ANNO DOMINI. 1629.

❧Articles to be inquired of by the Churchwardens and Inquisitors of euery Parish in the Lord Primates Visitation Metropoliticall.
  • 1 INprimis, whether is your Parson, Vicar or Curate resident continually, in, at, and vpon his Bene­fice, doing his dutie in reading distinctly the Diuine Seruice, Prea­ching the Word, and duely administring the holy Sacraments, accor­ding to the Booke of Common prayer?
  • 2 Item, whether doth your Parson or Vicar (being lawfully absent from his Cure at any time) leaue in his place a sufficient and confor­mable Curate, to celebrate Divine Seruice, ad­minister the Sacraments, and teach and preach the Scriptures?
  • 3 Item, whether is your Parson, Vicar, or Cu­rate a common resorter to Tauernes or Alehou­ses, giuing himselfe to drinking, ryoting, and playing at Cards, Dice, or other vnlawfull games: or is he a striker, dueller, dancer, or hunter; or so reported?
  • 4 Item, whether is your Parson or Vicar, or any other of or in your Parish, an Vsurer, or len­der of his Money for vnlawfull gaine, or whether is he, or they taken or reputed so to be?
  • 5 Item, whether doe the Proprietaries, Par­sons, Vicars, and other possessors of the Churches, Chappels and their mansions within your Parish, keepe the Chancels of their Rectories and Vica­rages, and other their houses and buildings belon­ging to the same in due reparations?
  • 6 Item, whether hath your Parson, Vicar or Curate receiued any persons to the holy Com­munion, being openly knowne to bee at debate and out of charitie with their neighbours, or de­famed with any notorious crime, and not refor­med?
  • 7 Item, whether hath your Parson, Vicar or Curate denied or neglected to visite the sicke, or burie the dead, being brought to the Church, and hauing thereof notice?
  • 8 Item, how many Benefices or Ecclesiasticall promotions hath your Parson or Vicar, and how farre distant are they the one from the other? what Chappels hath hee to his Cures belonging? by what names are they called, and how and by whom are they serued?
  • 9 Item, whether doth your Parson, Vicar or Curate minister the holy Communion any other­wise then onely after such forme and manner as is set forth in the Booke of Common prayer?
  • 10 Item, whether doth your Parson, Vicar or Curate (being no Preacher allowed) presume to expound the Scriptures, in his owne Cure, or else­where? or doth hee procure (once in a Moneth at the least) a Sermon to be preached in his Cure, by Preachers lawfully licensed? And vpon euery Sunday, when there is no Sermon, doth hee or his Cure reade some one of the Homilies prescri­bed?
  • 11 Item, whether doth your Minister euerie Sunday and Holy day, halfe an houre at least, be­fore Euening prayer, examine and instruct the youth of your Parish in the Catechisme, set forth by Authoritie in the Booke of Common prayer; and whether doth hee call them thereunto in course, and whether doe the Churchwardens of the Parish assist him therein?
  • 12 Item, what Schoolemasters haue you in your Parish, that eyther teach priuately or pu­blickly, and not licensed thereunto, and by whom be they harboured?
  • 13 Item, whether be there in your Parish any persons that contemne or abuse, by word or dee [...]e, the Ministers of the Church?
  • 14 Item, whether the Seruice of your Church be begun and ended at due and conuenient houres, and whether the same be celebrated by your Par­son, Vicar or Curate according to the Booke of Common prayer?
  • 15 Item, whether any person within your Pa­rish doe wilfully maintaine and defend any Here­fie, error, or opi [...]ion contrarie or repugnant to the Script [...]res doctrine of the Church?
  • 16 Item, whether there be any in your Parish that be common Drunkards, swearers, or blasphe­mers of the name of God?
  • 17 Item, whether there be any in your Parish who haue committed Adulterie, Fornication or Incest, or be common Bauds or receiuers of such lewd and euill persons, or that bee vehemently suspected the [...]eof, or of any the like crimes?
  • 18 Item, who they be (if any such there bee in your Parish) that bee Brawlers, slanderers, chiders, scolders, make-bates, and sowers of dis­cords betweene one person and another, and espe­cially betweene Man and Wife, Parents and their Children, Masters and their Seruants?
  • 19 Item, whether bee there in your Parish that doe vse and exercise Charmes, Sorceries, Inchant­ments, Inuocations, Circles, Witchcrafts, sooth-sayings, or any like Arts inuented by the Deuill, and especially in or at the time of Womens tra­vaile?
  • 20 Item, whether is your Church sufficiently repayred, and therein your Pulpit and Commu­nion-Table decently furnished and appointed; if not, whose default the same is?
  • 21 Item, whether there be in your Parish any that (in contempt of their owne Parish Church) doe resort to any other Church or Chappell?
  • 22 Item, whether any Inne-holders or Ale­house-keepers within your Parish doe common­ly vse to sell meate and drinke within the time of Common prayer, Preaching or reading of the Homilies aforesaid?
  • 23 Item, whether any in your Parish vnder go­vernement of their Parents or others, haue made priuie contracts of Matrimonie, not calling thereunto two or moe witnesses, nor hauing the consent of their Parents, or such others vnder whose gouernement they are?
  • 24 Item, whether such Persons, or other in your Parish, haue married the Banes not first so­lemnely asked, or at vnseasonable houres?
  • 25 Item, whether you know in your Parish any Executors of Dead mens goods, which doe not bestow or haue not bestowed the same, espe­cially such of the said goods as were bequeathed or appointed to be distributed among the poore, repayring of High-wayes, finding of poore Schol­lers, or marrying of poore Maydens, or such other charitable deedes accordingly?
  • 26 Item, whether any in your Parish doe vse to keepe any other holy-dayes then by order of the Churches of England and Ireland are appoin­ted for holy-dayes by the Booke of Common prayer?
CHANCELLORS.
  • 27 Item, whether is your Chancellor, Com­missarie or Officiall learned in the Ecclesiasticall and Ciuill Lawes, and such an one as is twentie sixe yeares olde at the least, and is reasonably well practised in the course of these Lawes, and touching whose life and conuersation, no euill report hath gone?
  • 28 Item, whether your Chancellor, Commis­sarie, or any other exercising Ecclesiasticall Iu­risdiction in this Diocesse, their Registers, Actua­ries, Apparitors, or Sumners haue at any time wincked at, and suffered Adulteries, Fornications Incests, or other like offences to passe and remaine vnpunished: or haue commuted any penance without speciall licence of the Lord Bishop of the Diocesle?
  • 29 Item, what persons are there in your Pa­rish that haue beene married, that haue beene di­vorced, and haue married with others, for these three yeares last past? By whose sentence were they diuorced, and by whose licence, and by whome were they so married? Declare your knowledge in the premisses, and what you haue credibly heard?
  • 30 Item, whether doth your Chancellor, Commissarie or Officiall for his exercising the Ecclesiasticall Iurisdiction of the Diocesse, giue any yearely Rent, summe or summes of Money, or other consideration for the same, to any per­son or persons whatsoeuer?
  • 31 Item, Is there in your Parish any other mat­ter or cause of the Cognizance of the Church aboue not expressed, worthy presentment in your iudgement? If any such matter or cause there be, you are charged likewise to present the same, as you are the rest by vertue of the same Oath.
FINIS.

Imprinted at DVBLIN by the Company of Stationers, Anno 1629.

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.