The Archbishop once constituted, it became a comparatively simple matter to consecrate bishops to the remaining sees, and, accordingly, sixteen more were made in the course of the next two years, besides Barlow and Scory, who, being bishops already, were settled into their new sees of Chichester and Hereford respectively.
In the meanwhile, the Queen had commenced and proceeded with a General Visitation, for which certain Articles of Enquiry[1] were drawn up, and in which the famous Injunctions of Queen Elizabeth were delivered to both clergy and laity, ' to receive and truly to observe and keep,' as it is expressed in the preface[2] printed with them. This Visitation was worked by means of a number of Commissions[3] appointed for various districts of the country, and each consisting of several noblemen and gentlemen, a divine, a doctor of civil law, and one or more other lawyers, with, in many cases at least, the lord-lieutenant of the county or the president of the district at their heads.
There are various points of considerable interest in these documents. Thus, while, as we have seen, Elizabeth herself had a feeling in favour of the retention of, at any rate, some images and various other adjuncts of the more ancient form of worship, we find in Injunctions 2 and 18 the most ample and uncompromising directions for the doing away with all the old paraphernalia connected with them, and for the abolition of all processions as well. Again, although, as we lately saw, the law of Edward VI. for the marriage of priests had not been revived, yet in the Injunction 29 we find a special clause introduced to permit it, and to fence it round with special safeguards,
- ↑ Bishop Sparrow's Collection, edit. 1675, p. 65.
- ↑ Ibid. p. 66.
- ↑ Strype gives lists of several: Annals, vol. i. pt. i. p. 245 et seq.
