Henry the Eight, by the Grace of God Kyng of Englande and of Fraunce, Defensor of the Faith and Lorde of Irlande, unto all his faythfull and welbeloved subjectes, gretyng.

It hath semed to us alwayes, our entierly beloved people, that lykewise as it apperteyneth to the offyce and estate of a kyng dilygently to procure the temporall welth and commodyte of his subjectes, so dothe it of dewtie more especially belonge to the parte and offyce of a Christen kynge, over and besydes his labour, payne, and traveyle bestowed upon the provysyon of worldly welth and quyete for his people, farre yet more fervently to labour, travayle, and studye by all the meanes and wayes to hym possible howe he maye surely kepe, establysshe, and confyrme and spyritually set forthe and forther the hertes and myndes of his subjectes in the right relygion of God and trewe faythe of Christ, by whose highe provydence and especiall bounte they were for that purpose chefely committed unto his governaunce. For albeit so that our savyour Christ hath in his ecclesyasticall hierarchy moost ordinately set and provyded and apoynted the spyrituall fathers and curates most especially to solycite, procure, and have in charge those thynges that apperteyne by faithe or other spyrituall vertues to the weale and salvation of his chosen chyldren whiche ben Christen men; yet there is no man but he well wotteth that the temporall princes concurryng with them and setting their handes therto, and overseyng and orderynge them to execute the charge whiche God hath elect them to, every prince in his owne realme, the matter shall bothe moche better and moche faster come forwarde. The profe wherof hath evydently appered in tymes past, for soone after the begynnynge of Christes churche the conversyon of kynges to the faithe brevely tourned all their realmes with them; and where the opposyte was used, there neither grace, vertue, nor other gode worke coude florisshe or encrese, but alwayes where lacked faythe, there raigned heresies, sensualyte, voluptie, inobedyence, rebellyon, no recognytion of superiour, confusyon, and totall ruyne in the ende.