often reproved him boldly for it he grew weary of him The Clergy perceiving this were resolved to fall upon him So he withdrew to Berwick but wrote to the King that if he would hear him make his defence he would return and justifie all that he had taught He taxed the cruelty of the Clergy and desired the King would restrain their Tyranny and consider that he was obliged to protect his Subjects from their severity and malice But receiving no satisfactory answer he lived in England where he was entertain'd by the Duke of Suffolk as his Chaplain Not long after this one Forrest a simple Benedictin Monk was accused for having said that Patrick Hamilton had died a Martyr yet since there was no sufficient proof to convict him a Frier one Walter Lainge was sent to confess him to whom in Confession he acknowledged he thought Hamilton was a good man and that the Articles for which he was condemned might be defended This being revealed by the Frier was taken for good evidence So the poor man was condemned to be burnt as an Heretick As he was led out to his Execution he said Fie on falshood fie on Friers revealers of Confession Let never man trust them after me they are despisers of God and deceivers of men When they were considering in what place to burn him a simple man that attended the Arch-bishop advised to burn him in some low Cellar for said he the smoak of Mr. Patrick Hamilton has infected all those on whom it blew Soon after this Abbot Hamiltons Brother and Sister were brought into the Bishops Courts but the King who favoured this Brother perswaded him to absent himself His Sister and six others being brought before the Bishop of Ross who was deputed by the Arch-Bishop to proceed against them the King himself dealt with the Woman to abjure which she and the other six did Two others were more resolute The one was Normand Gowrlay who was charged with denying the Popes Authority in Scotland and saying there was no Purgatory The other was David Straiton He was charged with the same Opinions They also alledged that he had denied that Tithes were due to Church-men and that when the Vicar came to take the Tith out of some Fish-boats that belonged to him he alledged the Tith was to be taken where the stock grew and therefore ordered the tenth fish to be cast into the Sea and bade the Vicar to seek them there They were both judged obstinate Hereticks and burnt at one Stake the 27th of August 1534. Upon this persecution some others who were cited to appear fled into England Those were Alexander Alesse Iohn Fife Iohn Mackbee and one Mackdowgall The first of these was received by Cromwel into his Family and grew into great favour with King Henry and was commonly called his Scholar of whom see what was said Page 214. But after Cromwels death he took Fife with him and they went into Saxony and were both Professors in Leipsick Mackbee was at first entertained by Shaxton Bishop of Salisbury but he went afterwards into Denmark where he was known by the name of Doctor Maccabeus and was Chaplain to King Christian the second But all these violent proceedings were not effectual enough to quench that light which was then shining there Many by searching the Scriptures came to the knowledg of the Truth and the noise of what was then doing in England awakned others to make further enquiries into matters of Religion Pope Clement the 7th apprehending that King Henry might prevail on his Nephew to follow his example wrote Letters full of earnest exhortations to him to continue in the Catholick Faith Upon which King Iames called a Parliament and there in the presence of the Popes Nuncio declared his zeal for that Faith and the Apostolick See The Parliament also concurred with him in it and made acts against Hereticks and for maintaining the Popes authority That same Pope did afterwards send to desire him to assist him in making war against the King of England for he was resolved to divide that Kingdom among those who would assist him in driving out King Henry But the firm peace at that time between the King of England and the French King kept him quiet from any trouble which otherwise the King of Scotland might have given him Yet King Henry sent the Bishop of St. Davids with the Duke of Norfolks Brother Lord William Howard to him so unexpectedly that they came to him at Sterlin before he had heard of their being sent The Bishop brought with him some of the Books that had been writ for the justifying King Henry's proceeding and desired that King would impartially examine them But he put them into the hands of some about him that were addicted to the interests of Rome who without ever reading them told him they were full of pestilent Doctrine and Heresie The secret business they came for was to perswade that King to concur with his Uncle and to agree an Interview between them and they offered him in their Masters name the Lady Mary in Marriage and that he should be made Duke of York and Lord Lieutenant of all England But the Clergy diverted him from it and perswaded him rather to go on in his design of a match with France And their Counsels did so prevail that he resolved to go in person and fetch a Queen from thence On the first of Ianuary 1537. he was married to Magdalen daughter to Francis the First But she being then gone far in a Consumption died soon after he had brought her home on the 28th of May. She was much lamented by all persons the Clergy only excepted for she had been bred in the Queen of Navarres Court and so they apprehended she might incline the King to a Reformation But he had seen another Lady in France Mary of Guise whom he then liked so well that after his Queens death he sent Cardinal Beaton into France to treat for a match with her This gave the Clergy as much joy as the former marriage had raised fear for no Family in Christendome was more devoted to the interests of the Papacy than that was And now the King though he had freer thoughts himself yet was so engaged to the pretended old Religion that he became a violent persecutor of all who differed from it The King grew very expensive he indulged himself much in his pleasures he built four noble Palaces which considering that Kingdom and that Age were very extraordinary Buildings he had also many natural Children All which things concurred to make him very desirous of Money There were two different parties in the Court The Nobility on the one hand represented to him the great wealth that the Abbots had gathered and that if he would do as his Uncle had done he would thereby raise his Revenue to the triple of what it was and provide plentifully for his Children The Clergy on
Christs express Command was to be drunk by all and that they were kept in a worship to which the unlearned could not say Amen since they understood not what was said either in the Collects or Hymns So the King had many Complaints brought him of the Abuses that were said to have risen from the Liberty given the people to read the Scriptures Upon which Bonner no doubt having obtained the Kings leave set up a new Advertisement in which he complained of these Abuses in the reading the Bible for which he threatned the people that he would remove these Bibles out of the Church if they continued as they did to abuse so high a favour Yet these Complaints produced no further severity at this time But by them the Popish party afterwards obtained what they desired This Summer the King turned the Monastery of Burton upon Trent into a Collegiat Church for a Dean and four Prebends and the Monastery of Thornton in Lincolnshire into another for a Dean and four Prebends In this year Cranmer took it into Consideration to what excess the Tables of the Bishops had risen whereby those Revenues that ought to have been applyed to better purposes were wasted on great Entertainment which though they passed under the decent name of Hospitality yet were in themselves both too high and expensive and proved great hindrances to Church-mens Charity in more necessary and profitable Instances He therefore set out an Order for Regulating that Expence by which an Arch-Bishops Table was not to exceed six dishes of meat and four of Banquet a Bishops five dishes of meat and three of Banquet a Deans or Arch-Deacons Table was not to exceed four dishes and two of Banquet and other Clergy-men might be served only with two dishes But he that gives us the account of this laments that this Regulation took no effect And complains that the people expecting generally such splendid House-keeping from the Dignified Clergy and not considering how short their Revenues are of what they were anciently they out of a weak Complyance with the Multitude have disabled themselves from keeping Hospitality as our Saviour ordered it not for the Rich but the Poor not to mention the other ill effects that follow too sumptuous a Table In the end of this year the Tragical fall of the Queen put a stop to all other proceedings The King had invited his Nephew the King of Scotland to meet him at York who was resolved to come thither The King intended to gain upon him all he could and to engage him to follow the Copy he had set him in Extirpating the Popes Supremacy and Suppressing Abbeys and to establish a firm agreement in all other things The Clergy of Scotland feared the ill effects of that Interview especially their King being a Prince of most extraordinary parts who had he not blemished his Government with being so extreamly addicted to his pleasures was the Greatest Prince that Nation had for several Ages He was a great Patron of Learning and Executor of Justice he used in person and Incognito to go over his Kingdom and see how Justice was every-where done He had no very good opinion of the Religious Orders and had encouraged Buchanan to write a severe and witty Libel against the Franciscan Friars So that they were very apprehensive that he might have been wrought on by his Uncle Therefore they used all their endeavours to divert his Journey But the French King that had him fast engaged to his Interests falling then off from the King wrought more on him So instead of meeting the King at York where magnificent preparations were made for his Reception he sent his Excuse which provoked his Uncle and gave occasion to a breach that followed not long after But here I shall crave the Readers leave to give a full representation of the state of Religion at this time in Scotland and of the footing the Reformation had got there Its neighbourhood to England and the union of these Kingdoms first in the same Religion and since under the same Princes together with the intercourse that was both in this and the next Reign between these Nations seem not only to justifie this Digression but rather to challenge it as a part of the History without which it should be defective And it may be the rather expected from one who had his Birth and Education in that Kingdom The Correspondence between that Crown and France was the cause that what Learning they had came from Paris where our Kings generally kept some Schollars and from that great Nursery they were brought over and set in the Universities of Scotland to propagate Learning there From the year 1412 in which Wardlaw Arch-Bishop of St. Andrews first founded that University Learning had made such a progress that more Colledges were soon after founded in that City Universities were also founded both at Glasgow and Aberdeen which have since furnished that Nation with many eminent Scholars in all professions But at the time that Learning came into Scotland the knowledg of true Religion also followed it and in that same Arch-Bishops time one Iohn Resby an English man a follower of Wickliffs opinions was charged with Heresie Forty Articles were objected to him of which two are only mentioned The one was that The Pope is not Christs Vicar The other was that he was not to be esteemed a Pope if he was a man of wicked life For maintaining these he was burnt Anno 1407. 24 years after that one Paul Craâ— came out of Germany and being a Bohemian and an Hussite was infusing his Doctrine into some at St. Andrews which being discovered he was judged an obstinate Heretick and burnt there Anno 1432. And to encourage people to prosecute such persons Fogo who had discovered him was rewarded with the Abbey of Melross soon after It does not appear that those Doctrines which were called Lollardies in England had gained many followers in Scotland till near the end of that Century But then it was found that they were much spread over the Western parts which being in the neighbourhood of England those who were persecuted there might perhaps fly into Scotland and spread their Doctrine in that Kingdom Several persons of Quality were then charged with these Articles and brought to the Arch-Bishop of Glasgows Courts But they answered him with such confidence that he thought fit to discharge them with an admonition to take heed of new Doctrines and to content themselves with the Faith of the Church At this time the Clergy in Scotland were both very ignorant and dissolute in their manners The Secular Clergy minded nothing but their Tithes and did either hire some Friers to Preach or some poor Priests to sing Masses to them at their Churches The Abbots had possessed themselves of the best seats and the greatest wealth of the Nation and by a profuse Superstition almost the one half of
might not leave his young Son involved in a War of such consequence Peace was concluded in Iune which was much to the Kings honour though the taking and keeping of Bulloign which by this Peace the King was to keep for eight years cost him above 1300000 pounds Upon the peace the French Admiral Annebault came over to England And now again a Resolution of going on with a Reformation was set on foot for it was agreed between the King and the Admiral That in both Kingdoms the Mass should be changed into a Communion and Cranmer was Ordered to draw a Form of it They also resolved to press the Emperor to do the like in his Dominions otherwise to make War upon him But how this Project failed does not appear The Animosities which the former War had raised between the two Kings were converted into a firm Friendship which grew so strong on Francis's part that he never was seen glad at any thing after he had the news of the Kings death But now one of the Kings angry fits took him at the Reformers so that there was a new Prosecution of them Nicholas Shaxton that was Bishop of Salisbury had been long a Prisoner but this year he had said in his Imprisonment in the Counter in Bread-street That Christs natural Body was not in the Sacrament but that it was a Sign and Memorial of his Body that was crucified for us Upon this he was endicted and condemned to be burnt But the King sent the Bishops of London and Worcester to deal with him to recant which on the 9th of Iuly he did acknowledging That that year he had fallen in his old age in the Heresie of the Sacramentaries But that he was now convinced of that error by their endeavours whom the King had sent to him And therefore he thanked the King for delivering him both from Temporal and Eternal fire and subscribed a Paper of Articles which will be found in the Collection Upon this he had his pardon and discharge sent him the 13 of Iuly and soon after preached the Sermon at the burning of Anne Askew and wrote a Book in defence of the Articles he had subscribed What became of him all Edward the 6ths time I cannot tell But I find he was a cruel prosecutor and Burner of Protestants in Queen Maries days Yet it seems those to whom he went over did not consider him much for they never raised him higher than to be Bishop Suffragan of Ely Others were also Endicted upon the same Statute who got off by recantation and were pardoned But Anne Askews Trial had a more bloody Conclusion She was nobly descended and educated beyond what was ordinary in that age to those of her Sex But she was unfortunately married to one Kyme who being a violent Papist drave her out of his House when he found she favoured the Reformation So she came to London where information being given of some words that she had spoken against the Corporal presence in the Sacrament she was put in Prison upon which great applications were made by many of her friends to have her let out upon Bail The Bishop of London examined her and after much pains she was brought to set her hand to a Recantation by which she acknowledged That the natural Body of Christ was present in the Sacrament after the Consecration whether the Priest were a good or an ill man and that whether it was presently consumed or reserved in the Pix it was the true Body of Christ. Yet she added to Her subscription that she believed all things according to the Catholick Faith and not otherwise With this the Bishop was not satisfied but after much adoe and many importunate addresses she was Bailed in the end of March this year But not long after that she was again apprehended and examined before the Kings Council then at Greenwich where she seemed very indifferent what they did with her She answered them in general words upon which they could fix nothing and made some sharp reparties upon the Bishop of Winchester Some liked the wit and freedom of her discourse but others thought she was too forward From thence she was sent to Newgate where she wrote some devotions and Letters that shew her to have been a woman of most extraordinary parts She wrote to the King That as to the Lords Supper she believed as much as Christ had said in it and as much as the Catholick Church from him did Teach Upon Shaxtons Recantation they sent him to her to prevail with her But she in stead of yielding to him charged his Inconstancy home upon him She had been oft at Court and was much favoured by many great Ladies there and it was believed the Queen had shewed kindness to her So the Lord Chancellor examined her of what Favour or Encouragement she had from any in the Court particularly from the Dutchess of Suffolk the Countess of Hertford and some other Ladies But he could draw nothing from her save that one in Livery had brought her some money which he said came from two Ladies in the Court But they resolved to extort further Confessions from her And therefore carrying her to the Tower they caused her to be laid on the Rack and gave her a taste of it Yet she confessed nothing That she was rackt is very certain for I find it in an Original Journal of the Transactions in the Tower written by Anthony Anthony but Fox adds a passage that seems scarce credible the thing is so extraordinary and so unlike the Character of the Lord Chancellor who though he was fiercely zealous for the old Superstition yet was otherwise a great person it is that he commanded the Lieutenant of the Tower to stretch her more but he refused to do it and being further prest told him plainly he would not do it The other threatned him but to no purpose so the Lord Chancellor throwing off his Gown drew the Rack so severely that he almost tore her Body asunder yet could draw nothing from her for she endured it with unusual Patience and Courage When the King heard this he blamed the Lord Chancellor for his Cruelty and excused the Lieutenant of the Tower Fox does not vouch any Warrant for this so that though I have set it down yet I give no entire credit to it if it was true it shews the strange influence of that Religion and that it corrupts the Noblest natures yet the poor Gentlewomans being Rackt wrought no pity in the King towards her for he left her to be proceeded against according to the Sentence she was carried to the Stake in Smithâ—ield a little after that in a Chair not being able to stand through the Torments of the Rack There were brought with her at the same time one Nicolas Belenian a Priest Iohn Adams a Taylor and Iohn Lassels one of the Kings Servants it is likely he was the same person that had discovered
was to the Humours of the Princes whom he served as he had been Lord-Treasurer to the Father the last Seven years of his Life so being continued in the same Office by this King did as dextrously comply with his Prodigality as he had done formerly with his Fathers sparingness But this in the beginning of the Princes Reign did much endear him both to the Court and Nation there being a freer Circulation of Money by which Trade was encouraged and the Courtiers tasted so liberally of the Kings bounty that he was every-where much magnified though his Expence proved afterwards heavier to the Subject than ever his Father's Avarice had been Another thing that raised the Credit of this King was the great Esteem he was in beyond Sea both for his Wisdom and Power so that in all the Treaties of Peace and War he was always much considered and he did so exactly pursue that great Maxime of Princes of Holding the Ballance that still as it grew heavier whether in the Scale of France or Spain he governed Himself and Them as a wise Arbiter His first Action was against France which by the Accession of the Dutchy of Britain through his Father's over-sight was made greater and more formidable to the Neighbouring Princes therefore the French Successes in Italy having United all the Princes there against them Spain and England willingly joyned themselves in the Quarrel The Kingdom of Spain being also then United conquered Navarre which set them at great ease and weakned the King of France on that side Whose Affairs also declining in Italy this King finding him so much lessened made Peace with him having first managed his share of the War with great Honour at Sea and Land For going over in Person he did both defeat the French Army and take Terwin and Tourney the former he demolished the latter he kept and in these Exploits he had an unusual Honour done him which though it was a slight thing yet was very pleasant to him Maximilian the Emperour taking pay in his Army amounting to a Hundred Crowns a-day and upon all publick Solemnities giving the King the precedence The Peace between England and France was made firmer by Lewis the French Kings Marrying Mary the Kings Sister but he dying soon after new Counsels were to be taken Francis who succeeded did in the beginning of his Reign court this King with great Offers to renew the Peace with him which was accordingly done Afterward Francis falling in with all his force upon the Dutchy of Milan all endeavours were used to engage King Henry into the War both by the Pope and Emperour this last feeding him long with hopes of resigning the Empire to him which wrought much on him insomuch that he did give them a great Supply in Money but he could not be engaged to divert Francis by making War upon him and Francis ending the War of Italy by a Peace was so far from resenting what the King had done that he courted him into a straiter League and a Match was agreed between the Dolphin and the Lady Mary the Kings Daughter and Tourney was delivered up to the French again But now Charles Arch-Duke of Austria by his Father and Heir to the House of Burgundy by his Grand-mother and to the Crown of Spain by his Mother began to make a great Figure in the World and his Grand-Father Maximilian dying Francis and He were Corrivals for the Empire but Charles being preferred in the Competition there followed what through personal Animosities what through reason of State and a desire of Conquest lasting Wars between them which though they were sometimes for a while closed up yet were never clearly ended And those two great Monarchs as they eclipsed most other Princes about them so they raised this Kings glory higher both courting him by turns and that not only by earnest and warm Addresses but oft by unusual Submissions in which they knowing how great an Ingredient Vanity was in his temper were never deficient when their Affairs required it All which tended to make him appear greater in the eyes of his own People In the year 1520. there was an Interview agreed on between the French King and Him but the Emperor to prevent the effects he feared from it resolved to out doe the French King in the Complement and without any Treaty or previous assurances came to Dover and sollicited the Kings friendship against Francis and to advance his design gained Cardinal Wolsey who then Governed all the Kings Counsels by the promise of making him Pope in which he judged he might for a present Advantage promise a thing that seemed to be at so great a distance Pope Leo the Tenth being then but a young man and with rich presents which he made both to the King the Cardinal and all the Court wrought much on them But that which prevailed most with the King was that he saw though Charles had great Dominions yet they lay at such a distance that France alone was a sufficient Counterpoise to him but if Francis could keep Milan recover Naples Burgundy and Navarre to all which he was then preparing he would be an uneasie Neighbour to himself and if he kept the footing he then had in Italy he would lie so heavy on the Papacy that the Popes could no longer carry equally in the affairs of Christendome upon which much depended according to the Religion of that time Therefore he resolved to take part with the Emperor till at least Francis was driven out of Italy and reduced to juster terms so that the following Interview between Francis and him produced nothing but a vast Expence and high Complements and from a second Interview between the King and the Emperor Francis was full of jealousie in which what followed justified his apprehensions for the War going on between the Emperor and Francis the King entred in a League with the former and made War upon France But the Pope dying sooner than it seems the Emperor look't for Cardinal Wolsey claimed his promise for the Papacy but before the Messenger came to him Adrian the Emperors Tutor was chosen Pope yet to feed the Cardinal with fresh hopes a new promise was made for the next vacancy and in the mean while he was put in hope of the Arch-Bishoprick of Toledo But two years after That Pope dying the Emperor again broke his word with him yet though he was thereby totally alienated from him he concealed his indignation till the publick Concerns should give him a good opportunity to prosecute it upon a better colour and by his Letters to Rome dissembled his resentments so artificially that in a Congratulation he wrote to Pope Clement He protested his Election was matter of such joy both to the King and himself that nothing had ever befaln them which pleased them better and that he was the very person whom they had wished to see raised to
that Greatness But while the War went on the Emperor did cajole the King with the highest Complements possible which always wrought much on him and came in person into England to be installed Knight of the Garter where a new League was Concluded by which beside mutual assistance a Match was agreed on between the Emperor and the Lady Mary the Kings only Child by his Queen of whom he had no hopes of more Issue This was sworn to on both hands and the Emperor was obliged when She was of Age to marry Her Per verba de praesenti under pain of Excommunication and the forfeiture of 100000 Pounds The War went on with great success on the Emperors part especially after the Battel of Pavia in which Francis his Army was totally defeated and himself taken Prisoner and carried into Spain After which the Emperor being much offended with the Pope for joyning with Francis turned his Arms against him which were so successful that he besieged and took Rome and kept the Pope prisoner Six Months The Cardinal finding the publick Interests concur so happily with his private Distastes engaged the King to take part with France and afterwards with the Pope against the Emperor his Greatness now becoming the Terror of Christendome for the Emperor lifted up with his success began to think of no less than an Universal Empire And first that he might unite all Spain together he preferred a Match with Portugal to that which he had before Contracted in England and he thought it not enough to break off his sworn Alliance with the King but he did it with an heavy Imputation on the Lady Mary for in his Council it was said that she was illegitimate as being born in an unlawful Marriage so that no Advantage could be expected from her Title to the Succession as will appear more particularly in the Second Book And the Pope having dispensed with the Oath he Married the Infanta of Portugal Besides though the King of England had gone deep in the Charge he would give him no share in the Advantages of the War much less give him that Assistance which he had promised him to recover his Ancient Inheritance in France The King being irritated with this manifold ill usage and led on by his own Interests and by the offended Cardinal joyned himself to the Interests of France Upon which there followed not only a firm Alliance but a personal Friendship which appeared in all the most obliging expressions that could be devised And upon the Kings threatning to make War on the Emperor the French King was set at liberty though on very hard terms if any thing can be hard that sets a King out of Prison but he still acknowledged he owed his Liberty to King Henry Then followed the famous Clementine League between the Pope and Francis the Venetians the Florentines and Francis Sforza Duke of Milan by which the Pope absolved the French King from the Oath he had sworn at Madrid and they all united against the Emperor and declared the King of England Protector of the League This gave the Emperor great distaste who complained of the Pope as an ungrateful and perfidious person The first beginning of the storm fell heavy on the Pope for the French King who had a great mind to have his Children again into his own hands that lay Hostages in Spain went on but slowly in performing his part And the King of England would not openly break with the Emperor but seemed to reserve himself to be Arbiter between the Princes So that the Colonna's being of the Imperial Faction with 3000 men entered Rome and sack't a part of it forcing the Pope to fly into the Castle of St. Angelo and to make peace with the Emperor But as soon as that fear was over the Pope returning to his old arts complained of the Cardinal of Colonna and resolved to deprive him of that Dignity and with an Army entred the Kingdom of Naples taking divers places that belonged to that Family But the Confederates coming slowly to his Assistance and he hearing of great forces that were coming from Spain against him submitted himself to the Emperor and made a Cessation of Arms but being again encouraged with some hopes from his Allies and by a Creation of 14 Cardinals for Money having raised 300000 Duckats he disowned the Treaty and gave the Kingdom of Naples to Count Vaudemont whom he sent with forces to subdue it But the Duke of Bourbon prevented him and went to Rome and giving the Assault in which himself received his mortal wound the City was taken by Storm and plundered for several days about 5000 being killed The Pope with 17 Cardinals fled to the Castle St. Angelo but was forced to render his person and to pay 400000 Duckats to the Army This gave great offence to all the Princes of Christendome except the Lutherans of Germany but none resented it more loudly than this King who sent over Cardinal Wolsey to make up a new Treaty with Francis which was chiefly intended for setting the Pope at Liberty Nor did the Emperor know well how to justifie an Action which seemed so inconsistent with his Devotion to the See of Rome yet the Pope was for some months detained a Prisoner till at length the Emperor having brought him to his own terms ordered him to be setat liberty but he being weary of his Guards escaped in a disguise and owned his Liberty to have flowed chiefly from the Kings endeavours to procure it And thus stood the King as to forreign affairs he had infinitely obliged both the Pope and the French King and was firmly united to them and engaged in a War against the Emperor when he began first to move about his Divorce As for Scotland the near Alliance between him and Iames the Fourth King of Scotland did not take away the standing Animosities between the two Nations nor interrupt the Alliance between France and Scotland And therefore when he made the first War upon France in the Fourth year of his Reign the King of Scotland came with a great Army into the North of England but was totally defeated by the Earl of Surrey in Floudon field The King himself was either killed in the Battel or soon after so that the Kingdom falling under Factions during the Minority of the new King the Government was but feeble and scarce able to secure its own quiet And the Duke of Albany the chief Instrument of the French Faction met with such opposition from the Parties that were raised against him by King Henry's means that he could give him no disturbance And when there came to be a lasting peace between England and France then as the King needed fear no trouble from that Warlike Nation so he got a great Interest in the Government there And at this time Money becoming a more effectual Engine than any the War had ever produced and
This as it was fatal to the Counts of Tholouse who were great Princes in the South of France and first fell under the Censures so it was terrible to all other Princes who thereupon to save themselves delivered up their Subjects to the Mercy of the Ecclesiastical Courts Burning was the death they made choice of because Witches Vizards and Sodomites had been so executed Therefore to make Heresie appear a terrible thing this was thought the most proper punishment of it It had also a resemblance of everlasting Burning to which they adjudged their Souls as well as their bodies were condemned to the â—ire but with this signal difference that they could find no such effectual way to oblige God to execute their sentence as they contrived against the Civil Magistrate But however they confidently gave it out that by vertue of that Promise of our Saviours Whose sins ye bind on Earth they are bound in Heaven their Decrees were ratified in Heaven And it not being easie to disprove what they said people believed the one as they saw the other Sentence executed So that whatever they condemned as Heresie was looked on as the worst thing in in the world There was no occasion for the execution of this Law in England till the days of Wickliffe And the favour he had from some great men stopt the Proceedings against him But in the 5th year of King Richard the Second a Bill passed in the House of Lords and was assented to by the King and published for an Act of Parliament though the Bill was never sent to the House of Commons By this pretended Law it appears Wickliff's followers were then very numerous that they had a certain habit and did Preach in many places both in Churches Church-yards and Markets without Licence from the Ordinary and did preach several Doctrines both against the Faith and the Laws of the Land as had been proved before the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury the other Bishops Prelats Doctors of Divinity and of the Civil and Canon-Law and others of the Clergy That they would not submit to the admonitions nor Censures of the Church but by their subtile ingenious words did draw the people to follow them and defend them by strong hand and in great routs Therefore it was Ordained that upon the Bishops certifying into the Chancery the names of such Preachers and their Abettors the Chancellour should issue forth Commissions to the Sheriffs and others the Kings Ministers to hold them in Arrest and strong Prison till they should justify them according to the Law and reason of Holy Church From the gentleness of which law it may appear that England was not then so tame as to bear the severity of those cruel laws which were setled and put in execution in other Kingdoms The Custome at that time was to engross Copies of all the Acts of Parliament and to send them with a Writ under the great Seal to the Sheriffs to make them be proclaimed within their jurisdictions And Iohn Braibrook Bishop of London then Lord Chancellour sent this with the other Acts of that Parliament to be proclaimed The Writ bears date the 26th of May 5 to Reg. But in the next Parliament that was held in the 6th year of that Kings Reign the Commons preferred a Bill reciting the former Act and constantly affirmed that they had never assented to it and therefore desired it might be declared to be void for they Protested it was never their intent to be Iustified and to bind themselves and their Successors to the Prelats more than their Ancestors had done in times past To which the King gave the Royal Assent as it is in the Records of Parliament But in the Proclamation of the Acts of that Parliament this Act was suppressed so that the former Act was still looked on as a good law and is Printed in the Book of Statutes Such pious frauds were always practised by the Popish Clergy and were indeed necessary for the supporting the Credit of that Church When Richard the 2d was deposed and the Crown usurped by Henry the 4th then he in gratitude to the Clergy that assisted him in his coming to the Crown granted them a law to their hearts content in the 2 d. year of his Reign The Preamble bears That some had a new Faith about the Sacraments of the Church and the Authority of the same and did Preach without Authority gathered Conventicles taught Schools wrote Books against the Catholick Faith with many other heinous aggravations Upon which the Prelats and Clergy and the Commons of the Realm prayed the King to provide a sufficient remedy to so great an evil Therefore the King by the assent of the States and other discreet men of the Realm being in the said Parliament did Ordain That none should Preach without Licence except persons Priviledged That none should Preach any Doctrine contrary to the Catholick Faith or the Determination of the Holy Church and that none should favour and abett them nor keep their Books but deliver them to the Diocesan of the place within 40 days after the Proclamation of that Statute And that if any Persons were defamed or suspected of doing against that Ordinance then the Ordinary might Arrest them and keep them in his Prison till they were Canonically purged of the Articles laid against them or did abjure them according to the Laws of the Church Provided always that the proceedings against them were publickly and judicially done and ended within three Months after they had been so Arrested and if they were Convict the Diocesan or his Commissaries might keep them in Prison as long as to his discretion shall seem expedient and might Fine them as should seem competent to him certifying the Fine into the Kings Exchequer and if any being Convict did refuse to abjure or after Abjuration did fall into Relapse then he was to be left to the Secular Court according to the Holy Canons And the Majors Sheriffs or Bayliffs were to be personally present at the passing the Sentence when they should be required by the Diocesan or his Commissaries and after the Sentence they were to receive them and them before the People in a high place do to be Brent By this Statute the Sheriffs or other Officers were immediatly to proceed to the Burning of Hereticks without any Writ or Warrant from the King But it seems the Kings Learned Council advised him to issue out a Writ De Haeretico comburendo upon what grounds of Law I cannot tell For in the same year when William Sartre who was the first that was put to death upon the account of Heresie was judged Relapse by Thomas Arundel Arch-Bishop of Canterbury in a Convocation of his Province and thereupon was degraded from Priesthood and left to Secular Power a Writ was issued out to Burn him which in the Writ is called The Customary Punishment relating it as like to the Customs that were beyond
King intended to Marry her to France the more effectually to seclude her from the Succession considering the aversion his Subjects had to a French Government that so he might more easily settle his Bastard Son the Duke of Richmond in the Succession of the Crown While this Treaty went on the Kings scruples about his Marriage began to take vent It is said that the Cardinal did first infuse them into him and made Longland Bishop of Lincoln that was the Kings Confessor possess the Kings mind with them in Confession If it was so the King had according to the Religion of that time very just cause of Scruple when his Confessor judged his Marriage sinful and the Popes Legate was of the same mind It is also said that the Cardinal being alienated from the Emperor that he might irreparably embroil the King and him and unite the King to the French Interests designed this out of Spite and that he was also dissatisfied toward the Queen who hated him for his lewd and dissolute Life and had oft admonished and check't him for it And that he therefore designing to engage the King to Marry the French Kings Sister the Dutchess of Alenoon did to make way for that set this Matter on foot but as I see no good Authority for all this except the Queens suspitions who did afterwards charge the Cardinal as the cause of all her trouble so I am inclined to think the Kings Scruples were much ancienter for the King declared to Simon Grineus four years after this that for seven years he had abstained from the Queen upon these Scruples so that by that it seems they had been received into the Kings mind three years before this time What were the Kings secret motives and the true grounds of his Aversion to the Queen is only known to God and till the discovery of all Secrets at the day of Judgment must lye hid But the reasons which he always owned of which all Humane Judicatories must only take notice shall be now fully opened He found by the Law of Moses if a man took his Brothers Wife they should die childless This made him reflect on the death of his Children which he now looked on as a Curse from God for that unlawful Marriage Upon this he set himself to Study the case and called for the judgments of the best Divines and Canonists For his own Enquiry Thomas Aquinas being the Writer in whose works he took most pleasure and to whose judgment he submitted most did decide it clearly against him For he both Concluded that the Laws in Leviticus about the forbidden degrees of Marriage were Moral and Eternal such as obliged all Christians and that the Pope could only Dispense with the Laws of the Church but could not Dispense with the Laws of God Upon this reason that no Law can be Dispenced with by any Authority but that which is equal to the Authority that enacted it Therefore he infers that the Pope can indeed Dispence with all the Laws of the Church but not with the Laws of God to whose Authority he could not pretend to be equal But as the King found this from his own private Study so having commanded the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury to require the Opinions of the Bishops of England they all in a Writing under their hands and Seals declared they judged it an unlawful Marriage Only the Bishop of Rochester refused to set his hand to it and though the Arch-Bishop pressed him most earnestly to it yet he persisted in his refusal saying that it was against his Conscience Upon which the Arch-Bishop made another write down his Name and set his Seal to the Resolution of the rest of the Bishops But this being afterwards questioned the Bishop of Rochester denied it was his hand and the Arch-Bishop pretended that he had leave given him by the Bishop to put his hand to it which the other denied Nor was it likely that Fisher who scrupled in Conscience to Subscribe it himself would have consented to such a weak Artifice But all the other Bishops did declare against the Marriage and as the King himself said afterwards in the Legantine Court neither the Cardinal nor the Bishop of Lincoln did first suggest these scruples but the King being possessed with them did in Confession propose them to that Bishop and added that the Cardinal was so far from cherishing them that he did all he could to stiffle them The King was now convinced that his Marriage was unlawful both by his own study and the resolution of his Divines And as the point of Conscience wrought on him so the Interest of the Kingdom required that there should be no doubting about the Succession to the Crown left as the long Civil-War between the Houses of York and Lancaster had been buried with his Father so a new one should rise up at his death The King of Scotland was the next Heir to the Crown after his Daughter And if he Married his Daughter to any out of France then he had reason to judge that the French upon their Ancient Alliance with Scotland and that they might divide and distract England would be ready to assist the King of Scotland in his pretensions Or if he Married her in France then all those in England to whom the French Government was hateful and the Emperour and other Princes to whom the French Power grew formidable would have been as ready to support the pretensions of Scotland Or if he should either set up his Barstard Son or the Children which his Sister bore to Charles Brandon there was still cause to fear a Bloody decision of a Title that was so doubtful And though this may seem a consideration too Politick and Forreign to a matter of that nature yet the obligation that lies on a Prince to provide for the happiness and quiet of his Subjects was so weighty a thing that it might well come in among other Motives to incline the King much to have this matter determined At this time the Cardinal went over into France under colour to conclude a League between the Two Crowns and to Treat about the means of setting the Pope at liberty who was then the Emperours Prisoner at Rome and also for a project of Peace between Francis and the Emperour But his chief business was to require Francis to declare his Resolutions concerning that alternative about the Lady Mary To which it was answered That the Duke of Orleance as a fitter Match in years was the French King's Choice but this matter fell to the ground upon the Process that followed soon aâ—ter The King did much apprehend the opposition the Emperour was like to make to his designs either out of a principle of nature and honour to protect his Aunt or out of a Maxime of State to raise his Enemy all the trouble he could at home But on the other hand he had some cause to hope well even in that
the more The matter was such that by the Canon-Law it could not be denied For to grant an Avocation of a Cause upon good reason from the Delegated to the Supreme Court was a thing which by the course of Law was very usual And it was no less apparent that the Reasons of the Queens appeal were just and good But the secret and most convincing Motives that wrought more on the Pope than all other things were that the Treaty between him and the Emperor was now concerted Therefore this being to be published very speedily the Pope thought it necessary to avocate the matter to Rome before the publication of the Peace lest if he did it after it should be thought that it had been one of the secret Articles of the Treaty which would have cast a foul blot upon him Yet on the other hand he was not a little perplexed with the fears he had of losing the King of England he knew he was a man of an high Spirit and would resent what he did severely And the Cardinal now again ordered Dr. Bennet in his name and as with tears in his eyes lying at the Popes feet to assure him that the King and Kingdom of England were certainly lost if the Cause were Avocated Therefore he besought him to leave it still in their hands and assured him that for himself he should rather be torn in pieces joynt by joynt than do any thing in that matter contrary to his Conscience or to Justice These things had been oft said and the Pope did apprehend that ill effects would follow for if the King fell from his Obedience to the Apostolick See no doubt all the Lutheran Princes who were already bandying against the Emperor would joyn themselves with him and the Interests of France would most certainly engage that King also into the Union which would distract the Church give encouragement to Heresie and end in the utter ruin of the Popedom But in all this the crafty Pope comforted himself that many times threatnings are not intended to be made good but are used to terrifie and that the King who had written for the Faith against Luther and had been so ill used by him would never do a thing that would sound so ill as because he could not obtain what he had a mind to therefore to turn Heretick he also resolved to caress the French King much and was in hopes of making Peace between the Emperor and him But that which went nearest the Popes heart of all other things was the setting up of his Family at Florence and the Emperor having given him assurance of that it weighed down all other considerations Therefore he resolved he would please the Emperor but do all he could not to lose the King So on the 9th of Iuly he sent for the Kings Ambassadors and told them the Process was now so far set on in England and the Avocation so earnestly pressed that he could deny it no longer for all the Lawyers in Rome had told him the thing could not be denied in the common course of Justice Upon this the Ambassadors told him what they had in Commission to say against it both from the King and the Cardinal and pressed it with great vehemence So that the Pope by many sighs and tears showed how deep an impression that which they said made upon him he wished himself dead that he might be delivered out of that Martyrdom and added these words which because of their savouring so much of an Apostolical Spirit I set down Wo is me no body apprehends all those evils better than I do But I am so between the Hammer and the Forge that when I would comply with the Kings desires the whole storm then must fall on my head and which is worse on the Church of Christ. They did object the many promises he had made them both by word of mouth and under his hand He answered He desired to do more for the King than he had promised but it was impossible to refuse what the Emperor now demanded whose Forces did so surround him that he could not only force him to grant him Iustice but could dispose of him and all his Concerns at his pleasure The Ambassadors seeing the Pope was resolved to grant the Avocation pressed against it no further but studied to put it off for some time And therefore proposed that the Pope would himself write about it to the King and not grant it till he received his answer Of all this they gave Advertisement to the King and wrote to him that he must either drive the matter to a Sentence in great haste or to prevent the affront of an Advocation suspend the Process for some time They also advised the searching all the Packets that went or came by the way of Flanders and to keep up all Campegio's Letters and to take care that no Bull might come to England for they did much apprehend that the Avocation would be granted within very few days Their next Dispatch bore that the Pope had sent for them to let them know that he had Signed the Avocation the day before But they understood another way that the Treaty between the Emperor and him was finished and the Peace was to be proclaimed on the 18th of Iuly and that the Pope did not only fear the Emperor more than all other Princes but that he also trusted him more now On the 19th of Iuly the Pope sent a Messenger with the Avocation to England with a Letter to the Cardinal To the King he wrote afterwards All this while Campegio as he had Orders from the Pope to draw out the matter by delays so did it very dextrously And in this he pretended a fair excuse that it would not be for the Kings honour to precipitate the matter too much lest great advantages might be taken from that by the Queens Party That therefore it was fit to proceed slowly that the world might see with what Moderation as well as Justice the matter was handled From the 25th of Iune the Court Adjourned to the 28th ordering a second Citation for the Queen under the pains of Contumacy and of their proceeding to examine Witnesses And on the 28th they declared the Queen Contumacious the second time and examined several Witnesses upon the Articles and Adjourned to the 5th of Iuly on that day the Bull and Breve were read in Court and the Kings Council argued long against the validity of the one and the truth of the other Upon the grounds that have been already mentioned in which Campegio was much disgusted to hear them argue against the Popes Power of granting such a Dispensation in a matter that was against a Divine Precept alledging that his Power did not exend so far This the Legates over-ruled and said that that was too high a point for them to judg in or so much as to hear argued and that the Pope himself was the only
went into Germany where he became acquainted with Cornelius Agrippa a man very famous for great and curious Learning and so satisfied him in the Kings cause that he gave it out that the thing was clear and indisputable for which he was afterwards hardly used by the Emperor and dyed in Prison But when the King received the Determinations and Conclusions of the Universities and other Learned men beyond Sea he resolved to do two things First to make a new attempt upon the Pope and then to publish those Conclusions to the World with the arguments upon which they were grounded But to make his address to the Pope carry more terror with it he got a Letter to be signed by a great many Members of Parliament to the Pope The â—ord Herbertâ—aith â—aith it was done by his Parliament but in that he had not applyed his ordinary diligence the Letter bears date the 13 of Iuly Now by the Records of Parliament it appears there could be no Session at that time for there was a Prorogation from the 21 of Iune till the â—st of October that year But the Letter was sent about to the chief Members for their hands and Cavendish tells how it was brought to the Cardinal and with what chearfulness he set his hand to it It was subscribed by the Cardinal and the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury 4 Bishops 2 Dukes 2 Marquesses 13 Earls 2 Viscounâ—s 23 Barons 22 Abbots and 11 Commoners most of these being the Kings Servants The Contents of the Letters were that their near Relation to the King made them address thus to the Pope The Kings cause was now in the opinion of the Learned men and Universities both in England France and Italy found just which ought to prevail so far with the Pope that though none moved in it and notwithstanding any Contradiction he ought to confirm their judgment especially it touching a King and Kingdom to whom he was so much obliged But since neither the justice of the cause nor the Kings most earnest desires had prevailed with him they were all forced to complain of that strange usage of their King who both by his Authority and with his Pen had supported the Apostolick See and the Catholick Faith and yet was now denyed justice From which they apprehended great mischief and Civil Wars which could only be prevented by the Kings Marrying another wife of whom he might have issue This could not be done till his present Marriage were annulled nulled And if the Pope would still refuse to do this they must conclude that they were abandoned by him and so seek for other Remedies This they most earnestly prayed him to prevent since they did not desire to go to extremities till there was no more to be hoped for at his hands To this the Pope made answer the 27 of September He took notice of the vehemency of their Letter which he forgave them imputing it to their great affection to their King they had charged him with ingratitude and injustice two grievous Imputations He acknowledged all they wrote of the obligations he owed to their King which were far greater than they called them both on the Apostolick See and himself in particular But in the Kings cause he had been so far from denying justice that he was oft charged as having been too partial to him He had granted a Commission to two Legates to hear it rather out of favour than in Rigor of Law upon which the Queen had appealed he had delayed the admitting of it as long as was possible but when he saw it could not be any longer denyed to be heard it was brought before the Consistory where all the Cardinals with one consent found that the Appeal and an Avocation of the cause must be granted That since that time the King had never desired to put it to a Tryal but on the contrary by his Ambassadors at Bononia moved for a delay and in that posture it was still nor could he give sentence in a thing of such Consequence when it was not so much as sought for For the conclusions of Universities and Learned men he had seen none of them from any of the Kings Ambassadors It was true some of them had been brought to him another way but in them there were no reasons given but only bare Conclusions and he had also seen very important things for the other side and therefore he must not precipitate a Sentence in a cause of such high Importance till all things were fully heard and considered He wished their King might have Male Issue but he was not in Gods stead to give it And for their Threatnings of seeking other Remedies they were neither agreeable to their wisdom nor to their Religion Therefore he admonished them to abstain from such Counsels but minded them that it is not the Physicians fault if the Patient will do himself hurt He knew the King would never like such courses and though he had a just value for their Intercession yet he considered the King much more to whom as he had never denyed any thing that he could grant with his honor so he was very desirous to examine this matter and to put it to a speedy issue and would do every thing that he could without offending God But the King either seeing the Pope resolved to grant nothing or apprehending that some Bull might be brought into England in behalf of the Queen or the disgraced Cardinal did on the Nineteenth of September put forth a Proclamation against any who purchased any thing from Rome or elsewhere contrary to his Royal Prerogative and Authority or should publish or divulge any such thing requiring them not to do it under the pains of incurring his indignation Imprisonment and other punishments on their persons This was founded on the Statutes of Provisors and Premunires But that being done he resolved next to publish to the world and to his Subjects the justice of his cause Therefore some Learned men were appâ—inted to compare all that had been written on it and out of all the Transcripâ—s of the Manuscripts of Fathers and Councils to gather together whatsoever did strengthen it Several of these Manuscripts I have seen one is in Mr. Smiths Library where are the Quotations of the Fathers Councils Schoolmen and Canonists written out at length There are Three other such MSS. in the Cotton Library of which one contains a large vindication of these Authorities from some Exceptions made to them another is an answer to the Bishop of Rochesters Book for the Queens cause A Third digests the Matter into Twelve Articles which the Reader will find in my Appendix and these are there enlarged on and proved But all these and many more were sum'd up in a short Book and Printed first in Latine then in English with the Determinations of the Universities before it These are of such weight and Importance and give so great a light to
try the outmost severity that the Law allowed and would not offer them such a favour again Yet all this did not prevail for the Act was rejected and their complaint against the Clergy was also laid aside and the Parliament was Prorogued till April next In this Parliament the Foundation of the Breach that afterwards followed with Rome was laid by an Act for restraining the payment of Annates to that Court which since it is not Printed with the other Statutes shall be found in the end of this Volume The substance of it is as follows That great Sums of Money had been conveyed out of the Kingdom under the Title of Annates or first Fruits to the Court of Rome which they extorted by restraint of Bulls and other writs that it happened often by the frequent deaths of Arch-Bishops and Bishops to turn to the utter undoing of their Friends who had advanced those Sums for them These Annates were founded on no Law for they had no other way of obliging the Incumbents of Sees to pay them but by restraining their Bulls The Parliament therefore considering that these were first begun to be payed to defend Christendome against Infidels but were now turned to a duty claimed by that Court against all Right and Conscience and that vast Sums were carryed away upon that account which from the Second year of King Henry the 7th to that present time amounted to 800000 Ducats besides many other heavy Exactions of that Court did declare that the King was bound by his Duty to Almighty God as a good Christian Prince to hinder these oppressions And that the rather because many of the Prelates were then very Aged and like to die in a short time whereby vast Sums of Money should be carryed out of England to the great Impoverishing of the Kingdom And therefore all payments of first Fruits to the Court of Rome were put down and for ever restrained under the pains of the forfeiture of the Lands Goods and Chattels of him that should pay them any more together with the Profits of his See during the time that he was vested with it And in case Bulls were restrained in the Court of Rome any person presented to a Bishoprick should be notwithstanding Consecrated by the Arch-Bishop of the Province or if he were presented to an Arch-Bishoprick by any two Bishops in the Kingdom whom the King should appoint for that end and that being so Consecrated they should be Invested and enjoy all the Rights of their Sees in full and ample manner yet that the Pope and Court of Rome might have no just cause of Complaint the persons presented to Bishopricks are allowed to pay them 5 lib. for the Hundred of the clear Profits and Revenues of their several Sees But the Parliament not willing to go to extremities Remitted the final ordering of that Act to the King that if the Pope would either charitably and reasonably put down the payment of Annates or so moderate them that they might be a tolerable burden the King might at any time before Easter 1533. or before the next Session of Parliament declare by his Letters Patents whether the premises or any part of them should be observed or not which should give them the full force and Authority of a Law And that if upon this Act the Pope should vex the King or any of his Subjects by E xommunications or other Censures these notwithstanding the King should cause the Sacraments and other Rites of the Church to be administred and that none of these Censures might be published or Executed This Bill began in the House of Lords from them it was sent to the Commons and being agreed to by them received the Royal Assent but had not that final Confirmation mentioned in the Act before the 9th of Iuly 1533. and then by Letters Patents in which the Act is at length recited it was confirmed But now I come to open the final Conclusion of the Kings Suit at Rome On the 25th of Ianuary the Pope wrote to the King that he heard reports which he very unwillingly believed that he had put away his Queen and kept one Anne about him as his Wife which as it gave much Scandal so it was an high Contempt of the Apostolick See to do such a thing while his Suit was still depending notwithstanding a Prohibition to the contrary Therefore the Pope remembring his former merits which were now like to be clouded with his present Carriage did exhort him to take home his Queen and to put Anne away and not to continue to provoke the Emperor and his Brother by so high an Indignity nor to break the General peace of Christendome which was its only security against the Power of the Turk What answer the King made to this I do not find but instead of that I shall set down the Substance of a Dispatch which the King sent to Rome about this time drawn from a Copy of it to which the date is not added But it being an answer to a Letter he received from the Pope the 7th of October it seems to have been written about this time and it concluding with a Credence to an Ambassador I judge it was sent by Doctor Bennet who was dispatched to Rome in Ianuary 1532. to shew the Pope the Opinions of Learned men and of the Universities with their Reasons The Letter will be found in the end of this Volume the Contents of it are to this purpose The Pope had writ to the King in order to the clearing all his scruples and to give him quiet in his Conscience of which the King takes notice and is sorry that both the Pope and himself were so deceived in that matter the Pope by trusting to the judgments of others and writing whatever they suggested and the King by depending so much on the Pope and in vain expecting remedy from him so long He imputes the mistakes that were in the Popes Letters which he says had things in them contrary both to Gods Law and Mans Law to the Ignorance and rashness of his Councellors for which himself was much to be blamed since he rested on their advice and that he had not carryed himself as became Christs Vicar but had dealt both unconstantly and deceitfully for when the Kings cause was first opened to him and all things that Related to it were explained he had Granted a Commission with a promise not to recall it but to confirm the Sentence which the Legates should give and a Decretal was sent over defining the cause If these were justly granted it was unjustice to revoke them but if they were justly revoked it was unjust to grant them So he presses the Pope that either he could grant these things or he could not If he could do it where was the Faith which became a Friend much more a Pope since he had broke these promises But if he said he could not do them had he
read with many other Instruments and the whole Merits of the Cause were opened Upon which after many Sessions on the 23th of May Sentence was given with the Advice of all that were there present declaring it onely to have been a Marriage de facto but not de jure pronouncing it Null from the beginning One thing is to be observed That the Archbishop in the Sentence is called The Legate of the Apostolick See Whether this went of course as one of his Titles or was put in to make the Sentence firmer the Reader may judge Sentence being given the Archbishop with all the rest returned to London and five days after on the 28th of May at Lambeth by another Judgment he in general words no Reasons being given in the Sentence confirmed the Kings Marriage with the new Queen Anne and the first of Iune she was crowned Queen When this great Business which had been so long in agitation was thus concluded it was variously censured as men stood affected Some approved the Kings Proceedings as Canonical and Just since so many Authorities which in the intervall of a General Council were all that could be had except the Pope be believed Infallible had concurred to strengthen the Cause and his own Clergy had upon a full and long examination judged it on his side Others who in the main agreed to the Divorce did very much dislike the Kings second Marriage before the first was dissolved for they thought it against the common course of Law to break a Marriage without any publick Sentence and since one of the chief politick Reasons that was made use of in this Suit was to settle the Succession of the Crown this did embroil it more since there was a fair colour given to except to the Validity of the second Marriage because it was contracted before the first was annulled But to this others answered That the first Marriage being judged by the Interpreters of the Doctrine of the Church to have been Null from the beginning there was no need of any Sentence but onely for Form And all concluded it had been better there had been no Sentence at all than one so late Some excepted to the Archbishop of Canterbury's being Judge who by his former Writings and Disputes had declared himself partial But to this it was answered That when a man changes his Character all that he did in another Figure is no just Exception so Judges decide Causes in which they formerly gave Counsel and Popes are not bound to the Opinions they held when they were Divines or Canonists It was also said That the Archbishop did onely declare in Legal Form that which was already judged by the whole Convocation of both Provinces Some wondered at the Popes stifness that would put so much to hazard when there wanted not as good Colours to justifie a Bull as they had made use of to excuse many other things But the Emperors Greatness and the fear of giving the Lutherans advantages in disputing the Popes Authority were on the other hand so prevalent Considerations that no wonder they wrought much on a Pope who pretended to no other knowledge but that of Policy for he had often said He understood not the matter and therefore left it in other mens hands All persons excused Queen Katharine for standing so stifly to her ground onely her denying so confidently that Prince Arthur consummated the Marriage seems not capable of an Excuse Every body admired Queen Annes Conduct who had managed such a Kings Spirit so long and had neither surfeited him with great freedom nor provoked him by the other Extreme for the King who was extremely nice in these matters conceived still an higher Opinion of her and her being so soon with child after the Marriage as it made people conclude she had been chaste till then so they hoped for a Blessing upon it since there were such early appearances of Issue Those that favoured the Reformation expected better days under her Protection for they know she favoured them But those who were in their hearts for the Established Religion did much dislike it and many of the Clergy especially the Orders of Monks and Friars condemned it both in their Sermons and Discourses But the King little regarding the Censures of the Vulgar sent Embassadors to all the Courts of Europe to give notice of his new Marriage and to justifie it by some of those Reasons which have been opened in the former parts of this History He also sent the Lord Mountjoy to the Divorced Queen to let her know what was done and that she was no more to be treated as Queen but as Princess Dowager He was to mix Promises with Threatnings particularly concerning her Daughters being put next the Queens Issue in the Succession But the afflicted Queen would not yield and said she would not damn her Soul nor submit to such an Infamy That she was his Wife and would never call her self by any other Name whatever might follow on it since the Process still depended at Rome That Lord having written a Relation of what had passed between him and her shewed it to her but she dashed with a Pen all those places in which she was called Princess Dowager and would receive no Service at any ones hands but of those who called her Queen and she continued to be still served as Queen by all about her Against which though the King used all the Endeavours he could not without both threatning and violence to some of the Servants yet he could never drive her from it and what he did in that was thought far below that Height of Mind which appeared in his other Actings for since he had stript her of the real Greatness of a Queen it seemed too much to vex her for keeping up the Pageantry of it But the news of this made great impressions elsewhere The Emperor received the Kings justification very coldly and said â—e would consider what he was to do upon it which was looked on as a Dâ—câ—aration of War The French King though he expressed still gâ—eat Friendship to the King yet was now resolved to link himself to the Pope for the crafty Pope apprehending that nothing made the King of England so confident as that he knew his Friendship was necessary to the French King and fearing they had resolved to proceed at once to the puâ—ting down the Papal Authority in their Kingdoms which it appears they had once agreed to do resolved by all means to make sure of the French King which as it would preserve that Kingdom in his obedience so would perhaps frighten the King of England from proceeding to such extremities since that Prince in whose conjunction he trusted so much had forsaken him Therefore the Pope did so vigorously pursue the Treaty with Francis that it was as good as ended at this time and an Interview was projected between them at Marseilles The Pope did also grant him so great Power
sometimes made by the Emperors and sometimes confirmed by them Pope Hadrian in a Synod decreed that the Emperor should choose the Pope And it was a late and unheard of thing before the dayes of Gregory the 7th for Popes to pretend to depose Princes and give away their Dominions This they compared to the pride of Anti-Christ and Lucifer They also argued from Reason that there must be but one Supream and that the King being Supream over all his Subjects Clergy-men must be included for they are still Subjects Nor can their being in Orders change that former relation founded upon the Law of Nature and Nations no more than Wives or Servants by becoming Christians were not according to the Doctrine of the Apostles discharged from the Duties of their former Relations For the great Objection from those Offices that are peculiar to their Functions It was answered that these notwithstanding the King might well be Supream Head for in the Natural body there were many vital motions that proceeded not from the Head but from the Heart and the other inward parts and vessels and yet the Head was still the chief seat and root of Life So though there be peculiar functions appropriated to Church-men yet the King is still Head having Authority over them and a Power to direct and coerce them in these From that they proceeded to show that in England the Kings have allwayes assumed a Supremacy in Ecclesiastical matters They began with the most Ancient Writing that relates to the Christian Religion in England then extant Pope Elentherius Letter to King Lucius in which he is twice called by him Gods Vicar in his Kingdom and he writ in it that it belong'd to his Office to bring his Subjects to the Holy Church and to maintain protect and govern them in it Many Laws were cited which Canutus Ethelred Edgar Edmond Athelstan and Ina had Enacted concerning Church-men many more Laws since the Conquest were also made both against appeals to Rome and Bishops going out of the Kingdom without the Kings leave The whole business of the Articles of Clarendon and the Contests that followed between King Henry the 2d and Thomas Becket were also opened And though a Bishops Pastoral care be of Divine Institution yet as the Kings of England had divided Bishopricks as they pleased so they also converted Benefices from the Institution of the Founders and gave them to Cloisters and Monasteries as King Edgar did all which was done by the Consent of their Clergy and Nobility without dependance on Rome They had also granted these Houses Exemption from Episcopal Jurisdiction so Ina exempted Glastenbury and Offa St. Albans from their Bishops visitation and this continued even till the dayes of William the Conqueror for he to perpetuate the Memory of the Victory he obtained over Harald and to endear himself to the Clergy founded an Abbey in the Field where the Battel was fought and called it Battel-Abbey and in the Charter he granted them these words are to be found It shall be also free and quiet for ever from all subjection to Bishops or the Dominion of any other persons as Christs Church in Canterbury is Many other things were brought out of King Alfreds Laws and a speech of King Edgars with several Letters written to the Popes from the Kings the Parliaments and the Clergy of England to show that their Kings did always make Laws about Sacred matters and that their Power reach't to that and to the persons of Church-men as well as to their other Subjects But at the same time that they pleaded so much for the Kings Supremacy and Power of making Laws for restraining and Coercing his Subjects it appeared that they were far from vesting him with such an absolute Power as the Popes had pretended to for they thus defined the extent of the Kings Power To them specially and principally it pertaineth to defend the Faith of Christ and his Religion to conserve and maintain the true Doctrine of Christ and all such as be true Preachers and setters forth thereof and to abolish Abuses Heresies and Idolatries and to punish with corporal pains such as of malice be the occasion of the same And finally to oversee and cause that the said Bishops and Priests do execute their pastoral office truly and faithfully and specially in these points which by Christ and his Apostles was given and Committed to them and in case they shall be negligent in any part thereof or would not diligently execute the same to cause them to redouble and supply their lack and if they obstinately withstand their Princes kind monition and will not amend their faults then and in such case to put others in their rooms and places And God hath also commanded the said Bishops and Priests to obey with all humbleness and Reverence both Kings and Princes and Governors and all their Laws not being contrary to the Laws of God whatsoever they be and that not only propter Iram but also propter Conscientiam that is to say not only for fear of punishment but also for Discharge of Conscience Thus it appears that they both limited obedience to the Kings Laws with the due Caution of their not being contrary to the Law of God and acknowledged the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction in the discharge of the Pastoral Office committed to the Pastors of the Church by Christ and his Apostles and that the Supremacy then pretended to was no such Extravagant Power as some imagine Upon the whole matter it was Concluded that the Popes Power in England had no good Foundation and had been managed with as much Tyranny as it had begun with Usurpation the Exactions of their Courts were every-where heavy but in no place so intolerable as in England and though many complaints were made of them in these last 300 years yet they got no ease and all the Laws about Provisors were still defeated and made ineffectual Therefore they saw it was impossible to moderate their proceedings so that there was no other Remedy but to extirpate their pretended Authority and thenceforth to acknowledge the Pope only Bishop of Rome with the jurisdiction about it defined by the Ancient Canons and for the King to re-assume his own Authority and the Prerogatives of his Crown from which the Kings of England had never formally departed though they had for this last Hundred years connived at an Invasion and Usurpation upon them which was no longer to be endured These were the Grounds of casting off the Pope's Power that had been for two or three years studied and enquired into by all the Learned men in England and had been debated both in Convocation and Parliament and except Fisher Bishop of Rochester I do not find that any Bishop appeared for the Popes Power and for the Abbots and Priors as they were generally very ignorant so what the Cardinal had done in suppressing some Monasteries and what they now heard that the
Court had an eye on their Lands made them to be as complyant as could be But Fisher was a man of great reputation and very ancient so that much pains was taken to satisfie him A week before the Parliament sat down the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury proposed to him that he and any Five Doctors such as he should choose and the Bishop of London and Five Doctors with him might confer about it and examine the Authorities of both sides that so there might be an Agreement among them by which the scandal might be removed which otherwise would be taken from their Janglings and Contests among themselves Fisher accepted of this and Stokesley wrote to him on the 8th of Ianuary that he was ready whenever the other pleased and desired him to name time and place and if they could not agree the matter among themselves he moved to refer it to two Learned men whom they should choose in whose determination they would both acquiesce How far this overture went I cannot discover and perhaps Fishers sickness hindred the progress of it But now on the 15th of Ianuary the Parliament sat down by the Journals I find no other Bishops present but the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury the Bishops of London Winchester Lincoln Bath and Wells Landaffe and Carlisle There were also twelve Abbots present but upon what pretences the rest excused their attendance I do not know perhaps some made a difference between submitting to what was done and being active and concurring to make the change During the Session a Bishop preached every Sunday at Pauls-Cross and declared to the people That the Pope had no Authority at all in England In the two former Sessions the Bishops had preached that the general Council was above the Pope but now they struck a note higher This was done to let the people see what justice and reason was in the Acts that were then passing to which I now turn and shall next give an account of this great Session of Parliament which I shall put rather in the natural Method according to the matter of the Acts than in the order of time as they passed On the 9th of March a Bill came up from the Commons for dischargeing the Subjects of all dependance on the Court of Rome it was read the first time in the House of Lords the 13th of March and on the 14th was read the second time and Committed The Committee reported it on the 19th by which it appears there was no stiff nor long opposition and he that was likest to make it was both obnoxious and absent as will afterwards appear On the 19th it was read the third time and on the 20th the fourth time and then passed without any protestation Some Proviso's were added to it by the Lords to which the Commons agreed and so it was made ready for the Royal assent In the Preamble the intolerable exactions for Peter-pence Provisions Pensions and Bulls of all sorts are complained of which were contrary to all Laws and grounded only on the Popes Power of Dispensing which was Usurped But the King and the Lords and Commons within his own Realm had only power to consider how any of the Laws were to be Dispensed with or Abrogated and since the King was acknowledged the Supreme Head of the Church of England by the Prelates and Clergy in their Convocations Therefore it was Enacted that all Payments made to the Apostolick Chamber and all Provisions Bulls or Dispensations should from thenceforth cease But that all Dispensations or Licences for things that were not contrary to the Law of God but only to the Law of the Land should be granted within the Kingdom by and under the Seals of the two Arch-Bishops in their several Provinces who should not presume to grant any contrary to the Laws of Almighty God and should only grant such Licences as had been formerly in use to be granted but give no Licence for any new thing till it were first examined by the King and his Council whether such things might be dispensed with and that all Dispensations which were formerly taxed at or above 4 l. should be also confirmed under the Great-Seal Then many clauses follow about the Rates of Licences and the ways of procuring them It was also declared that they did not hereby intend to vary from Christ's Church about the Articles of the Catholick Faith of Christendom or in any other things declared by the Scriptures and the word of God necessary for their Salvation confirming withal the exemptions of Monasteries formerly granted by the Bishop of Rome exempting them still from the Arch-Bishops Visitations declaring that such Abbeys whose Elections were formerly confirmed by the Pope shall be now confirmed by the King who likewise shall give Commission under his Great-Seal for visiting them providing also that Licences and other Writs obtained from Rome before the 12 of March in that year should be valid and in force except they were contrary to the Laws of the Realm giving also to the King and his Council power to order and reform all Indulgences and Priviledges or the abuses of them which had been granted by the See of Rome The offenders against this Act were to be punished according to the Statutes of Provisors and Premunire This Act as it gave great ease to the Subject so it cut off that base trade of Indulgences about Divine Laws which had been so gainful to the Church of Rome but was of late fatal to it All in the Religious Houses saw their Priviledges now struck at since they were to be reformed as the King saw cause which put them in no small confusion Those that favoured the Reformation rejoyced at this Act not only because the Popes Power was rooted out but because the Faith that was to be adhered to was to be taken from those things which the Scriptures declared necessary to Salvation so that all their fears were now much qualified since the Scripture was to be the standard of the Catholick Faith On the same day that this Bill passed in the House of Lords another Bill was read for confirming the Succession to the Crown in the Issue of the Kings present Marriage with Queen Anne It was read the second time on the 21 of March and Committed It was reported on the 23th and read the third time and passed and sent down to the Commons who sent it back again to them on the 26th so speedily did this Bill go through both Houses without any opposition The Preamble of it was The distractions that had been in England about the Succession to the Crown which had occasioned the effusion of much Blood with many other mischiefs all which flowed from the want of a clear Decision of the true Title from which the Popes had Usurped a Power of investing such as pleased them in other Princes Kingdoms and Princes had often maintained such Donations for their other ends therefore to avoid the like
more speedy administration of the Sacraments and other good wholesom and devout things and laudable ceremonies to the encrease of Gods honour and for the commodity of good and devout people therefore they appointed for Suffragans Sees the Towns of Thetford Ipswich Colechester Dover Gilford Southampton Taunton Shaftbury Malton Marleborough Bedford Leicester Glocester Shrewsbury Bristol Penreth Bridgewater Nottingham Grantham Hâ—ll Huntington Cambridge and the Towns of Pereth and Berwick St. Germans in Cornwall and the Isle of Wight For these Sees the Bishop of the Diocess was to present two to the King who might choose either of them and present the person so named to the Arch-Bishop of the Province to be Consecrated after which they might exercise such jurisdiction as the Bishop of the Diocess should give to them or as Suffragans had been formerly used to do but their Authority was to last no longer than the Bishop continued his Commission to them But that the Reader may more clearly see how this Act was executed he shall find in the Collection a Writ for making a Suffragan Bishop These were believed to be the same with the Chorâ—piscopi in the Primitive Church which as they were begun before the first Council of Nice so they continued in the Western Church till the Ninth Century and then a Decretal of Damasus being forged that condemned them they were put down every-where by degrees and now revived in England Then followed the grant of a Subsidy to the King It was now Twelve years since there was any Subsidy granted A Fiveteenth and a Tenth were given to be payed in Three years the final payment being to be at Allhallontide in the year 1537. The Bill began with a most Glorious Preamble of the Kings high Wisdom and Policy in the Government of the Kingdom these Twenty Four years in great wealth and quietness and the great charges he had been at in the last War with Scotland in fortifying Callais and in the War of Ireland and that he intended to bring the wilful wild and unreasonable and savage people of Ireland to Order and Obedience and intended to build Forts on the Marches of Scotland for the security of the Nation to amend the Haven of Calais and make a new one at Dover By all which they did perceive the entire love and zeal which the King bore to his People and that he sought not their wealth and quietness only for his own time being a Mortal man but did provide for it in all time coming therefore they thought that of very equity reason and good Conscience they were bound to show like correspondence of zeal gratitude and kindness Upon this the King sent a general pardon with some exceptions ordinary in such cases But Fisher and More were not only excluded from this pardon by general Clauses but by two particular Acts they were attainted of misprision of Treason By the Third Act according to the Record Iohn Bishop of Rochester Christopher Plummer Nicholas Wilson Edward Powel Richard Fetherston and Miles Willyr Clerks were attainted for refusing the Oath of Succession and the Bishoprick of Rochester with the Benefices of the other Clerks were declared void from the 2d of Ianuary next yet it seems few were fond of succeeding him in that See for Iohn Hilsey the next Bishop of Rochester was not Consecraed before the year 1537. By the Fourth Act Sr. Thomas More is by an Invidious Preamble charged with ingratitude for the great favours he had received from the King and for studying to sow and make sedition among the Kings Subjects and refusing to take the Oath of Succession therefore they declared the Kings Grants to him to be void and attaint him of misprision of Treason This severity though it was blamed by many yet others thought it was necessary in so great a Change since the Authority of these two men was such that if some signal notice had not been taken of them many might by their endeavors especially encouraged by that Impunity have been corrupted in their affections to the King Others thought the prosecuting them in such a manner did rather raise their reputation higher and give them more credit with the people who are naturally enclined to pity those that suffer and to think well of those opinions for which they see men resolved to endure all extremities But others observed the justice of God in retaliating thus upon them their own severities to others for as Fisher did grievously prosecute the preachers of Luthers Doctrine so Mores hand had been very heavy on them as long as he had Power and he had shewed them no mercy but the extremity of the Law which himself now felt to be very heavy Thus ended this Session of Parliament with which this Book is also to conclude for now I come to a Third period of the Kings Reign in which he did Govern his Subjects without any Competitor but I am to stop a little and give an account of the Progress of the Reformation in these years that I have past through The Cardinal was no great persecutor of Hereticks which was generally thought to flow from his hatred of the Clergy and that he was not ill pleased to have them depressed During the agitation of the Kings process there was no prosecution of the Preachers of Luthers Doctrine whether this flowed from any Intimation of the Kings pleasure to the Bishops or not I cannot tell but it is very probable it must have been so for these opinions were received by many and the Popish Clergy were so inclined to severity that as they wanted not Occasions so they had a good mind to use those Preachers cruelly so that it is likely the King restrained them and that was always mixed with the other threatnings to work upon the Pope that Heresie would prevail in England if the King got not justice done him so that till the Cardinal fell they were put to no further trouble But as soon as More came into favour he pressed the King much to put the Laws against Hereticks in execution and suggested that the Court of Rome would be more wrought upon by the Kings supporting the Church and defending the Faith vigorously than by threatnings and therefore a long Proclamation was issued out against the Hereticks many of their Books were prohibited and all the Laws against them were appointed to be put in execution and great care was taken to seize them as they came into England but many escaped their diligence There were some at Antwerp Tindal Ioye Constantine with a few more that were every year writing and printing new Books chiefly against the corruptions of the Clergy the Superstition of pilgrimages of worshiping Images Saints and Relicks and against relying on these things which were then called in the common style Good works in opposition to which they wrote much about Faith in Christ with a true Evangelical obedience as the only mean by which men
the Bishop of Rome whom some called the Pope who had long darkned Gods word that it might serve his Pomp Glory Avarice Ambition and Tyranny both upon the Souls Bodies and Goods of all Christians excluding Christ out of the Rule of mans Soul and Princes out of their Dominions And had exacted in England great Sums by dreams and vanities and other Superstitious ways â—pon these reasons his Usurpations had been by Law put down in this Nation yet many of his Emissaries were still practising up and down the Kingdom and perswading people to acknowledg his pretended Authority Therefore every person so offending after the last of Iâ—ly next to come was to incur the pains of a Premunire and all Officers both Civil and Ecclesiastical were commanded to make enquiry about such offences under several penalties On the 12th of Iuly a Bill was brought in concerning Priviledges obtained from the See of Rome and was read the First time And on the 17th it was agreed to and sent down to the Commons who sent it up again the next day It bears that the Popes had during their Usurpation granted many Immunities to several Bodies and Societies in England which upon that Grant had been now long in use Therefore all these Bulls Breves and every thing depending on or flowing from them were declared void and of no force Yet all Marriages celebrated by vertue of them that were not otherwise contrary to the Law of God were declared good in Law and all Consecrations of Bishops by vertue of them were confirmed And for the future all who enjoyed any Priviledges by Bulls were to bring them in to the Chancery or to such persons as the King should appoint for that end And the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury was Lawfully to grant anew the effects contained in them which â—rant was to pass under the great Seal and to be of full force in Law This struck at the Abbots Rights But they were glad to bear a Diminution of their Greatness so they might save the whole which now lay at stake By the Thirteenth Act they corrected an Abuse which had come in to evade the force of a Statute made in the Twenty First year of this King about the Residence of all Ecclesiastical persons in their Livings One qualification that did excuse from Residence was their staying at the University for the compleating of their Studies Now it was found that many dissolute Clergymen went and lived at the Universities not for their Studies but to be excused from serving their Cures So it was Enacted that none above the Age of Forty that were not either Heads of Houses or Publick Readers should have any Exemption from their Residence by vertue of that Clause in the former Act. And those under that Age should not have the Benefit of it except they were present at the Lectures and perform'd their Exercises in the Schools By another Act there was Provision made against the prejudice the Kings Heirs might receive before they were of Age by Parliaments held in their Non-Age That whatsoever Acts were made before they were Twenty Four years of Age they might at any time of their lives after that Repeal and Annul by their Letters Patents which should have equal force with a Repeal by Act of Parliament From these Acts it appears that the King was absolute Master both of the affections and fears of his Subjects when in a new Parliament called on a sudden and in a Session of six weeks from the 8th of Iune to the 18th of Iuly Acts of this Importance were passed without any Protest or publick Opposition But having now opened the business of the Parliament as it relates to the State I must next give an account of the Convocation which sate at this time and was very busie as appears by the Journal of the House of Lords in which this is given for a reason of many Adjournments because the Spiritual Lords were busie in the Convocation It sate down on the 9th of Iune according to Fullers Extract it being the Custom of all this Reign for that Court to meet two or three days after the Parliament Hither Cromwell came as the Kings Vicar-General But he was not yet Vice-Gerent For he sate next the Arch-Bishop but when he had that Dignity he sate above him Nor do I find him Stiled in any Writing Vice-gerent for some time after this though the Lord Herbert says he was made Vice-gerent the 18th of Iuly this year the same day in which the Parliament was Dissolved Latimer Bishop of Worcester preached the Latine Sermon on these words The Children of this World are wiser in their Generation than the Children of Light He was the most Celebrated Preacher of that time The simplicity and plainness of his matter with a serious and fervent Action that accompanied it being preferred to more learned and elaborate Composures On the 21st of Iune Cromwell moved that they would Confirm the Sentence of the Invalidity of the Kings Marriage with Queen Anne which was accordingly done by both Houses of Convocation But certainly Fuller was asleep when he wrote That Ten days before that the Arch-Bishop had passed the Sentence of Divorce on the day before the Queen was beheaded Whereas if he had considered this more fully he must have seen that the Queen was put to death a Month before this and was Divorced two days before she dyed Yet with this animadversion I must give him my thanks for his pains in copying out of the Journals of Convocation many remarkable things which had been otherwise irrecoverably lost On the 23d of Iune the lower House of Convocation sent to the upper House a Collection of many opinions that were then in the Realm which as they thought were abuses and errors worthy of special Reformation But they began this Representation with a Protestation That they intended not to do or speak any thing which might be unpleasant to the King whom they acknowledged their Supream Head and were resolved to obey his Commands renouncing the Popes usurp'd Authority with all his Laws and Inventions now extinguisht and abolisht and did addict themselves to Almighty God and his Laws and unto the King and the Laws made within this Kingdom There are Sixty Seven opinions set down and are either the Tenets of the Old Lollards or the New Reformers together with the Anabaptists opinions Besides all which they complained of many unsavory and indiscreet expressions which were either feigned on design to disgrace the New Preachers or were perhaps the extravagant Reflexions of some illiterate and injudicious persons who are apt upon all occasions by their heat and folly rather to prejudice than advance their party and affect some petulant jeers which they think witty and are perhaps well entertained by some others who though they are more judicious themselves yet imagining that such jests on the contrary opinions will take with the people do give them too much Encouragement Many of these
Monks of his House and the Abbot of Gervanx with a monk of his House and the Abbot of Sawley in Lancashire with the Prior of that House and the Prior of Burlington who were all attainted of High Treason and Executed The Abbots of Glastenbury and Reading were men of great power and Wealth The one was rated at 3508. lib. and the the other at 2116. lib. They seeing the storm like to break out on themselves sent a great deal of the Plate and Money that they had in their House to the Rebels in the North. Which being afterwards discovered they were attainted of High Treason a year after this but I mention it here for the affinity of the matter Further particulars about the Abbot of Reading I have not yet discovered But there is an account given to Cromwel of the proceedings against the Abbot of Glastenbury in two Letters which I have seen the one was writ by the Sheriff of the County the other by Sir Iohn Russell who was present at his Trial and was reputed a man of as great Integrity and Virtue as any in that time which he seems to have left as an inheritance to that Noble Family that has descended from him These inform that he was indicted of Burglary as well as Treason for having broken the House in his Monastery where the Plate was kept and taken it out which as Sir William Thomas says was sent to the Rebels The evidence being brought to the Jury who as Sir Iohn Russel writes were as good and worthy men as had ever been on any Jury in that County they found him guilty He was carried to the place of Execution near his own Monastery where as the Sheriff writes he acknowledged his guilt and begged God and the King pardon for it The Abbot of Colchester was also attainted of High Treason What the particulars were I cannot tell For the Record of their Attainders was lost But some of our own Writers deservs a severe censure who Write it was for denying the King Supremacy whereas if they had not undertaken to write the History without any information at all they must have seen that the whole Clergy but most particularly the Abbots had over and over again acknowledged the Kings Supremacy For clearing which and discovering the Impudence of Sanders Relation of this matter I shall lay before the Reader the Evidences that I find of the Submission of these and all the other Abbots to the Kings Supremacy First in the Convocation in the 22d year of this Reign they all acknowledged the King Supream Head of the Church of England They did all also swear to maintain the Act of the Succession of the Crown made in the 25th year of his Reign in which the Popes Power was plainly condemned For in the proceedings against More and Fisher it was frequently repeated to them that all the Clergy had sworn it It is also entred in the Journal of the House of Lords that all the members of both Houses swore it at their breaking up And the same Journals inform us that the Abbots of Colchester and Reading sate in that Parliament and as there was no Protestation made against any of the Acts passed in that Session so it is often entred that the Acts were agreed to by the Unanimous consent of the Lords It appears also by several Original Letters that the heads of all the Religious Houses in England had Signed that Position that the Pope had no more Iurisdiction in this Kingdom than any forreign Bishop whatsoever And it was rejected by none but some Carthusians and Franciscans of the Observance who were proceeded against for refusing to acknowledg it When they were so pressed in it none can imagine that a Parliamentary Abbot would have been dispenced with And in the last Parliament in which the second Oath about the Succession to the Crown was enacted it was added that they should also swear the King to be the Supream head of the Church The Abbots of Glassenbury and Reading were then present as appears by the Journals and consented to it So little reason there is for Imagining that they refused that or any other Complyance that might secure them in their Abbies In particular the Abbot of Reading had so got into Cromwels good opinion that in some differences between him and Shaxton Bishop of Salisbury that was Cromwels creature he had the better of the Bishop Upon which Shaxton who was a proud ill-natured man wrote an high expostulating Letter to Cromwell Complaining of an Injunction he had granted against him at the Abbots desire He also shewed that in some contests between him and his Residentiaries and between him and the Major of Salisbury Cromwel was always against him he likewise challenged him for not answering his Letters He tells him God will judge him for abusing his Power as he did he prays God to have pity on him and to turn his heart with a great deal more provoking Language He also adds many insolent praises of himself and his whole Letter is as extravagant a piece of vanity and insolence as ever I saw To this Cromwel wrote an answer that shews him to have been indeed a great man The Reader will find it in the Collection and see from it how modestly and discreetly he carryed his Greatness But how justly soever these Abbots were attainted the seizing on their Abbey-Lands pursuant to those Attainders was thought a great stretch of Law since the Offence of an Ecclesiastical Incumbent is a Personal thing and cannot prejudice the Church no more than a secular man who is in an Office does by being Attainted bring any diminution of the Rights of his Office on his successors It is true there were some words cast into the thirteenth Act of the Parliament in the 26th year of this Reign by which divers Offences were made Treason that seemed to have been designed for such a purpose The words are that whatsoever Lands any Traytor had of any Estate of Inheritance in use or possession by any Right Title or Means should be forfeited to the King By which as it is certain Estates in Tayl were comprehended so the Lands that any Traytor had in Possession or use seem to be included and that the rather because by some following words their heirs and Successors are for ever excluded This either was not thought on when the Bishop of Rochester was Attainted or perhaps was not claimed since the King intended not to lessen the number of Bishopricks but rather to increase them Besides the words of the Statute seem only to belong to an Estate of Inheritance within which Church-Benefices could not be included without a great force put on them 'T is true the word Successor favoured these seisures except that be thought an expletory word put in out of form but still to be limited to an Estate of Inheritance That word does also import that such Criminals might have successors But if the whole Abbey
Cardinal to oppose the Match with England since they looked for ruine if it succeeded The Queen being a sister of Guise and bred in the French Court was wholly for their Interests and all that had been obliged by that Court or depended on it were quickly drawn into the Party It was also said to every body that it was much more the Interest of Scotland to match with France than with England If they were united to France they might expect an easie Government For the French being at such distance from them and knowing how easily they might throw themselves into the Armes of England would certainly rule them gently and avoid giving them great Provocations But if they were united to England they had no remedy but must look for an heavier yoke to be laid on them This meeting with the rooted Antipathy that by a long continuance of War was grown up among them to a savage hatred of the English Nation and being inflamed by the considerations of Religion raised an universal dislike of the Match with England in the greatest part of the whole Nation only a few men of greater Probity who were weary of the depredations and Wars in the Borders and had a liking to the Reformation of the Church were still for it The French Court struck in vigorously with their Party in Scotland and sent over the Earl of Lenox who as he was next in blood to the Crown after the Earl of Arran so was of the same family of the Stewarts which had endeared him to the late King He was to lead the Queens party against the Hamiltons Yet they employed another Tool which was Iohn Hamilton base Brother to the Governor who was afterwards Arch-Bishop of St. Andrews He had great power over his Brother who being then not above four and twenty years of age and having been the only lawful Son of his Father in his old age was never bred abroad and so understood not the Policies and arts of Courts and was easily abused by his base Brother He assured him that if he went about to destroy Religion by matching the Queen to an Heretical Prince they would depose him from his Government and declare him Illegitimate There could be indeed nothing clearer than his Fathers Divorce from his first Wife For it had been formerly proved that she had been married to the Lord Yesters Son before he married her who claimed her as his Wife upon which her Marriage with the Earl of Arran was declared Null in the year 1507. And it was ten years after that the Earl of Arran did Marry the Governors Mother Of which things the Original Instruments are yet extant Yet it was now said that that Precontract with the Lord Yesters Son was but a forgery to dissolve that Marriage and if the Earl of Lenox who was next to the Crown in case the Earl of Arran was Illegitimated should by the assistance of France procure a review of that Process from Rome and obtain a Revocation of that Sentence by which his Fathers first Marriage was annulled then it was plain that the second marriage with the issue by it would be of no force All this wrought on the Governor much and at length drew him off from the Match with England and brought him over to the French Interests Which being effected there was no further use of the Eaâ—l of Lâ—nnox so he finding himself neglected by the Queen and the Cardinal and abandoned by the Crown of France fled into England where he was very kindly received by the King who gave him in marriage his Neece Lady Margaret Dowglass whom the Queen of Scotland had born to the Earl of Angus her second Husband From which Marriage issued the Lord Darnly Father to King Iames. When the Lords of the French Faction had carried things to their mind in Scotland it was next considered what they should do to redeem the Hostages whom the Lords who were Prisoners in England had left behind them And for this no other Remedy could be found but to let them take their hazard and leave them to the King of England's mercy To this they all agreed only the Earl of Cassilis had too much Honour and Vertue to do so mean a thing Therefore after he had done all he could for maintaining the Treaty about the Match he went into England and offered himself again to be a Prisoner But as generous actions are a reward to themselves so they often meet with that entertainment which they deserve And upon this occasion the King was not wanting to express a very great value for that Lord. He called him another Regulus but used him better For he both gave him his Liberty and made him noble Presents and sent him and his Hostages back being resolved to have a severer reparation for the injury done him All which I have opened more fully because this will give a great light to the affairs of that Kingdom which will be found in the Reigns of the succeeding Princes to have a great intermixture with the affairs of this Kingdom Nor are they justly represented by any who write of these times and having seen some Original Papers relating to Scotland at that time I have done it upon more certain information The King of England made War next upon France The grounds of this War are recited by the Lord Herbert One of these is proper for me to repeat That the French King had not deserted the Bishop of Rome and consented to a Reformation as he had once Promised The rest related to other things such as the seizing our Ships The detaining the yearly Pension due to the King The Fortifying Ardres to the prejudice of the English pale The revealing the Kings secrets to the Emperor The having given first his Daughter and then the Duke of Guises Sister in Marriage to his Enemy the King of Scotland and his confederating himself with the Turk And Satisfaction not being given in these particulars a War is declared In Iuly the King married Katharine Parre who had been formerly married to Nevil Lord Latimer She was a secret Favourer of the Reformation yet could not divert a storm which at this time fell on some in Windsor For that being a place to which the King did oft retire it was thought fit to make some examples there And now the League with the Emperour gave the Popish Faction a greater interest in the Kings Counsels There was at this time a Society at Windsor that favoured the Reformation Anthony Person a Priest Robert Testwood and Iohn Marbeck Singing Men and Henry Filmer of the Town of Windsor were the chief of them But those were much favoured by Sir Philip Hâ—bby and his Lady and several others of the Kings Family During Crâ—â—â—els power none questioned them but after his fall they were looked on with an ill eye Doctor Londâ—n who had by the most servile Flatteries insinuated himself into Cromâ—el and was much employed
to the Commons with words to be put in or put out of it On the 6th the Commons sent it up with some alterations And on the 8th the Lords sent it down again to the Commons where it lay till the 17th and then it was sent up with their agreement And the Kings Assent was given by his Letters Patents on the 29th of March. The Preamble was That whereas untrue accusations and presentments might be maliciously contrived against the Kings Subjects and kept secret till a time were espied to have them by malice convicted Therefore it was Enacted That none should be Endited but upon a presentment by the Oaths of twelve men to at least three of the Commissioners appointed by the King and that none should be Imprisoned but upon an Enditement except by a special Warrant from the King and that all Presentments should be made within one year after the Offences were committed and if words were uttered in a Sermon contrary to the Statute they must be complained of within forty dayes unless a just cause were given why it could not be so soon Admittiâ—g also the parties Endited to all such Challenges as they might have in any other case of Felony This Act has clearly a Relation to the Conspiracies mentioned the former year both against the Arch-Bishop and some of the Kings Servants Another Act passed continuing some former Acts for revising the Canon-Law and for drawing up such a body of Ecclesiastical Laws as should have Authority in England This Cranmer pressed often with great vehemence and to shew the necessity of it drew out a short Extract of some passages in the Canon-Law which the Reader will find in the Collection to shew how undecent a thing it was to let a Volume in which such Laws were be studyed or considered any longer in England Therefore he was earnest to have such a Collection of Ecclesiastical Laws made as might regulate the Spiritual Courts But it was found more for the greatness of the Prerogative and the Authority of the Civil Courts to keep that undetermined so he could never obtain his desire during this Kings Reign Another Act passed in this Parliament for the remission of a Loan of Money which the King had raised This is almost copied out of an Act to the same effect that passed in the twenty first year of the Kings Reign with this addition That by this Act those who had got payment either in whole or in part of the Sums so lent the King were to repay it back to the Exchequer All business being finished and a general pardon passed with the ordinary exceptions of some Crimes among which Heresie is one the Parliament was Prorogued on the 29th of March to the 4th of November The King had now a War both with France and Scotland upon him And therefore to prepare for it he both enhanced the value of Money and embased it for which he that writes his vindication gives this for the reason That the Coin being generally embased all over Europe he was forced to do it lest otherwise all the Money should have gone out of the Kingdom He resolved to begin the War with Scotland and sent an Army by Sea thither under the command of the Earl of Hartford afterwards Duke of Somerset who landing at Grantham a little above Leith burnt and spoiled Leith and Edenburgh in which they found more riches than they thought could possibly have been there and they went through the Countrey burning and spoiling it every-where till they came to Berwick But they did too much if they intended to gain the hearts of that people and too little if they intended to subdue them For as they besieged not the Castle of Edinburgh which would have cost them more time and trouble so they did not fortifie Leith nor leave a Garrison in it which was such an inexcusable Omission that it seems their Counsels were very weak and ill laid For Leith being fortified and a Fleet kept going between it and Berwick or Tinmouth the Trade of the Kingdom must have been quite stopt Edinburgh ruined the Intercourse between France and them cut off and the whole Kingdom forced to submit to the King But the spoils this Army made had no other effect but to enrage the Kingdom and unite them so entirely to the French Interests that when the Eaâ—l of Lâ—nnâ—x was sent down by the King to the Western parts of Scotland where his Power lay he could get none to follow him And the Governor of Dunbritton Castle though his own Lieutenant would not deliver that Castle to him when he understood he was to put it in the King of Englands hands but drove him out others say he â—â—ed away of himself else he had been taken Prisoner The King was now to cross the Seas but before he went he studied to settle the matters of Religion so that both Parties might have some content Audley the Chancellor dying he made the Lord Wriothesley that had been Secretary and was of the Popish Party Lord Chancellor but made Sir William Petre that was Cranmers great friend Secretary of State He also committed the Government of the Kingdom in his absence to the Queen to whom he joyned the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury the Lord Chancellor the Earl of Hartford and Secretary Petre. And if there was need of any Force to be raised he appointed the Earl of Hartford his Lieutenant under whose Government the Reformers needed not fear any thing But he did another Act that did wonderfully please that whole Party which was the Translating of the Prayers for the Processions and Litaâ—ies into the English tongue This was sent to the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury on the 11th of Iune with an Order that it should be used over all his Province as the Reader will find in the Collection This was not only very acceptable to that Party because of the thing it self but it gave them hope that the King was again opening his ears to motions for Reformation to which they had been shut now about six years And therefore they looked that more things of that nature would quickly follow And as these Prayers werâ— now set out in English so they doubted not but there being the same reason to put all the other Offices in the vulgar tongue they would prevail for that too Things being thus setled at home the King having sent his Forces over before him crossed the Seas with much pomp the Sails of his Ship being of Cloth of Gold He Landed at Calais the 14th of Iuly The Emperor pressed his marching straight to Paris But he thought it of more importance to take Bulloign and after two months Siege it was surrendred to him into which he made his Entry with great Triumph on the 18th of September But the Emperor having thus engaged those two Crowns in a War and designing while they should fight it out to make himself Master of Gâ—rmanâ— concluded a Treaty
his going over to England but not one word of any such discourse with the King And King Henry was not a Man of such a temper as to permit one of Pole's quality to go out of England and live among his Enemies and continue his Pensions to him if he had to his face opposed him in a Matter he laid so much to heart 44. He says Fisher of Rochester and Holman Bishop of Bristol wrote for the Marriage There was no Bishoprick nor Bishop of Bristol at that time nor thirteen years after 45. Many are reckoned up who wrote for the Marriage in all Nations These are neither to be compared in number nor authority to those who wrote against it an hundred Books were shewed in Parliament written by Divines and Lawyers beyond Sea besides the determinations of twelve of the most celebrated Universities in Europe The Emperor did indeed give so great Rewards and such good Benefices to those who wrote against the King that it is a wonder there were not more Writers of his side 46. He says That upon Warham Arch-Bishop of Canterbury's death the Earl of Wiltshire told the King that he had a Chaplain who was at his House that would certainly serve the King in the matter of his Divorce upon which Cranmer was promoted Cranmer was no stranger to the King at this time he was first recommended by the King to the Earl of Wiltshire to be kept in his House but was in Germany when Warham died and made no haste over but delayed his Journey some months It is true he was of the mind that the King ought to be divorced but this was not out of servile compliance for when the King pressed him in other things that were against his Conscience he expressed all the courage and constancy of mind which became so great a Prelate 47. He say's That Cranmer being to swear the Oath of Obedience to the Pope before he was consecrated did protest to a Publick Notary that he took it against his will and that he had no mind to keep his Faith to the Pope in prejudice to the King's Authority He did not protest that he did it unwillingly nor was it only to a Notary but twice at the high Altar he repeated the Protestation that he made which was to this effect That he intended not thereby to oblige himself to any thing contrary to the Law of God the King's Prerogative or the Laws of the Land nor to be restrained from speaking advising or consenting to any thing that should concern the Reformation of the Christian Faith the Government of the Church of England and the Prerogative of the Crown and Kingdom 48. He says Cranmer did in all things so comply with the King's Lusts that the King was wont to say he was the only Man that had never contradicted him in any thing he had a mind to Cranmer was both a good Subject and a modest and discreet Man and so would obey and submit as far as he might without sin yet when his Conscience charged him to appear against any thing that the King pressed him to as in the matter of the six Articles he did it with much resolution and boldness 49. He says The King going over to Calais carried Ann Boleyn secretly with him He carried her over in great state having made her Marchioness of Pembroke and in the publick Interview between him and Francis she appeared with all possible splendor 50. He says After the King's return from France he brought the Action of Premunire against all the Clergy This is an Error of two years for so long before this Voyage to France was that action begun and the Clergy about 28 months before had made their submission and obtained their pardon in March 1531 which appears by the printed Statutes and the King went over to France in September 1532 so that it is clear Sanders never looked for any verification of what he wrote 51. He says The King by an unheard-of Tyranny and a new Calumny brought this Charge against the Clergy These Laws upon which the Charge was founded had been oft renewed they were first made under Edward the First by reason of the Papal Encroachments that gave the rise to them they were oft confirmed by Edward the Third Richard the Second Henry the Fourth and Henry the Fifth with the concurrence of their Parliaments so the Charge was neither new nor tyrannical 52. He says The Clergy submitted to the King being betrayed by their Metropolitanes Cranmer and Lee. The submission was made two years before Cranmer was Arch-Bishop in March 1531 and Cranmer was Consecrated in March 1533. but at that time Warham sate in Canterbury as for Lee he opposed it for some time 53. He says The whole Clergâ— petitioned the King to forgive their Crime according to that Supreme Power which he had over all the Clergy and Laity within his Kingdom from whence the King's Counsellors took occasion afterwards to call him Supreme Head The Clergy did in the Title of their Submission call the King in formal terms Supreme Head of the Church and Clergy of England as far as by the Law of Christ is lawful to which Fisher with the rest of the Convocation subscribed And all this was done when More was Chancellor 54. He says When the King went to marry Ann Boleyn he perswaded Rowland Lee made soon after Bishop of Coventry and Litchfield to officiate in it assuring him he had obtain'd a Bull for it from Rome which was then lying in his Cabinet Upon which Lee giving credit to what he said did marry them This is another trial of Sander's wit to excuse Lee who tho at this time he complied absolutely with the King yet did afterwards turn over to the Popish Party therefore to make him look a little clean this Story must be forged But at that time all the World saw that the Pope and the Emperor were so linked together that Lee could not but know that no such thing was possible And he was so obsequious to the King that such Arts were needless to perswade him to any thing the King had a mind to 55. For five pages he runs out in repetition of all those foul Lyes concerning Ann Boleyn by which he designed both to disgrace the Reformers who were supported by her and to defame her Daughter Queen Elizabeth which have been before confuted after that he says Queen Katharine with three Maids and a small Family retired into the Country She had both the respect of a Princess Dowager and all the Jointure contracted to her by Prince Arthur so she could not be driven to that straitness but this must go for an Ornament in the Fable 56. He says It was concluded that Cranmer might be more free to pass Sentence that there should be an Oath imposed on the Clergy for paying the same Obedience to the King that they had paid the Pope
after him 111. He tells many Reasons why the King had a mind to put away Ann of Cleve But in this as in other things he betrays a profound ignorance of that time for every Body knew that the King from the first time he saw her disliked her and that he never consummated the Marriage This is a Subject not fit to be long dwelt on but if any will compare the account I give of this Matter from the Records with Sander's Tale they will see that he wrote at random and did not so much as know publick Transactions 112. He says The King had promised to the Emperor That he would no longer continue in the Smalcaldick League but Cromwel counterfeited the King's Hand to a new confirmation of it which coming to the Emperor's knowledg he challenged the King of it and sent him over a Copy of it upon which the King disowned it and cast it on Cromwel and that this was the cause of his fall This I believe is one of Sander's dreams there is not one word of it in Cromwel's Attainder nor do I find the least shadow of this in some Original Letters which he wrote to the King for his Pardon in which he answers many of the things laid to his Charge Nor is it likely he would adventure on so bold a thing with such a King nor could the Emperor have that Writing in his power as long as the King lived for it is not to be imagined how he could come by it till he had taken the Duke of Saxony Prisoner which was after this King's death 113. He says When Cromwel was put to death the King proceeded to the Divorce of Ann of Cleve The Divorce was judged by the Convocation eight days before Cromwel's death and confirmed in Parliament which was dissolved before he suffered 114. He says The King sent to her to tell her he had a mind to be separated from her and tho he could proceed more severely against her since he knew she was an Heretick yet for her Families sake he left it to her self to devise any reason for their Divorce upon which she came next day to the Senate which may be either the King's Council or the Parliament and confessed she had been married to another before she was married to the King and thereupon by the Authority of Parliament he was divorced and within eight days married Katharine Howard There are but six gross Errors in this Period 1. The King sent not any message to her nor came there any answer from her till the Sentence of Divorce was quite passed 2. In the Original Letter which those he sent to her wrote to him from Richmond it appears that they used no threatnings to her but barely told her what was done to which she acquiesced 3. She never came from Richmond in all that Process and so made no such declaration in the Senate 4. She did not say that she was married to another but only that she had been contracted to the Prince of Lorrain when she was under Age. 5. The Parliament did not dissolve the Marriage but only confirmed the Sentence of the Convocation 6. The King did not marry Katharine Howard before the 8 th of August and the Divorce was judged the 10 th of Iuly a month wanting two days 115. He says The King had consummated the Marriage for seven months together There were but six months between his Marriage and the Divorce and in all that while as they bedded but seldom so there were very clear Evidences brought that it was not consummated 116. He says The King sent the Bishop of Winchester and Sir Henry Knevet to the Diet of the Empire who were ordered to propose to the Emperor That the King might be again reconciled to the See of Rome to which he adds his Conscience did drive him but since the King would not confess his past Crimes nor do penance for them nor restore the Goods of the Church it came to nothing This is another Ornament of the Fable to shew the Poet's wit but is as void of Truth as any passage in Plantus or Terence is For the King was all his life so intractable in that Point that the Popish Party had no other way to maintain their Interest with him but to comply not without affectation in that Matter and when an Information was given against Gardiner for his holding some correspondence with the Pope's Legate at the Diet he got the Man who had innocently discovered it to be put in Prison and said it was a Plot against him to ruin him which he needed not be so sollicitous about if his Instructions from the King had allowed him to enter on such a Treaty 117. He runs out in a long digression upon the King 's assuming the Title of King of Ireland to shew that the Kings of England only hold Ireland by the Pope's Donation In this Sanders shews his Art he being to carry the Standard of Rebellion in that Kingdom to blast the King 's Right to it He acknowledges the Crown of England had the Dominion of Ireland with the Title of Lord of Ireland about 400 years And certainly if so long a possession does not give a good Title and a prescription against all other Pretenders most of the Royal Families in Christendom will be to seek for their Rights But he says It was given by the Pope to King Henry the Second and yet he confesses that he had conquered some parts of it before that Grant was sent him by Hadrian the Fourth Certainly King Henry the Second had as good a right to take it as Pope Hadrian had to give it nor was the King's accepting the Pope's Donation any prejudice to his Title for things extorted or allowed upon a publick Error can have no force when that is openly discovered If then the Superstition of those Ages made that the Pope's Donation was a great help to any Pretender it was no wonder that Kings made use of it but it were a wonder indeed if they should acknowledg it after the Trick is known and seen by all 118. After this and a Satyr against Queen Elizabeth for assuming the Title Defender of the Faith and a long enumeration of the exactions in the last years of this Reign in which tho there is Matter enough for severe complaints yet many of the Particulars he mentions are without any proof and must rest on the Author's credit which by this time the Reader will acknowledg is not very great Another long discourse of some length follows of the misfortunes of the Duke of Norfolk and of all that served the King in his Divorce and in the following Actions of his Life from which he infers that these were effects of a Curâ—e from Heaven upon all that he did and on all those that assisted him But as the Inference is bad so he forgot to mention those Noble Families that were raised in