April 30. 1853.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



423 



his present gracis proclamation and coramaunde- 

 nient. Also his highnes commaundeth all mayres, 

 sheriffes, baillifFes, constables, bursholders, and 

 other officers and ministers within this his realnie, 

 that if they shall happen by any meanes or wayes 

 to knowe that any person or persons do heral'ter 

 hye, receyve, have, or deteyne any of the sayde 

 erronious bokes, printed or written anywhere, or 

 any other bokes in englisshe tonge printed be- 

 yonde the see, or the saide erronious bokes printed 

 -or written in the frenche or duche tonge, con- 

 trarie to this present proclamation, that they 

 beinge therof well assured, do immediatly at- 

 tache the saide person or persons, and brynge 

 hym or them to the kynges highnes and his most 

 honorable counsayle; where they shalbe corrected 

 and punisshed for theyr contempte and disobe- 

 dience, to the terrible example of other lyke ti-ans- 

 gressours. 



Moreover his highnes commaundeth, that no 

 maner of person or persons take upon hym or 

 them to printe any boke or bokes in englisshe 

 tonge, concernynge holy scripture, not before this 

 tyme printed within this his realme, untyll suche 

 tyme as the same boke or bokes be examyned and 

 approved by the ordinary of the diocese where 

 the said bokes shalbe printed : And that the 

 printer therof, upon every of the sayde bokes 

 beinge so examyned, do sette the name of the 

 examynour or examynours, with also his owne 

 name, upon the saide bokes, as he will answere to 

 the kynges highnes at his uttermoste peryll. 



And farthermore, for as moche as it is come to 

 the herynge of our sayde soveraigne lorde the 

 kynge, that reporte is made by dyvers and many 

 of his subjectes, that it wei-e to all men not onely 

 expedyent, but also necessarye, to have in the 

 englisshe tonge bothe the newe testament and the 

 olde, and that his highnes, his noble men, and 

 prelates, were bounden to suifre them so to have 

 it : His highnes hath therfore semblably there 



-upon consulted with the sayde primates 



discrete, and well lerned personages in divinite 

 forsayde, and by them all it is thought, that it is 



not necessary tli to be in the englisshe 



tonge, and in the handes of the commen people ; 

 but that the distrib . . . the said scripture .... 

 -denyenge therof dependeth onely upon the dis- 

 cretion of the superiours, as to the ma- 

 lignite of this present tyme, with the inclination 



of the people to erroni the olde in to 



the vulgare tonge of englysshe, shulde rather be 



the occasyon of people, than any bene- 



fyte or commodite to warde the weale of their 



soules. And e have the holy scripture 



expouned to them by preachers in theyr sermons, 



ac this tyme. All be it if it shall here 



after appere to the kynges highnes, that his 



sa rse, erronious, and sedicious opinyons, 



with the newe testament and the olde, corrup . . 



.... ge in printe : And that the same bokes and 



all other bokes of heresye, as well termy- 



nate and exiled out of this realme of Englande for 



ever: his highnes e great lerned and catho- 



lyke persones, translated in to the englisshe tonge, if 

 it sha[ll] than seme t . . . conv . . . his highnes 

 at this tyme, by the hoole advise and full deter- 

 mination of all the said primates, and . . . discrete 

 and subs . . . lerned personages of both univer- 

 sites, and other before expressed, and by the assent 

 of his nobles and others of his moste hon[orab]le 

 Counsayle, wylleth and straytly commaundeth, that 

 all and every person and persones, of what astate, 

 degre, or condition so ever he or they be, whiche 

 hath the newe testament or the olde translated 

 in to englysshe, or any other boke of holy scrip- 

 ture so translated, beynge in printe, or copied out 

 of the bokes nowe beinge in printe, that he or 

 they do immediatly brynge the same boke or 

 bokes, or cause the same to be broughte to the 

 bysshop of the dyocese where he dwelleth, or to 

 the handes of other the sayde persones, at the 

 daye afore limytted, in fourme afore expressed 

 and mencioned, as he wyll avoyde the kynges 

 high indignation and displeasure. And that no 

 person or persons from hensforth do bye, receyve, 

 kepe, or have the newe testament or the olde in 

 the englisshe tonge, or in the frenche or duche 

 tonge, excepte suche persones as be appoynted by 

 the kinges highnes and the bisshops of this his 

 realme, for the correction or amending of the said 

 translation, as they will answere to the kynges 

 highnes at theyr uttermost perils, and wyll avoyde 

 suche punisshement as they, doynge conti-ary to the 

 purport of this proclamation shall suffre, to the 

 dredefuU example of all other lyke offenders. 



And his highnes further commaundeth, that all 

 suche statutes, actes, and ordinances, as before 

 this tyme have been made and enacted, as well ia 

 y*^ tyme of his moste gracious reigne, as also in the 

 tyme of his noble progenitours, concernyng here- 

 sies, and havynge and deteynynge erronyous bokes, 

 contraiy and agaynst the faythe catholyke, shall 

 immediatly be put in effectuall and due execution 

 over and besyde this present proclamation. 



And god save the kynge. 



Tho. Bertheletus, Regius impressor excusit. 

 Cum privilegio. 



It is interesting to note the great variety of sig- 

 nifications in which the word Latin has been used. 

 Sometimes it means Italian, sometimes Sj^anish, 

 sometimes the Romance language. Again, it has 

 been used as synonymous with language, learning, 

 discourse ; or to express that a matter is plain and 

 intelligible. 



