II. And besides these colledges that be in the Universities, BOOK this realm hath also certain collegiate churches, as Westmynster, Windesour, Eaton, and Wynchester. The two last wherof do bring up and find a great number of yong scholars; the which, after they be once perfect in the rules of grammar and of versifying, and wel entred in the prin-62 ciples of the Greek tongue and of rhetorick, are sent from thence unto the Universities. As thus; out of Eaton colledge they be sent unto the King's colledge at Cambridge; and out of Wynchester unto the New colledge at Oxford. The colledges of both the Universities he not only very fair and goodly built thorough th'exceeding liberality of the Kings in old time, and of late days, of Bishops and of noble men; but they be also endowed with marvellous large livings and revenews. In Trinity colledge at Cambridge, and in Christ's colledge at Oxford, both which were founded by King Henry th'Eighth, of most famous memory, are at the least found four hundred scholars. And the like number wel neer is to be seen in certain other colledges, as in the King's colledge, and S. John's colledge at Cambridge: in Magdalen colledge and New colledge of Oxford. Besides the rest which we now pas over. Every one of the colledges have their Professors of the tongues, and of the liberal sciences, (as they cal them,) which do trade up youth privately within their halls; to th'end they may afterward be able to go furth thence into the common schools as to open disputation, as it were into plain battail, there to try themselfe. In the common schools of both the Universities, there are found at the King's charge, and that very largely, five Professors and Readers, that is to say, the Reader of Divinity, the Reader of the Civil Law, the Reader of Physick, the Reader of the Hebrew tongue, and the Reader of the Greek tongue. And for the other Professors, as of Philosophy, of Logique, of Rhetorick, and of the Mathematicks, the Universities themselves do allow stipends unto them. And these II. BOOK Professors have the ruling of the disputations, and other school exercises, which be daily used in the common schools. Amongst whom, they that by the same disputations and exercises are thought to be come to any ripenes in knowledg, are wont, according to the use in other Universities, solemply to take degrees, every one in the same science and faculty which he professeth. the Reform The ends of We thought good to annex these things, to th'end we ation. might confute and confound those that spread abroad rumours, how that with us nothing is don in order, and as ought to be don; that there is no religion at al, no ecclesiastical discipline observed, no regard had of the salvation of mennes souls; but that al is don quite out of ordre, and seditiously; that al antiquity is despised; that liberty is given to all sensuality and leud lusts of folkes; that the livings of the Church be converted to profane and worldly uses. Wheras in very trouth we seek nothing els but that that God, above al, most good, may have stil his honour truly and purely reserved unto him; that the rule and way to everlasting salvation may be taken from out of his very word, and not from mens fantasies; that the sacraments may be ministred, not like a maskary or a stage-play, but religiously and reverently, according to the rule prescribed unto us by Christ, and after the examples of the holy Fathers, which flourished in the primitive Church; that that most holy and godly fourm of discipline, which was commonly used amongst them, may be called home again: that the goods of the Church may not be launched out amongst worldlings and idle persons, but may be bestowed upon the godly Ministers and Pastors, which take pain both in preaching and teaching: that there may from tyme to tyme arise up out of the Universities learned and good Ministers, and others, meet to serve the commonwealth: and finally, that al unclean and wicked life may be utterly abandoned and banished, as unworthy for the name of any Christian. : And albeit we are not yet able to obtain this, that we have said, fully and perfitly, (for this same stable, as one may rightly cal it, of the Romish Augias, cannot so soon be tho II. roughly cleansed and rid from the long grown filth and BOOK muck,) nevertheles this is it whereunto we have regard; hither do we tend; to this mark do we direct our pain and 63 travail: and that hitherto (through God his gracious favour) not without good success and plenteous increase. Which thing may easily appear to every body, if either we be compared with our own selves, in what maner of case we have ben but few years synce, or els be compared with our false accusers, or rather our malicious slaunderors. The Lord defend his Church; govern it with his Holy Spirit, and bless the same with al prosperous felicity. Amen. BOOK III. [Number XXXII.] The Archbishop to the Bishop of London; concerning licences for Preachers. Regist. To the right reverend Father in God, and my loving bro-Park. ther, the Bishop of London, give these : AFTER my harty commendation to your good Lordship : for that the Queens Majesty is informed of divers indiscreet preachers, who be thought to be licenced partly by my letters, partly by other of our brethren; of which preachers, divers have deceived our expectation: wherupon for the better instruction of her subjects, her Highnes commanding the same, it is meet that we should take for hereafter a more diligent choise of such as shal sue for such licences. In the mean time, this is to pray and require your Lordship to signify to the rest of our brethren in my province, that they charge their Curats to suffer none to preach in their cures, by vertue of my licences, bearing date before the first day of April last past. Which order I find to have been used in my predecessors days, as in Bishop Cranmer's, I have to shew: who upon such occasion was compelled twice or thrice III. BOOK in his time to cal in licences before granted with addition partly of certain clauses, and partly bands, not to disturb the state of religion established by public authority: notifying also, that such as shal desire to be admitted by my licence or theirs, (being meet for the same,) shal be received again without any difficulty, or any great charges for their licences, bringing in their old. Furthermore, this is also to require you in the Queens From my house at Lambeth, this Matth. Cant. Number XXXIII. 64 A Dietary; being ordinances for the prices of victuals and diet of the Clergy: for the preventing of dearths. Edwarde the Second. TA Dietarie. Writtes published after the ordinaunce of Earles and Barons. Anno Domini. 1315. EDWARDE, by the grace of God, King of Englande, &c. To Shiriffes, Majors, Bailiffes of fraunchises, greetyng. Forasmoch as we haue heard and understanded the greevous complayntes of Archbishops, Bishops, Prelates, and Barons, touchyng great dearth of victuals in our realme: we ordeyne from henceforth, that no oxe stalled or corne-fedde be solde III. for more then xxiiiis. No other grasse-fed oxe for more BOOK then xvis. a fat stalled cowe at xiis. another cowe lesse woorth, at xs. a fat mutton corne-fed, or whose wool is well growen, at xxd. another fat mutton shorne at xiiiid. a fat hogge of two yeres olde at iiis. iiiid. a fat goose at iid. ob. in the city at iiid. a fat capon at iid. in the citie iid. ob. a fat hen at id. in the citie at id. ob. Two chickens at id. in the citie at id. ob. foure pigions id. in the citie three pigions id. Item xxiiii. egges a peny, in the citie xx. egges a peny. We ordeyne to all our Shiriffes and our other ministers whatsoever they be, that yf any person buy or sell any of the thynges above named, contrary to our ordinaunce aforesayde, that the ware be forfaite, and due penaltie set vpon them according to their desart. Yeuen at Westminster vnder our Great Seale the xiiii. day of Marche, the viii. yere of our reigne. This writte was published in the Shiriffes countie in Kent, in the feaste of Saint Agapetus the martyr. EDWARDE, by the grace of God, &c. to Shiriffes of Kent, greetyng. Forasmuch as through to outragious and vnmeasurable seruices of measses and meates, the which great personages of our realme at this tyme haue made and used to make, and yet do make and vse in their houses, and herevpon other meaner men of the same realme, for whom it is not conuenient to take vpon them such thynges, do endeuour and enforce themselues to counterfaite the great estates in doyng such outrages, farther than their state requireth and besydes this, because many idle persons vnder colour of mynstrelsie, and going in messages, and other faigned busines, haue ben and yet be receaved in other mens houses to meate and drynke, and be not therewith contented, yf they be not largely consydered with gyftes of the lordes of the houses: many ylles are come to the sayde realme, both to the apayrynge of the good health of mens bodies, and also to the destruction of the goodes of the realme, and to the great decay and impouerishment of the sayde realme: we wyllyng to restrayne suche outragious |