of your Parliament, an act passed thereupon
already, the matter depending before your Majesty by way of supplication
offered to your Highness by your said Commons;[237] yet, forasmuch as we
your Grace's humble chaplains, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, be
bounden by oath to be intercessors for the rights of our churches; and
forasmuch as the spiritual prelates of the clergy, being of your Grace's
parliament, consented to the said act for divers great causes moving their
conscience, we your Grace's said chaplains show unto your Highness that it
hath appertained to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York for the space of
four hundred years or thereabouts to have spiritual jurisdiction over all
your Grace's subjects dwelling within the provinces; and to have authority
to call before them, not only in spiritual causes devolved to them by way
of appeal, but also by way of querimony and complaint; which right and
privilege pertaineth not only to the persons of the said archbishops, but
also to the pre-eminences of their churches. Insomuch that when the
archbishop of either of the sees dieth, the said privileges do not only
remain to his successor (by which he is named Legatus natus), but also in
the meantime of vacation the same privilege resteth in the churches of
Canterbury and York; and is executed by the prior, dean and chapter of the
said churches; and so the said act is directly against the liberty and
privileges of the churches of Canterbury and York; and what dangers be to
them which study and labour to take away the liberties and privileges of
the church, whoso will read the general councils of Christendom and the
canons of the fathers of the Catholic church ordained in that behalf, shall
soon perceive. And further, we think verily that our churches, to which the
said privileges were granted, can give no cause why the pope himself (whose
predecessors granted that privilege) or any other (the honour of your Grace
ever except) may justly take away the same privileges so lawfully
prescribed from our churches, though we [ourselves] had greatly offended,
abusing the said privileges. But when in our persons we trust we have given
no cause why to lose that privilege, we beseech your Grace of your goodness
and absolute power to set such orders in this behalf as we may enjoy our
privileges lawfully admitted so long.

"Item where they complain that there is exacted and demanded in divers
parishes of this your realm, othe