of consent touching true religion, are in any part superstitious or erroneous: Or any that hath affirmed that the rites and ceremonies of the Church of England, by law established, are wicked, Antichristian, or superstitious. And if you how or have heard say of any such within your parish, you are to present the same.  
2 Item, whether there be any in your parish that hath not celebrated and kept the Lords day, commonly called Sunday, and other holy days, according to God's holy will and pleasure and the orders of the Church of England prescribed in that behalf. And if there be any such, you shall present them. Also, whether the Common prayer hath been said or sung in your parish church by your Minister distinctly and reverently upon such days as are appointed to be kept holy by the book of Common prayer, and their eves, and at convenient and usual times of those days, and in such convenient place of your church, so as the people may be most edified: And whether your Minister hath observed the orders, rites, and ceremonies prescribed in the book of Common prayer, as well in reading the holy scriptures, and saying of prayers, as in the administration of the sacraments, without either diminishing in regard of preaching, or in any other respect, or adding any thing in the matter or form thereof: And whether the Litany hath been said or sung when, and as it set down the book of Common prayer, by your parson, vicar, or curate, in some convenient place of your Church; And also upon wedensdays and fridays weekly, though there be no holy days, at the accustomed hours of service.  
3 Item, whether is there any within your parish that hath covered his head in your church or chapel, in the time of divine service, except he have some infirmity: And whether all manner of persons in the time of divine service have reverently knceled upon their knees, when the general confession, Litany, and other prayers are read, and stood up at the saying of the Belief, according to the book of common prayer. And likewise, when in time of divine service, the Lord jesus hath been mentioned, due and lowly reverence hath been done, by all persons present. And whether in the time of divine service, any have busied themselves in the Church, either in talking, or walking, or any other way, then in quiet attendance to hear, mark, and understand that which hath been read, preached, or ministered, not departing out of the church during the time of service and sermon, without some urgent cause. And when any idle persons have in the churchyard or church porch during the time of divine service and preaching, whether the Churchwardens or Questmen have not then caused them either to come into the church, or to departed.  
4 Item, whether against the time of every Communion within your parish, there be provided by the Churchwardens a sufficient quantity of fine white bread, and of good and wholesome wine for the number of the Communicants, and not of bear or ale, or bear or ale and wine together. And whether your parson, vicar, or Curate, hath administered the holy communion so often and at such times, as every parishioner may communicate at the least thrice every year, (whereof the feast of Easter to be one.) And whether every person within your parish, being of sufficient age, hath so communicated; And whether your Minister doth deliver both the bread and the wine to every communicant severally; And whether your parson, vicar, or curate hath given warning to his parishioners publicly in the church at morning prayer the Sunday before every time of his Administration of that holy sacrament, that so they might the better prepare themselves. And if you know any defect to have been in any of these, you are to present it.  
5 Item, whether your Minister have admitted to the receiving of the holy communion, any of his cure, which be openly known to live in sin notorious without repentance, or any who have maliciously and openly contended with their neighbours, until they have been reconciled: or any other that are common and notorious depravers of the book of common prayer, and administration of the sacraments, and of the other rites and ceremonies therein prescribed: or of any thing that is contained in any of the Articles agreed upon in the Convocation 1562, or of any thing contained in the book of ordering Priests and Bishops, or to any that have spoken against and depraved his majesties sovereign authority in causes Ecclesiastical. And whether, when he hath celebrated the holy Communion, he hath admitted any to the same but such as do kneel, did such as come to public prayer according to the orders of the church of England.  
6 Item, whether your Parson, vicar, or curate saying the public prayers, or ministering the sacraments, or other rites of the church, hath worn a decent and comely surplice with sleeves, and his hood, if he be a graduate agreeable to the orders of the University: And whether in the admini●●ing of the sacrament of Baptism, he hath used the sign of the cross, according as it is prescribed by the book of common prayer, not admitting any man to answer as godfather for his own child, nor any godfather or godmother to make any other answer or speech then by the book of Common prayer is prescribed in that behalf.  
7 Item, whether your Minister, being a licenced preacher, and resident upon his living, hath preached every Sunday: and if he be not a preacher, whether hath he procured sermons to be preached in his cure once in every month at the least, by preachers lawfully licenced: and in defect thereof, whether hath he read a Homely prescribed by authority to the intents aforesaid. And if he be not resident upon his benefice, whether is his charge supplied by a Curate that is a sufficient and licenced preacher. And whether do they in their Sermons pray for the Kings most excellent Majesty, giving his Majesty his usual title and style, for our gracious Queen Anne, the noble prince Henry, and the rest of the King and Queen's royal issue, according to the order prescribed in the late Canons, exhorting also the people to obedience to his Majesty.  
8 Item, whether your Parson, Vicar, or Curate, doth every Sunday and holiday, half an hour at the least, before evening prayer, call for, hear, and instruct all the children, apprentices, and servants of both sexes, that be of convenient age, in the Lord's prayer, the ten Commandments, and in the Articles of belief, and diligently examine them, teaching them the Carachisme set forth by authority. And whether for that purpose he doth take the names of them all, and by course call certain of them by name, every Sunday and holiday to come to learn the same Catechism. And whether the Churchwardens and sworn-men do assist the Minister, as he doth prescribe them in that godly examination.  
9 Item, whether your Parson, vicar, or curate have married any persons within your parish, without the publishing of banes according to the orders of the Church of England, or without lawful licence thereunto obtained, or any within the degrees forbidden: or whether there be any in your parish that having bind divorced, do inhabit and keep company together, and being married that have left their wives, any man that hath two wives, any woman that hath two husbands, any that defer the solemnisation of matrimony being lawfully contracted, any that have contracted themselves without consent of parents, any that have been married in any private house or chamber, or at any unlawful time, but only between the hours of eight and twelve of the clock in the forenoon, who married them, who were the parties so married, & who were present, at the marriage, expressing their names and surnames.  
10 Item, whether your Minister doth every Sunday at the time appointed by the communion book, declare to the people whether there be any holidays or fasting days the week following. And whether doth he solemnly denounce Recusants and excommunicate persons in the church, that so others may be admonished thereby to refrain their company and societic. And whether doth he visit the sick and instruct them and comfort them in their distress, according to the order of the communion book, if he be no preacher. And whether doth he refuse or delay to christian any child according to the form of the book of common prayer, that is brought to him to the church upon Sundays or holidays to be christened: or to bury any corpse that is brought to the church or churchyard, in such manner and form as is prescribed in the said book of common prayer. And if he have been defective in any of these you must present him.  
11 Item, whether you have a Register book in parchment to write in all christen, weddings, and burials: and whether those christen, weddings, and burials, be diligently noted therein: and whether your minister every Sabbath day after morning or evening prayer doth distinctly read in the church, the names of all such as have been the week before either baptised, married, or buried. And whether the Minister and churchwardens do set their hands to every lease of this book. And whether you have a chest with three locks wherein the said book is safely kept, the Minister keeping one key, and each of the Churchwardens another. And whether you have a strong chest for the poor, with three locks, and three keys to the same. And whether your Minister doth move and exhort the people to bestow their alms and charitable devotion upon their poor neighbours.  
12 Item, whether your Minister doth preach, or administer the Communion in private houses, or appoint public and private fasts or prophesies, or hold any private conventicles: And whether doth he were such decent apparel as is enjoined him by authority: And whether he be not a resorter to Taverns, or alehouses, or giveth himself to base and servile labour, or to drinking or riot, spending his time idly by day or by night, playing at dice, cards, tables, or any other unlawful games: a common hawker, a hunter, swearer, or do give any evil example of life, whereby the word of God and the religion now received may be evil spoken of.  
13 Item, whether your Parson, Vicar, or Curate, hat bought their benefices, or come by them by fraud, guile, deceit, or simony: and whether he hath more benefices than he ought to have, not having sufficient dispensation thereto. And whether doth your Minister receive into his church any excommunicate person before he bring to him a true certificate of his absolution and restoring to the church: And whether he hath received any woman delivered of child begot in fornication to her thanksgiving in the church, before she hath publicly reconciled herself in such order as by the officer in that behalf hath been to her prescribed.  
14 Item, what Schoolmasters have you within your parish, that teach either openly or privately, in any school, gentleman's house, or else where, and whether be they of good and sincer religion: and licenced by the Bishop of this Diocese, or Ordinary, under his hand and seal: and whether be they diligent in teaching and bringing up youth, and to instruct them in godliness and virtue: and whether they teach any thing contrary to the religion now godlily established, or do not cause their children to reside unto the church, to hear divine service.  
15 Item, whether have you in your church or chapel, the book of Common prayer, lately explained in some few points by his majesties authority, according to the laws and his highness prerogative in that behalf, the Bible of the largest volume, and other books allowed by authority. Whether have you also a font of stone where baptism is to be ministered, standing in the ancient usual place: in which only the minister shall baptise publicly: a decent communion table in time of divine service, with a carpet of silk, or other decent stuff: a comely and decent pulpit, standing in a convenient place.  
16 Item, whether your parish Church, chapel, or chancel be well and sufficiently repaired, and so from time to time kept and maintained, the windows well closed, the flores paved plain and even, and all things therein orderly and in decent sort without dust, or any thing that may be either noisome or unseemly, as best becometh the house of God: your churchyards well and sufficiently repaired, fenced, and maintained with walls, rails, or pales. And whether all persons excommunicate, and so denounced, be kept out of your church. And whether you have not had plays, feasts, banquets, suppers, church-ales, drink, comporall courts or lectes, laynaries, musters, or any other profane usage in your church, chapel, or churchyard: and if there be any such abuses you shall present the same.  
17 Item, whether your Churchwardens have yearly given an account of the church goods committed to their charge, and of other receipts and expenses: and whether they have sold any bells, lead, or other church goods, without the consent of the Ordinary first had in writing: and whether they have employed all such goods, receipts, and sums of money to the use of the church: and whether the Churchwardens and sworn-men in former times have of any private corrupt affection concealed any crime or disorder done in their times, and have not presemed the same: and what be the names of such Churchwardens, and of such offenders.  
18 Item, whether you know or have heard by common same of any that live viciously in fornication, adultery, incest, drunkenness, or uncleanness, common swearers, profaners of the Sabbath, usurers, bawds, ribalds, harbourers, maintainers, or receivers of any such lewd persons, or any which carry, send away, or convey such persons before they be punished, or vehemently suspected of any such faults: any woman which hath been begotten with child or lived incontinently before she was married, who hath not yet satisfied the congregation, or of any which sight, chide, or brawl in church or churchyard. And what be their names.  
19 Item, whether the Minister and clerk, and the Churchwardens, with certain of the substantial men of the parish in Rogation week, walk about their parish: and whether at their return to the Church, they make their common prayers. Also who they be that do negligently or wilfully absent themselves from prayers on Sundays and holidays, or unreverently behave themselves in the church the time of divine service.  
20 Item, whether there be any in your parish that do administer upon goods of those that be dead without lawful authority, or any that suppress, change, forge, or hinder the performance of the Testaments or last will of the dead, or any executors that hath not fulfilled the testators will, especially such as have not discharged such legacies as were bequeathed to the church, or to orphans, or to high ways, or to such, godly uses, and what be their names.  
21 Item, whether do any Physicians, or chirurgeons practise physic or chirurgery within your parish that is not thereunto licenced by the Lord Bishop of the Diocese.  
22 Item, whether the Church of your parish be vacant or no, who is the patron thereof, how long it hath been void, and who doth receive the tithes, oblations, and other commodities, during the time of the vacation, and by what authority.  
23 Item, whether there be any in your parish that be suspected to be reconciled to the Pope of Rome his religion, any massing Priests, jesuits, Seminaries, or other which have received authority from the Romish church: any Papists or Recusants, or any that go about to deprave the Religion now established, and that maintain heresy, use enchantments, witchcrafts, sorceries, or such like.  
24 Item, whether have you the Canons and Constitutions lately set forth by authority, and for the better observation of them, whether hath your Minister read them in your parish church or chapel upon some Sundays and holidays, according as it is commanded.  
25 Item, whether do you know or have heard by common fame of any other crime worthy presentment, the reformation whereof belongeth to the Ecclesiastical court: and if you do, you shall as well present them which now come to your memory, as those which shall hereafter come to your knowledge, twice by the year, according to the Canons lately set forth by authority, that is to say, from henceforth at the feast of S. john Baptist, commonly called Midsummer, and at the feast of the Nativity of our Lord, commonly called Christmas.  
FINIS.