order of the same, which was the. xv. daye of Ianuarye, Anno. 1559. MarginaliaAnno. 1559.To passe ouer also the triumphant passage and honorable entertainment of the said our most dread Soueraigne, through the City of London, with suche celebrity, prayers, wishes, welcomminges, cries, tender wordes, Pageantes, Interludes, declamations and verses set vp, as the lyke hathe not commonly bene sene, arguing and declaring a wonderful earnest affection of louyng hartes towarde their soueraigne. Item to pretermit in silence the letters gratulatory, sent to her maiesty from diuers and sondry foren places, as from Zuricke, Geneua, Basyll, Berne, Wirtemberge, Argentine, Frankeford. &c. These I say with many other things to let passe, we wyl fyrst (God wylling) begin with the disceptation or conference betwene the popish Bishops, and the learned men exiled in Germany, had at Westminster. The effect wherof here followeth.

SO it pleased þ^e quenes most excellent maiesty, hauing heard of diuersity of opinions in certayne matters of religion amongest sundry of her louing subiects, and being very desirous to haue the same reduced to some godly and christian concord, by the aduise of the Lordes and others of her priuy Councell, aswell for the satisfaction of persons doubtfull, as also for the knowledge of the very trueth in certayn matters of difference: to haue a conuenient chosen nomber of þ^e best learned of either part, and to conferre to gether ther opinions and reasons, & therby to come to some good and charitable agrement. And hereuppon by her maiesties cōmaundement, certayn of her priuye coūcell, declared this purpose to the Archbyshop of Yorke (beinge also one of the same priuye Counsell) and required hym that he would impart the same to some of the Byshops, and to make choise of. viii. ix. or. x. of them, and that there should be the like number named of the other part: and further also declared to him (as then was supposed) what the matter shoulde be: And as for the tyme, it was thought meete to be assone as possible might be agreed vpon. And then after certain dayes past, it was signified by the saide Archbyshop, that ther was appointed by suche of the Byshops, to whom he had imparted this matter. viii. persons, that is to saye. iiii. Byshops and. iiii. doctours, the names of whom here follow vnder written. &c.

Who were cōtent at the Quenes maiesties commaundement to shewe theire opinions, and as he termed it, render accompte of theire fayth in those matters which were mencioned and that especially in writing, althoughe he sayd they thought the same so determined, as ther was no cause to dispute vpon them. The matter which they should talke vpō, was cōprehended in these three proposicions, here vnder specified.

Marginalia1.¶ It is agaynst the word of God, & the custom of the auncient church, to vse a tong vnknowen to the people, in common prayer, and the administration of the sacramentes.

Marginalia2.¶ Euery Church hath authority to appointe take away and change ceremonies and ecclesiasticall rites, so the same be to edification.

Marginalia3.¶ It cannot be proued by the worde of God, that there is in the Masse offred vp a Sacrifice propiciatory for the quicke and the dead.

It was herupō fully resolued by the quenes maiesty, with the aduise afore sayd, that according to their desire, it shoulde be in writinge on both partes, for auoyding of much altercation in words, & that the said Bishops shuld, because they were in authority of degre superiours, first declare their minds and opinions to the matter, with their reasons in writing, and the other number being also. viii. men of good degre in scholes, and some hauing bene in dignity in the churche of England, if they had any thing to saye to the contrary, should the same day declare theire opinions in like maner. And so eache of them shoulde deliuer their writings to the other, to be considered what were to be improued therin, & the same to declare agayne in writinge at some other conuenient daye, and the like order to be kept in all the rest of the matters: all this was fully agreed vpō with the Achbyshop of Yorke, and so also signified to both parties.

And immediately hereupon, diuers of the nobility and states of the Realme, vnderstāding that such a meting and conference shoulde be, and that in certayne matters wherupon the court of parliament consequently folowinge some lawes might be grounded: they made ernest meanes to her maiesty, that the parties of this conference, might put and read their assertions in the english toung, & that in the pre-