Constitutions and canons ecclesiastical, treated upon by the archbishops of Canterbury and York, presidents of the convocations for the respective provinces of Canterbury and York, and the rest of the bishops and clergy of those provinces, and agreed upon with the king's majesty's licence in their several synods begun at London and York, MDCXL in the year of the reign of our sovereign lord Charles, by the grace of God King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland the sixteenth; and now published for the due observation of them by his majesty's authority under the great seal of England.

Charles, by the grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc. To all to whom these presents shall come, greeting.

Whereas our bishops, deans of our cathedral churches, archdeacons, chapters and colleges and the other clergy of every diocese within the several provinces of Canterbury and York, being respectively summoned and called by virtue of our several writs to the most reverend father in God, our right trusty and right well beloved counsellor, William, by divine providence lord archbishop of Canterbury, primate of all England and metropolitan, and to the most reverend father in God, our right trusty and well beloved counsellor, Richard, by divine providence lord archbishop of York, primate and metropolitan of England, respectively directed, bearing date the twentieth day of February in the fifteenth year of our reign [20 February 1640], to appear before the said lord archbishop of Canterbury in our cathedral church of St Paul in London, and before the said lord archbishop of York in the metropolitan church of St Peter in York, the fourteenth day of April then next ensuing [14 April 1640], or elsewhere as they respectively should think it most convenient, to treat, consent and conclude upon certain difficult and urgent affairs contained in the said writs, did thereupon at the time appointed, and within the cathedral church of St Paul, and the metropolitan church of St Peter aforesaid, assemble themselves respectively together and appear in several convocations for that purpose, according to the said several writs, before the said lord archbishop of Canterbury and the said lord archbishop of York respectively;