more inclinable to the Lutheran but where his profit was concerned in the spoil of Images then thâ—â— Zuinglian Doctrines so well beloved in general by the Common People that divers dipt their Handkerchiefs in his Blood to keep them in perpetual Remembrance of him One of which being a sprightly Dame about two years after when the Duke of Northumberland was led through the City for his opposing the Title of Queen Mary ran to him in the Streets and shaking out her bloody Handkerchief before him Behold said she the Blood of that worthy man that good Vncle of that Excellent King which shed by thy malicious Practice doth now begin apparently to revenge it self on thee The like Opinion also was conceived of the business by the most understanding men in the Court and Kingdom though the King seemed for the present to be satisfied in it In which opinion they were exceedingly confirmed by the Enlargment of the Earl of Arundel and restoring of Crane and his Wife to their former Liberty but most especially by the great Endearments which afterwards appeared between the Duke of Northumberland and Sir Thomas Palmer and the great confidence which the Duke placed in him for the Advancement of his Projects in behalf of the Duke of Suffolk of which more hereafter But the Malice of his Enemies stayed not here extending also to his Friends and Children after his Decease but chiefly to the eldest Son by the second Wife in favour of whom an Act of Parliament had been passed in the thirty second year of the late King Henry for the entailing on his Person all such Lands Estates and Honours as had been or should be purchasâ—d by his Father from the twenty fifth day of May then next foregoing Which Act they caused to be repealed at the end of the next Session of Parliament which began on the morrow after the Death of the Duke whereby they strip'd the young Gentleman being then about thirteen years of Age of his Lands and Titles to which he was in part restored by Queen Elizabeth who in pity of his Father's Suffâ—rings and his own Misfortunes created him â—arl of Hertford Viscount Beauchamp c. Nor did the Duke's Fall end it self in no other ruin then that of his own house and the Death of the four Knights which suffered on the same account but drew along with it the â—emoval of the Lord Rich from the Place and Office of Lord Chancellour For so it happened that the Lord Chancellour commiserating the Condition of the Duke of Sommerset though formerly he had shewed himself against him dispatched a Letter to him concerning some Proceedings of the Lords of the Council which he thought fit for him to know Which Letter being hastily superscribed To the Duke with no other Title he gave to one of his Servants to be carried to him By whom for want of a more particular direction it was delivered to the hands of the Duke of Norfolk But the Mistake being presently found the Lord Chancellour knowing into what hands he was like to fall makes his Address unto the King the next morning betimes and humbly prays that in regard of his great Age he might be discharged of the Great Seal and Office of Chancellour Which being granted by the King though with no small difficulty the Duke of Northumberland and the Earl of Pembroke forward enough to go upon such an Errand are sent on the twenty first of December to receive the Seal committed on the morrow after to Doctour Thomas Goodwin Bishop of Ely and one of the Lords of the Privy Council Who afterwards that is to say on the two and twentieth of January was sworn Lord Chancellour the Lord Treasurer Paulet giving him the Oath in the Court of Chancery Next followed the Losses and Disgraces suffered by the Lord Paget on the Duke's account To whom he had continued faithfull in all his Troubles when Sir William Cecil who had received greater Benefits from him and most of the Dependants on him had either deserted or betrayed him His House designed to be the place in which the Duke of Northumberland and the rest of the Lords were to be murthered at a Banquet if any credit may be given to the Informations for which Committed to the Tower as before is said But having no sufficient Proof to warrant any further Proceeding to his Condemnation an Enquiry is made not long after into all his Actions In the return whereof it was suggested That he had sold the King's Lands and Woods without Commission That he had taken great Fines for the King's Lands and applyed them to his proper use and That he had made Leases in Reversion for more then one and twenty years Which Spoyl is to be understood of the Lands and Woods of the Dutchy of Lancaster of the which he was Chancellour and for committing whereof he was not onely forced to resign that Office but condemned in a fine of six thousand pounds not otherwise to be excused but by paying of four thousand pounds within the year This Punishment was accompanied with a Disgrace no less grievous to him then the loss both of his Place and Money He had been chosen into the Society of the Garter An. 1548. when the Duke of Sommerset was in Power and so continued till the fifteenth of April in the year next following Anno 1552. At what time Garter King of Aâ—ms was sent to his Lodging in the Tower to take from him the Garter and the George belonging to him as a Knight of that most Noble Order Which he suffered willingly to be done because it was His Majestie 's Pleasure that it should so be More sensible of the Affront without all question then otherwise he would have been because the said George and Garter were presently afâ—er sent by the King to John Earl of Warwick the Duke of Northumberland's eldest Son Admitted thereupon into that Society So prevalent are the Passions of some Great Persons that they can neither put a measure upon their Hatred nor an end to their Malice Which two last Passages though more properly belonging to the following year I have thought fit to place in this because of that dependance which they have on the Fall of Sommerset The like Ill-Fortune happened at the same time also to Doctour Robert Farrar Bishop of St. David's who as he had his Preferments by him so he suffered also in his Fall not because Guilty of the Practice or Conspiracy with him as the Lord Paget and the rest were given out to be but because he wanted his Support and Countenance against his Adversaries A Man he was of an unsociable disposition rigidly self-willed and one who looked for more Observance then his place required which drew him into a great dislâ—ke with most of his Clergy with none more then the Canons of his own Cathedral The Faction headed amongst others by Doctour Thomas Young then being the Chantour of that Church and afterwards advanced by Queen
he had example and Authority for at that very time for in the year 1520 being but ten years before the setting forth of this Proclamation Monseiur a' Lautreth Governour for the French King in the Dukedome of Millain taking a displeasure against Pope Leo the tenth deprived him of all his jurisdiction within the Dukedom And that being donâ— he so disposed of all Ecclesiasticall affairs that the Church there was supremely governed by the Bishop of Bigorre a Bishop of the Church of France without the intermedling of the Pope at all The like we find to have been done by the Emperour Charles the fifth who being no lesse displeased with Pope Clement the eighth abolished the Papal power and jurisdiction out of all the Churches of his Kingdome in Spain which though it held but for a while till the breach was closed yet left he an example by it as my Author noteth that there was no necessity of any Pope or supreme Pastor in the Church of Christ. And before either of these Acts or Edicts came in point of practice the learned Gerson Chancellor of the University of Paris when the Popes power was greater far then it was at the present had writ and published a discourse entituled De auferibilitaâ—e Papae touching the totall abrogating of the Papall Office Which certainly he had never done had the Papall Office been found essentiall and of intrinsecall concernment to the Church of Christ. According unto which position of that learned man the greatest Princes of those times did look upon the Pope and the Papall power as an Excrescence at the least in the body mysticall subject and fit to be pared off as occasion served And if they did or do permit him to retain any part of his former greatnesse it is permitted rather upon selfe-ends or Reasons of state or otherwise to serve their turn by him as their 〈◊〉 requireth then out of any opinion of his being so necessary that the Church cannot be well governed or subsist without him But leaving these disputes to some other place we must return unto the Queen To whom some Lords are sent in the end of May an 1531. declaring to her the determinations of the Universities concerning the pretended â—â—rriage betwixt her and the King And therewith they demanded of her whether for quieting the King's conscience and putting an end to that debate she would be content to refer the matter to four Bishops and four temporall Lords But this she absolutely refused saying She was his lawful Wife that she would stand to her Appeal and condescend to nothing in that particular but by the counsel of the Emperour and the rest of her friends This answer makes the King more resolute more open in the demonstration of his affections to the Lady Anne Bollen whom he makes Marchionesse of Pembrook by his Letters Patents bearing date the first of September 1532. takes her along with him to Callis in October following there to behold the glorious enterview betwixt him and the French King and finally privately marrieth her within few dayes after his return the divorce being yet unsentenced betwixt him and the Queen Not long after which it was thought necessary to the King to call a Parliament wherein he caused an Act to passe that no person should appeal for any cause out of this Realm to the Pope of Rome but that all Appeals should be made by the party grieved from the Commissary to the Bishop from the Bishop to the Archbishop and from the Archbishop to the King as had been anciently observed amongst the first Kings of the House of Normandy It was also enacted in the same that all causes Ecclesâ—aticall Cognisances in which the King himself was a Party should be determined finally in the Upper-House of Convocation without being bound to make recourse to the Court of Rome During the sitting of which Parliament it is declared by Proclamation that Queen Katherine should no longer be called Queen but Princesse Dowager as being the Widow of Prince Arthur not the Wife of King Henry Warham Archbishop of Canterbury in the mean time dying Cranmer is designed for his Successor in that eminent dignity which he unwillingly accepts of partly in regard that he was married at that time and partly in reference to an Oath which he was to take unto the Pope at his Consecration But the King was willing for his own ends to wink at the one and the Pope was not in a condition as the case then stood to be too peremptory in the other So that a Protestation being admitted of not being otherwise bound to the Pope than should be found agreeable to the Word of God and the Laws and Statuâ—es of the Realm he takes his Oath and receives the Episcopall Consecration the 30th of March 1533. the Parliament still sitting which before we spake of At his first entrance into the House of Convocation he propounds two Questions to be considered and disputed by the Bishops and Clergy the first was Whether the marrying of a Brother's wife carnally known though without any issue by him be so prohibited by the Will and Word of God as not to be dispenc'd withall by the Pope of Rome The second was Whether it did appear upon the Evidence given in before the Cardinalls that Katherine had been carnally known by Prince Arthur or not Both Questions being carried in the Affirmative though not without some Opposition in either House in the first especially it was concluded thereupon in the Convocation and not long after in the Parliament also That the King might lawfully proceed to another Marriage These preparations being made the Marriage precondemned by Convocation and all Appeals to Rome made ineffectuall by Act of Parliament the new Archbishop upon his own desire motion contain'd in his Letters of the 11th of April is authorised by the King under his Signe Manuall to proceed definitively in the Cause Who thereupon accompanied with the Bishops of London Winchester Wells and Lincoln and diveâ—s other persons to serve as Officers in that Court repaired to Dunstable in the begining of May and having a convenient place prepared in the form of a Consistory they sent a Citation to the Princesse Dowager who was then at Amptill a Mannor-house of the King 's about six miles off requiring her to appear before them at the day appointed which day being come and no appearance by her made either in Person or by Proxie as they knew there would not she is called peremptorily every day fifteen days together and every day there was great poasting betwixt them and the Court to certifie the King and Cromwell a principall stickler in this businesse how all matters went In one of which from the new Archbishop extant in the Cottonian Library a Resolution is signified to Cromwelâ— for comming to a finall Sentence on Friday the 18 th of that Month but with a vehement conjuration both to him and the King
brother on the 9th and 10th she removes her Court unto Whitehall and there continâ—es till it was within two or three dayes of her Coronation Which time now drawing neer at hand she passed by water to the Tower on the 27th of September accompanied by her Sister the Princesse Elizabeth and a great train of Noble Ladies made her return through the principal streets of the City on the last of the same month in most â—tately manner and the next day proceeded with the like magnificence to the Abby Church where she was met by three â—â—lver Crosses and eighty singing men all in riâ—h and gorgeoâ—s Coaps so sudden a recruit was made of these sacâ—ed Vestments amongst whom went the new Dean of Westminster Dr. Westoâ— and divers Chaplains of her own each of them â—earing in their hands some Ensign or other After them marched ten Bishops which were as many as remained of her perswasion with their Miâ—ers rich Coaps and Crosier staves The Sermon was preached by Dr â—ay whom she had restored to the See of Chichester and the solemnity of the Coronation celebrated by the new Lord Chancellor Craâ—ner Archbishop of Canterbury being then commited and otherwise conceived unworthy of so great an honour Till this time none more dear to her then her Sister Elizabeth whom she alwayes took with her by the hand wheresoever she went and seldome dined or supped without her But this solemnity being passed over as if she were now freed from all the feaâ—s of a competition she estranged her self from her in such a manner as shewed that she had formerly desited her company for some by-respects and not out of natural affection More gratefâ—l unto other persons who deserved well of her she preferred Henry Ratcliff Earle of Sâ—ssex Commander Generall of her Army to the Society of the Gatter which Honour she conferred on his son Thomas after his decease and to be covered in her Presence at all times and places tending to the custome of the Grandees in the Realm of Spain Which priviledge not being very frequent in the Politâ—ie of the Realm of England I find to be recorded in these following words viz. Mary by the Grace of God Queen of England France and Ireland Defender of the Faith and of the Church of England and Ireland in earth the Supream Head o all to whom this present writing shall come sendeth Greeting in our Lord everlasting Know ye that We do give and pardon to Our wel-beloved and trusty Cosen and one of Our Privy Council Henry Earl of Sussex and Viscount Fittzwater Lord Egremond and Burnel Liberty Licence and Pardon to wear his Cap Coyfe or Night-cap or two of them at his pleasure as well in Our presence as in the presence of any other person or persons within this Our Realm or any other place of Our Dominions whatsoever during his life and these Our Letters shall be his sufficient Warrant in this behalf Given under Our Sign Manuall at Our Pallace of Westminster 2. Octob. 1 Regni With the like Royal gratitute she advance the Earl of Arundel who had deserved as well of her in the Council as the Earl of Sussex in the Camp to the Place or Office of Lord Steward investing him with all those powers and priviledges which had been formâ—rly exercised by the Lord Great Master whom he succeeded in Authority though not in Title Sir Edward Hastings who came over to her with 4000 men she first made Master of the Horse and Knight of the Garâ—er and afterwards Lord Chamberlain of the Houshold and Lord Hastings of Louthborough Sir John Williams who had done her very good service in Buckingham and Oxfordâ—hires â—hires she honoured with the Title of Lord Williams of Jaâ—e of which more hereafter Sir Hâ—nry Jerninâ—ham who first appeared in Norfoâ—k for her she preferred to be Captain of her Guard aâ—soon as she came unto the Crown and toward the latter end of her Reign Sir Thomas Threâ—â—â—m was created Lord Prior of the Order of St Johns of Jerusalem and consequently according to the old pretension the first Baron of England And as for her domestique servants who had suffered with her she thought it no unfit decorum that they should in part Reign with her also To which end she preferred Hopâ—on her old Chaplain to the See of Norwich Râ—chester to be Compâ—roller of her Houshold Ingâ—â—field toâ— be Master of the Wards and Wâ—lgrave to be Master of the Wardrobe which is sufficiâ—nt â—o deâ—lâ—re that she was willing to comply with all obligarionâ— and not to bâ— too long in debt to her greatest subjects but much lesse to her mâ—nial servants But in â—â—gard that all these were considered for their perâ—onal merits not in reference only to their zeal for the Catholick Cause she was to shew some act of favour unto those of thaâ— party which might create a confidence in them of her good affections To which end she made choice of Sir John Gage a man most zealously addicted to the Church of Rome to be Lord Chamberlain of â—â—r Houshold when she came first to the Tower to the great satisfaction of all those of that Religion And that she might in some meaâ—ure also obâ—â—ge the rest of her suâ—jects and make the entâ—ance of her Reign the more pleaâ—â—ng to them her Coronation was accompanied with a general pardon at the least in shew Out of which all prisoners in the Tower such as remained in the Fleet together with sixty other being excepted and the reâ—trictions and proviso's with which it was in all parts clogged being well observed there were not many especially of those whom it most concerned that could create unto themselves any benefit by it Thus was the Civil State established on a right foundation and the succession setled most agreeably to the Laws of Nature according to the last Will and Testament of King Heâ—ry the 8th and the Laws made in that behalfe But we shall see the pillars of the Church removed the very foundation of it shaken and the whole â—abrick of Religion so demolished that scarce one stone thereof did seem to stand upon the other without regâ—rd unto the Laws and contrary to the will and purpose of King Edwâ—â—d the 6th At the Queens first entrance into London on the thiâ—d of August she discâ—arged Gardinâ—r of the Tower as she did Bâ—â—ner of the Marshelsey and Bishop Tâ—â—stall from the Kings Bench within two dayes after To make way to whose restitution to their former Sees Bishop Ridley is removed from London Bishop Poiâ—ct from Winchester and an Act of Parliâ—ment pâ—ocâ—red for the restoring of the Church of Durham to all its Lands Preheminences and Juriâ—dictions of which it stood divested by the lâ—te Act of Dissolution made in the last year of the King deceased By the like power was Coverdale displaced from the See of Exon Sâ—ory from that of Chichester and Hooper dispossessed of that Jurisdiction whiâ—h he held as the Commendatory of the See
Ricot in reference perhaps to his fatheâ—s suffering in the cause of her mother from whom descended Francis Lord Norris advanced by King James to the Honors of Viscount Tame and Earl of Berkshire by Letters Patens bearing date in January Anno 1620. After him on the 7th of April comes Sir Edward North created Baron of Charâ—eleg in the Country of Cambridge who having been Chancellor of the Court of Augmentations in the time of King Henry and raised himself a fair Estate by the fall of Abbyes was by the King made one of his Executors and nominated to be one of the great Councill of Estate in his Son's Minority Sir John Bâ—ugis brings up the rear who being descended from Sir John Chandois a right noble Banneret and from the Bottelers Lords of Sudley was made Lord Chandois of Sudley on the 8th of April whiâ—h goodly Mannor he had lately purchased of the Crown to which it was Escheated on the death of Sir Thomas Seymour Anno. 1549. the Title still enjoyed though but little else by the seventh Lord of this Name and Family most of the Lands being dismembred from the House by the unparallel'd Impudence to give it no worse name of his elder brother Some Bishops I find consecrated about this time also to make the stronger party for the Queen in the House of Peers no more Sees actually voided at that time to make Rome for others though many in a fair way to it of which more hereafter Hooper of Glocester commanded to attend the Lords of the Council on the 22 of August and committed prisoner not long after was outed of his Bishoprick immediately on the ending of the Parliament in which all Consecrations were declared to be void and null which had been made according to the Ordinall of King Edward the 6 th Into whose place succeeded James Brooks Doctor in Divinity sometimes Fellow of Corpus Christi and Master of Bâ—liol Colledge in Oxon employed not long after as a Delegat from the Pope of Rome in the proceedings against the Archbishop of Canterbury whom he condemned to the stake To Jaylor of whose death we have spoken before succeeded Doctor John White in the See of Lincoln first School-master and after Warden of the Colledge near Winchester to the Episcopall See whereof we shall find him translated Anno 1556. The Church of Rochester had been void ever since the removall of Doctor Story to the See of Chichester not suffered to return to his former Bishoprick though dispoiled of the later But it was now thought good to fill it and Maurice Griffin who for some years had been the Archdeacon is consecrated Bishop of it on the first of April One suffrage more was gained by the repealing of an Act of Parliament made in the last Session of King Edward for dissolving the Bishoprick of Durham till which time Doctor Cuthbert Tunstall though restored to his Liberty and possibly to a good part also of his Churches Partimony had neither Suffrage as a Peer in the House of Parliament not could act any thing as a Bishop in his own Jurisdiction And with these Consecrations and Creations I conclude this year An. Reg. Mar. 2º An. Dom. 1554 1555. THe next begins with the Arrivall of the Prince of Spain wafted to England with a Fleet of one hundred and sixty sail of Ships twenty of which were English purposely sent to be his Convoy in regard of the warrs not then expired betwixt the French and the Spaniards Landing at Southampton on the 19 th of July on which day of the month in the year foregoing the Queen had been solemnly proclaimed in London he went to Winchester with his whole Retinue on the 24 th where he was received by the Queen with a gallant Train of Lords and Ladies solemnly married the next day being the Festival of St. James the supposed Tutelary Saint of the Spanish Nation by the Bishop of Winchester at what time the Queen had passed the eight and thirtieth year of her age and the Prince was but newly entred on his twenty seventh As soon as the Marriage-Rites were celebrated Higueroa the Emperors Embassador presented to the King a Donation of the Kingdoms of Naples and Cicily which the Emperor his father had resigned unto him Which presently was signified and the Titles of the King and Queen Proclaimed by sound of Trumpet in this following Style PHILIP and MARY by the grace of the God King and Queen of England France Naples Jerusalem Ireland Defenders of the Faith Princes of Spain and Cicily Arch-Dukes of Austria Dukes of Millain Burgundy and Brabant Counts of Ausperge Flanders and Tirroll c. At the proclaiming of which Style which was performed in French Latine and English the King and Queen showed themselves hand in hand with two Swords born before them for the greater state or in regard of their distinct Capacity in the publick Government From VVinchester they removed to Basing and so to VVindsor where Philip on the 5 th of August was Installed Knight of the Garter into the fellowship whereof he had been chosen the year before From thence the Court removed to Richmond by land and so by water to Suffolk-place in the Burrough of Southwark and on the 12 th of the same month made a magnificent passage thorow the principal streets of the City of London with all the Pomps accustomed at a Coronation The Triumphs of which Entertainment had continued longer if the Court had not put on mourning for the death of the old Duke of Norfolk who left this life at Framingham Castle in the month of September to the great sorrow of the Queen who entirely loved him Philip thus gloriously received endeavoureth to sow his Grandure to make the English sensible of the benefits which they were to partake of by this Marriage and to engratiate himself with the Nobility and People in all generous ways To which end he caused great quantity of Bullion to be brought into England loaded in twenty Carts carrying amongst them twenty seven Chests each Chest containing a Yard and some inches in length conducted to the Tower on the second of October by certain Spaniards and English-men of his Majesties Guard And on the 29 th of January then next following ninety nine Horses and two Carts laden with Treasures of Gold and Silver brought out of Spain was conveyed through the City of the Tower of London under the conduct of Sir Thomas Grosham the Queens Merchant and others He prevailed also with the Queen for discharge of such Prisoners as stood committed in the Tower either for matter of Religion or on the account of Wyaâ—'s Rebellion or for engaging in the practice of the Duke of Northumberland And being gratified therein according unto his desire the Lord Chancellor the Bishop of Ely and certain others of the Councill were sent unto the Tower on the 18 th of January to see the same put in execution which was accordingly performed to the great joy
Shifts on his part and much patience on theirs he is taken pro confesso on the twenty third and in the beginning of October deprived of his Bishoprick To whom succeded Doctour Nicholas Ridley Bishop of Rochester a Learned Stout and Resolute Prelate as by the Sequel will appear not actually translated till the twelâ—th of April in the year next following and added not long after to the Lords of the Council The necessary Execution of so many Rebels and this seasonable Severity against Bishop Bonner did much facilitate the King's Proceedings in the Reformation As certainly the Opposition to Aâ—thority when it is suppressed both makes the Subject and the Prince more absolute Howsoever to make sure Work of it there passed an act of Parliament in the following Session which also took beginning on the fourth of November for taking down such Images as were still remaining in the Churches as also for the bringing in of all Antiphonaries Missalls Breviaries Offices Horaries Primers and Processionals with other Books of False and Superstitious Worship The Tenour of which Act was signified to the Subject by the King's Proclamations and seconded by the Missives of Arch-Bishop Cranmer to the Suffragan Bishops requiring them to see it put in execution with all Care and Diligence Which so secured the Church on that side that there was no further Opposition against the Liturgie by the Romish Party during the rest of this King's Reign For what can any workman do when he wants his Tools or how could they Advance the Service of the Church of Rome when the Books by which they should officiate it were thus taken from them But then there started up another Faction as dangerous to the Church as opposite to the Publick Liturgie and as destructive of the Rules of the Reformation then by Law established as were those of Rome The Arch-Bishop and the rest of the Prelates which co-operated with him in the Work having so far proceeded in abolishing many Superstitions which before were used resolved in the next place to go forwards with a Reformation in a Point of Doctrine In Order whereunto Melancthon's coming was expected the year before but he came not then And therefore Letters were directed by the Archâ—Bishop of Canterbury to Martin Bucer and Peter Martyr two Great and Eminent Divines but more addicted to the Zuinglian then the Lutheran Doctrines in the point of the Sacrament Martyr accordingly came over in the end of November and having spent some timewith the Arch-Bishop in his House at Lambeth was dispatched to Oxford where he was made the King's Professour for Divinity and about two years after made Canon of Christ-Church In his first Lectures he is said by Sanders if he may be credited to have declared himself so much a Zuinglian in that point as to give great offence to Cranmer and the rest of the Bishops but afterwards upon notice of it to have been more moderate and to conform his Judgment to the Sense of those Learned Prelates Which whether it be true or not certain it is that his Readings were so much disliked by some of that University that a publick Disputation was shortly had betwixt him and some of those who disliked his Doings in which he publickly maintained these two Propositions 1. That the Substance of the Bread and Wine was not changed and 2. That the Body and Blood of Christ was not Carnally and Bodily in the Bread and Wine but united to the same Sacramentally And for the better Governing of the Disputation it was appointed by the King that Doctour Cox Chancellour of that University assisted by one Mr. Morrison a right Learned man should preside as Judges or Moderatours as we call them by whom it was declâ—red in the open Scholes that Martyr had the upper hand and had sufficiently answered all Arguments which were brought against him But Chadsey the chief of the Opponents and the rest of those who disputed with him acknowledged no such Satisfaction to be given unto them their party noising it abroad according to the Fate of such Dispuâ—ations that they had the Victory But Bucer not coming over at the same time also he was more earnestly invited by Pet. Alexander the Arch-Bishop's Secretary whose Letters bear Date March 24. which so prevailed with him at the last that in June we finde him here at Canterbury from whence he writes to Peter Martyr who was then at Oxford And being here he receives Letters from Calvin by which he was advised to take heed of his old fault for a fault he thought it which was to run a moderate course in his Reformations The first thing that he did at his coming hither as he saith himself was to make himself acquainted with the English Liturgie translated for him into Latine by Alexander Alesius a Learned Scot and generally well approved of by him as to the main Frame and Body of it though not well satisfied perhaps in some of the particular Branches Of this he gives account to Calvin and desires some Letters from him to the Lord Protectour with whom Câ—lvin had already began to tamper that he might finde the greater favour when he came before him which was not till the Tumults of the time were composed and quieted Having received a courteous entertainment from the Lord Protectour and being right heartily welcomed by Arch-Bishop Cranmer he is sent to take the Chair at Cambridg Where his first Readings gave no such distast to the Learned Academicks as to put him to the necessity of challenging the Dissentients to a Disputation though in the Ordinary Form a Disputation was there held at his firstâ—coming thither concerning the Sufficiency of Holy Scripture the Fallibility of the Church and the true Nature of Justification But long he had not held the place when he left this life deceasing on the nineteenth of January 1550. according to the computation of the Church of England to the great loss and grief of that University By the chiefest Heads whereof and most of the Members of that Body he was attended to his Grave with all due Solemnity of which more hereafter But so it was that the Account which he had given to Calvin of the English Liturgie and his desiring of a Letter from him to the Lord Protectour proved the occasions of much trouble to the Church and the Orders of it For Calvin not forgetting the Repulse he found at the hands of Cranmer when he first offered his Assistance had screwed himself into the Favour of the Lord Protectour And thinking nothing to be well done which either was not done by him or by his Direction as appears by his Letters to all Princes which did but cast an eye towards a Reformation must needs be meddling in such Matters as belonged not to him He therefore writes a very long Letter to the Lord Protectour in which approving well enough of set Forms of Prayer he descends more particularly to the English Liturgy in canvasing whereof he
Elizabeth to the See of York as also Doctour Rowland Merick preferred by the same Queen to the See of Bangor though they appeared not visibly in the Information which was made against him In which I finde him charged amongst other things for Celebrating a Marriage without requiring the Married Persons to receive the Communion contrary to the Rubrick in the Common-Prayer-Book for going ordinarily abroad in a Gown and Hat and not in a Square Cap as did the rest of the Clergy for causing a Communion-Table which had been placed by the Official of Caer-marthen in the middle of the Church the High Alltar being then demolished to be carried back into the Chancel and there to be disposed of in or near the place where the Altar stood for suffering many Superstitious Uâ—ages to be retained amongst the people contrary to the Laws in that behalf But chiefly for exercising some Acts of Episcopal Jurisdiction in his own name in derogation of the King's Supremacy and grounding his Commissions for the exercise thereof upon foreign and usurped Authority The Articles fifty six in number but this last as the first in Rank so of more Danger to him then all the reâ—t preferred against him but not prosecuted as long as his great Patron the Duke of Sommerset was in place and Power But he being on the sinking hand and the Bishop too stiff to come to a Compliance with those whom he esteemed beneath him the Suit is followed with more noise and violence then was consistent with the credit of either Party The Duke being dead the four Knights Executed and all his Party in Disgrace a Commission is Issued bearing Date the ninth of March to enquire into the Merit of the Articles which were charged against him On the return whereof he is Indicted of a Prâ—â—munire at the Assizes held in Caer-marthen in the July following committed thereupon to Prison where he remained all the rest of King Edward's time never restored to Liberty till he came to the Stake when all his Sufferings and Sorrows had an end together But this Business hath carried us too far into the next year of this King to the beginning whereof we must now return Anno Regni Edw. Sexti 6o. An. Dom. 1551 1552. WE must begin the sixth year of the King with the fourth Session of Parliament though the beginning of the fourth Session was some days before that is to say on the twenty third day of January being the next day after the Death of that Great Person His Adversaries possibly could not do it sooner and found it very unsafe to defer it longer for fear of being over-ruled in a Parliamentary way by the Lords and Commons There was Summoned also a Convocation of the Bishops and Clergy of the Province of Canterbury to begin upon the next day after the Parliament Much business done in each as may appear by the Table of the Statutes made in the one and the passing of the Book of Articles as the Work of the other But the Acts of this Convocation were so ill kept that there remains nothing on Record touching their Proceedings except it be the names of such of the Bishops as came thither to Adjourn the House Onely I finde a Memorandum that on the twenty ninth of this present January the Bishoprick of Westminster was dissolved by the King's Letters Patents by which the County of Middlesex which had before been laid unto it was restored unto the See of London made greater then in former times by the Addition of the Arch-Deaconry of St. Alban's which at the dissolution of that Monastery had been laid to Lincoln The Lands of Westminster so dilapidated by Bishop Thirlby that there was almost nothing left to support the Dignity for which good service he had been preferred to the See of Norâ—ich in the year foregoing Most of the Lands invaded by the Great men of the Court the rest laid out for Reparation to the Church of St. Paul pared almost to the very quick in those days of Rapine From hence first came that significant By-word as is said by some of Robbing Peter to pay Paul But this was no Business of that Convocation though remembred in it That which most specially doth concern us in this Convocation is the settling and confirming of the Book of Articles prepared by Arch-Bishop Cranmer with the assistance of such Learned men as he thought fit to call unto him in the year last past and now presented to the consideration of the rest of the Clergy For that they were debated and agreed upon in that Convocation appears by the Title of the Book where they are called Aâ—ticuli de quibus in Synodo Londinensi An. Dom. 1552 c. that is to say Articles Agreed upon in the Synod of London An. 1552. And it may be concluded from that Title also that the Convocation had devolved their Power on some Grand Committee sufficiently Authourised to Debate Conclude and Publish what they had Concluded in the name of the rest For there it is not said as in the Articles Published in Queen Elizabeth's time An. 1562. That they were agreed upon by the Arch-Bishops and Bishops of both Provinces and the whole-Clergy in the Convocation holden at London but that they were agreed upon in the Synod of London by the Bishops and certain other Learned Men inter Episcopos â—lios Eruditos viros as the Latin hath it Which seems to make it plain enough that the debating and concluding of the Articles contained in the said Book was the Work onely of some Bâ—shops and certain other Learned men sufficiently empowered for that end and purpose And being so empowered to that end and purpose the Articles by them concluded and agreed upon may warrantably be affirmed to be the Acts and Products of that Convocation Confirmed and Published for such by the King's Authority as appears further by the Title in due form of Law And so it is resolved by Philpot Arch-Deacon of Winchester in behalf of the Catechism which came â—ut An. 1553. with the Approbation of the said Bishops and Learned men Against which when it was objected by Doctour Weston Prolocutour of the Convocation in the first of Queen Mary that the said Catechism was not set forth by the Agreement of that House it was Answered by that Reverend and Learned man That The said House had granâ—ed the Authority to make Ecclesiastical Laws unto certain Persons to be appointed by the King's Majesty and therefore whatsoever Ecclesiastical Laws they or the most part of them did set forth according to the Statute in that behalf provided might be well said to be done in the Synod of London And this may also be the Case of the Book of Articles which may be truly and justly said to be the Work of that Convocation though many Members of it never saw the same till the Book was published in regard I still use Philpot's words in the Acts and Mon. Fol.
there was no evidence against her but the confession of Smeton and the calumnies of the Lady Rochfort of which the one was fooled into that confession by the hope of life which notwithstanding was not pardoned and the other most deservedly lost her head within few years after for being accessary to the Adulteries of Queen Katherine Howard And yet upon this Evidence she was arraigned in the great Hall of the Tower of London on the 15th of May and pronounced guilty by her Peers of which her own father which I cannot but behold as an act of the highest tyranny was compelled to be one The Lord Rochfort and the rest of the prisoners were found guilty also and suffered death on the 17th day of the same month all of them standing stoutly to the Queens and their own integrity as it was thought that Smeton also would have done but that he still flattered himself with the hopes of life till the loss of his head disabled him from making the retractation The like death suffered by the Queen on the second day after some few permitted to be present rather as witnesses than spectators of her final end And it was so ordered by the advice of Sir William Kingston who signified in his Letters to one of the Council that he conceived it best that a reasonable number onely should be present at the Execution because he found by some discourse which he had had with her that she would declare her self to be a good woman for all men but for the King at the hour of death Which declaration she made good going with great cheerfulness to the Scaffold praying most heartily for the King and standing constantly on her innocence to the very last So dyed this great and gallant Lady one of the most remarkable mockeries and disports of fortune which these last ages have produced raised from the quality of a privat Lady to the bed of a King crowned on the Throne and executed on the Scaffold the fabrick of her power and glories being six years at the least in building but cast down in an instant the splendor and magnificence of her Coronation seeming to have no other end but to make her the more glorious Sacrifice at the next alteration of the Kings affections But her death was not the onely mark which the King did aim at If she had onely lost her head though with the loss of her honor it would have been no bar to her daughter Elizabeth from succeeding her father in the Throne and he must have his bed left free from all such pretensions the better to draw on the following mariage It was thought necessary therefore that she should be separated from his bed by some other means than the Axe or Sword and to be legally divorced from her in a Court of Judicature when the sentence of death might seem to have deprived her of all means as well as of all manner of desire to dispute the point Upon which ground Norris is practised with to confess the Adultery and the Lord Percy now Earl of Northumberland who was known to have made love unto her in her former times to acknowledge a Contract But as Norris gallantly denyed the one so the Lord Percy could not be induced though much laboured to it to confess the other For proof whereof we have this Letter of his own hand writing directed to Secretary Cromwel in these following words Mr Secretary THis shall be to signifie unto you that I perceive by Sir Raynald Carnaby that there is supposed to be a pre-contract between the Queen and me Whereupon I was not only examined upon my oath before the Archbishops of Canterbury and York but also received the blessed Sacrament upon the same before the Duke of Norfolk and others of the Kings Highnesse Council learned in the spiritual Law assuring You Mr Secretary by the said oath and blessed body which afore I received and hereafter mean to receive that the same may be to my damnation if ever there were any contract or promise of mariage betwixt her and me At Newington Green the 13th of May in the 28th year of the reign of Our Soverain Lord King Henry the 8th Yours assured H. Northumberland But notwithstanding these denyals and that neither the Adultery was confessed not the Contract proved some other ground was found out to dissolve the mariage though what it was doth not appear upon Record All which occurs in reference to it is a solemn instrument under the seal of Archbishop Cranmer by which the mariage is declared on good and valuable reasons to be null and void no reason being exprest particularly for the ground thereof Which sentence was pronounced at Lambeth on the 17th of May in the presence of Sir Thomas Hadly Lord Chancellor Charles Duke of Suffolk John Earl of Oxon Robert Earl of Sussex William Lord Sandys Lord Chancellor of his Majesties houshold Thomas Cromwel Master of the Rolls and principal Secretary then newly put into the office of Vicar General Sir William Fitzwilliams Treasurer and Sir William Paulet Controller of the Kings houshold Thomas Bedil Arch-Deacon of Cornwal and John Trigunwel Dr of the Lawes all being of the Privy Council Besides which there were present also John Oliver Dean of Kings College in Oxon Richard Guent Arch-Deacon of London and Dean of the Aâ—ches Edmund Bonner Arch-Deacon of Leicester Richard Leighton Arch Deacon of Buckingham and Thomas Lee Doctor of the Lawes as also Dr Richard Sampson Dean of the Chapel Royal who appeared as Proctor for the King together with Doctor Nicholas Wotton and Doctor John Barbour appointed Proctors for the Queen By the authority of which great appearance more than for any thing contain'd particularly in the act or instrument the said sentence of Divorce was approved by the Prelates and Clergy assembled in their Convocation on the ninth of June and being so confirmed by them it received the like approbation by Act of Parliament within few dayes after in which Act there also passed a clause which declared the Lady Elizabeth the only issue of this mariage to be illegitimate What else concerns this unfortunate Lady together with some proof of divers things before delivered cannot be more pathetically expressed than by her self bemoaning her misfortunes to the King in this following Letter Sir YOur Graces displeasure and my imprisonment are things so strange unto me as what to write or what to excuse I am altogether ignorant Whereas you send unto me willing me to confesse a truth and so obtain your favour by such a one whom you know to be my antâ—ent professed enemy I no sooner received this message than I rightly conceived your meaning And if as you say confessing a truth indeed may procure my safety I shall with all willingness and duty perform your commands but let not your Grace ever imagine that your poor wife will ever be brought to acknowledge a fauâ—t where not so much as a thought ever proceeded And
Sir John Mason Master of the Requests R. Bowes Master of the Rolls Most of which had formerly subscribed the answer to a Letter which came to them from the Princesse Mary on the ninth of July and were all pâ—â—doned for so doing except Cranmer only Now the Tenor of the said 〈◊〉 was as followeth In the name of our Soveraign Lady Mary the Queen to be declared to the Duke of Northumberland and all other his Band of what degree soever they be YOu shall command and charge in the Queens Highness name the said Duke to disarm himselfe and the cease all his men of war and to suffer no part of his army to do any villany nor any thing contrary to the peace and himself to forbear his comming to this City untill the Queens pleasure be expressedly declared unto him And if he will shew himselfe like a good quiet subject we will then continue as we have begun as humble suitors to our Soveraign Lady the Queen's Highnesse for him and his and for our selves And if he do not we will not fail to spend our lives in subduing of him and his Item Ye shall declare the like matter to the Marquesse of Northampton and all other Noble men and Gentlemen and to all men of war being with any of them Item Ye shall in all places where ye come notifie it If the Duke of Northumberland do not submit himselfe to the Queens Highnesse Queen Mary he shall be accepted as a Traytor And all we of the Nobility that were Counsellors to the late King will to the utmost portion of our power persecute him and his to their afterconfusion The Pursuivant having communicate his Instructions found none more ready to obey them then the Duke himselfe who had before dismist his forces and now prepared for his departure from that place though to what he knew not But as he was pulling on his boots he was first slaid by some of the Pensioners who being drawn into the action against their wils resolved to have him in a readinesse to bear witnesse to it and after taken into custody by Slegg a Serjeant The businesse being in dispute another Packet comes from the Lords of the Council by which all parties were required to depart to their severall dwellings the benefit whereof the Duke laid claim to for himself and was accordingly left by them at his own disposal And so he passed that night in some good assurance that he should fare no worse than the rest of the Council who had engaged him in the same cause and by whose order he had undertaken the command of that Army In the mean time the Earl of Arundell had done his errand to the Queen to so good a purpose that he was presently dispatched with Order to seize upon him Who coming to Cambridge the next morining found him preparing for his journy laid hold upon him and committed him to the charge of some of the Guard It is reported that the Duke had no sooner seen the Earle of Arundell but he fell down upon his knees and besought him to be good unto him humbling himselfe before him with more abjectednesse than formerly he had insulted over him with pride and insolence By safe but easie journies he is brought unto the Tower on the 25 day of July together with the Earl of Warwick the Earle of Huntington the Lord Hastings the Lord Ambrose and the Lord Henry Dudley two of Northumberlands younger sons Sir Andrew Dudly the Duke's brother Sir John Gates and Henry Gates his brother Sir Thomas Palmer who formerly had served his turn in the destruction of the Duke of Sommerset and Dr Sandys Vice Chancelor of the University of Cambridge Followed the next day after by the Marquesse of Northampton Dr Nicholas Ridley Bishop of London the Lord Robert Dudley another of Northumberland's sons and Sir Robert Corbet who having made their Applications to the Queen at Framingham found there no better entertainment than if they had been take in some act of Hostility The 27 day brings in Sir Roger Chomley Chief Justice of the Kings Bench and Sir Edward Mountague Chief Justice of the Common Pleas the Duke of Suffolk and Sir John Cheek on the morrow after shutting up the Arrer But the Duke of Suffolk stayed not long for being considered in himself as an easie person of whom they were to fear no danger and otherwise no more in fault than the rest of the Council he was released again within three dayes after to the great comfort of his daughter the late queen Jane who would have died dayly for her Father though but once for her self But so it fared not with the Duke of Northumberland a more dangerous person who together with John Earl of Warwick his eldest son and William Marquesse of Northampton was brought to their tryal on the eighth of August before Thomas Duke of Norfolk then sitting as Lord High Steward in Westminster Hall The Duke being brought unto the bar humbled himself with great reverence before his Peers professing his faith and allegiance to the Queen against whom he confessed he had so grievously offended that he intended not to speak any thing in his own defence But having been trained up to the study of the Laws in his younger dayes he desired the judgement of the Court in these two points First Whether any man doing any act by Authority of the Princes Councel and by warrant of the Great Seal of England and doing nothing wâ—thâ—â—t the same might be charged with treason for any thing which he might do by warrant thereof And secondly which pinched then his Judges to some purpose Wheâ—her any such persons as were equally culpable in the crime and those by whose Letters and Commandments he was directed in all his doings might sit as Judges and passe upon his trial as his Peers Whereunto it was answered by the Court with advice of the Judges First That the Great Seal which â—e preâ—ended 〈◊〉 his warrant was not the Seal of the lawful Queen of the Realm but thâ— Seâ— of 〈◊〉 â—â—surper who had no authority and therefâ—re could bâ— no warrant to him And secondly That if any were as deeply to be touched in the case as himself yet so long as nâ— attainder was upon Record against them they were looked upon by the Law as persons capable of passing upon any tryal and not to bâ— challenged by any in that respect but only at the Prince's pleasure Which being delivered by the Court in point of Law the Duke conceived that it would be to no purpose for him to plead Not Guilty and thereupon confessed the Indictment as the other two prisoners also did they all received judgement in the usual form On the pronouncing whereof he besought the Lords to move the Queen that she would be gratious to his sons who might be able to do good service in the time to come considering that they went not with him of their own free will but only in
by the Divines of King Edward's time that neither any satisfaction had been given to their Arguments nor that any right judgement could be made in the points disputed where the adverse party late as Judges in their own concernments Many checks had been given by Weston to the â—ix Divines but especially to the Arch-Deacon of Winchester and there was much disorder otherwise in the disputation though certain great Lords were present at it which hindered it from producing any good effect So that being weary at the last of their own confusions it was thought fit to put an end to the dispute Which Weston did accordingly in these following words It is not saith he the Queens pleasure that we should spend any longer time in these debates and ye are well enough already For you saith he have the Word and we have the Sword So powerful is the truth that may times it will find some means to vent it self when we least intend it and sometimes also when we most labour to suppress it The Parliament and Convocation had thus concluded on the point and little question would be made but that such Bishops as disliked the alterations in the time of King Edward will be sufficiently active in advancing the results of both But Bonner will not stay so long he is resolved to go along with the Parliament if not before it For after the ending of the Even song on St. Katherine's day before the consultations of the Parliament had been confirmed by the Royal assent he caused the Quire of St. Paul's to go about the steeple singing with lights after the old custome And on St Andrew's day next following he began the Procession in Latine himself with many Parsons and Curates and the whole Quire together with the Lord Mayor and divers of the Aldermen the Prebends of the Church attired in their old gray Amises as they used to call them in which manner they continued it for three dayes after In setting up the Mass with all the Pomps and Rites thereof at the time appointed it is not to be thought that he could be backward who shewed himself so forward in the rest of his actings And therefore it can be no news to hear that on the 14th of January he restored the solemn Sundays Procession about the Church with the Mayor and Aldermen in their Clokes the Preacher taking his benediction in the midst of the Church according to the ancient custome or that he should send out his Mandates to all Parsons and Curates within his Diocess for taking the names of all such as would not come the Lent following to Auricular confession and receive at Easter or finally that he should issue out the like commands to all Priests and Curates which lived within the compass of his jurisdiction for the abolishing of such Paintings and Sentences of holy Scripture as had been pensiled on the Church walls in King Edward's dayes He knew full well that as the actions of the Mother Church would easily become exemplary to the rest of the City so the proceedings of that City and the parts about it would in time give the law to the rest of the Kingdom and that there was no speedier way to advance a general conformity over all the Kingdom than to take beginning at the head from whence both sence and motion is derived to the rest of the body Which makes it seem the greater wonder that he should be so backward in advancing Images if at the least his actings in that kind have not been misplaced as not to go about it till the year next following unless it were that he began to be so wise as to stay until the Queen's affairs were better setled But no sooner was her marriage past when we find him at it For having by that time prepared a fair and large Image of our Saviour which they called the Rood he caused it to be laid along upon the pavement of St Paul's Quire and all the doors of the Church to be kept close shut whilst he together with the Prebends sung and said divers prayers by it Which done they anointed it with oyl in divers places and after the anointing of it crept unto it and kissed it and after weighed it up and set it in its accustomed place the whole quire in the mean time singing Te Deum and the bels publishing their joy at the end of the Pageant After which a command is given to Dr Story who was then Chancellor of his Diocess and afterwards a most active instrument in all his butcheries to visit every Parish Church in London and Middlesex to see their Rood loâ—ts repaired and the Images of the Crucifix with Mary and John to be placed on them But it is time that we return to the former Parliament during the sitting whereof the Queen had been desired to mary and three husbands had been nominated of several qualities that she might please her self in the choice of one That is to say Edward Lord Courtney whom she had lately restored to the Title of Earl of Devon Reginald Pole a Cardinal of the Church of Rome descended from George Duke of Clarence and Philip the eldest son of Charles the Emperour It is affirmed that she had carried some good affections to the Earl of Devonshire ever since she first saw him in the Tower as being of a lovely personage and Royal extraction the Grandson of a Daughter of King Edward the 4th But he being sounded afar off had declined the matter Concerning which there goes a story that the young Earl peâ—itioning her for leave to travel she advised him to mary and stay at home assuring him that no Lady in the land how high soever would refuse to accept him for an husband By which words though she pointed out her self unto him as plainly as might either stand with the Modesty or Majesty of a Maiden Queen Yet the young Gentleman not daring to look so high as a Crown or being better affected to the person of the Princess Elizabeth desired the Queen to give him leave to mary her sister Which gave the Queen so much displeasure that she looked with an evil eye upon them both for ever after upon the Earl for not accepting that love which she seemed to offer and on her sister as her Rival in the Earls affections It was supposed also that she might have some inclinations to Cardinal Pole as having been brought up with him in the house of his Mother the late Countess of Salisbury But against him it was objected that he began to grow in years and was so given unto his book that he seemed fitter for a Coul than to wear a Crown that he had few dependances at home and fewer alliances abroad and that the Queen's affairs did require a man both stout and active well back'd with friends and able at all points to carry on the great concernments of the Kingdom And then what fitter husband â—ould be found out for
enjoying all those Rights and Privileges which formerly he stood possessed of in this Kingdom For the passing of which Bill into Act the King and Queen vouchsafed their presence as soon as it was fitted and prepared for them not staying till the end of the Session as at other times because the businesse might not suffer such a long delay It was upon the 24 th of November that the Cardinal came first to London and had his Lodgings in or near the Court till Lambeth house could be made ready to receive him Having reposed himself for a day or two the Lords and Commons are required to attend their Majesties at the Court where the Cardinal in a very grave and eloquent speech first gave them thanks for being restored unto his Country in recompence whereof he told them that he was come to restore them to the Country and Court of Heaven from which by their departing from the Church they had been estranged He therefore earnestly exhorts them to acknowledge their errors and cheerfully to receive that benefit which Christ was ready by his Vicar to extend unto them His Speech is said to have been long and artificial but it concluded to this purpose That he had the Keys to open them a way into the Church which they had shut against themselves by making so many Laws to the dishonour and reproach of the See Apostolick on the revoking of which Laws they should â—ind him ready to make use of his Keys in opening the doors of the Church unto them It was concluded hereupon by both Houses of Parliament that a Petition should be made in the name of the Kingdom wherein should be declared how â—orry they were that they had withdrawn their obedience from the Apostolick See and consenting to the Statutes made against it promising to do their best endeavour hereafter that the said Laws and Statutes should be repealed and beseeching the King and Queen to intercede for them with his Holiness that they may be absolved from the Crimes and Censures and be received as penitent children into the bosom of the Church These things being thus resolved upon both Houses are called again to the Court on St. Andrews day where being assembled in the presence of the King and Queen they were asked by the Lord Chancellor Gardiner whether they were pleased that Pardon should be demanded of the Legat and whether they would return to the Unity of the Church and Obedience of the Pope Supream Head thereof To which when some cryed Yea and the rest said nothing their silence was taken for consent and so the Petition was presented to their Majesties in the name of the Parliament Which being publickly read they arose with a purpose to have moved the Cardinal in it who meeting their desires declared his readinesse in giving them that satisfaction which they would have craved And having caused the Authority given him by the Pope to be publickly read he showed how acceptable the repentance of a sâ—nner was in the sight of God and that the very Angels in Heaven rejoyced at the conversion of this Kingdom Which said they all kneeled upon their knees and imploring the mercy of God received absolution for themselves and the rest of the Kingdom which Absolution was pronounced in these following words Our Lord Jesus Christ which with his most precious blood hath redeemed and wash'd uâ— from all our sins and iniquities that he might purchase unto himself a glorious Spouse without spot or wrinckle and whom the Father hath appointed Head over all his Church He by his mercy absolve you And we by Apostolick Authority given unto us by the most holy Lord Pope Julius the 3 d his Vicegerent here on earth do absolve and deliver you and every of you with the whole Realm and the Dominions thereof from all Heresie and Schism and from all and every Judgment Censures and Pains for that cause incurred And also we do restore you again unto the unity of our Mother the holy Church as in our Letters more plainly it shall appear In the Name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost Which words of his being seconded with a loud Amen by such as were present he concluded the days work with a solemn Procession to the Chapel for rendring Prayers and Thanks to Almighty God And because this great work was wrought on St. Andrews day the Cardinal procured a Decree or Canon to be made in the Convocation of the Bishops and Clergy that from thenceforth the Feast of St. Andrew should be kept in the Church of England for a Majus Duplex as the Rituals call it and celebrated with as much solemnity as any other in the year It was thought fit also that the actions of the day should be communicated on the Sunday following being the second of December at St. Paul's Crosse in the hearing of the Lord Mayor Aldermen and the rest of the City According to which appointment the Cardinal went from Lambeth by water and landing at St. Paul's Wharf from thence proceeded to the Church with a Cross two Pillars and two Pole-axes of silver born before him Received by the Lord Chancellor with a solemn Procession they â—arried till the King came from Westminster Immediately upon whose comming the Lord Chancellor went into the Pulpit and preached upon on those words of St. Paul Rom. 13. Fratres scientes quia hora est jam nos de somno surgerâ— c. In which Sermon he declared what had been done on the Friday before in the submission which was made to the Pope by the Lords and Commons in the name of themselves and the whole Kingdom and the Absolution granted to them by the Cardinal in the name of the Pope Which done and Praiers being made for the whole Estate of the Catholick Church the company was for that time dismissed And on the Thursday after being the Feast of St. Nicholas day the Bishops and Clergy then assembled in their Convocation presented themselves before the Cardinal at Lamboth and kneeling reverently on their knees they obtained pardon for all their Perjuries Schisms and Heresies From which a formal Absolution was pronounced also that so all sorts of people might partake of the Pope's Benediction and thereby testifie their obedience and submission to him The news whereof being speedily posted over to the Pope he caused not onely many solemn Processions to be made in Rome and most parts of Italy but proclaimed a Jubile to be held on the 24th of December then next comming For the anticipating of which solemnity he alleged this reason That it became him to imitate the father of the Prodigal child and having received his lost son not onely to expresse a domestical joy but to invite all others to partake thereof During this Parliament was held a Convocation also as before was intimated Bonner continuing President of it and Henry Cole Archdeacon of Ely admitted to the office of Prolocutor They knew well how the Cards were
plaid and that the Cardinal was to be entreated not to insist on the restoring of Church Lands rather to confirm the Lords and Gentry in their present possessions And to that end a Petition is prepared to be presented in the name of the Convocation to both their Majesties that they would please to intercede with the Cardinal in it Which Petition being not easie to be met withall and never printed heretofore is here subjoyned according to the tenour and effect thereof in the Latine Tougne WE the Bishops and Clergy of the Province of Canterbury assembled in Convocation during the sitting of this Parliament according to the antient custom with all due reverence and humility do make known to your Majesties That though we are appointed to take upon us the care and charge of all those Churches in which we are placed as Bishops Deans Archdeacons Parsons or Vicars as also of the Souls therein committed to us together with all Goods Rights and Privileges thereunto belonging according to the true intent and meaning of the Canons made in that behalf and that in this respect we are bound to use all lawfull means for the recovery of those Goods Rights Privileges and Jurisdictions which have been lost in the late desperate and pernicious Schism and to regain the same unto the Church as in her first and right estate Yet notwithstanding having took mature deliberation of the whole matter amongst our selves we cannot but ingenuously confesse that we know well how difficult a thing if not impossible it is to recover the said Goods unto their Churches in regard of the manifold unavoidable Contracts Sales and Alienations which have been made about the same and that if any such thing should be attempted it would not onely redound to the disturbance of the publick peace but be a means that the unity in the Catholick Church which by the goodnesse of your Majesties had been so happily begun could not obtain its desired effect without very great difficulty Wherefore preferring the publick good and quiet of the Kingdom before our own private commodities and the salvation of so many souls redeemed with the precious blood of Christ before any earthly things whatsoever and not seeking our own but the things of Jesus Christ we do most earnestly and most humbly beseech your Majesties that you would graciously vouchsafe to intercede in our behalf with the most reverend Father in God the Lord Cardinal Pole Legat à Latere from his Holinesse our most serene Lord Pope Julius the third as well to your most excellent Majesties as to the whole Realm of England that he would please to settle and confirm the said Goods of the Church either in whole or in part as he thinks most fit on the present occupants thereof according to the powers and faculties committed to him by the said most serene Lord the Pope thereby preferring the publick good before the private the peace and tranquillity of the Realm before sutes and troubles and the salvation of Souls before earthly treasures And for our parts we do both now and for all times comming give consent to all and every thing which by the said Lord Legate shall in this case be finally ordained and concluded on humbly beseeching your Majesties that you would gratioâ—sly vouchsafe to perswade the said Lord Cardinal in our behalf not to show himself in the Premises too strict and dâ—fficult And we do further humbly beseech your Majesties that you would please according to your wonted goodnesse to take such course that our Ecclesiastical Rights Lâ—berties and Jurisdictions which have been taken from us by the iniquity of the former times and without which we are not able to discharge our common duties either in the exercise of the pastoral Office or the cure of souls committed to our trust and care may be again restored unto uâ— and be perpetually preserved inviolabâ—e both to us and our Churches and that all lawes which have been made to the prejudice of this our jurisdiction and other Ecclesiastical liberties or otherwise have proved to the hindrance of it may be repeated to the â—â—nour of God as also to the temporal and spiritual profit not only of your said most excellent Majesty but of all the Realm giving our selves assured hope that your most excellent Majesties according to your singular pieâ—y to almighty God for so many and great benefits received from him will not be wanting to the necessities of the Kingdom and the occasions of the Churches having cure of souls but that you would consider and provide as need shall be for the peace thereof Which Petition being thus drawn up was humbly offered to the Legate in the name of the whole Convocation by the Lord Chancellor who was present at the making of it the Prolocutor and six others of the lower house And it may very well be thought to be welcome to him in regard it gave him some good colour for not touching on so harsh a stâ—ing as the restoring of Church lands Concerning which he was not ignorant that a message had been sent to the Pope in the name of the Parliament to desire a confirmation of the sale of the lands belonging to Abbies Chanteries c. or otherwise to let him know that nothing could be granted in his behalf And it is probable that they received some fair promises to that effect in regard that on the New years day then next following the Act for restoring the Pope's supremacy was passed in both houses of Parliament and could not but be entertain'd for one of the most welcome New years Gifts which ever had been given to a Pope of Rome What the Pope did in retribution we are told by Sleidan in whom we find that he confirmed all those Bishops in their several Sees which were of Catholick perswasions and had been consecrated in the time of the Schism as also that he established such new Bishopricks which were erected in the time of King Henry the 8th and made good all such mariages as otherwise might be subject unto dispute He adds a confirmation also which I somewhat doubt of the Abby lands and telleth that all this was ratified by the Bull of Pope Paul the 4th He dispensed also by the hand of the Cardinal with irregularity in several persons confirmed the Ordination and Institution of Clergy men in their Callings and Benefices legitimated the children of forbidden mariages and retified the processes and sentences in matters Ecclesiastical Which general favours notwithstanding every Bishop in particular except only the Bishop of Landaff most humbly sought and obtained pardon of the Pope for their former errour not thinking themselves to be sufficiently secured by any general dispensation how large soever And so the whole matter being transacted to the content of all parties the poor Protestants excepted only on Friday the 25th of January being the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul there was a general and solemn Procession throughout
sute so they were altogether as forward to confer it on him not doubting but that during the time of such Government he would by all wayes and means study travail and imploy himself to advance the weal both publick and private of this Realm and Dominions thereunto belonging according to the trust reposed in him with no less good will and affection than if his Highness had been naturally born amongst us Set Forms of Prayers were also made for her safe delivery and one particularly by Weston the Prolocutor of the first Convocation in which it was prayed That she might in due season bring forth a child in body beautiful and comeâ—y in mind noble and valiant So that she forgetting the trouble might with joy laud and praise c. Great preparations were also made of all things necessary against the time of her delivery which was supposed would fall out about Whiâ—sun tide in the month of June even to the providing of Midwives Nurses Rockers and the Cradle too And so far the hopes thereof were entertained that on a sudden rumour of her being delivered the bels were rung and bonfires made in most parts of London The like solemnities were used at Antwerp by discharging all the Ordnance in the English ships for which the Mariners were gratified by the Queen Regent with 100 Pistolets In which as all of them seem'd to have a spice of madness in them so none was altogether so wild as the Curate of St Anns neer Aldersgate who took upon him after the end of the Procession to describe the proportion of the child how fair how beautiful and great at Prince it was the like whereof had never been seen But so it hapned that notwithstanding all these triumphs it proved in fine that the Queen neither was with child at the present nor had any hopes of being so for the time to come By some it was conceived that this report was raised upon policy only to hold her up in the affection of her husband and the love of her subjects by others that she had been troubled with a Timpany which not only made her belly swell but by the windiness of the disease possess'd her with a fancy of her being quick And some again have left in writing that having had the misfortune of a false conception which bred in her a fleshy and informed substance by the Physicians called a Moâ—a the continual increase whereof and the agitation it made in her occaâ—ioned her to believe what she most desired and to report what she believed But this informed lump being taken from her with no small difficulty did not onely turn her supposed joy to shame and sorrow but made much game amongst some of the Zuâ—nglian Gospellers for I cannot think that any true English Protestant could make sport thereat who were so far from desiring that the Queen should have any Issue to succeed in the Throne that they prayed God by shortning her days to deprive her of it Insomuch that one Râ—se the Minister to a private Congregation in Bow Church-yard did use to pray That God would either turn her heart from Idolatry or else shorten her days On which occasion and some others of the like ill nature an Act was made in the said Parliament for punishing of traiterous words against the Queen in which it was enacted That the said Praiers and all others of the like mischievous quality should be interpreted to be high treason against the Queen The like exhorbitances I find too frequent in this Queens Reign to which some men were so transported by a furious zeal that a Gun was shot at one Doctor Pendleton as he preached at St. Paul's Cross on Sunday the 10th of June Anno 1554. the Pellet whereof went very near him but the Gunner was not to be heard of Which occasioned the Queen to publish a Proclamation within few days after prohibiting the shooting in Hand-guns and the bearing of weapons Before which time that is to say on the 8th of April some of them had caused a Cat to be hanged upon a Gallows near the Cross in Cheapside with her head shorn the likeness of a Vestment cast upon her and her two fore-feet tied together holding between them a piece of paper in the form of a Wafer Which tending so apparently to the disgrace of the Religion then by Law established was showed the same day being Sunday at St. Paul's Crosse by the said Doctor Pendleton which possibly might be the sole reason of the mischief so desperately intended to him Such were the madnesses of those People but the Orthodox and sober Protestant shall be brought to a reckoning and forced to pay dearly for the follies of those men which it was not in their powers to hinder The Governours of the Church exasperated by these provocations and the Queen charging Wyat's Rebellion on the Protestantâ— party she both agreed on the reviving of some antient Statutes made in the time of King Richard the 2d King Henry the 4th and King Henry the 5th for the severe punishment of obstinate Hereticks even to death it self Which Act being passed the three great Bishops of the time were not alike minded for the putting it in execution The Lord Cardinal was clearly of opinion that they should rest themselves contented with the restitution of their own Religion that the said three Statuâ—es should be held forth for a terrour onely but that no open persecution should be raised upon them following therein as he affirmed the counsell sent unto the Queen by Charls the Emperour at her first comming to the Crown by whom she was â—dvised to create no troubble unto any man for matter of conscience but to be warned unto the contrary by his example who by endeavouring to compell others to his own Religion had tired and spent himself in vain and purchased nothing by it but his own dishonour But the Lord Chancellor Gaâ—dinâ—r could not like of this to whom it seemed to be all one never to have revived the said three Statutes as not to see them put in execution That some blood should be drawn in case of refractorinesse and an incorrigible non-conformity he conceived most necessary But he would have the Ax laid onely to the Root of the Tree the principal supporters of the Hereticks to be taken away whether they were of the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy or the Lay-Nobility and some of the more pragmatick preachers to be cut off also the rest of the people to be spared as they who meerly did depend on the power of the other Let but the Shepherds be once smitten and the whole flock will presently be scattered without further trouble Well then said Bonner to himself I see the honour of this work is reserved for me who neither fear the Emperor's frowâ—s nor the peoples curses Which having said as if he had been pumping for a reâ—olution he took his times to make it known unto the other two that he perceived they were
Appellation had been so entituled Which appeares more plainly by a particular of the Robes and Ornaments which were preparing for the day of this Solemnity as they are entred on Record in the book called The Catalogue of Honour published by Thomas Mills of Canterbury where it appeares also that they were prepared only but never used by reason of the Kings death which prevented the Sollemnities of it The ground of this Error I conceive first to be taken from John Stow who finding a creation of some Noble men and the making of many Knights to relate to the 18 day of October supposed it to have been done with reference to the Creation of a Prince of Wales whereas if I might take the liberty of putting in my own conjecture I should conceive rather that it was done with Reference to the Princes Christning as in like manner we find a creation of three Earles and five to inferiour Titles at the Christning of the Princesse Mary born to King James after his coming into England and Christened upon Sunday the fifth of May. 1604. And I conceive withall that Sir Edward Seimour Vicount Beauchamp the Queenes elder brother was then created Earle of Hartford to make him more capable of being one of the Godfathers or a Deputy-Godfather at the least to the Royall Infant the Court not being then in a condition by reason of the mournfull accident of the late Queenes death to show it selfe in any extraordinary splendour as the occasion had required at another time Among which persons so advanced to the Dignity and degree of Knighthood I find Mr. Thomas Seimour the Queenes youngest brother to be one of the number of whom we shall have frequent occasion to speak more fully and particularly in the course of this History No other alteration made in the face of the Court but that Sir William Pawlet was made Treasurer and Sir John Russell Comptroller of his Majesties Houshold on the said 18th day of October which I conceive to be the day of the Princes Christning both of them being principall Actors in the Afâ—aires and troubles of the following times But in the face of the Church there appeared some lines which looked directly towards a Reformation For besides the surrendring of divers Monasteries and the executing of some Abbots and other Religious Persons for their stiffenesse if I may not call it a perversenesse in opposing the Kings desires there are two things of speciall note which concurred this year as the Prognosticks or â—ore-runners of those great events which after followed in his Reign For it appeares by a Memoriall of the Famous Library of Sir Robert Cotton that Grafton now made known to Cromwell the finishing of the English Bible of which he had printed 1500. at his own proper charges amounting in the totall to 500. p. desiring stoppage of a surreptitions Edition in a lesse Letter which else would tend to his undoing the suit endeared by Cranmer Arch-Bishop of Canterbury at whose request Cromwell presents one of the Bibles to the King and procures the same to be allowed by his Authority to be read publiquely without comptrole in all his Dominions and for so doing he receives a letter of thanks from the said Arch-Bishop dated August the 13th of this present year Nor were the Bishops and Clergy wanting to advance the work by publishing a certain book in the English Tongue which they entituled The Institution of a Christian Man in which the Doctrine of the Sacraments the Creed the Lords Prayer and the Commandments were opened and expounded more perspicuously and lesse abhorrent from the truth then in former times By which clear light of Holy Scripture and the principall duties of Religion so laid opâ—n to them the people were the better able to discerne the errors and corruptionâ— of the Church of Rome From which by the piety of this Prince they were fully Freed And for a preamble thereunto the Rood of Boxley commonly called the Rood of Grace so Artificially contrived by reason of some secret wires in the body or concavities of it that it could move the eyes the lips c. to the great wonder and astonishment of the common people was openly discovered for a lewd imposture and broke in pieces at St. Pauls Cross on Sunday the 24. of February the Rood of Bermondsey Abby in South-work following the same fortune also within six dayes The next year brings an end to almost all the Monasteries and Religious houses in the Realme of England surrendered into the Kings hands by publâ—que instruments under the seales of all the severall and respective Convents and those surrenderies ratified and confirmed by Act of Parliament And this occasionally conduced to the future peace and quiet of this young Prince by removing out of the way some Great Pretenders who otherwise might have created to him no small disturbance For so it happened that Henry Earle of Devâ—nshire and Mary wife of Exceter descended from a daughter of King Edward the fâ—urth and Henry Pole Lord Mountacute descended from a daughter of George Duke of Clarence the second brother of that Edward under colour of preventing or revenging the Dissolution of so many famous Abbyes and religious houses associated themselves with Sir Edward Nâ—vill and Sir Nicholas Carew in a dangerous practise against the person of the King and the Peace of the Kingdom By whose endictment it appeares that it was their purpose and designe to destroy the King and advance Reginald Pole one of the younger brothers of the said Lord Mountacute of whom we shall hear more in the course of this History to the Regalâ— Throne Which how it could consist with the Pretensions of the Marquisse of Exceter or the Ambition of the Lord Mountacute the elder brother of this Reginald it is hard to say But having the Chronicle of John Speed to justifie me in the truth hereof in this particular I shall not take upon me to dispute the point The dangerous practise of which Persons did not so much retard the worke of Reformation as their execution did advance it to this year also appertaineth the suppressing of Pilgrimages the defacing of the costly and magnâ—ficent shrines of our Lady of Walsingham Ipswich Worcester c and more particularly of Thomas Becket once Arch-Bishop of Canterbury This last so rich in Jewells of most inestimable value that two great chests were filled with the spoyles thereoâ— so heavy and capacious as is affirmed by Bishop â—oodwin that each of them required no fewer then eight men to carry them out of the Church nothing inferiour unto Gold being charged within them More modestly in this then Sanders that malitious Sycophant who will have no lesse then twenty six waine load of silver Gold and precious stones to be seised into the Kings hands by the spoyle of that Monument Which proceedings so exasperated the Pope then being that without more delay by his Bull of January 1. he deprived the King
and that it is affirmed by Hierom That many Priests in hâ—s Time had their proper Wives Had they consulted with the Stories of the middle Times when Priests were forced to put away their Wives by the Pope's Commandment or else to lose the Benefices which they were possessed of they would have found what horrible Confusions did ensue upon it in all the Kingdoms of the West what Tragical Exclamations were made against the Popes for so great a Tyranny Or finally If they had looked upon the scandalous Effects which this forced Coelibate produced they could not but have heard some News of Gregory's Fish Pond and must have been informed in their own Panormitan that the greatest part of the Clergy were given over to prohibited Lusts and by others of their Canonists that Clerks were not to be deprived for their Incontinency considering how few there were to be found without it so universal was the Mischief that it was thought uncapable of any Remedy If we desire to be further informed in it as a matter Doctrinal we shall finde many eminent men in the Church of Rome to state the point in favour of a married Clergy By Gratian it is said That the Marriage of Priests is neither prohibited by the Law or any precept in the Gospel or any Canon of the Apostles By Cardinal Cajetan That it can neither be proved by Reason nor good Aâ—thority that a Priest committeth any sin by being married By the same Cajetan That Orders neither in themselves nor as they are accompanied by the Title of Holy are any Hinderances or Obstructions in the Way of Marriage By Panormitan The Coelibate or the single Life of Priests is neither of the Essence of Holy Orders nor required by the Law of God By Antoninus That there is nothing in the Episcopal Function which can disable the Bishop from the married life By the Authour of the Gloss upon the Decrees That the Greek Priests neither explicitely nor implicitely do bind themselves to Chastity or a single life By Pope Pius himself in the Councel of Basil That many might be saved in a married Priesthood which are in danger to be damned by living unmarried By Durand That it would be profitable to the Church if Marriage were allowed to Priests from whom it hath been found a very vain thing to look for chastity And finally by Martinus That it seemed fiâ— to many good and Godly men that all Laws for compellâ—ng a single life should be wholly abrogated for the avoiding of those Scandals which ensued upon it For 〈◊〉 which Passages together with the words of the several Authours in the Latine Tongue I shall refer the Reader to the Learned and Laborious Works of Bishop Jewel in the Defence of his Challenge against Doctour Harding cap. 8. 1. 3. And so I shut up this Discourse and therewith the Defence of this Act of Parliament with the most memorable Apophthegm of the said Pope Pius viz. That the Law had taken away Priests Wives and the Devil had given them Concubines to supply their places Two other Acts were passed in this present Parliament exceeding necessary for the Preservation of the Churches Patrimony and the Retaining of good Order The fiâ—st was made for the Encouragement and Support of the Parochial Clergy in the true Payment of their Tithes lately invaded by their Patrons and otherwise in danger to be lost for ever by the avaritiousness of the Parishioners as before was said For Remedy whereof it was Enacted That no Person or Persons should from thenceforth take or carry away any Tithe or Tithes which had been received or paid within the space of fourty years next before the Date thereof or of Right ought to have been paid in the place or places tithable in the same before he hath justly divided or set forth for the Tithe thereof the tenth part of the same or otherwise agree for the same Tithes with the Parson Vicar or other Owner Proprietary or Farmer of the same under the Pain or Forfeiture of the treble Value of the Tithes so taken or carried away To which a Clause was also added enabling the said Parsons Vicars c. to enter upon any man's Land for the due setting out of his Tithes and carrying away the same without Molestation with other Clauses no less beneficial to the injured Clergy And because the Revenue of the Clergy had been much diminished by the Loss of such Offerings and Oblations as had been accustomably made at the Shrines of Certain Images now either defaced or removed it was thought meet to make them some amends in another way And thereupon it was Enacted That every Person exercising Merchandises Bargaining and Selling Cloathing Handy-Craft and other Art and Faculty being such kind of Persons and in such Places as heretofore within the space of fourty years then before passed have accustomably used to pay such Personal Tithes or of right ought to pay other then such as the Common Day-Labourers shall yearly at or before the Feast of Easter shall pay for his Personal Tithes the tenth part of his clear Gains his Charges and Expences according to his Estate and Condition or Degree to be there aâ—owed abated and deducted with a Proviso for some Remedy to be had therein before the Ordinary in the case of Tergiversation or Refusal But the Power of the Bishops and other Ordinaries growing less and less and little or no execution following in that behalf this last Clause proved of little Benefit to those whom it most concerned who living for the most part in Market-Towns and having no Predial Tithes to trust to are thereby in a far worse Condition then the Rural Clergy There also passed another Act for Abstinence from Flesh upon all such Days as had been formerly taken and reputed for Fastingâ—days By which it was enjoyned That for the better subduing of the Body to the Soul and the Flesh to the Spirit as also for the Preservation of the breed of Cattle the Encouragement of Mariners and increase of Shipping all manner of Persons should abstain from eating Flesh upon the days there named that is to say all Frydays and Saturdays in the year the Time of Lent the ember-Ember-Days the Eves or Vigils of such Saints as had been antiently used for Fasts by the Rules of the Church An Act or Ordinance very seasonable as the case then stood the better to beat down the Neglect of all Days and Times of publick Fastings which Doctour Glasier had cryed up and his Followers had pursued in contempt of Law And here I should have closed this year but that I am to remove some Errours about the Time of Doctour Farra'rs Consecration to the See of Saint David's put off by â—ishop Godwin to the following year 1549. and ante-Dated by the Acts and Monuments to the fifth day of December in the year fore-going An. 1547. But by neither rightly For first I finde on good Record that Knight departed not this life
till Michaelmass-Day An. 1547. At what time and for some time after Doctour Barlow who succeeded Knight was actually Bishop of St. Davia's and therefore Farrars could not be Consecrated to that See some weeks before I finde again in a very good Authour that Doctour Farrar was the first Bishop made by Letters Patents without Capitular Election which could not be till after the end of the last years Parliament because till then the King pretended not to any such Power of making Bishops And Thirdly if Bishop Barlow had not been Translated to the See of Wells till the year 1549. as Bishop Godwin saith he was not it must be Barlow and not Farrars who first enjoyed the benefit of such Letters Patents because Barlow must first be removed to Wells before the Church of St. Davia's was made void for Farrars So that the Consecration of Farrars to the See of St. David's being placed by the Canons of that Church in an Information made against him on the fifth of September it must be on the fifth day of September in this present year and neither in the year 1547. as the Acts and Monuments make it nor in the year 1549. as in Bishop Godwin Anno Regni Edw. Sexti 3 o. An. Dom. 1548 1549. THere remains yet one Act of this Parliament which we have not spoke of but of a different nature from all the rest I mean the Act for the Attainder of the Lord Thomas Seimour whose Tragedy came on but now though the Ground thereof was laid in the former year The occasion much like that of the two great Ladies in the Roman Story Concerning whom it is related by Herodian that when the Emperour Commodus was unmarried he permitted his Sister Lucilla whom he had bestowed on Pompeianus a Right Noble Senatour to have a Throne erected for Her on the Publick Theatre Fire to be borne before Hâ—r when she walked abroad and to enjoy all other Privileges of a Princâ—'s Wife But when Commodus had Married Crispina a Lady of as great a Spirit though of lower Birth Lucilla was to lose her place and to grow less in Reputation then before she was This so tormented her proud heart when she perceived that nothing could be gained by disputing the Point that she never lest practicing one mischief on the neck of another till she had endangered the young Emperour's life but utterly destroyed her self and all those friends whom she had raised to advance her Interess VVhich Tragedy the Names of the Actours being onely changed was now again played over in the Court of England Thomas Lord Seimour being a man of lofty Aims and aspiring Thoughts had Married Queen Katharine Parr the Relict of the King deceased who looking on him as the Brother of the Lord Protectour and being looked on as Queen Dowager in the eye of the Court did not conceive that any Lady could be so forgetfull of her former Dignity as to contend about the place But therein she found her self deceived for the Protectour's Wife a Woman of most infinite Pride and of a Nature so imperious as to know no rule but her own Will would needs conceive her self to be the better Woman of the two For if the one were widow to the King deceased the other thought her self to stâ—nd on the Higher ground in having all advantages of Power above her For what said She within Her self Am not I wife to the Protectour who is King in Power though not in Title a Duke in Order and Degree Lord Treasurer and Earl Marshal and what else he pleaseth and one who hath Enâ—obled His highest Honours by his late great Victory And did not Henry Marry Katharine Parr in His doting Days when he had brought himself to such a Condition by His Lusts and Cruelty that no Lady who stood upon Her Honour would adventure on Him Do not all Knees bow before Me and all Tongues celebrate My Praises and all Hands pay the Tribute of Obedience to Me and all Eys look upon Me as the first in State through whose Hands the Principal Offices in the Court and chief Preferments in the Church are observed to pass Have I so long Commanded him who Commands two Kingdoms And shall I now give place to Her who in her former best Estate was but Latimer's Widow and is now fain to cast Her self for Support and Countenance into the despised Bed of a younger Brother If Mr. Admiral teach his Wife no better Manners I am She that will and will choose rather to remove them both whether out of the Court or out of the World shall be no great mâ—tter then be out-shined in My own Sphere and trampled on within the Verge of my Jurisdiction In this Impatiency of Spirit she rubs into the Head of the Duke her Husband over whom she had obtained an absolute Mastery How much he was despised by the Lord Admiral for his Mildness and Lenity What secret Practices were on foot in the Court and Kingdom to bring him out of Credit with all sorts of People What â—tore of Emissaries were imployed to cry up the Lord Admiral as the Abler man And finally that if he did not look betimes about him he would he forthwith dispossessed of his Place and Power and see the same conferred on one of his own preferring This first begat a Diffidence in the Duke of his Brother's Purposes which afterwards improved it self to an estranging of Affection and at last into an open Breach But before Matters could proceed to the last Extremity the Queen died in Child-birth which happened September last 1648 being delivered of a Daughter who afterwards was Christened by the name of Mary A Lady of a mild and obliging Nature honoured by all the Court for her even Behaviour and one who in this Quarrel had been meerly passive rather maintaining what she had then seeking to invade the place which belonged not to her And here the Breach might have been closed if the Admiral had not ran himself into further Dangers by practicing to gain the good Affections of the Princess Elizabeth He was it seems a man of a strange Ambition in the choice of his Wives and could not level his Affections lower then the Bed of a Princess For an Essay whereof he first addressed himself to the Lady Mary Duchess of â—ichmond and Sommerset Daughter of Thomas Duke of Norfolk and Widow of Duke Henry before mentioned the King 's Natural Brother But she being of too high a Spirit to descend so low he next applied himself to the Wâ—dow-Queen whom he beheld as double Jointured one who haâ— filled her Coffers in the late King's Time and had been gratified with a Legacy of four thousand pounds in Plate Jewels and Mony which he had Means enough to compass though all other Debts and Legacies should remain unpaid And on the other side She looked on him as one of the Peers of the Realm Lord Admiral by Office Uncle to the King and Brother to
year proceeds in which there was nothing to be found but Troubles and Commotions and Disquiets both in Church and State For about this Time there started up a sort of men who either gave themselves or had given by others the Name of Gospellers of whom Bishop Hooper tells us in the Preface to his Exposition on the Ten Commandments That They be better Learned then the Holy Ghost for they wickedly attribute the Cause of Punishment and Adversity to God's Providence which is the Cause of no Ill as he himself can do no ill and of every Mischief that is done they say it is God's Will And at the same time the Anabaptists who had kept themselves unto themselves in the late King's Time began to look abroad and disperse their Dotages For the preventing of which Mischief before it grew unto a Head some of the Chiefs of them were convented on the second of April in the Church of Saint Paul before the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Westminster Doctour Cox Almoner to the King Doctour May Dean of that Church Doctour Cole Dean of the Arches and one Doctour Smith afterwards better known by the Name of Sir Thomas Smith And being convicted of their Errours some of them were dismissed onely with an Admonition some sentenced to a Recantation and others condemned to bear their Faggots at Saint Paul's Cross. Amongst which last I finde one Campneys who being suspected to incline too much to their Opinions was condemned to the bearing of a Faggot on the Sunday following being the next Sunday after Easter Doctour Miles Coverdale who afterwards was made Bishop of Exâ—ter then preaching the Rehearsal Sermon which Punishment so wrought upon him that he relinquished all his former Errours and entred into Holy Orders flying the Kingdom for the better keeping of a good Conscience in the Time of Queen Mary and coming back again with the other Exiles after Her Decease At what time he published a Discourse in the way of a Letter against the Gospellers above-mentioned In which he proves them to have laid the blame of all sins and wickedness upon God's Divine Decree of Predestination by which men were compelled unto it His Discourse answered not long after by John Veron one of the Preâ—ends of Saint Paul's and Robert Crowley Parsons of Saint Giles's near Cripplegate but answered with Scurrility and Reproach enough according to the Humour of the Predestinarians And now the Time draws on for putting the New Liturgie in Execution framed with such Judgment out of the Common Principles of Religion wherâ—in all Parties do agree that even the Catholicks might have resorted to the same without Scruple or Scandal if Faction more then Reason did not sway amongst them At Easter some began to officiate by it followed by others as soon as Books câ—â—ld be provided But on Whitsunday being the day appointed by Act of Parliament it was solemnly Executed in the Cathedral Church of Saint Paul by the Command of Doctour May for an example unto all the rest of the Churches in London and consequently of all the Kingdom In most parts whereof there was at the first a greater forwardness then could be rationally expected the 〈◊〉 men amongst the Papists conforming to it because they 〈…〉 in the maine no not so much as in the Canon of the 〈…〉 Latine Seâ—vice And the unlearned had good reason to be pleased 〈…〉 in regard that all Divine Offices were Celebrated in a Tongue whic◠〈◊〉 understood whereby they had means and opportunity to become acqâ—aintâ—â— with the châ—eâ— Mysteries of their Religion which had been before 〈◊〉 sâ—cret frâ—m â—hem But then withall many of those both Priests and Bâ—shops who â—peâ—â—y had Officiated by it to avoid the Penalty of the Law did Celebrate their private Masses in such secret places wherein it was not easie to discover their doings More confidently caâ—ried in the Church of St. Paul in many Chapels whereof by the Bishop's sufferance the former Masses were kept up that is to say Our Ladies Mass the Apostles Mass c. performed in Latine but Disguised by the English names of the Apostles Communion and Our Ladies Communion Which coming to the knowledg of the Lords of the Council they addâ—â—ssed their Letters unto Bonner Dated the twenâ—y fourth of June and Subscribed by the Lord Protectour the Lord Chancellour Rich the Earl of Shrewsbury the Lord St. John Chief Justice Mountague and Mr. Cecil made not long after one of the Secretaries of State Now the Tenour of the said Letters was as followeth AFter Hearty Commendations having very credible notice that within that your Cathedral Church there be as yet the Apostles Mass and Our Ladies Mass and other Masses of such peculiar name under the defence and nomination of Our Ladies Communion and the Apostles Communion used in private Chapels and other remote places of the same and not in the Chancel contrary to the King's Majesties Proceedings the same being for that misuse displeasing unto God for the place Pauls in example not tolerable for the fondness of the name a scorn to the Reverence of the Communion of Christ's Body and Blood We for the Augmentation of God's Glory and Honour and the Consonance of His Majestie 's Lawes and the avoiding of Murmur have thought good to will and Command you that from henceforth no such Masses in this manner be in your Church any longer used but that the Holy Blessed Communion according to the Act of Parliament be Administred at the High Altar of the Church and in no other places of the same and onelâ— at such time as your High Masses were wont to be used except some number of People desire for their necessary business to have a Communion in the Morning and yet the same to be executed at the Chancel on the High Altar as it is appointed in the Book of the Publick Servicâ— without Cautele or Digression from the Common Order And herein you shall not onely satisfie Our Expectation of your Conformity in all Lawfull things but also avoid the murmur of sundry that be therewith justly offended And so We bid your Lordship farewell c. These Commands being brought to Bonâ—er he commits the Execution of them to the Dean and Chapter not willing to engage himself too far upon either side till he had seen the Issue of such Commotions as were then raised in many Parts of the Kingdom on another occasion Some Lords and Gentlemen who were possessed of Abbey-Lands had caused many inclosures to be made of the waste Grounds in their several Mannours which they conceived to be as indeed it was a great advantage to themselves and no less profitable to the Kingdom Onely some poor and indigent people were offended at it in being thereby abridged of some liberty which before they had in raising to themselves some inconsiderable profit from the Grounds enclosed The Lord Protectour had then lost himself in the love of the Vulgar by his severe if not
great a Servitude Such were the Effects of Calvin's Interposings in behalf of Hooper and such the Effects of his Exceptions against some Antient Usages in the Publick Liturgie and such the Consequents of the Indulgence granted to John a Lasco and his Church of Strangers opposite both in Practice and point of Judgment to the established Rules and Orders of the Church of England For what did follow hereupon but a continual multiplying of Disorders in all Parts of this Church What from the Sitting at the Sacrament used and maintained by John a Lasco but first Irreverence in receiving and afterwards a Contempt and depâ—aving of it What from the crying down of the Sacred Vestments and the Grave Habit of the Clergy but first a Disesteem of the men themselves and by Degrees a Vilifying and Contempt of their Holy Ministery Nay such a pâ—ccancy of Humour began then manifestly to break out that it was Preached at Paul's Cross by one Sir Steven for so they commonly called such of the Clergy as were under the Degree of Doctour the Curate of Saint Katharine-Christ Church That it was fit the Names of Churches should be altered and the Names of the Days in the Week changed That Fâ—sh-days should be kept on any other days then on Fridays and Saturdays and the Lent at any other time except onely between Shroveâ—tide and Easter We are told also by John Stow that he had seen the said Sir Steven to leave the Pulpit and Preach to the People out of an high Elm which stood in the middest of the Church-Yard and that being done to return into the Church again and leaving the High Altar to sing the Câ—mmunion-Service upon a Tomb of the Dead with â—is Face toward the North. Which is to be Observed the rather because Sir Stephâ—n hath found so many Followers in these later Times For as some of the 〈◊〉 sort have left the Church to Preach in Woods and Barns c. and instead of the Names of the Old Days and Moneths can finde no other sâ—itle for them then the First Second or Third Moneth of the Year and the First Second or Third Day of the Week c. so was it propounded not long since by some State-Reformâ—rs That the Lentenâ—Fast should be kept no longer between Shrovetide and Ealster but rather by some Act or Ordinance to be made for that purpose bâ—â—wixt Easter and Whitsuntide To such wild Fancies do men grow when once they break those Bonds and neglect those Rules which wise Antiquity ordainâ—d for the preservation of Peace and Order If it be asked What in the mean time was become of the Bishops and Why no Care wâ—s tâ—ken for the purging of these Peccant Humours It may be Answered That the Wings of their Authority had bâ—en so clipped that it was scarce able to fly abâ—oad the Seâ—tâ—nce of Excommunication wherewith they formerly kept in Aw both Priest and People noâ— having been in Use and Practice since the first of this King Whether it were that any Command was lay'd upon the Bishops by which they were restrained from the Exercise of it Or that some other Course was in Agitation for drawing the Cognizance of all Ecclesiastical Causes to the Courts at Westminster Or that it was thought inconsistent with that Dreadful Sâ—ntence to be issued in the King's Name as it had lately been appointed by Act of Parliament it is not easie to determine Certain it is that at this Time it was in an Abeyaâ—ce as our Lawyers Phrase it either Abolishâ—d for the present or of none Effect not onely to the cherishing of these Disorders amongst the Ministers of the Church but to the great encrease of Vicâ—ousness in all sorts of Men. So that it was not without cause that it was called for so earnestly by Bishop Latimer in a Sermon Preached before the King where he thus presseth for the Restitution of the Antient Discipline Lechery saith he is used in England and such Lechery as is used in no other Part of the World And yet it is made a matter of Sport a matter of Nothing a Laughing matter a Trifle not to be Passed-on nor Reformed Well I trust it will be amended one day and I hope to see it mended as old as I am Ana here I will make a Suit to your Highness to restore unto the Church the Dâ—scipline of Christ in Excommunicating such as be notable Offenders Nor never devise any other Way for no man is able to devise any better then that God hath done with Excommunication to put them from the Congregation till they be conâ—ounded Therefore Restore Christ's Discipline for Excommunication and that shall be a mean both to pacifie Goâ—'s Wrath and Indignation and also that less Abomination shall be used then in Times past hath been or is at this day I speak this of a Conscience and I mean to move it of a Will to Your Grace and Your Realm Bring into the Church of England the Open Discipline of Excommunication that open Sinners may be striken with all Noâ— were these all the Mischiefs which the Church suffered at this Time Many of 〈◊〉 Nobility and Gentry whâ—ch held Abbey-Lands and were charged with Pensions to the Monks out of a covetous Design to be freed of those Pensions oâ— to discharge their Lands from those Incumbrances which by that means were laâ—'d upon them had placed them in such Benefices as were in their Gifts This fiâ—led the Church with ignorant and illiterate Priestâ— few of the Monks being Learned beyond their Mass-Book utterly unacquainted with the Art of Preaching and otherwise not well-affected to the Reformation Of which Abuse Complaint is made by Calvin to Arch-Bishop Cranmer and Pâ—ter Martyr much bemoaneth the miserable Condition of the Church for want of Preachers though he touch not at the Reasons and Causes of it For the remâ—dy whereof as Time and Leasure would permit it was Ordained by the Advice of the Loâ—ds of the Council That of the King's 〈◊〉 Chaâ—lains which attended in Ordinary two of them shâ—uld be always aboâ—t the Court and the other four should Travail in Preaching abroad The first year two in Wales and two in Lincolnshire the second year two in the Marches of Scotland and two in Yorkshire the third year two in Devonshire and two in Hampshire the fourth year two in Norfolk and two in Essex the fiâ—th year two in Kent and two in Sussex and so throughout all the Shires in England By which means it was hoped that the People might in time be well instructed in their Duty to God and their Obedience to the Laws in which they had not shewed themselves so forward as of right they ought But this Course being like to be long in running and subject to more Heats and Coâ—ds then the nature of the Business could well comport with the next caâ—e was to fiâ—l the Church with Abler and more Orthodox Clarks as the Cures fell void And for an Example to
Spoil though not to the Loss of their Bishopricks Of which last Sort were Kitching Bishop of Landaff Salcot otherwise called Capon Bishop of Salisbury and Sampson of Coventry and Lichfield Of which the last to keep his ground was willing to fling up a great part of his Lands and out of those which either belonged unto his See or the Dean and Chapter to raise a Baron's Estate and the Title of the Baronie too for Sir William Paget not born to any such fair Fortunes as he thus acquired Salcot of Salisbury knowing himself obnoxious to some Court-Displeasures redeems his Peace and keeps himself out of such Danger by making long Leases of the best of his Farms and Manours known afterwards most commonly by the Name of Capons-Feathers But none of them more miserably Dilapidated the Patrâ—mony of his See then Bishop Kitching of Landaff A Church so liberally endowed by the Munificence and Piety of some Great Persons in those Times that if it were possessed but of a tenth Part of what once it had it might be reckoned as is affirmed by Bishop Godwine one of Kitching's Successours amongst the Richest Churches in these Parts of Christendom But whatsoever Kitching found it it was made poor enough before he left it so poor that it is hardly able to keep the Pot boiling for a Parson's Dinner Of the first Rank I reckon Voysie of Exeter Heath of Worcester and Day of Chichester for the Province of Canterbury together with Bishop Tonstal 〈◊〉 Durham in the Province of York The first once Governour to the Princess Mary Preferred afterwards by King Henry to the Lord-President-ship of Wales and the See of Exeter Which See he found possessed at his coming to it of twenty two goodly Manours and fourteen Mansion-Houses Richly furnished But the Man neither could approve the Proceedings of the King in the Reformation nor cared in that respect to Preserve the Patrimony of the Church for those who might differ in Opinion from him And being set upon the Pin he made such Havock of his Lands before he was brought under a Deprivation that he left but seven or eight of the worst Manours and those let out into long Leases and charged with Pensions and not above two Houses both bare and naked Having lost so much Footing within his Diocess it is no marvail if he could no longer keep his Standing For being found an open Hinderer of the Work in hand and secretly to have fomented the Rebellion of the Devonshire-Men in the year 1549 he either was deprived of or as some say resigned his Bishoprick within few Moneths after the Sentence passed on Gardiner but lived to be restored again as Gardiner also was in the Time of Queen Mary Of Day and Heath I have nothing to remember more particularly but that they were both Deprived on the tenth of October and lived both to a Restitution in Queen Marie's Reign Heath in the mean time being Liberally and Lovingly entertained by the Bishop of London and afterwards Preferred to the Arch-Bishoprick of York and made Lord Chancellour of England Nor shall I now say more of Tonstal but that being cast into the Tower on the twentieth day of December he was there kept untill the Dissolution of his Bishoprick by Act of Parliament of which we shall speak more at large in its proper place We must not leave these Churches vacant considering that it was not long before they were supplyed with new Incumbents To Gardiner in the See of Winton succeeded Doctour John Poynet Bishop of Rochester a better Scholar then a Bishop and purposely Preferred to that Wealthy Bishoprick to serve other Mens Turns For before he was well warm in his See he dismembred from it the Goodly Palace of Marwel with the Manours and Parks of Marwel and Twiford which had before been seised upon by the Lord Protectour to make a Knight's Estate for Sir Henry Seimour as before was signified The Palace of Waltham with the Park and Manour belonging to it and some good Farms depending on it were seised into the hands of the Lord Treasurer Pawlet Earl of Wiltshire who having got into possession so much Lands of the Bishoprick conceived himself in a fit Capacity to affect as shortly after he obtained the Title of Lord Marquess of Winchester But this with many of the rest of Poynet's Grants Leases and Alienations were again recovered to the Church by the Power of Gardiner when being restored unto his See he was by Queen Mary made Lord Chancellour To Voysie in the See of Exeter succeeded Doctour Miles Coverdale one who had formerly assisted Tyndal in Translating the Bible into English and for the most part lived at Tubing an Vniversity belonging to the Duke of Saxonie where he received the Degree of Doctour Returning into England in the first year of King Edward and growing into great Esteem for Piety and Diligent Preaching he was Consecrated Bishop of this Church the thirtieth of August the Bones whereof were so clean picked that he could not easily leave them with less Flesh then he found upon them Nor have we more to say of Scory who succeeded Day but that being Consecrated Bishop of Rochester in the place of Poynet on the thirtieth of August also he succeeded Day at Chichester in the year next following Of which Bishoprick he was deprived of in the Time of Queen Mary and afterwards preferred by Queen Elizabeth to the See of Hâ—reford in which place he dyed To Heath at Worcester no Successour was at all appointed that Bishoprick being given in Commendam to Bishop Hooper who having been Consecrated Bishop oâ— Glocester on the eighth of March was made the Commendatory of this See to which he could not legally be Translatâ—d as the Case then stood both Latimer and Heath being stâ—ll alive and both reputed Bishops of it by their several Parties And here we have a strange Conversion of Affairs for whereas heretofore the County of Glocester was a part of the Diocess of Worcester out of which it was taken by King Henry when first made a Bishoprick the Diocess of Worcester was now lay'd to the See of Glocester Not that I think that Hooper was suffered to enjoy the Temporal Patrimony of that Wealthy Bishoprick but that he was to exercise the Jurisdiction and Episcopality with some short Allowance for his Pains The Pyrates of the Court were too intent on all Advantages to let such a Vessel pass untouched in which they might both finde enough to enrich themselves and yet leave that which was sufficient to content the Merchant Anâ— this perhaps may be one Reason why Latimer was not restored unto his Bishoprick upon this Avoydance not in regard of any sensible Dislike which was taken at him by the Court for his down-right Preaching or that the Bishops feared from him the like Disturbances which they had met withall in Hooper But I conceive the Principal Reason of it might proceed from his own Unwillingness to cumber his
Altar stood then must it be removed from the Wall that one might go between the Ministers being in Contention on whether part to turn their faces either toward the West the North or South some would stand Westward some Northward some Southward It was not to be thought but that the Papists would much please themselves in these Disorders and that this Difference and Diversity though in Circumstance onely might draw contempt upon the Sacrament it self and give great Scandal unto many Moderate and well meaning Men. A Rubrick therefore is resolved on by which the Minister which officiates should be pointed to a certain Place and by the Rubrick then devised the North-side was thought fitter then any other But the main Matters which were now brought under Consideration were the reviewing of the Liturgie and the Composing of a Book of Articles this last for the avoiding diversities of Opinions and for the stablishing of Consent touching true Religion the other for removing of such Offences as had been taken by Calvin and his Followers at some parts thereof For Calvin having broke the Ice resolved to make his way through it to the Mark he aimed at which was to have this Church depend upon his Direction and not to be less estimable here then in other places To which end as he formerly had applyed himself to the Lord Protectour as appears by his Letter of the year An. 1549. So now he sets upon the King the Council and the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury in hope to bring them to his Bent. In his Letters to the King and Council as himself signified to Bullinger on the 29th of August he exciteth them to proceed to a Reformation that is to say to such a Reformation as he had projected and without which his Followers would not be contented In his Letters to the King alone he lets him know that many things were still amiss in the State of the Kingdom which stood in need of Reformation And finally in those to Cranmer he certifies him that in the Service of this Church as then it stood there remained a whole Mass of Popery which did not onely darken but destory God's Holy Worshâ—p But fearing he might not edifie with so wise a Prince assisted by such a Prudent Council and such Learned Prelats he hath his Agents in the Court the Country and the Universities by whom he drives on his Design in all parts at once And so far he prevailed in the first two years that in the Convocation which began in the former year An. 1550 the first Debate amongst the Prelats was of such Doubts as had arisen about some things contained in the Common-Prayer-Book and more particularly touching such Feasts as were retained and such as had been abrogated by the Rules thereof the Form of Words used at the giving of the Bread and the different Manner of Administring the Holy Sacrament Which being signified unto the Prolocutour and the rest of the Clergy who had received somewhat in Charge about it the day before Answer was made that they had not yet sufficiently considered of the Points proposed but that they would give their Lordships some account thereof in the following Session But what account was given appears not in the Acts of that Convocation of which there is nothing left upon Record but this very Passage For the avoiding of these Doubts the satisfying of the Importunities of some and rectifying the Disorders of Others rather then in regard of any Impiety or Impertinency in the Book it self it was brought under a Review and being so reviewed was ratified and confirmed by Act of Parliament in the following year By the Tenour of which Act it may appear First That there was nothing contained in the said First Book but what was agreeable to the Word of God and the Primitive Church very comfortable to all good People desiring to live in Christian Conversation and most profitable to the Estate of this Realm Secondly That such Doubts as had been raised in the use and exercise thereof proceeded rather from the Curiosity of the Minister and Mistakers then of any other Worthy Cause And therefore Thirdly Thatâ— it was found expedient that the said Boâ—k should be faithfully perused explained and made fully perfect in all such places in which it was necessary to be made more earnest and fit for the stirring up of all Christian people to the true honouring of Almighty God So far we are directed by the Light of this Act of Parliament 5. 6. Edw. 6. cap. 1. But if we would desire to know the Names of those good and Godly Men by whom it was so explained and altered in that it leaves us in the dark none of them being named nor any way laâ—d open for the finding of them So that the most that can be done is to go by Conjecture and to ascribe it to those Men who had first composed it and who were afterwards Authorised for drawing up the Form of Consecration c. annexed to this new Book as a part thereof and so adjudged to be by two Acts of Parliament For the avoyding of Diversities of Opinions and for stablishing Consent touching true Religion it was thought necessary to compose a Book of Articles in which should be contained the Common Principles of the Christian Faith in which all Parties did agree together with the most material Points in which they differed For the better performing of which Work Melancthon's Company and Assistance had been long desired That he held Correspondence once with the King and Arch-Bishop Cranmer appears by his Epistles of the year 1549 1550 and 1551. but that he came not over as had been expected must be imputed either to our home-bred Troubles or the great Sickness of this year or the deplorable Death of the Duke of Sommerset on whose Integrity and Candour he did most rely Yet the best was that though Erasmus was dead and Melancthon absent yet were they to be found both alive and present in their learned Writingâ— By which together with the Augustan Confession the Composers of those Articles were much directed not that they looked upon them as the Rule or Canon but onely as subservient helps to promote the Service But who they were that laboured in this weighty Work and made it ready for Debate and Conference in the next Convocation as I have no where found so I cannot conjecture unless perhaps we may attribute the Honour of it to those Bishops and the other Learned Men before remembred whose Hands and Heads had before been exercised in the publick Formulas That Cranmer had a great hand in them is a â—hing past question who therefore takes upon himself as the Authour of them for which Consult the Acts and Mon. fol. 1704. In which we are to understand him as the principal Architect who contrived the Building and gave the inferiour Workmen their several parts and Offices in that great Imployment and not that it was the sole
Christians should cease from all other kinde of Labours and apply themselves onely and wholely unto such Holy Works as properly pertain to True Religion that the said Holy Works to be performed upon those Days are more particularly to hear to learn and to remember Almighty God's great Benefits his manifold Mercies his inestimable Gracious Goodness so plentifully poured upon all his Creatures rendring unto him for the same our most hearty thanks That the said Days and Times are neither to be called or accounted Holy neither in the Nature of the time or day nor for any of the Saints sakes whose Memories are preserved by them but for the Nature and Condition of those Godly and Holy Works with which onely God is to be Honoured and the Congregation to be Edified That the Sanctifying of the said Days consisteth in separating them apart from all prophane uses and Dedicated not to any Saint or Creature but onely to the Worship of God That there is no certain time nor definite number of days appointed by Holy Scripture but that the appointment of the time as also of the days is left to the Liberty of Christ His Church by the Word of God That the days which from thenceforth were to be kept as Holy days in the Church of England should be all Sundays in the Year the Feast of the Circumcision the Epiphany the Purification of the Blessed Virgin c. with all the rest recited at the end of the Calender in the publick Liturgy That the Arch-Bishops Bishops c. shall have Authority to punish the Offenders in all or any of the Premisses by the usual censures of the Church and to impose such penance on them as to them or any of them shall seem expedient and finally that notwithstanding any thing before declared it shall and may be lawfull for any Husbandman Labourer Fisherman c. to labour ride fish or work any kind of work on the foresaid Holy days not onely in the time of Harvest but at any other time of the year when need shall require with a Proviso for the Celebrating of St. Georg's Feast on the two and twenty three and twenty and four and twentieth Days of April yearly by the Knights of the Right Honourable Order of the Garter or by any of them Which Declaration as it is agreeable in all points to the Tenour of approved Antiquity so can there nothing be more contrary to the Doctrine of the Sabbatarians Which of late time hath been Obtruded on the Church Then for the number of the Fasts It is Declared that from that time forwards every Even or Day going before any of the aforesaid Days of the Feasts of the Nativity of Our Lord of Easter of the Ascension of our Lord Pentecost of the Purification and the Annunciation of the aforesaid Blessed Virgin of All-Saints of all the said Feasts of the Apostles other then of St. John the Evangelist and of St. Philip and Jacob shall be fasted and Commanded to be kept and observed and that none other Even or Day shall be Commanded to be Fasted For Explication of which last Clause it is after added that the said Act or any thing therein contained shall not extend to abrogate or take away the Abstinence from Flesh in Lent or on Fridays and Saturdays or any other appointed pointed to be kept for a Fasting-Day but onely on the Evens of such other Days as formerly had been kept and observed for Holy and were now abrogated by this Act. And for the better suppressing or preventing of any such Fasts as might be kept upon the Sunday it was Enacted in the same according to the Practice of the Elder Times that when it shall chance any the said Feasts the Eves whereof are by this Statute to be kept for Fasting-Days to fall upon the Munday that then the Saturday next before shall be Fasted as the Eve thereof and not the Sunday Which Statute though repealed in the first of Queen Mary and not revived till the first year of the Reign of King James yet in Effect it stood in Force and was more punctually observed in the whole time of Queen Elizabeth 's Reign then after the Reviver of it Such course being taken for the due observing of Days and Times the next care was that Consecrated Places should not be Prophaned by Fighting and Quarrelling as they had been lately since the Episcopal Jurisdiction and the Ancient Censures of the Church were lessened in Authority and Reputation And to that end it was Enacted in this present Parliament that if any Persons whatsoever after the first day of May then next following should quarrel chide or brawl in any Church or Church-yard he should be suspended ab ingressu Ecclesiae if he were a Lay-man and from his Ministration if he were a Priest that if any Person after the said time should smite or lay violent hands upon another he should be deemed to be Excommunicate ipso facto and be excluded from the Fellowship and Company of Christ's Congregation and finally that if any Person should strike another with any weapon in the Church or Church-yard or draw his sword with an intent to strike another with the same and thereof be lawfull convicted he should be punished with the loss of one of his Ears c. A seasonable severity and much conducing to the Honour both of Church and State There were some Statutes also made for taking away the benefit of Clergy in some certain Cases for making such as formerly had been of any Religious Order to be Heritable to the Lands of their Ancestours or next of Kindred to whom they were to have been Heirs by the Common Law for Confirming the Marriages of Priests and giving them their â—ives and Children the like Capacities as other Subjects did enjoy whereof we have already spoke in another place There also passed another Act that no Person by any means should lend or forbear any Sum of Mony for any manner of Vsury or encrease to be received or hoped for above the sum lent upon pain to forâ—eit the sum so lent and the encrease and to suffer imprisonment and make fine at the King's pleasure But this Act being found to be prejudicial to the â—rade of the Kingdom first discontinued of it self and was afterwards repealed in the thirteenth year of Queen Elizabeth This Parliament ending on the fifteenth of April gave time enough for Printing and Publishing the Book of Common-Prayer which had been therein Authorised the time for the Officiating of it being fixed on the Feast of All-Saints then next ensuing Which time being come there appeared no small Alteration in the outward Solemnities of Divine Service to which the people had been formerly so long accustomed For by the Râ—brick of that Book no Copes or other Vestures were required but the Surplice onely whereby the Bishops were necessitated to forbear their Crosses and the Prebends of St. Paul's and other Churches occasioned to leave off their
thee delivereâ— to thee only be thanks honour and praâ—se for ever Amen Which said she mounted into her Chariot with so cleer a spirit as if she had been made for that dayes solemnity Entertained all the way she went with the joyful shouts and acclamations of God save the Queen which she repaid with such a modest affability and so good a grace that it drew tears of joy from the eyes of some with infinite prayers and thanksgiving from the hearts of all but nothing more indeared her to them than the accepting of an English Bible richly gilt which was let down unto her from one of the Pageants by a child representing Truth At the sight whereof she first kissed both her hands with both her hands she received the book which first she kiss'd and after laid unto her bosome as the nearest place unto her heart giving the City greater thanks for that excellent Gift than for all the rest which plentifully had been that day bestowed upon her and promised to be diligent in the reading of it By which and many other acts of a popular piety with which she passed away that day she did not only gain the hearts of all them that saw her but they that saw her did so magnifie her most eminent Graces that they procured the like affections in the hearts of all others also On the next morning with like magnificence and splendor she is attended to the Church of St Peter in Westminster where she was crowned according to the Order of the Roman Pontifical by Dr Owen Oglethorp Bishop of Carlisle the only man among all the Bishops who could be wrought on by her to perform that office Whether it were that they saw some alteration coming to which they were resolved not to yield conformity so that they could not be in a worse case upon this refusal than they should be otherwise or that they feared the Popes displeasure if they should do an act so contrary unto his pretensions without leave first granted or that they had their own particular animosities and spleens against her as the Archbishop of York particularly for his being deprived of the seal is not certainly known None more condemned for the refusal than the Bishop of Ely as one that had received his first preferments from the King her father and who complyed so far in the time of King Edward as to assist in the composing of the publick Liturgy and otherwise appeared as forward in the reformation as any other of that Order So that no reason can be given either for his denial now to perform that service or afterwards for his not complying with the Queens proceedings but that he had been one of those which were sent to Rome to tender the submission of the Kingdom to the Pope still living and could not now appear with honour in any such action as seemed to carry with it a repugnancy if not a manifest inconsistency with the said ingagement It cannot be denyed but that there were three Bishops living of King Edward's making all of them zealously affected to the reformation And possibly it may seem strange that the Queen received not the Crown rather from one of their hands than to put her self unto the hazard of so many denyals as had been given her by the others But unto this it may be answered that the said Bishops at that time were deprived of their Sees but whether justly or unjustly could not then be questioned and therefore not in a capacity to perform that service Besides there being at that time no other form established for a Coronation than that which had much in it of the Ceremonies and superstitions of the Church of Rome she was not sure that any of the said three Bishops would have acted in it without such alterations and omissions in the whole course of that Order as might have render'd the whole action questionable amongst captious men and therefore finally she thought it more conducible to her reputation amongst forein Princes to be Crowned by the hands of a Catholick Bishop or one at least which was accounted to be such than if it had been done by any of the other Religion And now the Parliament draws on summoned to begin on the 25th of that month being the Anniversary day of St Paul's conversion a day which seemed to carry some good Omen in it in reference to that great work of the Reformation which was therein to be established The Parliament opened with an eloquent and learned Sermon preached by Dr Cox a man of good credit with the Queen and of no less esteem with the Lords and Commons who caried any good affection to the memory of King Edward the 6th The chusing of which man to perform that service was able of it self to give some intimation of the Queens design to most of the Auditors though to say truth the Bishops refusing to perform the Ceremony of the Coronation had made themselves uncapable of a further trust Nor could the Queens design be so closely caried but that such Lords and Gentlemen as had the managing of elections in their several Countries retained such men for Members of the House of Commons as they conceived most likely to comply with their intentions for a Reformation Amongst which none appeared more active than Thomas Howard Duke of Norfolk whom the Queen had taken into her Council Henry Fitz-allen Earl of Arundel whom she continued in the Office of Lord Steward and Sir William Coecil whom she had restored to the place of Secretary to which he had been raised by King Edward the 6th Besides the Queen was young unmaried and like enough to entertain some thoughts of an husband so that it can be no great marvel not only if many of the Nobility but some even of the Gentry also flattered themselves with possibilities of being the man whom she might chuse to be her partner in the Regal Diadem Which hopes much smoothed the way to the accomplishment of her desires which otherwise might have proved more rugged and unpassable than it did at the present Yet notwithstanding all their care there wanted not some rough and furious spirits in the House of Commons who eagerly opposed all propositions which seemed to tend unto the prejudice of the Church of Rome Of which number none so violent as Story Dr. of the Lawes and a great instrument of Bonner's butcheries in the former Reign Who being questioned for the cruelty of his executions appeared so far from being sensible of any errour which he then committed as to declare himself to be sorry for nothing more than that instead of lopping off some few boughs and branches he did not lay his axe to the root of the tree and though it was not hard to guess at how high a mark the wretches malice seemed to aim and what he meant by laying his axe to the root of the tree yet passed he unpunished for the present though divine vengeance brought him in
might have done so also if they had not either been well watched or trusted upon their Parol to be forth-comming as the phrase is upon all occasions And though I find the name of Pates subscribed to some of the former Sessions yet it is not to be found to this the man being of a moderate and gentle spirit and possibly not willing to engage himself in any Counsels which might prove detrimental to his native country And as for Goldnel though his zeal to Popery was strong enough to carry him beyond the Seas yet it did not carry him so far as Trent there being so many retireing places nearer home in which he might repose himself with more contentment But leaving the Fathers in Trent to expect the comming of the holy Ghost in a cloak-bag from Rome according to the common scorn which was put upon them we must prepare our selves for England first taking in our way the affairs of France which now began to take up a great part of the thoughts of the Queen and her Council The Reformed Religion had made some entrance in that kingdome during the Reign of king â—rancis the first exceedingly dispersed and propagated in most parts thereof notwithstanding the frequent Martyrdoms of particular persons the great and terrible Massacres of whole Townships Commonalties and Churches even by hundreds and thousands in divers places of the Realm To which encrease the fickle nature of the French the diligence of their Preachers and the near neighbourhood of Genevâ— were of great advantage all which advantages were much improved by the authority and reputation which Calvin carried in those Churches and the contentment which the people took in a form of Government wherein they were to have a share by the rules of their Discipline and thereby draw the managery of affairs unto themselves Being grown numerous in the City of Tours and not permitted to enjoy the liberty of assembling within the walls they held their meetings at a village not far off for their publick Devotions the way to which leading through the gate of St. Hugo is thought to have occasioned the name of Hugonots which others think to have been given them by reason of their frequent nightly meetings resembled by the French to the walking of a Night-spirit which they called St. Hugh but from what ground soever it came it grew in short time to be generally given as a by-name to those which professed the Reformed Religion whether in France or else-where after Calvin's platform Their numbers not diminished by so many butcheries gave them the reputation of a party both stout and active which rendred them the subject of some jealousie to the Roman Catholicks and specially to those of the House of Guise who laboured nothing more than their extirpation But this severity sorted to no other effect than to confirm them in their Doctrines and attract many others to them who disdained to see poor people drawn every day to the Stake to be burned guilty of nothing but of zeal to worship God and to save their own souls To whom were joyned many others who thinking the Guisiards to be the cause of all the disorders in the Kingdom judged it an Heroick Act to deliver it from oppression by taking the publick Administration out of their hands But nothing more encreased their party than the accession of almâ—st all the Princes of the Blood of the House of Burbon the Chiefs whereof were the Duke of Vendosm who called himself King of Navarr in right of his Wife the Princes of Conde the Duke of Montpensier who finding themselves neglected by the Queen-Mother and oppressed by the Guisiards retired in no small discontments from the Court and being otherwise unable to make good their quarrels offered themselves as Leaders of the Hâ—gonot-faction who very cheerfully submitted to their rule and conduct The better to confirm their minds they caused the principal Lawyers of Germany and France and the most famous Protestant Divines to publish in writing that without violating the Majesty of the King and the dignity of the lawful Magistrate they might oppose with Arms the violent Domination of the House of Guise who did not onely labour to suppress the true Religion and obstruct the free passage of Justice but seemed to keep the King in prison Having thus formed their Party in the minority of King â—rancis the second their first design was that a great multitude should appear before the King without Arms to demand that the severity of the judgments might be mitigated and liberty of conscience granted intending that they should be followed by Gentlemen who should make supplication against the Government of the Guisiards But the purpose being made known to the Court the King was removed from Bloâ—sâ—n â—n open Town to the strong Castle of Amboise as if he could not otherwise be safe from some present Treason After which followed a strict inquiry after all those who had a hand in the design the punishment of some and the flight of others with the conclusion taken up by the Guisian faction to settle the Spanish Inquisition in the Realm of France To pacifie the present troubles an Edict is published by the King on the 18th of March 1560 in the French account for the pardoning of all who simply moved with the zeal of Religion had ingaged in the supposed conspiracy upon condition that they disarmed within 24 hours and after that another Edict by which a general pardon was indulged to all Reformatiâ—â—â— but so that all assemblies under the colour of Religion were prohibited by it and a charge laid upon the Bishops to take unto themselves the cognisance of all causes of Heresie in their several Diocesses But this so little edified with those of that party that greater tumults were occasioned by it in Provence Languedock and Poictoâ— To which places the Ministers of Geneva were called who most willingly came By whose Sermons the number of Protestants so increased in those Provinces and by their Agents in most others that in this year 1562. they were distributed into two thousand one hundred and fifty Churches as appeared upon a just computation of them But in the midst of these improvements the power and reputation of the side was shrewdly weakned by the falling off of Anthony Duke of Vendosme and King of 〈◊〉 who did not only openly forsake the party but afterwards joined himself in counsel and design against it with the Duke of Guise The foundâ—ing of so great a pillar threatned a quick ruine to the fabrick if some other butteress were not found to support the same The war was carried on from one place to another but seemed to aim most at the reduction of Normandâ— where the Hugonoâ—s had possessed themselves of some Towns and Casâ—les by which they might be able to distress the City of Paris and thereby make a great impression on the rest of the Kingdom It was thereupon advised by Lewis Prince of Coâ—de the
symitry which showed it selfe in all her features and what she carried on that side by that advantage was over-ballanced on the other by a pleasing sprightfulnesse which gained as much upon the hearts of all beholders It was conceived by those Great Critticks in the schooles of Beauty that love which seemed to threaten in the eyes of Queen Jane did only seem to sport it selfe in the eyes of Queen Ann that there was more Majesty in the Gaâ—b of Queen Jane Seimour and more lovelinesse in that of Queen Ann Bollen yet so that the Majesty of the one did excell in Lovelyness and that the Lovelinesse of the other did exceed In majesty Sir John Russell afterwards Earle of Bedford who had beheld both Queens in their greatest Glories did use to say that the richer Queen Jane was in clothes the fairer she appeared but that the other the richer she was apparrelled the worse she looked which showes that Queen Ann only trusted to the Beauties of Nature and that Queen Jane did sometimes help her selfe by externall Ornaments In a word she had in her all the Graces of Queen Ann but Governed if my conjecture doth not faile me with an evener and more constant temper or if you will she may be said to be equally made up of the two last Queens as having in her all the Attractions of Queen Ann but Regulated by the reservednesse of Queen Katharine also It is not to be thought that so many rare perâ—ections should be long concealed from the eye of the King or that love should not worke in him it's accustomed effects of desire and hope In the prosecution whereof he lay so open to discovery that the Queen couâ—d not chuse but take notice of it and intimated her suspitioâ—s to him as appeares by a letter of hers in the Scrinia Sacra Iâ— which she signifies unto him that by hastning her intended death he would be left at liberty both before God and man to follow his affection already setled on the Party for whose sake she was reduced unto that condition and whose name she could some while since have pointed to his Grace not being ignorant of her suspicions And it appeared by the event that she was not much mistaken in the Mark she aimed at For scarce had her lementable death which happened on the nineteenth of May prepared the way for the Legitimating of this new affection but on the morrow after the King was secretly married to Mistress Seimour and openly showed her as his Queen in the Whitsontide following A Marriage which made some alteration in the face of the Court in the advancing of her kindred and discountenancing the Dependants of the former Queen but otherwise produced no change in Affaires of State The King proceeded as before in suppressing Monasteries extinguishing the Popes Authority and â—ltering divers things in the face of the Câ—uâ—ch which tended to that Reformation which after followed For on the eighth of June began the Parliament in which here past an Act for tâ—e finall extinguishing of the Power of the Popes of Rome Cap. 10. And the next day a Convocation of the Bishops and Clergy managed by Sir Thomas Cromwell advanced about that time unto the Title of Lord Cromwell of Wimbledon and made his Majesties Viccar Generall of all Ecclesiast â—all Matâ—ers in the Realme of England By whose Authority a book was published after Mature debate and Deliberation under the name of Articles Devised by the Kings Highness in which mentioned â—ut three Sacraments that is to â—ay Baptisme Penâ—ance and the Lords Supper Besides which book there were some Acts agreed upon in the Convocation for diminishing the superflâ—ous number of Holy dayes especially of such as happened in the time of Harvest Sâ—gnified afterwards to the people in certain Injunctions published in the Kings name by the new Viccar Generall as the first fruits of his Authority In which it was ordained amongst other things that the Curates in every Parish Church should teach the People to say the Lords Prayer the Creed the Ave-Mary and the Ten Commandments in the English Tongue But that which seemed to make most for the Advantage of the new Queen and her Posterity if it please God to give her any was the unexpected death of the Duke of Richmond the Kings naturall Son begotten on the body of the Lady Talboiâ— So dearly cherished by his Father having then no lawful Issuâ—-male that in the sixth yeare of his Age An. 1525. he created him Earl of Nottingham and not long after Duke of Richmond and Sommerset preferred him to the Honourable office of Earle Marshall elected him into the Order of the Garter made him Lord Admirall of the Royall Navy in an expedition against France and finally Affianced him to Mary the daughter of Thomas Howard Duke of Norâ—olk the most â—owerfull Subject in the Kingdom Now were these all the favours intended to him The Crown it selfe being designed him by the King in default of Lawfull Issue to be procreated and begotten of his Royall Body For in the Act of the Succession which past in the Parliament of this year the Crown being first setled upon the Issue of this Queen with the remainder to the Kings issue lawfully begotten on any following wife whatsoever there past this clause in favour of the Duke of Richmond as it was then generally conceived that is to say That for lack of lawfull heires of the Kings body to be procreated or begotten as is afore limitted by this Act it should and might be lawfull for him to confer the same on any such Person or Persons in Possession and Remainder as should please his Highnesse and according to such Estate and after such manner â—orme fashion order and condition as should be expressed declared named and lâ—mitted in his said Letters Patents or by his last Will the Crown to be enjoyed by such person or persons so to be nominated and appointed in as large and ample manner as if such Person or Persons had been his Highnesse Lawfull Heires to the Imperiall Crown of this Realm And though it might please God as it after did to give the King some Lawfull Issue by this Queen yet took he so much care for this naturall son as to enable himselfe by another Clause in the said Act to advance any person or persons of his most Royall Blood by Letters Patents under the Great Seale to any Title Stile or Name of any Estate Dignity or Honour whatsoever it be and to give to them or any of them any Castles Honours Mannours Lands Tenements Liberties Franchiefes or other Hereditaments in â—ee simple or Fee â—tail or for terme of their lives or the life of any of them But all these expectations and Provisions were to no effect the Duke departing this life at the age of 17 yeares or thereabouts within few dayes after the ending of this Session that is to say on the 22th day of July Anno 1536. to the
extreame griefe of the King and the generall sorrow of the Court who had him in a High degree of veneration for his birth and Galantry It appeares also by a passage in this Act of Parliament above mentioned that the King was not only hurried to this Marriage by his own affections but by the humble petition and intercession of mâ—st of the Nobles of his Realm moved thereunto as well by the conveâ—ienâ—y of her yeares as in respect that by her excellent beauty and purenesse of flesh and blood I speak the very words of the Act it selfe she was apt God willing to concieve issue And so accordingly it proved For on the 12th of October 1537. about two of the clock in the morning she was delivered of a young Prince Christened not long after by the name of Edward but it cost her deare she dying within two dayes after and leaving this Character behind her of being the Discreetest Humblest and Fairest of all the Kings Wives It hath been commonly reported and no lesse generally believed that that childe being come unto the birth and there wanting naturall strength to be delivered his Mothers body was ripped open to give him a passage into the World and that she died of the Incision in a short time after The thing not only so related in our common Heralds but taken up for a constant and undoâ—bted truth by Sir John Haywood in his History of the Life and Reign of King Edward the sixth which notwithstanding there are many reasons to evince the contrary For first it is observed by the said Sir John Haywood that children so brought forth were by the ancient Romans esteemed fortunate and commonly proved great enterprisers with happy successe And so it is affirmed by Pliny viz. Auspicatius Enecta Matre Nascuntur c. called first Caesones and afterwards more commonly Caesares as learned Writers do averr quia caeso matris utero in Lucem prodiissent because their Mothers bodies had been opened to make passage for them Amongst whom they reckon Caeso and Fabius who was three times Consull Scipio sirnamed Affricanus Renowned for his Victories in Spain his vanquishing of Haniball and humbling the proud Cities of Carthage And besides others Julius Caesar who brought the whole Roman Empire under his Command whereas the life of this Prince was short his Reigne full of troubles and his end generally supposed to be traiterously contrived without performing any memorable Action either at home or abroad which might make him pass in the account of a fortunate Prince or any way successefull in the enterprising of Heroick Actions Besides it may appeare by two severall Letters the one written by the appointment of the Queen her selfe immediately after her delivery the other by one of her Physitians on the morrow after that she was not under any such extream necessity though questionlesse she had a hard labour of it as report hath made her For first the Queen immediately upon the birth of the Prince caused this ensuing Letter signed with her own signet to be sent unto the Lordâ— of the Privy Counsell that is to say RIght trusty and well Beloved we greet you well And forasmuch as by the inestimable goodnesse and Grace of Almighty God we be delivered and brought in Childeâ—â—ed of a PRINCE concieved in most Lawfull Matrimony between my Lord the Kings Majesty and us Doubting not but that for the Love and affection you beare unto us and to the Common-Wealth of this Realme this knowledge shall be joyous and Glad Tidings unto you We have thought good to certifie you of this same To the intent ye might not only render unto God Condigne thanks and praise for so great a benefit but also continually pray for the long Continuance and preservation of the same here in this life to the Honour of God joy and pleasure of my Lord the KING and us and the Vniversall Weale quiet and tranquillity of this whole Realme Given under our signet at my Lords Mannor of Hamptonâ—Court the twelâ—th day of October But having a hard labour of it as before was said it brought her first into a very high distemper and after into a very great looseness which so accelerated the approach of death that she prepared her selfe for God according to the Rites of the Church then being And this appâ—ares by a letter of the Queenes Physitians directed in these words to the Lords of the Counsell viz. THese shall be to advise your Lordships of the Queenes Estate Yesterday afternoon she had a naturall lax by reason whereof she began to lighten and as it appeared to amend and so continued till towards night All this night she hath been very sick and doth rather appare then amend her Confessor hath been with her Grace this morning and hath done that to his office appertaineth and is even now preparing to Administer to her Grace the Sacrament of Vnction Subscribed at Hampton Court on Wednesday morning at eight of the clock by Thomas Cutland Robert Karhold Edward Bayntam John Chambers Priest William Butts George Owen So died this Noble Beautifull and Vertuous Queen to the Generall lamentation of all good Subjects and on the twelfth of November following with great Solemnity was conveyed to Windsor and there Magnificently interred in the midst of the quire In memory of whom I find this Epitaph not unworthy the greatest wits of the present times to have then been made viz. Phoenix Jana Jacet nâ—to Phaenice Dolendum est Saecula Phoenices nulla tulisse duas That is to say Here Jane a Phenix lies whose death Gave to another Phenix breath Sad case the while that no age ever Could show two Phaenixes together But to return unto the Prince It is affirmed with like confidence and as little truth that on the 13th day of October then next following that being but the sixth day after his birth he was created Prince of Wales Duke of Cornwall Earle of Chester c. In which though I may easily excuse John Stow and Bishop Goodwine who report the same yet I shall never pardon the late Lord Herbert for his incuriosity as one that had fit opportunities to know the contrary For first Prince Edward was never created Duke of Cornwall and there was no reason why he should he being actually Duke of Cornwall at the houre of his birth according to the Entaile which was made of that Dukedome to the Crown by King Edward the third And secondly he was never created Prince of Wales nor then nor any time then after following his Father dying in the midst of the preparations which were intended for the Pomp and Ceremony of that Creation This truth confessed by Sir John Haywood in his History of the Life and Reigâ— of this King and generally avowed by all our Heralds who reckon none of the children of King Henry the Eighth amongst the Princes of Wales although all of them successively by vulgar