The publication on 29 May 1545 of the first edition of the primer

authorized by Henry VIII brought to completion a project in which

the king himself had taken a great interest and an active part. During

the remainder of 1545 and the course of 1546, thirteen authorized

editions appeared: ten in English, two in English and Latin, and one

in Latin only. In each case it was The Primer, authorized by the king

and his clergy, its contents prescribed, its licensed printers limited to

two, its primacy firmly established: "... to be taught, learned, and

read: none other to be used throughout all his dominions." It is clear

that Henry saw the whole affair as an important undertaking, requir-

ing such powerful sanctions as royal authorization and ecclesiastical

approbation. It was a time in which theological argument and dispu-

tation engaged the Church in all its parts, clerical and lay. Henry

responded to this ferment by attempting to maintain control over

every aspect of English Church life, as a means of preserving in a

difficult and distressed time the orderliness of the realm.