328 The Ancient Styles and Designations of Persons. 
applied to the Archbishop of Canterbury ; and he ‘cites Pat. 23 
Hen. VI., part 2, m. 16; and in Bishop Burnet’s History of the 
Reformation (vol. 6, Appendix of Records, No. 16), is a letter 
addressed by Dr. Buckmaster on the subject of King Henry the 
8th’s divorce, “To the right worshipful master doctor Edmonds, 
Vicar of Alborne, Witshire.” 
So, a letter of Steven Vaughan to Thomas, afterwards Lord 
Cromwell, dated June 19, 1537,! is addressed— 
‘To his right worshipful Mr. Maister Thomas Crumwell, besides the Fryers 
Augustyne in London;” 
and another letter from the same to the same,” is addressed— 
“To his right worshipfull Master Crumwell, Secy. to the Kyng’s Highness.” 
From the letters it would seem that Vaughan was Cromwell’s 
confidential correspondent at Antwerp. 
The style of “ Worshipful” and ‘‘ Worship” seems to have been 
very variously applied. Mayors and Magistrates are even at this day, 
by the common people, often called “ Your Worship.” In the 
bidding prayer before the Assize Sermon, at Stafford, at the last 
Assizes, we were told to pray for “The venerable and learned the 
Judges of Assize and the right worshipful the High Sheriff, the 
worshipful the Mayor and the Aldermen of this Borough,” and at 
Hereford Cathedral, for the “ Worshipful the Mayor.” Dispatches 
to the Court of Directors of the East India Company from their 
officers both civil and military, commence “ Worshipful Sirs ;” and 
if a member of the Hon. Society of Lincoln’s Inn wishes to take his 
name off the books of that Society, to become a member of another 
Inn of Court, he addresses a petition “To the Worshipful the Masters 
of the Bench,” and “ prays your Worships” to remove the name. 
In the paper announcing our first annual meeting, the Mayor 
of Salisbury is styled “The Worshipful.” 
FLORENTISSIMUS. 
The Rev. H. J. Todd, in his edition of Johnson’s Dictionary, 
says, [Tit. ‘‘ Bachelor,” ] “They” [the Bachelors of Arts] are often 
1 Sir H. Ellis: Letters relating to Eng. Hist. 2nd series, vol 2, p. 208. 
2 Id. p. 216. 
