Bishops book

King of England Henry VIII himself has annotated this 1537 book, and his choice of words is perhaps not surprising.

Included are the 10 Commandments – the tenth being: “Thou shalt not desire thy neighbours house, his wife, his seruaunt, his mayde, his oxe, his asse, ne any other thynge that is his”.

Henry has added the words “wrongfully or uniustly [unjustly]”

The book is 'The Institution of a christen man, conteynynge the exposition or interpretation of the commune crede' (London, 1537) (shelfmark: 4° Rawl. 245)

Known as the ‘Bishops book’, it was composed by a committee of divines and bishops under leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer.

Its purpose was to implement religious reforms in breaking from Rome, and to serve as official formulary (a collection of prescribed forms, such as prayers) of the Anglican faith.