Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	heir_n	jurisdiction_n	successor_n	2,075	5	9.4510	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45326	The life & death of that renowned John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester comprising the highest and hidden transactions of church and state, in the reign of King Henry the 8th, with divers morall, historicall and political animadversions upon Cardinall Wolsey, Sir Thomas Moor, Martin Luther : with a full relation of Qu. Katharines divorce / carefully selected from severall ancient records by Tho. Baily ...	Hall, Richard, 1535 or 6-1604.; Henry VIII, King of England, 1491-1547. Testamentum.; Bayly, Thomas, d. 1657?	1655 (1655)	Wing H424; ESTC R230	97,933	254

it awhile requested that he might have some tim● to consid●r upon it the Commissioners consulting with themselves awhile granted him five daies to co●sider upon it and so dismissing him for the present whence he departed to his owne house in Lambeth Marsh. During which small time of his abode there there came divers of h●s friends rather to take their leaves of th●n to v●sit him among which one Mr. Seton and Mr. Bransby Substitutes of the Masters and Fellows of the two C●l●edges to which he had shewed himself so much their friend partly to salute him in the name of the two Societies and partly to d●sire his confirmation of their Statutes under his Seale which he had drawn long before but the Bishop desired to have some further time to consider of them as he intended alas said the two G●●tlemen we fear your time is now too short to read them before you go to prison It is no matter said the B●shop then I will read them in prison that will hardly be permitted said the Trustees if you come once there then Gods will be done said the Bishop for I shall hardly be drawn to put my seale to that which I have not well considered of howsoever said he if the worst should happen there is Mr. Cowper a worthy reverend man and a Bachelour in Divinity that hath the copy of the same Statutes which I have if I do not or cannot according to my desire peruse them I will give it you under my Seale that if you like them that shall be unto you a confirmation for I am p●rswaded that one time or other those Statutes will take place and accordingly it hapned for when this Master Cowper long after the imprisonment and death of the B●shop of Rochester and the change and alteration of the times which had made Rel●gion Lords and Lawes all new commi●ted this Book of Statutes to the custody of one M. T Watson a man that afterwards came to great honor estimation for his profound learning was afterwards elected to the Mastership o● S. Iohn's Colledge and afterwards to the Bishoprick of London who as the B●shop of Rochester foretold restored them to the house who admitted them as their onely Lawes whereby they were wholy governed during the reign of Queen Mary The time being come when the good Bishop was to give an account of the Premises he presen●ed himself before the Comm●ssioners ●cqu●inting them how that he had perused the Oath with as good deliberation as he could but as they had framed it he could not with any safety to his owne conscience subscribe thereto except they would give him leave to alter it in some particulars whereby his owne conscience might be the better satisfied The King pleased and his actions rather justified and Warranted by Law To this they all made answer that the King would not in any wise permit that the Oath should admit any exceptions or alterations whatsoever and s●●d the Bishop of Canterbury you must answer directly whether you will or you will not subscribe then said the Bishop of Rochester if you will needs have me answer directly my answer is that foasmuch as my own conscience cannot be satisfied I absolutely refuse the Oath Whereupon he was immediately sent to the Tower of London which was upon Tuesday the 26. of April in the year of our Lord God 1534. and upon the 25. year of the Kings reign being the last of his reign for that year Thus the Remora to the Kings proceedings in this kind being removed the Ship went merrily along for all things being fitted for a Parliament there was a Parliament which was ●itted for all things immediately called upon the 26. year of the Kings reign and upon the 23. day of Novemb. which wrought above nine wonders lasting but fifteen daies wherein the Bishop of Rochester's imprisonment was voted lawfull and all other men their imprisonments good and lawfull that should refuse to take the foresaid Oath which authority before was wanting also another Statute was ●nacted whereby the Supremacy of the Church of England was given unto the King his Heires and Successors to have and enjoy the same as a title and stile to his imperiall Crown with all Honours Jurisdictions Authorities and Priviledges thereunto belonging with full power and authority as himselfe listeth to visit represse redresse reforme order correct restraine and amend all Heresies Abuses Errors and Offences whatsoever they were as fully and as amply as the same might or ought to be done or corrected by any spirituall authority or jurisdiction whatsoever and that without the clause or condition of quantum per legem Dei lieet which was as contrary to the Kings promise to the Convocation-house as it was answerable to what the good Bishop forewarned the Cl●rgie of whiles he 〈◊〉 amongst them And thus whiles the K●ng acted the Pope the Bishop became a Prophet This Act being once passed the King required them to passe another Act viz. That if any manner of Person whatsoever should by word or deed presume to deny the title of Supremacy that then every such person so offending should be reputed and adjudged as an high Traitour and suffer and abide such losses and paines as in ●ases of high Treason is provided CHAP. XX. 1. The King sends divers learned Bishops to perswade with the Bishop of Rochester to take the Oath 2. The Bishop of Rochester answers unto the Bishops 3. Sir Thomas Moore committed to the same prison 4. The comfort which they received in each other 5. Their lettters intercepted and the Bishops man committed to close prison therefore 6. The simple yet m●rry question which he ●ade thereupon 7. The Lord Chancelour with divers other great Lords sent by the King to perswade the Bishop BUt when that businesse came to be discussed in the Parliament-house the Commons themselves began to think it a very hard Law an● full of rigour for said they a man may chance to say such a thing by way of discourse or such a word may fall from a man negligently or unawares all of them as yet not otherwise able but to think it a strange thing that a man should die for saying the King was not the head of the Church which debate held them many daies at last the King sent them word that except it could be proved that the party spake it malitiously the Statute should not be of any force to condemn So the word MALICIOVSLY was put in and it passed currently which afterwards served to as much purpose as the words Quantum per legem Dei licet And During the Bishops hard and close imprisonment the King as he had at several other times so done sent divers of the Privi●-councel as well Bishops as others to perswade the B●shop of Rochester to take the oath of Succ●ssion after that the B●shop had suffered a great deale of Rhetorique to come from them he thus spake unto them My very good friends and

taken as undoubtedly true si●cere and perfect which Marriage carrying with it the soveraign imfortunity of all second Marriages being compleated the same Parliament enacted a Statu●e which declared the establishment of the Kings succession in the imperiall Crowne to be upon the issue which he was to have by the present Queene Anne ratifying whatsoever the foresaid Archbishop of Canterbury had decreed and disinheriting the issue which the King had by the foresaid Lady Katharine from all title to the foresaid Crowne and Government or that if any person of what state and condition soever shall by writing printing or any exteriour Act or Deed procure or doe any thing to the prejudice slander disturbance or de●ogation of the said Matrimony or the issue growing of the same every such person shall be deemed and adjudged as an high Traitour and suffer such punishment as in case of high Treason is provided and for the better keeping of this Act the Kings Majesty together with his Counsellours of their owne authority framed an O●th upon the breaking up of this Parliament which was upon the 30. day of Ma●ch and tendred it the same day to all the Lords both spirituall and temporall as likewise to all the Commons and was to be tendred to whom the Commissioners for the same purpose should call before them the words of which Oath were these viz. Ye shall swear to beare Faith Truth and all Obedience onely to the Kings Majesty and to his heires of his body and of his most dear and entirely beloved wife Queen Anne begotten and to be begotten and further to the heires of our Soveraigne Lord according to the limitation made in the Statute for surety of his succession in the Crown of this Realm mentioned and contained and not to any other within this Realme nor to any other forraign Authority or Potentate whatsoever and in case any Oath be made or hath been made by you to any person or persons that then ye doe repute the same as vaine and annihilate and that to your cunning wit and utmost endeavours ye shall observe keep maintain and defend the said Act of Succession all the whole effects and intents thereof and all other Acts and Statutes made in confirmation and for ex●cution of the same or any thing therein contained and this ye shall do against all manner of persons of what estate dignity degree or condition soever they be and in no wise do or attempt nor to your power suffer to be done or attempted directly any thing or things privily or openly to the let hindrance danger or derogation thereof or if any part of the same by any manner of meanes or any manner of pretences So help you God and all his Saints and the holy Evangelist Which Oath all the Lords both spirituall and temporall took except the Bishop of Rochester who absolutely refused it So the Parliament was ended But The said Bishop had not been 4 daies quiet within his Palace of Rochester but a Letter came to him from the Archbishop of Canterbury together with other of the Commissioners willing him personally to appear before them in the said Archbishops house by a certain day expressed within the Letter all excuses set a part And CHAP. XIX 1. The Bishop of Rochester summoned to appear before the Archbishop of Canterbury 2. Sir Thomas M●or and Dr. Wilson committed for refusing the Oath 3. The Bishop of Rochester sent to the Tower for the same cause 4. A Parliament is called wherein the Bishops imprisonment was voted lawfull 5. The Supremacy of the Church conferred upon the King c. by Act of P●●liament absolutely and w●●●out the fo●mer clause 6. An Act 〈◊〉 Parliament making i● treason to deny the King to be supreme head of the Church NOw was the thing come to passe which was no●hing terrible to him because it was foreseen wherefore he first makes his Will and leaves severall L●gacies to divers persons and uses as to Michael house in Cambridge where he received his Education to St. Iohns Colledge to the Poore to some of his 〈…〉 to all his Servants whom he leaves weeping behinde him whiles the rest followed him lam●nting his condition in his journey towards Lambeth Passing thorough the City of Rochester there were a mult●tude of p●ople gathered together both citizens and countreymen to whom he gave his benediction riding by them all the while b●●eheaded some crying that they should never see him again others denouncing woes unto them that were the oc●asions of his troubles others crying out against the wickednesse of the times and all of them lamenting and bewailing that wh●ch was their miserie and his glory Thus he passed on his way till he came to Sutors hill twenty miles from Rochester on the top whereof he rested himself descending from his horse and causing to be brought before him such victuals as he had caused to be brought thither for that purpose he said he would now make use of his time and dine in the open aire while as he might after which dinner he chearfully took his horse and came to London the same night The day of his appearance being come he presented himselfe before the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth the Lord Audely Chancelour of England Thomas Cromwell the Kings Secretary and the rest of the Commissioners authorised under the great Seale of England to call before them whom they pleased and to tender unto them the foresaid Oath then sitting at Lambeth where at the same tune the Bishop met with Sir Thomas Moore who welcomed and saluted the Bishop in these termes Well met my Lord I hope we shall meet in Heaven to which the Bishop replyed This should be the way Sir Thomas for it is a very strait gate we are in There had been Doctor Wilson sometime the Kings Confessor who together with Sir Thomas Moore had both of them refused the Oath a little before the B●shops coming for which the Knight was committed for the present to the custody of the Abbot of Westminster as the Doctor had been formerly committed to the Tower of London at which time also the Clergie of London were warned to appeare about the same businesse who all of them took the Oath at the same time Then was it that the B●shop of R●chester was called before the Archb●shop c. who putting the B●sh●p in remembrance of the Act which was made by the late Parliament wh●ch had provided an O●th to be administred to all persons within this R●alm concerning the establ●shment of the Succession c. how all the Lords both spirituall and temporall had taken the said Oath onely himself excepted how grievo●sly his Majesty was offended with him therefore how he had g●ven strict charge to himself and the rest of the Commissioners to call him before them and to tender unto him the Oath once more presented unto him the Oath laying it before him and demanded of him what he would say thereto the good man p●rusing

all things did accomplish the parts and degrees of a Bishop equ●l with him Further in the same place he laudeth him highly for his great travaile and care in the education of youth especially of the young Students in the U●iversity of Cambr. for that by his onely mean and motion that noble and right vertu●us L●dy Margaret Countesse of Richmond and Derby sometimes his Mistress erected two famous Colledges in that University as before in this History hath been declared wherein young Schollers receive great comfort toward their instruction in Learning unto which number himself became also a very 〈◊〉 and Father and being after chosen by the whole consent of the University to the room of their high Chancellour he b●●ame no less carefull over them than over the slock of his Diocess All which with many other high praises this most vertuous learned and high-borne Cardinall set down very bountifully of him Likewise blessed Sir T. Moor his companion and fellow in adversity and trouble upon occasion of talk ministred unto him by his daughter Mrs. Roper about refusing the oath by my L. of Roch. himself saith in a certain Epistle to his ●●id daughter that he hath had him in such a reverend estimation as for his wisdom learning long approv'd vertue together he reckoneth in this Realme no one man to be matched or compared with him Furthermore the renouned B. of Nuceria and most el●quent Historiographer of our time P. Iovius although he lacketh no commendation of him throughout all his whole History yet in one place specially he saith that upon the acceptance of his great charge of a B●shoprick he became so vigilant over his stock the space of many years together that he was to be wondred at not onely of his owne country people at home but also of all other outward nations then he greatly reverenceth him for his constant piety in defending the Marriage between K. Hen. and his lawful wife Q. ●ath and for withstanding the Kings wilfull minde in taking upon him so absurdly the name title of supreme head of the Church for the which he did not refuse even in his old age to suffer the losse of liberty livings life and all Then weigh what is said of him by that most eloquent and learned Father Stanstau● Hosmes B●shop of Warima in Poland and Cardinall of Rome in his book of Confutation against Brentius the Heretique his words being thus Fatemur nos Br●nti c. wherein he sheweth very notably how although in all ages Heretiques have lift up themselves against the Church of God yet hath he not forsaken or left her destitute at any time Neither hath God in these our unfortunate daies failed his Church for whereas you Lutherans are broken forth and from you are sprung Zuinglius Munserans or Patimontans and a number of Hereticks mo God hath produced against you into the battell many worthy men indued with singular wit and excellent learning by whom your raging madness might be suppressed and put down Among whom especially and by name was that famous holy man Iohn Bishop of Rochester who in defence of the Faith and Catholique Church of Christ never stuck for the loss of his life and the shedding of his blood Finally whosoever shall read of Cocleus Wycelleas Eckius and others learned writings of Ger●any of the worthy Bishop and eloquent Writer Osorius of Alphonsus d● Castro and others of Spaine and Portugall besides a number of such other learned Fathers of many Nations whereof some lived in his own daies and some since shall easily perceive that he was a man for his profound learning and rare vertue highly reverenced and esteemed thoroughout all Christendome And no doubt but if his writings and doings be well compared ye shall find him most like those holy Fathers and Doctors that in the Primitive Church laid the very first ground and foundation of our belief upon the which we have since rested and stayed our selves whom to describe wholly and fully unto you according to his worthiness I will not take upon me neither am able to doe ● yea were I as elequent as Cic●ro or as witty and subtill as Aristotle as copious as Demosthenes or as profound in Philosophy as Plato such and so innumerable were his singular vertues But herein I will content my self with the generall commendation which all the famous Universities of Divinity in Europe do give this learned man by calling him blessed Martyr and alledging his works for great authority Thus much I may also say that unto Iustus his predecessor the first Bishop of Rochester he was a just and true Successor the place of his birth he doth greatly beautifie with the glorious Bishop St. Iohn of Beverly to the Country of Kent where he was Bishop he is an ornament with St. Thomas of Canterbury in gravity of his writing he is to be reverenced with St. Bede for stout defending the right and liberty of the holy Church against the power of Princes he is not inferiour to the blessed Bishop St. Ambrose and St. C●rysostome in praying for his enemies and persecutors he resembleth holy St. Stephen in constancy and stoutnesse of his Martyrdome he was a second Cyprian and in the manner of his death to Iohn the Baptist And now we shall observe the wonderfull working of Almighty God whose judgements are secret and strange in our sight much to be marked and noted in him and his adherents for as God of his own nature is patient and long suffering because he expectth the amendment of our sinfull lives so is he also just in his doings and pun●sheth grievously when no amendment is endeavoured as now may well be perceived by those perceive by those persons that were persecuters of this blessed man for they escaped not the danger of his heavy hand as shall be declared unto you As first to begin with the King himselfe In quo quis peccat in ●o punitur the Almighty commonly makes rods for our own sins wherewith he often punisheth those that offend him as here most notably it is to be observed in the three fold manner of his displeasure which accused him to be so cru●●l to this good man that nothing but the punes of Death could satisfie his ir●full indignation As first for resisting his so inord 〈…〉 of changing wives Secondly for his refusall to take the Oath of Succession and his constant disapprovement of the unlawfull cou●ses which he took to procure unto himselfe 〈◊〉 male Thirdly for withstanding his Supremacy in causes E●clesisticall These were the three causes of his displeasure which like a Trident he st●uck into the breast of Innocence whiles the three● pointed Scept●r made their severall entries within his own bo●ome for the first he that robb'd so many breasts of the poss●ssion of so great joy and happinesse in being his through his desire of change found change a robbery to his own hearts contentment in so many wives which lawfully were none