because by this means all hope of ripe and compleated Learning was immaturely cut off in the very Bud and also all the Expectations of the poorer sort whose whole Time was spent in good Studies was eluded by these Drones occupying those Places and Preferments which more properly belonged unto them For Parts Learning Poverty and Election were of no strength at Home where Favour and Countenance and the Letters of Noblemen and such-like extraordinary and illegal Courses from Abroad bore all the Sway. CHAP. VII Dr. Smith and others recant AND now before I conclude this Year let me pass from more publick Matters and present the Reader with two or three Passages wherein the Arch-bishop had to do with private Men. May the 15 th Richard Smith D. D. Master of Whittington College and Reader of Divinity in Oxford a hot turbulent Man made his Recantation at Pauls Cross convinced and moved thereunto by the Pains of the Arch-bishop What his Errors were that he had publickly vented in the University and in his Writings may be known by the words of his Recantation which were these I do confess and acknowledg that the Authority as well of the Bishop of Rome whose Authority is justly and lawfully abolished in this Realm as of other Bishops and others called the Ministers of the Church consisteth in the Dispensation and Ministration of God's Word and not in making Laws Ordinances and Decrees over the People besides God's Word without the Consent and Authority of the Prince and People I say and affirm that within this Realm of England and other the King's Dominions there is no Law Decree Ordinance or Constitution Ecclesiastical in force and available by any Man's Authority but only by the King's Majesty's Authority or of his Parliament This Man had wrote two Books in favour of Popish Doctrine and those he also now disclaimed viz. A Book of Traditions and another of the Sacrifice of the Mass. In the former of which he maintained That Christ and his Apostles taught and left to the Church many things without writing which he asserted were stedfastly to be believed and obediently fulfilled under pain of Damnation In the other Book he maintained That Christ was not a Priest after the Order of Melchizedeck when he offered himself upon the Cross for our Sins but after the Order of Aaron and that when Christ did offer his Body to his Father after the Order of Melchizedek to appease his Wrath it was to be understood not of the Sacrifice of the Cross but of the Sacrifice that he made at his Maundy in form of Bread and Wine In which Book were other Errors He that is minded to see his Recantation of these his Books may have it in the Appendix as I transcribed it out of an old Book made by Becon intituled Reports of certain Men. This Recantation he not long after made at Oxon viz. in August following Where he also protested openly That he would abide in the sincere and pure Doctrine of Christ's Gospel all humane trifling Traditions set apart even unto Death though it should cost him his Life And this Recantation he also printed for further Satisfaction to the World Bishop Gardiner who was now at Winchester was very uneasy at the News of this Recantation which some took care to bring down to him He signified to the Protector That Smith was a Man with whom he had no Familiarity nor cared for his Acquaintance That he had not seen him in three Years nor talked with him in Seven He was greatly displeased with the first words of his Recantation which yet were but the words of Scripture Omnis Homo mendax Making all the Doctors in the Church as he inferred to be Liars with himself How it argued his Pride for he that sought for such Company in Lying had small Humility and that he would hide himself by that Number that his depraving of Man's Nature in that sort was not the setting out of the Authority of Scripture He said he neither liked his Tractation nor yet his Retractation That he was mad to say in his Book of Vnwritten Verities that Bishops in this Realm could make Laws wherein he said he lied loudly About this time Chadsey Standish Yong Oglethorp and divers others recanted whose Recantations Fox had by him to shew as well as Smith whom we have now before us After this Recantation he carried not himself according to it but favoured the Old Errors And in the Year 1549 offered some Affront unto Arch-bishop Cranmer opposing him in the Doctrine of the Lawfulness of Priests Marriage and endeavoured to make a Rout in Oxford to the endangering P. Martyr's Life and printed a Book the same Year against him De Votis Monasticis Whereupon incurring as he apprehended some Danger he fled into Scotland But weary of being there and willing to have his Peace made in England he wrote two Letters to the Arch-bishop from thence professing that he would out of hand by open Writing in the Latin Tongue revoke all that erroneous Doctrine which he had before taught and published and set forth the pure Doctrine of Christ. And for a Proof hereof he would straight after his return into England set forth a Book in Latin in defence of the most lawful Marriage of Priests In the Year 1550 he wrote certain Treatises against P. Martyr printed at Lovain And the same Year came out his Book against the Arch-bishop's Treatise of the Sacrament This Man was of a most inconstant as well as turbulent Spirit For in the Reign of Queen Mary he turned to the Religion then professed and was great with Bishop Boner in those Times but greatly despised for his Fickleness He once attempted to discourse with Hawks in Boner's House in London Hawks threw in his Dish his Recantation To which when he said it was no Recantation but a Declaration the other gave him this Rub To be short I will know whether you will Recant any more ere ever I talk with you or believe you and so departed from him We shall hear of him again in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth when he again complied and submitted himself to Arch-bishop Parker And last of all returned to his old Opinions and fled to Lovain Pass we from this Man to another of the same Strain with whom the Arch-bishop had to do As the Popish Clergy in the former King's Reign had made all the rudest and eagerest Opposition they dared against the Steps that were then made towards a Reformation so they ceased not to do in this King 's nay and more hoping to shelter themselves under a milder Government One Instance of this appeared in what was done by the Quondam Abbot of Tower-hill London Who for some Recompence of the loss of his Abby was made Vicar of Stepney-Church succeeding I suppose Mr. Hierom burnt to death in the Year 1540 with Dr. Barnes and Garret He being a bold Man and
would do in them it not being reasonable he should subscribe them in Prison This being reported to the Council Iuly 15 it was agreed that he should be sent for before the whole Council and examined Whether he would stand at this Point Which if he did then to denounce the Sequestration of his Benefice for three Months with intimation if he reformed not in that space to deprive him This Order was Signed by Somerset Wilts Bedford Clynton Paget Wyngfield Herbert Iuly 19. The Bishop of VVynton was brought before the Council and there the Articles before mentioned were read unto him distinctly Whereunto he refused either to subscribe or consent Answering in these words That in all things his Majesty would command him he was willing and most ready to obey but forasmuch as there were divers things required of him which his Conscience would not bear therefore he prayed them to have him excused And thereupon Secretary Petre by the Council's Order proceeded to read the Sequestration Thus fairly and calmly was this Bishop dealt with by the King and his Council from Iune 8. to Iuly 19. And notwithstanding this Sentence the Council favorably ordered that the Bishop's House and Servants should be maintained in their present State until the expiration of the three Months and that the Matter in the mean time should be kept secret The three Months expired Octob. 19. but with such Clemency was he used that it was November 23 before his Business was renewed And then council- considering the time of his Intimation was long sithence expired it was agreed that the Bishop of Ely Mr. Secretary Petre Dr. May and Dr. Glynne all Learned in the Civil Law should substantially confer upon the Matter and upon Tuesday next the 26 th day of this present to certify unto the Council what was to be done duly by order of the Law in this Case And now the Arch-bishop of Canterbury began to be concerned in this troublesome Business A Commission dated Decemb. 12 was issued out from the King to the said Arch-bishop and to the Bishops of London Ely Lincoln to Sir VVilliam Petre Sir Iames Hales and some other Lawyers to call the said Bishop of VVinchester before them and continuing in his Contempt to proceed to deprive him December 14. The Lieutenant of the Tower was ordered to bring the Bishop on Monday next to Lambeth before my Lord of Canterbury and other Commissioners upon his Cause and likewise upon their Appointment to bring him thither from day to day at times by them prefixed December 15 was the day of VVinchester's first Appearance The Business done this Session was the opening and reading the Commission and after that divers Articles against the Bishop Who then made a Speech Wherein first He protested against these his Judges and excepted against their Commission and required this his Protestation to be entred into the Acts of the Court. Then desiring a Copy of the Commission it was granted him together with that of the Articles too to make his Answers to Next the Archbishop gave him his Oath to make true Answer Which he took still with his Protestation Then the Bishop desiring Counsel the Arch-bishop and the rest not only granted his Request but allowed him whomsoever he should name Which was the next Day allowed also by an Order of Council Certain honourable Persons were deposed and sworn for Witnesses as Sir Anthony Wingfield Controller of the Houshold Sir William Cecyl Secretary Sir Rafe Sadleir Sir Edward North Dr. Cox Almoner and others The Bishop also protested against them and the Swearing of them At this first Sessions he had also said in the hearing of a great Multitude present concerning the Duke of Somerset and some other Privy-Counsellors sent to him in the Tower That they had made an end with him before for all the matters for which he was committed In so much that he verily thought he should never have heard any more of it This coming soon to the Ears of these Nobles highly offended them as reporting falsely of them So that to justify themselves in as publick a manner the next Sessions they sent their Letter dated December 17 signed by the Duke of Somerset the Earls of Wiltshire and Bedford and Sir Edward North wherein they denied any such Matter saying That the Bishop defended his Cause with Untruths and that upon their Fidelities and Honours his Tale was false and untrue For that their coming to him in the Tower was to do their endeavour to reclaim him And they prayed the Commissioners that for their Vindication they would cause this their Letter to be publickly read Which was accordingly done though the Bishop thinking how this would reflect upon him under his former Protestation laboured hard that he might first be heard and that he had something to propose why it should not be read Which notwithstanding they would not grant Ianuary 19. The Council sitting at Greenwich the Bishop's Servants came and desired that certain of them might be sworn upon certain Articles for Witness on his behalf And if they might not be sworn that upon their Honours as they would answer before God they would witness truly according to their Conscience and as effectually as if they were sworn upon a Book And they were allowed The Bishop to make his Cause the more plausible as though he were the publick Defender of the Roman Catholick-Church in England at this time laboured to make it believed that he fell into all this Trouble for the Defence of the Real Presence in the Sacrament and for maintaining the Catholick Doctrine in a Sermon before the King and that he made his Book to vindicate himself therein And therefore in one of his Appearances before the Commissioners openly in the Court delivered them his Book against Arch-bishop Cranmer printed in France and to make it suit the better he had altered some lines in the beginning of his Book so as to make it to relate to his present Case But in truth Gardiner had wrote and finished his Book before This Cranmer unvailed in his Answer to this Book of Gardiner's Saying there That he made his Book before he was called before the Commissioners as he could prove by a Book under his own Hand-writing and that he was called before the Commissioners by his own Suit and Procurement and as it were inforcing the Matter But indeed the true Cause was That he was called to Justice for his manifest Contempt and continual Disobedience from time to time or rather Rebellion against the King's Majesty and was deprived of his State for the same In short after a greal deal of Pains and Patience the Bishop was by the Arch-bishop and the rest of the Commissioners deprived after no less then two and twenty Sessions held at divers places that is from the 15 th of December to the 14 th of February though Stow falsely nameth but seven The Bishop when he saw the
PLACE whence Transcribed  Number Page Place AN Account of Mr. Pole's Book by Dr. Cranmer I. 3 Sir W.H.MSS. Dr. Cranmer Ambassador with the Emperor his letter to the King II. 6 Ibid. A Parcell of Iewels sent from Greenwich to Hampton court to the King To the receipt of which he set his hand III. 7 Ibid. The King to Dr. Boner his Majesties Agent to declare to the Pope his Appeal from him and his Sentence IV. 8 Ibid. Cranmer's Protestation at his Consecration V. 9 Cranm. Reg. Cranmer's Oath taken to the Pope at his Consecration VI. ib. Ibid. Cranmer's Oath to the King for his Temporalties VII 10 Cleop. E. 6. The King's Proclamation for bringing in Seditious Books VIII ib. Cleop. E. 5. Bishop Fisher to Secretary Crumwel declaring his willingness to swear to the Succession IX 13 Cleop. E. 6. Lee Bishop Elect of Litchfield and Coventry to secretary Crumwel concerning Bishop Fisher. X. ib. Ibid. The Archbishop to Secretary Crumwel in behalf of Bishop Fisher and Sir Thomas More XI 14 Ibid. Nix Bishop of Norwich to Warham Archbishop of Canterbury for suppressing such as read books brought from beyond Sea XII 15 Cleop. E. 5. Archbishop Cranmer to K. Henry complaining of a Prior in Canterbury that had preached against him XIII 16 Cleop. E. 6. Cleop. F. 1. The Archbishop to Mr. Secretary Crumwel concerning his stiling himself Primate of all England XIV 19 Cleop. F. 2. The Appeal of Stokesly Bishop of London to the King against the Archbishop's Visitation XV. 21 MSS. C.C.C.C An Inventory of the Cathedral Church of St. Swithins in Winchester as it was given in by the Prior and Convent to Crumwel Secretary of State and the King's Vicar-General XVI 24 Cleop. F. 1. A Reply to the Archbishop against his Court of Audience XVII 28 Ibid. Archbishop Cranmer's Order concerning the Proctors of the Court of Arches shewn to be inconvenient by a Paper presented to the Parlament XVIII 30 Cleop. E. 5. The Archbishop to the L. Crumwel giving him some account of his Visitation of his Diocess XIX 37 Ibid. Richard Grafton the Printer of the Bible to the L. Crumwel complaining of some that intended to Print the Bible and therby to spoile his Impression XX. 38 Cranm. Reg. Archbishop Cranmer to the King for a Suffragan of Dover XXI 40 Ibid. The Archbishop's Letters of Commission to Richard Suffragan of Dover XXII 41 Cleop. E. 5. A Declaration to be read by al Curates upon the Publishing of the Bible in English XXIII 42 Ibid. The Answer or Declaration of Richard Bishop of Chichester in the presence of the Kings Majesty against the sixth Reason or Argument of John Lambert concerning the most holy and blessed Sacrament of the Altar XXIV 43 Ex Dudith Or. Opuse Tho. Cranmeri Archiep. Cant. Epistola super Controversiam de coena Domini ortam XXV 45 Cleop. E. 5. Part of a Letter from a Member of Parlament concerning the Transactions of the House about pâ—ssing the Act of the Six Articles XXVI 47 Ibid. The Solution of some Bishop to certain Questions about the Sacraments XXVII 48 Ibid. The Iudgment of another Bishop upon the aforesaid Questions XXVIII 52 Ibid Archbishop Cranmer to Osiander concerning some abuses in Matrimony among the Germans XXIX 54 Ibid. The French Kings Licence to print the English Bible in Paris XXX 56 MSS. C C C.C. Three Discourses of Archbishop Cranmer occasioned upon his review of the Kings Book intitled The Erudition of a Christian man XXXI 57 Ibid Other Discourses of Archbishop Cranmer XXXII 62 Ibid. Interrogatories for Dr. London Dr. Willoughbies Confession c. XXXIII 63 A Letter prepared for the King to sign to ratify certain Ecclesiastical Laws XXXIV 72  The Bishop of Winchester to Archbishop Cranmer relating to the Reformation of Religion XXXV 73 Foxij MSS. The said Bishop to the Duke of Somerset concerning the Book of Homilies and Erasmus Paraphrase Englished XXXVI 77 Vespas D. 18. Roger Ascham to Mr. Cecyl Giving him an acount of a Disputation in S. John's College Whether the Mass and the Lords Supper be al one XXXVII 81 MSS. SirW H The Vniversity of Cambridg to the Archbishop XXXVIII 83 Ascham Ep. Richard Smith D. D. his Recantation of his Books XXXIX 84 Becon 's Rep. Archbishop Cranmer's Answers to the fifteen Articles of the Rebels in Devon Anno 1549. XL. 86 MSS. C.C.C.C The Archbishops Notes for an Homily against the Rebellion XLI 113 Ibid. The Lady Mary to the Councel Iustifying her self for using the Mass in K. Edwards Minority XLII 115 Sir W.H.MSS. The Archbishops Letter to Martin Bucer Inviting him over into England XLIII 116 Buceri Script Aug. A Catalogue of Books published by Paulus Fagius XLIV 117  Dr. Cox the Chancellor of the Vniversity of Oxford his Oration at the Conclusion of Peter Martyr's Disputation XLIV 119 P. Mart. Opera Dr. Treshams Epistle before his Relation of the Disputation between himself and Peter Martyr at Oxford XLV 121 Foxij MSS. The Sententious Sayings of Master Martin Bucer upon the Lords Supper XLVI 124 Ibid. Bishop Hoper to the Clergy of his Diocess of Glocester XLVII 133 MS. Privat Hoper Bishop of Glocester to Sir William Cecyl Secretary of State XLVIII 135 MSS. SirW.H Another of the same Bishop to the same Person  136 Ibid. A Popish Rhime fastned upon a Pulpit in K. Edwards reigne XLIX 137 Foxij MSS. An Answer to it  Ibid. Ibid. An old Song of John Nobody  138 Privat MS. John a Lasco's Letter from Embden signifying the dangerous condition they were in and the Persecutions they expected L. 139 Sir W.H.MSS. A Lasco's request that those of his Church might have a Warrant from the Kings Councel that they might not be disturbed for not coming to their Parish-churches LI. 141 Ibid. Michael Angelo Preacher to the Italian Congregation his complaint against some of his Flock With a List of their Names LII Ibid. Ibid. Place  Number Page Sir W.H. MSS. Michael Angelo endeavours to appease the Secretary greatly offended with him for a gross miscarriage LIII 143 Ibid. A Lasco to the Secretary to procure the Kings Letters Patents for a French Protestant to set up a French Printing Press LIV. 145 Ibid. Valerandus Pollanus Superintendent of the Strangers Church at Glastenbury to the Secretary concerning the State of the Strangers Weavers fixed there LV. 145 Ibid. The Superintendent to the same earnestly desiring that one Cornish might not be set over the strangers there who had already dealt illy with them LVI 147 Ibid. The Superintendent to the same Giving some account of the present settlement of their affairs LVII 148 Ibid. Mr. John Calvin to the Duke of Somerset His advise for the rectifying some Abuses in our Church and University Relating to the Alienation or Misuse of their Revenues LVIII 149 MSS. CC. CC Sir John Cheke to Dr. Parker Vpon the death of Martin Bucer LIX 151 Ibid. Peter Martyr to Bucer Concerning the Oxford
vented Asheton's Recantation Other Errors still Ioan Bocher's Heresy Latimer's Censure of her George Van Paris CHAP. IX The Archbishop visits The Archbishop visits his Diocess His Articles for the Clergy and for the Laity An exchange made between the Archbishop and the L. Windsor Farrar Bishop of S. Davids Consecrated Some account of this Bishop The Archbishop sway'd by Farrar's Enemies CHAP. X. The Archbishop answers the Rebels Articles Rebellion in Devon The Archbishop answers the Rebels Articles Some account thereof Crispin Moreman Cardinal Pole The Archbishop procures Sermons to be made against the Rebellion Peter Martyr's Sermon upon this occasion The French take occasion at this Rebellion Bucer's Discourse against the Sedition The Archbishop's Prayer composed for this occasion CHAP. XI Bishop Boner deprived The Archbishop deprives Boner Discourse between the Archbishop and him concerning his Book and concerning the Sacrament Chargeth the Archbishop concerning the Preachers he allowed The Archbishop's Answer to Boner's Declaration Papists insist upon the Invalidity of the Laws made in the King's Minority An Ordination of Priests and Deacons The Office of Ordination reformed The Archbishop visits some vacant Churches S. Davids Glocester Norwich London A new Dean of the Arches CHAP. XII Duke of Somerset's Troubles The Common-Prayer ratified The Archbishop writes to the Lords at Ely-House Their Answer The Archbishop gets the Common-Prayer-Book confirmed CHAP. XIII The Archbishop entertains learned Foreigners The Archbishop harbours Learned Strangers Bucer writes in the Archbishop's Family The Archbishop's Guests Martyr dedicates his Lectures at Oxon to the Archbishop The Archbishop writes to Bucer to come over Bucer and Fagius Professors at Cambridge Fagius dies The Archbishop sends Money to Fagius's Widow Bucer laments his Loss CHAP. XIV Peter Martyr disputes in Oxford being challenged thereunto Peter Martyr challenged publickly to a Disputation His Answer hereunto Declines it at present and why They agree upon the Conditions of a Disputation They Dispute Martyr sends the Sum of the Disputation to the Archbishop The Disputation published by Martyr And by Tresham Smith writes to the Archbishop from Scotland Disputations at Cambridge before the Commissioners Bucer disputes His Judgment of the Sacrament CHAP. XV. Matters of the Church and its State now Relicks of Popery remaining The Council gives Orders to the Justices And writes to the Bishops Neglect in London Adulteries frequent Books dispersed by Protestants Preaching against Lenâ— Gardiner's Judgment of a Rhime against Lent Latimer counsels the King about Marriage Foreign Protestants their Offer to K. Edward CHAP. XVI Ridley made Bishop of London The Communion-Book reviewed Ridley made Bishop of London Rochester vacant Bucer writes to Dorset not to spoil the Church The Common-Prayer-Book reviewed Bucer and Martyr employed in it CHAP. XVII Hoper's Troubles Hoper nominated for Bishop of Glocester He and Ridley confer about the Habits The Archbishop writes to Bucer for his Judgment in this matter The Questions Martyr writes to Hoper Hoper's Two Objections Considered Another Objection of Hoper considered Other things urged by him Hoper confined to his House and Silenced Committed to the Archbishop's Custody Sent to the Fleet. Hoper Conforms Martyr to Gualter concerning Hoper's Conformity CHAP. XVIII Bishop Hoper visits his Diocess Hoper visits his Diocess His Articles of Religion His Injunctions and Interrogatories Holds Worcester in Commendam And visits that Church and See Goes over both hâ—â— Diocesses again The Councels Order concerning the two Canons License for the Bishop of Glocester to attend upon the Dutchess of Somerset in the Tower Other matters relating to this Bishop CHAP. XIX Troubles of Bishop Gardiner Divers great Lords repair to Gardiner The Council's proceedings with him Articles propounded to him to subscribe Winchester sequestred for three months The Sequestration expires The Commissioners sit to examine him A Letter of some Noblemen whom he had bely'd Gardiner offers his Book against Cranmer to the Commissioners He is deprived The Council's Order for his strait Confinement Poynet made Bishop of Winton CHAP. XX. Bishop Hethe and Bishop Day their Deprivations Other Popish Bishops dealt with Bishop Hethe's Troubles Sent for before the Council Day Bishop of Chichester his Troubles Bishop Day will not pull down Altars Appears before the Council The Archbishop and Bishop of Ely reason with him The Council give him time to confer Before the Council again Before the Council the third time And the fourth time when he was sent to the Fleet. Commissioners appointed for Worcester and Chichester They are deprived Placed the one with the L. Chancellor and the other with the Bishop of London Day writes to Kings-College for leaving off Masses His unnatural Carriage towards his Brother Preaches against Transubstantiation His Change charged on him CHAP. XXI Papists grow bold Loose Professors restrained The Papists write Libels Several Papists now taken up Chedsey Morgan Sir Ant. Brown White Other Professors restrained CHAP. XXII Foreigners allowed a Church A Lasco The Archbishop's care of the Souls of Strangers residing here The Dutch Congregation under Iohn a Lasco The occasion of his coming into England His business here From Embden he wrote to the Archbishop And to Cecyl The sad condition of the Protestants there Latimer mentions A Lasco to the King Contest among A Lasco's people The care of A Lasco over his Church and its Privileges Favourably received by the L. Chancellor Goodrich Labours with the Secretary to procure Letters from the Council in behalf of his Church The extent of his Superintendency Melancâ—hon thought to shelter himself under him His great Abilities for Government Erasmus's Praise of him Purchased Erasmus's Library A Lasco a married man His Influence in the Reformation under Q. Elizabeth Blamed for medling in our Controversies A Church of Italians constituted in London Michael Angelo their Minister The Service the Archbishop did for this Church And for the Minister Divers of this Church fall out with their Minister and go to Mass again A Conjecture at the Cause thereof Their Minister sends their Names to the Secretary and accuses them The Morals of this man tainted Writes a Penitent Letter to the Secretary A French Church also in London CHAP. XXIII The Church at Glastenbury Another Church of Strangers at Glastenbury Their Trade Weaving Valerandus Pollanus their Preacher and Superintendent How they came to fix here Conditions of Trade between them and Somerset Their Trade obstructed by the Troubles of Somerset Apply themselves again to the Council and to the Secretary Cecyl The Council become their Patrons and assist them Orders from the Lords to set this Manufacture forwards Pollanus very serviceable to them An Apology for the largeness of the former relation After the King's Death they remove to Frankford Prove Friends to the English Exiles there A Spanish Church Cassiodorus and Corranus their Preachers Many of K. Philip's Spaniards become Protestants Great Numbers of Protestants in Spain and Italy
Part and Opinion to be on his Part. For being now after some absence returned to Cambridg divers of the University and some of those Doctors that before had given in their Judgments to the King for the Validity of the Pope's Dispensation repaired to him to know his Opinion And after long Reasoning he changed the Minds of Five of the Six Then almost in every Disputation both in Private Houses and in the Common Schools this was one Question Whether the Pope might dispense with the Brother to marry the Brother's Wife after Carnal Knowledg And it was of many openly defended that he might not The Secretary when he came Home acquainted the King with what they had done and how Dr. Cranmer had changed the Minds of Five of the said Learned Men of Cambridg and of many others beside Afterward this University as well as the other determined the King's Cause against the Pope's Dispensation From an Academic our Doctor being now become a Courtier he so prudently demeaned himself that he was not only dear to the Earl of Wiltshire's Family but grew much favoured by the Nobility in general as the Lord Herbert collects from the Historians of those Times and especially by the King himself He was very much about him the King holding frequent Communication with him and seemed unwilling to have him absent Which may appear from hence that when Cranmer was minded for some reason to resort to the Earl of Wiltshire who was then from Hampton-Court and as it seems at London upon some Occasions of his own he doubted whether the King would let him go And so he writ to him that he would come the next Day to him If the King's Grace let him not CHAP. II. Pole's Book about the King's Matrimony ABout this time a Book of Reginald Pole afterwards Cardinal earnestly perswading the King to continue his Marriage with his Queen fell into Dr. Cranmer's Hands I do not find mention of this Book in any Historian that hath come to my Hands No not in his Life published by Bacatellus Bishop of Ragusa though he hath there given us a Catalogue of his Books But in likelihood the Reason was because this was some private Discourse or Letter chiefly intended for the King 's own Use as appears from some words of Cranmer concerning it Viz. That it was writ with that Eloquence that if it were set forth and known to the common People an evidence it was a more private Writing it were not possible to perswade them to the contrary It was penned about the Year 1530 as may be collected from another Passage in the said Writing wherein he mentioneth the King's living in Wedlock with Queen Katherine twenty Years the expiration of which fell in about that Time What induced Pole to write on this Subject is to me uncertain for he avoided as much as could be to meddle in this Affair out of Fear of the King's Displeasure which was the Reason of his departing Abroad Probably it was at the King's Command like as some Years after he commanded him to write his Judgment of the Title of Supream Head which he had lately assumed Which occasioned Pole's four Books of Ecclesiastical Vnity For some about the King had told him it would have a great Influence upon the People especially the Nobility if he could bring Pole over to allow and approve of his Marriage Who was a Person tho then but Young yet highly valued in the Nation for his Piety and Learning and great Descent The Book was soon delivered whether by the Earl of Wiltshire or the King himself unto the Examination and Consideration of Cranmer now the great Court-Divine Who after he had greedily perused it sent the Contents of it in a Letter to his Friend and Patron the Earl being then absent from Court The Book though the Argument of it chiefly depended upon Divinity proceeded more on Political Principles than Divine Take the following account of it as Cranmer gave it in his said Letter First Pole treated of the Danger of Diversity of Titles to the Crown Which might follow if the present Marriage with Queen Katherine were rejected in which there was an Heir and another consummated As appeared by the Titles and Pretensions of the two Houses of Lancaster and York And that the King ought to provide against the Miseries that might be brought upon his Realm by the People if he should reject his Daughter whom they took for his Lawful Heir and should perswade them to take another Then he urged the Danger of incurring the Emperor's Displeasure the Queen being his Aunt and the Princess his Cousin Then he proceeded to consider the Reasons that moved the King to his present Resolutions Namely That God's Law forbad marrying the Brother's Wife And that the People however averse at first besides that it belongâ—d not to them to judg of such Matters would be content in the King's Doings when they should know how the ancient Doctors of the Church and so many great Universities were on the King's Side And that however the Emperor might fall out with the King for this Matter yet God would never fail those that stood on his part and refused to transgress his Commandments and that England might depend on the French King's Aid by virtue of the League which he had entred into with the King and the old Grudg which he bore towards the Emperor Afterwards Pole goes on to review these Reasons And first his Judgment was that Scripture might be brought to justify this Marriage and that there was as good ground of Scripture for that as for the part which the King then took namely the unlawfulness of it That if indeed he thought the King's Part was just and that his Marriage were undoubtedly against God's Pleasure then he could not deny but that it should be well done for the King to refuse it and take another Wife Yet he confessed that for his own part he could not find in his Heart to have any Hand or be any furtherer or abetter in it Acknowledging however that he had no good Reason for it but only out of Affection and Duty to the King's Person Because he would not disannul the Princess his Daughter's Title nor accuse the most part of the King's Life as the Books written on the King's part did As though he had lived in a Matrimony Shameful Abominable Bestial and against Nature This seemed an high Complement of Pole's indeed that he would rather chuse to let the King live and die in an habitual Breach of God's Law than be guilty of something that might argue a want of civil Affection and Duty in him And as concerning the People his Judgment was That neither by Learning nor Preaching would they ever be brought into an ill Conceit of the King 's former Marriage and to think so dishonourably of their King as to live so many Years in Matrimony so abominable But as they had
their own Houses where they received Causes Complaints and Appeals and had learned Civilians living with them that were Auditors of the said Causes before the Arch-bishop gave Sentence pretending that he held it as the Pope's Legat Urging also the great Troubles and Inconveniences it caused both to the Clergy and the Laity and that every Man must by virtue of that Court be forced up to London from the farthest part of the Land for a slanderous Word or a Trifle And that they thought it convenient if it were the King's Pleasure to continue that Court that he would settle it upon some other and not upon the Arch-bishop that so it might appear the Original of that Court was from the King and not from the Pope And lastly that it would not be safe to constitute the Arch-bishop the Pope's Legat because it would infringe the Power of the Vicar-General This was drawn up in way of Petition and Complaint either to the King or Parliament by a Combination of some of the Convocation as I suspect the Paper being writ by the Hand of the Register of the Lower House of Convocation The great Wheel we may be sure that set a moving this Device was Winchester his never-failing Adversary The King notwithstanding bad the Arch-bishop maintain his Court. And he answered all their Pleas against it and by way of Protestation affirmed that he kept not his Court by virtue of his Bull from Rome for Legat and that none could suspect that he did And that he saw no Cause but that he might keep that Court by virtue of the late Act of Parliament that gave Power to enjoy all things that were before had from the See of Rome And finally he answered that it was the King's Will and Command that he should continue his Court. To which the Convocation or rather some part of it made a Reply that may be seen in the Appendix But notwithstanding these Discouragements which were thrown in probably to hinder his good Designs the Arch-bishop vigorously prosecuted a Reformation at this Convocation Where assisted by Crumwel the King's Vicar General he earnestly laboured for the redress of several Abuses and Errors in the English Church And that not without good Success at length For after much deliberation among the Clergy there assembled and much opposition too he got a Book of divers good Articles to that purpose to be agreed upon and subscribed An account of which by and by shall follow CHAP. XI Articles of Religion NOW though I do not find the King went so far as that it should be enjoined on all the Clergy to own the Articles of this Book by their own Hands subscribed yet he published and recommended them to all his loving Subjects in general to accept and repute them to be agreeable to God's Laws and proper for the establishment of Peace and Concord And further probably in prudence the King thought not fit yet to go considering the great Disputes and Arguments that had happened in the Convocation hereupon Now because this was one of the great Services our pious Prelate contributed to the Church and was one of the first Steps made in the Reformation of the Doctrine and Worship it will not be amiss here in order to the inlightning this History to set down the Heads of this Book though it be done by others before me And notwithstanding what the Noble Author of the History of Henry VIII saith he gathered by some Records that this Book was devised by the King himself and recommended afterwards to the Convocation by Crumwel yet we have reason to attribute a great share therein to the Arch-bishop They that are minded to see a Draught of these Articles from the Original with the Royal Assent prefixed to them may have it in Dr. Fuller's Church-History Which he tells us he transcribed out of the Acts of the Convocation The Bishop of Sarum also met with an Original of them in the Cotton Library wrote out fairly as it seems for the King 's own Use and subscribed with all the Hands of the Convocation thereunto He also hath inserted the Transcript of them in the first part of his History of the Reformation In the Rebellion in the North which happened this Year 1536 chiefly raised by Priests and Friars many Copies of these Articles for the Book was printed by Barthelet did Crumwel send by the King's Order to the Duke of Norfolk the King's Lieutenant there to disperse in those Parts together with the Original Copy it self as it was signed by the Hands of the Convocation amounting to the number of 116 Bishops Abbots Priors Arch-deacons and Proctors of the Clergy Which the said Duke had order to shew unto the Clergy and others as occasion served that they might understand it was a proper Act of the Church and no Innovation of the King and a few of his Counsellors as they gave out And after he had made his use of this Original he was required to reserve it safe for the King This choice Treasure which the King himself required such care to be taken of Sir Robert Cotton afterwards procured at his no small Expence no doubt It is very fairly written in Vellam and at the bottom of the first Page is written Robertus Cotton Bruceus by Sir Robert's own Hand signifying his Value of this Monument It is still extant in that incomparable Library in the Volume Cleopatra E. 5. And there I have seen it and diligently compared it Excuse this Digression and I now proceed to the Articles themselves These Articles were of two sorts some concerning Faith and some concerning Ceremonies The former sort were digested under these five Titles following I. The Principal Articles of Faith And they were these That all those things that be comprehended in the whole Body and Canon of the Bible and in the three Creeds are true and constantly to be believed That we take and hold the same for the most holy and infallible Words of God That the Articles of the Faith contained in the Creeds are necessary to be believed for Man's Salvation That the same words be kept in which the Articles of Faith are conceived That all Opinions contrary to the Articles and which were condemned in the four first Councils are to be utterly refused II. The Sacrament of Baptism That it was instituted and ordained by Iesus Christ as necessary to Everlasting Life That by it all as well Infants as such as have the use of Reason have Remission of Sins and the Grace and Favour of God offered them That Infants and Innocents must be Baptized because the Promise of Grace and Everlasting Life pertains as well to them as to those who have the use of Reason And that therefore Baptized Infants shall undoubtedly be saved That they are to be Baptized because of Original Sin which is remitted only by Baptism That they that are once Baptized must not be
intangle the Thred of the Discourse if I should here insert them And therefore I must omit them and proceed to other matters In this thirty second Year of the King by a seasonable Law a stop was put to an Evil that now mightily prevailed Namely the frequency of Divorces For it was ordinary to annul Marriages and divide Man and Wife from each other who it may be had lived long together and had Children in Wedlock When upon any disgust of Man or Wife they would withdraw from one another and so in effect make their Children Bastards upon pretence of some Pre-contract or Affinity Which by the Pope's Law required a Divorce The King himself took particular care of this Act and there were two rough Draughts of it which I have seen in the Cotton Library both which he himself revised diligently and corrected with his own Pen. These Divorces the Arch-bishop highly disliked and might probably have laid before the King the great Inconveniences as well as Scandal thereof It troubled him to see how common these Divorces were grown in Germany and After-Marriages and Bigamy There is a Letter of his to Osiander the German Divine concerning Matrimony In what Year written appeareth not unless perhaps in this Year or the following now that the King was employing his Thoughts about redress of this Business The sum of the Letter is to desire Osiander to supply him with an Answer to some things that seemed to reflect a Fault upon those in Germany that professed the Gospel and that was that they allowed such as were divorsed to marry again both Parties divorsed being alive and that they suffered without any Divorce a Man to have more Wives than one And Osiander had acknowledged as much expressly to Cranmer in a Letter seeming to complain of it and added that Philip Melancthon himself was present at one of these Marriages of a second Wife the first being alive Indeed if any thing were done among those Protestants that seemed not just and fair to be sure Cranmer should presently be twitted in the Teeth for it And then he was fain to make the best Answers he could either out of their Books or out of his own Invention And he was always asked about the Affairs in those Parts And sometimes he was forced to confess some things and be ready to blush at them such a concern had he for Germany as concerning their Allowance of Usury and of Concubines to their Noble-men as he wrote to the said German But I will not longer detain the Reader from perusing the excellent Learned Letter of the Arch-bishop which he may find in the Appendix concerning this Subject CHAP. XXI The largest Bible printed THE largest English Bible coming forth in Print this Year wherein our Arch-bishop out of his Zeal to God's Glory had so great an influence I shall here take occasion to give some account of the Translation of as well as I can there having been no exact Story thereof any where given as I know of The first time the Holy Scripture was printed in English for written Copies thereof of Wickliffs Translation there were long before and many was about the Year 1526. And that was only the New Testament translated by Tindal assisted by Ioy and Constantine and printed in some Foreign Parts I suppose at Hamburgh or Antwerp For in this Year I find that Cardinal Wolsey and the Bishops consulted together for the prohibiting the New Testament of Tindal's Translation to be read And Tonstal Bishop of London issued out his Commission to his Arch-deacons for calling in the New Testament This Year also Tonstal and Sir Thomas More bought up almost the whole Impression and burnt them at Paul's Cross. I think it was this first Edition that Garret alias Garrerd Curate of Hony-Lane afterwards burnt for Heresy dispersed in London and Oxford Soon after Tindal revised his Translation of the New Testament and corrected it and caused it again to be printed about the Year 1530. The Books finished were privily sent over to Tindal's Brother Iohn Tindal and Thomas Patmore Merchants and another young Man who received them and dispersed them For which having been taken up by the Bishop of London they were adjudged in the Star-Chamber Sir Thomas More being then Lord Chancellor to ride with their Faces to the Horse Tail having Papers on their Heads and the New Testaments and other Books which they dispersed to be fastened thick about them pinned or tacked to their Gowns or Clokes and at the Standard in Cheap themselves to throw them into a Fire made for that purpose and then to be fined at the King's Pleasure Which Penance they observed The Fine set upon them was heavy enough viz. eighteen thousand eight hundred and forty Pounds and ten Pence as was extant to be seen in the Records of the Star-Chamber Anno 1531. The Bishops came into the Star-Chamber and communing with the King's Counsel and alledging that this Testament was not truly translated and that in it were Prologues and Prefaces of Heresy and Raillery against Bishops upon this Complaint the Testament and other such like Books were prohibited But the King gave Commandment to the Bishops at the same time that they calling to them the best Learned out of the Universities should cause a New Translation to be made so that the People might not be ignorant in the Law of God But the Bishops did nothing in obedience to this Commandment The same Year viz. 1531. in the Month of May Stokesly Bishop of London as Tonstal his Predecessor had done four or five Years before caused all the New Testaments of Tindal and many other Books which he had bought up to be brought to Paul's Church-yard and there openly burnt In the Year 1537. The Bible containing the Old and New Testaments called Matthews Bible of Tindal's and Roger's Translation was printed by Grafton and Whitchurch at Hamburgh to the number of fifteen hundred Copies Which Book obtained then so much Favour of the King by Crumwel's and Canterbury's Means that the King enjoined it to be had by all Curates and set up in all Parish-Churches throughout the Realm It was done by one Iohn Rogers who flourished a great while in Germany and was Superintendent of a Church there being afterwards a Prebend of S. Paul's and the first Martyr in Queen Mary's Days He is said by my Author to have translated the Bible into English from Genesis to the end of the Revelations making use of the Hebrew Greek Latin German and English that is Tyndal's Copies He added Prefaces and Notes out of Luther and dedicated the whole Book to King Henry under the Name of Thomas Matthews by an Epistle prefixed minding to conceal his own Name Graston and the rest of the Merchants concerned in the Work thinking that they had not Stock enough to supply all the Nation and this Book being of a
Ireland and all other his Highness Dominions And that with my Body Cunning Wit and uttermost of my Power without Guile Fraud or other undue Means I shall observe keep maintain and defend all the King's Majesty's Stiles Titles and Rights with the whole Effects and Contents of the Acts provided for the same and all other Acts and Statutes made and to be made within the Realm in and for that purpose and the Derogation Extirpation and Extinguishment of the usurped and pretended Authority Power and Jurisdiction of the See and Bishop of Rome and all other Foreign Potestates as afore And also as well his Statute made in the said 28 th Year as his Statute made in the Parliament holden in the 35 th Year of the King's Majesty's Reign for Establishment and Declaration of his Highness Succession and all Acts and Statutes made and to be made in Confirmation and Corroboration of the King's Majesty's Power and Supremacy in Earth of his Church of England and of Ireland and all other his Grace's Dominions I shall also defend and maintain with my Body and Goods with all my Wit and Power And thus I shall do against all manner of Persons of what State Dignity Degree or Condition soever they be and in no wise do nor attempt nor to my Power suffer or know to be done or attempted directly or indirectly any thing or things privily or apertly to the let hindrance damage or derogation of any of the said Statutes or any part thereof by any manner of Means or for or by any manner of Pretence And in case any Oath hath been made by me to any Person or Persons in Maintenance Defence or Favour of the Bishop of Rome or his Authority Jurisdiction or Power or against any the Statutes aforesaid I repute the same as vain and adnichilate I shall wholly observe and keep this Oath So help me God and all Saints and the Holy Evangeles And then after this Oath followed the Prayers before the Benediction of the Pall and the Ceremonies of delivering it CHAP. XXX The Arch-bishop Reformeth the Canon Law OUR Arch-bishop seeing the great Evil and Inconvenience of Canons and Papal Laws which were still in Force and studied much in the Kingdom had in his Mind now a good while to get them suppressed or to reduce them into a narrower Compass and to cull out of them a set of just and wholsome Laws that should serve for the Government of the Ecclesiastical State And indeed there was great need of some Reformation of these Laws For most of them extolled the Pope unmeasurably and made his Power to be above that of Emperors and Kings Some of them were That he that acknowledged not himself to be under the Bishop of Rome and that the Pope is ordained of God to have the Primacy over the World is an Heretick That Princes Laws if they be against the Canons and Decrees of the Bishop of Rome be of no Force That all the Decrees of the Bishop of Rome ought to be kept perpetually as God's Word spoken by the Mouth of Peter That all Kings Bishops and Noblemen that believe or suffer the Bishop of Rome's Decrees in any thing to be violated are accursed That the See of Rome hath neither Spot nor Wrinkle And abundance of the like which the Arch-bishop himself drew out of the Canon Laws and are set down by the Bishop of Sarum in his History Therefore by the Arch-bishop's Motion and Advice the King had an Act past the last Year viz. 1544. That his Majesty should have Authority during his Life to name thirty two Persons that is to say sixteen Spiritual and sixteen Temporal to examine all Canons Constitutions and Ordinances Provincial and Synodal and to draw up such Laws Ecclesiastical as should be thought by the King and them convenient to be used in all Spiritual Courts According to this Act tho it seems this Nomination hapned some time before the making of the same the King nominated several Persons to study and prepare a Scheme of good Laws for the Church Who brought their Business to a Conclusion and so it rested for a time The Archbishop being now to go down into Kent to meet some Commissioners at Sittingborn went to Hampton-Court to take his leave of the King There he put him in mind of these Ecclesiastical Laws and urged him to ratify them So the King bad him dispatch to him the Names of the Persons which had been chiefly left to Cranmer's Election and the Book they had made This care he going out of Town left with Heth Bishop of Rochester So that these Laws by the great Pains of the Arch-bishop and some Learned Men about him were brought to that good Perfection that they wanted nothing but the Confirmation of the King And there was a Letter drawn up ready for that purpose for the King to sign It was directed to all Arch-bishops Bishops Abbots Clerks Dukes Marquesses Earls Barons Knights and Gentlemen and all others of whatsoever Degree his Subjects and Liege-men Giving them to understand That in the room of the corrupt Laws Decrees and Statutes that proceeded from the Bishops of Rome which were all abolished he had put forth by his Authority another Set of Ecclesiastical Laws which he required to be observed under pain of his Indignation The Copy of this Letter may be read in the Appendix But whatsoever the Matter was whether it were the King 's other Business or the secret Oppositions of Bishop Gardiner and the Papists this Letter was not signed by the King I have seen the Digest of these Ecclesiastical Laws in a Manuscript in Folio fairly written out by the Arch-bishop's Secretary with the Title to each Chapter prefixed and the Index of the Chapters at the beginning both of the Arch-bishop's own Hand In many places there be his own Corrections and Additions and sometimes a Cross by him struck through divers Lines And so he proceeded a good way in the Book And where the Arch-bishop left off Peter Martyr went on by his Order to revise the rest in the Method he had begun And in the Title De Praescriptionibus the greatest part of the seventh Chapter is Martyr's own writing viz. beginning at this word Rumpitur which is in Pag. 248. of the printed Book Lin. 23. and so to the end of the Chapter So that this Manuscript I conjecture was the first Draught of these Laws prepared in the Reign of King Henry and revised in the Reign of King Edward his Successor when P. Martyr was appointed by that King's Letters to be one of those that were to be employed in this Work who was much at this Time with the Arch-bishop In this Draught were several Chapters afterwards added partly by Cranmer and partly by Martyr There was yet a latter and more perfect Draught of these Laws as they were compleated and finished in King Edward's Reign This Draught fell into the
is but a Ceremony If it be wanting that King is yet a perfect Monarch notwithstanding and God's Anoined as well as if he was inoiled Now for the Person or Bishop that doth anoint a King it is proper to be done by the chiefest But if they cannot or will not any Bishop may perform this Ceremony To condition with Monarchs upon these Ceremonies the Bishop of Rome or other Bishops owning his Supremacy hath no Authority but he may faithfully declare what God requires at the Hands of Kings and Rulers that is Religion and Vertue Therefore not from the Bishop of Rome but as a Messenger from my Saviour Iesus Christ I shall most humbly admonish your Royal Majesty what Things your Highness is to perform Your Majesty is God's Vicegerent and Christ's Vicar within your own Dominions and to see with your Predecessor Iosias God truly worshipped and Idolatry destroyed the Tyranny of the Bishops of Rome banished from your Subjects and Images removed These Acts be Signs of a second Iosias who reformed the Church of God in his Days You are to reward Vertue to revenge Sin to justify the Innocent to relieve the Poor to procure Peace to repress Violence and to execute Justice throughout your Realms For Precedents on those Kings who performed not these Things the Old Law shews how the Lord revenged his Quarrel and on those Kings who fulfilled these things he poured forth his Blessings in abundance For Example it is written of Iosiah in the Book of the Kings thus Like unto him there was no King that turned to the Lord with all his Heart according to all the Law of Moses neither after him arose there any like him This was to that Prince a perpetual Fame of Dignity to remain to the End of Days Being bound by my Function to lay these Things before your Royal Highness the one as a Reward if you fulfil the other as a Judgment from God if you neglect them Yet I openly declare before the living God and before these Nobles of the Land that I have no Commission to denounce your Majesty deprived if your Highness miss in part or in whole of these Performances Much less to draw up Indentures between God and your Majesty or to say you forfeit your Crown with a Clause for the Bishop of Rome as have been done by your Majesty's Predecessors King Iohn and his Son Henry of this Land The Almighty God of his Mercy let the Light of his Countenance shine upon your Majesty grant you a prosperous and happy Reign defend you and save you and let your Subjects say Amen God save the King I find no Bishop Consecrated this Year CHAP. II. A Royal Visitation BY these and other pious Instigations of the Arch-bishop who was of high esteem with the King he began early to think of the Church and to take care about rectifying the Disorders of its Members For about April there was a Royal Visitation resolved upon all England over for the better Reformation of Religion And accordingly in the beginning of May Letters were issued out from the King to the Arch-bishops that they and all their Fellow-Bishops should forbear their Visitations as was usually done in all Royal and Archiepiscopal Visitations And it was enjoined that no Ministers should preach in any Churches but in their own In a Volume in the Cotton Library there be extant the King's Letters to Robert Arch-bishop of York relating to this Visitation signed by our Arch-bishop the Duke of Somerset the Protector and his Brother Sir Thomas Seymour the Lord Russel Favourers of the Reformation the Lord St. Iohns Petres the Secretary who went along with it Gage Controuler of the Houshold and Baker Chancellor of the Court of Augmentations back-Friends to it I do not set down the Letter it self because the Bishop of Sarum hath already published it in his History Very worthy sober and learned Men were appointed for Visitors both of the Laity and Clergy And there was a Book of Injunctions prepared whereby the King 's Visitors were to govern their Visitation The Original of which Book of Injunctions is extant in Benet-College Library There I have seen them being signed by Thomas Arch-bishop of Canterbury the Duke of Somerset Sir Thomas Seymour and divers others of the Privy-Council but no Bishop save Cranmer only he being I suppose the only Bishop then a Privy-Counsellor and now often appearing in the Council for the better forwarding of Religion These Injunctions are printed in Bishop Sparrow's Collection and briefly epitomized in the History of the Reformation The Persons nominated for this present Employment were these as I find them set down in a Manuscript formerly belonging to Arch-bishop Parker but now in the Benet-College Library Where you may observe the Visitors were divided into six Sets and to each Set were apportioned particular Counties and a Preacher and a Register in this exact Method following Visitors Added by ABp Parker Counties visited Dean of Westminster Boston York Sir Iohn Herseley Kt.  Durysme Nicholas Ridley Preacher  Carlyll Edward Plankney Register  Chester Sir Anthony Coke Kt.  Westminster Sir Iohn Godsalve Kt.   Dr. Christopher Nevison The Elder London Iohn Gosnold A Lawyer  Dr. Madewe Preacher  Norwich Peter Lylly Register  Ely Sir Iohn Hales Kt.  Rochester Sir Iohn Mason Kt.   Sir Anthony Cope Kt.  Canterbury Dr. Cave A Lawyer  Mr. Briggs Preacher Once of Pembroke Chichester Rafe Morice Register  Winchester Dean of Pauls Dr. May. Sarisbury Dean of Exeter Dr. Hains Exeter Sir Walter Buckler Kt.  Bath Mr. Cotisford Preacher  Bristow Iohn Redman Register Of Haslingfeld Glocester Dean of Lincoln Dr. Taylor Peterburgh Dr. Rowland Taylor  Lincoln Mr. Iohn Ioseph Once of Canterbury Oxford  a Friar Coventry Iohn Old Register  Litchfeld Mr. Morison Once Husband to the Earl of Rutland's Wife Worcester  Hereford Mr. Syddel  Landaff Mr. Ferrowr Preacher After L. Bishop of S. Davids S. Davids George Constantine Register  Bangor Hue Rawlins Preacher in the Welch Tongue  S. Asse Where we may observe that in every Company of Visitors was joined one Preacher or more whose Business in the respective Circuits was to preach to the People to dehort them from the superstitious use of Beads and such-like Things and to learn them to worship God truly in Heart and Mind and to obey the Prince The Method which these Commissioners used in their Visitation as we collect from what was done at S. Pauls London was this They summoned the Bishop and the Members of each Cathedral and first sware them to renounce the Bishop of Rome and to the King's Supremacy and then that they should present all things in their Church and Diocess needful to be reformed Then certain Interrogatories and Articles of Enquiry were read to them by the Register To perform which an Oath was administred to
their Peril Thus fare you well From Westminster the last day of April 1548. Your loving Friends E. Somerset Tho. Cheyney Will. Seint-Iohn Will. Paget I. Russell Tho. Smith Will. Herbert H. Arundel A. Denny Ioh. Baker It is not an improbable Conjecture that the Arch-bishop procured this Letter to arm Church-wardens with an Answer to such greedy Courtiers and Gentlemen as used often to resort to them and in their own or the Council's Name required these Goods of their Churches to be yielded up to them and threatned them if they did not The next Month the Council sent the Arch-bishop a Form of Prayer to be used by himself and those of his Diocess Wherein God was implored to grant the Nation Peace and Victory over her Enemies For now all things round about appeared in a Posture of War and Preparation of Arms were making Which caused the King also to raise Forces And for a Blessing upon them the Privy-Council sent to the Arch-bishop together with the Form an Order for the speedy using of it The Tenor of the Letter follows AFter our hearty Commendations to your good Lordship Hearing tell of great Preparations made of Foreign Princes and otherwise being inforced for the Procurement and Continuance of Peace to make Preparation of War Forasmuch as all Power and Aid valuable cometh of God the which he granteth as he hath promised by his Holy Word by nothing so much as by hearty Prayers of good Men The which is also of more Efficacy made of an whole Congregation together gathered in his Holy Name Therefore this is to will and require you to give Advertisement and Commandments to all the Curats in your Diocess That every Sunday and Holy-day in their Common-Prayer they make devout and hearty Intercessions to Almighty God for Victory and Peace And to the Intent that you should not be in Doubts what sort and manner thereof we do like we have sent unto you one Which we would that you and they should follow and read it instead of one of the Collects of the King's Majesty's Procession Thus we pray you not to fail to do with all speed and bid you farewel From Westminster the 6 th of May 1548. Your loving Friends E. Somerset R. Rich Canc. W. Seint-Iohn I. Russel Th. Cheyney Now that the Liberty of the Gospel began to be allowed divers false Opinions and unsound Doctrines began to be vented with it of which publick Cognizance began now to be taken As that the Elect sinned not and that they could not sin That they that be Regenerate never fall away from godly Love That the Elect have a right to take so much of the Things of the World as may supply their Necessities And there were some that openly preached these Doctrines and set forth and published Books to the same Tenor. Several of these Hereticks in the Month of April were convented before the Arch-bishop of Canterbury Sir Thomas Smith Richard Cox Hugh Latimer Doctors of Divinity William May Dean of St. Pauls William Cook Richard Lyel Doctors of Law and others the King's Commissioners Then did one Iohn Champneys of Stratford on the Bow abjure He taught and wrote and defended 1. That a Man after he is Regenerate in Christ cannot sin 2. That the outward Man might sin but the inward Man could not 3. That the Gospel hath been so much persecuted and hated ever since the Apostles Times that no Man might be suffered openly to follow it 4. That godly Love falleth never away from them which be regenerate in Christ. Wherefore they cannot do contrary to the Commandments of Christ. 5. That that was the most principal of our marked Mens Doctrine that make the People believe that there was no such Spirit given unto Men whereby they should remain Righteous and always in Christ. Which is as he wrote and asserted a most devilish Error 6. That God doth permit to all his Elect People their bodily Necessities of all earthly Things All these he revoked Granting or confessing now 1. That a Man after he is regenerate in Christ may sin being destitute of his Spirit 2. That the inner Man doth sin when the outward Man sinneth actually with the consent of the Mind 3. That divers times sithence the Apostles Times to follow the Doctrine of Christ hath been suffered openly 4. That godly Love falleth from them that be regenerate in Christ being destitute of the Spirit and that then they may do contrary to the Commands of Christ. 5. That it is no erroneous Doctrine which he affirmed in his Book to be a devilish Error and our marked Mens Doctrine viz. To make the People believe that there was no such Spirit given unto Man whereby he should remain Righteous always in Christ. But I confess saith the Abjurer that a Man having the Spirit may afterwards fall and not be Righteous 6. That God doth not permit to all his Elect People their bodily Necessities of all worldly things to be taken but by a Law and Order approved by the Civil Policy To which by me now spoken I mean ne understand any other Sense than hath been here opened to use again his very words in his Abjuration And so touching the Holy Gospel with his Hand before the King's Commissioners he abjured promising That he should never hold teach or believe the said Errors or damned Opinions above rehearsed And so subscribed his Name Then the Arch-bishop in his own Name and in the Name of the other Commissioners gave him his Oath 1. That he should not by any means hereafter teach or preach to the People nor set forth any kind of Books in print or otherwise nor cause to be printed or set forth any such Books that should contain any manner of Doctrine without a special Licence thereunto of the King's Majesty or some of his Grace's Privy-Council first had and obtained 2. That the said Champneys with all speed convenient and with all his diligence procure as many of his Books as are passed forth in his Name to be called in again and utterly destroyed as much as in him should lie 3. That he should the Sunday following attend at Pauls Cross upon the Preacher all the time of the Sermon and there penitently stand before the Preacher with a Faggot on his Shoulder And then he had two Sureties bound in five hundred Pounds that he should perform his Penance This was done April 27. There were other Heresies also now vented abroad as the denial of the Trinity and of the Deity of the Holy Ghost And the Assertion That Jesus Christ was a mere Man and not true God because he had the Accidents of Humane Nature such as hungring and thirsting and being visible And that the Benefit Men receive by Jesus Christ was the bringing them to the true Knowledg of God There was one Iohn Assheton a Priest that preached these Doctrines Who on the 28 th of December was summoned to Lambeth to
Year when Ridley was translated thither as we shall see by and by Indeed this was the most plausible Pretence the Papists had and which they made much use of Which Boner and Gardiner had cunningly invented viz. That though the King were to be obeyed and all were bound to submit to his Laws yet not to the Orders and Placits of his Counsellors who made what Innovations they pleased in his Name and were none of his Laws and that therefore things should remain in the State wherein the former King left them till the King now a Child came to Years of Discretion to make Laws himself This the Rebels in Devon made use of And this also the Lady Mary urged very boldly to the Lords of the Council for her incompliance with the communion-Communion-Book and for continuance of the use of the Mass telling them in a Letter That she was resolved to remain obedient to her Father's Laws till the King her Brother should have perfect Years of Discretion to order that Power that God had given him Which Letter whereof I have the Original may be seen in the Appendix For the satisfying therefore of the People in this the Preachers were fain to do their Endeavours in the Pulpits Shewing them that those that were in Office under the King were by the Word of God to be obeyed as the King himself There be some Men that say as Latimer in one of his Sermons in these Days when the King's Majesty himself commandeth me so to do then I will do it not afore This is a wicked Saying and damnable For we may not so be excused Scripture is plain in it and sheweth us that we ought to obey his Officers having Authority from the King as well as unto the King himself Therefore this Excuse will not nor cannot serve afore God Yet let the Magistrates take heed to their Office and Duty This Year the Arch-bishop celebrated a great Ordination consisting of such chiefly as shewed themselves Favourers of the King's Proceedings to be sent abroad to preach the Gospel and to serve in the Ministry of the Church At this Ordination Bishop Ridley also assisted the Arch-bishop The old Popish Order of conferring of Holy Orders was yet in force the new Office as yet not being prepared and established But this Ordination nevertheless was celebrated after that Order that was soon after established At this Ordination great Favour was shewn and Connivance to such who otherwise being well qualified for Piety and Learning scrupled wearing the Habits used by the Popish Priests I meet with two famous Men now ordained The one was Robert Drakes who was Deacon to Dr. Tayler Parson of Hadley at the Commandment of Arch-bishop Cranmer afterwards Parson of Thundersley in Essex and in the Year 1556 burnt to death in Smithfield for his constant Profession of Christ's Religion The other was Thomas Sampson Parson of Breadstreet London and successively Dean of Chichester and Christ's-Church Oxon. Who in a Letter of his written to Secretary Cecyl in Q. Elizabeth's Reign said That at his Ordination he excepted against the Apparel and by the Arch-bishop and Bishop Ridley he was nevertheless permitted and admitted All the Divine Offices were now reformed but only that for Ordination of Ministers Therefore for the doing of this the Council appointed Twelve Learned Men consisting half of Bishops and half of other inferior Divines Whose Names I do not meet with excepting Hethe Bp of Worcester Who because he would not assist in this Work was sent to Prison The chief of them no doubt was the Arch-bishop After mature deliberation this Office was agreed upon and finished And Ponet was the first Bishop Consecrated after this new Form And that I suppose may be the reason that it is set down at length in the Arch-bishop's Register in that manner as it is there to be seen as we shall see under the next Year Upon the Vacancy of Cathedral Churches the Arch-bishop used to visit So now the Church of S. Davids being vacant upon the remove of Barlow to Bath and Wells the Arch-bishop issued out a Commission to Eliseus Price to visit that Church And upon the Vacancy of Glocester by the Death of Wakeman there was a Commission to I. Williams LL. D. and Prebendary there to be his Commissary and to visit that Church and to be Keeper of the Spiritualties of the City and Diocess of Glocester in this third Year of the King This Year also the Church of Norwich being become Vacant by the Resignation of Repps the Arch-bishop granted a Commission to Iohn Bishop Suffragan of Thetford and Dean of the Church of the Holy Trinity Norwich to be his Deputy and Commissary for Visitation and Jurisdiction But somewhat before this he constituted Roland Taylor LL.D. and Will. Wakefeld D. D. to be Keepers of the Spiritualties of Norwich From whose Jurisdiction he protested not to derogate by those his Commissional Letters to the Suffragan nor to withdraw from them any Authority of Jurisdiction This was dated February 15. Also the Church of London being Vacant by the Deprivation and Destitution of Boner the Arch-bishop constituted Gabriel Donne Residentiary of S. Pauls to be his Official and Keeper of the Spiritualties to exercise all manner of Episcopal Jurisdiction in the said City and Diocess This Year he made Griffin Leyson LL.D. Dean of the Arches CHAP. XII Duke of Somerset's Troubles The Common-Prayer Ratified WHEN most of the Council had combined together in the Month of October against the Protector of the King's Person the Duke of Somerset and had withdrawn themselves to Ely-House the King then being at Hampton-Court and suddenly conveyed by the said Duke to Windsor upon the fear of Tumult then I find the Arch-bishop and but two Privy-Counsellors more with the King and the Protector there Being here the good Arch-bishop though he would not forsake his Friend the Duke nor the King his Master yet he did what lay in him to appease and pacify these Heats And so he with the Lord Paget and Secretary Smith in their own and the King's Name wrote an earnest Letter to the Separating Counsellors and sent it by Sir Philip Hoby Wherein as appears by their Answer They were charged by the Arch-bishop with creating much Care and Sorrow to the King and that he thought they had not that Care that beseemed them of pacifying the present Uproars and for the preservation of the State from Danger That they forgat the Benefits they had received from the King's Father nor were mindful of their Duty of Allegiance That their Doings bespake Wilfulness and that the Protector meant nothing but the Safety and Protection of the King in what he had done and that he had that consideration of his Duty to God that the Promise and Oath he made required They were advised to do as they would be done unto And mention was made of Cruelty more than once charging
Places collected from thence in the nature of Inferences and Observations Which I conclude the Arch-bishop put him upon doing while he was now with him The Work was looked over and examined by the Arch-bishop Notes and Corrections of his own Hand being here and there inserted Also the Gospel of S. Mark is handled in the same method by another of the Arch-bishop's Guests Which Writing hath this Inscription by Cranmer's Hand Petrus Alexander in Marcum At this time therefore there were at the Arch-bishop's House besides Bucer Alasco Peter Martyr Paulus Phagius Peter Alexander Bernardine Ochin Mat. Negelinus after a Minister of Strasburgh who accompanied Bucer and Fagius into England and others whose Names do not occur Three of these were soon after preferred to publick Places of Reading in the Universities Peter Alexander was of Artois and lived with the Arch-bishop before Bucer came into England He was a Learned Man but had different Sentiments in the Matter of the Eucharist enclining to the belief of a Corporeal Presence with the Lutherans Though some Years after he came over to a righter Judgment as his Companion Peter Martyr signified to Calvin in a Letter wrote from Strasburgh Peter Martyr coming about the beginning of the Year 1549 unto the University of Oxford his first Readings were upon the eleventh Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians In which Chapter is some Discourse of the Lord's Supper The Professor when he came so far took occasion to expatiate more largely upon that Argument and the rather that he might state it aright in the midst of those hot Contests that were then about it among Learned Men. These Lectures on the Sacrament he soon after printed at London for the Benefit of the World as they were two Years after done at Zurick and dedicated them to his Patron the Arch-bishop And that partly to give a publick Testimony of his Sense of the Arch-bishop's great Humanity and Benefits towards him Which were so large that he must do nothing else but tell of them to be sufficiently thankful for them And known it was to all as he said how obligingly he received and how liberally he entertained both himself and many other Strangers of his Rank and Condition And partly that by his Authority he would protect and defend what he should find in his Book to be consonant to the Holy Scriptures and agreeable to the King's Laws For he had he said Skill and Industry enough to do it who had himself often both in Publick and Private conflicted with the Adversaries and with admirable Learning accuracy of Wit and Dexterity vindicated the Truth from the spinous and confused Cavils of Sophisters Nor did he want Will to stand up for Sound and Christian Doctrines as all good Men knew who saw how earnest he was in his Labours of restoring Religion that for that Cause he drew upon himself many Enmities and threatning Dangers The first Occasion of Bucer's Call into England was thus He had wrote to Iohn Hales a learned English-man his Acquaintance the sad Estate of Germany and that he could scarce stay any longer in the Place where he was This Hales acquainted the Arch-bishop with which made a great Impression upon his compassionate Soul and he brake out into those words of the Psalmist Mirifica misericordias tuas qui salvos facis sperantes in te a resistentibus dexterae tuae And forthwith writ to Brucer a Letter in October 1548 to come over to this Realm which should be a most safe Harbour for him urging him to become a Labourer in the Lord's Harvest here begun and using other Arguments with him to move him hereunto in the most obliging Stile possible calling him My Bucer And that he might come over the safer from Harms and Enemies the Arch-bishop recommended him to one Hills an English-Merchant to provide for his Passage The Arch-bishop's Letter may be found in the Appendix To this Letter Bucer wrote an Answer seeming upon some Considerations to decline the Arch-bishop's Invitation This Letter coming to the Arch-bishop's Hands he shewed to Peter Alexander who by the Arch-bishop's Order wrote back to Bucer in the said Arch-bishop's and the Protector 's Name to call him again over which Letter was dated March 24 from Lambeth telling him withal that the good old Man Latimer saluted him Letters I suppose of the same Import were also dispatched to the Learned Fagius Bucer and Fagius who were thus honourably invited into England by repeated Letters of the Lord Protector and Arch-bishop Cranmer were by them also nominated for Publick Professors in the University of Cambridg the one of Divinity the other of the Hebrew Tongue This was looked on by their Friends as a notable piece of God's good Providence that when these two eminent Champions of the true Religion were in so much present Danger in Germany so seasonable a Refuge was provided for them elsewhere They both arrived safe in England in the end of April and abode with the Arch-bishop above a quarter of a Year until towards the end of the long Vacation the Arch-bishop intending they should be at Cambridg when the Term should begin in order to their Reading During this Interval while they continued at Lambeth they were not idle being every day busied in some Study and Exercise agreeable to their Function as was hinted before But the main of their Thoughts were taken up in preparing for their University-Lectures Which of what Subject-Matter they should be the Arch-bishop himself directed As it had been a great while his pious and most earnest Desire that the Holy Bible should come abroad in the greatest Exactness and true Agreement with the original Text. So he laid this Work upon these two Learned Men. First That they should give a clear plain and succinct Interpretation of the Scripture according to the Propriety of the Language And Secondly Illustrate difficult and obscure Places and reconcile those that seemed repugnant to one another And it was his Will and his Advice that to this End and Purpose their publick Readings should tend This pious and good Work by the Arch-bishop assigned to them they most gladly and readily undertook For their more regular carrying on this Business they allotted to each other by consent their distinct Tasks Fagius because his Talent lay in the Hebrew Learning was to undertake the Old Testament and Bucer the New The Leisure they now enjoyed with the Arch-bishop they spent in preparing their respective Lectures Fagius entred upon the Evangelical Prophet Esaias and Bucer upon the Gospel of the Evangelist Iohn And some Chapters in each Book were dispatched by them But it was not long but both of them fell Sick which gave a very unhappy stop to their Studies Fagius his Distemper proved mortal who was seized at first with a very acute Fever And notwithstanding Physick and Attendance remaining very ill he had a great desire to remove to Cambridg to
Riot in the University and thereby to endanger the King's Professor and was therefore got away into Scotland conscious likewise to himself of Calumnies and Wrongs done by him against the Arch-bishop some time after wrote to the Arch-bishop a submissive Letter praying him to forgive all the Injuries he had done his Grace and to obtain the King's Pardon for him that he might return Home again And he promised to write a Book for the Marriage of Priests as he had done before against it That he was the more desirous to come Home into England because otherwise he should be put upon writing against his Grace's Book of the Sacrament and all his Proceedings in Religion being then harboured as he would make it believed by such as required it at his Hands But in Q. Mary's Days he revolted again and was a most zealous Papist and then did that indeed which he gave some Hints of before for he wrote vehemently against Cranmer's Book But from Oxford let us look over to Cambridg Where Disputations likewise were held in the Month of Iune before the King's Commissioners who were Ridley Bishop of Rochester Thomas Bishop of Ely Mr. Cheke Dr. May and Dr. Wendy the King's Physician The Questions were That Transubstantiation could not be proved by Scripture nor be confirmed by the Consent of Antient Fathers for a thousand Years past And that the Lord's Supper is no Oblation or Sacrifice otherwise than a Remembrance of Christ's Death There were three Solemn Disputations In the first Dr. Madew was Respondent and Glyn Langdale Sedgwick and Yong Opponents In the Second Dr. Glyn was Respondent on the Popish side Opponents Pern Grindal Guest Pilkington In the third Dr. Pern was Respondent Parker Pollard Vavasor Yong Opponents After these Disputations were ended the Bishop of Rochester determined the Truth of these Questions ad placitum suum as a Papist wrote out of whose Notes I transcribe the Names of these Disputants Besides these Disputations when Bucer came to Cambridg he was engaged in another with Sedgwick Pern and Yong upon these Questions I. That the Canonical Books of Scripture alone do teach sufficiently all things necessary to Salvation II. That there is no Church in Earth that erreth not as well in Faith as Manners III. That we are so freely justified of God that before our Justification whatsoever good Works we seem to do have the Nature of Sin Concerning this last he and Yong had several Combates Which are set down in his English Works As to Bucer's Opinion of the Presence in the Sacrament the great Controversy of this Time it may not be amiss to consider what so great a Professor thought herein and especially by what we saw before that Martyr and he did somewhat differ in this Point For as he would not admit those words Carnally and Naturally so neither did he like Realiter and Substantialiter Bucer's Judgment drawn up by himself sententiously in 54 Aphorisms may be seen in the Appendix as I meet with it among Fox's Papers It is extant in Latin among his Scripta Anglicana and intitled Concessio D. M. Buc. de Sancta Eucharistia in Anglia Aphoristicos scripta Anno 1550. And so we take our leave of Bucer for this Year We shall hear of him again in the next CHAP. XV. Matters of the Church and its State now LET me now crave a little room to set down some Matters that relate to the Church coming within the compass of this Year which will shew what mean Advances Religion as yet had made in the Nation Divers Relicks of Popery still continued in the Nation by means partly of the Bishops partly of the Justices of Peace Popishly affected In London Bishop Boner drove on but heavily in the King's Proceedings though he outwardly complied In his Cathedral Church there remained still the Apostles Mass and our Lady's Mass and other Masses under the Defence and Nomination of our Lady's Communion used in the private Chappels and other remote places of the same Church tho not in the Chancel contrary to the King's Proceedings Therefore the Lord Protector and others of the Council wrote to the Bishop Iune 24. Complaining of this and ordering that no such Masses should be used in S. Paul's Church any longer and that the Holy Communion according to the Act of Parliament should be ministred at the high Altar of the Church and in no other place of the same and only at such times as the high Masses were wont to be used except some number of People for their necessary Business desired to have a Communion in the Morning and yet the same to be exercised in the Chancel at the high Altar as was appointed in the Book of Publick Service Accordingly Boner directed his Letters to the Dean and Chapter of Paul's to call together those that were resident and to declare these Matters As it was thus in London so in the Countries too many of the Justices were slack in seeing to the execution of the King's Laws relating not only to Religion but to other Affairs And in some Shires that were further distant the People had never so much as heard of the King's Proclamation by the Default of the Justices who winked at the Peoples neglect thereof For the quickening of the Justices of Peace at this time when a Foreign Invasion was daily expected and Foreign Power was come into Scotland to aid that Nation against England the Lord Protector and the Privy-Council assembled at the Star-Chamber and called before them all the Justices which was a thing accustomed sometimes to be done for the Justices to appear before the King and Council there to have Admonitions and Warnings given them for the discharge of their Duty And then the Lord Chancellor Rich made a Speech to them That they should repair down into their several Countries with speed and give warning to other Gentlemen to go down to their Houses and there to see good Order and Rule kept that their Sessions of Goal-delivery and Quarter-Sessions be well observed that Vagabonds and seditious Tale-bearers of the King or his Council and such as preached without Licence be repress'd and punished That if there should be any Uproars or Routs and Riots of lewd Fellows or privy Traitors they should appease them And that if any Enemy should chance to arise in any Place of England they should fire the Beacons as had been wrote to them before and repulse the same in as good Array as they could And that for that purpose they should see diligently that Men have Horse Harness and other Furniture of Weapon ready And to the Bishops the Council now sent Letters again for Redress of the Contempt and Neglect of the Book of Common-Prayer which to this time long after the publishing thereof was either not known at all to many or very irreverently used Occasioned especially by the winking of the Bishops and the stubborn Disobedience
of old Popish Curats The Letter is dated the 23 d of Iuly and is extant in Fox In London by the Connivance and Remisness of the Bishop many neglected the Divine Service then established and others did in secret Places of the Diocess often frequent the Popish Mass and other Superstitious Rites not allowed by the Laws of England The Sins of Adultery greatly encreased The Churches and particularly the Mother-Church of S. Paul's ran into Dilapidations the Glass was broken and the Ornaments and other Buildings belonging to Churches neglected Many refused to pay Tithes to their Curates probably of both sorts such as were Papists to those Curats as more diligently preached Reformation and obeyed the King's Laws and such as were not so to such Curats as were more backward thereunto Bishop Boner also himself now seldom came to Church seldomer preached and celebrated the English Communion Wherefore the Council sent certain private Injunctions to Boner for the redress of these things That he should preach in his own Person at Paul's Cross and declare certain Articles relating to the before-mentioned Neglects which the Council now sent to him to redress That he should preach once in a Quarter and exhort the People to Obedience and that he should be present at every Sermon at Paul's Cross that he should on the principal Feasts celebrate the Communion and at all times that his Predecessors used to Celebrate and sing High Mass. That he should call before him all such as did not frequent the Church and Common-Prayer and the Holy Communion and punish them as also Adulterers and that he should look to the Reparation of S. Paul's and other Churches and that the People pay their Tithes The Adulteries before hinted which the Council thought fit to recommend to the Bishop to take particular cognizance of makes me add that about this time the Nation grew infamous for this Crime It began among the Nobility and so spread at length among the inferior sort Noblemen would very frequently put away their Wives and marry others if they liked another Woman better or were like to obtain Wealth by her And they would sometimes pretend their former Wives to be false to their Beds and so be divorced and marry again such whom they fancied The first occasion of this seemed to be in the Earl of Northampton divorcing himself from his first Wife Anne Daughter to the Earl of Essex and after marrying Elizabeth Daughter to the Lord Cobham In like manner Henry Son of William Earl of Pembroke put away Katharine Daughter to Henry the Duke of Suffolk and married Mary the Daughter of Sir Henry Sidney These Adulteries and Divorces encreased much yea and marrying again without Divorce which became a great Scandal to the Realm and to the Religion professed in it and gave much Sorrow and Trouble in good Men to see it In so much that they thought it necessary to move for an Act of Parliament to punish Adultery with Death This Latimer in a Sermon preached in the Year 1550 signified to the King For the Love of God saith he take an order for Marriage here in England This is some Account of the Retardation of Religion On the other hand the Endeavors of those that wished well to it were not wanting Now the Protestants began more freely to put forth Books and to disperse such as were formerly printed beyond Sea in the behalf of Religion against Popery and concerning such as had suffered under the Cruelties of the Church of Rome Bale about these Days dispersed his Books One was The Image of both Churches applying the Divine Prophecy of the Revelations to the Apostate Church of Rome Another was a Vindication of the Lady Anne Ascue who suffered the cruel Death of Burning about the end of King Henry's Reign Whose Cause the Papists studiously had rendred bad This Book he intitled The Elucidation of Anne Ascue's Martyrdom Which was this Year exposed publickly to sale at Winchester and the Parts thereabouts as a Reproach to the Bishop of Winchester who was the great Cause of her Death Four of these Books came to that Bishop's own Eyes being then at Winchester they had Leaves put in as Additions to the Book some glewed and some unglewed which probably contained some further Intelligences that the Author had gathered since his first writing of the Book And herein some Reflexions were made freely according to Bale's Talent upon some of the Court not sparing Paget himself though then Secretary of State Another of Bale's Books that went now about was touching the Death of Luther Therein was a Prayer of the Duke of Saxony mentioned which the Bishop of Winchester gladly took hold on Wherein that Duke as to the justness of his Cause remitted himself to God's Judgment to be shewed on him here in this World if the Cause he undertook were not Just concerning Religion and desired God if it were not Good to order him to be taken and spoiled of his Honors and Possessions Since which the Duke was taken Prisoner and at the very time of his taking the Papists made an Observation that the Sun appeared so strangely in England as the like had not been seen before So apt are Men to interpret Events according to their own preconceived Opinions But at this Winchester took much Advantage Whereas indeed the Issues of God's Providence in this World are not favourable always even to the best Causes The keeping of Lent was now called into Controversy and asserted that it was not to be observed upon a religious Account And this was done the rather because the Papists placed so much Religion in the bare Fast. In the Pulpit it began to be cried down Tongue and Ioseph two great Preachers in London said That Lent was one of Christ's Miracles which God ordained not Men to imitate or follow And that it was an insupportable Burden There was a set of Rhimes now made about the burial of Lent which was called Iack of Lent 's Testament and publicly sold in Winchester Market therein Steven Gardiner the Bishop was touched who was a great Man for keeping it For in the Ballad Stephen Stockfish was bequeathed in this Will to Stephen Gardiner Of this he made a long Complaint to the Protector But yet this Neglect of Lent was not encouraged by the Superiors For it was kept at Court and Preparations for the King's Diet were made accordingly this Lent by the Protector The Protestants indeed were for keeping it and an Order was issued out for that purpose tho not upon a Religious but Politick Account But the greater part of the ordinary People would not be brought to it by this Distinction So that the Preachers were fain to be employed Latimer preached That those that regard-not Laws and Statutes were despisers of Magistrates There be Laws made of Diet he said what Meats we shall eat at all times And this Law is made in Policy as I suppose for
W. Wilts I. Bedford E. Clynton T. Ely A. Wyngfeld W. Herbert W. Petre. Edw. North. Accordingly Iune 9. The Duke of Somerset the Marquess of Northampton the Lord Treasurer the Earl of Bedford and Secretary Petre went to the Bishop of Winchester to know what he would stick to Whether to conform to and promote the King's Laws or no He answered That he would obey and set forth all things set forth by the King and Parliament And if he were troubled in Conscience he would reveal it to the Council and not reason openly against it And then he desired to see the King's Book of Proceedings At Greenwich Iune 10. Report was made by the Duke of Somerset and the rest sent to the Bishop of Winchester that he desired to see the said Book The next day were the Books sent to him and delivered to him by the Lieutenant of the Tower as the Council appointed to see if he would set his Hand to them and promise to set them forth to the People At Greenwich Iune 13. the Lieutenant of the Tower declared unto the Council that the Bishop having perused the Books of the Proceedings said unto him He could make no direct answer unless he were at Liberty and so being he would say his Conscience On the 14 th Day the Duke of Somerset and five more of the Council again repaired to the Bishop to whom he made this Answer I have deliberately seen the Book of Common-Prayer Altho I would not have made it so my self yet I find such things in it as satisfy my Conscience And therefore I will both execute it my self and also see others my Parishioners to do it And this the Councellors testified under their Hands as his Saying Iuly the 9 th There were certain Articles drawn up signed by King and Council for the Bishop to subscribe which contained the Confession of his Fault the Supremacy of the King and his Successors the establishing of Holy Days or dispensing with them to be in the King the service-Service-Book to be Godly and Christian the acknowledgment of the King to be Supream Head and to submit to him and his Laws under Age the abolishing the Six Articles and the King's Power of correcting and reforming the Church These Articles together with a Letter from the King the Earl of Warwick Lord great Master the Lord S. Iohn Lord Treasurer Sir William Herbert Master of the Horse and Secretary Petre carried to the Bishop requiring him to sign them Which he did only making exception to the first Iuly 10. The said Lords made report unto the Council that they had delivered the King's Letter unto the Bishop together with the Articles Unto all which Articles he subscribed thus with his own Hand Stev Winton saving the first Against which he wrote in the Margin these words I cannot in my Conscience confess the Preface knowing my self to be of that sort I am indeed and ever have been To which Articles thus subscribed by the Bishop these of the Council wrote their Names E. Somers W. Wilts I. Warwick I. Bedford W. Northampton E. Clynton G. Cobham William Paget W. Herbert W. Petre Edw. North. Iuly 11. at Westminster This was brought to the Council And his boggling in this manner at the Confession displeased the King that being the principal Point But to the intent he should have no just cause to say he was not mercifully handled it was agreed that Sir VVilliam Herbert and the Secretary should go the next day to him to tell him that the King marvelled he refused to put his Hand to the Confession And that if the words thereof seemed too sore then to refer it to himself in what sort and with what words he should devise to submit himself That upon the acknowledgment of his Fault the King might extend his Mercy towards him as was determined Iuly 13. Sir VVilliam Herbert and the Secretary reported that the Bishop stood precisely in his own Justification He said That he could not subscribe to the Confession because he was Innocent and also because the Confession was but the preface to the Articles Upon this it was agreed by the Council that a new Book of Articles and a new Submission should be devised for the Bishop to subscribe And the Bishop of London Secretary Petre Mr. Cecyl and Goodrick a Common Lawyer were commanded to make these Articles according to Law And then for the more authentick proceeding with the Bishop the two former Persons were again to resort to him with the new Draught and to take with them a Divine which was the Bishop of London and a Lawyer which was Goodrick These Articles were 22 in Number and to this Tenor That King Henry VIII had justly supprest Monasteries That persons may Marry who are not prohibited to contract Matrimony by the Levitical Law without the Bishop of Rome's Dispensation That vowing or going Pilgrimages were justly abolished the Conterfeyting S. Nicholas St. Clement c. was mere Mockery That it is convenient that the Scriptures should be in English That the Late King and the present did upon just ground take into their Hands Chauntries which were for maintenance of private Masses That private Masses were justly taken away by the Statutes of the Realm and the Communion placed instead thereof is very Godly That it is convenient that the Sacrament should be received in both Kinds That the Mass where the Priest doth only receive and others look on is but the Invention of Man That it was upon good and Godly Consideration ordered in the Book that the Sacrament should not be lifted up and shewed to the People to be adored That it is politickly and godly done that Images in Churches and mass-Mass-Books were enacted to be abolished That Bishops Priests and Deacons have no Commandment in the Law of God to vow Chastity or abstain from Marriage And that all Canons and Constitutions which do prohibit Marriage to the Clergy be justly taken away by Parliament That the Homilies and the Forms set forth of making Arch-bishops Bishops Priests and Deacons are Godly and wholsome and ought to be received That the Orders of Subdeacon Benet and Colet c. be not necessary and justly left out in the Book of Orders That the Holy Scriptures contain sufficiently all Doctrines necessary to Salvation That upon good and godly Consideration it was injoined that Erasmus's Paraphrases should be set up in Churches And that it was the King's Pleasure that the Bishop should affirm these Articles by Subscription of his Hand and declare himself willing to publish and preach the same These Articles were brought to the Bishop by the Master of the Horse and Secretary Petre with the Bishop of London and Goodrick To whom the Bishop answered That he would not consent to the Article of Submission Praying to be brought to his Trial and desired nothing but Justice And for the rest of the Articles when he was at Liberty then it should appear what he
be a Prey Which he calls Malum sanè intolerabile And of the same thing and not long after viz. Iuly 1551. he admonished the Duke of Somerset in a French Letter all of his own hand-writing which because of the Antiquity of it and the Matter it treats of referring to our Church and not being among his printed Epistles I have added in the Appendix In which Letter he excites the Duke to take care that there might be fit and able Ministers fixed in Parishes to teach the People The want whereof he attributed to two Causes The one whereof he made to lie in the Universities and the other in the Matter that we are speaking of That the Revenue of the Cures was withdrawn and dispersed away So that there was nothing to maintain good Men who were fit to perform the Office of true Pastors And hence it came to pass that ignorant Priests were put in which made great Confusion For the Quality of the Persons begat great Contempt of God's Word Advising the Duke to endeavour to bring those that had these Spiritual Possessions to be willing to part with them in as much as they could not prosper in defrauding God's People of their Spiritual Food which they did by hindring the Churches of good Pastors Bucer the King's Divinity-Professor at Cambridg was this Year engaged in a publick Disputation as his Collegue Peter Martyr the King's Professor at Oxon had been there the last Before this Disputation happened Bucer communicated his Purpose to his said Collegue and Friend Who having sufficient experience of the vain-glorious Ends of the Papists in these kinds of Disputations and of their unfair Dealings advised him in a Letter not to engage in it but to decline it On which Letter Arch-bishop Parker into whose Hands it fell wrote this Inscription Ad Bucerum prudens Martyris consilium ut non det se in disputatione cum gloriosulis Thrasonibus But it seems he was too far engaged to avoid it with Reputation nor thought he fit to do it for the vindication and sake of Truth The Questions disputed of and his Antagonists were before mentioned It seems he came off with great Credit for his Friend Martyr in a Letter to him soon after it was over professed a great deal of gladness that his Disputations had that good Success and that it so well happened was by God's Providence Which he said he could scarce have believed to have been a thing possible without Visitors or other grave Judges since the Papists reckoned it enough for their Business only to dispute afterwards studiously dispersing their Lies to their own Advantage and the disparagement of those that disputed against them And therefore Martyr said he wondred not that Christ in the beginning confirmed the Disputations of his Apostles with Miracles MARTINUS BUCERUS S.S. Theologiae apaid Cantabrigienyes Profefsor Regius Natus Selestadij Anno MCCCCXCI Denatus MDLI. Bucer's Friends after they had taken care for giving him an honorable Funeral consulted the Supply of his Widow Wibrand Bucerin that she might be well gratified and presented with some Gratuities that might shew the Respect the Nation had for her learned Husband So the University wrote a Letter to the King and Council concerning Bucer's Death and their respectful Interment of him with the signification of their Desire that his Majesty would send them another able Professor in his room With this University-Letter Dr. Parker wrote another to Sir Iohn Cheke entreating him to present their Letter and that he would particularly speak to the Council and to the Arch-bishop of Canterbury to remember the Widow Sir Iohn Cheke March 9. wrote a Letter in answer to Dr. Parker's which I have placed in the Appendix He therein lamented the loss of this Man commended him for his Depth of Knowledg Earnestness in Religion Fartherliness in Life and Authority in Knowledg He added that the King would provide some grave Learned Man to maintain God's true Learning in that University though he thought in all Points they would not meet with Bucer's like He desired Parker that all Bucer's Books and Writings might be sent up and saved for the King's Majesty except Mrs. Bucer might turn them to better Account some other way These Books and Papers were apprized at one hundred Pounds But she received but fourscore Pounds of those that bought them Which she desired Parker and Haddon the Executors here in England to testify under their Hands that she might shew it to vindicate her Truth and Honesty not to have wronged the Heirs The Library was divided into three parts The King had the Manuscripts which was one part The Dutchess of Somerset I suppose had the greater part of the Books and the Arch-bishop of Canterbury had the remainder for which he for his share paid her forty Pounds The University gave her an hundred Crowns the King an hundred Marks more besides her Husband's half-year's Pension though he died before Lady-day when it came due He also allowed for such reasonable Repairs as Bucer had bestowed about the House wherein he lived And March 31. 1551. She had a Passage by Sea granted her with eight Persons in her Company She returned unto Strasburgh whither She retired by Mr. Rich. Hills Merchant the Sum of two hundred twenty six Pounds two Shillings From Strasburgh in February the next Year She wrote a Letter to the Executors wherein She acknowledged their Kindness to her praying God for them in respect of their singular Humanity and Benefits which they had shewed to her Husband and her self and especially when he was dead Miseram me said She in that Letter omnique solatio destitutam non deseruistis sed in vestram me tutelam benigne suscepistis omnia denique Christianae charitatis officia demonstrastis Bucer left a Son named Nathaniel and a Daughter named Elizabeth behind him at Strasburgh when he came into England Which I suppose were all the Children he left surviving him whom he had by a former Wife that died of the Plague there By her he had many more but they died before him As long as Bucer lived there was a dear Correspondence between him and P. Martyr while they were the one at Cambridg and the other at Oxford In the private Library at Benet-College there be still remaining divers Letters from Martyr to him One whereof was writ upon occasion of Bucer's communicating to him his Judgment of the Habits which he had composed for the use of Hoper Which Letter began thus S. P. Perlegi Vir Dei quae de Vestium discrimine doctè piéque scripsisti ac ex illis non mediocrem voluptatem cepi tum quia vera quae praedicas intelligebam tum quod per omnia consentiebant cum his quae ego Londinum ad Hopperum ipsum pridie ejus diei qua tuae mihi redderentur miseram So that hence it appears they were both unanimous for wearing of the Habits enjoined
was much offended that he was named in the Book and pretended this to be one Reason why he did write against it to vindicate himself as well as the Papal Church hereby so dangerously struck at This Book of Cranmer's was turned into Latin by Iohn Yong who complied afterwards with the old Religion under Queen Mary and was Master of Pembroke-Hall Cambridg At this Book the Defenders of Popery were so nettled that in the same Year 1550 Winchester then in the Tower and fickle Dr. Smith then at Lovain printed Answers Of Smith's Book I shall only note by the way that March 8. 1550. there was an Order of Council to examine the bringer over of his Book against Cranmer Such a Countenance did the State give to the Arch-bishop and his Book Gardiner's Book made the greatest noise Which was printed in France and intituled An Explication and Assertion of the true Catholick Faith touching the most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar with the Confutation of a Book written against the same In the Beginning of his Book he wrote That his Sermon before the King on St. Peter's Day touching the Sacrament of the Altar gave occasion to the Arch-bishop's Book against it and that he was called before the King's Commissioners at Lambeth for his Catholick Faith in the Sacrament Whereas indeed this was not the Cause of his Troubles nor had some former Copies of his Book these words But after the Commission was issued forth against him to make his Cause appear the more specious as if it were the Cause of the Church he thought fit to make an Alteration in the beginning of his Book in the manner abovesaid And to carry on the Scene he in open Court offered his Book before the King's Commissioners To this Book of Gardiners our Arch-bishop studied and composed an Answer holding himself bound for the Vindication of the Evangelical Truth as well as of his own Writing and for the Satisfaction of the People not to suffer it to lie untaken notice of When it was known the Arch-bishop was preparing an Answer against Gardiner the People were in very great expectation and conceived an earnest desire to see and read it Having therefore dispatched his Copy and sent it to Rainold Wolf his Printer it was printed off in the Month of September 1551. But there was some stop put to the publishing of it occasioned by a Proclamation issued out from the King whereby for some political Ends both the printing and selling of English Books without the Allowance of the King's Majesty or six of his Privy-Council was forbidden The Arch-bishop being desirous that his Book might come abroad the next Term for the Contentation of many who had long expected the same sent to Secretary Cecyl and Sir Iohn Cheke to procure either from the King or Council a Licence to the said Wolf for printing and selling his Book Which was obtained and the Book published accordingly This Letter of the ABp's dated Sept. 29. I have thought not amiss to reposit in the Appendix Octob. 1. A Licence was granted to Wolf to publish the Book under the King's Privilege the Court then being at Hampton-Court and the Arch-bishop himself present The Title this second Book of the Arch-bishop's bore was An Answer by the Reverend Father in God Thomas Arch-bishop of Canterbury Primate of all England and Metropolitan unto a crafty and sophistical Cavillation devised by Stephen Gardiner Doctor of Law late Bishop of Winchester against the true and godly Doctrine of the most Holy Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ. Wherein is also as occasion serveth answered such Places of the Book of Dr. Richard Smith as may seem any thing worthy the answering Also a true Copy of the Book written and in open Court delivered by Dr. Stephen Gardiner not one Word added or diminished but faithfully in all Points agreeing with the Original This Book of Arch-bishop Cranmer's was printed again at London 1580 with his Life and some other things His Reply to Gardiner was in the most fair and candid Method that could be devised For he first set down his own Treatise Piece by Piece then Gardiner's Reply thereunto Word for Word leaving not one Paragraph without a full Answer His Reply to Smith was only of some things most worthy to be taken notice of the rest of Smith's Book being meer Trifles This Reply to Smith he inserted in the Body of his Answer to Gardiner as occasion served Only at the end he made a particular Reply to Smith's Preface It seemed to be a very compleat Exercitation upon that Subject The Book was stored with so great Learning and Plenty of Arguments Vt ea Controversia saith one of his Successors a nemine unquam contra Pontificios accuratius tractata esse videatur That no one Controversy was by any ever handled against the Papists more accurately It may not be amiss to mention here the Opinion that Cranmer himself had of his Book in that famous and renowned Confession he made of his Faith in S. Mary's Church Oxon immediately before he was led away to his Burning Where he expressed his full Approbation and great Confidence of the Doctrine contained therein saying That as for the Sacrament he believed as he had taught in his Book against the Bishop of VVinchester The which Book he said taught so true a Doctrine of the Sacrament that it should stand at the last Day before the Judgment of God where the Papistical Doctrine contrary thereto should be ashamed to shew her Face The Papists spake as much against this Book being much galled by it Dr. Tresham in his Disputation with Latimer said There were six hundred Errors in the Book Weston thinking to invalidate the Book by the pretended Novelty of the Doctrine asked the same Father How long he had been of that Opinion He said Not past seven Years that is about the Year 1547 and that Arch-bishop Cranmer's Book confirmed his Judgment therein and added That if he could but remember all therein contained he would not fear to answer any Man in this Matter The Arch-bishop had acknowledged to the Queen's Commissioners at Oxford that Ridley had first begun to enlighten him as to the true Notion of the Presence as he had maintained it in his Book Hereupon one of them took occasion to try to baffle the true Doctrine by making the whole stress of it to depend upon the Authority of single Ridley Latimer said he leaned upon Cranmer and Cranmer leaned upon Ridley Whereas the truth of this was no more but that Ridley reading Bertram's Book of the Body and Blood of Christ was sharpened to examine the old Opinion more accurately of the Presence of Christ's Flesh and Blood and looking into Ecclesiastical Authors he found it greatly controverted in the ninth Century and learnedly writ against Which made him begin to conclude it none of the ancient Doctrines of the Church but more lately
Tonstal late Bishop of Durham should have the Liberty of the Tower where he continued till the Time of Queen Mary But we will look back to learn for what Cause this severe Punishment was inflicted upon this Reverend grave Bishop and the rather because the Bp of Sarum could not find as he writes what the Particulars were In the Year 1550 a Conspiracy was hatching in the North to which the Bishop was privy at least if not an Abetter And he wrote to one Menvile in those Parts relating to the same This Menvile himself related unto the Council and produced the Bishop's Letter Which was afterwards by the Duke of Somerset withdrawn and concealed as it seems out of kindness to Tonstal But upon the Duke's Troubles when his Cabinet was searched this Letter was found Upon which they proceeded against Tonstal This is the sum of what is found in the Council-Book Viz. May 20. 1551. The Bishop of Durham is commanded to keep his House Aug. 2. He had licence to walk in the Fields Decemb. 20. Whereas the Bishop of Durham about Iuly 1550 was charged by Vivian Menvile to have consented to a Conspiracy in the North for the making a Rebellion and whereas for want of a Letter written by the said Bishop to the said Menvile whereupon great trial of this Matter depended the final Determination of the Matter could not be proceeded unto and the Bishop only commanded to keep his House the same Letter hath of late been found in a Casket of the Duke of Somerset's after his last Apprehension The said Bishop was sent for and this Day appeared before the Council and was charged with the Letter which he could not deny but to be his own Hand-writing and having little to say for himself he was then sent to the Tower there to abide till he should be delivered by Process of Law Agreeable to this is that King Edward writes in his Journal Decemb. 20. The Bishop of Durham was for concealment of Treason written to him and not disclosed sent to the Tower In the latter end of the Year 1551 a Parliament sitting it was thought convenient to bring in a Bill into the House of Lords attainting him for Misprision of Treason But Arch-bishop Cranmer spake freely against it not satisfied it seems with the Charge laid against him But it past and the Arch-bishop protested But when it was carried down to the Commons they would not proceed upon it not satisfied with the bare Depositions of Evidences but required that the Accusers might be brought Face to Face And so it went no further But when the Parliament would not do Tonstal's Business a Commission was issued out to do it as is above spoken In the mean time that the Bishoprick might not want a due Care taken of it during the Bishop's Restraint Feb. 18. 1551 a Letter was sent from the Council to the Prebendaries of Durham to conform themselves to such Orders in Religion and Divine Service standing with the King's Proceedings as their Dean Mr. Horn shall set forth whom the Lords required them to receive and use well as being sent to them for the Weal of the Country by his Majesty CHAP. XXXIII The new Common-Prayer The Arch-bishop in Kent THE Book of Common-Prayer having the last Year been carefully Revised and Corrected by the Arch-bishop and others the Parliament in April this Year enacted that it should begin to be used every where at All-Saints Day next And accordingly the Book was printed against the Time and began to be read in S. Paul's Church and the like throughout the whole City But because the Posture of Kneeling was excepted against by some and the words used by the Priest to the Communicant at the reception of the Bread gave Scruple as though the Adoration of the Host were intended therefore to take off this and to declare the contrary to be the Doctrine of this Church Octob. 27. a Letter was sent from the Council to the Lord-Chancellor to cause to be joined to the Book of Common-Prayer lately set forth a Declaration signed by the King touching the Kneeling at the receiving of the Communion Which in all probability was done by the Motion of the Arch-bishop who in his late Book had taken such pains to confute the Adoration and now thought it necessary that some publick Declaration should be made in the Church-Service against it So now the first of November being come Dr. Ridley the Bishop of London was the first that celebrated the new Service in S. Paul's Church which he did in the Forenoon And then in his Rochet only without Cope or Vestment preached in the Choir And in the Afternoon he preached at Pauls-Cross the Lord-Mayor and Aldermen and Citizens present His Sermon tended to the setting forth this new Edition of the Common-Prayer He continued preaching till almost five a Clock so that the Mayor and the rest went home by Torch-light By this Book of Common-Prayer all Copes and Vestments were forbidden throughout England The Prebendaries of St. Pauls left off their Hoods and the Bishops their Crosses c. as by Act of Parliament is more at large set forth Provision also was made for the King's French Dominions that this Book with the Amendments should be used there And the Bishop of Ely Lord Chancellor a great forwarder of good Reformation procured a learned French-man who was a Doctor of Divinity carefully to correct the former French Book by this English new One in all the Alterations Additions and Omissions thereof For the first Common-Prayer Book also was in French for the use of the King's French Subjects Being translated by Commandment of Sir Hugh Paulet Governour of Calais And that Translation overseen by the Lord Chancellor and others at his Appointment The Benefit of this last Book was such that one of the French Congregation in London sought by the Means of A Lasco's Interest with Secretary Cecyl for a Licence under the King's Letters Patents to translate this Common-Prayer and the Administration of Sacraments and to print it for the use of the French Islands of Iersey and Guernsey But Cecyl after a Letter received from A Lasco in August to that effect not willing to do this of his own Head and reckoning it a proper Matter to be considered by the Arch-bishop who were to be intrusted with the translating of such a Book desired him being now at Ford to give him his Advice and Judgment herein both as to the Work and as to the Benefit To whom the Arch-bishop gave this Answer That the Commodity that might arise by printing of the Book was meet to come to them who had already taken the Pains in translating the same Enforming the Secretary who they were namely those formerly and now of late employed by Sir Hugh Paulet and the Lord-Chancellor But I find this Book was not presently finished being not printed till the Year 1553 for the Use of Iersey and Guernsey
would deal sincerely with him without Fraud or Craft and use him as they would wish to be used in the like case themselves Bidding them remember that with what Measure they meet it should be measured to them again Therefore to make himself some amends for all this foul Dealing his last Refuge was an Appeal Whereof he seriously bethought himself when and in what manner to make it The Causes for his resolving upon it besides those already mentioned were because he remembred Luther once did so in such a Case and that he might not seem rashly to cast away his own Life and because he was bound by his Oath never to receive the Pope's Authority in this Realm and because the Commissioners had broken their Promise with him as above was said and because he thought the Bishop of Rome was not an indifferent Judg in this Cause which was his own Cause for all the Arch-bishop's Troubles came upon him for departing from him He therefore wrote privately to a trusty Friend and Learned in the Law then in the University to instruct him in the Order and Form of an Appeal and whether he should first Appeal from the Judg-Delegate to the Pope or else from that Judg immediately to a General Council And so earnestly entreated him to lay aside all other Studies and to take this in Hand presently because he was summoned to make his Answer at Rome the sixteenth Day of this Month that is of February There was one reason more moved him to Appeal which must not be omitted namely that he might gain Time to finish his Answer to Marcus Antonius He feared after all they would not admit his Appeal But he did not much pass and desired God's Will might be done So that God might be glorified by his Life or Death He thought it much better to die in Christ's Quarrel than to be shut in the Prison of the Body unless it were for the advancement of God's Glory and the Profit of his Brethren This Letter of the Arch-bishop being writ with so much Strength and Presence of Mind and shewing so much Prudence and Wit is happily preserved in Fox's Monuments where it may be read This Appeal when the Arch-bishop had produced and preferred to the Bishop of Ely he told him That they could not admit of it because their Commission was to proceed against him Omni Appellatione remota Cranmer replied That this Cause was not every private Man's Cause but that it was between the Pope and him immediately and none otherwise and that no Man ought to be Judg in his own Cause And therefore they did him the more Wrong So at last Thirlby received it of him and said If it might be admitted it should And so after this Interruption they proceeded to degrade him taking off the rest of his Habits And then put him on a poor Yeoman-Beadle's Gown threadbare and a Towns-man's Cap. And Boner told him He was no Lord any more and so was sent to Prison CHAP. XX. Cranmer Writes to the Queen AND now having undergone these Brunts with all this Gravity Discretion Learning and Courage he next resolved to give the Queen a true and impartial Account of these Transactions to prevent Misreports and to justify himself in what he had said and done Two Letters therefore he wrote to her but thought not fit to entrust them with the Commissioners since Weston had served him such a Trick in the like Case before In these Letters he related the reason of his refusing the Bishop of Glocester for his Judg and of his Appeal For as he thought it his Duty at that juncture to declare himself in that publick manner against the Bishop of Rome so he reckoned he ought to declare himself also to the Supream Magistrate And therefore before the Bishop of Glocester and the Commissioners he said That as he had thus discharged his own Conscience towards the World so he would also write his Mind to her Grace touching this Matter He wrote to her That the twelfth Day of that Month he was cited to appear at Rome the eightieth Day after And that it could not but grieve the Heart of a natural Subject to be accused by the King and Queen of his own Country and before any outward Judg as if the King and Queen were Subjects within their own Realm and were fain to complain and require Justice at a Stranger 's Hand against their own Subject being already condemned to Death by their own Laws As though the King and Queen could not have or do Justice within their own Realm against their own Subjects but they must seek it at a Stranger 's Hand in a strange Land Then he proceeded to shew her why he refused the Pope's Authority when Brooks Bishop of Glocester came to try him namely Because he was sworn never to consent that the Bishop of Rome should have or exercise any Authority or Jurisdiction in the Realm of England Another reason why he denied his Authority was Because his Authority repugned to the Crown Imperial of this Realm and to the Laws of the same For the Pope saith all manner of Power both Temporal and Spiritual is given unto him of God and that Temporal Power is given to Kings and Emperors to use it under him Whereas contrary to this Claim said the Arch-bishop the Imperial Crown of this Realm is taken immediately from God to be used under him only and is subject to none but God alone Moreover to the Imperial Laws of this Realm all the Kings in their Coronations and all Justices when they receive their Offices are sworn and all the whole Realm bound to defend them But contrary hereunto the Pope he said made void and commanded to blot out of our Books all Laws and Customs repugnant to his Laws Then he proceeded to shew how contrary the Laws of the Realm and the Pope's Laws were And therefore that the Kings of this Realm had provided for their Laws by the Premunire So that if any Man let the execution of the Law by any Authority from the See of Rome he fell into the Premunire And to meet with this the Popes had provided for their Law by Cursing He supposed that these things were not fully opened in the Parliament-house when the Pope's Authority was received again For if they were he could not believe that the King and Queen the Nobles and Commons would again receive a Foreign Authority so hurtful and prejudicial to the Crown and to the Laws and State of this Realm He rebuked the Clergy who were the main Movers of this at the Parliament for their own Ends. For they desired to have the Pope their chief Head to the intent that they might have as it were a Kingdom and Laws within themselves distinct from the Laws of the Crown and live in this Realm like Lords and Kings without damage or fear of any Man And then he glanced at some of the Clergy probably
Not was inserted in a certain place of the Book to alter the Doctrine of the Real Presence which was asserted in the first Edition This Dr. Martin one of Queen Mary's Commissioners threw in his Dish at his Examination in Oxford But the Arch-bishop professed his Ignorance concerning the foisting in of that Word The addition of which Word indeed he thought was needless still holding the Body and Blood truly present in the Holy Supper though after a spiritual manner III. The Ordinances or Appointments of the Reformed Church This was the Book of Common-Prayer with the Preface before it beginning There was never any thing c. as I learn out of Bale IV. One Book of Ordaining Ministers Which I suppose was the Form of Ordination published in the Year 1550. V. One Book concerning the Eucharist with Luther With whom Cranmer once consented in the Doctrine of the Presence VI. A Defence of the Catholick Doctrine in five Books Which was his excellent Work in vindication of himself against Bishop Gardiner and Dr. Richard Smith Whereof much hath been said before VII Ecclesiastical Laws in the Time of King Edward This was the Book of the Reformation of the Ecclesiastical Laws the management of which was by the King's Letters committed to eight whereof Cranmer was the chief VIII The Doctrine of the Lord's Supper against Gardiner's Sermon This Sermon is the same I suppose with that Book of his intituled A Detection of the Devil's Sophistry wherewith he robbeth the unlearned People of the true Belief of the most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar Which gave occasion to the Arch-bishop's first writing upon this Argument IX One Book against the Error of Transubstantiation X. One Book How Christ is present in the Supper XI One Book Concerning eating the Lord's Supper XII One Book Concerning the offering up of Christ. These five Books last mentioned are nothing else but the five Parts of his Book of the Holy Sacrament mentioned before XIII One Book of Christian Homilies Which must be the first Part of our Book of Homilies published under King Edward XIV One Book in answer to the Calumnies of Richard Smith For this Man had writ against Cranmer's Book of the Sacrament as well as Gardiner but done so scurrilously that Cranmer calls it his Calumnies XV. Confutations of Unwritten Verities Written against a Book of the same Smith intituled De veritatibus non scriptis Which he afterward recanted XVI Twelve Books of Common-Places taken out of the Doctors Those Volumes mentioned by Bishop Burnet I suppose were some of these Common-Place Books XVII Concerning not marrying the Brother's Wife Two Books Which must be those drawn up for the Use and by the Command of King Henry XVIII Against the Pope's Supremacy Two Books This was the Declaration against the Papal Supremacy said to be put forth by the Bishops in the Year 1536 upon occasion of Pole's Book of Ecclesiastical Vnion XIX Against the Pope's Purgatory Two Books XX. Concerning Justification Two Books I cannot trace these two last-mentioned Books unless by them be meant those two Treatises of Justification and Purgatory that are set at the end of the Institution XXI Pious Prayers One Book This Book I suppose was the Orarium seu libellus precationum put forth by the King and Clergy 1545. From whence a Book of Prayers was translated into English Anno 1552. XXII Letters to Learned Men One Book This I cannot hear any tidings of XXIII Against the Sacrifice of the Mass and against the Adoration of the Bread One Book Said to be writ while he was a Prisoner Which makes me conclude it to be part of his Reply to Gardiner's second Assault of him under the Name of Constantius XXIV To Queen Mary One Book or rather one Letter which was that he writ after his Examinations before her Commissioners and the Pope's Sub-delegate If some body of Leisure and that had the Opportunity of Libraries would take the pains to collect together all these Books and other Writings of this Arch-bishop and publish them it would be a worthy Work as both retrieving the Memory of this extraordinary Man who deserved so well of this Church and serving also much to illustrate the History of its Reformation But I know nothing of this nature done since the industrious Iohn Day in the Year 1580 printed a Book in Folio containing our Arch-bishop's Answer unto Stephen Gardiner Bishop of Winchester against the true Doctrine of the Sacrament Also to Richard Smith Also a true Copy of the Book writ by Stephen Gardiner Also The Life and Martyrdom of Cranmer extracted out of the Book of Martyrs And now we are mentioning this great Prelat's Writings it may not be unworthy to take notice of what I meet with in a Letter of Arch-bishop Parker to Secretary Cecyl in the Year 1563 his Grace being then at Canterbury Where he spake of the Great notable written Books as he stiles them of his Predecessor Dr. Cranmer which he had left behind him at some of his Houses at or near Canterbury whether Ford or Bekesborn or both or with some Friends in those Parts These Manuscripts it seems were embezeled and surreptitiously taken away by private Hands probably during his restraint in Queen Mary's Days and now studiously concealed by some that were minded it may be to stifle them being chiefly levelled against the Roman Church and Bishop Parker who was a great and painful Searcher after Antient and Learned Manuscripts and a diligent Retriever of eminent Mens Writings had by credible Information learn'd in what Hands many of those Books were and had sent either for the Persons concerned or to them to demand the said Books But they denied them Whereupon knowing no other way to recover them he desired the Secretary by some Power from the Queen's Council to authorize him to enquire and search for those Books and such-like Monuments by all Ways as by the said Parker's Discretion should be thought good whether giving the Parties an Oath or viewing their Studies Wishing he might recover them to be afterwards at the Queen's Commandment Adding that he should be as glad to win them as he would be to restore an old Chancel to Reparation This Letter of Arch-bishop Parker I have inserted in the Appendix But whether after all his diligence he succeeded in the recovery of those Manuscripts I know not I am apt to think he did and that these Writings of Cranmer that were in his Possession and afterwards bequeathed unto the Library of Benet-College and those other divers Volumes which were as was before-said in the keeping of the Lord Burghley might be some at least of them An inquisitive Man would be glad to know what the Matter and Contents of these numerous Writings of our Arch-bishop were and that seeing so many of them are perished the knowledg of the various Subjects of them at least might be preserved This besides what hath been shewn already may be gathered by what
State And lastly that the Hospitals impoverish'd or wholly beggar'd might by his means be remedied and helped by the King's Council that they might revert to their former Condition that is to succour and help the Poor He urged moreover to Cecyl that the destruction of Schools would be the destruction of the Universities and that all Learning would soon cease and Popery and more than Gothic Barbarism would invade all if Learned Men were not better taken care of than they were and if the Rewards of Learning viz. Rectories Prebends and all were taken away from them This Man had also freely discoursed these Matters to two other great and publick-spirited Men viz. Goodrich the Lord Chancellor who was Bishop of Ely and Holgate Arch-bishop of York To both whom he had also given the Names of a great many Schools Parsonages and Hospitals that had undergon this sacrilegious Usage And he particularly mentioned to Cecyl a Town not far from Cambridg called Childerlay where a Gentleman had pulled down all the Houses in the Parish except his own And so there being none to frequent the Church the Inhabitants being gone he used the said Church partly for a Stable for his Horses and partly for a Barn for his Corn and Straw This Letter of Wilson to the Secretary together with his Arguments against pilling the Church subjoined I have thought worthy preserving in the Repository for such Monuments in the Appendix But to return from this Digression which Calvin's Censure of our Arch-bishop occasioned And when in the Year 1551 he dispatched into England one Nicolas that Nicolas Gallasius I suppose who was afterward by Calvin recommended to be Minister to the French Congregation in London at the desire of Grindal Bishop of London that he would send over some honest able Person for that Place with Letters to the Duke of Somerset and likewise to the King to whom he presented also at the same time his Book of Commentaries upon Esay and the Canonical Epistles which he had Dedicated to him both the King's Council and the King himself were much pleased and satisfied with this Message And the Arch-bishop told Nicolas That Calvin could do nothing more profitable to the Church than to write often to the King The substance of what he wrote to the King that was so well taken was to excite and sharpen the generous Parts of the Royal Youth as Calvin hinted in a Letter to Bullinger CHAP. XXVI The Arch-bishop highly valued Peter Martyr AS for the Learned Italian Peter Martyr who is worthy to be mentioned with Melancthon and Calvin there was not only an Acquaintance between him and our Arch-bishop but a great and cordial Intimacy and Friendship For of him he made particular use in the Steps he took in our Reformation And whensoever he might be spared from his Publick Readings in Oxford the Arch-bishop used to send for him to confer with him about the weightiest Matters This Calvin took notice of and signified to him by Letter how much he rejoiced that he made use of the Counsels of that excellent Man And when the Reformation of the Ecclesiastical Laws was in effect wholly devolved upon Cranmer he appointed him and Gualter Haddon and Dr. Rowland Tayler his Chaplain and no more to manage that Business Which shews what an Opinion he had of Martyr's Abilities and how he served himself of him in Matters of the greatest Moment And in that bold and brave Challenge he made in the beginning of Queen Mary's Reign to justify against any Man whatsoever every Part of King Edward's Reformation he nominated and made choice of Martyr therein to be one of his Assistants in that Disputation if any would undertake it with him This Divine when he was forced to leave Oxford upon the Change of Religion retreated first to the Arch-bishop at Lambeth and from thence when he had tarried as long as he durst he departed the Realm to Strasburgh This Man was he that saw and reported those voluminous Writings of this Arch-bishop which he had collected out of all the Antient Church-Writers upon all the Heads of Divinity and those Notes of his own Pen that he had inserted in the Margin of his Books Which the Arch-bishop communicated to him when he conversed with him at his House And from these and such-like of the Arch-bishop's Labours he acknowledged he had learned much especially in the Doctrine of the Sacrament as he writ in his Epistle before his Tract of the Encharist The Fame of Peter Martyr and the Desire of preserving all Remains of so Learned a Professor and great an Instrument of the Reformed Religion hath inclined me to put two of his Letters into the Appendix though otherwise not to our present Purpose being Originals writ by his own Hand from Oxon. The one to Iames Haddon a learned Court-Divine and Dean of Exon to procure a Licence from the King or the Council for a Friend and Auditor of his to preach publickly The other to Sir William Cecyl to forward the paiment of a Salary due to him that read the Divinity-Lecture in the Room of Dr. Weston a Papist who had claimed it himself and laboured to detain it from him I cannot forbear mentioning here an Instance of his Love and great Concern for our Arch-bishop his old Friend and Patron after the Iniquity of the Times had parted them the one then in Prison and the other at Strasburgh It was in Iune 1555 when Queen Mary supposing her self with Child was reported to have said in her Zeal That she could never be happily brought to Bed nor succeed well in any other of her Affairs unless she caused all the Hereticks she had in Prison to be burnt without sparing so much as One. Which Opinion very likely the Bishop of Winchester or some other of her Zelotical Chaplains put into her Head This Report coming to Martyr's Ears afflicted him greatly not only for the Destruction that was like suddenly to befal many Holy Professors but more especially for the imminent Hazard he apprehended that great and publick Person the Arch-bishop to be in Which made him express himself in this manner in a Letter to Peter Alexander to whom that most Reverend Father had also formerly been a kind Host and Patron That from those Words of the Queen he might discover that my Lord of Canterbury was then in great Danger CHAP. XXVII The Arch-bishop's Favour to John Sleidan TO all these Learned and religious Outlandish-Men to whom the Arch-bishop was either a Patron or a Friend or both we must not forget to join Iohn Sleidan the renowned Author of those exact Commentaries of the State of Religion and the Common-wealth in Germany in the time of Charles V. About the end of March Anno 1551 He procured for him from King Edward an Honorary Pension of two hundred Crowns a Year as some Aid for the carrying on his
Act concerning it The Progress made by the ABp in this Work No. XXXIV The MSS. of these Laws Inter Fox MSS. Reformatio Legum Ecclesiast Lond. 1640. The ABp labours in this Work under K. Edward The ABp employed in mending Books of Service The King consults with the ABp for the Redress of certain Superstions Hist. Ref. Vol. II. Collect. p. 236. The opportunity of Winchester's Absence taken The ABp prevails with the King in two great Points Seeks to redress Alienation of the Revenues of the Cathedral Scripture and Sermons more common by the ABp's means Vid. Herb. Hist. P. 600. Anth. Kitchin An. 1546. A Proclamation against the English Testament He interprets a Statute of his Church Ex Regist. Eccles Christ. Cant. The ABp by the King's Command pens a Form for a Communion His last Office to the King Conceives great Hopes of K. Edward The ABp takes a Commission to execute his Office Cranm. Regist. Hist. Reâ— P. II. Coll. p. 90. K. Edward crowned by the ABp C.C.C.C. Library Miscellan B. The manner of the Coronation Hist. Ref. Vol. 11 Collect. p. 93. The ABp's Speech at the Coronation Foxes Firebrands Part 2. An. 1547. A Royal Visitation on foot Titus B. 2. Hist. Ref. Vol. II. Collect. p. 103. Vol. 11. p. 28. The Visitors Vol. intit Syuodalia †He belonged to the Office of the Signet and was Protonotary The Method of this Visitation Fox The Homilies and Erasmus's Paraphrase The ABp to Winchester concerning the Homilies See his Letters to the Protector in Fox No. XXXV The ABp c. compose Homilies Winchester in the Fleet. The Bp of Winchester's Censure oâ— the Homily of Salvation And of the ABp for it Winchester's Censure of Erasmus's Paraphrase His Account of his Commitment Inter Foxil MSS. Erasmus vindicated Winchester's Letter to Somerset concerning these things No. XXXVI The ABp appoints a Thanksgiving for a Victory The ABp to the Bp of London Cranm. â—egist * It should be Sept. I suppose A Convocation in the first Year of the King C.C.C.C. Library Vol. intit Synodalia Defence of Priests Marriage p. 268. Dr. Redman's Judgment of Priests Marriage Irenic p. 387. The ABp's Influence on the Parliament Hist. Râ—s Vol. 1. p. 40. The Communion in both Kinds established Fox The ABp's Queries concerning the Mass. The ABp assists at the Funeral of the French King Stow. The Marquess of Northampton's Divorce committed to the ABp Bp of Wigorn. Hist. Ref. Vol. 2. p. 56. Processions forbid by his means Stow. Examines the Offices of the Church The ABp puts forth a Catechism And a Book against Vnwritten Verities Caâ— 3. His Care of Canterbury Fox's MSS. The ABp's Influence upon the University Some of St. Iohn's College apply to him upon the apprehension of a Danger Offended with some of this College and why No. XXXVII The ill Condition and low Estate of the University Hist. Ref. Part II. p. 8. An Address of the University to the ABp The Sum thereof No. XXXVIII The Success of the University's Address to him and others Another Address to him against the Townsmen Roger Ascham's Application to him for a Dispensation for eating Flesh. Favourably granted by the ABp The ABp's Opinion concerning Lent Ascham acquaints him with the present State of the University as to their Studies Epistol libro 2. Sir Iohn Cheke the ABp's dear Friend the prime Instrument of politer Studies there The Impediments of the Universities flourishing state laid before him Dr. Smith recants at Paul's Cross. His Books No. XXXIX Gardiner offended with this Recantation Psal. 116.11 Other University-Men recant Smith affronts â—he ABp His Inconstancy The ABp's admonition to the Vicar of Stâ—pney Foxii MSS. The ABp Licenseth an eminent Preacher Foxil MSS. Who preacheth against the Errors and Superstitions of the Church Foxii MSS. Is bound to answer for his Sermon at the Assizes How far the Reformation had proceeded Part 3. Ridley consecrated Bp. Cran. Reg. p. 321. Churches profaned Cotton Libr. Titus B. 2. Church Ornaments embezelled The Council's Letter to the ABp thereupon Cran. Regist. A Form of Prayer sent to the ABp With the Council's Letter Cran. Regist. New Opinions Broached Cranm. Regist. Champneys revokes six Articles And abjureâ— Other Heresies vented Cranm. Regist. Assheton's Recantation Other Errors still Ioan Bocheâ—s Heresy Latimeâ—'s Censure of her Georgâ— Van Paris The ABp visits his Diocess His Articles for the Clergy And for the Laity An Exchange made between the ABp and the Lord Windsor Bishop of S. Davids Consecrated Cran. Regist. Fol. 327. Some account of this Bishop The ABp swayed by Farrar's Enemies Sutâ—liâ—s Answ. to Parson's Threefold Convers. of England An. 1549. Rebellion in Devon The ABp Aâ—â—swers the Rebels Articles An. 1549. N â— XL. Some Account thereof Crispin Morâ—man Cardinal Pole The ABp procures Sermons to be made against the Rebellion Miscellâ—n D. Peter Martyr's Sermon upon this Occasion The French take Occasion at this Rebellion Bucer's Discourse against the Sedition The ABp's Prayer composed for this Occasion No. Xâ—I The ABp deprives Boner Discourse between the ABp and him concerning his Book Concerning the Sacrament Chargeth the ABp concerning the Preachers he allowed The ABp's Answers to Boner's Declaration Papists insist upon the invalidity of the Laws made in the King's minority No. XLII Lat. Serm. Fol. 25. An Ordination of Priests and Deacons The Office of Ordination reformed The ABp Visits some Vacant Churches S. David's Glocester Norwich London A new Dean of the Arches The ABp writes to the Lords at Ely-house Their Answer Vol. II. Collect. p. 187.188 The ABp gets the Common-Prayer-Book confirmed The ABp harbours Learned Strangers MSS. C.C.C.C. Miscellan A. Bucer writes in the ABp's Family MSS. C.C.C.C. Miscellan D. The ABp's Guests Calvin Ep. 197 Martyr dedicates his Lectures at Oxon to the ABp The ABp writes to Bucer to come over No. XLIII Bucer and Fagius Professors at Cambridg Vet. P. Fag per Ministr aliquos Eccles. Argent Fagius dies No. XLIV The ABp sends money to Fagius's Widow Bucer laments his Loss MSS. C.C.C.C. His Answer hereunto Declines it at present and why They agree upon the Conditions of a Disputation They Dispute No. XLIV Martyr sends the Sum of the Disputation to the ABp The Disputation published by Martyr Quid enim nâ—gare ausâ—m Rever Archiâ—piscopo Cant. cui plant omnia debto In Praefat. ad Disp. And by Tresham No. XLV Smith writes to the ABp from Scotland Disputations at Cambridg before the Commissioners Bucer Disputes His Judgment of the Sacrament No. XLVI Relicks of Popery remaining Fox's Acts. The Council gives Orders to the Justices And writes to the Bishops Neglect in London Adulteries frequent Books dispersed by Protestants Letter to the Lord Protector Preaching against Lent Gardiner's Judgment of a Rhime against Lent Latimer counsels the King about Marriage Foreign Protestants their offer to King Edward Fox's and Firebrand's Part II. An. 1550. Ridley made Bp of London Ridl Letter among the Letters of the Martyrs Rochester Vacant
MEMORIALS OF The Most Reverend Father in God Thomas Cranmer SOMETIME Lord Archbishop of CANTERBURY WHEREIN The HISTORY of the CHURCH and the REFORMATION of it during the Primacy of the said ARCHBISHOP are greatly Illustrated and many singular Matters relating thereunto now First Published In Three Books Collected chiefly from RECORDS REGISTERS Authentick LETTERS and other ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS By IOHN STRYPE M. A. LONDON Printed for RICHARD CHISWELL at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCXCIV EFFIGIES VERA REVERENDISSIMI Câ—â—â—MERI ARCHIEPISCOPI CANTUARIENSIS H Holbein pinxit Natus 1489 July 2. Consecratus 1533. Marzo Martyrio Coronatus 1556. Mar 21. pag 179 Printed for Ric Chiswell at the Rose and Crowne in S t Pauls Church yard TO THE Most Reverend Father in God JOHN By the DIVINE PROVIDENCE Lord Archbishop of CANTERBVRY Primate of all England and Metropolitan AND One of Their Majesties most Honourable Privy Council May it please Your Grace TO pardon the Presumption of the Obscure Person that dedicates this Book to Your GRACE for the sake of the Renowned Man it treats of Viz. One of your Illustrious Predecessors an Archbishop of Canterbury that hath deserved so eminently of that See nay and of the whole British Church I may say that deserved Best of any Archbishop before him that wore that Mitre To whose solid Learning Deliberation and indefatigable Pains both the Kings and People of this Realm owe their Deliverance from the long and cruel Bondage of Rome For it is true what the Romanists say in Obloquy of this Archbishop and we Protestants say it to his Eternal Fame That he was the first of all the Archbishops of Canterbury that made a Defection from the Papal Chair Thereby vindicating this Crown from a base Dependance upon a Foreign Jurisdiction But whereas Parsons saith That this was the first Change of Religion in any Archbishop of Canterbury from the beginning unto his days this is not so true For sundry of Archbishop Cranmer's Predecessors to look no further than Two or Three hundred Years backward were of different Judgments from the Church of Rome in some Points His immediate Predecessor Warbam approved of the King's Title of Supreme Head of the Church under Christ in his own Kingdom against the Doctrine of the Pope's Universal Authority And a Century of Years before him Archbishop Chichely tho he were made the Pope's Legate refused to exercise his Power Legantine further than he should be authorized thereunto by the King And Archbishop Islip as long before him disliked of Dissolving those Marriages that were contracted by such as had before vowed the single Life For tho he laid a Punishment upon a Countess of Kent who being a Widow and then Professed afterwards secretly married to a certain Knight named Abrincourt yet he divorced them not but permitted them to live together And the Judgment of Archbishop Arundel who lived in K. Richard the Second's Reign was for the Translation of the Scriptures into the Vulgar Tongue and for the Laities use thereof For He preaching the Funeral Sermon of Queen Anne the beloved Wife of that King after she deceased at Sheen in the Year 1392. commended her as for her other Vertuous Accomplishments so particularly for her Study of the Holy Scriptures and of the Sense of them and for having them in the Vulgar Tongue as I find by an Ancient MS. Fragment writ near Three hundred Years ago formerly belonging to the Church of Worcester in these Words following Also the Bushop of Caunterbury Thomas of Arundel that now is sey a Sermon at Westminster thereas was many an hundred of people at the buryeng of quene Anne of whose Sowle God have mercy And in his commendation of her he seyd That it was more joy of her than of any woman that ever he knew For notwithstanding that she was Alien born being the Daughter of the Emperor Charles IV. she had on English al the iiij gospels with the Doctors upon hem And he seyd that she sent them unto him And he seyd that they were good and true and commended her in that she was so great a Lady and also an Alyan and wolde study so holy so vertuouse bokes And he blamed in his Sermon sharply the negligence of the Prelates and other men c. So that it is not true what Parsons saith if he mean That no Archbishops of Canterbury before Cranmer varied from the Church of Rome in any of her Doctrines But true it is tho not so much to their Credits that none of them however sensible they were of the Roman Errors and Superstitions did in good earnest bestir themselves to set this Church free of them before our abovenamed Archbishop being the sixty eighth from Augustine the Monk resolutely and bravely undertook and effected it Indeed they spent not their Zeal their Treasure and their Interest this way so much as in contending about Superiority and their Prerogatives in exempting their Clergy from the Cognizance of the Temporal Magistrate in Applications to and Courting of the Bishops of Rome in Persecuting those they called Hereticks in Eternizing their own Names by founding Religious Houses and building Stately Palaces and Shrines and in exhibiting themselves in great Worldly Pomp and Appearance But blessed be God for Archbishop Cranmer by means of whose Reformation succeeded a Series of better tho not so splendid Archbishops Who made conscience of minding things more suitable to their high Vocation and the Spiritual Trust committed to them Men that regarded little or nothing the vain shews of exterior Grandeur and Glory nor sought Great Things for themselves but with their great Predecessor St. Paul on whom lay the Care of all the Churches spent and wore out themselves in the Restoration of the Kingdom of Christ so happily begun by the said Archbishop Cranmer in this Island Such were Parker Grindal Whitgift the Three first Protestant Archbishops next after him what he planted they watered and God gave a Blessed Increase to Whose most excellent Lives and Conducts in the Government of this Church as well as in their own more private and Domestick Conversation their rare Piety Prudence Patience Courage and Activity I can scarcely temper my Pen from making excursions into Of which I could fill even Volumes had I Leisure Favour and Countenance from those Large Collections which I have for divers Years been storing up with great delight partly out of their own Original Letters and partly from other MSS. in their times But besides these first Archbishops during the Long Reign of Q. Elizabeth who by their Care and Diligence established and settled that Reformation of which Archbishop Cranmer laid the first Stones we are beholden unto the same Archbishop for all the rest of the Worthy and Painful Prelates of that Metropolitical See who have taken Care of this Excellently Reformed Church even unto Your GRACE Whose Deserts towards this Church and the Reformation have raised you to sit in Archbishop Cranmer's
Supremacy Concerning the New Bishops Pole's Advice to the Queen Instructions to Goldwâ—l Disgusts his Stop Sends to Rome about this his Stop And to the Emperor His Judgment of two late Acts of Parliament CHAP. VIII The Dealings with the Married Clergy The Married Clergy deprived and divorced Married Priests in London cited to appear Interrogatories for the Married Clergy Turnor's Confession Boner deprives the Married Clergy in London without Order Married Prebendaries in Canterbury proceeded against Edmund Crâ—nmer deprived of all The Injustice of these Proceedings Martin's Book against Priests Marriage Wherein Winchester had the greatest hand Answered by Poyneâ— The Confessions of the Married Priests Married Priests that did their Penance hardly dealt with CHAP. IX Evils in this Change of Parliament A twofold Evil upon this Turn of Religion The Dissimulation of the Priests A Parliament restore the Pope A design to revive the Six Articles CHAP. X. Archbishop Cranmer disputes at Oxon. A Convocation appoint a Dispute with Cranmer at Oxford The Questions Sent to Cambridge The Disputants of Oxford and Cambridge Cranmer brought before them His Behaviour Ridley brought And Latimer Cranmer brought to his Disputation His Notaries Cranmer's Demands Cranmer disputes again The Papists undecent management of the Disputation The Protestants glad of this Disputation Dr. Taylor to the three Fathers after their Disputations Ridley pens the Relation of his Disputation The University sends the Disputations up to the Convocation Various Copies of these Disputations CHAP. XI Cranmer condemned for an Heretick Cranmer condemned for Heresy Cranmer writes to the Council Disputation intended at Cambridge Their condition after Condemnation Their Employment in Prison Other Works of Ridley in Prison CHAP. XII A Parliament Pole reconciles the Realms The Queen's Letters directing the Elections of Parliament men Pole comes over The Cardinal absolves Parliament and Convocation The Clergy again wait upon the Legate A Commission granted by him against Hereticks His Commissions to all the Bishops to reconcile their Diocesses The Commission to the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury The Legate's Instructions to the Bishops Pole a severe Persecutor CHAP. XIII A Convocation Articles framed therein A Convocation Articles presented to the Upper-House Cranmer's Book to be burnt Men burnt to death without Law CHAP. XIV The Condition of the Protestants in prison Free-Willers Popery fully established Protestants The Pastors in Prison Free-Willers Bradford's Concern with them His Kindness to them Bradford gaineth some of them Careless's pains with them Philpot's counsel Careless draws up a Confession of Faith Some few Arians The Prisoners offer to justify K. Edward's Proceedings And again offer it CHAP. XV. The Exiles and their Condition The Exiles The Lutherans refuse to give harbour to them The English at Wesel The Lutherans Heat against Sacramentaries At Zurick and other places well received Their Employments Contentions at Frankford Some Children of the Exiles baptized by Lutherans Pieces of Ridley's Writings conveyed to Frankford Exiles at Basil. Divers of the Exiles Writers Scory Old Sampson Turner Iuel Becon Humfrey Traheron Fox His Acts and Monuments Books by him published in Exile Translates Cranmer's Book of the Sacrament into Latin Lever to Fox Bale Knox. How the Exiles subsisted CHAP. XVI Many Recant Some go to Mass. Many Recant The Persecution hot Gospellers go to Mass. Bradford labours to hinder it Ann Hartipoll goes to Mass. The Lady Vane puts certain Cases concerning the Mass. CHAP. XVII A Bloody Time The Queen 's Great Belly A Convocation Many burned Instructions to the Justices Orders sent in to Norfolk against the Professors The effect thereof The Earl of Sussex receiveth Information against some Popish Spies set every where The Protestants frequently assâ—mble Conâ—idently reported that a Male Heir to the Crown was born The Queen 's Great Belly Like a Design The Queen's Zeal A Convocation CHAP. XVIII Ridley and Latimer burnt Some petition the Queen for Cranmer He seeth Ridley and Latimer going to their Burning Latimer's Character Cranmer's Employment in Prison Report of the Queen's Death CHAP. XIX The last proceedings with Cranmer Proceedings against Cranmer Martin acts as the Queen's Proctor Cranmer's greatest Trouble at this time Interrogatories put to him with his Answers Witnesses sworn against him Cited to Rome The Pope's Lâ—tters against him The Process against him at Rome The Pope's Letters read They degrade him He appeals He is ill dealt with in his Process The Reasons of his Appeal He presseth his Appeal CHAP. XX. Cranmer writes to the Queen Writes two Letters to the Queen The Contents of the first The Contents of his second Letter The Bailiff of Oxford carries his Letters Cardinal Pole answereth them Some account of the Cardinal's Letter to Cranmer Another Letter of the Cardinal to Cranmer CHAP. XXI He Recants Repents and is Burnt He Recants Notwithstanding his Burning is ordered A Letter from Oxford concerning Cranmer's Death Cranmer brought to S. Maries Cole's Sermon Turns his Speech to Cranmer After Sermon all pray for him His Penitent Behaviour Speaks to the Auditory He Prayeth His Words before his Death Conâ—esseth his Dissembling His Reply to my Lord Williams Goes to the place of his burning His Talk and Behaviour at the Stake He burneth his Right Hand Two Remarks upon his Martyrdom Who instigated the Queen to put him to death No Monument for him but his Martyrdom His Heart unconsumed The Bailiffs Expences about these three Martyrs The Bailiffs not repaid Humfrey to Archbishop Parker in their behalf CHAP. XXII Cranmer 's Books and Writings His Books and Writings His first Book Other of his Writings His Book of the Doctrine of the Sacrament Other Writings mentioned by Bishop Burnet More of his Writings still Archbishop Parker was in pursuit of certain MSS. of Cranmer concealed What the Subject of his numerous Writings were CHAP. XXIII The Archbishop's Regard to Learned Men. Paul Fagius and Martin Bucer placed at Cambridge by his means Procures them Honorary Stipends from the King Allowances to P. Martyr and Ochin Dr. Mowse Master of Trinity-Hall favoured by Cranmer His Inconstancy And Ingratitude Becomes Readâ—r of the Civil Law at Oxon. The Archbishop a Patron to Learned Foreigners To Erasmus allowing him an Honorary Pension To Alexander Alâ—ss a Scoth-man By him Melancthon sends a Book to the Archbishop And to the King Aless brought by Crumwel into the Convocation Where he asserts Two Sacraments only Writes a Book to clear Protestants of the Charge of Schism Translated a Book of Bucer's about the English Ministry Received into Crumwel's Family Aless Professor of Divinity at Leipzig Four others recommended by Melancthon to the Archbishop Viz. Gualter Driander Driander placed at Oxon. Eusebius Menius Iustus Ionas CHAP. XXIV Melancthon and the Archbishop great Friends Divers memorable Passages between Melancthon and our Archbishop Sends Melancthon certain Publick Disputations in Oxford and Cambridge Melancthon's Reflections thereupon Sends the Archbishop his Enarration upon the
their Pain But because the Place where they be the Name thereof and kinds of Pain there is to us uncertain by Scripture therefore we remit this with all other things to Almighty God unto whose Mercies it is meet to commend them That such Abuses be put away which under the Name of Purgatory have been advanced As to make Men believe that through the Bishop of Rome's Pardons Souls might clearly be delivered out of Purgatory and the Pains of it or that Masses said at Scala Coeli or otherwise in any Place or before any Image might deliver them from all their Pains and send them streight to Heaven These are the Contents of that memorable Book of Articles There are Reasons added now and then to confirm the respective Tenets there laid down and many Quotations of Holy Scripture which for brevity sake I have omitted Which one may conjecture to have been inserted by the Pen of the Arch-bishop Who was the great Introducer of this Practice of proving or confuting Opinions in Religion by the Word of God instead of the ordinary Custom then used of doing it by School-men and Popish Canons We find indeed many Popish Errors here mixed with Evangelical Truths Which must either be attributed to the Defectiveness of our Prelate's Knowledg as yet in True Religion or being the Principles and Opinions of the King or both Let not any be offended herewith but let him rather take notice what a great deal of Gospel-Doctrine here came to light and not only so but was owned and propounded by Authority to be believed and practised The Sun of Truth was now but rising and breaking through the thick Mists of that Idolatry Superstition and Ignorance that had so long prevailed in this Nation and the rest of the World and was not yet advanced to its Meridian Brightness CHAP. XII Cranmer's Iudgment about some Cases of Matrimony IN this Year then came forth two remarkable Books whereof both the King and the Arch-bishop and Bishops might be said to be joint Composers In as much as they seemed to be devised by the Arch-bishop and some of the Bishops and then Revised Noted Corrected and Enlarged by the King The one of these was the Book of Articles of Religion mentioned before This Book bore this Title Articles devised by the King's Highness to stable Christian Quietness and Vnity among the People c. With a Preface by the King Where the King saith he was constrained to put his own Pen to the Book and to conceive certain Articles Which words I leave to the Conjecture of the Reader whether by them he be enclined to think that the King were the first Writer of them or that being writ and composed by another they were perused considered corrected and augmented by his Pen. The other Book that came out this Year was occasioned by a Piece published by Reginald Pole intituled De Vnione Ecclesiastica Which inveighing much against the King for assuming the Supremacy and extolling the Pope unmeasurably he employed the Arch-bishop and some other Bishops to compile a Treatise shewing the Usurpations of Popes and how late it was e're they took this Superiority upon them some hundred Years passing before they did it And that all Bishops were limited to their own Diocesses by one of the eight Councils to which every Pope did swear And how the Papal Authority was first derived from the Emperor and not from Christ. For this there were good Arguments taken from the Scriptures and the Fathers The Book was signed by both the Arch-bishops and nineteen other Bishops It was called the Bishops Book because devised by them The Lord Crumwel did use to consult with the Arch-bishop in all his Ecclesiastical Matters And there happened now while the Arch-bishop was at Ford a great Case of Marriage Whom it concerned I cannot tell but the King was desirous to be resolved about it by the Arch-bishop and commanded Crumwel to send to him for his Judgment therein The Case was three-fold I. Whether Marriage contracted or solemnized in Lawful Age per Verba de presenti and without carnal Copulation be Matrimony before God or no II. Whether such Matrimony be consummate or no And III. What the Woman may thereupon demand by the Law Civil after the death of her Husband This I suppose was a cause that lay before the King and his Ecclesiastical Vicegerent to make some determination of And I suspect it might relate to Katharine his late divorced Queen The Arch-bishop who was a very good Civilian as well as a Divine but that loved to be wary and modest in all his Decisions made these Answers That as to the first he and his Authors were of Opinion that Matrimony contracted per Verba de presenti was perfect Matrimony before God 2. That such Matrimony is not utterly consummated as that term is commonly used among the School-Divines and Lawyers but by carnal Copulation 3. As to the Woman's Demands by the Law Civil he therein professed his Ignorance And he had no learned Men with him there at Ford to consult with for their Judgments only Dr. Barbar a Civilian that he always retained with him who neither could pronounce his Mind without his Books and some learned Men to confer with upon the Case But he added that he marvelled that the Votes of the Civil Lawyer should be required herein seeing that all manner of Causes of Dower be judged within this Realm by the Common Laws of the same And that there were plenty of well-learned Men in the Civil Law at London that undoubtedly could certify the King's Majesty of the Truth herein as much as appertained unto that Law warily declining to make any positive Judgment in a Matter so ticklish This happened in the month of Ianuary And indeed in these Times there were great Irregularities about Marriage in the Realm many being incestuous and unlawful Which caused the Parliament two or three Years past viz 1533. in one of their Acts to publish a Table of Degrees wherein it was prohibited by God's Law to marry But the Act did not cure this Evil many thought to bear out themselves in their illegal Contracts by getting Dispensations from the Arch-bishop which created him much trouble by his denying to grant them There was one Massy a Courtier who had contracted himself to his deceased Wife's Niece Which needing a Dispensation the Party got the Lord Crumwel to write to the Arch-bishop in his behalf especially because it was thought to be none of the Cases of Prohibition contained in the Act. But such was the Integrity of the Arch-bishop that he refused to do any thing he thought not allowable though it were upon the perswasion of the greatest Men or the best Friends he had But he writ this civil Letter to the Lord Crumwel upon this occasion MY very singular good Lord in my most hearty-wise I commend me unto your Lordship And whereas your
their Clients Causes It was urged also that it was a great discouragement to young Men in studying the Law when there is so little prospect of Benefit thereby Lastly That it was contrary to the Civil and Canon Law that permits any Man to be Proctor for another a few excepted But this Paper notably enough written may be read at large in the Appendix And so I leave the Reader to judg of the Expediency of this Order of the Arch-bishop by weighing the Arch-bishop's Reasons with these last mentioned Surely this his Act deserved commendation for his good Intentions thereby though some lesser Inconveniences attended which no doubt he had also well considered before he proceeded to do what he did When Queen Ann on May the 2 d was sent to the Tower by a sudden Jealousy of the King her Husband The next day the Arch-bishop extreamly troubled at it struck in with many good Words with the King on her behalf in form of a Letter of Consolation to him yet wisely making no Apology for her but acknowledging how divers of the Lords had told him of certain of her Faults which he said he was sorry to hear And concluded desiring that the King would however continue his Love to the Gospel lest it should be thought that it was for her sake only that he had favoured it Being in the Tower there arose up new Matter against Queen Ann namely concerning some lawful Impediment of her Marriage with the King and that was thought to be a Pre-Contract between her and the Earl of Northumberland Whereupon the Arch-bishops of Canterbury and York were made Commissioners to examine this Matter And she being before the Arch-bishop of Canterbury confessed certain just true and lawful Impediments as the Act in the 26 of Hen. VIII expresseth it but not mentioning what they were So that by that Act the said Marriage is declared never to have been good nor consonant to the Laws Yet the Earl of Northumberland being examined upon Oath before both the Arch-bishops denied it Upon the Truth of which he received also the Blessed Sacrament And the Lord Herbert saw an Original Letter to Secretary Crumwel to the same import But her Confession of it so far prevailed with the King that he would be divorced from her and with our Arch-bishop that he performed it by due Order and Process of Law And an Act passed that the Marriage between the King and Queen Ann was null and void and the Issue illegitimate The Arch-bishop granted a Licence dated Iuly the 24 th with the full Consent of Richard Withipol Vicar of Walthamstow in Essex to George Monoux Alderman of London and Thomas his Son to have the Sacrament administred in his Chappel or Oratory in his House De Moones now a Farm near Higham-hill in the said Parish of VValthamstow Indulging therein to the Wife of the said Thomas to be purified or churched in the same Chappel I the rather mention this that it may serve to recal the Memory of that pious and charitable Citizen and Draper Sir Geo. Monoux who built the fair Steeple of that Parish-Church and allowed a Salary for ever for ringing the great Bell at a certain Hour in the Night and Morning the Winter half Year He built also the North Isle of the said Church in the Glass-windows whereof is yet remaining his Coat of Arms. In the Chancel his Body was interred under a fair Altar-Monument yet standing In the Church-yard he founded an Hospital and Free-School and very liberally endowed it though now the Endowments are sadly diminished He also made a Causeway over Walthamstow-Marsh to Lockbridg over the River Lee for the conveniency of Travellers from those Parts to London and left wherewith to continue and keep it in Repair but that also is lost and the Ruins now only to be seen But enough of that The Germans conceived great hope of good to befal the Church by Cranmer's Influence and Presidency in England and took their opportunities of addressing to him This Year Martin Bucer published a large Book in Folio upon the Epistle to the Romans intituled Metaphrasis Enâ—rratio and dedicated it in a long Epistle to the Arch-bishop Wherein are sundry Expressions which will shew how well known abroad the Arch-bishop was already among the Protestants and what an excellent Bishop they looked upon him to be and how fixed their Eyes were upon him for doing great things towards a Reformation in England For thus he writ in this Epistle Te omnes praedicant animo praeditum Archiepiscopo tanti sicque ad gloriam Christi comparati regni Primate digno c. That all Men proclaimed him endowed with a Mind worthy of an Arch-bishop and Primate of so great a Kingdom and so disposed to the Glory of Christ. That he had so attained to this high Estate in Christ by his spiritual Wisdom Holiness of Life and most ardent Zeal to render Christ's Glory more illustrious that gathering together the Humble and taking pity upon the Sheepfold being indeed dispersed and scattered abroad he always sought and saved that which was lost and brought back Christ's poor Sheep to his Fold and the Pastures of everlasting Life when they had been before most miserably harassed by the Servants of Superstition and the Emissaries of the Roman Tyranny And after speaking of the King 's rooting out the Usurpation of the Pope and his pretended Jurisdiction by taking to himself the Supremacy the said Learned Man excited Cranmer to a further Reformation by telling him How easy now it would be for him and the other Arch-bishops and Bishops who were endued with the Spirit and Zeal of Christ from the remainders of the Ecclesiastical Administration to retain what might contribute to the true edifying of Consciences the saving Instruction of Youth and to the just Discipline and Polity of the whole Christian People For when the Enemies were once removed out of the way there could not then happen among us any extraordinary great Concussion of Religion and Ecclesiastical Discipline or any dashing one against another as among them in Germany of necessity came to pass striving so many Years for the Church of Christ against such obstinate Enemies The Consecrations this Year were these Diocesan Bishops Iune the 10 th Richard Sampson Doctor of Decrees and Dean of the King's Chappel was elected and confirmed Bishop of Chichester by Resignation of Robert Sherburn who was now very old No Consecration set down in the Register Iune William Rugg a Monk was consecrated Bishop of Norwich This is omitted also if I mistake not in the Register Probably he was consecrated with Sampson Iuly the 2 d Robert Warton Abbot of Bermondsey was consecrated Bishop of S. Asaph at Lambeth by the Arch-bishop Iohn Bishop of Bangor and William Bishop of Norwich assisting Suffragan Bishops Octob. 20. William More B. D. consecrated Suffragan of Colchester by Iohn Bishop of
Suffragan for Dover viz. Richard Yngworth Prior of the Priory of Langley-Regis and Iohn Codenham both Doctors in Divinity December the 8 th The King answered Cranmer's Letter by his Privy Seal wherein he appointed Yngworth to be consecrated for his said Suffragan And accordingly December the 9 th Iohn Bishop of London by virtue of Commissional Letters from the Arch-bishop assisted by Iohn Bishop of Rochester and Robert Bishop of St. Asaph consecrated the said Yngworth On the 10 th the Arch-bishop issued out his Commission to the said Suffragan ordaining him his Suffragan by those Presents until he should think fit to withdraw his said Commission again Signifying that what he was to do was within his Diocess and City of Canterbury and Jurisdiction of Calis and the Marches thereof to confirm Children to bless Altars Chalices Vestments and other Ornaments of the Church to suspend Places and Churches and to reconcile them to consecrate Churches and Altars new set up to confer all the lesser Orders to consecrate Holy Oil of Chrism and Holy Unction and to perform all other things belonging to the Office of a Bishop The Bishop's Letter to the King desiring him to appoint him a Suffragan out of those two above-named And the Arch-bishop's Commissional Letters to Suffragan Yngworth may be seen in the Appendix And he that is minded to read the Form of the King's Mandate to the Arch-bishop for making a Suffragan may find it in The History of the Reformation The Reason why the Arch-bishop all this while that is from the first making the Act in the Year 1534 to this Time had nominated none for Suffragan to this See till now might be because there seemed to be a Suffragan already even the same that had been in the time of Arch-bishop Warham namely Iohn Thornton Prior of Dover who was one of the Witnesses appointed by that Arch-bishop to certify what was found and seen at the opening of S. Dunstan's Tomb. Richard Thornden seems to have succeeded Yngworth in this Office some Years after and was very dear to the Arch-bishop having been by him preferred to be Prebend of Canterbury though he proved very false to him and was among those that made a treacherous Combination against him in the Year 1543. And in Q. Mary's Time became a great Persecutor December the 9 th Iohn Hodgkin Professor of Divinity was consecrated at the same time and by the same Bishops as above but to what See is not mentioned The Bishop of London together with this Hodgkin had nominated to the King Robert Struddel Professor of Divinity Both he recommended to the King by Letters to be made Suffragans at large without mention of any See in his Diocess but only expressing that his Diocess wanted the comfort of Suffragans that might bear a part in his Cure and so mentioned those two adding that the King might appoint them to some See within the Province of Canterbury Hodgkin if I mistake not was consecrated Suffragan of Bedford And was afterwards one of those that assisted at the Consecration of Arch-bishop Parker He was a Black Friar In the Year 1531 he with Bird laboured with Bilney at Norwich a little before his Death to bring him off from the Doctrines for which he was condemned Afterwards Hodgkin coming nearer under the Arch-bishop's Eye by his means came to better knowledg in Religion and married a Wife but in Queen Mary's Time put her away March 24. Henry Holbeach Prior of the Cathedral Church of Wigorn S. T. P. Hugh Bishop of Wigorn having recommended him to the King for Suffragan Bishop of Bristow was accordingly consecrated in the Bishop of London's Chappel in the said Bishop's House situate in Lambeth-Marsh by the said Bishop Hugh Bishop of Wigorn and Robert Bishop of S. Asaph assisting CHAP. XVII The Bible in English allowed THE next Year I find the careful Arch-bishop again at Canterbury looking after his Charge And here he read Lectures upon the Epistle of S. Paul to the Hebrews half the Lent in the Chapter-House of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity Now viz. 1538. the Holy Bible was divulged and exposed to common sale and appointed to be had in every Parish-Church And then that the Sacred Book might be used with the more benefit both of the Clergy and Lay-People for this Reason a Declaration was issued out to be read openly by all Curates upon the publishing of this Bible shewing the godly Ends of his Majesty in permitting it to be in English and directions how they should read and hear it Namely to use it with Reverence and greâ—â— Devotion to conform their Lives unto it and to encourage those that were under them Wives Children and Servants to live according to the Rules thereof that in doubtful Places they should confer with the Learned for the Sense who should be appointed to preach and explain the same and not to contend and dispute about them in Ale-houses and Taverns They that are minded to read this Declaration may find it in the Appendix This Bible was of so quick sale that two Years after it was printed again It was wonderful to see with what joy this Book of God was received not only among the Learneder sort and those that were noted for Lovers of the Reformation but generally all England over among all the Vulgar and common People and with what greediness God's Word was read and what resort to Places where the reading of it was Every body that could bought the Book or busily read it or got others to read it to them if they could not themselves and divers more elderly People learned to read on purpose And even little Boys flocked among the rest to hear Portions of the Holy Scripture read One William Maldon happening in the Company of Iohn Fox in the beginning of the Reign of Q. Elizabeth and Fox being very inquisitive after those that suffered for Religion in the former Reigns asked him if he knew any that were persecuted for the Gospel of Iesus Christ that he might add it to his Book of Martyrs He told him he knew one that was whipp'd by his own Father in K. Henry's Reign for it And when Fox was very inquisitive who he was and what was his Name he confessed it was himself and upon his desire he wrote out all the Circumstances Namely That when the King had allowed the Bible to be set forth to be read in all Churches immediately several poor Men in the Town of Chelmsford in Essex where his Father lived and he was born bought the New-Testament and on Sundays fat reading of it in the Lower end of the Church many would flock about them to hear their reading and he among the rest being then but fifteen Years old came every Sunday to hear the glad and sweet Tidings of the Gospel But his Father observing it once angrily fetch'd him away and would have him to say the Latin
be neither Patron nor Approver of that Doctrine until he saw stronger Proofs for it And so much did he dislike Oecolampadius and Zuinglius their Opinion in this Matter that he applied that Censure of S. Hierom concerning Origen to them That where they wrote well no body writ better and where ill no body worse And he wished those Learned Men had gone no further than to confute Papistical Errors and Abuses and had not sown their Tares with their good Corn. That which detained our Arch-bishop in this Error was the Veneration he had for the Ancient Doctors of the Church whose Writings as he then thought approved the Doctrine of this gross Presence judging that none could ever reconcile those Authors to the contrary Opinion Indeed he judged it the very Doctrine of the Fathers from the beginning of the Church And he reckoned that it must be a Truth because otherwise it could not consist with God's Goodness to his Spouse to leave her in such blindness so long It seemed also that he built this his Error upon the words of Scripture taking the sense of This is my Body literally Vadian by this Book had intended to have brought Cranmer off from this Opinion And before him several Attempts had been made that way but he remained so rooted therein that he seemed to be ever unmoveable He supposed also that the giving up this Doctrine would prove a great Impediment to the Work of the Gospel that now proceeded well in the Nation He advised and beseeched all both Lutherans and Zuinglians that the Churches of Christ would lay aside their Controversies in that Matter and agree and unite in a Christian Concord together that they might propagate one sound pure Doctrine consonant to the Discipline of the Primitive Church And this would be the way to convert even Turks themselves to the Obedience of the Gospel But I recommend the Reader to the Arch-bishop's own Letter to the said Vadianus wherein he may see how fast and firm he stuck to this Doctrine in these days He will find it in the Appendix Sanders in his lying Book of the English Schism would make his Reader believe that Cranmer was of this Opinion for another Reason namely because his Master K. Henry thought so and that he had so devoted himself to him that he in all things whatsoever believed and did in conformity to him giving Cranmer therefore the Nick-name of Henricianus But we must attribute that Suggestion to the well-known venemous Pen of that Man who cared not what he writ so he might but throw his Dirt upon the Reformation and the Reformers The said Author with the same Malice would have it that Cranmer was very variable and inconstant having been first for a Corporeal Presence afterwards a Lutheran and then a Calvinist And that he thus changed his Opinion as a Sycophant and Flatterer to comply with every Man's Humour that was uppermost That all the time of K. Henry he remained of that King's Opinion who was a vehement Enemy to Luther but when he was dead he became wholly Lutheran and put forth a Catechism dedicated to K. Edward and printed it in which he taught that every Christian that received the Sacrament either under the Bread or in the Bread or with the Bread certainly received into his Mouth the very true Body and Blood of Christ. But that scarce a Month passed when the Wretch that is his word understood that the Duke of Somerset the King's Governour was a Calvinist and not a Lutheran What should he do He printed his Catechism again changed the word and of an Henrician and a Lutheran became a Calvinist But to give a more true and respectful account of our Arch-bishop as to his continuance in this Opinion and his change of it Hitherto we have seen his Opinion for a Corporal Presence In the next Year viz. 1539. I find one Adam Damplip of Calais a Learned Preacher convented before him and several other Bishops for not holding the Real Presence From which Opinion the Arch-bishop with the rest did endeavour to bring him off Though then he marvelled much at the Answers that Damplip made and confessed openly and plainly that the Scripture knew no such term as Transubstantiation In the Year 1541 he had one Barber a Master of Arts of Oxford brought before him for denying the said Corporal Presence the Arch-bishop disputed again earnestly for that Doctrine against this Man yet could not but admire at his readiness in citing his Places out of S. Augustin nor could tell how to confute them as Mr. Raphe Morice his Secretary related afterward to Iohn Fox And this Tenet he held to the very last Year of K. Henry that is to the Year 1546. When by more mature and calm deliberation and considering the Point with less prejudice and the sense of the Fathers more closely in conference with Dr. Ridley afterwards Bishop of Rochester and his Fellow-Martyr he at last quitted and freed himself from the Fetters of that unsound Doctrine as appears by the Epistle Dedicatory before his Book of the Sacrament in Latin printed by the Exiles at Embden Which Epistle we may give credit to being written as is thought by Sir Iohn Cheke who well knew the Arch-bishop and Matters relating to him After Arch-bishop Cranmer and Ridley had changed their Opinion Latimer not long after changed his in this Point For as they all three died Martyrs at Oxon I am willing to join them together here It was but seven Years before his Burning that he relinquish'd that old Error that is about the Year 1547 as he confessed to Dr. VVeston in his Disputation There is an Argument the said Latimer made use of to prove the deceit of the Blood of Hales which Argument supposes him then of this Opinion It was pretended by the Priests that none could see this Blood but those that were confessed and absolved by the Priest and so clean in Life and their seeing of it was a sign they were so But said Latimer in those Times for the exposing of this Fraud Those Wretches that scourged Christ and nailed him to his Cross did see his Blood with their bodily Eyes and yet were not in clean Life And we see the self-same Blood in form of Wine when we have consecrate and may both see it feel it and receive it to our Damnation as touching bodily receiving We shall perhaps say more of the Arch-bishop's Opinion in the Eucharist when we come to speak of his Book relating to that Argument Divers Priests now as well Religious as Secular had married themselves after the Example of the Arch-bishop who kept his Wife secretly with him But some of these married Priests were so indiscreet that they lived publickly and openly with their Wives though the Ecclesiastical Laws were in force against such Marriages nor had they any Allowances by the King and Realm in Parliament Only some had Dispensations as
Crumwel speak against it the Reason being no question because they saw the King so resolved upon it Nay it came to be a flying Report that the Arch-bishop of Canterbury himself and all the Bishops except Sarum consented But this is not likely that Cranmer who had so openly and zealously opposed it should be so soon changed and brought to comply with it Nay at the very same time it passed he staid and protested against it though the King desired him to go out since he could not consent to it Worcester also as well as Sarum was committed to Prison and he as well as the other resigned up his Bishoprick upon the Act. In the foresaid Disputation in the Parliament-house the Arch-bishop behaved himself with such humble modesty and obedience in word towards his Prince protesting the Cause not to be his but God's that neither his Enterprize was misliked of the King and his Allegations and Reasons were so strong that they could not be refuted Great pity it is that these Arguments of the Arch-bishop are lost which I suppose they are irrecoverably because Fox that lived so near those Times and so elaborate a Searcher after such Papers could not meet with them and all that he could do was to wish that they were extant to be seen and read However I will make my Conjecture here that I am apt to think that one of the main Matters insisted on by him at this time was against the cruel Penalty annexed to these Articles For I find in one of the Arch-bishop's Manuscript Volumes now in Benet-College Library there is in this very Year a Discourse in Latin upon this Subject Num in haereticos jure Magistratui gravius animadvertere liceat Decisio Vrbani Rhegii Interprete Iacobo Gisleno Anno 1539. Which Book I suppose he might at this juncture have read over and made use of The Dukes and Lords of Parliament that as above was said came over to Lambeth to visit and dine with him by the King's Command used words to him to this Tenor The King's Pleasure is that we should in his behalf cherish and comfort you as one that for your travail in the late Parliament declared your self both greatly Learned and also Discreet and Wise And therefore my Lord be not discouraged for any thing that past there contrary to your Allegations The Arch-bishop replied In the first place my Lords I heartily thank the King's Highness for his singular good Affection towards me and you all for your pains And I hope in God that hereafter my Allegations and Authorities shall take place to the Glory of God and Commodity of the Realm Every of the Lords brought forth his Sentence in commendation of him to shew what good-will both the King and they bare to him One of them entred into a Comparison between the said Arch-bishop and Cardinal Wolsey preferring the Arch-bishop before him for his mild and gentle Nature whereas he said the Cardinal was a stubborn and churlish Prelate that could never abide any Noble-man The Lord Crumwel as Cranmer's Secretary relates who himself heard the words You my Lord said he were born in an happy Hour I suppose for do or say what you will the King will always take it well at your Hands And I must needs confess that in some things I have complained of you to his Majesty but all in vain for he will never give credit against you whatsoever is laid to your Charge But let me or any other of the Council be complained of his Grace will most seriously chide and fall out with us And therefore you are most happy if you can keep you in this State The Roman Zealots having obtained this Act of the Six Articles desisted not but seconded their Blow by a Book of Ceremonies to be used by the Church of England so intituled all running after the old Popish strain It proceeded all along in favour of the Roman Church's superstitious Ceremonies endeavouring to shew the good signification of them The Book first begins with an Index of the Points touched therein viz. Churches and Church-yards the hallowing and reconcileing them The Ceremonies about the Sacrament of Baptism Ordering of the Ministers of the Church in general Divine Service to be sung and said in the Church Mattins Prime and other Hours Ceremonies used in the Mass. Sundays with other Feasts Bells Vesture and Tonsure of the Ministers of the Church and what Service they be bound unto Bearing Candles upon Candlemass-day Fasting Days The giving of Ashes The covering of the Cross and Images in Lent Bearing of Palms The Service of Wednesday Thursday and Friday before Easter The hallowing of Oil and Chrism The washing of the Altars The hallowing of the Font upon Saturday in the Easter-Even The Ceremonies of the Resurrection in Easter-Morning General and other particular Processions Benedictions of Bells or Priests Holy Water and holy Bread A general Doctrine to what intent Ceremonies be ordained and of what value they be The Book it self is too long to be here inserted but such as have the Curiosity may find it in the Cotton Library and may observe what Pains was taken to smooth and varnish over the old Supperstions I do not find this Book mentioned by any of our Historians The Bishop of Winchester with his own Pen hath an Annotation in the Margin of one place in the Book And I strongly suspect he was more than the Revisor of it and that it was drawn up by him and his Party and strongly pushed on to be owned as the Act of the Clergy For this Year there was a Convocation The King had sent his Letters written March the 12 th in the 30 th Year of his Reign viz. 1538. to the Arch-bishop of Canterbury for summoning a Convocation to meet together at St. Paul's the second day of May. But this Assembly by the King's Letters to him was prorogued till November the 4 th At this Convocation I suppose these Articles were invented and propounded to the House All this long Book in behalf of the Ceremonies did our laborious Metropolitan put himself to the pains of answering and thereby hindred the Reception of it For concerning this I do interpret that Passage of Fox viz. That the Arch-bishop confuted eighty eight Articles devised by a Convocation and which were laboured to be received but were not But to return to the six Articles Great triumphing now there was on the Papists Side as appears by a Letter wrote from some Roman Catholick Member of the House of Lords to his Friend Which may be read in the Appendix But after some time the King perceiving that the said Arch-bishop and Bishops did this thing not of Malice or Stubbornness but out of a zeal they had to God's Glory and the Common-wealth reformed in part the said Six Articles and somewhat blunted the Edg of them March 20. Two Commissions were sent to the Arch-bishop to take the Surrender
that the Protector was privy to what was done there The Bishop answered That he would receive them as far as God's Law and the King's would bind him And because he saw they drew to such Preciseness he told them there were three Weeks of Delay to the coming of the Visitors to him In the mean time he offered to go to Oxford to abide the Discussion there That Offer was not allowed He desired to go to his House at London and have Learned Men speak with him there That was not accepted He entred then the Allegation of the Gospel of the Servant that said he would not do a thing and yet did it And so the Bishop said it might be that although he then said Nay as his Conscience served him yet he might change and was a Man that might be tempted But as his Conscience was then he thought that God's Laws and the King 's letted him Then they asked him if he had spoken to any Man of what he found in the Books To which he answered truly acknowledging he had But told the Lords that he thought it hard unless there were a greater Matter than this to send him to Prison for declaring his Mind before-hand what he minded to do before it had been by him done who had all the mean time to repent himself In the End the Council committed him to the Fleet. Of his Behaviour under this Censure he hath these words That he had well digested it and so all might be well he cared not what became of his Body That he departed as quietly from them as ever Man did and had endured with as little grudg He had learned this Lesson in the World never to look backward as S. Paul saith ne remember that is past That he would never grudg or complain of any thing for himself To the Lord Protector to whom he wrote all this Account of himself turning his Discourse he said That he thought it very weighty to have these Books recommended to the Realm in the King's Name by his the Protector Direction since the King himself knew nothing of them and therefore nothing could be ascribed to him And his Grace had been so occupied as all Men knew that he had no leisure to peruse them And yet of such sort were the Books according to the Account he had before written and that if no Man had advertised the Council as he had it was because they had not read them as he had done In Vindication of the Learned Author of the Paraphrase so bedashed by Winchester I will here use the words of him that writ the Epistle Dedicatory before the translated Paraphrase on the Acts. I cannot but judg that whoso are prompt and hasty Condemners of Erasmus or eager Adversaries unto his Doctrine do under the Name and Colour of Erasmus rather utter their Stomach and Hatred against God's Word and the Grace of the Gospel which Erasmus for his part most diligently and most simply laboureth to bring to light And to such as said that his Doctrine was scarcely sincere and that he did somewhat err he answered That Erasmus forasmuch as he was a Man and so esteemed himself would that his Works should none otherwise be read or accepted than the Writings of other mortal Men. And that after his Judgment a little Trip among so many notable good Works for the interpretation of Scripture and for the help of the Simple should rather be born withal than so many good Things to be either rejected or kept away from the hungry Christian Reader It is a cold Charity that can bear with nothing and an eager Malice it is that for a Trifle or a Matter of nothing would have the Ignorant to lack so much good edifying as may be taken of Erasmus Mention was made a little above of the Bishop of Winchester's Objections aganst the Paraphrase of Erasmus sent by him in a Letter to the Lord Protector This Paper I have met with in Sir Iohn Cotton's Library and being somewhat long I have put it into the Appendix Wherein may be seen at large the Bishop's Quarrels both against the Paraphrase and the Homilies labouring here to shew that the Book of Homilies and Erasmus's Paraphrase did contradict each other and therefore could not both be received and that there were Errors in each and so neither ought to be admitted Moreover he urged the Danger of making Alterations in Religion contrary to the Laws then in Force designing thereby if he could over-perswade the Protector to enervate the King 's late Injunctions For the Papists whose chief Instrument was VVinchester saw it was time now to bestir themselves to overthrow these Proceedings that were in hand if it were possible When this Affair happened between the Council and the Bishop for which they cast him into the Fleet Somerset the Protector was absent in an Expedition against the Scots By whose Conduct in the Month of September God blessed the King with a very glorious Victory in a Battel fought near Musselburrough Which redounded much to the Protector 's Honour wherein was more Danger than he looked for which gave him the greater occasion to shew his Valour For there were but few lost on the English-side but fifteen thousand Scots reckoned to be slain and two thousand taken Prisoners For this Victory a Publick Thanksgiving was thought fit to be Celebrated And the Arch-bishop required of the Bishop of London to procure a Sermon at S. Pauls before the Mayor and Aldermen and immediately after a Procession in English and Te Deum The Arch-bishop's Letter which will shew what the Court thought of that good Success was as followeth AFter our right hearty Commendations Whereas it hath pleased Almighty God to send the King's Majesty such Victory against the Scots as was almost above the Expectation of Man and such as hath not been heard of in any part of Christendom this many Years In which Victory above the Number of 15000 Scots be slain 2000 taken Prisoners and among them many Noble-men and others of good Reputation all their Ordnance and Baggage of their Camp also won from them The King's Majesty with Advice of his Highness Privy-Council presently attending upon his Majesty's most Royal Person well-knowing this as all other Goodness to be Gifts of God hath and so doth account it And therefore rendereth unto him the only Glory and Praise for the same And so hath willed me not only in his Majesty's Cathedral Church and other Churches of my Diocess to give Thanks to Almighty God but also to require in his Name all other Bishops in the Province of Canterbury to do or cause to be done semblably in their Course Which his Majesty's Pleasure I have thought good to signify unto you Requiring you not only to cause a Sermon to be made in your Cathedral Church the next Holy-day after receipt hereof declaring the Goodness of God and exhorting the People to Faith and amendment of
of the Second omitted according to the use in those Times But that Commandment is explained under the first The Substance of this Book is grave serious and sound Doctrine It is said in the Title Page to be overseen and corrected by the Arch-bishop Indeed it was a Catechism wrote originally in the German Language for the use of the younger Sort in Norinberg Translated into Latin by Iustus Ionas Junior who now was entertained by the Arch-bishop in his Family and thence turned into our Vulgar Tongue by the said Arch-bishop or his special Order But 't is certain so great a Hand he had therein that in the Arch-bishop's first Book of the Sacrament he said that it was translated by himself and set forth Bishop Gardiner in his Book against the Arch-bishop takes advantage of two things in this Catechism against him as though he himself when he put it forth was of the Opinion of the Corporal Presence The one was a Picture that stood before the Book where was an Altar with Candles lighted and the Priest apparelled after the old Sort putting the Wafer into the Communicant's Mouth The other is an Expression or two used somewhere in the Book That with our bodily Mouths we receive the Body and Blood of Christ And that in the Sacrament we receive truly the Body and Blood of Christ. And this we must believe if we will be counted Christen Men. But to both Cranmer in his next Book against Gardiner made answer That as for the Picture it was that was set before the Dutch Edition of the Book and so none of his doing but that he afterwards caused the Popish Picture to be altered into a Picture representing Christ eating his last Supper with his Disciples As for the Expressions he said he taught that we in the Sacrament do receive the Body and Blood of Christ spiritually and that the words Really and Substantially were not used but Truly And in his Answer to Dr. Richard Smith's Preface wrote against the said Arch-bishop who it seems had twitted him also with this Catechism he spake largely of these his Expressions in his own Vindication There was another Book of the Arch-bishop's against Vnwritten Verities which I do by Conjecture place here as put forth under this Year or near this Time Which I suppose Dr. Smith nibbled at in his Book of Traditions which this Year he recanted The Book was in Latin and consisted only of Allegations out of the Bible and Ancient Writers In Queen Mary's Days the Book was again published by an English Exile naming himself E. P. The Title it now bore was A Confutation of Vnwritten Verities by divers Authorities diligently and truly gathered out of the Holy Scripture and Ancient Fathers By Tho. Cranmer late Arch-bishop and burned at Oxford for the Defence of the true Doctrine of our Saviour Translated and set forth by E. P. Before it is a Preface of the Translator to his Country-men and Brethren in England In it he lamented the woful State of Things in England by the Restoring of Popery and the Persecution of Protestants there and shewed what a kind of Man the chief Bishop then in England viz. Cardinal Pool was who in the last King's Reign went from Prince to Prince to excite them to make War against his own Prince and Country This Treatise is but a bare Collection of places of Holy Scripture and Ancient Fathers to prove That the Canon of the Bible is a true and sound and perfect Doctrine containing all Things necessary to Salvation That neither the Writing of the Old Fathers without the Word of God nor General Councils nor the Oracles of Angels nor Apparitions from the Dead nor Customs can be sufficient in Religion to establish Doctrine or maintain new Articles of Faith Then Reasons are given against Unwritten Verities and the places of Holy Scripture and other Writers which the Papists bring to maintain Unwritten Verities are answered At last the Objections of the Papists are confuted in a concluding Chapter Which last part was not writ by the Arch-bishop but by the Translator For relating here the Story of the Holy Maid of Kent he saith she was examined by Tho. Cranmer Arch-bishop of Canterbury And at last he saith I have plainly and fully answered to all that I remember the Papists do or can allege by Writing Preaching or Reasoning for the Defence of their Unwritten Verities on which they build so many detestable Idolatries and Heresies But yet if any be able to answer so plainly and truly to the Scriptures Authorities and Reasons rehearsed by me as I have done to theirs and to prove their Doctrines by as plain Testimonies and Reasons as I have done mine I shall not only acknowledg my Ignorance and Error but I shall gladly return into England recant my Heresies c. Hence it is plain that the Conclusion of the Book as well as the Preface was writ by the Translator I will add one Passage taken out of this Book about the middle whereby it may be seen what a Clergy was now in England Having quoted the Canons of the Apostles Let not a Bishop or Deacon put away his Wife c. He makes a heavy complaint against the frequent practice of beastly Sins in the Priests Adultery Sodomy c. and that they never were punished And in my Memory as he proceeds which is above thirty Years and also by the Information of others that be twenty Years elder than I I could never learn that one Priest was punished This is some Account of the Care he took for the Church in general as Metropolitan But he had a particular Care of his own Diocess now his Power was not checked as it was in the former Reign especially of the City of Canterbury which had been formerly the backwardest in Religion of any other Place of his Diocess He supplied this City with store of excellent Learned Preachers Turner the two Ridleys Becon Besely and Iohn Ioseph who this Year went along with the King's Visitors as one of their Preachers These converted not a few to sincere Religion as may appear by those Numbers of Canterbury that in Queen Mary's Reign suffered the Torment of Fire for their Profession of the Gospel But in that Reign all the Preachers fled so that there was scarce one remaining in the City Which was looked upon as a particular Sign of God's Displeasure against that Place because the Professors there and others reformed not themselves according to those Opportunities of Grace which God had put into their Hands And so I find in a Letter to them wrote by some eminent Person in Prison in Queen Mary's Reign Alas how few faithful Servants hath the Lord of Life in these troublesome Days within Canterbury to whom above all other People in comparison of multitude he hath sent most plenteously his Word in the Mouths of most excellent Preachers But even as the People were Negligent Hard-hearted nothing willing
Cause So that now if we look back upon this first Year of the King we may perceive how busy and diligent our Arch-bishop was in redressing Abuses and restoring the Church to its true State of Christian Piety and Devotion by procuring a Royal Visitation over England for inspection into the Manners and Abilities of the Clergy and for taking away of Superstitions by getting a Book of plain Homilies to teach the common People in the composing whereof he himself had a very great hand and Erasmus his Paraphrase in English upon the New Testament for the better furnishing the Clergy and others with a sound and sober understanding of the Scriptures and by encouraging Preachers and such-like means So that if you would particularly know in what forwardness the ABp had already put Religion taking in his Endeavours in the last King's Reign hitherto I recommend to your reading his Homily or Sermon Of Good Works Shewing out of what abundance of Superstitions the Church was now emerged Briefly to pass over the Ungodly and Counterfeit Religion he means of Monks and Friars let us reherse some other kinds of Papistical Superstitions and Abuses as of Beads of Lady-Psalters and Rosaries of fifteen O's of S. Bernard's Verses of S. Agathe's Letters of Purgatory of Masses Satisfactory of Stations and Jubilees of fained Relicks or hallowed Beads Bells Bread Water Psalms Candles Fire and such other Of superstitious Fastings of Fraternities or Brotherhoods of Pardons with such-like Merchandize Which were so esteemed or abused to the great Prejudice of God's Glory and Commandments that they were made most high and most holy Things whereby to obtain to the everlasting Life or Remission of Sins Yea also vain Inventions unfruitful Ceremonies and ungodly Laws Decrees and Conceits of Rome wherein such were advanced that nothing was thought comparable in Authority Wisdom Learning and Godliness unto them So that the Laws of Rome as they said were to be received of all Men as the four Evangelists To the which all the Laws of Princes must give place And the Laws of God also partly were left off and less esteemed that the said Laws Decrees and Councils with their Traditions and Ceremonies might be more duly kept and had in greater Reverence Thus were the People through Ignorance so blinded with the godly Shew and Appearance of those things that they thought the keeping of them to be more Holiness more perfect Service and honouring of God and more pleasing to God than the keeping of God's Commandments Such have been the corrupt Inclinations of Man ever superstitiously given to make new honouring of God of his own Head and then to have more Affection and Devotion to keep that than to search out God's Holy Commandments and to keep them And furthermore to take God's Commandments for Man's Commandments and Man's Commandments for God's Commandments yea and for the highest and most perfect and holiest of all God's Commandments And so was all confused that scant well-learned Men and but a small number of them knew or at the least would know and durst affirm the Truth to separate or sever God's Commandments from the Commandments of Men. Whereupon did grow such Error Superstition and Idolatry vain Religion overthwart Judgment great Contention with all ungodly Living A Bishop Consecrated September the 5 th being Sunday Nicolas Ridley D. D. Prebend of Canterbury was Consecrated Bishop of Rochester by Henry Bishop of Lincoln assisted by Iohn Suffragan of Bedford and Thomas Suffragan of Sidon in the Chappel belonging to the House of May Dean of S. Pauls He was Consecrated according to the old Custom of the Church by the Unction of holy Chrism as well as Imposition of Hands Present among others Iohn Whytwel the Arch-bishop's Almoner Rich. Tayler M. A. Nic. Bullingham Gregory Tod and Tho. Bernard his Chaplains CHAP. VIII The Church's Goods embezelled New Opinions broached AS the Reformation of Abuses in Religion went forward under such a King and such an Arch-bishop so there wanted not for Evils accompanying it as there do commonly the best Things the Profaneness of some and the Covetousness of others giving occasion thereunto Sacred Places set apart for Divine Worship were now greatly profaned and so probably had been before by ill Custom For in many Churches Cathedral as well as other and especially in London many Frays Quarrels Riots Blood-sheddings were committed They used also commonly to bring Horses and Mules into and through Churches and shooting off Hand-guns Making the same which were properly appointed to God's Service and Common-Prayer like a Stable or Common Inn or rather a Den or Sink of all Unchristiness as it was expressed in a Proclamation which the King set forth about this Time as I suppose for I am left to conjecture for the Date by reason of the Insolency of great Numbers using the said evil Demeanours and daily more and more encreasing Therein forbidding any such Quarrelling Shooting or bringing Horses and Mules into or through the Churches or by any other Means irreverently to use the Churches upon pain of his Majesty's Indignation and Imprisonment For it was not thought fit that when Divine Worship was now reforming the Places for the said Worship should remain unreformed Beside the profanation of Churches there prevailed now another Evil relating also to Churches viz. That the Utensils and Ornaments of these Sacred Places were spoiled embezelled and made away partly by the Church-wardens and partly by other Parishioners Whether the Cause were that they would do that themselves which they imagined would e're long be done by others viz. robbing the Churches Which it may be those that bore an Ill-will to the Reformation might give out to render it the more odious But certain it is that it now became more or less practised all the Nation over to sell or take away Chalices Crosses of Silver Bells and other Ornaments For the stopping of this in the Month of April the Protector and the Lords of the Council writ to our Arch-bishop this Letter upon the Information and Complaint as it is likely of the said Arch-bishop himself in whose Diocess especially this Sacrilege prevailed AFter our right hearty Commendations Whereas we are informed that the Church-wardens and Parochians of divers Parishes do alienate and sell away their Chalices Crosses of Silver Bells and other Ornaments of the Church Which were not given for that purpose to be alienated at their pleasure but either to be used to the Intent they were at first given or to some other necessary and convenient Service of the Church Therefore this is to will and require you immediately upon the sight hereof to give strait Charge and Commandment on the King's Majesty's behalf to every Parish-Church within your Diocess that they do in no wise sell give or otherwise alienate any Bells or other Ornaments or Jewels belonging unto their Parish-Church upon pain of his highest Displeasure as they will answer to the contrary at
them obliquely therewith And in fine he wrote that He and those with him knew more than they did to whom they writ Probably he meant that he knew that this Anger against the Duke arose from the private Malice of some of them or their Hatred of the Reformation notwithstanding all the fair Pretences of their Care of the King and the Protector 's Misgovernment This Letter the Lords from Ely-house answered Charging and commanding the Arch-bishop and those with him to have a continual earnest watch of the King's Person and that he be not removed from Windsor-Castle as they would answer the same at their utmost Perils They wondred much they said that they would suffer the King's Royal Person to remain in the Guard of the Duke's Men and that Strangers should be Armed with the King's Armour and be nearest about his Person For it seems many of the King's Servants in this Fear were removed away They advised the Arch-bishop and the Lord Paget to come over to their Side and to leave the poor Duke alone Upon this the Arch-bishop and the others wrote a second Letter dated October the 10 th Wherein they assured the Lords that they could whensoever they pleased to require it give such very good Reasons for their so often mentioning Cruelty in their other Letter as they questioned not they would be well satisfied with And so upon the Lord 's propounding a Meeting with the King and them they accorded thereunto in great prudence willing for Peace and Quietness in that dangerous Time so to do These Letters are recorded in the History of the Reformation The Common-Prayer-Book and Administration of the Sacraments by the great care and study of the Arch-bishop was now finished and settled by Act of Parliament which would not down with a great many But upon the taking up of the Duke of Somerset in the Month of October and laying him in the Tower it was generally said that now the old Latin-Service should come in again the common Opinion being that the Common-Prayer was peculiarly of his procuring And that there were such Designs among Somerset's Enemies who were generally favourers of the old Religion it is not improbable The good Arch-bishop thought it now time to interpose in this thing and to obtain from the Privy-Council somewhat to confirm the Book of Common-Prayer So there was in Decemb. 25. a general Letter drawn up to all the Bishops of England Letting them understand That there was no intention of bringing in again Latin-Service conjured Bread and Water nor any such abrogated Ceremonies And that the abolishing of these and the setting forth of the Book of Common-Prayer was done by the whole State of the Realm That the Book was grounded upon the Holy Scripture and was agreeable to the Order of the Primitive Church and much to the edifying of the Subject And therefore that the changing of that for the old Latin-Service would be a preferring of Ignorance to Knowledg Darkness to Light and a preparation to bring in Papistry and Superstition again The Bishops therefore were bid with all speed to command their Deans and Prebendaries and all Parsons Vicars and Curates to bring to such Places as the Bishops should appoint all Antiphoners Missals c. and all other Books of Service and that they be defaced and abolished that they be no let to that Godly and uniform Order set forth And to commit to Ward any stubborn and disobedient Persons that brought not the said Books and to certify the Council of their Misbehaviour That they should make search if any of these Superstitious Books were withdrawn or hid That whereas there were some Persons who refused to contribute to the buying of Bread and Wine for the Communion according to the Order of the Book whereby many-times the Holy Communion was fain to be omitted to convent such Persons before them and admonish them and if they refused to do accordingly to punish them by Suspension Excommunication or other Censure This was signed by the Arch-bishop and the Lord Chancellor Rich and four more CHAP. XIII The Arch-bishop entertains learned Foreigners THE Arch-bishop had now in his Family several Learned Men. Some he sent for from beyond Sea and some in pity he entertained being Exiles for Religion Among the former sort was Martin Bucer a Man of great Learning and Moderation and who bore a great part in the Reformation of Germany While he and the rest abode under his Roof the Arch-bishop still employed them sometimes in learned Conferences and Consultations held with them sometimes in writing their Judgment upon some Subjects in Divinity Here Bucer wrote to the Lady Elizabeth a Letter bearing Date the 6 th of the Calends of September commending her Study in Piety and Learning and exciting her to proceed therein incited so to do I make no doubt by the Arch-bishop whom Bucer in that Letter makes mention of and stileth Patrem suum benignissimum hospitem Hence also he wrote another Letter to the Marquess of Northampton who was a Patron of Learning and a Professor of Religion in the behalf of Sleidan who was promised a Pension by the King to enable him to write the History of the Progress of Religion beginning at Luther A part of the Letter translated into English ran thus Therefore if we should not take care that this so great Act of Divine Goodness towards us viz. the Reformation began in the Year 1517 should be most diligently written and consecrated to Posterity we should lie under the Crime of the neglect of God's Glory and most foul Ingratitude Therefore Iohn Sleidan a very Learned and Eloquent Man five Years ago began to compile an History of this Nature as the Work he had published did witness But after he was much encouraged in this Undertaking and well furnished with Matter the Calamities that befel Germany for our own Deserts intercepted the pious Attempts of this Man so very useful to the Church Nor doth it appear now from whence besides the King's Majesty we may hope that some small Benignity may be obtained for Sleidan since the Salaries which he received for this purpose from the German Princes failed and he was poor That Iohn Alasco Dr. Peter Martyr and he considering these things and weighing how the truly Christian King Edward was even born with a desire of illustrating the Glory of Christ and what need there was to set Sleidan again upon finishing the History of the Gospel restored to us they had therefore presumed to supplicate the King in his behalf and intreated the Marquess to promote and forward their Supplication and to vouchsafe to contribute his Help also We shall hear more of this hereafter I find also Annotations writ by the said Bucer upon S. Matthew reaching as far as the eighth Chapter and there ending in this method There is the Latin Translation with large Notes added in the Margin and at the end of each Chapter common
even from the very first Times The Festivals of the Resurrection of the Nativity of Pentecost and of the Death of Christ are all Footsteps of the Old Law And are they to be therefore abolished He wished with all his Heart that the Churches in Germany by this one Loss might obtain their former Liberty As to the second Argument He could not see how it could be asserted upon good Grounds that nothing is to be used by us that is observed in the Popish Religion We must take heed that the Church of God be not prest with too much Servitude that it may not have liberty to use any thing that belonged to the Pope Our Ancestors took the Idol-Temples and used them for Sacred Houses to worship Christ. And the Revenues that were Consecrated to the Gentile Gods and to the Games of the Theatre and of the Vestal Virgins were made use of for the maintenance of the Ministers of the Church when these before had served not only to Antichrist but to the Devil Nor could he presently grant that these Differences of Garments had their Original from the Pope For we read in Ecclesiastical History that Iohn at Ephesus wore a Petalum a Mitre And Pontius Diaconus saith of Cyprian that when he went to be Executed he gave his Birrus to the Executioner his Dalmatica to the Deacons and stood in Linnen And Chrysostom makes mention of the white Garments of Ministers And the Ancients witness that when the Christians came to Christ they changed their Garments and for a Gown put on a Cloak for which when they were mocked by the Heathens Tertullian wrote a Learned Book De Pallio And he knew Hoper was not ignorant that to those that were initiated in Baptism was delivered a white Garment Therefore before the Tyranny of the Pope there was a Distinction of Garments in the Church Nor did he think that in case it were granted that it was invented by the Pope that the iniquity of Popery was so great that whatsoever it touched was so dyed and polluted thereby that good and godly Men might not use it to any holy purpose Hoper himself granted that every humane Invention was not therefore presently to be Condemned It was an humane Invention to communicate before Dinner it was an humane Invention that the things sold in the Primitive Church were brought and laid at the Apostles Feet That he was ready to confess with him that these Garments were an humane Invention and of themselves edified not but it was thought by some conducive to be born with for a time For that it might be a cause of avoiding those Contentions whereby greater Benefits might be in danger to be obstructed But that if hence an occasion of Erring might be given to the Weak they were to be admonished that they should hold these things indifferent and they were to be taught in Sermons that they should judg not God's Worship to be placed in them Hoper had writ that the Eyes of the Standers-by by reason of these Garments would be turned away from thinking of serious things and detained in gazing upon them But this would not happen when the Garments were simple and plain without Bravery and such as hitherto were used in the Service of God But Martyr answered That Use and Custom would take away Admiration And perhaps when the People were moved with Admiration they would the more attentively think of those things that are serious For which end he said the Sacraments seemed to be invented that from the Sight and Sense of them we might be carried to think of Divine Things Hoper urged moreover That whatsoever was not of Faith was Sin But said Martyr That we may enjoy a quiet Conscience in our Doings that of the Apostle seems much to tend and that to the Clean all things are clean saith the same Apostle to Titus and to Timothy that every Creature of God is good He urged also That we ought to have express Scripture for what we do in holy things But Martyr was not of that Mind But that that was enough in general to know by Faith that indifferent things cannot defile those who act with a pure and sincere Mind and Conscience And this was the substance of P. Martyr's Judgment of these things Which might give much light to that Reverend Man in this Controversy though he was not yet convinced nor could comply As Hoper all this while refused the Habits so we may conjecture by a Passage in the former Letter that he liberally declamed against them in the London Pulpits For Martyr takes notice to him of his unseasonable and too bitter Sermons Whether it were for this or his incompliance or both together I know not but at length he was by the Privy-Counsel commanded to keep his House unless it were to go to the Arch-bishop of Canterbury or the Bishops of Ely London or Lincoln for Counsel and Satisfaction of his Conscience and neither to Preach nor Read till he had further Licence from the Council But notwithstanding this Command he kept not his House and writ a Book and Printed it intituled A Confession of his Faith Written in such a manner that it gave more distaste and wherein was contained Matter he should not have written He went about also complaining of the King's Councellors as Martyr wrote in a private Letter to Bucer On Ianuary the 13 th The Court then at Greenwich he appeared there before the Council the Arch-bishop being then present touching the matter of not wearing the Apparel and for disobeying the Council Who for this Disobedience and for that he continued in his former Opinion of not wearing the Apparel prescribed for Bishops to wear committed him to the Arch-bishop of Canterbury's Custody either there to be reformed or further punished as the obstinacy of his Cause required Being with the Arch-bishop he did his endeavour to satisfy him But Hoper was as immoveable to whatsoever the said ABp could propound and offer as he was before with Ridley So the Arch-bishop signified to the Council that he could bring him to no Conformity but that he declared himself for another way of Ordination than was established The Effect of this was that on Ianuary 27 Upon this Letter of the Arch-bishop That Hoper could not be brought to any Conformity but rather persevering in his Obstinacy they are the words of the council-Council-Book coveted to prescribe Orders and necessary Laws of his Head it was agreed that he should be committed to the Fleet. And a Letter was drawn for the Arch-bishop to send Mr. Hoper to the Fleet upon the occasion aforesaid and another Letter to the Warden of the Fleet to receive him and to keep him from the Conference with any Person saving the Ministers of that House This Disobedience of Hoper to the Council's Orders will make the severity of the Council less liable to censure Neither was Cranmer any other ways
Subscription to his Articles of Religion But in his absence when his Back was turned they became as bad altogether as they were before Yet he conceived good hopes of the Lay-people if they had but good Justices and faithful Ministers placed among them as he wrote to Secretary Cecyl To whom he signified his Desire that the Articles of Religion which the King had mentioned to him when last at London were set forth Them he intended to make the Clergy not only subscribe which being privately done he saw they regarded not but to read and confess them openly before their Parishioners At his Visitation he constituted certain of his Clergy Superintendants who in his absence were to have a constant Eye over the Inferior Clergy After this Visit to Glocester he returned back again to VVorcester in October and then proceeded in his Visitation there Here Iohnson and Iollisf two Canons of this Church disallowing some Doctrines recommended to them by the Bishop in his Articles abovesaid held a Dispute thereupon with him and Mr. Harley who was afterward Bishop of Hereford And one of these behaved himself most insolently and disrespectfully to both The Bishop sent up by Harley a large Relation of his Visitation in writing and the Matter these Canons misliked and recommended Harley to the Secretary to give Account of the Disputation This caused him to break out into a Complaint for want of good Men in the Cathedrals Ah! Mr. Secretary that there were good Men in the Cathedral Churches God then should have much more Honour than he hath the King's Majesty more Obedience and the poor People better Knowledg But the Realm wanteth Light in such Churches whereas of right it ought most to be In Worcester Church he now put in execution the King's Injunctions for the removal of Superstition For which there arose a great Clamour against him as though he had spoiled the Church and yet he did no more than the express Words of the Injunctions commanded to be done After his Visitation was over he accounted not his Work done but soon went over both his Diocesses again to take account of his Clergy how they profited since his last examining them and to oversee even his Superintendents themselves to commend their Well-doings and to see what was ill done So great was his Pains and Zeal which made him most truly and experimentally write as he did to the Secretary There is none that eat their Bread in the sweat of their Face but such as serve in Publick Vocation Yours is wonderful but mine passeth Now I perceive that private Labours be but Plays nor private Troubles but Ease and Quietness These Matters I extract from two Original Letters of this Bishop to Secretary Cecyl which I have thought well worthy of preserving in the Appendix and there they may be met with Whereas it was mentioned before how the Bishop had sent up a Writing of the Matters in Controversy between the two Canons and himself we may see what Care the Council took hereof and what Countenance they gave the Bishop by an Order they made Novemb. 6. 1552. Which was that a Letter should be wrote to Mr. Cheke and Mr. Harley to consider certain Books sent unto them touching Matters of Religion in Controversy between the Bishop of VVorcester and two of the Canons of VVorcester and to certify their Opinion hither that further Order may be therein taken Ian. 29. 1551. Upon suit made by the Dutchess of Somerset to Sir Philip Hobby and Mr. Darcy Lieutenant of the Tower to be a Mean unto the King's Majesty and my Lords that the Bishop of Glocester who had been Chaplain unto the Duke might be suffered to have access unto her for the settling of her Conscience Order was by their Lordships taken for the same and a Letter written to the Lieutenant of the Tower in that behalf as followeth To the Lieutenant of the Tower to permit the Bishop of Glocester from time to time to speak with the Dutchess of Somerset in the presence of Sir Philip Hobby and of the said Lieutenant And in case the said Lady of Somerset desire to speak with the said Bishop apart that in that case they license her so to do May 29 1552. A Warrant to make a Book to the Elect Bishop of VVorcester and Glocester of discharge of the first Fruits and Tenths to be paid for the same in consideration that he hath departed with certain Lands to the King's Majesty Which probably he seeing would whether he would or no be pulled away from him to be conferred upon some of the Mighty of the Court made the best of a bad Market and got himself freed from that Charge payable to the King April 12 1553. A Letter was wrote to the Chancellor of the Augmentations to cause a Book to be made from the Bishop of Worcester and Glocester of a Surrender to the King's Majesty of his Jurisdiction in the Forest of Dean with a certain Deanery which of right belongeth to the Bishoprick of Hereford And thereupon to make another Book of the Grant thereof from his Highness to Mr. Harley Elect Bishop of Hereford April 16 1553. A Letter to the Chancellor of the Agumentations to cause a Book to be devised in form of Law Licensing the Bp of Worcester and Glocester to give to three poor Vicarages in his Diocess the Parsonages whereof are impropriated to his Bishoprick such Augmentation of Living towards their better Maintenance as he shall think convenient out of the Lands of the said See April 25 1553. A Warrant to the Receiver of the Wards to deliver to the Bishop of Worcester by way of Reward twenty Pounds for his Attendance here ever since the Parliament by his Majesty's Commandment These are Transcriptions out of a Council-Book CHAP. XIX Troubles of Bishop Gardiner IN this Year 1550 the Council and our Arch-bishop had much trouble with some other Bishops also of a quite different Judgment from the above-spoken of I mean Gardiner Bishop of Winchester Nicolas Bishop of Worcester and Day Bishop of Chichester Of whom what I shall here briefly set down are for the most part Extractions out of an old Council-Book and K. Edward's Journal At Greenwich June 8. was this Order of Council concerning Bishop Gardiner Considering the long Imprisonment that the Bishop of Winchester hath sustained it was now thought time he should be spoken withal and agreed that if he repented his former Obstinacy and would henceforth apply himself to advance the King's Majesty's Proceedings His Highness in this Case would be his good Lord and remit all his Errors passed Otherwise his Majesty was resolved to proceed against him as his Obstinacy and Contempt required For the Declaration whereof the Duke of Somerset the Lord Treasurer the Lord Privy-Seal the Lord great Chamberlain and Mr. Secretary Petre were appointed the next Day i. e. Iune 9. to repair unto him Signed by E. Somerset T. Cant.
Which in the Title is said to be composed by R. W. There is also a Hymn of his preserved and set usually at the end of our English singing Psalms in our Bibles beginning Preserve us Lord by thy dear Word He writ here also many godly and learned Sermons upon the Epistles and Gospels read on Sundays He translated a Postil of Antonius Corvinus a Lutheran Divine and divers other Learned Mens Works And some of his Adversaries having laid certain Errors to his Charge very unjustly he writ a Confutation thereof a Book it seems replenish'd with all kind of godly Learning These and several other things he writ while he was here but they were not published After his abode in this Place some time he was by Letters called away again among his former Friends and Acquaintance And what became of him afterwards I find not until here in Edward the Sixth's Reign he was nominated by our Arch-bishop to be made Arch-bishop of Armagh But in Queen Mary's Reign he fled to Frankford where he remained one of the Members of the English Congregation there And when an unhappy Breach was made there among them some being for the use of the Geneva Discipline and Form and others for the continuance of that Form of Prayers that had been used in England in K. Edward's Days and the Faction grew to that Head that the former separated themselves from the rest and departed to Geneva this Wisdome did in a Sermon preached at Frankford vindicate the English Book and somewhat sharply blamed them that went away calling them Mad-heads As one Tho. Cole wrote from thence to a Friend with this Censure on him That he so called them he would not say Vnwisely alluding to his name Wisdom but he might well say Vncharitably I have thought good to give this Account of these Men that we may perceive hence the good Judgment of our Arch-bishop in propounding them for those Irish Preferments so fit and well qualified for them as in other Respects of Prudence and Learning so especially for their tried Zeal and Boldness in preaching the Gospel and their Constancy in suffering for it which were Vertues that there would be great occasion for in Ireland Of all these Four our Arch-bishop judged Mr. Whithead the fittest giving this Character of him That he was endued with good Knowledg special Honesty fervent Zeal and politick Wisdom And the next to him in fitness he judged Turner of whom he gives this Relation That he was Merry and Witty withal Nihil appetit nihil ardet nihil somniat nisi Iesum Christum And in the lively preaching of Him and his Word declared such Diligence Faithfulness and Wisdom as for the same deserveth much Commendation In fine Turner was the Man concluded upon by the King for the Arch-bishoprick of Armagh Whithead either being not overcome to accept it or otherwise designed And the Arch-bishop had Order from Court to send to Canterbury for him to come up Which accordingly he did And now about the middle of September much against his Will as not liking his designed Preferment Turner waited upon the Arch-bishop Who urging to him the King's Will and Pleasure and his ordinary Call unto this Place and such-like Arguments after a great Unwillingness prevailed with him to accept it But the Arch-bishop told the Secretary that Turner seemed more glad to go to hanging which the Rebels three Years before were just going to do with him for his preaching against them in their Camp than he was now to go to Armagh He urged to the Archbishop That if he went thither he should have no Auditors but must preach to the Walls and Stalls for the People understood no English The Arch-bishop on the other hand endeavoured to answer all his Objections He told him They did understand English in Ireland tho whether they did in the Diocess of Armagh he did indeed doubt But to remedy that he advised him to learn the Irish Tongue which with diligence he told him he might do in a Year or two And that there would this Advantage arise thereby that both his Person and Doctrine would be more acceptable not only unto his Diocess but also throughout all Ireland And so by a Letter to Secretary Cecyl recommended him to his Care entreating That he might have as ready a Dispatch as might be because he had but little Money This Letter of the Arch-bishop is dated Sept. 29 1552. So that it must be a Mistake in the late excellent Historian when he writes That Bale and Goodacre were sent over into Ireland to be Bishops in the Month of August Which cannot agree with this Letter of Cranmer which makes Turner to be in nomination only for that See a Month after And by certain Memorials of King Edward's own Hand which I have it appears that as Turner at last got himself off from accepting that Bishoprick so by the Date thereof it is evident it was vacant in October following For the King under that Month put the providing for that Place which Turner refused among his Matters to be remembred The Arch-bishop's Letters concerning this Irish Affair are in the Appendix So that at last this Charge fell upon Hugh Goodacre the last Man as it seems nominated by the Arch-bishop whom he termed A Wise and Learned Man He and Bale as they came together out of Bishop Poynet's Family unto their Preferments so they were consecrated together by Brown Arch-bishop of Dublin Febr. 2. assisted by Thomas Bishop of Kildare and Eugenius Bishop of Down and Connor Which makes me think they were not come over long before Goodacre died about a quarter of a Year after at Dublin and there buried not without suspicion of Poison by procurement of certain Priests of his Diocess for preaching God's Verity and rebuking their common Vices as Bale writes He left many Writings of great Value behind him as the said Bale his dear Friend relates but none as ever I heard of published As he was a sober and vertuous Man so he was particularly famed for his Preaching He was at first I suppose Chaplain to the Lady Elizabeth at least to her he had been long known And for him about the Year 1548 or 1549 she procured a Licence to preach from the Protector as appears by a Letter she wrote from Enfield to Mr. Cecyl who then attended on him Of which Goodacre himself was the Bearer Wherein she gave this Testimony of him That he had been of long time known unto her to be as well of honest Conversation and sober Living as of sufficient Learning and Judgment in the Scriptures to preach the Word of God The advancement whereof as she said she so desired that she wished there were many such to set forth God's Glory She desired him therefore that as heretofore at her Request he had obtained Licence to preach for divers other honest Men so he would recommend this Man's Case unto my Lord
Penance and forsaking their Wives Allowing them to minister at the Altar and to serve Cures provided it were out of the Diocesses where they were married The said Bishops by this Commission were also empowered to grant to fit Rectors and Curates a Power to reconcile and absolve their respective Parishes This Commission I have placed in the Appendix as it was transcribed out of the Register of the Church of Canterbury The Lord Legate also for the better discharging of this his mighty Office gave out his Instructions how the Bishops and Officials of the Vacant Sees should perform this Work of the Reconciliation deputed to them by the said Legate together with the Form of Absolution to be pronounced Which Instructions and Form as they were extracted from the said Register may be found in the Appendix Each Bishop was to call before him the Clergy of his respective City and to instruct them in divers things As concerning the Pope's fatherly Love and Charity towards the English Nation in sending Cardinal Pole his Legate hither as soon as he knew the Lady Mary was declared Queen to bring this Kingdom so long separated from the Catholick Church into Union with it and to comfort and restore them to the Grace of God Concerning the joyful coming of the said Legate concerning what was done the last Parliament when the Lords and Commons were Reconciled and concerning the repealing of all the Laws made against the Authority of the Roman See by the two last Kings and restoring Obedience to the Pope and Church of Rome Concerning the Authority restored likewise to the Bishops especially that they might proceed against Hereticks and Schismaticks Then the Bishops were to acquaint their Clergy with the Faculties yielded to them by the Legate which were to be read openly Then all that were lapsed into Error and Schism were to be invited humbly to crave Absolution and Reconciliation and Dispensations as well for their Orders as for their Benefices Next a Day was fixed when the Clergy were to appear and petition for the said Absolutions and Dispensations On which day after they had confessed their Errors and sacramentally promised that they would make Confession of the same to the Bishop himself or some other Catholick Priests and to perform the Penance that should be enjoined them then the Bishop was to reconcile them and to dispense with their Irregularities Always observing a distinction between those that only fell into Schism and Error and those who were the Teachers of them and Leaders of others into Sin The same time was to be appointed another day for a Solemn Festival wherein the Bishops and Curates in their Churches should signify to the People all that the Bishops before had spoken to their Clergy and then should invite them all to confess their Errors and to return into the Bosom of the Church promising them That all their past Crimes should be forgiven if so be they repented of them and renounced them And a certain Term was to be fixed namely the whole Octaves of Easter within which Term all should come and be reconciled But the Time to be reconciled in being lapsed all that remained unreconciled as also all that returned to their Vomit after they had been reconciled were to be most severely proceeded against The said Bishops and Officials where any Sees were Vacant were to name and depute the Rectors of the Parish-Churches and other fit Persons who should absolve the Laity of their Parishes from Heresy and Schism and Censures according to a Form to be given them by the Bishops The Bishops and Officials and Curates were to have each a Book in which were to be writ the Names and Parishes of all that were reconciled That it might afterwards be known who were reconciled and who were not After the Octave of Easter was past the Bishops were to visit first their Cities and then their Diocesses and to summon before them all such as had not been reconciled and to know of them the Cause why they would not depart from their Errors and remaining obstinate in them they were to proceed against them In this Visitation all the Clergy were to be required to shew the Titles of their Orders and Benefices and notice was to be taken if any Defect were therein And now the Bishops were to take care to root out any Errors in their Diocesses and to depute fit Persons to make Sermons and hear Confessions They were also to take care to have the Sacred Canons observed and to have inserted into the Books of Service the Name of S. Thomas the Martyr and of the Pope formerly blotted out and to pray for the Pope according as it was used before the Schism They were advised to insist much upon the great Miseries we were in before and the great Grace that God now had shewed to this People Exhorting them to acknowledg these Mercies and devoutly to pray for the King and Queen that had deserved so exceedingly well of this Kingdom and especially to pray for a happy Off-spring from the Queen In these Instructions there are several Strictures that make it appear Pole was not so gentle towards the Hereticks as the Professors of the Gospel were then stiled as is reported but rather the contrary and that he went hand in hand with the bloody Bishops of these Days For it is plain here that he put the Bishops upon proceeding with them according to the Sanguinary Laws lately revived and put in full Force and Virtue What an Invention was that of his a kind of Inquisition by him set up whereby not a Man might escape that stood not well affected to Popery I mean his ordering Books to be made and kept wherein the Names of all such were to be written that in every Place and Parish in England were reconciled and so whosoever were not found in those Books might be known to be no Friends to the Pope and so to be proceeded against And indeed after Pole's crafty and zealous Management of this Reconciliation all that good Opinion that Men had before conceived of him vanished and they found themselves much mistaken in him especially seeing so many Learned and Pious Gospel-Bishops and Ministers imprisoned and martyred under him and by his Commission Insomuch that now People spake of him as bad as of the Pope himself or the worst of his Cardinals The Gospellers before this did use to talk much among themselves that he did but dissemble at Rome in his present outward Compliances with them and their Superstitions and that he would upon a good Opportunity shew himself an open Professor of the Truth And indeed he often had Conferences before him of Christ and of the Gospel of a living Faith and Justification by Faith alone and he often would wish the true Doctrine might prevail But now the Mask was taken off and he shewed himself what he was A notable Letter to this Purpose was written concerning the Cardinal about
this Time by a pious Italian to his Friend who had conceived these good Opinions of him This I have put in the Appendix and the rather because it will give some Light into our present History CHAP. XIII A Convocation Articles framed therein AT a Convocation the latter end of this Year an Address was made by the Lower House to the Upper wherein they petitioned for divers things in 28 Articles meet to be considered for the Reformation of the Clergy One whereof was That all Books both Latin and English concerning any heretical erroneous or slanderous Doctrines might be destroyed and burnt throughout the Realm And among these Books they set Thomas Cranmer late Arch-bishop of Canterbury his Book made against the Sacrament of the Altar in the forefront and then next the Schismatical Book as they called it viz. the Communion-Book To which they subjoined the Book of ordering Ecclesiastical Ministers and all suspect Translations of the Old and New Testament and all other Books of that nature So that if Cranmer's Book was burnt it was burnt with very good Company the Holy Bible and the Communion-Book And that such as had these Books should bring the same to the Ordinary by a certain Day or otherwise to be taken and reputed as Favourers of those Doctrines And that it might be lawful for all Bishops to make enquiry from time to time for such Books and to take them from the Owners And for the repressing of such pestilent Books Order should be taken with all speed that none such should be printed or sold within the Realm nor brought from beyond Sea upon grievous Penalties And from another Article we may learn from what Spring all the Bloody Doings that followed the ensuing Years sprang namely from the Popish Clergy For they petitioned That the Statutes made in the fifth of Richard II. and in the second of Henry IV. and the second of Henry V. against Heresy Lollards and false Preachers might be revived and put in force And that Bishops and other Ecclesiastical Ordinaries whose Hands had been tied by some later Acts might be restored to their pristine Jurisdiction against Hereticks Schismaticks and their Fautors in as large and ample manner as they were in the first Year of Henry VIII I shall not recite here the whole Address as I find it in a Volume of the Benet-College Library because the Bishop of Sarum hath faithfully printed it thence in his History Only I observe that the 17 th Article is in the Manuscript scratched out and crossed viz. That all exempt Places whatsoever might be from henceforth under the Jurisdiction of the Arch-bishop or Bishop or Arch-deacon in whose Diocesses or Arch-deaconaries they were That they judged might grate a little too much upon the Pope's Authority which they were now receiving since these Exemptions were made by Popes And the last or 28 th Article was added by another Hand viz. That all Ecclesiastical Persons that had lately spoiled Cathedral Collegiate or other Churches of their own Heads might be compelled to restore them and all singular things by them taken away or to the true value and to reedify such things as by them were destroyed or defaced This I suppose was added by Boner's Interest that he might hereby have a pretence against Ridley his Predecessor it affording a fair opportunity to crush the good Bishops and Preachers that had in Zeal to God's Glory taken away out of their Churches all Instruments of Superstition and Idolatry And it might serve their turn who had lately in a most barbarous manner plundered the rich Arch-bishop of York And as they of this Convocation were for burning Hereticks Books so they were as well disposed to the burning of the Hereticks themselves For Protestants were already not only imprisoned but put to Death without any Warrant of Law but only by virtue of Commissions from the Queen and the Lord Chancellor Whereupon when one in the Convocation started this Objection That there was no Law to condemn them Weston the Prolocutor answered It forceth not for a Law We have a Commission to proceed with them and when they be dispatched let their Friends sue the Law CHAP. XIV The Condition of the Protestants in Prison Free-Willers BY this time by the diligence of the Papists the Popish Religion was fully established in England This Apostacy Cranmer saw with a sad Heart before his Death and all his Labour overturned And Ridley sends the bad News of it from Oxon to Grindal beyond Sea in these words To tell you much naughty Matter in a few words Papismus apud nos ubique in pleno suo antiquo robore regnat As for the Protestants some were put in Prisons some escaped beyond Sea some went to Mass and some recanted and many were burned and ended their Lives in the Flames for Religion's sake They that were in Prison whereof Cranmer was the chief being the Pastors and Teachers of the Flock did what in them lay to keep up the Religion under this Persecution among the Professors Which made them write many comfortable and instructive Letters to them and send them their Advices according as Opportunity served One thing there now fell out which caused some disturbance among the Prisoners Many of them that were under restraint for the Profession of the Gospel were such as held Free-will tending to the derogation of God's Grace and refused the Doctrine of Absolute Predestination and Original Sin They were Men of strict and holy Lives but very hot in their Opinions and Disputations and unquiet Divers of them were in the King's-Bench where Bradford and many other Gospellers were Many whereof by their Conferences they gained to their own Perswasions Bradford had much discourse with them The Name of their chief Man was Harry Hart Who had writ something in defence of his Doctrine Trew and Abingdon were Teachers also among them Kemp Gybson and Chamberlain were others They ran their Notions as high as Pelagius did and valued no Learning and the Writings and Authorities of the Learned they utterly rejected and despised Bradford was apprehensive that they might now do great Haâ—m in the Church and therefore out of Prison wrote a Letter to Cranmer Ridley and Latimer the three chief Heads of the Reformed though Oppressed Church in England to take some Cognizance of this Matter and to consult with them in remedying it And with him joined Bishop Ferrar Rowland Taylor and Iohn Philpot. This Letter worthy to be read may be found among the Letters of the Martyrs and transcribed in the Appendix Upon this Occasion Ridley wrote a Treatise of God's Election and Predestination And Bradford wrote another upon the same Subject and sent it to those three Fathers in Oxâ—ord for their Approbation and theirs being obtained the rest of the eminent Divines in and about London were ready to sign it also I have seen another Letter of Bradford to
order thereunto What they performed may be perceived by the Bible that goes under the Name of the Geneva Bible at this Day It was in those Days when it first came forth better esteemed of than of later Times At Frankford where they had great Countenance of the Magistrates of the City arose great Contentions and Quarrels among themselves about the Discipline of the Church and in framing a New Service different from what was before set forth in K. Edward's Reign to be used in the publick Congregation which new Service came nearer to the Form of the Church of Geneva This occasioned great Troubles Animosities and Separations to the discredit of themselves and the Reformation These Matters may be seen at large in the Troubles at Frankford There is one thing which that Book making I think no mention of I will here relate Some of the English upon this Dissension carried their Children to be baptized by Lutheran Priests for tho the Lutherans were against the poor Exiles they thought so well of them as to be willing their Children should be initiated into the Church by their Ministry The Occasion whereof seemed to be that in the Divisions of this Church one Party would not let their Children be baptized by the English Minister This causing a new Disturbance some wrote to the great Divine P. Martyr now at Argentine for his Resolution of this Question An liceat hominibus Evangelicis Baptismum a Lutheranis accipere To this he answered in a Letter to the Church disapproving of their doings Telling them That the way to heal their Differences was to bring their Children to be baptized in such Churches with which they agreed in Faith and Doctrine So that this created a new Quarrel among them for some held it unlawful to receive Baptism from those that were not Orthodox in their Doctrine and others again thought it lawful And this made them send to Martyr for his Judgment as aforesaid Who wrote That he would not say it was unlawful for that it could not be judged by the Word of God but he disliked the Practice and propounded divers Arguments against it Those that were for it said It was an indifferent thing To which Martyr made this reply That indifferent things were not to be used to the Scandal of the Weak They said The Difference was not so great between us in the matter of the Sacrament But Martyr said It was of great Moment because in it there was a Contest concerning the chief Head of Religion They added that the Lutheran Divines did think in the Matter of Baptism as they did But Martyr answered That they were mistaken for those Divines affirmed more of the Sacrament than is fit and tied the Grace of God to Baptism and that they thought there was no Salvation without Baptism and that they affirmed that Infants had Faith To the Exiles residing here at Frankford some in the Year 1555 conveyed Gardiner's Book against Cranmer intitled Marcus Antonius with Ridley's Answer to the Objections of that Book and a Treatise in English of Transubstantiation wrote by the same Ridley This last they intended to turn into Latine and so to print both But on second Thoughts they demurred upon it fearing it might enrage Gardiner the more against Ridley who was yet alive Whereupon Grindal wrote to him to know his Mind therein before they proceeded to Print Many of the Fugitives took up their Residence at Basil upon two Reasons one was because the People of that City were especially very kind and courteous unto such English as came thither for Shelter the other because those that were of slenderer Fortunes might have Imployment in the Printing-houses there the Printers in Basil in this Age having the Reputation of exceeding all others of that Art throughout Germany for the Exactness and Elegancy of their Printing And they rather chose English Men for the Overseers and Correctors of their Presses being noted for the most careful and diligent of all others Whereby many poor Scholars made a shift to subsist in these hard Times Indeed many of these Exiles assisted in promoting of Learning and Religion by publishing to the World their own or other Mens Writings Iohn Scory that had been Bishop of Chichester wrote a very comfortable Epistle unto all the Faithful that were in Prison or in any other Trouble for the Defence of God's Truth Printed in the Year 1555. He was Preacher to the English Congregation at Embden and stiled their Superintendent From hence this and many other good Books were sent into England by certain Persons to be dispersed about in London and other Places There was one Elizabeth Young that came thence with a Book called Antichrist and several others Who was taken up for bringing in Prohibited and Heretical Books and endured much Trouble There was also another named Thomas Bryce that brought Books from Wesel into Kent and London he was watched and dogged but escaped several Times Sir Iohn Baker a Kentish Man and a great Papist and a Courtier laid his Spies to attack him Iohn Old printed a Book at Waterford 1555 intitled The Acquittal or Purgation of the most Catholick Christen Prince Edward VI. against all such as blasphemously and traiterously infamed him or the Church in his Reign of Heresy or Sedition The writing of this Book was occasioned from the Preachers of England in Q. Mary's Time in their Sermons at S. Paul's Cross and in other Pulpits spewing out as the Book expresseth it with Scolding Roaring and Railing the Poison of Antichrist's Traditions and infaming the Order Form and Vse of Preaching Prayers and Administration of the Holy Sacraments set forth and exercised by common Authority in the Church of England reformed under the Government of Edward VI. and vilely slandering of his Father K. Henry VIII for banishing the violent usurped Power and Supremacy of the Romish antient Antichrist for his Brother 's known Wife and for taking justly upon him the Title and Estate of Supremacy incident and appertaining by the undoubted Ordinance of God to his Regal Office and Imperial Crown Thomas Sampson formerly Dean of Chichester wrote an Epistle to the Inhabitants of Alhallows-Breadstreet where in K. Edward's Time he had been Incumbent William Turner Doctor of Physick and that had been Physician in the Duke of Somerset's Family and after Dean of Wells another Exile put forth a Book Anno 1555. called A new Book of Spiritual Physick for divers Diseases of the Nobility and Gentlemen of England Dedicating it to divers of the chief Nobility It consisted of three Parts In the first he shewed who were Noble and Gentlemen and how many Works and Properties belong unto such and wherein their Office chiefly standeth In the second Part he shewed great Diseases were in the Nobility and Gentry which letted them from doing their Office In the third Part he specified what the Diseases were as namely the whole Palsy the Dropsy
and printed with this Title Mira ac elegans cum primis Historia vel Tragoedia potius de tota ratione examinationis condemnationis J. Philpotti Archidiaconi Wincestriae nuper in Anglia exusti Ab autore primum lingua sua congesta nunc in Latinum versa Interprete J. F. A. He had also a great Hand in publishing of Zonaras and Balsamon upon the Apostles Canons in Latin To which he set this Title Enarrationes seu Commentarii in Canones Sanctorum Apostolorum Synodorum tum quae Vniversales tum quae Provinciales Quaeque item privatim quorundam priscorum Patrum propriae extiterunt Autoribus Jo. Zonara Monacho religiosae Sanctae Glyceriae Qui prius Drungarius seu Praefectus erat Biglae summus Secretarius Atque etiam Theodoro Balsamensi qui prius ecclesiae Antiochenae Diaconus Librarius seu custos chartarum Praepositus Blachernensium deinde Archiepiscopus est factus ejusdem Ecclesiae simul totius Orientis Which probably was a Book printed at Oporinus's Press over which he had Care and made this Title and perhaps translated it into Latin Here at Basil Fox was set on work by Peter Martyr to translate into Latin Arch-bishop Cranmer's Book of the Sacrament that is his large Dispute with Winchester Which Fox fell upon while Cranmer was yet in Prison In quo libro videbit spero saith he in a Letter to Oporinus propediem universa Germania quicquid de causa Eucharistica vel dici vel objici vel excogitari a quoquam poterit But this never saw the Light the Manuscript thereof yet lying in my Hands In 1557 Fox set forth a little Book pleading the Cause of the Afflicted with their Persecutors and comforting the Afflicted Of which Thomas Lever who was Preacher to the English Congregation at Arrow gave this Character in a Letter which he sent to Fox who had presented him with this Book SAlutem P. in Christo Charissime Frater Literas tuas accepi libellum parvum in quo magna cum eruditione Pientissimo zelo causam afflictorum apud persecutores tyrannos sic agis ut omnes qui curant aut impios admonendos aut pios consolatione recreandos id plene a te perfectum videant Quod ipsi bene curatum velint Et quoniam meae vocationis munus in hujusmodi admonitionibus consolationibus versatur plurimum scias velim quod misso ad me parvo libello magnum dedisti mihi beneficium Dignum igitur nihil habens quod tibi pro meritis rependam exiguum aureolum mitto rogóque accipias ut certum indicium mei animi erga te tuáque studia quibus alendis augendisque tantum nunc polliceor quantum unquam potuero praestare Vale in Christo mihi saluta Uxorem tuam atque omnem Familiam Rogóque ut mei meâ—que ministerii memores sitis in precibus vestris apud Deum Iterum vale vivens in Domino Aroviae 7. Novemb. 1557. Tuus fideliter in Christo Th. Leverus Fox also wrote an Expostulatory Letter to the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of England to desist those Barbarities that were then used towards innocent Men in England Killing Burning Imprisoning Sequestring them without all Mercy The Letter so pathetically penned deserves a place in the Appendix for the preservation thereof To all these English Writers during their Exile must Iohn Bale the Antiquarian be added who now published and printed in Basil his admirable Book of Centuries giving an Account of the Lives and Writings of all such as were born English and Scotish Iohn Knokys or Knox another Fugitive is the last I shall mention fearing I have been too large in this Digression already He was a Scotch-Man but had lived in England in King Edward's Days with great Respect and very zealously preached the Gospel in London Buckinghamshire Newcastle Berwick and other Places of the North and South Parts He wrote now an Epistle to the Faithful in those Places and to all others in the Realm of England Wherein he earnestly disswaded them from communicating in the Idolatry then established and to flee as well in Body as Spirit having Society with the Idolaters and that as they would avoid God's Vengeance as the burning of Cities laying the Land waste Enemies dwelling in the strong Holds Wives and Daughters defiled and Children falling by the Sword Which he assured them would happen to the Nation because of its return to Idolatry and refusing of God's Mercy when he so long had called upon them This his Affirmation he said would displease many and content few But to confirm them in the belief of what he had said he bad them recollect what he had formerly spoke in their presence and in the presence of others a great part whereof was then come to pass He mentioned particularly what he said at Newcastle and Berwick before the Sweating Sickness and what at Newcastle upon All-Saints Day the Year in which the Duke of Somerset was last apprehended and what he said before the Duke of Northumberland in the same Town and other Places more Also what he said before the King at Windsor Hampton-Court and Westminster and what he said in London in more Places than one when both Fires and riotous Banquetings were made for the proclaiming of Q. Mary He foretold these present Calamities not that he delighted in them as he said or in the Plagues that should befal this unthankful Nation No his Heart mourned but if he should cease he should then do against his Conscience and Knowledg Then he proceeded to give them the ground of this his Certitude which he took from the Scriptures And so in conclusion he counselled them as they would avoid the Destruction that was coming that they should have nothing to do with the abominable Idol of the Mass that is the Seal of that League which the Devil had made with all the pestilent Sons of Antichrist as he phrazed it It may be enquired how these Exiles were maintained considering the great Numbers of them and the Poverty of many God stirred up the Bowels of the abler sort both in England and in the parts where they sojourned to pity and relieve them by very liberal Contributions conveyed unto them from time to time From London especially came often very large Allowances till Bishop Gardiner who had his Spies every where got knowledg of it and by casting the Benefactors into Prison and finding means to impoverish them that Channel of Charity was in a great measure stopped After this the Senators of Zurick at the motion of Bullinger their Superintendent opened their Treasures unto them Besides the great Ornaments then of Religion and Learning Melancthon Calvin Bullinger Gualter Lavater Gesner and others sent them daily most comfortable Letters and omitted no Duty of Love and Humanity to them all the time of their Banishment Some of the Princes and Persons of Wealth and Estate
first made an Oration directed unto the Arch-bishop at the opening of his Commission Next Dr. Martin made a short Speech and being with Dr. Story appointed the King's and Queen's Attorneys he offered unto the said Bishop their Proxy sealed with the Broad-Seal of England and then presenting himself to be Proctor on their behalf After that he proceeded to exhibit certain Articles against the Arch-bishop containing Adultery and Perjury the one for being Married the other for breaking his Oath to the Pope Also he exhibited Books of Heresy made partly by him and partly by his Authority published And so produced him as a Party principal to answer to his Lordship After this having leave given him the Arch-bishop beginning with the Lord's Prayer and Creed made a long and learned Apology for himself Which is preserved to Posterity in the Acts and Monuments By his Discourse before the Commissioners it appeared how little he was taken with the splendor of worldly Things For he professed That the loss of his Promotions grieved him not He thanked God as heartily for that poor and afflicted State in which he then was as ever he did for the Times of his Prosperity But that which stuck closest to him as he said and created him the greatest Sorrow was to think that all that Pains and Trouble that had been taken by K. Henry and himself for so many Years to retrieve the Antient Authority of the Kings of England and to vindicate the Nation from a Foreign Power and from the Baseness and infinite Inconveniences of crouching to the Bishops of Rome should now thus easily be quite undone again And therefore he said all his Trouble at that time and the greatest that ever he had in his Life was to see the King and Queen's Majesties by their Proctors there to become his Accusers and that in their own Realm and Country before a Foreign Power For that if he had transgressed the Laws of the Land their Majesties had sufficient Authority and Power both from God and the Ordinance of the Realm to punish him Whereunto he would be at all times content to submit himself At this time of his Trial several Interrogatories were administred unto him to make answer to As concerning his Marriage Concerning his setting abroad Heresies and making and publishing certain Books of Heresy To which he confessed That the Catechism and the Book of Articles and the Book against Bishop Gardiner were of his doing Concerning subscribing those Articles and his compelling Persons to subscribe Which he denied but that he exhorted them that were willing to subscribe he acknowledged Concerning his open maintaining his Errors in Oxon Whereas they brought him to the Disputation themselves Concerning his being noted with the Infamy of Schism and that he moved the King and Subjects of his Realm to recede from the Catholick Church and See of Rome Which he acknowledged but that their Departure or Recess had in it no matter of Schism Concerning his being twice sworn to the Pope And Dr. Martin then shewed a Copy of his Protestation against the Pope at his Consecration under a publick Notary's Hand That he took upon him the See of Rome in consecrating Bishops and Priests without Leave or Licence from the said See To which he answered That it was permitted to him by the Publick Laws of the Realm Concerning his standing out still to subscribe to the Pope's Authority when the whole Nation had This being done a publick Notary entred his Answers Then the Bishop of Glocester made another Speech at breaking up of this Meeting and Dr. Story another reflecting upon what Cranmer had said with Reviling and Taunts The last thing they did at this Meeting was to swear several Persons who were the next Day to declare what they knew or could remember against this Reverend Father And these were Dr. Marshal Dean of Christ's-Church a most furious and zelotical Man and who to shew his spight against the Reformation had caused Peter Martyr's Wife who deceased while he was the King's Professor to be taken out of her Grave and buried in his Dunghil Dr. Smith Publick Professor who had recanted most solemnly in K. Edward's Days and to whom the Arch-bishop was a good Friend yet not long afterwards he wrote against his Book and was now sworn a Witness against him Dr. Tresham a Canon of Christ-Church who was one of the Disputers against Cranmer and had said in his Popish Zeal That there were 600 Errors in his Book of the Sacrament Dr. Crook Mr. London a Relation I suppose of Dr. London who came to shame for his false Accusation of Cranmer and others in K. Henry's Reign and now this Man 't is like was willing to be even with Cranmer for his Relation's sake Mr. Curtop another Canon of Christ's-Church formerly a great Hearer of P. Martyr Mr. Ward Mr. Serles the same I suppose who belonged to the Church of Canterbury and had been among the number of the Conspirators against him in K. Henry's Days And these being sworn the Arch-bishop was allowed to make his Exceptions against any of them Who resolutely said He would admit none of them all being perjured Men having sworn against the Pope and now received and defended him And that therefore they were not in Christian Religion And so the good Father was remitted back for that time to Prison again I know not what the Depositions of these Witnesses were given in against him the next Day For Fox relates nothing thereof nor any other as I know of Doubtless they were some of the Doctrines that he preached or taught or defended in Canterbury formerly or more lately in his Disputations in the Schools or in his Discourses in his Prison or at Christ's-Church where he sometimes was entertained But to all that was objected against him he made his Answers And the last thing they of this Commission did was to cite him to appear at Rome within eighty Days to make there his Answer in Person Which he said He would be content to do if the King and Queen would send him And so he was again remanded back to durance where he still remained And an account of what these Commissioners had done was dispatched to Rome forthwith From whence the final Sentence was sent in December next Then Pope Paul sent his Letters Executory unto the King and Queen and to the Bishops of London and Ely to degrade and deprive him and in the end of those fourscore Days he was declared Contumax as wilfully absenting himself from Rome when he was summoned to go though he was detained in Prison which might have been a lawful and just Excuse But these Matters must proceed in their Form whatsoever Absurdity or Falsehood there were in them By these Letters Executory which are in the first Edition of Fox but omitted in all the rest we may collect how the Process went against Cranmer at Rome which I shall here briefly set down
Visitationem Archiep. Cant. FIrst That the Archbp. of Canterbury in al his Monitions and Writings sent to the Bp. Abbots Prior and Archdeacon of London concerning this his Visitation called himself Apostolicae Sedis Legatum and that therefore the Bp. of London with the Chapter did not only advertise the Archbp. therof by their Letters before the day of Visitation But also the same day of the Commencement thâ—reof in the Chapter house of Powles the said Bp. and Chapter before the delivery of the Certificate to the ABp made there openly a â—rotestation reading it in writing signifying that they would neither accept him as such a Legate or admit or obey his Visitation jurisdiction or any thing that he would attempt by the pretext or color of that name of Legate or otherwise against the Crown of our Soveraign his Regality Statutes or customes of his realm And required the said Archbp. to command his Register there present to enact the said Protestation Which he refused utterly to do shewing himself not willing to admit the said Protestation Item That the Archbp. in his said Monition to the Bp. did expresly intimate and signify to him that he would in his Visitation suspend al the jurisdiction of the Bp. the Dean and Archdeacons from the beginning thereof to the ending In such wise that the Bp. nor his Officers Dean nor Archdeacon should or might at that time which he would not determine how long it should endure use no jurisdiction whatsoever causes or necessities should chance of correction institutions of benefices Confirmations of Election Consecrations of Churches Celebrations of Orders or Probation of Testaments with many other things mo appertaining ad forum contentiosum But al and every of these the Archbp. and his Officers would have and suffer none other to use and exercise the same unto the end of his Visitation Which he hath now continued until the first day of December pretending that then he may likewise continue it other six months and so forth without end at his plesure during his life from time to time So that by this means he only and none other should be Bp. but Titularis in all his Province during his life but at his plesure Which were an inconvenience intolerable and such as never was read nor heard of that ever any Metropolitan private Legate or Bp. of Rome in the most Tyranny had usurped the semblable Item That al men learned and Books of the Canon Law doth aggree that no Metropolitan or Primate may thus by any law written suspend al the jurisdiction of the Bishops for the time of their Visitations or exercise the premises during the same Iure Metropolitico And this the Councel of the Archbishop doth not deny nor cannot Item Where the said AB doth pretend that his Predecessors times past hath put in use and exercise al the premises And so though the Common law doth not favor him yet he may lean to prescription First it is to be considered and remembred that the suspension of al jurisdiction of al the Bishops in maner aforesaid seemeth to be against holy scripture and the authority given unto them by God and as it was said before that Suspension were a thing pernitious not read nor heard of to have bee attempted by the most tyranny of al the Bishops of R. without the great offence of the Bishop And as for the rest considering that none of his Predecessors this hundred years did visit thus his Province and therfore no man Living can know this by experience it had been necessary for the Archbp. to have shewed books for the proof of these his sayings and pretences Which he and his Officers being therunto desired as wel before the Visitation as sithence ever did refuse and deferr to do Item It is to be remembred that in case it shal appear in any Book of the AB that his Predecessors have attempted any of the Premisses First that his Predecessors were Legates and though they did visit jure Metropolitico yet they might peradventure as Legates attempt some things which they had had no right nor colour to do if they had be only Metropolitans and Primates Secondarily In this behalf and case it is to be remembred that many of those Archbps. of Canterbury were not only Legates but also Chancellors of England By the which authority they peradventure did enforce and maintain many things attempted against the Law as the late Cardinal did And therfore it is to be dissevered what they did as Legates and what as Metropolitans and what by force after repealed and what by right peaceably enjoyed And not to now jure Metropolitico such things as were done by his Predecessors as Legates nor to chalenge prescription now the authority of the See of Rome is repealed and here extinguished in such things as were attempted only by the pretext of the authority of that See or else after were appealed repealed or resisted Thirdly In This cause it is to be remembred that it appears by the ancient Registers of the Bishops and their Churches that when the Predecessors of the AB did attempt any of these causes aforesaid the Bishops and their Clergies did appeal to the See of Rome And divers times they obtained sentences and executions against him and some remained undecided by the reason of the death of the AB or Bp. complainant for remedy and redress of the same In like maner as we your faithful Subjects have now for this our grief appeled unto your Majesty Item It is to be considered Whether any Metropolitan in other Christen realmes being now Legate doth exercise the premisses after the form now here pretended in his Visitation And in case they do not as it is said they do not attempt any such things but only in their Visitations Provincial useth that the Common Law giveth them then here to be repealed and extinguished for ever To the intent that the Bishops of R. hereafter shal have no color to maintain and justify that they keep here yet and continue the possession of their authority and of our subjection by their Legate Saying that although the AB doth relinquish the name of a Legate yet nevertheless he exerciseth such jurisdiction as the Laws never gave to Metropolitans nor no AB in Christendome doth exercise Legates of the See of R. only excepted And therfore it is to be provided that no sparks remain wherby he might suscitate any such flame if the matter should come in question Finally It is to be remembred that the Bishops nor their Clergies do not refuse to accept and obey the Visitation of the AB as Metropolitan and to pay to him proxies due and accustomed But where the Bishops hath not only the common Laws but also Bulls and Sentences executed against his Predecessors and that long before the making of the Statutes against Provisions declaring what sums he shal not pass for the Proxies of their Churches the Officers of the AB demandeth much more
al that truly love God do most heartily pray that you may overcome al you adversaries of the Papistical sort Your Orator Rychard Grafton NUM XXI Archbishop Cranmer to the King for a Suffragan of Dover EXcellentiss potentiss in Christo Principi Dno nostro Dn. Henrico Octavo Dei gra Angliae Fr. regi Fidei Defensori Dno Hiberniae ac in terris Supremo Ecclesiae Angl. capiti Vester humilis Orator Subditus Thomas permissione divina Cantuar. Archiepiscopus totius Anglie Primas Metropolit Omnimod Reverentiam Observantiam tanto principi debit condignas cum omni subjectionis honore Ad sedem Episcopalem de Doveria infra Cantuar. Dioc. existen Dilectos michi in Cto Richardum Yngworth Priorem Domus sive Prioratus de Langley Regis Iohannem Codenham Sacrae Theolog. Professores juxta secundum vim formam effectum Statuti Parlamenti hujus inclyti regni vestri Angliae in hoc casu editi provisi vestrae Regiae Majestati per has literas meas nomino praesento ac eidem Majestati vestrae humiliter supplico quatenus alteri corum cui vestra Regia Majestas id munus conferend praeoptaverit titulum nomen stylumque dignitatem episcopalem ac Suffraganeam ad Sedem praedictam misericorditer conferre Ipsumque mihi prefato Archiepiscopo infra cujus Dioc. Provinciam Sedes antedicta consistit per literas vestras Patentes regias intuitu charitatis punctare michique mandare dignetur vestra regia Majestas quatenus ipsum sic nominatum praesentatum in Episcopum Suffraganeum Sedis praedict juxta formam Statuti praedict effectualiter consecrem benedicam caeteraque faciam exequar in ea parte quae ad effectum meum Archiepiscopale spectaverint seu requisita fuerint in praemissis Vivat denique valeat in multos annos vestra regia Celsitudo praelibata in eo per quem reges regnant Principes dominantur Dat' apud Lambeth primo die mensis Decembr Anno Domini millesimo quingentesimo tricesimo septimo regni vestri florentiss vicesimo nono NUM XXII The Archbishops letters of Commission to Richard Suffragan of Dover THomas permissione divina Cant. Archiep. tot Angl. Primas Metropolitanus Venerabili confratri nostro Dom. Richardo Dei gra Sedis Doveriae nostrae Diocesios Cant ' Suffraganeo Salutem fraternam in Domino charitatem De tuis fidelitate circumspectionis industria plenam in Domino fiduciam obtinentes ad confirmandum sacri chrismatis unctione pueros quoscúnque infra civitatem Diocesin nostras Cant ' jurisdictiones nostras ecclesiae nostrae Christ. Cant. immediatas ac jurisdictionem nostram villae Calisiae marchias ejusdem sub obedientia Excellentiss Principis Domini nostri Domini Hen. Oct. Dei gratia Angl. Fr. regis fidei Defensoris Domini Hib. ac in terris sub Christo Ecclesiae Anglic. Capitis Supremi ubilibet constitut Necnon altaria calices Vestimenta alia Ecclesiae ornamenta quaecunque ea concernen benedicend locaque profana siquae inveneris de quibus te inquirere Volumus a divinorum celebratione ultime suspendend Ecclesias etiam coemiteria sanguinis vel seminis effusione polluta forsan vel polluend reconciliand Ecclesias altaria noviter aedificat consecrand Omnes ordines minores quibuscunque civitatis Diocesios jurisdictionum nostrarum praedictarum ipsos ordines a te recipere volentib ad hoc habilibus ad jurejurando de renuntiando Rom. Episcopo ejus auctoritati ac de acceptando Regiam Majestatem pro Supremo Capite Ecclesiae Anglic. juxta Statuta hujus regni in hac parte edita ab eisdem ordinand eorum quolibet per te primitus recepto conferend Ac etiam oleum sanctum chrismatis sacrae unctionis consecrand Caeteraque omnia singula quae ad officium Pontificale in praemissis vel aliquo praemissorum quovis modo pertinent vel pertinere poterunt faciend exercend expediend tibi tenore praesentium committimus vices nostras plenam in Domino potestatem Téque quoad praemissa Suffraganeum nostrum ordinamus praeficimus per praesentes donec eas ad nos duxerimus revocand Et ut officium tuum hujusmodi possis in praemissis liberius exercere Vniversis singulis Decanis Rectoribus Vicarijs Capellanis Curatis non Curatis Clericis Apparitoribus quibuscunque in virtute sacrae suae obedientiae firmiter tenore praesentium injungendo mandamus quatenus tibi in praemissis quolibet praemissorum sint obedientes assistentes intendentes in omnibus prout decet In cujus rei testimonium sigillum nostrum praesentibus est appensum Dat. in Manerio nostro de Lamehith Decimo die Decembr Anno Domini mill quin. xxxvij nostrae Consecrationis anno quinto NUM XXIII A Declaration to be read by al Curates upon the publishing of the Bible in English WHeras it hath pleased the Kings Majesty our most dread Sovereign and Supreme Head under God of this Church of England for a Declaration of the great zeal he beareth to the setting forth of Gods word and to the virtuous maintenance of the Common-wealth to permit and command the Bible being translated into our Mother tongue to be sincerely taught by us the Curates and to be openly layd forth in every parish church to the intent that all his good subjects as wel by reading therof as by hearing the true explanation of the same may be able to learn their duties to Almighty God and his Majesty and every of us charitably to use other And then applying themselves to do according to that they shal hear and learn may both speak and do christianly and in al things as it beseemeth christen men Because his Highnes very much desireth that this thing being by him most godly begun and set forward may of al you be received as is aforesaid his Majesty hath willed and commanded this to be declared unto you that his Graces pleasure and high commandment is that in the reading and hearing therof first most humbly and reverently using and addressing your selves unto it you shal have always in your remembrance and memories that al things contained in this book is the undoubted Wil Law and Commandment of Almighty God the only and streit means to know the goodnes and benefits of God towards us and the true duty of every christen man to serve him accordingly And that therfore reading this book with such mind and firm faith as is aforesaid you shal first endeavour your self to conform your own livings and conversation to the contents of the same And so by your good and vertuous example to encourage your wives children and servants to live wel and christianly according to the rules therof And if at any time by reading any doubt shal comen to any of you touching the sense and meaning of any
had not come personally into the Parlament house those lawes had never passed And yet within a year or little more the same most noble Prince was faine to temper his said lawes and moderate them in divers points So that the statute of six Articles continued in his force little above the space of one year Is this then so great a matter to make these uproars and to arise against the whole realm Wil you take away the present laws of this Realm which be and ever have been the laws of al other Countreis also and set up new Lawes which never were but in this Realm only and were here in force not fully thirteen months And how chanceth it that you be so earnest in this Article which is directly contrary to your first Article but you know not what neither of the Articles meaneth but be persuaded by Papists to ask you wot not what But now here is the repugnance of the two Articles By your First you wil have al General Councels and Decrees observed and kept and by your Second Article you wil have the six Articles used again Then let us compare the general Councels and Decrees with the Six Articles and you shal see them aggree as wel together as black and white First it is contained in the Canons of the Apostles that a priest under no pretence of holines may put away his wife and if he do he shal be excommunicate And the six Articles say that if any Priest put not away his wife he shal be taken for a Felon If he keep her not â—til he must be excommunicate by the Canon of the Apostles And if he keep her stil he must suffer death by the six Articles You be cunning men if you can set these together Also the Councel of Nice which was the chief of al the General Councels and was celebrated more then twelve hundred years past decreed clean contrary to the six Articles For where the six Articles command al Priests to be separate from their wives Nicen Councel determined clean contrary that they should not be separated confessing such copulation to be holy and godly And the Councel of Gangrense which was about the same time so much allowed the marriage of priests that they accursed them that would abstain from the Ministration of priests because they were married These Councels vary so far from the six Articles that either you must put the General Councels out of your Book or else the six Articles Likewise concerning Private Masses the law of six Articles far differeth from the Canon of the Apostles and from the Councels Nicen and Antioch as shal be declared in the next Articâ—e Other things there be divers also in the six Articles which cannot stand with sundry old Canons Decrees and Councels So that if you wil stand to the Canons Decrees and Councels you must of force be constrained utterly to put out of your book your second Article which requireth the usage of the Six Articles But now for shortnes of time I wil come to your third Article Which is this III. The third Article WE wil have the Mass in Latine as was before and celebrated by the Priest without any man or woman communicating with him Forasmuch as there is nothing with you but Wil let your wil be conferred with reason and Gods word and then you shal se how far your Wil differeth from them both First as touching the Latine Masses Whatsoever the Priest saith in the old Masses whether he pray and ask any thing of God or give thanks to God or make the true Profession of the Faith or whatsoever he doth besides al he doth in your persons and in your names and you answer unto that which he saith sometimes Amen sometimes Et cum spiritu tuo and sometimes other things as the matter serveth For al the whole that is done should be the act of the people and pertain to the people as wel as to the priest And standeth it with reason that the Priest should speak for you and in your name and you answer him again in your own persons and yet you understand never a word neither what he saith nor what you say your selves The Priest prayeth to God for you and you answer Amen you wot not whereto Is there any reason herein Wil you not understand what the Priest prayeth for you What thanks he giveth for you What he asketh for you Wil you neither understand what he saith nor let your hearts understand what your own tongues answer Then must you needs confes your selves to be such people as Christ spake of When he said These people honor me with their lips but their hearts be far from me Had you rather be like Pyes or Parrots that be taught to speak and yet understand not one word what they say then be true christen men that pray unto God in heart and in faith The Priest is your Proctor and Atturney to plead your cause and to speak for you al and had you rather not know then know what he saith for you I have heard Sutors murmur at the bar because their Atturneyes have pleaded their cases in the French tongue which they understood not Why then be you offended that the Priests which plead your cause before God should speak such language as you may understand If you were before the Kings Highnes and should chuse one to speak for you al I am sure you would not chuse one that should speak Greek or Hebrew French or Italian no nor one that should speak Latine neither But you would be glad to provide such one as should speak your own language and speak so loud that you might both hear him and understand him that you might allow or disallow that that he said in your Names Why do you then refuse to do the like unto God When the Priest desireth any thing of God for you or giveth thanks for you how can you in your heart confirm his Sayings when you know not one word what he saith For the heart is not moved with words that be not understand But if reason wil not persuade you I wil prove what Gods word will do unto you S. Paul in the first Epistle to the Corinthians saith that whosoever shal speak to the people in the Church to their edification must speak such language as the people may understand or else he willeth him to hold his peace and speak softly to himself and to God For he which speaketh in a strange language which the people understand not doth not edify them as S. Paul saith And he giveth an example of the trumpet in the field which when it giveth such a sound that the Soldier understandeth it availeth much For every Soldier therby knoweth what to do But if such a blast be blowen as no man understandeth then the blast is utterly in vain For no man knoweth therby whether the horsemen shal make them ready or leap upon horseback or go to their standard
deserved Tumults in England Iack Cade Iack Straw In Germany for their Sedition were slain almost in one month about two hundred thousand The Sword by Gods word pertaineth not to Subjects but only to Magistrates Tho the Magistrates be evil and very tyrants against the Common-wealth and enemies to Christs religion yet yee Subjects must obey in all worldly things as the Christians do under the Turk and ought so to do as long as he commandeth them not to do against God How ungodly then is it for our Subjects to take the Sword where there reigneth a most Christian prince most desirous to reform al griefs Subjects ought to make humble suit to their Prince for Reformation of al injuries and not to come with force The Sword of the Subjects at this present cometh not of God nor for the Common wealth of the Realm but of the Devil and destroyeth the Commonweale First For that it is against the word of God Secondly For that they rise so many lies whereof the Devil is ever the Author Quia mendax est Pater ejus Thirdly For that they spoile and rob men and command every man to come to them and to send to them what they please Fourthly For that they let the harvest Which is the chief sustentation of our life and God of his goodness hath sent it abundantly And they by their folly do cause it to be lost and abandoned Fiftly For that they be led by rage and fury without reason have no respect neither of the Kings Authority nor of the Papists in the West Country nor of our affaires in France nor Scotland Which by their Sedition is so much hindred that there could not be imagined so great a dammage to the Realm Sixtly That they give Commandment in the Kings name and in pain of death having none authority so to do Ever against God the Devil hath raised Sedition As appeareth by the Sedition of Dathan and Abiram and al the murmurations of the children of Israel against Moses and Aaron Also of the conspiracy against Zorobabel in the reedifying of the Temple Also against Christ and his Apostles in sundry parts of the World Also In Germany lately and now among us For the Devil can abide no right reformation in religion Civil war is the greatest scourge that can be and most certain argument of Gods indignation against us for our ingratitude that we either wil not receive his true word or that they which receive the same dishonor God in their living when they pretend to honor him with their mouths Which ingratitude and contumely God can in no wise bear at our hands The Remedies to avert Gods Indignation from us is to receive his Word and to live according therunto Returning unto God with prayer and penance Or else surely more grievous afflictions shal follow if more grievous may be then Civil wars among our selves The chief Authors of al these tumults be idle and naughty people Which nothing have nor nothing or little wil labor to have that wil riot in expending but not labor in getting And these tumults first were excitated by the Papists and others which came from the Western Camp To the intent that by sowing division among our selves we should not be able to impeach them NUM XLII The Lady Mary to the Councel justifying her self for using the Mass in K. Edwards Minority IT is no smal greyf to me to parceyve that they whom the Kings Majesty my father whose Soule god pardon made in thys worlde of nothing in respecte of that they be come to now and at hys last ende put in trust to se hys Wyll perfourmed wherunto they were al sworne upon a boke it gryeveth me I say for the Love I beare to theym to se bothe howe they break his wyll and what usurped power they take upon theym in making as they cal it lawes both cleane contrarye to hys procedynges and wyll and also ageyust the coustome of al Crystendome and in my conscyence ageynst the lawe of god and hys chyrche Which passeth al the reste But thoughe you among you have forgotten the Kyng my father yet both gods commandment and nature wyll not suffre me to do so Wherfore with gods helpe I wyll remayne an obedyent chylde to hys lawes as he left theym tylle suche tyme as the Kynges majeste my brother shal have parfayt yers of discrecyon to order the power that god hath sent hym and to be a Judge in theyse matters hymself And I doubte not but he shal then accept my so doing better then theyrs which have taken a pece of his power upon them in his mynoryte I do not a little mervayle that you can find fawte with me for observing of that lawe which was allowed by him that was a kyng not only of power but also of knowledge how to order his power To which lawes al you consented and seemed at that tyme to the outward appearance very wel to lyke the same And more immediately when the Kyng reasons to have his proceedyngs observed Wherfore I do wonder that you can fynde fawte with me and non al thys whyle with some amongst your selves for runnyng halfe a year before that which you now call a lawe ye and before the byshopps cam together Wherin me thynketh you do me very myche wronge if I should not have as mych preemynence to contynew in kepyng a ful authorysed Lawe made without parcyalyte they had both to break the lawe which at that tyme your selves must nedes confesse was of ful power and strengthe and to use alteracyons of theyr own invencyon contrary both to that ye and to your new Lawe as you call it NUM XLIII The Archbishops letter to Martin Bucer inviting him over into England GRatiam pacem Dei in Christo. Legi tuas literas ad Iohannem Halesium in quibus tristissimos Germaniae casus commemorans te in tua urbe verbi ministerio vix diutius praeesse posse scribis Gemens igitur Prophetae illud exclamavi Mirifica misericordias tuas qui Salvos facis sperantes in te a resistentibus dexterae tuae Nec dubito quin Deus hoc similes piorum gemitus exauditurus sit veram doctrinam quae hactenus in vestris Ecclesijs syncere propagata est conservaturus defensurus sit adversus omnes diaboli mundi furores Interim Saevientibus fluctuum procellis in portus confugiendum est ijs qui vela in altum tendere non possunt Tibi igitur mi Bucere portus longe tutissimus erit nostrum regnum in quo Dei beneficio semina verae doctrinae feliciter spargi caeperunt Veni igitur ad nos te nobis operarium praesta in messe Domini Non minus proderis Catholicae Dei Ecclesiae cum apud nos fueris quam si pristinas sedes retineres Adde quod adflictae patriae vulnera absens melius sanare poteris quam nunc possis praesens Omni
like some Check to the Archbishop and as tho they required of him a sort of Dependance on them now more than before and it shewed some secret Ill-will towards him This Privilege was first granted to the Prior and Chapter of Canterbury by Thomas Becket but afterwards more amply confirmed to them by St. Edmund the Archbishop in the year 1235 from which time to the present year 1540 I dare confidently â—ver That no Bishop of the Province of Canterbury had been Consecrated by the Archbishops or by any other by their Commission in any Church or Place without the Metropolitical Church of Canterbury without License first desired and obtained in writing from the Chapter of Canterbury under their Seal if we except only two or three Cases between the years 1235 and 1300 which were the occasions of great Controversies between the Archbishops Consecrating and the Bishops Consecrated on the one part and the Chapter of Canterbury on the other part which yet always ended to the advantage of the Chapter and the farther Confirmation of their Privilege herein If these Licenses be not registred in the Archbishops Registers it is not to be wondred at it being not their concern to cause those things to be enregistred which were not essential to the Confirmation or Consecration of the Bishops of their Province but related merely to the Privileges of the Chapter of Canterbury But they are all enregistred and may be found in the Registers of that Chapter If therefore the Prior and Convent of Canterbury did at this time require Boner to take out such a License before his Consecration they thereby gave no more evidence of any sinister Design or Ill-will against the Archbishop than they had done at any time before to him or any of his Predecessors for 300 years whensoever any Bishop of the Province was to be Consecrated out of their Church Page 95. line 18. Robert King Titular Bishop Reonen Suffragan to the Bishop of Lincoln was this year 1541. Consecrated Bishop of Oxford The Date or his Consecrators I cannot assign the Act being omitted in the Archbishop's Register Whensoever a Suffragan Bishop was promoted to any real Bishoprick he had no need of any new Consecration the Character and Order of Bishop having been all along as full valid and effectual in him as in any Bishop whatsoever So that in such a Promotion no other Form was observed than in the Translation of any Bishop from one Diocess to another viz. Election and Confirmation But in this case not so much as that was necessary for the Bishoprick of Oxford being then newly erected King the first Bishop of it was to be put in Possession of it not by any Act of the Archbishop's but by Letters Patents of the King the Founder of it which Letters were not issued out until the first day of September in the following year Page 111. line 13. The names of the chief Actors of a Conspiracy against the Archbishop were Thornden who lived in the Archbishop's Family and eat at his Table and with whom he used to converse most familiarly So also Pag. 121. line 12. Thornton who was Suffragan of Dover the Archbishop made Prebendary of his Church and whom he always set at his own Mess. Page 120. line 5. Dr. Thornton who was very great with the Archbishop but secretly false to him Page 304. line 7. ab imo This had the Suffragan of Dover Dr. Thornton done In these and other Passages of this History the Names and Persons of Dr. Thornton and Dr. Thornden both Suffragans of the Diocess of Canterbury are confounded Iohn Thornton Prior of Dover was Suffragan to Archbishop Warham and died in his time Richard Thornden was Monk of Christ-Church Canterbury and at the dissolution of that Monastery in 1539 or 1540 and Conversion of it into a College of Secular Canons was constituted the first Prebendary of it and soon after made Suffragan of the Diocess with the Title of Bishop of Dover in which Office he continued till his death ultimo Mariâ— He never lived in the Archbishop's Family but in the Monastery till the Dissolution of it and after that constantly resided upon his Prebend and other Benefices which he held in the Diocess You might perhaps find it noted That the Archbishop always set him at his own Mess which might give you occasion to think that he sometimes lived in the Archbishop's Family whereas indeed no more was meant thereby than that the Archbishop was wont to shew to him extraordinary Respect whensoever he attended him for in those days Suffragan Bishops however usual were treated with Contempt enough not wont to be admitted to dine at the Archbishops own Table in the Hall of the Archbishop's Palace There were generally three Tables spread in the Archbishops Hall and served at the same time The Archbishops Table at which ordinarily sate none but Peers of the Realm Privy-Counsellors and Gentlemen of the greatest Quality The Almoners Table at which sate the Chaplains and all Guests of the Clergy beneath Diocesan Bishops and Abbots The Stewards Table at which sate all other Gentlemen The Suffragan Bishops then were wont to fit at the Almoners Table and the Archbishop in admitting his Suffragan Thornden to his own Table did him an unusual Honour which was therefore noted to aggravate the Ingratitude of the man conspiring against the Archbishop Page 126. line 13. About this time 1544. it was I conjecture that the King changed the Archbishop's Coat of Arms for unto the year 1543 he bore his Paternal Coat of Three Cranes Sable as I find by a Date set under his Arms yet remaining in a Window in Lambeth-House Those Arms of Archbishop Cranmer here mentioned to remain in a Window in Lambeth-House together with the Arms of the other Archbishops succeeding to him since the Reformation and placed in the same Window were painted at the cost of and set up by my Lord Archbishop Sancroft not many years since Page 141. med One of the very first things that was done in K. Edward's Reign in relation to the Church was That the Bishops c. should be made to depend intirely upon the King and his Council c. and should take Commissions from him for the exercise of their Office and Jurisdiction and those to last only during the King's Pleasure In this I suppose the Archbishop had his hand And therefore he began this Matter with himself Petitioning for such a Commission which was granted to him Feb. 7. 1546. This Matter was not now first begun or done The Archbishop and all the Bishops of England had taken Commissions from K. Henry in the very same Form mutatis mutandis in the year 1535. Page 161. med An English Exile naming himself E. P. in Q. Mary's days published again the Archbishop's Book against Vnwritten Verities and prefixed to it a Preface of his own I will add one Passage taken out of this Book about the middle whereby it may be seen what
Instructions to Goldwel Titus B. 2. Disgusts his stop Sends to Rome about this his stop And to the Emperor His Judgment of two late Acts of Parliament No. LXXV The married Clergy deprived and divorced Married Priests in London cited to appear Ex Regist. â—ccl Cant. Interrogatories for the married Clergy Turnor's Confession Ex Regist. Eccl. Cant. No. LXXV Boner deprives the married Clergy in London without order Married Prebendaries in Canterbury proceeded against Edmund Cranmer deprived of all Reg. Eccl. Cant. The Injustice of these Proceedings Martin's Book against Priests Marriage * Supposed to be Bp Ponet Wherein Winchester had the greatest Hand Declaration of Boner's Articles 1554. Thomas Martin or Winchester under that Name Fol. 15. Mr. Martin Winchester 's own Voice Fol. 40. Gardiner in his Book lately spread under the Name of Tho. Martin Fol. 77. Bale's Declar. Answered by Ponet The Confessions of the Married Priests Def. of Pr. Marr. p. 269. Married Priests that did their Penance hardly dealt with A twofold Evil upon this turn of Religion The Dissimulation of the Priests An. 1554. A Parliament restore the Pope A Design to revive the Six Articles No. LXXVI A Convocation appoint a Dispute with Cranmer at Oxford The Questions Sent to Cambridg No. LXXVII No. LXXVIII The Disputants of Oxford and Cambridg Cranmer brought before them His Behaviour Ridley brought And Latimer Cranmer brought to his Disputation His Notarieâ— Cranmer's Demands Cranmer disputes again The Papists undecent management of the Disputation In his Preface to his Account of his Dispute The Protestants glad of this Disputation Dr. Taylor to the three Fathers after their Disputations Ridley pens the Relation of his Disputation The University sends the Disputations up to the Convocation Various Copies of these Disputations Cranmer condemned for Heresy Cranmer writes to the Council No. â—XXIX Disputation intended at Cambridg In his Letter to Bradford Hoper's Letter Their Condition after Condemnation Their Imployment in Prison Letters of the Martyrs Other Works of Ridley in Prison The Queen's Letters directing the Elections of Parliament-men Pole comes over The Cardinal absolves Parliament and Convocation The Clergy again wait upon the Legate A Commission granted by him against Hereticks His Commissions to all the Bishops to reconcile their Diocesses The Commission to the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury No. LXXX The Legate's Instructions to the Bishops No. LXXXI Pole a severe Persecutor No. LXXXII A Convocation Articles presented to the Upper House Cranmer's Book to be burnt Intit Synodalia Hist. Ref. Vol. 2. Collect. p. 266 Men burnt to Death without Law Popery fully established Protestants The Pastors in Prison Free-Willers Bradford's concern with them No. LXXXIII His Kindness to them Bradford gaineth some of them Careless's Painâ— with them Martyrs Letters Philpot's Counsel Careless draws up a Confession of Faith Some few Arians The Prisoners offer to justify K. Edward's Proceedings No. LXXXIV And again offer it Edit 1610. p. 1348. The Exiles The Lutherans refuse to give Harbour to the Exiles Mart. Ep. p. 770. Ep. P. Martyr ad Calvin Anno 1555. The English at Wesel Bal. Praef. ad Act. Pontif. The Lutherans Heat against Sacramentaries At Zurick and other Places well received TheirEmployments Contentions at Frankford Some Children of the Exiles baptized by Lutherans Pieces of Ridley's Writings conveyed to Frankford Exiles at Basil. Divers of the Exiles Writers Scory Old Sampson Turner Iuel Becon Humfrey Traheron Fox His Acts and Monuments Books by him published in Exile Translates Cranmer's Book of the Sacrament into Latin Lever to Fox Foxii MSS. No. LXXXV Bale Knox. Foxe's MSS. How the Exiles subsisted Many recant No. LXXXVI The Persecution hot Tims Letter Gospellers go to Mass. Bradford labours to hinder it Counsels not to consort with them Tripart Hist. lib. 3. cap. 2. Ann Hartipol goes to Mass. Pag. 247. The Lady Vane puts certain Cases concerning the Mass. An. 1555. Many burned Instructions to the Justices Orders sent into Norfolk against the Professors The Effect thereof The Earl of Sussex receiveth Information against some Popish Spies set every where The Protestants frequently assemble Confidently reported that a Male-Heir to the Crown was Born No. LXXXVII The Queen 's great Belly Like a Design Fox p. 1450. The Queen's Zeal Pet. Martyr ad Pet. Alexand. A Convocation Part II. p. 324. Vol. intit Synodalia N. LXXXVIII Some petition the Queen for Cranmer He seeth Ridley and Latimer going to their burning Cranmer's Employment in Prison Report of the Queen's Death Proceedings against Cranmer Martin acts as the Queen's Proctor His greatest Trouble at this Time Interrogatories put to him with his Answers Witnesses sworn against him Cited to Rome The Pope's Letters against him The Process against him at Rome The Pope's Letters read They degrade him He Appeals He is ill dealt with in his Process The Reasons of his Appeal He presseth his Appeal Writes two Letters to the Queen The Contentâ— of the first The Contents of his second Letter The Bailiff of Oxford carrieth his Letters Pole answereth them No. LXXXIX Some Account of the Cardinal's Letter to Cranmer Another Letter of the Cardinal to Cranmer He Recants Notwithstanding his Burning is ordered A Letter from Oxford concerning Cranmer's Death Inter Foxii MSS. Cranmer brought to S. Maries Cole's Sermon Turns his Speech to Cranmerâ— After Sermon all pray for him His penitent behaviour Speaks to the Auditory He prayeth His Words before his Death He quoted also a third place out of Iames against covetous rich Men Weep and howl for the Miseries that shall come upon you your Riches doth rot your Clothes be Moth-eaten your Gold and Silver is cankered c Consesseth his dissembling His Reply to my L. Williams Goes to the place of his Burning His Talk and Behaviour at the Stake He burneth his right Hand Two Remarks upon his Martyrdom Ep. Dedicat. antè Harmon Evan. Who instigated the Queen to put him to death Ep. John 2.10 No Monumenâ— for him but his Martyrdom His Heart unconsumed The Bailiffa Expences about these three Martyrs MSS. C.C.C.C. The Bailiffs not repaid Humfrey to ABp Parker in their behalf Ex Biblioth C.C.C.C. His Books and Writings His first Book Other of his Writings His Book of the Doctrine of the Sacrament Other Writings mention'd by Bp Burnet Hist. Reform P. I. p. 174. Vbi supr p. 364 Ibid. Ibid. Vbi supr p. 289 Vbi supr p. 33â— Pag. 171. Hist. Reform P. II. p. 4â— Pag. 116. Pag. 248. Hist. Res. P. II. p. 171. Athen. Oxon. p. 578. More of his Writings still See Dr. Taylor 's Letter in Fox Hist. Reâ— P. II. p. 71. ABp Parker was in pursuit of certain MSS. of Cranmer concealed No. XC What the Subject of his numerous Writings were Paul Fagius Mar. Bucer placed at Cambridg by his Means Procures them honorary Stipoâ—ds from the King Allowances to P. Martyr and Ochin The third Sermon Dr. Mowse Master of Trinity-Hall favoured by Cranmer No. XCâ— His Inconstancy And Ingratitude