FIRST ye shall enquire & truly present vpon your oathes takē, whether you do know of any, which hath thrust himself into any functiō Ecclesiastical without ordinary calling, as, to say publike seruice in Church or chappell, not being lawfully ordered Deacon at the least.

2 Whether your Parson or Vicar be known, suspected or reported to haue bought his benefice, or come to it by any simoni­acall compact, made either by himself, or others, directly, or indi­rectly: or do let out his liuing or any part thereof to any, in consi­deration that he hath obtained the same▪

3 Whether your Parson, Vicar, curat, or minister, or anie other Priest or layman or woman doe wilfully maintain or de­fend any heresies, false opinions or popish errors, contrary to the lawes of almightie God, and true doctrine, by publike authoritie now set foorth in this realme, and what be their names?

4 Whether your Parson, Vicar, or curate, do not say cōmon prayer in your church, or chappel, distinctly & reuerētly, & in such order, as it is set foorth by publike authority, without any kind of alteration, & at due & conuenient hours: & whether your minister do not so turne himselfe, & stand in such place of your church or chancell, as the people may best heare the same, and whether the sacraments be not likewise ministred reuerently in such maner as by the lawes of this realm is appointed: & whether vpon wed­nesdayes and fridayes the Letany and other praiers appointed for the day be not said accordingly?

5 Whether your Minister or any other not being licenced take vpon him to expound scripture, & therby omit vpon any sun­day the reading of a part of an Homily at the least, or vpon any o­ther occasion do omit the same?

6 Whether your Minister do not read the cōmination against [Page]sinners, with certaine praiers appointed, at the least thrice a yeere besides the lent time: and whether he doth not read the Queenes Maiesties iniunctions quarterly in the Church?

7 Whether he haue preached or caused to be preached his monethly or quarterly Sermons at the least, and who they be that preached them, and whether he haue suffered any not licen­ced to preach, or forbidden any that was licenced?

8 Whether any notorious offender, or which is out of cha­rity, or excommunicate, or a stranger of an other parish, be admit­ted to the communion by your minister, or such as being aboue twentie yeres of age haue not beene able to say at the least the Lords prayer, ten commandements, and Articles of the beliefe, or being aboue fourteen yeres, & vnder twenty, that could not say the Catechisme: & whether your minister at times conuenient be­fore he administer vnto them, and namely before Easter, do vse to examin his Parishioners, whether they can say by heart the same which is required in this behalfe: & whether he marry any persons, that were single before, that cannot say the Catechisme?

9 Whether your Ministers on euery Sunday and Holyday in the after-noone before euening prayer do not instruct all the youth within your parish of conuenient age of both sexes, in the Catechisme, or at the least so many of them by course as time wil serue, & as he may wel hear & instruce for half an hour space at the least, & present to the Ordinary such quarterly as refuse to come to be catechised?

10 Whether he do diligently visite the sick & comfort them with exhortation to contribute by wil for the reliefe of the Poore, as their abilitie shall serue?

11 Whether he be diligent in study of the holy Scriptures for further increase in knowledge, and for that purpose hath (if hee bee vnder the degree of a Maister of Arte) at the least, [Page]the new Testament in Latine, & English, and whether he doth daily conferre certaine Chapters thereof together, vsing at va­cant times such good and seemly exercises as may keepe him from sluggishnes and idlenes?

12 Whether any mynister haue maried any in times for­bidden by the Ecclesiasticall Lawes, or without bannes thrice asked, otherwise than by licence of the ordinary, or hath vsed the forme of thanks giuing, for a woman after childebirth, being vn­lawfully begotten with childe otherwise than in forme of a pe­ninent person, viz. in a white sheet or other habit prescribed by the ordinary, or vpon any other day than on a Sunday, or Holy­day: or before sufficient caution taken, that shee should not de­part the Parishe, till shee should performe such pennance, as should be enioyned by the Ordinary?

13 Whether your Minister vse any other Rite, or Cere­mony in the Church than is prescribed by the booke of Common Praier, and whether he or any other, keep or vse any secret Con­uenticles, Preachings, Lectures, or Readings contrary to the Lawe, and what be their names?

14 Whether your Parson, or Vicar: doth not in his owne person at the Church, sometimes in the Yeare, both say Pub­like Prayers himselfe, and also administer the holy Communi­on, according to the booke of Common Praier?

15 Whether your Minister vse the dayes of Perambulati­ons accustomed, and that without wearing of any Surples, or any other Rite, or staying at any olde Crosse, and also without vsing any other Praiers, than the 103. and 104. Psalmes, an Homily for that purpose, the Letanie, and such sentences of the Scripture as are appointed by Iniunction in that behalfe?

16 Whether any do serue as a Minister, or Deacon not li­cenced vnder the Ordinaries Seale, or serue twoo cures, and [Page]whether any Minister comming out of an other Dioces hath not the Ordinaries letters testimoniall concerning aswell the cause of his departure as his behauiour, and what stipend your Curate hath by yeere?

17 Whether is your minister a peacemaker and exhorter of his Parishioners to Christian loue, & concord, and such a one as is no sower of discorde amongst Neighbours?

18 Whether your Parson or Vicar suffer his buildings or Chauncel to fall to ruine or decay, and whether he or anie other haue taken away or discouered any Church, Chappell, or Chaun­cel, or any part of them: any Church porch, vestrie, spittle, almes house, or such like: or hath pulled downe the belles, or hath made any spoile or waste vppon his benefice, either in his timber, or woods, or by felling trees in the Church-yarde?

19 Whether the Minister and Church-wardens (accor­ding to hir Maiesties Iniunctions) doe keepe well the Register book, & therin register al Weddings, buriengs, & Christenings, and once euery yeere exhibite a Copie thereof by Indenture to the office of thordinaries Register: and if it be not done, through whose default?

20 Whether your Minister hath put in vre such orders concerning Catechising of youth, &c. and executed all other such things as hath from time to time since the last visitation, beene sent vnto him from the Ordinary, as processes, & such like: And whether he hath made any Certificats of penance orderly & pe­nitently done, which hath indeed bin scoffingly, or impenitently performed, or els not done at all?

21 Whether your Parson, or Vicar hath at anie time since the thirteenth yeere of the Queenes Maiesties raigne, made anie manner of lease, or graunt, of his Parsonage, or Vicarage, or anie part thereof (hee being absent, and not resident [Page]vpon the same) to any other then to his Curate that did, or doth serue his Cure in his absence?

22 Whether is your Parson, or Vicar absent from among you aboue eightie daies in anie one yeere in all, not being lawfully qualified and dispenced withall, and beeing so licenced, whether is the Cure serued by an honest learned Curate, whether doth hee not at the least for one month in the yere, keepe hospitalitie at his liuing, and also giue, if his benefice be aboue twentie poundes a yeere, the fortith part thereof to the Poore?

23 Whether any Minister do forsake his function & giue himselfe to any other trade of life then is fit, or may be incident with that calling?

24 Whether doth your Minister keepe any suspected womā in his house, or (being not married) any woman not of neere kin­red vnto him, or doth he liue in any tauerne, or alehowse, or com­mōly resort thither, or is he a hawker, or hunter, or a gamester, at any game, other then at shooting, or otherwise suspected of any notorious crime, or any euill example of life?

25 Whether doth your Minister keepe, or suffer to be kept any Alehouse, Tauern, or Victualing house in his Parsonage or Vicarage house?

26 Whether doth your Minister vse any excessiue or vnseemely kinde of apparell not commendable in that cal­ling?

27 Whether doth the Patrone suffer the Church to lie voide without incumbent, and take any the profites thereof, and how long he hath so done?

28 Whether the Patron haue freely bestowed the benefice without any Simony, directly, or indirectly, betweene him & [Page]the incumbent, or any other: And whether he doth not retaine his owne tithes, or hath the benefice whereof he is Patrone, or some part thereof in farme?

29 Whether your Schoolemaster teaching within your Parish openly, or within any Gentle-mans house be licenced thereunto by the ordinary: whether doth he teach such books as be commanded to be taught, and that diligently? And whether is he reputed of sincere Religion, and conuersation, and fre­quenteth Diuine seruice, or no?

30 Whether haue you in your Parish Church, or Chappel the booke of Common Praier, with the new Rallender, two Psalters, the great English Bible, the two Volumes of Homi­lies, the Paraphrase of Erasmus in English, the Table of the Ten commandements, whole, and vntorne, a conuenient Pul­pit, a decent Communion Table on a frame, a Linnen Cloth to couer the same, with some other couering of Silke or such like, a Communion Cup, and a couer of Siluer, a decent Surplese with sleeues, a sure Coffer with two lockes for the Register booke, a strong Chest for the Almes Bore, with three lockes thereunto, and all other things requisite?

31 Whether doth your Parson, Vicar, Curate, or Mini­ster weare any Cope in your Parish Church or Chappell, or mi­nister the holy Communion in any Chalice heretofore vsed at Masse, or in any prophane Cup or Glasse?

32 Whether are all Altars taken downe, to the very foun­dation, and the place Whited, and paued vnder-neath, and the Roode-lofte downe to the Crosse-beame, al superstitious books vsed either in the Church or otherwise defaced, togither with all monuments of Superstition and Idolatry, as Vestiments, &c. And if not, in whose custody are they, or any of them?

33 Whether any Church-wardens since the laste visitati­on [Page]haue suffered any vnmaried woman begotten with childe to depart their Parish before such pennance done as was inioyned?

34 Whether is your Church, chappel, or chauncell suffici­ently repaired, and churchyard decently and sufficiently fenced, and kept cleane: if not, in whose default?

35 Whether haue your churchwardens from time to time truly leuied xii. pence for euery day, of those who absent them­selues from church, and whether hath the same beene bestowed vpon the poore as it ought, or no: And whether the churchwar­dens themselues haue absented themselues, or beene negligent in their duty, or in frequenting diuine seruice, and whether doth your Minister admonish the churchwardens opēly in the church after the second lesson at morning and euening praier to looke to their charge in this behalfe?

36 Whether haue any churchwardens or swornmen, since the last visitation or inquisition, or at any time, concealed any disorder or crime done in your Parish, or not presented the same to be reformed?

37 Whether any churchwardens without iust cause delai­eth to giue account euerie yeare of the church goods, or detai­neth any of the church goods, or common stocke, and whether is the stock of the poore mans boxe faithfully, and indifferently di­stributed to the poore without any partiall affection?

38 Whether any churchwardens haue continued in that office, at any time aboue one yeare without a newe election?

39 Whether the clerke be appointed, according to the cu­stome of your Parish, whether is he obedient to the minister in such things, as belong to his office, & vseth diligence in keeping al such things as belong to his charge, decent & cleane: whether is he able to read distinctly, & to answere as appertaineth to him [Page]in the church, & whether is hee suffered to read any thing in the church, saue the one lesson and the epistle?

40 Whether when any man is passing out of this life, the Bel be not touled, to moue the people to pray for the sick person, and whether there be any ringing for any that died out of the pa­rish, & whether in the parish there be any more ringing than one short peale before, & an other after the buriall: & whether on All­soules euen or day, or any Saints euen, or vpon any abrogate ho­lidaies, there be any other ringing than is vsual, on cōmon wor­king dates, or other than ringing to common praier, or sermons, & that but moderate: & whether there be any ringing at al in time of common praier, reading of homilies, or of preaching?

41 Whether any Lords of misrule, dauncers, plaiers, or any other disguised persons do dance, or play any vnseemly parts in the Church, Church-yard, or Chappel-yard, or whether are there any playes or common drinking kept in church, or Church-yarde, who maintaine & accompany such?

42 Whether any person in your parish hath remained ex­cōmunicated by the space of fortie daies, & whether any such doe intrude himselfe to diuine seruice, the Sacrament, or publike as­semblies, and who are encoragers and keepers of company with such as so remaine excommunicate?

43 Whether any holy daies, or Fishdaies abrogated by au­thority, are either by your minister bidden, or by any other obser­ued superstitiously, or any festiual daies vsed a new by any with­out lawfull authority?

44 Whether all superiours, as parents, masters, &c. do as­much as in them lieth to bring to the church to be catechised on holy daies & Sundaies in the afternoone before euening praier, their children, seruants, and apprentices both mankind and wo­mankind being aboue seuen yeares of age, and vnder twenty, or [Page]at the least such & so many, as your minister shall thinke meete to be sent thither for that purpose: and there diligently & obediently to heare and to be ordered by the minister vntil such time as they haue learned the same Catechisme: & what their names be that neglect so to doe: and who betwixt the saide ages cannot say the Catechisme?

45 Whether there be any that refuse to come to diuine ser­uice in their parish Church, or Chappell, or doe not frequent the same, or doe not being of conuenient age communicate thrice a yere at the least, & namely once about Easter, or receiuing have not signified the same to the minister in tyme conuenient, that he might examine them how they were instructed for partaking of so high mysteries: and whether there bee any strangers, that so­iourne in your parish, especially about Easter, and do absent thē ­selues from Church: or any that be hinderers or deriders of true religion, or of those which professe it?

46 Whether there be any lay or temporall man, not being within orders, or any child, that hath or enioyeth any benefice or spirituall promotion?

47 Whether any in your Parish be suspected to resort to any Masse, or other kind of seruice than is receiued by authority, or to be reconciled to the Church of Rome, or do goe vp & downe in secretwise or disguised, or that haue beene not long sithence beyond the Seas, being no merchants, vsing traficke, or other­wise lawfully licenced?

48 Whether any do pray in an vnknowen tongue, or vpon beads, or do any way number their praiers superstitiously, or do read, sel, or deliuer, any popish books come from beyond the seas.

49 Whether any be in your parish which at time of diuine prayers do vse any iangling, talking, walking, or other vnseeme­ly behauior in church or churchyard, or do any way disturbe cō ­mon prayer, or any part of the diuine seruice, or do vse any game, [Page]or pastime abroad at those times, or sit in the tauern, or alehouse, or streetes at such times, or which doe worke on Sundaies, any handicraft worke, or which keepe open any shoppes for sale of wares til euening praier be finished, or which depart before prai­ers bee finished, or cōmeth late without cause sufficient, or which be brawlers, or fighters in the church or churchyard:

50 Whether any in your parish be knowen, or suspected to vse any witchcraft, or sorcerie, charme, inchantment, or vnlawful inuocation, and namely, Midwiues at the labor of women, or any who do take vpon them to tel destinies, or to guide men to things lost, or any that resorteth vnto such for helpe & counsaile, or final­ly any blasphemers of the name of God, or swearers among you:

51 Whether any be known, or suspected to be adulterers, for­nicators, incestuous persons, bawdes, or recettors of incontinent persons into their houses, or which conuey or suffer them to goe away before they do make satisfaction to the congregation offen­ded, any drunkards, ribalds, malicious, contentious, and vncha­ritable persons, common slaunderers, raylers, scoulders, or sow­ers of discord amongst you:

52 Whether any childe being born since the 13. yeare of the Queenes Maiesties raigne hath not been brought to be baptised to your parish church, but hath beene baptised at home, or their baptisme differred:

53 Whether your hospitales, spittles, & almes-houses be well & godly vsed, according to the foūdatiō, & ancient ordināces of the same. Whether there be any other placed in thē then poore, impo­tent, & needy persons, that haue not whereby, or wherwith to liue.

54 Whether there be any man that hath, or hath had at one time two wiues, or a woman two husbandes, any maried within degrees of consanguinity, or affinity, set foorth in a table for that purpose, any diuorced keeping company stil togither, any maried without the degrees forbidden, which without law haue forsaken [Page]their wiues or husbāds, or liue not togither, any maried that haue made precōtracts to other, any that haue made priuy contracts, or maried without consent of their parents, or gouernors, any maried without bannes thrise solemnly asked, or out of the pa­rish church where the solemnization ought to haue been, without the Ordinaries licence vnder his seale:

55 Whether there be any that directly, or indirectly, do take any vsury, or interest, who they be & what is the maner of their vsury:

56 Whether any set downe in the last will and testament, of any, as executors, do presume to execute, or deal with the deads goods before the wil be proued, or any presume to administer be­fore administration committed vnto them, any hinderers of the performance of such wil, any forgers, or changers of wils, or any executors which haue not fulfilled their testators will, especially in not paying legacies giuen to good and godly vses:

57 Whether doth your Parson, Vicar, or Curate, church­wardens & swornemen, & euery of them certifie in writing vnder their handes & seales to their Ordinary of the Dioces, or his Vi­car general the names & surnames of al those persons that absent thēselues frō hearing the diuine seruice (cōtrary to hir Maiesties lawes) according to the iniunction giuē in that behalf, quarterly to be made, or at the leastwise in time cōueniēt before ech the assi­ses, or quarter sessiōs to be holdē w ^tin the said dioces of Hereford:

58 Whether do you know, or haue you hard of any man or woman that hath practized, or doth practise Phisicke or surgery within this dioces of Hereford, not being licenced so to doe by thordinary of the same, vnder his hand and seale, according to the Statute in that case prouided, & what is his, or her name which doth, or hath so done:

59 Whether the Archdeacon, Chauncelor, Commissarie, Official, or any other vsing ecclesiastical iurisdiction in this dio­ces, their registrars, or arctuaries, apparitors, or summoners, [Page]haue at any time wincked at & suffered any adulteries, fornicati­ons, incestes, or other faults & offences, to passe & remaine vnpu­nished, & vncorrected, for mony, rewards, bribes, pleasure, friend­ship, or any other partiall or affectionate respect, or any of them haue bin burdensome to any in this dioces, by exacting or taking excessiue fees, excessiue procurations, any rewards, or commodi­ties, by the way of promotion, gift, contribution, help, redemptiō of penance, omission of quarter sermons, obteining of any bene­fices or office, or any other like waies or meanes:

60 How many Adulteries, Incests, and Fornications, are notoriously knowen to haue bin committed in your Parish, since Easter. 1585. how many offendors in any such faults haue been put to open penance, & openly corrected: and how many haue had their penance or any part thereof commuted, without consent of the Bishop himself first had, and what summes of mony laied by that means vpō the offenders haue bin bestowed vpon the poore of that Parish, or other godly vses: and how many haue bin win­ked at, & borne withal, or haue fined and paied mony to the Arch­deacō, chanceler, commissary, Official, or their deputies, or to the Deanes, Registrares, or Sumners, or any of them, for to escape open punishmēt & correctiō: & what their names & surnames be:

61 Whether the Deans Rurals, & Sunners, or any of thē do pay any annual rent, fee, or pension for their offices, & what they paie, and to whom:

62 Whether any haue been licenced to mary without the asking of bannes at al, or thrice asking, no sufficient caution be­ing taken before, that there was no impediment of precontract, consanguinitie, affinitie, or any other lawful cause: & that at time of granting the said Licence there was no controuersie, matter, or complaint mooued or depending before any ecclesiasticall or ciuil iudge touching any such lawful impediment of contracting matrimonie betweene such persons: and that the same parties should not come to solemnize their marriage before they had ob­tained [Page]the expresse assent & consent of their parents or gardians: & further that the mariage of them should be publikely solemni­zed in the face of the church in meet & conuenient time.

63 Whether in al excommunications for Heresy, schisme, Simony, periury, vsury, incest, adulterie, or any other grieuous crime, the sentence haue been pronounced against any but in the proper person of a Bishop, Deane, Archdeacon, or Prehendary, & the same being within holy orders, & hauing ecclesiastical iuris­diction: and whether any Vicar general, official or commissarie not being within holy orders haue pronounced sentence of excō ­munication against any for contumacie, but some learned mini­ster, sufficiently autorised therunto either by the Bishop within his iurisdiction, or by the Archdeacon within his, the Archdeacon being himselfe also a minister.

64 Generally whether you knowe anie of the Queens in­iunctions, broken, or any other ecclesiasticall matter worthy of redresse or no? & if you do, by the oathes that you haue taken, you shal truly present it, aswel now as hereafter, when it shal come to your knowledge:

[Page] 65 Whether your Parsonage be impropriated, if it be, is it endued with a Vicarage, or is the Parson bound onely to giue a pension to a curate, and what is the pension: to whom doth the proprietie of the Parsonage belong, who is the farmer thereof, and what is it worth yearely by common estimation:

66 Whether your Parsonage or Vicarage house, the chan­cell or bodie of your church or chappell be in any decay and not sufficiently repaired, and by whose default:

67 Whether your church stocke or any part thereof be vn­thriftily wasted and spent: or other your church goodes, as gleebe land, rents or annuities, giuen to the better maintenance of your Church, cōmunion cup, and such like appertaining to the necessary vse thereof, be giuen, solde, or any way alienated & em­besled or turned to other vse than by the lawes of the realme, it ought to be: by any of your Parsons, Vicars, Curates Church­wardens, Sidemen, or other that hath or at any time had the kee­ping or ouersight thereof:

68 Who is reputed & taken to be the Patrone of your par­sonage or vicarage: what quantity of gleebland belongeth there­to: how many acres arable, how many of medow, how many of pasture, what feeding for sheep & other cattle, and what common. Also what howses, what tythes and what priuiledges belong thereunto: This article shal you in seueral from the rest pre­sent in parchment and subscribe your names.

69 Whether do you know or haue heard of any benefice here­tofore in the remembrance of man presentable or presented vnto that doth now beare the name of an impropriation donatiue or any such mixt title whereby the fruites of such liuinges ecclesia­sticall is by subtill deuise of some greedie bodies chalenged and taken without right, or interest, & how long hath the same so cō ­tinued.

70 Whether the farmar of any impropriation doe chalenge the gift or enioying of the Vicarage thereof, or the tythes or com­modities or any part or parcell thereof, and by what title.