VII.

Proclamation.

THE Proclamation of Queen Elizabeth which is preserved by Weever and referred to by Strype, (see p. 14.) contains so much interesting matter connected with the present work, that, at the suggestion of an intelligent correspondent, it has been given at length in this Appendix. Whatever monuments were destroyed or injured in the early part of that Queen's reign cannot but be considered as a serious loss. They must have been free from the many barbarisms which disfigured the tombs of later times, and whether regarded as memorials of individuals, illustrious from their rank, or celebrated for their personal merits, or as specimens of sculpture, throwing light upon the costume and fashions of successive periods; they would have furnished landmarks in the History both of our country and of art.

"This barbarous rage against the dead (by the commissioners, and others animated by their ill example) (says Weever, p. 51.) continued until the second year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, who, to restrain such

121

a savage cruelty, caused this proclamation to be published throughout all her dominions; which after the imprinting thereof, she signed (each one severally) with her own hand writing, as this was, which I had of my friend, Master Humphrey Dyson.

"A Proclamation against breaking or defacing of Monuments of antiquity, being set up in Churches, or other public places, for memory, and not for superstition.

"The Queen's Majesty understanding, that by the means of sundry people, partly ignorant, partly malicious, or covetous; there hath been of late years spoiled and broken certain ancient monuments, some of metal, some of stone, which were erected up as well in Churches, as in other public places within this realm, only to shew a memory to the posterity of the persons there buried, or that had been benefactors to the building or dotations of the same Churches or public places, and not to nourish any kind of superstition. By which means, not only the Churches, and places remain at this present day spoiled, broken, and ruinated, to the offence of all noble and gentle hearts, and the extinguishing of the honourable and good memory of sundry virtuous and noble persons deceased; but also the true understanding of divers families in

this realm (who have descended of the blood of the same persons deceased) is thereby so darkened, as the true course of their inheritance may be hereafter interrupted, contrary to justice, besides many other offences that do hereof ensue to the slander of such as either gave, or had charge in times past only to deface monuments of idolatry and false-feigned images in Churches and Abbeys. And therefore, although it be very hard to recover things broken and spoiled: yet both to provide that no such barbarous disorder be hereafter used, and to repair as much of the said monuments as conveniently may be: her Majesty chargeth and commandeth all manner of persons hereafter to forbear the breaking or defacing of any parcel of any monument, or tomb, or grave, or other inscription and memory of any person deceased, being in any manner of place; or to break any image of Kings, Princes, or nobles' estates of this realm, or of any other that have been in times past erected and set up, for the only memory of them to their posterity in common Churches, and not for any religious honour; or to break down and deface any image in glass windows in any Church, without consent of the ordinary: upon pain that whosoever shall herein be found to offend, to be committed to the next gaol, and there to remain without bail or mainprise, unto the next coming of the justices, for the delivery of the said gaol; and then to be further punished by fine or imprisonment (besides the restitution or re-edification of the thing broken) as

to the said justices shall seem meet; using therein the advice of the ordinary, and if need shall be, the advice also of her Majesty's Council in her star-chamber.

"And for such as be already spoiled in any Church, or Chapel, now standing: her Majesty chargeth and commandeth, all Archbishops, Bishops, and other Ordinaries, or Ecclesiastical persons, which have authority to visit the Churches or Chapels; to enquire by presentments of the curates, churchwardens, and certain of the parishioners, what manner of spoils have been made, sithens the beginning of her Majesty's reign of such monuments; and by whom, and if the persons be living, how able they be to repair and re-edify the same; and thereupon to convent the same persons, and to enjoin them under pain of excommunication, to repair the same by a convenient day, or otherwise, as the cause shall further require, to notify the same to her Majesty's Council in the star-chamber at Westminster. And if any such shall be found and convicted thereof, not able to repair the same; that then they be enjoined to do open penance two or three times in the Church, as to the quality of the crime and party belongeth under like pain of excommunication. And if the party that offended be dead, and the executors of the will left, having sufficient in their hands unadministered, and the offence notorious; the ordinary of the place shall also enjoin them to repair or re-edify the same, upon like or any other convenient pain, to be devised by the said Ordinary. And when the offender

cannot be presented, if it be any Cathedral or Collegiate Church, which hath any revenue belonging to it, that is not particularly allotted to the sustentation of any person certain, or otherwise, but that it may remain in discretion of the governor thereof, to bestow the same upon any other charitable deed, as mending of highways, or such like; her Majesty enjoineth and straightly chargeth the governors and companies of every such Church, to employ such parcels of the said sums of any (as anywise may be spared) upon the speedy repair or re-edification of many such monuments so defaced or spoiled, as agreeable to the original, as the same conveniently may be.

And where the covetousness of certain persons is such, that as patrons of Churches, or owners of the parsonages impropriated, or by some other colour or pretence, they do persuade with the Parson and parishioners to take or throw down the bells of Churches and Chapels, and the lead of the same, converting the same to their private gain, and to the spoils of the said places, and make such like alterations, as thereby they seek a slanderous desolation of the places of prayer: her Majesty (to whom in the right of the crown by the ordinance of Almighty God, and by the laws of this realm, the defence and protection of the Church of this realm belongeth) doth expressly forbid any manner of person, to take away any bells or lead of any Church or Chapel, under pain of imprisonment during her Majesty's pleasure, and such