Like most other things, the "Agapemone" wickedness, which has recently
disgusted all decent people, does not appear to be a new thing by any
means. The religion-mongers of the nineteenth century have a precedent
nearly 300 years old for this house of evil repute.
In the reign of Elizabeth, the following proclamation was issued
against "The Sectaries of the Family of Love:"--
"Whereas, by report of sundry of the Bishops of this Realm, and others
having care of souls, the Queen's Majesty is informed, that in sundry
places of her said Realm, in their several Dioceses there are certain
persons which do secretly, in corners, make privy assemblies of
divers simple unlearned people, and after they have craftily and
hypocritically allured them to esteem them to be more holy and
perfect men than other are, they do then teach them damnable heresies,
directly contrary to divers of the principal Articles of our Belief
and Christian Faith and in some parts so absurd and fanatical, as by
feigning to themselves a monstrous new kind of speech, never found in
the Scriptures, nor in ancient Father or writer of Christ's Church, by
which they do move ignorant and simple people at the first rather to
marvel at them, than to understand them but yet to colour their sect
withal, they name themselves to be of the _Family of Love_, and then
as many as shall be allowed by them to be of that family to be elect
and saved, and all others, of what Church soever they be, to be
rejected and damned. And for that upon conventing of some of them
before the Bishops and Ordinaries, it is found that the ground of
their sect, is maintained by certain lewd, heretical, and seditious
books first made in the Dutch tongue, and lately translated into
English, and printed beyond the seas, and secretly brought over
into the Realm, the author whereof they name H.N., without yielding
to him, upon their examination, any other name, in whose name they
have certain books set forth, called _Evangelium Regni, or, A Joyful
Message of the Kingdom; Documental Sentences, The Prophecie of the
Spirit of Love; a Publishing of the Peace upon the Earth_, and such
like.
"And considering also it is found, that these Sectaries hold opinion,
that they may before any magistrate, ecclesiastical or temporal,
or any other person not being professed to be of their sect (which
they term the Family of Love), by oath or otherwise deny any thing
for their advantage, so as though many of them are well known to be
teachers and spreaders abroad of these dangerous and damnable sects,
yet by their own confession they cannot be condemned, whereby they are
more dangerous in any Christian Realm: Therefore, her Majesty being
very sorry to see so great an evil by the malice of the Devil, first
begun and practised in other countries, to be now brought into this
her Realm, and that by her Bishops and Ordinaries she understandeth
it very requisite, not only to have these dangerous Heretics and
Sectaries to be severely punished, but that also all other means be
used by her Majesty's Royal authority, which is given her of God
to defend Christ's Church, to root them out from further infecting
her Realm, she hath thought meet and convenient, and so by this her
Proclamation she willeth and commandeth, that all her Officers and
Ministers temporal shall, in all their several vocations, assist
the Archbishops and Bishops of her Realm, and all other persons
ecclesiastical, having care of souls, to search out all persons duly
suspected to be either teachers or professors of the foresaid damnable
sects, and by all good means to proceed severely against them
being found culpable, by order of the Laws either ecclesiastical or
temporal: and that, also, search be made in all places suspected, for
the books and writings maintaining the said Heresies and Sects, and
them to destroy and burn.
"And wheresoever such Books shall be found after the publication
hereof, in custody of any person, other than such as the Ordinaries
shall permit, to the intent to peruse the same for confutation
thereof, the same persons to be attached and committed to close
prison, there to remain, or otherwise by Law to be condemned, until
the same shall be purged and cleared of the same heresies, or shall
recant the same, and be thought meet by the Ordinary of the place to
be delivered. And that whoever in this Realm shall either print, or
bring, or cause to be brought into this Realm, any of the said Books,
the same persons to be attached and committed to prison, and to
receive such bodily punishment and other mulct as fautors of damnable
heresies. And to the execution hereof, her Majesty chargeth all her
Officers and Ministers, both ecclesiastical and temporal, to have
special regard, as they will answer not only afore God, whose glory
and truth is by these damnable Sects greatly sought to be defaced,
but also will avoid her Majesty's indignation, which in such cases as
these are, they ought not to escape, if they shall be found negligent
and careless in the execution of their authorities.
"Given at our Mannour of Richmond, the third of October, in the
two-and-twentieth year of our Reign.
"God Save The Queen."