much at once upon the People it was thought sit to smooth the way to the intended Reformation by setting out some Preparatory Injunctions such as the King might publish by his own Authority according to the example of His Royal Father in the year 1536. and at some times after This to be done by sending out Commissioners into all parts of the Kingdom armed with Instructions to enquire into all Ecclesiastical Concernments in the manner of a Visitation directed by the King as Supreme Head on earth of the Church of England Which Commissioners being distributed into several Circuits were accompanied with certain Learned and Godly Preachers appointed to instruct the People and to facilitate the work of the Commissioners in all Towns and Places where they fate And that the People might not cool or fall off again in and from that which had been taught them by the Learned Preachers they were to leave some Homilies to the same effect with the Parish-Priest which the Arch-Bishop had composed not onely for the help of unpreaching Ministers but for the regulating and instructing even of Learned Preachers Which Injunctions being agreed upon by such of the Great Council as favoured the Design of the Reformation and the Commissions drawn in due form of Law by the Counsel learned they were all tendered to the Lord Chancellour Wriothsley that the Authority of the Great Seal might be added to them Which he who was not to be told what these matters aimed at refused to give consent unto and so lost the Seal committed as before is said to the Custody of the Lord Great Master by whom the said Commissions were dispatched and the Visitours thereby Authorised in due form of Law And here it is to be observed that besides the Points contained in the said Injunctions the Preachers above-mentioned were more particularly instructed to perswade the People from Praying to the Saints from making Prayers for the dead from Adoring of Images from the use of Beads Ashes and Processions from Mass Diriges Praying in unknown Languages and from some other such like things whereunto long Custome had brought a Religious Observation All which was done to this intent That the People in all places being prepared by little and little might with more ease and less opposition admit the total Alteration in the face of the Church which was intended in due time to be introduced Now as for the Injuctions above-mentioned although I might exemplifie them as they stand at large in the First Edition of the Acts and Monuments fol. 684. yet I shall choose rather to present them in a smoother Abstract as it is done unto my hand by the Church-Historian the Method of them onely altered in this manner following That all Ecclesiastical Persons observe and cause to be observed the Laws for the abolishing the pretended and usurped Power of the Bishop of Rome and Confirmation of the King's Authority and Supremacy and four times in the year at the least that they teach the People That the one was now justly taken away according to the word of God and that the other was of most Legal Duty onely to be obeyed by all the Subjects That once a Quarter at the least they sincerely declare the Word of God disswading the People from Superstitious Fancies of Pilgrimages Praying to Images c. exhorting them to the Works of Faith Mercy and Charity 3. And that Images abused with Pilgrimages and Offerings thereunto be forthwith taken down and destroyed and that no more Wax-Candles or Tapers be burnt before any Image but onely two lights upon the High Altar before the Sacrament shall remain still to signifie That Christ is the very Light of the World That every Holy-Day when they have no Sermon the Pater-Noster Credo and Ten Commandments shall be plainly recited in the Pulpit to the Parishioners 5. And that Parents and Masters bestow their Children and Servants either to Learning or some honest Occupation That within three Moneths after this Visitation the Bible of the Larger Volume in English and within twelve Moneths Erasmus his Paraphrases on the Gospels be provided and conveniently placed in the Church for the People to read therein 20. And that every Ecclesiastical Person under the Degree of a Batchelour of Divinity shall within three Moneths after this Visitation provide of his own The New Testament in Latine and English with Erasmus his Paraphrases thereon And that Bishops by themselves and their Officers shall Examine them how much they have profited in the study of Holy Scripture That such who in Cases express'd in the Statute are absent from their Benefices leave Learned and expert Curates to supply their places 14. That all such Ecclesiastical Persons not resident upon their Benefices and able to dispend yearly xx pounds and above shall in the presence of the Church-Wardens or some other honest men distribute the fourtieth part of their Revenues amongst the poor of the Parish 15. And that every Ecclesiastical Person shal give competent Exhibition to so many Scholars in one of the Universities as they have hundred pounds a year in Church-Promotions That a fifth part of their Benefices be bestowed on their Mansion-Houses or Chancels till they be fully repaired 8. And that no Ecclesiastical Persons haunt Ale-houses or Taverns or any place of unlawfull Gaming That they Examine such as come to Confession in Lent whether they can recite their Credo Pater-Noster and Ten Commandments in English before they receive the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar or else they ought not to presume to come to God's Board That none be admitted to Preach except sufficiently Licenced 11. That if they have heretofore extolled Pilgrimages Reliques Worshipping of Images c. they now openly recant and reprove the same as a Common Errour groundless in Scripture 12. That they detect and present such who are Lettours of the Word of God in English and Fautours of the Bishop of Rome his pretended Power That no Person from henceforth shal alter any Fasting-day or manner of Common-Prayer or Divine Service otherwise then is specified in these Injuâ—ctions untill otherwise Ordered by the King's Authority 21. And that in time of High Mass he that sayeth or singeth a Psalm shall read the Epistle and Gospel in English and one Chapter in the New Testament at Mattens another at Even-song And that when nine Lessons are to be read in the Church three of them shal be omitted with Responds And at the Even-song the Responds with all the Memories By which last word I understand the Anniversary Commemoration of deceased Persons on the day of their deaths which frequently were expressed by the name Obits That every Dean Arch-Deacon c. being a Priest Preach by himself personally every year at least 27. That they Instruct their People not obstinately to violate the Ceremonies of the Church by the King Commanded to be observed and not as yet abrogated And on the other side that whosoever doth Superstitiously abuse them doth
Elizabeth to the See of York as also Doctour Rowland Merick preferred by the same Queen to the See of Bangor though they appeared not visibly in the Information which was made against him In which I finde him charged amongst other things for Celebrating a Marriage without requiring the Married Persons to receive the Communion contrary to the Rubrick in the Common-Prayer-Book for going ordinarily abroad in a Gown and Hat and not in a Square Cap as did the rest of the Clergy for causing a Communion-Table which had been placed by the Official of Caer-marthen in the middle of the Church the High Alltar being then demolished to be carried back into the Chancel and there to be disposed of in or near the place where the Altar stood for suffering many Superstitious Uâ—ages to be retained amongst the people contrary to the Laws in that behalf But chiefly for exercising some Acts of Episcopal Jurisdiction in his own name in derogation of the King's Supremacy and grounding his Commissions for the exercise thereof upon foreign and usurped Authority The Articles fifty six in number but this last as the first in Rank so of more Danger to him then all the reâ—t preferred against him but not prosecuted as long as his great Patron the Duke of Sommerset was in place and Power But he being on the sinking hand and the Bishop too stiff to come to a Compliance with those whom he esteemed beneath him the Suit is followed with more noise and violence then was consistent with the credit of either Party The Duke being dead the four Knights Executed and all his Party in Disgrace a Commission is Issued bearing Date the ninth of March to enquire into the Merit of the Articles which were charged against him On the return whereof he is Indicted of a Prâ—â—munire at the Assizes held in Caer-marthen in the July following committed thereupon to Prison where he remained all the rest of King Edward's time never restored to Liberty till he came to the Stake when all his Sufferings and Sorrows had an end together But this Business hath carried us too far into the next year of this King to the beginning whereof we must now return Anno Regni Edw. Sexti 6o. An. Dom. 1551 1552. WE must begin the sixth year of the King with the fourth Session of Parliament though the beginning of the fourth Session was some days before that is to say on the twenty third day of January being the next day after the Death of that Great Person His Adversaries possibly could not do it sooner and found it very unsafe to defer it longer for fear of being over-ruled in a Parliamentary way by the Lords and Commons There was Summoned also a Convocation of the Bishops and Clergy of the Province of Canterbury to begin upon the next day after the Parliament Much business done in each as may appear by the Table of the Statutes made in the one and the passing of the Book of Articles as the Work of the other But the Acts of this Convocation were so ill kept that there remains nothing on Record touching their Proceedings except it be the names of such of the Bishops as came thither to Adjourn the House Onely I finde a Memorandum that on the twenty ninth of this present January the Bishoprick of Westminster was dissolved by the King's Letters Patents by which the County of Middlesex which had before been laid unto it was restored unto the See of London made greater then in former times by the Addition of the Arch-Deaconry of St. Alban's which at the dissolution of that Monastery had been laid to Lincoln The Lands of Westminster so dilapidated by Bishop Thirlby that there was almost nothing left to support the Dignity for which good service he had been preferred to the See of Norâ—ich in the year foregoing Most of the Lands invaded by the Great men of the Court the rest laid out for Reparation to the Church of St. Paul pared almost to the very quick in those days of Rapine From hence first came that significant By-word as is said by some of Robbing Peter to pay Paul But this was no Business of that Convocation though remembred in it That which most specially doth concern us in this Convocation is the settling and confirming of the Book of Articles prepared by Arch-Bishop Cranmer with the assistance of such Learned men as he thought fit to call unto him in the year last past and now presented to the consideration of the rest of the Clergy For that they were debated and agreed upon in that Convocation appears by the Title of the Book where they are called Aâ—ticuli de quibus in Synodo Londinensi An. Dom. 1552 c. that is to say Articles Agreed upon in the Synod of London An. 1552. And it may be concluded from that Title also that the Convocation had devolved their Power on some Grand Committee sufficiently Authourised to Debate Conclude and Publish what they had Concluded in the name of the rest For there it is not said as in the Articles Published in Queen Elizabeth's time An. 1562. That they were agreed upon by the Arch-Bishops and Bishops of both Provinces and the whole-Clergy in the Convocation holden at London but that they were agreed upon in the Synod of London by the Bishops and certain other Learned Men inter Episcopos â—lios Eruditos viros as the Latin hath it Which seems to make it plain enough that the debating and concluding of the Articles contained in the said Book was the Work onely of some Bâ—shops and certain other Learned men sufficiently empowered for that end and purpose And being so empowered to that end and purpose the Articles by them concluded and agreed upon may warrantably be affirmed to be the Acts and Products of that Convocation Confirmed and Published for such by the King's Authority as appears further by the Title in due form of Law And so it is resolved by Philpot Arch-Deacon of Winchester in behalf of the Catechism which came â—ut An. 1553. with the Approbation of the said Bishops and Learned men Against which when it was objected by Doctour Weston Prolocutour of the Convocation in the first of Queen Mary that the said Catechism was not set forth by the Agreement of that House it was Answered by that Reverend and Learned man That The said House had granâ—ed the Authority to make Ecclesiastical Laws unto certain Persons to be appointed by the King's Majesty and therefore whatsoever Ecclesiastical Laws they or the most part of them did set forth according to the Statute in that behalf provided might be well said to be done in the Synod of London And this may also be the Case of the Book of Articles which may be truly and justly said to be the Work of that Convocation though many Members of it never saw the same till the Book was published in regard I still use Philpot's words in the Acts and Mon. Fol.
London to give God thanks for their conversion to the Catholick Church Wherein to set out their glorious pomp were ninety Crosses one hundred sixty Priests and Clarks each of them attired in his Cope and after them eight Bishops in their Pontificalibus followed by Bonner carrying the Popish Pix under a Canopy and attended by the Lord Mayor and Companies in their several Liveries Which solemn Procession being ended they all returned into the Church of St Paul where the King and Cardinal together with all the rest heard Mass and the next day the Parliament and Convocation were dissolved Nothing now rested but the sending of a solemn Embassery in the name of the King and Kingdom to the Court of Rome for testifying their submission to his Holiness and receiving his Apostolical benediction To which employment were designed Sir Anthony Brown who on the 2d of September had been created Viscoâ—nt Mountacute in regard of his descent from Sir John Nevil whom King Edward the 4th advanced unto the Title of Marquisse Mountacute as being the second son of Richard Nevil Earl of Sarisbury and Alâ—ce his wife daughter and heir of Thomas Mountacute the last and most renowned Earl of Sarisbury of that Name and Family With whom was joined in Commission an another Ambassador extraordinary Dr Thomas Thurlby Bishop of Ely together with Sir Edward Karâ— appointed to recide as Ordinary in the Papal Court. On the 18th day of February they began their journy but found so great an alteration when they came to Rome that Pope Juâ—â—â—us was not only dead but that Marcellus who succeeded him was deceased also so that the honour and felicity of this address from the King of England devolved on Cardinal Caraffa no great friend of Poles who took unto himself the name of Paul the 4th on the first day of whose Papacy it chanced that the three Ambassadors came first to Rome It was in the first Consistory also after his inauguration that the Ambassadors were brought before him Where prostrating themselves at the Pope's feet they in the name of the Kingdom acknowledged the faults committed relating them all in particular for so the Pope was pleas'd to have it confessing that they had been ungrateful for so many benefits received from the Church and humbly craving pardon for it The pardon was not only granted and the Ambassadors lovingly imbraced but as an overplus the Pope was pleas'd to honour their Majesties with the Title of Kings of Ireland Which Title he conferred upon them by the authority which the Popes pretend to have from God in erecting and subverting Kingdoms He knew right well that Ireland had been erected into a Kingdom by King Henry the 8th and that both Edward the 6th and the Queen now reigning had alwayes used the Title of Kings of Ireland in the style Imperial But he conceived himself not bound to take notice of it or to relinquish any privilege which had been exercised in that kind by his predecessors And thereupon he found out this temperament that is to say to dissemble his knowlege of that which had been done by Henry and of himself to erect the Island into a Kingdom that so the world might be induced to believe that the Queen rather used that Title as indulged by the Pope than as assumed by her Father And this he did according to a secret mystery of Government in the Church of Rome in giving that which they could not take from the possessor as on the other side some Kings to avoid contentions have received of them their own proper goods as gifts and others have dissembled the knowledge of the Gift and the pretence of the Giver These things being thus dispatched in publick the Pope had many private discourses with the Ambassadors in which he found fault that the Church goods were not wholly restored saying that by no means it was to be tolerated and that it was necessary to render all even to a farthing He added that the things which belong to God could never be applied to humane uses and that he who withholdeth the least part of them was in continual state of damnation that if he had power to grant them he would do it most readily for the fartherly affection which he bare unto them and for the experience which he had of their filial obedience but that his authority was not so large as to prophane things dedicated to Almighty God and therefore he would have the people of England be assured that these Church lands would be an Anathema or an accursed thing which by the just revenge of God would keep the Kingdom in perpetual infelicity And of this he charged the Ambassadors to write immediately not speaking it once or twice only but repeating it upon all occasions He also told them that the Peter-Pence ought to be paid assoon as might be and that according to the custome he would send a Collector for that purpose letting them know that himself had exercised that charge in England for three years together and that he was much edified by seeing the forwardness of the people in that contribution The discourse upon which particular he closed with this that they could not hope that St Peter would open to them the gates of Heaven as long as they usurped his goods on earth To all which talk the Ambassadors could not chuse but give a hearing and knew that they should get no more at their coming home At their departure out of England they left the Queen in an opinion of her being with child and doubted not but that they should congratulate her safe delivery when they came to render an account of their imployment but it proved the contrary The Queen about three months after her mariage began to find strong hopes not only that she had conceived but also that she was far gone with child Notice whereof was sent by Letters to Bonner from the Lords of the Council by which he was required to cause Te Deum to be sung in all the Churches of his Diocess with continual prayers to be made for the Queen 's safe delivery And for example to the rest these commands were executed first on the 28th of November Dr Chadsey one of the Prebends of Paul's preaching at the Cross in the presence of the Bishop of London and nine other Bishops the Lord Mayor and Aldermen attending in their scarlet Robes and many of the principal Citizens in their several Liveries Which opinion gathering greater strength with the Queen and belief with the people it was Enacted by the Lords and Commons then sitting in Parliament That if it should happen to the Queen otherwise than well in the time of her travel that then the King should have the politick Government Order and Administration of this Realm during the tender years of her Majestie 's issue together with the Rule Order Education and Government of the said issue Which charge as he was pleased to undergo at their humble
symitry which showed it selfe in all her features and what she carried on that side by that advantage was over-ballanced on the other by a pleasing sprightfulnesse which gained as much upon the hearts of all beholders It was conceived by those Great Critticks in the schooles of Beauty that love which seemed to threaten in the eyes of Queen Jane did only seem to sport it selfe in the eyes of Queen Ann that there was more Majesty in the Gaâ—b of Queen Jane Seimour and more lovelinesse in that of Queen Ann Bollen yet so that the Majesty of the one did excell in Lovelyness and that the Lovelinesse of the other did exceed In majesty Sir John Russell afterwards Earle of Bedford who had beheld both Queens in their greatest Glories did use to say that the richer Queen Jane was in clothes the fairer she appeared but that the other the richer she was apparrelled the worse she looked which showes that Queen Ann only trusted to the Beauties of Nature and that Queen Jane did sometimes help her selfe by externall Ornaments In a word she had in her all the Graces of Queen Ann but Governed if my conjecture doth not faile me with an evener and more constant temper or if you will she may be said to be equally made up of the two last Queens as having in her all the Attractions of Queen Ann but Regulated by the reservednesse of Queen Katharine also It is not to be thought that so many rare perâ—ections should be long concealed from the eye of the King or that love should not worke in him it's accustomed effects of desire and hope In the prosecution whereof he lay so open to discovery that the Queen couâ—d not chuse but take notice of it and intimated her suspitioâ—s to him as appeares by a letter of hers in the Scrinia Sacra Iâ— which she signifies unto him that by hastning her intended death he would be left at liberty both before God and man to follow his affection already setled on the Party for whose sake she was reduced unto that condition and whose name she could some while since have pointed to his Grace not being ignorant of her suspicions And it appeared by the event that she was not much mistaken in the Mark she aimed at For scarce had her lementable death which happened on the nineteenth of May prepared the way for the Legitimating of this new affection but on the morrow after the King was secretly married to Mistress Seimour and openly showed her as his Queen in the Whitsontide following A Marriage which made some alteration in the face of the Court in the advancing of her kindred and discountenancing the Dependants of the former Queen but otherwise produced no change in Affaires of State The King proceeded as before in suppressing Monasteries extinguishing the Popes Authority and â—ltering divers things in the face of the Câ—uâ—ch which tended to that Reformation which after followed For on the eighth of June began the Parliament in which here past an Act for tâ—e finall extinguishing of the Power of the Popes of Rome Cap. 10. And the next day a Convocation of the Bishops and Clergy managed by Sir Thomas Cromwell advanced about that time unto the Title of Lord Cromwell of Wimbledon and made his Majesties Viccar Generall of all Ecclesiast â—all Matâ—ers in the Realme of England By whose Authority a book was published after Mature debate and Deliberation under the name of Articles Devised by the Kings Highness in which mentioned â—ut three Sacraments that is to â—ay Baptisme Penâ—ance and the Lords Supper Besides which book there were some Acts agreed upon in the Convocation for diminishing the superflâ—ous number of Holy dayes especially of such as happened in the time of Harvest Sâ—gnified afterwards to the people in certain Injunctions published in the Kings name by the new Viccar Generall as the first fruits of his Authority In which it was ordained amongst other things that the Curates in every Parish Church should teach the People to say the Lords Prayer the Creed the Ave-Mary and the Ten Commandments in the English Tongue But that which seemed to make most for the Advantage of the new Queen and her Posterity if it please God to give her any was the unexpected death of the Duke of Richmond the Kings naturall Son begotten on the body of the Lady Talboiâ— So dearly cherished by his Father having then no lawful Issuâ—-male that in the sixth yeare of his Age An. 1525. he created him Earl of Nottingham and not long after Duke of Richmond and Sommerset preferred him to the Honourable office of Earle Marshall elected him into the Order of the Garter made him Lord Admirall of the Royall Navy in an expedition against France and finally Affianced him to Mary the daughter of Thomas Howard Duke of Norâ—olk the most â—owerfull Subject in the Kingdom Now were these all the favours intended to him The Crown it selfe being designed him by the King in default of Lawfull Issue to be procreated and begotten of his Royall Body For in the Act of the Succession which past in the Parliament of this year the Crown being first setled upon the Issue of this Queen with the remainder to the Kings issue lawfully begotten on any following wife whatsoever there past this clause in favour of the Duke of Richmond as it was then generally conceived that is to say That for lack of lawfull heires of the Kings body to be procreated or begotten as is afore limitted by this Act it should and might be lawfull for him to confer the same on any such Person or Persons in Possession and Remainder as should please his Highnesse and according to such Estate and after such manner â—orme fashion order and condition as should be expressed declared named and lâ—mitted in his said Letters Patents or by his last Will the Crown to be enjoyed by such person or persons so to be nominated and appointed in as large and ample manner as if such Person or Persons had been his Highnesse Lawfull Heires to the Imperiall Crown of this Realm And though it might please God as it after did to give the King some Lawfull Issue by this Queen yet took he so much care for this naturall son as to enable himselfe by another Clause in the said Act to advance any person or persons of his most Royall Blood by Letters Patents under the Great Seale to any Title Stile or Name of any Estate Dignity or Honour whatsoever it be and to give to them or any of them any Castles Honours Mannours Lands Tenements Liberties Franchiefes or other Hereditaments in â—ee simple or Fee â—tail or for terme of their lives or the life of any of them But all these expectations and Provisions were to no effect the Duke departing this life at the age of 17 yeares or thereabouts within few dayes after the ending of this Session that is to say on the 22th day of July Anno 1536. to the
and to deâ—se how they might extricate themselves out of those perplexities into which they had been brought by his Ambition Amongst which none more forward then the Earl of Pembroke in whom he had placed more Confidence then in all the others Who together with Sir Thomas Cheyny Lord Warden of the â—inque-Ports with divers others endeavoured to get out of the Tower that they might hold some secret Consultation with their Friends in London but were so narrowly watched that they could not do it On Sunday the sixteenth of the Moneth Doctour Nicholas Ridley Bishop of London is ordered by the Lords of the Council to Preach at St. Paul's-Cross and in his Sermon to Advance the Title of Queen Jane and shew the invalidity of the Claim of the Lady Mary Which he performed according to such Grounds of Law and Polity as had been lai'd together in the Letters Patents of King Edward by the Authority and Consent of all the Lords of the Council the greatest Judges in the Land and almost all the Peers of the Kingdom But then withall he press'd the Incommodities and Inconveniencies which might arise by receiving Mary for their Queen prophecying that which after came to pass Namely that She would bring in a Foreign Power to Reign over this Nation and that She would subvert the True Religion then Established by the Laws of this Reaâ—m He also shewed that at such time as She lived in his Diocess he had Travailed much with Her to reduce Her to the True Religion but that though otherwise She used him with great Civility She shewed Her self so stiff and obstinate that there was no hope to be conceived but that She would disturb and destroy all that which with such great Labour had been settled in the Reign of Her Brother For which Sermon he incurred so much displeasure that it could never be forgiven him when the rest were Pardoned by whose Encouragement and Command he had undertook it But this Sermon did not work so much on the People as the ill News which came continually to the Tower had prevailed on many of the Lords For presently upon that of the six Ships which were Revolted from the Queen Advertisement is given that the Princess Mary was Proclaimed Queen in Oxfordâ—Shirâ— â—Shirâ— by Sir John Williams and others in Buckingham-Shire by the Lord Windsore Sir Edward Hastings c. and in North-hampton-Shire by Sir Thomas Tresham And which was worse then all the other that the Noble-Mens Tenants refused to serve their Lords against Her Upon the first bruit of which Disasters the Lord Treasurer Pawlet gets out of the Tower and goes unto his House in Broâ—d-street which made sâ—ch a powerfull apprehension of sâ—me dangerous practises to be suddenly put in Execution that the Gates of the Tower were locked about seven of the Clock and the Keys carried to the Queen And though the Lord Treasurer was brought back about twelve at night yet now the knot of the Confederacy began apparently to break For finding by intelligence from so many Parts of the Realm but chiefly by the Lord Treasurer's return that generally the People were affected to the Title of the Princess Mary they thought it most expedient for them to Declare themselves in Her Favour also and not to run themselves their Friends and Families on a certain Ruin But all the Difficulty was in finding out a way to get out of the Tower the Gates whereof were so narrowly watched that no man could be suffered to go in and out but by the Knowledg and Permission of the Duke of Suffolk But that which their own Wisdom could not the Duke of Northumberland's Importunity effected for them who failing of the Supplies which the Lords had promised to send after him as before is said had pressed them earnestly by his Letters not to be wanting to their own Honour and the Publick Service This gave them a fair Colour to procure their Liberty from that Restraint by representing to the Queen and the Duke Her Father that the Supplies expected and all things necessary to the same could not be raised unless they were permitted personally to attend the Business both for the Pressing of the Men providing them of all things needfull and choosing fit Commanders to Conduct them in good Order to the Duke of Northhumberland Which seemed so reasonable to the Duke of Suffolk a Man of no great Depth himself and so not like to penetrate into the bottom of a deep Design that he gave way to their Departure for the present little conceiving that they never meant to come back again till the State was altered Being thus at their desired Liberty the Earls of Shrewsbury and Pembroke together with Sir Thomas Cheyny and Sir John Mason betake themselves immediately to Baynard's Castle an House belonging then as now to the Earls of Pembroke To which Place they were followed not long after by almost all the rest of the Lords of the Council bringing with them as many of the Nobility then about the Town as they conceived to â—tand fair for the Princess Mary And that the Meeting might be held with the less Suspicion it was given out to be upon a Conference with Laval the French Ambassadour about Affairs of great Importance for the Weal of both Kingdoms No sooner had they took their Places but the Earl of Arundel who had held Intelligence with the Princess ever since the first Extremities of Her Brother's Sickness inveighed most bitterly against the Duke of Northumberland And after he had ripped up the Acts of his former Life and burthened him with all that had been done unjustly cruelly or amiss in King Edward's Time he at last descends to the Treacherous Act of the Disherison of the Children of the late King Henry professing that he wondred how he had so enthralled such persons as the Lords there present as to make them Instruments of his Wickedness For was it not saith he by Our Consent and Suffrages that the Duke of Suffolk 's Daughter the same Northumberland 's Daughter-in-Law hath took upon Her the Name and Title of Queen of England though it be nothing but the Title the Sovereign Power remaining wholly in the Hands of Dudly who contrived the Plot that â—e might freely exercise his Tyranny on our Lives and Fortunes Religion is indeed the thing pretended But suppose we have no regard to these Apostolical Rules Evil must not be done that Good may come thereof and We must obey even evil Princes not for Fear but for Conscience-sake Yet how doth it appear that the Princess Mary intends any Alteration in Religion Certainly having been lately Petitioned to in this Point by the Suffolk men She gave them a very hopefull Answer And what a mad Blindness is it for the avoidance of an uncertain Danger to precipitate Our selves into a most certain Destruction I would we had not erred in this kind But Errours past cannot be recalled some may peradventure be amended wherein speedy
there was no evidence against her but the confession of Smeton and the calumnies of the Lady Rochfort of which the one was fooled into that confession by the hope of life which notwithstanding was not pardoned and the other most deservedly lost her head within few years after for being accessary to the Adulteries of Queen Katherine Howard And yet upon this Evidence she was arraigned in the great Hall of the Tower of London on the 15th of May and pronounced guilty by her Peers of which her own father which I cannot but behold as an act of the highest tyranny was compelled to be one The Lord Rochfort and the rest of the prisoners were found guilty also and suffered death on the 17th day of the same month all of them standing stoutly to the Queens and their own integrity as it was thought that Smeton also would have done but that he still flattered himself with the hopes of life till the loss of his head disabled him from making the retractation The like death suffered by the Queen on the second day after some few permitted to be present rather as witnesses than spectators of her final end And it was so ordered by the advice of Sir William Kingston who signified in his Letters to one of the Council that he conceived it best that a reasonable number onely should be present at the Execution because he found by some discourse which he had had with her that she would declare her self to be a good woman for all men but for the King at the hour of death Which declaration she made good going with great cheerfulness to the Scaffold praying most heartily for the King and standing constantly on her innocence to the very last So dyed this great and gallant Lady one of the most remarkable mockeries and disports of fortune which these last ages have produced raised from the quality of a privat Lady to the bed of a King crowned on the Throne and executed on the Scaffold the fabrick of her power and glories being six years at the least in building but cast down in an instant the splendor and magnificence of her Coronation seeming to have no other end but to make her the more glorious Sacrifice at the next alteration of the Kings affections But her death was not the onely mark which the King did aim at If she had onely lost her head though with the loss of her honor it would have been no bar to her daughter Elizabeth from succeeding her father in the Throne and he must have his bed left free from all such pretensions the better to draw on the following mariage It was thought necessary therefore that she should be separated from his bed by some other means than the Axe or Sword and to be legally divorced from her in a Court of Judicature when the sentence of death might seem to have deprived her of all means as well as of all manner of desire to dispute the point Upon which ground Norris is practised with to confess the Adultery and the Lord Percy now Earl of Northumberland who was known to have made love unto her in her former times to acknowledge a Contract But as Norris gallantly denyed the one so the Lord Percy could not be induced though much laboured to it to confess the other For proof whereof we have this Letter of his own hand writing directed to Secretary Cromwel in these following words Mr Secretary THis shall be to signifie unto you that I perceive by Sir Raynald Carnaby that there is supposed to be a pre-contract between the Queen and me Whereupon I was not only examined upon my oath before the Archbishops of Canterbury and York but also received the blessed Sacrament upon the same before the Duke of Norfolk and others of the Kings Highnesse Council learned in the spiritual Law assuring You Mr Secretary by the said oath and blessed body which afore I received and hereafter mean to receive that the same may be to my damnation if ever there were any contract or promise of mariage betwixt her and me At Newington Green the 13th of May in the 28th year of the reign of Our Soverain Lord King Henry the 8th Yours assured H. Northumberland But notwithstanding these denyals and that neither the Adultery was confessed not the Contract proved some other ground was found out to dissolve the mariage though what it was doth not appear upon Record All which occurs in reference to it is a solemn instrument under the seal of Archbishop Cranmer by which the mariage is declared on good and valuable reasons to be null and void no reason being exprest particularly for the ground thereof Which sentence was pronounced at Lambeth on the 17th of May in the presence of Sir Thomas Hadly Lord Chancellor Charles Duke of Suffolk John Earl of Oxon Robert Earl of Sussex William Lord Sandys Lord Chancellor of his Majesties houshold Thomas Cromwel Master of the Rolls and principal Secretary then newly put into the office of Vicar General Sir William Fitzwilliams Treasurer and Sir William Paulet Controller of the Kings houshold Thomas Bedil Arch-Deacon of Cornwal and John Trigunwel Dr of the Lawes all being of the Privy Council Besides which there were present also John Oliver Dean of Kings College in Oxon Richard Guent Arch-Deacon of London and Dean of the Aâ—ches Edmund Bonner Arch-Deacon of Leicester Richard Leighton Arch Deacon of Buckingham and Thomas Lee Doctor of the Lawes as also Dr Richard Sampson Dean of the Chapel Royal who appeared as Proctor for the King together with Doctor Nicholas Wotton and Doctor John Barbour appointed Proctors for the Queen By the authority of which great appearance more than for any thing contain'd particularly in the act or instrument the said sentence of Divorce was approved by the Prelates and Clergy assembled in their Convocation on the ninth of June and being so confirmed by them it received the like approbation by Act of Parliament within few dayes after in which Act there also passed a clause which declared the Lady Elizabeth the only issue of this mariage to be illegitimate What else concerns this unfortunate Lady together with some proof of divers things before delivered cannot be more pathetically expressed than by her self bemoaning her misfortunes to the King in this following Letter Sir YOur Graces displeasure and my imprisonment are things so strange unto me as what to write or what to excuse I am altogether ignorant Whereas you send unto me willing me to confesse a truth and so obtain your favour by such a one whom you know to be my antâ—ent professed enemy I no sooner received this message than I rightly conceived your meaning And if as you say confessing a truth indeed may procure my safety I shall with all willingness and duty perform your commands but let not your Grace ever imagine that your poor wife will ever be brought to acknowledge a fauâ—t where not so much as a thought ever proceeded And
both Religions and finally amongst many other particulars that neither the Queen of Scots nor the French King should from thenceforth assume the Titles and Arms of England Which Articles being signed and confirmed for both Kingdoms the French about the middle of July take their leave of Scotland and the English Army at the same time set forward for Barwick being there disbanded and dismissed to their several dwellings Followed not long after by the Earls of Morton and Glencarn in the name of the rest of the Congregation sent purposely to render to the Queen their most humble thanks for her speedy prosperous assistance and to desire the continuance of her Majesties favours if the French should any more attempt to invade their Country Assured whereof and being liberally rewarded with gifts and presents they returned with joy and glad tydings to the Congregation whom as the Queen had put upon a present confidence of going vigorously on in their Reformation so it concerned them to proceed so carefully in pursuance of it as might comply with the dependence which they had upon her First therefore that she might more cordially espoâ—se their quarrel they bound themselves by their subscription to embrace the Liturgy with all the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England which for a time remained the onely form of Worship for the Kirk of Scotland when and by whose means they receded from it may be shown hereafter In the next place they cause a Parliament to be called in the month of August according to the Articles of the Pacification from which no person was excluded who either had the right of Suffrage in his own capacity or in relation to their Churches or as returned from their Shrevalties or particular Burroughs of which last there appeared the accustomed number but of the Lords Spiritual no more than six Bishops of thirteen with thirteen Abbots and Priors or thereabouts and of the Temporal Lords to the number of ten Earls and as many Barons By whose Authority and consent they passed three Acts conducing wholly to the advantage of the Reformation the first whereof was for abolishing the Popes Jurisdiction and Authority within the Realm the second for annulling all Statutes made in former times for maintenance of Idolatry and Superstition and the third for the punishment of the Sayers and Hearers of the Masse To this Parliament also some of the Ministers presented A Confession of the Faith and Doctrine to be believed and professed by the Protestants of the Kirk of Scotland modelled in many places by the Principles of Calvin's Doctrine which Knox had brought with him from Geneva but being put unto the Vote it was opposed by no more than three of the Temporal Lords that is to say the Earl of Atholl and the Lords Somervil and Borthwick who gave no other reason for it but that they would believe as their fathers did The Popish Prelates were silent in it neither assenting nor opposing Which being observed by the Earl-Marshal he is said to have broke out into these words following Seeing saith he that my Lords the Bishops who by their learning can and for the zeal they should have to the truth ought as I suppose to gainsay any thing repugnant to it say nothing against the Confession we have heard I cannot think but that it is the very truth of God and that the contrary of it false and deceivable Doctrine Let us now cross over into Ireland where we shall find the Queen as active in advancing the reformed Religion as she had been in either of the other Kingdoms King Henry had first broke the ice by taking to himself the Title of Supream Head on earth of the Church of Ireland exterminating the Popes authority and suppressing all the Monasteries and Religious Houses In matters doctrinal and forms of Worship as there was nothing done by him so neither was there much endeavoured in the time of King Edward it being thought perhaps unsafe to provoke that people in the Kings minority considering with how many troubles he was elsewhere exercised If any thing were done therein it was rather done by tolleration than command And whatsoever was so done was presently undone again in the Reign of Queen Mary But Queen Elizabeth having setled her affairs in England and undertaken the protection of the Scots conceived her self obliged in point of piety that Ireland also should be made partaker of so great a benefit A Parliament is therefore held on the 12th of January where past an Act restoring to the Crown the antient jurisdiction over all Ecclesiastical and Spiritual persons By which Statute were established both the Oath of Supremacy and the High Commission as before in England There also past an Act for the Uniformity of Common Prayer c. with a permission for saying the same in Latine in such Church or place where the Minister had not the knowledge of the English Tongue But for translating it into Irish as afterwards into Welsh in the 5th year of this Queen there was no care taken either in this Parliament or in any following For want whereof as also by not having the Scriptures in their native language most of the natural Irish have retained hitherto there old barbarous customes or pertinaciously adhere to the corruptions of the Church of Rome The people by that Statute are required under several penalties to frequent their Churches and to be frequent at the reading of the English Liturgy which they understand no more than they do the Mass. By which means the Iâ—ish was not only kept in continual ignorance as to the Doctrines and Devotions of the Church of England but we have furnished the Papists with an excellent Argument against our selves for having the Divine Service celebrated in such a language as the people do not understand There also past another Statute for restoring to the Crown the first fruits and twenty parts of all Ecclesiastical promotions within that Kingdom as also of all impropriat Parsonages which there are more in number than those Rectories which have cure of souls King Henry had before united the first fruits c. to the Crown Imperial but Queen Mary out of her affection to the Church of Rome had given them back unto the Clergy as before was said The like Act passed for the restitution of all such lands belonging to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem as by that Queen had been regranted to the Order with the avoidance of all Leases and other grants which had been made by Sir Oswald Massingberd the lâ—te Lord Prior of the same Who fearing what was like to follow had voluntarily forsook the Kingdome in the August foregoing and thereby saved the Queen the charge of an yearly pension which otherwise he might have had as his Predecessors had before him in the time of King Henry During the Reign of which King a Statute had been made in Ireland as in England also for the electing and consecrating of
Englanâ— by Thomas Bolâ—n Viscount Rochford at his return from the Frenâ—h Court where he had been Ambassador for the King of England which firâ—t occasioned areport in the common people and afterwaâ—ds a mistake in our common Chronicles touching this Ladie 's being designed by Wolsie for a wife to his Master whereas she was at that time actually married to the Count of Aâ—bret King of Navarre in title and in title only But Rochford brought with him out of France another Piece which more excelled the picture of the Dutchesse of Alanzâ—n then that Dutchesse did the ordinary beauties in the Court of France that is to say his daughter Anne whom he had bred up for a time in the house of the Dutchesse which render'd her an exact mistresse of the gaities and garb of the great French Ladies Appearing in the Court of England she shewed her selfe with so many advantages above all other Ladies about the Queen that the King easily took notice of her Whether more captivated by the Allurements of her beauty or the facetiousnesse of her behaviour it is hard to say certain it is that he suffered himselfe to be so far transpoâ—ted in affection towards her that he could think of nothing else but what might tend to the accomplishment of his desires so that the separation from the bed of Katherine which was but coldly followed upon case of Conscience is now more hotly prosecuted in the heat of Concupiscâ—nce In the mean time the King adviseth with the Cardinal and the Cardinal with the most learned men in the Realm of England By whom it was modestly resolved that the King had a very just ground to consult the Pope and to 〈…〉 lawful means for extricating himselfe out of those perplexities in which this marriage had involved him The Pope had been beholden to the King for procuring his liberty when the Imperialists held him prisoner in the Fort of St Angelâ— and was in reason bound to gratifie him for so great a benefit But then withall he neither was to provoke the Emperour nor hazard the Authority and Reputation of the See Apostolick by running on the King's errand with more haâ—te then speed He therefore goes to work like a Pope of Rome and entertains the King with hopes without giving the Emperour and his adherents any cause of despair A Commission is therefore granted to two Cardinals that is to say Cardinal Thomas Wolsiâ— Archbishop of York and Laurene Campâ—gius whom Henry some few years before had made Bishop of Saâ—isbury both beneficiaries to the King and therefore like enough to consult more his interest then the Queen's contentment Of the erecting of a Court Lâ—gantâ—ne in the Convent of the Black Friers in London the citing of the King and Queen to appear before them the Kings patheticall Oration in the bemoaning of his own misfortunes and the Queen's Appeal from the two Cardinals to the Pope I shall now say nothing leaving the Reader for those passages to our common Annals Suffice in this place to note that while the businesse went on favourable in the King's behalfe Wolsie was given to understand of his desperate loves to Mistrisse Bollen which represented to him two ensuing mischiefs not to be otherwise avoided then by slackning the course of these proceedings For first he saw that if the King should be divorc'd definitively from his present wife he should not be able to draw him to accept of Madam Rhenee the French Queens sister which was the mark he chiefly aimed at And secondly he feared that Mistrisse Anne had brought so much of the Lutheran with her as might in time become destructive to the Church of Rome Of this he certifies the Pope the Pope recals Campegius and revokes his Commission leaving the King to cast about to some new wayes to effect his purpose And at this time it hapned that Dr Thomas Cramâ—er who afterwards obtained to the See of Canterbury discoursing with some of the Kings Ministers about the intricaâ—enesse and perplexity of this great affair declared for his opinion in it that it were better for the King to govern himselfe therein by the judgement and determination of the Universities beyond the seas then to depend upon the shifts and Artifices of the Court of Rome Which being told unto the King he dispatcheth Cramner unto Rome in the company of Rochford now made Earl of Wilâ—shire to maintain the King's cause by disputation and at the same time employs his agents to the Universities of France and Italy who being under the command of the French King or the power of the Pope gave sentence in behalfe of Henry condemning his marriage with the Lady Katherine the Relict of his brother to be simply unlawful in it selfe and therefore not to be made valid by a dispensation from the Popes of Rome The putting the King upon this course proved the fall of Wolsiâ— who growing every day lesse then other in the King's esteem was brought within 〈◊〉 compasse of a Pramunire and thereby stript of all his goods to an infinite value removed not long after unto York and there arrested of High Treason by the Earl of Northumberland and committed to the custody of Sir William Kingston being then Lievtenant of the Tower By whom conducted towards London he departed this life in the Abby of Leicester his great heart not being able to endure so many indignities as had been lately put upon him and having cause to fear much worse then his former sufferings But the removing of this Rub did not much smooth the way to the King's desires The Queen's appeal unto the Pope was the greatest difficulty from which since she could not be removed it must be made unprofitable and ineffectual for the time to come And thereupon a Proclamation is set forth on the 19 of September 1530. in these following words viz. The King's Highnesse streightly chargeth and commandeth That no manner of person of what estate degree or condition he or they be of do purchase or attempt to purchase from the Court of Rome or elsewhere nor use nor put in execution divulge or publish any thing heretofore within this year passed purchased or to be purchased hereafter containing matter prejudicial to the High Authority Jurisdiction and prerogative Royal of this his said Reâ—lm or to the lett hinderance or impeachment of his Grace's Noble and Vertuous intended purposes in the premises upon pain of incurring his Highnesse's indignation and imprisonment and farther punishment of their bodies for their so doing at his Graceâ—s pleasure to the dreadful example of all others This was the Prologue to the downfall of the Pope in England seconded by the Kings taking to himselfe the Title â—upream Head of the Churches of England and Ireland acknowledged in the Convocation and confirmed in Parliament and ending finally in an Act intituled An Act for extinguishing the authority of the Bishops of Rome And in all this the King did nothing but what
Women wherein she laid before him these her last requests viz. My most dear Lord King and Husband for so she called him THe hour of my death now approaching I cannot chuse but out of the love I bear you advise you of your souls health which you ought to prefer before all considerations of the world or flesh whatsoever For which yet you have cast me into many calamities and your self into many troublâ—s But I for give you all and pray God to do so likewise For the rest I commend unto you Mary our daughâ—er beseeching you to be a good Father unto her as I have heretofore desired I must enâ—reat you also to respect my Maids and give them in Marriage which is not much they being but three And to all my other Servants a yeaâ—s pay besides their due lest otherwise they should be unprovided for Lastly I make this Vow That mine Eyes have desired you above aâ—l things Farewell Within few days after the writing of which Letter that is to say on the 8 th of January then next following she yielded her pious Soul to God at the King's Mannor-house of Kimbolton in the County of Huâ—tingâ—on and was solemnly interred not long after in the Abbey of Peterborough The reading of her Letter drew some tears from the King which could not but be much encreased by the news of her death Moved by them both to such a measure of commiseration of her sad condition that he caused the greatest part of her goods amounting to 5000 Marks to be expended on her Funerall and in the recompencing of such of her servants as had best deserved it Never so kind to her in the time of her life as when he had rendred her incapable of receiving a kindnesse The Princesse Mary is now left wholly to her self declared illegitimate by her Father deprived of the comfort of her Mother and in a manner forsaken by all her friends whom the severe proceedings against Moor and Fisher had so deterred that few durst pay her any offices of Love or Duty Of any proceedings in the Match with the Duke of Orleance we hear no more news all further prosecution of it being at a stand by the misfortunes of her Mother nor was she sought in Marriage by any other Prince in the life of her Father buâ— onely by James the 5 th of Scotland but finding himself deluded in it by King Henry he thought it best to strengthen himself by a Match with France where he was first married to Madam Magdaleene the first daughter of K. Francis and afterwards to Mary daughter of Claude of Lorrain Duke of Guise by whom he had one onely daughter called Mary also In which condition the poor Princesse had no greater comfort than what she could gather from her Books in which she had been carefully instructed by Doctor John Voisie aliâs Harman appointed her Tutor by the King and for his good performance in that place of trust advanced by him to the Sea of Exon An. 1529. and afterwards made Lord President of Wales which sell out better for the Tutor than it did for the Pupill Who being left destitute of the counsell of so grave a Man began to give way more and more to her grief and passions which brought her at the last to such an aversenesse from the King and such a manifest disaffection to his Person and Government that he was once upon the point of sending her prisoner to the Tower and had so done if Cranmer had not interposed some powerfull reasons to disswade him from it During which time of her aversenesse the King sent certain of the Lords to remove her to Hatfield who having no authority to treat her by the name of Princesse but onely to execute the King's commands gave her occasion thus to signifie her discontentments My Lords said she as touching my removing to Hatfield I will obey his Grace as my duty is or to any other place that his Grace will appoint me But I protest before you and all other that be here present that my conscience will in no wise suffer me to take any other than my self for Princesse or for the King's Daughter born in lawfull Matrimony and that I will never wittingly or willingly say or do whereby any person might take occasion to think that I agree to the contrary Nor say I this out of any ambition or proud mind as God is my Judge but that if I should do otherwise I should in my conscience slander the Deed of our Mother the holy Church and the Pope who is the Judge in this matter and none other and also should dishonour the King my Father the Queen my Mother and falsly confesse my self a Bastard which God defend that I should do since the Pope hath not so declared it by his Sentence definitive to whose finall Judgment I submit my self In pursuance of which claim to the Title of Princesse together with the Priviledges and Preheminences thereunto belonging she writes this following Letter to the King her Father on a like occasion IN most humble wise I beseech your Grace of your daily blâ—ssing Pleaseth it the same to be advertised that this morning my Chamberlain came and shewed me that he had received a Letter from Sir William Paulet Controller of your House the effect whereof was that I should with all diligence remove unto the Castle of Hertford Whereupon I desired him to see the same Letter which he shewed me wherein was written That the Lady Mary the King's Daughter should remove to the place before-said leaving out in the same the name of Princesse Which when I heard I could not a little marvail trusting verily that your Grace was not privy to the same Letter as concerning the leaving out of the name of Princesse for asmuch as I doubt not in your goodnesse but that your Grace doth take me for your lawfull Daughter born in true Matrimony Wherefore if I should agree to the contrary I should in my conscience run into the displeasure of God which I hope assuredly that your Grace would not that I so should And in all other things your Grace shall have me always as humble an obedient Daughter and Handmaid as ever was child to thâ— father which my duâ—y biâ—doth 〈◊〉 to as knoweth â—ur Lord Who have your Grace in his most holy tuiâ—ion with much honor and long life to his pleasure From your Mannor of 〈◊〉 Octob. 2 By your most humble Daughter MARY Princess And on these tearms she stood from the Divorce of her Mother till the Attaindure of Queen Anne Bollen against whom she thought it did concern her to bear up to the highest as she did accordingly But growing into better hopes by the death of the â—aid Queen Anne the Annulling of the Marriage also and the Bastardiâ—ing of the Princesse Elizabeth her onely daughter she began to cast about again writes her submissive Letters to the King her father and humbly craves some testimonies
of Worcester to which See 〈◊〉 Day and Heath were again restored The like course also followed for the depriving of all Deaâ—â— Dâ—gnâ—â—â—â—â—â—s and Parochial Ministers who had succeeded into any of those preâ—erments during the Reign of the two last Kings the old incumbeâ—ts whereof were then â—ound living and able to supply their places Which though it could not be objected against Dr Cox either in râ—ference to his Deâ—nry of â—hrist Church or that of 〈◊〉 both which he held at the same time yet being brought unto the Marshalâ—ey on the 5th of 〈◊〉 he was unjustly spoiâ—ed of both to make room for Dr Richard Marshall in the one and Dt Hugh Weston in the other And all this done without so much as any shew of legal processe or the conventing of the persons whom it did concern or any satisfaction given unto the Laws which in some cases favour possession more than right so strangely violated But greater was the havock which was made amongst them when there was any colour or pretence of Law as in the case of having wives or not conforming to the Queens pleasure in all points of Religion conâ—idering how forward and pragmatical too many were to run before the Laws in the like particular The Queen was zealous in her way and by her interesse strongly byassed to the Church of Rome But it concerned her to be wary and not to presse too much at once upon the people which generally were well affected to the Reformation Of this she had a stout experiment within very few dayes after her first entrance into London For so it hapned that Dr Bourn Arch-Deacon of London and one of the Prebends of St Paul's preaching a Sermon at the Crosse on the 13th of August inveighed in favour of Bishop Bonner who was present at it against some proceedings in the time of the late King Edward Which so incensed the people that suddenly a great tumult arose upon it some pelting him with stones others crying out aloud pull him down pull him down and one who never could be known flinging a dagger at his head which after was found sticking in a post of the Pulpit And greater had the mischief been upon this occasion if Mr Bradford and Mr Rogers two eminent Preachers in the time of King Edward and of great credit and esteem with the common people had not endeavoured to appease the enraged multitude and with great difficulty secured the Preacher in the School adjoining By reason of which tumult an Order was taken by the Lords of the Counâ—il with the mayor and Aldermen of London that they calling the next day following a Common Council of the City should thereby charge every housholder to cause their children and Apprentices to keep their own Parish Churches upon the Holy dayes and not to suffer them to attempt any thing to the violating of the common peace Willing them also to signifie to the said Assembly the Queens determination uttered to them by her Highnesse the 12th of August in the Tower Which was that albeit her Grace's conscience was staid in matters of Religion yet she gratiously meant to compel or strain other mens otherwise than God should as she trusted put into their hearts a perswasion of that truth which she was in through the opening of his word unto them by godly vertuous and learned Preachers that is to say such Preachers only as were to be hereafter licenced by the Queen's authority But yet for fear that these instructions might not edifie with the common people Order was taken for preventing the like tumult on the Sunday following At what time the Sermon was preached by Dr Watson who afterwards was Bishop of Lincoln but Chaplain only at that time to the Bishop of Winchester For whose security not only many of the Lords of the Council that is to say the Lord Treasurer the Lord Privy Seal the Earl of Bedford the Earl of Pembrook the Lords Wentworth and Rich were severally desired to be there present but Gerningham Captain of the Guard was appointed with two hundred of his stourest Yeomen to stand round about him with their Halberts The Mayor had also taken Order that all the Companies in their Liveries should be present at it which was well taken by the Queen And because the comming of the Guard on the one side affrighted some and the Order of the Lords above mentioned had restrained others from comming to those publick Sermons it was commanded by the Lord Mayor that the Ancients of all Companies should give attendance at those Sermons for the time to come lest otherwise the Preachers might be discouraged at the sight of so thin an Auditory The safety of those publick Preachers being thus provided for by the Lords of the Council there next care was that nothing should be preached in private Churches contrary to the Doctrine which was and should be â—aughâ— at the Cross by them which were appointed to it Whereupon it was further Ordered that every Alderman in his Ward should forthwith send for the Curates of every Church within their Liberties and warn them not only to forbear preaching themselves but also not to suffer any other to preach or make any open or solemn reading of Scripture in their Churches unless the said Preachers were severally licensed by the Queen To which purpose Letters were directed also to the Bishop of Norwich and possibly to all other Bishops in their several Diocesses But nothing more discovers the true state and temper of the present time than a Proclamation published by the Queen on the 18th of August The Tenor of which is as followeth The Queen's Highnesse well remembring what great inconvenience and dangers have grown to this her Reaâ—m in timesâ— past through the diversities of opinions in Questions of Religion and hearing also that now of late sithence the beginning of her most gratious Reign the same contentions be again much revived through certain false and untrue reports and rumoâ—rs spread by some evil-disposed persons hath thought good to give to understand to all Her Highnesse's most loving subjects her most grrtious pleasure in manner following First Her Majesty being presently by the only goodness of God setled in her just possession of the Imperial Crown of this Realm and other Dominions thereunto belonging cannot now hide that Religion which God and the world knoweth she hath ever proâ—essed from her infancy hitherto Which at her Majesty is minded to observe and maintain for her self by God's grace during her time so doth her Highness much desire and would be glad the some were of all her subjects quietly and charitably entertain'd And yet she doth signifie unto all her Majestie 's loving subjects that of Her most gratious disposition and clemency Her Highness mindeth not to â—ompel any Her said subjects thereunto until such time as further Order by common assent may be taken therein Forbidding nevertheless all her subjects of all degrees at their perils to move seditions or stir
grave and buried in a common dunghil About the same time also such strangers as were gathered together into the Church of John Alasco not only were necessitated to forbear their meetings but to dissolve their Congregation and to quit the Countrey Such a displeasure was conceived against them by those which governed the affairs that it was no small difficulty for them to get leave for their departure and glad they were to take the opportunity of two Danish ships and to put themselves to sea in the beginning of winter fearing more storms in England than upon the Ocean And so farwel to John Alasco It was an ill wind which brought him hit her and worse he could not have for his going back The like haste made the French Protestants also And that they might have no pretence for a long stay command was sent unto the Mayor of Rie and Dâ—ver on the 16th of September to suffer all French Protestants to cross the seas except such only whose names should be signified unto them by the French Ambassadors But notwithstanding these removes many both Dutch and French remained still in the Kingdom some of which being after found in Wiat's Army occasioned the banishing of all the rest except Denizens and Merchants only by a publick Edict At which time many of the English departed also as well Students as others to the number of 300. or thereabouts hoping to find that freedome and protection in a forein Country which was denied them in their own The principal of those which put themselves into this voluntary exile were Katherine the last wife of Charls Brandon Duke of Suffoâ—k Robert Bertye Esquire husband to the Dutchess the Bishops of Winchester and Wells Sir Richard Morison Sir Anthony Cook and Sir John Cheek Dr Cox Dr Sanays and Dr Grindall and divers others of whom we shall hear more hereafter on another occasion Of all these things they neither were not could be ignorant in the Court of Rome to which the death of Edward had been swiftly posted on the wings of fame The newes of the succession of Queen Mary staid not long behind so much more welcome to Pope Julius 3d. who then held that See because it gave him some assurance of his re-admission into the power and jurisdiction of his predecessors in the Realm of England For what less was to be expected considering that she was brought up in the Catholick Religion interessed in the respects of her mother and Cosen in the first degree unto Charles the Emperour In the pursuance of which hopes it was resolved that Cardinal Pole should be sent Legate into England who being of the Royal blood a man of eminent learning and exemplary life was looked on as the fittest instrument to reduce that Kingdome The Cardinal well knowing that he stood attainted by the Lawes of the Land and that the name of Henry was still preserved in estimation amongst the people thought it not safe to venture thither before he fully understood the state of things He therefore secretly dispatcheth Commendonius a right trusty Minister by whom he writes a private Letter to the Queen In which commending first her perseverance in Religion in the time of her troubles he exhorteth her to a continuance in it in the days of her happiness He recommended also to her the salvation of the souls of her people and the restitution of the true worship of God Commendonius having diligently inform'd himself of all particulars found means of speaking with the Queen By whom he understood not only her own good affections to the See Apostolick but that she was resolved to use her best endeavours for re-establishing the Religion of the Church of Rome in all her Kingdomes Which being made known unto the Cardinal he puts himself into the voyage The newes whereof being brought to Charls who had his own design apart from that of the Pope he signified by Dandino the Pope's Nuncio with him that an Apostolick Legate could not be sent into England as affairs then stood either with safety to himself or honour to the Church of Rome and therefore that he might do well to defer the journy till the English might be brought to a better temper But the Queen knowing nothing of this stop and being full of expectation of the Cardinals coming had called a Parliament to begin on the 10th of October In which she made it her first Act to take away all Statutes passed by the two last Kings wherein certain offences had been made High Treason and others brought within the compass of a Premunire And this she did especially for Pole's security that neither he by exercising his Authority nor the Clergy by submitting to it might be intangled in the like snares in which Cardinal Wolsie and the whole Clergy of his time had before been caught It was designed also to rescind all former Statutes which had been made by the said two Kings against the jurisdiction of the Pope the Doctrine and Religion of the Church of Rome and to reduce all matters Ecclesiastical to the same estate in which they stood in the beginning of the Reign of the King her Father But this was looked upon by others as too great an enterprise to be attempted by a woman especially in a green estate and amongst people sensible of those many benefits which they enjoyed by shaking off their former vassalage to a forein power It was advised therefore to proceed no further at the present than to repeal all Acts and Statutes which had been made in derogation to the Doctrine of the Church of Rome in the time of her brother which being passed in his minority when all affairs were carried by faction and strong hand contrary to the judgement of the best and soundest part of the Clergy and Laity might give a just pretence for their abrogation till all particulars might be considered and debated in a lawful Synod According to which temperament the point was carried and the Act pass'd no higher than for Repeaâ—ing certain Statutes of the time of King Edward by which one blow she felled down all which had been done in the Reformation in seven years before For by this Act they took away all former Statutes for Administring the Communion in both kinds for establishing the first and second Liturgie for confirming the new Ordinal or form of consecrating Archbishops and Bishops c. for abrogating certain Fasts and Feastivals which had been formerly observed for authorizing the marriage of Priests and Legitimation of their children not to say any thing of that Statute as not worth the naming for making Bishops by the King's Letters Patents and exercising their Episcopal jurisdiction in the King's name only So that upon the matter not only all things were reduced to the same estate in which they stood at Edward's coming to the Crown but all those Bishops and Priests which had maried by authority of the former Statutes were made uncanonical and consequently obnoxious to
vain about it In these distractions some of the Franckfort Schismaticks desire that all divine Offices might be executed according to the order of the Church of Geneva which Knox would by no means yield unto thinking himself as able to make a Rule for his own Congregation as any Calvin of them all But that the mouths of those of Stralsburge and Zuriâ—k might be stopped for ever he is content to make so much use of him as by the authority of his judgment to disgrace that Liturgy which those of Zurick did contend for He knew well how he had bestirred himself in quarrelling the first Liturgy of King Edward the 6th and nothing doubteth but that the second though reviewed on his importunity would give him as little satisfaction as the other did To this intent the Order of the English Liturgy is drawn up in Latine transmitted to him by Knox and Whittingham by this infallible judgment to stand or fall The Oracle returns this answer on the 31 of January In Liturgia Anglâ—cana qualem mihi describitis multas vidâ—o tolerabiles ineptias That in the Book of England as by them described he had observed many tolerable fooleries Whiâ—h last words being somewhat ambiguous as all Oracles are he explicates himself by telling them That there wanted much of that purity which was to be desired in it that it contained many relicks of the dregs of Popery that being there was no manifest impiety in it it had been tolerated for a season because at first it could not otherwise be admitted But howsoever though it was lawful to begin with such beggarly rudiments yet it behoved the learned grave and godly Ministers of Christ to endeavour farther and set forth something more refined from filth and rustinesse This being sent for his determinate sentence unto Knox and Whittingham was of such prevalency with all the rest of that party that such who â—ormerly did approve did afterwards as much dislike the English Liturgy and those who at the first had conceived onely a dislike grew afterwards into an open detestation of it Those who before had been desirous that the Order of Geneva should be entertained had now drawn Knox and Whittingham unto them Mr. John Fox the Author of the Acts and Monuments contributing his approbation amongst the rest But in the end to give content to such as remained affected to the former Liturgy it was agreed upon That a mixt Form consisting partly of the Order of Geneva and partly of the Book of England should be digested and received till the first of April consideration in the mean time to be had of some other course which should be permanent and obliging for the time to come In this condition of affairs Doctor Richard Cox the late Dean of Christ-Church and Westminster first Schoolmaster and after Almoner to King Edward the sixth putteth himself into Franckfort March 13. accompanied with many English Exiles whom the cause of Religion had necessitated to forsake their Country Being a man of great learning of great authority in the Church and one that had a principal hand in drawing up the Liturgy by Law established he could with no patience endure those innovations in it or rather that rejection of it which he found amongst them He thereupon first begins to answer the Minister contrary to the Order there agreed on and the next Sunday after causeth one of his company to go into the Pulpit and read the Letany Against which doings of his Knox in a Sermon the same day inveigheth most bitterly affirming many things in the Book of England not onely to be imperfect but superstitious For the which he is not onely rebuked by Cox but forbidden to preach Wherewith Whittingham being much offended deals with some of the Magistrates from whom he procureth an Order of the 22 of March requiring That the English should conform themselves to the Rules of the French Knox had not long before published a seditious Pamphlet entituled An Admonition to Christians containing the substance of some Sermons by him preached in Engâ—and in one of which he affirmed the Emperor to be no lesse an enemy to Christ that the â—yrant Nero. For this and several other passages of the like dangerous nature he is accused by Cox for Treason against the Emperor the Senate made acquainted with it and Knox commanded thereupon to depart the City who makes hâ—s Farewel-Sermon on the 25th of March and retires himself unto Geneva Following his blow Cox gets an order of the Senate by the means of another of the Glaâ—berges by which Whittingham and the rest of his faction were commanded to receive the Book of England Against which order Whiâ—tingham for a time opposeth encouraged therein by Goodman who for the love of Knox with whom afterwards he associated in all his practices had left the grave soâ—iety of those of Stralsbâ—rge to joyn himself unto the Sectaries of 〈…〉 But finding Cox to be too strong for them in the Senate both they and all the rest who refused conformity resolved to betake themselves to some other place as they shortly did Cox thus made Master of the field begins to put the Congregation into such order as might preserve the face and reputation of an English Church He procures Whitehead to be chosen for the principal Paâ—â—or appoints two Ministers for Elders and four Deacons for aâ—â—istants to him recommends Mr. Robert Horn whom he had drawn from Zurick thither to be Hebrew-Reader Mullings to read the Greek Lecture Trahern the Lecture in Divinity and Chambers to be Treasurer for the Contributions which were sent in from time to time by many godly and wellâ—affected persons both Dutch and English for the use of that Church Having thus setled all things answerable to his own desires he gives an account thereof to Calvin subscribed by fourteen of the chief men in that Congregation partly excusing themselves that they had proceeded so far without his consent and partly rejoycing that they had drawn the greatest part of that Church to their own opinions Calvin returns his Answer on the last of May which puts his party there on another project that is to say to have the whole business referred to some Arbitrators equally chosen on both sides But Cox was already in possession great in esteem with the chief Magistrates of the City and would by no means yield to refer that point which had already been determined to his advantage With these debates the time is taken up till the end of August at what time Whiâ—tingham and the rest of the faction take their leave of Franckfort Fox with some few others go to Basil but the main body to Geneva as their Mâ—ther-City where they make choice of Knox and Goodman for their constant Preachers under which Ministry they reject the whole frame and fabrick of the Reformation made in England conformed themselves wholly to the fashions of the Church of Geneva and therewith entertain
conclude with this Address to Almighty God That as He hath restored Your Majesty to the Throne of Your Father and done it in so strange a manner as makes it seem a Miracle in the Eyes of Christendom so He would settle You in the same on so sure a Bottom that no Design of Mischievous and Unquiet Men may disturb Your Peace or detract any thing from those Felicities which You have acquired So prayeth Dread Sovereign Your Majestie 's most obedient Servant and most Loyal Subject PETER HEYLYN To the Reader READER I Here present thee with a Piece of as great variety as can be easily comprehended in so narrow a compass the History of an Affair of such Weight and Consequence as had a powerful Influence on the rest of Christendome It is an History of the Reformation of the Church of England from the first Agitations in Religion under HENRY the Eight untill the final settling and establishing of it in Doctrine Government and Worship under the Fortunate and most Glorious Reign of Queen ELIZABETH Nor hast thou here a bare Relation onely of such Passages as those Times afforded but a discovery of those Counsels by which the Action was conducted the Rules of Piety and Prudence upon which it was carryed the several steps by which it was promoted or retarded in the Change of Times together with the Intercurrence of such civil Concernments both at home and abroad as either were co-incident with it or related to it So that We may affirm of this present History as Florus doth of his Compendium of the Roman Stories Ut non tam populi unius quam totius generis humani that is to say That it contains not onely the Affairs of one State or Nation but in a manner of the greatest part of all Civil Governments The Work first hinted by a Prince of an undanted Spirit the Master of as great a Courage as the World had any and to say truth the Work required it He durst not else have grapled with that mighty Adversary who claiming to be Successour to St. Peter in the See of Rome and Vicar-General to Christ over all the Church had gained unto himself an absolute Sovereignty over all Christian Kings and Princes in the Western Empire But this King being violently hurried with the transport of some private Affections and finding that the Pope appeared the greatest Obstacle to his desires he first divested him by degrees of that Supremacy which had been challenged and enjoyed by his Predecessours for some Ages past and finally extinguished His Authority in the Realm of England without noise or trouble to the great admiration and astonishment of the rest of the Christian World This opened the first way to the Reformation and gave encouragement to those who enclined unto it To which the King afforded no small Countenance out of Politick Ends by suffering them to have the Bible in the Englishâ—ongue â—ongue and to enjoy the benefit of such Godly Tractates as openly discovered the Corruptions of the Church of Rome But for his own part he adhered to his old Religion severely persecuted those who dissented from it and dyed though Excommunicated in that Faith and Doctrine which he had sucked in as it were with his Mother's Milk and of the wâ—ich he shewâ—d himself so stout a Champion against Martin Luther in his first Quarrels with the Pope Next comes a Minor on the Stage just mild and gracious whose Name was made a Property to serve turns withall and his Authority abused as commonly it happeneth on the like occâ—sions to his own undoing In his first year the Reformation was resolved on but on different ends endeavoured by some Godly Bâ—shops and other Learned and Religious Men of the lower Clergy out of Judgment Conscience who managed the Affair according to the Word of God the Practice of the Primitive Times the general current and consent of the old Catholick Doctours but not without an Eye to such Foreign Churches as seemed to have most consonancy to the antient Forms Promoted with like Zeal and Industry but not with like Integrity and Christian Candour by some great men about the Court who under colour of removing such Corruptions as remained in the Church had cast their â—yes upon the spoil of Shrines and Images though still preserved in the greatest part of the Lutheran Churches and the improving of their own Fortunes by the â—hantery-Lands All which most sacrilegiously they divided amongst themselves without admitting the poor King to his share therein though nothing but the filling of his Coffers by the spoil of the one and the encrease of his Revenue by the fall of the other was openly pretended in the Conduct of it But separating this â—bliquity from the main Intendment the Work was vigorously carryed on by the King and his Councellours as appears clearly by the Doctrinals in the Book of Homilies and by the Practical part of Christian Pâ—ety in the first Publick Liturgie confirmed by Act of Parliament in the second and third year of this King and in that Act and which is more by Fox himself affirmed to have been done by the especial aid of the Holy Ghost And here the business might have rested if Catvin's Pragmatical Spirit had not interposed He first began to quarrel at some passages in this Sacred Liturgâ—e and afterwards never left solliciting the Lord Protectour and practising by his Agents on the Court the Countrey and the Universities till he had laid the first Foundation of the Zuinglian Faction who laboured nothing more then Innovation both in Doctrine and Discipline To which they were encouraged by nothing more then some improvident Indulgence granted unto John A-Lasco Who bringing with him a mixt multitude of Poles and Germans obtained the Privilege of a Church for himself and his distinct in Government and Forms of Worship from the Church of England This gave a powerful animation to the Zuinglian Gospellers as they are called by Bishop Hooper and some other Writers to practise first upon the Church who being countenanced if not headed by the Earl of Warwick who then began to undermine the Lord Protectour first quarrelled the Episcopal Habit and afterwards inveighed against Caps and Surplices against Gowns and Tippets but fell at last upon the Altars which were left standing in all Churches by the Rules of the Liturgie The touching on this String made excellent Musick to most of the Grandees of the Court who had before cast many an envious Eye on those costly Hangings thâ—t Massie Plate and other rich and preâ—ious Utensils which adorned those Altars And What need all this waste said Judas when one poor Chalice onely and perhaps not that might have served the turn Besides there was no small spoil to be made of Copes in which the Priest officiated at the Holy Sacrament some of them being made of Cloth of Tyssue of Cloth of Gold and Silver or embroidered Velvet the meanest being made of Silk or Sattin with
tempore existentes according to the Laws of the Land which were thâ—n in force whether by Purchase or by Gift or in the way of Exchange which are the words of the Decree And secondly If the said Lands were warranted and confirmed unto them by Letters Patents from the two last Kings qui per literas Patentes easdem Terras Warâ—antizâ—runt as is declared in the Second of the following Reasons For which Consult the Book Entituled No Sacrilege nor Sin to purchase Cathedrâ—l-Lands c. page 52. Where still observe that nothing made a Lawful Title in the Pope's Opinion but the King's Letters Patents grounded on the Laws of the Land as is expressed more clearly in the former Passages But this can no way serve the Turn of some present Purchasers though much insisted on by one of that number to justifie his defacing of an Episcopal Palace and his pretensions to the Wealthy Borough which depended on it For certainly there must needs be a vast disproportion between such Contracts as were founded upon Acts of Parliament Legally passed by the King's Authority with the Consent and Approbation of the Three Estates and those which have no other Ground but the bare Votes and Orders of both Houses onely and perhaps not that And by this Logick he may as well justifie the late horrid Murther committed on the most incomparable Majesty of King CHARLES the First as stand upon the making good of such Grants and Sates as were Contracted for with some of those very Men who Voted to the setting up of the High Court of Justice as most ridiculously they were pleased to call it When I shall see him do the one I must bethink my self of some further Arguments to refute the other And so Queen MARY makes Her Exit and leaves the Stage to Queen ELIZABETH Her younger Sister A Princess which had long been trained up in the Schole of Experience and knew the Temper of the People whom She was to Govern who having generally embraced the Reformed Religion in the Time of Her Brother most passionately desired the Enjoyment of it under Her Protection And She accordingly resolved to satisfie the Piety of their Desire as soon as She had Power and Opportunity to go thorough with it In Prosecution of which Work She raised Her whole Fabrick on the same Foundation which had been lay'd by the Reformers in the Reign of King EDWARD that is to say the Word of God the Practise of the Primitive Times the General Current of the Fathers and the Example of such Churches as seemed to retain most in them of the Antient Forms But then She added thereunto such an equal mixture both of Strengâ—h and Beauty as gave great Lustre to the Church and drew along with it many rare Felicities on the Civil State both Extraordinary in themselves and of long Continuance as the most Excellent King IAMES hath right-well observed So that We may affirm of the Reformation of the Church of England as the Historian doth of the Power and Greatness of the Realm of Macedon that is to say that The same Arts by which the first Foundations of it were laid by PHILIP were practised in the Consummation and Accomplishment of it by the Care of ALEXANDER For in the first Year of Her Reign the Liturgie being first Reviewed and qualified in some Particulars was confirmed by PARLIAMENT in Her first Year the Articles of Religion were agreed upon the Convocation and in the Eight the Government of the Church by Arch-Bishops and Bishops received as strong a Confirmation as the Laws could give it And for this last We are beholden unto BONNER the late Bishop of LONDON who being called upon to take the OATH of Supremacie by HORN of Winton refused to take the OATH upon this Account because HORNs Consecration was not good and valid by the Laws of the Land Which he insisted on because the Ordinal Established in the Reign of King EDWARD by which both HORN and all the rest of Queen ELIZABETH's Bishops received Consecrationâ— had been discharged by Queen MARY and not restored by any Act of Parliament in the present Reign Which being first declared by PARLIAMENT in the Eighth of this Queen to be Casus omissus or rather that the Ordinal was looked upon as a part of the Liturgie which had been solemnly confirmed in the first of this Queen's Reign they next Enacted and Ordained That all such Bishops as were Consecrated by that Ordinal in the Times precedent or should be Consecrated by it in the time to come should be reputed to be lawfully Ordained and Consecrated to all Intents and Purposes in the Law whatever Which added as much Strength to the Episcopal Government as the Authority of Man and an Act of Parliament could possibly Conferr upon it This made the Queen more constant to Her former Principles of keeping up the Church in its Power and Purity without subjecting it to any but Her Self alone She looked upon Her Self as the Sole Fountain of both Jurisdictions which She resolved to keep in their proper Chanels neither permitting them to mingle Waters upon any occasion nor suffering either of them to invade and destroy the other And to this Rule She was so constant that when one Morrice being then Attorney of the Dutchy of Lancaster had offered a Bill ready drawn to the House of Commons in the Thirty Fifth of Her Reign for the Retrenching of the Ecclesiastical Courts in much Narrower Bounds She first commanded Coke then Speaker and afterwards successively Chief Justice of either Bench not to admit of any such Seditious Bills for the time to come And that being done She caused the person of the said Attorney to be seized upon deprived him of his Place in the Dutchy-Court disabled him from Practising as a Common-Lawyer and finally shut him up in Tutbury-Castle where he continued till his Death By which Severity and keeping the like Constant Hand in the Course of Her Government She held so great a Curb on the Puritan Faction that neither Her Parliaments nor Her Courts of Justice were from thenceforth much troubled with them in the rest of Her Reign This is the Sum and Method of the following History in the Particulars whereof thou wilt finde more to satisfie thy Curiosity and inform thy Judgment then can be possibly drawn up in this General View As for my Self and my performance in this Work in the first place I am to tell thee that towards the raising of this Fabrick I have not borrowed my Materials onely out of Vulgar Authors but searched into the Registers of the Convocation consulted all such Acts of Parliament as concerned my Purpose advised with many Foreign Writers of great Name and Credit exemplified some Records and Charters of no common Quality many rare Pieces in the famous Cottonian Library and not a few Debates and Orders of the Council-â—able which I have lai'd together in as good a Form and beautified it with a
Queens Progenitours but that we may the better understand the State of that Family which was to Act so great a part on the Stage of England Know then that Queen Jane Seimour was Daughter of S. John Seimour of Wolf-Hall in the County of Wilts Descended from that William de S. Mauro contractedly afterwards called Seimour who by the Aide of Gilbert Lord Mareshall Earle of Pembrooke recovered Wendy aud Penhow now parts of Monmouth shire from the hands of the Welsh Anno. 1240. being the two and twentieth yeare of King Henry the thirds Reign which William as he descended lineally from the 〈…〉 d' Sancto Mauro whose name we find in the Roll of Battle Abbey amongst those Noble Families which came in with the Conquerour so was he one of the Progenitours of that S. Roger S. Maur or Seimour Knight who marryed one of the daughters and Heires of John Beauchamp of Hach a right Noble Baron who brought his Pedigree from Sybill one of the five daughters and Heires of William Mareshall the famous and most puissant Earle of Pembrooke married to William de Herrares Earle of Herrars and Darby as also from Hugh d' Vivon and William Mallet men in times past most Renowned for Estate and Chivalry which goodly Patrimony was afterwards very much augmented by the mariage of one of this Noble Family with the Daughter and Heire of the Esturmies Lords of Wolf-Hall not far from Marleborough in the County of Wilts who bare for Armes Argent 3. Dâ—mie Lions Gules And from the time of King Henry the second were by right of inheritance the Bayliffes and Guardians of the Forrest of Sarernaâ—k lying hard by which is of great note for plenty of Good Game and for a kind of Ferne there that yieldeth a most pleasant savour In remembrance whereof their Hunters Horne of a mighty bigness and tipt with silver is kept by the Earles of Hartford unto this day as a Monument of their Descent from such Noble Ancestors Out of which house came Sir John Seimour of Wolfe-Hall the Father of this Excellent Queen as also of three sons Edward Henry and Thomas of which we shall speak somewhat severally in the way of Preamble the first and last being Principal Actors on the Publique Theatre of King Edwards Reigne And first Sir Edward Seymour the Eldest son received the Order of Knighthood at the hands of Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolk and brother in law to King Henry the Eighth In the fifteenth yeare of whose Reign he Commanded a Right puissant Army in a War with France where he took the Town of Mont Dedier and other pieces of Importance On this foundation he began the rise of his following Fortunes exceedingly improved by the Mariage of the King with his only sister from whom on Tuesday in Whitson week Anno 1536. he received the Title of Viscount Beauchamp with reference to his Descent from the Lord John Beauchamp above mentioned and on the eighteenth of October in the yeare next following he was created Earle of Hartford A man obierved by Sir John Haywood in his History of K. Edward the sixth to be of little esteem for Wisdom Personage or Courage in Armes but found withall not onely to be very faithfull but exceeding fortunate as long as he served under the more Powerfull Plannet of King Henry the eighth About five yeares before the end of whose Reign He being then Warden of the Marches against Scotland the invasion of K. James the fifth was by his direction encountred and broken at Solâ—me Mosse where divers of the Scottish Nobility were taken Prisoners In the next yeare after accompanied with Sir John Dudly Viscount Lisle Created afterwards Earle of Warwick and Duke of Northumberland by king Edward the sixth with a handfull of men he fired Lieth and Edinborough and returned by a leisurely March 44. miles thorough the body of Scotlanâ— And in the year following he invaded the Scottish Borders wasted Tive dale and the Marches defacing all those Parts with spoyle and ruine As fortunate in his undertakings against the French as against the Scoâ—s for being appointed by the King to view the Fortifications upon the Marches of Callice he did not onely perform that service to the Kings contentment but with the hardy approach of 7000. English men raised an Army of 21000. French Encamped over the River before Bolloine won their Ordinance Carriage Treasure aâ—d Tents with the loss only of one man winning in his return from thence the Caâ—tle of Ouling commonly called the Red Pile within shot and rescue of the Town of Ardes And finally in the yeare ensuing being the last of that Kings Reign he began the Fortresses of New Haven Blackness and Bullingberg in which he plyed his worke so well that before his departure from those places he had made them tenable Such were hâ—s Actings in the time of King Henry the Eighth against whose Powerfull Genius there was no withstanding In all whose time he never rose to any haughtiness in himselfe or contempt of others but still remained curteous and affable towards all choosing a course least subject to envy between stâ—ffe stubbornness and servile flattery without aspiring any further then to hold a second place in the Kings good Grace But being left unto himself and either overwhelmed by the Greatness of that Authority which was cast upon him in the Minority of King Edward or undermined by the practises of his cunning and malicious Enemies he suddenly became according to the usuall Disports of Fortune a calamitous ruine as being in himselfe of an easie nature apt to be wrought upon by more subtle heads and wholly Governed by his last wife of which more hereafter In the mean time we are to know that having married one of the daughters and Co-heires of William Hilol of Woodlands in the County of Dorset he had by her amongst other children a son called Edward from whom descends Sir Edward Seimâ—ure of Berrie Pomerie in the County of Devon Knight and Barron After whose death he married Ann the daughter of Sir Edward Stanhop by whom he had a soâ— called Edward also on whom he was prevailed with to entaile both his Lands and Honours the children of the former bed being pretermitted Concerning which there goes a stoâ—y that the Earle having been formerly â—mployed in France did there acquaint himselfe with a Learned man supposed to have great skill in Magick of whom he obtained by great rewards and importunities to let him see by the help of some Magicall perspective in what Estate all his Relations stood at home In which impertinent curiosity he was so â—arr satisfied as to behold a Gentleman of his acquaintance in a more familiar posture with his wife then was agreeable to the Honour of either Party To which Diabollicall Illusion he is said to have given so much credit that he did not only estrange himselfe from her society at his coming home but furnished his next wife with an excellent opportunity
for pressing him to the disinheriting of his foâ—mer children But whether this were so or not certain it is that his last wife being a proud imperious woman and one that was resolved to gain her own ends upon him never leâ—t plying him with one suspition after anoâ—her till in the end she had prevâ—iled to have the greatest part of his lands and all his Honourable Titles setled on her eldest son And that she might make sure work of it she caused him to obtaine a private Act of Parliament in the 32. yeare of Henry the Eighth Anno 1540. for entailing the same on this last Edward and the Heires male of his body So easie was he to be wrought on by those that knew on which side he did lie most open to assaults and batteries Of a farr different temper was his brother Thomas the youngest sonne of Sir John Seimour of a daring and enterprising nature arrogant in himselfe a dispiser of others and a Contemner of all Counsells which were not first forged in his own brain Following his sister to the Court he received the Order of Knighthood from the hands of the King at such time as his brother was made Earle of Hartford and on May day in the thirtieth yeare of the Kings Reign he was one of the Challengers at the Magnificent Justs maintained by him and others against all comers in the Pallace of Westminster in which together with the rest he behaved himselfe so highly to the Kings contentment and their own great Honoâ—r that they were all severally rewarded with the Grant of 100. Marks of yearely rent and a convenient house for habitation thereunto belonging out of the late dissolved order of Saint John oâ— Iâ—rusalem Which being the first foundation of his following greatness proved not sufficient to support the building which was raised upon it the Gentleman and almost all the rest of the challengers coming within few yeares after to unfortunate ends For being made Lord Seimour of Sudley and Lord High Admirall of England by King Edward the sixth he would not satisfie his ambition with a lower marriage then the widow of his deceased Soveraign aspiring after her death to the bed of the Princes of Elizabeth the second daughter of the King Which wrought such Jealousies and distrusts in the Head of his brother then being Lord Protector of the King and Kingdom that he was thereupon Arraigned Condemned and Executed of which more anon to the great joy of such as practised to â—ubvert them both As for the Barrony of Sudley denominated from a goodly Mannor in the County of Glâ—câ—ster it wasâ— ancâ—ently the Patrimony of Harrold the eldest Son of Ralph d' Mont. the son of 〈◊〉 Medantinuâ— or d' Mount and of Goda his wife one of the daughters of Ethilred and sister of Edmond sirnamed â—roâ—side Kings of England whose Posterity taking to themselves the name of Sudley continued in possession of it till the time of John the last Baron of this name and Famiâ—y VVhose daugâ—ter Joane conveyed the whole estate in marriage to Sir William Botteler of the Family of Wemm in Shropshire From whom deâ—cended Ralph Lord Botteleâ— of Sudley Castle Chamberlain of the Houshold to King Henry the sixth by whom he was created Knight of the Garter and Lord High Treasurer of England And though the greatest part of this Inheritance being devided between the sisters and co-heires came to other Families yet the Castle and Barony of Sudley remained unto a male of this house untill the latter end of the Reign â—f King Henry the eighth to whom it was escheated by the Attainder of the last Lord Botteller whose greatest Crime was thought to be this goodly Mannor which some greedy Courtiers had an eye on And being fallen unto the Crown it was no hard matter for the Lord Protector to estate the same upon his brother who was scarce warmed in his new Honour when it fell into the Crown again Where it continued all the rest of King Edwards Reign and by Queen Mary was conferred on Sir John Bruges who derived his Pedigree from one of the said sisters and co-heires of Ralph Lord Botteler whom she ennobled by the Title of Lord Chaundos of Sudley As for Sir Henry Seimour the second son of Sir John Seimour he was not found to be of so fine a metall as to make a Courtier and was therefore left unto the life of a Country Gentleman Advanced by the Power and favour of his elder Brother to the oâ—der of Knighthood and afterwards Estated in the Mannours of Marvell and Twyford in the County of Southhampton dismembred in those broken times from the see of Winchester To each of these belonged a Park that of the first containing no less then foure miles that of the last but two in compass the first being also Honoured with a goodly Mancion house belonging anciently to those Bishops and little inferiour to the best of the Wealthy Bishopricks There goes a story that the Priest Officiating at the Altar in the Church of Ouslebury of which Parish Marvell was a part after the Mass had been abolished by the Kings Authority was violently dragged thence by this Sir Henry beaten and most reproachfully handled by him his servants universally refusing to serve him as the instruments of his Rage and Fury and that the poore Priest having after an opportunity to get into the Church did openly curse the said Sir Henry and his posterity with Bell Book and Candle according to the use observed in the Church of Rome Which whether it were so or not or that the maine foundation of this Estate being laid on Sacrilidge could promise no long blessing to it Certain it is that his posterity are brought beneath the degree of poverty For having three Nephewes by Sir John Seâ—mour his only Son that is to say Edward the eldest Henry and Thomas younger sons besides severall daughters there remaines not to any of them one foot of Land or so much as a penny of money to supply their necessities but what they have from the Munificence of the Marquesse of Hartford or the charity of other well disposed people which have affection or Relation to them But the great ornament of thisâ— house was their sister Jane the only daughter of her father by whose care she was preferred to the Court and service of Queen Ann Bollen where she outâ—shined all the other Ladies and in short time had gained exceeding much on the King a great admirer of Fresh Beauties and such as could pretend unto no command on his own affections Some Ladies who had seen the pictures of both Queenes at White Hall Gallery have entertained no small dispute to which of the two they were to give Preheminence in point of beauty each of them having such a plentifull measure of Perfections as to Entitle either of them to a Superiority If Queen Ann seemed to have the more lively countenance Queen Jane was thought to carry it in the exact
Appellation had been so entituled Which appeares more plainly by a particular of the Robes and Ornaments which were preparing for the day of this Solemnity as they are entred on Record in the book called The Catalogue of Honour published by Thomas Mills of Canterbury where it appeares also that they were prepared only but never used by reason of the Kings death which prevented the Sollemnities of it The ground of this Error I conceive first to be taken from John Stow who finding a creation of some Noble men and the making of many Knights to relate to the 18 day of October supposed it to have been done with reference to the Creation of a Prince of Wales whereas if I might take the liberty of putting in my own conjecture I should conceive rather that it was done with Reference to the Princes Christning as in like manner we find a creation of three Earles and five to inferiour Titles at the Christning of the Princesse Mary born to King James after his coming into England and Christened upon Sunday the fifth of May. 1604. And I conceive withall that Sir Edward Seimour Vicount Beauchamp the Queenes elder brother was then created Earle of Hartford to make him more capable of being one of the Godfathers or a Deputy-Godfather at the least to the Royall Infant the Court not being then in a condition by reason of the mournfull accident of the late Queenes death to show it selfe in any extraordinary splendour as the occasion had required at another time Among which persons so advanced to the Dignity and degree of Knighthood I find Mr. Thomas Seimour the Queenes youngest brother to be one of the number of whom we shall have frequent occasion to speak more fully and particularly in the course of this History No other alteration made in the face of the Court but that Sir William Pawlet was made Treasurer and Sir John Russell Comptroller of his Majesties Houshold on the said 18th day of October which I conceive to be the day of the Princes Christning both of them being principall Actors in the Afâ—aires and troubles of the following times But in the face of the Church there appeared some lines which looked directly towards a Reformation For besides the surrendring of divers Monasteries and the executing of some Abbots and other Religious Persons for their stiffenesse if I may not call it a perversenesse in opposing the Kings desires there are two things of speciall note which concurred this year as the Prognosticks or â—ore-runners of those great events which after followed in his Reign For it appeares by a Memoriall of the Famous Library of Sir Robert Cotton that Grafton now made known to Cromwell the finishing of the English Bible of which he had printed 1500. at his own proper charges amounting in the totall to 500. p. desiring stoppage of a surreptitions Edition in a lesse Letter which else would tend to his undoing the suit endeared by Cranmer Arch-Bishop of Canterbury at whose request Cromwell presents one of the Bibles to the King and procures the same to be allowed by his Authority to be read publiquely without comptrole in all his Dominions and for so doing he receives a letter of thanks from the said Arch-Bishop dated August the 13th of this present year Nor were the Bishops and Clergy wanting to advance the work by publishing a certain book in the English Tongue which they entituled The Institution of a Christian Man in which the Doctrine of the Sacraments the Creed the Lords Prayer and the Commandments were opened and expounded more perspicuously and lesse abhorrent from the truth then in former times By which clear light of Holy Scripture and the principall duties of Religion so laid opâ—n to them the people were the better able to discerne the errors and corruptionâ— of the Church of Rome From which by the piety of this Prince they were fully Freed And for a preamble thereunto the Rood of Boxley commonly called the Rood of Grace so Artificially contrived by reason of some secret wires in the body or concavities of it that it could move the eyes the lips c. to the great wonder and astonishment of the common people was openly discovered for a lewd imposture and broke in pieces at St. Pauls Cross on Sunday the 24. of February the Rood of Bermondsey Abby in South-work following the same fortune also within six dayes The next year brings an end to almost all the Monasteries and Religious houses in the Realme of England surrendered into the Kings hands by publâ—que instruments under the seales of all the severall and respective Convents and those surrenderies ratified and confirmed by Act of Parliament And this occasionally conduced to the future peace and quiet of this young Prince by removing out of the way some Great Pretenders who otherwise might have created to him no small disturbance For so it happened that Henry Earle of Devâ—nshire and Mary wife of Exceter descended from a daughter of King Edward the fâ—urth and Henry Pole Lord Mountacute descended from a daughter of George Duke of Clarence the second brother of that Edward under colour of preventing or revenging the Dissolution of so many famous Abbyes and religious houses associated themselves with Sir Edward Nâ—vill and Sir Nicholas Carew in a dangerous practise against the person of the King and the Peace of the Kingdom By whose endictment it appeares that it was their purpose and designe to destroy the King and advance Reginald Pole one of the younger brothers of the said Lord Mountacute of whom we shall hear more in the course of this History to the Regalâ— Throne Which how it could consist with the Pretensions of the Marquisse of Exceter or the Ambition of the Lord Mountacute the elder brother of this Reginald it is hard to say But having the Chronicle of John Speed to justifie me in the truth hereof in this particular I shall not take upon me to dispute the point The dangerous practise of which Persons did not so much retard the worke of Reformation as their execution did advance it to this year also appertaineth the suppressing of Pilgrimages the defacing of the costly and magnâ—ficent shrines of our Lady of Walsingham Ipswich Worcester c and more particularly of Thomas Becket once Arch-Bishop of Canterbury This last so rich in Jewells of most inestimable value that two great chests were filled with the spoyles thereoâ— so heavy and capacious as is affirmed by Bishop â—oodwin that each of them required no fewer then eight men to carry them out of the Church nothing inferiour unto Gold being charged within them More modestly in this then Sanders that malitious Sycophant who will have no lesse then twenty six waine load of silver Gold and precious stones to be seised into the Kings hands by the spoyle of that Monument Which proceedings so exasperated the Pope then being that without more delay by his Bull of January 1. he deprived the King
and chusing rather the Lord Kenneth Earle of Cassiles excepted to leave their Hostages to King Henries mercy then to put themselves into his Power Provoked therewith the King denounceth Warr against them and knowing that they depended chiefly upon the strength of France he peeceth with the Emperour Charles the fifth and Proclaimeth Warr against the French Following the Warr against both Kingdomes he causeth many in-roades to be made into Scotland wasting and harrasing that poor Country and with a Royall Army passeth over into France where he made himselfe Master of the strong Town of Bolloigne with the Forts about it into which he made his Royall entry Sep. 25. 1544. The rest of the Kings life spent in continuall Action against both Nations in which the Enemies had the worst though not without some losse to the English also the poore Scots paying so dearely for their breach of Faith that no yeare passed in which their Countrey was not wasted and their ships destroyed Toward the charges of which VVarres the King obtained a Grant in Parliament of all Chanteries Colledges Hospitalls and free Chappell 's with the Lands thereunto belonging to be united to the Crown But dying before he had took the benefit of it he lefâ— that part of the spoyle to such of his Ministers who had the Managing of Affaires in his Sons Minority In the mean tâ—me the Prince having attaiâ—ed unto the Age of six yeares was taken out of the hands oâ— his women and committed to the tuition of Mr. John Cheeke whom he afterwards Knighted and advanced him to the Provoâ—â—ship of Kings Colledge in Cambridge and Doctor Richard Cox whom afterwards he preferred to the Deanry of Westminster and made châ—efe Almoner These two being equall in Authority employed themselves to his advantage in their severall kindes Doctor Cox for knowledge of Divinity Philosophy and Gravity of Manners Mr. Cheeke for eloquence in the Greek and Latine Tongues Besides which two he had some others to instruct him in the Modern Languages and thrived so well amongst them all that in short time he perfectly spake the French tongue and was able to express himselfe significantly enough in the Italian Greek and Spanish And as for Latine he was such an early proficient in it that before he was eight yeares old he is said to have written the ensuing Letter to the King his Father seconding the same with another to the Earle of Hartford as he did that also with a third to the Queen Katharine Parre whom his Father had taken to wife July the 12th 1543. And though these Letters may be used as good evidences of his great proficiency with reference to the times in which he lived yet in our dayes in which either the wits of men are sooner ripe or the method of teaching more exact and facile they would be found to contain nothing which is more then ordinary Now his Letter to the King referring the Reader for the other two unto Fox and Fuller it beares date on the 27th day of September when he wanted just a fortnight of eight yeares old and is this that followeth PRINCE Edwards Epistle to the King September 27. 1545. LIterae Meae semper habeâ—t unum Argumentum Rex Nobilissime atque pater â—â—â—â—strissime id est in omnibus Epistolis ago tibi Gratias pro beneficentia tua Erga me Maxima si enim sâ—pius multo ad te literas Exararem nullo tamen quidem modo potui pervenire officio Literarum ad magnitudinem benignitatis tuae erga me Quis enim potuit compensare beneficia tua erga me Nimirum nullus qui non est tam magnus Rex ac Nobilis Princeps ac tu es cujusmodi ego non sum Quamobrem Pietas tua in me multo gratior est mihi quod facis mihi quae nullo modo compensare Possum sed tamen Adnitar Faciam quod in me est ut placeam Majestati atque Precabor Deum ut diu te servet in columem Vale Rex Nobilissime Majestati tuâ— Observantissimus Filius Halfeldiae Vicesimo Septimo Septemb. EDVARDUS PRINCEPS For a companion at his book or rather for a Proxie to bear the punishment of such errours as either through negligence or inadvertency were committed by him he had one Barnaby Fits Patrick the son if I conjecture aright of that Patrick whom I finde amongst the witnesses to King Henries last Will and Testâ—ment as also amongst those Legatees which are therein mentioned the King bequeathing him the Legacy of one hundred markes But whether I hit right or not most probable it is that he had a very easie substitution of it the harmlessenesse of the Princes nature the ingenuity of his disposition and his assiduity at his book freeing him for the most part from such corrections to which other children at the schoole are most commonly subject Yet if it sometimes happened as it seldome did that the servant suffered punishment for his Masters errors It is not easie to affirm whether Fits Patrick smarted more for the fault of the Prince or the Prince conceived more griefe for the smart of Fits Patrick Once I am certain that the Prince entertained such a reall Estimation of him that when he came unto the Crown he acquainted him by letter with the sufferings of the Duke of Sommerset instructed and maintained him for his travels in France endowed him with faire lands in Ireland his native Country and finally made him Baron of upper Ossery which Honourable Title he enjoyed till the time of his death in the latter end of Queen Elizabeths Reign at what time he dyed a zealous and Religious Protestant One thing I must not pretermit to shew the extraordinary piety of this hopefull Prince in the dayes of his childhood when being about to take down something which seemed to be above his Reach one of his fellowes proffeâ—ed him a Bossed-Plated Bible to stand upon and heighten him for taking that which he desired Which when he perceived to be a Bible with Holy indignation he reâ—uâ—ed it and sharply reprehended hâ—m that made the offer A stâ—ong assurance of that deare esteem and veneration in which he held that Sacred Book in his riper yeares Having attained the age of nine there were great prepaâ—atiâ—ns made for his sollemne investiture in the Principality of Wales together with the Earledomes of Chester and Flint as dependants on it Toward which Pomp I find a provision to be made of these Ornaments and Habiliments following thaâ— is to say first an Honourable Habit viz. A Robe of Purple Velvet having in it about eighâ—een ells more or lesse Garâ—iâ—â—ed about with a â—ringe of Gold and lined with Ermins A Sâ—rcot or inner Gown having in it about fourteen ells of Velvet of like colour Fringe and Furr Laces Buttons and Tassells as they call them Oâ—naments made of Purple Silk and Gold A Gâ—rdle of siâ—k to gâ—rd his inne Gowne A sword with a scabbard
22th day of March next following Upon this ground were buâ—lt the Statutes prohibiting all Appeales to Rome and for determining all Ecclesiasticall suites and controversies within the Kingdom 24. Hen. 8. cap. 1â— That for the manner of declaring and consecrating of Arch-Bishops and Bishops 25. Hen. 8. Cap. 20. and the prohibiting the payment of all impositions to the Court of Rome and for obtaining all such dispensations from the see of Canterbury which formerly were procured from the Popes of Rome 25. Hen. 8. Cap. 21. and finally that for declaring the King to be the Supreme Head of the Church of England and to have all Honours and Preheminences and amongst others the first-fruits and tenths of all Ecclesiasticall promotions within the Realm which were annexed unto that Title In the forme of consecrating Arch-Bishops and Bishops and the rule by which they excercised their Jurisdiction there was no change made but what the transposition of the Supreme Power from the Pope to the King must of necessity infer For whereas the Bishops and Clergy in the Convocation An. 1532. had bound themselves neither to make nor execute any Canons or Constitutions Ecclesiasticall but as they were thereto enabled by the Kings Authority it was by them desired assented to by him and confirmed in Parliament that all such Canons and Constitutions Synodall and Provinciall as were before in use and neither Repugnant to the Word of God the kings Prerogative Royall or the known Lawes of the Land should remaine in force till a review thereof were made by thirty two Persons of the Kings appointment Which review not having been made from that time to this all the said old Canons and Constitutions so restrained and qualified do still remaine in force as before they did For this Consult the Act of Parliament 25. Hen. 8. Cap. 1. And this and all the rest being setled then followed finally the Act for extinguishing the Power of the Pope of Rome 28. Hen. 8 Cap. 10. which before we mentioned In order to a Reformation in points of Doctrine he first directed his Bishops and Clergy in their Convocation Aâ—no 1537. to compile a Book containing The Exposition of the Creed the Lords Prayer the Avemary and the Ten Commandements together with an Explication of the use and nature of the seven Sacraments More cleerely in it self and more agreeable to the Truth of Holy Scripture then in former times which book being called The Institution of a Christian Maâ— was by them presented to the King who liked thereof so well that he sent it by Doctor Barlow Bishop of St. Davids to King James the fifth hoping thereby to induce him to make the like Reformation in the Realm of Scotland as was made in England though therein he was deceived of his expectation But this Book having lien dormant for a certain time that is to say as long as the six Articles were in force was afterwards corrected and explained by the Kings own hand and being by him so corrected was sent to be reviewed by Archâ—Bishop Cranmer by him referred with his own emendations on it to the Bishopâ— and Clergy then Assembled in their Convocation Anno 1543. and by them Approved VVhich care that Godly Prelate took as himselfe confesseth in a Letter to a friend of his bearing date January 25. because the book being to come out by the Kings Censure and Judgement he would have nothing in the same which Momus himselfe could Reprehend VVhich being done it was published shortly after by the name of a Necessary Doctrine and Erudition for any Christian man with an Epistle of the Kings Prefixt before it in which it was commended to the Perusall of all his subjects that were Religiously disposed Now as the first book was ushered in by an injunction published in Sâ—ptember An. 1536. by which all Curates were required to Teach the people to say the Lords Prayer the Creed the Aveâ—ary and the Ten Commandements in the English Tongue â—o was the second countenanced by a Proclamation which made way unto it bearing date May the sixth 1541 whereby it was commanded that the English Bible of the Larger Vollumne should publiquely be placed in every Parish-Church of the Kings Dominions And here we are to understand that the Bible having been Translated into the English Tongue by the great paines of William Tyndall who after suffered for Religion in the Reigne of this King was by the Kings Command supprest and the reading of it interdicted by Proclamation the Bishops and other Learned men advising the reâ—traint thereof as the times then stood But afterward the times being changed and the People better fitted for so great a benefit the Bishops and Clergy Assembled in their Convocation Anno 1536. humbly petitioned to the King that the Bible being faithfully Translated and purged of such Prologues and Marginall Notes as formerly had given offence might be permitted from thenceforth to the use of the people According to which Godly motion his Majesty did not only give Order for a new Translation but in the Interim he permitted Cromwell his Viccar Generall to set out an Injunction for providing the whole Bible both in Latine and English after the Translation then in use which was called commonly by the name of Matthews Bible but was no other then that of Tyndall somewhat altered to be kept in every â—arish Church throughout the Kingdome And so it stood but not with such a Generall observation as the case required till the finishing of the new Translation Printed by Grafton countenanced by a learned Preface of Arch-Bishop Cranmer and Authorised by the Kings Proclamation of the sixth of May as before was said Finally that the people might be better made acquainted with the Prayers of the Church it was appointed a little before the Kings going to Bolloigne Anno 1545. that the Lâ—tany being put into the same forme almost in which now it stands should from thenceforth be said in the English Tongue So farr this King had gone in order to a Reformation that it was no hard matter for his Son or for those rather who had the Managing of Affaires during his Minority to go thorough with it In Reference to the Regall State he added to the Royal Stile these three Glorious Attributes that is to say Defender of the Faith The Supreme Head on Earth of the Church of England and King of Ireland In what manner he obtained the Title of Supreme Head conferred upon him by the Convocation in the year 1530. and confirmed by Act of Parliament in the 26 yeare of his Reign hath been showne before That of Defender of the Faith was first bestowed upon him by Pope Leo the tenth upon the publishing of a Book against Martin Luther which Book being presented unto the Pope by the hands of Doctor Clark afterwards Bishop of Bath and Wells hath been preserved ever since amongst the choisest Rarities of the Vatican Library Certain it is that the Pope was so well pleased
unto the Church of Saint Peter in Westminster was placed in the Chair of Saint Edward the Confessour in the middest of a Throne seven steps high This Throne was erected near unto the Altar upon a Stage arising with steps on both sides covered with Carpets and Hangings of Arras Where after the King had rested a little being by certain noble Courtiers carried in another Chair unto the four sides of the Stage He was by the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury declared unto the People standing round about both by God's and Man's Laws to be the Right and Lawfull King of England France and Ireland and Proclaimed that day to be Crowned Consecrated and Anointed Unto whom He demanded whether they would obey and serve or Not By whom it was again with a loud cry answered God save the King and Ever live his Majesty Which Passage I the rather note because it is observed that at the Coronation of some former Kings The Arch-Bishop went to the four squares of the Scaffold and with a loud voice asked the Consent of the People But this was at such Times and in such Cases only when the Kings came unto the Crown by Disputed Titles for maintainance whereof the Favour and Consent of the people seemed a matter necessary as at the Coronations of King Henry the Fourth or King Richard the Third and not when it devolved upon them as it did upon this King by a Right unquestioned The Coronation was accompanied as the Custome is with a general Pardon But as there never was a Feast so great from which some men departed not with empty bellies so either out of Envy or some former Grudge or for some other cause unknown six Persons were excluded from the taste of this gracious Banquet that is to say the Lord Thomas Howard Duke of Nâ—rfolk a condemned Prisoner in the Tower Edward Lord Courtney eldest Son to the late Marquess of Exeter beheaded in the last times of King Henry the Eight Cardinal Pâ—le one of the Sons of Margaret Countess of Salisbury proscribed by the same King also Doctour Richard Pate declared Bishop of Worcester in the place of Hierome de Nugaticis in the year 1534. and by that Name subscribing to some of the first Acts of the Councel of Trent who being sent to Rome on some Publick Imployment chose rather to remain there in perpetual Exile then to take the Oath of Supremacy at his coming home as by the Laws he must have done or otherwise have fared no better then the Bishop of Rochester who lost his head on the refusal Of the two others Fortescue and Throgmorton I have found nothing but the Names and therefore can but name them onely But they all lived to better times the Duke of Norfolk being restored by Queen Mary to his Lands Liberty and Honours as the Lord Courtney was to the Earldom of Devonshire enjoyed by many of his Noble Progenitours Cardinal Pole admitted first into the Kingdom in the capacity of a Legate from the Pope of Rome and after Cranmer's death advanced to the See of Canterbury and Doctour Pate preferred unto the actual Possession of the See of Worcester of which he formerly had enjoyed no more but the empty Title These Great Solemnities being thus passed over the Grandees of the Court began to entertain some thoughts of a Reformation In which they found Arch-Bishop Cranmer and some other Bishops to be as foreward as themselves but on different ends endeavoured by the Bishops in a pious Zeal for rectifying such thing as were amiss in God's publick Worship but by the Courtiers on an Hope to enrich themselves by the spoil of the Bishopricks To the Advancement of which work the Conjuncture seemed as proper as they could desire For First the King being of such tender age and wholly Governed by the Will of the Lord Protectour who had declared himself a friend to the Lutheran Party in the time of King Henry was easie to be moulded into any form which the authority of Power and Reason could imprint upon Him The Lord Thomas Howard Duke of Norfolk and Doctour Stephen Gardiner Bishop of Winchester who formerly had been the greatest Sticklers at the Coâ—ncil-Table in Maintainance of the Religion of the Church of Rome were not long able to support it the one of them being a condemned Prisoner in the Tower as before was said and the other upon some just displeasure not named by King Henry amongst the Councellours of State who were to have the managing of Affairs in His Son's Minoâ—â—ty Bonner then Bishop of London was absent at that time in the Court of the Emperour to whom he had been sent Embassadour by the former King And no professed Champion for the Papacy remained amongst them of whom they had cause to stand in doubt but the new Earl of South-hampton Whom when they were not able to remove from his old Opinions it was resolved to make him less both in Power and Credit so that he should not be able to hinder the pursuit of those Counsels which he was not willing to promote And therefore on the sixth of March the Great Seal was taken from him by the King's Command and for a while committed to the custody of Sir William Pawlet Created Lord St John of Basing and made Great Master of the Houshold by King Henry the Eighth And on the other side it was thought expedient for the better carrying on of the Design not onely to release all such as had been committed unto Prison but also to recall all such as had been forced to abandon the Kingdom for not submitting to the Superstitions and Corruptions of the Church of Rome Great were the Numbers of the first who had their Fetters strucken off by this mercifull Prince and were permitted to enjoy that Liberty of Conscience for which they had suffered all Extremities in His Father's time Onely it is observed of one Thomas Dobbs once Fellow of Saint John's-College in Cambridg condemned for speaking against the Mass and thereupon committed to the Counter in Bread-street that he alone did take a view of this Land of Canaan into which he was not suffered to enter It being so ordered by the Divine Providence that he died in Prison before his Pardon could be signed by the Lord Protectour Amongst the rest which were in number very many those of chief note were Doctour Miles Coverdale after Bishop of Exeter Mr. John Hooper after Bishop of Glocester Mr. John Philpot after Arch-Deacon of Winchester Mr. John Rogers after one of the Prebends of Saint Paul's and many others eminent for their Zeal and Pâ—ety which they declared by preferring a good Conscience before their Lives in the time of Queen Mary But the busâ—nâ—ss was of greater Moment then to expect the coming back of the Learned men who though they came not time enough to begin the work yet did they prove exceeding serviceable in the furtherance of it And therefore neither to lose time nor to press too
the same to the great Perill of his Souls health 25. And that no Curate admit to the Communion such who are in Ranchor and Malice with their Neighbours till such controversies be reconciled That to avoid Contentions and strife which heretofore have risen amongst the King's Subjects by challenging of places in Procession no Procession hereafter be used about the Church or Church-yard but immediately before High-Mass the Letany shall be distinctly said or sung in English none departing the Church without just cause and all ringing of Bells save one utterly forborn That they take away and destroy all Shrines Covering of Shrines Tables Candlesticks Trindils and Rolls of Wax Pictures Paintings and other Monuments of feigned Miracles so that no Memory of them remain in Walls or Windows exhotting their Parishioners to do the like in their several houses That the Holy-day at the first beginning Godly-Instituted and ordained be wholly given to God in hearing the Word of God read and taught in private and publique Prayers in acknowledging their Offences to God and amendment in reconciling themselves to their Neighbours receiving the Communion Visiting the sick c. Onely it shall be lawfull for them in time of Harvest to labour upon Holy and Festival days and save that thing which God hath sent and that scrupulosity to abstain from working upon those days doth grievously offend God That a Register Book be carefully kept in every Parish for Weddings Christenings and Burials 29. That a strong Chest with an hole in the upper part thereof with three keys thereunto belonging be provided to receive the Charity of the People to the Poor and the same at convenient times be distributed unto them in the presence of the Parish And that a comely Palpit be provided in a convenient place That because of the lack of Preachers Curates shall read Homilies which are or shall be set forth by the King's Authority 36. That when any such Sermon or Homily shall be had the Primes and Hours shall be omitted That none bound to pay Tithes detain them by colour of Duty omitted by their Curates and so redoub one wrong with another 33. And whereas many indiscrete persons do incharitably condemn and abuse Priests having small Learning His Majesty chargeth His Subjects That from henceforth they be reverently used for their Office and Ministration sake 31. And that to avoid the detestable sin of Simonie the Seller shall lose his right of Patronage for that time and the Buyer to be deprived and made unable to receive Spiritual Promotion That to prevent sick persons in the damnable vice of Despair They shall learn and have always in readiness such comfortable places and Sentences of Scripture as do set forth the Mercies Benefits and Goodness of God Almighty towards all penitent and believing persons 30. But that Priests be not bound to go visit women in Child-bed except in times of dangerous sickness and not to fetch any Coars except it be brought to the Church yard 34. That all persons not understanding Latine shall pray on no other Primer but what lately was set forth in English by King Henry the Eighth and that such who have knowledge in the Latine use no other also that all Graces before and after Meat be said in English and no Grammar taught in Scholes but that which is set forth by Authority 39. That Chantry-Priests teach Youth to read and write And finally That these Injunctions be read once a Quarter Besides these general Injunctions for the whole Estate of the Realm there were also certain others particularly appointed for the Bishops onely which being delivered unto the Commissioners were likewise by them in their Visitations committed unto the said Bishops with charge to be inviolably observed and kept upon pain of the King's Majesties displeasure the effect whereof is as in manner followeth 1. That they should to the utmost of their power wit and understanding sâ—e and cause all and singular the King's Injunctions heretofore given or after to be given from time to time in and through their Diocess duly faithfully and truly to be kept observed and accomplished And that they should Personally Preach within their Diocess every Quarter of a year once at the least that is to say once in their Cathedral Churches and thrice in other several places of their Diocesses whereas they should see it most convenient and necessary except they had a reasonable excuse to the contrary Likewise that they should not retain into their Service or Houshold any Chaplain but such as were Learned and able to Preach the Word of God and those they should also cause to Exercise the same 2. And Secondly That they should not give Orders to any Person but such as were Learned in Holy Scripture neither should deny them to such as were Learned in the same being of honest conversation or living And Lastly That they should not at any time or place Preach or set forth unto the People any Doctrine contrary or repugnant to the effâ—ct and intent contained or set forth in the King's Highnesse's Homilies neither yet should admit or give Licence to Preach to any within their Diocess but to such as they should know or at least assuredly trust would do the same And if at any time by hearing or by report proved they should perceive the contrary they should then incontinent not only inhibit that Person so offending but also punish him and revoke their Licence There was also a Form of Bidding Prayer prescribed by the Visitours to be used by all Preachers in the Realm eiâ—her before or in their Sermons as to them seemed best Which Form of Bidding Prayer or Bidding of the Beads as it was then commonly called was this that followeth You shall Pray for the whole Congregation of Christ's Church and specially for this Church of England and Ireland wherein first I commend to your devout Prayers the King 's most Excellent Majesty Supreme Head immediately under God of the Spirituality and Temporality of the same Church And for Queen Katharine Dowager and also for my Lady Mary and my Lady Elizabeth the King's Sisters Secondly You shall Pray for my Lord Protectour's Grace with all the rest of the King's Majesty His Council for all the Lords of His Realm and for the Clergy and the Commons of the same beseeching God Almighty to give â—very of them in his degree grace to use themselves in such wise as may be to God's Glory the King's Honour and the VVeal of this Realm Thirdly You shall Pray for all them that be departed out of this VVorld in the Faith of Christ that they with us and we with them at the day of Judgement may rest both body and soul with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven Such were the Orders and Injunctions wherewith the King's Commissioners were furnished for their Visitation Most of them such as had been formerly given out by Cromwell or otherwise published and pursued but not
without some intermissions by the King deceased and therefore to be put in Execution with the greater safety For though the young King by Reason of his tender Age could not but want a great proportion of His Father's Spirit for carrying on a work of such weight and moment yet he wanted nothing of that power in Church-concernment which either Naturally was inherent in the Crown Imperial or had been Legally vested in it by Acts of Parliament Neither could His Being in Minority nor the Writings in His Name by the Lord Protectour and the Rest of the Council make any such difference in the Case as to invalidate the Proceedings or any of the Rest which followed in the Reformation For if they did the Objection would be altogether as strong against the Reformation made in the Minority of King Josias as against this in the Minority of the present King That of Josias being made as Josephus telleth us by the Advice of the Elders as this of King EDVVARD the Sixth by the Advice of the Council And yet it cannot be denyed but that the Reformation made under King Iâ—sias by Advice of His Council was no less pleasing unto God nor less valid in the Eys of all His Subjects then those of Jeboshaphat and Hezekiah in their Riper years who perhaps acted singly on the strength of their Own Judgements onely without any Advice Now of Josias we are told by the said Historian That When He grew to be twelve years old He gave manifest Approbation of His Piety and Justice For He drew the People to a conformable Course of Life and to the Detestation and Abolishing of Idols that were no Gods and to the Service of the Onely True God of their Fore-Fathers And considering the Actions of His Predecessours He began to Rectifie them in that wherein they were deficient with no less Circumspection then if He had been an Old Man And that which He found to be Correspondent and Advisedly done by them that did He both maintain and imitate All which things He did both by Reason of His Innated Wisdom as also by the Aâ—moâ—shment and Council of His Elders in following orderly the Laws not onely in matters of Religion but of Civil Politie Which puts the Parallel betwixt the two young Kings in the Case before us above all Exception and the Proceedings of King Edward or His Council rather beyond all Dispute Now whereas Question hath been made whether the twenty fourth Injunction for Labouring on the Holy Day in time of Harvest extend as well to the Lord's Day as the Annual Festivals The matter seems to any well-discerning eye to be out of Question For in the third Chapter of the Statute made in the fifth and sixth years of King Edward the Sixth when the Reformation was much more advanced then it was at the present the Names and Number of such Holy Days as were to be observed in this Church are thus layed down That is to say All Sundaies in the year the Feasts of the Circumcision of our Lord Jesus Christ of the Epiphany c. with all the Rest still kept and there named particularly And then it followeth in the Act That it shall and may be lawfull for every Husband-man Labourer Fisher-man and to all and every other person or persons of what Estate Degree or Condition he or they be upon the Holy-Days afore-said in Harvest or at any other times in the year when necessity shall so require to Labour Ride Fish or Work any kind of work at their free-will and Pleasure any thing in this Act to the contrary notwithstanding The Law being such there is no question to be made in point of practice nor consequently of the meaning of the King's Injunction For further opening of which Truth we finde that not the Country onely but the Court were indulged the Liberty of attending business on that day it being Ordered by the King amongst other things That the Lords of the Council should upon Sundays attend the publique Affairs of this Realm dispatch Answers to Letters for good order of State and make full dispatches of all things concluded the Week before Provided alwaies That they be present at Common Prayer and that on every Sunday-Night the King's Secretary should deliver him a Memorial of such things as are to be debated by the Privy Council in the week ensuing Which Order being compared with the words of the Statute may serve sufficiently to satisfie all doubts and scruples touching the true intent and meaning of the said Injunction But as this Question was not startled till the Later Times when the Lord's Day began to be advanced into the Reputation of the Jewish Sabbath so was there nothing in the rest of the said Injunctions which required a Commentary Some words and Passages therein which seem absurd to us of this present Age being then clearly understood by all and every one whom they did concern Published and given in charge by the Commissioners in their several Circuits with great Zeal and Chearfullness and no less readily Obeyed in most parts of the Realms both by Priests and People who observed nothing in them either new or strange to which they had not been prepared in the Reign of the King deceased None forwarder in this Compliance then some Learned men in and about the City of London who not long since had shewed themselves of a contrary Judgement Some of them running before Authority and others keeping even pase with it but few so confident of themselves as to lagg behind It was Ordered in the twenty first That at the time of High Mass the Epistle and Gospel should be read in the English Tongue and That both at the Mattens and Even-Song a Chapter out of the New Testament should be also read And for Example to the rest of the Land the Complime being a part of the Evening Service was sung in the King 's Chapel on Mâ—nday in the Easter-week then falling on the eleventh of April in the English Tongue Doctour Smith Master of Whittington-College in London and Reader in Divinity at the King's-College at Oxford afterwards better known by the name of Christ-Church had before published two Books One of them written In Defence of the Mass The other endeavouring to prove That unwritten Verities ought to be believed under pain of Damnation But finding that these Doctrines did not now beat according to the Pulse of the Times he did voluntarily retract the said Opinions declaring in a Sermon at Saint Paul's Cross on Sunday the fifteenth of May that his said former Books and Teachings were not only erroneous but Heretical The like was done in the Moneth next following by Doctour Pern afterwards Master of Peter-House in Cambridge who having on Saint George's day delivered in the Parish-Church of Saint Andrew Vndershaft for sound Catholick Doctrine That the Pictures of Christ and of the Saints were to be adored upon the seventeenth day of June declared himself in the
said Church to have been deceived in that what he before had taught them and to be sorry for delivering such Doctrine to them But these men might pretend some Warrant from the King's Injunctions which they might conceive it neither fit nor safe to oppose and therefore that it was the wisest way to strike Sail betimes upon the shooting of the first Warning-Piece to bring them in But no man was so much before hand with Authority as one Doctour Glasier who as soon as the Fast of Lent was over and it was well he had the Patâ—ence to stay so long affirmed publickly in a Sermon at Saint Paul's Cross That The Lent was not ordained of God to be Fasted neither the Eating of Flesh to be forborn but that the same was a Politick Ordinance of men and might therefore be broken by men at their pleasures For which Doctrine as the Preacher was never questioned the Temper of the Times giving Incouragement enough to such Extravagancies so did it open such a Gap to Carnal Liberty that the King found it necessary to shut it up again by a Proclamation on the sixteenth of January commanding Abstinence from all Flesh for the Lent then following But there was something more then the Authority of a Minour King which drew on such a General Conformity to these Injunctions and thereby smoothed the way to those Alterations both in Doctrine and Worship which the Grandees of the Court and Church had began to fashion The Lord Protectour and his Party were more experienced in Affairs of State then to be told That All great Counsels tending to Innovation in the Publick Government especially where Religion is concerned therein are either to be back'd by Arms or otherwise prove destructive to the Undertakers For this cause he resolves to put himself into the Head of an Army as well for the security of His Person and the Preservation of his Party as for the carrying on of the Design against all Opponents And for the Raising of an Army there could not be a fairer Colour nor a more popular Pretence then a War in Scotland not to be made on any new emergent Quarrel which might be apt to breed suspicion in the Heads of the People but in Pursuit of the great Project of the King deceased for Uniting that Realm by the Marriage of their young Queen to His onely Son to the Crown of England On this pretense Levies are made in all parts of the Kingdom great store of Arms and Ammunition drawn together to advance the service considerable Numbers of Old Souldiers brought over from Bulloign and the Peeces which depended on it and good Provision made of Shipping to attend the Motions of the Army upon all occasions He entertained also certain Regiments of Walloons and Germanes not out of any great Opinion which he had of their Valour though otherwise of good Experience in the Wars but because they were conceived more likely to enforce Obedience if his Designs should meet with any Opposition then the Natural English But in the first place Care was taken that none of the neighbouring Princes should either hinder his Proceedings or assist the Enemy To which end Doctour Wotton the first Dean of Canterbury then Resident with the Queen Dowager of Hungary who at that time was Regent of the Estates of Flanders for Charls the Fifth was dispatched unto the Emperour's Court there to succeed in the place of Doctour Bonner Bishop of London who together with Sir Francis Bryan had formerly been â—ent Embassadours thâ—ther from King Henry the Eighth The Principal part of his Employment besides such matters as are incident to all Ambassadours was to divert the Emperour from concluding any League with France contrary to the Capitulations made between the Emperour and the King deceased but to deal with him above all things for declaring himself an Enemy to all of the Scotish Nation but such as should be Friends to the King of England And because some Remainders of Hostility did still remain between the English and the French notwithstanding the late peace made between the Crowns it was thought fit to sweeten and oblige that People by all the acts of Correspondence and friendly Neighbourhood In Order whereunto it was commanded by the King's Proclamation That Restitution should be made of such Ships and Goods which had been taken from the French since the Death of King Henry Which being done also by the French though far short in the value of such Reprisals as had been taken by the English there was good hope of coming to a better understanding of one another and that by this Cessation of Arms both Kings might come in short time to a further Agreement But that which seemed to give most satisfaction to the Court of France was the performance of a solemn Obsequie for King Francis the First who left this Life on the twenty second day of March and was Magnificently Interred amongst His Predecessours in the Monastery of Saint Dennis not far from Paris Whose Funerals were no sooner Solemnized in France but Order was given for a Dirige to be sung in all the Churches in London on the nineteenth of June as also in the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul in the Quire whereof being hung with black a sumptuous Herse had been set up for the present Ceremony For the next day the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury assisted with Eight other of the Bishops all in their Rich Mitres and other their Pontificals did sing a Mass of Requiem the Funeral Sermon being preached by Doctour Ridley Lord Elect of Rochester who if he did his part therein as no doubt he did could not but magnifie the Prince for His Love to Learning Which was so great and eminent in Him that He was called by the French L' pere des Arts des Sciences and The Father of the Muses by some Writers of other Nations Which Attributes as He well deserved so did He Sympathize in that Affection as he did in many other things with King Henry the Eighth of whose Munificence for the Encouragements of Learning we have spoke before This great Solemnity being thus Honourably performed the Commissioners for the Visitation were dispatched to their several Circuits and the Army drawn from all parts to their Rendez-vous for the War with Scotland Of which two Actions that of the Visitation as the easiest and meeting with a People which had been long trained up in the Schole of Obedience was carried on without any shew of Opposition submitted to upon a very small Dispute even by some of those Bishops who were conceived most likely to have disturbed the business The first who declared his aversness to the King's Proceedings was Dr. Stephen Gardiner Bishop of Winchester who stomaching his being left out of the Lift of the Council appeared more cross to all their doings then other of his Order For which being brought before their Lordships and not giving them such satisfaction as they looked for from
him they sent him Prisoner to the Fleet where he remained from the twenty fifth of September till the seventh of January the King's Commissioners proceeding in the mean time without any disturbance With less aversness but with success not much unlike was the business entertained by Dr. Edmond Bonner then Bishop of London whom the Commissioners found far more tractable then could have been expected from a man of so rough a Nature and one so cordially affected to the Church of Rome The Commissioners Authorised for this Imployment were Sir Anthony Cook and Sir John Godsal Knights John Godsal Christopher Nevinson Doctours of the Laws and John Madew Doctour in Divinity who sitting in St. Paul's Church on the first day of September called before them the said Bishop Bonner John Royston the renowned Polydore Virgil and many other of the Dignitaries of the said Cathedral to whom the Sermon being done and their Commission openly read they ministred the Oath of the King's Supremacy according to the Statute of the thirty first of King Henry the Eighth requiring them withall to present such things as stood in need to be Reformed Which done they delivered to him a Copy of the said Injunctions together with the Homilies set forth by the King's Authority received by him with Protestation that he would observe them if they were not contrary to the Law of God and the Statutes and Ordinances of the Church Which Protestation he desired might be enrolled amongst the Acts of the Court But afterwards considering better with himself as well of his own Danger as of the Scandal and ill Consequents which might thence arise he addressed himself unto the King revoking his said Protestation and humbly submitting himself to His Majestie 's Pleasure in this manner following Whereas I Edmond Bishop of London at such time as I received the King's Majestie 's Injunctions and Homilies of my most Dread and Sovereign Lord at the Hands of His Highness Visitours did unadvisedly make such Protestation as now upon better consideration of my Duty of Obedience and of the evil Example that might ensue unto others thereof appeareth to me neither Reasonable nor such as might well stand with the Duty of a most humble Subject for so much as the same Protestation at my Request was then by the Register of the Visitation Enacted and put in Record I have thought it my Duty not onely to declare before your Lordships that I do now upon better consideration of my Duty renounce and revoke my said Protestation but also most humbly beseech your Lordships that this my Revocation of the same may be in like wise put in the same Records for a perpetual Memory of the Truth most humbly beseeching your Good Lordships both to take order that it may take effect and also that my former unadvised doings may be by your good Mediations pardoned of the King's Majesty Edmond London This humble carriage of the Bishop so wrought upon the King and the Lords of the Council that the edg of their displeasure was taken off though for a terrour unto others and for the preservation of their own Authority he was by them committed Prisoner to the Fleet. During the short time of whose Restraint that is to say on the Eighteenth day of the same Moneth of September the Letany was sung in the English Tongue in Saint Paul's Church between the Quire and the High Altar the Singers kneeling half on the one side and half on the other And the same day the Epistle and Gospel was also read at the High Mass in the English Tongue And about two Moneths after that is to say on the seventeenth day of November next following Bishop Bonner being then restored to his former Liberty the Image of Christ best known in those Times by the name of the Rood together with the Images of Mary and John and all other Images in that Church as also in all the other Churches of London were taken down as was commanded by the said Injunctions Concerning which we are to note That though the Parliament was then sitting whereof more anon yet the Commissioners proceeded onely by the King's Authority without relating any thing to that High Court in this weighty Business And in the speeding of this Work as Bishop Bonner together with the Dean and Chapter did perform their parts in the Cathedral of Saint Paul so Bellassere Arch-Deacon of Colchester and Doctour Gilbert Bourn being at that time Arch-Deacon both of London and Essex but afterwards preferred by Queen Mary to the Bishoprick of Bath and Wells were no less Diligent and Officious in doing the like in all the Churches of their Respective Jurisdictions according to the Charge imposed upon them by his Majestie 's Visitours In the mean time whilst matters were thus calmly Acted on the Stage of England all things went no less fortunately forward with the Lord Protectour in his War with Scotland in which he carried himself with no less Courage and Success when it came to blows then he had done with Christian Prudence before he put himself on the Expedition For having taken Order for his Forces to be drawn together he thought it most expedient to his Affairs to gain the start in point of Reputation with his very Enemies by not ingaging in a War untill they had refused all Terms of Peace And to this end a Manifest is dispatched unto them declaring the Motives which induced him to put this Kingdom into a posture of Arms. In which he remembred them of the Promises Seals and Oaths which by publick Authority had passed for concluding this Marriage That These being Religious Bonds betwixt God and their Souls could not by any Politick Act of State be dissolved untill their Queen should attain unto years of Dissent Adding that The Providence of God did therein manifestly declare it self in that the Male-Princes of Scotland failing the Kingdom was left unto a Daughter and in that King Henry left onely one Son to succeed That These two Princes were agreeable both for Years and Princely Qualities to be joyned in Marriage and thereby to knit both Realms into One That This Vnion as it was like to be both easily done and of firm continuance so would it be both profitable and Honourable to both the Realms That Both the Easiness and Firmness might be conjectured for that both People are of the same Language of like Habit and Fashion of like Quality and Condition of Life of one Climate not onely annexed entirely together but severed from all the World besides That as these are sure Arguments that both discended from one Original so by Reason that Likeness is a great Cause of Liking and of Love they would be most forcible Means both to joyn and hold them in one Body again That Profit would rise by extinguishing Wars between the two Nations by Reason whereof in former times Victories abroad have been impeached Invasions and Seditions occasioned the Confines of both Realms lay'd wast
the Grant of the said Chanteries Free-Chapels c. came to take Effect In the mean time It will not be amiss to shew that these Chanteries consisted of Salaries allowed to one or more Priests to say daily Mass for the Souls of their deceased Founders and their Friends Which not subsisting on themselves were generally Incorporated and United to some Parochial Collegiate or Cathedral Church No fewer then 47. in Number being found and Founded in Saint Paul's Free-Chapels though Ordained for the same Intent were Independent of themselves of stronger Constitution and Richer Endowment then the Chanteries severally were though therein they fell also short of the Colleges which far exceeded them both in the Beauty of their Building the number of Priests maintained in them and the Proportion of Revenue allotted to them All which Foundations having in them an Admixture of Superstition as Pre-supposing Purgatory and Prayers to be made for Deliverance of the Soul from thence were therefore now suppressed upon that Account and had been granted to the late King upon other Pretences At what time it was Preached at Mercers-Chapel in London by one Doctour Cromer a Man that wished exceeding well to the Reformation That If Trentals and Chantery-Masses could avail the Souls in Purgatory then did the Parliament not well in giving away Colleges and Chanteries which served principally for that purpose But if the Parliament did well in dissolving and bestowing them upon the King which he thought that no man could deny then was it a plain Case that such Chanteries and private Masses did confer no Relief on the Souls in Purgatory Which Dilemma though it were unanswerable yet was the matter so handled by the Bishops seeing how much the Doctrine of the Church was concerned therein that they brought him to a Recantation at Saint Paul's Cross in the June next following this Sermon being Preached in Lent where he confessed himself to have been seduced by naughty books contrary to the Doctrine then received in the Church But the Current of these Times went the other way and Cromer might now have Preached that safely for which before he had been brought into so much trouble But that which made the greatest Alteration and threatened most danger to the State Ecclesiastical was the Act entituled An Act for Election of Bishops and what Seals and Styles shall be used by Spiritual Persons c. In which it was Ordained for I shall onely repeat the Sum thereof That Bishops should be made by the King's Letters Patents and not by the Election of the Deans and Chapters That all their Processes and Writings should be made in the King's Name onely with the Bishop's Teste added to it and sealed with no other Seal but the King 's or such as should be Authorised and Appointed by Him In the Compounding of which Act there was more Danger couched then at first appeared By the last Branch thereof it was plain and evident that the Intent of the Contrivers was by degrees to weaken the Authority of the Episcopal Order by forcing them from their Strong-hold of Divine Institution and making them no other then the King's Ministers onely His Ecclesiastical Sheriffs as a man might say to execute His Will and disperse His Mandates And of this Act such use was made though possibly beyond the true intention of it that the Bishops of those Times were not in a Capacity of conferring Orders but as they were thereunto enpowered by especial Licence The Tenour whereof if Sanders be to be believed was in these words following viz. The King to such a Bishop Greeting Whereas all and all manner of Jurisdiction as well Ecclesiastical as Civil flows from the King as from the Supreme Head of all the Body c. We therefore give and grant to thee full Power and Liceâ—ce to continue during Our Good Pleasure for holding Ordination within thy Diocess of N. and for promoting fit Persons unto Holy Orders even to that of the Priest-hood Which being looked on by Queen Mary not onely as a dangerous Diminution of the Episcopal Power but as an Odious Innovation in the Church of Christ â— She caused this Act to be repealed in the first Year of Her Reign leaving the Bishops to depend on their former claim and to act all things which belonged to their Jurisdiction in their own Names and under their own Seals as in former Times In which Estate they have continued without any Legal Interruption from that time to this But in the first Branch there was somewhat more then what appeared at the first sighâ— For though it seemed to aim at nothing but that the Bishops should depend wholly on the King for their preferment to those great and eminent Places yet the true Drift of the Design was to make Deans and Chapters useless for the time to come and thereby to prepare them for a Dissolution For had nothing else been intended in it but that the King should have the sole Nomination of all the Bishops in His Kingdoms it had been onely a Reviver of an Antient Power which had been formerly Invested in His Predecessour's and in all other Christian Princes Consult the Stories and Records of the Eâ—der Times and it will readily appear not onely that the Romane Emperours of the House of France did nominate the Popes themselves but that after they had lost that Power they retained the Nomination of the Bishops in their own Dominions The like done also by the German Emperours by the Kings of England and by the Antient Kings of Spain the Investiture being then performed Per Annulum Baculum as they used to Phrase it that is to say by delivering of a Ring together with a Crosier or Pastoral Staff to the Party nominated Examples of which Practice are exceeding obvious in all the Stories of those Times But the Popes finding at the last how necessary it was in order to that absolute Power which they ambitiously affected over all Christian Kings and Princes that the Bishops should depend on none but them challenged this power unto themselves declaring it in several Petit Councels for no less then Simony if any man should receive a Bishoprick from the Hands of his own Natural Prince From hence those long and deadly Quarrels begun between Pope Hildebrand and the Emperour Henry the Fourth and continued by their Successours for many years after From hence the like Disputes in England between Pope Vrban the Second and King William Rufus between Pope Innocent and King Iâ—hn till in the end the Popes prevailed both here and elsewhere and gained the point unto themselves But so that to disguise the matter the Election of the future Bishop was committed to the Prior and Convent or to the Dean and Chapter of that Cathedral wherein he was to be Installed Which passing by the Name of Free Elections were wholly in a manner at the Pope's Disposing The Point thus gained it had been little to their Profit if they had
not put the same in Execution Which being done by Pope Innocent the Fourth in Consecrating certain English Bishops at Lyons in France without the King's Knowledge Consent it was observed by Matthew Paris to be dishourable to the King and of great Dammage to the Kingdom So much the more by how much the Mischief grew more common and the Design concealed under that Disguise became more apparent which plainly was that being bound unto the Pope in the stricter Bonds and growing into a Contempt of their Natural King they might the more readily be inclined to worke any Mischief in the Kingdom The Danger whereof being considered by King Edward the First He came at last to this Conclusion with the Popes then being that is to say That the said Priors and Convents or the said Deans and Chapters as the Case might vary before they proceeded to any Election should demand the King 's Writ of Congâ—â— D'â—esliere and after the Election made to crave his Royal Assent unto it for Confirmation of the same And so much was avowed by the Letters of King Edward the Third to Pope Clement the Fifth In which it was declared That all the Cathedral Churches in England were Founded and Endowed by His Progenitours and that therefore as often as those Churches became void of a Bishop they were filled again with fit Persons by His said Progenitours as in their own Natural and proper Right The like done by the French Kings to this very day partly by virtue of the Pragmatical Sanction established at the Councel of Basil and partly by the Concordate between King Francis the First and Pope Leo the Tenth And the like also challenged by the State of Venice within the Verge and Territories of that Republick For which consult the English History of that State Decad. 5. lib. 9. fol. 229. So that upon the whole matter there was no Innovation made as to this particular but a Restoring to the Crown an antient Power which had been Naturally and Originally in the Crown before But howsoever having the appearance of an Alteration from the received manner of Electings in the Church of Rome and that which was Established by the late King for the Realm of England it was repealed by Queen Mary and put into the former Chanel by Queen Elizabeth But from this Alteration which was made in Parliament in reference to the manner of Making Bishops and the way of Exercising their Authority when they were so made let us proceed unto such Changes as we finde made amongst the Bishops themselves The first whereof was the Election of Doctor Nicholas Ridley to the See of Rochester to which he had been nominated by King Henry the Eighth when Holbeck who preceded him was designed for Lincoln But the King dying shortly after the Translation of Holbeck was deferred till the Time of King Edward which was no sooner done but Ridley was chosen to succeed him although not actually Consecrated till the fifth of September A man of great Learning as the Times then were and for his excellent way of Preaching highly esteemed by the late King whose Chaplain he had been for many years before His death and upon that onely designed to this Preferment as the reward of his Service Being well studyed in the Fathers it was no hard matter for him to observe That as the Church of Rome had erred in the Point of the Sacrament so as well the Lutheran as the Zuinglian Churches had run themselves into some errour by opposing the Papists the one being forced upon the Figment of Consubstantiation the other to fly to Signs and Figures as if there had been nothing else in the blessed Eucharist Which being observed he thought it most agreeable to the Rules of Piety to frame his Judgement to the Dictates of the Antient Fathers and so to hold a Real Presence of Christ's Body and Blood in the Holy Sacrament as to exclude that Corporal Eating of the same which made the Christian Faith a scorn both to the Turks and Moors Which Doctrine as he stoutly stood to in all his Examinations at Oxford when he was preparing for the Stake so he maintained it constantly in his Sermons also in which it was affirmed That In the Sacrament were truly and verily the Body and Blood of Christ made forth effectually by Grace and Spirit And being so perswaded in his own Opinion he so prevailed by Discourse and Argument with Arch-Bishop Cranmer as to bring him also to the same for which consult the Acts and Mâ—n fol. a man of a most even and constant spirit as he declared in all his Actions but in none more then in the opposition which he made against Bishop Hooper in Maintainance of the Rites and Ceremonies then by Law Established of which we shall have opportunity to speak more hereafter In the next place we are to look upon the Preferment of Doctor Barlow to the Bishoprick of Bath and Wells succeeding in the place of Knight who dyed on the twenty ninth of the same September He had been once Prior of the Monastery of Bisham in the County of Berks from whence preferred to the See of Asaph in the end of February An. 1535. And in the April following Translated to the Church of St. David's During his sitting in which See he fell upon an honest and convenient Project for removing the Episcopal See from the decayed City of St. David's most incommodiously Scituate in the remotest Angle of all the Diocess to the rich Borough of Caer-marthen in the midst thereof in the Chief Church whereof being a Monastery of Grey-Friars the body of Edmond Earl of Richmond the Father of K. Henry the Seventh received Interment Which Project he presented to Cromwel being then Vicar General endearing it by these Motives and Propositions that is to say That being scituate in the midst of the Diocess it was very opportune for the profiting of the King's Subjects for the Preferment of God's Word for abolishing all Antichristian Superstition and settling in the Diocess the King's Supremacy That it was furnished with all things necessary for the conveniency of the Canons and might be done without any prejudice to the Friars for every one of which he offered to provide a sufficient Maintainance And to advance the work the more he offered to remove his Consistory thither to found therein a Grammar-Schole and settle a daily Lecture in Divinity there for the reducing of the Welsh from their ancient Rudeness to the Civility of the Time All which I finde in the Memorials of Sir Robert Cotton And unto these he might have added That he had a fair Episcopal House at Abberguilly very near that Town in which the Bishops of that Diocess have for the most part made their Dwelling So that all Parties seemed to have been provided for in the Proposition and therefore the more to be admired That in a Time so much addicted unto Alterations it should speed no better
that St. Hierom having Translated the whole Bible into the Dalmatick procured that the Service should be celebrated in that Language also The like St. Hierom himself in his Epistle to Heliodorus hath told us of the Bessi a Sarmatian People The like St. Basil in his Epistle to the Neo-Caesarians assures us for the Egyptians Libâ—ans Palestinians Phoenicians Arabians Syrians and such as dwell about the Bank of the River Euphrates The Aethiopians had their Mâ—ssal the Chaldeans theirs each in the Lanâ—uage of their Countries which they still retain so had the Moscovites of old and all the scattered Chuâ—ches of tâ—e Eastern Parts which they contiâ—â—e to this day Nay rather then the People shâ—uld be kept in Ignorance of the Word of God and the Divine Offices of the Church a signal Miracle should be wrought to command the contrary For we are told of the Sclavonians by Aeneas Sylvius who being afterwards Pope was called Pius the Second that being converted unto the Faith they made suit unto the Pope then being to have their Publick Service in their Natural Tongue but some delay being made therein by the Pope and Cardinals a voice was heard seeming to have come from Heaven saying in the Latine Tongue Omnis Spiritus laudet Dominum omnis lingua confiteatur Ei that is to â—ay Let every Soul praise the Name of God and every Tongue or Language make Profession of it whereupon their Desires were granted without more delay Which probably might be a chief Inducement to Innocent the Third to set out a Decree in the Lateran Councel importing That in all such Cities in which there was a Concourse of divers Nations and consequently of Different Languages as in most Towns of Trade there doth use to be the Service should be said and Sacraments administred Secundum diversitates Nationum Linguarum that is According to the Difference of their Tongues and Nations So that if we consider the Direction of the Holy Ghost the Practice of the Primitive Times the General Vsage of all Nations not inthralled to the Popes of Rome the Confession of the very Adversary the Act and Approbation of the Pope himself and finally the Declaration of God's Pâ—easure by so great a Miracle The Church did nothing in this Case but what was justifiable in the sight both of God and Man But then again it is Objected on the other side That neither the undertaking was advised nor the Book it self approved in a Synodical Way by the Bishops and Clergy but that it was the Act onely of some few of the Prelates imployed therein by the King or the Lord Protectour without the Privity and Approbation of the rest The Consideration whereof shall be referred to another place when we shall come to speake of the King's Authority for the composing and imposing of the Scotish Liturgy In the mean time we must take notice of another Act of as great importance for the Peace and Honour of the Church and the Advancing of the Work of Reformation which took away those positive Laws by which all men in Holy Orders were restrained from Marriage In which 〈◊〉 it is first declared That It were much to be desired that Priests and all others in Holy Orders might abstain from Marriage that thereby being freed from the Cares of Wed-lock and abstracted from the Troubles of Domestical Business they might more diligently attend the Ministery and apply themselves unto their Studieâ— But then withall it is considered That as all men have not the Gift of Continence so many great Scandals and other notable Inconveniencies have been occasioned in the Church by the enforced Necessity of a single Life in those admitted unto Orders Which seeing it was no more imposed on them then on any other by the Word of God but onely such positive Laws and Constitutions as had been made to that Effect by the Church of Rome It was therefore Enacted by the Authority of the present Parliament That All such Positive Laws and Ordinances as prohibited the Marriages of Priests or any other in Holy Orders and Pains and Forfeitures therein contained should be utterly void Which Act permitting them to marry but looked on as a matter of Permission onely made no small Pastime amongst those of the Romish Party reproaching both the Priests and much more their Wives as not lawfully married but onely suffered to enjoy the Company of one another without Fear of Punishment And thereupon it was Enacted in the Parliament of the fifth and sixth of Edw. 6. cap. 12. that The Marriages of the Priests should be reputed lawfull thâ—mselves being made Capable of being Tenants by Courtesie their Wives to be endowed as others at the Common Law aâ—d their Childâ—en Heritable to the Lands of their Fathers or Mâ—thers Which Privileges or Capacities rather notwithstanding the Repeal of this Statute in the Time of Queen Mary they and their Wives and Children still enjoyed without Dâ—sturbance or Dispute And to say truth it was an Act not onely of much Châ—istian Piety but more Civil Prudence the Clergy by this means being taken off from all Dependance on the Popes of Rome and rivited in their Dependance on their Natural Princes to whom their Wives and Children serve for so many Hostages The Consequents whereof was so well known to those of Rome that when it was desired by the Ambassadours of the Emperour and the Duke of Bavaria in the Councel of Trent That Marriage might be permitted to the Priests in their several Territories it would by no means be admitted The Reason was Because that having Houses Wives and Children they would depend no longer upon the Pope but onely on their several Princes that the Love to their Children would make them yield to many things which were prejudicial to the Church and in short time confine the Pope's Authority to the City of Rome For otherwise if the Popeâ— were not rather governed in this business by Reason of State then either by the Word of God or the Rules of Piety they had not stood so stiffly on an Inhibition accompanied with so much Scandal and known to be the onely Cause of too much Lewdness and Impuâ—ity in the Râ—mane Clergy If they had looked upon the Scriptures they would have found that Marriage was a Remedy ordained by God for the preventing of Incontinencies and wandring Lusts extending generally to all as much to those in Holy Orders as to any others as being subject all alâ—ke to Humane Infirmities If they had ruled the Case by the Proceedings oâ— the Councel of Nice or the Examples of many Good and Godly men in the Primitive Times they would have found that when the single Life of Priâ—sts was moved at that great Councel it was rejected by the general Consent of all the Fathers there assembled as a Yoke intolerable that Eupsychius a Cappadâ—cian Prelate was married after he had taken the Degree of a Bishop the like observed of one Phileus an Egyptian Prelate
Shifts on his part and much patience on theirs he is taken pro confesso on the twenty third and in the beginning of October deprived of his Bishoprick To whom succeded Doctour Nicholas Ridley Bishop of Rochester a Learned Stout and Resolute Prelate as by the Sequel will appear not actually translated till the twelâ—th of April in the year next following and added not long after to the Lords of the Council The necessary Execution of so many Rebels and this seasonable Severity against Bishop Bonner did much facilitate the King's Proceedings in the Reformation As certainly the Opposition to Aâ—thority when it is suppressed both makes the Subject and the Prince more absolute Howsoever to make sure Work of it there passed an act of Parliament in the following Session which also took beginning on the fourth of November for taking down such Images as were still remaining in the Churches as also for the bringing in of all Antiphonaries Missalls Breviaries Offices Horaries Primers and Processionals with other Books of False and Superstitious Worship The Tenour of which Act was signified to the Subject by the King's Proclamations and seconded by the Missives of Arch-Bishop Cranmer to the Suffragan Bishops requiring them to see it put in execution with all Care and Diligence Which so secured the Church on that side that there was no further Opposition against the Liturgie by the Romish Party during the rest of this King's Reign For what can any workman do when he wants his Tools or how could they Advance the Service of the Church of Rome when the Books by which they should officiate it were thus taken from them But then there started up another Faction as dangerous to the Church as opposite to the Publick Liturgie and as destructive of the Rules of the Reformation then by Law established as were those of Rome The Arch-Bishop and the rest of the Prelates which co-operated with him in the Work having so far proceeded in abolishing many Superstitions which before were used resolved in the next place to go forwards with a Reformation in a Point of Doctrine In Order whereunto Melancthon's coming was expected the year before but he came not then And therefore Letters were directed by the Archâ—Bishop of Canterbury to Martin Bucer and Peter Martyr two Great and Eminent Divines but more addicted to the Zuinglian then the Lutheran Doctrines in the point of the Sacrament Martyr accordingly came over in the end of November and having spent some timewith the Arch-Bishop in his House at Lambeth was dispatched to Oxford where he was made the King's Professour for Divinity and about two years after made Canon of Christ-Church In his first Lectures he is said by Sanders if he may be credited to have declared himself so much a Zuinglian in that point as to give great offence to Cranmer and the rest of the Bishops but afterwards upon notice of it to have been more moderate and to conform his Judgment to the Sense of those Learned Prelates Which whether it be true or not certain it is that his Readings were so much disliked by some of that University that a publick Disputation was shortly had betwixt him and some of those who disliked his Doings in which he publickly maintained these two Propositions 1. That the Substance of the Bread and Wine was not changed and 2. That the Body and Blood of Christ was not Carnally and Bodily in the Bread and Wine but united to the same Sacramentally And for the better Governing of the Disputation it was appointed by the King that Doctour Cox Chancellour of that University assisted by one Mr. Morrison a right Learned man should preside as Judges or Moderatours as we call them by whom it was declâ—red in the open Scholes that Martyr had the upper hand and had sufficiently answered all Arguments which were brought against him But Chadsey the chief of the Opponents and the rest of those who disputed with him acknowledged no such Satisfaction to be given unto them their party noising it abroad according to the Fate of such Dispuâ—ations that they had the Victory But Bucer not coming over at the same time also he was more earnestly invited by Pet. Alexander the Arch-Bishop's Secretary whose Letters bear Date March 24. which so prevailed with him at the last that in June we finde him here at Canterbury from whence he writes to Peter Martyr who was then at Oxford And being here he receives Letters from Calvin by which he was advised to take heed of his old fault for a fault he thought it which was to run a moderate course in his Reformations The first thing that he did at his coming hither as he saith himself was to make himself acquainted with the English Liturgie translated for him into Latine by Alexander Alesius a Learned Scot and generally well approved of by him as to the main Frame and Body of it though not well satisfied perhaps in some of the particular Branches Of this he gives account to Calvin and desires some Letters from him to the Lord Protectour with whom Câ—lvin had already began to tamper that he might finde the greater favour when he came before him which was not till the Tumults of the time were composed and quieted Having received a courteous entertainment from the Lord Protectour and being right heartily welcomed by Arch-Bishop Cranmer he is sent to take the Chair at Cambridg Where his first Readings gave no such distast to the Learned Academicks as to put him to the necessity of challenging the Dissentients to a Disputation though in the Ordinary Form a Disputation was there held at his firstâ—coming thither concerning the Sufficiency of Holy Scripture the Fallibility of the Church and the true Nature of Justification But long he had not held the place when he left this life deceasing on the nineteenth of January 1550. according to the computation of the Church of England to the great loss and grief of that University By the chiefest Heads whereof and most of the Members of that Body he was attended to his Grave with all due Solemnity of which more hereafter But so it was that the Account which he had given to Calvin of the English Liturgie and his desiring of a Letter from him to the Lord Protectour proved the occasions of much trouble to the Church and the Orders of it For Calvin not forgetting the Repulse he found at the hands of Cranmer when he first offered his Assistance had screwed himself into the Favour of the Lord Protectour And thinking nothing to be well done which either was not done by him or by his Direction as appears by his Letters to all Princes which did but cast an eye towards a Reformation must needs be meddling in such Matters as belonged not to him He therefore writes a very long Letter to the Lord Protectour in which approving well enough of set Forms of Prayer he descends more particularly to the English Liturgy in canvasing whereof he
threatned more Danger then the other To which Request He did not onely refuse to hearken except the King would promise to restore the Catholick Religion as He called it in all His Dominions but expresly commanded that neither His Men noâ— Ammunition should go to the Assistance of the English An Ingratitude not easie to be marked with a fitting Epithete considering what fast Friends the Kings of England had alwaies been to the House of Burgundy the Rights whereof remained in the person of Charles with what sums of Money they had helped them and what sundry Wayâ— they had made for them both in the Nether-Lands to maintain their Authority and in the Realm of France it self to increase their Power For from the Marriage of Maximilian of the Family of Austriâ— with the Lady Mary of Burgundy which happened in the year 1478. unto the Death of Henry the Eight which fell in the year 1546 are just threescore and eight years In which time onely it was found on a just account that it had cost the Kings of England at the least six Millions of Pounds in the meer Quarrels of that House But the French being more assured that the English held some secret Practice with the Emperour then certain what the Issue thereof might be resolved upon a Peace with EDVVARD in hope of getting more by Treaty then he could by Force To this end one Guidolti a Florentine is sent for England by whom many Overtures were made to the Lords of the Council not as from the King but from the Constable of France And spying with a nimble Eye that all Affairs were governed by the Earl of Warwick he resolved to buy him to the French at what price soever and so well did he ply the Business that at the last it was agreed that four Ambassadours should be sent to France from the King of England to treat with so many others of that Kingdom about a Peace between the Crowns but that the Treaty it self should be held in Guisnes a Town belonging to the English in the Marches of Calice In pursuance whereof the Earl of Bedford the new Lord Paget Sir William Peter Principal Secretary of Estate and Sir John Mason Clerk of the Council were on the twenty first of January dispatched for France But no sooner were they come to Calice when Guidolâ—i brings a Letter to them from Mounsieur d' Rochpot one of the four which were appointed for that Treaty in behalf of the French In which it was desired that the English Ambassadours would repair to the Town of Bulloign without putting the French to the Charge and Trouble of so long a Journey as to come to Guisnes Which being demurred on by the English and a Post sent unto the Court to know the pleasure of the Council in that particular they received word for so the Oracle had directed that they should not stand upon Punctilioes so they gained the point nor hazard the Substance of the Work to preserve the Circumstances According whereunto the Ambassadours removed to Bulloign and pitch'd their Tents without the Town as had been desired for the Reception of the French that so they might enter on the Treaty for which they came But then a new Dâ—fficulty appeared for the French would not cross the Water and put themselves under the Command of Bulloign but desired rather that the English would come over to them and fall upon the Treaty in an House which they were then preparing for their Entertainment Which being also yielded to after some Disputes the French grew confident that after so many Condescensions on the part of the English they might obtain from them what they liâ—ted in the main of the Business For though it cannot otherwise be but that in all Treaties of this Nature there must be some Condescendings made by the one or the other yet he that yields the first inch of Ground gives the other Party a strong Hope of obtaining the rest These Preparations being made the Commissioners on both sides begin the Treaty where after some Expostulations touching the Justice or Injustice of the War on either side they came to particular Demands The English required the payment of all Debts and Pensions concluded on between the two Kings deceased and that the Queen of Scots should either be delivered to their Hands or sent back to Her Kingdom But unto this the French replyed That the Queen of Scots was designed in Marriage to the Daulphin of France and that She looked upon it as an high Dishonour that their King should be esteemed a Pensioner or Tributary to the Crown of England The French on the other side propounded That all Arrears of Debts and Pensions being thrown aside as not likely to be ever paid they should either put the higher Price on the Town of Bulloign or else prepare themselves to keep it as well as they could From which Proposals when the French could not be removed the Oracle was again consulted by whose Direction it was ordered in the Council of England That the Commissioners should conclude the Peace upon such Articles and Instructions as were sent unto them Most of them ordinary and accustomed at the winding up of all such Treaties But that of most Concernment was That all Titles and Claims on the one side and Defences on the other remaining to either Party as they were before the Town of Bulloign with all the Ordnance found there at the taking of it should be delivered to the French for the Sum of four hundred thousand Crowns of the Sun Of which four hundred thousand Crowns each Crown being valued at the Price of six Shillings and six Pence one Moity was to be paid within three days after the Town should be delivered and the other at the end of six Moneths after Hostages to be given in the mean time for the payment of it It was agreed also in relation to the Realm of Scotland That if the Scots razed Lowder and Dowglass the English should raze Rox-borough and Aymouth and no Fortification in any of those places to be afterwards made Which Agreement being signed by the Commissioners of each side and Hostages mutually delivered for performance of Covenants Peace was Proclaimed between the Kings on the last of March and the Town of Bulloign with all the Forts depending on it delivered into the power of the French on the twenty fifth day of April then next following But they must thank the Earl of Warwick for letting them go away with that commodity at so cheap a Rate for which the two last Kings had bargained for no less then two Millions of the same Crowns to be paid unto the King of England at the end of eight years the Towns and Territory in the mean time to remain with the English Nor was young Edward backward in rewarding his Care and Diligence in expenditing the Affair Which was so represented to him and the extraordinary Merit of the Service so highly magnified
the rest it was Ordered That none should be presented unto any Benefice in the King's Donation either as in the Right of His Crown or by Promotion Wardship Lapse c. till he had Preached before the King and thereby passed Hâ—s Judgment and Approbation And it was much about this time that Sermons at the Court were increased also For whereas formerly there were no Sermons at the Court but in time of Lent and possibly on some â—ew of the greater Festivals in which reâ—pect six Chaplains were sufficient to attend in Ordinary it was now Ordered That from thenceforth there should be Sermons every Sunday for all such as were so disposed to resort unto But the Great business of this Year was the taking down of Altars in many places by the Publick Authorâ—ty which in some few had formerly been pulled down by the irregular forwardness of the Common People The Principal Motive whereunto was in the first place the Opinion of some dâ—slikes which had been taken by Calvin against the Liturgie and the desire of those of the Zuinglian Faction to reduce this Church unto the Nakedness and Simplicity of those Transmarine Chuâ—ches which followed the Hâ—lveâ—ian or Calvinian Forms For the Advancement of which Work it had been Preached by Hooper above-mentioned before the King about the bâ—ginning of this year That It would be very well that it might please the Magistrate to tuâ—n the Altars into Tables according to the first Institution of Christ and thereby to take away the falâ—e perswâ—sion of the People which they have of Sacrifices to be done upon the Altars Because said he as long as Altars remain both the ignorant People and the ignorant and evill-perswaded Priâ—st will dream always of Sacrifice This was â—nough to put the thoughts of the Alteration into the Head of some Great Men about the Court who thereby promised themselves no small Hopes of Profit by the disfurnishing of the Altars of the Hangings Palls Plate and other Rich Vtensils which every Parish more or less had provided for them And that this Consideration might prevail upon thâ—m as much as any other if perhaps not more may be collected from an Eâ—quiry made about two years after In which it was to be interrogated What Jewels of Gold and Silver or Silver Crosses Candlâ—sticks Censers Chalices Câ—pes and other Vâ—stments were then remaining in any of the Cathedral or Parochial Churches or otherwise had been embezelled or taken away the leaving â—f one Chalice to every Church with a Cloath or Covering for the Câ—mmunion-Table being thought sufficient The matter being thus resolved on a Letter comes to Bishop Ridley in the name of the King Signed with His Royal Signet but Subscribed by Sommerset and other of the Lords of the Council concerning the taking down of Altars and setting up Tables in the stead thereof Which Letter because it relates to somewhat which was done before in some of the Churches and seems onâ—ly to pretend to an Vniformity in all the rest I shall here subjoyn that bâ—ing the Chief Ground on which so great an Alteration must be supposed to have been raised Now the Tenour of the said Letter is as followeth RIght-Reverend Father in God Right-Trusty and Well-Beloved We Greet You well Whereas it is câ—me to â—ur Knâ—wlâ—dge that being the Altars within the more part of the Churches of the Realm upon Good and Godly Considerations are takâ—n down there doth yet remain Altars standing in divers other Churches by occasion wheâ—eof â—uch Variâ—nce and Contention ariseth amongst sundry of Our Subjects which if good Foâ—e-sight were not had might perhaps engenâ—er great Hurt and Inconvenience We let you wit that minding to have all â—ccasions of 〈◊〉 taken away which many times groweth by thâ—se and sâ—ch lâ—ke Diversities and considering that amongst other thiâ—gs belongiâ—g to Our 〈…〉 anâ— Care We do account the greatest to be to mâ—intain the câ—mmon Quiet of Our Reâ—lm We have thought Good by the Advice of Ouâ— Câ—urcil to reqâ—ire You and nevertheless especially to Charge aâ—d Câ—mmâ—nd You for the avoidiâ—g of all mâ—tters of further 〈…〉 about the standing or taâ—ing away of the said 〈◊〉 to give 〈◊〉 Order thâ—â—ughout all Your Diocess that with alâ— Dilâ—gence all the Altars in every Church or Chapel as well in places Exempted as not Exempted within Your said Dioceâ—s be taken â—own and in stead of them a Table to be set up in some convenâ—ent part of the Chancel within every such Church or Châ—pâ—l to serve for the Ministration â—f the Blâ—sted Communion And to the intent the same may be done without the Offence of such Our Loving Subjects as be not yet so well perswaded in that behalf as We â—ould wish We send unto You herewith certain Considerations Gathered and Collected that makâ— for the purpose The which and such others as You shall think meet to be set forth to perswade the weak to embrace Our Procâ—edings in this paâ—t We pray You cause to be declared to the People by some discreet Preachers in such places as You shall thiâ—k â—eet before the taking down of the said Altars so as both the weak Consciences of others mâ—y be instructed and satisfied as much as mâ—y be and this Our Pleasure the more quietly Executed For the better doing whereof We require You to open the foreâ—said Considerations in that Our Cathedral Church in Your own Person if You conveniently may or otherwâ—â—e by Your Chancellour or other Grave Preacher both there and in such other Markâ—t-Towns and most Notable Places of Your Diocess as You may think most requisite Which Letter bearing Date on the twenty fourth of November in the fourth year of the King was Subscribed by tâ—e Duke of Sommerset the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury the Lord Admiral Clinton the Earls of Warwick Bedford and Wiltshire the Bishop of Ely the Lords Wentworth and North. Now tâ—e Effect of the said Reasons mentioned in the last part of this Letter were First â—o move the People from the Superstitioâ—s Opinions of the Popish Mass unto the right Use of the Lora's Supper The Use of an Altar being to Sacrifice upâ—n and the Use of a Table to Eat upon and therefore a Table to be fâ—r more 〈◊〉 for Our feeding on Him who was once onely Crucified and Offered for us Secondly That in the Book of Common-Prayer the name of Altaâ— the Lord's Board and Table are used indifferently without prescâ—ibing any thing in the Form thereof For as it is called a Table and the Lord's Board in reference to the Lord's Supper which is there Administred so it is called an Altar also in reference to the Sacrifice of Praise and Thanks-giving which is there â—fferâ—d unto God And so the changing the Altars into Tables nâ—t to be any way repugnant to the Rules of the Liturgie The third Reason seems to be no other then an Illustration of the First for taking away the superstitious Opinion out of the Minds of the People touching the Sacrifice of
the Mass which was not to be Celebrated but upon an Altar The Fourth That the Altars were Erected for the Sacrifices of the Law which being now ceased the Form of the Altar was to cease together with them The Fifth That as Christ did Institute the Sacrament of his Body and Blood at a Table and not at an Altar as appeareth by the three Evangelists so it is not to be found that any of the Apostles did ever use an Altar in the Ministration And finally That it is declared in the Preface to the Book of Common-Prayer That If any Doubt arise in the Use and Practising of the said Book that then to appease all such Diversity the Matter shall be referred unto the Bishop of the Diocess who by his Discretion shall take Order for the quieting of it The Letter with these Reasons being brought to Ridley there was no time for him to dispute the Commands of the one or to examine the Validity and Strength of the other And thereupon proceeding shortly after to his first Visitation he gave out one Injunction amongst others to this Effect That Those Churches in his Diocess where the Altars do remain should conform themselves unto those other Churches which had taken them down and that instead of the multitude of their Altars they should set up one decent Table in every Church But this being done a question afterwards did arise about the Form of the Lords Board some using it in the Form of a Table and others in the Form of an Altar Which being referred unto the Determination of the Bishop he declared himself in favour of that Posture or Position of it which he conceived most likely to procure an Vniformity in all his Diocess and to be more agreeable to the King 's Godly Proceedings in abolishing divers vain and superstitious Opinions about the Mass out of the Hearts of the People Upon which Declaration or Determination he appointed the Form of a Right Table to be used in his Diocess and caused the Wall standing on the back side of the Altar in the Church of Saint Paul's to be broken down for an Example to the rest And being thus a leading Case to all the rest of the Kingdom it was followed either with a swifter or a slower Pase according as the Bishops in their several Diocesses or the Clergie in their several Parishes stood affected to it No Universal Change of Altars into Tables in all parts of the Realm till the Repealing of the First Liturgie in which the Priest is appointed To stand before the middest of the Altar in the Celebration and the establishing of the Second in which it is required That The Priest shall stand on the North side of the Table had put an end to the Dispute Nor indeed can it be supposed that all which is before affirmed of Bishop Ridley could be done at once or acted in so short a Space as the rest of this year which could not give him time enough to Warn Commence and carry on a Visitation admitting that the Inconveniency of the Season might have been dispensed with And therefore I should rather think that the Bishop having received His Majestie 's Order in the end of November might cause it to be put in Execution in the Churches of London and Issue out his Mandates to the rest of the Bishops and the Arch-Deacons of his own Diocess for doing the like iâ— other Places within the compass of their several and Respective Jurisdictions Which being done as in the way of Preparation his Visitation might proceed in the Spring next following and the whole Business be transacted in Form and Mâ—nner as before laid down And this may be beleived the rather because the changing of Altars into Tables is made by Holinshead a Diligent and Painfull Writer to be the Work of the next year as questionless it needs must be in all Parts of the Realm except London and Westminster and some of the Towns and Villages adjoyning to them But much less can I think that the Altar-wall in Saint Paul's Church was taken down by the Command of Bishop Ridley in the Evening of Saint Barnaby's Day this present year as is affirmed by John Stow. For then it must be done five Moneths before the coming out of the Order from the Lords of the Council Assuredly Bishop Ridley was the Master of too great a Judgment to run before Authority in a Business of such Weight and Moment And he had also a more high Esteem of the Blessed Sacrament then by any such unadvised and precipitate Action to render it less Venerable in the Eyes of the Common People Besides whereas the taking down of the said Altar Wall is said to have been done â—n the first Saint Barnâ—â—y's Day which was kept Holy with the Church that Circumstance is alone sufficient to give some Light to the Mistake The Liturgie whâ—ch appointed Saint Barnaby's Day to be kept for an Holy-Day was to be put in Execution in all parts of the Realm at the Feast of Whitsun-tide 1549 and had actually been Officiated in some Churches for some Weeks before So that the first Saint Barnaby's Day which was to be kept Holy by the Rules of that Liturgie must have been kept in that year also and consequently the taking down oâ— the said Altar-Wall being done â—n the Evening of that day must be supposed to have been done above ten Moneths before Bishop Ridley was Translâ—ted to the See of London Let therefore the keeping Holy of the first Saint Barnaby's Day be placed in the year 1549 the Issuing of the Order from the Lords of the Council in the year 1550 and the taking down of the Altar-Wall on the Evening of Saint Barnaby's Day in the year 1551. And then all Inconveniences and Contradictions will be taken away which otherwise cannot be avoided No change this year amongst the Peers of the Realm or Principal Officers of the Court but in the Death of Thomas Lord Wriothesly the first Earl of South-hampton of that Name aâ—d Family who died at Lincoln-Place in Holâ—born on the thirtieth day of July leaving his Son Henry to succeed him in his Lands and Honours A Man Unfortunate in his Relations to the two Great Persons of that Time deprived of the Great Seal by the Duke of Sommerset and removâ—d from his Place at the Council-Table by the Earl of Warwick having first served the Turns of the one in lifting him into the Saddle and of the other in dismounting him from that High Estate Nor finde I any great Change thiâ— year amongst the Bishops but that Doctour Nicholas Ridley Bishop of Rechester was Transloted to the See of London on the twelfth of April and Doctoâ—r John Pâ—ynet Consâ—crated Bishop of Rochester on the twenty sixth of June By which Account he must needs be the first Bishop which received Episcopal Consecration according to the Foâ—m of the English Ordinal as Farrars was the fiâ—st who was advanced
unto that Honour by the King's Letters Patenâ—s As for Ridley we have spoke before and as for Poynet he is affirmed to have been a Man of verâ— good Learning with Reference to his Age and the Time he lived in well studied in the Greek Tongue and of no small Eminence in the Arts and Mathematical Sciences A Change was also made in Cambridg by the Death of Bucer which I finde placed by Fâ—x on the twenty third of December by others with more Truth on the nineteenth of January both in the Compass of this year and by some others with less Reaâ—â—n on the tenth of March But at whâ—t time sover he died certain it is that he was most Solemnly Interred in Saint Marie's Church attended to Fu his â—rave by all the Heads and most of the Graduates in that Vniversity his neâ—al Sermon Preached by Dâ—ctâ—ur Parâ—er â—he first Arch-Bishop of Canterbury in Queen Elizâ—beth'â— Time the Panegyrick made by one of the Haddons a Man of a moâ—â— Fluenâ— and Rhetorical Sâ—yle all that pretended to the Muses in both Vniverâ—ities setting forth his great Worth and their own Loss in him with the best of their Poetry Anno Regni Edw. Sexti 5 o. An. Dom. 1550 1551. WE must begin this year with the Deprivation of Bishop Gardiner whom we left committed to the Tower the last of June in the year 1548. There he remained almost two years without being pressed to any particular Point the yielding unto which might procure his Liberty or the Refusal justifie such a long Imprisonment On the tenth of June this year the Publick Liturgie now being generally executed in all Parts of the Kingdom was offered to his Consideration that some Experiment might be made whether he would put his Hand unto it and promise to advance the Service Upon the fourth day after the Duke of Sommerset with five other of the Lords of the Council was sent unto the Tower to receive his Answer Which he returned to this effect That he had deliberately considered of all the Offices contained in the Common-Prayer-Book and all the several Branches of it That Though he could not have made it in that Manner had the Matter been referred unto him yet that he found such things therein as did very well satisfie his Conscience and therefore that he would not onely execute it in his own Person but cause the same to be Officiated by all those of his Diocess But this was not the Answer which the Courtiers looked for It was their Hope they should have found him more averse from the King's Proceedings that making a Report of his Perversness he might be lifted out of that Wealthy Bishoprick which if it either were kept Vacant or filled with a more Tractable Person might give them opportunity to enrich themselves by the Spoil thereof Therefore to put him further to it the Lord Treasurer the Earl of Warwick Sir William Herbert Master of the Horse and Mr. Secretary Petre are sent upon the ninth of July with certain Articles which for that end were Signed by the King and the Lords of the Council According to the Tenour hereof he was not onely to testifie his Consent to the Establishing of the Holy-Days and Fasting-Days by the King's Authority the Allowance of the Publick Liturgie and the Abrogating of the Statute for the Six Articles c. but to Subscribe to the Confession of his Fault in his former Obstinacy after such Form and Manner as was there required To which Articles he Subscribed without any great Hesitancy but refused to put his Hand to the said Confession There being no reason as he thought and so he answered those which came unto him from the Court on the Morrow after that he should yield to the Confâ—ssion of a Guilt when he knew himself Innocent He is now faln into the Toil out of which he finds but Little Hope of being set free For presently on the neck of this a Book of Articles is drawn up containing all the Alteration made by the King and His Father as well by Acts of Parliament as their own Injunctions from the first Suppression of the Monasteries to the coming out of the late Form for the Consecration of Arch-Bishops Bishops c. Of all which Doings he is required to signifie his Approbation to make Confession of his Fault with an Acknowledgment that he had deserved the Punishment which was aid upon him Which Articles being tendered to him by the Bishop of London the Master of the Horse Mr. Secretary Petre and Goodrick a Counsellour at Law appeared to him to be of such an hard Digestion that he desir'd first to be set at Liberty before he should be pressed to make a particular Answer This being taken for a Refusal and that Refusal taken for a Contempt the Profits of his Bishoprick are Sequestered from him for three Moneths by an Order of the Council-Table bearing date the nineteenth of the Moneth the said Profits in the mean time to be collected or received by such Person or Persons as the King should thereunto appoint with this Intimation in the Close that if he did not tender his Submission at the end of that Term he should be taken for an Incorrigible Person and unmeet Minister of this Church and Finally to be procceeded against to a Deprivation The Term expired and no such humble Submission or Acknowledgment made as had been required at his Hands a Commission is directed to the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury the Bishops of London Ely and Lincoln Sir William Peter c. authorised thereby to proceed against him upon certain Articles in the same contained Convented before whom at Lambeth on the fifteenth of December he received his Charge Which being received he used so many Shifts and found so many Evasions to elude the Business that having appeared six Days before them without coming to a plain and Positive Answer he was upon the fourteenth of February Sentenced to a Deprivation and so remitted to the Tower But Gardiner did not mean to die so tamely and therefore had no sooner heard the Definitive Sentence but presently he Protesteth against the same makes his Appeal unto the King and causeth both his said Appeal and Protestation to be Registred in the Acts of that Court. Of all which he will finde a time to serve himself in the Alâ—eration of Affairs It was presumed that the Report of this Severity against a Man so eminent for his Parts and Place would either bring such other Bishops as had yet stood out to a fit Conformity or otherwise expose both them and their Estates to the like Condemnation But some there were so stiff in their old Opinions that neither Terrour nor Perswasion could prevail upon them either to give their Approbation of the King's Proceedings or otherwise to advance the Service And some there were who though they outwardly complyed with the King's Commands yet was it done so coldly and with such Reluctancy as laâ—'d them open to the
1282. that they had a Synodal Authority unto them committed to make such Spiritual Laws as to them seemed to be nâ—câ—ssary or convenient for the use of the Church Had it been otherwise King Edward a most Pious and Religious Prince must needs be looked on as a Wicked and most Lewd Impostour in putting such an horrible Cheat upon all His Subjects by Fathering these Articles on the Convocation which begat them not nor ever gave consent unto them And yet it is not altogether improbable but that these Articles being debated and agreed upon by the said Commitee might also pass the Vote of the whole Convocation though we finde nothing to that purpose in the Acts thereof which either have been lost or were never Registred Besides it is to be observed that the Church of England for the first five years of Queen Elizabeth retained these Articles and no other as the publick Tenents of the Church in point of Doctrine which certainly She had not done had they been commended to Her by a less Authority then a Convocation Such hand the Convocation had in canvasing the Articles prepared for them and in concluding and agreeing to so much or so many of them as afterwards were published by the King's Authority in the name thereof But whether they had any such hand in Reviewing the Liturgie and passing their Consent to such Alterations as were made therein is another Question That some necessity appeared both for the Reveiwing of the whole and the altering of some Parts thereof hath been shew'd before And it was shewed before by whose Procurement and Sollicitation the Church was brought to that necessity of doing somewhat to that Purpose But being not sufficiently Authorised to proceed upon it because the King 's sole Authority did not seem sufficient they were to stay the Leasure and Consent of the present Parliament For being the Liturgie then in force had been confirmed and imposed by the King in Parliament with the Consent and Assent of the Lords and Commons it stood with Reason that they should not venture actually on the Alteration but by their permission first declared And therefore it is said expresly in the Act of Parliament made this present year That The said Order of Common Service Entituled The Book of Common-Prayer had been Perused Explained and made fully perfect not single by the King's Authority but by the King with the Assent of the Lords and Commons More then the giving of their Assent was neither required by the King nor desired by the Prelats and less then this could not be fought as the Case then stood The signifying of which Assent enabled the Bishops and the rest of the Clergy whom they had taken for their Assistants to proceed to the Digesting of such Alterations as were before considered and resolved on amongst themselves and possibly might receive the like Authority from the Convocation as the Articles had though no such thing remaining upon Record in the Registers of it But whether it were so or not certain it is that it received as much Authority and Countenance as could be given unto it by an Act of Parliament by which imposed upon the Subject under certain Penalties Imprisonments Pecuniarie Mulcts c. which could not be inflicted on them by Synodical Acts. The Liturgie being thus Settled and Confirmed in Parliament was by the King's Command translated into French for the Use of the Isles of Guernsey and Jersey and such as lived within the Marches and Command of Calais But no such Care was taken for Wales till the fifth year of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth nor of the Realm of Ireland from that time to this King Henry had so far prepared the Way to a Reformation as His own Power and Profit was concerned in it to which Ends he excluded the Pope's Authority and caused Himself to be declared Supreme Head on Earth of the Church of Ireland by Act of Parliament And by like Acts he had annexed to the Crown the Lands of all Monasteries and Religious Orders together with thetwentieth Part of all the Ecclesiastical Promotions within that Kingdom and caused the like Course to be settled for the Electing and Consecrating of Arch-Bishops and Bishops as had been done before in England Beyond which as he did not go so as it seems King Edward's Council thought not fit to adventure further They held it not agreeable to the Rules of Prudence to have too many Irons in the Fire at once nor safe in Point of Policy to try Conclusions on a People in the King's Minority which were so far tenacionsly addicted to the Superstitions of the Church of Rome and of a Nature not so tractable as the English were And yet that Realm was quiet even to Admiration notwithstanding the frequent Embroilments and Commotions which so miserably disturbed the Peace of England which may be reckoned for one of the greatest Felicities of this King's Reign and a strong Argument of the Care and Vigilancy of such of His Ministers as had the chief Direction of the Irish Affairs At the first Payment of the Money for the Sale rather then the Surrendry of Bulloign eight thousand pounds was set apart for the Service of Ireland and shortly after out of the Profits which were raised from the Mint four hundred men were Levied and sent over thither also with a Charge given to the Governours that the Laws of England should be Carefully and Duly administred and all such as did oppose suppressed by Means whereof great Countenance was given to those who embraced the Reformed Religion there especially within those Counties which are called commonly by the name of the English Pale The Common-Prayer-Book of England being brought over thither and used in most of the Churches of the English Plantation without any Law in their own Parliaments to impose it on them But nothing more conduced to the Peace of that Kingdom then that the Governours for the most part were men of such Choice that neither the Nobility disdained to endure their Commands nor the inferiour sort were oppressed to supply their Wants Besides which as the King drew many men from thence to serve him in his Wars against France and Scotland which otherwise might have disturbed the common Peace so upon notice of some great Preparations which were made in France for the Assistance of the Scots he sent over to guard the Coast of Ireland four Ships four Barks four Pinnaces and twelve Victuallers By the Advantage of which Strength He made good three Havens two on the South-side toward France and one toward Scotland which afterwards made themselves good Booties out of such of the French as were either cast away on the Coast of Ireland or forced to save themselves in the Havens of it For the French making choice rather of their Passage by Saint George's Chanel then by the ordinary Course of Navigation from France to Edenborough fell from one Danger to another and for fear of being
added from the Holy Scripture where Solomon is found to be preferred unto the Throne by David before Adonijah the youngest Son before the eldest a Childe before a Man experienced and well grown in years And some Examples also might be had of the like Transpositions in the Realm of Scotland in Hungary Naples and else where enough to shew that nothing had been done in this great Transaction which was not to be presidented in other Places Upon all which Considerations it was thought most agreeable to the Rules of Polity that the King by Letters Patents under the Great Seal of England should so dispose of the Possession of the Crown with such Remainders and Reversions as to him seemed best as might prevent such Inconveniencies and Emergent Mischiefs as might otherwise happen which could not better be effected then by setting the Crown on the Head of the Lady Jane a Lady of a Royal Blood born in the Realm brought up in the Religion now by Law established Married already to a Person of Desert and Honour and such an one in whom all those Graces were concentred which were sufficient to adorn all the rest of Her Sex Thus Reason being thus prepared the next Care was to have the Instrument so contrived in due form of Law that nothing might be wanting in the Stile and Legalities of it which might make it any way obnoxious to Disputes and Questions For the doing whereof it was thought necessary to call in the Assistance of some of the Judges and others of His Majesties Council learned in the Laws of this Realm by whose Authority it might be thought more passable amongst the People Of all which Rank none was thought fitter to be taken into the Consultation then Sir Edward Montague not onely as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas and very well experienced in His own Profession But because he being one of the Executours of the King deceased his concurrence with the rest of the Council seemed the more considerable A Letter is therefore sent unto him on the eleventh of June subscribed by the Lord Treasurer the Duke of Northumberland the Earls of Shrewsbury Bedford and Pembroke the Lord Admiral Clinton the Lord Darcie Sir John Gale Sir William Peter Sir William Cecil and Sir John Cheek By the Tenour whereof he was commanded to attend upon their Lordships the next day in the Afternoon and to bring with him Sir John Baker Chancellour of the first-Fruits and Tenths Master Justice Bromeley together with the Attorney and Sollicitour General Being brought into the King's Presence at the time appointed whom they found attended by the Lord Treasurer and some others of those who had subscribed the former Letter the King declared Himself with a weak Voice to this Effect viz. That He had considered in His Sickness of the Estate of His Realm which if it should descend on the Lady Mary who was then unmarried it might so happen that She might marry a Stranger born whereby not onely the Laws of the Realm might be changed and altered but all His own Proceedings in Religion might be also reversed That it was His Pleasure therefore that the Crown should Descend after His Decease unto such Persons aâ—d in such Form as was contained in certain Articles then ready to be shewed unto them to be by them digested and disposed of in due Form of Law These Articles when they had Perused and Considered of they signified unto the King that they conceâ—ved them to be contrary to the Act of Succession which being made in Parliament could not be Frustrated or made Ineffectual but by Parliaments onely Which Answer notwithstanding the King without allowing further time or deliberation commanded them to take the Articles along with them and give the Business a Dispatch with all speed as might be But finding greater Difficulties in it then had appeared unto their Lordships they made a Report unto them at their next Attendance that they had Considered of the King's Articles and the Act of Succession whereby it appeared manâ—festly that if they should make any Book concerning the King's Commandment they should not onely be in danger of Treason but their Lordships also The sum of which Report being cerâ—ifiâ—d to the Duke of Northumberland who though absent was not out of Call he came in great Rage and Fury to the Council-Chamber called the Chief Justice Traitour affirmed that he would fight in his Shirt in that Quarrel against any man living and behaved himself in such an outragious manner as put both Mountague and Justice Bromely in a very great fear that he would have struck them Calâ—ed to the Court again by a Letter of the fourteenth of the same Moneth they found the King more earnest in it then He was before requiring them with a sharp Voice and a displeased Countenance to dispatch the Book according to the Articles delivered to them and telling them that He would have a Parliament shortly to Confirm the same When nothing else would serve the turn Answer was made That His Câ—mmandment should be obeyed upon Condition that they might be Commissionated so to do by His Majestie 's Warrant under the Great Seal of England and have a General Pardon for it when the Deed was done Not daring longer to resist and having made as good Provision as they could for their own Indemnâ—ty they betook themselves unto the Work digested it in form oâ— Law caused â—t to be Engrossed in Parchment and so dispatched it for the Seal to the Lord Chancellour Goodrick sufficiently prepared before-hand not to stick upon it Bâ—t then appeared another Difficulty amongst the Lords of the Council some of whâ—ch not well satisfied with these Proceedings appeared as backward in Subscribing to the Instrument before it went unto the Seal as the Great Lawyers had done at the first in being brought to the Employment But such was the Authority which Dudley and his Party had gained amongst them that some for fear and some for favour did Subscribe at last a Zeal to the Reformed Religion prevailing in it upon some a doubt of loosing their Church-Lands more powerfully over-swaying others and all in fear of getting the displeasure of that Mighty Tyrant who by his Power and Practices carried all before him The last that stood it out was Arch-Bishop Cranmer Who being sent for to the Court when all the Lords of the Council and most of the Judges of the Realm had subscribed the Instrument refused to put his hand unto it or to consent to the Disherison of the late King's Daughters After much Reasoning of the Case he requires a longer time of deliberation consults about it with some of the most Learned Lawyers and is finally sent for by the King who having fully set his heart upon the Business did use so many Reasons to him in behalf of Religion and plyed him with such strong Perswasions in pursuance of them that at the last he suffered himself to be overcome by His Importunities
conclusion to his just reward Others there were and doubt less many others also in the House of Commons who had as great zeal as he to the Papal interess but either had more modesty in the conduct of it or preferred their duty and allegiance to their natural Prince before their zeal to the concernments of the Church of Rome In this Parliament there passed an act for recognizing the Queens just Title to the Crown but without any Act for the validity of her mothers mariage on which her Title most depended For which neglect most men condemned the new Lord Keeper on whose judgement she relied especially in point of Law in whom it could not but be looked on as a great incogitancy to be less careful of her own and her mothes honour than the Ministers of the late Queen Mary had been of hers But Bacon was not to be told of an old Law-Maxim That the Crown takes away all defects and stops in blood and that from the time that the Queen did assume the Crown the fountain was cleared and all attainders and corruption of blood discharged Which Maxim how unsafe soever it may seem to others yet since it goes for a known rule amongst our Lawyers could not be questioned at that present And possible it is that he conceived it better for the mariage of the Queens mother to pass unquestioned as a matter justly subject unto no dispute than to build the validity of it on no better ground than an Act of Parliament which might be as easily reversed as it was agreed to There paâ—t an Act also for restoring to the Crown the tenths and first fruits first serled thereon in the time of King Henry the 8th and afterwards given back by Queen Mary as before was said For the better drawing on of which concession it was pretended that the Patrimony of the Crown had been much dilapidated and that it could not be supported with such honour as it ought to be if restitution were not made of such rents and profits as were of late dismembred from it Upon which ground they also passed an act for the dissolution of all such Monasteries Convents and Religious Orders as hâ—d been founded and established by the Queen deceased By vertue of which Act the Queen was repossessed again of all those lands which had been granted by her sister to the Monks of Westminster and Sheene the Knights Hospitalers the Nuns of Sâ—on together with the Mansion Houses re-edified for the Observants at Greenwich and the Black Friers in Smithfield Which last being planted in a house neer the dissolved Priory of Great St Bartholomews had again fitted and prepared the Church belonging thereunto for religious offices but had scarce fitted and prepared it when dissolved again and the Church afterwards made a Parochial Church for the use of the Close and such as lived within the verge and precincts thereof How she disposed of Sion House hath been shewn already and what she did with the rich Abby of Westminster we shall see hereafter In the passing of these Acts there was little trouble in the next there was For when the Act of the Supremacy came to be debated it seemed to be a thing abhorrent even in Nature and Polity that a woman should be declared to be the supream Head on Earth of the Church of England But those of the reformed party meant nothing less than to contend about words and phrases so they might gain the point they aimed at which was the stripping of the Pope of all authority within these Dominions and fixing the supream power over all persons and estates of what ranck soever in the Crown Imperial not by the name of Supream Head which they perceived might be made lyable to some just exceptions but which comes all to one of the Supream Governesse Which when it gave occasion of discourse and descant amongst many of the captious Papists Queen Mary helped her sister unto one good Argument for her justification and the Queen helped her self to another which took off the cavil In the third Session of Parliament in Queen Mary's time there pass'd an Act declaring That the Regal power was in the Queens Majesty as fully as it had been in any of her predecessors In the body whereof it is expressed and declared That the Law of the Realm is and ever hath been and ought to be understood that the Kingly or Regal Office of the Realm and all Dignities Prerogatives Royal Power Preheminences Privileges Authorities and Jurisdictions thereunto annexed united or belonging being invested either in Male or Female are be and ought to be as fully wholly absolutely and intirely deemed adjudged accepted invested and taken in the one or in the other So that whatsoever Statute or Law doth limit or appoint that the King of this Realm may or shall have execute and do any thing as King c. the same the Queen being Supream Governesse possessor and inheritor to â—he Imperial Crown of this Realm may by the same power have and execute to all intents constructions and purposes without doubt ambiguity scruple or question any custome use or any other thing to the con trary notwithstanding By the very tenor of which Act Queen Mary grants unto her sister as much authority in all Church concernments as had been exercised and enjoyed by her Father and Brother according to any Act or Acts of Parliament in their several times Which Acts of Parliament as our learned Lawyers have declared upon these occasions were not to be consider'd as Introductory of a new power which was not in the Crown before but only Declaratory of an old which naturally belonged to all Christian Princes and amongst others to the Kings and Queens of the Realm of England And to this purpose it is pleaded by the Queen in her own behalf Some busie and sedâ—tious persons had dispersed a rumour that by the Act for recognizing of the Queens Supremacy there was something further ascribed unto the Queen her heirs and successors a power of administring Divine Service in the Church which neither by any equity or true sence of the words could from thence be gathered And thereupon she makes this Declaration unto all her subjects That nothing was or could be meant or intended by the said Act than was acknowledged to be due to the most Noble King of famous memory King Henry the 8th her Majesties Father or King Edward the 6th her Majesties Brother And further she declareth That she neither doth not will challenge any other authority by the same than was challenged and lately used by the said two Kings and was of ancient time due unto the Imperial Crown of this Realm that is under God to have the Soverainty and Rule over all persons born within her Realms or Dominions of what estate either Ecclesiastical or Temporal soever they be so as no other forein power shall or ought to have any superiority over them Which explication published in the Queens
with Excommunication in that publick Audience for which they were committed to the Tower on the fifth of April The rest of the Bishops were commanded to abide in London and to give bond for their appearance at the Council-Table whensoever they should be râ—quired And so the whole Assembly was dismist and the conference ended before it had been well begun the Lord Keeper giving to the Bishops this sharp remembrance Sincâ— said he you are not wâ—lling that we should hear you you shall very shortly hear from us Which notwithstanding produced this good effect in the Lords and Commons that they conceived the Bishops were not able to defend their Doctrin in the points disputed which made the way more easie for the passing of the publick Liturgy when it was brought unto the Vote Two Speeches there were made against it in the House of Peers by Scot and Fecknam and one against the Queens Supremacy by the Archbishop of York but they prevailed as little in both points by the power of their Eloquence as they had done in the first by their want of Arguments It gave much matter of discourse to most knowing men that the Bishops should so wilfully fall from an appointment to which they had before agreed and thereby forfeit their whole Cause to a Condemnation But they pretended for themselves that they were so straightned in point of time that they could not possibly digest their Arguments into form and order that they looked upon it as a thing too much below them to humble themselves to such a Conference or Disputation in which Bacon a meer lay-man and of no great learning was to sit as Judge and finally that the points had been determined already by the Catholick Church and therefore were not to be called in question without leave from the Pope Which last pretence if it were of any weight and moment it must be utterly impossible to proceed to any Reformation in the state of the Church by which the power and pride of the Popes of Rome may be any thing lessened or that the corruptions of the Church should be redressed iâ— it consist not with their profit For want of time they were no more straightned than the opposite party none of them knowing with what arguments the other side would fortifie and confirm their cause nor in what forms they would propose them before they had perused â—heir reciprocal Papers But nothing was more weakly urged than their exception against the Presidency of Sir Nicholas Bacon which could not be considered as a matter either new or strange not strange because the like Presidency had been given frequently to Cromwel in the late Reign of King Henry the 8th and that not only in such general Conferences but in several Convocations and Synodical meetings Not new because the like had been frequently practised by the most godly Kings and Emperors of the Priâ—â—itive times for in the Council of Chalceâ—on the Emperor appointed certain Noblemen to sit as Judges whose names occur in the first Action of that Counâ—il The like we find exemplified in the Ephesine Council in which by the appointment of Theodosius and Vulentinian then Roman Emperors Candidianus a Count Imperial sate as Judge or President who in the managing of that trust over-acted any thing which was done by Cromwel as Vicar-General to that King or Bacon was impowered to do as the Queens Commissioner No such unreasonable condescention to be found in this as was pretended by the Bishops and the rest of that party to save themselves from the guilt and censure of a Tergiversation for which and other their contempts we shall find them called to a reckoning within few months after In the Convocation which accompanied the present Parliament there was little done and that little which they did was to little purpose Held under Bonner in regard of the Vacancy of the See of Canterbâ—ry it began without the ordinary preamble of a Latine Sermon all preaching being then prohibited by the Queens command The Clergy for their Prolocutor made choice of Doctor Nicholas Harâ—sâ—ield Archdeacon of Canterbâ—ry a man of more ability as his works deâ—lare than he had any opportunity to make use of in the present service The Aâ—t of the submission of the Clergy to King Henry the 8th and his Successors Kings of England had been repealed in the first year of Queen Mary so that the Clergy might have acted of their own authority without any license from the Queen and it is much to be admired that Bonner White or Watson did not put them to it but such was either their feaâ— or modesty or a despair of doing any good to themselves and the cause that there was nothing done by the Bishops at all and not much more by the lower Clergy than a declaration of their judgment in some certain points which at that time were conceived fit to be commended to the sight of the Parliament that is to say 1. That in the Sacrament of the Altar by vertue of Christs assisting after the word is duly pronounced by the Priest the natural body of Christ conceived of the Virgin Mary is really present under the species of Bread and Wine as also his natural Blood 2. That after the Câ—nsecration there remains not the substance of Bread and Wine not any substance save the substance of God and Man 3. That the true body of Christ and his Blood is offered for a propitiatory sacrifice for the quick and the dead 4. That the supream power of feeding and governing the militant Church of Christ and of confirming their brethren is given to Peter the Apostle and to his lawful Successors in the See Apostolick as unto the Vicars of Christ. 5. That the authority to handle and define such things which belong to Faith the Sacraments and Discipline Ecclesiastical hath hitherto ever belonged and onely ought to belong unto the Pastors of the Church whom the holy Spirit hath placed in the Church and not unto Lay-men These Articles they caused to be engrossed so commended them to the care and consideration of the Higher House By Bonner afterwards that is to say on the 3d. of March presented to the hands of the Lord Keeper Bacon by whom they were candidly received But they prevailed no further with the Queen or the House of Peers when imparted to them but that possibly they might help forwards the disputation which not long after was appointed to be held at Westminster as before was said It was upon the 8th of May that the Parliament ended and on the 24th of June that the publick Liturgy was to be officiated in all the Churches of the Kingdom In the performanâ—e of which service the Bishops giving no encouragement and many of the Clergy being backward in it it was thought fit to put them to the final test and either to bring them to conformity or to bestow their places and preferments on more tractable persons The Bishops at that time
Bishop of St. Asaph translated thither the 21 of May 1561. as he was by another of the same name Dr. Thomas Davis within few months after The Province of York being thus fitted with a new Archbishop it was not long before the consecration of Dr. James Pilkinton to the See of Durham which was performed by the hands of his own Metropolitan on the second of March at whose first coming to thaâ— See he found it clogged with an annual pension of 1000. l. to be paid into her Majesties Exchequer yearly towaâ—d the maintenance of the Garison in the Town of Barwâ—ck first laid upon this Bishoprick when that Town seemed to be in danger of such French forces as had been brought into that Kingdom or otherwise might fear some practice of the popish party for the advancing of the interess of the Queen of Scots The Bishops Tenants were protected in their corn and cattel by the power of this Garison and consequently the more inabled to make just payment of their rents and it was thought to be no reason that the Queen should be at the sole charge of protecting his Tenants and he enjoy the whole benefit of it without any disbursement But this was only a pretence for raising some revenue to the Crown out of that rich patrimony the pension being still châ—rged upon it though the Garison was removed in the first of King James On the same day that is to say the second of March Dr. John Best was consecrated Bishop of Carlisle after the See had been refused by Bernard Gâ— phin Parson of Houghton in the Spring betwixt Dâ—rham and Newcastle The offer made him with relation to his brother George a man much used in many imployments for the State but on what ground declined by him is not well assured Whether it were that he was more in love with the retirements of a private life or that he could not have the bird without he yielded to the stripping of it of the most part of its feathers as it came to Best may be sooner questioned than resolved And finally on the 4th of May comes in the consecration of Mr William Dâ—wnham the Queens Chaplain when she was but Princess and afterwards made one of the Prebendaries of St Peter's in Westminster to the See of Chester by this preferment recompensed for his former services By which last care the vacant Sees were all supplyed with learned Pastors except Oxon Glocester and Bristol Of which we shall speak more in the following year But neither this diligence and care in filling all the vacant Sees with learned Pastors nor the Queens Proclamation for banishing all Anabaptists and other Sectaries which had resorted hither out of other Countries could either free the land from those dangerous inmates or preserve the Church from the conâ—agion of their poysonous doctrines Too many of those Fanatical spirits still remained behind scattering their tares and dispersing their blasphemous follies amongst simple people In which number they prevailed so far upon More and Geofrys that the first profess'd himself to be Christ the last believed him to be such and did so report him Continuing obstinate in this frenzy Geofrys was committed prisoner to the Marshaâ—sea in the Burrough of Souâ—hwark and More to the house of mad men commonly called Bethlem without Bishops Gate in the City of London Where having remained above a year without shewing any sign of their repentance Geofrys was whipt on the â—0th of April from the said Marshaâ— sea to Bethlem with a paper bound about his head which signified that this was William Geofrys a most blasphemous Heretick who denyed Christ to be in Heaven At Bethlem he was whipt again in the presence of More till the lash had extorted a confession of his damnable error After which More was stript and whipt in the open streets till he had made the like acknowledgement confessing Christ to be in Heaven and himself to be a vile miserable and sinful man Which being done they were again remitted to their several prisons for their further cure At which the Papists made good game and charged it on the score of the Reformation as if the Principles thereof did naturally lead men to those dreams and dotages Whereas they could not chuse but know that Christ our Saviour prophesied of the following times that some should say lâ—e here is Christ and others would say loe there is Christ that Simon Magus even in the dayes of the Apostles assumed unto himself the glorious Title of the great power of God that Menander in the age next following did boldly aâ—rogate to himself the name of Christ and finally that Montanus when the Church was stored with Learned and Religious Prelates would needs be taken and accounted for the holy Ghost Or if they think the Reformation might pretend unto more perfection than the Primitive times they should have looked no farther back than to King Henry the 3d. in whose Reign the Popes authority in England was at the highest and yet neither the Pope by his authority nor by the diligence of his Preachers and other Ministers could so secure the Church from Mores and Geoffrys but that two men rose up at that very time both which affirmed themselves to be Jesus Christ and were both hanged for it And as Montanus could not go abroad without his Maximiâ—â—a and Priscilla to disperse his dotages so these impostors also had their female followers of which the one affirmed her self to be Mary Magdalen and the other that she was the Virgin Mary So that the Reformation is to be excused from being accessary in the least degree to these mens heresies or else the Apostolical Age and the Primitive times yea and the Church of Rome it self which they prize much more must needs come under the necessity of the like condemnation Nor did the Zuinglian Gospellers or those of the Genevian party rejoyce much less at a most lamentable accident which hapned to the cathedral Church of St. Paul on the fourth of June on which day about four or five of the clock in the afternoon a fearful fire first shewed it self near the top of the Steeple and from thence burnt down the Spire to the stone-work and Bells and raged so terribly that within the space of four hours the Timber and Lead of the whole Church and whatsoever else was combustible in it was miserably consumed and burnt to the great terror and amazement of all beholders Which Church the largest in the Christian world for all dimensions contains in length 720 foot or 240 Taylors yards in breadth 130 foot and in heighth from the pavement to the top of the roof 150 foot The Steeple from the ground to the cross or Weather-cock contained in height 520 fooâ— of which the square Tower onely amounted to 260. the Pyramid or Spire to as many more Which Spire being raised of maâ—â—ie Timber and covered over with sheets of Lead as it was the more apt to
be inflamed so was the mischief more incapable of a present remedy The terror being over most men began to cast about for the first occasion of such a miserable misfortune the generality of the Zuinglian or Genevian party affirmed it for a just judgment of God upon an old idolatrous Fabrick not throughly reformed and purged from its Superstitions and would have been content that all other Cathedrals in the Kingdom had been so destroyed The Papists on the other side ascribe it to some practice of the Zuinglian faction out of their hatred unto all solemnity and decency in the service of God performed more punctually in that Church for examples sake than in any other of the Kingdom But generally it was ascribed by the common people to a flash of lightning or some such suddain fire from heaven though neither any lightning had been seen or any clap of thunder had been heard that day Which fiction notwithstanding got such credit amongst the vulgar and amongst wiser persons too that the burning of St. Paul's Steeple by lightning was reckoned amongst the ordinary Epoches or accounts of time in our common Almanacks and so it stood till within these thirty years now last past when an old Plumber at his death confessed that wofull accident to have hapned through his negligence onely in leaving carelesly a pan of coals and other fewel in the Steeple when he went to dinner which catching hold of the dry timber in the Spire before his return was grown so dangerous that it was not possible to be quenched and therefore to no purpose as he conceived to make any words of it Since which discovery that ridiculous Epoche hath no more been heard of But the Queen quickly hearing what a great misfortune had befallen the City regarded not the various reports of either party but bent her thoughts upon the speedy reparation of those fearful ruines And knowing right well without the help of an Informer that the Patrimony of that Church had been so wasted in these latter times that neither the Bishop nor the Dean and Chapter were able to contribute any thing proportionable to so vast a charge She directed her Letters to the Lord Mayor and city of London to take care therein as most concerned in the preservation of their Mother-Church and in the honor of their City In obedience to whose Royal pleasure the citizens granted a Benevolence and three Fifteens to be speedily paid besides the extraordinary bounty of particular persons or was to be issued from the chamber And that they might proceed therein with the greater zeal the Queen sent in a thousand Marks in ready money and warrants for one thousand load of timber to be served out of her Majesties woods Incouraged by which brave example the Clergy of the Province of Canterbury contributed towards the furtherance of the work the fortieth part of their Benefices which stood charged with first fruits and the thirtieth part of those which had paid the same The Clergy of the Diocess of London bestowing the thirtieth part of such of their Livings as were under the burthen of that payment and the twentieth part of those which were not To which the Bishop added at several times the sum of 900 l 1 s. 11 d. the Dean and Chapter 136 l. 13 s. 4 d. By which and some other little helps the benevolence the three fifteens and the contributions of the Bishop and Clergy with the aid aforesaid amounting to no more than 6702 l. 13 s. 4 d. the work was carried on so fast that before the end of April 1566. the timber work of the roof was not only fitted but compleatly covered The raising of a new spire was taken also into consideration but conceived unnecessary but whether because it was too chargeable or that some feared it might prove a temptation is not yet determined And now the season of the year invites the Popes Nuncio into England advanced already in his way as far as Flanders and there expecting the Queens pleasure touching his admittance For the Pope always constant to his resolutions could not be taken off from sending his Nuncio to the Queen with whom he conceived himself to stand upon tearms of amity It had been much laboured by the Guisiards and Spanish faction to divert him from it by telling him that it would be an undervaluing of his power and person to send a Nuncâ—o into England or to any other Princes of the same perswasions who openly professed a separation from the See of Rome To which he made this prudent and pious answer that he would humble himself even to Heresie it self in regard that whatsoever was done to gain souls to Christ did beseem that See And to this resolution he adher'd the rather because he had been told and assured by Karn the old English Agent that his Nuncio would be received by one half of the Kingdom with the Queens consent But as it proved they reckoned both without their Host and Hostess too who desired not to give entertainment unto any such guests For having designed the Abbot Martiningo to this imployment and the Abbot being advanced as far as Flanders as before was said he there received the Queens command not to cross the seas Upon advertisement whereof as well the King of Spain himself as Ferdinand of Toledo Duke of Alva the most powerful Minister of that King did earnestly intreat that he might be heard commending the cause of his Legation as visibly conducing to the union of all the Christian Church in a general Council But the Queen persevered in her first intent affirming she could not treat with the Bishop of Rome whose authority was excluded out of England by consent of Parliament Nor had the Popes Nuncio in France any better fortune in treating with Throgmorton the English Agent in that Court to advance the business who though he did solicit by his Letters both the Queen and the Council to give some satisfaction in that point to the French and Spaniards though not unto the Pope himself could get no other answer from them but the same denyal For so it was that on the first noise of the Nuncio's coming the business had been taken into consideration at the Council Table and strongly pleaded on both sides as mens judgements varied By some it was alleged in favour of the Nuncio's coming that Pope Pius was nothing of so rugged a nature as his Predessor that he had made a fair address unto the Queen by his last years Letters that his designs did most apparently tend to the peace of Christendome that the admitting of the Nuncio was a matter which 〈◊〉 nothing it being â—â—ill left in her Majesties power whether she would embrace or reject his Overtures but that the refusing to admit him to a publick audience was the most ready way to disoblige all Catholick Princes with whom she stood at that time in terms of amity On the other side it was alleged that King Henry
her in short time not only to protect her Merchants but command the Ocean Of which the Spaniard found good proof to his great loss and almost to his total ruine in the last 20 years of her glorious government And knowing right well that mony was the â—inew of war she fell upon a prudent and present course to fill her coffers Most of the monies in the Kingdom were of forein coynage brought hither for the most part by the Easterling and Flemish Merchants These she called in by Proclamation â—â—ted the 15th of November being but two dayes before the end of this 3d. year commanding them to be brought to her Majesties Mint there to be coyned and take the stamp of her Royal authority or otherwise not to pass for current within this Realm which counsel took such good effect that monies came flowing into the Mint insomuch that there was weekly brought into the Tower of London for the space of half a year together 8000. 10000. 12000. 16000. 20000. 22000 l. of silver plate and as much more in Pistols and other gold of Spanish coins which were great sums according to the standard of those early dayes and therefore no small profit to be growing to her by the coynage of them The Genevians slept not all this while but were as busily imployed in practising upon the Church as were the Romanists in plotting against the Queen Nothing would satisfie them but the nakedness and simplicity of the Zuinglian Churches the new fashions taken up at Franckfort and the Presbyteries of Geneva According to the pattern which they saw in those mounts the Church of England is to be modell'd nor would the Temple of Jerusalem have served their turn if a new Altar fashioned by that which they found at Damascus might not have been erected in it And they drove on so fast upon it that in some places they had taken down the steps where the Aâ—tar stood and brought the Holy Table into the midst of the Church in others they had laid aside the antient use of Godfathers and Godmothers in the administration of Baptism and left the answering for the child to the charge of the father The weekly Fasts the time of Lent and all other dayes of abstinence by the Church commanded were looked upon as superstitious observations No fast by them allowed of but occasional only and then too of their own appointing And the like course they took with the Festivals also neglecting those which had been instituted by the Church as humane inventions not fit to be retained in a Church reformed And finally that they might wind in there outlandish Doctrines with such forein usages they had procured some of the inferiour Ordinaries to impose upon their several Parishes certain new books of Sermons and Expositions of the holy Scripture which neither were required by the Queens Injunctions nor by Act of Parliament Some abuses also were discovered in the Regular Clergy who served in Churches of peculiar or exempt jurisdiction Amongst whom it began to grow too ordinary to marry all such as came unto them without Bains or Licence and many times not only without the privity but against the express pleasure and command of their Parents For which those Churches past by the name of Lawlesse Churches in the voice of the people For remedy whereof it was found necessary by the Archbishop of Canterbury to have recourse unto the power which was given unto him by the Queens Commission and by a clause or passage of the Act of Parliament for the Uniformity of Common Prayer and Service in the Church c. As one of the Commissioners for Causes Ecclesiastical he was authorized with the rest of his associates according to the Statute made in that behalf To reform redresse order correct and amend all such Errours Heresies Schisms abuses offences conâ—empts and enormities whatsoever as might from time to time arise in the Church of England and did require to be redressed and reformed to the pleasure of Almighty God the increase of vertue and conservation of the peace and unity of the Kingdom And in the passage of the Act before remembred it was especially provided That all such Ornaments of the Church and of the Ministers thereof should be retained and be in use as were in the Church of England by authority of Parliament in the second year of the Reign of King Edward the 6th until further Order should be therein taken by authority of the Queens Majesty with the advice of her Commissioners Appointed Ordered under the Great Seal of England for Causes Ecclesiastical or of the Metropolitan of this Realm And also if there shall happen any contempt or irreverence to be used in the Ceremonies or Rites of the Church by the misusing of the Orders of the said Book of Common Prayer the Queens Majesty might by the like advice of the said Commissioners or Metropolitan Ordain or publish such further Ceremonies or Rites as should be most for the advance of Gods glory the edifying of his Church and the due reverence of Christs holy Mysteries and Sacraments Fortified and assured by which double power the Archbishop by the Queens consent and the advice of some of the Bishops Commissionated and instructed to the same intent sets forth a certain book of Orders to be diligently observed and executed by all and singular persons whom it might concern In which it was provided That no Parson Vicar or Curate of any exempt Church commonly called Lawless Churches should from thenceforth attempt to conjoin by solemnization of Matrimony any not being of his or their Parish Church without sufficient testimony of the Bains being ask'd in the several Churches where they dwel or otherwise were sufficiently licenced That there should be no other dayes observed for Holy days or Fasting dayes as of duty and commandment but only such Holy dayes as be expressed for Holy dayes in the Calendar lately set forth by the Queens authority and none other Fasting dayes to be so commanded but as the Lawes and Proclamations of the Queens Majesty should appoint that it should not be lawful to any Ordinary to assign or enjoyn the Parishes to buy any Books of Sermons or Expositions in any sort than is already or shall be hereafter appointed by publick Authority that neither the Curates or Parents of the children which are brought to Baptism should answer for them at the Font but that the antient use of Godfathers and Godmothers should be still retained and finally that in all such Churches in which the steps to the Altar were not taken down the said steps should remain as before they did that the Communion Table should be set in the said place where the steps then were or had formerly stood and that the Table of Gods Precepts should be fixed upon the wall over the said Communion Board Which passage compared with that in the Advertisements published in the year 1565. of which more hereafter make up this construction that
might have done so also if they had not either been well watched or trusted upon their Parol to be forth-comming as the phrase is upon all occasions And though I find the name of Pates subscribed to some of the former Sessions yet it is not to be found to this the man being of a moderate and gentle spirit and possibly not willing to engage himself in any Counsels which might prove detrimental to his native country And as for Goldnel though his zeal to Popery was strong enough to carry him beyond the Seas yet it did not carry him so far as Trent there being so many retireing places nearer home in which he might repose himself with more contentment But leaving the Fathers in Trent to expect the comming of the holy Ghost in a cloak-bag from Rome according to the common scorn which was put upon them we must prepare our selves for England first taking in our way the affairs of France which now began to take up a great part of the thoughts of the Queen and her Council The Reformed Religion had made some entrance in that kingdome during the Reign of king â—rancis the first exceedingly dispersed and propagated in most parts thereof notwithstanding the frequent Martyrdoms of particular persons the great and terrible Massacres of whole Townships Commonalties and Churches even by hundreds and thousands in divers places of the Realm To which encrease the fickle nature of the French the diligence of their Preachers and the near neighbourhood of Genevâ— were of great advantage all which advantages were much improved by the authority and reputation which Calvin carried in those Churches and the contentment which the people took in a form of Government wherein they were to have a share by the rules of their Discipline and thereby draw the managery of affairs unto themselves Being grown numerous in the City of Tours and not permitted to enjoy the liberty of assembling within the walls they held their meetings at a village not far off for their publick Devotions the way to which leading through the gate of St. Hugo is thought to have occasioned the name of Hugonots which others think to have been given them by reason of their frequent nightly meetings resembled by the French to the walking of a Night-spirit which they called St. Hugh but from what ground soever it came it grew in short time to be generally given as a by-name to those which professed the Reformed Religion whether in France or else-where after Calvin's platform Their numbers not diminished by so many butcheries gave them the reputation of a party both stout and active which rendred them the subject of some jealousie to the Roman Catholicks and specially to those of the House of Guise who laboured nothing more than their extirpation But this severity sorted to no other effect than to confirm them in their Doctrines and attract many others to them who disdained to see poor people drawn every day to the Stake to be burned guilty of nothing but of zeal to worship God and to save their own souls To whom were joyned many others who thinking the Guisiards to be the cause of all the disorders in the Kingdom judged it an Heroick Act to deliver it from oppression by taking the publick Administration out of their hands But nothing more encreased their party than the accession of almâ—st all the Princes of the Blood of the House of Burbon the Chiefs whereof were the Duke of Vendosm who called himself King of Navarr in right of his Wife the Princes of Conde the Duke of Montpensier who finding themselves neglected by the Queen-Mother and oppressed by the Guisiards retired in no small discontments from the Court and being otherwise unable to make good their quarrels offered themselves as Leaders of the Hâ—gonot-faction who very cheerfully submitted to their rule and conduct The better to confirm their minds they caused the principal Lawyers of Germany and France and the most famous Protestant Divines to publish in writing that without violating the Majesty of the King and the dignity of the lawful Magistrate they might oppose with Arms the violent Domination of the House of Guise who did not onely labour to suppress the true Religion and obstruct the free passage of Justice but seemed to keep the King in prison Having thus formed their Party in the minority of King â—rancis the second their first design was that a great multitude should appear before the King without Arms to demand that the severity of the judgments might be mitigated and liberty of conscience granted intending that they should be followed by Gentlemen who should make supplication against the Government of the Guisiards But the purpose being made known to the Court the King was removed from Bloâ—sâ—n â—n open Town to the strong Castle of Amboise as if he could not otherwise be safe from some present Treason After which followed a strict inquiry after all those who had a hand in the design the punishment of some and the flight of others with the conclusion taken up by the Guisian faction to settle the Spanish Inquisition in the Realm of France To pacifie the present troubles an Edict is published by the King on the 18th of March 1560 in the French account for the pardoning of all who simply moved with the zeal of Religion had ingaged in the supposed conspiracy upon condition that they disarmed within 24 hours and after that another Edict by which a general pardon was indulged to all Reformatiâ—â—â— but so that all assemblies under the colour of Religion were prohibited by it and a charge laid upon the Bishops to take unto themselves the cognisance of all causes of Heresie in their several Diocesses But this so little edified with those of that party that greater tumults were occasioned by it in Provence Languedock and Poictoâ— To which places the Ministers of Geneva were called who most willingly came By whose Sermons the number of Protestants so increased in those Provinces and by their Agents in most others that in this year 1562. they were distributed into two thousand one hundred and fifty Churches as appeared upon a just computation of them But in the midst of these improvements the power and reputation of the side was shrewdly weakned by the falling off of Anthony Duke of Vendosme and King of 〈◊〉 who did not only openly forsake the party but afterwards joined himself in counsel and design against it with the Duke of Guise The foundâ—ing of so great a pillar threatned a quick ruine to the fabrick if some other butteress were not found to support the same The war was carried on from one place to another but seemed to aim most at the reduction of Normandâ— where the Hugonoâ—s had possessed themselves of some Towns and Casâ—les by which they might be able to distress the City of Paris and thereby make a great impression on the rest of the Kingdom It was thereupon advised by Lewis Prince of Coâ—de the
Cardinal Chastilion and other of the principal Leaders that they should put themselves under the protection of the Queen of England whâ— had not long before so seasonably relieved the Scots in the like distress No better counsel being offered nor any hope of succour to be had elsewhere the Vidame of Chartresse Governour at that time of the Port of Newhaven together with the Bayliâ—â— of Rowen the Seneshal of Diep and others made their address unto the Queen in the name of the Prince of Conde and of all the rest of the Confederates who professed the Gospel in that Kingdom they profered to her the said Towns whereof they had charge if it would please her Majesty to further their proceedings in defence of the Gospel as they called it And seemed to justifie their offer by a publick acknowledgement that her Majesty was not only true inheritour to those Towns but also to the whole Kingdom of France But neither their coming not their message was unknown unto her who had been secretly advertised of all passages there by Sir Nicholas Throgmorton a vigilant and dexterous man who being her Majesties Resident in that Kingdom had driven the bargain before hand and made all things in readiness against their coming Nor was the Queen hard to be intreated to appear in that cause which seemed so much to her advantage She was not ignorant of the pretensions of the Queen of Scots and the practices of her Uncles of the House of Guâ—se to advance her interess Who if they should possess themselves of all the strengths in the Dukedom of Normandy might from thence find an easie passage into England when she least looked for them On these and other considerations of the like importance it was agreed upon between them that the Queen should supply the Prince of Conde and his associates with a sufficient quantity of money corn and ammunition for the service of the French King against the plots and practices of the House of Guise that she should aid them with her forces both by land and sea for the taking in of such Castles Towns and Ports as were possessed by the faction of the said Duke that the said Prince of Conde and his associates should not come to any terms of peace with the opposite party without the privity and approbation of the Queen and that as well for securing the payment of all such monies as for the safe going in and out of all such forces as her Majesty should supply them with the Town and Port of Newhaven should be put unto her Majesties hands to be garrison'd by English souldiers and commanded by any person of quality whom her Majesty should authorise to keep and defend the same Immediately on which accord a Manifest was published in the name of the Queen in which it was declared how much she had preferred the peace of Christendom before her own particular intereâ—s that in persuance of that general affection to the publick peace she had relinquished her claim to the Town of Calais for the term of eight years when as all other Princes were restored by that Treaty to their lost estates that for the same reasons she had undertaken to preserve the Scots from being made vassals to the French without retaining any part of that Kingdom in her own possession after the service was performed that with the like bowels of commiseration she had observed how much the Queen-Mother of France was awed and the young King himself inthralled by the Guisian faction who in their names and under pretence of their authority endeavoured to root out the professors of the Reformed Religion that in persuance of that purpose they had caused such terrible massacres to be made at Vassey Paris Sene Tholouse â—loys Towers Angierâ— and other places that there were thought to be butchered no fewer than one hundred thousand of the naturall French between the first of March and the 20th of August then last past that with like violence and injustice they had treated such of her Majesties subjects as traded in the Ports of Bretagne whom they caused to be apprehended spoiled and miserably imprisoned such as endeavoured to preserve themselves to be cruelly killed their goods and merchandise to be seized without charging any other crime upon them but that they were Hâ—gonoâ—s and finally that in consideration of the Premises her Majesty could do no less than use her best endeavors for rescuing the French King and his Mother out of the power of that dangerous faction for aiding such of the French subjects as preferred the service of their King and the good of their Country before all other respects whatsoever for preserving the Reformed Religion from an universal destruction and the maintaining of her own subjects and Dominions in peace and safety Nor did she only publish the afoâ—esaid Manifest the better to satisfie all those whom it might concern in the reasons of her taking arms upon this occasion but she gives a more particulâ—â— account of it to the King of Spain whom she considered as the chief Patron of the Guisian League And knowing how unsafe it was for her to appear alone in a cause of that nature and importance she deals by Knollis and other of her Agents with the Princes of Germany to give their timely assistanâ—e to the Prince of Conde in maintenance of that Religion which themselves professed But howsoever not expecting the success of those counsels she proceeds to the supplying of the said Prince and his party with all things necessary for the war and sends over a sufficient strength of ships arms and men as well to scour the seas as secure the land The men amounting to 6000 were divided into two equal parts of which the one was destined to the defence of Rowen and Diepe then being in the hands of the Confederates the other to take possession of the Town of Newhaven which by the Townsmen and Inhabitants was joyfully surrender'd into the hands of the English The Town commodiously seated at the mouth of the Seine and having the command of a spacious Bay in former times not much observed or esteemed But being more carefully considered of by King Francis the first he caâ—sed the Bay to be inlarged the passages into iâ— cleared and the entrances of it to be strongly fortified which falling into the hands of any enemy might have destroyed the trade of Rowen and Paris being both built upon the River Called for this reason Franciscopolis by our Latine Writers Newhaven by the English Merchant and Haver d' Grace by reason of the beauty of it amongst the French it hath been looked on ever since as a place of consequence For her Commander in Chief she sends over the Lord Ambrose Dudley the eldest son then living of the late Duke of Northumberland whom on the 26th of December she had created Lord Lislâ— and Earl of Warwick And he accordingly preparing for his passage over took shipping at Portsmouth on the 17th
of October but was so hindered by cross winds that he could not reach the Town till the 29th where he was solemnly received with a peal of Ordnance On the morrow after he received into the Town a Troop of Light-horse-men all Scots and of the Regiment of Count Montgomery which were sent to him from the Port of Diep and the next day he took the Oath of his principal Officers on whose fidelity and courage the safâ—ty of the place seemed most to depend On the 4th of November a Bark belonging to the Town brought in four Merchants Ships of Bretagne fraughted for the most part with Gascoin Wines as afterwards two more with the like commodity which proved a great refreshment to the souldiers in it And on the 6th the Reingrave shewed himself upon the top of the hills with two thousand foot betwixt whom and the garison souldiers of Hareflew on the one side and those of Newhaven on the other the remainder of the year was taken up in continual skirmishes Cross we next over into Scotland that we may see in what condition our affairs stood there The death of the late French King had made that Kingdom so uncomfortable to the Queen of Scots that she desired to hasten back into her own And thereunto she was much animated by the Heads of either faction but on different ends Her presence earnestly solicited by the Popish party in hope by her authority to suppress their opposites and by the Protestants on some strong presumptions that they could deal better with her when they had her there than when she was protected by the power of France and governed by the counsels of the Guisian faction Before her leaving of that Kingdom she had been pressed by Throgmorton the English Resident to ratifie the Pacification mâ—de at Edenborough to which she would by no means yield till she had advised with the nobility and other of her subjects of the Realm of Scotland This makes the Queen of England doubtful that she should be deserted by the Scots of the Congregation to whom she had done so many good offices in the time of their troubles But having dealt with some of the chief amongst them she found a resolution in them for adhering to her which so assured her on that side that she feared but little danger from the Queen and her party whensoever she came Which notwithstanding it was held to be the safer course to intercept her if they could in her passage thither And to that end a squadron of ships was sent to sea but under colour of suppressing some Pirates by whom the trade of merchandise was given out to be hindered But the taking of one of the Scotish ships with the Earl of Eglington and other passengers of that Nation were making homewards declared sufficiently that they looked for a far richer prize But for the Queen of Scots her self by reason of a thick fog which hung over the seas she past by the English unperceived and landed at the Port of Leeth on the 20th of August Anno 1561. From thence she sends Lethington the younger with Letters to the Queen of England tending especially to express that great love and kindness which she bare to her as to her dearest friend and Sister and the desire she had to continue in true and sincere friendship with her At what time she received letters also to the same effect from some of the Nobility of that Kingdom In which they signified withall That the surest way to continue amity and friendship betwixt them two were to declare the Queen of Scots to be her next and lawful heir to the Kingdom of England But this demand as it was unlooked for so was it of too high a nature to be hastily answered So that the Laird of Lethington could prevail no further at that time than to gain a promise from the Queen that she would do nothing to the prejudice of the Title of her Cosen of Scotland The rest was left to be considered of in a personal conference appointed to be held at York in the end of June Which motion first proceeded from the Queen of Scots who was thought to have been earnest and real in it partly for making a firm peace with her 〈◊〉 of England and partly to make her self known to the principal subjects of that Country Neither was the meeting disliked of the better sort as thinking it would serve besides the preservation of the common peace to bring her to a liking of the Reformed Religion But they who were popishly set fearing greatly the conference spake openly against it saying that of such interviews there was never seen any good effect and that it would not be safe for the Queen of Scots to put heâ— self into the power of her to whose Kingdom she had made a claim But notwithstanding these unprofitable deliberations the interview was agreed upon and the numbers on either side determined and all things provided for the journey when suddenly the Queen of England by her Letters excused her self desiring that it might be respited till the year next following Which the Scots Queen was not sorry to hear upon further thoughts considering how much the French King and her Uncles of the House of Guise might have been dissatisfied on the newes of that Inter-Parleance Neither did Queen Elizabeth want her reasons to decline the meeting which some believe was never really intended by her but that she hoped the fail would have been on 〈◊〉 other side which would have given her the same cause of quarrel against the daughter which King Henry took against the father on the like disappointment Others conceived that she might fear a growing less by it in the eyes of her people the Queen of Scots having so many advantages above her both in youth and beauty But it was generally concluded to be against all reason of State to give her Rival opportunity of growing gracious with the Nobility and Gentry of England and laying the foundation of a faction in the Court it self But the Queen had deeper matters to take up her thoughts than any such feminine jealousies and emulations though these perhaps might also have their place amongst them A spirit of sedition had begun to shew it self in the year last past upon the bare noise of the coming of the Nuncio hither Not much diminished if it were not much increased by the sitting of the Council of Trent in which it was believed that some proceedings would be had against her Which seeds being sowen began first to shew themselves in a petit rebellion in Merton College in Oxon sufficiently discovered by those small beginnings that some design of greater consequence was in agitation The Wardenship of that house being void by the death of Gervase one Man is chosen to the place But his election being questioned and his admission thereupon opposed by a contrary faction the goverâ—ment of the College devolved of course upon one Hall a
then being and therefore that he could not consent to the holding of a Convocation in that place without some Declaâ—ation to be made by the Archbishops Bishops that their holding the Convocation in the same should not be taken or intended for any violation of the rights privileges that belong'd unto it which was accordingly perform'd It was â—n the 19th day of January that these formalities were transacted at whâ—t time the Archbishops and Bishops having first had some secret communication amongst themselves about the Articles of Religion established in King 〈◊〉 time râ—quired the Prolocutor and six others of the Lower Hâ—use of Convocation to repair unto them By whom it was signified unto their Lordships that some of the Clergy had prepared certain Bills containing a specification of such matters as were conceived to be amiss in the state of the Church and that the Articles of Religion agreed upon in the Reign of King Edward the 6th had been delivered unto others to be considered of corrected and accommodated as they found it necessary Being encouraged in the last and furthered by the diligence of some of the Bishops who were employed in the same work the Articles were agreed upon publickly read before the Bishops in the Chapter-house of St. Paul on the 29th of the same month and by all of them subscribed with great unanimity The Prelates had observed some deviation from the Doctrine of King Edward's Reign which had been made by the Calviniâ—n on Zuinglian Gospellers in the Articles of Predestination Grace Free-will and final perseverance Nor could they but take notice with how little reverence the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was administred and the Authority of the Church despised by too many of the same party also which they were willing to impute to the want of some known rule amongst them by which they were to regulate their judgments and conform their actions To which end it was thought expedient that the Book of Articles agreed upon in Convocation Anno 1552. should be revised and accommodated to the use of the Church the Queens leave being first obtained for their warrant in it In the managing of which great business I know not whether I should more admire their moderation or their wisdome Their wisdome eminent in not suffering any Outlandish Divine who might drive on a different interess from that of the Church either to vote amongst them or carry any stroke in their consultations Their moderation no less visible in declining all unnecessary determinations which rather tended to the multiplying of controversies and ingendring strifes than either unto edification or increase of piety So that they seemed to have proceeded by those very Rules which King James so much approved of in the conference at Hampton Court First in not separating further from the Church of Rome in points of Discipline or Doctrine than that Church had separated from what she was in her purest times Secondly in not stuffing the Book of Articles with all Conclusions Theological in which a latitude of judgement was to be allowed as far as it might be consistent with peace and charity and Thirdly in not thrusting into it every opinion or Position negative which might have made it somewhat like Mr. Craiges Confession in the Kirk of Scotland who with his I renounce and I abhor his detestations and abrenunciations did so amaze the simple people as the King observeth that not being able to conceive or understand all those points utterly gave over all and fell back to Popery or else remained in their former ignorance Upon which grounds as they omitted many whole Articles and qualified the expressions of some others in King Edward's book so were they generally very sparing in defining any thing which was meerly matter of moduliâ—y or de modo only As namely touching the manner of Christs presence in the Holy Eucharist the manner of effecting grace by the blessed Sacraments or of the operation of Gods grace in a mans conversion Which rules being carefully observed by all the Bishops on whose authority and consent the greatest part of the whole Work did seem to rest and all particulars agreed upon amongst themselves it was no wonder if they passed their Votes without contradiction But in taking the subscriptions of the lower house there appeared more difficulty For though they all testified their consent unto them on the said 29th of January either by words express or by saying nothing to the contrary which came all to oâ—e yet when subscription was required many of the Calvinians or Zuinglian-Gospellers possibly some also which enclined rather to their old Religion and who found themselves unsatisfied in some particulars had demurred upon it With this demur their Lordships are acquainted by the Prolocutor on the 5th of February By whom their Lordships were desired in the name of that House that such who had not hitherto subscribed the Articles might be ordered to subscribe in their own proper house or in the presence of their Lordships Which request being easily granted drew on the subscription of some others but so that many still remained in their first unwillingness An Order thereupon is made by their Lordships on the â—oth then following that the Prolocutor should return the names of all such persons who refused subscription to the end that such further course might be taken with them as to their Lordships should seem most fit After which we hear no news of the like complaints and informations which makes it probable if not concluded that they all subscribed And being thus subscribed by all they were soon after published both in English and Latine with this following Title that is to say Articles agreed upon by the Archbishops and Bishops of both Provinces and the whole Clergy in the Convocation holden at London in the year 1562. for the avoiding of diversities of opinions and establishing consent touching true Religion But what they were and wherein they agreed or differed with or from those established by King Edward the 6th shall be referred for the avoiding of all interruptions in the course of this History to a place more proper Nothing else brought to a conclusion by them but the Bill of Subsidy which having past that House was confirmed in Parliament Nothing else brought into conclusion though many things were had in deliberation On Friday the 5th of February the Bishops of Salisbury Exon St David's and Lichfield were appointed by the rest of the Prelates to examine a Catechism which it seems was presented to them But being by them remitted to the consideration of the lower house they were advertised by Day and Sampson on the 3d. of March that the said house unanimously had approved thereof And there it rested for that time and for ever after nothing being done in confirmation of it as a publick Doctrine by whomsoever it was written nor any further speech made of it in the time succeeding Which fortune also hapned to a Book of Discipline projected
amongst some of the Clergy and render'd to the Bishops by the Prolocutor and ten others of that House on the 26th of February To which some additionals being made by the first contrivers it was a second time tender'd to them by the Prolocutor in the name of the lower House of Convocation by whom it had been generally and unanimously recommended to them But the Bishops let this sleep also as they did the other More was it to the profit of the Clergy generally to make inquiry into certain Articles which by the Archbishop with the consent of all the rest of the Prelates were delivered in writing The Tenour of which Articles was 1. Whether if the Writ of Melius inquirendum be sent forth there be any likelyhood that it will return to the Queens profit 2. Whether some Benefices ratably be not less than they be already valued 3. That they enquire of the manner of dilapidations and other spoliations that they can remember to have passed upon their Livings and by whom 4. To signifie how they have been used for the levying of the arrerages of tenths and Subsidies and for how many years past 5. As also how many Benefices they find that are charged with pensions newly imposed to discharge the pensions of Religious persons 6. And lastly to certifie how many Benefices are vacant in every Diocess But what return was made upon these enquiries I find as little in the Acts of this Convocation as either in allowance of the Catechism or the Book of Discipline Religion and the State being thus fortified and secured in England it will not be amiss to see what they do in Scotland where the young Queen was graciously enclined to forget all injuries and grant more liberty to her subjects in the free exercising and enjoying of their own perswasions than she could gain unto her self For in a Parliament held in May within few months after the end of that in England the Act for oblivion formerly condescended to in the Treaty at Edenborough was confirmed and ratified but without reference to that Treaty the results whereof the Queen by no means would acknowledge to be good and valid And thereupon it was advised that the Lords should supplicate on their knees in the House of Parliament for the passing of it which was accordingly performed by them and vouchsafed by her There also past some other Acts of great advantage to the Church as affairs then stood that is to say one Act for the repairing and upholding of Parish Churches and the Church-yards of the same for burial of the dead Another against letting Parsonages Glebes or Houses into long Leases or Fee But this came somewhat of the latest a great part of the Tythes Houses and possessions which belonged to the Church having been formerly aliened or demised for a very long term by the Popish Clergy when they perceived they were not likely to enjoy them longer for themselves But on the other side no safety or protection could be found for her own Religion no not so much as in the Chapel-Royal or the Regal City In contempt whereof a force was violently committed in the month of August in the Chapel of the Palace of Holy Rood House the Whitehall of Edenborough where certain of the Queens servants were assembled for their own devotions the dores broke open some of the company haled to the next prison and the rest dispersed the Priest escaping with much difficulty by a private passage The Queen was then absent in the North but questioned Knox at her return as the cause of the uproar By which expostulation she got nothing from that fiery spirit but neglect and scorn Return we back again to France where we find some alternations of affairs between the French King and the Reingrave on the one side the English and confederate Princes on the other but so that fortune seemed most favourable to the English party The Church of Hattivil a neighbouring Village to Newhaven taken and garrison'd by the Reingrave but presently abandoned and repossessed by the English The Castle of Tankervile cunningly taken by the English and soon after regained by the Reingrave The City and Castle of Cane held with a strong Garison by the Marquiss d' Elbeuffe and besiâ— ged by the confederate forces both French and English and finally surrender'd to the Admiral Chastilion to the use of the Princes March the 2d After which followed the surrendry of Bayeulx Faleise St. Lods and divers other Towns and Castles The Town of Hareflew on the Seine gallantly taken by the help of the English of Newhaven on the 10th and garrison'd by such souldiers and inhabitants as was sent from thence Which fortunate successes so amazed the heads of the Guisian faction that they agreed unto an Edict of pacification by which the French Princes were restored to the Kings favor the Hugonots to the free exercise of their own Religion and all things setled for the present to their full contentment But they must buy this happiness by betraying the English whom they had brought into the Country and join their forces with the rest to drive them out of Newhaven if they would not yield it on demand Of this the Queen had secret notice and offereth by Throgmorton to deliver up Newhaven in exchange for Callis The French resolve to hold the one and recover the other so that new forces are sent over to make good the Town The French draw toward it in great numbers under the conduct of the Marshals of Brissack and Mont Morency followed not long after by the Constable himself with many other French Lords of the highest quality The siege growes close and the service very hot on both sides but the English had a fiercer enemy within the Town than any whom they found without The pesâ—ilence had got in amongst them and raged so terribly for the time that the living were scarce able to bury the dead And to compleat the miseries of the besieged the Prince of Conde and the Duke of Montpensier shewed themselves openly amongst the rest in the Camp of the enemies that the last act of the Tragedy might be plaid in their presence All things conspiring thus against them the English are necessitated to a capitulation by which they left the Town behind them on the 29th of July but carried the plague with them into England Which might by some be looked on as an argument of Gods displeasure on this Nation for giving aid unto the Rebels of a Christian Prince though masked with the vizard of Religion Passe we on further toward Trent where we find the Fathers in high displeasure against Queen Elizabeth exasperated by her aiding the French Hugonots against their King But more for passing the Statute above mentioned for punishing all those which countenanced and maintained the Popes authority within her dominions The Pope hereby so much incensed that he dispatched a Commission to the Fathers of Trent to proceed to an
following they were dismist with many rich Presents and an annual pension from the Queen conducted honourably by the Lord Aburgavenny to the Port of Dover and there shipped for Calais filling all places in the way betwixt that and Baden with the report of the magnificence of their entertainment in the Court of England And that the Glories of their entertainment might appear the greater it hapned that Rambouillet a French Ambassador came hither at that time upon two solemnities that is to say to be installed Knight of the Garter in the place and person of that King and to present the Order of St Michael the principal Order of that Kingdom to Thomas Duke of Norfolk and the Earl of Leicester The one performed with the accustomed Pomps and Ceremonies in the Chapel of St George at Windsor the other with like State and splendour in the Royal Chapel at Whitehall Such a well tempered piety did at that time appear in the Devotions of the Church of England that generally the English Papists and the Ambassadors of forein Princes still resorted to them But true it is that at that time some zealots of the Church of Rome had begun to slacken their attendance not out of any new dislike which they took at the service but in regard of a Decree set forth in the Council of â—rent prohibiting all resort to the Churches of Hereticks Which notwithstanding the far greater part continued in their first obedience till the coming over of that Roaring Bull from Pope Pius the 5th by which the Queen was excommunicated the subjects discharged from their obedience to the Laws and the going or not going to the Church made a sign distinctive to difference a Roman Catholick from an English Protestant And it is possible enough that they might have stood much longer to their first conformity if the discords brought into the Church by the Zuinglian faction together with their many innovations both in Doctrine and Discipline had not afforded them some further ground for the desertion For in this year it was that the Zuinglian or Calvinian faction began to be first known by the name of Puritans if Genebrard Gualier and Spondanus being all of them right good Chronologers be not mistaken in the time Which name hath ever since been appropriate to them because of their pretending to a greater Purity in the service of God than was held forth unto them as they gave it out in the Common Prayer Book and to a greater opposition to the Rites and Usages of the Church of Rome than was agreeable to the constitution of the Church of England But this Purity was accompanied with such irreverence this opposition drew along with it so much licenciousnesse as gave great scandal and offence to all sober men so that it was high time for those which had the care of the Church to look narrowly unto them to give a check to those disorders and confusions which by their practices and their preachings they had brought into it and thereby laid the ground of that woful schism which soon after followed And for a check to those disorders they published the Advertisement before remembred subscribed by the Archbishop of Canâ—erbury the Bishops of London Winchester Ely Lincoln Rochester and other of her Majesties Commissioners for Causes Ecclesiastical according to the Statute made in that behalf This was the only present remedy which could then be thought of And to prevent the like confusions for the time to come a Protestation was devised to be taken by all Parsons Vicars and Curates in their several stations by which they were required to declare and promise That they would not preach not publickly interpret but only read that which is appointed by publick authority without special Licence of the Bishop under his Seal that they would read the Service plainly distinctly and audibly that all the people might hear and understand that they would keep the Register book according to the Queens Majesties Injunctions that they would use sobriety in apparel and especially in the Church at Common Prayers according to Order appointed that they would move the Parishioners to quiet and concord and not give them cause of offence and help to reconcile them that be at variance to their utmost power that they would read dayly at the least one Chapter of the Old Testament and another of the New with good advisement to the increase of their knowledge that they would in their own persons use and exercise their Office and Place to the honour of God and the quiet of the Queens subjects within their charge in truth concord and unity as also observe keep and maintain such Order and Uniformity in all external Policy Rites and Ceremonies of the Church as by the Lawes good usages and Orders are already well provided and established and finally that they would not openly meddle with any Artificers occupations as covetously to seek a gain thereby having in Ecclesiastical Livings twenty Nobles or above by the year Which protestation if it either had been generally pressed upon all the Clergy as perhaps it was not or better kept by them that took it the Church might questionlesse have been saved from those distractions which by the Puritan Innovators were occasioned in it Anno Reg. Eliz. 8. A. D. 1565 1566. THus have we seen the publick Liturgy confirmed in Parliament with divers penalties on all those who either did reproach it or neglect to use it or wilfully withdrew their attendance from it the Doctrine of the Church declared in the Book of Articles agreed upon in Convocation and ratified in due form of Law by the Queens authority external matters in officiating Gods publick service and the apparel of the Clergy regulated and reduced to their first condition by the Books of Orders and Advertisements Nothing remaineth but that we settle the Episcopal Government and then it will be time to conclude this History And for the setling of this Government by as good authority as could be given unto it by the Lawes of the Land we aâ—e beholden to the obstinacy of Dr Edmond Bonner the late great slaughter-man of London By a Statute made in the last Parliament for keeping her Majesties Subjects in their due obedience a power was given unto the Bishops to tender and receive the oath of Supremacy of all manner of persons dwelling and residing in their several Diocesses Bonner was then prisoner in the Clink or Marshalsea which being in the Burrough of Southwark brought him within the Jurisdiction of Horn Bishop of Winchester by whose Chancellor the Oath was tender'd to him On the refusal of which Oath he is endicted at the Kings Bench upon the Statute to which he appeared in some Term of the year foregoing and desires that counsel be assigned to plead his cause according to the course of the Court The Court assigns him no worse men than Christopher Wâ—ay afterwards chief Justice of the Common Pleas that famous Lawyer Edmond
Anno 1552. as also of the Review thereof by the Bishops and Clergy assembled in their Convocation under Queen Elizabeth Anno 1562. which being compared with one another will appear most plainly neither to be altogether the same nor yet much different the later being rather an explication of the former where the former seemed to be obscure or not expressed in such full and significant tearms as they after were than differing from them in such points wherein they dissented from the Romanists and some modern Hereticks But what these differences were both for weight and number the Reader may observe by seeing the Articles laid before him in their several Columns as hereafter followeth wherein the variations are presented in a different character or otherwise marked out by their several figures in the line and margin Which was first done with reference to some Annotations intended once upon the same for shewing the reason of those Additions Substractions and other alterations which were thought necessary to be made to and in King Edward's Book by the Bishops and Clergy in their Convocation Anno 1562. But that design being laid aside as not so compatible with the nature of our present History the Articles shall be laid down plainly as they are in themselves leaving the further consideration of the differences which occur between them to the Reader 's care Articles agreed upon by the Bishops and other learned men 1 in the Convocation held at London in the year 1552. for the avoiding of Diversitities of Opinions and stablishing consent touching true Religion Published by the Kings Authority Articles agreed upon by the Archbishops and Bishops of both Provinces and the whole Clergy in the Convocation holden at London in the year 1562. for the avoiding of Diversities of Opinions and stablishing consent tonching true Religion Publish'd by the Queens Authority I. Of Faith in the holy Trinity THere is but one living and true God everlasting without body parts or passions of infinite power wisdom and goodness the Maker and Preserver of all things both visible and invisible And in Unity of this Godhead there are three Persons one Substance Power and Eternity the Father the Son and the holy Ghost I. Of Faith in the holy Trinity THere is but one living and true God Everlasting without body parts or passions of infinite power wisdom and goodness the Maker and Preserver of all things both visible and invisible And in Unity of this Godhead there be three Persons of one Substance Power and Eternity the Father the Son and the holy Ghost II. The Word of God made very Man The Son which is the Word of the Father took mans nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin of her substance So that two whole and perfect Natures that is to say the 2 Godhead Manhood were joyn'd together in one Person never to be divided whereof is one Christ very God and very Man who truly suffered was crucified dead and buried to reconcile his Father to us and to be a sacrifice not onely for original guilt but also for actual sins of men II. Of the Word or Son of God which was made very Man The Son which is the Word of the Father begotten from everlasting of the Father the very and eternal God of one Substance with the Father 2 took Man's nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin c. III. Of the going down of Christ into Hell As Christ dyed for us and was buried so also is it to be believed that he went down into Hell 3 For his Body lay in the Grave till his Resurrection but his Soul being separate from his Body remained with the Spirits which were detained in prison that is to say in Hell and there preached unto them as witnesseth that place of Peter III. Of the going down of Christ into Hell As Christ dyed for us and was buried so also it is to be believed that he went down into Hell IV. The Resurrection of Christ. Christ did truly rise again from death and took again his Body with flesh bones and all things appertaining to the perfection of man's nature wherewith he ascended into heaven and there fitteâ—h till he return to judg all men at the last day IV. Of the Resurrection of Christ. Christ did truly rise again from death and took again his Body with flesh bones c. 5 V. Of the holy Ghost The holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Son is of one Substance Majesty and Glory with the Father and the Son very and eternal God V. The Doctrine of the holy Scripture is sufficient to salvation Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation so that whatsoever is not read therein nor may be proved thereby although sometimes it may be admitted 6 by Gods faithful people as pious and conducing unto order and decency yet is not to be required of any man that it should be 7 believed as an Article of the faith or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation VI. Of the sufficiency of the holy Scriptures for salvation Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation so that whatsoever is not read therein nor may be proved thereby is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an Article of the Faith or be thought necessary or requisite to salvation In the name of the holy Scripture 7 we do understand those Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church that is to say Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1st of Samuel 2d of Samuel c. And the other Books as Hierom saith the Church doth read for example of life and instruction of manners but yet doth it not apply them to establish any Doctrine such are these following The 3d. of Esdras The 4th of Esdras The Book of Tobias The Book of Judeth The rest of the Book of Hester The Book of Wisdom c. All the Books of the New Testament as they are commonly received we do receive and account them Canonical VI. The Old Testament is not to be rejected The Old Testament is not to be rejected as if it were contrary to the New but to be retained Forasmuch as in the Old Testament as in the New everlasting life is offered to Mankind by Christ who is the onely Mediatior betwixt God and Man being both God and Man Wherefore they are not to be heard who feign that the old Fathers did look onely â—or transitory Promises VII Of the Old Testament The Old Testament is not contraâ—y to the New for both in the Oâ—d and the New Testament Everlasting life is offered Mankind by Christ c. 8 Although the Law given from Gâ—d by Moses as touching Ceremonies and Rites do not bind Christian men nor the Civil Precepts theâ—eof ought of necâ—ssiâ—y to be received in any Commonwealth yet notwithstanding no Christian man whatsoever is free from the obedience of the
rather to their condemnation do eat and drink the Sign or Sacrament of so great a thing XXX Of Both Kinds 32 The Cup of the Lord is not to be denyed to the Lay People For both the parts of the Lords Sacrament by Christs Ordinance and Commandment ought to be ministred to all Christian People alike _____ XXX Of the one Oblation of Christ finished upon the Crosse. The Offering of Christ once made is the perfect Redemption Propitiation and Satisfaction for all the sins of the whole World both Original and Actual and there is none other Satisfaction for sin but that alone Wherefore the Sacrifices of Masses in which it was commonly said that the Priests did offer Christ for the quick and the dead to have remission of pain or guilt were fables and dangerous deceits XXXI Of the one Oblation of Christ finished upon the Crosse. The offering of Christ once made is the perfect Redemption c. were blasphemous fables and 33 dangerous deceits XXXI A single Life is imposed on none by the Word of God Bishops Priests and Deacons are not commanded by God's Law either to vow the estate of a single life or to abstain from Marriage XXXII Of the Marriage of Priests Bishops Priests and Deacons are not commanded by Gods Law c. Therefore it is lawful also for them 34 as for all other Christian men to marry at their own discretion as they shall judge the same to serve better to godlinesse XXXII Excommunicated Persons are to be avoided That person which by open Denunciation of the Church is rightly cut off from the unity of the Church and Excommunicated ought to be taken of the whole multitude of the faithful as an Heathen and Publican untill he be openly reconciled by Penance and received into the Church by a Judge which hath authority thereunto XXXIII Of Excommunicated Persons how they are to be avoided That person which by open Denunciation of the Church c. XXXIII Of the Traditions of the Church It is not necessary that Traditions and Ceremonies be in all places one and utterly like for at all times they have been divers and may be changed according to the diversities of Countries Times and mens Manners so that nothing be ordained against Gods Word Whosoever through his private judgment willingly and purposely doth openly break the Traditions and Ceremonies of the Church which be not repugnant to the Word of God and be ordained and approved by common Authority ought to be rebuked openly that others may fear to do the like as he that offendeth against the common Order of the Church and hurteth the Authority of the Magistrate and woundeth the Consciences of the weak Brethren XXXIV Of the Traditions of the Church It is not necessary that Traditions and Ceremonies c. Every particular or National Church 35 hath Authority to ordain change or aboâ—ish Ceremonies or Rites of the Church ordained onely by Man's Authority so that all things be done to edifying XXXIV Of the Homilies The Homilies lately delivered 36 and commended to the Church of England by the Kings Injunctionâ— do contain a godly and wholsome Doctrine and fit to be embraced by all men and for that cause they are diligently plainly and distinctly to be read to the People XXXV Of Homilies The second Book of Homilies the several Titles whereof we have joyned under this Article doth contain a godly and wholsome Doctrin and necessary for the times as doth the former Book of Homilies which were set forth in the time of Edward the sixth and therefore we judge them to be read in Churches by the Ministers diligently and distinctly that they may be understood of the People The names of the Homilies Of the Right use of the Church Of Repairing Churches Against the Peril of Idolatry Of Good Works c. XXXV Of the Book of Common Prayer and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England The Book lately delivered to the Church of England by the Authority of the King and Parliament 37 containing the manner and form of publick Prayer and the ministration of the Sacraments in the said Church of England as also the Book published by the same Authority for Ordering Ministers in the Church are both of them very pious as to â—uth of Doctrine in nothing contrary but agreeable to the wholsome Doctrine of the Gospel which they do very much promote and illustrate And for that cause they are by all faithful Members of the Church of England but chiefly of the Ministers of the Word with all thankfulness and readiness of mind to be received approved and commended to the People of God XXXVI Of Consecration of Bishops and Ministers The Book of Consecration of 38 Archbishops and Bishops and ordering of Priests and Deacons lately set forth in the time of King Edward the sixth and confirmed at the same time by Authority of Parliament doth contain all things necessary to such Consecration and Ordering Neither hath it any thing that of it self is superstitious and ungodly And therfore whosoever are Consecrated or ordered according to the Rites of that Book since the second year of the afore-named King Edward unto this time or hereafter shall be Consecrated or ordered according to the same Rites we decree all such to be rightly orderly and lawfully Consecrated and Ordered XXXVI Of the Civil Magistrates The King of England is after Christ 39 the Supream Head on Earth of the Church of England and Ireland The Bishop of Rome hath no Jurisdiction in this Realm of England The Civil Magistrate is ordained and approved by God and therefore are to be obeyed not onely for fear of wrath but for conscience sake Câ—vil or temporal Laws may punish Christian men with death for heinous and grievous offences It is lawful for Christian men at the commandment of the Magistrate to wear Weapons and serve in the Wars XXXVII Of the Civil Magistrates The Queens Majesty hath the chief Power in this Realm of England and other her Dominions unto whom the chief Government of all Estates of this Realm whether they be Ecclesiastical or Civil in all cases doth appertain and is not nor ought to be subject to any Forein Jurisdiction Where we attribute to the Queens Majesty the chief Government 40 by which Titles we understand the minds of some slanderous folks to be offended We give not to our Princess the Ministry either of Gods Word or of the Sacraments the which thing the Injunctions lately set forth by Elizabeth our Queen do most plainly testifie but that onely Prerogative which we see to have been given always to all godly Princes in holy Scriptutes by God himself that is that they should rule all Estates committed to their charge by God whether they be Ecclesiastical or Temporal and restrain with the Civil Sword the stubborn and evil doers The Bishop of Rome hath no Jurisdiction in this Realm of England The Laws of this Realm may punish Christian men with death
he had example and Authority for at that very time for in the year 1520 being but ten years before the setting forth of this Proclamation Monseiur a' Lautreth Governour for the French King in the Dukedome of Millain taking a displeasure against Pope Leo the tenth deprived him of all his jurisdiction within the Dukedom And that being donâ— he so disposed of all Ecclesiasticall affairs that the Church there was supremely governed by the Bishop of Bigorre a Bishop of the Church of France without the intermedling of the Pope at all The like we find to have been done by the Emperour Charles the fifth who being no lesse displeased with Pope Clement the eighth abolished the Papal power and jurisdiction out of all the Churches of his Kingdome in Spain which though it held but for a while till the breach was closed yet left he an example by it as my Author noteth that there was no necessity of any Pope or supreme Pastor in the Church of Christ. And before either of these Acts or Edicts came in point of practice the learned Gerson Chancellor of the University of Paris when the Popes power was greater far then it was at the present had writ and published a discourse entituled De auferibilitaâ—e Papae touching the totall abrogating of the Papall Office Which certainly he had never done had the Papall Office been found essentiall and of intrinsecall concernment to the Church of Christ. According unto which position of that learned man the greatest Princes of those times did look upon the Pope and the Papall power as an Excrescence at the least in the body mysticall subject and fit to be pared off as occasion served And if they did or do permit him to retain any part of his former greatnesse it is permitted rather upon selfe-ends or Reasons of state or otherwise to serve their turn by him as their 〈◊〉 requireth then out of any opinion of his being so necessary that the Church cannot be well governed or subsist without him But leaving these disputes to some other place we must return unto the Queen To whom some Lords are sent in the end of May an 1531. declaring to her the determinations of the Universities concerning the pretended â—â—rriage betwixt her and the King And therewith they demanded of her whether for quieting the King's conscience and putting an end to that debate she would be content to refer the matter to four Bishops and four temporall Lords But this she absolutely refused saying She was his lawful Wife that she would stand to her Appeal and condescend to nothing in that particular but by the counsel of the Emperour and the rest of her friends This answer makes the King more resolute more open in the demonstration of his affections to the Lady Anne Bollen whom he makes Marchionesse of Pembrook by his Letters Patents bearing date the first of September 1532. takes her along with him to Callis in October following there to behold the glorious enterview betwixt him and the French King and finally privately marrieth her within few dayes after his return the divorce being yet unsentenced betwixt him and the Queen Not long after which it was thought necessary to the King to call a Parliament wherein he caused an Act to passe that no person should appeal for any cause out of this Realm to the Pope of Rome but that all Appeals should be made by the party grieved from the Commissary to the Bishop from the Bishop to the Archbishop and from the Archbishop to the King as had been anciently observed amongst the first Kings of the House of Normandy It was also enacted in the same that all causes Ecclesâ—aticall Cognisances in which the King himself was a Party should be determined finally in the Upper-House of Convocation without being bound to make recourse to the Court of Rome During the sitting of which Parliament it is declared by Proclamation that Queen Katherine should no longer be called Queen but Princesse Dowager as being the Widow of Prince Arthur not the Wife of King Henry Warham Archbishop of Canterbury in the mean time dying Cranmer is designed for his Successor in that eminent dignity which he unwillingly accepts of partly in regard that he was married at that time and partly in reference to an Oath which he was to take unto the Pope at his Consecration But the King was willing for his own ends to wink at the one and the Pope was not in a condition as the case then stood to be too peremptory in the other So that a Protestation being admitted of not being otherwise bound to the Pope than should be found agreeable to the Word of God and the Laws and Statuâ—es of the Realm he takes his Oath and receives the Episcopall Consecration the 30th of March 1533. the Parliament still sitting which before we spake of At his first entrance into the House of Convocation he propounds two Questions to be considered and disputed by the Bishops and Clergy the first was Whether the marrying of a Brother's wife carnally known though without any issue by him be so prohibited by the Will and Word of God as not to be dispenc'd withall by the Pope of Rome The second was Whether it did appear upon the Evidence given in before the Cardinalls that Katherine had been carnally known by Prince Arthur or not Both Questions being carried in the Affirmative though not without some Opposition in either House in the first especially it was concluded thereupon in the Convocation and not long after in the Parliament also That the King might lawfully proceed to another Marriage These preparations being made the Marriage precondemned by Convocation and all Appeals to Rome made ineffectuall by Act of Parliament the new Archbishop upon his own desire motion contain'd in his Letters of the 11th of April is authorised by the King under his Signe Manuall to proceed definitively in the Cause Who thereupon accompanied with the Bishops of London Winchester Wells and Lincoln and diveâ—s other persons to serve as Officers in that Court repaired to Dunstable in the begining of May and having a convenient place prepared in the form of a Consistory they sent a Citation to the Princesse Dowager who was then at Amptill a Mannor-house of the King 's about six miles off requiring her to appear before them at the day appointed which day being come and no appearance by her made either in Person or by Proxie as they knew there would not she is called peremptorily every day fifteen days together and every day there was great poasting betwixt them and the Court to certifie the King and Cromwell a principall stickler in this businesse how all matters went In one of which from the new Archbishop extant in the Cottonian Library a Resolution is signified to Cromwelâ— for comming to a finall Sentence on Friday the 18 th of that Month but with a vehement conjuration both to him and the King