dently known, that there hath passed out of this realm unto the court of Rome, since the second year of the reign of the most noble prince of famous memory, King Henry the seventh, unto this present time, under the name of annates, or first fruits, paid for the expedition of bulls of archbishoprics, and bishoprics, the sum of 800,000 ducats, amounting in sterling money, at the least, to eight score thousand pounds, besides other great and intolerable sums which have yearly been conveyed to the said court of Rome, by many other ways and means, to the great impoverishment of this realm; and albeit, that our said sovereign the king, and all his natural subjects, as well spiritual as temporal, being as obedient, devout, catholic and humble children of God, and holy church, as any people be within any realm christened; yet the said exactions of annates, or first fruits, be so intolerable and importable to this realm, that it is considered and declared, by the whole body of this realm now represented by all the estates assembled in this present parliament, that the king's highness before almighty God, is bound, as by the duty of a good christian prince, for the conservation and preservation of the good estate and commonwealth of this his realm, to do all that in him is to obviate, repress and redress the said abuses and exactions of annates, or first fruits; and because that divers prelates of this realm, being now in extreme age, and in other debilities of their bodies, so that of likelihood, bodily death in short time shall or may succeed unto them; by reason whereof great sums of money shall shortly after their deaths be conveyed unto the court of Rome, for the unreasonable and uncharitable causes above said to the universal damage, prejudice, and impoverishment of this realm, if speedy remedy be not in due time provided:

(It is therefore enacted that all such payments other than are declared in this act, shall cease, and no person shall pay them, upon pain to forfeit goods to the king; and if therefore any person is delayed or denied his bulls at the court of Rome, he shall be consecrated by his archbishop, being first named by the king, but shall still pay at the court of Rome 5 1. for every hundred that the promomotion is valued at.)

And forasmuch as the king's highness, and this his high court of parliament, neither have nor do intend to use in this, or any other like cause, any manner of extremity or violence, before gentle courtesy or friendship, ways and means first approved and attempted, and without a very great urgent cause and occasion given to the

Um

contrary, but principally coveting to disburthen this realm of the said great exactions, and intolerable charges of annates and first fruits, have therefore thought convenient to commit the final order and determination of the premises, in all things, unto the king's highness, so that if it may seem to his high wisdom, and most prudent discretion, meet to move the pope's holiness, and the court of Rome, amicably, charitably, and reasonably, to compound, or to extinct and make frustrate the payments of the said annates, or first fruits, or else by some friendly, loving, and tolerable composition to moderate the same in such wise as may be by this realm easily borne and sustained; that then those ways and compositions taken, concluded and agreed, between the pope's holiness and the king's highness, shall stand in strength, force and effect of law, inviolably to be observed.

Stat. of the Realm III, 385; Gee & Hardy, 178.

The Restraint of Appeals, 1533, 24 Hen., VIII, c. 12.

"Whereby divers sundry old authentic histories and chronicles it is manifestly declared and expressed that this realm of England is an empire, and so hath been accepted in the world, governed by one sovereign head and king, having the dignity and royal estate of the imperial crown of the same, unto whom a body politic compact of all sorts and degrees of people, divided in terms and by names of Spirituality and Temporality, be bound and owe to bear next to God a natural and humble obedience; he being also instituted and furnished by the goodness and sufferance of Almighty God with plenary, whole, and entire power, preeminence, authority, prerogative, and jurisdiction to render and yield justice and final determination to all manner of folk residents or subjects within this his realm, in all causes, matters, debates and contentions happening to occur, arise, or begin within the limits thereof, without restraint or provocation to any foreign princes or potentates of the world. The body spiritual whereof having power when any cause of the law divine happened to come in question or of spiritual learning, then it was declared, interpreted and shewed by that part of the said body politic called the spirituality now being usually called the English church, which always hath been reputed and also found of that sort that both for knowledge, integrity and sufficiency of number it hath been always thought and is also at this hour sufficient and meet of itself, without the intermeddling of any exterior person or persons,

to declare and determine all such doubts and to administer all such offices and duties as to their rooms spiritual doth appertain; for the due administration whereof and to keep them from corruption and sinister affection, the king's most noble progenitors, and the antecessors of the nobles of this realm, have sufficiently endowed the said church both with honor and possessions:

And the laws temporal for trial of property of lands and goods and for the conservation of the people of this realm in unity and peace without ravin or spoil, was and yet is administered, adjudged and executed by sundry judges and administers of the other part of the said body politic called the temporality, and both their authorities and jurisdictions do conjoin together in the due administration of justice the one to help the other; And whereas the king's most noble progenitors and the nobility and commons of this said realm at divers and sundry parliaments as well in the time of King Edward the first, Edward the third, Richard the second, Henry the fourth, and other noble kings of this realm, made sundry ordinances, laws, statutes and provisions for the entire and sure conservation of the prerogatives, liberties and preeminences of the said imperial crown of this realm, and of the jurisdictions spiritual and temporal of the same, to keep it from the annoyance as well of the see of Rome as from the authority of other foreign potentates attempting the diminution or violation thereof as often and from time to time as any such annoyance or attempt might be known or espied:

And notwithstanding the said good statutes and ordinances made in the time of the king's most noble progenitors in preservation of the authority and prerogative of the said imperial crown as is aforesaid, yet nevertheless since the making of the said good statutes and ordinances divers and sundry inconveniences and dangers not provided for plainly by the said former acts, statutes and ordinances have risen and sprung by reason of appeals sued out of this realm to the See of Rome, in causes testamentary, causes of matrimony and divorces, right of tithes, oblations and obventions, not only to the great inquietation, vexation, trouble, costs and charges of the king's highness and many of his subjects and residents in this his realm, but also to the great delay and let to the true and speedy determination of the said causes, for so much as the parties appealing to the said court of Rome most commonly do the same for the delay of justice. And forasmuch as the great distance

of way is so far out of this realm, so that the necessary proofs nor the true knowledge of the cause can neither there be so well known nor the witnesses there so well examined as within this realm, so that the parties grieved by means of the said appeals be most times without remedy:

(In consideration whereof it is enacted that such cases shall be determined by the king's courts spiritual and temporal, despite any process of foreign jurisdiction, or any inhibition, excommunication or interdict.)

And it is further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that if any person or persons, inhabiting or resident within this realm or within any the king's said dominions or marches of the same, or any other person or persons of what condition or degree soever he or they be, at any time hereafter for or in any the causes aforesaid do attempt move, purchase or procure from or to the See of Rome or from or to any other foreign court or courts out of this realm, any manner foreign process, inhibitions, appeals, sentences, summons, citations, suspensions, interdictions, excommunications, restraints or judgments of what nature kind or quality soever they be, or execute any of the same process or do any act or acts to the let impediment, hinderance, or derogation of any process, sentence, judgment, or determination had made done or hereafter to be had done or made in any courts of this realm or the king's said dominions or marches of the same for any of the causes aforesaid, contrary to the true meaning of this present act and the execution of the same, that every such person or persons so doing and their fautors, comforters, abbetors, procurers, executors and counsellors and every of them being convict of the same for every such default shall incur and run in the same pains and forfeitures ordained and provided by the statute of provision and præmunire made in the XVI year of the reign of the noble Prince, King Richard the Second, against such as attempt, procure or make provision to the See of Rome, or else where for for any thing or things to the derogation or contrary to the prerogative or jurisdiction of the Crown and dignity of this realm." Stat. Realm III, 427, Gee & Hardy. 187.

Act of Supremacy 1534, 26 Hen. VIII, c. 1.

"Albeit the king's majesty justly and rightly is and ought to be the supreme head of the Church of England, and so is recognized by the clergy of this realm in their convocations, yet nevertheless

for corroboration and confirmation thereof, and for increase of virtue in Christ's religion within this realm of England, and to repress and extirp all errors, heresies, and other enormities and abuses heretofore used in the same; be it enacted by authority of, this present parliament, that the king our sovereign lord, his heirs and successors, kings of this realm, shall be taken, accepted, and reputed the only supreme head in earth of the Church of England, called Anglicana Ecclesia; and shall have and enjoy, annexed and united to the imperial crown of this realm, as well the title and style thereof, as all honors, dignities, pre-eminences, jurisdictions, privileges, authorities, immunities, profits, and commodities to the said dignity of supreme head of the same church belonging and appertaining; and that our said sovereign lord, his heirs and successors, kings of this realm, shall have full power and authority from time to time to visit, repress, redress, reform, order, correct, restrain, and and amend all such errors, heresies, abuses, offences, contempts, and enormities, whatsoever they be, which by any manner spiritual authority or jurisdiction ought to be or may lawfully be reformed, repressed, ordered, redressed, corrected, restrained, or amended, most to the pleasure of Almighty God, the increase of virtue in Christ's religion, and for the conservation of the peace, unity and tranquility of this realm; any usage, custom, foreign law, foreign authority, prescription, or any other thing or things to the contrary notwithstanding."

Stat. of the Realm, III, 492; Gee and Hardy, 234.

Act for the Suppression of Monasteries, 1536, 27 Hen. VIII, c. 28.

"Forasmuch as manifest sin, vicious, carnal and abhominable living is daily used and committed commonly in such little and small abbies, priories and other religious houses of monks, canons and nuns, where the congregation of such religious persons is under the number of twelve persons, whereby the governors of such religious houses, and their covent, spoil, destroy, consume and utterly waste, as well their churches, monasteries, priories, principal houses, farms, granges, lands, tenements and hereditaments, as the ornaments of their churches, and their goods and chattels, to the high displeasure of Almighty God, slander of good religion, and to the great infamy of the king's highness and the realm, if redress should not be had thereof. And albeit that many continual visitations hath been heretofore had, by the space of two hundred years and more, for an honest and charitable reformation of such unthrifty, carnal