ANNO DOMINI M. DC●…XXIII. ¶ ARTICLES given in charge to be inquired upon and presented too, by the Churchwardens, Sidemen, questmen and Inquisitors in every parish within the Province of Ardmagh, in the course of the Metropolitical visitation of the same, in this present year begun, by the most reverend Father in God, Christopher, by the mercy of God, Lo: Archbishop of Ardmagh, Primate and Metropolitan of all Ireland. The said presentments to be made upon their and every their corporal Oaths; whereunto the Parson, Vicar, Curate, and Parish-clarke in every of the said Parishes, are to be assisting, so far as they and every of them can, respectively in their knowledge or understanding. INprimis, whether is your Parson, Vicar or Curate resident continually in, at, and upon his Benefice, doing his duty in reading distinctly the divine Service, preaching the word, and duly administering the holy Sacraments, according to the book of Common Prayer? 2 Item, whether doth your Parson or Vicar (being lawfully absent from his Cure at any time) leave in his place a sufficient and conformable Curate, to celebrate divine Service, administer the Sacraments, and teach and preach the Scriptures? 3 Item, whether is your Parson, Vicar, or Curate a common resorter to Taverns or Alchouses, giving himself to drinking, rioting, & playing at Cards, dice, or other unlawful games: or is he a Striker, dueller, dancer or hunter; or so reported? 4 Item, whether is your Parson or Vicar, or any other of or in your parish, an Usurer, or lender of his money for unlawful gain, or whether is he, or are they taken or reputed so to be? 5 Item, whether do the Proprietaries, Parsons, vicar's & other possessors of the Churches, chapels and their mansions within your parish, keep the chancels of their rectories & vicarages, & other their houses & buildings belonging to the same, in due reparations? 6 Item, whether hath your Parson, Vicar or Curate received any persons to the holy communion, being openly known to be at debate and out of charity with their neighbours, or defamed with any notorious crime and not reform? 7 Item, whether hath your Parson, Vicar or Curate denied or neglected to visit the sick, or bury the dead, being brought to the Church, and having thereof notice? 8 Item, how many Benefices or ecclesiastical promotions hath your Parson or vicar, and how far distant are they the one from tother? what chapels hath he to his Cures belonging? by what names are they called, and how and by whom are they served? 9 Item, whether doth your parson, vicar or curate minister the holy communion any otherwise then only after such form and manner as is set forth in the book of common prayer? 10 Item, whether doth your Parson, Vicar or Curate (being no Preacher allowed) presume to expound the Scriptures, in his own Cure, or elsewhere? or doth he procure (once in a month at the least) a Sermon to be preached in his Cure, by Preachers lawfully licenced? and upon every Sunday, when there is no Sermon, doth he or his Curate read some one of the Homilies prescribed? 11 Item, whether doth your Minister every Sunday and Holiday, half an hour at the least, before Evening prayer, examine and instruct the youth of your parish in the Catechism, set forth by Authority in the book of common prayer; and whether doth he call them thereunto in course, and whether do the Churchwardens of the parish assist him therein? 12 Item, what Schoolmasters have you in your parish, that either teach privately or publicly, and not licenced thereunto, and by whom be they harboured? 13 Item, whether be there in your parish any persons that contemn or abuse, by word or deed, the Ministers of the Church? 14 Item, whether the Service of your Church be begun and ended at due and convenient hours, and whether the same be celebrated by your Parson, Vicar or Curate according to the book of common prayer? 15 Item, whether any person within your parish do wilfully maintain and defend any heresy, error, or opinion contrary or repugnant to the Scriptures and doctrine of the Church? 16 Item, whether there be any in your parish that be common drunkards, swearers, or blasphemers of the name of God? 17 Item, whether be there any in your parish who have committed adultery, fornication or incest, or be common bawds or receivers of such lewd and evil persons, or that be vehemently suspected thereof, or of any of the like crimes? 18 Item, who they be (if any such there be in your parish) that be brawlers, slanderers, chiders, scholders, makebates, and sowets of discords between one person and another, and especially between man and wife, parents and their children, masters & their servants? 19 Item, whether be there any in your parish that do use and exercise charms, sorceries, enchantments, invocations, circles, witchcrafts, soothsay, or any like arts invented by the devil, and especially in or at the time of women's travail? 20 Item, whether is your Church sufficiently repaired, & therein your Pulpit and Communion-table decently furnished and appointed; if not, whose default the same is? 21 Item, whether there be in your parish any that (in contempt of their own parish church) do resort to any other church or chapel? 22 Item, whether any In holder's or Alchouse-keepers within your parish do commonly use to sell meat & drink within the time of common prayer, preaching or reading of the Homilies aforesaid? 23 Item, whether any in your parish under government of their parents or others, have made privy contracts of matrimony, not calling thereunto two or more witnesses, nor having the consent of their parents, or such others under whose government they are? 24 Item, whether such persons, or other in your parish, have married the banes not first solemnly asked, or at unseasonable hours? 25 Item, whether you know in your parish any executors of dead men's goods, which do not bestow or have not bestowed the same, especially such of the said goods as were bequeathed or appointed to be distributed among the poor, repairing of highways, finding of poor scholars, or marrying of poor maidens, or such other charitable deeds accordingly? 26 Item, whether any in your parish do use to keep abrogate holidays, or other then by order of the Churches of England and Ireland are appointed for holidays by the book of common prayer? CHANCELLORS. 27 Item, whether is your Chancellor, Commissarie or Official learned in the Ecclesiastical and civil laws, and such an one as is xxuj. years' old at the least, and hath taken some degree in Schools, and is reasonably well practised in the course of those laws, & touching whose life and conversation, no evil report hath gone? 28 Item, whether your Chancellor, Commissarie, or any other exercising Ecclesiastical jurisdiction in this Diocese, their Registers, actuaries, Apparitors or Summoners have at any time winked at, & suffered adulteries, fornications, incests, or other like offences to pass and remain unpunished, or have commuted any penance without the special licence of the Lord Bishop of the Diocese? 29 Item, what persons are there in your parish that have been married that have been divorced, and have married with others, for these three years last passed? by whose sentence were they divorced, and by whose licence, and by whom were they so married? Declare your knowledge in the premises, and what you have credibly heard. 30 Item, whether doth your Chancellor, Commissarie or Official for his exercising the Ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Diocese, give any yearly rent, sum or sums of money, or other consideration for the same, to any person or persons whatsoever? 31 Item, is there in our parish any other matter or cause of the cognizance of the Church above not expressed, worthy presentment in your judgement? if any such matter or cause there be, you are charged likewise to present the same, as you are the rest by virtue of the same Oath. Imprinted at Dublin by the Society of Stationers. Anno 1623.