XXIII. Provided nevertheless, That this act shall not extend to the university church in the universities of this realm, or either of them, when or at such times as any sermon or lecture is preached or read in the said churches, or any of them, for or as the public university sermon or lecture; but that the same sermons and lectures may be preached or read in such sort and manner as the same have been heretofore preached or read; this act, or anything herein contained to the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding.

XXIV. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the several good laws and statutes of this realm, which have been formerly made, and are now in force, for the uniformity of prayer and administration of the sacraments, within this realm of England and places aforesaid, shall stand in full force and strength, to all intents and purposes whateoever, for the establishing and confirming the said book, intituled, The Book of Common Prayer and administration of the sacraments, and other rites and ceremonies of the church, according to the use of the Church of England; together with the psalter or psalms of David, pointed as they are to be sung or said in churches, and the form or manner of making, ordaining, and consecrating of bishops, priests, and deacons, herein before mentioned to be joined and annexed to this act; and shall be applied, practised, and put in use for the punishing of all offences contrary to the said laws, with relation to the book aforesaid and no other.

XXV. Provided always, and be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That in all those prayers, litanies, and collects, which do any way relate to the king, queen, or royal progeny, the names be altered and changed from time to time, and fitted to the present occasion, according to the direction of lawful authority.

XXVI. Provided also, and be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, That a true printed copy of the said book, intituled, The Book of Common Prayer and administration of the sacraments, and other rites and ceremonies of the church, according to the use of the Church of England, together with the psalter or psalms of David, pointed as they are to be sung or said in churches, and the form and manner of making, ordaining, and consecrating of bishops, priests, and deacons, shall at the costs and charges of the parishioners of every parish church and chapelry, cathedral church, college and hall, be attained and gotten before the feast-day of St. Bartholomew, in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred sixty and two; upon pain of forfeiture of three pounds by the month, for so long time as they shall then after be unprovided thereof, by every parish or chapelry, cathedral church, college and hall, making default therein.

XXVII. Provided always, and be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the bishops of Hereford, St. David's, Asaph, Bangor, and Sandaff, and their successors, shall take such order among themselves, for the soul's health of the flocks committed to their charge within Wales, that the book hereunto annexed be duly and exactly translated into the British or Welsh tongue; and that the same so translated, and being by them, or any three of them at the least, viewed, perused and allowed, be imprinted to such number at least, so that one of the said books so translated and imprinted, may be had for every cathedral, collegiate and parish church, and chapel at ease, in the said respective dioceses and places in Wales, where the Welsh is commonly spoken or used, before the first day of May, one thousand six hundred sixty-five; and that from and after the imprinting and publishing of the said book so translated, the whole divine service shall be used and said by the ministers and curates throughout all Wales, within the said dioceses, where the Welsh tongue is commonly used, in the British or Welsh tongue, in such manner and form as is prescribed according to the book hereunto annexed to be used in the English tongue, differing nothing in any order or form from the said English book; for which book, so translated and imprinted, the churchwardens of every the said parishes shall pay out of the parish money in their hands for the use of the respective churches, and be allowed the same on their account; and that the said bishops and their successors, or any three of them at the least, shall set and appoint the price for which the said book shall be sold: And one other Book of Common Prayer in the English tongue shall be bought and had in every church throughout Wales, in which the Book of Common Prayer in Welsh is to be had by force of this act, before the first day of May, one thousand six hundred sixty and four, and the same books to remain in such convenient places within the said churches, that such as understand them may resort at all convenient times to read and peruse the same, and also such as do not understand the said language, may, by conferring both tongues together, the sooner attain to the knowledge of the English tongue; anything in this act to the contrary notwithstanding: And until printed copies of the said book so to be translated may be had and provided, the Form of Common Prayer, established by parliament before the making of this act, shall be used as formerly in such parts of Wales where the English tongue is not commonly understood.

XXVIII. And to the end that the true and perfect copies of this act, and the said book hereunto annexed, may be safely kept and perpetually preserved, and for the avoiding of all disputes for the time to

come, be it therefore enacted by the authority aforesaid. That the respective deans and chapters of every cathedral or collegiate church within England and Wales shall, at their proper costs and charges, before the twenty-fifth day of December, one thousand six hundred sixty and two, obtain under the Great Seal of England a true and perfect printed copy of this act, and of the said book annexed hereunto, to be by the said deans and chapters and their successors, kept and preserved in safety for ever, and to be also produced and shewed forth in any court of record, as often as they shall be thereunto lawfully required; and also there shall be delivered true and perfect copies of this act, and of the same book, into the respective courts at Westminster, and into the Tower of London, to be kept and preserved for ever among the records of the said courts, and the records of the Tower, to be also produced and shewed forth in any court, as need shall require; which said books so to be exemplified under the Great Seal of England, shall be examined by such persons as the King's Majesty shall appoint, under the Great Seal of England, for that purpose, and shall be compared with the original book hereunto annexed, and shall have power to correct and amend in writing any error committed by the printer in the printing of the same book, or of any thing therein contained, and shall certify in writing under their hands and seals, or the hands and seals of any three of them, at the end of the same book, that they have examined and compared the same book, and find it to be a true and perfect copy; which said books, and every one of them, so exemplified under the Great Seal of England as aforesaid, shall be deemed, taken, adjudged and expounded to be good and available in the law, to all intents and purposes whatsoever, and shall be accounted as good records as this book itself hereunto annexed; any law or custom to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding.

XXIX. Provided also, that this act, nor any thing therein contained, shall not be prejudicial or hurtful unto the King's professor of the law within the university of Oxford, for or concerning the prebend of Shipton within the cathedral church of Sarum, united and annexed unto the place of the same king's professor for the time being by the late King James of blessed memory.

XXX. Provided always, That whereas the six and thirtieth article of the nine and thirty articles agreed upon by the archbishops and bishops of both provinces, and the whole clergy in the convocation holden at London in the year of our Lord one thousand five hundred sixty-two, for the avoiding of diversities of opinions, and for establishing of consent touching true religion, is in these words following, viz.

"That the Book of Consecration of archbishops and bishops, and ordaining of priests and deacons, lately set forth in the time of King Edward the Sixth, and confirmed at the same time by authority of parliament, doth contain all things necessary to such consecration and ordaining, neither hath it anything that of itself is superstitious and ungodly: And therefore whosoever are consecrated or ordered according to the rites of that book, since the second year of the aforenamed King Edward unto this time, or hereafter shall be consecrated or ordered according to the same rites, We decree all such to be rightly, orderly and lawfully consecrated and ordered;"

XXXI. It be enacted, and be it therefore enacted by the authority aforesaid, That all subscriptions hereafter to be had or made unto the said articles by any deacon, priest or ecclesiastical person, or other person whatsoever, who by this act, or any other law now in force, is required to subscribe unto the said articles, shall be construed, and be taken to extend, and shall be applied (for and touching the said six and thirtieth article) unto the book containing the form and manner of making, ordaining, and consecrating of bishops, priests and deacons, in this act mentioned, in such sort and manner as the same did heretofore extend unto the book set forth in the time of King Edward the Sixth, mentioned in the said sixth and thirtieth article ; anything in the said article, or in any statute, act or canon heretofore had or made, to the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding.

XXXII. Provided also, That the Book of Common Prayer, and administration of the sacraments, and other rites and ceremonies of this Church of England, together with the form and manner of ordaining and consecrating bishops, priests and deacons, heretofore in use, and respectively established by act of parliament in the first and eighth years of Queen Elizabeth, shall be still used and observed in the Church of England, until the feast of St. Bartholomew, which shall be in the year of our Lord God one thousand six hundred sixty and two.

(This Act should be compared with the Acts of Uniformity and Supremacy, 1 Eliz. c. 1 and 1 Eliz. c. 2 (Prothero, C.D. pp. 1-20), and see Hallam, C.H. ii. xi.; Perry, H.C.E. ii. 349; Ranke, H.E. iii. 365–380; Makower, C.H.E. § 15; Todd, P.G. i. ch. x.; Gneist, 639.)

VI

THE LICENSING ACT1

14 Charles II. Cap. 33, 1662.

An act for preventing the frequent abuses in printing seditious, treasonable and unlicensed books and pamphlets, and for regulating of printing and printing-presses.

Whereas the well government and regulating of printers and printing-presses is matter of public care, and of great concernment, especially considering, that by the general licentiousness of the late times, many evil-disposed persons have been encouraged to print and sell heretical, schismatical, blasphemous, seditious and treasonable books, pamphlets and papers, and still do continue such their unlawful and exorbitant practice, to the high dishonour of Almighty God, the endangering the peace of these kingdoms, and raising a disaffection to his most excellent Majesty and his government; for prevention whereof, no surer means can be advised, than by reducing and limiting the number of printing-presses, and by ordering and settling the said art or mystery of printing by act of parliament, in manner as herein after is expressed.

...

II. The King's most excellent Majesty, . . . doth ordain and enact, That no person or persons whatsoever shall presume to print, or cause to be printed, either within this realm of England, or any other of his Majesty's dominions, or in parts beyond the seas, any heretical, seditious, schismatical or offensive books or pamphlets, wherein any doctrine or opinion shall be asserted or maintained, which is contrary to the Christian faith, or the doctrine or discipline of the Church of England, or which shall or may tend, or be to the scandal of religion, or the church, or the government or governors of the church, state or commonwealth, or of any corporation or particular person or persons whatsoever; nor shall import, publish, sell or disperse any such book or books, or pamphlets, nor shall cause any such . . . to be bound, stitched, or sewed together.

III. And be it further ordained. . . That no private person or persons whatsoever shall at any time hereafter print or cause to be printed any book or pamphlet whatsoever, unless the same book and pamphlet, together with all and every the titles, epistles, prefaces,

1 Commonly cited as 13 and 14 Cha. II. St. 2, c. 33. Finally repealed Stat. Law Rev. Act, 1863.