An acte restoring to the crown the ancient jurisdiction over the state ecclesiastical and
spiritual and abolishing all foreign power repugnant to the same. Most humbly beseech your
most excellent majesty your faithful and obedient subjects, the lords spiritual and temporal
and the commons in this your present parliament assembled, that, where in time of the reign
of your most dear father of worthy memory, King Henry VIII, divers good laws and statutes
were made and established, as well for the utter extinguishment and putting away of all
usurped and foreign powers and authorities out of this your realm and other your highness’s
dominions and countries, as also for the restoring and uniting to the imperial crown of this
realm the ancient jurisdictions, authorities, superiorities, and pre-eniinences to the same of
right belonging and appertaining; by reason whereof we, your most humble and obedient
subjects, from the five-and-twentieth year of the reign of your said dear father, were
continually kept in good order, and were disburdened of divers great and intolerable charges
and exactions before that time unlawfully taken and exacted by such foreign power and
authority as before that was usurped, until such time as all the said good laws . . . in the first
and second years of the reigns of the late King Philip and Queen Mary . . . were . . repealed . .
. ;’ by reason of which act of repeal your said humble subjects were eftsoons brought under an
usurped foreign power and authority, and vet do remain in that bondage, to the intolerable
charges of your loving subjects, if some redress by the authority of this your high court of
parliament with the assent of your highness be not had and provided: may it therefore please
your highness, for the repressing of the said usurped foreign power and the restoring of the
rights jurisdictions, and pre-eminences appertaining to the imperial crown of this your realm,
that it may be enacted by the authority of this present parliament that the said act . . . and all
and every branch, clauses, and articles therein contained, other than such branches, clauses,
and sentences as hereafter shall be excepted, may from the last day of this session of
parliament, by authority of this present parliament, be repealed, and shall from thenceforth be
utterly void and of none effect . . .
And to the intent that all usurped and foreign power and authority,spiritual and
temporal, may forever be clearly extinguished and never to be used nor obeyed within this
realm or any other your majesty’s countries, may it please your highness that it may be further
enacted by the authority aforesaid that no foreign prince,person, prelate, state, or potentate,
spiritual or temporal, shall at any time after the last day of this session of parliament use,
enjoy, or exercise any manner of power, jurisdiction, superiority, authority, pre-eminence, or
privilege, spiritual or ecclesiastical, within this realm or within any other your majesty’s
dominions or countries that now be or hereafter shall be, but from thenceforth the same shall
be clearly abolished out of this realm and all other your highness’s dominions forever, any
statute, ordinance, custom, constitutions, or any other matter or cause whatsoever to the
contrary in any wise notwithstanding . . . ; and that your highness, your heirs, and successors,
kings or queens of this realm, shall have full power and authority . . . to exercise . . . all
manner of jurisdictions, privileges, and preeminences in any wise touching or concerning any
spiritual or ecclesiastical jurisdiction within these your realms. . . .
And for the better observation and maintenance of this act, may it please your
highness that it may be further enacted by the authority aforesaid that all and every
archbishop, bishop, and all and every other ecclesiastical person and other ecclesiastical
officer and minister, of what estate, dignity, pre-eminence, or degree soever he or they be or
shall be, and all and every temporal judge, justicer, mayor, and other lay or temporal officer
and minister, and every other person having your highness’s fee or wages within this realm or
any your highness’s dominions shall make, take, and receive a corporal oath upon the
Evangelist, before such person or persons as shall please your highness, your heirs or
successors, under the great seal of England to assign and name to accept and take the same,
according to the tenor and effect hereafter following, that is to say-
“I, A. B., do utterly testify and declare in my conscience that the queen’s highness is
the only supreme governor of this realm and of all other her highness’s dominions and
countries, as well in all spiritual or ecclesiastical things or causes as temporal, and that no
foreign prince, person, prelate, state, or potentate hath or ought to have any jurisdiction,
power, superiority, pre-eminence, or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual, within this realm;
and therefore I do utterly renounce and forsake all foreign jurisdictions, powers, superiorities,
and authorities, and do promise that from henceforth I shall bear faith and true allegiance to
the queen’s highness, her heirs, and lawful successors, and to my power shall assist and
defend all jurisdictions, pre-eminences, privileges, and authorities granted or belonging to the
queen’s highness, her heirs, and successors, or united or annexed to the imperial crown of this
realm: so help me God and by the contents of this Book.” . . .
And for the more sure observation of this act and the utter extinguishment of all
foreign and usurped power and authority, may it please your highness that it may be further
enacted by the authority aforesaid that, if any person or persons dwelling or inhabiting within
this your realm or in any other your highness’s realms or dominions . . . , shall by writing,
printing, teaching, preaching, express words, deeds, or act, advisedly, maliciously, and
directly affirm, hold, stand with, set forth, maintain, or defend the authority, preeminence,
power, or jurisdiction, spiritual or ecclesiastical, of any foreign prince, prelate, person, state,
or potentate whatsoever, heretofore claimed, used, or usurped within this realm or any
dominion or country being within or under the power, dominion, or obeisance of your
highness, or shall advisedly, maliciously, or directly put in ure or execute anything for the
extolling, advancement, setting forth, maintenance, or defence of any such pretended or
usurped jurisdiction, power, pre-eminence, or authority, or any part thereof, that then every
such person and persons so doing and offending, their abettors, aiders, procurers, and
counsellors, being thereof lawfully convicted and attainted according to the due order and
course of the common laws of this realm [shall suffer specified penalties, culminating in
punishment for high treason on the third offence] . . . .
Provided always, and be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, that such person or
persons to whom your highness, your heirs, or successors, shall hereafter by letters patents
under the great seal of England give authority to have or execute any jurisdiction, power, or
authority spiritual, or to visit, reform, order, or correct any errors, heresies, schisms, abuses,
or enormities by virtue of this act, shall not in any wise have authority or power to order,
determine, or adjudge any matter or cause to be heresy but only such as heretofore have been
determined, ordered, or adjudged to be heresy by the authority of the canonical Scriptures, or
by the first four general councils or any of them, or any other general council wherein the
same was declared heresy by the express and plain words of the said canonical Scriptures, or
such as hereafter shall be ordered, judged, or determined to be heresy by the high court of
parliament of this realm, with the assent of the clergy in their convocation – anything in this
act contained to the contrary notwithstanding…