VIII. (June 11, 1544) in its present form, and very nearly in its present words. All the other parts of Divine Service continued to be celebrated according to the several books and Uses which have been noticed. Royal Visitation Edward VI. On the accession of Edward VI. (Jan. 28, 1547), the first Accession of measure tending towards reformation was a provision for scriptural instruction of the people, that should be independent of the opinions of the parish priests, by the publication of the First Book of Homilies, to be read Homilies in the churches on Sunday, and a translation of the Paraphrase of Erasmus on the Gospels and Acts of the 1 A King's Letter (23 Aug. 1543) find, and made a selection of some desired general rogations and pro- proper Litanies for festivals, which, cessions to be made, on the occasion however, were not taken into use. of continual rains; and the Arch- The letter sent with the book to bishop, in his mandate, refers to the King (Cranmer, Works, II. 412, other troubles :-'Sævientis pestis ri- ed. Park. Soc.) shows the method gore et bellorum tumultibus, quibus in which he compiled, or revised, the orbis Christianus inpræsentiarum, prayers, and also mentions the musical proh dolor! undique æstuat:' Wil- notation, which now had to be transkins, III..868. The objection to the ferred from the Latin to English use of Latin prayers was, however, words: . . . . I have translated felt in the slackness of the people to certain processions to be used attend the procession. The King upon festival days I was consays in his Letter authorizing the strained to use more than the liberty English Litany (Wilkins, III. 869), of a translator; for in some pro'Forasmuch as heretofore the people, cessions I have altered divers words; partly for lacke of goode instruction in some I have added part; in some and callynge, partly for that they taken part away; some I have left understode no parte of suche prayers out whole, either for by cause the or suffrages as were used to be songe and sayde, have used to come very slackely to the procession, when the same have been commanded here- cessions I have added whole tofore.' This Litany has been re- If your grace command some devout printed by Mr. Clay for the Parker and solemn note to be made thereSociety, as an Appendix to the unto (as is to the procession which volume of Private Prayers of the your majesty hath already set forth in Reign of Q. Elizabeth. An exhortation English), I trust it will much stir the unto prayer was prefixed, 'thought hearts of all men unto devotion. meet by the king's majesty, and his Oct. 7. [This Letter is referred to clergy, to be read to the people in 1543 in State Papers of Henry VIII. every church afore processions. See vol. I. p. 760. But the allusion to Mr. Clay's Preface, p. xxiii. It seems the English Litany already set forth that Cranmer continued his work by makes it more probably written in examining the different Litanies and 1544.] processional services that he could matter appeared to me to be little to published. The Order of the Communion (1548.) Articles and Injunctions. Epistle and Gospel in Apostles, to be studied by the clergy, and to be set up in the churches together with the great Bible.1 Injunctions and Articles of Enquiry were also issued with a royal Visitation in September, which renewed the orders' of Henry against superstition and the pope; and besides one chapter of the New Testament to be read at Matins, and at Evensong one chapter of the Old Testament, on every Sunday and holiday, the significant direction was now added, that the Epistle and Gospel at high mass should be in English.2 In issuing these injunctions, the royal Council acted under the authority of the late king's will, and the statutes which empowered the advisers of Edward during his minority to direct ecclesiastical affairs by proclamation.3 But changes were aimed at which went far beyond the intention of those statutes, and which therefore awaited the meeting of Parliament and Convocation Communion in the beginning of November (1547). Among other in both kinds sanctioned by Convo cation matters of ecclesiastical law, the Lower House of Convocation now turned their attention to reforms in the Church Service, which had been for some time in contemplation, and approved a proposition, introduced by the Archbishop, for administering the Communion in both. and Parlia-kinds. This change was accepted by the Parliament; ment. 4 1 Cardwell, Documentary Annals, bishop, and among them, 'that the II. §§ 7, 20, 32. 3 Ibid. See p. 4, note. 4 Convocation met, Nov. 5. Session III. Nov. 22, the Lower House presented some petitions to the arch works of the bishops and others, who by the command of the Convocation have laboured in examining, reforming, and publishing the Divine Seruice, may be produced, and laid before the examination of this house.' Nov. ult. 'a form of a certain ordinance,' delivered by the archbishop, for the receiving of the body of our Lord under both kinds, viz. of bread and wine,' was read, and subscribed by several members: and Session VI. Dec. 2, 'all this whole session, in number 64, by their mouths did ap and under their authority1 certain bishops and divines, associated with Cranmer, were assembled at Windsor, in January 1548. The first publication of these commissioners was 'The Order of the Communion.' This was not a full Communion Office, but an addition of an English form of communion for the people to the Latin mass. In preparing those portions which did not exist in the Latin office, the book commonly known as Hermann's Consultation's was mainly followed. The particular points of resemblance will be noticed in their place: here it is enough to observe that the idea and the subject-matter of the Exhortation, the Confession, and the Comfortable Words, are due to that source. This Order of Communion restored the cup to the laity, and turned the Mass' into 'the Communion:' it was also a step towards the adoption of 'a tongue understanded of the people' in the most solemn Office of the Church. The book was issued with a proclamation (March 8); and letters were sent (March 13) from the Council to the bishops, requiring them to distribute it through their respective dioceses in time for the curates to instruct and advise themselves for the ministration of the Communion, according to its order, at Easter (April 1); and to direct to be used at prove the proposition made the Clark's Foreign Theol. Library), 1 Stat. I Edw. VI. c. 1, passed 2 Clay, Prayer-Book Illustrated, p. 195, note. 3 See Appendix, § 3. Easter. Pirat Prayer their clergy to use such good, gentle, and charitable Book of Edward VI. of the clergy. instruction of their simple and unlearned parishioners, that there might be one uniform manner quietly used in all parts of the realm.'1 However, some of the bishops were backward in directing the use of the new form; Disaffection and many parish priests were so far from instructing their parishioners for their good satisfaction in the matter, that they laboured to excite them against it, and declared in their sermons that the real intention of the Government was to lay a tax of half-a-crown upon every marriage, christening, and burial. To remedy these disorders, all preaching' was forbidden by a proclamation (April 24), except under licence from the King, the Lord Protector, or the Archbishop of Canterbury, and afterwards was more strictly prohibited by another proclamation (Sept. 23), that the people might be 'the more ready with thankful obedience to receive a most quiet, godly, and uniform order to be had throughout the realm.'5 Preaching forbidden. The Order of the Communion' had been published with all possible speed, and was meant only to serve 1 Foxe, Acts and Mon. v. 719. 2 The people had this notion in 5 Besides the opposition of the ones, according to their own judgments and opinions. . Compare the Proclamation prefixed to "The Order of the Communion' (1548), showing that some enterprised to run before authority: and the Act of Uniformity (1549), stating that, besides the old uses, divers forms and fashions were used in cathedral and parish-churches, concerning Matins and Evensong, the Holy Communion, and the administration of other sacraments of the Church: Clay, P.B. Illustrated, pp. 185, 189. See also Lathbury, Hist. Convoc. pp. 135 sqq. and Hist. of P.B. p. 21. A book, which must have been printed in 1548, seems to have been intended for an Order of Matrimony. Book of VI. First PrayerEdward V Prayer-Book approved by and Parlia ment. until a more complete book could be prepared. The divines assembled at Windsor, therefore, continued their deliberations,1 and before the end of the year, with the sanction of Convocation,2 presented 'The Book of Convocation Common Prayer' to the King, to be by him laid before Parliament. The main discussion turned upon the manner of Christ's presence in the Eucharist;3 and before the book passed the Commons, a public disputation was held upon this subject, with the apparent intention of laying open the arguments which had caused the bishops and divines to retain or to alter the old Services. After this, the book was readily accepted 1 Heylin (Hist. Ref. 2 Ed. VI. $17) says that these bishops and divines were ordered to assemble on the Ist of September, and that the reason of the publication of the Book of Common Prayer was the difficulty of restraining the preachers. Com munion in both kinds was fully sanc- 138; Clay, P. B. Illustrated, Pref. 3 See Hardwick, Middle Age, pp. Dec. 31: 'Habita est Londini de- journal, 'a notable disputation of 2 The King's Message to the Devonshire rebels says that the Soc.) King Edward calls it in his Book of Common Prayer was 'by the whole clergy agreed' (Foxe, Acts and Mon. v. 734). In a letter preserved in Bonner's Register (ibid. p. 726) the King states distinctly that the book was approved or set forth by the bishops and all other learned men of this our realm in their synods and convocations provincial.' See Lathbury, Hist. f Convoc. p. 5 See Collier, Eccl. Hist. . pp. 240 sq.; Hardwick, Reformation, pp. 212 sqq.; Soames, Hist. Ref. Ed. VI. pp. 241 sqq. |