XVIII. "And she charged all manner of officers in cities, towns, CHAP. "and other places, to make search for all manner of small "dags, called pocket dags, as well in any man's house to Anno 1579. "be suspected for the same, as in the shops and houses of "artificers that used to make the same. And also them "shall seize, and take into their custody. 66 66 "None to make or amend, or to bring into this realm any such dags, commonly called pocket dags, or such "like, upon pain of imprisonment. And wheresoever any "have made any such small-shot, to be bound in reasonable sums to the queen, not to make nor put to sale, or other"wise utter any such small pieces as were commonly called "pocket dags, or that may be hid in a pocket, or like place about a man's body, to be hid or carried covertly, &c. 66 66 "Her officers that had authority to inquire of the breach "of her majesty's peace, to assemble themselves presently, "and so monthly, between this and Christmas next. And "there by a jury of sufficient persons to be sworn, or by “other ministers, to be by them deputed, to inquire of the "observation of all the points herein contained. Given at "our manor of Greenwich, the 26th of July, the twenty"first year of our reign." proclama That which gave occasion to this was two accidents that The occahappened about that time; which highly provoked the son of this queen, and justly moved her; (as well as her regard to her tion. honest subjects, for their safe and quiet passing abroad about their lawful occasions :) one was, the discharging of a piece while the queen was in her barge with the Frencht ambassador, going to Greenwich; which wounded one of her bargemen: the other was, a pistol shot at some one person of quality not far off the court. tion for apparel. A proclamation came forth also this year (as there had Proclamabeen divers before) about apparel, for checking the exorbitances and expenses thereof, and for preserving a distinc-605 tion in the queen's subjects according to their different qualities. This was entitled, A proclamation, with certain clauses of divers statutes and other necessary additions ; BOOK first published in the nineteenth year of the queen: and now revived by her highness' commandment, to be put in execuAnno 1579. tion, upon the penalties in the same contained. This bore date the 12th of February, the twenty-second year of the queen. Another proclamation for apparel was set forth in the year 1577, with certain additions of exceptions. And before that, in the year 1565, dated in February, the eighth year of her reign; of which I have taken notice elsewhere. The obser vation of Lent required. The lords cil's letter for that purpose. Another proclamation was set forth, occasioned by slanderous speeches and books published against the duke of Anjou, that was come over to court the queen. This may be read before. season. Care was taken yearly for the due observation of Lent, and for abstaining from killing and eating flesh during that And proclamations from time to time were issued out for that purpose. But this year a strict letter was sent from the lords of the privy-council to her majesty's justices of the peace, for the pressing and better observance of the same. The minutes whereof (being reviewed and corrected in many places by the lord Burghley's own hand) do follow; viz. "After our hearty commendations. Albeit that it were of the coun- to be looked for, that the considerations of yourselves, "having charge hereto, and her majesty's former procla"mations and commandments also, from year to year ex"pressed by our letters, in a matter so necessary for good "order, and so beneficial to the commonweal, should move you to have care to the due keeping of abstinence from eating flesh in the Lent, and the days appointed for the "forbearing thereof; yet seeing by sundry means we are 66 given to understand, how negligently the same is looked "unto in sundry parts of this realm; and especially in inns "and taverns, common tables, tippling and victualling"houses; and that by sufferance and impunity thereof "such licentiousness is rather increased than repressed: 66 "It hath been thought necessary, and so it is precisely "commanded by her majesty, that you should be now "eftsoons straitly charged, more severely to see unto your 66 duty in this behalf. And not only to have care to put in CHAP. "execution her majesty's said proclamation, and such or 66 XVIII. "ders as have been heretofore appointed against the killing, Anno 1579. dressing, and eating of flesh in those times, and in such "common houses of assembly; but also to devise, by all "other good means, how the offenders in this "restrained and punished for such disorders. 66 case may be And in that part we think you should do very well to appoint spe"cial persons, being thereto well disposed, to use searches "weekly, or oftener, in the towns and thoroughfares, where "inns, and such common houses for eating and drinking, are "kept; at such times as there shall be any suspicion that "there is any offence committed in the case aforesaid." [All this that follows is the lord Burghley's own hand.] "And upon knowledge of the breach of good order in The punish"this case, to cause open punishment, not only of such as "shall eat meats so prohibited, but of the housekeepers ment. "and utterers. And for more punishment, if they be vic- CHAP. XIX. Books published this year. A Confutation of the principles of the family of love; by William Wilkinson: and another by J. Knewstubs. A book in answer to the assertion, that the church of Rome is the true and catholic church. The Gaping Gulph'; by J. Stubbs. His letters wrote with his left hand. Some further account of him and his abilities. Plutarch's Lives set forth in English by sir Thomas North. Catalogue of the bishops of Exon. A book of Simples and Surgery, by William BOOK II. Anno 1579. A Confutation writ against the love. Bullein. Egyptians and Jews pretending to do cures by palmistry and charms in these times. Richard Bullein, a divine and physician. Hugh Broughton, felloro of Christ's college, Cambridge; outed of his fellowship (founded by king Edward) wrongfully. His remarkable case. The decision of a college statute; being the ground of this contention. One undertakes to make saltpetre. One offers to fortify the seaports of England and Ireland. The names of the queen's privy counsellors. Now I proceed to the mention of divers books that came forth this year and some accounts thereof, and their authors; with some other private matters incident. One was writ against the sect of the family of love; of which several things have been said already. It bore this family of title, A confutation of certain articles, delivered unto the family of love with the exposition of Theophilus, a supposed elder of the said family, upon the same articles. By William Wilkinson, M. A. and student in divinity. Printed by John Day, dwelling under Aldersgate, 1579. The bishop To this book the bishop of Ely gave his own testimonial in of Ely's re- these words: "Perusing over this little treatise of Mr. Wil"kinson, I could not but allow his diligence and painful "travel in this heretical and schismatical world. And I "would heartily wish of God, that our church of England might be well weeded from those two great errors. "it is high time. commenda tion of it. dedicates his book: 66 For "Richard Ely." 607 To this bishop he makes the dedication of his book. And To him he the rather, because, he said, within the Isle of Ely, and otherwhere within his lordship's diocese, divers did suspect and why. that to be true which common fame reported, that daily those increased: which in the end, he feared, might wonderfully disquiet (as it had already began in divers places) and molest the church of God. The writer's In the epistle to the reader, he tells him of what principle principles. he was; viz. "One that heartily desired the promotion and XIX. "furtherance of God's true religion; the increase of a true CHAP. "faith, the fear of God, the quietness of our English "church, and the utter ruin and abolishing of all papistry, Anno 1579. "atheism, and heretical sects and schisms whatsoever." And that which gave occasion to his writing this book was, that he reading certain books of H. N. and conferring with certain of that lovely family in the Isle of Ely, was by them requested to set down unto them in writing, for his further instruction, those doubts, which he did not understand, either by the means of the unusualness of their me thod in writing, or the novelty of their far-fetched phrases, or their wrong and wrested allegories, or their divinity not heard of; all in an affected rough-trotting style. articles of them His method was this. In the beginning of his book he Fourteen set down, A brief view of the heresies and errors of H. N. heresies and under fourteen articles; which he confutes in his ensuing errors by . treatise. First, That we have no church. Secondly, That taught. we have no truth. Thirdly, We have no baptism. Fourthly, We have no forgiveness of sins. Fifthly, We have no ministry. Sixthly, Concerning being united and godded with God. Seventh, What he saith of himself, and his extraordinary calling. Other articles were concerning his revelations of shrift used in his family: that he disliked the preaching of the word; and what he termed it. That it was lawful for those of the family to dissemble. He makes God the author of sin; and the sinner guiltless. This is in short the sum of those articles that Wilkinson gathered out of H. N.'s book; which he exhibited unto a friend of his to be conveyed unto the family of love, that he might be certified of the doubts in them contained. At length one who called himself Theophilus, sent him answers to them with a letter, and an exhortation annexed; beginning thus: "To Theophilus, his pre"the collector of these after expressed articles, that out of face to "his malicious mind perverted the sense and true mind of answer. "the author, and framed sundry of them into errors; and "to the rest of his assistants in these and such uncharitable 66 dealings, wheresoever they be, greeting." Wilkinson replies to Theophilus paragraph by paragraph; and proves |