The King linked Cranmer with him in all his Proceedings about Q. Katherine The King and Archbishop appeal from the Pope to a General Council The King writes to Dr. Boner his Ambassador in that behalf The Archbishop is Consecrated The Pope's Bulls The Archbishop surrenders them to the King The method of the Consecration The Archbishop's Oath for the Temporalties The Archbishop pronounceth the Divorce The Archbishop's Judgment of the Marriage CHAP. V. The Archbishop Visits his Diocess The Archbishop forbids Preaching Visits his Diocess The delusion of a Nun in Kent The Archbishop appeals from the Pope The Archbishop's Letter to Boner Disputes in the Parliament against the Pope's Supremacy Licenses for Chappels CHAP. VI. The Archbishop presseth the Translation of the Bible The Archbishop labours the Reformation of the Church What he did this Convocation A Book for Preaching and the Beads Dispersed by the Archbishop to all the Bishops The Archbishop of York preaches at York The Clergy and Universities subscribe against the Pope Cranmer and others administer the Oath of Succession to the Clergy And to Sir Tho. More who refused it Cranmer's Argument with him More offers to swear to the Succession it self Bishop Fisher offers the same The Archbishop writes to Crumwel in their behalf The Archbishops endeavour to save the Lives of More and Fisher. CHAP. VII The Archbishop Visits the Diocess of Norwich A Premunire brought against Bishop Nix The Archbishop visits this Bishop's See The Bishop of Norwich a Persecutor Goâ—dric Lee and Salcot Consecrated Bishops CHAP. VIII The Archbishop Preacheth at Canterbury The Archbishop preaches up the King's Supremacy at Canterbury A Prior preaches against him Whom he convents before him The Archbishop acquaints the King with the matter A Provincial Visitation Winchester herein opposeth him The Archbishop's Vindication of his Title of Primate The Bishop of London refuseth his Visitation And Protests against him Cranmer sends him a part of the New Testament to translate And his Answer Lawney's Jest upon Bishop Stokesly Who this Lawney was CHAP. IX Monasteries visited Monasteries visited The Archbishop for their Dissolution The Visitors Informations Bishops Diocesan and Suffragan Consecrated Suffragan Bishops usual in the Realm Bishops without Title Nic. Shaxton Edw. Fox Will. Barlow Geo. Brown A Memorial of the good Services of Archbishop Brown in Ireland Tho. Mannyng Iohn Salisbury CHAP. X. The Audience Court The Archbishop's Audience-Court struck at The Archbishop defends it The Archbishop promoting a Reformation in the Convocation CHAP. XI Articles of Religion Articles published and recommended by the King The Original thereof The Original sent into the North to shew to the Rebels The Contents of them Articles of Faith Articles relating to Ceremonies A Conjecture that the Pen of the Archbishop was here CHAP. XII Cranmer 's Iudgment about some Cases of Matrimony Two remarkable Books published I. The Book of Articles II. A Book against the Pope called The Bishop's Book Certain Cases of Matrimony put to the Archbishop His Solution Refuseth to grant a Dispensation for the Marriage of a Relation His Letter thereupon He restrains the number of Proctors Which some complain of to the Parliament The Archbishop divorceth Q. Anne A License for a Chappel Bucer this year dedicates a Book to the Archbishop Bishops consecrated Richard Sampson William Rugge Rob. Warton CHAP. XIII The Bishop's Book The Bishop's Book by the Archbishop's means Winchester's Opposition The King makes Animad versions upon it Published How esteemed Enlarged and Reprinted Some account of the foresaid Book Names of the Composers CHAP. XIV The Archbishop visits his Diocess Goes down into his Diocess Gets a License to visit The Vicar of Croydon The Archbishop visits his Diocess What course he took for the preventing of Superstition CHAP. XV. The Bible Printed His Joy at the publishing the English Bible Presents one by Crumwel to the King Cranmer's Letters to Crumwel Some further Particulars concerning this Edition of the Bible The Printer's Thanks and Requests to Crumwel Grafton to Crumwel The Printer apprehensive of another Edition Other Requests of the Printer CHAP. XVI Many Suffragan Bishops made The Feast of S. Thomas c. forbid Rob. Holgate Consecrated Bishop Iohn Bird Lewis Thomas Some account of Bird. Thomas Morley Rich. Yngworth Iohn Thornton Richard Thornden Iohn Hodgkin Henry Holbeach Suffragans CHAP. XVII The Bible in English allowed The Archbishop reads upon the Hebrews A Declaration for reading the Bible The Bible received and read with great Joy The Archbishop had a hand in Lambert's Death The Bishops dispute against Lambert's Reasons CHAP. XVIII The Archbishop's Iudgment of the Eucharist Cranmer zealous for the Corporal Presence His Reasons for it Sanders his slanders of the Archbishop concerning his Opinion in the Sacrament When Cranmer changed his Opinion Latimer of the same Judgment Divers Priests marry Wives The King's Proclamation against Priests Marriages Anabaptists A Commission against them The way wardness of the Priests occasions the King to write to the Justices The Archbishop visits the Diocess of Hereford Bishops Consecrated William Finch Iohn Bradley CHAP. XIX The Act of Six Articles The Archbishop makes Nic. Wotton Commissary of his Faculties The King offended with the Archbishop and some other Bishops The Six Articles opposed by the Archbishop The Arguments the Archbishop made use of at this time lost The King's Message to the Archbishop by the Lords A Book of Ceremonies Laboured to be brought in A Convocation The Papists rejoice Two Priories surrendred to the Archbishop The Archbishop and Crumwel labour with the King about the new Bishopricks Bishops this year Iohn Bell Iohn Skyp CHAP. XX. The Archbishop in Commission The Archbishop's Enemies accuse him His Honesty and Courage in discharge of a Commission And his Success therein Questions of Religion to be discussed by Divines by the King's Command The Names of the Commissioners Seventeen Questions upon the Sacrament The Archbishop's Judgment upon these Questions The Judgments of other Learned Men concerning other Points An Act to prevent Divorces The Archbishop to Osiander concerning the Germans abuse of Matrimony CHAP. XXI The largest Bible printed Some account of printing the English Bible The New Testament printed 1526. And Burnt Reprinted about 1530. Burnt again The Scripture prohibited in a Meeting at the Star-Chamber The New Testament Burnt the third time The whole Bible printed 1537. Matthews that is Rogers's Bible About 1538 the Bible printed again in Paris The Printers fall into the Inquisition The Bible printed with French Presses in London The largest Bible published in the year 1540. Boner's Admonition for reading the Bible The Bible supprest again Anno 1542 3. King Henry's Judgment for the use of the Bible CHAP. XXII The Archbishop retired The Archbishop keeps himself more retired The Archbishop issues out his Commission for the Consecrating of Boner Boner's Oath of Fidelity The Archbishop makes a
I had omitted in their Places not meeting with them in Cranmer's Register The former I suppose was consecrated with Shaxton in April as the latter might be with Fox and Barlow in September his Temporalties having been restored to him in the beginning of October This Hilsey was a great Assistant to Archbishop Cranmer and a learned man He wrote a Book of Prayers with Epistles and Gospels in English I suppose which he dedicated to the Lord Crumwel by whose command it was published P. 57. l. 17. After Him add But he could not see his Desire effected by these men till it was happily done by other hands P. 75. l. 7. r. Superstitions P. 58. l. 6. * f. Three or four r. Four or five P. 59. l. 14. del Some years after came forth c to thâ— end of the Paragraph P. 77. l. 4. * After Winton Whereas I had said That the Bishop of Winchester was not in a Commission there specified it appears by Crumwel's Speech set down by the Bishop of Sarum that that Bishop was then indeed a Commissioner Here my MS. deceived me But be it noted what the L. Paget testified before the Commissioners at that Bishop's Trial in 1549 namely That because he was so wilful in his opinion and addicted to the Popish part the King left him out of the Commission for Compiling the last Book of Religion And what that Book was I know not unless the Necessary Erudition P. 78. l. 13. * after Hands dele the Period P. 85. l. 21. * Remove thâ— Close of the Parenthesis after That P. 94. l. 8. * r. Translation P. 95. l. 13. after Bulkley insert was Consecrated P. 97. l. 4. * r. Abused P. 104. l. 17. * r. one P. 109. l. 16. r. Archbishop's Endeavour P. 126. l. 13. * After Arms Whereas it was conjectured there that the King changed Archbishop Cranmer's Coat of Arms about 1544 it must have been several years before For his New Coat of the Pelicans may be seen in the Frontispiece of the great English Bible printed 1540. And how long before that time I know not P. 135. l. 16. * r. Church living P. 146. l. 7. * f. Counties r. Episcopal Sees P. 149. l. 25 26. These words When the old Order was broken and a New brought in by Homilies to be within a Parenthesis Ibid. l. 5. * after and add said P. 151. l. 17. dele and. Ibid. after Charge add was P. 153. l. 4. r. Protectors P. 154. l. 17. after them instead of a Period make a Colon. P. 186. l. 16. f. them r. it P. 196. l. 15. * r. Bucer P. 197. l. 4. in the Marg. r. Vit. P. 219. l. 8 9 10 11. dele the Comma's on the sides P. 220 l. 1. r. Augmentations P. 226. l. 4. r. Wreaked P. 234. l. 25. r. Strangers P. 235. l. 7. r. Embark P. 237. l. 12. of the Marg. r. Extent P. 238. l. 14. * dele the Comma's before Leave P. 239. l. 4. r. Strasburgh P. 243. l. 14. r. Glastenbury P. 266. l. 22. r. Superstitious P. 268. l. 5. r. Counsil P. 270. l. 12. * add in the Margent The Sweating Sickness P. 271. l. 12. r. two P. 286. l. 12. f. were r. was P. 306. l. 23. r. other Ibid. l. â—5 dele the Comma P. 307. l. 16. * r. Hand P. 311. l. 14. r. one P. 314. l. 14. * r. Joh. Ibid. l. ult after Humfrey make a Comma P. 315. l. 24. â— r. convince P. 349. l. 19. after all add and. P. 351. l. 11. * r. Conversation P. 352. l. 5. * after it add in P. 354. l. 25. r. Corpus P. 378. l. ult r. but. P. 395. l. 10. f. Contrived r. Composed P. 396. l. 21. del With a Preface P. 394 395 396 397 398 399 400. on the Top of each Margent del An. 1555. P. 411. l. 10. r. was P. 421. l. 21. * after him add be P. 422. l. 1â— f. Flesh r. Fish P. 424. l. 4. * r. one Ibid. l. 3. * f. John r. Thomas P. 425. l. 2. after two add to P. 427. l. 20. after appointed add a. P. 437. l. 9. * f. Historiae r. Historia P. 444 l. 18. * f. 1538 or 1539. r. 1537 or 1538. P. 448. l. 1. f. that r. the. Ibid. l. 9. * r. Sanctuary P. 461. l. 5. f. infringing r. incurring Ibid. l. 28. after about add with P. 464. l. 22. f. is r. was Errata in the Appendix PAge 7. in the Margent for Sir W. S. read Sir W H. P. 8. l. 10. * r. Popes P. 45. l. 9. * r. Controversiam P. 46. l. 13. * r. Oecolampadio Ibid. l. 3. * r. nec P. 55. l. 9. dele the Colon. P. 56. l. 13. r. Concedant Ibid. r. concessit P. 116. l. 18. after Parcyalyte add as P. 131. l. 18. r. Circumcision And so P. 132. l. 21. and l. 29. and l. 31. P. 143. l. 15. * r. praeponenda P. 180. l. 6. * r. Decanatu P. 183. l. 18. after Verbo add a Comma and after Consentientibus dele the Comma l. 19. after Authoritatibus add a Comma P. 188. l. 18. after Liberantes instead of the Period make a Semicolon Ibid. l. 20. after Legati dele the Period P. 190. l. 22. before dam add quibus Ibid. l. 6. * Draw the Comma after Eos before it P. 191. l. 12. r. Procedetur P. 193. l. 10. * r. deterrimo carcere P. 194. l. 13. * f. ita r. ira P. 195. l 17. r. Bernher P. 197. l. 6. * f. quin r. quum P. 199. l. 5. Cognoscentiae perhaps for Ignoscentiae Ibid. l. 11. * r. imbuerat P. 212. l. 3. r. your P. 222. l. 14. Remove the Comma after Abripere before it P. 224. l. 20. * r. punitus P. 232. l. 20. r. habes P. 237. l. 16. * r. angustijs P. 238. l. 17. f. 1552. r. 1553. P. 251. l. 9. r. Appointment MEMORIALS OF Arch-Bishop CRANMER BOOK I. CHAPTER I. Cranmer's Birth Education and Rise THE Name of this most Reverend Prelate deserves to stand upon Eternal Record having been the first Protestant Arch-Bishop of this Kingdom and the greatest Instrument under God of the happy Reformation of this Church of England In whose Piety Learning Wisdom Conduct and Blood the Foundation of it was laid And therefore it will be no unworthy Work to revive his Memory now though after an hundred and thirty Years and upwards I pretend not to write a compleat Narrative of his Life and Death that being scarce possible at such a distance of Time and in the want of full Intelligence and Information of the various Matters that passed through his Hands and the Events that befel him All that I attempt by this present Undertaking is to retrieve and bring to light as many Historical Passages as I can concerning this Holy Prelate by a careful and long search not only into printed Books of History but the best Archives and many most precious and inestimable Manuscripts
Rochester by virtue of the Arch-bishop's Letters Commissional to him assisted by Robert Bishop of S. Asaph and Thomas Bishop of Sidon This More held the Monastery of Walden in Essex an House of Benedictines in Commendam where Audley-end now stands and surrendred it to the King 1539. CHAP. XIII The Bishops Book THE pious ABp thought it highly conducible to the Christian Growth of the common People in Knowledg and Religion and to disintangle them from gross Ignorance and Superstition in which they had been nursled up by their Popish Guides that the Ten Commandments the Lord's Prayer and the Creed and the Grounds of Religion should be explained soundly and orthodoxly and recommended unto their reading Wherefore he consulting with the Lord Crumwel his constant Associate and Assistant in such Matters and by his and other his Friends importuning the King a Commission was issued out from him in the Year 1537. to the Arch-bishop to Stokesly Bishop of London Gardiner of Winchester Sampson of Chichester Repps of Norwich Goodrick of Ely Latimer of Worcester Shaxton of Salisbury Fox of Hereford Barlow of S. Davids and other Bishops and Learned Divines to meet together and to devise an wholsome and plain Exposition upon those Subjects and to set forth a Truth of Religion purged of Errors and Heresies Accordingly they met at the Arch-bishop's House at Lambeth Their Course was that after they had drawn up their Expositions upon each Head and agreed thereto they all subscribed their Hands declaring their Consent and Approbation In the Disputations which happened among them in this Work Winchester the Pope's chief Champion with three or four other of the Bishops went about with all subtil Sophistry to maintain all Idolatry Heresy and Superstition written in the Canon Law or used in the Church under the Pope's Tyranny But at the last whether overpower'd with Number or convinced by the Word of God and consent of Ancient Authors and the Primitive Church they all agreed upon and set their Hands to a Godly Book of Religion Which they finished by the end of Iuly and staid for nothing but the Vicar-General's Order whether to send it immediately to him or that the Bishop of Hereford should bring it with him at his next coming to the Court But the Plague now raging in Lambeth and People dying even at the Palace-Doors the Arch-bishop desired Crumwel for the King's Licence to the Bishops to depart for their own Safety their Business being now in effect drawn to a Conclusion Soon after the Bishops and Divines parted and the Arch-bishop hastened to his House at Ford near Canterbury The Book was delivered by Crumwel to the King which he at his leisure diligently perused corrected and augmented And then after five or six Months assigned Crumwel to dispatch it unto the Arch-bishop that he might give his Judgment upon the King's Animadversions A Pursevant brought it to Ford. The Arch-bishop advisedly read and considered what the King had writ and disliking some things made his own Annotations upon some of the Royal Corrections there especially we may well imagine where the King had altered the Book in favour of some of the old Doctrines and Corruptions And when he sent it back again with those Annotations he wrote these Lines to Crumwel therewith on the 25 th day of Ianuary MY very singular good Lord After most hearty Commendations unto your Lordship these shall be to advertise the same That as concerning the Book lately devised by me and other Bishops of this Realm which you sent unto me corrected by the King's Highness your Lordship shall receive the same again by this Bearer the Pursevant with certain Annotations of mine own concerning the same Wherein I trust the King's Highness will pardon my Presumption that I have been so scrupulous and as it were a picker of Quarrels to his Grace's Book making a great Matter of every little Fault or rather where no Fault is at all Which I do only for this Intent that because now the Book shall be set forth by his Grace's Censure and Judgment I would have nothing therein that Momus could reprehend And I refer all mine Annotations again to his Grace's most exact Judgment And I have ordered my Annotations so by Numbers that his Grace may readily turn to every place And in the lower Margin of this Book next to the Binding he may find the Numbers which shall direct him to the Words whereupon I make the Annotations And all those his Grace's Castigations which I have made none Annotations upon I like them very well And in divers places I have made Annotations which places nevertheless I mislike not as shall appear by the same Annotations At length this Book came forth printed by Barthelet in the Year 1537 and was commonly called the Bishops Book because the Bishops were the Composers of it It was intituled The godly and pious Institution of a Christian Man and consisted of a Declaration of the Lord's Prayer and of the Ave Mary the Creed the Ten Commandments and the Seven Sacraments It was Established by Act of Parliament having been signed by the two Arch-bishops nineteen Bishops eight Arch-deacons and seventeen Doctors of Divinity and Law The Opinion that the Favourers of the Gospel had of this Book in those Times may appear by what I find in a Manuscript of the Life of this Arch-bishop by an unknown Author that wrote it soon after the said Arch-bishop's Death A godly Book of Religion not much unlike the Book set forth by K. Edward VI. except in two Points The one was the real Preâ—ence of Christ's Body in the Sacrament of the Altar Of the which Opinion the Arch-bishop was at that time and the most part of the other Bishops and learned Men. The other Error was of Praying Kissing and Kneeling before Images Which saith he was added by the King after the Bishops had set their Hands to the contrary But this Book came forth again two Years after viz. 1540. unless my Manuscript mistake this Year for 1543. very much enlarged and reduced into another Form and bearing another Name A necessary Doctrine and Erudition of any Christian Man And because the King had put it forth by his own Authority it was called now The King's Book as before it was called The Bishops But that none might be confounded in these Books he may know that there was in the Year 1536 another Book also called The Bishops Book upon the same reason that this was so called because the Arch-bishops and Bishops had the making thereof It was a Declaration against the Papal Supremacy written upon occasion of Pole's Book of Ecclesiastical Vnion mentioned before And in the Year 1533 there came forth another Book in Latin called The King's Book intituled The Difference between the Kingly and Ecclesiastical Power reported to be made as Bale writes by Fox the King's Almoner Which was translated into English
and put forth by Henry Lord Stafford in King Edward's Days The King affecting to be thought Learned affected also to have Books called by his Name not that he was always the Author of them but that they came out by his Authority and had undergone his Corrections and Emendations But before we pass away from hence it may be convenient to give the Reader a little taste of so famous a Treatise as that Bishop's Book was in those Days And I will do it not in my own words but in the words of a very Learned and Eminent Man the Answerer to Dr. Martin's Book against Priests Marriage not far from the beginning of Q Mary supposed to be Ponet Bishop of Winchester then in Exile Applying himself in his Preface unto the Queen's Prelats he told them That in their Book intituled The Institution of a Christian Man presented by their whole Authorities to the King of famous Memory K. Henry VIII In the Preface thereof they affirmed to his Highness with one assent by all their Learnings that the said Treatise was in all Points concordant and agreeable to Holy Scripture yea such Doctrine that they would and desired to have it taught by all the Spiritual Pastors to all the King 's loving Subjects to be Doctrine of Faith And there intreating of the Sacrament of Orders they desired to have it taught that we be in no subjection to the Bishop of Rome and his Statutes but meerly subject to the King's Laws under his only Territory and Jurisdiction And that the Canons and Rules of the Church were therefore allowable in the Realm because the Assent of the King and of the People accepted the same And that Priests and Bishops whatsoever never had any Authority by the Gospel in Matters Civil and Moral but by the Grant and Gift of Princes and that it was alway and ever shall be lawful unto Kings and Princes and to their Successors with the Consent of their Parliaments to revoke and call again into their own Hands or otherwise to restrain all their Power and Jurisdiction given and permitted by their Authority Assent or Sufferance c. Without the which if the Bishop of Rome or any other Bishop whatsoever should take upon them any Authority or Jurisdiction in such Matters as be Civil No doubt said they that Bishop is not worthy to be called a Bishop but rather a Tyrant and an Usurper of other Mens Rights contrary to the Laws of God and is to be reputed a Subverter of the Kingdom of Christ. Yea besides these things and many other as he added they put in our Creed or Belief as an Article of Salvation or Damnation that the Church of England is as well to be named a Catholick and Apostolick Church as Rome Church or any other Church where the Apostles were resident And that they willed us to believe in our Faith that there is no difference in Superiority Preeminence or Authority one over the other but be all of equal Power and Dignity and that all Churches be free from the Subjection and Jurisdiction of the Church of Rome And that no Church is to be called Schismatical as varying from the Unity of the Church of Christ if it persist in the Unity of Christ's Faith Hope and Charity and Unity of Christ's Doctrine and Sacraments agreeable to the same Doctrine And that it appertained to Christen Kings and Princes in the discharge of their Duty to God to reform and reduce again the Laws to their old Limits and pristine State of their Power and Jurisdiction which was given them by Christ and used in the Primitive Church For it is say they out of all doubt that Christ's Faith was then most firm and pure and the Scriptures of God were then best understood and Vertue did then most abound and excel And therefore the Customs and Ordinances then used and made must needs be more conform and agreeable unto the true Doctrine of Christ and more conducing to the edifying and benefit of the Church of Christ than any Custom or Laws used or made since that Time This he collected out of their Exposition of the Sacrament of Orders The said Learned Author observed that this Doctrine was set forth by the whole Authority of the Bishops in those Days presented by the Subscription of all their Names And since the time of their presenting thereof by the space almost of twenty Years that is to the middle of Queen Mary never revoked but continually from time to time taught by this Book and by such other Declarations And that one more Particular relating to this Book may be known namely who the Bishops and other Divines were that composed it and that were commissioned so to do I shall record their Names as they were found writ by the Hand of Dr. Sam. Ward in his own Book now in the possession of N. B. a Reverend Friend of mine who hath well deserved of this History Thomas Cant. Io. Lond. Steph. Winton Io. Exon. Io. Lincoln Io. Bathon Roland Coven Litch Tho. Elien Nic. Sarum Io. Bang Edward Heref. Hugo Wigorn. Io. Roffen Ric. Cicestr Guilielm Norv Guilielm Menevens Rob. Assav Rob. Landav Edoard Ebor. Cuthb Dunelm Rob. Carliolen Richard Wolman Archidiac Sudbur Guil. Knight Archid. Richmon Io. Bell Archid. Gloc. Edmund Bonner Archid. Leicestr Iohn Skip Archid. Dorset Nic. Hethe Archid. Stafford Cuthb Marshal Archid. Nottingham Rich. Curren Archid. Oxon. Gulielm Cliff Galfridus Downes Robertus Oking Radul Bradford Richardus Smith Simon Matthew Ioannes Pryn Guliel Buckmaster Guliel May Nic. Wotton Ric. Coxe Ioannes Edmunds Thomas Robertson Ioannes Baker Thomas Barret Ioannes Hase Ioannes Tyson Sacrae Theologiae Juris Ecclesiastici Civilis Professores In the Year 1543. The same Book was printed again amended much both in Sense and Language yet not having any step in the Progress of the Reformation more than the former each Edition express positively the Corporal Presence in the Sacrament But in this is much added about Free-Will which it asserts and Good Works In 1544 the same was printed again at London in Latin intituled Pia Catholica Christiani Hominis Institutio CHAP. XIV The Arch-bishop visits his Diocess AS soon as this Business was over with the Arch-bishop and Bishops at Lambeth no Parliament sitting this Year and a Plague being in London and Westminster he went down as was said before into his Diocess But before he went he expressed a great desire to wait upon the King being then I suppose at Hampton-Court or Windsor but he feared he should not be permitted coming out of the smoaky Air as he wrote to the Lord Crumwel in that time of Infection Yet he desired to know the King's Pleasure by him He had a mind indeed to leave some good Impressions upon the King's Mind in the behalf of the Book that he and the rest had taken such Pains about and but newly made an end of But whether he saw the King now or no
Noble-men then about him that Bishop was a turbulent wilful Man and if he were joined with them they should have no quiet in their Consultations The same Reason we may conclude moved the King now in these Deliberations about Religion to lay him aside These Persons were generally learned and moderate Men and such as we may conjecture the Arch-bishop had the Nomination of to the King However we may be sure Winchester was not idle at this time And first the Doctrine of the Sacraments was examined by propounding seventeen distinct Questions drawn up as I have reason to conclude by the Arch-bishop on which the Divines were to consult But each one was to set down in Writing his Sense of every of these Questions singly and succinctly These Questions are the same with those in the History of the Reformation The Right Reverend Author hath set down there the several Answers that those Bishops and Divines that he met with in Bishop Stillingfleet's Manuscript made to each Question which I shall not now repeat after him But I find in a Cotton Book a few Pages that deserve according to my poor Judgment to be transcribed of something which is not in that History being the Answers of other Bishops and Divines in the same Commission The first is Nameless but for some Reasons I believe him to be the Bishop of Durham Each Page consisteth of three Columes the middle Colume contains the Questions On one side-Colume is writ his Answer to each Question on the other side-Colume are the King's Notes upon the Answer wrote by his own Hand I refer the Reader to the Appendix for this There follow in the Cotton Book Solutions of each of these Questions by another omitted by the Bishop of Sarum in his History He is nameless also but appears to have been some popishly affected Bishop but yet one that conversed much with the Arch-bishop the Bishop of S. David's and Dr. Cox and was I suppose Thirleby Elect of Westminster For in many places in the Margin of his Paper are set the Names of those Men for what purpose I do not know unless to signify their Judgments as agreeable with his though in these very places sometimes their Minds and his differ This Man's Answer also was perused by the King who sometimes writ his own Objections in the Margin This also I have cast into the Appendix In the conclusion of this famous Consultation upon these seventeen Articles concerning the Sacraments their Resolutions being drawn up in Writing under their own hands The Arch-bishop having these Discourses given into his hand for the King's Use drew up a Summary of each Man's Judgment Which together with his own he caused to be written fairly out by his Secretary and so presented to the King The Bishop of Sarum hath saved me the trouble of writing them out in this Work having presented them already to the World in his History from another Manuscript than the Cotton Book which I make use of which is a true Original The Arch-bishop's Summary may be found among the Collections in the said History against the word Aggrement in the Margin and the Arch-bishop's own Judgment against his Name in the Margin At the conclusion of his Paper which he sent to the King he subscribed thus most warily and modestly with his own Hand T. Cantuarien This is mine Opinion and Sentence at this present which nevertheless I do not temerariously define but refer the Judgment thereof unto your Majesty Besides these 17 Questions there are in this choice Cottonian Manuscript divers others propounded to another Combination of Bishops and Divines perhaps about this time or rather I conceive three Years before with their Answers under their Hands thereunto being called together in order to the composing the Book called The Institution As concerning Confirmation Whether this Sacrament be a Sacrament of the New Testament instituted by Christ or not What is the outward Sign and invisible Grace that is conferred in the same What Promises be made that the said Graces shall be received by this Sacrament The Bishop of Sarum hath printed among his Collections the Resolutions of the Arch-bishop of Canterbury and Bishop of London to these Queries having taken them out of this Manuscript Volume which I use But there be here the Opinions of many more both Bishops and other Dignitaries of the Church As namely the Arch-bishop of York the Bishops of Ely Rochester Lincoln Bangor and Sarum Then follows the Opinion of the Bishop of London and next of the Arch-bishop of Canterbury Then come the Judgments of Dr. Wotton Dean of Canterbury Dr. Barber Arch-deacon of Cleveland and Warden of All-Souls Oxon and one of the Convocation in 1562. Dr. Bell a Civilian employed in the King's Business against Queen Katharine Arch-deacon of Glocester and soon after Bishop of Worcester Dr. Wolman Dean of Wells Dr. Marshall Arch-deacon of Nottingham Dr. Cliff Treasurer of the Church of York Dr. Edmunds the same I suppose that was Master of Peter-house Cambridg Dr. Downs Chancellor of the Church of York Dr. Marmaduke the same probably that was called Marmaduke VValdeby Dr. Robinson for Robertson I suppose Arch-deacon of Leicester Dr. Smith he probably that was Professor of Divinity in Oxon Dr. Buckmaster and another nameless And as these Learned Men treated of this Point of Confirmation so by the various Heads and Discourses I meet with here they all gave their Judgments of divers other chief Points of Religion as De Fide De Salvatione De Matrimonio De Poenitentia De Sacramentorum usu and De auriculari Confessione Where is a Letter of the King 's own writing in answer to somewhat the Bishop of Durham had writ upon that Argument This Royal Letter the Bishop of Sarum hath printed in his History Of Priests Marriage whereof the King wrote a short Discourse Of Pilgrimages Of Purgatory of this there is a Discourse wrote by Latimer And after follows another by the King Latimer's Discourse is animadverted upon by the King's Pen in the Margin De utraque specie Three or four large Discourses thereupon in favour of Receiving in one Kind One whereof was part of the King's Answer to the German Ambassadours that were sent hither about a Treaty in the Years 1538 and 1539. The Second is part of an Apology by an English Divine to those German Protestants for Communion in one Kind and for private Mass. And this latter probably is the Bishop of Durham's because the Correction of the Paper transcribed as it seems by his Secretary here and there is his own Hand So that some of these Discourses were I make no doubt drawn up by the Divines for the King's Use in order to his Answer to the Writing which the German Agents the last Year had composed before their Voyage home But these Papers some English and some Latin are so large that they would too much swell this Volume and
intangle the Thred of the Discourse if I should here insert them And therefore I must omit them and proceed to other matters In this thirty second Year of the King by a seasonable Law a stop was put to an Evil that now mightily prevailed Namely the frequency of Divorces For it was ordinary to annul Marriages and divide Man and Wife from each other who it may be had lived long together and had Children in Wedlock When upon any disgust of Man or Wife they would withdraw from one another and so in effect make their Children Bastards upon pretence of some Pre-contract or Affinity Which by the Pope's Law required a Divorce The King himself took particular care of this Act and there were two rough Draughts of it which I have seen in the Cotton Library both which he himself revised diligently and corrected with his own Pen. These Divorces the Arch-bishop highly disliked and might probably have laid before the King the great Inconveniences as well as Scandal thereof It troubled him to see how common these Divorces were grown in Germany and After-Marriages and Bigamy There is a Letter of his to Osiander the German Divine concerning Matrimony In what Year written appeareth not unless perhaps in this Year or the following now that the King was employing his Thoughts about redress of this Business The sum of the Letter is to desire Osiander to supply him with an Answer to some things that seemed to reflect a Fault upon those in Germany that professed the Gospel and that was that they allowed such as were divorsed to marry again both Parties divorsed being alive and that they suffered without any Divorce a Man to have more Wives than one And Osiander had acknowledged as much expressly to Cranmer in a Letter seeming to complain of it and added that Philip Melancthon himself was present at one of these Marriages of a second Wife the first being alive Indeed if any thing were done among those Protestants that seemed not just and fair to be sure Cranmer should presently be twitted in the Teeth for it And then he was fain to make the best Answers he could either out of their Books or out of his own Invention And he was always asked about the Affairs in those Parts And sometimes he was forced to confess some things and be ready to blush at them such a concern had he for Germany as concerning their Allowance of Usury and of Concubines to their Noble-men as he wrote to the said German But I will not longer detain the Reader from perusing the excellent Learned Letter of the Arch-bishop which he may find in the Appendix concerning this Subject CHAP. XXI The largest Bible printed THE largest English Bible coming forth in Print this Year wherein our Arch-bishop out of his Zeal to God's Glory had so great an influence I shall here take occasion to give some account of the Translation of as well as I can there having been no exact Story thereof any where given as I know of The first time the Holy Scripture was printed in English for written Copies thereof of Wickliffs Translation there were long before and many was about the Year 1526. And that was only the New Testament translated by Tindal assisted by Ioy and Constantine and printed in some Foreign Parts I suppose at Hamburgh or Antwerp For in this Year I find that Cardinal Wolsey and the Bishops consulted together for the prohibiting the New Testament of Tindal's Translation to be read And Tonstal Bishop of London issued out his Commission to his Arch-deacons for calling in the New Testament This Year also Tonstal and Sir Thomas More bought up almost the whole Impression and burnt them at Paul's Cross. I think it was this first Edition that Garret alias Garrerd Curate of Hony-Lane afterwards burnt for Heresy dispersed in London and Oxford Soon after Tindal revised his Translation of the New Testament and corrected it and caused it again to be printed about the Year 1530. The Books finished were privily sent over to Tindal's Brother Iohn Tindal and Thomas Patmore Merchants and another young Man who received them and dispersed them For which having been taken up by the Bishop of London they were adjudged in the Star-Chamber Sir Thomas More being then Lord Chancellor to ride with their Faces to the Horse Tail having Papers on their Heads and the New Testaments and other Books which they dispersed to be fastened thick about them pinned or tacked to their Gowns or Clokes and at the Standard in Cheap themselves to throw them into a Fire made for that purpose and then to be fined at the King's Pleasure Which Penance they observed The Fine set upon them was heavy enough viz. eighteen thousand eight hundred and forty Pounds and ten Pence as was extant to be seen in the Records of the Star-Chamber Anno 1531. The Bishops came into the Star-Chamber and communing with the King's Counsel and alledging that this Testament was not truly translated and that in it were Prologues and Prefaces of Heresy and Raillery against Bishops upon this Complaint the Testament and other such like Books were prohibited But the King gave Commandment to the Bishops at the same time that they calling to them the best Learned out of the Universities should cause a New Translation to be made so that the People might not be ignorant in the Law of God But the Bishops did nothing in obedience to this Commandment The same Year viz. 1531. in the Month of May Stokesly Bishop of London as Tonstal his Predecessor had done four or five Years before caused all the New Testaments of Tindal and many other Books which he had bought up to be brought to Paul's Church-yard and there openly burnt In the Year 1537. The Bible containing the Old and New Testaments called Matthews Bible of Tindal's and Roger's Translation was printed by Grafton and Whitchurch at Hamburgh to the number of fifteen hundred Copies Which Book obtained then so much Favour of the King by Crumwel's and Canterbury's Means that the King enjoined it to be had by all Curates and set up in all Parish-Churches throughout the Realm It was done by one Iohn Rogers who flourished a great while in Germany and was Superintendent of a Church there being afterwards a Prebend of S. Paul's and the first Martyr in Queen Mary's Days He is said by my Author to have translated the Bible into English from Genesis to the end of the Revelations making use of the Hebrew Greek Latin German and English that is Tyndal's Copies He added Prefaces and Notes out of Luther and dedicated the whole Book to King Henry under the Name of Thomas Matthews by an Epistle prefixed minding to conceal his own Name Graston and the rest of the Merchants concerned in the Work thinking that they had not Stock enough to supply all the Nation and this Book being of a
and several of the Counsellors and the imminent danger the Arch-bishop was in except he himself did interpose it pleased God to turn the King's Heart to him So he put the Book of Articles in his Sleeve and passing one Evening in his Barge by Lambeth-Bridg the Arch-bishop standing at the Stairs to do his Duty to his Majesty he called him into the Barge to him and accosting him with these words O my Chaplain now I know who is the greatest Heretick in Kent communicated to him these Matters shewing him the Book of Articles against him and his Chaplains and bad him peruse it This both surprised and troubled the Arch-bishop not a little that those of his own Church and Justices of the Peace whom he had obliged should deal so treacherously with him He kneeled down to the King and well-knowing how false the Articles were desired him to grant a Commission to whomsoever it pleased him to try the Truth of these Accusations so as from the highest to the lowest they might be well punished if they had done otherwise than became them The King told him He would grant a Commission and that such Affiance and Confidence he had in his Fidelity that he should be the chief Commissioner himself to whom he would wholly commit the Examination with two or three more such as he should chuse When the Arch-bishop replied That it would not seem indifferent to make him a Commissioner who was a Party accused the King told him That he was sure he would not halt with him although he were driven to accuse himself but would speak the Truth of himself if he had offended The King added That he knew partly how the Matter came about namely by Winchester's subtile means and that if he handled the Matter wisely he should find a pretty Conspiracy against him The King named but one viz. Dr. Belhouse to be in the Commission and the Arch-bishop named Dr. Iohn Cocks his Vicar-General and Anthony Hussey his Register The Commissiâ—n was made out of hand and he was commanded to go himself into Kent upon it And the King commanded the Commissioners particularly that it should be sifted out who was the first Occasion of this Accusation Presently every one that had meddled in this Detection shrunk away and gave over their hold The Arch-bishop came to Feversham himself and there as it seems sat upon the Commission and drew up some Interrogatories with his own Hand for some of these Informers and having summoned these Accusers before him argued and expostulated meekly and sometimes earnestly with them chiefly insisting upon their Ingratitude and Disingenuity with him He asked Sentleger if he were at Home on Palm-sunday that was the Day when the Prebendaries signed the Articles Sentleger saying He was then at his Benefice the Archbishop declared the Procession done that Day as he called it and said Whether he and the rest were present that Day they were all knit in a Bond among them which he would break adding in a passionate way of Expression O Mr. Sentleger I had in you and Mr. Parkhurst a good Judgment and especially in you but ye will not leave your old Mumpsimus To which Sentleger boldly replied That he trusted they used no Mumpsimus's but those that were consonant to the Laws of God and the Prince And with Shether one of the busiest Enemies the Arch-bishop had in this Affair the Arch-bishop so fatherly discoursed and argued that Shether could not forbear weeping He and Serles two of the chief Agents were committed to Custody But Shether presently dispatcheth his Servant to the Bishop of VVinchester declaring how he and Serles were in Durance and recommended their Case to him VVinchester went into the Council-Chamber probably to try his Interest with the Council to get them released But it seems he soon perceived how the King stood affected and so there was nothing yet to be done And therefore he told the Servant he could give him no Answer as yet A Day or two after at the Servant's departing he told him That his Master was a Child for weeping to the Arch-bishop when he should have answered and that he should not weep for shame but answer like a Man and that he should take a good Heart for he should have Friends That he would not forget him but he must know of the Council first what to do and so desired the Servant to have him recommended to the Prebendaries all in general bidding him tell them That my Ld of Canterbury could not kill them and that therefore they should bear their Sufferings for all he did was against himself and that he should see what would come of it Ford a Brother-in-law of Shether's and a Party told the Servant That he should tell his Brother that he should never recant for if he did he would never be his Friend while he lived nor none should that he could let and that my Lord of VVinchester should be his Friend But to return to the Arch-bishop's Examination of them When he asked them what the reason was of these their doings they pretended one one thing and another another Gardiner said that which moved him was Because he observed such Jarrings among them and so much Unquietness about Matters of Religion and that he thought it was by the Arch-bishop's Sufferance Which the Arch-bishop convinced him was false Shether pretended that Baker the Chancellor of the Augmentations had willed him to mark the chief Fautors of new Opinions VVilloughby desired Dr. Thornton who was very great with the Arch-bishop but secretly false to him that he would let his Lordship know that he never put up Article against any Man in his Life for that he was charged to have put up or ready to have put up the Articles Thornton bad him stick to it and not be afraid for saith he I have spoken my Mind to the Council therein as I am bound and so be you being the King's Chaplain But the Arch-bishop left the further discovery of this Mischief to the diligence of Cockes and Hussey his Officers this was about August They sat six Weeks saith my Manuscript but being secret Favourers of the Papists handled the Matter so that nothing would be disclosed and espied but every thing colourably was hid The Arch-bishop secretly observed this but Morice his Secretary wrote to Dr. Butts the King's Physicians and Sir Anthony Denny of his Bed-Chamber That if the King sent not some others to assist the Arch-bishop than those that were with him it was not possible any thing should come to light wishing that Dr. Legh or some such other stout Man that had been exercised in the King 's Ecclesiastical Affairs in his Visitation might be sent to him And Dr. Legh was soon dispatched with Instructions from the King into Kent with the King's Ring which he delivered to the Arch-bishop on Alhollow-Even And with Dr. Legh Dr. Rowland Taylor another Civilian a bold and stirring Man was
brought into it These his Thoughts he communicated to Arch-bishop Cranmer which was about the Year 1546. Whereupon they both set to examine it with more than ordinary Care And all the Arguments that Cranmer gathered about it he digested into his Book Nor was the good Arch-bishop ashamed to make a publick Acknowledgment in print of this as well as of his other Popish Errors in his Answer to Smith's Preface who it seems had charged him with Inconstancy This I confess of my self that not long before I wrote the said Catechism I was in that Error of the Real Presence as I was many Years past in many other Errors as of Transubstantiation of the Sacrifice propitiatory of the Priests in the Mass of Pilgrimages of Purgatory c. being brought up from my Youth in them For the which and other the Offences of my Youth I do daily pray unto God for Pardon and Mercy After it pleased God to shew me by his Holy Word a more perfect knowledg of his Son Jesus Christ I put away my former Ignorance As God gave me Light so through his Grace I opened my Eyes to receive it And I trust in God's Mercy for pardon of my former Errors I set this down the more at large to shew the great Ingenuity as well as Piety of this good Man Peter Martyr in the Year following this printed a Book of the Sacrament which was the Sum of what he had read before upon that Point in the University of Oxford Which Book he dedicated to his Patron the Arch-bishop of Canterbury And giving the Reason why he made the Dedication to him said That he knew certainly that Cranmer had so great Skill in this Controversy as one could hardly find in any one besides That there was none of the Fathers which he had not diligently noted no antient or modern Book extant that he Martyr had not with his own Eyes seen noted by the Arch-bishop's Hand Whatsoever belonged to the whole Controversy he said that the Arch-bishop had digested into particular Chapters Councils Canons Popes Decrees pertaining hereunto and that with so great labour that unless he had been an Eye-Witness of it and seen it he could not easily have believed others if they had told him in regard of the infinite Toil Diligence and Exactness wherewith the Arch-bishop had done it He added that the Arch-bishop had not bestowed such kind of Pains and Study in the Matter of the Sacrament only but that he had done the same thing as to all other Doctrines in effect which in that Age were especially under Controversy And this that Learned Man said he had made good Observation of Nor as he went on that he wanted Skill a Method and Industry in defending what he held Which might he said be known by this because he had so often conflicted with his Adversaries both publickly and privately and by a marvellous strength of Learning quickness of Wit and dexterity of Management had asserted what he held to be true from the thorny and intricate Cavils of Sophisters glancing at his Controversies with Winchester who was commonly then called the Sophister and that he wanted not a Will yea a Mind ready to defend Sound and Câ—ristian Doctrines That all Men did sufficiently understand who saw him burn with so great an endeavour of restoring Religion that for this Cause only he had great and heavy Enemies and neglected many Commodities of this Life and underwent horrible Dangers The great and intimate Converse that P. Martyr had with Cranmer gave him opportunity to know him very well and therefore I have chosen to set down this Character that he gave of him and particularly of his Ability in this Controversy of thâ— Eucharist And I am apt to think that the careful perusal of these Authorities collected by the Arch-bishop and his Conversation with this Learned Prelate being much with him at Lambeth was a cause of bringing Martyr to the True Doctrine For at his first coming to Oxon he was a Papist or a Lutheran as to the belief of the Presence And so Feckenham Dean of S. Paul's told Bartlet Green at his Examination and that Martyr perceiving the King's Council as he uncharitably suggested to be of another Opinion he to please them forsook the true Catholick Faith But Mr. Green who had been a hearer of him at Oxon replied That he had heard Martyr say That he had not while he was a Papist read S. Chrysostom upon the tenth to the Corinthians nor many other places of the Doctors But when he had read them and well considered them he was content to yield to them having first humbled himself in Prayer desiring God to illuminate him and bring him to the true understanding of Scripture As to the Authorities the Arch-bishop alledgeth in his Book it was the Conjecture of Iohn Fox that he made use of Frith's Book which he wrote of the Sacrament against More divers Years before and that from the said Author the Arch-bishop seemed to have collected the Testimonies of the Doctors which he produced in his Apology against the Bishop of Winchester and that he gathered the principal and chiefest Helps thence that he leaned to But although he might peruse Frith as he did almost all other Authors that wrote of this Controversy yet he was too well versed in the Ecclesiastical Writers that he needed to go a borrowing to the readings of any others for Sentences and Allegations out of them Cranmer lived to see his Book replied again unto by his Adversary Gardiner in Latin under the fained Name of Marcus Antonius Constantius a Divine of Lovain His Book went under this Title Confutatio cavillationum quibus sacrosanctum Eucharistiae Sacramentum ab impiis Capernaitis impeti solet Printed at Paris 1552. In this Book he spared the Name of the Arch-bishop but reduceth all the Arch-bishop's Book into no less then 255 Objections To each of which one by one the Catholick is brought in making answer Next whereas Cranmer had laid down twelve Rules for the finding out the true Sense of the Fathers in their Writings the Catholick examines them and enervates them Then follows a Confutation of the Solutions whereby the Sectary as he is called that is Cranmer endeavoured to take off the Arguments of the Catholicks And which is the fourth and last part of the Book he defends Catholick Mens Sense of the Allegations out of the Fathers against the Sectaries Gardiner when he compiled this Book was in the Tower a Prisoner but yet he was under so easy restraint that he was furnished there with Workmen and Amanuenses As they of old to the building of the Tabernacle so he to the preparing of his Book a kind of Papistical Tabernacle to use the words of Martyr all sorts contributed something For his Book was Pandora's Box to which all the lesser Gods brought their Presents For every Man were his Learning less or more that had
corrupt Religion within his Province and Territories But finding the Opposition against him so great and lying under the Excommunication of the Pope for what he had done and being deprived thereupon by the Emperor of his Lands and Function he resigned his Ecclesiastical Honour and betook himself to a retired Life which was done about the Year 1547. But no question in this private Capacity he was not idle in doing what Service he could for the good of that Cause which he had so generously and publickly espoused and for which he had suffered so much I find that in this Year 1552 our Arch-bishop had sent a Message to Secretary Cecyl who accompanied the King in this Summer's Progress desiring him to be mindful of the Bishop of Colen's Letters And in another Letter dated Iuly 21 he thanked the Secretary for the good remembrance he had thereof What the Contents of these Letters of the Arch-bishop of Colen were it appeareth not But I am very apt to think the Purport of them was that Cranmer would solicite some certain Business in the English Court relating to the Affairs of Religion in Germany and for the obtaining some Favour from the King in that Cause But the King being now abroad and the Arch-bishop at a distance from him he procured the Secretary who was ever cordial to the State of Religion to solicit that Arch-bishop's Business for him sending him withal that Arch-bishop's Letters for his better Instruction And this whatever it was seems to have been the last good Office that Arch-bishop Herman did to the Cause of Religion for he died according to Sleidan in the Month of August and our Arch-bishop's Letter wherein that Elector's Letters are mentioned were writ but the Month before And if one may judg of Mens commencing Friendship and Love according to the sutableness of their Tempers and Dispositions our Arch-bishop of Canterbury and the Arch-bishop of Colen must have been very intimate Friends It was said of this Man that he often wished That either he might be instrumental to the propagating the Evangelical Doctrine and Reformation of the Churches under his Iurisdiction or to live a private Life And when his Friends had often told him what Envy he would draw upon himself by the changing of Religion he would answer like a true Christian Philosopher That nothing could happen to him unexpectedly and that he had long since fortified his Mind against every Event These two Passages spake the very Spirit and Soul of Cranmer Which they may see that are minded to read what Fox saith of him as to his Undauntedness and Constancy in the maintaining of the Truth against the many Temptations and Dangers that he met with during these three Reigns successively And lastly as our Arch-bishop devoted himself wholly to the reforming of his Church so admirable was the Diligence Pains and Study this Arch-bishop took in contriving the Reformation of his He procured a Book to be writ concerning it called Instauratio Ecclesiarum which contained the Form and Way to be used for the redressing the Errors and Corruptions of his Church It was composed by those great German Divines Bucer and Melancthon which Book was put into English and published here as a good Pattern in the Year 1547. This Book he intended to issue forth through his Jurisdiction by his Authority to be observed But first he thought fit well and seriously to examine it and spent five Hours in the Morning for five Days to deliberate and consult thereupon Calling to him to advise withal in this great Affair his Coadjutor Count Stolberg Husman Ienep Bucer and Melancthon He caused the whole Work to be read before him and as many Places occurred wherein he seemed less satisfied he caused the Matter to be disputed and argued and then spake his own Mind accurately He would patiently hear the Opinions of others for the information of his own Judgment and so ordered things to be either changed or illustrated And so dextrously would he decide many Controversies arising that Melancthon thought that those great Points of Religion had been long weighed and considered by him and that he rightly understood the whole Doctrine of the Church He had always lying by him the Bible of Luther's Version and as Testimonies chanced to be alledged thence he commanded that they should be turned to that he might consider that which is the Fountain of all Truth Insomuch that the said Melancthon could not but admire and talk of his Learning Prudence Piety and Dexterity to such as he conversed with and particularly to Iohn Caesar to whom in a Letter he gave a particular Account of this Affair And it is to be noted by the way that the said Book according to which the Reformation was to be modelled contained only as Melancthon in his Letter suggested a necessary Instruction for all Children and the Sum of the Christian Doctrine and the Appointments for the Colleges and Ecclesiastical Hierarchy were very moderate the Form of the Ecclesiastical Polity being to remain as it was and so were the Colleges with their Dignities Wealth Degrees Ornaments thereunto belonging only great Superstitions should be taken away Which the wise Melancthon aforesaid did so approve of that he professed he had often propounded it in Diets of the German Nation as the best way to Peace And this I add that it might be observed how Arch-bishop Cranmer went by the same Measures in the Reformation of the Church of England maintaining the Hierarchy and the Revenues Dignities and Customs of it against many in those Times that were for the utter abolishing them as Relicks of Popery Such a Correspondence there was between our Arch-bishop and the wisest moderatest and most learned Divines of Germany But let us look nearer Home CHAP. XXXII Troubles of Bishop Tonstal AS the last Year we heard of the Deprivation of two Popish Bishops so this Year another underwent the like Censure I mean Tonstal Bishop of Durham whose Business I shall the rather relate because our Arch-bishop had some Concern in it Septemb. 21. A Commission was issued out to the Lord Chief Justice and his Colleagues to examine and determine the Cause of Tonstal Bishop of Durham and eight Writings touching the same which he is willed to consider and to proceed to the hearing and ordering of the Matter as soon as he may get the rest of his Colleagues to him It was not long after viz. about the midst of October that this Bishop by these Commissioners whose Names besides the Chief Justice do not occur was deprived and his Estate confiscated Octob. ult Sir Iohn Mason was ordered by the Council to deliver to the use of Dr. Tonstal so he is now stiled remaining Prisoner in the Tower such Money as should serve for his Necessities until such time as further Order shall be taken touching his Goods and Money lately appertaining to him Decemb. 6. It was agreed by the Council that Dr.
Penance and forsaking their Wives Allowing them to minister at the Altar and to serve Cures provided it were out of the Diocesses where they were married The said Bishops by this Commission were also empowered to grant to fit Rectors and Curates a Power to reconcile and absolve their respective Parishes This Commission I have placed in the Appendix as it was transcribed out of the Register of the Church of Canterbury The Lord Legate also for the better discharging of this his mighty Office gave out his Instructions how the Bishops and Officials of the Vacant Sees should perform this Work of the Reconciliation deputed to them by the said Legate together with the Form of Absolution to be pronounced Which Instructions and Form as they were extracted from the said Register may be found in the Appendix Each Bishop was to call before him the Clergy of his respective City and to instruct them in divers things As concerning the Pope's fatherly Love and Charity towards the English Nation in sending Cardinal Pole his Legate hither as soon as he knew the Lady Mary was declared Queen to bring this Kingdom so long separated from the Catholick Church into Union with it and to comfort and restore them to the Grace of God Concerning the joyful coming of the said Legate concerning what was done the last Parliament when the Lords and Commons were Reconciled and concerning the repealing of all the Laws made against the Authority of the Roman See by the two last Kings and restoring Obedience to the Pope and Church of Rome Concerning the Authority restored likewise to the Bishops especially that they might proceed against Hereticks and Schismaticks Then the Bishops were to acquaint their Clergy with the Faculties yielded to them by the Legate which were to be read openly Then all that were lapsed into Error and Schism were to be invited humbly to crave Absolution and Reconciliation and Dispensations as well for their Orders as for their Benefices Next a Day was fixed when the Clergy were to appear and petition for the said Absolutions and Dispensations On which day after they had confessed their Errors and sacramentally promised that they would make Confession of the same to the Bishop himself or some other Catholick Priests and to perform the Penance that should be enjoined them then the Bishop was to reconcile them and to dispense with their Irregularities Always observing a distinction between those that only fell into Schism and Error and those who were the Teachers of them and Leaders of others into Sin The same time was to be appointed another day for a Solemn Festival wherein the Bishops and Curates in their Churches should signify to the People all that the Bishops before had spoken to their Clergy and then should invite them all to confess their Errors and to return into the Bosom of the Church promising them That all their past Crimes should be forgiven if so be they repented of them and renounced them And a certain Term was to be fixed namely the whole Octaves of Easter within which Term all should come and be reconciled But the Time to be reconciled in being lapsed all that remained unreconciled as also all that returned to their Vomit after they had been reconciled were to be most severely proceeded against The said Bishops and Officials where any Sees were Vacant were to name and depute the Rectors of the Parish-Churches and other fit Persons who should absolve the Laity of their Parishes from Heresy and Schism and Censures according to a Form to be given them by the Bishops The Bishops and Officials and Curates were to have each a Book in which were to be writ the Names and Parishes of all that were reconciled That it might afterwards be known who were reconciled and who were not After the Octave of Easter was past the Bishops were to visit first their Cities and then their Diocesses and to summon before them all such as had not been reconciled and to know of them the Cause why they would not depart from their Errors and remaining obstinate in them they were to proceed against them In this Visitation all the Clergy were to be required to shew the Titles of their Orders and Benefices and notice was to be taken if any Defect were therein And now the Bishops were to take care to root out any Errors in their Diocesses and to depute fit Persons to make Sermons and hear Confessions They were also to take care to have the Sacred Canons observed and to have inserted into the Books of Service the Name of S. Thomas the Martyr and of the Pope formerly blotted out and to pray for the Pope according as it was used before the Schism They were advised to insist much upon the great Miseries we were in before and the great Grace that God now had shewed to this People Exhorting them to acknowledg these Mercies and devoutly to pray for the King and Queen that had deserved so exceedingly well of this Kingdom and especially to pray for a happy Off-spring from the Queen In these Instructions there are several Strictures that make it appear Pole was not so gentle towards the Hereticks as the Professors of the Gospel were then stiled as is reported but rather the contrary and that he went hand in hand with the bloody Bishops of these Days For it is plain here that he put the Bishops upon proceeding with them according to the Sanguinary Laws lately revived and put in full Force and Virtue What an Invention was that of his a kind of Inquisition by him set up whereby not a Man might escape that stood not well affected to Popery I mean his ordering Books to be made and kept wherein the Names of all such were to be written that in every Place and Parish in England were reconciled and so whosoever were not found in those Books might be known to be no Friends to the Pope and so to be proceeded against And indeed after Pole's crafty and zealous Management of this Reconciliation all that good Opinion that Men had before conceived of him vanished and they found themselves much mistaken in him especially seeing so many Learned and Pious Gospel-Bishops and Ministers imprisoned and martyred under him and by his Commission Insomuch that now People spake of him as bad as of the Pope himself or the worst of his Cardinals The Gospellers before this did use to talk much among themselves that he did but dissemble at Rome in his present outward Compliances with them and their Superstitions and that he would upon a good Opportunity shew himself an open Professor of the Truth And indeed he often had Conferences before him of Christ and of the Gospel of a living Faith and Justification by Faith alone and he often would wish the true Doctrine might prevail But now the Mask was taken off and he shewed himself what he was A notable Letter to this Purpose was written concerning the Cardinal about
Not was inserted in a certain place of the Book to alter the Doctrine of the Real Presence which was asserted in the first Edition This Dr. Martin one of Queen Mary's Commissioners threw in his Dish at his Examination in Oxford But the Arch-bishop professed his Ignorance concerning the foisting in of that Word The addition of which Word indeed he thought was needless still holding the Body and Blood truly present in the Holy Supper though after a spiritual manner III. The Ordinances or Appointments of the Reformed Church This was the Book of Common-Prayer with the Preface before it beginning There was never any thing c. as I learn out of Bale IV. One Book of Ordaining Ministers Which I suppose was the Form of Ordination published in the Year 1550. V. One Book concerning the Eucharist with Luther With whom Cranmer once consented in the Doctrine of the Presence VI. A Defence of the Catholick Doctrine in five Books Which was his excellent Work in vindication of himself against Bishop Gardiner and Dr. Richard Smith Whereof much hath been said before VII Ecclesiastical Laws in the Time of King Edward This was the Book of the Reformation of the Ecclesiastical Laws the management of which was by the King's Letters committed to eight whereof Cranmer was the chief VIII The Doctrine of the Lord's Supper against Gardiner's Sermon This Sermon is the same I suppose with that Book of his intituled A Detection of the Devil's Sophistry wherewith he robbeth the unlearned People of the true Belief of the most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar Which gave occasion to the Arch-bishop's first writing upon this Argument IX One Book against the Error of Transubstantiation X. One Book How Christ is present in the Supper XI One Book Concerning eating the Lord's Supper XII One Book Concerning the offering up of Christ. These five Books last mentioned are nothing else but the five Parts of his Book of the Holy Sacrament mentioned before XIII One Book of Christian Homilies Which must be the first Part of our Book of Homilies published under King Edward XIV One Book in answer to the Calumnies of Richard Smith For this Man had writ against Cranmer's Book of the Sacrament as well as Gardiner but done so scurrilously that Cranmer calls it his Calumnies XV. Confutations of Unwritten Verities Written against a Book of the same Smith intituled De veritatibus non scriptis Which he afterward recanted XVI Twelve Books of Common-Places taken out of the Doctors Those Volumes mentioned by Bishop Burnet I suppose were some of these Common-Place Books XVII Concerning not marrying the Brother's Wife Two Books Which must be those drawn up for the Use and by the Command of King Henry XVIII Against the Pope's Supremacy Two Books This was the Declaration against the Papal Supremacy said to be put forth by the Bishops in the Year 1536 upon occasion of Pole's Book of Ecclesiastical Vnion XIX Against the Pope's Purgatory Two Books XX. Concerning Justification Two Books I cannot trace these two last-mentioned Books unless by them be meant those two Treatises of Justification and Purgatory that are set at the end of the Institution XXI Pious Prayers One Book This Book I suppose was the Orarium seu libellus precationum put forth by the King and Clergy 1545. From whence a Book of Prayers was translated into English Anno 1552. XXII Letters to Learned Men One Book This I cannot hear any tidings of XXIII Against the Sacrifice of the Mass and against the Adoration of the Bread One Book Said to be writ while he was a Prisoner Which makes me conclude it to be part of his Reply to Gardiner's second Assault of him under the Name of Constantius XXIV To Queen Mary One Book or rather one Letter which was that he writ after his Examinations before her Commissioners and the Pope's Sub-delegate If some body of Leisure and that had the Opportunity of Libraries would take the pains to collect together all these Books and other Writings of this Arch-bishop and publish them it would be a worthy Work as both retrieving the Memory of this extraordinary Man who deserved so well of this Church and serving also much to illustrate the History of its Reformation But I know nothing of this nature done since the industrious Iohn Day in the Year 1580 printed a Book in Folio containing our Arch-bishop's Answer unto Stephen Gardiner Bishop of Winchester against the true Doctrine of the Sacrament Also to Richard Smith Also a true Copy of the Book writ by Stephen Gardiner Also The Life and Martyrdom of Cranmer extracted out of the Book of Martyrs And now we are mentioning this great Prelat's Writings it may not be unworthy to take notice of what I meet with in a Letter of Arch-bishop Parker to Secretary Cecyl in the Year 1563 his Grace being then at Canterbury Where he spake of the Great notable written Books as he stiles them of his Predecessor Dr. Cranmer which he had left behind him at some of his Houses at or near Canterbury whether Ford or Bekesborn or both or with some Friends in those Parts These Manuscripts it seems were embezeled and surreptitiously taken away by private Hands probably during his restraint in Queen Mary's Days and now studiously concealed by some that were minded it may be to stifle them being chiefly levelled against the Roman Church and Bishop Parker who was a great and painful Searcher after Antient and Learned Manuscripts and a diligent Retriever of eminent Mens Writings had by credible Information learn'd in what Hands many of those Books were and had sent either for the Persons concerned or to them to demand the said Books But they denied them Whereupon knowing no other way to recover them he desired the Secretary by some Power from the Queen's Council to authorize him to enquire and search for those Books and such-like Monuments by all Ways as by the said Parker's Discretion should be thought good whether giving the Parties an Oath or viewing their Studies Wishing he might recover them to be afterwards at the Queen's Commandment Adding that he should be as glad to win them as he would be to restore an old Chancel to Reparation This Letter of Arch-bishop Parker I have inserted in the Appendix But whether after all his diligence he succeeded in the recovery of those Manuscripts I know not I am apt to think he did and that these Writings of Cranmer that were in his Possession and afterwards bequeathed unto the Library of Benet-College and those other divers Volumes which were as was before-said in the keeping of the Lord Burghley might be some at least of them An inquisitive Man would be glad to know what the Matter and Contents of these numerous Writings of our Arch-bishop were and that seeing so many of them are perished the knowledg of the various Subjects of them at least might be preserved This besides what hath been shewn already may be gathered by what
his Inconstancy viz. That he that was an earnest Protestant but the day before and one whom Dr. Sands had done much good for was now become a Papist and his great Enemy Thus was our Arch-bishop a Friend to this Man and divers others who went along with him as far as he and the Times favoured them but when these failed them they failed the Arch-bishop through Timorousness in some and worldly Respects in others But onâ—e more of this Dr. Mowse and I have done with him As a Reward of his forwardness at Cambridg before mentioned I find he was soon after incorporated at Oxon together with Andrew Pern D.D. a Man of the same Inconstancy and preferred to be Reader of the Civil Law there in the room of Dr. Aubrey who probably was removed for Incompliance And when the next Change happened under Queen Elizabeth Mowse came about again and in the Year 1560 obtained a Prebend in the Church of York He lived till the Year 1588 leaving some Benefactions to his old College The Arch-bishop was indeed a great Patron to all Learned and Pious Men especially those of the Reformation cherishing those not only of his own Country but Foreigners and Strangers also And as he brought over divers with him when he returned into England from his Embassy in Germany so he sent for more And such as came to him he gave honourable Harbour and Maintenance to keeping them at his own Cost till he had made Provisions for them either in the Church or University For Erasmus our Arch-bishop had a great value whose Worth and Service to the Church he well knew He allowed him an Honorary Pension promising him that he would be no less kind unto him than his Predecessor Warham had been before him Which Arch-bishop was one of Erasmus his best and most extraordinary Friends and Benefactors Of whom he used these words to a Friend of his Qui mihi unus multorum instar erat Soon after the succession of Cranmer into this Arch-bishop's Room Sir Thomas More wrote to Erasmus that he that then filled the See of Canterbury bore no less love to him than Warham had done before and Quo non alius vixit tui amantior That there was no Man living loved him better And Erasmus himself mentioning his great Loss in Arch-bishop VVarham and divers other Patrons of his that were taken off by Death comforted himself that God had made up those Losses to him by raising him up other Friends So saith he in the room of VVarham succeeded the Reverend Thomas Cranmer Professione Theologus Vir integerrimus candidissimisque moribus Qui ultro pollicitus est sese in studio ac beneficentia erga me priori nequaquam cessurum quod sponte pollicitus est sponte praestare coepit ut mihi Vuaramus non ereptus sed in Cranmero renatus videri queat By Profession a Divine a Person of the greatest Integrity and most unblamable Behaviour VVho of his own accord promised That in Favour and Kindness toward me he would be no ways behind his Predecessor And that which he voluntarily promised he hath voluntarily begun to make good So that methinks Warham is not taken away from me but rather Born again to me in Cranmer One Specimen of his Munificence towards this Learned Man I meet with in one of his Letters wherein he acknowledged to have received of Cranmer eighteen Angels when the Bishop of Lincoln sent him also Fifteen and the Lord Crumwel Twenty Alexander Aless was another Learned Stranger whom our Arch-bishop gave Harbour and shewed Favour to A Scotch-Man by Birth but that had long lived and conversed with Melancthon in Germany Who knowing the generous and hospitable Disposition of the Arch-bishop recommended this Aless to him giving a high Character of him for his Learning Probity and Diligence in every good Office In the Year 1535 he brought over from Melancthon a Book to be presented to the Arch-bishop wherein That Learned German laboured as he told the Arch-bishop in his Letter sent at the same time to state diligently and profitably most of the Controversies and as much as he could to mitigate them leaving the Judgment of the whole unto his Grace and such learned and pious Men as He from whose Judgment he said he would never differ in the Church of Christ desiring him also to acquaint Aless what his Grace's own Judgment was of the Book that Aless might signify the same unto him Such was the Deference Melancthon gave unto the Learning and Censure of Cranmer This Book I should suppose to have been his Common Places but that they came out a Year after By the same Messenger he sent another of these Books to be presented in his Name to the King and in case the Arch-bishop approved of what he had wrote he entreated him to introduce the Bringer and to assist him in the presenting of it Upon these Recommendations of Aless and the Arch-bishop's own Satisfaction in the Worth of the Man he retained him with him at Lambeth and much esteemed him This was that Aless that Crumwel probably by Cranmer's means brought with him to the Convocation in the Year 1536 whom he desired to deliver there his Opinion about the Sacrament Who did so and enlarged in a Discourse asserting two Sacraments only instituted by Christ namely Baptism and the Lord's Supper As the Author of the British Antiquities relates ad Ann. 1537. calling him there Virum in Theologia perductum A thorow-paced Divine This Man compiled a useful Treatise against the Schism laid to the Charge of Protestants by those of the Church of Rome The Substance and Arguments of which Book were Melancthon's own Invention but Aless composed and brought it into Method and Words This Book Melancthon sent unto George Prince of Anhalt The Consolations of which as he wrote to that Noble and Religious Man he was wont to inculcate upon himself against those who objected commonly to them the horrible Crime of Schism as he stiles it For saith he their monstrous Cruelty is sufficient to excuse us Which it seems was one of the Arguments whereby they defended themselves against that Charge Esteeming it lawful and necessary to leave the Communion of a Church which countenanced and practised Cruelty a thing so contrary to one of the great and fundamental Laws of Christian Religion namely that of Love and that their abiding in a Church where such bloody and barbarous Practices were would argue their approbation and concurrence And as Melancthon made use of him in composing his Thoughts into a handsom Stile so did another great Light of the same Nation I mean Bucer In King Edward's Days he had wrote a Book in the German that is in his own Country-Language about Ordination to the Ministery in this Kingdom of England intituled Ordinatio Ecclesiae seu Ministerii Eccesiastici in florentissimo Angliae regno This our
Commentaries which he then was busy about and as it seems encouraged by Cranmer to take in Hand and prosecute And when Dr. Bruno a Learned Man and Father-in-Law to Sleidan departed out of England which was about the Time before mentioned being the Agent of the Duke of Saxony the Arch-bishop informed him of this Stipend by the King granted unto his Son-in-Law confirming the same to him in the King's Name and encouraging the Commentator hereby to proceed cheerfully in his useful Undertaking But upon the Stirs at Court the paiment of this Pension was neglected a great while Which caused Sleidan to call upon the Arch-bishop more than once as also upon his Friends Cheke and Cecyl entreating them to remind the Arch-bishop of him and to communicate to his Lordship the Letters he had writ to them But alas he needed not to have been excited to things of this Nature bearing so good a Will to them and being of his own Nature so forward to favour Learned and honest Men and useful Designs Nor was his good Will to Sleidan any whit abated but his Interest at Court was now towards the declension of King Edward's Reign But because his Pension depended only upon a verbal Promise of the King and the getting it under his Seal might contribute to the paiment of it in better sort hereafter he laboured with our Prelate and the two other Persons mentioned that it might be confirmed by Letters Patents He urged to them That he could have employed himself in other Business that would have redounded more to his Profit as many others did But he reckoned himself called to this Work from Heaven and that he could take no rest in his Mind till he had brought the History down to that present Time it being then the Year 1553 That he had hope that they according to their Humanity and Prudence who well understood things would take some Pains that the Arrears of his promised Stipend might be paid and that some further Care might be taken for the due Paiment of it hereafter that so he might the more conveniently and freely follow that Matter Leaving it to them to consider how much that Labour cost him as to the Charges he means of Correspondence for the getting particular and faithful Accounts of things that past in all Parts And lastly That it belonged properly to Kings to cherish such Labours as would be Ornaments to Religion and Learning and of Use to the Common-Good And in another Address to Secretary Cecyl he desired That he would plead in his behalf with the most Reverend the Arch-bishop adding That he did wholly give up himself to this Work and was in a diligent pursuit of all Matters in order to the compiling a compleat History Though I have said so much already of Sleidan yet I will take this occasion to add somewhat more that I may retrieve as much as I can of this honest Man and excellent Writer In the Month of September Anno 1552 he sent to the King together with a Letter his Commentaries of the German Wars brought down to that very Time being a short Draught of that he intended afterwards more largely and fully to write And Cheke and Cecyl were the Men that presented them to his Majesty With this kind of Writing the King declared himself much pleased as Cecyl wrote him back and so he and Cheke also were This Encouragement put our Author upon another Design resolving to write the whole Actions of the Council of Trent wherein he himself had been a part having been Agent there for five Months from the City of Strasburg This he intended to do for the King 's own Sake That he might thorowly understand the Form of Councils and might then make his Judgment of the rest of the History of the Reformation of Religion which he was then writing The Spring after he presented the King with a Specimen of his Writing concerning the Council of Trent It was the beginning and entrance into that Treatise he intended to write of that Subject This he desired might be kept in the King's Study and communicated to no other Hand and that no Copy of it might be taken it being but a small part of a future Work and so imperfect He had now in the Ides of March compleated his Commentaries from the Year 1517 to the Year 1536 and was resolved by God's Grace to go on with it in the same Method In order to which in the Month of December before he had desired of Cecyl that he would procure him the whole Action between King Henry VIII and Pope Clement VII when that King vindicated his own Liberty and that of his Kingdom from Papal Pretences of Supremacy over each This Matter between the King and the Pope he called Locus illustris memorabilis and judged it very worthy for Posterity to know Adding that though he had in his own Hands some Matters relating thereto yet they were not so exact and certain as he could wish because he desired to describe every thing properly and most exactly according to Truth He entreated also that if either he or Cheke had any other Matters of that Nature to impart they would oblige him with them Which Passages make me conclude that in relation to the English Affairs he made great use of Intelligences from Cecyl and Cheke and probably our Arch-bishop too Which consideration may add a great Reputation unto the Credit of his Book Now to preserve as much as we can of this excellent Historian Iohn Sleidan I have thought good to insert divers of his Letters in the Appendix and likewise because mention is often therein made of our Arch-bishop To which I have subjoined a Letter of Martin Bucer a great Name wrote to Cecyl in behalf of the said Sleidan For he did not only importune those Courtiers before mentioned but when no Answer came from them he made Bucer also his Solicitor from Cambridg Who Anno 1551 Feb. 18. wrote to Cecyl to further Sleidan's Business and to dispatch the Paiment of his Stipend and that Sleidan might be resolved one way or other giving Cecyl this Memento That this would well become the Administration of a Kingdom so much adorned as with other things so with the Benefit of Religion By the way the Date of this Letter would deserve well to be noted serving to judg of the true Date of Bucer's Death Which by Historians is variously set down if we may believe Fuller in his History of the University of Cambridg It is certain Bucer was ill when he wrote that Letter to Cecyl for he mentions therein an Epistle which he sent to Dr. Iohn Quercetanus the Physician upon the said Cecyl's Desire the which he said he was hardly able to dictate This Letter to Cecyl I take to be writ in his last Sickness nine Days before the Date which Sleidan his Friend assigned for the Day of his Death To
which agrees within a Day a Passage at the end of a Piece of Bucer's intituled Explicatio de vi usu S. Ministerii where it is said That he died at Cambridg before he finish'd it Pridie Cal. Martias Anno 1551. I have one Learned Man more behind to mention and he our own Country-Man to whom our Arch-bishop was a Patron and that is the celebrated Antiquarian Iohn Leland Library-keeper to Henry VIII and who by a Commission under the Broad Seal granted to him for that purpose by the King had got together a vast Heap of Collections of the Historical Antiquities of this Nation which he was many Years a making by his Travels and diligent Searches into the Libraries of Abbies and Religious-Houses before and at their Dissolution and elsewhere From whence he intended to compile a compleat History of the Antiquities of Britain To which he wholly devoted himself But being at that time poor and the Charges of such an Undertaking great he wanted some Body to make this known to the King and to recommend him effectually to his Favour and Countenance and to procure him a Royal Gratuity For which purpose he made his Application to Cranmer who he well knew was the great Encourager of Learning and Ingenuity in a very elegant Address in Verse as he was an excellent Poet. And I am apt to think the Preferments that soon after befel him as a good Parsonage near Oxford and a Canonry of the King's College in that University and a Prebendship elsewhere accrued to him by the means of the Arch-bishop laying open his State before the King His Copy of Verses were as follow Ad Thomam Cranmerum Cantiorum Archiepiscopum EST congesta mihi domi supellex Ingens aurea nobilis venusta Qua totus studeo Britanniarum Vero reddere gloriam nitori Sed fortuna meis noverca coeptis Iam felicibus invidet maligna Quare ne pereant brevi vel hora Multarum mihi noctium labores Omnes patriae simul decora Ornamenta cadant suusque splendor Antiquis malè desit usque rebus Cranmere eximium decus piorum Implorare tuam benignitatem Cogor Fac igitur tuo sueto Pro candore meum decus patronumque Vt tantùm faveat roges labori Incoepto pretium sequetur amplum Sic nomen tibi litterae elegantes Rectè perpetuum dabunt suósque Partim vel titulos tibi receptos Concedet memori Britannus ore Sic te posteritas amabit omnis Et fama super aethera innotesces CHAP. XXVIII Arch-bishop Cranmer's Relations and Chaplains TO look now a little into the Arch-bishop's more private and domestick Concerns He had two Wives While he was Fellow of Iesus College in Cambridg not being in Orders he married his first named Ioan dwelling at the Dolphin opposite to Iesus Lane which I think is a publick House to this Day Which occasioned some of his Enemies afterwards to say That he was once an Ostler because he lodged sometime with his Wife at that House Her he buried within a Year dying in Child-bed And then for divers Years he continued studying hard and reading Learned Lectures in the University and bringing up Youth till he was called to the Court His second Wife named Ann he married in Germany while he was Ambassador there By her he had Children In King Henry's Reign he kept her Secret and upon the Act of the Six Articles he sent her away into Germany that he might give no Offence nor draw any Danger upon himself In the time of King Edward when the Marriage of the Clergy was allowed he brought her forth and lived openly with her He had Children that survived him For whose sake an Act of Parliament passed in the Year 1562 to restore them in Blood their Father having been condemned for Treason in consenting to the Lady Iane's Succession to the Crown For which yet he was pardoned by Queen Mary Probably the Pardon was only Verbal or not Authentickly enough drawn up or might admit of some Doubt To take off which such an Act was procured How many Children he had or what Issue remains of them to this Day I am not able after all my Enquiries to shew His Wife survived him For we may give so much Credit to a very angry Book writ against the Execution of Iustice in England by Cardinal Allen Which charging the Arch-bishop with Breach of Vows saith That at the very Day and Hour of his Death he was sacrilegiously joined in pretended Marriage to a Woman notwithstanding his Vow and Order And living she was toward the latter End of Arch-bishop Parker's Time and for her Subsistence enjoyed an Abby in Nottingham-shire which King Henry upon Dr. Butt's his Motion without the Arch-bishop's knowledg granted to him and his Heirs For his Wife and Children he could not escape many a Taunt from his Enemies behind his Back and one to his Face from Dr. Martin one of those that were commissionated to sit as Judges upon him at Oxford He told him in reproach That his Children were Bondmen to the See of Canterbury Whether there be any such old Canon-Law I know not But the Arch-bishop smiled and asked him If a Priest at his Benefice kept a Concubine and had Children by her whether those Children were Bond-men to the Benefice or no And that he trusted they would make his Childrens Case no worse I find two of his Name in King Edward's Reign but whether they were his or his Brother Edmund's Sons or some other Relations I cannot tell There was one Richard Cranmer one of the Witnesses at the Abjuration of Ashton Priest an Arian 1548. Daniel Cranmer of Bilsington of the Diocess of Canterbury who about administring to a Will was for contumacy to the Court of Canterbury Excommunicate and a Significavit was issued out against him thereupon in the Year 1552. There was also a Thomas Cranmer about these Times who bought something in Ware-Lane of the City of Canterbury He was Publick Notary and Register to the Arch-deacon in the Year 1569. I find likewise one Robert Cranmer Esq. who was Nephew to the Arch-bishop and alive at the latter End of Queen Elizabeth This Robert left one only Daughter and Heiress named Ann. Whom Sir Arthur Harris of Crixey in Essex married and enjoyed with her three Manors Postling which came to the said Robert in the beginning of Queen Elizabeth Kingsnorth in Vlcomb and Saltwood Both which he purchased in the latter end of that Queen Upon whose Grandchild Sir Cranmer Harris of Lincoln's-Inn Kt. those Estates descended There was another Cranmer of Canterbury who enjoyed a Manor called Sapinton in Petham in Kent One of whose Off-spring by descent successively was intitled to the Propriety of it and was alive when Philpot published his Book of that County viz. 1659. There â—e living at this Time among divers others two Knights of this Name Sir Cesar Cranmer once belonging
Nec mirum est nam adversarij nostri cogor invitus acerbiori voce uti Prudentissime Vir tragicis clamoribus hanc rem illi detulerunt Quod factum illorum majorÃne malitia aut imperitia institutum fuit dubitari potest Thomas enim Aquinas probat Missam Dominicam coenam multis praerogativis superasse longissimè ab ea discrepasse multis notis Sexu Missare enim Mulieres non debent a Coena tamen non excludantur Aetate Vitio Parentum Luxatione Membrorum Nam pueri Nothi Mutilati a Missae dignitate repelluntur ad Coenae humilitatem recipiuntur multis alijs modis Ut siquis affirmaret eandem esse Missam Coenam multo magis exclamarent Sed quid dicam de hijs nostris Nihil aliud nisi quod Herodes turbatus est tota Hierosolyma cum eo Dicunt nos esse praecipites Certe nemo tam praeceps est quin facile revocari possit ut calcaribus potius quam habenis tota Cantabrigia egeat Sed quod institui tibi narrare quanquam disputatio nostra fuerit prohibita studia tamen nostra in eadem re quodammodo aucta sunt Scripsimus enim fere justum librum de Missa quem brevi offerre instituimus D. Protectori nisi tibi magistro Checo aliter visum fuerit Quantum ad tractationem rei pertinet vellem ut judicium tuum non sermoni aliorum sed ipsi rei reservare velis Neque hoc dicimus quia de nobis aliquid polliceri audemus sed quia veremur ne certi homines nimis studeant illud impedire quovis modo quod ipsi non probant Legimus sanctissimas confessiones Reginae nostrae cum tua eloquentissima epistola Utinam aliquid temporis tui ad excolendam Anglicanam linguam impartire velis ut homines intelligerent nostram linguam omnes eloquentiae numeros facile admittere Literae Magistri Checi ad Collegium nostrum fuerunt omnibus nobis gratissimae ubi minimis verbis maxima benevolentia ejus tua comprehensa fuit D. Protectoris literae ad Acad. a te scriptae mirificè nos omnes delectarunt Commune votum est apud nos ut Cantabrigia aliquando imò brevissimè sentiat Ioannem Checum Praepositum Regij Collegij Episcopus ille nihil prodest studijs vellem ut non obesset Et hoc non dico ad aucupium cujusvis gratiae sed ad Commodum totius Academiae Plurima sunt quae nos sic sentire cogunt plura tua Prudentia videt Nos sic amici inter nos communicamus fortasse non prudentissimè Cautissimè tamen quod minimum est valde amanter Cogita de hac re quid vis promove tamen eam quantum potes Nimis molestus suâ— Vale 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quinto Januarij 1548. E Coll. D. Ioan. Cant. Dignitatis tuae Studiosiss R. Aschamus Ornatissimo Viro Magistro Gulielmo Cicello Supplicum libellorum Magistro NUM XXXVIII The University of Cambridg to the Archbishop ALiquid a te suppliciter petere cum Tu omnia nobis lubenter tribuis Doctissime Praesul non inane supervacaneum negotium sed gratae voluntatis debitum potius officium esse ducimus Rogamus igitur te ut in hoc Senatu vestro privilegia nostra confirmentur Quantum Reip. interest ut doctrinae ratio haberetur omnes fere intelligunt quantum verò purae Religionis interest tu unus plus universis alijs animadvertis Scis enim tu quod annis abhinc quingentis aut plus eo cognitio literarum Regum vitio a quibus ali debuerat e conspectu hominum sese abducere in tenebras relabi coepit In quibus temporibus sic caligine obductis sic ignorantia involutis Aper ille singularis de sylva supra modum depopulatus est vineam Iesu Christi non proculcans solum Reges terrae imperium sibi collocans mundi sed ita invasit erupitque in sanctam sedem Templum conscientiae ut nulli sere nunc sint mores nulla institutio vitae nullus caeremoniarum ritus nullum Ecclesiae Sacramentum nullum Christi vestigium quod non sit ejus aut fulmine prostratum aut halitu foedatum quod non sit ut mitius seu significantius cum Divo Paulo loquamur prudentia humanae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 foedissimè corruptum constupratum Haec nox disciplinarum ignoratio vocem Domini nobis abstulit humanae doctrinae imperium in illam libidinem evexit ut pro vero cultu Dei recto divinissimarum rerum usu integra pura vitae consuetudine Hypocrisis Idololatria Adulterium cervicibus hominum astutissimè imponeretur Hanc inscientiae pestem libentius commemoramus quod nunc in magnam spem ducimur constituendae de integro dignitatis literarum in ijs praesertim temporibus cum omnia ad veram religionem illustrandam a qua praeclara doctrina abesse certè non potest mirificè comparata sunt Et cum prudentia tua ad verbum Dei restituendum divinitus sit nunc excitata diu reservata non dubitamus quin omnem operam authoritatem tuam ad salutem etiam literarum continendam collaturus sis Commotus aliquid certè vel hac ratione quod nulla hoc tempore literis vel insperata clades vel expectata commoditas accidere potest cujus tu non aut author ad magnam commendationem aut particeps ad aliquam reprehensionem voce ac sermone omnium jactatus eris D. Iesus c. NUM XXXIX Richard Smith D. D. his Recantation of his Books IN my book of Traditions I sayd and affirmed that Christ and his Apostles taught and left to the Church many things without writing which we must both beleve stedfastly and also fulfil obediently under pain of Damnation ever to endure Among the which I rehersed by name a great number to be obeyed kept and followed As the observation of Lent from flesh or wyne the keeping of the Sacrament in the pix the receiving it at the Priests hands the hallowing of the Water in the Font the thrice dipping of the child in the water at the chrining The putting on of the Chrysome the consecration of the oyl the anoynting of the christened child the hallowing of the Altars the praying toward the East the censing of the Altar the washing of the hands the saying of Confiteor the lifting up of the Sacrament at Mass the making of holy water that the twelve Apostles every man a piece for his portion made the Crede and many mo beside these And after like sort I spake of Canons Decrees and Ordinaunces of Bishops and General Councels I do now confes the said doctrine as concerning the observing of the said Traditions to be false and tyrannical and unjust unlawful and untrue burden of mens consciences not fit to be taught preached or defended There be many
MS. Life of Cranmer Grows dear to the King and his Court. Liâ—e of Henr. 8. p. 375. An. 1530. Pole's Book against the King's Dissolving his Marriage Cranmer perâ—â—ses it His account of it Cranmer's Censure thereof Num. 1. He is employed in Ambassies To the Pope Offers him a Dispute in Favour of the King's Cause Hist. Refor P. 1. p. 89. To the Emperor Life of Cran. inter Foxii MSS. An. 1531. Hist. Luther Per Seckendorf Cornelius Agrippa gained by Cranmer to the King's Cause Becomes acquainted with Osiander Multa graviter multa sapienter â—c planâ— divinitus dâ— Christiana doctrina ac vera religione disputares In Ep. Dedicat. ante Harmon Evangel And marries his Kinswoman An. 1532. Treats with the Emperor about the Contract of Traffick And about sending Suplies against thâ— Turk Sends the King the News in those Parts And the Proclamation for a General Council Sleid. Comment And the Tax of the States of the Empire N o II. He goes in an Embassy to the Duke of Saxony and other Protestant Princes Hist. Lutheranism per Seckendors Seckendorf ubâ— supra Made Arch-Bishop of Canterbury His Dignities before he was Arch-Bishop Arch-Bishop Warham foretells a Thomas to succeed him Arch-Bishop Warham for the King's Supremacy Aâ—t Brit. Cranmer's Testimony of Warham A reflection upon a Passage relating to Cranmer in Harpsfield's History Antiq. of Cant. Cranmer tries to evade the Arch-Bishoprick Declares the reason thereof to the King The Arch-bishop's Brother is made Arch-deacon of Canterbury Somner Hist. of Cant. p. 322. ex lib. Eccles. Cant. The King linked Cranmer with him in all his proceedings about Q Katharine Anno 1532. Sept. 21. Append. N o III. Rex D. Annam Bullenam Thoma Cranmero sacra Ministrante Vxorem duxit The King and the Arch-bishop appeal from the Pope to a General Council The King writes to Dr. Bonner in that behalf No. IV. An. 1533. The Arch-Bishop is consecrated The Pope's Bulls The Arch-Bishop surrenders them to the King The Method of the Consecration De Minister p. 154. No. V. No. VI. The Arch-Bishop's Oath for the Temporalties No. VII The Arch-bishop pronounceth the Divorce The Arch-bishop's Judgment of the Marriage Vol. I. Collect. p. 95. The Arch-bishop forbids preaching Foxii MSS. Visits his Diocess August Monks Journal The Delusion of a Nun in Kent The Arch-bishop appeals from the Pope The Arch-bishop's Letter to Bonner Cleopat E. 6. Disputes in thé Parliament against the Pope's Supremacy Life of Cranm. inter Foxii MSS. Licences for Chappels Cran. Reg An. 1534. The Arch-Bishop labours the Reformation of the Church What he did this Convocation No. VIII A Book for preaching and the Beads Dispersed by the Arch-bishop to all the Bishops The Arch-bishop of York preaches at York The Clergy and Universities subscribe against the Pope Cleopat E. 6. p. 208. Page 458. Cranmer and others administer the Oath of Succession to the Clergy And to Sir Thomas More who refused it Sir Thomas More 's Letters Cranmer's Argument with him More offers to swear to the Succession it self Bishop Fisher offers the same No. IX No. X. The Arch-bishop writes to Crumwel in their behalf The Arch-bishop's endeavour to save the Lives of More Fisher. No. XI A Premunire brought agâ—â—nst Bishop Nix Cotton Libraâ— Cleop. F. 1. The Arch-bishop visitâ— this Bishop's See Cranmer's Reg. The Bishop of Norwich a Peâ—secutor An. 1535. No. XII Goodrick Lee and Salcot consecrated Bishops An. 1535. The Arch-bishop preaches up the King's Supremacy at Canterbury A Prior preaches against him Whom he convents before him The Arch-bishop acquaints the King with the matter No. XIII A Provincial Visitation Winchester herein opposeth him The ABp's vindication of his title of Primateâ— No. XIV The Bp of London refuseth his Visitation No. XV. And protests â—gainst him Cranmer sends him a part of the New Testament to translate And his Answer â—â—xii MSS. â—â—wney's Jest upon Sâ—okesly Who this Lawney was Monasteriâ—â— visited The ABp for their Dissolution Hist. Râ—â— P. â— p. 189 190. No. XVI The Visitors Informations Second Sermon Bishops Diocesan and Suffragan consecrated Suffragan Bps usual in the Realm Ex Regist. ABp Courtney Hist. Reâ— Coll. p. 148. Godwin's Catal. Ath. Oxonien Bishops without Title Sumner's Antiq. of Cant. Nic. Shaxton Edward Fox William Barlow George Brown A Memorial of the good Services of ABp Brown in Ireland Life and Death of Geo. Brown printed in Dublin Tho. Mannyng Regist. Cran. An. 1536. Iohn Salisbury An. 1536. The ABp's Audience Court struck at The Abp. defends it No. XVII The ABp promoting a Reformation in the Convocation Articles published and recommended by the King Life Hen. VIII p. 466. The Original thereof Book V. p. 213. Addenda to the Collection Num. 1. The Original sent into the North to shew to the Rebels The Contents of them Articles of Faith Articles relating to Ceremonies A Conjecture that the Pen of the ABp was here Two remarkable Books published I. The Book of Articles II. A Book against the Pope called the Bishop's Book Herbert's Life of K. Henry p. 418. Certain Cases of Matrimony put to the ABp His Solution Refuseth to grant a Dispensation for the Marriage of a Relation Cleopatra E. 5. His Letter thereupon Vid. Fox Acts p. 960. He restrain the Number of Proctors Which some complain of to the Parliament No. XVIII The ABp divorseth Queen Ann. Life of King Henry p. 446. A Licencâ—â—or a Chappel Cran. Regist. Bucer dedicates this Year a Book to the ABp Bishops Consecrated Rich. Sampson Cran. Regist. William Rugg Godwin's Catal. Rob. Warton Cran. Regist. An. 1537. The Bishops Book by the ABp's means Winchester's opposition Fox MS. Life of Cranmer The King makes Animadversionâ— upon it Cleopatra â— 5. Published How esteem'd Inter Foxii MSS. Enlarged and reprinted Ld. Herb. Hist. p. 418. Ibid. p. 408. Bale's Cent. Some Account of the foresaid Book Defence of Priests Mar. p. 226. Names of the Composers Goes down into his Diocess Gets a Licence to visit Pag. 472. The Vicar of Croydon The ABp visits his Diocess What course he took for the preventing of Superstition No. XIX His joy at the publishing the English Bible Presents one by Crumwel to the King Cleopatra E. 5. p. 329. Cransmer's Letters to Crumwel Cleopatra E. 6. p. 292. Some further Particulars concerning this Edition of the Bible The Printer's thanks and requests to Crumwel Graâ—ton to Crumwel Clâ—opatra E. 5. The Printer apprehensive of another Edition Other Requests of the Printer No. XX. The Feast of S. Thomas c. forbid August Monks Journal Rob. Holgate Consecrated Bp. Iohn Bird Lewis Thomaâ— Some account of Bird. Lord Herbert's Hist. Hen. 8. Fox's Acts. Tho. Morley Rich. Yngworth No. XXI No. XXII Vol. I. Collect. 51. Book 2. Ioh. Thornton Suffragan See Sumner's Hist. Cant. Append p. 423. Rich. Thornden· Iohn Hodgkin Henry Holbeach An. 1538. The ABp reads upon the Hebrews A Declaration for reading the Bible No. XXIII The Bible received and read with
Instructions to Goldwel Titus B. 2. Disgusts his stop Sends to Rome about this his stop And to the Emperor His Judgment of two late Acts of Parliament No. LXXV The married Clergy deprived and divorced Married Priests in London cited to appear Ex Regist. â—ccl Cant. Interrogatories for the married Clergy Turnor's Confession Ex Regist. Eccl. Cant. No. LXXV Boner deprives the married Clergy in London without order Married Prebendaries in Canterbury proceeded against Edmund Cranmer deprived of all Reg. Eccl. Cant. The Injustice of these Proceedings Martin's Book against Priests Marriage * Supposed to be Bp Ponet Wherein Winchester had the greatest Hand Declaration of Boner's Articles 1554. Thomas Martin or Winchester under that Name Fol. 15. Mr. Martin Winchester 's own Voice Fol. 40. Gardiner in his Book lately spread under the Name of Tho. Martin Fol. 77. Bale's Declar. Answered by Ponet The Confessions of the Married Priests Def. of Pr. Marr. p. 269. Married Priests that did their Penance hardly dealt with A twofold Evil upon this turn of Religion The Dissimulation of the Priests An. 1554. A Parliament restore the Pope A Design to revive the Six Articles No. LXXVI A Convocation appoint a Dispute with Cranmer at Oxford The Questions Sent to Cambridg No. LXXVII No. LXXVIII The Disputants of Oxford and Cambridg Cranmer brought before them His Behaviour Ridley brought And Latimer Cranmer brought to his Disputation His Notarieâ— Cranmer's Demands Cranmer disputes again The Papists undecent management of the Disputation In his Preface to his Account of his Dispute The Protestants glad of this Disputation Dr. Taylor to the three Fathers after their Disputations Ridley pens the Relation of his Disputation The University sends the Disputations up to the Convocation Various Copies of these Disputations Cranmer condemned for Heresy Cranmer writes to the Council No. â—XXIX Disputation intended at Cambridg In his Letter to Bradford Hoper's Letter Their Condition after Condemnation Their Imployment in Prison Letters of the Martyrs Other Works of Ridley in Prison The Queen's Letters directing the Elections of Parliament-men Pole comes over The Cardinal absolves Parliament and Convocation The Clergy again wait upon the Legate A Commission granted by him against Hereticks His Commissions to all the Bishops to reconcile their Diocesses The Commission to the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury No. LXXX The Legate's Instructions to the Bishops No. LXXXI Pole a severe Persecutor No. LXXXII A Convocation Articles presented to the Upper House Cranmer's Book to be burnt Intit Synodalia Hist. Ref. Vol. 2. Collect. p. 266 Men burnt to Death without Law Popery fully established Protestants The Pastors in Prison Free-Willers Bradford's concern with them No. LXXXIII His Kindness to them Bradford gaineth some of them Careless's Painâ— with them Martyrs Letters Philpot's Counsel Careless draws up a Confession of Faith Some few Arians The Prisoners offer to justify K. Edward's Proceedings No. LXXXIV And again offer it Edit 1610. p. 1348. The Exiles The Lutherans refuse to give Harbour to the Exiles Mart. Ep. p. 770. Ep. P. Martyr ad Calvin Anno 1555. The English at Wesel Bal. Praef. ad Act. Pontif. The Lutherans Heat against Sacramentaries At Zurick and other Places well received TheirEmployments Contentions at Frankford Some Children of the Exiles baptized by Lutherans Pieces of Ridley's Writings conveyed to Frankford Exiles at Basil. Divers of the Exiles Writers Scory Old Sampson Turner Iuel Becon Humfrey Traheron Fox His Acts and Monuments Books by him published in Exile Translates Cranmer's Book of the Sacrament into Latin Lever to Fox Foxii MSS. No. LXXXV Bale Knox. Foxe's MSS. How the Exiles subsisted Many recant No. LXXXVI The Persecution hot Tims Letter Gospellers go to Mass. Bradford labours to hinder it Counsels not to consort with them Tripart Hist. lib. 3. cap. 2. Ann Hartipol goes to Mass. Pag. 247. The Lady Vane puts certain Cases concerning the Mass. An. 1555. Many burned Instructions to the Justices Orders sent into Norfolk against the Professors The Effect thereof The Earl of Sussex receiveth Information against some Popish Spies set every where The Protestants frequently assemble Confidently reported that a Male-Heir to the Crown was Born No. LXXXVII The Queen 's great Belly Like a Design Fox p. 1450. The Queen's Zeal Pet. Martyr ad Pet. Alexand. A Convocation Part II. p. 324. Vol. intit Synodalia N. LXXXVIII Some petition the Queen for Cranmer He seeth Ridley and Latimer going to their burning Cranmer's Employment in Prison Report of the Queen's Death Proceedings against Cranmer Martin acts as the Queen's Proctor His greatest Trouble at this Time Interrogatories put to him with his Answers Witnesses sworn against him Cited to Rome The Pope's Letters against him The Process against him at Rome The Pope's Letters read They degrade him He Appeals He is ill dealt with in his Process The Reasons of his Appeal He presseth his Appeal Writes two Letters to the Queen The Contentâ— of the first The Contents of his second Letter The Bailiff of Oxford carrieth his Letters Pole answereth them No. LXXXIX Some Account of the Cardinal's Letter to Cranmer Another Letter of the Cardinal to Cranmer He Recants Notwithstanding his Burning is ordered A Letter from Oxford concerning Cranmer's Death Inter Foxii MSS. Cranmer brought to S. Maries Cole's Sermon Turns his Speech to Cranmerâ— After Sermon all pray for him His penitent behaviour Speaks to the Auditory He prayeth His Words before his Death He quoted also a third place out of Iames against covetous rich Men Weep and howl for the Miseries that shall come upon you your Riches doth rot your Clothes be Moth-eaten your Gold and Silver is cankered c Consesseth his dissembling His Reply to my L. Williams Goes to the place of his Burning His Talk and Behaviour at the Stake He burneth his right Hand Two Remarks upon his Martyrdom Ep. Dedicat. antè Harmon Evan. Who instigated the Queen to put him to death Ep. John 2.10 No Monumenâ— for him but his Martyrdom His Heart unconsumed The Bailiffa Expences about these three Martyrs MSS. C.C.C.C. The Bailiffs not repaid Humfrey to ABp Parker in their behalf Ex Biblioth C.C.C.C. His Books and Writings His first Book Other of his Writings His Book of the Doctrine of the Sacrament Other Writings mention'd by Bp Burnet Hist. Reform P. I. p. 174. Vbi supr p. 364 Ibid. Ibid. Vbi supr p. 289 Vbi supr p. 33â— Pag. 171. Hist. Reform P. II. p. 4â— Pag. 116. Pag. 248. Hist. Res. P. II. p. 171. Athen. Oxon. p. 578. More of his Writings still See Dr. Taylor 's Letter in Fox Hist. Reâ— P. II. p. 71. ABp Parker was in pursuit of certain MSS. of Cranmer concealed No. XC What the Subject of his numerous Writings were Paul Fagius Mar. Bucer placed at Cambridg by his Means Procures them honorary Stipoâ—ds from the King Allowances to P. Martyr and Ochin The third Sermon Dr. Mowse Master of Trinity-Hall favoured by Cranmer No. XCâ— His Inconstancy And Ingratitude
what just and fair ways it went on and how it prevailed like Christianity at first notwithstanding the great Opposition it met with and what sort of men they were such as Gardiner and Boner who especially set themselves to stop it Moreover Reading the Lives of Exemplary Men and such as were Famous in their Generation hath a great Vertue in it to influence the Manners of men Their wise Saying◠their discreet Behaviour their just Management of Matters committed to their trust their Zeal their Charity their Awe of God their Contempt of the World and such like are not only delightful to read or hear but do insensibly instil into mens minds a secret Approbation thereof and draw them on to an Imitation This Land hath produced many admirable men the Knowledg of whom and the Benefit of whose Examples is utterly lost for want of some Writers to leave their Memory unto the World It was a thing complained of in the last Age That as that Age abounded more in Writers than any Age before it so there were very few that set themselves to Pen the Lives of Excellent men as Samuel the Learned and Worthy Son of Iohn Fox spake But he ever thought it as he said most unjust notwithstanding to deprive the world of the memory of matters done by them by whose Labours and worthy Deeds the common state of the Countrey was so much bettered And if the Use of History as the same Author saith is to form the Lives and Manners of men that being the chief end of History then I add No part of History doth more promote this than the History of the Deeds of Famous men It was another great Inducement to me to let this Work see the light to be grateful to the Memory of this Holy Prelate that hath so well deserved of this Church and to whom under God she oweth that Excellent Constitution and Reformed State in which she is which cost him so dear so many Pensive Thoughts so many long hours Study so many Consultations and Debates with Learned men so much Correspondence abroad so many Speeches Arguments and Strugglings in the Parliament in the Convocation before the King the Clergy the People so much Danger and Trouble and Envy and Reproach and at last his dearest Blood Posterity would be highly injurious to such a Person as this if he should not be recorded with all due Respect and Honour It was a commendable Practice of the Ancient Persians to write in Records the Names and good Deeds of such as had deserved well of the King and Kingdom to remain for ever And these Records Kings themselves did sometimes use to read The King Ahasuerus called one Night for them to be read to him to entertain his waking hours Esther VI. And Xerxes in an Epistle of his to Pausanias extant in Thucidides told him That his Good Deed was upon Record in his Palace for ever For these Records were esteemed so precious that they were kept within the Walls of the Palace And this Custom of Writing up the Remembrance of Men of Merit seemed also to be among the Iews Thus it is said of Iudas Macchabeus That the Remembrance of him was for a blessing for ever To which does I suppose 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Book of Remembrance or Record allude in Mal. III. 16. that was written for those that feared God and thought on his name And surely it is agreeable to God's Will that this Piece of Gratitude should be shewn to men of singular Vertue deceased to keep their Names and Good Deeds upon Record for Posterity to know and to thank God for And this Office of Love and Duty seems highly convenient to be done towards Archbishop Cranmer that something might appear in the world for his Vindication under those many base Aspersions and lying Insinuations that are and have been Printed by Papists to defame and blacken him to Posterity One of them hath these words which shew that he cared not what he said so he might but throw his dirt upon the chief Lights of the Reformation The very Pillars of this Rank which he names to be Luther Bucer P. Martyr Cranmer Ridley Latimer Hooper Rogers Farrar Taylor Tyndal all Married Priests and Friars but some of them were never Friars and others never Married were men given to their Sensualities both of Women and other like their Commodities after the fashion of other ordinary men Neither is there recounted any one eminent Action in all their Lives that I have read either of chastening their Bodies mortifying their Appetites contemning the World and the Pleasures thereof while they might have and use the same or finally any more excellent Spirit in them above the rest or of any supernatural Concurrence of God with their Actions in any one thing But did he converse so much in Fox as to undertake in one or two Books to answer and confute him and his Martyrs and yet doth he meet with nothing there of none of these men in that Martyrology but what was Ordinary to other men and that shewed not some more excellent Spirit to be in them It is a sign he read but little there or read with a cankered mind This ensuing Book shall effectually confute these Misreports and Slanders of Cranmer one of these Pillars as he calls them and shall abundantly make it appear That he was no Sensualist nor addicted notwithstanding his High Place to the Pleasures and Commodities of this world and that his Life shone bright by his many eminent Actions of Piety Mortification Contempt of the world and that he was of a more excellent Spirit than that of the ordinary rank of men and that for some Ages there scarce arose his Fellow and finally that he must needs have some supernatural Concurrence and mighty Aid of God's Grace with him in many of the Affairs that passed through his hands III. The Third thing remains which is indeed the main matter that makes an History of any account and that is What Credit may be given to what I have writ For if it stand not upon the Foot of Truth it is not History but a Romance a Legend a mere Tale. And here I remember what Iohn Fox said to Alan Cope concerning an History-Controuler which is as true of an History-Writer If you will be a Controuler in Story-matters Diligence is required and great searching out of Books and Authors not only of our time but of all Ages and especially where matters of Religion are touched pertaining to the Church it is not sufficient to say what Fabian or what Hall saith but Records must be sought and Registers must be turned over Letters also and ancient Instruments ought to be perused and Authors with the same compared finally the Writers among themselves one to be compared with another and so with Judgment to be weighed with Diligence to be laboured and with Simplicity pure from all Addiction and Partiality to be uttered
it a Matter of Conscience and Sin to abandon their Titles Also that it might tend to stop the Emperor's Mouth and the Mouths of other their Friends when Fisher and More who had stickled so much for them should now own that Succession which would be in effect a disowning of them Secondly That it might be a means to resolve and quiet also many others in the Realm that were in doubt when such great Men should affirm by Oath and Subscription that the Succession mentioned in the said Act was good and according to God's Laws And he thought that after two such had sworn there would be scarce one in the Kingdom would reclaim against it And thirdly That though a great many in the Realm could not be brought to alter from their Opinions of the Validity of the King 's former Marriage and of the Bishop of Rome's Authority that it would be a great Point gained if all with one accord would own and acknowledg the Succession Weaver the Author of the Funeral Monuments transcribed this Letter out of the Cotton Library and inserted it into his said Book and the thing he takes notice of therein is the Wisdom and Policy of the prudent Arch-bishop I shall take notice of another thing and which I suppose was the great Cause that employed his Pen at this time namely his tender Heart and abhorrence from Blood-shedding Propounding these Politick Considerations to the Secretary which were the properest Arguments to be used with a Statesman and for him to use and urge before the King that so he might be an Instrument of saving the Lives of these Men however they differed from him and it may be were none of his very good Friends This Letter of the Arch-bishop's as I my self took it from the Original I thought worthy depositing among Cranmer's Monuments in the Appendix But this Offer of theirs notwithstanding the Arch-bishop's Arguments and Endeavours would not be accepted The King would not be satisfied with this Swearing by halves CHAP. VII The Arch-bishop visits the Diocess of Norwich THE Popish Bishops were now at a low ebb and being under the Frowns of their Prince other Men took the opportunities upon their Slips to get them punished A Storm now fell upon Richard Nix Bishop of Norwich a vitious and dissolute Man as Godwin writes Against him was a Premunire this Year 25 of Hen. VIII brought That De tout temps there had been a Custom in the Town of Thetford in the County of Norfolk that no Inhabitant of the same Town should be drawn in Plea in any Court Christian for any Spiritual Causes but before the Dean in the said Town And there was a Presentment in the King's Court before the Mayor of the Town by twelve Jurors that there was such a Custom And beside that whosoever should draw any Man out of the said Town in any Spiritual Court should forfeit six shillings and eight pence The Bishop nevertheless cited the Mayor to appear before him pro Salute animae And upon his appearance libelled for that Cause and enjoined him upon pain of Excommunication not to admit the said Presentment And whenas the Bishop could not deny his Fact Judgment was given that he should be out of the King's Protection his Goods and Chattels forfeited and his Body in Prison during the King's Pleasure For which he had the King's Pardon Which was afterwards confirmed in Parliament This Bishop's Diocess was now in such disorder that the Arch-bishop instituted a Visitation of that See wherein William May LL. D. was the Arch-bishop's Commissary The 28 th of Iuly the Bishop was called and summoned to appear but appeared not And so was pronounced Contumax But at another meeting he sent Dr. Cap his Proctor by whom he made a Protestation against their Doings and Jurisdiction and that it was not decent for that Reverend Father to appear before him the Arch-bishop's Official However at another meeting the Bishop not appearing at the Time and Place appointed Dr. May declared him obstinate and to incur the Penalty of Obstinacy After this the Bishop by his Proctor was willing to submit to obey Law and to stand to the Command of the Church and to do Penance for his said Contumacy to be enjoined by the Arch-bishop or his Commissary At another Court the Bishop appeared in Person and then shewed himself willing to take the said Commissary for Visitor or any other in the Name of the Arch-bishop of Canterbury This Bishop was now fourscore Years old and blind as appears by a Writing of his sent by his Proctor dated Septemb. 1534. He died two Years after and came in to be Bishop in the Year 1500. This Bishop seems to have made himself very odious in his Diocess by his Fierceness and Rigors against such as were willing to be better informed in Religion whom he would stile Men savouring of the Frying-pan He seized such Books as were brought from beyond-Sea of which sort there were now many which tended to lay open the Corruptions of the Church and especially the New Testament which he could not endure should be read And when some of these commonly gave out that it was the King's Pleasure that such Books should be read he sent up studiously by the Abbot of Hyde to have this shewed to the King and begged his Letters under his Seal to be directed to him or any body else whom the King pleased in his Diocess to declare it was not his Pleasure such Books should be among his Subjects and to punish such as reported it was He sent also a Letter to Warham then Arch-bishop of Canterbury making his Complaint and Information to him desiring him to send for the said Abbot who should tell him what his Thoughts were for the suppression of these Men and intreating the Arch-bishop to inform the King against these erroneous Men as he called them Some part of his Diocess was bounded with the Sea and Ipswich and Yarmouth and other Places of considerable Traffick were under his Jurisdiction And so there happened many Merchants and Mariners who by Converse from Abroad had received knowledg of the Truth and brought in divers good Books This mightily angred the zealous Bishop and he used all the Severity he could to stop the Progress of Evangelical Truth and wished for more Authority from the King to punish it for his Opinion was that if they continued any time he thought they would undo them all as he wrote to the Arch-bishop This Letter is in the Appendix Bishops Consecrated April the 19 th the Arch-bishop of Canterbury invested in his Pontificals consecrated Thomas Goodrick Doctor of Decrees Bishop of Ely in his Chappel at Croydon together with Rowland Lee Doctor of Law Bishop of Litchfield and Coventry and Iohn Salcot alias Capon Doctor of Law Bishop of Bangor being assisted by Iohn Bishop of Lincoln and Christopher Bishop of Sidon CHAP. VIII The Arch-bishop preacheth
their Pain But because the Place where they be the Name thereof and kinds of Pain there is to us uncertain by Scripture therefore we remit this with all other things to Almighty God unto whose Mercies it is meet to commend them That such Abuses be put away which under the Name of Purgatory have been advanced As to make Men believe that through the Bishop of Rome's Pardons Souls might clearly be delivered out of Purgatory and the Pains of it or that Masses said at Scala Coeli or otherwise in any Place or before any Image might deliver them from all their Pains and send them streight to Heaven These are the Contents of that memorable Book of Articles There are Reasons added now and then to confirm the respective Tenets there laid down and many Quotations of Holy Scripture which for brevity sake I have omitted Which one may conjecture to have been inserted by the Pen of the Arch-bishop Who was the great Introducer of this Practice of proving or confuting Opinions in Religion by the Word of God instead of the ordinary Custom then used of doing it by School-men and Popish Canons We find indeed many Popish Errors here mixed with Evangelical Truths Which must either be attributed to the Defectiveness of our Prelate's Knowledg as yet in True Religion or being the Principles and Opinions of the King or both Let not any be offended herewith but let him rather take notice what a great deal of Gospel-Doctrine here came to light and not only so but was owned and propounded by Authority to be believed and practised The Sun of Truth was now but rising and breaking through the thick Mists of that Idolatry Superstition and Ignorance that had so long prevailed in this Nation and the rest of the World and was not yet advanced to its Meridian Brightness CHAP. XII Cranmer's Iudgment about some Cases of Matrimony IN this Year then came forth two remarkable Books whereof both the King and the Arch-bishop and Bishops might be said to be joint Composers In as much as they seemed to be devised by the Arch-bishop and some of the Bishops and then Revised Noted Corrected and Enlarged by the King The one of these was the Book of Articles of Religion mentioned before This Book bore this Title Articles devised by the King's Highness to stable Christian Quietness and Vnity among the People c. With a Preface by the King Where the King saith he was constrained to put his own Pen to the Book and to conceive certain Articles Which words I leave to the Conjecture of the Reader whether by them he be enclined to think that the King were the first Writer of them or that being writ and composed by another they were perused considered corrected and augmented by his Pen. The other Book that came out this Year was occasioned by a Piece published by Reginald Pole intituled De Vnione Ecclesiastica Which inveighing much against the King for assuming the Supremacy and extolling the Pope unmeasurably he employed the Arch-bishop and some other Bishops to compile a Treatise shewing the Usurpations of Popes and how late it was e're they took this Superiority upon them some hundred Years passing before they did it And that all Bishops were limited to their own Diocesses by one of the eight Councils to which every Pope did swear And how the Papal Authority was first derived from the Emperor and not from Christ. For this there were good Arguments taken from the Scriptures and the Fathers The Book was signed by both the Arch-bishops and nineteen other Bishops It was called the Bishops Book because devised by them The Lord Crumwel did use to consult with the Arch-bishop in all his Ecclesiastical Matters And there happened now while the Arch-bishop was at Ford a great Case of Marriage Whom it concerned I cannot tell but the King was desirous to be resolved about it by the Arch-bishop and commanded Crumwel to send to him for his Judgment therein The Case was three-fold I. Whether Marriage contracted or solemnized in Lawful Age per Verba de presenti and without carnal Copulation be Matrimony before God or no II. Whether such Matrimony be consummate or no And III. What the Woman may thereupon demand by the Law Civil after the death of her Husband This I suppose was a cause that lay before the King and his Ecclesiastical Vicegerent to make some determination of And I suspect it might relate to Katharine his late divorced Queen The Arch-bishop who was a very good Civilian as well as a Divine but that loved to be wary and modest in all his Decisions made these Answers That as to the first he and his Authors were of Opinion that Matrimony contracted per Verba de presenti was perfect Matrimony before God 2. That such Matrimony is not utterly consummated as that term is commonly used among the School-Divines and Lawyers but by carnal Copulation 3. As to the Woman's Demands by the Law Civil he therein professed his Ignorance And he had no learned Men with him there at Ford to consult with for their Judgments only Dr. Barbar a Civilian that he always retained with him who neither could pronounce his Mind without his Books and some learned Men to confer with upon the Case But he added that he marvelled that the Votes of the Civil Lawyer should be required herein seeing that all manner of Causes of Dower be judged within this Realm by the Common Laws of the same And that there were plenty of well-learned Men in the Civil Law at London that undoubtedly could certify the King's Majesty of the Truth herein as much as appertained unto that Law warily declining to make any positive Judgment in a Matter so ticklish This happened in the month of Ianuary And indeed in these Times there were great Irregularities about Marriage in the Realm many being incestuous and unlawful Which caused the Parliament two or three Years past viz 1533. in one of their Acts to publish a Table of Degrees wherein it was prohibited by God's Law to marry But the Act did not cure this Evil many thought to bear out themselves in their illegal Contracts by getting Dispensations from the Arch-bishop which created him much trouble by his denying to grant them There was one Massy a Courtier who had contracted himself to his deceased Wife's Niece Which needing a Dispensation the Party got the Lord Crumwel to write to the Arch-bishop in his behalf especially because it was thought to be none of the Cases of Prohibition contained in the Act. But such was the Integrity of the Arch-bishop that he refused to do any thing he thought not allowable though it were upon the perswasion of the greatest Men or the best Friends he had But he writ this civil Letter to the Lord Crumwel upon this occasion MY very singular good Lord in my most hearty-wise I commend me unto your Lordship And whereas your
his Memory famous to Posterity within the Realm among all such as should hereafter be favourers of God's Word and that he should hear of this good Deed of his at the last Day That for his part it was such a content to his Mind that he could not have done him a greater pleasure if he had given him a thousand Pounds And that such Knowledg would ensue hereupon that it should appear he had done excellent Service both to God and the King He also particularly spake of the Bishop of Worcester how highly obliged he was sure he was to him for this But I refer the Reader to his own Letters which follow MY very singular good Lord In my most harty wise I commend me unto your Lordship And whereas I understand that your Lordship at my Request hath not only exhibited the Bible which I sent unto you to the King's Majesty but also hath obtained of his Grace that the same shall be allowed by his Authority to be bought and read within this Realm My Lord for this your Pains taken in this behalf I give you my most hearty Thanks Assuring your Lordship for the Contentation of my Mind you have shewed me more pleasure here than if you had given me a thousand Pounds and I doubt not but that hereby such Fruit of good Knowledg shall ensue that it shall well appear hereafter what high and excellent Service you have done unto God and the King Which shall so much redound to your Honour that besides God's Reward you shall obtain perpetual Memory for the same within this Realm And as for me you may reckon me your Bondman for the same And I dare be bold to say so may ye do my Lord of Worcester Thus my Lord right hartily fare ye well At Ford the xiii day of August Your own Bound-man ever T. Cantuarien And in another Letter fifteen days after he again renewed his Thanks MY very singular and special good Lord In my most harty wise I commend me to your Lordship These shall be to give you most hearty Thanks that any Heart can think and that in the Name of them which favour God's Word for your diligence at this time in procuring the King's Highness to set forth the said God's Word and his Gospel by his Grace's Authority For the which Act not only the King's Majesty but also you shall have a perpetual Laud and Memory of all them that be now â—or hereafter shall be God's faithful People and the Favourers of his Word And this Deed you shall hear of at the Great Day when all things shall be opened and made manifest For our Saviour Christ saith in the said Gospel that whosoever shrinketh from Him and his Word and is abashed to profess and set it forth before Men in this World he will refuse him at that Day And contrary whosoever constantly doth profess Him and his Word and studieth to set that forward in this World Christ will declare the same at the Last Day before his Father and all his Angels and take upon him the Defence of those Men. Now because by these Letters of the Arch-bishop it appears how instrumental Crumwel was when the Bible was printed to procure the setting it forth by the King's Authority I will here relate more at large what Countenance and Assistance he gave to this pious Work all along and those that were concerned and employed in the doing of it The Bible as Fox speaks had been printed in the Year 1532 and reprinted again three or four Years after The Undertakers and Printers were Grafton and Whitchurch who printed it at Hamburgh The Corrector was Iohn Rogers a Learned Divine afterwards a Canon of St. Paul's in King Edward's Time and the first Martyr in the next Reign The Translator was William Tyndal another Learned Martyr with the help of Miles Coverdale after Bishop of Exeter But before all this second Edition was finish'd Tyndal was taken and put to death for his Religion in Flanders in the Year 1536. And his Name then growing into ignominy as one burnt for an Heretick they thought it might prejudice the Book if he should be named for the Translator thereof and so they used a feigned Name calling it Thomas Matthews Bible though Tyndal before his death had finished all but the Apocrypha which was translated by Rogers abovesaid who added also some Marginal Notes In this Bible were certain Prologues and a special Table collected of the common Places in the Bible and Texts of Scripture for proving the same And chiefly the common Places of the Lord's Supper the Marriage of Priests and the Mass. Of which it was there said that it was not to be found in Scripture This Bible giving the Clergy offence was gotten to be restrained Some Years after came forth the Bible aforesaid wherein Cranmer had the great Hand which as I suppose was nothing but the former corrected the Prologues and Table being left out When Grafton had finished this Work and printed off fifteen hundred Bibles at his great Charge amounting to five hundred Pounds a round Sum in those days the Ld. Crumwel desired to have six of his Books Which he forthwith sent by his Servant a clear Man of all suspicion of any Infection coming that day out of Flanders Grafton not adventuring to come himself with the Books because of the Infection at London where he was These Books therefore he sent together with a Letter of Thanks for being so assistant in the publication which as he writ in his Letter the Arch-bishop said the Tidings of did him more good than the Gift of ten thousand Pounds and for procuring the King's Licence which was thought fit to be signified in the Title Page in red Letters thus Set forth by the King 's most gracious Licence But several would not believe the King had licensed it and therefore he desired further of Crumwel that he would get it licensed under the Privy Seal which would be a Defence for the present and for the future But take the Letter as Grafton himself penned it MOST humbly beseeching your Lordship to understand that according to your Request I have sent your Lordship six Bibles which gladly I would have brought my self but because of the Sickness which remaineth in the City and therefore I have sent them by my Servant which this day came out of Flanders Requiring your Lordship if I may be so bold as to desire you to accept them as my simple Gift given to you for those most godly Pains for which the heavenly Father is bound even of his Justice to reward you with the Everlasting Kingdom of God For your Lordship's moving our most gracious Prince to the Allowance and Licensing of such a Work hath wrought such an Act worthy of Praise as never was mentioned in any Chronicle in this Realm and as my Lord of Canterbury said the Tydings thereof did him more good than the gift of 10000 l.
yet certain there are which believe not that it pleased the King's Grace to license it to go forth Wherefore if your Lordship's Pleasure were such that we might have it Licensed under your Privy Seal it would be a Defence at this present and in time to come for all Enemies and Adversaries of the same And forasmuch as this Request is for the maintenance of the Lord's Word which is to maintain the Lord himself I fear not but that your Lordship will be earnest therein And I am assured that my Lord of Canterbury Worcester and Salisbury will give your Lordship such Thanks as in them lieth And sure ye may be that the Heavenly Lord will reward you for the Establishment of his Glorious Truth And what your Lordship's Pleasure is in this Request if it may please your Lordship to inform my Servant I and all that love God heartily are bound to pray for your Preservation all the days of our Life At London the xxviii day of this present Month of August 1537. Your Orator while he lâ—veth Richard Grafton Grocer And as this Printer had addressed to Crumwel for the Privy Seal so he apprehended now a further need of the Corroboration of Authority upon another Account For some observing how exceeding acceptable the English Bible was to the common People were designing to print it in a less Volume and smaller Letters whereby it would come to pass that Grafton would be undersold and so he and his Creditors would be undone and besides it was like to prove a very ill Edition and very Erroneous Insomuch that Grafton affirmed they would commit as many Faults as there were Sentences in the Bible And it must needs be so because then the Printers were generally Dutchmen within the Realm that could neither speak nor write true English nor for Covetousness-sake would they allow any Learned Men at all to oversee and correct what they printed as formerly it had been printed but Paper Letter Ink and Correction would be all naught Therefore he desired one Favour more of the Lord Crumwel and that was to obtain for him of the King that none should print the Bible for three Years but himself And to move him he said he was sure the Bishop of Canterbury and other his special Friends would not be unthankful to him He urged to him that his whole Living lay upon this Point And for the better and quicker sale of his Books he desired also that by his Commandment in the King's Name every Curate might be obliged to have one â—hat they might learn to know God and to instruct their Parishioners and that every Abby should have six to be laid in several places of the Convent He wished some Commissions might be issued out to the Arch-bishop of Canterbury and the Bishops of Sarum and Worcester and they would readily cause this to be done in their Diocesses To which he earnestly added his own Arguments to provoke Crumwel to yield to his request This Letter may be found in the Appendix CHAP. XVI Many Suffragan Bishops made IT was now forbidden by the Parliament and in pursuance thereof by the Bishops in their several Diocesses that the Feast of S. Thomas a Becket the pretended Martyr should be celebrated any more nor of S. Laurence nor of divers others the Feasts of the Twelve Apostles excepted and of our Lady S. Michael and Mary Magdalene Also the Feast of the Holy Cross was forbid and commanded that none should presume to keep those Feasts Holy that is they should ring no Bells nor adorn their Churches nor go in Procession nor do other such-like things as belonged to the Celebration of Festivals So when S. Thomas's Eve came which had used constantly by the Arch-bishops of Canterbury and their Domesticks to be celebrated by Fasting Arch-bishop Cranmer took no notice of that Eve but eat Flesh and supped in his Parlour with his Family Which created much Observation it having never been seen before the Arch-bishop thinking it unworthy that a Man of that Devotion to the See of Rome and disloyalty to his natural Prince should bâ— so religiously commemorated Bishops Diocesan Consecrated March the 25 th Robert Holgate Master of the Order of Sempringham was consecrated Bishop of Landaff in the Chappel of S. Mary in the Conventual Church of Friars Preachers of the City of London by Iohn Bishop of Rochester by virtue of Letters Commissional from the Arch-bishop to him Iohn Bishop of Bangor and Nicolas Bishop of Sarum assisting This Holgate was either Abbot or Prior of S. Mary Watte an House of Gilbertines which he held in Commendam and surrendred in the Year 1539. Suffragan Bishops Iune the 24 th Iohn Bird S. Th. P. Provincial of the Order of Friars Carmelites of the City of London was consecrated Suffragan of the See of Penrith in Landaff Diocess And Lewis Thomas formerly Abbot of the Monastery of Kynmer Suffragan Bishop of the See of Salop both consecrated at Lambeth by the Arch-bishop The Assistant Bishops at this Consecration not mentioned in the Register Of Bird a word or two I find him in Norwich about the Year 1531. busy with Bilney before his Death He was a Person K. Henry made use of for in the Year 1535 he with Fox the Almoner and Bedel a Clark of the Council were sent to Q. Katharine divorsed from the King to forbear the Name of Queen Which nevertheless she would not do He preached certain Sermons before the King against the Pope's Supremacy Bale in his Exposition upon the Revelations makes him to be one of the Ten Horns that shall hate the Whore Godwin asserts of him that he was once Bishop of Ossory Bale in his Centuries mentions not at all his being an Irish Bishop but naming his Preferments first calls him Episcopus Penricensis In 1539 made Bishop of Bangor and removed to Chester 1541. He was married and therefore upon Q. Mary's access to the Crown was deprived of his Bishoprick but complied with the old Religion I find him alive in the Year 1555 being then at Fulham at Bishop Bonner's and there he lodged Upon his coming he brought his Present with him a Dish of Apples and a Bottle of Wine While he was here he exhorted Mr. Hawkes Convented for pretended Heresy before Bonner to learn of his Elders and to bear with some things and be taught by the Church and not to go too far In that Queen's Reign he became Bonner's Suffragan and Vicar of Dunmow in Essex November the 4 th Thomas Morley formerly Abbot of Stanley in Sarum Diocess of the Cistertian Order was consecrated in the Chappel of Lambeth Suffragan of the See of Marlborough by the Arch-bishop assisted by Iohn Bishop of Lincoln and Iohn Bishop of Rochester December the first the Arch-bishop according to the Direction of the Act for Suffragan Bishops nominated to the King two Persons out of which he might elect a
Suffragan for Dover viz. Richard Yngworth Prior of the Priory of Langley-Regis and Iohn Codenham both Doctors in Divinity December the 8 th The King answered Cranmer's Letter by his Privy Seal wherein he appointed Yngworth to be consecrated for his said Suffragan And accordingly December the 9 th Iohn Bishop of London by virtue of Commissional Letters from the Arch-bishop assisted by Iohn Bishop of Rochester and Robert Bishop of St. Asaph consecrated the said Yngworth On the 10 th the Arch-bishop issued out his Commission to the said Suffragan ordaining him his Suffragan by those Presents until he should think fit to withdraw his said Commission again Signifying that what he was to do was within his Diocess and City of Canterbury and Jurisdiction of Calis and the Marches thereof to confirm Children to bless Altars Chalices Vestments and other Ornaments of the Church to suspend Places and Churches and to reconcile them to consecrate Churches and Altars new set up to confer all the lesser Orders to consecrate Holy Oil of Chrism and Holy Unction and to perform all other things belonging to the Office of a Bishop The Bishop's Letter to the King desiring him to appoint him a Suffragan out of those two above-named And the Arch-bishop's Commissional Letters to Suffragan Yngworth may be seen in the Appendix And he that is minded to read the Form of the King's Mandate to the Arch-bishop for making a Suffragan may find it in The History of the Reformation The Reason why the Arch-bishop all this while that is from the first making the Act in the Year 1534 to this Time had nominated none for Suffragan to this See till now might be because there seemed to be a Suffragan already even the same that had been in the time of Arch-bishop Warham namely Iohn Thornton Prior of Dover who was one of the Witnesses appointed by that Arch-bishop to certify what was found and seen at the opening of S. Dunstan's Tomb. Richard Thornden seems to have succeeded Yngworth in this Office some Years after and was very dear to the Arch-bishop having been by him preferred to be Prebend of Canterbury though he proved very false to him and was among those that made a treacherous Combination against him in the Year 1543. And in Q. Mary's Time became a great Persecutor December the 9 th Iohn Hodgkin Professor of Divinity was consecrated at the same time and by the same Bishops as above but to what See is not mentioned The Bishop of London together with this Hodgkin had nominated to the King Robert Struddel Professor of Divinity Both he recommended to the King by Letters to be made Suffragans at large without mention of any See in his Diocess but only expressing that his Diocess wanted the comfort of Suffragans that might bear a part in his Cure and so mentioned those two adding that the King might appoint them to some See within the Province of Canterbury Hodgkin if I mistake not was consecrated Suffragan of Bedford And was afterwards one of those that assisted at the Consecration of Arch-bishop Parker He was a Black Friar In the Year 1531 he with Bird laboured with Bilney at Norwich a little before his Death to bring him off from the Doctrines for which he was condemned Afterwards Hodgkin coming nearer under the Arch-bishop's Eye by his means came to better knowledg in Religion and married a Wife but in Queen Mary's Time put her away March 24. Henry Holbeach Prior of the Cathedral Church of Wigorn S. T. P. Hugh Bishop of Wigorn having recommended him to the King for Suffragan Bishop of Bristow was accordingly consecrated in the Bishop of London's Chappel in the said Bishop's House situate in Lambeth-Marsh by the said Bishop Hugh Bishop of Wigorn and Robert Bishop of S. Asaph assisting CHAP. XVII The Bible in English allowed THE next Year I find the careful Arch-bishop again at Canterbury looking after his Charge And here he read Lectures upon the Epistle of S. Paul to the Hebrews half the Lent in the Chapter-House of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity Now viz. 1538. the Holy Bible was divulged and exposed to common sale and appointed to be had in every Parish-Church And then that the Sacred Book might be used with the more benefit both of the Clergy and Lay-People for this Reason a Declaration was issued out to be read openly by all Curates upon the publishing of this Bible shewing the godly Ends of his Majesty in permitting it to be in English and directions how they should read and hear it Namely to use it with Reverence and greâ—â— Devotion to conform their Lives unto it and to encourage those that were under them Wives Children and Servants to live according to the Rules thereof that in doubtful Places they should confer with the Learned for the Sense who should be appointed to preach and explain the same and not to contend and dispute about them in Ale-houses and Taverns They that are minded to read this Declaration may find it in the Appendix This Bible was of so quick sale that two Years after it was printed again It was wonderful to see with what joy this Book of God was received not only among the Learneder sort and those that were noted for Lovers of the Reformation but generally all England over among all the Vulgar and common People and with what greediness God's Word was read and what resort to Places where the reading of it was Every body that could bought the Book or busily read it or got others to read it to them if they could not themselves and divers more elderly People learned to read on purpose And even little Boys flocked among the rest to hear Portions of the Holy Scripture read One William Maldon happening in the Company of Iohn Fox in the beginning of the Reign of Q. Elizabeth and Fox being very inquisitive after those that suffered for Religion in the former Reigns asked him if he knew any that were persecuted for the Gospel of Iesus Christ that he might add it to his Book of Martyrs He told him he knew one that was whipp'd by his own Father in K. Henry's Reign for it And when Fox was very inquisitive who he was and what was his Name he confessed it was himself and upon his desire he wrote out all the Circumstances Namely That when the King had allowed the Bible to be set forth to be read in all Churches immediately several poor Men in the Town of Chelmsford in Essex where his Father lived and he was born bought the New-Testament and on Sundays fat reading of it in the Lower end of the Church many would flock about them to hear their reading and he among the rest being then but fifteen Years old came every Sunday to hear the glad and sweet Tidings of the Gospel But his Father observing it once angrily fetch'd him away and would have him to say the Latin
of two Houses of Religious Persons namely that of Christ's-Church Canterbury and that of Rochester Towards the latter end of this Year several new Bishopricks were founded out of old Monasteries and several Deaneries and Colleges of Prebends out of divers Priories belonging to Cathedral Churches Herein as Crumwel so Cranmer had a great Hand Who laboured with the King that in these New Foundations there should be Readers of Divinity Greek and Hebrew and Students trained up in Religion and Learning From whence as a Nursery the Bishops should supply their Diocesses with honest and able Ministers And so every Bishop should have a College of Clergy-men under his Eye to be preferred according to their Merits For it was our Arch-bishops regret that the Prebendaries were bestowed as they were This Complaint Bishop Burnet tells us he saw in a long Letter of Cranmer's own hand Bishops Confirmed In Arch-bishops Cranmer's Register I find these Bishops Confirmed their Consecrations being omitted August the 11 th Iohn Bell LL. D. brought up in Baliol College and Arch-deacon of Glocester was Confirmed Bishop of Worcester upon the Resignation of Bishop Latimer in the Chappel of Lambeth He is stiled in the Register the King's Chaplain and Councellor November the Iohn Skyp D. D. Arch-deacon of Dorset and once Chaplain to Queen Ann Boleâ— was Confirmed Bishop of Hereford The King's Letter to the Archbishop to consecrate him bears date November 8. CHAP. XX. The Arch-bishop in Commission THE next Year viz. 1540. The Arch-bishop lost his great Friend and Assistant in carrying on the Reformation I mean the Lord Crumwel And when he was by Popish Craft and Malice taken off their next Work was to sacrifice Cranmer And many were the Accusations that were put up against him and Trial was made many ways to bring him to his Death or at least to bring him in disgrace with the King And first they thought to compass their Ends against him by occasion of a Commission now issued out from the King to a select Number of Bishops whereof the Arch-bishop was one which Commission was confirmed by Act of Parliament for inspecting into Matters of Religion and explaining some of the chief Doctrines of it These Commissioners had drawn up a set of Articles favouring the old Popish Superstitions And meeting together at Lambeth they produced them and vehemently urged that they should be established and that the Arch-bishop would yield to the Allowance of them especially seeing there was a signification that it was the King's Will and Pleasure that the Articles should run in that Tenour But they could not win the Arch-bishop neither by Fear nor Flattery No though the Lord Crumwel at this very time lay in the Tower There was not one Commissioner now on his part but all shrank away and complied with the Time and even those he most trusted to viz. Bishop Hethe of Rochester and Bishop Skip of Hereford The Arch-bishop as he disliked the Book already drawn up by them so he presented another Book wherein were divers Amendments of theirs After much arguing and disputing nor could the Arch-bishop be brought off Hethe and Skip with a Friend or two more walked down with him into his Garden at Lambeth and there used all the Perswasion they could urging to him that the King was resolved to have iâ— so and the Danger therefore of opposing it But he honestly persisted in his constancy telling them That there was but one Truth in the Articles to be concluded upon which if they hid from his Majesty by consenting unto a contrary Doctrine his Highness would in process of Time perceive the Truth and see how colorably they had delt with him And he knew he said his Grace's Nature so well that he would never after credit and trust them And they being both his Friends he bad them beware in time and discharge their Consciences in maintenance of the Truth But though nothing of all this could stir them yet what he said sufficiently confirmed the Arch-bishop to persist in his Resolution The Arch-bishop standing thus alone went himself to the King and so wrought with him that his Majesty joined with him against all the rest of them and the Book of Articles past on his side When indeed this stifness of Canterbury was the very thing his Enemies desired thinking that for this Opposition the King would certainly have thrown him into the Tower and many Wagers were laid in London about it So that this ended in two good Issues that the Arch-bishop's Enemies were clothed with Shame and Disappointment and a very good Book chiefly of the Arch-bishop's composing came forth for the Instruction of the People known by the Name of A necessary Erudition of any Christian Man A particular Account whereof may be read in the History of the Reformation This vexed Winchester to the Heart that his Plot took no better Effect but he put it up till he should find other Opportunities to attack him which after happened as we shall see in the sequel of this Story But this Matter deserves to be a little more particularly treated of The King had as was said before appointed several of the Eminent Divines of his Realm to deliberate about sundry Points of Religion then in Controversy and to give in their Sentences distinctly And that in regard of the Germans who the last Year had sent over in Writing the Judgment of their Divines respecting some Articles of Religion and had offered his Majesty to appoint some of their Divines to meet some others of the King 's in any Place he should assign or to come over into England to confeâ— together And also in regard of a more exact review of the Institution of a Christian Man put forth about two or three Years before and now intended to be published again as a more perfect Piece of Religious Instruction for the People The King therefore being minded thorowly to sift divers Points of Religion then started and much controverted commanded a particular number of Bishops and other his Learned Chaplains and Dignitaries to compare the Rites and Ceremonies and Tenets of the present Church by the Scriptures and by the most Ancient Writers and to see how far the Scripture or good Antiquity did allow of the same And this I suppose he did by the instigation of Arch-bishop Cranmer The Names of the Commissioners were these Cranmer ABp of Canterbury Lee ABp of York Boner Bishop of London Tunstal Bishop of Durham Barlow Bishop of S. David's Aldrich Bishop of Carlisle Skyp Bishop of Hereford Hethe Bishop of Rochester Thirleby Bishop Elect of Westminster Doctors Cox Robinson Day Oglethorp Redman Edgeworth Symonds Tresham Leyghton Curwen Crayford Where we may wonder not to see the Name of the Bishop of Winton But if we consider the Reason the King gave why he left him out of the Number of his Executors viz. because as he told several
Feast that they should be without it The said Proclamation also set the Price at ten Shillings a Book unbound and well Bound and Clasped not above twelve Shillings And charged all Ordinaries to take care for the seeing this Command of the King the better executed And upon this Boner being now newly Bishop of London set up six Bibles in certain convenient Places of S. Paul's Church together with an Admonition to the Readers fastned upon the Pillars to which the Bibles were chained to this Tenor That whosoever came there to read should prepare himself to be edified and made the better thereby That he should join thereunto his readiness to obey the King's Injunctions made in that behalf That he bring with him Discretion honest Intent Charity Reverence and quiet Behaviour That there should no such Number meet together there as to make a Multitude That no Exposition be made thereupon but what is declared in the Book it self That it be not read with Noise in time of Divine Service Or that any Disputation or Contention be used at it But it was not much above two Years after that the Popish Bishops obtained of the King the suppression of the Bible again For after they had taken off the Lord Crumwel they made great complaint to the King their old Complaint of the Translation and of the Prefaces Whereas indeed and in truth it was the Text it self rather than the Prefaces or Translation that disturbed them Whereupon it was forbid again to be sold the Bishops promising the King to amend and correct it but never performed it And Grafton was now so long after summoned and charged with printing Matthews's Bible Which he being timerous made Excuses for Then he was examined about the great Bible and what the Notes were he intâ—nded to set thereto He replied that he added none to his Bible when he perceived the King and the Clergy not willing to have any Yet Grafton was sent to the Fleet and there remained six Weeks and before he came out was bound in three hundred Pounds that he should neither sell nor imprint any more Bibles till the King and the Clergy should agree upon a Translation And they procured an Order from the King that the falsâ— Translation of Tindal as they called it should not be uttered either by Printer or Bookseller and no other Books to be retained that spoke against the Sacrament of the Altar No Annotations or Preambles to be in Bibles or New Testaments in English that so they might keep Scripture still as obscure as they could Nor the Bible to be read in the Church and nothing to be taught contrary to the King's Instructions And from henceforth the Bible was stopp'd during the remainder of King Henry's Reign But however for some certain Ends the King restrained now and then the use of the Scriptures to comply with the importunate Suits of the Popish Bishops yet his Judgment always was for the free use of them among his Subjects and in order to that for the translating and printing them For proof of which I will recite the words of the Translator of Erasmus's Paraphrase upon S. Luke in his Preface thereunto viz. Nic. Vdal a Man of Eminency in those Days a Canon of Windsor and a Servant unto Q. Katharine the King 's last Wife His most Excellent Majesty from the first day that he wore the Imperial Crown of this Realm foresaw that to the executing the Premisses viz. to destroy counterfeit Religions and to root up all Idolatry done to dead Images it was necessary that his People should be reduced to the sincerity of Christ's Religion by knowing of God's Word He considered that requisite it was his Subjects were nurâ—led in Christ by reading the Scriptures whose Knowledg should easily induce them to the clear espying of all the Slights of the Romish Juggling And therefore as soon as might be his Highness by most wholsome and godly Laws provided that it might be lawful for all his most faithful loving Subjects to read the Word of God and the Rules of Christ's Discipline which they professed He provided that the Holy Bible should be set forth in our own Vulgar Language to the end that England might the better attain to the Sincerity of Christ's Doctrine which they might draw out of the clear Fountain and Spring of the Gospel CHAP. XXII The Arch-bishop retired OUR Arch-bishop after the unhappy Death of the Lord Crumwel so excellent an Instrument in correcting the Abuses of Religion out of sorrow and care of himself betook himself to more Retirement and greater Privacy For in and after this Year 1540 I find nothing in his Register but the Acts of Confirmations and Elections and Consecrations of Bishops as Bishopricks fell vacant the Arch-bishop very seldom Consecrating any himself but commissionating others by his Letters to Confirm and Consecrate And nothing to be found a great way on in the Register concerning giving Ordinances and Injunctions to the Diocess or Province And no wonder for there was now no Vicegerent in Ecclesiasticals to be ready to hearken to the Arch-bishop's Directions and Counsels for reforming Abuses and to see them executed in the Church And his own Sorrows and the Troubles he met with in these Times from his Enemies made him judg it convenient for him now more warily to conceal himself till better Days But before the Death of Crumwel when Boner Bishop Elect of London was to be consecrated the Arch-bishop probably not liking him and seeing through him whatever his Pretences were and therefore declining to have any hand in his Preferment sent his Commission in April to Stephen Bishop of Winchester Richard Bishop of Chichester Robert Bishop of S. Asaph and Iohn Bishop of Hertford i. e. Hereford to consecrate him Which it is said in the Register they did accordingly per Sacri chrismatis unctionem manuum suarum impositionem In this Consecration the Prior and Chapter of Canterbury insisted it seems upon an ancient Privilege of their Church which I do not find in this Register they had at other Consecrations done namely that the Consecration should be celebrated at the Church of Canterbury and at no other Church or Oratory without their Allowance And so in a formal Instrument they gave their Licence and Consent directed to the Arch-bishop to proceed to the Consecration elsewhere The Letter is from Thomas the Prior and the Chapter of Canterbury and it ran thus Licet antiquitus fuerit salubriter ordinatum hactenusque in per totam vestram Provinciam Cantuar ' inconcussè observatum quod quilibet Suffraganâ—us Ecclesiae vestrae Metropoliticae Christi Cantuar ' memoratae in Ecclesia vestra Metropolit ' Cantuar ' non alibi pntialiter consecrari benedici debeat c. Yet they gave their Consent that he might be Consecrated in any other Oratory But yet so that neither they nor the Church received any Prejudice and reserving to
Mannor was not given to Christ-Church till after the Year 1400. Thomas Goldstone a Prior of that Church and a great Builder built the Mannor-house for a Mansion for the Priors and a Chappel annexed and a new Hall adjoining to the Dormitory and divers other Edifices there as we learn from the History of the Priors of Canterbury lately published To which we may add a Record in that Church to direct us in the Computation of the Time Viz. Anno Dom. 1508. In vigiliis S. Marci Capella dedicatur in Manerio de Lyvyngsborn procurante Thoma Goldston At the Dissolution this was alienated and given to Gage and from him it came to Arch-bishop Cranmer and his Successors And the Bargain was confirmed by Act of Parliament Anno Henr. 34. The Arch-bishop as he had opportunity preferred Learned and Pious Men in his Diocess in the Benefices of his Church and such who freely preached against the Pope and his Superstitions against Images and the Worship of them The chief of these were Nic. Ridley afterwards Bishop of London whom he made Vicar of Herne and Prebend of Canterbury and Iohn Scory afterwards Bishop of Chichester whom he made one of the six Preachers Michael Drum and Lancelot Ridley worthy Men were two more of the Six These he preferred and divers others about through his Diocess that set the Abuses of Popery open before the Peoples Eyes in their Sermons This so angred the Men of the old Religion and particularly some of his own Church in Canterbury that they detected them to the Arch-bishop by articling against them for their Doctrine This they did this Year when the Arch-bishop visited his Church And about two Years after they did so again as shall be taken notice of in due Season About this time it was that Serles and Shether two of the Six Preachers of Canterbury were by the Arch-bishop's Censure put to Recantation for some unsound Passages they had preached Which made them such Enemies to the Arch-bishop and such Contrivers of his Ruin by devising and drawing up a great number of Articles against him if they could have accomplished their Design as shall be seen hereafter under the Year 1543. It was observed of Shether at this time that after the pronouncing his Recantation or Declaration he added these words Good Christians I take God to record that I never preached any thing to you in my Life but the Truth And so in short gave himself the Lie and overthrew all the Recantation he had made before The latter end of the Year there was a Convocation Wherein one of the Matters before them was concerning the procuring a true Translation of the New Testament Which was indeed intended not so much to do such a good Work as to hinder it For having decried the present Translation on purpose to make it unlawful for any to use it they pretended to set themselves about a new One But it was merely to delay and put off the People from the common use of the Scripture As appeared plainly enough in that the Bishops themselves undertook it And so having it in their own Hands they might make what delays they pleased For in the third Session a Proposition was made for the Translation and an Assignation to each Bishop of his Task As Matthew to the Arch-bishop of Canterbury Mark to the Bishop of Lincoln Luke to Winton Iohn to Ely and so of the rest But the Arch-bishop saw through all this And therefore in a Sessions that followed after told the House from the King to whom I suppose he had discovered this Intrigue that the Translation should be left to the Learned of both Universities This was a Surprize to the Bishops who all except Ely and S. David's protested against it and began to undervalue the Sufficiency of the Universities as much decayed of late and that they were but young Men and that the greatest Learning lay in the Convocation-men But the Arch-bishop roundly said that he would stick by his Master's Will and Pleasure and that the Vniversities should examine the Translation Bishops Consecrated May 29 being Sunday William Knight was Consecrated Bishop of Bath and Wells by Nicolas Bishop of Rochester by Virtue of the Arch-bishop's Letters to him assisted by Richard Suffragan of Dover and Iohn Suffragan of Bedford in the Chappel of the said Bishop of Bath's House situate in the Minories without Aldgate September the 25 th Iohn Wakeman late Abbot of Teuksbury was Consecrated the first Bishop of Glocester by the Arch-bishop Edmond Bishop of London and Thomas Bishop of Westminster assisting Iohn Chambre B. D. was Consecrated first Bishop of Peterburgh Octob. 23. in the Cathedral Church of Peterburgh in the Presbytery there by Iohn Bishop of Lincoln Thomas Bishop of Ely and William Bishop of Norwich by Commission from the Arch-bishop February the 19 th Arthur Bulkeley in the Chappel of Iohn Incent LL. D. Dean of St. Paul's by Iohn Bishop of Sarum by virtue of Letters Commissional from the Arch-bishop William Bishop of St. David's and Iohn Bishop of Glocester assisting Robert King another Abbot and Titular Bishop Reonen Suffragan to the Bishop of Lincoln was this Year Consecrated Bishop of Oxford The Date or his Consecrators I cannot assign the Act being omitted in the Arch-bishop's Register He was first a Monk of Rewly a Priory without Oxford of the Cistertian Order Then Abbot of Bruerne in Oxfordshire After Abbot of Thame of which he was also called Bishop and lastly of Oseney Both which he surrendred to the King at the dissolution of Monasteries This Man when Suffragan preached at S. Mary's in Stamford where he most fiercely inveighed against such as used the New Testament In Q. Mary's Reign he was a persecutor of the Protestants and died 1557. CHAP. XXIV The King's Book revised THE Arch-bishop was this Year among other things employed in the King's Book as it now was called that is The Erudition of any Christian Man spoken of before For the King was minded now to have it well reviewed and if there were any Errors and less proper Expressions to have them corrected and amended And so to have it recommended unto the People as a compleat Book of Christian Principles in the stead of the Scripture which upon pretence of their abuse of the King would not allow longer to be read Accordingly a Correction was made throughout the Book and the correct Copy sent to Cranmer to peruse Which he did and added his own Annotations upon various Passages in it at good length And had it not been too long I had transcribed it wholly out of a Volume in the Benet-College Library But for a taste take this that follows In the Title under his own Hand was this written Animadversions upon the King's Book Vpon the Chapter of Original Sin For the first Offence of our Father Adam No Man shall be damned for the Offences of Adam
but for his own proper Offences either Actual or Original Which Original Sin every Man hath of his own and is born in it although it came from Adam The principal means viz. God's Favour whereby all Sinners attain their Iustification This Sentence importeth that the Favour and Love of the Father of Heaven towards us is the Means whereby we come to his Favour and Love And so should one thing be the Means to it self And it is not the use of Scripture to call any other the Means and Mediator for us but only Jesus Christ by whom our access is to the Father Having assured Hope and Confidence in Christ's Mercy willing to enter into his perfect Faith He that hath assured Hope and Confidence in Christ's Mercy hath already entred into a perfect Faith and not only hath a Will to enter into it For perfect Faith is nothing else but assured Hope and Confidence in Christ's Mercy Vpon the Explication of the Tenth Commandment Without due Recompence This Addition agrees not well with the Coveting of another Man's Wife wherein is no Recompensation And in the other things although Recompensation be made yet the Commandment nevertheless is transgrest and broken Vpon another Chapter concerning Obedience to the Civil Power By his Ordinate Power This word Ordinate Power obscureth the Sentence in the understanding of them that be simple and unlearned and among the Learned it gendreth Contention and Disputation rather than it any thing edifieth Therefore methinketh it better and more plain as it is in the print or else to say By his Ordinance For the Scripture speaketh simply and plainly Potestati ejus quis resistit By these few Passages which I have carefully taken out of the Arch-bishop's own Book may be seen of what a Critical and Exact Judgment he was But besides these Adversaria in these Papers of the Arch-bishop's Annotations there be divers large Discourses of his upon several Heads of Religion drawn up as I conceive upon the King's Command to be inserted into his Book above mentioned I have extracted some of these Discourses as upon Faith Justification and Forgiveness of Injuries Wherein may be seen his sound Opinion in those great Doctrines of Christian Religion I took also out of the same Volume some Specimen of three other Discourses of his One with this Title writ by his own Hand De Consolatione Christianorum contra metum mortis Ex Doctoribus Ecclesiasticis Compiled I guess as well for his own use being not inapprehensive of his ticklish Station and Danger from so many and implacable Enemies which he had as to be inserted in the aforesaid Book The others were two Exhortations to take the Pains of Sickness well and Adversity patiently the one taken out of Cyprian the other out of S. Augustin Lib. De visitatione infirmorum The Specimen of them are in the Appendix as also the Discourses of Faith Justification and Forgiveness of Injuries This Year Boner Bishop of London set forth Injunctions for the Clergy of his Diocess containing Directions for their Preaching and Conversation together with a Catalogue of certain Books prohibited Which the Curats were to enquire after in their respective Parishes and to inform their Ordinaries of them and of those in whose possessions they found them Among these Books were the English Testament of Tindal and divers other Pieces of the said godly and learned Man some Prefaces and Marginal Glosses of Thomas Matthews in his English Bible A Book of Friar Barnes The Supplication of Beggars The Practice of Prelates The Revelation of Antichrist The Church of Iohn Rastal The Disputation between the Father and the Son The Preface made in the English Primers by Marshal This Marshal was he I suppose whose Christian Name was Cutbert and was D. D. and Arch-deacon of Nottingham and died about 1549. At this Book I will stop a little being a Book of Eminency and Remark in those Times and that hath such a strain of Truth and serious Piety in it that it seems very probable that the Arch-bishop had a considerable hand it and procured the Publication of it Cum privilegio Regali It was stiled A Goodly Primer or Book of Prayers and called The King's Primer I speak of the second Edition which was about the Year 1535. It began with an Admonition to the Reader containing very sharp and severe Reflections upon the Popish Devotions and praying to Saints And towards the conclusion the Writer professeth That this his Admonition proceded neither of blynde Zele or Affection neyther of Wyll or Purpose to offend or displease any Man moch less than to displease any Saint in Heven and in no wyse than our blessed Lady but evin of very pure Love to the Honour of God and Helth of Mennes Souls Then followeth a pious Exposition of the Ten Commandments and the Creed Then is a general Confession of Sin Which goes according to the Commandments after this manner 1. I have not set my whole Belief Confidence Trust and Hope in thee c. 2. I have divided thy Worship and Honour from Thee and given it to thy Creatures and to dead things imagined of my own fond Fantasy I mean in the misusing of Images 3. I have abased thy Name c. 4. In the Sabbath-day I have not given my self to hearing reading and learning the Holy Scriptures c. Then comes an Exposition upon the Lord's Prayer and the Salutation Some short Prayers Some Graces before and after Meat most of which are Graces still retained in our English Primers after the Catechism And the Method of the Book is the same with our Childrens Primer now in use In this Edition there was a Litany added with a Preface before it directly against praying to Saints and shewing the difference of the Case between presenting our Petitions to God and presenting a Petition to an Earthly King that though this latter cannot be done without the mediation of some Servant of the King yet the former may be done immediately to God in the Name of Christ. Besides he said there were many doubtful Saints that many Saints canonized by the Bishop of Rome whether they were Saints or no he committed to the secret Judgment of God By this taste of the Preface you easily see why Bishop Boner placed it among the prohibited Books to be diligently searched for The Litany the Author added for the sake of many People that thought there could be no right Prayers without they were in the old form of Processions which were by way of Litany or Supplication to Angels and Saints And so he writ in this Preface that it was for the Contentation of such weak Minds and somewhat to bear their Infirmities that he had at this his second Edition of the Primer caused the Litany to be printed In this Litany all doubtful Saints are left out and he addresseth only to the Holy Angels S. Michael S. Raphael c. to pray for us And the Blessed
Apostles S. Peter S. Paul S. Andrew c. The Prayer for the King nameth K. Henry VIII and his gracious Son Prince Edward In the Kalendar Thomas a Becket's Days are still retained in red Letters But I suppose that was done of course by the Printer using the old Kalendar In the same Book is a large and pious Paraphrase on Psalm LI. A Dialogue between the Father and the Son Meditations on Christ's Passion and many other things By somewhat that happened this Year the Arch-bishop proved very instrumental in promoting the Reformation of corrupt Religion in the Neighbouring Nation of Scotland which this Year had received a great Overthrow by the English Army and great Numbers of Scotish Noblemen and Gentlemen were taken Prisoners and brought up to London and after disposed of in the Houses of the English Nobility and Gentry under an easy Restraint The Earl of Cassillis was sent to Lambeth where the good Arch-bishop shewed him all Respects in providing him with Necessaries and Conveniences but especially in taking care of his Soul He detected to him the great Errors of Popery and the Reasons of those Regulations that had been lately made in Religion in England And so successful was the Arch-bishop herein that the Earl went home much enlightned in true Religion which that Nation then had a great aversion to for they highly misliked the Courses King Henry took Which Prejudices the King understanding endeavoured to take off by sending Barlow Bishop of S. Davids to Scotland with the Book of The Institution of a Christian Man Which nevertheless made no great Impression upon that People But this that happened to the Scotish Nobility that were now taken Prisoners and especially this Guest of the Arch-bishop becoming better enclined to Religion by the Knowledg they received while they remained here had a happier Effect and brought on the Reformation that after happened in that Kingdom The Parliament being summoned in Ianuary in order to the King 's making War with France whither he intended to go in Person the Arch-bishop resolved to try this Occasion to do some good Service again for Religion which had of late received a great stop His Endeavour now was to moderate the severe Acts about Religion and to get some Liberty for the Peoples reading of the Scripture Cranmer first made the Motion and four Bishops viz. Worcester Hereford Chichester and Rochester seconded him But Winchester opposed the Arch-bishop's Motion with all earnestness And the Faction combined with so much Violence that these Bishops and all other fell off from the Arch-bishop and two of them endeavoured to perswade the Arch-bishop to desist at present and to stay for a better Opportunity But he refused and followed his Stroke with as much vigour as he could and in fine by his perswasion with the King and the Lords a Bill past And the King was the rather inclined thereunto because he being now to go abroad upon a weighty Expedition thought convenient to leave his Subjects at home as easy as might be So with much struggling an Act was past intituled An Act for the Advancement of True Religion and the Abolishment of the contrary In this Act as Tindal's Translation of the Scriptures was forbidden to be kept or used so other Bibles were allowed to some Persons excepting the Annotations and Preambles which were to be cut or dashed out And the King 's former Proclamations and Injunctions with the Primers and other Books printed in English for the Instruction of the People before the Year 1540 were still to be in force which it seems before were not And that every Nobleman and Gentleman might have the Bible read in their Houses and that Noble Ladies and Gentlewomen and Merchants might read it themselves But no Men or Women under those Degrees That every Person might read and teach in their Houses the Book set out in the Year 1540 which was The necessary Erudition of a Christian Man with the Psalter Primer Pater noster Ave and Creed in English But when Winchester and his Party saw that they could not hinder the Bill from passing they clogged it with Provisoes that it came short of what the Arch-bishop intended it as that the People of all sorts and conditions universally might not read the Scriptures but only some few of the higher Rank And that no Book should be printed about Religion without the King's Allowance And that the Act of the Six Articles should be in the same Force it was before A Bishop Consecrated Iune the 25 th being Sunday Paul Bush Provincial of the Bonhommes was consecrated the first Bishop of Bristol by Nicolas Bishop of Rochester assisted by Thomas Bishop of Westminster and Iohn Suffragan of Bedford This Consecration was celebrated in the Parish-Church of Hampton in the Diocess of Westminster CHAP. XXV Presentments at a Visitation BY the Act above-mentioned the generality of the People were restrained from reading the Holy Scriptures But in lieu of it was set forth by the King and his Clergy in the Year 1543 a Doctrine for all his Subjects to use and follow which was the Book abovesaid and all Books that were contrary to it were by Authority of Parliament condemned It was printed in London by Thomas Barthelet This Book the Arch-bishop enjoined to be made publick in his Diocess as I suppose it was in all other Diocesses throughout the Kingdom and allowed no preaching or arguing against it And when one Mr. Ioseph once a Friar in Canterbury now a learned and earnest Preacher and who was afterward preferred to Bow-Church in London had attempted to preach against some things in the Book the Arch-bishop checked and forbad him For indeed there were some Points therein which the Arch-bishop himself did not approve of foisted into it by Winchester's Means and Interest at that time with the King Which Bishop politickly as well as flatteringly called it The King's Book a Title which the Arch-Bishop did not much like for he knew well enough Winchester's Hand was in it And so he told him plainly in K. Edward's Time when he might speak his Mind telling him in relation thereunto That he had seduced the King But because of the Authority of the Parliament ratifying the Book and the many good and useful Things that were in it the Arch-bishop introduced and countenanced it in his Diocess and would not allow open preaching against it The Arch-bishop about the Month of September held a Visitation in Canterbury chiefly because of the Jangling of the Preachers and the divers Doctrines vented among them according as their Fancies Interests or Judgments led them The Visitation proceeded upon the King's Injunctions and other late Ordinances And here I shall set down before the Reader some of the Presentments as I take them from an Original in a Volume that belonged to this Archbishop Wherein notice may be taken what ignorance was then in some of the Priests what
Possession of Arch-bishop Parker From whence he published the Book in the Year 1571 intituling it Reformatio Legum Ecclesiasticarum c. Which was printed again in the Year 1640. Both these Manuscript Draughts were diligently compared together by Iohn Fox and the main Difference seemed to consist in putting the latter into a new Method and placing the Titles differently For in this Matter Cranmer was much busied in King Edward's Reign also being greatly desirous to bring that good Work to perfection For he thought it greatly inconvenient when the Pope's Power was abrogated that his Laws should remain in Force holding it highly necessary that the Nation might have a Body of wholsome Laws for the good Administration of Justice in the Spiritual Courts Wherefore he procured in the fifth Year of that King Letters Commissional to him and seven more diligently to set about the perusal of the old Church-Laws and then to compile such a Body of Laws as should seem in their Judgments most expedient to be practised in the Ecclesiastical Courts and Jurisdictions These seven were Thomas Goodrick Bishop of Ely Richard Cox the King's Almoner Peter Martyr William May Rowland Taylour Iohn Lucas and Richard Goodrick But the Matter was in effect wholly intrusted by the King to the Arch-bishop who associated to himself in the active part of this Work Taylour Martyr and Haddon The Method they observed in managing this Affair was that after they had finished a Title and drawn it up it was then sent to Dr. Haddon who was a Civilian and an accurate Latinist to peruse And if any thing was less elegantly expressed to correct it So I find at the Title De Decimis these words writ by Cranmer This is finished by us but must be over-seen again by Dr. Haddon Thus for instance I observe these Corrections by Haddon's Pen in the Chapter intituled De Commodis quae perveniunt à Sacris ritibus instead of Gratiarum actionis mulierum a partu he corrected it Levatarum puerperarum And in another place Cuicunque hoc Praerogativum est instead of hoc Praerogativum he put Hoc peculiare jus tribuitur quod Praerogativum vocant But his Corrections are very few and but of words less proper The Work and Words were mainly Cranmer's own But all this great and long Labour of the Arch-bishop came to no effect by reason of the King 's untimely Death and it may be the secret opposition of Papists At the same time that he being at Hampton-Court dealt with the King concerning the Reformation of the Canon-Laws he also gave him an Account of a Business his Majesty had imployed him in and with him also Heth and Day Bps of Worcester and Chichester and some other of his Chaplains and Learned Men whom he had of late appointed with the Arch-bishop to peruse certain Books of Service delivered by the King to them wherein there were many Superstitions fit to be amended Which the Arch-bishop in the Name of the rest at this time acquainted the King with As namely the Vigil and ringing of Bells all the Night long upon Alhallow-Night and the covering of Images in the Church in the time of Lent with the lifting the Vail that covereth the Cross on Palm-Sunday and kneeling to the Cross at the same time He moved the King in his own Name and the Name of the rest that these things might be abolished and the Superstitions and other Enormities and Abuses of the same And that because all other Vigils which in the beginning of the Church were godly used yet for the manifold Superstitions and Abuses which did after grow by means of the same were many Years past taken away throughout Christendom and there remained nothing but the Name of the Vigil in the Calendar saving only upon Alhallow-Day at Night he moved that it might be observed no more And because creeping to the Cross was a greater Abuse than any of the other for there the People said Crucem tuam adoramus Domine And the Ordinal saith Procedant Clerici ad Crucem adorandum nudis pedibus and it followeth in the said Ordinal Ponatur Crux ante aliquod Altare ubi à Populo adoretur Which by the Bishop's Book intituled A necessary Instruction is against the second Commandment therefore he desired of the King that the creeping to the Cross might also cease hereafter These superstitious Usages were allowed in the Articles of Religion put forth Anno 1536. Cranmer then not having Interest enough to procure the laying them aside or thinking it then not a fitting season to attempt it as being in vain to oppose what the King himself at that time approved of But now the King listned to the Arch-bishop and bad him confer with the Bishop of Worcester and send to him their Thoughts what course they would advise him to take for Redress The Arch-bishop accordingly consulted with the said Bishop who then went along with Cranmer in the Reformation The Effect of which was as the Arch-bishop wrote to the King soon after from Bekesbourn That his Majesty should send his Letters to both the Arch-bishops to reform these Superstitions and they to send in the King's Name to all the Prelates within their respective Provinces to the same purpose The Arch-bishop withal sent to the King the Minutes of a Letter to be sent to him the said Arch-bishop to that intent He also advised the King that at the same time that this Alteration was commanded to be made he should set forth some Doctrine which should declare the Cause of the abolishing these Usages for the Satisfaction of the Consciences of the People For he knew well as he wrote that the People would think the Honour of Christ was taken away when this honouring of the Cross was taken away And therefore that they should need some good Instruction herein He nominated the Bishops of Worcester and Chichester and some other his Graces Chaplains for the preparing this And this he said would make the People obey him without murmuring nay be thankful to him for shewing them the Truth And it would be a Satisfaction to other Nations when they should see the King do nothing but by the Authority of God's Word and for the setting forth of God's Honour and not the diminishing thereof This Letter of the Arch-bishop to the King is extant in the Paper-Office whence the Bishop of Sarum extracted a Copy These things were agitated in the Bishop of VVinchester's Absence whom the King had sent Ambassador this Year with the Bishop of VVestminster to Charles the Emperor about the Mediation of a Peace between England and France The Arch-bishop took this occasion to move the King in these good Purposes for a further Reformation of Abuses in Religion towards the which the King appeared to be in so good a Mind VVinchester being absent who if he had been at Home would undoubtedly have done his Endeavour to put a Check to these Attempts But it
them After that the printed Injunctions and others not printed with the Book of Homilies were delivered both to the Bishop for his Church and the Arch-deacons for their respective Arch-deaconries strictly injoining them to see them speedily executed reserving other new Injunctions to be ministred afterwards as they should see cause Their next Work was to examine the Canons and Priests by virtue of their Oaths which they had taken concerning their Lives and Doctrines What was discovered in other Places concerning the Vices of the Clergy we may conlude from what was found among the Dignitaries of St. Pauls For when the Canons and Priests belonging to this Church were examined one of them named Painter openly confessed that he had often carnally used a certain Married-man's Wife whom he would not name And divers others both of the Canons and Priests confessed the same of themselves There be remaining in the Archives of the Church of Canterbury the Injunctions of the King's Visitors to the Dean and Chapter there bearing date Sept. 22. An. 1 Edw. VI. subscribed by the Visitors Hands Which Injunctions do all relate to the particular Statutes of the Church and are of no other moment There was now a Book of Homilies prepared for present use to be read in all Churches for the Instruction of the People and Erasmus's Paraphrase upon the New Testament in English was to be set up in all Churches for the better instruction of Priests in the Sense and Knowledg of the Scriptures And both these Books by the King's Injunctions aforementioned were commanded to be taught and learned CHAP. III. Homilies and Erasmus's Paraphrase ARch-bishop Cranmer found it highly convenient to find out some Means for the Instruction of the People in true Religion till the Church could be better supplied with learned Priests and Ministers For which purpose he resolved upon having some good Homilies or Sermons composed to be read to the People which should in a plain manner teach the Grounds and Foundation of true Religion and deliver the People from popular Errors and Superstitions When this was going in hand with the Arch-bishop sent his Letters to the Bishop of Winchester to try if he could bring him to be willing to join in this Business shewing him that it was no more than what was intended by the former King and a Convocation in the Year 1542 wherein himself was a Member to make such a stay of Errors as were then by ignorant Preachers spread among the People But this Bishop was not for Cranmer's Turn in his Answer signifying to him That since that Convocation the King his old Master's Mind changed and that God had afterwards given him the Gift of Pacification as he worded it meaning that the King made a stop in his once intended Reformation He added That there was a Convocation that extinguished those Devices and this was still in force And therefore that now nothing more ought to be done in Church-Matters And a Copy of this Letter he sent to the Lord Protector trying to perswade him also to be of his Mind The Arch-bishop answered these Letters of Winchester Wherein he again required these Homilies to be made by virtue of that Convocation five Years before and desired Winchester to weigh things But he replied It was true they communed then of such things but they took not effect at that time nor needed they to be put in execution now And that in his Judgment it could not be done without a new Authority and Command from the King's Majesty Then he used his Politicks urging That it was not safe to make new Stirs in Religion That the Lord Protector did well in putting out a Proclamation to stop vain Rumors and he thought it not best to enterprize any thing to tempt the People with occasion of Tales whereby to break the Proclamation And as in a natural Body he said Rest without Trouble did confirm and strengthen so it was in a Common-wealth Trouble travaileth and bringeth things to loosness Then he suggested the Danger the Arch-bishop might involve himself in by making Alterations That he was not certain of his Life when the old Order was broken and a new brought in by Homilies that he should continue to see the new Device executed For it was not done in a Day He wished there were nothing else to do now He suggested that a new Order engendred a new Cause of Punishment against them that offend and Punishments were not pleasant to them that have the Execution And yet they must be for nothing may be contemned There were two Letters Winchester sent to the Arch-bishop in answer to as many from the Arch-bishop In which he laboured to perswade the Arch-bishop not to innovate any thing in Religion during the King's Minority and particularly to forbear making Homilies and refusing for himself to meddle therein An imperfect part of one of these Letters I have laid in the Appendix as I transcribed it from the Original So when it was perceived that Winchester would not be brought to comply and join in with the Arch-bishop and the rest they went about the composing the Homilies themselves Cranmer had a great hand in them And that Homily of Salvation particularly seems to be of his own doing This while he was in composing it was shewn to Winchester by the Arch-bishop to which he made this Objection That he would yield to him in this Homily if they could shew him any old Writer that wrote how Faith excluded Charity in the Office of Justification and that it was against Scripture Upon this Canterbury began to argue with him and to shew him how Faith excluded Charity in the Point of Justifying And Winchester denied his Arguments And in fine such was his Sophistication that the Arch-bishop at last told him He liked nothing unless he did it himself and that he disliked the Homily for that Reason because he was not a Counsellor The Council had now put this Bishop in the Fleet for his Refractoriness to the King's Proceedings where if his Complaint to the Lord Protector were true he was somewhat straitly handled For he was allowed no Friend or Servant no Chaplain Barber Taylor nor Physician A sign he gave them high Provocation While he was here the Arch-bishop sent for him once or twice to discourse with him and to try to bring him to comply with their Proceedings in reforming Religion He dealt very gently with him and told him That he was a Man in his Opinion meet to be called to the Council again but withal told him that he stood too much in Obstinacy that it was perverse Frowardness and not any Zeal for the Truth And laboured to bring him to allow the Book which was now finished and the Paraphrase of Erasmus The former he could not allow of because of the Doctrine therein by Cranmer asserted of Justification by Faith without Works Which Cranmer took pains to perswade him about
that the Protector was privy to what was done there The Bishop answered That he would receive them as far as God's Law and the King's would bind him And because he saw they drew to such Preciseness he told them there were three Weeks of Delay to the coming of the Visitors to him In the mean time he offered to go to Oxford to abide the Discussion there That Offer was not allowed He desired to go to his House at London and have Learned Men speak with him there That was not accepted He entred then the Allegation of the Gospel of the Servant that said he would not do a thing and yet did it And so the Bishop said it might be that although he then said Nay as his Conscience served him yet he might change and was a Man that might be tempted But as his Conscience was then he thought that God's Laws and the King 's letted him Then they asked him if he had spoken to any Man of what he found in the Books To which he answered truly acknowledging he had But told the Lords that he thought it hard unless there were a greater Matter than this to send him to Prison for declaring his Mind before-hand what he minded to do before it had been by him done who had all the mean time to repent himself In the End the Council committed him to the Fleet. Of his Behaviour under this Censure he hath these words That he had well digested it and so all might be well he cared not what became of his Body That he departed as quietly from them as ever Man did and had endured with as little grudg He had learned this Lesson in the World never to look backward as S. Paul saith ne remember that is past That he would never grudg or complain of any thing for himself To the Lord Protector to whom he wrote all this Account of himself turning his Discourse he said That he thought it very weighty to have these Books recommended to the Realm in the King's Name by his the Protector Direction since the King himself knew nothing of them and therefore nothing could be ascribed to him And his Grace had been so occupied as all Men knew that he had no leisure to peruse them And yet of such sort were the Books according to the Account he had before written and that if no Man had advertised the Council as he had it was because they had not read them as he had done In Vindication of the Learned Author of the Paraphrase so bedashed by Winchester I will here use the words of him that writ the Epistle Dedicatory before the translated Paraphrase on the Acts. I cannot but judg that whoso are prompt and hasty Condemners of Erasmus or eager Adversaries unto his Doctrine do under the Name and Colour of Erasmus rather utter their Stomach and Hatred against God's Word and the Grace of the Gospel which Erasmus for his part most diligently and most simply laboureth to bring to light And to such as said that his Doctrine was scarcely sincere and that he did somewhat err he answered That Erasmus forasmuch as he was a Man and so esteemed himself would that his Works should none otherwise be read or accepted than the Writings of other mortal Men. And that after his Judgment a little Trip among so many notable good Works for the interpretation of Scripture and for the help of the Simple should rather be born withal than so many good Things to be either rejected or kept away from the hungry Christian Reader It is a cold Charity that can bear with nothing and an eager Malice it is that for a Trifle or a Matter of nothing would have the Ignorant to lack so much good edifying as may be taken of Erasmus Mention was made a little above of the Bishop of Winchester's Objections aganst the Paraphrase of Erasmus sent by him in a Letter to the Lord Protector This Paper I have met with in Sir Iohn Cotton's Library and being somewhat long I have put it into the Appendix Wherein may be seen at large the Bishop's Quarrels both against the Paraphrase and the Homilies labouring here to shew that the Book of Homilies and Erasmus's Paraphrase did contradict each other and therefore could not both be received and that there were Errors in each and so neither ought to be admitted Moreover he urged the Danger of making Alterations in Religion contrary to the Laws then in Force designing thereby if he could over-perswade the Protector to enervate the King 's late Injunctions For the Papists whose chief Instrument was VVinchester saw it was time now to bestir themselves to overthrow these Proceedings that were in hand if it were possible When this Affair happened between the Council and the Bishop for which they cast him into the Fleet Somerset the Protector was absent in an Expedition against the Scots By whose Conduct in the Month of September God blessed the King with a very glorious Victory in a Battel fought near Musselburrough Which redounded much to the Protector 's Honour wherein was more Danger than he looked for which gave him the greater occasion to shew his Valour For there were but few lost on the English-side but fifteen thousand Scots reckoned to be slain and two thousand taken Prisoners For this Victory a Publick Thanksgiving was thought fit to be Celebrated And the Arch-bishop required of the Bishop of London to procure a Sermon at S. Pauls before the Mayor and Aldermen and immediately after a Procession in English and Te Deum The Arch-bishop's Letter which will shew what the Court thought of that good Success was as followeth AFter our right hearty Commendations Whereas it hath pleased Almighty God to send the King's Majesty such Victory against the Scots as was almost above the Expectation of Man and such as hath not been heard of in any part of Christendom this many Years In which Victory above the Number of 15000 Scots be slain 2000 taken Prisoners and among them many Noble-men and others of good Reputation all their Ordnance and Baggage of their Camp also won from them The King's Majesty with Advice of his Highness Privy-Council presently attending upon his Majesty's most Royal Person well-knowing this as all other Goodness to be Gifts of God hath and so doth account it And therefore rendereth unto him the only Glory and Praise for the same And so hath willed me not only in his Majesty's Cathedral Church and other Churches of my Diocess to give Thanks to Almighty God but also to require in his Name all other Bishops in the Province of Canterbury to do or cause to be done semblably in their Course Which his Majesty's Pleasure I have thought good to signify unto you Requiring you not only to cause a Sermon to be made in your Cathedral Church the next Holy-day after receipt hereof declaring the Goodness of God and exhorting the People to Faith and amendment of
their Peril Thus fare you well From Westminster the last day of April 1548. Your loving Friends E. Somerset Tho. Cheyney Will. Seint-Iohn Will. Paget I. Russell Tho. Smith Will. Herbert H. Arundel A. Denny Ioh. Baker It is not an improbable Conjecture that the Arch-bishop procured this Letter to arm Church-wardens with an Answer to such greedy Courtiers and Gentlemen as used often to resort to them and in their own or the Council's Name required these Goods of their Churches to be yielded up to them and threatned them if they did not The next Month the Council sent the Arch-bishop a Form of Prayer to be used by himself and those of his Diocess Wherein God was implored to grant the Nation Peace and Victory over her Enemies For now all things round about appeared in a Posture of War and Preparation of Arms were making Which caused the King also to raise Forces And for a Blessing upon them the Privy-Council sent to the Arch-bishop together with the Form an Order for the speedy using of it The Tenor of the Letter follows AFter our hearty Commendations to your good Lordship Hearing tell of great Preparations made of Foreign Princes and otherwise being inforced for the Procurement and Continuance of Peace to make Preparation of War Forasmuch as all Power and Aid valuable cometh of God the which he granteth as he hath promised by his Holy Word by nothing so much as by hearty Prayers of good Men The which is also of more Efficacy made of an whole Congregation together gathered in his Holy Name Therefore this is to will and require you to give Advertisement and Commandments to all the Curats in your Diocess That every Sunday and Holy-day in their Common-Prayer they make devout and hearty Intercessions to Almighty God for Victory and Peace And to the Intent that you should not be in Doubts what sort and manner thereof we do like we have sent unto you one Which we would that you and they should follow and read it instead of one of the Collects of the King's Majesty's Procession Thus we pray you not to fail to do with all speed and bid you farewel From Westminster the 6 th of May 1548. Your loving Friends E. Somerset R. Rich Canc. W. Seint-Iohn I. Russel Th. Cheyney Now that the Liberty of the Gospel began to be allowed divers false Opinions and unsound Doctrines began to be vented with it of which publick Cognizance began now to be taken As that the Elect sinned not and that they could not sin That they that be Regenerate never fall away from godly Love That the Elect have a right to take so much of the Things of the World as may supply their Necessities And there were some that openly preached these Doctrines and set forth and published Books to the same Tenor. Several of these Hereticks in the Month of April were convented before the Arch-bishop of Canterbury Sir Thomas Smith Richard Cox Hugh Latimer Doctors of Divinity William May Dean of St. Pauls William Cook Richard Lyel Doctors of Law and others the King's Commissioners Then did one Iohn Champneys of Stratford on the Bow abjure He taught and wrote and defended 1. That a Man after he is Regenerate in Christ cannot sin 2. That the outward Man might sin but the inward Man could not 3. That the Gospel hath been so much persecuted and hated ever since the Apostles Times that no Man might be suffered openly to follow it 4. That godly Love falleth never away from them which be regenerate in Christ. Wherefore they cannot do contrary to the Commandments of Christ. 5. That that was the most principal of our marked Mens Doctrine that make the People believe that there was no such Spirit given unto Men whereby they should remain Righteous and always in Christ. Which is as he wrote and asserted a most devilish Error 6. That God doth permit to all his Elect People their bodily Necessities of all earthly Things All these he revoked Granting or confessing now 1. That a Man after he is regenerate in Christ may sin being destitute of his Spirit 2. That the inner Man doth sin when the outward Man sinneth actually with the consent of the Mind 3. That divers times sithence the Apostles Times to follow the Doctrine of Christ hath been suffered openly 4. That godly Love falleth from them that be regenerate in Christ being destitute of the Spirit and that then they may do contrary to the Commands of Christ. 5. That it is no erroneous Doctrine which he affirmed in his Book to be a devilish Error and our marked Mens Doctrine viz. To make the People believe that there was no such Spirit given unto Man whereby he should remain Righteous always in Christ. But I confess saith the Abjurer that a Man having the Spirit may afterwards fall and not be Righteous 6. That God doth not permit to all his Elect People their bodily Necessities of all worldly things to be taken but by a Law and Order approved by the Civil Policy To which by me now spoken I mean ne understand any other Sense than hath been here opened to use again his very words in his Abjuration And so touching the Holy Gospel with his Hand before the King's Commissioners he abjured promising That he should never hold teach or believe the said Errors or damned Opinions above rehearsed And so subscribed his Name Then the Arch-bishop in his own Name and in the Name of the other Commissioners gave him his Oath 1. That he should not by any means hereafter teach or preach to the People nor set forth any kind of Books in print or otherwise nor cause to be printed or set forth any such Books that should contain any manner of Doctrine without a special Licence thereunto of the King's Majesty or some of his Grace's Privy-Council first had and obtained 2. That the said Champneys with all speed convenient and with all his diligence procure as many of his Books as are passed forth in his Name to be called in again and utterly destroyed as much as in him should lie 3. That he should the Sunday following attend at Pauls Cross upon the Preacher all the time of the Sermon and there penitently stand before the Preacher with a Faggot on his Shoulder And then he had two Sureties bound in five hundred Pounds that he should perform his Penance This was done April 27. There were other Heresies also now vented abroad as the denial of the Trinity and of the Deity of the Holy Ghost And the Assertion That Jesus Christ was a mere Man and not true God because he had the Accidents of Humane Nature such as hungring and thirsting and being visible And that the Benefit Men receive by Jesus Christ was the bringing them to the true Knowledg of God There was one Iohn Assheton a Priest that preached these Doctrines Who on the 28 th of December was summoned to Lambeth to
Sobriety and Diligence in their Vocation and the People to Loyalty and Obedience to the King and the sincere worshipping of God Concerning the Priests he ordered enquiry to be made Whether they preached four times a Year against the usurped Power of the Bishop of Rome and in behalf of the King's Power and Authority within his own Realms Whether in their Common-Prayers they used not the Collects made for the King and mentioned not his Majesty's Name in the same Whether they had destroyed and taken away out of the Churches all Images and Shrines Tables Candlesticks Trindals or Rolls of Wax and all other Monuments of feigned Miracles Idolatry and Superstition and moved their Parishioners to do the same in their own Houses Enquiries were made concerning their due Administration of the Sacraments concerning their preaching God's Word once at least in a Quarter and then exhorting their Parishioners to Works commanded by Scripture and not to Works devised by Mens Fancies as wearing and praying upon Beads and such-like Concerning the plain reciting the Lord's Prayer the Creed and Ten Commandments in English immediately after the Gospel as often as there were no Sermon Concerning the examining of every one that came to Confession in Lent whether they were able to say the Creed the Lord's Prayer and Ten Commandments in English Concerning the having Learned Curats to be procured by such as were absent from their Benefices Concerning having the whole Bible of the largest Volume in every Church and Erasmus's Paraphrase in English Concerning teaching the People of the Nature of the Fast of Lent and other Days in the Year that it was but a mere positive Law Concerning Residence upon Benefices and keeping Hospitality Concerning finding a Scholar in the Universities oâ— some Grammar-School incumbent on such Priests as had an hundred pounds a Year Concerning moving the Parishioners to pray rather in English than in a Tongue unknown and not to put their Trust in saying over a number of Beads Concerning having the New Testament in Latin and English and Erasmus's Paraphrase which all Priests under the Degree of Batchelors in Divinity were examined about Concerning putting out of the church-Church-Books the Name of Papa and the Name and Service of Thomas Becket and the Prayers that had Rubricks containing Pardons and Indulgences And many the like Articles Which may be seen by him that will have recourse to them as they are printed in Bishop Sparrow's Collections Those Articles that related to the Laity were Concerning the Letters or Hinderers of the Word of God read in English or preached sincerely Concerning such as went out of the Church in time of the Litany or Common-Prayer or Sermon Concerning ringing Bells at the same time Concerning such as abused the Ceremonies as casting Holy Water upon their Beds bearing about them Holy Bread S. Iohn's Gospel keeping of private Holy-days as Taylors Bakers Brewers Smiths Shoemakers c. did Concerning the misbestowing of Money arising from Cattel or other moveable Stocks of the Church as for finding of Lights Torches Tapers or Lamps and not employed to the poor Man's Chest. Concerning abusing Priests and Ministers Concerning praying upon the English Primer set forth by the King and not the Latin for such as understand not Latin Concerning keeping the Church-Holy-day and the Dedication-day any otherwise or at any other time than was appointed Concerning Commoning and Jangling in the Church at the time of reading the Common-Prayer or Homilies or when there was preaching Concerning maintenance of Error and Heresy Concerning common Swearers Drunkards Blasphemers Adulterers Bawds Enquiries were also to be made after such as were common Brawlers Slanderers such as used Charms Sorceries Inchantments and Witchcraft such as contemned their own Parish-Church and went else-where Concerning Marrying within the Degrees prohibited and without asking the Bannes Concerning the honest discharge of Wills and Testaments in such as were Executors or Administrators Concerning such as contemned married Priests and refused to receive the Communion and other Sacraments at their Hands Concerning such as kept in their own Houses Images Tables Pictures Painting or Monuments of fained Miracles undefaced c. In this Year also the Arch-bishop with the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury granted the Patronage Rectory c. of Riâ—eborough Monachorum in the County of Bucks to the Lord Windsor for fourscore and nineteen Years And in Exchange the said Lord granted to the Arch-bishop the Advouson Patronage and Nomination of Midley in Kent for the same duration of Years September the 9 th being Sunday Robert Farrar D. D. was Consecrated Bishop of S. Davids by Thomas Arch-bishop of Canterbury endued with his Pontificals and assisted by Henry Bishop of Lincoln and Nicolas Bishop of Rochester at Chertsey in the Diocess of Winton in the Arch-bishop's House there Then certain Hymns Psalms and Prayers being recited together with a Portion of Scripture read in the vulgar Tongue out of S. Paul's Epistles and the Gospel of S. Matthew the Arch-bishop celebrated the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. There communicated the Reverend Fathers Thomas Bishop of Ely Thomas Bishop of Westminster Henry Bishop of Lincoln Nicolas Bishop of Rochester and Farrar the new Bishop together with William May Dean of S. Pauls Simon Hains Dean of Exon Thomas Robertson and Iohn Redman Professors of Divinity and others The Arch-bishop then distributed the Communion in English Words This Bishop as it is writ in the Margin of the Register was the first that was consecrated upon the bare Nomination of the King according to the Statute that for that purpose was published in the first Year of his Reign The Form of the King's Letters Patents whereby he constituted Farrar Bishop is extant in the Register dated from Leghes August 1. in the second Year of his Reign At this Bishop of S. Davids I will stay a little proving unhappy by his Preferment unto a Church whose Corruptions while he endeavoured to correct he sunk under his commendable Endeavours He was an active Man and made much use of in Publick Affairs in K. Henry and K. Edward's Days having been first a Canon of S. Mary's in Oxon. He was with Bp Barlow when he was by K. Henry sent Ambassador to Scotland An. 1535. Another time employed in carrying old Books of great Value from S. Oswalds a dissolved Monastery as it seems unto the Arch-bishop of York And in the Royal Visitation in the beginning of King Edward he was one of the King's Visitors being appointed one of the Preachers for his great Ability in that Faculty And being Chaplain to the Duke of Somerset was by his means advanced to be Bishop and upon his Fall he fell into great Troubles This Bishop not long after his first entrance upon his Bishoprick resolved to visit his Diocess like a careful Pastor hearing of very great Corruptions in it and particularly among those that belonged to the Chapter of the Church of Carmarthen and chiefly Thomas
would do in them it not being reasonable he should subscribe them in Prison This being reported to the Council Iuly 15 it was agreed that he should be sent for before the whole Council and examined Whether he would stand at this Point Which if he did then to denounce the Sequestration of his Benefice for three Months with intimation if he reformed not in that space to deprive him This Order was Signed by Somerset Wilts Bedford Clynton Paget Wyngfield Herbert Iuly 19. The Bishop of VVynton was brought before the Council and there the Articles before mentioned were read unto him distinctly Whereunto he refused either to subscribe or consent Answering in these words That in all things his Majesty would command him he was willing and most ready to obey but forasmuch as there were divers things required of him which his Conscience would not bear therefore he prayed them to have him excused And thereupon Secretary Petre by the Council's Order proceeded to read the Sequestration Thus fairly and calmly was this Bishop dealt with by the King and his Council from Iune 8. to Iuly 19. And notwithstanding this Sentence the Council favorably ordered that the Bishop's House and Servants should be maintained in their present State until the expiration of the three Months and that the Matter in the mean time should be kept secret The three Months expired Octob. 19. but with such Clemency was he used that it was November 23 before his Business was renewed And then considering the time of his Intimation was long sithence expired it was agreed that the Bishop of Ely Mr. Secretary Petre Dr. May and Dr. Glynne all Learned in the Civil Law should substantially confer upon the Matter and upon Tuesday next the 26 th day of this present to certify unto the Council what was to be done duly by order of the Law in this Case And now the Arch-bishop of Canterbury began to be concerned in this troublesome Business A Commission dated Decemb. 12 was issued out from the King to the said Arch-bishop and to the Bishops of London Ely Lincoln to Sir VVilliam Petre Sir Iames Hales and some other Lawyers to call the said Bishop of VVinchester before them and continuing in his Contempt to proceed to deprive him December 14. The Lieutenant of the Tower was ordered to bring the Bishop on Monday next to Lambeth before my Lord of Canterbury and other Commissioners upon his Cause and likewise upon their Appointment to bring him thither from day to day at times by them prefixed December 15 was the day of VVinchester's first Appearance The Business done this Session was the opening and reading the Commission and after that divers Articles against the Bishop Who then made a Speech Wherein first He protested against these his Judges and excepted against their Commission and required this his Protestation to be entred into the Acts of the Court. Then desiring a Copy of the Commission it was granted him together with that of the Articles too to make his Answers to Next the Archbishop gave him his Oath to make true Answer Which he took still with his Protestation Then the Bishop desiring Counsel the Arch-bishop and the rest not only granted his Request but allowed him whomsoever he should name Which was the next Day allowed also by an Order of Council Certain honourable Persons were deposed and sworn for Witnesses as Sir Anthony Wingfield Controller of the Houshold Sir William Cecyl Secretary Sir Rafe Sadleir Sir Edward North Dr. Cox Almoner and others The Bishop also protested against them and the Swearing of them At this first Sessions he had also said in the hearing of a great Multitude present concerning the Duke of Somerset and some other Privy-Counsellors sent to him in the Tower That they had made an end with him before for all the matters for which he was committed In so much that he verily thought he should never have heard any more of it This coming soon to the Ears of these Nobles highly offended them as reporting falsely of them So that to justify themselves in as publick a manner the next Sessions they sent their Letter dated December 17 signed by the Duke of Somerset the Earls of Wiltshire and Bedford and Sir Edward North wherein they denied any such Matter saying That the Bishop defended his Cause with Untruths and that upon their Fidelities and Honours his Tale was false and untrue For that their coming to him in the Tower was to do their endeavour to reclaim him And they prayed the Commissioners that for their Vindication they would cause this their Letter to be publickly read Which was accordingly done though the Bishop thinking how this would reflect upon him under his former Protestation laboured hard that he might first be heard and that he had something to propose why it should not be read Which notwithstanding they would not grant Ianuary 19. The Council sitting at Greenwich the Bishop's Servants came and desired that certain of them might be sworn upon certain Articles for Witness on his behalf And if they might not be sworn that upon their Honours as they would answer before God they would witness truly according to their Conscience and as effectually as if they were sworn upon a Book And they were allowed The Bishop to make his Cause the more plausible as though he were the publick Defender of the Roman Catholick-Church in England at this time laboured to make it believed that he fell into all this Trouble for the Defence of the Real Presence in the Sacrament and for maintaining the Catholick Doctrine in a Sermon before the King and that he made his Book to vindicate himself therein And therefore in one of his Appearances before the Commissioners openly in the Court delivered them his Book against Arch-bishop Cranmer printed in France and to make it suit the better he had altered some lines in the beginning of his Book so as to make it to relate to his present Case But in truth Gardiner had wrote and finished his Book before This Cranmer unvailed in his Answer to this Book of Gardiner's Saying there That he made his Book before he was called before the Commissioners as he could prove by a Book under his own Hand-writing and that he was called before the Commissioners by his own Suit and Procurement and as it were inforcing the Matter But indeed the true Cause was That he was called to Justice for his manifest Contempt and continual Disobedience from time to time or rather Rebellion against the King's Majesty and was deprived of his State for the same In short after a greal deal of Pains and Patience the Bishop was by the Arch-bishop and the rest of the Commissioners deprived after no less then two and twenty Sessions held at divers places that is from the 15 th of December to the 14 th of February though Stow falsely nameth but seven The Bishop when he saw the
was much offended that he was named in the Book and pretended this to be one Reason why he did write against it to vindicate himself as well as the Papal Church hereby so dangerously struck at This Book of Cranmer's was turned into Latin by Iohn Yong who complied afterwards with the old Religion under Queen Mary and was Master of Pembroke-Hall Cambridg At this Book the Defenders of Popery were so nettled that in the same Year 1550 Winchester then in the Tower and fickle Dr. Smith then at Lovain printed Answers Of Smith's Book I shall only note by the way that March 8. 1550. there was an Order of Council to examine the bringer over of his Book against Cranmer Such a Countenance did the State give to the Arch-bishop and his Book Gardiner's Book made the greatest noise Which was printed in France and intituled An Explication and Assertion of the true Catholick Faith touching the most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar with the Confutation of a Book written against the same In the Beginning of his Book he wrote That his Sermon before the King on St. Peter's Day touching the Sacrament of the Altar gave occasion to the Arch-bishop's Book against it and that he was called before the King's Commissioners at Lambeth for his Catholick Faith in the Sacrament Whereas indeed this was not the Cause of his Troubles nor had some former Copies of his Book these words But after the Commission was issued forth against him to make his Cause appear the more specious as if it were the Cause of the Church he thought fit to make an Alteration in the beginning of his Book in the manner abovesaid And to carry on the Scene he in open Court offered his Book before the King's Commissioners To this Book of Gardiners our Arch-bishop studied and composed an Answer holding himself bound for the Vindication of the Evangelical Truth as well as of his own Writing and for the Satisfaction of the People not to suffer it to lie untaken notice of When it was known the Arch-bishop was preparing an Answer against Gardiner the People were in very great expectation and conceived an earnest desire to see and read it Having therefore dispatched his Copy and sent it to Rainold Wolf his Printer it was printed off in the Month of September 1551. But there was some stop put to the publishing of it occasioned by a Proclamation issued out from the King whereby for some political Ends both the printing and selling of English Books without the Allowance of the King's Majesty or six of his Privy-Council was forbidden The Arch-bishop being desirous that his Book might come abroad the next Term for the Contentation of many who had long expected the same sent to Secretary Cecyl and Sir Iohn Cheke to procure either from the King or Council a Licence to the said Wolf for printing and selling his Book Which was obtained and the Book published accordingly This Letter of the ABp's dated Sept. 29. I have thought not amiss to reposit in the Appendix Octob. 1. A Licence was granted to Wolf to publish the Book under the King's Privilege the Court then being at Hampton-Court and the Arch-bishop himself present The Title this second Book of the Arch-bishop's bore was An Answer by the Reverend Father in God Thomas Arch-bishop of Canterbury Primate of all England and Metropolitan unto a crafty and sophistical Cavillation devised by Stephen Gardiner Doctor of Law late Bishop of Winchester against the true and godly Doctrine of the most Holy Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ. Wherein is also as occasion serveth answered such Places of the Book of Dr. Richard Smith as may seem any thing worthy the answering Also a true Copy of the Book written and in open Court delivered by Dr. Stephen Gardiner not one Word added or diminished but faithfully in all Points agreeing with the Original This Book of Arch-bishop Cranmer's was printed again at London 1580 with his Life and some other things His Reply to Gardiner was in the most fair and candid Method that could be devised For he first set down his own Treatise Piece by Piece then Gardiner's Reply thereunto Word for Word leaving not one Paragraph without a full Answer His Reply to Smith was only of some things most worthy to be taken notice of the rest of Smith's Book being meer Trifles This Reply to Smith he inserted in the Body of his Answer to Gardiner as occasion served Only at the end he made a particular Reply to Smith's Preface It seemed to be a very compleat Exercitation upon that Subject The Book was stored with so great Learning and Plenty of Arguments Vt ea Controversia saith one of his Successors a nemine unquam contra Pontificios accuratius tractata esse videatur That no one Controversy was by any ever handled against the Papists more accurately It may not be amiss to mention here the Opinion that Cranmer himself had of his Book in that famous and renowned Confession he made of his Faith in S. Mary's Church Oxon immediately before he was led away to his Burning Where he expressed his full Approbation and great Confidence of the Doctrine contained therein saying That as for the Sacrament he believed as he had taught in his Book against the Bishop of VVinchester The which Book he said taught so true a Doctrine of the Sacrament that it should stand at the last Day before the Judgment of God where the Papistical Doctrine contrary thereto should be ashamed to shew her Face The Papists spake as much against this Book being much galled by it Dr. Tresham in his Disputation with Latimer said There were six hundred Errors in the Book Weston thinking to invalidate the Book by the pretended Novelty of the Doctrine asked the same Father How long he had been of that Opinion He said Not past seven Years that is about the Year 1547 and that Arch-bishop Cranmer's Book confirmed his Judgment therein and added That if he could but remember all therein contained he would not fear to answer any Man in this Matter The Arch-bishop had acknowledged to the Queen's Commissioners at Oxford that Ridley had first begun to enlighten him as to the true Notion of the Presence as he had maintained it in his Book Hereupon one of them took occasion to try to baffle the true Doctrine by making the whole stress of it to depend upon the Authority of single Ridley Latimer said he leaned upon Cranmer and Cranmer leaned upon Ridley Whereas the truth of this was no more but that Ridley reading Bertram's Book of the Body and Blood of Christ was sharpened to examine the old Opinion more accurately of the Presence of Christ's Flesh and Blood and looking into Ecclesiastical Authors he found it greatly controverted in the ninth Century and learnedly writ against Which made him begin to conclude it none of the ancient Doctrines of the Church but more lately
any Arguments for the Popish Doctrine brought them all to him many whereof were windy and trivial enough and he out of the heap made his Collections as he thought good But Watson and Smith were his chief Assistants The Arch-bishop though the Times now soon after turned and he cast into Prison was very desirous to prepare another Book in Confutation of Marcus Antonius and in Vindication of his own Writing He lived long enough to finish three Parts whereof two unhappily perished in Oxford and the third fell into Iohn Fox's Hands and for ought I know that by this time is perished also But the great desire he had to finish his Answer to that Book was the chief cause that at his last Appearance before the Queen's Commissioners he made his Appeal to a General Council That thereby he might gain some time and leisure to accomplish what he had begun before his Life were taken away which he saw was likely to be within a very short space Otherwise as he writ to his Lawyer who was to draw up his Appeal it was much better for him to die in Christ's Quarrel and to reign with him than to be shut up and kept in that Body Unless it were to continue yet still a while in this Warfare for the Commodity and Profit of his Brethren and to the further advancing of God's Glory Peter Martyr his surviving and learned Friend being solicited by many English-Men by Letter and word of Mouth undertook the answering this Book But before he had finished it an English Divine and Friend of Martyr's with whom he held Correspondence in Q. Mary's Reign wrote him word in the Year 1557. that an Answer to Antonius by some other hand was then in the Press naming the Author Martyr replied That he was rather glad of it than any ways moved or disturbed at it as a disappointment of what he was doing and added that he expected nothing from that Man but what was very exquisite acute and elaborate But that he feared the noise thereof would not hold true And so it proved Whether this Learned Man withdrew his Book that he might give way to that which P. Martyr was writing or whether it were a Flam given out to stop Martyr in his Design it is uncertain But not long after this Learned Italian put forth his Answer He had it under the Press at Zurick in December 1558 and it came out the next Year Wherein as he wrote to Calvin he did unravel and confute all the Sophisms and Tricks of the Bishop of Winchester And it came forth very seasonably as Martyr hoped For hereby the English Papalins might see at this time especially that that Book was not as they boasted hitherto invincible He gave this Title to his Book Defensio Doctrina veteris Apostolicae de S.S. Eucharistiae Sacramento In the Preface to which he shewed How this Work fell to his Lot Not that that most Reverend Father wanted an Assistant for he could easily have managed Gardiner himself For he knew how Cranmer in many and various Disputes formerly had with him came off with Victory and great Praise but because the ABp when in Prison was forced to leave his Answer which he had begun unfinished by reason of his strait keeping having scarce Paper and Ink allowed him and no Books to make use of and being cut off so soon by Death before he could bring to perfection what he had writ Wherein as Martyr said he had harder measure by far from the Papists than Gardiner had from the Protestants in K. Edward's Days when he wrote his Book Gardiner in that Book of his under the Name of M. Constantius had shewn such foul play with Cranmer's Book mangling it and taking Pieces and Scraps of it here and there and confounding the Method of it to supply himself with Objections to give his own Answers to with the most advantage that the Arch-bishop thought that if Learned Foreigners saw but his first Book of the Sacrament as he wrote it it would be vindication enough against Gardiner's new Book against it And therefore he took order to have it translated into the same Language in which Gardiner wrote that is Latin that impartial Strangers might be able to read and judg and Sir Iohn Cheke elegantly performed it for his Friend the Arch-bishop This Book of Cranmer's thus put into Latin with some Additions came forth 1553. Before it he prefixed an Epistle to King Edward VI. dated at Lambeth Idib Mart. the same Year Wherein he said It was his Care of the Lord's Flock committed to him that put him upon renewing and restoring the Lord's Supper according to the Institution of Christ. And that that was the Reason that about three Years ago he set forth a Book in English against the principal Abuses of the Papistical Mass. Which Book had great Success upon the Peoples Minds in bringing them to embrace the Truth Whereby he said he perceived how great the Force of Truth was and understood the Benefits of the Grace of Christ that even the Blind should have their Eyes opened and partake of the Light of Truth as soon as it was revealed and shewed it self clearly to them But that this gave great Offence unto Gardiner then Bishop of Winchester so that he thought nothing was to be done till he had answered the Book supposing that there would be no helper of so declining forsaken a Cause unless he put to his Hand And so the Arch-bishop proceeded to shew how that Bishop first put forth his English Book endeavouring to overthrow the true Doctrine and to restore and bring again into Repute the Mass with all its Superstitions and afterwards his Latin Book under a feigned Name In which Gardiner had so unfairly dealt with the Arch-bishop's Arguments chopping and changing defacing and disfiguring them that he could not know them for his own and all that he might make it serve his own turn the better Insomuch that he resolved to have his own Book translated out of English into Latin that his true Opinion and Mind in this Controversy might the better be apprehended The whole Epistle is writ in a pure elegant Latin Stile with a good sharpness of Wit The publication of this his Latin Book he thought sufficient for the present to entertain the World till he should put forth in Latin also a full Answer to Gardiner which he intended shortly to do To this Latin Book the Arch-bishop occasionally reviewing it while he was in Prison made sundry Annotations and Additions not of any new Arguments but only of more Authorities out of the Fathers and Ancient Writers This valuable Autograph fell into the Hands of some of the English Exiles at Embden it may be by the Means of Bp Scory who was Superintendent of the English Church there or Sir Iohn Cheke who also for some time was in this Place both great Friends of the Arch-bishop In the
Year 1557 the Exiles here printed it with this Title Defensio c. a Thoma Cranmero Martyre scripta Ab Authore in Vinculis recognita aucta Before it is a new Preface to the Reader made as it is thought by Sir Iohn Cheke relating to the Arch-bishop and this his Book shewing how well-weighed and well-thought on this Doctrine of the Sacrament was before he published it and that he let it not go abroad till he had diligently compared and pondred all Scriptures and Ancient Authors and confirmed it at last by his Blood In the body of the Book the places where any Enlargements are are signified by an Hand pointing thereunto In the Margent is often to be found this word Object with certain Numbers added Which Numbers shew those Places which Gardiner under the Name of Marcus Antonius did endeavour to confute The very Original these English Exiles here at Embden kept as a great Treasure among them and as a Memorial of the Holy Martyr Besides this the Arch-bishop fully intended to have his Vindication of his Book impugned by Gardiner put into Latin also but he lived not to see that done But care was taken of this Business among the Exiles Insomuch that both Sir Iohn Choke and Iohn Fox were busied about it at the same time But the former surceased and left the whole Work to Fox then at Frankford after he had finished the first part In this Piece done by Cheke Iohn a Lasco had an hand for he put in the Latin School-Terms instead of more pure good Latin which Cheke had used And it was judged fit that such Words should be used where the ABp in his English had used them And this Cheke and A Lasco themselves wrote to Fox Fox undertook the rest by the Incitation and Encouragement of P. Martyr and of Grindal and Pilkington both Bishops afterwards Who gave him Directions for the translating and as Doubts occurred concerning the Sense of certain Matters in the Book as he met with them he consulted with these Men for their Judgments therein Grindal in one Letter bad him write a Catalogue of all Passages by him doubted of and send it to him Fox finished his Translation in the Year 1557 before Iune For which he had a Congratulatory Letter from Grindal who was his chief Assistant and Counsellor herein The Work was dispatched to the Press at Basil I suppose and when one Part was printed the Censors of the Press thought it would be better to defer an Argument of that Nature to better Times the Controversy having been bandied up and down so much already But Froscover undertook the printing of the whole Book Fox would do nothing of himself but leaving himself to the Judgment of his Learned Brethren to commit the Work now to Froscover or no Queen Mary's Death and the return of the Exiles I suppose stopped further progress in this Matter The Original Manuscript under Fox's own Hand in very cleanly elegant Latin I have lying by me It bears this Title De totâ Sacramenti Eucharistiae causa Institutionum Libri V. Autore D. THOMA CRANMERO Archiepiscopo Cantuariensi Quibus Stephani Garneri Episcopi Wintoniensi SMYTHI Doctoris Theologi impugnationibus respondetur And that I may bring here together all that relates to Cranmer as to this Matter of the Sacrament I must not omit what I saw in the Benet-Library There is a thin Note-book of this Arch-bishop's with this Title wrote by his own Hand De re Sacramentaria which I verily believe are his Meditations and Conclusions when he set himself accurately to examine the Sacramental Controversy and fell off from the Opinion of the Carnal Presence The Notes consist of nothing but Quotations out of ancient Ecclesiastical Authors about the Lord's Supper interlined in many Places by the Arch-bishop's Pen. On the top of some of the Pages are these Sentences writ by himself being Doctrines provable out of the Sentences there produced and transcribed Panis vocatur Corpus Christi Vinum Sanguis Panis est Corpus meum Vinum est Sanguis meus figurativae sunt locutiones Quid significet haec figura Edere carnem bibere sanguinem Mali non edunt bibunt corpus sanguinem Domini Patres Vet. Testamenti edebant bibebant Christum sicut Nos Sicut in Eucharistia ita in Baptismo presens est Christus Contra Transubstantiationem After this follow these Writings of the Arch-bishop's own Hand which Arch-bishop Parker elsewhere transcribed for his own Satisfaction Multa affirmant crassi Papistae seu Capernaitae quae neque Scriptura neque ullus Veterum unquam dixerat Viz. Quod Accidentia maneant sine subjecto Quod Accidentia panis vini sunt Sacramenta non panis vinum Quod Panis non est figura sed accidentia panis Quod Christus non appellavit panem corpus suum Quod cum Christus dixit Hoc est corpus meum pronomen Hoc non refertur ad panem sed ad corpus Christi Quod tot corpora Christi accipimus aut toties corpus ejus accipimus quoties aut in quot partes dentibus secamus panem Thus having set down divers Assertions of Papists or Capernaites as he stiled them which neither Scripture nor Ancient Fathers knew any thing of his Notes proceed to state wherein Papists and Protestants disagree Praecipua Capita in quibus a Papisticis dissentimus Christum Papistae statuunt in pane nos in homine comedente Illi in comedentis ore nos in toto homine Illi Corpus Christi aiunt evolare masticato vel consumpto pane Nos manere in homine dicimus quamdiu membrum est Christi Illi in pane statuunt per annum integrum diutius si duret panis Nos in homine statuimus inhabitare quamdiu Templum Dei fuerit Illorum Sententiâ quod ad realem praesentiam attinet non amplius edit homo quam bellua neque magis ei prodest quam cuivis animanti Thus God made use of this Arch-bishop who was once of the most violent Asserters of the Corporal Presence to be the chiefest Instrument of overthrowing it But this good Work required to be carried on after Cranmer's Death For great Brags were made of Gardiner's second Book and it was boasted that none dared to encounter this their Goliath P. Martyr was thought the fittest Man to succeed Cranmer in this Province to maintain the Truth that began now to shine forth He overcome by the Solicitation of Friends composed a Book against Gardiner as was said before and printed it at Zurick Wherein I. He defended the Arguments of our Men which had been collected together and pretended to be confuted by Gardiner's Book II. He defended those Rules which Cranmer had put forth in his Tract of the Sacrament III. He maintained those Answers whereby the Arguments of the Adversaries were wont to be refuted And IV. He asserted the just and
that was such a great Instrument of promoting the Reformation He is generally charged for the great Spoil of Churches and Chappels defacing antient Tombs and Monuments and pulling down the Bells in Parish-Churches and ordering only one Bell in a Steeple as sufficient to call the People together Which set the Commonalty almost into a Rebellion As the Arch-bishop the last Year had procured Amendments and Alterations in the Book of Publick Prayers and had consulted therein with the two Learned Foreign Divines Bucer and Martyr so this Year in Ianuary an Act was made by the Parliament for authorizing the new Book and obliging the Subjects to be present at the reading of it In this Book the general Confession was added and the Absolution At the beginning of the second Service was added the Recital of the Ten Commandments with the short Ejaculation to be said between each Commandment Something was left out in the Consecration of the Sacrament that seemed to favour a Corporal presence Several Rites were laid aside as that of Oil in Confirmation and Extream Unction and Prayer for the Dead which was before used in the Communion-Office and that of Burial together with the change and abolishing of some other things that were offensive or Superstitions as may be seen by those that will take the pains to compare the two Books the one printed in the Year 1549 and the other 1552. And this was brought about by the great and long Diligence and Care of our pious Arch-bishop and no question to his great Joy and Satisfaction So that I look upon that but as an improbable report that was carried about in Frankford in those unseemly Branglings among the English Exiles there that Bullinger should say That Cranmer had drawn up a Book of Prayers an hundred times more perfect then that which was then in being but the same could not take place for that he was matched with such a wicked Clergy and Convocation with other Enemies But as his Authority was now very great so there was undoubtedly a great Deference paid to it as also to his Wisdom and Learning by the rest of the Divines appointed to that Work so that as nothing was by them inserted into the Liturgy but by his good Allowance and Approbation so neither would they reject or oppose what he thought fit should be put in or Altered The Learning Piety and good Deserts of Miles Coverdale in translating the Holy Scriptures into the English Tongue and in a constant preaching of the Gospel and sticking to the true Profession for many a Year and withall very probably their antient acquaintance in Cambridg were reasons that made our Arch-bishop a particular Friend to him When the Lord Russel was sent down against the Rebels in the West he was attended by Coverdale to preach among them Coverdale afterwards became Coadjutor to Veyzy the Bishop of Exeter who seldom resided and took little care of his Diocess But this Year whether voluntarily or by some Order he resigned up his Bishoprick having first greatly spoiled it of its Revenues And when some wise and bold Person and excellent Preacher was found extreamly needful to be sent thither to inspect the Clergy and Ecclesiastick Matters in those Parts the late Rebellion having been raised chiefly by Priests in hatred to the Religion heating and disaffecting the Minds of the common People Coverdale was judged a very fit Person to succeed in that Charge Being now Bishop Elect of Exon he had long attended at Court to get his Matters dispatched namely The doing of his Homage and the obtaining a Suit to be excused the paiment of his first Fruits being but a poor Man But such at that Time were the great and urgent Affairs of the State or the secret Hinderers of the Gospel that he found nothing but Delaies So that he was forced to apply himself unto his Friend the Arch-bishop to forward his Business Who forthwith sent his Letters to Secretary Cecyl making Coverdale himself the Bearer Entreating him to use his Interest to get this Bishop dispatched and that with speed Urging this for his Reason becoming his paternal Care over his Province That so he might without further delay go down into the Western Parts which had great need of him And also because he was minded on the 30 th of August to consecrate him and the Bishop of Rochester Scory according to the King's Mandate This Scory was at first preferred by the Arch-bishop to be one of the six Preachers at Canterbury and always continued firm to the Purity of Religion and endured Trouble for the good and wholesome Doctrine that he preached having been presented and complained of both in the Spiritual Courts and to the Justices at their Sessions when the Six Articles were in Force He was a Married Man and so deprived at the beginning of Queen Mary's Reign fled beyond Sea and was Superintendent of the English Congregation at Embden in Friezland There in the Year 1555 he wrote and printed A Comfortable Epistle unto all the Faithful that be in Prison or in any other Trouble for the defence of God's Truth Wherein he doth as well by the promises of Mercy as also by the Examples of divers holy Martyrs comfort encourage and strengthen them patiently for Christ's Sake to suffer the manifold cruel and most tyrannous Persecutions of Antichristian Tormentors As the Book bears title There were divers Bishopricks vacant this Year As that of Lincoln by the Death of Holbech The Arch-bishop deputed the Spiritualties to Iohn Pope LL. B. and Chancellor of that Church The Church commending unto the Arch-bishop this Pope and two more viz. Iohn Prin LL. D. Subdean of the Church and Christopher Massingberde LL. B. Arch-deacon of Stow. So he chose the first But yet he committed a special trust to Taylor the Dean of Lincoln whom he knew to be tight to Religion sending a Commission fiduciary to him before Pope entred upon his Office to give the said Pope his Oath Legally and faithfully to perform his Office committed to him by the Arch-bishop and to answer to the said Arch-bishop for all Obventions coming to him by virtue of his Jurisdiction and Office and that he should not by Malice or Wrong squeez the Subjects of the King and of that Diocess whether Clerks or Laics that he should not knowingly grieve them in their Estates or Persons and that he shall abstain from Oppressions Extortions and unlawful Exactions and that he shall renounce the Bishop of Rome his usurped Jurisdiction and Authority according to the Statutes of Parliament And of all this he wrote a Letter to the said Pope signifying that he required such an Oath of him to be taken before the Dean The Tenor of the Arch-bishop's Letter to the Dean went on further requiring him by his sound Council singular Prudence and by the assistance of his sincere Judgment to be present with him in any hard Cases and of
Which in the Title is said to be composed by R. W. There is also a Hymn of his preserved and set usually at the end of our English singing Psalms in our Bibles beginning Preserve us Lord by thy dear Word He writ here also many godly and learned Sermons upon the Epistles and Gospels read on Sundays He translated a Postil of Antonius Corvinus a Lutheran Divine and divers other Learned Mens Works And some of his Adversaries having laid certain Errors to his Charge very unjustly he writ a Confutation thereof a Book it seems replenish'd with all kind of godly Learning These and several other things he writ while he was here but they were not published After his abode in this Place some time he was by Letters called away again among his former Friends and Acquaintance And what became of him afterwards I find not until here in Edward the Sixth's Reign he was nominated by our Arch-bishop to be made Arch-bishop of Armagh But in Queen Mary's Reign he fled to Frankford where he remained one of the Members of the English Congregation there And when an unhappy Breach was made there among them some being for the use of the Geneva Discipline and Form and others for the continuance of that Form of Prayers that had been used in England in K. Edward's Days and the Faction grew to that Head that the former separated themselves from the rest and departed to Geneva this Wisdome did in a Sermon preached at Frankford vindicate the English Book and somewhat sharply blamed them that went away calling them Mad-heads As one Tho. Cole wrote from thence to a Friend with this Censure on him That he so called them he would not say Vnwisely alluding to his name Wisdom but he might well say Vncharitably I have thought good to give this Account of these Men that we may perceive hence the good Judgment of our Arch-bishop in propounding them for those Irish Preferments so fit and well qualified for them as in other Respects of Prudence and Learning so especially for their tried Zeal and Boldness in preaching the Gospel and their Constancy in suffering for it which were Vertues that there would be great occasion for in Ireland Of all these Four our Arch-bishop judged Mr. Whithead the fittest giving this Character of him That he was endued with good Knowledg special Honesty fervent Zeal and politick Wisdom And the next to him in fitness he judged Turner of whom he gives this Relation That he was Merry and Witty withal Nihil appetit nihil ardet nihil somniat nisi Iesum Christum And in the lively preaching of Him and his Word declared such Diligence Faithfulness and Wisdom as for the same deserveth much Commendation In fine Turner was the Man concluded upon by the King for the Arch-bishoprick of Armagh Whithead either being not overcome to accept it or otherwise designed And the Arch-bishop had Order from Court to send to Canterbury for him to come up Which accordingly he did And now about the middle of September much against his Will as not liking his designed Preferment Turner waited upon the Arch-bishop Who urging to him the King's Will and Pleasure and his ordinary Call unto this Place and such-like Arguments after a great Unwillingness prevailed with him to accept it But the Arch-bishop told the Secretary that Turner seemed more glad to go to hanging which the Rebels three Years before were just going to do with him for his preaching against them in their Camp than he was now to go to Armagh He urged to the Archbishop That if he went thither he should have no Auditors but must preach to the Walls and Stalls for the People understood no English The Arch-bishop on the other hand endeavoured to answer all his Objections He told him They did understand English in Ireland tho whether they did in the Diocess of Armagh he did indeed doubt But to remedy that he advised him to learn the Irish Tongue which with diligence he told him he might do in a Year or two And that there would this Advantage arise thereby that both his Person and Doctrine would be more acceptable not only unto his Diocess but also throughout all Ireland And so by a Letter to Secretary Cecyl recommended him to his Care entreating That he might have as ready a Dispatch as might be because he had but little Money This Letter of the Arch-bishop is dated Sept. 29 1552. So that it must be a Mistake in the late excellent Historian when he writes That Bale and Goodacre were sent over into Ireland to be Bishops in the Month of August Which cannot agree with this Letter of Cranmer which makes Turner to be in nomination only for that See a Month after And by certain Memorials of King Edward's own Hand which I have it appears that as Turner at last got himself off from accepting that Bishoprick so by the Date thereof it is evident it was vacant in October following For the King under that Month put the providing for that Place which Turner refused among his Matters to be remembred The Arch-bishop's Letters concerning this Irish Affair are in the Appendix So that at last this Charge fell upon Hugh Goodacre the last Man as it seems nominated by the Arch-bishop whom he termed A Wise and Learned Man He and Bale as they came together out of Bishop Poynet's Family unto their Preferments so they were consecrated together by Brown Arch-bishop of Dublin Febr. 2. assisted by Thomas Bishop of Kildare and Eugenius Bishop of Down and Connor Which makes me think they were not come over long before Goodacre died about a quarter of a Year after at Dublin and there buried not without suspicion of Poison by procurement of certain Priests of his Diocess for preaching God's Verity and rebuking their common Vices as Bale writes He left many Writings of great Value behind him as the said Bale his dear Friend relates but none as ever I heard of published As he was a sober and vertuous Man so he was particularly famed for his Preaching He was at first I suppose Chaplain to the Lady Elizabeth at least to her he had been long known And for him about the Year 1548 or 1549 she procured a Licence to preach from the Protector as appears by a Letter she wrote from Enfield to Mr. Cecyl who then attended on him Of which Goodacre himself was the Bearer Wherein she gave this Testimony of him That he had been of long time known unto her to be as well of honest Conversation and sober Living as of sufficient Learning and Judgment in the Scriptures to preach the Word of God The advancement whereof as she said she so desired that she wished there were many such to set forth God's Glory She desired him therefore that as heretofore at her Request he had obtained Licence to preach for divers other honest Men so he would recommend this Man's Case unto my Lord
that had the Gift of God and that they pronounced it wicked and abominable and termed it a Doctrine of Devils and the Invention of Antichrist All which Bishop Ponet in the Name of all the Protestants in his Book did utterly deny that ever they said writ or thought so This Book was indeed made by the Bishop of Winchester when he was in the Tower and he borrowed much of it from Albertus Pighius and published about that time Martin being then a Student at the University of Bourges in France it once happened in some Conversation there that Edward the King of England was commended whether it were for his Vertue or Learning or Abilities beyond his Years whereat Martin began as it seemed to eclipse the King's Honour by mentioning the Imprisonment of Winchester saying That there was a Head-Papist Prisoner in England meaning him Upon which several asked him Whether it was not the same Winchester that had set out an Hodgpodg concerning Marriage of Priests He laughing answered It was even he But that no Man ought to marvel for that VVinchester was more meet for Warlike than for Ecclesiastical Disputations Which Passage I have from Bale who was acquainted at that University with Franciscus Baldwin the Learned Professor of Law there Out of this Book Martin framed that which went under his Name with Winchester's Privity And this was well enough known to Bale and others in those Times Ponet said that Martin was abused by others who set him a-work to bear the Name and to desire the Fame of so gay a Book rather than he was the Author of it indeed The said Ponet or Poinet late Bishop of Winchester but now an Exile very learnedly answered this Book in two several Treatises The first was intitled An Apology against Tho. Martin's Blasphemies In this Treatise upon occasion of the Papists prohibition of Marriage to Priests he proved that the said Papists were Hereticks and had taken part in the most principal Parts with all the Hereticks that had corrupted the true Church of Christ. The Second Treatise replenished with great Learning he lived not to finish though some doubt whether he were the Author of this Book but the Copy falling into the Hands of Matthew Parker Arch-bishop of Canterbury he published it in the beginning of Q. Elizabeth's Reign with very large and excellent Additions of his own Ponet had thorowly studied this Point and I believe was put upon the Study of it by Arch-bishop Cranmer whose Chaplain he was For before this he put forth two Books upon this Argument viz. Of the Marriage of Ministers And a Defence of that Marriage The last thing I have to say concerning these Orders taken with the Married Clergy is That there were two things thought very Hard which were put upon those that were willing to comply and put away their Wives The one was in relation to the publick Confessions they were to make Which were put into their Mouths by others and drawn up for them in that manner as made them tell horrible Lies They must speak their own Shame in Bills of their Penance lying against themselves most vilely and most shamefully disabling their Credit and Estimation for ever And to give an Instance One such Confession which was much cried out against was made by one Sir Iohn Busby of Windsor Iune 29. in the Year 1555. Which Ponet calleth a goodly Confession of his hearty and earnest Repentance Which saith he was so finely penned and so Catholickly tracted that I warrant you it was none of the smallest Fools that forged it The other thing was that after these poor Men had thus done their Penances and spoke their Confessions the Imposers of these Penalties upon them were not so good as they pretended they would be and as the Queen's Instructions required them to be towards them Not restoring them to their Ministration Some that had been two or three Years parted from their Wives could not be admitted again to Ministration yet they must do open Penance and go by the Cross without any Redemption or Entreaty that could be made CHAP. IX Evils in this Change A Parliament BY this time the face of the Church was perfectly changed and all the Reformation that was made for twenty Years before namely from Cranmer's first ascent to the Archiepiscopal Chair to this time was unravelled in less than a Year and abolished But the Favourers of the Gospel lamented it exceedingly And Bishop Ridley writ a Treatise wherein he shewed what a deplorable Change in Religion this was by setting down at large what Religion was in K. Edward's Days and what it was at that present laying the Cause of this sore Judgment upon the vile and naughty Lives of the People so unsuitable to the good Religion professed The Professors lamented two great Evils lighting upon the People upon this turn of Religion Not only that it brought the People into error and Superstition but involved them universally in the Crime of Perjury The blame of which they laid upon the Popish Clergy For they not only had connived at but allowed and encouraged the casting off the Pope's Supremacy and made both Priests and Laity swear to the King And now they set up the Pope's Authority again in England and required all to swear to that For they compelled not only such as were Priests to perjure themselves but all the Laity Nobility Gentry Magistrates Merchants and others for hardly any were exempted the Oath of Supremacy in the former Reigns For in every Law-day the Keepers of the same were sworn to call all the Young Men of their Hundred even as they came to Years of Discretion to swear never to receive the Bishop of Rome nor no other Foreign Potentate to be Head of the People of England but only the King and his Successors Which Oath if it were unlawful as the Clergy-Men now said then all the Realm had reason of high Displeasure against them that so led them and knew it Such gross Dissembling were the Bishops guilty of to the involving the People in Guilt And this dissembling Quality the Priests still retained in this Queen's Days For when any came to some of them shewing them that his Conscience was not satisfied in the present way of Religion the Priest would tell him that he said the Truth My Conscience would he say is as yours but we must bear for a time and that he himself looked for another Change When another of a contrary Opinion came to the Priests and talked about Religion they would say to him That they had been deceived and thanks be to God said they that ye kept your Conscience all this while And even so was mine but I durst not do any otherwise but trusted that this time would come as is now thanks be to God Nay and sometimes in the same Town they would minister the Service two ways to the People to please both In
this Time by a pious Italian to his Friend who had conceived these good Opinions of him This I have put in the Appendix and the rather because it will give some Light into our present History CHAP. XIII A Convocation Articles framed therein AT a Convocation the latter end of this Year an Address was made by the Lower House to the Upper wherein they petitioned for divers things in 28 Articles meet to be considered for the Reformation of the Clergy One whereof was That all Books both Latin and English concerning any heretical erroneous or slanderous Doctrines might be destroyed and burnt throughout the Realm And among these Books they set Thomas Cranmer late Arch-bishop of Canterbury his Book made against the Sacrament of the Altar in the forefront and then next the Schismatical Book as they called it viz. the communion-Communion-Book To which they subjoined the Book of ordering Ecclesiastical Ministers and all suspect Translations of the Old and New Testament and all other Books of that nature So that if Cranmer's Book was burnt it was burnt with very good Company the Holy Bible and the Communion-Book And that such as had these Books should bring the same to the Ordinary by a certain Day or otherwise to be taken and reputed as Favourers of those Doctrines And that it might be lawful for all Bishops to make enquiry from time to time for such Books and to take them from the Owners And for the repressing of such pestilent Books Order should be taken with all speed that none such should be printed or sold within the Realm nor brought from beyond Sea upon grievous Penalties And from another Article we may learn from what Spring all the Bloody Doings that followed the ensuing Years sprang namely from the Popish Clergy For they petitioned That the Statutes made in the fifth of Richard II. and in the second of Henry IV. and the second of Henry V. against Heresy Lollards and false Preachers might be revived and put in force And that Bishops and other Ecclesiastical Ordinaries whose Hands had been tied by some later Acts might be restored to their pristine Jurisdiction against Hereticks Schismaticks and their Fautors in as large and ample manner as they were in the first Year of Henry VIII I shall not recite here the whole Address as I find it in a Volume of the Benet-College Library because the Bishop of Sarum hath faithfully printed it thence in his History Only I observe that the 17 th Article is in the Manuscript scratched out and crossed viz. That all exempt Places whatsoever might be from henceforth under the Jurisdiction of the Arch-bishop or Bishop or Arch-deacon in whose Diocesses or Arch-deaconaries they were That they judged might grate a little too much upon the Pope's Authority which they were now receiving since these Exemptions were made by Popes And the last or 28 th Article was added by another Hand viz. That all Ecclesiastical Persons that had lately spoiled Cathedral Collegiate or other Churches of their own Heads might be compelled to restore them and all singular things by them taken away or to the true value and to reedify such things as by them were destroyed or defaced This I suppose was added by Boner's Interest that he might hereby have a pretence against Ridley his Predecessor it affording a fair opportunity to crush the good Bishops and Preachers that had in Zeal to God's Glory taken away out of their Churches all Instruments of Superstition and Idolatry And it might serve their turn who had lately in a most barbarous manner plundered the rich Arch-bishop of York And as they of this Convocation were for burning Hereticks Books so they were as well disposed to the burning of the Hereticks themselves For Protestants were already not only imprisoned but put to Death without any Warrant of Law but only by virtue of Commissions from the Queen and the Lord Chancellor Whereupon when one in the Convocation started this Objection That there was no Law to condemn them Weston the Prolocutor answered It forceth not for a Law We have a Commission to proceed with them and when they be dispatched let their Friends sue the Law CHAP. XIV The Condition of the Protestants in Prison Free-Willers BY this time by the diligence of the Papists the Popish Religion was fully established in England This Apostacy Cranmer saw with a sad Heart before his Death and all his Labour overturned And Ridley sends the bad News of it from Oxon to Grindal beyond Sea in these words To tell you much naughty Matter in a few words Papismus apud nos ubique in pleno suo antiquo robore regnat As for the Protestants some were put in Prisons some escaped beyond Sea some went to Mass and some recanted and many were burned and ended their Lives in the Flames for Religion's sake They that were in Prison whereof Cranmer was the chief being the Pastors and Teachers of the Flock did what in them lay to keep up the Religion under this Persecution among the Professors Which made them write many comfortable and instructive Letters to them and send them their Advices according as Opportunity served One thing there now fell out which caused some disturbance among the Prisoners Many of them that were under restraint for the Profession of the Gospel were such as held Free-will tending to the derogation of God's Grace and refused the Doctrine of Absolute Predestination and Original Sin They were Men of strict and holy Lives but very hot in their Opinions and Disputations and unquiet Divers of them were in the King's-Bench where Bradford and many other Gospellers were Many whereof by their Conferences they gained to their own Perswasions Bradford had much discourse with them The Name of their chief Man was Harry Hart Who had writ something in defence of his Doctrine Trew and Abingdon were Teachers also among them Kemp Gybson and Chamberlain were others They ran their Notions as high as Pelagius did and valued no Learning and the Writings and Authorities of the Learned they utterly rejected and despised Bradford was apprehensive that they might now do great Haâ—m in the Church and therefore out of Prison wrote a Letter to Cranmer Ridley and Latimer the three chief Heads of the Reformed though Oppressed Church in England to take some Cognizance of this Matter and to consult with them in remedying it And with him joined Bishop Ferrar Rowland Taylor and Iohn Philpot. This Letter worthy to be read may be found among the Letters of the Martyrs and transcribed in the Appendix Upon this Occasion Ridley wrote a Treatise of God's Election and Predestination And Bradford wrote another upon the same Subject and sent it to those three Fathers in Oxâ—ord for their Approbation and theirs being obtained the rest of the eminent Divines in and about London were ready to sign it also I have seen another Letter of Bradford to
them either by Writiting or by Disputation in the English Tongue By whom this Declaration was drawn up unless by Iohn Bradford I know not for I meet with it a MS. which contains divers Pieces of that good Man This remarkable Declaration I have reposited in the Appendix This now is the second time a publick Challenge was made to justify K. Edward's Reformation the former the last Year by Cranmer the latter now by divers of the Learned Men in Prison After they had lain fifteen or sixteen Months thus in Prison their Livings Houses and Possessions Goods and Books taken from them they made such another Address unto the King and Queen and the Parliament therein undertaking either by Word or Writing before them or indifferent Arbiters to be appointed by them to prove themselves no Hereticks nor Teachers of Heresy as they were pretended to be nor cut off from the true Catholick Church though by the Popish Clergy excommunicated and Secondly By the Testimony of Christ his Prophets and Apostles and the Godly Fathers of the Church to prove the Doctrine of the Church the Homilies and Service taught and used in K. Edward's Time to be the true Doctrine of Christ's Catholick Church and most agreeable to the Articles of the Christian Faith And this was the third publick Challenge they made This being preserv'd in Fox's Acts I forbear to transcribe it CHAP. XV. The Exiles and their Condition BUT let us now turn our Eyes from the Prisoners which were kept under close Confinement here in England unto the Exiles that by the good Providence of God made their Flight into foreign Countries from these Storms at home These were both of the Clergy and Laity Who though great watch was laid for them and Prohibitions given out against any that should privately attempt to transport themselves yet by taking their Opportunities and the favour of divers Masters of small Vessels at Lee in Essex and upon the Coasts in those Parts they safely got to the other side of the Sea They scattered themselves and took up their Harbours as they could But they found little Hospitality in Saxony and other places in Germany where Lutheranism was professed But on the contrary the Exile English were much hated by those of that Profession because they looked upon them as Sacramentaries and holding as Calvin and Peter Martyr did in the Doctrine of the Sacrament Therefore when any English came among them for Shelter they expelled them out of their Cities And when a grave Pastor of Saxony a Friend of P. Martyr's who though he were a Minister yet was not of their Mind had entertained some of them the rest clamoured against him and hated him for it About this time the Saxon Divines wrote many Books against the Sacramentaries and namely one Ioachim Westphalus wrote a Book against Calvin And he and the rest got these Books printed at Frankford on purpose as Martyr conjectured the more to spight the English and French Churches that abode now there and to provoke them At Wesel the English were under some trouble and the Senate were about to command them to depart thence because of their different Sentiments from the Augustan Confession in some Points But Philip Melancthon interposed and interceded with the Senate on their behalf And when some clamoured against them he took their part saying That their Case ought to be weighed by friendly Disputations and not exploded by Noise and Hissing and declared his judgment to be That these poor Exiles were to be retained and helped not afflicted and vexed by any rough Sentence He wrote also to the Governors of Frankford to the same purpose viz. That the English were not to be oppressed but to be cherished considering their Sentiments were found in the main Articles of the Christian Confession and that whereas they differed in some Points they were to be instructed and informed and not to be rudely thrown out from among them by Force and Violence And indeed it was admirable to observe at this Time the exceeding Heats that were in the Lutherans against all other Protestants only for differing from them in this one Point of the Sacrament There was a Book published in the Year 1555. in favour of their Opinion of the Corporeal Presence which was called Farrago Doctrinae Lutheranae This P. Martyr called Valdè insulsa a very foolish Book It contained a Collection of Sentences out of the Fathers and also out of the Writings of Luther Philip Brentius Pomeran c. They added some out of Bucer Illyricus and Ioachim Westphalus to shew that they agreed together They inserted divers Letters sometime writ against the Sacramentaries Indeed Calvin and Martyr they mentioned not by Name but A Lasco they did In this Book there was a Discourse added under this Title Quod Christi Corqus sit ubique Which was to serve as a Proof of their Doctrine And in the conclusion there was a Common-place De Magistratus officio Which was thought to be put in upon no other reason but to inflame and irritate Princes against the Sacramentaries These Saxon Divines were exceeding hot against those that believed not as they did In their ordinary Discourses they stiled them Hereticks False Prophets Suermeros Sacramentiperdas About this Time they were gathering new Votes against Calvin and as it was thought they intended to attempt some Excommunication against such as differed from them in this Point And this that I have said is enough to explain the Reason of the Inhospitality of the Lutherans to our Exiles But in other Places they were received with much Kindness and had the Liberty of their Religious Worship granted them as in Strasburgh Frankford Embden Doesburge Basil Zurick Arrow Geneva At Zurick they were received into one House with Bullinger and had great Favour and Countenance shewn them by the Towns-men and Magistrates Who offered them by Bullinger to supply them with such a quantity of Bread-corn and Wine as should serve to sustain thirteen or fourteen People But they with Thanks refused it Having I suppose wherewith to subsist otherwise of themselves and being willing to be as little burthensome as might be In these Places some followed their Studies some taught Schools some wrote Books some assisted at the Printing-Presse and grew very dear to the Learned Men in those Places At Embden they â—aving gotten among them by Sir Iohn Cheke's Means as was thought an Original Copy of Arch-bishop Cranmer's Book of the Sacrament translated it into Latin and printed it there with a Preface before it And there they preserved the said Original as a most invaluable Treasure Here they printed other good Books in English and conveyed them into England At Geneva a Club of them employed themselves in translating the Holy Bible into English intending to do it with more Correctness than had hitherto been done having the opportunity of consulting with Calvin and Beza in
order thereunto What they performed may be perceived by the Bible that goes under the Name of the Geneva Bible at this Day It was in those Days when it first came forth better esteemed of than of later Times At Frankford where they had great Countenance of the Magistrates of the City arose great Contentions and Quarrels among themselves about the Discipline of the Church and in framing a New Service different from what was before set forth in K. Edward's Reign to be used in the publick Congregation which new Service came nearer to the Form of the Church of Geneva This occasioned great Troubles Animosities and Separations to the discredit of themselves and the Reformation These Matters may be seen at large in the Troubles at Frankford There is one thing which that Book making I think no mention of I will here relate Some of the English upon this Dissension carried their Children to be baptized by Lutheran Priests for tho the Lutherans were against the poor Exiles they thought so well of them as to be willing their Children should be initiated into the Church by their Ministry The Occasion whereof seemed to be that in the Divisions of this Church one Party would not let their Children be baptized by the English Minister This causing a new Disturbance some wrote to the great Divine P. Martyr now at Argentine for his Resolution of this Question An liceat hominibus Evangelicis Baptismum a Lutheranis accipere To this he answered in a Letter to the Church disapproving of their doings Telling them That the way to heal their Differences was to bring their Children to be baptized in such Churches with which they agreed in Faith and Doctrine So that this created a new Quarrel among them for some held it unlawful to receive Baptism from those that were not Orthodox in their Doctrine and others again thought it lawful And this made them send to Martyr for his Judgment as aforesaid Who wrote That he would not say it was unlawful for that it could not be judged by the Word of God but he disliked the Practice and propounded divers Arguments against it Those that were for it said It was an indifferent thing To which Martyr made this reply That indifferent things were not to be used to the Scandal of the Weak They said The Difference was not so great between us in the matter of the Sacrament But Martyr said It was of great Moment because in it there was a Contest concerning the chief Head of Religion They added that the Lutheran Divines did think in the Matter of Baptism as they did But Martyr answered That they were mistaken for those Divines affirmed more of the Sacrament than is fit and tied the Grace of God to Baptism and that they thought there was no Salvation without Baptism and that they affirmed that Infants had Faith To the Exiles residing here at Frankford some in the Year 1555 conveyed Gardiner's Book against Cranmer intitled Marcus Antonius with Ridley's Answer to the Objections of that Book and a Treatise in English of Transubstantiation wrote by the same Ridley This last they intended to turn into Latine and so to print both But on second Thoughts they demurred upon it fearing it might enrage Gardiner the more against Ridley who was yet alive Whereupon Grindal wrote to him to know his Mind therein before they proceeded to Print Many of the Fugitives took up their Residence at Basil upon two Reasons one was because the People of that City were especially very kind and courteous unto such English as came thither for Shelter the other because those that were of slenderer Fortunes might have Imployment in the Printing-houses there the Printers in Basil in this Age having the Reputation of exceeding all others of that Art throughout Germany for the Exactness and Elegancy of their Printing And they rather chose English Men for the Overseers and Correctors of their Presses being noted for the most careful and diligent of all others Whereby many poor Scholars made a shift to subsist in these hard Times Indeed many of these Exiles assisted in promoting of Learning and Religion by publishing to the World their own or other Mens Writings Iohn Scory that had been Bishop of Chichester wrote a very comfortable Epistle unto all the Faithful that were in Prison or in any other Trouble for the Defence of God's Truth Printed in the Year 1555. He was Preacher to the English Congregation at Embden and stiled their Superintendent From hence this and many other good Books were sent into England by certain Persons to be dispersed about in London and other Places There was one Elizabeth Young that came thence with a Book called Antichrist and several others Who was taken up for bringing in Prohibited and Heretical Books and endured much Trouble There was also another named Thomas Bryce that brought Books from Wesel into Kent and London he was watched and dogged but escaped several Times Sir Iohn Baker a Kentish Man and a great Papist and a Courtier laid his Spies to attack him Iohn Old printed a Book at Waterford 1555 intitled The Acquittal or Purgation of the most Catholick Christen Prince Edward VI. against all such as blasphemously and traiterously infamed him or the Church in his Reign of Heresy or Sedition The writing of this Book was occasioned from the Preachers of England in Q. Mary's Time in their Sermons at S. Paul's Cross and in other Pulpits spewing out as the Book expresseth it with Scolding Roaring and Railing the Poison of Antichrist's Traditions and infaming the Order Form and Vse of Preaching Prayers and Administration of the Holy Sacraments set forth and exercised by common Authority in the Church of England reformed under the Government of Edward VI. and vilely slandering of his Father K. Henry VIII for banishing the violent usurped Power and Supremacy of the Romish antient Antichrist for his Brother 's known Wife and for taking justly upon him the Title and Estate of Supremacy incident and appertaining by the undoubted Ordinance of God to his Regal Office and Imperial Crown Thomas Sampson formerly Dean of Chichester wrote an Epistle to the Inhabitants of Alhallows-Breadstreet where in K. Edward's Time he had been Incumbent William Turner Doctor of Physick and that had been Physician in the Duke of Somerset's Family and after Dean of Wells another Exile put forth a Book Anno 1555. called A new Book of Spiritual Physick for divers Diseases of the Nobility and Gentlemen of England Dedicating it to divers of the chief Nobility It consisted of three Parts In the first he shewed who were Noble and Gentlemen and how many Works and Properties belong unto such and wherein their Office chiefly standeth In the second Part he shewed great Diseases were in the Nobility and Gentry which letted them from doing their Office In the third Part he specified what the Diseases were as namely the whole Palsy the Dropsy
by any Doctor above a thousand Years after Christ that Christ's Body is in the Sacrament of the Altar really he would give over So that his Library was the Storehouse of Ecclesiastical Writers of all Ages And which was open for the use of Learned Men. Here old Latimer spent many an Hour and found some Books so remarkable that once he thought fit to mention one in a Sermon before the King And when Ascham of Cambridg a great Student of Politer Learning and of Greek Authors wanted Gregory Nyssen in Greek not the Latin Translation of him and which it seems the University could not afford he earnestly entreated Poynet his Grace's Chaplain to borrow it in his Name and for his use for some Months of the Arch-bishop For in those Times it was rare to meet with those Greek Fathers in their own Language and not spoiled by some ill Latin Translation Another of his Books I will mention because it is now in the possession of a Reverend Friend of mine near Canterbury in which Book the Arch-bishop's Name is yet to be seen written thus with his own Hand Thomas Cantuariensis and a remarkable Book it is which we may conclude the Arch-bishop often perused viz. Epistolae Historiae Joannis Hus. Printed at Wittemberg 1537. And this Learning happening in a Mind possessed with Piety made him the more deeply sensible of the greatness of the Charge that lay upon him And as he well knew under what Needs the Church laboured so he was very solicitous that nothing might be wanting on his part shewing himself a most conscientious Bishop and tender Pastor of Christ's Flock He was not guided in his Episcopal Function by vain Glory or Affectation of popular Applause or worldly Ambition or Covetousness but only by the Holy and Pious Ends of discharging his Duty and promoting the Honour of Christ and the Knowledg of his Gospel and the Good of his People as he took God to witness in the Preface of his Book of the Sacrament A Paragraph whereof I think not unworthy to be here inserted whereby it may appear of what a truly Apostolical Spirit our Arch-bishop was When I see said he Christ's Vinyard overgrown with Thorns Brambles and Weeds I know that everlasting Woe appertaineth to me if I hold my Peace and put not to my Hand and Tongue to labour in purging his Vinyard God I take to witness who seeth the Hearts of all Men thorowly unto the bottom that I take this Labour for none other Consideration but for the Glory of his Name and the Discharge of my Duty and the Zeal I have toward the Flock of Christ. I know in what Office God hath placed me and to what Purpose That is to say to set forth his Word truly unto his People to the uttermost of my Power without respect of Persons or regard of Things in the World but of him alone I know what Account I shall make to him hereof at the last Day when every Man shall answer for his Vocation and receive for the fame Good or Evil according as he hath done I know how Antichrist hath obscured the Glory of God and the true Knowledg of his Word overcasting the same with Mists and Clouds of Error and Ignorance thrô false Glosses and Interpretations It pitieth me to see the simple and hungry Flock of Christ led into corrupt Pastures to be carried blindfold they know not whither and to be fed with Poison instead of wholsome Meats And moved by the Duty Office and Place whereunto it hath pleased God to call me I give warning in his Name unto all that profess Christ that they flee far from Babylon if they will save their Souls and to beware of that great Harlot that is to say the pestiferous See of Rome that she make you not drunk with her pleasant Wine c. And as he had this Care of the whole Church of this Land as the high Patriarch thereof so he particularly had his Eye upon his own Diocess He took Care even in King Henry's ticklish Reign to place such Ministers in Kent as were Learned and dared to open their Mouths to preach Gospel-Doctrin and to convince the People of the Usurpations of the Bishop of Rome and of the Idolatry and Superstitions wherein they had been so long nursled up And for the preventing whereof for Time to come he ordered his Arch-deacon and other his Officers to take down Images out of Churches and deface them Which things created him much hatred among the Popish Clergy whose Gain depended so much therein He had a peculiar regard of the greater Towns of his Diocess that such Places might be furnished with able Men where the Inhabitants were numerous and the Salaries generally small Whereby he saw it came to pass that where there was most need of Learned Men there the most Ignorant were placed Therefore he thought this worthy his redressing I meet with this Memorandum in one of his Note-books These Towns following are especially to be remembred that in them there be placed Learned Men with sufficient Stipends Sandwich Dover Folkston Ashford Tenderden Crambroke Faversham Hearn Whitstable Marden Maydston Wye and Wingham In these great Towns as well as Canterbury he often preached himself And for his Sermons at Sandwich he was once complained of openly in the Parliament-house to have brought him under the Lash of the Statute of the Six Articles And within seven or eight Years after his first entrance into the See he had placed such store of good Preachers about Kent that at another time a long List of Articles were drawn up against them and given in to the Justices of the County at a Quarter-Sessions of the Peace and they by a Combination preferred the Complaint to the King and Council His high Estate puffed him not up nor made him forget the great Work of his Calling which he very earnestly desired to prosecute above all things in the World Nor did he care at all for the high Titles that were attributed to him as he was Arch-bishop of Canterbury as may appear by this Passage Upon occasion of a Question arising concerning his Stile of Primate of all England for bearing which in his Summons for a Provincial Visitation the Bishop of Winchester out of Malice had complained to King Henry against him as though it were an Encroachment upon the King's Supremacy he protested to Crumwel then Secretary who had sent him word of it That as God should be merciful to him in the Day of Judgment he set not more by any Title or Stile than he did by the paring of an Apple further than it should be to the setting forth God's Word and Will His Expression was That they were the Successors of Diotrephes that affected glorious Titles Stiles and Pomps He professed He could have been willing that Bishops should lay aside their lofty Stiles and only write themselves by the Stile of their Offices The
their Edification and Comfort when for some hundred Years before those Treasures had for the most part been locked up and concealed from them But first great was the Labour of our Arch-bishop before he could get this good Work effected being so disliked and repugned by the Patrons of Popery For he had almost all the Bishops against him as may appear by what I am going to relate The King being by the Arch-bishop brought to encline to the publishing thereof the Translation done by Coverdale was by Crumwel or the Arch-bishop presented into the King's Hands and by him committed to divers Bishops of that Time to peruse whereof Stephen Gardiner was one After they had kept it long in their Hands and the King had been divers Times sued unto for the Publication thereof at last being called for by the King himself they redelivered the Book And being demanded by the King What their Judgment was of the Translation they answered That there were many Faults therein Well said the King but are there any Heresies maintained thereby They answered There were no Heresies that they could find maintained in it If there be no Heresies said the King then in God's Name let it go abroad among our People This Circumstance I thought fit to mention being the Substance of what Coverdale himself afterwards at a Paul's-Cross-Seâ—mon spake in his own Vindication against some slanderous Reports that were then raised against his Translation declaring his faithful Purpose in doing the same Confessing withal That he did then himself espy some Faults which if he might review it once again as he had done twice before he doubted not he said but to amend This is related by Dr. Fulk who was then one of Coverdale's Auditors and heard him speak and declare all this The first Edition of the Bible was finished by Grafton in the Year 1538 or 1539. That Year our Arch-bishop procured a Proclamation from the King allowing private Persons to buy Bibles and keep them in their Houses And about two or three Years after they were reprinted and backed with the King's Authority the former Translation having been Revised and Corrected whether by certain learned Men of both Universities or by some Members of the Convocation that were then sitting it is uncertain But to this Translation the Arch-bishop added the last Hand mending it in divers Places with his own Pen and fixing a very excellent Preface before it In which he divided his Discourse between two sorts of Men The one such as would not read the Scripture themselves and laboured to stifle it from others The other such as read the Scripture indeed but read it inordinately and turned it into matter of Dispute and Contention rather than to direct their Lives And thereby while they pretended to be Furtherers thereof proved but Hinderers as the others were these being as blameless almost as those As to the former sort He marvelled at them that they should take Offence at publishing the Word of God For it shewed them to be as much guilty of Madness as those would be who being in Darkness Hunger and Cold should obstinately refuse Light Food and Fire Unto which three God's Word is compared But he attributed it to the prejudice of Custom which was so prevalent that supposing there were any People that never saw the Sun such as the Cimmerii were fancied to be and that God should so order it that that Glorious Light should in process of Time break in upon them at the first some would be offended at it And when Tillage was first found out according to the Proverb many delighted notwithstanding to feed on Mast and Acorns rather than to eat Bread made of good Corn. Upon this Reason he was ready to excuse those who when the Scripture first came forth doubted and drew back But he was of another Opinion concerning such as still persisted in disparaging the publishing of the Scripture judging them not only Foolish and Froward but Peevish Perverse and Indurate And yet if the Matter were to be tried by Custom we might allege Custom for reading the Scripture in the Vulgar Tongue and prescribe more antient Custom than for the contrary Shewing that it was not above an hundred Years since the reading it in English was laid aside within this Realm and that many hundred Years before it had been translated and read in the Saxon Tongue being then the Mother Tongue and that there remained divers Copies of it in old Abbies And when that Language became old and out of common usage it was translated into the newer Tongue And of this many Copies then still remained and were daily found Then from Custom he proceeded to consider the thing in its own Nature shewing how available it was that the Scripture should be read of the Laity For which he takes a large Quotation out of S. Chrysostom in his third Sermon De Lazaro Wherein that Father exhorted the People To read by themselves at home between Sermon and Sermon that what he had said before in his Sermons upon such and such Texts might be the more fixed in their Minds and Memories and that their Minds might be the more prepared to receive what he should say in his Sermons which he was to preach to them And that he ever had and would exhort them not only to give Ear to what was said by the Preacher in the Church but to apply themselves to reading the Scriptures at home in their own Houses And a great deal more upon the same Argument And then as to the other sort our Arch-bishop shewed How there is nothing so good in the World but might be abused and turned from Unhurtful and Wholsome to Hurtful and Noisome As above in the Heavens the Sun Moon and Stars were abused by Idolatry and here on Earth Fire Water Meat Drink Gold Silver Iron Steel are things of great benefit and use and yet we see much harm and mischief done by each of these as well by reason of the lack of Wisdom and Providence in them that suffer Evil by them as by the Malice of them that work the Evil by them Advising therefore all that came to read the Bible which he called The most precious Iewel and most holy Relick that remained upon Earth to bring with them the Fear of God and that they read it with all due Reverence and used their Knowledg thereof not to the vain Glory of frivolous Disputation but to the Honour of God Encrease of Vertue and Edification of themselves and others And then he backed this his Counsel with a large Passage out of Gregory Nazianzen which was levelled against such as only talked and babbled of the Scripture out of Season but were little the better for it And lastly he concluded his Preface by directing to such Qualifications as were proper for such as came to read these Sacred Volumes Namely That he ought to bring with him a Fear of Almighty God and
ultra vero montes singulis biennijs Visitabo aut per-me aut per meum nuntium nisi Apostolica absolvat Licentia Possessiones vero ad mensam mei Archiepiscopatus pertinentes non vendam neque donabo neque impignerabo neque de novo infeudabo vel aliquo modo alienabo inconsulto Romano Pontifice Sic me Deus adjuvet haec Sancta Dei Evangelia NUM VII Cranmer's Oath to the King for his Temporalties I Thomas Cranmer renounce and utterly forsake al such clauses words sentences and grants which I have of the Popes Holines in his Bulls of the Archbishopric of Cant. that in any manner was is or may be hurtful or prejudicial to your highnes your heires Successors Estate or Dignity Royal. Knowing my self to take and hold the said Archbishopric immediately and only of your Highnes and of none other Most lowly beseeching the same for restitution of the Temporalties of the said Archbishopric Professing to be faithful true and obedient subject to your said Highnes your Heires and Successors during my life So help me God and the holy Evangelists NUM VIII The King's Proclamation for bringing in Seditious Books IT set forth that sundry contentions and sinister opinions had by wrong teaching and naughty printed Books encreased among his Subjects contrary to the true faith and reverence and due observation of the Sacraments and Sacramentals rites and ceremonies heretofore used And as the Books are blamed so the additions and Annotations in the margents the Prologues and Kalendars to them made by sundry strange persons called Anabaptists and Sacramentaries lately comen into the Realm and by some other his Majesties Subjects Wherby many of the Kings loving but simple Subjects were induced arrogantly and superstitiously to dispute in open places and tavernes upon Baptism and upon the holy Sacrament of the Altar not only to their own slander but to the reproch of the whole realm and his Graces high discontentation and displesure with the danger of the encrease of the said enormities Therfore the King did streitly charge and command by his present Proclamation as wel al his subjects as al others whatsoever resiant within his Realm that from henceforth they observe and keep these Articles following First That no person shal without his Majesties special leave transport and bring from foreign parts any Books printed in the English tongue nor sel give and publish such books upon pain that the Offenders forfeit al their goods and chattels and have imprisonment during his Majesties plesure Item None to print any book in the English tongue unless upon examination made by some of the privy Councel or other appointed by his Highnes and shal have Licence so to do Nor shal print or bring â—n any books of the holy scripture in the English tongue with any Annotations in the Margin or any Prologue or Addition in the Kalendar or Table except such annotations c. be first duely examined and allowed by the Kings Highnes or such of his Councel as shal please his Majesty to assign therto but only the plain Sentence and Text with a Table or Repertory instructing the Reader to find readily the Chapters contained in the said Book and the effects thereof Nor to print any Book of translations in the English tongue unles the plain name of the translator therof be contained in the same book or else that the Printer wil answer for the same as for his own privy deed and otherwise to make the Translator the Printer to suffer imprisonment and make a fine at the Kings Wil. Item None using the occupation of printing shal print or cause to be published any book of Scripture in the English tongue unles his books be first viewed and examined by the King or one of his Privy Councel or one Bishop of the Realm upon pain to loose and forfeit all their goods and chattels and suffer imprisonment during plesure Item The King declared concerning Anabaptists and other Sacramentaries lately comen into the realm that he abhorred and detested their errors and intended to procede against them that were already apprehended according to their merits to thintent his subjects should take example by their punishments not to adhere to such false and detestable opinions but utterly to forsake and relinquish them And that whersoever any of them be known they be detected and his Majesty or Councel be enformed with al convenient speed with al maner Abetters and printers of the same opinion And his Majesty charged the same Anabaptists and Sacramentaries not apprehended or known that they within eight or ten dayes depart out of the Realm upon pain of los of their life and forfeiture of their goods Item Forasmuch as the holy Sacrament of the Altar is the very body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and so hath and ought to be taken upon peril of damnation his Majesty minded to continue his Subjects in this true and just Faith and that they be not beguiled away from it charged that none should henceforth reason or dispute upon the said blessed Sacrament or of the Mysteries therof upon pain of los of life and forfeiture of goods Except to learned men in holy scripture instructed and taught in the Universities their Liberties and privileges in their schools and places accustomed concerning the same and otherwise in communication without slaunder of any man for the only confirmation and declaration of the truth therof Item And forasmuch as many brooked divers and many laudable ceremonies and rites heretofore used and accustomed in the Church of England not yet abrogated by the Kings authority Whereby arose different strifes and contentions as for and concerning holy bread holywater processions kneeling and creeping on Good Friday to the Cros and Easter day setting up lights before the Corpus Christi bearing of Candles on the day of Purification Ceremonies used at the Purification of women delivered of child and offering of their Chrysomes Keeping of the four offering dayes Payment of tiths according to the old custom of the Realm and other such like ceremonies 〈◊〉 Majesty charged and commanded al his subjects to observe and keep them so as they shal use and observe the same without superstition and esteem them for good and lawful ceremonies tokens and signes to put us in remembrance of things of high perfection and none otherwise And not to repose any trust of salvation in them but take them for good Instructions until such time as his M. change or abrogate any of them as his Highnes upon reasonable consideration both may and intendeth to do Finally Whereas a few Priests as wel Religious as others have taken Wives and married themselves contrary to the wholsome monitions of S. Paul to Timothy and Titus and to the Corinthians and contrary to the opinion of many of the old Fathers and Expositors of scripture not esteeming also the promise of chastity which they made at the receiving of Holy Orders his Highnes minding in no wise
to the Kinges grace beseching him to send his honorable Lettres under his Seal down to whom he please in my Diocess That they may show and publish that it is not his pleasure that soche bookes should be had or red and also punish soch as saith so I trust before this letter shal come unto you my said L. Abbot hath done so That said Abbot hath the names of some that crakyth in the Kings name that their false opinions shold go forth and wil dy in the quarrel that their ungracious opinions be true and trustyth by Michaelmas day there shal be more that shal beleve of thair opinion than they that beleivyth the contrary If I had known that your Grace had been at London I would have commaunded the said Abbot to have spoken with you But your Grace may send for him when ye please and he shal show you my whole mynd in that matier and how I thought best for the suppression of soch as holdyth these arroneous opinions For if they continue any time I thynk they shal undoe us all The said Abbot departed from me on Monday last and sith that tyme I have had much trouble and business with others in like matters And as they say that whersomever they go they hear say that the Kings pleasure is the N. Testament in English shal go forth and men sholde have it and read it And from that opinion I can no wayes induce them But I had greater authority to punish them then I have Wherfore I beseech your good Lordship to advertise the Kinges grace as I trust the said Abbot hath done before this letter shal come unto your grace that a remedy may be had But now it may be done wel in my Diocess for the Gentlemen and the Communalty be not greatly infected But merchants and soch that hath their abiding not far from the Sea The said Abbot of Hyde can show you of a Curate and well learned in my Diocess that exhorted his Parishioners to believe contrary to the Catholic faith There is a Colledg in Cambridg called Gunnel haule of the foundatâ—â—n of a Bp. of Norwich I hear of no clerk that hath commen out lately of that Colledg but savoryth of the frying pan tho he speak never so holily I beseech your grace to pardon me of my rude and tedious writing to you the zeal and love that I owe to Almighty God cawse me this to do And thus Almighty God long preserve your Grace in good prosperity and health At Hoxne the xiiij th day of May 1530. Your obediensary and dayly Orator NUM XIII Archbishop Cranmer to King Henry Complaining of a Prior in Canterbury that had preached against him PLesyth it your Grace to be advertised That wher as wel by your Graces special letters dated the third day of Iune in the xxvij th year of your Graces most noble reign as also by mouth in Wynchester at Mich. last past your Grace commanded al the Prelates of your Realm that they with al acceleration and expedition shold do their diligence every one in his Diocess fully to persuade your people of the Bp. of Rome his authority that it is but a false and injust Usurpation and that your Grace of veray right and by Gods law is the Supreme Head of this Church of England next immediately unto God I to accomplish your Graces Commandment incontinent upon my return from Wynchester knowing that al the Country about Otford and Knol where my most abode was were sufficiently instructed in those matters already came up into these parts of East Kent onely by preaching to persuade the people in the said two Articles and in mine own church at Canterbury Because I was informed that that Towne in those two points was least perswaded of al my Diocess I preached there two Sermons my self And as it then chaunced Dr. Leighton was present at my first Sermon being then your Graces Visitor Of whom if it so please your Grace you may heare the report what I preached The scope and effect of both my Sermons stood in three things First I declared that the Bp. of Rome was not Gods Vicar in earth as he was taken And although it is so taught these three or four hundred years yet it is done by means of the Bp. of Rome who compelled men by oaths so to teach to the maintenance of his authority contrary to God's word And here I declared by what means and craft the Bp. of R. obtained such usurped authority Seconde Bycause the See of R. was called Sancta Sedes Romana and the Bp. was called Sanctissimus Papa and mennys consciences peradventure could not be quiet to be separated from so holy a place and from Gods most holy Vicar I shewed the people that this thing ought nothing to move theym For it was but a Holines in name For indeed there was no such holines at Rome And hereupon I took occasion to declare his glory and the Pomp of Rome the Covetousnes the unchast living and the maintenance of al vices Thirde I spake against the Bp. of R. his lawes Which he calleth Divinas Lâ—ges and Sacros Canones and makes them equal with Gods Law And here I declared that many of the Laws were veray contrary And some of theym which were good and laudable yet they were not of such holines as he would make theym that is to be taken as Gods laws or to have remission of sins by observing theym And here I sayd that so many of his laws as were good men ought not to contemne or despise them and wilfully to break theym For those that be good your G. hath received as laws of your Realm until such time as others shold be made And therfore as lawes of your realm they must be observed and not contempned And here I spake as wel of the Ceremonies of the Church as of the foresaid lawes that they ought neither to be rejected or despised nor yet to be observed with this opinion that they of themselfes make men holy or that they remit sins For seeing that our sins be remitted by the death of our Savior Christ Jesus I sayd it was too moch injury to Christ to impute the remission of our sins to any Lawes or ceremonies of mans making Nor the Laws and ceremonies of the Church at their first making were ordeined for that intent But as the common lawes of your G's realm be not made to remit sins nor no man doth observe theym for that intent but for a common commodity and for a good order and quietnes to be observed among your Subjects evyn so were the laws and ceremonies first instituted in the Church for a good order and for remembrances of many good things but not for remission of our sinns And though it be good to observe theym wel for that intent they were first ordened yet it is not good but a contumely unto Christ to observe theym with this opinion that they remit
cease from keeping of theym For the Kings own House shal be an example unto al the realm to break his own ordinances Over this whereas your Lp. hath twice written for this poor man William Gronnow the bearer hereof to my L. Deputy of Callis for him to be restored to his room as far as I understand it prevayled nothing at al. For so he can get none answer of my L. Deputy So tha◠the poor man dispaireth that your request shal do him any good If your Lp. would be so good to him as to obtain a bil signed by the Kings Grace to the Treasurers and Controlers of Callis for the time being commanding theym to pay to the said W. Gronnow his accustomed Wages yearly and to none other your Lp. should not only not further trouble my L. Deputy any more but also do a right meritorious deed For if the poor man be put thus from his Living he were but utterly undone Thus my Lord right hartily fare you wel At Ford the xxviij day of August Your Lordships own ever T. Cantuariens NUM XX. Richard Grafton the Printer of the Bible to the Lord Crumwel complaining of some that intended to print the Bible and thereby to spoyl his Impression ✚ 1537. MOST humbly beseeching your Lp. to understand that according as your Commission was by my servant to send you certain Bibles so have I now done desiring your Lp. to accept them as though they were wel done And whereas I writ unto your Lp. for a privy Seal to be a defence unto the enemies of this Bible I understand that your Lps. mind is that I shal not need it But now most gracious Lord forasmuch as this work hath been brought forth to our most great and costly labors and charges Which charges amount above the sum of five hundred pounds and I have caused of these same to be printed to the sum of fifteen hundred books complete Which now by reason that of many this work is highly commended there are that wil and doth go about the printing of the same work again in a lesser letter to the intente that they may sel their little books better cheap then I can sel these great and so to make that I shal sel none at al or else very few to the utter undoing of me your Orator and of all those my Creditors that hath been my Comforters and helpers therin And now this work thus set forth with great study and labors shal such persons moved with a little covetousnes to the undoing of others for their own private wealth take as a thing done to their hands In which half the charges shal not come to them that hath done to your poor Orator And yet shall not they do it as they find it but falsify the text that I dare say look how many sentences are in the Bible even so many faults and errors shal be made therin For their seeking is not to set it out to Gods glory and to the edifying of Christs Congregation but for covetousnes And that may appear by the former Bibles that they have set forth which hath neither good paper letters ink nor correction And even so shal they corrupt this work and wrap it up after their fashions and then may they sel it for nought at their pleasures Yea and to make it more truer then it is therfore Dutch men living within this realm go about the printing of it Which can neither speak good English nor yet write none And they wil be both the Printers and Correctors therof Because of a little covetousnes they wil not bestow twenty or forty pounds to a Learned man to take pains in it to have it wel done It were therfore as your Lp. doth evidently perceive a thing unreasonable to permit or suffer them which now hath no such busines to enter into the labors of them that hath made both sore trouble and unreasonable charges And the truth is this that if it be printed by any other before these be sold which I think shal not be these three years at the least that then am I your poor Orator undone Therfore by your most godly favor if I may obtain the Kings most gracious privilege that none shal print them till these be sold which at the least shall not be this three years your Lordship shal not find me unthankful but that to the uttermost of my power I wil consider it And I dare say that so wil my L of Canterbury with other my most special friends And at the last God wil look upon your merciful heart that considereth the undoing of a poor young man For truly my whole Living lyeth hereupon Which if I may have sale of them not being hindred by any other men it shal be my making and wealth and the contrary is my undoing Therfore most humbly I beseech your Lp. to be my helper here that I may obtain this my request Or else if by no means this privilege may be had as I have no doubt through your help it shal and seeing men are so desirous to be printing of it again to my utter undoing as aforesaid that yet forasmuch as it hath pleased the Kings Highnes to Licence this work to go abroad and that it is the most pure religion that teacheth al true obedience and reproveth al schisms and contentions and the lack of this word of Almighty God is the cause of al blindnes and superstition It may therfore be commanded by your Lp. in the name of our most gracious Prince that every Curate have one of them that they may learn to know God and to instruct their Parishens Yea and that every Abby should have six to be layd in six several places and that the whole Covent and the resorters therunto may have occasion to look on the Lords Law Yea I would have none other but they of the Papistical sort should be compelled to have them And then I know there should be ynow found in my L. of Londons Diocess to spend away a great part of them And so should this be a godly act worthy to be had in remembrance while the world doth stand And I know that a smal Commission wil cause my Lords of Cant. Salisbury and Worseter to cause it to be done through their Diocesses Yea and this should cease the whole schism and contention that is in the realm Which is some calling them of the Old and some of the New Now should we al follow one God one Book and one Learning And this is hurtful to no man but profitable to all men I wil trouble your Lp. no lenger for I am sorry I have troubled you so much But to make an end I desire your most gracious answer by my servant For the sickness is bryme about us or would I wait upon your Lp. And because of coming to your Lp. I have not suffered my servant with me since he came over Thus for your continual preservation I with
my Lord was of Londons own hand For he that copied them out before us was a Gentleman of my L. Winchesters or to him belonging Mr. Londons Copy lying before him This appeareth that this matter was consulted before Serles can tel what the man was and so cannot I that did write them But as I now remember it was German that is German Gardner By me Iohn Willoughby Gardiners penitent letter unto the Archbishop GEntle father Whereas I have not born so good so tender a heart towards you as a true child ought to bear and as you never gave unto me occasion otherwise but rather by benefits provoked me unto the contrary I ask of you with as contrite a heart as ever did David ask of God mercy And I desire you to remember the prodigal Child Which although from his father swarving yet into favour received again to receive me although unkindly now by folly I did forsake you and not born my heart so lovingly so truly towards you as in dutifulness I should have done I am ful sorry for my fault And yet Good father be you wel assured as I opened my conscience unto you at my last communing with you that I never did bear malice against you But the greatest cause that ever occupied my heart against you and for the which I did bear my heart so little towards you was as God shall save the Soul of me that I saw so little quietness among us and so great jars in Christs religion Supposing that by your permission and sufferance which was not so as I do now perceive That it did arise unto the great grief of my conscience I condescended the sooner unto the making of the book against your Grace when I was thereunto moved by that same suggester Willoughby Where and of whom he took occasion to bring his bills unto Canterbury I know not Good father for my setting forth the same book partly by me made heartily confessing my rashness and indeliberate doings I ask of you mercy Requiring of you of your charity to impute the great fault of it unto those which ministred unto me occasion and to remit unto me my lightnes For of truth I was greatly seduced Remember Good father that our Parent was seduced and yet of God forgiven Forgive me Good father By whom I was seduced my Confession doth declare And Father if it shall please you now more of your goodness then of my deserving punishment and that sharp I have deserved to forgive unto me this my fault and unkindness You shal never hereafter perceive in me but that at al times I shal be as obedient and as true unto you as ever was child unto his natural father If otherwise at any time you find of me never trust me never do for me but utterly without al favor cast me into pain as possible is for a wretch to suffer Gentle Father ponder my grief which is at my heart not little And through your goodness remitting unto me my unkindness and granting mercy with liberty I desire your Grace to set me into ease both of heart and body I am yours aud shal be yours and that truly while I live God prosper your Grace per me William Gardiner Good father I have given my self unto you heart body and service and you have taken me unto you Now remember me that I am your true servant Another letter of Gardiner to the Archbishop MOst Honourable Prelate Due commendations premised These be to give thanks unto your Grace for that that you did yesterday so favourably as my sending for unto your presence Whom I thought that I should never pensiveness lay so sore at my heart have seen again And among al your Communications that your Grace had unto me I noted these words of highest comfort Your Grace did note that I did cal you father in my Writings you said unto me yesterday You cal me father In good faith I wil be a Father unto you indeed Words of high comfort unto me Besides this Most honorable Lord you promised that I should have a book of al Articles layd in against me to make answer unto them I beseech your Grace that I may so have For there is nothing that I have done or known to be done but if I can cal it into remembrance I wil truly open it God prosper your Grace By yours and ever shal be William Gardiner Shethers letter of Submission to the Archbishop MY duty always remembred unto your gracious Lordship I most humbly beseech the same to have compassion upon me your prisoner And for as much as I think by the Articles which Mr. Ioseph mentioned that your Grace hath not only the Articles subscribed with the Witnes hands but also other Articles Which I noted since that time as I heard by Mr. Gardiner Coxton Morice and others So that your Gracious Lordship knoweth al that ever I have heard Pleaseth it your Lordship to understand that many of those Articles last noted were of the Book that was presented to my L. of Winchester as unperfect and not proved as indeed many could never be justified as far as ever I heard And therefore my L. of Winchester sent it again as I have said in my first declaration And it was never willed to be shewed as true But Gracious Lord whether I have offended in that that I noted those Articles after that I was willed by Mr. Baker to mark the chiefest fautors of new opinions I refer it to your gracious judgment and whatsoever shal be thought as nothing can be hid nor I would should not of any my life from any of you both that I have offended in I beseech you both of your mercy and favor and to be good to me Instantly and briefly for I am loth to trouble you or to seem to mistrust your goodness desiring you to have in remembrance my weak nature and the long and solatory durance I have suffered with grievous vexation of mind And for refreshing thereof to Licence me to eat and drink at meals with company and being so nigh my chamber that I may remain in the same to the intent I may pas the time with my own Books Heartily desiring your Good Lp. that notwithstanding any thing heretofore done or how ever I have before wandred not conformably to your gracious advertisement or expectation yet Gracious Lord accept a poor heart which would gladly be received into your fatherly favor again to declare his faithful mind he hath conceived towards your Goodness upon such pity as your Gracious Lp. hath shewed and I trust now wil in his extreme need Assuring your Grace that my whole confidence and only trust is reposed in your goodness only and gentle Mr. Doctors Whose native merciful hearts as they have be declared oftentimes towards many so I most meekly beseech you both mercifully to interpretate my acts and declare your pity in releasing my sorrows as shortly as shal seem convenient to your Wisdomes
ostendatis quam ego vestra causa de officio fuerim meo stricte praecipientes ut his nostris constitutionibus vos omnes â—inguli tam in judicijs quam in gymnarijs utamini severè prohibentes ne quisquam vestrum alias praeter has regni nostri leges admittere praesumat Valete NUM XXXV The Bishop of Winchester to Archbishop Cranmer relating to the Reformation of Religion AFter my duty remembred to your Grace Your letters of the third came to my hands the of the same And upon the reading and advised consideration of the matter in them have thought requisite to answer unto them and at length to open my mind frankly in some points of them Tempering my words so as I shal not be seen to have forgotten your place and condition ne such familiarite as hath been between your G. and me The remembrance of which familiarite maketh me speke as frely as on the other side your astate brydeleth me to be more moderate in speech then sum matier I shal herafter speke of wold ells suffre and permit It greveth me moch to rede wryten from your G. in the begynning of your lettres how the King our late Soveraign was seduced and in that he knew by whom he was compassed in that I cal the Kings Majesties Book Which is not his Book bicause I cal it so but bicause it was indede so acknowledged by the hol Parliament and acknowledged so by your G. thenn and al his life which as you afterwards write ye commaunded to be published and red in your Diocese as his book Against which by your G's spech ye commaunded Ioseph he shuld not prech Al which I think your G. would not have doon if ye had not thought the book to have conteyned truth And in the truth can be no seducyng to it as the Kings book conteyneth but from it Which if it had been so I ought to think your G. would not for al the Princes christened being so high a Bishop as ye be have yâ—â—â—â—ed unto For Obedire oportet Dâ—o magis quam hominibus And therfore after your G. hath foure yere continually lyved in agrement of that doctrine under our late Soveraine Lord now so sodenly after his death to wryte to me that his Highness was seduced it is I assure you a very straunge spech Which if your G. shuld bring in to open contention as I know your G. of your Wisedome wyl not But in that case wyl I as an old servaunt of my late Soverayne Much wanting it self so many Calamities besides wherof I have more laysor to think on thenn your G. as my chance is now which I reckon in this respect very good After so many yeres Service and in such trouble without daunger passed over to aryve in this haven of quyetnes without losse of any notable takel as the Marryners say Which is a great matier as the wynds hath blowen And if the present astate in this world wer to be considered I have many times alleged for confirmation of thopinion of some in religion And the Protestants take it for a gret argument to establish ther procedyngs that themperor was ever letted when he went about to enterprize any thing against them as Bucer declareth at gret length in a letter written to the World And whenne Sledanus was here in England he told me the like at Windesore and then Tanquam praedixit of the effect of certain eclypse Adding that I shuld see magnas mutationes And so I have seen and have heard mervelous chaunges synnes that but otherwise than Sledanus toke it and to destroy ther fancies if that were to be regarded But for my self I have seen my Soveraine Lord with whom I consented in opinion make the honourable conquest of Bolen and honorably in his life mainteyne it And after in honorable peace made leave this world over soon to us but that was due by him to be payd to naâ—ure discharged it honoraâ—ly buried honorably with sorrow and lamentation of his servants and subgetts and my self his poor servant with a litel flâ—ebyting of this world conveyed to an easy astâ—te without diminution of my reputation And therfore whenne I hear fondly alleged or rede more fondly wryten the favor toto that is by Bâ—lâ— Ioye and Ioseph or such like newly called the Word of God to be embraced for preservation of the worldly astate I se the clere contrary in experience and conclude with my self that it proveth nought before man and take it before God to be abomination Which causeth me to spend some of my laysor to wryte so long a letter to your G. who hath lesse laysor Wyshing that our laysor gret or litel may be spent otherwyse then to trouble this Realm in the time of our Soveraine Lords Minority with any novelte in mâ—tiers of religion being so many other matiers which for that I was so late a Counsellor cannot out of my memory Requiring the hol endeavour of such as have charge and silence in the people who shuld serve and obey without quarelying among themself for matiers in religion Specially considering it is agreed our late Soverain is receyved to goddes mercy And though some wold say he had his errors and saw not perfitely Gods truth Yet for us it were better to go to heven with oon yie after hym thenne to travayle here for another yie with daungier to lose both There was good humanite in him that said Mâ—lim errare cum Platone quam cum alijs vera sentire Which affection were to the world plausible towching our Soveraine Lord that made us But we christen men may not teach so but esteme God above al and his true divinite In which case nevertheles whenne the divinite pretended is so rejected of many and utterly reproved So doubted of many other as it is suspected and confessed among us it is not necessary For our Soveraine Lord is gone from us to heaven in his way It is a mervelous matier what a certain loss it is aforehand to entreprize to serch which among a very few hath the name of Divinite and of al the rest is so named as I wil not reherse And this I write not because your G. entendeth any such thing soo far For I may not and wil not so think of you But this I take to be true that the way of error is let in at a little gappe The vehemence of novelty wil flow further thenne your G. wold admitte And when men hear of new gere every man maketh his request sum new hose sum new robes sum newe cappes sum new shirtes Like as in religion we have seen attempted where the people thought they might prevayle Which caused the commotion in Germany in bello civili Rusticorum and hath made the same stir there now in bello civili Nobilium It was a notable act of our late Soverain Lord to reform and thenne moderate religion as he did Which he did not without al
beseech your Grace note my words and therwith untruly handled as if we should use to read it there should ensue a marvelous confusion Some specialties I wil note but not al. The Sacrament of the Altar is wantonly talked of by him that as the worâ—d is now the reading of him were the whole subversion Erasmus in his latter dayes hath for the Sacrament of the Altar spoken as reverently and said as much for confirmation of it as may be and cryeth out of them that would take him otherwise But this in the end when age had tempered him In this Paraphrasis which he wrot in his wanton age the words and termes were able to subvert if it were possible as Christ saith the elect If this Paraphrasis go abroad people shal be learned to cal the Sacrament of the Altar holy bread and a Symbol At which new name many wil marvail And they be wanton words spoken of Erasmus without necessity By the doctrin of the Paraphrasis whosoever had done away his wife for advotrie might mary again By the Paraphrasis al men may mary Bushops and Priests Wherin Erasmus took his pleasure to understand S. Poul as tho he should describe of what quality Priests wives should be Wherin he forgat himself For S. Poul knew that if a Bushop or Priest were once married his Wise must pas with al her faults and it would be too late to tel what she should be For otherwise then she is she wil not be neither for S. Poul nor S. Peter And if Bushops had that privilege that they might change til they found such one as Erasmus saith S. Poul would have them their estate would be wonderfully envied But S. Poul did not speak there of Bushops wiues And so therin he doth violence to the Scriptures undoubtedly Wherfore I write somewhat merrily to shew the absurdity of the thing By the Paraphrasis the keeping of a Concubine is called but a light fault And that were good for Lancashire And Erasmus bringeth it so prettily that a Ruler of a Country if he be himself the servant of avarice or Ambition should not browke with his brother because being overcome by weaknes of flesh he useth a Concubine Even thus it is Englished in the book that should go forth And when to have a a Concubine it is called a light fault methinks if the maid can read it may serve wel lightly to persuade her And yet if the man doth it overcome by the weakness of his flesh as the book termeth it is made matter Wherin Erasmus speaketh over lightly to cal it a light fault And the Translator in English wanted speech when he turned it thus That a man overcome with the weakness of his flesh should desire a Concubine I am bold with his Grace to joyne here Erasmus lightnes with the discretion of the Translator If to keep a Concubine shal by authority be called a light fault the multitude of them may make the fault heavy By the doctrin of the Paraphrasis every man must come to the high prick of vertue or to be extremely naught Which differeth far from the teaching of the Homilies and from the truth also The Paraphrasis teacheth thus truly More glorious it is to dy for the Gospels sake Which death tho it shal be violent and sore yet it shal not come before the day Whensoever it cometh it shal not come without the providence of God And by this it cometh to pas that if ye endeavor to avoyd it ye cannot This is the doctrin which if it were taken for truth might engender like obstinacy in many as it hath of late in some Erasmus teacheth here further then he hath warrant by Scripture The Paraphrasis in another place doth clearly violate the Text and untruly handle it in a matter of Tiths which your Grace desireth as appeareth by the Injunctions to have truly payd Wherin if Erasmus had said truth let truth prevail but when he handleth it untruly it is pity it should be suffered Thus have I here reckoned your Grace some special faults that be Erasmus own faults with a great number that I have not spoken of And further your Grace shal understand that he which hath taken the labors to translate Erasmus into English hath offended sometimes as appeareth plainly by ignorance and sometimes of purpose to put in leave out and change as hee thought best Wherwith I wil not encumber your Grace but assure you it is so And therin I wil grant to your Grace that for every ly that I make unto your Grace set on an hundred pound fine on my head and let me ly here like a begger until my revenues pay My words remain in writing and be against me matter of record And so I yield to have me charged as the Bp. of London was with offering the farm of his Bpric Which matter I do remember when I wrot this I remit the Reader for the rest of this letter to Winchester's ninth letter in Foxes Acts This former part of the letter which is now exposed to view having been by him omitted NUM XXXVII Roger Ascham to Mr. Cecyl giving him an account of a Disputation in S. John's College Whether the Mass and the Lord's Supper bee al one S.P. in Christo Iesu. Ornatissime Vir. Ante mensem aut plus eo disputatum fuit in hoc Collegio more nostro de Missa ipsáne Coena Dominica fuerit nécne Magna sane eruditione haec Questio tractata fuit a Thoma Levero Rog. Hutchinsono quos opinor nosti Sunt profecto docti viri Quidam in Academia hanc rem aegrè tulerunt Huc tandem res perducta est vel ego potius pertractus fui hortatu communi multorum in nostro collegio ut hanc ipsam quaestionem è domesticis parietibus in publicas scholas praeferrem hoc animo instituto ut disceremus libenter sine rubore a doctis Viris quid e fontibus sacrae scripturae libari potuerit ad defendendam Missam quae non solum summum locum in religione conscientijs hominum occupat sed omne fidele propemodum ministerium Verbi Dei Sacramentorum ex usu consuetudine Christianorum abstulit Rem quietissimè aggressi sumus communia studia nos inter nos conferebamus Scripturam Canonicam nobis proposuimus cujus auctoritate totam hanc rem decidi cupiebamus Veteres Canones ineuntis Ecclesiae Concilia Patrum Decreta Pontificum Judicia Doctorum Quaestionistarum turbam Recentiores omnes quos potuimus Germanos Romanos ad hanc rem adhibuimus Quidam in Academia publicis concionibus notabant hoc factum nostrum tandem laborarunt ut D. Madeûus Vicecancellarius literis suis hanc Disputationem prohiberet Nos libenter paruimus ut par fuit sed aegre tulimus disputandi facultatem nobis intercipi concionandi vero copiam pro libidine alijs concedi Audivimus Cantuariensem nobis iniquiorem fuisse
al times What enemies be you to al Lay-men and to your selves also to refuse to drink of Christs cup which he commanded al men to drink upon saying Take and divide this among you and Drink ye al of it But need any more be brought for the reproving of this Article then your own first Article where you wil have kept al Decrees and Councels Now in the Decrees De Consecrat Di. 2. there is one Decree that commandeth al men to receive the Communion at the least thrice in the year at Easter Whitsuntide and Christmas Another commandeth every man to receive the same upon Shere-thursday The Councel Agathense saith that al Lay-men which receive not the Communion at Christmas Easter Whitsuntide shal not be taken for Catholics And the Decree of Gelasius that the receiving under one kind is great Sacrilege Then by your first Article you do not only condemn your fift Article but also you shew your selves not to be Catholics except you receive the Communion at the least three times in the year and that under both kinds Which is clean repugnant to this Article And yet I pray God you receive it worthily once in your life which you shal never do except you wonderfully repent this your misbehaviour and al your life time study to amend and redress that you have now offended Now to your sixt Article VI. Your Sixt Article is this WEE wil that our Curates shal minister the Sacrament of Baptism at al times as wel in the week day as on the holy day Who letteth your Ministers to baptize your child every day if any case of necessity so do require But commonly it is more convenient that Baptism should not be ministred but upon the holy day when the most number of people be together As wel for that the whole church there present may rejoice together of the receiving of new members of Christ into the same church as also that al men being present may remember and the better know what they promised themselves by their Godfathers and Godmothers in their own baptisâ—â— and be the more earnestly stirred in their hearts to perform the same And also may altogether pray for them that be baptized that they may have grace to perform their Profession S. Greg. Nazienz as great a Clerk as ever was in Christs church and Master to S. Hierom counselled that children should not be christened until they came to three years of age or thereabouts except they were in danger of life And it was thought sufficient to our forefathers to be done two times in the year at Easter and Whitsuntide as it appeareth by divers of their Councels and Decrees Which forbid Baptism to be ministred at any other time than Easter and Whitsuntide except in case of necessity And there remained lately divers signes and tokens thereof For every Easter and Whitsun-even until this time the Fonts were hallowed in every church and many Collects and other prayers were read for them that were baptized But alas in vain and as it were a mocking with God For at those times except it were by chance none were baptized but al were baptized before For as Vigils otherwise called Watchings remain in the Calendars upon certain Saints Evens because in old times the people watched al those nights and Vigilantius because he speaketh against these Watchings was condemned of heresy but now these many years those Vigils remained in vain in the books for no man did watch Even so until this day the order and form of christening was read and kept every year at Easter and Whitsuntide but none was then christened Wherin it appeareth how far we be swerved from our forefathers And to conclude this Article shortly If you wil needs have Baptism ministred no more at one time than another then must you needs renounce your first Article Which willeth the Councels and Decrees of the forefathers to be observed and kept And this briefly sufficeth for the sixt Article VII Your Seventh Article is this WEE wil have holy bread and holy water every Sunday Palmes and ashes at the time accustomed Images to be set up again in every Church and al other antient old Ceremonies used heretofore by our Mother holy Church Oh! Superstition and Idolatry how they prevaile among you The very true heavenly bread of life the food of everlasting life offered unto you in the Sacrament of the holy Communion you refuse to eat but only at Easter And the Cup of the most holy bloud wherewith you were redeemed and washed from your sins you refuse utterly to drink of at any time And yet in the sted oâ— these you wil eat often of the unsavoury and poisoned bread of the Bishop of Rome and drink of his stinking puddles which he nameth Holy bread and Holy water Consider oh ignorant people the authors and intents of the makers of them both The water of Baptism and the holy bread and wine of the holy Communion none other person did ordain but Christ himse f. The other that is called Holy bread Holy water Holy ashes Holy Palmes and al other like ceremonies ordained the Bps. of Rome Adversaries to 〈◊〉 and therfore rightâ—y called Antichrist And Christ ordained his Bread and his Wine and his Water to our great comfort to instruct us and teach us what things we have only by him But Antichrist on the other side hath set up his Superstitions under the name of Holines to none other intent but as the Devil secketh al means to draw us from Christ so doth Antichrist avance his holy Superstitions to the intent that we shouâ—d take him in the sted of Christ and believe that we have by him such things as we have only by Christ. That is to say Spiritual food Remission of our sins and Salvation First Our Savior Christ ordained the Water of Baptism to signify unto us that as the Water washeth our bodies outward y so be we spiritually within washed by Christ from al our sins And as the Water is ca led Water of Regeneration or New birth so it declareth unto us that through Christ we be born anew and begin a New life towards God and that Christ is the beginning of this New life And as the body that is new born altho it have life within it yet can it not continue in the spiritual life towards God except we be continually nourished with spiritual food And that spiritual food is Christ also For as he is the first beginning of our spiritual life so is he the Continuance and ending therof And for this cause did Christ ordain in the holy Communion to be eaten bread and drunken wine that we should surely believe that as our bodies be fed with bread and wine in these holy mysteries so be we out of doubt that our souls be fed spiritually with the lively food of Christs body and blood wherby we have remission of our sins and salvation But the Bp. of Rome invented new devises of
trust I am quite thereof Notwithstanding my water keapithe stil an high colour Now the most daunger is that if it come againe this night it is like to tourne to a quartane However the matter chaunce the most grief to me is that I cannot proceade in such matters as I have in hande according to my wil and desire This Terrenum Domicilium is such an obstacle to all good purposes Forasmuche as I perceave that the Kings Majesties progress is altered I pray you send me the gests of the latter end of his Progress from this time unto the end that I may from time to time know where his Majestie shal bee whom I beseeche Almighty god to preserve and prosper in al his affairs with his most honorable Councel and al his courte From my mannor of Croydon the xxvth of August 1552. Your own assured T. Cant. NUM LXVI That Mr. Turner intended for the Archbishopric of Armagh was come up to court To my lovynge frende Sir William Cecyl Knight one of the Kyngs Majestie his principal Secretary AFter my veray harty recommendations Now at the last agaynst his wil Turner is come up unto the courte He preched twise in the campe that was by Canterbury for the which the rebells wolde have hanged hym and he semed than more glad to go to hangynge than he doth now to go to Armachane he alleged so many excuses but the chiefe is this that he shal prech to the walls and stalls for the peple understande no English I beare him in hande Yes and yet I dowte whether they speak English in the dioces of Armachane But if they do not then I say that if he wil take the paine to lerne the Irish tonge which with diligence he may do in a yeare or two than both his personne and doctrine shal be more acceptable not only unto his dioces but also thorowe out al Ireland I commytt hym to your cure praying you to help hym to have as redy a dispach as may be for he hath but a little money I have sent the boke of Articles for Religion unto Mr. Cheke set in a bettre order than it was and the titles upon every matier addynge therto that which lacked I pray you considre wel the articles with Mr. Cheke and whether you thynke best to move the kyngs majestie therin bifore my commynge I referre that unto your two wisdomes I pray you let me have your advise unto whom I myght best write concernynge Rayner Wolfe for I wot not to whom I myght write but to my Lorde of Northumberlande The everlyvynge god ever preserve you in this life and in the life to come From Croydon the xix th of September Anno 1552. Your assured frende T. Cant. NUM LXVII Wherein the Archbishop justifies himself and the rest of the Bishops against the charge of Covetousnes To my Lovyng frende Sir William Cycil one of the Kyngs Majesties principal Secretaries AFter my most harty commendations and thanks as wel for your gentyl Letters as for the copy of the Pacification and for your good remembrance of the two matters which I desiered you not to forget the one concernynge the B. of Colens lettres and the other Mr. Mowse for whom eft-sonnes I gyve you my most harty thanks As for your Admonition I take it most thankfully as I have ever been most glad to bee admonished by my frendes accomptynge no man so folish as he that wil not heare frendely admonishments But as for the sayinge of S. Paul Qui volunt ditescere incidunt in tentationem I feare it not halfe so moche as I do starke beggery For I toke not halfe so moche care for my lyvynge whan I was a Scholer of Cambrige as I do at this present For altho I have now moch more revenewe yet I have moch more to do withal and have more care to lyve now as an Archbuschope than I had at that time to lyve like a scholer I have not so moch as I had within tenne yeares passed by CL l. of certen rent beside casualties I pay duble for every thynge that I bye If a good Auditor have this accoumpt he shal fynde no grete surplusage to waxe rich upon And if I knew any B. that were covetous I wolde surely admonyshe hym but I knowe none but al beggers except it be one and yet I dare wel say hee is not veray rich If you know any I besech you to advertise me for peradventure I may advertise hym bettre than you To be shorte I am not so doted to set my mynde upon thynges here which neither I can cary away with me nor tary longe with them If tyme wold have served I wolde have written of other thynges unto you but your servant makynge hast compelleth me heare to cut of the threde besechynge almyghty god to preserve the Kynges Majestie with al his councel and familie and send him wel to returne from his progresse From my Manor of Croydon the xxj of Iuly Your own ever T. Cant. NUMB. LXVIII Purchases made by the Archbishop Extracted out of K. Edwards Book of Sales Anno Regni Regis Edwardi Sexti primo The name of the Purchaser The some of Money for the purchase The Lands The yerely value of the landes The rent reserved The tyme of the issues The Teste of the Patent Thomas Archiepiscopus Cantuar In consider promis Dom. R. H. VIII perform Test. sui ac in escamb Maner Parc. de Mayfeld in Com. Sussex ac divers al terr ten in Com. Midd. Hertf. Kant Buck. Ebor. ac pro summa Rect. de Whalley Blackborne Rachdale in Com. Lanc. nuper Monastio sive Abbie de Whalley in eodem Com. Lancastr modo dissolut dudum spectan pertinent ac divers al. terr ten in Com. Lanc. Kant Surr. London Bangor c. CCCClxxix 1. 2 d. ob lv 1. xiiij s. vj d. q. A festo S. Michael Arch. Ao. xxxvij o. H. viij ui      Test. xxxj o. die Augusti Thomas Cranmer Archiepiscopus Cantuar. v c. iiij l. viij s. iiij d. Maner de Sleford in Com. Lincoln maner de Middleton Cheny in Com. Northam ac divers al. terr ten in Com. Northam Lincoln x l. vj s. iiij d. xv l. Nichil A festo Annunc B. Marie Virgin ultimo praedicto    iiij l. xv s. viij d.    Thomas Archiepiscopus Cantuar iiij c. xxix l. xiiij s. ij d. Et in complement Testi Dom. Regis H. VIII in consider Servicij Scit nuper Prioratus de Arthington in Com. Ebor. ac diversa alia Maneria terr ten in Com. Ebor. Not. Kant v l. viijs. iiij d. lj l. xvij s. iiijd. xv l. vij l. x s. x l. xvj s. j d. ob xij s. vj l. j d. xxxiij s. iiij d. xvj s. viij d. A festo S. Michaelis Arch. ultimo praeterito Test. vj to die Junij NUM LXVIII An
Willelmus Episcopus Landavensis Bishop of Landaff whose Title of Landavensis the Ignorance or Mistake of the Scribe changed into Navatensis By a like mistake very frequent in our Ancient Records the Bishop of Lincoln Lincolniensis is corruptly stiled Nicoliensis Page 37. line 6. Iohn Thornden who was often Commissary of Oxon while Archbishop Warham was Chancellor of that University was stiled Episcopus Syrinensis His Name was Iohn Thornton Many years after him Richard Thornden was Suffragan Bishop in the Diocess of Canterbury In Thornton endeth the Catalogue of Suffragan Bishops which you could find Consecrated before the time of Archbishop Cranmer being in all seven If it pleaseth God to permit me to to finish my Angliâ— Sacra I shall exhibit a perfect Succession of Suffragan Bishops in almost all the Diocesses of England for about Two hundred years before the Reformation Ibid. line 8. And hereafter we shall meet with a Bishop of Hippolitanum who assisted Archbishop Cranmer at his Ordinations It will be hard to find such a City as Hyppolitanum in the world We had in England many Suffragan Bishops who successively assumed the Title of Bishops of Hippo the See of the Great St. Austin These were wont to stile themselves Hipponenses but some of them not being so good Grammarians took the Stile of Ypolitanenses and Hippolitanenses which latter Appellation might give occasion to the mistake concerning a Bishop of Hippolitanum Page 38. line 3. ab imo The King sent to the Archbishop to make Thomas Mannyng Suffragan of Gipwich who was accordingly Consecrated by the Archbishop This Gipwich is no other than Ipswich the chief Town of Suffolk in Latin called Gipâ—svicum and Gipwicum from which place Mannyng at his Prâ—motion to the Office of a Suffragan Bishop took his Title Page 41. line 3. This choice Treasure the Original Book containing the Subscription of the Members of the Convocation to certain Articles of Religion Sir Robert Cotton afterwards procured And at the bottom of the first Page is written Robertus Cotton Bruceâ—s by Sir Robert's own hand signifying his Value of this Monument Sir Robert did not by that Subscription of his Name testify any extraordinary Value of this Volume for he wrote the same words at the bottom of the first Page of all or almost all the Manuscript Volumes of his Library Page 50. line 26. Iune Anno 1536. William Rugg was Consecrated Bishop of Norwich His Consecration is omitted in the Register Probably he was consecrated with Sampson Bishop of Chicâ—ester who was Confirmed Iune 10 th Rugg could not be Consecrated in Iune for he was not Confirmed till the 28 th of that Month and the first Sunday after that day was Iuly 2 d. Bishops were wont to be Consecrated on the next Sunday after their Confirmation So that it is most likely Sampson was Consecrated Iune 11 th and Rugg together with Warton of St. Asaph on Iuly 2 d. Page 61. line 18. ab imo Iune 24. Anno 1537. Iohn Bird was Consecrated Suffragan of the See of Penrith in Landaff Diocess and Lewis Thomas Suffragan Bishop of the See of Salop. It should have been said that Bird was Consecrated Suffragan of the Diocess of Landaff with the Title of Bishop of Penrith Bishop of Shrewsbury not Salop for Penrith is no more in Landaff Diocess than Shrewsbury is in that of St. Asaph But it may be observed That in the first Act of Parliament made in this Reign touching Suffragan Bishops certain Titles were appointed to which the said Suffragans should be Consecrated taken from several of the chief Towns in England but it was not required that the Suffragan of any particular Diocess should take his Title from some Town in that Diocess but was left at liberty to take it from any Town mentioned in that Act. Which was accordingly practised indifferently till the Promulgation of the second Act concerning Suffragans Ibid. line 2. It was now forbidden by the Parliament that the Feast of St. Thomas a Becket the pretended Martyr should be celebrated any more He is also stiled Thomas a Becket Page 70. line 21. 28. Page 92. line 4. c. This is a small Error but being so often repeated deserveth to be observed and corrected The Name of that Archbishop was Thomas Becket nor can it otherwise be found to have been written in any Authentick History Record Kalendar or other Book If the Vulgar did formerly as it doth now call him Thomas a Becket their Mistake is not to be followed by Learned men Page 62. line 8. The Reason why Archbishop Cranmer all this while that is from the first making the Act concerning Suffragans in the year 1534 to this time 1537. had nominated none for Suffragan to this See Dover till now when he nominated and consecrated Richard Yngworth in December might be because there seemed to be a Suffragan already even the same that had been in the time of Archbishop Warham namely Iohn Thornton Prior of Dover who was one of the Witnesses appointed by that Archbishop to certify what was found and seen at the opening of St. Dunstan's Tomb. Richard Thornden seems to have succeeded Yngworth in this Office St. Dunstan's Tomb was opened in April 1508 and Thornden died not till the last year of Queen Mary So that if to Thernton succeeded Yngworth and to Yngworth succeeded Thornden there will be no room for any of those three Bishops of Sidon who were before in this History pag. 36. said to have assisted the Archbishops Warham and Cranmer in the Quality of Suffragan Bishops For the very first of them Thomas Wellys was Suffragan Bishop after the year 1508. I know not when he was made Suffragan or when he died but I am certain that he survived the year 1511. As for Christopher and the other Thomas Bishops of Sidon they indeed were not the peculiar Suffragans of the Archbishops of Canterbury as I before said Page 63. line 28. March 24. 1537. Henry Holbeach was Consecrated Suffragan Bishop of Bristow in the Bishop of London's Chappel in the said Bishop's House scituate in Lambeth-Marsh by the said Bishop c. The Bishops of London never had any House scituate in Lambeth-Marsh but the Bishops of Rochester at that time had which House was soon after conveyed from the See of Rochester to the Crown and afterwards from the Crown by exchange to the See of Carlisle to which it now belongeth Page 86. line 22. ab imo In this Consecration of Bonner Bishop of London Anno 1540. the Prior and Chapter of Canterbury insisted it seems upon an Ancient Privilege of their Church which I do not find in this Register that of Archbishop Cranmer they had at other Consecrations done namely that the Consecration should be celebrated at the Church of Canterbury and at no other Church or Oratory without their allowance And so in a formal Instrument they gave their License and Consent The renewing of this their old pretended Privilege looked
a Clergy was now in England He makes a heavy Complaint against the frequent practice of beastly sins in the Priests Adultery Sodomy c. and that they never were punished And in my memory as he proceeds which is above thirty years and also by the information of others that be twenty years older than I I could never learn that one Priest was punished These Exiles are a sort of men who generally write with Passion and Prejudice against their own Countrey so that ordinarily little more credit is to be given to their Information than to the Intelligence of Deserters from an Army I am sure he hath shamefully belied the Clergy of England in accusing them of the frequent practice of such beastly sins and then affirming that he could never learn that one Priest was punished for it in the space of fifty years before that time It is true that Crimes of Incontinence as such especially in the Clergy were then cognoscible and punishable only by the Ecclesiastical Law and in the Spiritual Courts but Rapes were then as well as now in Clergy-men as well as Lay-men tryable and punishable at Common-Law And of this the Laity took such malicious advantage immediately before the Reformation that they were wont to pretend all Acts and even Indications of Incontinence in Clergy-men to be so many Rapes and to Indict them as such Insomuch that scarce any Assizes or Sessions passed at that time wherein several Clergy-men were not Indicted of Rapes and a Jury of Lay-men Impannell'd to Try them who would be sure not to be guilty of shewing over-much favour to them in their Verdicts Neither was the Ecclesiastical Authority then so remiss as is pretended as not to have punished any one Priest for Incontinence within the space of fifty years before If I had my Papers by me I could produce Examples of many Incontinent Clergy-men punished and deprived by their Ordinaries within that time About this very time wherein this Preface was wrote Dr. Weston altho otherwise a man of great Note and Interest among the Popish Party was deprived of the Deanry of Windsor for a single Act of Incontinence and about twenty years before this Stokesly Bishop of London is by Iohn Bale reported to have deprived Iohn Lord Abbot of Colchester for an horrible Act of Incontinence Indeed I know Bale to have been so great a Lyar that I am not willing to take any thing of that kind upon his Credit however his Testimony may serve well enough against such another foul-mouth'd Writer as this E. P. seems to have been Ibid. line 11. ab imo The Archbishop supplied the City of Canterbury with store of Excellent Learned Preachers Turner the two Ridleys Becon c. Turner never was Preacher in Ordinary at Canterbury but at Chartham near Canterbury He is said indeed afterwards in this History to have been one of the Six Preachers of the Church of Canterbury which may be true yet to Preach there three or four Sermons in a year upon so many Holidays is not a sufficient ground to say that that City was supplied with such or such Preachers Page 164. in imo The University of Cambridge laboured under great suspicions of being spoiled of its Revenues she having observed how those of her Sister the Church were daily invaded by Secular hands The University hath ever been so dutiful as to own the Church to be her Mother Page 183. line 10. ab imo Farrar was Consecrated Bishop of St. Davids by Thomas Archbishop of Canterbury endued with his Pontificals The latter words are a Translation of Pontificalibus indutus which signifies no other than being Invested or Attired in his Episcopal Habit. Page 184. med Bishop Farrar hearing of great Corruption among those belonging to the Chapter of the Church of Carmarthen and chiefly Thomas Young Chanter after Archbishop of York c. I suppose the Chapter of the Church of St. Davids is here meant for there was no such Church at Carmarthen and Young was at this time Precentor of St. Davids Page 208. line 13. ab imo Bishop Ridley at his entrance upon the See of London was exceeding wary not to do his Predecessor Bonner the least injury but rather did many kindnesses to his Mother Servants and Relations he continued Bonner's Receiver one Staunton in his Place In this last case Ridley could not give any evidence of Kindness or Unkindness for Staunton held his Place of Receiver by Patent for life Page 224. med The Council sitting at Greenwich the Bishop's Gardiner of Winchester Servants came and desired that certain of them might be sworn upon certain Articles for Witness on his behalf And if they might not be sworn c. And they were allowed From this relation any Reader would imagine That the Bishop's Servants desired that themselves might be sworn in behalf of their Lord and Master whereas in the Council-Book from whence this Matter is reported it is plain that they desired that some of the Privy-Counsellors might be sworn or at least be obliged to declare upon their Honour what they knew of the matter then in question in favour of the Bishop Page 267. line 21. This Scory Bishop Elect of Rochester was at first preferred by the Archbishop to be one of the Six Preachers at Canterbury and always continued firm for the Purity of Religion and endured Trouble for it He was a Married man and so deprived at the beginning of Queen Mary's Reign fled beyond Sea c. Scory was so far from continuing always firm to the Purity of Religion that in the beginning of Queen Mary's Reign he reconciled himself to the See of Rome submitted himself to Bishop Bonner made a formal Recantation and did open Penance for his Marriage however afterwards he resumed his former Principles when he had got beyond Sea Page 270. line 17. ab imo All this I have related of this Divine Dr. Iohn Redman who died in 1551. that I may in some measure preserve the Memory of one of the Learnedest men of his time and lay up the Dying Words of a Papist signifying so plainly his dislike and disallowance of many of their Doctrines I cannot imagine why Dr. Redman should be accounted or called a Papist at the time of his Death who had all along lived and then died in the Communion of the Establish'd Church and had but little before joined with the Archbishop and other Bishops and Divines in compiling the Book of Common-Prayer If because he had once held the Popish Doctrines concerning Justification the Sacrament of the Altar c. with equal and for the same reason Cranmer himself and all the Bishops and Eminent Divines of that time may be called Papists Or if it was because he judged it unlawful for any Priest to marry a second time as is related page 157. he therein followed the Canons and received Doctrines of the Ancient Church and hath many Learned and Worthy Divines of our own Time and Church
Istorum Authorum Maxime Memorabile sit quonam in pretio apud Eruditos seniper Habiti Fuerunt Opera Thomae Pope-Blunt Baronâ—iti Fol. V. Cl. Gulielmi Camdeni Illustrium Vâ—rorum ad G. Camdenum Epistolâ—e cum Appendice Varii Argumenti Accesserunt Annalitita Regni Regis Jacobi I. Apparatus Commentarius de Antiquitate Dignitate Officio Comitis Marescali Angliae Praemittitur G Camdeni Vita Scriptore Thoma â—mitho S.T.D. Ecclesiae Anglicanae Presbytero 4to Some Remarks upon the Ecclesiastical History of the Ancient Churches of Piedmont By Peter Allix D D Treasurer of Sarum 4to his Remarks upon the Ecclesiastical â—istory of the Ancient Churches of the Albigenses 4to A Vindication of Their Majesties Authority to fill the Sees of the Deprived Bishops in a Letter occasioned by Dr. B 's Refusal of the Bishoprick of Bath and Wells 4to A Discourse concerning the Unreasonableness of a New Separation on Account of the Oâ—ths to the Present Government With an Answer to the History of Passive Obedience so far as relates to them 4to A Vindication of the said Discourse concerning the Unreâ—â—â—nablenâ—ss of a New Separation from the Exceptions made against it in a Tract called A Brief Answer to the said Discourse c 4to Geologia Or â— Discourse concerning the Earth before the Deluge wherein the Form and Properties ascribed to it in a Book entituled The Theory of the Earth are expected against and it is made appear That the Dissolution of that Earth was not the Cause of the Universal Flood Also a new Explication of that Flood is attempted By Erasmus Warren Rector of Worlington in Suffolk 4to The Present State of Germany By a Person of Quality 8vo Memoirs relating to the Royal Navy of England for Ten Years determined December 1688. By Samuel Pâ—pys Esq 8 vo Memoirs of what past in Christendom from the War begun 1672. to the Peace concluded 1679. 8vo Disquisitiones Criticâ— de Variis per Diversa Loâ—a tempora Bibliorum Editionibus Quibus Accedâ—â—t Castigatiâ—nes Theologi Cujusdam Parificusis ad Opasculum Is. Vossii de Sybillinis Oraculis Ejusdâ—m Responsiâ—â—em ad Objectiones nâ—perâ—e Critica Sacra 4to Aâ—glâ—a Sacra sive Collectio Historiarum Auâ—â—quitâ—s Scriptarum de Archicpiscopis Episcopis Angliae a prima Fidâ—i Christianae susceptione ad Annum 1540. in Duobus Volaminâ—bus per Henricum Whartonum Fol. Jacobi Usserii Armachani Archipiscopi Historia Dogmatica Controversiae inter Orthodoxos Pontificios de scripturis Socris Vernaculis nunc Primâ—â—n Edita Accâ—sserunt â—jâ—sdem Dissertationes duâ—e de Pseudo-Dionysii scriptis de Epistola ad Lacdicâ—os antâ—â—ac mediâ—ae Discripsis Digâ—ssit noris atqâ—e Aâ—â—lavio Loâ—â—pleâ—avit Henricus Wharton A. M. Rev in Christo Pat. ac Dom. Archiepisc. Can 〈◊〉 a sacris Domesticâ—s 4to 1690. Sâ—â—iptorum Eâ—clesiasticorum Historia Literaria a Christo nato uâ—que ad sâ—â—ndran xiv facili methodo 〈…〉 de Vito Illorâ—â—â—â— as Reâ—us G. siis de 〈◊〉 Dogmatibus Elogio Stylo de Scriptis Geâ—â—â—â—is 〈◊〉 Suppositâ—tiis meditis Deperduis Fragmentis Deque Varsis Opâ—rion Editimubus perspâ—eue Agitur Accâ—dunt Scriptores Gentiles Christâ—â—ae Religionis Oppugnatores Cujusvis Sâ—eculi Brevâ—arian Inserusitâ—r sais Lo is Vâ—tâ—vâ—m aliquot Opuscula Fragmenta tum Graecâ—â—an Lativa 〈…〉 Praenussa demque Prolegomena qâ—â—buâ— plurima ad Antiqâ—â—tatis Ecclesiasticae Studium 〈…〉 Opuâ— indicibus necesâ—arus Iâ—structum Authore Gulielmo Cave SS Theol Proj â— Canoniâ—o Windesoâ—ensi Accedit ab Alia manu Appâ—ndix ab meunte Secula xiv ad Annum usque MDXVII Fol. Rusâ—worth 's Historical Collections The Third Part in Two Volumes Containing the Principal Mâ—tters which happened from the Meeting of the Parliament Nov. 3. 1640. to the end of the Year 1644. Wherein is a particular Account of the Rise and Progress of the Civil War to that Period Fol. A Discourse of the Pastoral Câ—re By Gilbert Burnâ—t Lord Bishop of Sarum 1692. Dr. 〈◊〉 Conant 's Sermons 1693. A Discourse of the Government of the Thoughâ—â— By Geo. Tully Sub-Dean of York 8vo 1694. Origo 〈◊〉 Or a Treatise of the Origine of Laws and their Obliging Power as also oâ— their great Variety and why some Laws are immutable and some not but may suffer change or cease to be or be suspended or abrogated In Seven Books By George Dawson Fol. 1694. In his Three Conversions E Foxij MSS. In his Protestation to the whole Church of England Pag. 418. Edit 1672. Life of Iohn Fox 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Mac. III. 7. Parsons Three Conversions Part 3. p. 84. Acts and Mon. Vol. I. p. 532. Edit 1610. In his Antiq. of Canterb. Anno 1489 1503 1511 1516 1523 1529 1530 Anno 1530. Anno 1530 1531 1532. Anno 1532 1533. Anno 1533. Anno. 1534. Anno 1534. Anno 1535. Anno 1535. Anno 1536. Anno 1536. Anno 1536. Anno 1537. Anno 1537. Anno 1537. Anno 1537. Anno 1538. Anno 1538. Anno 1538 1539. Anno 1540. Anno 1540. Anno 1540. Anno 1541. Anno 1542. Anno 1543. Anno 1543. Anno 1543. Anno 1543 1544 Anno 1544. Anno 1545 1546. Anno 1546. Anno 1547. Anno 1547. Anno 1547. Anno 1547. Anno 1547. Anno 1547. Anno 1548. Anno 1548. Anno 1549. Anno 1549. Anno 1549. Anno 1549. Anno 1549. Anno 1549. Anno 1550. Anno 1550. Anno 1550. Anno 1550. Anno 1550. Anno 1550. Anno 1550. Anno 1550. Anno 1550. Anno 1551. Anno 1551. Anno 1552. Anno 1552. Anno 1552. Anno 1552. Anno 1552. Anno 1552. Annâ— 1552. Anno 1553. Annâ— 1553. Anno 1553. Anno 1553. Anno 1553. Annâ— 1553. Annâ— 1553. Anno 1553. Annâ— 1553. Anno 1553. Anno 1553. Annâ— 1554. Anno 1554. Annâ— 1554. Anno 1554. Anâ—â— 1554. Anno 1554. Annâ— 1554. Anno 1555. Anno 1555. Anno 1555. Annâ— 1555. Anno 1555. Hist. Reform Vol. I. p. 274. †Acts and Mon. first Edit p. 815 A worthy Work to revive his Memory His Family Anno 1489. Account of his younger Years Life of Cranm. in the MSS. C.C.C.C. Sent to Cambridg An. 1503. Life of Cranm. inter Foxii MSS. Anno 1511. Anno 1516. Sets himself to study the Scripture Anno 1519. Is made Doctor of Divinity An. 1523. Marries Refuses to go to Wolsey's College Oxon. He is made one of the University Examiners The King 's great Cause first proposed to the Universities The Occasion of his Rise His Opinion of the King's Cause Life of Cranmer in theMSS C.C.C.C. The King sends for him Anno 1529. Sutably placed with the Earl of Ormond Epist. 19. li. 27. Impensius gratulor tuae soelicitati quod homini potenti Lalco Aulico perspiciam etiam sacraâ— Literas â—sse cordi teque nobiliâ— illius Margaretae desiderio tenâ—ri Epist. 34. lib. 29. Friendshipand Correspondence between the Earl and Cranmer Anno 1530. A Providence in his being placed here Cranmer Disputes at Cambridg
resolved to do it by himself and his Parliament without them In this Letter he speaks something concerning Hoper whose Behaviour he disliked and concerning Dr. Smith who had lately written against the Arch-bishop's Book of the Sacrament and against himself concerning Monastick Vows Both these Letters as well worthy the sight and perusal of the Reader I have reposited in the Appendix Thus this Reverend and Learned Foreigner after many great Difficulties passed through for the Cause of Religion flying from one place to another came at last to a natural Death and a quiet End in this Land For his Fame and Wisdom he was called by the Electors Palatine and of Brandenburgh with the Emperor's Permission to temper the Emperor's Rescript about Religion which was to be published that so it might please both Parties But he thought he could not do it with any Honesty and rather than meddle with it he fled to Strasburgh with his Wife and Children hereby he fell under the Displeasure of those Princes as well as before he had done under that of the Emperor for the Reformation of Colen the Envy of which Melancthon escaped but it fell on poor Bucer Being at Strasburgh he also contracted much Ill-will by means of the Anabaptists and others whom he opposed and who by their pretended Sanctimony had a great Party there His Friends apprehended him on these Accounts in great Danger but he thought of no removal to any other Place Patron or Church trusting himself in God's Hands till Sturmius and some others advised him by all means to depart into England Which he at length yielding to the said Sturmius admonished him for his safer Travel to take a more uncommon Way through Lorain and Rhemes and some other parts of France to Calais and there to cross over the Sea Which he did and was very hospitably here entertained as was said before Bishops Consecrated Iune 29. Iohn Ponet or Poynet D.D. Chaplain to the Arch-bishop was Consecrated Bishop of Rochester at Lambeth-Chappel by the Arch-bishop of Canterbury assisted by Nicolas Bishop of London an◠Arthur Bishop of Bangor This Consecration was performed with all the usual Ceremonies and Habits probably for this Reason to give as little occasion of Offence to Papists as might be and to keep close to the old Usages avoiding Superstition Therefore it was set down in the Register at large in what Formalities all was now done The Arch-bishop is described Vsitatis insigniis redimitus uno Epitogio sive Capa indutus Oratorium suum praedictum honestè decenter ornatum ingressus c. Having on his Mitre and Cope usual in such Cases went into his Chappel handsomly and decently adorned to celebrate the Lord's Supper according to the Custom and by Prescript of the Book intituled The Book of Common-Service Before the People there assembled the Holy Suffrages first began and were publickly recited and the Epistle and Gospel read in the Vulgar Tongue Nicolas Bishop of London and Arthur Bishop of Bangor assisting and having their Surplices and Copes on and their Pastoral Staves in their Hands led Dr. Iohn Ponet endued with the like Habits in the middle of them unto the most Reverend Father and presented him unto him sitting in a decent Chair and used these words Most Reverend Father in God we present unto you this godly and well-learned Man to be consecrated Bishop The Bishop Elect forthwith produced the King's Letters Patents before the Arch-bishop Which by command of the said ABp being read by Dr. Glyn the said Ponet took the Oath of renouncing the Bishop of Rome and then the Oath of Canonical Obedience to the Arch-bishop These things being thus dispatched the Arch-bishop exhorted the People to Prayer and Supplication to the Most High according to the Order prescribed in the Book of Ordination set forth in the Month of March 1549. According to which Order he was Elected and Consecrated and endued with the Episcopal Ornaments the Bishop of London first having read the third Chapter of the first Epistle of Paul to Timothy in manner of a Sermon These things being done and the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper celebrated upon a Table covered with a white Linen Cloth by the Arch-bishop and the two assisting Bishops the same Arch-bishop decreed to write to the Arch-deacon of Canterbury for the Investiture Installation and Inthronization of the said Bishop of Rochester as it was customary Present Anthony Huse principal Register of the Arch-bishop Peter Lilly Iohn Lewis Iohn Incent publick Notaries and many others as well Clerks as Laicks March 8. Iohn Hoper was consecrated Bishop of Glocester just after the same manner by the Arch-bishop Nicholas Bishop of London and Iohn Bishop of Rochester assisting clothed say the Words of the Register in Linen Surplices and Copes and Iohn Elect of Glocester in the like Habit. CHAP. XXV The Arch-bishop publisheth his Book against Gardiner THIS Year our Arch-bishop published his Elaborate Book of the Sacrament confuting the gross and carnal Presence of Christ there in vindication of a former Book of his wrote against by Bishop Gardiner and Dr. Smith For to give the Reader some distinct Account of this Matter in the Year 1550 Cranmer printed a Book in English in Quarto with this Title A Defence of the True and Catholick Doctrine of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ with a Confutation of sundry Errors concerning the same Grounded and established upon God's Holy Word and approved by the Consent of the most ancient Doctors of the Church The great Reason that moved him to write this Book was that he might the more effectually purge the Church of Popery esteeming Transubstantiation and the Mass to be the very Roots of it The taking away of Beads Pilgrimages Pardons and such-like Popery was as he wrote in his Preface but the lopping off a few Branches which would soon spring up again unless the Roots of the Tree which were Transubstantiation and the Sacrifice of the Mass were pulled up Therefore out of a sincere Zeal to the Honour of God he would labour he said in his Vineyard to cut down that Tree of Error Root and Branch By this Book very many were enlightned to perceive the Errors of the Popish Doctrines of the Sacrament This Treatise he divided into five Books or Points I. Of the True and Catholick Doctrine and Use of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. II. Against the Error of Transubstantiation III. The manner how Christ is present in the Sacrament IV. Of the eating and drinking of the Body and Blood of Christ. V. Of the Oblation and Sacrifice of our Saviour Christ. In the third Part he made mention of the Bishop of Winchester in these words As many of them i. e. of the Papist Writers as I have read the Bishop of Winchester only excepted do say That Christ called not the Bread his Body This Bishop