THE  MARPRELATE  PUBLICATIONS      177

Thursday,  following  the  delivery  of  Bancroft's  sermon  at
Paul's  Cross,  the  Queen  issued  a  stringent  proclamation
against  '  certain  seditious  and  euill  disposed  persons/  who
had  secretly  published  '  schismatical  and  seditious  hookes,
diffamatorie  Libels  and  other  fantasticall  writings  amongst
her  Maiesties  Subiectes  .  .  .  against  the  godly  reformation
of  Religion  and  Grouernement  Ecclesiasticall  established  by
Lawe,  and  so  quietly  of  long  time  continued,  and  also
against  the  persons  of  the  Bishoppes '  appointed  by  her
authority,  '  in  rayling  sorte  and  beyond  the  boundes  of  all
good  humanitie.'  The  tendency  of  these  books  is  declared
to  be  to  '  bring  in  a  monstrous  and  apparaunt  dangerous
Innouation '  and  to  '  overthrowe  her  Highnesse  lawfull
Prerogatiue.'  All  copies  are  therefore  to  be  delivered  up
to  the  Bishops,  and  a  solemn  warning  is  given  against  any
who  should  be  '  so  hardie '  as  to  print  or  help  to  print  any
books  '  of  like  nature  and  qualitie.'  Informers  are  promised
pardon.1

Meanwhile  the  pursuivants  were  following  up  the  traces
of  the  Marprelate  Press,  which  they  had  tracked  to  Mrs.
Crane's  house  at  Molesey.  On  the  Saturday  (Feb.  15th)
of  this  same  week,  her  servant,  Nicholas  Tomkins,  was
examined  at  Lambeth,  He  confessed  to  having  seen  the
two  Marprelate  Tracts  then  issued.  THE  EPISTLE  he  had
received  from  Giles  Wigginton,  or  from  Waldegrave.  THE
EPITOME  he  states  definitely  that  he  received  from  Wiggin-
ton, when  Wigginton  was  staying  at  his  mistress's  house.
