Where in the parliament holden at Westminster, in the fifth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lady the Queen’s Majesty that now is, by one Act and Statute then and there made, intituled, An Act for the assurance of the Queen’s Majesty, etc., it is ... ordained and provided for the abolition of the usurped power and jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome within this realm ... That no person ... shall ... maintain, defend, or extol the same usurped power or attribute any manner, jurisdiction, authority or pre-eminence to the same within this realm ... upon pain of incurring the penalties provided by the Statute of ... Præmunire.... And yet nevertheless, divers seditious and very evil-disposed people ... minding ... very seditiously and unnaturally not only to bring this realm and the imperial crown thereof (being in very deed of itself most free) into the thraldom and subjection of that foreign, usurped and unlawful jurisdiction ... claimed by the said see of Rome; but also to estrange and alienate the minds and hearts of sundry her Majesty’s subjects from their dutiful obedience, and to raise and stir sedition and rebellion within this realm ... have lately procured and obtained to themselves from the said Bishop of Rome and his see divers Bulls and Writings, the effect whereof hath been and is to absolve and reconcile all those that will be contented to forsake their due obedience to our most gracious Sovereign Lady the Queen’s Majesty, and to yield and subject themselves to the said feigned, unlawful and usurped authority; and by color of the said Bulls and Writings, the said wicked persons very secretly and most seditiously in such parts of the realm where the people for want of good instruction are most weak, simple and ignorant, and thereby farthest from the good understanding of their duties towards God and the Queen’s Majesty, have by their lewd and subtle practices and persuasions, so far forth wrought, that sundry simple and ignorant persons have been content to be reconciled to the said usurped authority of the see of Rome, and to take Absolution at the hands of the said naughty and subtle practisers, whereby hath grown great disobedience and boldness in many, not only to withdraw and absent themselves from all Divine Service, but also have thought themselves discharged of all obedience ... to her Majesty, whereby most wicked and unnatural rebellion hath ensued, and to the further danger of this realm is hereafter very likely to be renewed, if the ungodly and wicked attempts in that behalf be not by severity of laws in time restrained and bridled.... To prevent the great mischiefs ... that thereby may ensue, be it enacted ... That if any person, after the first day of July next coming, shall use or put in ure[40] in any place within ... the Queen’s Dominions any such Bull, Writing or Instrument ... of absolution or reconciliation ... Or if any person after the said first day of July shall take upon him, by color of any such Bull ... to absolve or reconcile any person ... Or if any person within ... the Queen’s Dominions after the said first day of July shall obtain from the said Bishop of Rome ... any manner of Bull ... Or shall publish or by any ways or means put in ure any such Bull ... That then every such act ... shall be deemed ... by the authority of this Act to be high treason, and the offenders therein ... shall be deemed high traitors to the Queen and the realm; and being thereof lawfully indicted and attainted ... shall suffer pains of death, and also forfeit all their lands ... as in cases of high treason by the laws of this realm ought to be forfeited.
II. And be it further enacted ... That all aiders ... of any the said offenders ... after the committing of any the said Acts ... shall incur the penalties contained in the Statute of Praemunire....
III. Provided always ... That if any person ... to whom any such Absolution ... or Instrument as is aforesaid, shall, after the said first day of July, be offered ... shall conceal the same ... and not disclose and signify the same ... within six weeks ... that then the same person so concealing ... the said Offer ... shall incur the ... penalty ... of misprision of high treason.
IV. And be it further enacted ... That if any person shall at any time after the said first day of July bring into this realm ... any ... thing called by the name of an Agnus Dei, or any crosses, pictures, beads or such like vain and superstitious things, from the Bishop or see of Rome ... and divers pardons, immunities and exemptions granted by the authority of the said see to such as shall receive and use the same; and that if the same person ... so bringing in ... such Agnus Dei and other like things ... shall deliver ... the same to any subject of this realm ... to be worn or used in any wise: That then ... the same person so doing, as also ... every other person which shall receive ... the same, to the intent to use or wear the same, being thereof lawfully convicted and attainted ... shall incur into the ... penalties ... ordained by the Statute of Praemunire....
VI. And be it further enacted.... That all ... persons which at any time since the beginning of the first year of the Queen’s Majesty’s reign ... have brought ... into this realm any such Bulls ... and now have any ... in ... their custody, and shall within the space of three months next after the end of any session or dissolution of this present parliament deliver all such bulls ... to the bishop of the diocese where such absolution hath been given and received ... and shall ... publicly before such bishop confess their offence therein and humbly desire to be ... restored ... to the Church of England, shall be clearly pardoned and discharged of all ... offences done in any manner concerning any of the said bulls ... touching such absolution or reconciliation only; and that all ... persons which have received any absolutions from the said Bishop of Rome ... since the first year of the reign of our said Sovereign Lady the Queen, and shall within the space of three months next after any session or dissolution of this present parliament, come before the bishop of the diocese of such place where such absolution or reconciliation was had or made, and shall publicly ... before the same bishop confess ... their offences therein, and humbly desire to be restored, and admitted to the Church of England, shall ... be clearly pardoned and discharged of all offences committed in any matter concerning the said Bulls ... touching only receiving such absolution or reconciliation....
AN ACT AGAINST JESUITS, SEMINARY PRIESTS, AND SUCH OTHER LIKE DISOBEDIENT PERSONS (1584).
Anno 27, Eliz., Cap. 2., 1584-85.
Source.—Statutes of the Realm, sub anno.
Whereas divers persons, called or professed Jesuits, Seminary Priests, and other Priests, which have been and from time to time are made in the parts beyond the seas, by or according to the Order and Rites of the Romish Church, have of late years comen and been sent, and daily do come and are sent, into this Realm of England and other the Queen’s Majesty’s Dominions, of purpose (as hath appeared as well by sundry of their own examinations and confessions, as by divers other manifest means and proofs) not only to withdraw her Highness’ subjects from their due obedience to her Majesty, but also to stir up and move sedition, rebellion and open hostility within her Highness’ realms and dominions, to the great dangering of the safety of her most royal Person, and to the utter ruin, desolation and overthrow of the whole Realm, if the same be not the sooner by some good means foreseen and prevented: for reformation whereof be it enacted ... That all and every Jesuits, Seminary Priests, and other Priests whatsoever, made or ordained ... by any Authority ... derived ... from the See of Rome, since the Feast of the Nativity of St. John Baptist in the first year of her Highness’s reign, shall within forty days next after the end of this present Session of Parliament depart out of this realm of England, and out of all others her Highness’s Realms and Dominions, if the Wind, weather and passage shall so serve for the same....
II. And be it further enacted ... That it shall not be lawful for any Jesuit [etc.] ... being born within this Realm ... to come into, be, or remain in any part of this Realm ... after the end of the same forty days; ... and if he do, that then every such offence shall be taken and adjudged to be High Treason ... and every person which ... shall wittingly and willingly receive, relieve, comfort aid or maintain any such Jesuit [etc.] ... being at liberty or out of holde ... shall also for such offence be adjudged a Felon without benefit of Clergy, and suffer Death, loss and forfeit, as in the case of one attainted of Felony.