should be deemed reputed accepted or taken to be Heresie It was also enacted that no manner of appeales should be had prouoked or made out of this Realme or any the Kings dominions to the Bishop of Rome or to the See of Rome in any causes or matters happening to be in contention and hauing their commensement and beginning in any of the Courts within this Realme or within any the Kings dominions of what nature condition or qualitie soeuer they were Vpon this followed another Act restraining the payment of Annates or first-fruits to the Bishop of Rome and of the electing and consecrating of Bishops within this Realme Another Act was made concerning the exoneration of the Kings Subiects from exactions and impositions theretofore paied to the See of Rome and for hauing licences and dispensations within this Realme without suing further for the same in which the Commons assembled complaine to his Maiestie that the subiects of this Realme and other his dominions were greatly decaied and impouerished by intollerable exactions of great summes of money claimed and taken by the Bishop of Rome and the See of Rome as well in pensions censes Peter-pense procurations fruits sutes for prouisions and expeditions of Bulls for Archbishoprickes and Bishopricks and for delegacies of rescripts in causes of contentions and appeales iurisdictions legatiue and also for dispensations licences faculties grants relaxations Writs called Perinde valere rehabitations abolitions and other infinite sorts of Bulls breeues and instruments of sundrie natures names and kindes in great numbers ouer long and tedious here particularly to be inserted It was affirmed in this Parliament that there had been paied to the Pope of Rome onely for Bulls by our English Bishops and other of the kingdome since the fourth of Henry the seuenth to that time threescore thousand pound sterling The next yeare following in a Parliament begun at Westminster the third of Nouember the Pope with all his authoritie was cleane banished this Realme and order taken that he should no more bee called Pope but Bishop of Rome and the King to be taken and reputed as supreme head in earth of the Church of England called Anglicana Ecclesia And that hee their Soueraigne Lord his heires and successours kings of this Realme should haue full power and authoritie from time to time to visit represse redresse reforme order correct restraine and amend all such eâ—rours heresies abuses offences contempts and enormities whatsoeuer they were which by any manner spirituall authoritie or iurisdiction ought or might lawfully bee reformed repressed ordered redressed corrected restrained or amended most to the pleasure of Almighty God the increase of vertue in Christs religion and for the conseruation of peace vnitie and tranquilitie of this Realme any vsage custome forraine lawes forraine authority prescription or any thing or things to the contrary thereof notwithstanding In this Parliament also were granted to the King and his heires the first-fruits and tenths of all spirituall dignities and promotions His stile of supremacie was further ratified and declared to bee set downe in this forme and manner following in the Latine tongue by these words Henricus octauus Dei gratia Angliae Franciae Hiberniae Rex Fidei defensor in terra Ecclesiae Anglicanae Hibernicae supremum caput In the English tongue by these Henry the eight by the grace of God King of England France and Ireland defendour of the faith and of the Church of England and also of Ireland in earth the supreme head Which stile was enacted to bee vnited and annexed for euer to the imperiall Crowne of this his Highnesse Realme of England Vpon the first expulsion of the Popes authoritie and King Henries vndertaking of the Supremacie the Priests both religious and secular did openly in their Pulpits so farre extoll the Popes iurisdiction and authority that they preferred his lawes before the kings yea and before the holy precepts of God Almighty Whereupon the King sent his mandatory letters to certaine of his Nobilitie and others in especiall office thinking thereby to restraine their seditious false doctrine and exorbitancie And here let me tell you that amongst many letters of important affaires which I found in certaine Chandlers shops of our Parish allotted to light Tobacco pipes and wrap vp peniworths of their commodities all which I gaue to Sir Robert Cotton Knight and Baronet the onely repairer of ruined antiquirie whom I knew the contents therof shewing some passages of former times would preserue them for better vses I happened vpon certaine letters following tending to the same purpose of which I haue already spoken Henry R. By the King RIght trusty and right welbiloued Cousin we grete you well And wher it is commen to our knowlaige that sundry persons aswell religious as seculer Priests and curats in their peroches and dâ—ueâ—se places within this our Realme do dailly asmoche as in them is set foâ—the and extolle the iurisdiction and auctoritie of the Bishop of Rome ortherwyse called Pope sowing their sediciouse pestylent and false doctryne praying for him in the Pulpit and makyng hym a God to the greate deceyte illudyng and seducyng of our subgietts bryngyng them into errors sedicyon and euyll opynyons more preferryng the power lawes and Iurisdictyon of the said Bishop of Rome then the most holly lawes and precepts of almighty God We therfore myndyng not only to prouide for an vnitie and quietnes to be had and contynued among our said subgietts but also greatly couâ—tyng and desyryng them to be brought to a perfectyon and knawlege of the mere veritie and truth and no longer to be seduced nor blynded with any suche superstitiouse and false doctryne of any erthly vsurper of godds lawes will therfore and commaund you that wher and whensoeuer ye shall fynde apperceyve know or heretell of any such sedicious personnes that in suche wise do spreade teche and preache or otherwise set forth any suâ—he opynyons and perniciouse doctryne to the exaltatyon of the power of the bishop of Rome bryngyng therby our subgietts into error gruge and murmuracyon that ye indelaydly doo apprehend and take them or cause them to be apprehended and taken and so commytted to Ward ther to remayne without bayle or mayneprise vntill vpon your aduertisement therof vnto vs or our Councell ye shall know our further pleasure in that behalfe Ye uen vndre our Signet at our Manor of Grenwich the xvii day of Aprill This letter was thus endorsed To our right trusty and welbiloued cousin and Counsellor Th erle of Sussex In Iune or Iuly following these maiesticall commanding Epistles were seconded and made more strong by an Act of Parliament called An Act extinguishing the authoritie of the Bishop of Rome Of which I hold it not amisse to set downe so much as principally tends to the purpose To begin then at the beginning For as much as notwithstanding the good and wholesome lawes ordinances and statutes heretofore made enacted
and established by the kings Highnesse our most gratious souereigne Lord and by the whole consent of the high Court of Parliament for the extirpation abolition and extinguishment out of this Realme and other his graces dominions seigniories and countries of the pretended power and vsurped authoritie of the Bishop of Rome by some called the Pope vsed within the same or elsewhere concerning the same realme dominions segniories or countries whiâ—h did obfuscat and wrest Gods holy word and Testament a long season from the spirituall and true meaning thereof to his worldly and carnall affections as pompe glory auarice ambition and tyrannie couering and shadowing the same with his humane and politike deuises traditions and inuentions set forth to promote and stablish his onely dominion both vpon the soules and also the bodies and goods of all Christian people excluding Christ out of his kingdome and rule of mans soule as much as hee may and all other temporall Kings and Princes out of their dominions which they ought to haue by Gods law vpon the bodies and goods of their subiects whereby he did not onely rob the Kings Maiestie being onely the supreme head of this his Realme of England immediately vnder God of his honour right and preheminence due vnto him by the law of God but spoiled his Realme yearely of innumerable treasure and with the losse of the same deceiued the Kings louing and obedient subiects perswading to them by his lawes buls and other his deceiuable meanes such dreames vanities and fantasies as by the same many of them were seduced and conâ—ueied vnto superstitious and erroneous opinions So that the Kings Maiestie the Lords Spirituall and Temporall and the Commons in this Realme being ouer-wearied and fatigated with the experience of the infinite abhominations and mischiefes proceeding of his impostures and craftily colouring of his deceits to the great dammages of soules bodies and goods were forced of necessitie for the publike weale of this Realme to exclude that forraine pretended iurisdiction and authoritie vsed and vsurped within this Realme and to deuise such remedies for their reliefe in the same as doth not onely redound to the honour of God the high praise and aduancement of the Kings Maiestie and of his Realme but also to the great and inestimable vtilitie of the same And notwithstanding the said wholesome lawes so made and heretofore established yet it is common to the knowledge of the Kings highnesse and also to diuerse and many his loâ—uing faithfull and obedient subiects how that diuers seditious and contentious persons being imps of the said Bishop of Rome and his See and in heart members of his pretended Monarchie doe in corners and elsewhere as they dare whisper inculke preach and perswade and from time to time instill into the eares and heads of the poore simple and vnlettered people the aduancement and continuance of the said Bishops feined and pretended authoritie pretending the same to haue his ground and originall of Gods law whereby the opinions of many bee suspended their iudgements corrupted and deceiued and diuersitie in opinions augmented and increased to the great displeasure of almighty God the high discontentation of our said most dread soueraigne Lord and the interruption of the vnitie loue charitie concord and agreement that ought to bee in a Christian Region and congregation For auoiding whereof and repression of the follies of such seditious persons as be the meanes and authours of such inconueniences Be it enacted ordained and established by the King our soueraigne Lord and the Lords spirituall and temporall and the Commons in this present Parliament assembled and by the authoritie of the same that if any person or persons dwelling demurring inhabiting or resiant within this Realme or within any other the Kings dominions seigniories or countries or the marches of the same or elsewhere within or vnder his obeizance and power of what estate dignitie preheminence order degree or condition soeuer hee or they bee after the last day of Iuly which shall bee in the yeare of our Lord God 1536. shall by writiâ—g ciâ—ering printing preachâ—ing or teaching deed or act obstinately or maliciously hold or stâ—nd with to extoll set foorth maintaine or defend the authoritie iurisdiction or power of the Bishop of Rome or of his See heretofore claimed vsed or vsurped within this Realme or in any dominion or countrey being or within or vnder the Kings power or obeisance or by any presence obstinately or maliciously inuent any thing for the extolling aduancement setting forth maintenance or defence of the same or any part thereof or by any pretence obstinately or maliciously attribute any manner of iurisdiction authoritie or preheminence to the said See of Rome or to any Bishop of the same See for the time being within this Realme or in any the Kings dominions and countries That then euery such person or persons so doing or offending their aiders assistants comfortors abettors procurers maintainers fautors counsellours conceilours and euery of them being thereof lawfully conuicted according to the Lawes of this Realme for euery such default and offence shall incurre and runne into the dangers penalties paines and forfeitures ordeined and prouided by the statute of Prouision and Premunire made in the sixteenth yeare of the reigne of the noble and valiant Prince King Richard the second against such as attempt procure or make prouision to the See of Rome or elsewhere for any thing or things to the derogation or contrarie to the Prerogatiue royall or iurisdiction of the Crowne and dignitie of this Realme King Henry still hearing of the murmuring of his Subiects vpon the enacting of this Statute writes againe to his principall magistrates in euery countrey in this manner following Henry R. By the King TRusty and welbeloued we grete yow well And wheras heretofore as ye know both vpon most iust and vertuouse fowndacions grownded vpon the lawes of Almighty God and holy Scripture And also by the deliberate aduice consultacion consent and agreement aswell of the Bishops and Clergie as by the Nobles and Commons temporall of this owr realme assembled in owr high Court of Parliament and by auctorite of the same the abuses of the Bisshop of Rome his auctorite and iurisdiction of long time vsurped against vs haue been not onely vtterly extirped abolished and secluded but also the same owr Nobles and Commons both of the Clergie and Temporalty by an other seuerall Acte and vpon like fundacion for the publike weale of this our realme haue vnited knytte and annexed to vs and the Crowne imperiall of this our realme the title dignitie and stile of Supreme hed in erthe immediatly vndre God of the Church of England as vndoubtedly euermore we haue ben which thing also the said Bisshops and Clergie particularly in their Conuocacions haue holly and entyrely consented recognised ratifyed confirmed and approued authentiquely in wryting both by their speciall othes profession and wryting vnder their Signes and Seales so vtterly reuouncyng all other othes
the King And in case they shall by him or otherwise lerne and knowe that Melanchton is there arryued then his grace wold that the said Haynes and Mount shall in such sort as they be not moche noted resorte vnto him and for the disuading of his continuance there or alteration of his opinion and alluring of him hither to vse suche reasons and persuasions as be before written with suche other as they can further deuise for that purpose To the which Haynes and Mount the Kings pleasure is ye shall deliuer like copies of the said Deanes booke and Bishops Sermons to be shewed vnto the said Melanchton or otherwise vsed as may be most expedient for thachyeuement of the Kings purpose in that behaulfe Ye shall also vnderstande that the kings pleasure is ye shall write to Sir Iohn Wallop and send vnto him therwith like copies willing him in case he shall haue certain knowledge that tharticles be true written in these his letters concernyng the French Kings sending into Germany for the continuance of the Bishop of Romes pretended supremacie to repaire with the said copies to the French King and not only to set the same furth with such reasons as he can deuise in that part shewing how moche it shal be against his honour both to geue himselfe subiect to the said Bishop and moue other to doo the semblable but also to declare vnto him that the Kings highnes remembring his old frendly promises concernyng the mayntenance of his cause and of his procedyngs touching the same cannot thinke it a litle strange that the said French King seing his Maiestie hath in his doings touching the said Bishop of Rome moued neyther his nor any Princes subiects will mâ—ue and styr the Germayns to condescende vpon a contrary opinion both to themselfs and to his grace in this behalfe And that his Maiestie must nedes thinke this Amytie moche touched in that he shuld moue any state or cuntrie to doo that thing whiche is so moche against the Kings highnes and his owne promes vsing all the waies to disuade him from the dishonorable obedience of the said Bishops See mouing him to inclyne to the Kings iust opinion touching the same Finally the Kings pleasure is ye shall write an other letter to the Bishop of Aberden signifying that the Kings Maiestie taketh it very vnkindly that the King his Nephieu wold now embrace without his aduise or counsail being his derest frend and Vncle and now in liege and Amytie with him the mariage of Mounsieur de vandous daughter wherevnto he wold geue non eare at his graces ouerture hertofore made of the same In your seid letter imputing a great negligence therein to the said Bishop and other of his Masters counsail seing their Master sheweth not in the doing therof suche amytie towards the Kings highnes as the frendship betwene them doth require And to make an end his grace will in no wise that Barnes of Haynes shall tarry for any further instruction of the Bishop of Canterbury or any other his grace hauing determyned to sende the same after by Master Almoner and Heth but that he Master Haynes and Mount shal with all possible diligence departe immediatly in post without lenger tarying thenne for this their depeche shal be necessary soo as their abode empeche not the Kings purpose touching the said Melanchton And thus fare youe most hartly well From Langley in moche hast this Monday at iiii of the clocke at after none Your louyng Frends T. Norffolk George Rocâ—ford Also before the beginning of that Parliament wherin the Popes supreme authoritie here in England was abolished these remarkable Inductions following were set downe and commanded by the King and his Councell to be suddenly put in execution First to send for all the Bishops of this realme and speciallie for suche as be nerest to the Courte and to examine them a parte whether they by the law of God can proue and iustifie that he that now is called the Pope of Rome is aboue the generall Counsaile or the generall Counsail aboue him Or whether he hath gyuen vnto him by the law of God any more auctority within the realme then any other foreyn Bishop Item to deuise with all the Bishoppes of this realme to set furth preach and cause to be preched to the Kings people that the said Bishop of Rome called the Pope is not in auctoryte aboue the generall Counsell but the generall Counsell is aboue him and all Bishpos And that he hathe not by Goddes law any more iurisdiction within this realme then an other forraine Bishop being of any other realme hath And that such auctority as he before this hath vsurped within this realme is both against Gods law and also against the generall Counsalles Which vsurpation of auctoritie onely hath growen to him by the sufferance of Prynces of this realme and by none auctority from God Item therefore that order be taken for such as shall preach at Paules Crosse from henceforth shall continually from Sonday to Sonday preach there and also teach and declare to the people that hee that now calleth himselfe Pope nether any of his Predecessours is and were but onely the Bishops of Rome and hath no more authoritie and iurisdiction by Gods law within this realme then any other forraine Bishop hath which is nothing at all And that such authoritie as hee hath claimed heretofore hath been onely by vsurpation and sufferance of Princes of this realme And that the Bishop of London may bee bound to suffer none other to preach at Paules Crosse as hee will answer but such as will preach and set forth the same Item that all the Bishops within this realme bee bound and ordered in the same wise and cause the same to bee preached throughout all their Diocesses Item that a speciall practise be made and a straight commandement giuen to all Prouincialls Ministers and rulers of all the foure Orders of Friers within this realme commanding them to cause the same to be preached by all the Preachers of their religions and through the whole realme Item to practise with all the Friers Obseruants of this realme and to command them to preach likewise or else that they may be stayed and noâ— suffered to preach in no place of the realme Item that euery Abbot Prior and other heads of religious houses within this realme shall in like manner teach their Conuents and brethren to teach and declare the same Item that euery Bishop shall make speciall commandements to euerie Parson Vicar and Curate within his Diocesse to preach and declare to his Parishoners in likewise Item Proclamations to be made throughout the realme containing the whole Act of Appeales And that the same Act may bee impressed transumed and set vp on euery Church doore in England to the intent that no Parson Vicar Curate nor any other of the Kings subiects shall make themselues ignorant thereof Item the Kings prouocations and appellations made from the Bishop
the Prior and Couent of the White Friers Carmelites in Stanford the â—bboâ— and Couent of our blessed Lady of Bidlesden the Warden and brethren of the grey Friers of Couentrie Bedford and Alesbury surrendred vp them houses into the kings hands Battaile Abbey in Sussex Martine Abbey in Surrey Straâ—ford Abbey in Essex Lewis in Suffex Saint Austines in Canterbury the new Abbey at the Tower hill the Minories without Aldgate the Nunnery at Clerken well The Hospitall of Saint Thomas Akers the Blacke-Friers the White-Friers the grey Friers and the Charterhouse Monks in London with the most or all other were surrendred after the same manner In September the same yeare Viz. An. 30. Hen. 8. by the speciall motion of great Cromwell all the notable images vnto the which were made any especiall pilgrimages and offerings as the images of our Lady of Walsingham Ipswich Worcester the Lady of Wilsdon the rood of Grace of our Ladie of Boxley and the image of the rood of Saint Sauiour at Bermondsey with all the rest were brought vp to London and burnt at Chelsey at the commandement of the foresaid Cromwell all the Iewels and other rich offerings to these and to the Shrines which were all likewise taken away or beaten to peeces of other Saints throughout both England and Wales were brought into the Kings Treasurie In the same yeare also the Abbey of Westminster was surrendred being valued to dispend by the yeare three thousand foure hundred and seuenty pound or by some 3977. l. 6. s. 4. d. ob q. as in the Catalogue of religious houses the Monkes being expelled King Henry placed therein a Deane and Prebendaries and made the last Abbot whose name was Benson the first Deane in the time of Edward the sixth it was made a Bishops See shortly after the benefits of the Church being abridged it came againe to a Deane and Prebends Againe Queene Marie ordained there an Abbot and his Monkes who continued not many yeares but were againe cut off by Act of Parliament And lastly Queene Elizabeth that wonder of the world made it a collegiate Church or rather a Nursery for the Church saith Norden for there she ordained to the glory of God the propagation of true Religion and good literature a Deane twelue Prebendaries an vpper master and an Vsher for the Schoole fourtie Schollers called the Queenes or Kings Schollers who as they become worthie are preferred to the Vniuersities besides Ministers Singers and Organists ten Quiristers and twelue well deseruing Souldiers Thus you see the interchangeable vicissitude of her foundacion and if it had not beene for the reuerend regard they had of the Sepulchres inauguration and vnction here of their famous Ancestors these forenamed Kings if I may ground my reason vpon the passages of those times had taken her commings in to haue inrichâ— their owne coffers despoiled her oâ— her vnualuable wealth and ornaments and battered downe to the ground her sacred Edâ—fice The fifth of December â—n the soresaid yeare the Abbey of Saint Albaâ—s was surrendred by the Abbot and Monkes there by deliuering the Couent Seale into the hands of Tho. Pope D. Peter Master Canendish and others the Kings visiters Now all or the most of all the religious houses in England and Wales being thus surrendred the King summoned another Parliament at Westâ—minster for howsoeuer these forenamed religious orders and other more of their owne free and voluntary mindes good wills and assents without constraâ—â—t â—oactâ—on or compulsion as are the words in the Statute of any manner of person or persons by due order of law and by their sufficient writings of Record vnder their Couent and common Seales had alreadie gâ—uen granted and confirmed renounced left and forsaken all their religious hâ—uâ—â—s with their lands and all other the appurtenances to the same belongingâ— vnto the King his heires and successors for euer Yet it was thought necessarie by the King and his Councell that these their â—o uâ—taâ—ic donations should bee further ratified by authoritie of that high 〈◊〉 whereupon it was enacted that all Monasteries with their Scites circuits and precincts laâ—ds Lordships and all othâ—r franchises not onely those which were surrendred or dissolued before the session of this Parliament but also such as were to bee surrendred or dissolued hereafter shouâ—d bee vested deemed and adiudged to be in the very actuall and reall season and possession of the King his heires and successors for euer The religious Order of Saint Iohns of Ierusalem whose chiefe mansion house was in the precincts of Clerkenwell Parish within the Country of Middlesex consisting of gentlemen and souldiers of ancient families and high spirits could by no means be brought in to present to his Maiestie any of these puling petitions and publike recognitions of their errors thereby like the rest to giue a loafe and beg a shiue to turne themselues out of actuall possession and lie at the Kings mercie for some poore yearely pension But like stoâ—â—â— fellowes stood out against any that thought to enrich themselues with their ample reuenues vntill they were cast out of their glorious structures and all other their estates for these causes following alledged aâ—gainst them in open Parliament as appeares by the statute beginning thus The Lords Spirituall and Temporall and the Commons of this present Parliament assembled hauing credible knowledge that diuers and sundrie the kings subiects called the Knights of the Rhodes otherwise called Knights of Saint Iohns otherwise called Friers of the religion of S. Iohn of Ierusalem in England and of a like house being in Ireland abiding in the parties of beyond the sea and hauing aswell out of this Realme as out of Ireland and other the Kings dominions yearely great summes of money for maintenance of their liuings Haue vnnaturally and contrary to the dutie of their alleageances sustained and maintained 〈…〉 power and authoritie of the Bishop of Rome lately vsed and 〈◊〉 within this Realme and other the Kings dominions and haue not onely adhered themselues to the said Bishop being common enemy to the King our soueraigne Lord and to this his Realme vntruely vpholding knowledging and affirming maliciously and traiterously the same Bishop to bee supreme and chiefe head of Christs Church by Gods holy word Entending thereby to subuert and ouerthrow the good and godly laws and statutes of this realme for the abolishing expulsing and vtter extincting of the said vsurped power and authoritie but also haue defamed and slandered as well the Kings Maiestie as the Noblemen Prelates and other the Kings true and louing subiects of this Realme for their good and godly proceeding in that behalfe Vpon these causes and other considerations it was enacted That the Corporation of the said Religion as well within this Realme as within the Kings dominion and Land of Ireland should be vtterly dissolued and void to all entents and purposes And that Sir William Weston Knight as then Prior of the said Religion of this Realme of
repaire to â—ee instructed in good literature and in the Catholicke faith lest that any thing in the English Church might be sinâ—steâ—ly expounded contrary to the vniuersall vnitie and so being established in the orthodoxall and right receiued Faith they might returne backe againe into their owne countrey For the doctrine and Schooles of the English Nation since the time of Archbishop Austin had beene interdicted by diuers Romish Bishops for certaine heresies which daily appeared after the comming in of the Saxons into Britaine by reason of the commixture of the misbeleeuing wicked Pagans with the Christians of holy conuersation Hee also caused a Church to be erected neare to the foresaid house or Colledge which he dedicated to the honour of the blessed Virgine Mary in which such of the English as came to Rome might celebrate dâ—uine Seruice and that therein if any of the said English there happened to depart this world they might be inâ—erred And all these that they might for euer be more firmly corroborated it was ordained by a generall decree throughout all the kingdome of the West-Saxons that in euerie familie one pennie should be yearely collected and sent ouer to blessed Saint Peter and the Church of Rome which in English Saxons was called Romescot that the English there abiding migâ—t by that meane haue sufficient to liue vpon Thus â—aâ—re Mathew of Westminsteâ— surnamed the Flower-gatherer The which in substance is thus deliuerâ—d by a late writer yet in a different manner He meaning Ina instituted also a certaine yearely payment to the See of Rome enioyning euery one of his Subiects that possesâ—ed in his house of one kinde of goods to the value of twentie pence that he should pay a pâ—ny to the Pope yearely vpon Lammas day which at that time was contributed vnder the name of the Kings Almes but afterwards was called and challenged by the name of Peter-pence Another of the same gift by the said King hath these times He gaue to Rome eche yere The Rome pence thorrow West sex all about Perpetually to be well payd and clere For vnto Rome he went without all doubt After the example and with the like zeale of Ina Offa the most magnificent king of the Mercias in great deuotion went also to Rome and made euery house within his territories subiect to this payment of Romescot Ossa gaue through Mers the Rome penny Vnto the Church of Rome Afterwards about the yeare eight hundred and fiftie this tribute was confirmed and made further payable throughout all England For Ethelwolfe as then being sole Monarch of the Englishmen hauing beene sometimes for certaine yeares as Haneden and Brampton write Bishop of Winchester remembring his Ecclesiasticke profession and ordaining first that tithes and lands due to holy Church should be free from all tributes and Regall seruices in the nineteenth yeare of his raigne with the like deuotion of the two former kings went in pilgrimage taking with him his youngest sonne Alfred or Elfred to the foresaid chiefe Citie of the Romanes where he was both honourablie receiued and entertained by the Bishop of Rome and the whole Senate for the space of one yeare and vpwards in which time he rebuilt the English Schoole before remembred which lately had beene almost quite consumed with fire And in lieu of his kinde entertainment confirmed the former grant of Peter-pence causing it to bee payed throughout all his Dominions and further couenanted to pay yearely to Rome three hundred Markes thus to be employed one hundred to Saint Peters Church another hundred to Saint Pauls light and the third to the Pope a Saint that euermore will haue his share to the entent saith one that no Englishmen should doe penance in bounds as he saw some do before his face This Athilwolfe to Rome toke his way In pilgramage with him his sonne Aelfrede To Peter and Pole he graunted infenitife The Rome pence of all Englond As Flores saith as I con vnderstond Saith Harding cap. 105. And further to confirme the premisses may it please you to trouble your patience in the reading of these following hard rimes transcribed out of a namelesse old Author Adelwolfe his sonne att Chester his cite For al hys kyngs and Barons of estate Sent forth anone at hys parlament to be Whycheatte Chester was than preordynate To whyche al cam both Kyngs Duks and Prelat And odar al of honor or Empryse Hym for to do obeysaunce and servysse anon to Roome he went In pylgrymage wythe hooly good entent Wher he was so abydyng full too yer In hooly lyff and full perfactyon In ryall wyse as to a pryns afer And to the Pope wythe ful affectyon Hys comonyng ay had at hys electyon He gaue to Peter lyght And to Sent Poule whaâ— is ful gret repayr Too thowsand mark of Venyse gold ful ryght For sustenaunce of the Chyrches ryght He Busschopp was in hys Fadars day And for defaut of heyr was crownyd kyng Wharfor whan he hys lond in good aray Fre of servysse had set above all thyng He grauntyd tythe of all hys lond ofspryng Tyll thre persones dwelling in vnyte Why charr on God dwellyng in Trynite And Roome pens he graunte vnto the Pope Perpetuelly to haue of al Englond So perfytt was hys mynd who couth hit grope In al goodnes growndyd I vndyrstond Thrugh al hys myght in al hys noble lond The Pece he kepte and in his Se iudicyall The common Law among hys peple all Edgar king of England made sharpe constitutions for the payment of this Tribute And it was one of the lawes of Edward the Confessour that euery householder which had triginta denariatas viuae pecuniae in domo sua de proprio suo Thirtie pence of ready money or of any kinde of cattell in his house of his owne proper should by the Law of the English giue a pennie to Saint Peter and by the Law of the Danes halfe a marke which pennie was to be demanded at or vpon the feast of Saint Peter and Paul and to be collected before the feast of Saint Peter ad vincula and not to be deferred to any further day And if any withheld the payment thereof any longer time complaint was to be made to the Kings Officers for that this penny was the Kings Almes And that the partie so offending should hee constrained by iustice to make payment thereof on paine of forfeiting his goods Now if any man had more dwelling houses then one hee was to pay onely for that house where he should happen to be resiant at the said feast of Saint Peter and Paul Henry the second vpon his conquest of Ireland imposed this tribute vpon that kingdome onely to curry fauour with the Pope who as then was Adrian the fourth called before his inthronization Nicholas Breakespeare borne at Abbots Langley in Hertfordshire For hee saith Speed in the life of the said Henry knowing how great and dangerous tumults the Popes had
Brute farre by West beyond the Gallike land is found An Isle which with the ocean seas inclosed is about Where Giants dwelt sometime but now is desart ground Most meet where thou maiest plant thy selfe with all thy rout Make thitherwards with speed for there thou shalt finde out An euer-during seat and Troy shall rise anew Vnto thy race of whom shall kings be borne no doubt That with their mighty power the world shall whole subdew Brute was no sooner awaked then that he related this his dreame or vision to such of his companie as he thought requisite to be acquainted with such a matter of importance after great reioycing and ceremonious thanksgiuing they ioyntly resolued to seeke out this fortunate Island and so returned to their ships with great ioy and gladnesse as men put in comfort to finde out the wished seats for their firme and sure habitations prophesied and promised vnto them by the Oracle not long after Per varios casus per tot discrimina rerum Passing through many dangers by sea by land 'mongst strangers They landed at Totnes in Deuonshire about the yeare of the world 2855. and before Christs natiuitie 1108. Of which M. Drayton Polyol Song 1. Mye Britaine-sounding Brute when with his puissant fleete At Totnesse first he toucht Brute hauing taken a view of this Island and destroyed all such as stood against him commanded that the Isle should be called Brutaine which before was called Albion peopled with gyants and the inhabitants thereof Britaines or Brutaines allusiuely after his owne name Within a short time after his arriuall he laid the foundation of a Citie which he named Troynouant or new Troy now London vpon a plot of ground lying on the North side of the riuer of Thames which he built in remembrance of that noble City of Troy from whence hee and his people were descended as also to bee the seat Royall and chiefe Chamber of his imperiall kingdome He also built a Temple to the honour of his Pagan Gods and Goddesses Which stood by coniecture in the same place where now this Cathedrall Church of Saint Paul is erected in which idolatrous Archflamen he bequeathed his body to be buried Here in his new Citie when he had established certaine lawes teaching his people to liue after a ciuill order and fashion also to build townes and villages to worship the Gods to till and plow the earth to weare apparrell to anoint and trimme their bodies and to be short to liue after an humane manner and had holden the regiment of this kingdome right nobly the space of twenty and foure yeares hee departed the world Hauing parted his dominions into three parts amongst his three sonnes Locrine Camber and Albanact with condition that the two younger brethren should hold of the eldest and to him doe homage and fealtie Brute tooke shippe and arriued in Albion Where Diane said should been his habitation And when he came the coasts of it vpon He was full glad and made great exultacion And afterwards vpon the alteration of the name of Albion the building of London the establishing of his lawes the diuision of his Empire as also of his death and buriall the same Author hath these verses This Brutus thus was king in regalite And after his name he called this Ile Briteyn And all his menne by that same egalite He called Briteynes as croniclers all saine So was the name of this ilke Albion All sette on side in Kalandes of a change And putte awaye with great confusion And Briteyn hight so furth by new exchange After Brutus The citee great of Troynouaunt so faire He buylded then on Thamys for his delite Vnto the North for his dwellyng and for his most repaire Whiche is to saie in our language perfite New Troy In whiche throughout his peace and law he sette Whiche been the floures of all regalite With out whiche but if thei twoo be mette There may no Prince hold principalite Ne endure long in worthy dignite For if those twoo be nought vpholden than What is a kyng more worth then his liege man This kyng Brute kepte well this Isle in peace And sette his lawes of Troye with orders rites And consuetudes that might the land encreace Such as in Troye was most profittes Vnto the folke and the common profettes He made theim wryten for long rememory To rule the Isle by theim perpetually His menne he did rewarde full royally With lands and rentes that with hym suffred pain And Troynouaunt he made full specially An Archflaume his sea Cathedrall certain A Temple thereof Apolyne to opteyne By Troyane lawe of all such dignite As Archbyshop hath now in his degre This kyng Brutus made people faste to tylle The land aboute in places both farre and nere And sowe with sede and get them corne full wele To liue vpon and haue the sustenaunce clere And so in fields both farre and nere By his wysdome and his sapience He sette the lande in all suffycience And as the fate of death doth assigne That nedes he muste his ghoost awaye relees To his goddas Dyane he did resigne His corps to be buryed withouten lees In the Temple of Apolline to encreace His soule amonge the goddes euerychone After his merites tronized high in trone It is said saith Sir Edward Coke to the Reader of the third part of his Reports that Brutus the first king of this land as soone as hee had setled himselfe in his kingdome for the safe and peaceable gouernment of his people wrote a booke in the Greeke tongue calling it The Lawes of the Britanes and he collected the same out of the Lawes of the Troianes Brute died after the Creation 2806. yeares before the Incarnation 1103. Samuel then Iudge of Israel Robert of Glocester my old Mss. hath these rimes touching some passages in this History of Brute Brute wende fory in ye lond and espied vp and doun For to seche a fair plas to mak an heued toun He com and fond vpe Temese a place fair ynough A good contre and plenteuous and yuder his herte drough Yat shippes out of eche londe myght bryng good ywys Yer he rerd hys chefe toun yat London cleped ys Yet so ne cleped he it nought but for honour and ioye Yat he from Troie comen was he cleped it new Troye Bruit yis ilke noble Prince Sones had thre By his wyff Ignogent noble men and fre Locryn and Camber and Albanack also Atte last diede Brut. Yo thys was ydo Aftur yat he com into Engelond ye xxiiii yere I buryed he was at London yat he lette furst arere Thus much of king Brute as the brute of him goes and as the vulgar receiued opinion is the maine points of his story being brought into queâ—stion by many of our learned authenticall writers The Conquerour William brought with him from Roane in Normandy certaine Iewes whose posterity here inhabiting within the prime Cities of the kingdome
and vowed virginitie cast off all care of hauing issue and exposed the kingdome to the prey of ambitious humours Yet some that would excuse him in this affirme that this holy king was not willing to beget any heires that should succeed him out of a treacherous race Here lieth without any Tombe Maude daughter to Malcolm Camoir king of Scots and wife to king Henry the first who brought vnto him children William Richard and Mary which perished by shipwracke and Maud Empresse who was wise to Henry the fift Emperour She died the first day of May Maij prima dies nostrorum nocte dierum raptam perpetua fecit inesse die 1118. She had an excellent Epigram made to her commendation whereof these foure verses onely remaine Prospera non laetam fecere nec aspera tristem Aspera risus erant prospera terror erant Non decor effecit fragilem non sceptra superbam Sola potens humilis sola pudica decens Thus paraphrastically translated No prosperous state did make her glad Nor aduerse chances made her sad If Fortune frown'd she then did smile If Fortune smil'd she fear'd the while If Beauty tempted she said nay No pride she tooke in Scepters sway She onely high her selfe debast A Lady onely faire and chast She went euery day in the Lent time to this Church bare-foot and bare-legd wearing a garment of haire she would wash and kisse the feet of the poorest people and giue them bountifull Almes For which being reprehended by a Courtier shee gaue him a short answer which I haue out of Robert of Glocester Madame for Goddes love is this wel i doo To handle sich vnclene â—ymmes and to kisse so Foule wolde the kyng thynk if that hit he wiste And ryght wel abyse hym er he your mouth kiste Sur sur qd the Quene be stille why sayste thow so Owr Lord hymself ensample yaf so for to do She founded as I haue said before the Priory of Christ-church within Aldgate and the Hospitall of S. Giles in the Fields She builded the Bridges ouer the Riuer of Lea at Stratford Bow and ouer the little Brooke called Chanelsebridge shee gaue much likewise to the repairing of high-wayes But I will take my leaue of her with these words of Paris Obijt eodem anno Matildis Regina Anglorum cuius corpus apud Westmonasterium quietem sepulturae accepit anima eius se coelum possidere evidentibus signis et miraculis crebris ostendit Here lieth vnder a rich Monument of Porphery adorned with precious stones the body of Henry the third king of England In the fifth yeare of whose raigne and the Saturday next before his second time of Coronation the New worke the old being ruinous and pulled downe of this Church of Westminster was begun To which sacred Edifice this king was a perswader he was the Founder and laid the first stone in the ground-worke of the building The Newerke atte Westmynstre ye kyng tho ganne anone Aftyr hys coronyng and leyde the fyrst stone As if he meant the world should know his intention was to consecrate his future actions to the glory of God He gaue to this Church royall gifts of Copes Iewels and rich vessels and for the holy Reliques of Edward the Confessor he caused a coffin to be made of pure gold and pretious stones and so artificially by the most cunning Goldsmiths that could be gotten that although the matter it was made of was of an inestimable valew tamen Materiam superabat opus yet the workmanship excelled the matter saith Mathew Paris A Prince he was as our histories affirme of greater deuotion then discretion in permitting the depredation of himselfe and his subiects by papall ouerswayings This King saith Robert of Glocester as in worldlich doyng was not hald ful wyse but mor deuout to spiritual things he was euery dey woned to here thre Masses by note Quante innocentie quante patientie quanteque deuotionis et quanti meriti in vita sua erat apud Deum testantur post ipsius mortem miracula subsecuta Of how much integrity of how much patience of how much deuotion and of how much merite he was in his life time before God the miracles which followed after his death doe testifie saith the compendious chronicle of Canterbury He died the 16 of Nouember 1273. when he liued sixty fiue yeares and raigned fiftie sixe yeares and eighteene daies this Epitaph following is annexed to his Tombe Tertius Henricus iacet hic pietatis amicus Ecclesiam strauit istam quam post renouauit Reddet ei munus qui regnat trinus et vnus Tertius Henricus est Templi conditor huius Dulce bellum inexpertis Which is thus Englished by Robert Fabian The frende of pyte and of almesse dede Henry the thyrde whylome of Englande Kyng Who thys Church brake and after hys mede Agayn renewed into this fayre buylding Now resteth in here whiche did so great a thinge He yelde his mede that Lord in Deyite That as one God reygneth in persones thre Henry the thyrde is the buylder of thys Temple War is pleasant to those that haue not tryed it In the additions to Robert of Glocester a Manuscript in the Heralds Office these rimes are written to his remembrance Aftur hym regnyd the thurd Harry A good man and eke an hely In hys tym werrys were full strong And eke mickle stryf in Englond The Batayl of Lewys was than And alsoo the Batayl of Euesham And that tym alsoo ther was The Translacyon of Sent Thomas In hys tym as I vndyrstond Come Freres Menores into thys lond He regnyd Kyng lvi yere And to Westmynstre men hym bere At the head of the foresaid King Henry his sonne Edward surnamed Long-Shanks lieth entombed King of England the first of that Christian name since the Conquest and as he was the first of his name so was he the first that setled the law and state deseruing the stile of Englands Iustinian and freed this kingdome from the wardship of the Peeres shewing himselfe in all his actions after capable to command not the Realme onely but the whole world At the time of his Fathers death he was abroad in Palestine pursuing his high desires for the Holy Warres and after sixe yeares from his first setting out he returnes into England receiues the Crowne without which he had beene a King almost three yeares at the hands of Robert Archbishop of Canterbury and with him is Eleanor his vertuous Queene likewise crowned at Westminster To the which their magnificent pompous Coronations the presence of Alexander King of Scotland who had married Margaret his eldest sister was required as appeares by this Record following Rex dilectis et fidelibus suis Iohanni Louetot et Galfrido de Newbald Custodibus Episcopatus Deunelm Salutem Mandamus vobis quod de primis denarijs prouenientibus de exitibus Episcopatus predicti habere faciatis Alexandro
septimi nec non Thesaurarius Hospitij reuerendissimi Patris domini huius regni Cancellarij titulo Sancte Cecilie trans Tiberim sacro sancte Romane Ecclesie Presbyteri Cardinalis ordinati Qui quidem Willelmus ob 3. Iulij 1518. Here is an Epitaph cut in Brasse vpon a marble stone now almost worne out which was made to the memory of one Robert Haule Esquire murdered in this Church the manner whereof our Chronicles doe thus briefely relate In the battell of Nazers in Spaine this Robert Haule or Hawley and Iohn Schakell Esquires tooke the Earle of Dene prisoner who deliuered vnto them his sonne and heire as a pledge for assurance of performances Not long after this their Hostage was demanded by Iohn Duke of Lancaster in the Kings name whom they denyed to deliuer for which they were clapt in the Tower from whence escaping here they tooke Sanctuary to whom Sir Raph Ferreis and Sir Alan Buxhull with fifty armed men were secretly sent to doe this mischiefe who finding them at high Masse first drew Schakell by a wile out of the priuiledge of the Church then offering to lay hands on Hawley he manfully resisting with his short sword made them all flie off But in the end he was slaine in the Chancell commending himselfe in his last words to God the reuenger of such iniuries and to the liberty of our holy mother the Church With him was slaine a seruant of his thrust into the backe with a Iauelin and a Monke who intreated for him in respect of the holinesse of the place This wicked act was perpetrated the 11. of August 1378. the second of Richard the second These words following now onely remaining vpon his Monument Me dolus ira furor multorum militis atque ................... ..... in hoc gladijs celebri pietatis asylo Dum leuita Dei sermonis legit ad aram Proh dolor ipse meo Monachorum sanguine vultus Aspersi moriens chorus est mihi testis in evum Et me nunc retinet sacer is locus Haule Robertum Hic quia pestiferos male sensi primitus enses .................. Hic iacet Thomas Ruthal Episcopus Dunelmensis Regis Henrici septimi Secretarius qui obijt 1524. To this short Inscription Godwin in his Catalogue addeth a long story of the life and death of this Bishop Who was borne in Cicester saith he in the County of Glocester and brought vp in Cambridge where he proceeded Doctor of Law He was preferred to the Bishopricke of Durham by King Henry the seuenth after whose death hee was made one of the priuie Councell vnto the young King Henry the eight who esteemed greatly of him for his wisedome and learning and imployed him often in ambassages and other businesses of importance Amongst the rest it pleased the king one time to require him to set downe his iudgement in writing concerning the estate of his kingdome in generall and particularly to enforme him in certaine things by him specified This discourse the Bishop writ very carefully and caused it to be bound in Velime gilt and otherwise adorned in the best manner Now you shall vnderstand that it chanced himselfe about the same time to set downe a note of his owne priuate estate which in goods and ready money amounted to the summe of one hundred thousand pounds This account was written in a paper booke of the same fashion and binding that the other was which was prouided for the king Whereby it happened that the king sending Cardinall Wolsey for the other draught which he had so long before required of him the Bishop mistaking deliuered that which contained an estimate of his owne infinite Treasure This the Cardinall soone espying and willing to doe the Bishop a displeasure deliuered it as he had receiued it vnto the King shewing withall how the Bishop had very happily mistaken himselfe for now quoth he you see where you may at any time command a great masse of money if you need it As soone as the Bishop vnderstood his errour the conceit thereof touched him so neare that within a short spaâ—â— after hee died at his house here in the Strand His intention was to haue repaired the Church of Cicester to haue built Bridges as he had begun that ouer the Riuer of Tyne and to haue done many other deeds of charitie if hee had not beene preuented by death Here lieth the body of Sir William Trussell knight and speaker of that Parliament wherein Edward the second king of England resigned his Diadâ—me and all ensignes of Maiestie to Edward his eldest Sonne This Trussell saith an ancient Author was a Iudge who could fit the house with quirks of Law to colour so lawlesse and treasonable an act as the deposing of a lawfull king And thereupon was chosen in the behalfe of the whole Realme to renounce all homage and obedience to the Lord Edward of Carnarvon his Soueraigne Lord and King The forme of which renunciation was by him the said Trussell pronounced at Kenelworth Castle the 20. of Ianuary 1326. in these disgracefull words which you may finde in Polychronicon I William Trussel in the name of al men of the lond of Engelond and of the Parliament Prolocutor resigne to the Edward the homage that was made to the somtym and from this tym forward now folowyng I defye the and priue the of al royal Powyr and shal neuer be tendant to the as for Kyng aftyr this tyme. The time of this Trussels death I cannot learne Here lieth interred before the Communion Table the body of Richard de Ware or Warren Abbot of this Monastery and sometime Lord Treasurer of England Who going to Rome for his consecration brought from thence certaine workmen and rich Porphery stones whereof and by whom hee made that curious singular rare pauement before the high Altar in which are circulary written in letters of brasse these ten verses following containing a discourse as one saith of the worlds continuance Si Lector posita prudenter cuncta reuoluat Hic finem primi mobilis inveniet Sepes trina canes equos homines super addas Ceruos coruos aquilas immania cete Mundi quodque sequens pereuntis triplicat annos Sphericus Archetypum globus hic monstrat Macrocosmum Christi milleno bis centeno duodeno Cum sexageno subductis quatuor anno Tertius Henricus Rex vrbs Odoricus Abbas Hos compegere Porphyreos lapides With these stones and workmen he did also frame the Shrine of Edward the Confessor with these verses Anno milleno Domini cum septuageno Et bis centeno cum completo quasi deno Hoc opus est factum quod Petrus duxit in actum Romanus ciuis Homo causam noscere si vis Rex fuit Henricus Sancti presentis amicus This Abbot died the second day of December 1283. after he had gouerned this Monastery three and twenty yeares and more Vpon whose grauestone this briefe
vestimentorum asperitate disciplinarum que assiduitate corpus suum extenuauit vt fere simul cum Iob sanctissimo pelli sue consumptis carnibus os suum adhereret Et hec talis tantaque sublata est et hec omnia simul Migrauit autem ad illum qui sibi fructuum decimas persolui voluit qui etiam Decalogum constituit mandatorum Miseremini igitur nostri miseremini nostri saltem vos amici nostri et vobis miseris compatiamini fluentes lacrimas per orationum suffragia desiccantes quia pium est saluberrimum pro defunctis exorare vt à peccatis solvantur Subuenite igitur benigni Monachi subuenite venerabiles Canonici vos sancte virgines in conspectu Altissimi preces bostias offerentes vt ipsius pie misercatur qui abstergit omnem lacrimam ab oculis Sanctorum quatenus que ei macule de terrenis contagijs adheserunt remissionis eius remedio deleantur Amen To this Supplication the religious of all houses answer in this forme Titulus Ecclesie Apostolorum Petri Pauli sancte Osithe Virginis Matris de Chich. Anima Domine Lucie Priorisse de Hengeham et anime omnium sidelium defunctorum per Dei miserecordiam requiescant in pace Amen Concedimus ei commune beneficium Ecclesie nostre Oranimus pro vestris orate pro nostris Some againe do answer thus Preter autem commune beneficium et orationes communes Ecclesie nostre concedimus ei ab vnoquoque Sacerdote vnam Missam inferioris ordinis vnum Psalterium et diem ipsius obitus in Martyrilogio nostro annotari fecimus All concluding euer with Oranimus pro vestris orate pro nostris Vnder the picture of the Crucifix the blessed Virgine and vpon her portraiture drawne vpon her Tombe these nicking nice allusiue verses were cut and engrauen Crux bona crux digna lignum super omnia ligna Me tibi consigna redimens a peste maligna Stella Maris candoris ebur speculum Paradysi Fons venie vite ianua Virgo vale Hec Virgo vite mitis super astra locatur Et sic Lucie lux sine fine datur Transijt ad superos venerabilis hec Monialis Vix succedit ei virtutum munere talis Luci lucie prece lux mediente Marie Luceat eterna quia floruit vt rosa verna Ad lucem Lucia venit sine fine manentem Et sic quem coluit patrem videt omnipotentem Tres tibi gemmate lucent Lucia coronâ— Insuper aurate dic lector qua rationâ— Mater virgo tamen Martir fuit ergo inu Amen Cernat ad examen districti Iudicis Amen Subueniant anime Lucie celica queque Ad quorum laudes dapsilis vrna fâ—it Sible Heueningham In this Parish Church sometime stood a Tombe arched ouer and engrauen to the likenesse of Hawkes flying in a wood which was raised to the remembrance of Sir Iohn Hawkewood knight borne in this village the sonne of Gilbert Hawkewood Tanner bound an apprentice to a Tailor in the Citie of London from whence he was prest in the seruice of King Edward the third in the warres of France Of whom for his admired valour he was honoured with the order of knighthood and in the like regard of his notable demerits Barnabie the warlicke brother of Galeasius Lord of Millaine father to Iohn the first Duke of Millaine gaue him his daughter Domnia in marriage by whom he had a sonne named Iohn borne in Italie made knight and naturalized in the seuenth yeare of King Hon. the fourth as I haue it out of a Manuscript in these words Iohannes silius Iohannis Haukewood Miles natus in partibus Italie factus indigena Ann. viii Hen. iiij mater eius nata in partibus transmarinis The Florentines in testimony of his surpassing valour and singular faithfull seruice to their state adorned him with the statue of a man of armes and a sumptuous Monument wherein his ashes remaine honoured at this present day The Italian writers both Historians and Poets resound his worthie acts with full mouth But for my part to vse M. Camdens words it may suffice to adde vnto the rest these foure verses of Iulius Feroldus Hawkwood Anglorum decus et decus addite genti Italicae Italico praesidiumque solo Vt tumuli quondam Florentia sic simulacri Virtutem Iouius donat honore tuam The glorie prime of Englishmen then of Italians bold O Hawkwood and to Italie a sure defensiue hold Thy vertue Florence honored sometime with costly Graue And Iouius adornes the same now with a Statue braue He died an aged man in the yeare of our redemption 1394. and in the eighteenth of King Richard the second His friends here in England who erected for him the foresaid Monument in this Church which were Robert Rokeden senior Robert Rokeden iunior and Iohn Coe founded here also for him a Chantrie and another in the Priorie of Heningham Castle to pray for his soule and the soules of Iohn Oliuer and Thomas Newenton Esquires his militarie companions Chesterford Here ly the bodyes of William Holden and Agnes his wyf whych William dyed ... 1532. on whos sowlys and al Christian sowlys ... Here ly William Holden and Katherin his wyf ...... 1524. This familie as I was told is now extinct here is an old ruinous house still remaining called Holdens Saffron Walden So called of the great plentie of Saffron growing in the fields round about the Towne a commoditie brought into England in the time of King Edward the third But I digresse and am quite off my Subiect being out of the Parish Church wherein Sir Thomas Audley knight of the Garter Baron Audley of this Towne sometime Sergeant at Law Attourney of the Duchie of Lancaster and Lord Chancellour of England lieth entombed with this seeli Epitaph The stroke of deaths ineuitable dart Hath now alas of life bereft the hart Of Sir Thomas Audley of the Garter knight Later Chancellor of England vnder our Prince of might Henry the eight worthie of high renowne And made by him Lord Audley of this Towne Obijt vltimo Aprilu Ann. Dom. 1544. Henrici 36. Cancelleriatus sui 13. aetatis 56. Haue mercy good Lord on the soul of Thomas Holden That hit may rest wyth God good neyghbors say Amen He gave the new Organs wheron hys name is set For bycause only yee shold not hym forget In yowr good preyers to God he took hys wey On thowsand fyve hundryd and eleuin in Nouembyr the fourth dey Hic iacet his stratus West Matheus tumulatus Qui fuit hic gratus vicarius ciueque natus M. Dominiter C .... terris sit remeatus Huic ...... existit propiciatus Of yowr cherite prey for the soulys of Ion Nichols Alys Ione Alys and Ione his wyfs Iohannes Pater Noster miserere nobis Alisia Fili redemptor mundi miserere nobis Ioanna Spiritus sancte miserere nobis Alisia Sancta
peicked after a strange fashion and a paire of Challices of course mettall lying vpon his breast the which was thought to be one of the Bishops of Donwiche but when they touched and stirred the same dead body it fell and went all to powder and dust And although these aforesaid three old Churches were not sumptuous great very faire after the manner fashion of Cathedral Churches now vsed yet it seemeth they might serue in those daies very well for it plainely appeareth in the book of the description of England and in the title of Bishoprickes and their Sees the thirteenth chapter whereas these words following are said Take heede for in the beginning of holy Church in England Bishops ordained and had their Sees in low places and simple that were conueniable and meete for contemplation and deuotion c. But in King William the Conquerours time by doome of Law Canon it was otherwise ordained that Bishops should remoue and come out of small townes and to haue their Sees in great Cities By meanes whereof it seemeth that the towne of Donwiche being then greatly decayed and also then likely more and more to decay as it hath done indeed from a great citie as some doe say or at the least from a very great ancient Towne to a little small Towne the Bishops seat of Donwich was remoued from Donwich to Elmham and Thetford and afterward to the Citie of Norwich whereas it yet remaineth There was a Mint in Dunwich for one Master Holliday told mee that he had a grote whose superscription on the one side was Ciuitas Donwic Diuers other things he told me of to make it a citie The Treatise is much longer but enough is already deliuered The succession of the Bishops of Dunwich is set downe by Bishop Godwin to which I refer my Reader The foundation of the Blacke Friers in Dunwich This religious Structure was founded by Sir Roger de Holishe Knight of the order you haue heard before of the time dedication value or surrender I finde not any thing Persons of note buried in the Church of this Monastery were as followeth Sir Roger de Holishe Knight the foresaid founder Sir Raufe Vfford and Dame Ione his wife Sir Henry Laxiffeld Knight Dame Ione de Harâ—ile Dame Ada Crauene Dame Ione Weyland Sister of the Earle of Suffolke Iohn Weyland and Ione his wife Thomas sonne of Richard Brews Knight Dame Alice wife of Sir Walter Hardishall Sir Walkin Hardesfield Austin Valeyus Raph Wingfeld Knight Richard Bokyll of Leston and Alice and Alice his wiues Sir Henry Harnold Knight and Fryer The grey Friers of Dunwich was founded first by Richard Fitz-Iohn and Alice his wife and after by King Henry the third of which I haue no further knowledge Herein lay interred the bodies of Sir Robert Valence the Heart of Dame Hawise Ponyngs Dame Ideu of Ylketishall Sir Peter Mellis and Dame Anne his wife Dame Dunne his mother Iohn Francans and Margaret his wife Dame Bert of Furniuall .... Austin of Cales and Ione his wife Iohn Falleyâ— and Beatrix his wife Augustine his sonne .... Wilexâ—es Sir Hubert Dernford Katherine wife of William Phellip Margaret wife of Richard Phellip Peter Codum I had the notes of these buried in these Monasteries as also of diuers other Monasteries in Suffolke and Norfolke out of the painefull collections of William le Neue Esquire Yorke Herauld truely copied out of the ancient originals thereof remaining in his custody Bury Saint Edmunds or Saint Edmundsbury This Town seemeth saith Camden to haue been of famous memory considering that when Christian Religion began to spring vp in this tract king Sigebert here founded a Church and it was called Villam Regiam that is a royall towne But after that the people had translated hither the body of Edmund that most christian King whom the Danes with exquisite torments had put to death and built in honour of him a very great Church wrought with a wonderfull frame of timber it began to be called Edmundi Burgus commonly Saint Edmundsbury and more shortly Bury But especially since that King Canutus for to expiate the sacrilegious impietie of his Father Suenus against this Church being often affrighted with a vision of the seeming-ghost of Saint Edmund built it againe of a new worke enriched it offered his owne Crowne vnto the holy Martyr brought vnto it Monkes with their Abbot and gaue vnto it many faire and large Mannors and among other things the Towne it selfe full and whole ouer which the Monkes themselues by their Seneschall had rule and iurisdiction Thus Knuts Charter began In nomine Poliarchie Iesu Christi saluatoris Ego Knut Rex totius Albionis Insule aliarumque nationum plurimarum in Cathedra regali promotus cum concilio decreto Archiepiscoporum Episcoporum Abbatum Comitum aliorumque omnium fidelium meorum elegisanciendum perpeti stabilimento ab omnibus confirmandum vt Monasterium quod Budrices Yurthe nuncupatur sit per omne euum Monachorum gregibus deputatum ad inhabitandum c. After a long recitall of his many donations corroborations priuiledges and confirmations of former grants he ends with an Additament of fish and fishing Huic libertati concedo additamentum scilicet maritimos pisces qui mihi contingere debent annualiter per Thelonei lucrum et Piscationem quam Vlskitel habuit in Pilla et omnia iura c. These gifts to this Abbey as to the most of all others were finally concluded with a fearefull curse to the infringers thereof and a blessing to all such that did any way better her ample endowments the Charter is signed with the marke which is the crosse and the consent of thirty and fiue witnesses of which a few as followeth ✚ Ego Knut Rex c. hoc priuilegium iussi componere compositum cum signo Dominice crucis confirmando impressi ✚ Ego Aelgifa Regina omni alacritate mentis hoc confirmaui ✚ Ego Wulsâ—anus Archiepiscopus consensi ✚ Ego Adelnodus confirmaâ—i c. After Knut one Haruey the Sacrist comming of the Norman bloud compassed the Burgh round about with a wall whereof there remaine still some few reliques and Abbot Newport walled the Abbey The Bishop of Rome endowed it with very great immunities and among other things granted That the said place should be subiect to no Bishop in any matter and in matters lawfull to depend vpon the pleasure and direction of the Archbishop which is yet obserued at this day And now by this time the Monkes abounding in wealth erected a new Church of a sumptuous and stately building enlarging it euery day more then other with new workes and whiles they laid the Foundation of a new Chappell in the raigne of Edward the first There were found as Euersden a Monke of this place writeth the walles of a certaine old Church built round so as that the Altar stood as it were in the mids
obliuion Absolon in his life time erected a pillar to retaine the memory of his name in that his issue male failed Will you heare the Text. Now Absolon in his life-time had taken and reared him vp a pillar which is in the Kings dale for hee said I haue no sonne to keepe my name in remembrance and hee called the pillar after his owne name and it is called vnto this day Absolons place This pillar which Absolon intended for the place of his sepulture hewne and framed out of the rocke or growing stone is to bee seene at this day saith Sandys all entire and of a goodly fabricke But to returne euery man like Absolon desires a perpetuity after death by these monuments or by other meanes according to that of Tertullian in his booke De Testimonio animae Quis non hodie saith hee memoriae post mortem frequentandae ita studet vt vel literaturae operibus vel simplici laude morum vel ipsorum sepulchrorum ambitione nomen suum seruet These that in their life time do thus build their owne sepulchres and take care in the ceremonious disposing of their funeralls would no question lay this charge vpon those which they must of necessity trust in the performance of their Wills and Testaments and employ their last dayes and houres in more heauenly designes if they did not oftentimes see in their course of life that as well heires as executours interre both the honour and memory of the defunct together with his corps perfidiously forgetting their fidelity to the deceased Of which will it please you reade this old inscription depicted vpon a wall within S. Edmunds Church in Lumbard-street London Man the behovyth oft to haue yis in mind Yat thow geueth wyth yin hond yat sall thow fynd For widowes be sloful and chyldren beth vnkynd Executors beth couetos and kep al yat yey fynd If eny body esk wher the deddys goodys becam Yey ansquer So God me help and halidam he died a poor man Yink on yis Io. Gower in his additions to his booke called Vox clamantis hath these verses contra mortuorum Executores much what to the same effect Dicunt Scripture memorare nouissima vite Pauper ab hoc mundo transiet omnis homo Dat Fortuna status varios Natura sed omnes Fine suo claudit cunctaque morte rapit Post mortem pauci qui nunc reputantur amici Sunt memores anime sis memor ipse tue Da dum tempus habes tibi propria sit manus heres Auferet hoc nemo quod dabis ipse Deo Vpon these and the like considerations they vsed as they now doe to inscribe or engraue these kinde of monuments with certaine sentences to this effect Fallax saepe fides testataque vota peribunt Constitues tumulum si sapis ipse tuum Or thus Certa dies nulli mors certa incerta sequentum Cura locet tumulum qui sapit ipse sibi Concluding most commonly with these words Viuus fecit Viuus faciendum curauit Viuus sibi posuit Se vino fecit Viuus hoc sibi fecit monumentum and the like Some erected their sepulchres whilst they were liuing concluding their inscriptions thus Sibi coniugi Sibi coniugi Liberis Sibi posteris And some that would not haue their wiues heires nor any other entombed therein thus Hoc monumentum heredes non sequuntur Or thus Rogo per deos superos inferosque ossa nostra ne violes This care of buriall moued Augustus Caesar to build his funerall monument in the sixth yeare of his Consulship for himselfe and the succeeding Emperours The like reason moued Hadrian to build his Tombe or Sepulchre neare vnto the bridge Aelium for the Mausoleum of Augustus was full as Xiphilinus writes in the life of Hadrian And to bring you this honie example the like consideration moued King Henry the seuenth in the eighteenth yeare of his raigne to build that glorious faire Chappell at Westminster for an house of buriall for himselfe his children and such onely of the bloud-royall as should descend from his Ioynes forbidding that any other of what degree or qualitie soeâ—uer should euer be interred in that sacred mould as appeares by his last Will and Testament Saint Augustine saith that the Funerals of the righteous in the times of old were performed with a zealous care their burials celebrated and their Monuments prouided in their life time Great hath been the care of buriall saith Camden euer since the first times insomuch that Fathers would lay charges vpon their children concerning the buriall and translating of their bodies euery one being desirous to returne in Sepulchra maiorum into the sepulchres of their Ancestours Iacob at his death charged his sonne Ioseph to carry his body into the sepulchre of his fathers And Ioseph himselfe commanded his brethren that they should remember and tell their posâ—eritie that when they went away into the land of promise they should carry his bones thither with them Abraham Isaac Iacob Sarah Rebecca Leah and Ioseph were buried together in one Sepulchre The kings of Aegypt accustomed to awe their subiects by threatning to depriue them of buriall And it was a penaltie of the law amongst the Romanes He that doth this or that let him be cast forth vnburied and so in the declamations He that forsakes his parents in their necessities let him be cast forth vnburied An Homicide let him be cast forth vnburied And so speakes Cicero to the peoples humour for Milo when hee affirmes his carcase to be more wretched because it wanted the solemne rites of funerall Commanders in warres vsed to terrifie their enemies with the want of buriall according to this speech of Hector in the fifteenth booke of Homers Iliads Then Hector cri'd out take no spoile but rush on to the fleete From whose assault for spoile nor flight if any man I meete He meetes his death nor in the fire of holy funerall His brothers nor his sisters hands shall cast within our wall His lothed body but without the throtes of dogs shall graue His manlesse limbes The people of Israel crying vnto God against the barbarous tyranny of the Babylonians who spoiled Gods inheritance polluted his Temple destroyed his religion and murdered his chosen Nation amongst other calamities thus they complaine for the want of sepulture The dead bodies of thy seruants haue they giuen to be meat vnto fowles of the heauen and the flesh of thy Saints vnto the beasts of the earth Their bloud haue they shed like waters round about Ierusalem and there was none to bury them God commands Elias to tell Iezebel that for her wickednesse the dogs should eate vp her flesh in the field of Iesreel and that her carcase should be as doung vpon the ground in the said field of Iesreel so that none should say this is Iezebel The seduced Prophet because he
Abbey of Rufford I finde these verses following of the constant sufferings of certaine virgine martyrs Quid de virginibus dignum loquere aspice fidem Fides ob veram sert mala multa sidem Huic ardens lectus solidum subuertere fidem Nec mors ipsa potest cui Deus ardor inest Tecla fer as Agathes Ergastula vulnera vicit Margarita truces virgo Lucia duces Balnea Cecilie feruentia nil nocuere Agneti nocuit flamma furorque nichil Nil etas nil mundus eis nil obfuit hostis Cuncta domant superant infima summa tenent His ornamentis fulget Domus Omnipotentis But I will conclude this Chapter with the words of Camden speaking of the Monasticall life and profession The profession of this Monasticall life saith he began when Pagan Tyrants enraged against Christians pursued them with bloudy persecutions For then good deuout men that they might serue God in more safety and security withdrew themselues into the vast wildernesses of Egypt and not as the Painims are wont with open mouth to giue it out for to enwrap themselues willingly in more miseries because they would not be in miserie Where they scattered themselues among mountaines and desarts liuing in caues and little cells here and there in holy meditations At first solitary and alone whereupon in Greeke they were called Monachi that is Monkes but after they thought it better as the sociable nature of mankinde required to meete together at certaine times to serue God and at length they began to cohabite and liue together for mutuall comfort rather then like wilde beasts to walke vp and downe in the desarts Their profession was to pray and by the labour of their owne hands to get liuing for themselues and maintenance for the poore and withall they vowed pouerty obedience and chastitie Athanasius first brought this kinde of Monkes consisting of lay-men into the West-Church Whereunto after that Saint Austen in Afrike Saint Martin in France and Congell one of the Colledge of Bangor in Britaine and Ireland had adioyned the function of regular Clergie It is incredible how farre and wide they spread how many and how great Coenobies were built for them so called of their communion of life as also Monasteries for that they kept still a certaine shew of solitarie liuing and in those dayes none were more sacred and holy then they and accordingly they were reputed considering how by their prayers to God by their example doctrine labour and industrie they did exceeding much good not onely to themselues but also to all mankinde But as the world grew worse and worse so those their holy manners as one said rebus cessere secundis that is Gaue backward in time of prosperitie But of the pietie of religious professours in the Primitiue times of the sanctitie of British and Saxon Kings of their Queenes and issue royall as also of other persons of exemplarie zeale and holy conuersation I doe speake hereafter in particular as I come to the places of their interments CHAP. XII Of the fall or backsliding as well of religious persons as of lay-people from the foresaid zealous ardour of pietie THis heate of deuotion which I haue spoken of continued not long in this Island For as the Clergie and other religious orders grew rich in faire buildings proud furniture and ample reuenues so they daily increased in all kindes of disorders which was no sooner perceiued but put in practise by the Laitie our kings declined from their former sanctitie and which the worst was after their examples many others especially of the Nobilitie did follow their licentious traces Examples of Princes being alwayes of greater force then other lawes to induce the people to good or to euill Nam haec conditio Principum vt quicquid faciant praecipere videantur To proue as much as I haue spoken In the yeare of Grace 747 Cuthbert Archbishop of Canterbury by the counsell of Boniface Bishop of Mentz called a Conuocation at Cliffe beside Rochester to reforme the manifold enormities wherewith the Church of England at that time was ouergrowne Our kings forsaking the companie of their owne wiues in those dayes delighted altogether in harlots which were for the most part Nunnes The rest of the Nobilitie following their example trode also the same trace The Bishops likewise and other of the Clergie that should haue beene a meanes of the reforming these faults in others were themselues no lesse faultie spending their times either in contentions and brables or else in luxurie and voluptuousnesse hauing no care of study and seldome or neuer preaching Whereby it came to passe that the whole land was ouerwhelmed with a most darke and palpable mist of ignorance and polluted with all kinde of wickednesse and impietie in all sorts of people In which Conuocation after long consultation with those his Bishops or Suffraganes and the rest of the Clergie which were holden in greatest esteeme for their learning in number thirtie for the reformation of these horrible abuses endeauouring thereby like a good Pastour to turne away the wrath of God which seemed to hang ouer this land and to threaten those plagues which not long after fell vpon it when the Danes inuaded the same Edgar surnamed the peaceable King of England in the yeare 969. called together his Bishops and other of his Clergie to whom hee made this or the like Oration as followeth Forsomuch as our Lord hath magnified his mercy to worke with vs it is meete most reuerend Fathers that with worthy workes we answer his innumerable benefits for neither by our owne sword possesse we the earth and our owne armes hath not saued vs but his right hand and his holy arme for that he hath beene pleased with vs. Meete therefore it is that we submit both our selues and our soules to him that hath put all things vnder our feet and that we diligently labour that they whom he hath made subiect vnto vs may bee made subiect vnto his lawes And truly it is my part to rule the Laitie with the law of equitie to doe iust iudgement betwixt man and his neighbours to punish Church-robbers to represse rebels to deliuer the weake from the hands of his stronger the poore and needie from them that spoile them And it also belongeth to my care to haue consideration to the health quietnesse or peace of the Ministers of the Church the flocke of Monkes the companies of Virgines and to prouide the things needfull for them The examining of whose manners belongeth vnto you if they liue chastly if they behaue themselues honestly towards them which bee abroad if in diuine seruice they bee carefull if in teaching the people diligent if in feeding sober if moderate in apparell if in iudgement they be discreet If you had cured these things by prudent scrutinie by your licence I speake O reuerend Fathers such horrible and abhominable things of the Clerkes had not come to our eares I omit
obedience and iurisdiction either of the said Bisshop of Rome or of any other Potentate We late yow witt that prependyng and consideryng the charge and commission in this behalfe geuen vnto vs by almighty God togedre with the great quietnes rest and tranquillity that hereby may ensue to owr faithfull Subgiects both in their conscience and otherwise to the pleasure of almighty God in cace the sayd Bisshops and Clergie of this our realme shuld sincerely truly and faithfully sett furth declare and preche vnto our sayd Subgiects the veray true word of God and without all maner color dissimulacion and hipocrisie manifest publishe and declare the great and innumerable enormities and abuses which the said Bisshop of Rome as well in title and stile as also in auctorite and iurisdiction of long time vnlawfully and iniustly hath vsurped vpon vs our Progenitors and all other Christen Princes haue not onely addressed our letters generall to all and euerye the same Bisshops straitely charging and commaundyng them not only in their propre persons to declare teche and preche vnto the people the true mere and sincere word of God and how the said title stile and iurisdiction of supreme hed apperteyneth to vs our Crowne and dignitie royall and to gyve like warnyng monicion and charge to all Abbots Priors Deanes Archdeacons Prouosts Parsons Vicars Curats Scolemasters and all other Ecclesiasticall persons within their Diocesses to do the semblable in their Churches euery Sunday and solempne feast and also in their scoles And to cause all maner prayers orysons Rubricks and Canons in Massebokes and all other bokes vsed in Churches wherein the sayd Bisshop is named vtterly to be abolished eradicated and rased in soche wise as the said Bisshop of Rome his name and memory for euermore except to his contumely and reproche may be extinct suppressed and obscured But also to the Iustices of our Peace that they in euery place within the precinct of their Commissions do make and cause to be made diligent serche wayte and espiall whedder the sayd Bisshops and Clergie doo truly and sincerely without any manner cloke or dissimulacyon execute accomplish their said charge to them committed in this behalf And to certifye vs and our Councail of such of them as shuld omytt or leaue vndone any parte of the premises or ells in the execucyon thereof shuld coldely or faynedly vse any maner synistre addicyon interpretacion or cloke as more plainly is expressed in our said letters We consideryng the great good and furtheraunce that ye may doo in thise matiers in the parties about yow and specially at your being at Sises and Sessions in the declaracion of the premisses haue thought it good necessary and expedient to write thise letters vnto yow whom wee esteme to be of soch singler zeale and affection towards the glory of Almighty God and of so faithfull and louing harte towards vs as ye woll not only with all your wisdoms diligences and labors accomplishe all soche things as might be to the preferment and setting forwards of Gods word and the amplification defence and maintenance of our said interesse right title stile iurisdiction and auctorite apperteyning vnto vs our dignitie prerogatiue and Corone imperiall of this our realme will and desire you and neuerthelesse straitely charge and command you that laying aparte all vayn affections respects and carnall consideracions and setting before your ees the mirror of truth the glory of God the right and dignitie of your Soueraigne Lord thus sounding to the inestimable vnitie and commoditie both of your selfes and all other our louing and faithfull Subgiects ye doo not only make diligent serche within the precinct of your Commission and auctorite whedder the said Bisshops and Clergie doo truly and sincerly as before preche teche and declare to the people the premisses according to their dutyes but also at your said sitting in Sises and Sessions ye doo perswade shew and declare vnto the said people the veray tenor effect and purpose of the premisses in soch wise as the said Bisshops and Clergie may the better not only doo therby and execute their said duties but also the parents and rulers of families may declare teche and informe their childer and servaunts in the specialties of the same to the vtter extirpacion of the said Bisshops vsurped auctoritie name and iurisdiction for euer Shewing and declaring also to the people at your said Sessions the treasons treacherously committed against vs and our lawes by the late Bisshop of Rochester and Sir Thomas More knight who therby and by diuerse secrete practises of their maliciouse mynds against vs entended to seminate engender and brede amongst our people and subgiects a most mischieuous and sediciouse opynyon not only to their own confusion but also of diuers others who lately haue condignely suffered execucion according to their demerites And in soche wise dilating the same with persuacions to the same our people as they may be the better rixed established and satisfyed in the truth and consequently that all our faythfull and true subgiects may therby detest and abhorre in their hartes and heads the most recreaunt and trayterouse abuses and behaviors of the said maliciouse malefactors as they be most worthy And finding any defaulte negligence or dissimulacion in any maner of person or persons not doing his duty in this partie Ye immediatly doo advertise vs and our Counsail of the defaulte maner and facion of the same Lating you witt that considering the great moment weight and importaunce of this matter as wherevpon dependeth the vnitie rest and quietnes of this our Realme yf ye shuld contrary to your duties and our expectation and trust neglect be slake or omytte to doo diligently your duties in the true performaunce and execucion of our mynde pleasure and commaundement as before or wold haulte stumble at any parte or specialtie of the same Be ye assured that we like a Prince of Iustice will so punyshe and correct your defaulte and negligence therin as it shal be an example to all others how contrary to their allegiance othes and duties they doo frustrate deceiue and disobey the iust and lawfull commaundement of their soueraigne Lord in such things as by the true harty and faithfull execucion whereof they shall not only prefer the honor and glory of God and sett forth the maiestie and imperiall dignitie of their soueraign Lord but also importe and bring an inestimable vnitie concord and tranquillitie of the publike and common state of this Realme whereunto both by the lawes of God and nature and man they be vtterly obliged and bounden And therfore faile ye not most effectually ernestly and entierly to see the premises done and executed vpon paine of your allegeance as ye well advoyd our high indignacion and displeasure at your vtmost perils Y euen vndre our Signet at our Manor besids Westminster the xxv day of Iune Henry R. By the King TRusty and welbeloued we grete yow well And whereas we chiefly and
principally regarding and tendring the quiet rest prosperite and tranquillite of our Nobles and Commons and their conservacion no lesse then our own directed lately our letters vnto you and other Iustices of our Peace throughout this our Realme conteyning our admonicion and gentill warenyng to haue such speciall regard to the dewties of your offices accordyng to the trust we haue in yow that not only for thymportance it is both vnto vs and our common welth ye shuld see our high dignite of Supremacie of our Church wherwith it hath pleased almighty God by his most certain and vndoubted word to endowe and adorne our auchtorite and Corone imperiall of this our Realme to be set forth and impressed in all our Subiects harts and mynds and to forsee that the mayntenors of the Bisshop of Roomes vsurped and fayned auctorite with all his Papisticall supersticions and abuses wherwith he hath in times past abused the multitud of our subgiects of whose yoke tyranny and skornefull illusion we haue by Gods porveiaunce deliuered this our realme and of other his Satellites whiche secretly did vphold his faction shuld be by yow diligently serched enqwired and tried owt and so broughte to our Iustices to receaue condigne punyshement according to their demerits but also that tale tellers about the cuntriee and spraders of rumours and false inventors of newes to put owr people to feare and stirr them to sedicyon shulde be apprehended and punyshed to the terrible example of others Also that vagabonds and valiant Beggers shal be avoyded and haue worthy corrections And for the same purpose to kepe watches and to see commen Iustice with indifferency and without corrupcion to be obserued and ministred vnto all owr Subgiects like as by the porporte and contents of our said Letters ye may more amplie perceiue We haue thervpon ben credably enformed that sondry of yow haue for a time so well done yowr dewties and endeuoired your selues in fulfilling our admonitions and caused the euill doers to be punyshed according to their demerites that our louing Subgiects haue not ben disquieted of a long season vntill now of late that sum vngracious cankred and maliciouse persons haue taken boldnes to attempt with sondry diuelish persuasions to moue and seduce our trewe subgiects vsing false lies and most vntrewe rumors And amonst them we vnderstand sondry Parsons Vicars and Curats of this our Realme to be chieffe which to bring our people to darkenes of their own perverse mynde not only to blynde our Commons do rede so confusely hemming and hacking the word of God and soche our Iniunctions as we haue lately set forthe that almost no man can vnderstand the trewe meanyng of the said Iniunctions but also secretly haue suborned certeyne spreders of Rumors and false tales in corners which doo interpreat and wrast our trewe meanyng and intention of owr said Iniunctions to an vntrewe sense For wheras we haue ordeyned by owr said Iniunctions for thavoyding of sondry striues processis and contentions risyng vpon aege vpon lineall discents vpon title of Inheritances vpon legittimation or Bastardie and for knowlege whither any person is our subiect borne or no Also for sondry other causes that the names of all childer christened from hensforth with ther birth ther fathers and mothers names and likewise all mariages and burialls with the time and date thereof shuld be registred from time to time in a boke in euery Parish Church surely and safeâ—y to be kept They haue bruted and blowen abrode most falsely and vntrewely that we doo entende to make some new exactions at all christenyngs weddings and burials The whiche in no wise we euer meaned or thought vpon aâ—leging for to fortefy and color there false and manifâ—st lies that therin we go abowt to take away the liberties of the realme For conservacion wherof they fayne that Bisshop Beckett of Canterbury which they haue to fore called Saynt Thomas died for where in dede there was neuer soch thing done nor ment in that time nor sithens For the said Beckett neuer swarved nor contended with owr progenitor Kyng Henry the second but only to lett that those of the Clergie shuld not be punyshed for their offences nor iustyfyed by the Courts and lawes of this Realme but only at the Bisshops pleaser and after the decrees of Roome And the causes why he died was vpon a wilfull reskewe and a fray by him made and begon at Canterbury Which was neuerthelesse afterward alleged to be for soche liberties of the Churche which he contendyd for during his life with tharchbisshop of Yorke chiefly to haue soche priuiledge that no Kyng of England ought euer to be crowned by any other Bisshop but oonly by the Bishops of Canterbury Yea and in case he shuld be absent or fugitiue out of the Realme the Kyng shuld neuer be coroned by any other but constrayned to abide his retorne These and soche other detestable and vnlawfull liberties of the Church nothing concerning the common weale but only the partie of the Clergie the said Thomas Becket most arrogantly desyred and trayterouslye sewyd to haue contrary to the law of this our Realme To the which most false interpretacions and wrasting of our trewe meanyng they haue ioyned such myscheuous lyes and false tales for markyng of catals and like seditious devises wherevpon owr people were lately stirred to sedition and insurrection to ther vtter ruyne and destruction onles almighty God who by his diuine prouidence gaue vnto vs habundance of force as he alwaies dothe vnto rightfull Princes had so with clemencie illumyned vs that where as we with th edge of the swerde and by our lawes might haue ouerthrowen and destroyed them there wyues children and posterite for euer we neuerthelesse as ye can right well remember extended vpon them at that time our benigne and mercifull pardon These miserable and Papisticall superstitious wretches nothing regarding the same nor caring what danger and myschiefe our people shuld incurre haue both raysed the said olde rumors and forged new sedicious tales intendyng asmoche as in them lyeth a new commotion and all to satisfye there cankred harts Wherfore and for the imminent daunger to yow and all our good subgiects and the troble that might ensewe onlesse good and ernest prouision to represse them be taken thervpon We desyre and pray yow and neuerthelesse straytly charge and commaund yow that within the Precinct and lymyts of yowr charge ye shall not only endeuor your self and employ your most diligence to inquyre and fynd owt such cankerd Parsons Vicars and Curats which doo not trewly and substancially declare our said Iniunctions and the very worde of God but momble confusely seying that they be compelled to rede them and bydd ther Parishens neuerthelesse to doo as they did in times past to lyue as ther fathers and that the olde fashion is the best and other crafty sedicious parables But also with your most effectuall vigilancy doo enserche and trie owt such sedicious tale tellers
and spreders abrode of suche brutes tydings and rumors touching vs in honor or suretie of the state of our Realme or any matacion of the lawes or customes therof or any other thing which might cause any sedicion And the same with ther setters forthe maintenors counsaylors and fautors with all dilygence to apprehend and commytt to warde and prison without bayle or maynprise till vpon euidence to be geuen against them at tharriuall of our Iustices in that cuntrey or otherwise vpon yowr advertisement to vs or our Counsaill to be geuen and our further pleaser knowen they may be punyshed for their seditious demerites accordyng to the law to the fearfull example of all other Imploying and endeuoring yowr selfes therunto so ernestly and with soche dexterite as we may haue cause to thinke that ye be the men which aboue all things desyre the punyshment of evill doers and offendors And will lett for no trauaile to sett forthe all things for the commen peace quiet and tranquillite of this our Realme And like as the daunger is imminent no lesse to your self and your neighbours then to other so ye of yowr owne mynd shuld procure and see with celerite our Iniunctions lawes and Proclamations aswell touching the Sacramentaries and Anabaptists as other to be sett forthe to the good instruction and conservacion of our people and to the confusion of those which wold so craftely vndermine our common welth and at the last destroye bothe yow and all other our louing subgiects although we shuld geue vnto yow no such admonicion Therfore faile ye not to follow the â—ffect admonicion and commaundement both in our said letters and in these presents conteyned and to communicate the hole tenor of these our letters with soche Iustices of our Peace your neighbors and other in that shire and to geue vnto them the trewe copye thereof exhorting them like as by these presents we desyre and pray them and neuerthelesse straytly charge and commaund them and euery of them that they will shew their diligence towardnes and good inclinacion to ioyne with you and other of your sorte And that euery of yow for his own parte see the same put in execucion accordingly as ye and they tendre our pleasur and will deserue our condigne thankes Y euen vndre our Signet at our Manor of Hampton Corte the day of December CHAP. XIIII Of the policie vsed by King Henry the eighth and his Councell in the expelling of the Popes authoritie out of his Dominions THus you haue seene the abrogation and extinguishment of the Popes vsurped authoritie here in England the establishment of that power in the Crowne imperiall which was not rashly attempted by his Maiestie but vndertaken vpon mature deliberation and proceeded in by the aduise consultation and iudgement of the most great and famous Clerkes in Christendome amongst which number was that pure Orator and learned diuine Philip Melanchton whose presence here in England after his opinion the king much desired as by this letter following sent to Secretarie Cromwell from the Duke of Norfolke and Viscount Rocheford appeareth Master Secretary after our most harty commendacions ye shall vnderstand that hauing receyued the letters sent vnto yow from Sir Iohn Wallop and shewed the same vnto the Kings Maiestie his pleasure therevpon was that we should dispatch these owr letters incontynently vnto youe concernyng thaccomplishment and doing of these things ensuing First his graces pleasure is that youe shall immediatly vpon the receipt hereof dispatch Barnes in Post with Deryk in his company into Germany commanding him to vse such diligence in his iournay that he may and it be possible mete with Melanchton before his arryuall in France and in case he shall so mete with him not onely to disuade his going thither declaring how extremely the French king doth persecute all those that will not grant vnto the Bishop of Romes vsurped power and iurisdiction vsyng in this parte all persuasions reasons and meanes that he canne deuise to empeach and let his said iornay thither layeng vnto him how moche it shuld be to his shame and reproche to vary and goo nowe from that true opinnion wherein he hath so long continued But also on thother side to persuade him all that he may to conuert his said iournay hither shewing aswell the conformity of his opinnion and doctrine here as the nobilitie and vertues of the Kings Maiestie with the good entretaynement which no doubt he shall haue here at his grace hand And if percase the said Barnes shall not meetâ— with him before his arriuall in France thenne the said Barnes proceding himselfe forth in his Iournay towards the Prynces of Germany shall with all diligence returne in post to the Kings highness the said Derik with the advertisement of the certainty of Melanchtons commyng into France and such other occurrants as he shall then knowe And if the said Derik be not now redy to go with him the Kings pleasure is you shall in his stede appoint and sende suche onn other with the said Barnes as you shall thinke mete for that purpose And when the said Barnes shall arriue with the said Princes of Germany the Kings pleasure is he shall on his grace behaulfe aswell persuade them to persist and continue in their former good opinion concerning the denyall of the Bishop of Romes vsurped authoritie declaring their owne honor reputacion and surety to depend thereon and that they nowe may better mayntain their said iust opinion therein then euer they might having the kings Maiestie oon of the moost noble and puissant Princes of the world of like opinion and iudgement with them who having proceeded therein by great aduise deliberacion consultacion and iudgement of the most parte of the greate and famous Clerkes in Christendome will in no wise relent vary or alter in that behalfe as the said Barnes may declare and shew vnto them by a booke made by the Deane of the Chappell and as many of the Bishops Sermons as ye haue whiche booke ye shall receyue herwith the copies wherof and of the said Sermons ye must deliuer vnto the said Barnes at his departure for his better remembrance and instruction To whom also his graces pleasure is ye shall shew as moche of Sir Iohn Wallops letter which we send you also again as ye shall see drawne and merkt with a penne in the mergent of the same As also exhorte and moue them in any wise to beware howe they commyt any of their affayres to thorder direction or determinacion of the French King consideryng he and his counsail be altogether Papist and addict and bent to the mayntenance and confirmacion of the Bishop of Romes pretended authoritie Furthermore the Kings pleasure is ye shall vpon the receipt herof immediatly cause Master Haynes and Christofer Mount in post to repaire into France to Sir Iohn Wallop in as secrete maner as they canne as cummyng like his friends to visite him and not as sent by
to interrupte the pestilente peruersyte of Pope Iohn the two and twentieth to what carefull confusion was he brought Moreouer the godly and well disposed Henry the third Emperour of Allmayn how traytterouslye was he betrayed by Pope Hildebrande procuryng his owne son vnnaturally to war agaynst his Father to take him prisoner and fynally to depose him of his Empereall crowne Furthermore what Christian hart can refrayn from sorrofull sighes and morening lamentation to considre how the Innocent and harmles Prynce Childevicus King of France was extremely handelyd of his owne servant Pepyne beryved of his Kyngdome through the instigacion of the Busshop of Rome And no marvaill though he haâ— thus encroched vpon Prynces being men wheras he hath exalted hymself agaynst God thrustyng him out of his roome and setlyng hymself in Gods place the conscience of Christian people of whose vsurped power S. Paul prophecyeng Thessall 2. chap. 2. callyth him the sinfull man the sonn of perdicion qui est aduersarius effertur adversus omne quod dicitur Deus adeo vt in templo Dei sedeat Doth not he sytt in the temple of God by dampnable dispensacions by dysceyvable remyssions by lyenge myrracles by fayned reliques by false religion c. And as he hath avoyded God out of the conscyence of Christian people so hath he defeated Prynces of ther iurisdictions and debarred euery commen weale from ther politick gouernaunce bringyng in his lawlesse Canons and detestable decrees supplantyng the devyne ordynaunce of power yeuen to Pryncely rulers And the cause why they haue bene so deceyâ—ed S. Paul declaryth Eo quod dilectionem veritatis non acceperunt This legally consideryd of your moste prudent singuler and high politike discretion aswell by probable experience within your Domynyons as by euident examples of other Christian regions wher the Popisshe vnruly regiment hath raigned with intollerable vsurpacion tyrannouslye defacing all power of Prynces It may please your gracious benygnytie to aduertice the entier intent the louyng mynd and vnfayned hart of my Soueraigne your most dere vncle so fervently moued with a faithfull loue vnable to be expressed to allure your graces affection toward the fauourable embracement of Gods worde wherein his highnes onlye reioysinge ardently desyreth to imparte the same his speciall ioye with your most excellent grace which shuld be greatly thadvauncement of your estate royall the quietacion of your louing Subiects and most highlie the pleasure of God Now to make the Pope more odious his Kinglie power and deliberate proceedings in these his weightie causes of greater validitie and more warrantable as well by the lawes of God as generall Councells he caused to be pend and published abroad here and beyond seas to the same effect in these words If mortall creatures to theyr hedds soueraignes and naturell Princes be cheeflye bounde next vnto God specially where they as moste carefull fathers and Tutors prudently and sagely rule and gouern the great numbers and multitudes of men commytted to theyr obedyence And where they in their royall persons often forgetting the regard of theyr Princely magesties valyantly withstand abyde and resist whatsoeuer troubles daungers perells assawts wrongs iniuryes or displeasures myght at any tyme happen chaunce threten or be incident vnto theyr people or countries besyds many and innumerable other displeasures and troubles which dailie and heurely for the defence mayntenaunce and supportacion of theyr realmes people and cuntryes secretly happen and chaunce them theyr people seldome or at no time pryvey thervnto wherby of good congruence all Subiects become most bounden to theyr soueraignes and Prynces and them ought most feithfully to loue honour obeye serue and dreade and theyr magesties to mayntayn support and defend with all theyr powre myghte strength and habilitie Then let no Englyssheman forgett the most noble and louyng Prynce of this realme who for the godly ensample of his people the loue and dread he hath to God and obseruance of his most reuerend lawes hathe to the evydent knowlege of all his welbelouyd Subiects long endured and abyden to his inestimable coste charge trouble vexation and inquyeâ—nes the triall of his great cause And at last after innumerable most famous learned mens iudgements on his syde therin gyuen Yet for all that most wrongfully iudged by the great Idoll and most cruell enymye to Christs law and his religion which calleth himselfe Pope And his most iust and lawfull prouocacion and appellacion from the sayd enemye of Christs law to the generall counsail made also refused denyed and forsaken Wherfore and to thintente all men may know the abhominable wrongs which our most noble and gracious Prynce doth susteyne by so vnlawfull intreatyngs Therfore are these few articles hereafter following presented vnto those that shall both desyre to knowe the truth and in truth shall thyrste and couet feythfully to assyst maynteyn supporte defende and stand by theyr Prynce and Souerayn in his most iust lawfull and right wise cause First that the generall Counsail lawfully gathered is and ought to be superiour to all Iurisdictions either vsurped and suffred as the Papall or iustly holden as kings in all matters concernyng the feythe and direction of the whole Churche of Christe And also ought to be iudged thereby and by the decrees of the same only and by none other they being consonant to the law of Christe Secondly that Prynces have two wayes principally when none other can prevayle to attaine right th one against thother that is to say in cawses concernyng the sowle beyng mere spirituell appellacion to the generall counsail In temporall cawses the sword only except by mediation of frends the matters may be compounded So that whosoeuer wolde go about to take away these naturell defenses from Prynces is to be manly withstood both by the Princes and their Subiects And therto all Christien men shuld be anymated by the words of our Lord Iesu Christe which are Obey ye Prynces aboue all and then theyr deputyes or mynysters not gevyng powre to forreyns wythin theyr rules and domynyons Thirdly that dyuers generall Counsaills haue determyned that cawses of strife or controuersie beyng ones begonne in any Regyon shall there and in the sayd Regyon be finally determyned and not elsewhere Vpon which grounde the Kings highnes his nobles both spirituell and temporall and Commons by one hole consent vpon diuers most prudent wyse and polytike reasons and weyghty consideracions agreable to the seyd generall Counsaills haue made a Law by the which good people lyving within the lymets of true and lawfull matrymonye shall not by malice or evill will be so long deteyned and interrupted from their ryght as in tymes passyd they haue byn Neither vnlawfull matrymonye shall haue his iniust and incestuous demoure and contynuance as by delayes to Rome it was wont to haue Which now may evydently appere by that that our Prynces weyghtye and long protracted cause of matrymonye hath his finall and prosperous end accordyng to the lawes
of God with briefe successe of Issue alredy had and other like to follow lawdes be to God thonly werker of the same Forthely that our sayd Prynce and Soueraigne accordyng to the libertie and lawes of Nature and constitucions of generall Counsaills as afore hath both prouoked and appeled from the most iniust and vnlawfull sentence wrongfully geuen against him by the Bushop of Rome to the generall Counsaill next ensying and lawfully congregate that is to say from the sentence of the vsurper of Goddes lawes and infringer of generall Counsells which callyth himselfe Pope In the which our sayd Prynces doyings all iust and true Christien men specyally his most louyng Subiects I doubt not will supporte and maynteyne him Which prouocacions and appellacions also standyng in force and beyng intimate to the person of the said Vsurper as indede they be and by him denyde and refused sequestreth him rightfully from all maner of Processes belongyng or in any wyse apperteynyng to the sayd fact or matter other Diabolike acts and statuts by some of his predecessors to the contrary made notwithstandyng Wherfore what censures interdictions or other his cursed invencions so euer they be fulminate or set forthe by the sayd vsurper the same ought not only to be abhorred and despysed but manfully to be withstood and defended And who so doen shall haue for theyr bukler the latter and better parte of this verse ensuyng and the maligners the forparte which is Quoniam qui malignant exterminabuntur sustinentes autem Domini ipsi hereditaâ—unt terram Fyftely that where indede by holy Scripture and Christs lawe there is none authoryte nor Iurisdiction graunted more to the Bushop of Rome then to any other Bushop extra Prouinciam yet because that sufferaunce of people and blyndnes of Prynces with theyr supportacion hetherto hath susteyned the same doyng themselffs thereby to great iniurye and wrong It is now thought therfore not only conuenyent but also moche more then necessarye to open the same vnto the people to thyntent they shulde from henceforth no longer be disteyned in honouryng him as an Idoll which is but a man vsurpyng Goddes powre and auctoryte And a man neither in life learnyng or conuersacion like Christs minister or disciple yea a man also though the See Apostolike were neuer of so high auctoryte vnworthy and vnlawfull by theyr owen decrees and lawes to occupye and enioy that vsurped place For first he is both base and also come to that dygnytie by Symonye And now by denying the Kings lawfull prouocacion and appele and in supportyng that Diabolike decree of his predecessor Pius is determyned by a generall Counsaill a very Heretike Wherfor all true Christien people except he amend ought to despise both him and all his facts and be no lenger blynded by him but geue themselffs entierly to the obseruaunce of Christes lawes in which is all swetenes and truthe and in the other nothing else but pompe pride ambycion and wayes to make himselfe riche which is moche contrarious to theyr profession Our Lord amend them Likewise such was the wisedome of the King and his Councell that the best schollers of the kingdome as well verst in historie humane as in the storie of sacred Writ were appointed to collect out of holy Scripture Catholike Authours and generall Councells such materiall points as might annihilate the Popes power and authoritie confirme his Maiesties Supremacy and delineate and set forth the manifold abuses found to be practised by the Popish Clergie Which they diuided into certaine membranes containing these heads following Regia institutio officium potestas ex veteri testamento Regia institutio officium potestas ex nouo testamento Item ex authoribus Catholicis In clerum Regia Potestas Regia Potestas in Ecclesiam seu Concilium Regia potestas in personas Ecclesiasticas Regia potestas in res Ecclesiasticas Regi Anglie legem petenti iubet S. Pontifex vt relictis Romanorum legibus lege Dei se ac populum Dei rogat Regis Anglie officium potestas Regis Anglie in Concilium in personas res Ecclesiasticas potestas Regis Anglie in Gualliam Hiberniam Scotiam ditio Regis Anglie in summum pontificem liberalitas Regia in Investiendis Episcopis potestas Regum Anglie in Investiendis Episcopis authoritas Episcoporum Iusiurandum duplex Concilij potestas pontificis Regia ecclesiastica potestas simul tam quoad personas qaum res seu gladij duo Regia Ecclesiastica potestas simul seu gladij duo in Anglia tam quoad personas quam res Episcopale officium Sacerdotale Episcopi vel sacerdotis potestas Terrenarum temporalium vel secularium rerum fuga Ecclesiasticis prescripta Dominium imperium potentia terrena Ecclesiasticorum Iudicia leges Negotia Ecclesiasticorum Predia possessiones Ecclesias Bona Ecclesiastica cur à quibus donata Bonorum Ecclesiasticorum per auaritiam vel ambitum effrenis cupido Bona Ecclesiastica cur queruntur Honores bona ecclesiastica quibus acquirantur artibus Bonorum Ecclesiasticorum vsus et ad quos ea pertineant Abu sus bonorum Ecclesiasticorum per auaritiam luxum fastum in victu veste Suppellectile domestica edificijs nobilitando genere per libiainem perque otium seâ— fugam laboris Luxus et fastus in victu veste ac Edificijs Convinia Libido Nobilitatio generis seu cognatorum Otium fugalaboris et pericula Periculum Honor et gloria Ecclesia primitiua Pontificis summi potestas et offcium Pontifex de sua ipsius potestate Pontificis potestas in electionibus et confirmationibus Episcoporum Excomunicandi potestas Onera et iuiurie Apostolice sedis vel dominium Romane sedis Onera à Romana sede Anglis imposita Annatarum origo Annate ex Anglia Anglorum de non soluendis Annatis decretum Angli in Comitijs se perlamento Annatarum solucionem damnant De Annatis similibus ex Concilio Constan. De Annatis ex Concilio Basilien De Annatis ex glossa pragmatice sanctionis Bulla Nicolai Pape de approbatione Consilij Basilien Concilij Basiliensis confirmatio ex Panormitano Annatas Romane sedi denegare sidei Christiane non repugnas Romanorum mores ex ijsdem authoribus Metropolitani legati priuilegium Ne Aclor reum extra Diocesim vocet Iudicia peregrina vel Primatis iurisdictio Vel Iurisdictio Prouincialis Iudicia peregrina vel Iurisdicto Primatis in Anglia Primatis vel Patriarche ius Legati ius Cantuariensis Iurisdictio Contra prouisiones Papales Canones Patrum quando et quo pacto primo in Anglia recepti sunt Fundatio Monasterij Sancti Albani These Heads or Chapters are all succinctly handled glossed vpon and illustrated by diuers examples which are too long though perhaps they would not seeme tedious for this my present discourse I will onely then insist vpon the last the foundation I meane of Saint Albans by Ossa King of the Mercians for that by this Donation
in you exciteth and serueth you till the vsurped poure of that man of Rome be clene abolished and put out of the hartes of the kyngs subiects And I shall with all my diligence applie my self to thaccomplishment of this his so godly commandement by Goddes grace And for as moche as I haue taken my leue of the Kyng and Quene and tarry for noothing now but only for the instrument called Custodias temporalium I eftsones beseche your mastirship to haue that in your remembraunce whan ye shall next repaire vnto the Court together with a discharge for takyng of any othe of the residentiaries of Sarum which suyrly they will exact of me oneles I bryng some thyng outher from the Kyng his highnes or elles from you his chefe Counsellor for to stopp their mouthes And as for seallyng of new obligacions if itt like you to commande your servaunt to send me them to morow by this brynger I shall seale them and send them to you without any tariaunce by the grace of God who preserue you and prosper you in all your godly purposes and interprises Murtelack the iiii daye of Iuin Yorn owne to comaunde Nic. Sarum But howsoeuer the honour of this act as also of the dissolution of Abbeys be principally attributed to Cromwell and his complotments yet at the same time there was others of the priuie Councell as forward and as able for their singular endowments to conclude a matter of that consequence as euer was Cromwell I meane Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury whose zeale and abilities are generally knowne to all that euer heard of the booke of Martyrs Sir Thomas Audley Knight speaker of the Parliament for his demerits created by Henry the eighth Baron Audley of Walden and also aduanced to the honour of the Chancellorship of England Sir William Pawlet Knight Comptroller of the Kings house who for his wisedome the said King created Lord S. Iohn of Basing and Knight of the Garter whom Edward the sixt made great Master of his houshold President of his Councell and Lord Treasurer of England whom he created Earle of Wiltshire and Marquesse of Winchester to whom Queene Elizabeth committed the keeping of the great Seale Who liued to see one hundred and three persons issue out of his loynes who died at Basing in Hampshire the tenth of March 1571. where hee was honourablie buried when he had liued eightie seuen yeares Another pillar of the State at that time was that wise and iudicious gentleman Sir Richard Rich Lord Chancellour of England vnder King Edward the sixth who in the first yeare of his raigne aduanced him to this office and created him Baron Rich of Leez in Essex These and other more of the Nobilitie had both their hands and heads in this businesse yet Cromwell Audley and Rich were thought to be the onely men who for their religious paines ranne into great obloquie with the common people insomuch that the Commons of Lincolnshire finding themselues fore troubled with this strange alteration and rising in rebellion presented diuers articles of aggrieuances to the Kings Maiestie Amongst the said Articles and demands of Robert Askâ— and his rebellious crew the Commons of Yorkeshire Cumberland Westmerland Northumberland and the countries adiacent at the conference holden at Doncaster betwixt Thomas Duke of Norfolke Generall of the Kings Armie and certaine Commissioners on the partie of the said Captaine Aske and his fellow rebels Thus it was propounded by their Speaker Sir Thomas Hylton Knight The fowrt that Thomas Cromwell nor any of his bande or secte be not at our metinge at Doncastre but abcent themselfe from the Councell Also to haue the Lord Cromwell the Lord Chancellor and Sir Ryc Rich to haue condigne punyshment as subuerters of the gud lawes of the â—eame and ouetemers of the slese secte of theys fals Heretykes first inuenters and brengers of them Likewise Doctor Leyton and Doctor Leâ— who had bene loyned in commission with Cromwell for the visitation of religious Foundations of which hereafter were maliciouslye detracted by this demand of the Commons in the foresaid conference Also that Doctor Lee and Doctor Leyton may haue condigne punyshment for theyr extortions in time of visitation in brybes of some religyous houses x. lib. xx lib. and for other summes besyde horsys vowsens leases vndre Couent Seallys by them taken and other abomynable acts by them committed and done I might haue occasion here to speake of the abrogation of the Popes authoritie of the subuersion of religious foundations of the suppression of religious Votaries and of the reformation of Religion in that neuer-conquered Nation of Scotland where at this time Religion is double refined pure and spotlesse without ceremonie and plaine as a pike staffe without a surplise But I will reserue this narration till I come to speake of the conuersion of Scotland to the Christian faith As also of the Funerall Monuments which are there to be found which will be but a few if Sir Robert Cottons Librarie do not helpe me for by my owne obseruation in the famous maiden-citie of Edenborough and in the Parish Churches of other Townes the Sepulchres of the dead are shamefully abused or quite taken away yea and the Churches themselues with religious houses and other holy places violated demolished or defaced CHAP. XV. The policie vsed by the King and his Councell for the dissolution and extirpation of Religious Foundations and Religious Orders within this Realme of England and Wales The reformation of Religion of Inscriptions in Churches The Kings warrant of the surrender of Religious Houses An information made to Queene Elizabeth of the seuerall abuses done vnto the State generall and Crowne by the corruption of such as were imployed by her Father vpon the suppression of Abbeyes HEnry the eighth hauing as ye haue heard thus setled the Supremacy where he would haue it either by the aduise of politick Cromwell or by the example of proud Wolsey or else of himselfe hee being nothing so scrupulous in conscience nor so stayed in sacred resolutions as was Henry the fourth vpon a greedie desire to enrich his coffers began now to lay plots deuises and proiects for the vtter subuersion of all Abbeyes Priories Nunneries and other religious foundations within this his kingdome of England and Wales and first for an induction to the businesse He put in Commission his seruant Cromwell Thomas Lee and Richard Laiton Doctors of the Ciuill Law Thomas Bedell Deane of Cornwall Thomas Bartlet publike Notarie and others to visit all the foresaid religious Houses and to make inquirie of their Orders Founders values debenters reliques pilgrimages and other Queres but most especially they were to make diligent scrutinie and to learne vijs modis omnibus by all manner of meanes the wicked abuses of those times practised amongst the Fraternitie and Sisterhood of each seuerall Couent Which with their Commission they returned making a shamefull discoueriâ— of the bestiall sensualitie of Monasticke profession This
non est mihi crede tacendum Anglorum Primas sub primo culmine primas Qui tennit sedes melius dum sperat in edes Hunc Rex compellit eum de sede repellit Dum Simon Rome supplantat federa Thome Hic Thomas natus Comitis fuit intitulatus Clericus aptatus Doctor de iure creatus Legibus ornatus facundus moringeratus Cam Christo gratus in plebe que magnisicatus O quam preclarus tam purus immaculatus Ad Regale latus tandem fuit illaqueatus Tramite subtili latitans plus vulpe senili Rex studet in sine Thomam prostrare ruine De tribus audistis cum Rex scelus intulit istis Presul adiutor fuit hijs quodammodo tutor Non contra legem sed ab ira flectere Regem Nomine pastoris temptauerat omnibus horis Semper erat talis restat dum spes aliqualis Sicanira mortem poterat saluasse cohortem Rex â—â—lit hoc triste quod Cancellarius iste Tempore quo stabat hos tres constanter amabat Sic procurator pius extitit Mediator Cartas quod Regis habuerunt munere legis Pontificis more summi pro Regis amore Sic pacem mittit mortis gladiumque remittit Hec ita fecisset pactum si Rex tenuisset Sed que iurauit hodie cras verba negauit Cernite pro quali culpa magis in speciali Pontiâ—ici tali sine causa materiali Rex fuit iratus sed altera causa reatus Est plus secreta tunc Rome quando moneta Simonis ex parte Papam concludit in aâ—tâ— Ecce per has causas sub Regis pectore clausas Hec scelus obiecit Thome qui nil male secit Regis fautores super hoc tunc anteriores Fraudibus obtentum concludunt Parliamentum Sic de finali Rex pondere iudiciali Exilio demit Thomam nee amore redemit Sic Pater absque pare quem Rex spoliauit auare Partes ignotas tunc querit habere remotas Sic pius Antistes casus pro tempore tristes Sustinet curam sperat reuocare futuram Christus eum ducat saluet que salute reducat Si vt vterque status sit ei cum laude beatus Vpon his restauration to this his Bishopricke by Henry the fourth Duke of Lancaster the same Author thus writes Iustos laudauit iniustos vituperauit Hos confirmauit hos deprimit hos releuauis Regni primatem crudelem per feritatem Quem Rex explantat Dux ex pietate replantat Henry Chichley Bishop of this See lies here on the North side of the Presbitery in a Tombe built by himselfe in his life time hee was borne at Highamâ—errys in Northamptonshire where he began the foundation of a goodly Colledge and an Hospitall which were finished by his two brethren his Executours Hee was brought vp in New Colledge in Oxford where he proceeded Doctor of Law and where he founded two Colledges one called Bernard Colledge renewed by Sir Thomas White and named Saint Iohns Colledge and all Soules Colledge which yet continueth in the same estate he left it one of the fairest in that Vniuersitie Hee was employed much in embassages by King Henry the fourth who preferred him to the Bishopricke of Saint Dauids where he sate fiue yeares and was then translated hither by his sonne King Henry the fifth He was a man happie enioying alwayes his Princes fauour wealth honour and all kinde of prosperity many yeares wise in gouerning his See worthily bountifull in bestowing his goods to the behoofe of the common-wealth And lastly stout and seuere in due administration of iustice When hee had gouerned this Sec. 29. yeares a longer time then euer any did in fiue hundred yeares before him he died April 12. Ann. 1443. Vpon whose Monument I finde this Epitaph Hic iacet Hen Chicheley L. Doctor quondam Cancellarius Sarum â—ui anno 7. Hen. 4. Regis ad Gregorium Papam 12. in Ambassiata transmissus in Ciuitate Senensi per manus eiusdem Pape in Episcopum Meneuensâ—m consecratus est Hic etiam Henricus anno 2. Hen. 5. Regis in hac sancta Ecclesia in Archiepiscopum postulatus à Ioanne Papa 23. ad eandem translatus qui obijâ— anno Dom. 1443. Mensâ—â— Apr. deâ— 12. Cetus sanctorâ—m 〈…〉 iste precetur Vt Deus ipsorum merâ—â—â—s â—â—bâ— propictetur I finde another more vnlearned Epitaph of him by which he is but little honoured being such an especiall furtherer of learning Pauper eram natus post Primas hic â—â—euatus â—am sum prostratus vermiâ—â—◠〈◊〉 paraius Ecce meum tumulum M. CCCC.XLIII Here lies interred in the Martyrdome an Archbishop very noble and no lesse learned one of the honourable familie of the Staffords sonne saith the Catalogue of Bishops vnto the Earle of Stafford but I finde no such thing in all the Catalogues of Honour a man much fauoured by King Henry the fifth wo preferred him first to the Deanrie of Wells gaue him a Prebend in the Church of Salisbury made him one of his priuie Councell and in the end Treasurer of England And then although this renowned King was taken away by vntimely death yet hee still went forward in the way of promotion and obtained the Bishopricke of Bath and Welles which with great wisedome hee gouerned eighteene yeares from whence he was remoued to this of Canterbury in which he sate almost nine yeares and in the meane time was made Lord Chancellour of England which office hee held eighteene yeares which you shall hardly finde any other man to haue done vntill waxing wearie of so painfull a place he voluntarily resigned it ouer into the Kings hands And about three yeares after that died at Maidstone Iuly 6. Ann. 1452. Vpon a flat marble stone ouer him I finde this consabulatorie Epitaph Quis fuit enuclees quem celas saxeâ— moles Stafford Antistes fuerat dictusque Iohannes Qua sedit sede marmor queso simul ede Pridem Bathonie Regni totius inde Primas egregius Pro presule funde precatus Aureolam gratus huic det de Virgine natus Much more may be read of this Bishop in the booke called Antiquitates Britannicae penned by Mathew Parker Archbishop of this place and in the Catalogue of Bishops by Francis Godwin Bishop of Hereford as also in the Catalogues of the Lords Chancellours and Treasurers of England collected by Francis Thinne In a decent Monument on the South side of the Presbitery Iohn Kempe Archbishop of this See lieth interred who was borne at Wye in this County of Kent brought vp at Oxford in Merton Colledge where hee proceeded Doctor of Law Hee was made first Archdeacon of Durham then Deane of the Arches and Vicar generall vnto the Archbishop Stafford Not long after he was aduanced to the Bishopricke of Rochester remoued thence to Chichester from Chichester to London from London to Yorke from Yorke to Canterbury he was first Cardinall of the title of Saint Balbine
and from that remoued to the title of Saint Rusine all which his Ecclesiasticall preferments were comprehended in this one verse composed by his cosin Thomas Kempe Bishop of London Bis Primas ter Praesul erat bis Cardine functus And to adde to all these honours he was twice Lord Chancellour of England He continued not here aboue a yeare and a halfe but died a very old man March 22. 1453. hee conuerted the Parish-Church of Wye into a Colledge of secular Priests Of which hereafter In a little history of the Archbishops of Yorke written in rythmicall numbers I finde these in his commendations Tunc Iohannes nobilis Kemp vociferatus Prius in Londonijs Presul installatus Et erectus Pontifex Metropolitanus Presul Archipresulem confirmat Romanus Mandans sibi pallium Martinus erectus Sagax Cancellarius Regis est effectus Cardinalis Presbiter digne sublimatur Sub Balbine Titulo sic laus cumulatur In Suthwell manerium fecit preciosum Multis artificibus valde sumptuosum Annis multis prospere curam sui gregis Rexit per iusticiam per normam legis Tandem vsque Cantiam Presul est translatus Illic Archiepiscopus est inthronizatus Apud Lambeth obijt labor iam finitur Et in Cantuaria corpus sepelitur Licet prohibuerit Abbas rigorose Iacet ibi condita gleba gloriose I finde little of any great worke or deede of charitie this Bishop performed besides his Manor of Suthwell here onely mentioned with all these his pennisome preferments but the reason is giuen in the Catalogue of Bishops that he died very rich and that in his life time he aduanced many of his kindred to great wealth and some to the dignitie of knighthood whose posteritie continued yet in this County of great worship and reputation euen to this day That he might die very rich I doe not denie but for the aduancement of his kindred to the honour of knighthood was no other title then his grandfather Sir Iohn Kempe and his Vncle Sir Roger enioyed his owne father Thomas being a younger brother to the said Sir Roger. Here lieth buried as by an inscription vpon a marble doth appeare Thomas Bourchier commonly called Bowser second sonne of William Bourchier Earle of Ewe in Normandie and brother to Henry Bourchier Earle of Ewe and Essex He was brought vp in Oxford 〈…〉 preferred to the Deanrie of Saint Martins then to the Bishopâ—â—â—â—â— oâ— Worcester from whence he was translated to Ely and 〈…〉 in this chaire of Canterbury wherein he sate 32. yeares and 〈…〉 the time of his first consecration 51. yeares I finde not 〈…〉 Englishman continued so long a Bishop or that any Archbishop 〈◊〉 before or after him in eight hundred yeares enioyed that place so long And to adde more honour to his Grace and money to his purse he was about two yeares Lord Chancelour of England and Cardinall tt S. Ciriaci in Thermis â—â—t all this time for all these great and eminent promotions he left nothing behinde him to continue his memorie but an old rotten chest in the congregation house at Cambridge called Billingsworth and Bowser into which for the vse of the Vniuersitie Billingsworth before him had put in one hundred pounds and he forsooth imitating that munificent example put in one hundred and twenty pounds He died March 30. 1486. as appeared by 〈…〉 ption vpon his Monument Hic iacet reuerendissimus pater Dominus D. Thomas 〈…〉 quoâ—dam sacrosancte Romane Ecclesie S. Ciriaci in Thermi 〈…〉 chiepiscopus huius Ecclesie qui obijt 30. die Marty 1486. 〈…〉 propitietur altissimus Here lieth buried vnder a marble stone in a sumptuous Chappell vnder the Quier of his owne building Iohn Morton borne to the good of all England at Beere at Saint Andrews Milborn saith Camdeâ— in Dorsetshire brought vp in Oxford where he proceeded Doctor of the Ciuill and Canon Law he was first Parson of Saint Dunstans in London and Prebendarie of Saint Decumanes in Wales then Bishop of Ely Master of the Rolles Lord Chancellour of England Cardinall of Saint Anastatia and Archbishop of this Metropolitan See A man so well deseruing both of the Church and common-wealth that all honours and offices were too little which were conferred vpon him of a piercing naturall wit he was very well learned and honorable in behauiour lacking no wise wayes to winne loue and fauour by whose deepe wisedome and pollicie the two houses of Yorke and Lancaster whose titles for a long time had mightily disquieted the whole kingdome were happily vnited but our English Chronicles are so full and copious in this Bishops commendation as that I know not where to begin with him nor how to take my leaue of him Whilest he was Bishop of Ely which was about eight yeares hee bestowed great cost vpon his house at Hatfield in Hertfordshire now the mansion place of that right honourable Lord and one of the priuie Councell William Cecill Earle of Salisbury and at Wisbich Castle in Cambridgeshire a house belonging to that See all the bricke-building was done at his charges And in the time of his Primacie in this Church he bestowed great summes in repairing and augmenting his houses at Knoll Maydstone Alington Parke Charing Ford Lambith and Canterbury He bequeathed by his last Will in a manner all that hee had either vnto good vses or to such of his seruants as he had yet beene able to do nothing for He gaue to the King a Portuis to the Queene a 〈◊〉 to the â—â—dy Margaret his God daughter afterwards married to 〈…〉 King of Scotland a cup of gold and tourry pâ—unds in 〈…〉 Church of Ely his Myter and Crolle vnto his 〈◊〉 and 〈…〉 giue nothing as hauing sufficieâ—tly prefâ—rreâ— them in his 〈…〉 which family Robert Bishop of Worcester and many 〈…〉 of very good note and qualitie in Dorsetshire and 〈…〉 His Exâ—ecutors he bound by oath to maintaine sufficiently 〈…〉 at Oxford and ten at Cambridge for the space of twenty 〈…〉 decease And it is not to be forgotten that the yeare before he died 〈◊〉 great charges he procured Anselme one of his predecesâ—ours to be 〈◊〉 nized a Saint This good man died at his Manour of 〈◊〉 in the 〈◊〉 of October 1500. hauing enioyed this Archbishopricke 〈◊〉 enâ— yeares in all quietnesse I finde no memoriall of him vpon his 〈…〉 please you then to let these lines following serue for an Eulogium or Epitaph Iohannes Morton postquam Cantuariensem Prouinciam 13. Ann. rexisset obijt Dâ—lubrum ipse sumptuosum vinus in Ecclesii in subterraneo crypto ex truxâ—t in quo humatus est Vir fuit prudens facundus atque grauis qualem Hen. 7. vitae socium morumque quasi magistrum plerumque penes se habuit Tulit sub Richardo Tyranno vitae discrimina exilium atque carceres à triâ—bus regibus Hen 6. Edwardo 4. Hen. 7. probata integeâ—â—mi prudentissiani que pâ—tris fides nunquam in dubium
of England who went with him into the holy land in which voyage her husband was stabbed with a poysoned dagger by a Sarazen the rankled wound whereof was iudged incurable by his Physitians yet shee daily and nightly sucked out the ranke poison and so by aduenturing her owne saued her husbands life She was the onely daughter of Ferdinando the third King of Castile and Leons she died at Herdby in Lincolnshire 29 Nouember 1290. hauing beene King Edwards wife 36 yeares who erected to her honour those Crosses as Statues at Lincolne Grantham Stanford Geddington Northampton Stony Stratford Dunstable now destroyed Saint Albans Waltham and Westminster called Charing-Crosse all adorned with the armes of Castile Leon and the Earldome or Countie of Ponthieu which by her right was annexed to the Crowne of England Moreouer the said King Edward so ardent was his affection to the memory of his deceased Eleanor gaue twelue Mannors Lordships and Hamlets to Walter then Abbot of Westminster and his successors for euer for the keeping of yeerely Obits for his said Queene and for money that should be geeuen to the poore that came to the solemnization of the same Her Epitaph Nobilis Hispani iacet hic soror inclita Regis Eximij consors Eleanora thori Edwardi primi Wallorum principis vxor Cui pater Henricus tertius Anglus erat Hanc ille vxorem gnato petit omine princeps Legati munus suscipit ipse bono Alfonso Fratri placuit felix Hymeneus Germanam Edwardo nec sine dote dedit Dos preclara fuit nec tali indigna marito Pontino Princeps munere diues erat Femina consilio prudens pia prole beata Auxit amicitijs auxit honore virum Disce mori Here lieth gloriously entombed the most mighty Monarch that euer ware the Crowne of England who conquered Calis recouered Aquitaine and Normandy tooke Iohn King of France and Dauid King of Scots prisoners added the armes and title of France to his owne declaring his claime in this kind of verse thus Rex sum regnorum bina ratione duorum Anglorum Regno sum Rex ego iure paterno Matris iure quidem Francorum nuncupor idem Hinc est Armorum variatio facta meorum To which the French answered scornefully in verses to the same temper but some what touching Edward with ill grounded vanitie pretending right to the Crown of France by Queen Isabell his mother before whom if Daughters should succeed in the sacred Lillies of France her eldest Sister must march Madam Margaret of France wife to Ferdinand fourth of that name King of Castille Praedo Regnorum qui diceris esse duorum Francorum Regno priuaberis atque Paterno Matris vbique nullum Ius Broles non habet vllum Iure Mariti carens alia est Mulier prior illa Succedunt Mares huic Regno non Mulieres Hinc est Armorum variatio stulta tuorum He excelled his Ancestors also in the victorious valour of his children in their obedience to him and loue among themselues and one of his greatest felicities was that he had a Lady to his wife the fruitfull mother of a faire issue of such excellent vertue and gouernement as that then King Edwards Fortunes seemed to fall into Eclipse when she was hidden in her Sepulchre He was the sonne of Edward the second by Isabel daughter to Philip the Faire King of France his father being amoued from the kingdomes gouernement against whom he had no guilty thought he was by publike Sanction thereupon established in the royall Throne being of the age of fourteene yeeres and when he had raigned 50 yeeres died at his Manor of Shine Iune 21. 1377. these verses are annexed to his monument Hic decus Anglorum flos Regum preteritorum Forma futurorum Rex clemens pax populorum Tertius Edwardus regni complens Iubileum Inuictus Pardus pollens bellis Machabeum Tertius Edwardus Fama super ethera notus pugna pro patria Foure of these verses are thus translated by Speed in his History of the said King where vpon the words Pollens bellis Machabeum he giues this marginall note as followeth He meanes saith he more able in battaile then Machabeus you must beare with the breaking of Priscians head for it is written of a King that vsed to breake many Here Englands grace the flower of Princes past Patterne of future Edward the third is plaste Milde Monarch Subiects peace warres Machabee Victorious Pard his raigne a Iubilee Take with you if you please another translation of these Meters by one who liued neerer to those times Of English kynges here lyth the beauteous floure Of all before passed and myrrour to them shall sue A mercifull kynge of peace conseruatour The third Edward The deth of whom may rue Alle Englyssh men for he by knyghtehode due Was Lyberd inuict and by feate Marciall To worthy Machabe in vertu peregall Hic erat saith an old Mss. speaking of this King flos mundane militie sub quo militare erat regnare proficisci proficere confligere triumphare Cui iure maternali linea recta descendente Regnum cum corona Francie debetur Pro cuius regni adipiscenda corona que maris euasit pericula quos bellorum deuicit impetus quas Belligerorum struit audacias scriptor enarrare desistit sue relationis veritatem adulationis timens obumbrari velamine Hic vero Edwardus quamuis in hostes terribilis extiterat in subditos tamen mitissimus fuerat et gratiosus pietate et miserecordia omnes pene suos precellens antecessores A late writer saith hee was a Prince the soonest a man and the longest that held so of any we reade he was of personage comely of an euen stature gracefull respectiuely affable and well expressing himselfe A Prince who loued Iustice Order and his people the supreme vertues of a Soueraigne First his loue of Iustice was seene by the many Statutes hee made for the due execution thereof and the most straight-binding oath hee ordained to be ministred vnto his Iudges and Iusticiars the punishment inflicted on them for corruption in their offices causing some to be thrust out and others grieuously fined He bettered also that forme of publique Iustice which his Grandfather first began and which remaines to this day making also excellent Lawes for the same His regard to the obseruation of Order among his people so many Lawes do witnesse as were made to restraine them from Excesses in all kinds His loue to his Subiects was exprest in the often easing of their grieuances and his willingnesse to giue them all faire satisfaction as appeares by the continuall granting of the due obseruation of their Charters in most of his Parliaments And when Ann. Reg. 14. they were iealous vpon his assuming the title of the kingdome of France lest England should thereby come to bee vnder the subiection of that Crowne as being the greater he to cleare them of that doubt
of the pot There hath also beene found in the same field diuers coffins of stone containing the bones of men these I suppose to be the burials of some speciall persons in time of the Brittaines or Saxons Moreouer there were also found the sculls and bones of men without coffins or rather whose coffines being of great timber were consumed Diuers great Nailes of Iron were there found such as are vsed in the wheeles of shod carts being each of them as bigge as a mans finger and a quarter of a yard the heads two inches ouer Those Nailes were more wondred at then the rest of the things there found and many opinions of men were there vttered of them namely that the men there buried were murthered by driuing those Nailes into their heads a thing vnlikely for a smaller Naile would more aptly serue to so bad a purpose and a more secret place would lightly be imployed for such buriall But to set downe what I obserued concerning this matter I there beheld the bones of a man lying as I noted the head North the feet South and round about him as thwart his head along both his sides and thwart his feet such Nailes were found Wherefore I coniectured them to be Nailes of his coffin Which had beene a trough cut out of some great tree and the same couered with a planke of a great thicknesse fastened with such Nailes and therefore I caused some of the Nailes to be reached vp to 〈◊〉 found vnder the broad heads of them the old wood â—eane turned into earth but still retaining both the graine and proper colour Of these Nailes with the wood vnder the head thereof I reserued one as also the 〈◊〉 bone of the man the teeth being great sound and fixed which amongst many other Monuments there found I haue yet to shew but the nayle lying dry is by scaling greatly wasted And thus much of ancient Funerall Monuments in the fields Certaine Burials of British Kings in and about London the places of their interments vncertaine And first to begin with Guentoline the sonne of Gurgunstus King of Britaine who flourished about the yeare of the world 3614. Who was a wise Prince graue in counsell and sober in behauiour and studied with great care and diligence to reforme anew and to adorne with iustice lawes and good orders the British commonwealth by other Kings not so framed as stood with the greatnesse thereof But as he was busie in hand herewith death tooke him away from these worldly employments when hee had raigned 27. yeares He had a wife named Martia Proba a woman of perfect beautie and wisedome incomparable as by her prudent gouernment and equall administration of iustice after her husbands decease during her sonnes minoritie it most manifestly appeared She was a woman expert and skilfull in diuers sciences but chiefely being admitted to the gouernment of the Realme she studied to preserue the common wealth in good quiet and decent order and therefore deuised established and writ a booke in the British tongue of profitable and conuenient Lawes the which after her name were called Martian Lawes These Lawes afterwards Gildas Cambrius the Historicall Welch Poet translated into Latine and a long time after him Alured King of the West Saxons holding these lawes necessarie for the preseruation of the common wealth put them into English Saxon speech and then they were called after that translation Marchenclagh that is to meane the Lawes of Martia adding thereunto a Booke of his owne writing of the Lawes of England which he called A certaine Breuiarie extracted out of diuers Lawes of the Troians Grecians Britaines Saxons and Danes She flourished before the birth of our Lord and Sauiour 348. yeares or thereabouts Her sonnes name was Sicilius who vpon the death of his Father was but young for I reade that Martia his mother deliuered vp the gouernment of the kingdome to her sonne when he came to lawfull age which she had right politiquely guided and highly for her perpetuall renowne and commendation the space of fourteene yeares He died when hee had raigned seuen yeares some say fifteene yeares Of Bladud king of Britaine the sonne of Lud hurdibras many incredible passages are deliuered by our old British writers and followed by sundrie Authors of succeeding ages which say that he was so well seene in the Sciences of Astronomie and Necromancie that thereby hee made the hote springs in the Citie of Bathe that he built the Citie of Bathe that he went to Athens and brought with him foure Philosophers and by them instituted an Vniuersitie at Stanford in Lincolnshire And further to shew his Art and cunning that he tooke vpon him to flie into the aire and that hee broke his necke by a fall from the Temple of Apollo in Troynouant before the incarnation of Christ 852. yeares in the twentieth yeare of his raigne Geffrey of Monmouth and Mathew of Westminster would approue as much as here is spoken of him And learned Selden in his Illustrations vpon Draytons Polyolbion sets downe an ancient fragment of rimes wherein these strange things of him are exprest But of him here in this place will it please you take a peece out of Harding and you shall haue more hereafter Bladud his sonne after him did succede And reigned after then full xx yere Cair Bladud so that now is Bath I rede He made anone the hote bathes there infere When at Athens he had studied clere He brought with hym iiii Philosophers wise Schole to hold in Brytaine and exercyse Stanforde he made that Stanforde hight this daye In which he made an Vniuersitee His Philosophers as Merlin doth saye Had scholers fele of grete habilitee Studyng euer alwaye in vnitee In all the seuen liberall science For to purchase wysedome and sapience In Cair Bladim he made a temple right And sette a Flamyne therein to gouerne And afterward a Fetherham he dight To flye with winges as he could best discerne Aboue the aire nothyng him to werne He flyed on high to the temple Apoline And ther brake his necke for all his grete doctrine Likewise the vncertaine buriall of Vortimer that victorious British king was in some part of this Citie he was the eldest sonne of Vortigern king of the Britaines and raigned as king in his fathers dayes who demeaned himselfe towards his sonne then his Soueraigne in all dutifull obedience and faithfull counsell for the space of foure yeares euen vntill Vortimer was poysoned by the subtiltie of Rowena the heathen daughter of Hengist the Saxon the wife or concubine of his Brother and the mother of the Britaines mischiefe which happened about the yeare of Grace 464. This Vortimer was a man of great valour which altogether he employed for the redresse of his countrey according to the testimonie of William Malmesbury whose words are these Vortimer saith he thinking not good to dissemble the matter for that he saw himselfe and countrey daily
Nottingham Yorke and Northumberland where without respect of age or sexe they laid all wast and left the Land whence they departed like to a desolate wildernesse From thence they came with the like furie into Edmunds territories and sacked Thetford a frequent citie in those daies but hee not able to withstand their violence fled into â—his Castle at Framingham wherein he was of them besieged and lastly taken in a village then called Heglisdune of a wood bearing the same name or rather yeelded himselfe to their torments to saue more christian bloud for it is recorded that because of his most constant Faith and profession those Pagans first beat him with bats then scourged him with whips he still calling vpon the name of Iesus for rage whereof they bound to a stake and with their arrowes shot him to death and cutting off his head contemptuously threw it into a bush after he had raigned ouer the East Angles the space of sixteene yeares Camden out of Abbo Floriacensis saith that the bloudy Danes hauing bound this most christian King to a tree for that he would not renounce christianity shot him with sharpe arrowes all his body ouer augmenting the paines of his torment with continuall piercing him with arrow after arrow and thus inflicted wound vpon wound so long as one arrow could stand by another as a Poet of midle time versified of him I am loca vulneribus desunt nec dum furiofis Tela sed hyberna grandine plura volant Though now no place was left for wound yet arrowes did not faile These surious wretches still they flie thicker then winter haile His body and head after the Danes were departed were buried at the same royall Towne as Abbo termes it where Sigebert the East Anglean King and one of his predecessors at his establishing of Christianity built a Church and where afterwards in honour of him was built another most spatious and of a wonderfull frame of Timber and the name of the Towne vpon that occasion of his buriall called vnto this day Saint Edmundsbury This Church and place to speake more fully to that which I haue written before Suenus the Pagan Danish King in impiety and fury burned to ashes But when his sonne Canute or Knute had made conquest of this Land and gotten possession of the English Crowne terrified and afrighted as saith the Legend with a vision of the seeming Saint Edmund in a religious deuotion to expiate his Fathers sacriledge built it anew most sumptuously enriched this place with Charters and Gifts and offered his owne Crowne vpon the Martyrs Tombe of whom for a conclusion take these verses following Vtque cruore suo Gallos Dionisius ornat Grecos Demetrius gloria quisque suiâ— Sic nos Edmundus nulli virtute secundus Lux patet patrie gloria magna sue Sceptra manum Diadema capud sua purpura corpus Ornat ei sed plus vincula mucro cruor The 20. day of Nouember in our Calender was kept holy in remembrance of this King and Martyr Puer Robertus apud Sanctum Edmundum a Iudeis fuit Martirazatus 4. Id. Iunij An. 1179. et illic sepultus Alanus Comes Britannie obijt An. 1093. his iacet ad hostium australe Sancti Edmundi ex eod lib. de chateris This Allan here buried or as some will haue it in the monastery of Rhedon sirnamed the Red or Fergaunt was the sonne of Eudo Earle of Britaine and entred England with William the Conquerour his Father in Law To whom the said Conquerour gaue the honour and County of Edwyn within the County and Prouince of Yorke by his Charter in these words I William sirnamed Bastard King of England giue and grant to thee my Nephew Allan Earle of Britaine and to thy heyres for euer all those Villages Townes and Lands which were late in possession of Earle Edwin in Yorkeshire with knights fees Churches and other liberties and customes as freely and honourably as the said Edwyn held them Giuen at the siege before Yorke Alban being a man of an high spirit and desirous to gouerne the Prouince entirely which he had receiued built a strong Castle by Gillingham a village which he possessed by which he might defend himselfe not onely against the English who were spoiled of their goods and lands but also against the fury and inuasions of the Danes When the worke was finished he gaue it the name of Richmond of purpose either for the greatnesse and magnificence of the place or for some Castle in little Britaine of the same name Here sometimes vnder a goodly Monument in the Quire of this Abbey Church lay interred the body of Thomas surnamed of Brotherton the place of his birth the fifth sonne of Edward the first after the Conquest king of England by Margaret his second wife the eldest daughter of Philip king of France surnamed the Hardy He was created Earle of Norfolke and made Earle Marshall of England by his halfe brother King Edward the second which Earledomes Roger Bigod the last of that surname Earle of Norfolke and Earle Marshall leauing no issue left to the disposition of the king his Father This Earle died in the yeare of our redemption 1338. Here lay buried the body of Thomas Beauford sonne of Iohn of Gaunt begotten of the Lady Katherine Swyneford his third wife who by King Henry the fourth was made Admirall then Captaine of Calis and afterwards Lord Chancellour of England He was created by the said King Earle of Perch in Normandy and Earle of Dorlet in England And lastly in the fourth yeare of King Henry the fifth he was created Duke of Exceter and made knight of the order of the Garter He had the leading of the Rereward at the battell of Agincourt and the gouernment of king Henry the sixth appointed to that office by the foresaid Henry the fifth on his death-bed He valiantly defended Harflew in Normandy whereof he was gouernour against the Frenchmen and in a pitched field encountring the Earle of Armiguar put him to flight He died at his House of East Greenwich in Kent vpon Newyeares day the fifth of Henry the sixth for whom all England mourned saith Milles The body of Mary Queene of France widow of Lewis the twelfth daughâ—er of King Henry the 7. and sister to king Henry the eight was here in this Abbey Church entombed After the death of Lewis with whom she liued not long shee married that Martiall and pompous Gentleman Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolke She died on Midsomer Eeue 1533. Iohn Boon Abbot of this Monasterie had his tombe and interrement here in this Church who died in the beginning of February in the ninth yeare of the raigne of king Edward the fourth as appeares by the said kings Conged'eslire or permission royall to the Prior and Couent of this House to make choise of another Abbot as followeth Edwardus Dei gratia Rex Anglie Francie
to that most martyred king Saint Edmund who in their rude massacre then slaine The title of a Saint his Martyrdome doth gaine Now to come to Norwich the first Bishop of Norwich was William Herbert the second Euerard the third William Turbus the fourth Iohn of Oxford the fift Iohn de Grey of these I haue written before The sixt was Pandulfus the Popes Legate hee was consecrated at Rome by Honorius the Third Bishop of Rome and died the fift yeare of his consecration 1227. The seuenth was Thomas de Blundeuill an officer of the Exchequer preferred thereunto by Hubert de Burgo the famous chiefe Iustice of England he died August 16. 1236. The eight Radulph who died An. 1236. The ninth was William de Raleigh who was remoued to Winchester The tenth was Walter de Sufield the eleuenth Simon de Wanton the twelfth Roger de Sherwyng the thirteenth William Middleton of whom before The fourteenth was Raph de Walpoole translated to Ely The fifteenth was Iohn Salmon the sixteenth was William Ayermin of whom before The seuenteenth was Antony de Becke Doctor of Diuinitie a retainer to the Court of Rome and made Bishop by the Popes Prouisorie Bull. Hee had much to doe with the Monkes of his Church whom it seemeth hee vsed too rigorously He also withstood Robert Winchelsey Archbishop of Canterbury in his visitation appealing from him to Rome This boisterous vnquiet humour it seemes was his death for it is said that hee was poisoned by his owne seruants The eighteenth Bishop was William Bateman who died at Auinion in the yeare 1354. and was there buried of whom hereafter The ninteenth was Thomas Piercy The twentieth was Henry Spencer The one and twentieth was Alexander of whom before The two and twentieth was Richard Courtney Chancellour of the Vniuersitie of Oxford a man famous for his excellent knowledge in both lawes A man of great linage great learning and great vertue and no lesse beloued among the common people He died of a Fluxe in Normandy at the siege of Harflew Septemb. 14. 1415. in the second yeare after his consecration His body being brought into England was honourably interred at Westminster The three and twentieth was Iohn Wakering of whom I haue spoken before The foure and twentieth was William Alnwick translated to Lincolne of whom hereafter in his place of buriall The fiue and twentieth was Thomas Browne Bishop of Rochester who being at the Councell of Basill had this Bishopricke cast vpon him before euer he vnderstood of any such intent toward him In his time the Citizens of Norwich vpon an old grudge attempted many things against the Church but such was the singuler wisedome and courage of this Bishop that all their enterprises came to none effect he sate nine yeares and died anno 1445. where buried I doe not finde The sixe and twentieth was Gualter Hart or Lyghart The seauen and twentieth was Iames Goldwell The eight and twentieth was Thomas Ian. The nine and twentieth was Richard Nyx of whom before The thirtieth was William Rugge alias Reps a Doctor of Diuinitie in Cambridge He sate 14 yeares and deceased anno 1550. The one and thirtieth was Thyrlhey a Doctor of Law of Cambridge the first and last Bishop of Westminster translated to Ely The two and thirtieth was Iohn Hopton a Doctor of Diuinity of Oxford and houshold Chaplaine to Queene Mary elected to this Bishopricke in King Edwards daies He sate 4 yeares and died in the same yeare that Queene Mary did for griefe as it was supposed The three and thirtieth was Iohn Parkhurst who lieth buried in his Cathedrall Church vnder a faire Tombe with this Inscription Iohannes Parkhurstus Theol. professor Gilford natus Oxon. educatus Temporibus Mariae Reginae pro tuenda conscientia vixit exul voluntarius postea Presul factus sanctissime hanc rexit Ecclesiam per. 16. An. ob 1574. aetat 63. Vivo bono docto ac pio Iohanni Parkhursto Episcopo vigilentissimo Georgius Gardmer posuit hoc monumentum The foure and thirtieth was Edmund Freake Doctor of Diuinity who was remoued from hence to Worcester The fiue and thirtieth was Edmund Scambler houshold Chaplaine for a time to the Archbishop of Canterbury hee was consecrated Bishop of Peterborough Ianuary 16. anno 1560. and vpon the translation of Bishop Freake preferred to this See where hee lieth buried vnder a faire monument hauing this Inscription or Epitaph Edmundi Scambleri viri reuerendissimi et in ampliss dignitatis gradu dum inter homines ageret locati corpus in hoc tegitur tumulo obijt Non. Maij anno 1594. Viuo tibi moriorque tibi tibi Christe resurgam Te quia iustifica Christe prebendo fide Huic abeat mortis terror tibi viuo redemptor Mors mihi lucrum est tu pie Christe salus The sixe and thirtieth was William Redman Archdeacon of Canterbury consecrated Ianuary 12. an 1594. He was sometime fellow of Trinity Colledge in Cambridge and bestowed 100. markes vpon wainscotting of the Library there Hee died a few daies before Michaelmas Anno 1602. The seauen and thirtieth was Iohn Iegon Doctor of Diuinity and Deane of Norwich fellow sometimes of Queenes Colledge in Cambridge and afterwards master of Bennet Colledge of the time of his death or how long he enioyed this high dignitie I haue not learned The eight and thirtieth was Iohn Ouerall Doctor of Diuinitie sometimes Fellow of Trinitie Colledge Master of Katherine Hall and the Kings Professor in Cambridge afterwards Deane of S. Pauls a learned great Schooleman as any was in all the kingdome how long hee sate or when he died I doe not certainly know Samuel Harsenet Doctor of Diuinity sometime Master of Penbroke Hall in Cambridge Bishop of Chichester and now graced with the metropoliticall dignity of the Archbishoprick of Yorke was the nine and thirtieth Bishop of this Diocesse Which at this time is gouerned by the right reuerend Father in God Francis White Doctor of Diuinitie the Kings Almoneâ— sometimes Deane as also Bishop of Carlile an excellent learned man as his workes now extant doe testifie Now it here followes that I should say somewhat of the scituation circuit commodities and other particulars of this Diocesse like as I haue done of London but that is already most exactly performed and to the full by that learned and iudicious Knight and great Antiquary Sir Henry Spelman in his booke before mentioned called Icenia a Manuscript much desired to come to the open view of the world Here endeth the Ancient Funerall Monuments within the Diocesse of Norwich and this Booke FINIS A funerall Elegie vpon the death of Sir Robert Cotton Knight and Baronet Lib. 8. ep 3. Lib. 10. Epig. 11. In conclu li. vlt. 1. Siluester Transl. Properâ— lib. 3. El. 2. Ruines of Time M. â—rayton Pâ—l Song xvi Scipio Gentilis lib. Orig. sing Panuinius in lideritu sepeliend mortuos Râ—maines Camd. Remaines Aeneâ—◠〈◊〉 Trump 〈…〉 Inuen 〈◊〉 Rosin de Autin Romano 〈…〉 l. â— cap. 59. Gen. 1â— 2. Sam.