aving always tender eyes with mercy and pity
and compassion towards his spiritual subjects, minding of his high goodness
and great benignity so always to impart the same unto them, as justice
being duly administered, all rigour be excluded; and the great benevolent
minds of his said subjects [having been] largely and many times approved
towards his Highness, and specially in their Convocation and Synod now
presently being in the Chapter House of Westminster, his Highness, of his
said benignity and high liberality, in consideration that the said
Convocation has given and granted unto him a subsidy of one hundred
thousand pounds, is content to grant his general pardon to the clergy and
the province of Canterbury, for all offences against the statute and
premunire.--22 Hen. VIII. cap. 15.

[299] BURNET, vol. 1. p. 185.

[300] An instance is reported in the Chronicle of the Grey Friars ten years
previously. The punishment was the same as that which was statutably
enacted in the case of Rouse.

[301] HALL, p. 781.

[302] Most shocking when the _wrong persons_ were made the victims; and
because clerical officials were altogether incapable of detecting the
_right persons_, the memory of the practice has become abhorrent to all
just men. I suppose, however, that, if the _right persons_ could have been
detected, even the stake itself would not have been too tremendous a
penalty for the destroying of human souls.

[303] 22 Hen. VIII. cap. 10.

[304] See a very curious pamphlet on this subject, by SIR FRANCIS PALGRAVE.
It is called _The Confessions of Richard Bishop, Robert Seymour, and Sir
Edward Neville, before the Privy Council, touching Prophecie, Necromancy,
and Treasure-trove_.

[305] Miscellaneous Depositions on the State Of the Country: _Rolls House
MS._

[306] See the Preamble of the Bill against conjurations, witchcraft,
sorceries, and enchantments.--33 Hen. VIII. cap. 8.

Also "the Bill touching Prophecies upon Arms and Badges."--33 Hen. VIII.
cap. 14.

A similar edict expelled the gipsies from Germany. At the Diet of Spires,
June 10, 1544.

Statutum est ne vagabundum hominum genus quos vulgo Saracenos vocant per
Germaniam oberrare sinatur _usu enim compertum est eos exploratores et
proditores esse.--State Papers_, vol. ix. p. 705.

[307] ELLIS, first series, vol. ii. p. 101.

[308] Bulla pro Johanne Scot, qui sine cibo et potu per centum et sex dies
vixerat.--RYMER, vol. vi. part 2, p. 176.

[309] BU