A blithely reductive portrait of the complex experiences and beliefs of many individual people?

Yes! But we are having fun.

‘Oh no! The pursuivant has alerted the town bailiffs to your Marian icons, and he is coming to arrest you with a precept of attachment!

Attempt escape? (This will risk contumacy; but if successful, +5 to your Recusancy Creds.) Y/N?’

‘Oh no! The defendant’s proctor has filed exceptions against your witnesses!’

‘But his Latin is faulty—complain to Diocesan Chancellor?

(This will cost you 4 charisma.) Yes/No?’

‘Oh no! Your suit in the diocesan consistory has failed!’

‘REGISTRAR: Pay my Reverend Lord’s tabellion or be made excommunicate!’

‘Seek writ of prohibition? Yes or No?’

I don’t talk about it here, but in addition to the considerations about arrest, there is also another story about powers of search that I intend to write at some point

If anyone would like to know a bit more about the earlier history of this issue: I wrote something about it…

(also if people want to know more about where their rights and legal ideas came from: please join us in learning about the very boring technical things out of which they emerged! i promise it’s worth stomaching the confusing, tedious parts!)

re: development of formative Elizabethan views about this issue, see pinned skeet?

I am not sure I would even say that—he, too, was rather authoritarian!

For a few examples see e.g. here: varieng.helsinki.fi/series/volum...

Anecdotally, the library of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St Petersburg did often stamp title pages as well, but frequently to verso rather than recto.

Albeit my dauwtre hathe vowched that hee were of a comely figure & a sound & true protestant, the maidservaunte hathe confided unto me that she hath discoueree a straunge booke secreted withyn his beddchambre callid the Racovian catechisme — the wch is fill’d with Ariane blaspheminges & cavils