went into Germany where he became acquainted with Cornelius Agrippa a man very famous for great and curious Learning and so satisfied him in the Kings cause that he gave it out that the thing was clear and indisputable for which he was afterwards hardly used by the Emperor and dyed in Prison But when the King received the Determinations and Conclusions of the Universities and other Learned men beyond Sea he resolved to do two things First to make a new attempt upon the Pope and then to publish those Conclusions to the World with the arguments upon which they were grounded But to make his address to the Pope carry more terror with it he got a Letter to be signed by a great many Members of Parliament to the Pope The â—ord Herbertâ—aith â—aith it was done by his Parliament but in that he had not applyed his ordinary diligence the Letter bears date the 13 of Iuly Now by the Records of Parliament it appears there could be no Session at that time for there was a Prorogation from the 21 of Iune till the â—st of October that year But the Letter was sent about to the chief Members for their hands and Cavendish tells how it was brought to the Cardinal and with what chearfulness he set his hand to it It was subscribed by the Cardinal and the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury 4 Bishops 2 Dukes 2 Marquesses 13 Earls 2 Viscounâ—s 23 Barons 22 Abbots and 11 Commoners most of these being the Kings Servants The Contents of the Letters were that their near Relation to the King made them address thus to the Pope The Kings cause was now in the opinion of the Learned men and Universities both in England France and Italy found just which ought to prevail so far with the Pope that though none moved in it and notwithstanding any Contradiction he ought to confirm their judgment especially it touching a King and Kingdom to whom he was so much obliged But since neither the justice of the cause nor the Kings most earnest desires had prevailed with him they were all forced to complain of that strange usage of their King who both by his Authority and with his Pen had supported the Apostolick See and the Catholick Faith and yet was now denyed justice From which they apprehended great mischief and Civil Wars which could only be prevented by the Kings Marrying another wife of whom he might have issue This could not be done till his present Marriage were annulled nulled And if the Pope would still refuse to do this they must conclude that they were abandoned by him and so seek for other Remedies This they most earnestly prayed him to prevent since they did not desire to go to extremities till there was no more to be hoped for at his hands To this the Pope made answer the 27 of September He took notice of the vehemency of their Letter which he forgave them imputing it to their great affection to their King they had charged him with ingratitude and injustice two grievous Imputations He acknowledged all they wrote of the obligations he owed to their King which were far greater than they called them both on the Apostolick See and himself in particular But in the Kings cause he had been so far from denying justice that he was oft charged as having been too partial to him He had granted a Commission to two Legates to hear it rather out of favour than in Rigor of Law upon which the Queen had appealed he had delayed the admitting of it as long as was possible but when he saw it could not be any longer denyed to be heard it was brought before the Consistory where all the Cardinals with one consent found that the Appeal and an Avocation of the cause must be granted That since that time the King had never desired to put it to a Tryal but on the contrary by his Ambassadors at Bononia moved for a delay and in that posture it was still nor could he give sentence in a thing of such Consequence when it was not so much as sought for For the conclusions of Universities and Learned men he had seen none of them from any of the Kings Ambassadors It was true some of them had been brought to him another way but in them there were no reasons given but only bare Conclusions and he had also seen very important things for the other side and therefore he must not precipitate a Sentence in a cause of such high Importance till all things were fully heard and considered He wished their King might have Male Issue but he was not in Gods stead to give it And for their Threatnings of seeking other Remedies they were neither agreeable to their wisdom nor to their Religion Therefore he admonished them to abstain from such Counsels but minded them that it is not the Physicians fault if the Patient will do himself hurt He knew the King would never like such courses and though he had a just value for their Intercession yet he considered the King much more to whom as he had never denyed any thing that he could grant with his honor so he was very desirous to examine this matter and to put it to a speedy issue and would do every thing that he could without offending God But the King either seeing the Pope resolved to grant nothing or apprehending that some Bull might be brought into England in behalf of the Queen or the disgraced Cardinal did on the Nineteenth of September put forth a Proclamation against any who purchased any thing from Rome or elsewhere contrary to his Royal Prerogative and Authority or should publish or divulge any such thing requiring them not to do it under the pains of incurring his indignation Imprisonment and other punishments on their persons This was founded on the Statutes of Provisors and Premunires But that being done he resolved next to publish to the world and to his Subjects the justice of his cause Therefore some Learned men were appâ—inted to compare all that had been written on it and out of all the Transcripâ—s of the Manuscripts of Fathers and Councils to gather together whatsoever did strengthen it Several of these Manuscripts I have seen one is in Mr. Smiths Library where are the Quotations of the Fathers Councils Schoolmen and Canonists written out at length There are Three other such MSS. in the Cotton Library of which one contains a large vindication of these Authorities from some Exceptions made to them another is an answer to the Bishop of Rochesters Book for the Queens cause A Third digests the Matter into Twelve Articles which the Reader will find in my Appendix and these are there enlarged on and proved But all these and many more were sum'd up in a short Book and Printed first in Latine then in English with the Determinations of the Universities before it These are of such weight and Importance and give so great a light to
the Supremacy which was matter of Conscience But the King was resolved to let all his Subjects see there was no Mercy to be expected by any that denyed his being Supream head of the Church and therefore made him and More two Examples for terrifying the rest This being much censured beyond Sea Gardiner that was never wanting in the most servile complyances wrote a vindication of the Kings proceedings The Lord Herbert had it in his hands and tells us it was written in elegant Latine but that he thought it too long and others judged it was too vehement to be inserted in his History VERA EFFIGIES THOMAE MORI QVONDAM TOTIUS ANGLIAE CANCELLARII DIGNISSIMI ET H. Holbein pinxit R. White sculpsit Natus 1482 Angliae Cancellarius 1529 Capite truncatus An 1535 Iuly 6. to Printed for Ric Chiswell at the Rose and Crowne in St. Pauls Church yard Thus did Sir Thomas More end his days in the 53d year of his age He was a man of rare vertues and excellent parts In his youth he had freer thoughts of things as appears by his Vtopia and his Letters to Erasmus but afterwards he became superstitiously devoted to the interests and passions of the Popish Clergy and as he served them when he was in Authority even to assist them in in all their cruelties so he employed his pen in the same cause both in writing against all the new opinions in general and in particular against Tindal Frith and Barnes as also an unknown Writer who seemed of neither party but reprooved the corruptions of the Clergy and condemned their cruel proceedings More was no Divine at all and it is plain to any that reads his writings that he knew nothing of Antiquity beyond the quotations he found in the Canon-Law and in the Master of the sentences only he had read some of St. Austins treatises for upon all points of Controversie he quotes only what he found in these Collections nor was he at all conversant in the critical learning upon the Scriptures but his peculiar excellency in writing was that he had a natural easie expression and presented all the opinions of Popery with their fair side to the Reader disguising or concealing the black side of them with great Art and was no less dextrous in exposing all the ill consequences that could follow on the Doctrine of the Reformers and had upon all occasions great store of pleasant tales which he applyed wittily to his purpose And in this consists the great strength of his Writings which were designed rather for the Rabble than for Learned men But for justice contempt of money humility and a true generosity of mind he was an example to the Age in which he lived But there is one thing unjustly added to the praise of these two great men or rather feigned on design to lessen the Kings honour that Fisher and he penned the book which the King wrote against Luther This Sanders first published and Bellarmin and others since have taken it up upon his Authority Strangers may be pardoned such errors but they are inexcusable in an English man For in Mores printed works there is a Letter written by him out of the Tower to Cromwel in which he gives an account of his behaviour concerning the Kings Divorce and Supremacy among other particulars one is that when the King shewed him his Book against Luther in which he had asserted the Popes Primacy to be of Divine right More desired him to leave it out since as there had been many contests between Popes and other Princes so there might fall in some between the Pope and the King therefore he thought it was not fit for the King to publish any thing which might be afterwards made use of against himself and advised him either to leave out that point or to touch it very tenderly but the King would not follow his counsel being perhaps so fond of what he had writ that he would rather run himself upon a great inconvenience than leave out any thing that he fancied so well written This shews that More knew that Book was written by the Kings own pen and either Sanders never read this or maliciously concealed it lest it should discover his foul dealing These Executions so terrified all people that there were no further provocations given and all persons either took the Oaths or did so dextrously conceal their opinions that till the Rebellions of Lincolnshire and the North broke out none suffered after this upon a publick account But when these were quieted then the King resolved to make the chief Authors and Leaders of those Commotions publick examples to the rest The Duke of Norfolk proceeded against many of them by Martial Law there were also Tryals at common Law of a great many more that were taken Prisoners and sent up to London The Lords Darcy and Hâ—ssie were tryed by their Peers the Marquis of Exceter sitting Steward And a Commission of Oyer and Terminer being issued out for the Tryal of the rest Sir Robert Constable Sir Iohn Bulmer and his Lady Sir Francis Pigot Sir Stephen Hamilton and Sir Thomas Piercy and Ask that had been their Captain with the Abbots of Whalley Ierveux Bridlington Lenton Woburn and Kingstead and Mackrall the Monk that first raised the Lincolnshire Rebellion with sixteen more were Indicted of high Treason for the late Rebellions And after all the steps of the Rebellion were reckoned up it is added in the Indictment that they had met together on the 17th of Ianuary and consulted how to renew it and prosecute it further being encouraged by the new Risings that were then in the North by which they had forfeited all the favour to which they could have pretended by vertue of the Indemnity that was granted in the end of December and of the pardons which they had taken out They were all found Guilty and had judgment as in cases of Treason divers of them were carryed down into Lincolnshire and Yorkshire and executed in the places where their Treasons were committed but most of them suffered at London and among others the Lady Bulmer whom others call Sir Iohn Bulmers harlot was burnt for it in Smithfield The only censure that passed on this was that advantages were taken on too slight grounds to break the Kings Indemnity and pardon since it does not appear that after their pardon they did any thing more than meet and consult But the Kingdom was so shaken with that Rebellion that if it had not bâ—en for the great conduct of the Duke of Norfolk the King had by all appearance lost his Crown And it will not seem strange that a King especially so tempered as this was had a mind to strike terror into the rest of his Subjects by some signal Examples and to put out of the way the chief leaders of that design nor was it to be wondered at that the Abbots and other Clergy-men who had been so active in
before God and Man not only to execute worthy punishment on me as an unlawful Wife but to follow your Affection already setled on that Party for whose sake I am now as I am whose Name I could some good while since have pointed unto your Grace being not ignorant of my suspicion therein But if you have already determined of me and that not only my Death but an infamous slander must bring you the enjoying of your desired happiness then I desire of God that he will pardon your great sin therein and likewise mine Enemies the Instruments thereof and that he will not call you to a strict account for your unprincely and cruel usage of me at his General Judgment-Seat where both you and my self must shortly appear and in whose Judgment I doubt not whatsoever the World may think of me mine Innocence shall be openly known and sufficiently cleared My last and only request shall be That my self may only bear the burthen of your Grace's displeasure and that it may not touch the innocent Souls of those poor Gentlemen who as I understand are likewise in strait Imprisonment for my sake If ever I have found favour in your sight if ever the Name of Ann Boleyn hath been pleasing in your ears then let me obtain this request and I will so leave to trouble your Grace any further with mine earnest Prayers to the Trinity to have your Grace in his good keeping and to direct you in all your Actions From my doleful Prison in the Tower this 6 th of May. Your most Loyal and ever Faithful Wife Ann Boleyn V. The Iudgment of the Convocation concerning General-Councils Published by the L. Herbert from the Original AS concerning General-Councils like-as we taught by long experience do perfectly know that there never was nor is any thing devised invented or instituted by our Fore-Fathers more expedient or more necessary for the establishment of our Faith for the extirpation of Heresies and the abolishing of Sects and Schisms and finally for the reducing of Christ's People unto one perfect unity and concord in his Religion than by the having of General-Councils So that the same be lawfully had and congregated in Spiritu Sancto and be also conform and agreeable as well concerning the surety and indifferency of the Places as all other Points requisite and necessary for the same unto that wholsome and godly Institution and usage for the which they were at first devised and used in the Primitive Church Even so on the other side taught by like experience we esteem repute and judg That there is ne can be any thing in the World more pestilent and pernicious to the Common-weal of Christendom or whereby the Truth of God's Word hath in times past or hereafter may be sooner defaced or subverted or whereof hath and may ensue more contention more discord and other devilish effects than when such General Councils have or shall be assembled not christianly nor charitably but for and upon private malice and ambition or other worldly and carnal Respects and Considerations according to the saying of Gregory Nazianzenus in his Epistle to one Procopius wherein he writeth this Sentence following Sic sentio si verum scribendum est omnes Conventus Episcoporum fugiendos esse quia nullius Synodi finem vidi bonum neque habentem magis solutionem malorum quam incrementum Nam cupiditates contentionum gloria sed ne putes me odiosum ista scribentem vincunt rationem That is to say I think this if I should write truly That all General Councils be to be eschewed for I never saw that they produced any good End or Effect nor that any Provision or Remedy but rather increase of Mischiefs proceeded of them For the desire of maintenance of Men's Opinions and ambition of Glory but reckon not that I write this of malice hath always in them overcomed reason Wherefore we think that Christian Princes especially and above all things ought and must with all their wills power and diligence foresee and provide Ne Sanctissima hac in parte majorum Instituta ad improbissimos ambitionis aut malitiae effectus explendos diversissimo suo fine sceleratissimo pervertantur Neve ad alium praetextum possint valere longe diversum effectum orbi producere quam Sanctissima rei facies praeâ—â—se ferat That is to say Least the most noble wholsome Institutions of our Elders in this behalf be perverted to a most contrary and most wicked end and effect that is to say to fulfil and satisfy the wicked affections of Men's Ambition and Malice or lest they might prevail for any other colour or bring forth any other effect than their most vertuous and laudable countenance doth outwardly to the World shew or pretend And first of all we think that they ought principally to consider who hath the Authority to call together a General Council Secondly Whether the Causes alledged be so weighty and so urgent that necessarily they require a General Council nor can otherwise be remedied Thirdly Who ought to be Judges in the General Council Fourthly What order of proceeding is to be observed in the same and how the Opinions or Judgments of the Fathers are to be consulted or asked Fifthly What Doctrines are to be allowed or defended with diverse other things which in General Councils ought of reason and equity to be observed And as unto the first Point We think that neither the Bishop of Rome nor any one Prince of what estate degree or preheminence soever he be may by his own Authority call indite or summon any General Council without the express consent assent and agreement of the residue of Christian Princes and especially such as have within their own Realms and Seigniories Imperium merum that is to say of such as have the whole intire and supream Government and Authority over all their Subjects without knowledging or recognizing of any other supream Power or Authority And this to be true we be induced to think by many and sundry as well Examples as great Reasons and Authority The which forasmuch as it should be over-long and tedious to express here particularly we have thought good to omit the same for this present And in witness that this is our plain and determinate Sentence Opinion and Judgment touching the Premisses we the Prelates and Clergy under-written being congregate together in the Convocation of the Province of Canterbury and representing the whole Clergy of the same here to these Presents subscribed our Names the 20 th of Iuly in the Year of our Lord 1536. 28. Hen. 8. Signed by Thomas Cromwel Thomas Cantuariensis Iohannes London with 13 Bishops and of Abbots Priors Arch-Deacons Deans Proctors Clerks and other Ministers 49. VI. Instructions for the King's Commissioners for a new survey and aâ— Inventory to be made of all the Demesnes Lands Goods and Chattels appertaining to any House of Religion of Monks Cannons and Nuns within their Commission according
are only due unto God trusting to attain at their hands that which must be had only of God but that they be thus to be honoured because they be known the Elect persons of Christ because they be passed in Godly Life out of this transitory World because they already do Reign in Glory with Christ and most specially to laude and praise Christ in them for their excellent vertues which he planted in them for example of and by them to such as are yet in this World to live in vertue and goodness and also not to fear to dye for Christ and his cause as some of them did and finally to take them in that they may to be the advancers of our prayers and demands unto Christ. By these ways and such like be Saints to be honoured and had in reverence and by none other Of Praying to Saints AS touching Praying to Saints We will that all Bishops and Preachers shall instruct and teach our people committed by us unto their spiritual charge that albeit grace remission of sin and Salvation cannot be obtained but of God only by the mediation of our Saviour Christ which is only sufficient mediator for our sins yet it is very laudable to pray to Saints in Heaven everlastingly living whose charity is ever permanent to be intercessors and to pray for us and with us unto Almighty God after this manner All holy Angels and Saints in Heaven pray for us and with us unto the Father that for his dear Son Jesus Christ's sake we may have grace of him and remission of our sins with an earnest purpose not wanting Ghostly strength to observe and keep his holy Commandments and never to decline from the same again unto our lives end And in this manner we may pray to our Blessed Lady to St. Iohn Baptist to all and every of the Apostles or any other Saint particularly as our devotion doth serve us so that it be done without any vain superstition as to think that any Saint is more merciful or will hear us sooner than Christ or that any Saint doth serve for one thing more than another or is Patron of the same And likewise we must keep Holy-days unto God in memory of him and his Saints upon such days as the Church hath Ordained their memories to be celebrated except they be mitigated and moderated by the assent or commandment of the Supream head to the Ordinaries and then the Subjects ought to obey it Of Rites and Ceremonies AS concerning the Rites and Ceremonies of Christs Church as to have such vestments in doing God service as be and have been most part used as Sprinkling of holy-Water to put us in remembrance of our Baptism and the blood of Christ sprinkled for our redemption upon the Cross Giving of holy bread to put us in remembrance of the Sacrament of the Altar that all Christen men be one body mystical of Christ as the bread is made of many grains and yet but one Loaf and to put us in remembrance of the receiving the holy Sacrament and body of Christ the which we ought to receive in right Charity which in the beginning of Christs Church men did more often receive than they use now adays to do Bearing of Candles on Candlemas-day in memory of Christ the spiritual light of whom Simeon did prophesie as is read in the Church that day Giving of ashes on Ash-Wedensday to put in remembrance every Christen man in the beginning of Lent and Penance that he is but ashes and earth and thereto shall return which is right necessary to be uttered from henceforth in our mother-tongue always on the same day Bearing of Palms on Palm-Sunday in memory of receiving of Christ into Ierusalem a little before his death that we may have the same desire to receive him into our hearts Creeping to the Cross and humbling our selves to Christ on Good-Friday before the Cross and offering there unto Christ before the same and kissing of it in memory of our Redemption by Christ made upon the Cross Setting up the Sepulture of Christ whose body after his death was buried the Hallowing of the Font and other like Exorcisms and Benedictions by the Ministers of Christs Church and all other like laudable Customs Rites and Ceremonies be not to be contemned and cast away but to be used and continued as things good and laudable to put us in remembrance of those spiritual things that they do signifie not suffering them to be forgotten or to be put in oblivion but renuing them in our memories from time to time but none of these Ceremonies have Power to remit sin but only to stir and lift up our minds unto God by whom only our sins be forgiven Of Purgatory FOrasmuch as due order of Charity requireth and the book of Maccabees and divers ancient Doctors plainly shewing that it is a very good and charitable deed to pray for Souls departed and forasmuch also as such usage hath continued in the Church so many years even from the beginning We will that all Bishops and Preachers shall instruct and teach our people committed by us unto their spiritual charge that no man ought to be grieved with the continuance of the same and that it standeth with the very due Order of Charity for a Christen man to pray for Souls departed and to commit them in our prayers to Gods mercy and also to cause others to pray for them in Masses and Exequies and to give Alms to others to pray for them whereby they may be relieved and holpen of some part of their pain But forasmuch as the place where they be the name thereof and kind of pains there also be to us uncertain by Scripture therefore this with all other things we remit to God Almighty unto whose mercy it is meet and convenient for us to commend them trusting that God accepteth our prayers for them referring the rest wholly to God to whom is known their estate and condition wherefore it is much necessary that such Abuses be clearly put away which under the name of Purgatory hath been advanced as to make men believe that through the Bishop of Romes Pardon Souls might clearly be delivered out of Purgatory and all the pains of it or that Masses said at Scala caeli or otherwhere in any place or before any Image might likewise deliver them from all their pain and send them streight to Heaven and other like Abuses Signed Thomas Cromwell T. Cantuarien Edwardus Ebor. Ioannes London Cuthbertus Dunelmen Ioannes Lincoln Ioannes Lincoln Nomine procuratorio pro Dom. Ioan. Exon. Hugo Wygornen Ioannes Roffen Richardus Cicestren Ioannes Bathonien Thomas Elien Ioannes Lincoln nomine procuratorio pro Dom. Rowlando Coven Lichfielden Ioannes Bangoren Nicholaus Sarisburien Edwardus Hereforden Willielmus Norwicen Willielmus Meneven Robertus Assaven Robertus Abbas Sancti Albani Willielmus Ab. Westmonaster Ioannes Ab. Burien A Richardus Ab. Glasconiae A Hugo Ab. Redying Robertus Ab. Malmesbur Clemens Ab. Eveshamen