Edward VI, by the grace of God, king of England, France and Ireland, defender of the faith, and in earth supreme head of the Church of England and Ireland, to the most reverend father in Christ, Thomas, by the same grace archbishop of Canterbury, primate of all England and metropolitan, to Thomas bishop of Ely, and to our beloved in Christ, Richard Cox our almoner [and] Peter Martyr, professors of sacred theology, William May, Roland Taylor of Hadley, doctors of law, and also to our beloved and faithful John Lucas and Richard Goodrich, esquires, greeting.

As we propose shortly to appoint and designate you thirty-two men to review and compile our ecclesiastical laws according to the force, form and effect of a certain act of parliament, made at Westminster in the third year of our reign, and as the aforesaid number seems to be too great for the business of defining and compiling the aforesaid laws, even though it ought to be held for the purpose of consultation and decision concerning this matter, as well as being highly expedient for the perfecting and completing of those laws, it seems better to us, with the agreement of our privy council, to entrust the initial stages of the work, including the format and framework, to eight men who are a part of the thirty [sic] doctors. Obviously, they will serve as a preparatory group for the subsequent gathering of the entire number.