pompe are deckt The custome is to spread abroad White linens grac'd with splendour pure Sabaean myrrhe on bodies strow'd Preserues them from decay secure The hollow stones by caruers wrought Which in faire Monuments are laid Declare that pledges thither brought Are not to death but sleepe conuay'd The pious Christians thus ordaine Beleeuing with a prudent eye That those shall rise and liue againe Who now in freezing slumbers lie He that the dead dispers'd in fields In pitie hides with heapes of molds To his Almighty Sauiour yeelds A worke which he with ioy beholds The same Law warnes vs all to grone Whom one seuere condition ties And in anothers death to mone All fun'rals as of our allies That reuerend man in goodnesse bred Who blest Tobias did beget Preferr'd the buriall of the dead Before his meate though ready set He while the seruants waiting stand Forsakes the cups the dishes leaues And digges a graue with speedy hand Which with the bones his teares receiues Rewards from heau'n tâ—is worke requite No slender price is here repaid God cleares the eyes that saw no light While fishes gall on them is laid Then the Creatour would descry How farre from reason they are led Who sharpe and bitter things apply To soules on which new light is spred He also taught that to no wight The heau'nly kingdome can be seene Till vext with wounds and darksome night He in the worlds rough waues â—ath beene The curse of death a blessing findes Because by this tormenting woe Steepe wayes lie plaine to spotlesse mindes Who to the Starres by sâ—rrowes goe The bodies which long perisht lay Returne to liue in better yeares That vnion neuer shall decay Where after death new warmth appeares The face where now pale colour dwels Whence foule infection shall arise The flowers in splendour then excels When bloud the skinne with beauty dies No age by Times imperious law With enuious prints the forehead dimmes No drought no leannesse then can draw The moisture from the withered limbes Diseases which the body eate Infected with oppressing paines In midst of torments then shall sweate Imprison'd in a thousand chaines The conquering flesh immortall growes Beholding from the skies aboue The endlesse groning of her foes For sorrowes which from them did moue Why are vndecent howlings mixt By liuing men in such a case Why are decreâ—s so sweetly fixt Reprou'd with discontented face Let all complaints and murmures faile Ye tender mothers stay your teares Let none their children deare bewaile For life renew'd in death appeares So buried seeds though drie and dead Againe with smiling greennesse spring And from the hollow furrowes bred Attempt new eares of corne to bring Earth take this man with kinde embrace In thy soft bosome him conceiue For humane members here I place And genâ—rous parts in trust I leaue This house the soule her guest once felt Which from the Makers mouth proceeds Here sometime feruent wisedome dwelt Which Christ the Prince of wisedome breeds A cou'ring for this body make The Author neuer will forget His works nor will those lookes forsake In which he hath his picture set For when the course of time is past And all our hopes fulfil'd shall be Thou op'ning must restore at last The limbes in shape which now we see Nor if long age with powerfull reigne Shall turne the bones to scatter'd dust And onely ashes shall retaine In compasse of an handfull thrust Nor if swift flouds or strong command Of windes through emptie aire haue tost The members with the flying sand Yet man is neuer fully lost O God while mortall bodies are Recall'd by thee and form'd againe What happie seat wilt thou prepare Where spotlesse soules may safe remaine In Abrahams bosome they shall lie Like Lazarus whose flowry crowne The rich man doth farre off espie While him sharpe fiery torments drowne Thy words O Sauiour we respect Whose triumph driues blacke death to losse When in thy steps thou wouldst direct The Thiefe thy fellow on the Crosse. The faithfull see a shining way Whose length to Paradise extends This can them to those trees conuay Lost by the Serpents cunning ends To Thee I pray most certaine Guide O let this soule which thee obay'd In her faire birth-place pure abide From which she banisht long hath stray'd While we vpon the couer'd bones Sweet Violets and leaues will throw The title and the cold hard stones Shall with our liquid odours flow CHAP. VI. Of the care and cost anciently vsed in the preseruing whole and entire the bodies of the dead Strange wayes customes and fashions of buriall AS in former times the most of all Nations were ardently desirous of decent buriall so Histories doe shew that the Ancients and namely the Egyptians were no lesse carefull and curious to preserue whole and entire the bodies of the dead laid within their Sepulchres and to keepe them from putrifaction so much as they could possible which they did by this meanes So soone as any one amongst them especially of exemplary note was dead they would draw out the braines of the defunct at the nostrils with an instrument of iron replenishing the same with preseruatiue spices then cutting vp the belly with an Aethiopian stone called Laigne and extracting the bowels they cleansed the inside with wine and stuffing the same with a composition of Cassia myrrhe and other odours closed it againe The like the poorer sort of people effected with Bitumen as the inside of their skuls and bellies yet testifie saith Sandvs lib. 2 who saw such their strange embalmed bodies fetcht from the lake of Asphaltis in Iury. So did they by the iuyce of Cedars which by the extreame bitternesse and siâ—catiue qualitie not onely subdued forthwith the cause of interiour corruption but hath to this day a continuance of aboue three thousand yeares preserued them vncorrupted Within their bellies besides their odorous compositions they enclosed certaine painted papers and strange shapes of their Gods in little models of stone or mettall this done they wrapt the bodie with linen in multitudes of folds besmeared with gumme in manner of a seare-cloth swathled with bands of the same staining their breasts with Hierogliphycall characters and so laid them downe in such vaults as did belong to euery mans particular familie Camerar in his Hist. Meditations saith That the Ancients fixed nailes of brasse within their dead bodies knowing well that brasse is a mettal very solid and lasting in which qualitie both Horace and Virgil do commend it that it keepeth a long time from rust and corruption and that it is endued with a particular vertue against putrifaction And not long since saith he there was found in a certaine wood neare to Nuremburgh very ancient Tombes and amongst the bones of the dead nailes and buckles of brasse It is reported by Fulgosus and other forraigne Authours as also by our owne countrey-men William of Malmesbury and Matthew of Westminster that in the yeare of Grace one
surprised by the craft of the Saxons set his full purpose to driue them out and from the seuenth yeare after their first entrance for twentie yeares continuance fought many battailes with them and foure of them with great puissance in the open field in the first whereof they departed with like fortune and losse of the Generals brethren Horsa and Latigern in the other three the Britaines went away with victory and so long vntill Vortimer was taken away by fatall death It is recorded of him that after he had vanquished the Saxons and dispossessed them of all their footing in the Continent yea and often assailed them in the Isle of Tannet the Church of Christianitie being ruinated by the Pagan marriage of Rowena with his Brother as aforesaid that he restored the Christian Religion as then sorely decaied and new built the Churches that his enemies the misbeleeuing Saxons had destroied It is also reported by Nennius of Bangor in the historie of his countrie that after his last victorie ouer the Saxons he caused his monument to be erected at the entrance into Tanet and in the same place of that great ouerthrow which by the said Author is called Lapis Tituli of vs the Stonar where for certaine it seemes hath beene an hauen In this monument hee commanded his body to be buried to the further terror of the Saxons that in beholding this his Trophie their spirits might be daunted at the remembrance of their great ouerthrow As Scipio Africanus conceited the like who commanded his Sepulchre to be so set that it might ouerlooke Africa supposing that his very Tombe would be a terror to the Carthaginians But how that desire of Vortimer was performed I finde not saith a late writer but rather the contrarie for an old Manuscript I haue that confidently affirmeth him to be buried in London which agreeth with these old Rimes of my reuerend Monke of Glocester Aftur his deth he badde anon his body yat me nome And bury hit at an hauene wher ye hethen men vp come In a Tombe swithe an heigh yat me myght hit fer yse That hii for drede of yat syght ayen hom sholde fle Hare was herte to hem whan he wolde hit hadde Drede of his body dede as they aliue hadde Ther was deol and Soâ—we enogh tho this man was ded As natheles me buryed him nought ther as yat he ked For hit was but of a will as hii hem bethoughte In London wythe gret honor that body an erthe broughte Harding hath it thus In a pyller of brasse he laid on hyght At the gate where Saxons had landed afore He bad his men for also farre as he myght Hym se he truste they wolde not nerre come thore But neuerthelesse they letted not therfore But buried hym at Troynouant Citee As he them bade with all solempnitee The vncertaine buriall of Edward and Richard the sonnes of King Edward the fourth Edward the eldest sonne of King Edward the fourth by Queene Elizabeth his wife say our English Writers was borne in the Sanctuary at Westminster the fourth of Nouember and yeare of grace 1470. being the tenth of his fathers raigne at that time expulsed the Realme by the powerfull Earle of Warwicke but fortune being changed and the father restored the sonne in Iuly following the sixe and twentieth day 1471. was created Prince of Wales and Earle of Chester and afterwards vpon the eight of Iuly in the 19 yeare of his said fathers raign he was by Letters Patents dated at Esthamsted further honoured with the Earledomes of Penbroke and March He was proclaimed King but neuer crowned yet had not the ambitious hand of his Vncle beene defiled in his innocent bloud hee might haue worne the Diadem many yeares whereas he bare the title of King no longer then two moneths and eighteene daies Richard surnamed of Shrewsbury because he was there borne the second sonne of Edward the fourth by his wife Elizabeth as aforesaid was affianced in his infancie to Anne the onely daughter and heire of Iohn Lord Mowbray Duke of Norfolke hee was honoured by the titles of Duke of Norfolke Earle Warren Earle Marshall and Nottingham also Lord Baron of Mowbray Segraue and of Gower as Milles will haue it but inioying neither wife title or his owne life long was with his brother murthered in the Tower of London and in the prison of that Tower which vpon that most sinfull deed is euer since called the bloudy Tower their bodies as yet vnknowne where to haue buriall The storie of whose death and supposed interment extracted out of authenticall Authors is thus deliuered by Iohn Speed Prince Edward and his brother saith hee were both shut vp in the Tower and all attendants remoued from them onely one called Blacke-Will or William Slaughter excepted who was set to serue them and to see them sure After which time the Prince neuer tied his points nor cared for himselfe but with that yong Babe his brother lingred with thought and heauinesse till their traiterous deaths deliuered them out of that wretchednesse for the execution whereof Sir Iames Tirrill appointed Miles Forrest a fellow fleshed in murther before time to whom he ioyned one Iohn Dighton his horse-keeper a bigge broad square knaue About midnight all others being remoued from them this Miles Forrest and Iohn Dighton came into the Chamber and suddenly wrapped vp the sely children in the Bed-clothes where they lay keeping by force the featherbed and pillowes hard vpon their mouthes that they were therein smothered to death and gaue vp to God their innocent soules into the ioyes of heauen leauing their bodies vnto the Tormentors dead in the bed which after these monstrous wretches perceiued first by the strugling with the paines of death and after long lying still to bee thorowly dispatched they laid their bodies naked out vpon the bed and then fetched Sir Iames Tirrill their instigator to see them who caused these murtherers to bury them at the staires foot somewhat deepe in the ground vnder a great heape of stones Then roâ—e Sir Iames in haste to the King vnto whom he shewed the manner of their death and place of buriall which newes was so welcome to his wicked heart as hee greatly reioyced and with great thankes dubbed as some hold this his mercilesse Instrument Knight But the place of their buriall he liked not saying that vile corner should not containe the bodies of those Princes his Nephewes and commanded them a better place for buriall because they were the Sons of a King Whereupon the Priest of the Tower tooke vp their bodies and secretly interred them in such a place which by the occasion of his death could neuer since come to light The continuer of Iohn Harding tels vs from the report of others that King Richard caused Sir Robert Brakenburies Priest to close their dead corpes in lead and so to put them in a coffin full of holes
declamations in a storme onely to his poore Bargeman Amyclas being as then out of all hope or helpe for buriall saue in the bottome of the sea otherwise at another time I do not doubt but that he would haue desired sepulture with all her ceremonies as earnestly as Hector or any one of his nine fellow-worthies For neuer any saith Camden neglected buriall but some sauage nations as Bactrians which cast their dead to the dogs some varlet Philosophers as Diogenes who desired to bee deuoured of fishes some dissolute Courtiers as Macaenas who was wont to say Non tumulum curo sepelit natura relictos I 'm carelesse of a graue Nature her dead will saue As another said De terra interram quaeuis terra Sepulchrum From earth to earth wee go Each earth 's alike graue so Lucius Scipio likewise being ouerthrowne at the battell of Thapsus where hee was Generall fled disguisedly by sea for his owne safety but being driuen by a storme into the Bay of Hippo where Caesars Nauie lay to guard the shores and perceiuing them himselfe and his Barke both lost he stabbed himselfe with his ponyard leapt ouerboard and drowned himselfe in the maine vttering vpon his instant resolution certaine words in disdaine of buriall Thus exquisitely deliuered in verse by my worthy Friend the continuer of Lucans Historicall poeme My course is runne and though this armed hand Shall testifie I could haue di'd by land The Ocean likes me best within the maine Vnknowne for euer Scipio shall remaine O let my floating carcase neuer come To land lest Affricke should bestow a Tombe And to her sonnes in after ages show A Monument of vanquisht Scipio Loath he was that his dead bodie should either suffer despight or receiue fauour from his enemies so that I thinke no otherwise of his imprecations then I do of Caesars These carelesse Mecaenas-like resolutions make so many I beleeue of especiall note amongst us who either vpon a sparing or precise humour are content to commit to the earth their parents wiues children and the nearest vnto them in tenebris with little better than Sepulchra asinorum This office of burying the dead this last dutie done to our deceased friends hath euer had the prime place of commendation by Lucan lib. 18. for that he so solicitously tooke care to giue all funerall dues to the head lesse Trunke of great Pompey cut off by the treachery of the vngratâ—full base Ptolomey vpon whom he is made in the said booke to bestow this Epitaph Here the great Pompey lies so Fortune pleasde To instile this stone whom Caesars selfe would haue Interr'd before he should haue mist a graue And Virgil makes buriall an honour to such as are slaine in battell and so consequently of others Meane while th'vnburied bodies of our mates Ciue wee to graue sole honour after fates Go honour those braue soules with their last dues Who with their bloud purchas'd this land for vs. Toby his burying of the dead was acceptable vnto God as the Angell testifieth And the Lord himselfe being to arise againe the third day commended that good worke of those religious women who poured those pretious ointments with sweete odours vpon his head and body and did it to bury him And the Gospel hath crowned them with immortall praise that tooke downe his bodie from the crosse and gaue it honest and honourable buriall Which signifieth saith S. Augustine that the providence of God extendeth euen vnto the very bodies of the dead for he is pleased with such good deeds and doe build vp the beleefe of the resurrection Where by the way saith he we may learne this profitable lesson how great the reward of almes done vnto the liuing may be since this duty and fauour showne but vnto the dead is not forgotten of God Decent buriall according to the qualitie of the person deceased with attendants of kindred and friends is an honour to the defunct Hezekiah saith the text slept with his fathers and they buried him in the highest sepulchre of the sonnes of Dauid and all Iudah and the inhabitants of Ierusalem did him honour at his death We commend many of vs I am sure doe that good worke of Richard Fox Bishop of Winchester who caused the bones and other reliques of such sacred Princes and sainted Prelates as there had beene buried in that Church and dispersed abroad in seuerall odde corners to bee placed together in seemly monuments vpon the top of the new partition built by himselfe for the same purpose And likewise wee cannot but loue the memory of such who vpon the dissolution and finall destruction of our religious structures caused so many funerall monuments with the bodies therein included to bee remoued into other neighbouring Churches where by all likelihood they may rest in peace and safety vntill the last sound of the Trumpet In the works of Aurelius Prudentius Clemens a Spaniard by birth an ancient Christian Poet and one Qui palmam inter omnes Christianos Poetas obtinuit who flourished about foure hundred yeares after the incarnation of our Lord and Sauiour I finde this Funerall Hymne following of which and not impertinently I may make some vse here in this place translated by Sir Iohn Beaumont Baronet O God the soules pure fiery spring Who different natures wouldst combine That man whom thou to life didst bring By weakenesse may to death decline By thee they both are fram'd aright They by thy hand vnited be And while they ioyne with growing might Both flesh and spirit liue to thee But when diuision them recalls They bend their course to seu'rall ends Into drie earth the body falls The feruent soule to heau'n ascends For all created things at length By slow corruption growing old Must needs forsake compacted strength And disagreeing webs vnfold But thou deare Lord hast meanes prepar'd That death in thine may neuer reigne And hast vndoubted wayes declar'd How members lost may rise againe That while those generous rayes are bound In prison vnder fading things That part may still be stronger found Which from aboue directly springs If man with baser thoughts possest His will in earthly mud shall drowne The soule with such a weight opprest Is by the body carried downe But when she mindfull of her birth Her selfe from vgly spots debarres She lifts her friendly house from earth And beares it with her to the starres See how the emptie bodie lies Where now no liuely soule remaines Yet when short time with swiftnesse flies The height of senses it regaines Those ages shall be soone at hand When kindly heate the bones reuiues And shall the former house command Where liuing bloud it shall infuse Dull carcases to dust now worne Which long in graues corrupted lay Shall to the nimble aire be borne Where soules before haue led the way Hence comes it to adorne the graue With carefull labour men affect The limbes dissolu'd last honour haue And fun'rall Rites with
thousand thirty and seuen the bodie of Pallas the sonne of Euander slaine by Turnus in single combat was found and taken vp in Rome intire and sound in all parts to the great astonishment of the beholders in that it had triumphed so many ages ouer all corruption At his head was found a burning lampe which could not bee extinguisht neither by violence of blast nor by aspersion of liquor Vpon whose tombe this Epitaph following was then found Filius Euandri Pallas quem laurea Turni Militis occidit more suo iacet hic Pallas Euanders sonne by Turnus speare In combate slaine on this wise lieth here Within the Parish of Stepney in Midlesex in Radcliffe field where they take ballast for ships about some fourteene or fifteene yeares agoe there was found two Monuments the one of stone wherein was the bones of a man the other a chest of lead the vpper part being garnished with Scallop shels and a crotister border At the head of the coffin and the foot there were two Iars of a three foot length standing and on the sides a number of bottles of glistering red earth some painted and many great viols of glasse some sixe some eight square hauing a whitish liquour within them Within the chest was the body of a woman as the Chirurgians iudged by the skull On either side of her there was two scepters of Iuory eighteene inches long and on her breast a little figure of Cupid neatly cut in white stone And amongst the bones two printed peeces of Iett with round heads in forme of nailes three inches long It seemeth saith Sir Robert Cotton from whom I had this relation these bodies were burned about the yeare of our Lord 239. being there were â—ound diuers coines of Pupienus Gordian and the Emperours of that time And that one may coniecture by her ornaments that this last body should be some Princes or Propretors wife here in Britaine in the time of the Romane gouernment In the North isle of the Parish-church of Newport painell in Buckinghamshire in the yeare 1619. was found the body of a man whole and perfect laid downe or rather leaning downe North and South all the concauous parts of his body and the hollownesse of euery bone as well ribs as other were filled vp with sollid lead The skull with the lead in it doth weigh thirty pounds and sixe ounces which with the neck-bone and some other bones in like manner full of lead are reserued and kept in a little chest in the said Church neare to the place where the corps were found there to bee showne to strangers as reliques of admiration The rest of all the parts of his body are taken away by Gentlemen neare dwellers or such as take delight in rare Antiquities This I saw Thus you see by the premises how magnificent our Ancients were in the ordering and expenses of Funerals how sumptuous in their houses of death or sepulchres and how carefull to preserue their dead carcases from putrifaction for so much as the soule saith Sandys knowing it selfe by diuine instinct immortall doth desire that the body her beloued companion might enioy as farre forth as may be the like felicity giuing by erecting lofty Monuments and these dues of Funerall all possible eternitie But now iudicious Reader vnderstand that howsoeuer I haue spoken or whatsoeuer I shall speake hereafter of buriall and the ceremonies thereunto belonging yet I speake now out of Saint Augustine and Ludouicus Vtues his Commentor that it is not preiudiciall to a Christian soule to bee forbidden buriall For although the Psalmist complaines as I haue said before how that none would bury the dead bodies of Gods seruants yet this was spoken to intimate their villany which did it rather then their misery which suffered it For though that vnto the eyes of man these acts seeme bloudy and tyrannous yet precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints And our faith holding fast the promise is not so fraile as to thinke that the rauenous beasts can depriue the body of any part to bee wanting in the resurrection where not a haire of the head shall be missing a new restitution of our whole bodies being promised to all of vs in a moment not onely out of the earth alone but euen out of the most secret angles of all the other elements wherein any body is or can bee possibly included A bad death neuer followes a good life for there is nothing that maketh death bad but that estate which followeth death What power then hath the horrour of any kinde of death or the want of buriall to affright their soules that haue led a vertuous life Quo loco quo modo quo tempore fiat haec emigratio quid interest vndique Christi fidelibus â—d coelestia regna patet aditus The familie of the gorgeous rich glutton prepared him a sumptuous funerall vnto the eyes of men but one farre more sumptuous did the ministring Angels prepare for the vlcered begger in the sight of God They bare him not into any Sepulchre of marble but placed him in the bosome of Abraham Lucans Pharsalia the ninth booke speaking of great Pompey who wanted a Tombe tells vs how that his spirit ascended vp to the heauens to which habitation few come that are entombd in rich and sumptuous monuments thus The eternall Spheres his glorious spirit doth hold To which come few with incense buri'd tomb'd in gold And the said Lucan in his seuenth booke speaking of the dead that Caesar forbad should be burned or buried after hee hath brought forth many graue sentences concerning this matter of buriall at length thus concludes speaking as it were passionately vnto Caesar. This anger bootes thee not for t is all one Whether the fire or putrefaction Dissolue them all to Natures bosome go And to themselues their ends the bodies owe. If now these Nations Caesar be not burnd They shall when earth and seas to flames are turnd One fire shall burne the world and with the skie Shall mixe these bones where ere thy soule shall be Their soules shall goe in aire thou shalt not flie Higher nor better in Auernus lie Death frees from fortune Earth receiues againe What euer she brought forth and they obtaine Heauens couerture that haue no vrnes at all So Virgil who appoints a place of punishment in hell for the vnburied yet in Anchises his words he shewes how small the losse of a graue is But to conclude with mine Authour Saint Augustine If the necessaries of mans life as meate and cloathing though they be wanting in great extremitie yet cannot subuert the good mans patience nor draw him from goodnesse how much lesse power shall those things haue which are omitted in the burying of the dead to afflict the soules that are already at quiet in the secret receptacles of the righteous And whereas in the bloudy ouerthrow of many fierce battels in the sacking and subuersion of
many Townes and Cities the bodies of the Christians haue wanted the rites and ceremonies of buriall it was neither fault in the liuing that could not performe them nor hurt to the dead that could not feele them Yet notwithstanding all this which I haue spoken the bodies of the dead are not to be contemned and cast away especially of the righteous and faithfull which the holy Ghost hath vsed as Organs and instruments vnto all good works for if the garment or ring of ones father be so much the more esteemed of his posterity by how much they held him dearer in their affection then are not our bodies to bee despised being wee weare them more neare vnto our selues then any attire whatsoeuer CHAP. VII Of Cenotaphs Honorarie and religious Of the reuerence attributed to these emptie Monuments A Cenotaph is an emptie Funerall Monument or Tombe erected for the honour of the dead wherein neither the corps nor reliques of any defunct are deposited in imitation of which our Hearses here in England are set vp in Churches during the continuance of a yeare or for the space of certaine moneths Octauia the sister of Augustus buried her sonne young Marcellus that should haue beene heire in the Empire with sixe hundred Cenotaphs or hearses and gaue to Virgil more then fiue thousand French crownes in reward for the writing of sixe and twentie Hexameters in her sonnes commendation all which you may haue for nothing in the latter end of the sixth booke of his Aeneidos These Cenotaphs were of two sorts they were made either to the memory of such as were buried in some other remote funerall monument or to such which had no buriall at all The first kinde of these Cenotaphs are called by Suetonius in the life of Claudius Honorarie tombes erected Honoris vel memoriae gratia Such as the souldiers made to the memorie of Drusus neare vpon the riuer of Rhine howsoeuer his body was carried to Rome and there interred in Campo Martio Alexander Seuerus slaine by the treacherie of certaine seditious French souldiers about the yeare of grace 238 An Emperour saith Sir Thomas Eliot who translated his story out of Greeke whose death all Rome lamented all good men bewailed all the world repented whom the Senate deified noble fame renowned all wise men honoured noble writers commended had his Cenotaph erected in France neare vnto the place where he was slaine but his body was carried to Rome and there interred vnder a most rich magnificent sepulchre as Lampridius affirmes Septimius Seuerus the Romane Emperour died in Yorke in the yeare of mans saluation 212. out of which Citie his corps were carried forth to the funerall fire by the sixth Legion of his souldiers called Victrix after the militarie fashion committed to the flames and honoured with iusts and Turneaments in a place neare beneath the Citie Westward where is to be seene a great mount of earth raised vp as for his Cenotaph But his ashes being bestowed in a little golden pot or vessell of the Porpherite-stone were carried to Rome and shrined there in the Monument of the Antonines Constantine or Constantius the younger sonne to Constantine the Great who is supposed to be the builder of Silcester in Hampshire died at Mopsuestia in Cilicia and was interred in Constantinople in the Sepulchre of his Ancestours Yet he had a Cenotaph or emptie monument built to his memory in the said now-ruined Citie of Silcester And many there were that in honour and remembrance of them had such monuments built about which the souldiers were wont yearely to iust and keepe solemne Turneaments in honour of the dead The second kinde of Cenotaphs were made Religionis causa to the memory of such whose carcases or dispersed reliques were in no wise to bee found for example of such as perished by shipwracke of such as were slaine cut mangled and hew'd apeeces in battell or of such that died in forraine nations whose burials were vnknowne For in ancient times it was thought that the Ghost of the defunct could not rest in any place quietly before the body had decent buriall or the performance thereof in as ample manner as could possibly be imagined Aeneas as it is fained by the helpe of Sibylla Cumea descending into hell found Palinurus his shipmaster drownd not long before among many more wandring about the lake of Styx because his body was vnburied which kinde of punishment is thus related by the Prophetesse Phaers translation This prease that here thou seest beene people dead not laid in graue A pitious rable poore that no reliefe nor comfort haue This Boate-man Charon is And those whom now this water beares Are bodies put in ground with worship due of weeping teares Nor from these fearfull bankes nor riuers hoarce they passage get Till vnder earth in graues their bodies bones at rest are set An hundred yeares they walke and round about these shores they houe And then at last full glad to further pooles they do remoue Then after this she puts him in comfort with hope of Exequies and honorable buriall thus Since whan O Palinure both all this madnesse come on thee Wouldst thou the Limbo-lake and dolefull flouds vntombed see Vnbidden from this banke doest thou indeed to scape intend Seeke neuer Gods eternall doome with speech to thinke to bend Yet take with thee Aeneas word and comfort thus thy fall For they that border next vnto that mount and Cities all By tâ—kens great from heauen shall be compelld thy bones to take And tombe they shall thee build and solemne seruice shall thee make And Palinurus name for euermore the place shall keepe This spoken from his heauy heart his cares abating creepe And sorrowes partly shranke and glad on earth his name he knew Vlysses at the commandement of Circes went downe into the lower shades where he met with his companion or fellow-traueller Elpenor who desired of him buriall with the ceremonies thereof as also a Sepulchre which Vlysses granted and erected to his memory a Cenotaph Doe not depart from hence and leaue me thus Vnmournd vnburied lest neglected I Bring on thy selfe th incensed Deitie I know that saiâ—d from hence thy ship must touch On th' Isle Aeaea where vouchsafe thus much Good King that landed thou wilt instantly Bestow on me thy royall memory And on the foamie shore a Sepulchre Erect to me that after times may heare Of one so haplesse Let me these implore And fixe vpon my Sepulchre the Ore With which aliue I shooke the aged Seas And had of friends the deare societies To these inania busta or vacua Sepulchra the friends of the defunct would yearely repaire and there offer sacrifice vpon Altars erected neare to the Cenotaph for that purpose calling vpon the spirit ghost or Manes of him to whose memory the Cenotaph was made by which ceremony they imagined that the body of the party deceased would lie some where or other at reâ—â— and his
none and ye wolde turne therto Me seeth a bond mannes sone somtym a knyght bycome And of a grom a Squyer and aftur knyghts some And such ye haueth the forme of men beth men in alle wise And torneth yow to Manhede and kepeth youre Franchise So it followes how this Bishop went into little Britaine and entreated Aldroennus the king there to send ouer Constantine his brother with a certaine number of men by whose helpe the enemie might bee expelled which was granted and performed accordingly Fastidius Priscus succeeded him in the gouernement of this See who writ diuers bookes of diuine learning mentioned by Bale Hee was a sincere expositor of the sacred Scriptures and a painefull Preacher throughout the whole kingdome Cui abunde suppeditebant cum perbenigno ingenio excellens memoria morum integritas et vita incorrupta quibus cumulatissime caeteros suae gentis praecedebat verbi Praecones He flourished vnder Honorius and Theodosius Emperours 420. By an old namelesse Chronicle which I haue read one Ternekine succeeded Fastidius a piercing wise Prelate into matters of state and in speciall fauour with Aurelius Ambrose King of great Britaine but Vodinus followeth next in the catalogue a man of singular deuotion and good life who for reprehending King Vortigers vnlawfull marriage with Rowenna Hengists daughter his lawfull wife being then liuing was barbarously murdered by the said Hengist and with him many other Priests and religious Persons circa an 452. After the comming of the Saxons the succession of Archbishops was still continued in London for the space of many yeares but secretly euen vntill the time that S. Gregorie sent Augustine hither I finde onely one of them named to wit Theonus who with Thadiocus or Tadiacus of which I haue spoken before in Rochester Bishop of Yorke taking their Clergie with them got them into Wales and Cornewall to the rest of their countrimen whom the Saxons had lately driuen thither this man did not write himselfe Archbishop which is one cause of some controuersie amongst our Historiographers Saint Michaels Cornehill Here lyeth Robert Fabian Alderman and Sheriffe of London who composed a laborious Chronicle of England and France with the monuments and the succession of the Lord Maiors of London and died Anno Dom. 1511. for whom this Epitaph was made now altogether defaced Like as the day his course doth consume And the new morrow springeth againe as fast So man and woman by Natures custome This life to passe at last in earth are cast In ioy and sorrow which here their time doe wast Neuer in one state but in course transitorie So full of change is of this world the glory Hic iacet in tumulo Doctor venerabilis Hugo Dauset olim Rector vere fideique protector M C quater .x. ter ix sit et I sex Aprilisque die ter I V semel I migrat ille Here vndyr was beryed Robart Barnes by name Citizon of London and Mercer of the same And this is written that others may remembyr How godly he departed the twentyth on of Nouembyr ................... Here lyth the body of Iohn Bootes wiff Dissoluyd by deth to her fyrst matter dust Who from the cares of this world departyd her liff The twenty third day of the monyth of August On thowsand fyue hundryd and seuen beyng threescore yeerys old iust Saint Benets Grasse Church Prey for the saulygs of Henry Denne and Ioan his wyf theyr fadyrs theyr modyrs Bredyrs and good frendys and of al Christian saulygs Iesu haue mercy Amen who departyd this lif .... M. cccc.lxxxxi Saint Bartholomewes exchange Vpon an old Tombe the defunct thus seemeth to pray Exte vite principium per te vite remedium In te vite solatium da nobis vite premium Genitor ineffabilis ipsius prolis Paracliti consimilis memento vite fragilis This monument by relation was made to the memorie of Thomas Pike Alderman who with the assistance of Nicholas Yoo one of the Sheriffes of this Citie about the yeare 1438. new builded this Church Hic ..... Willielmus Capel .... Maior Lon ... fil Iohannis Capel ... Neyland in com ... ob ... 1509. Out of this broken Inscription I fynde this whole history how that Sir Richard Empson Knight a Sieue-makers sonne in Tocester and Edmund Dudley Esquire both Lawiers were two instruments for King Henry the seuenth to enrich his and their owne coffers and to empouerâ—sh the subiects by way of calling the richer sort into question for breach of old moth eaten vnreuiued penall Lawes amongst many others whom they most treacherously abused by a false packt Iurie they scruzed from this Sir William Capell aboue sixteene hundred pounds and some twelue or thirteene yeeres after they were at him againe afresh for two thousand pounds more which because he would not pay he was commanded by Dudley Prisoner to the Tower but by the death of the said King which happened the same yeere he was released both of imprisonment and payment in which yeere he also departed this world in the loue of all good men leauing a great inheritance and an honourable remembrance to his posteritie and not long after Empson and Dudley cater-pillers of the common-wealth hatefull to all good people were beheaded on the Tower hill the 17. of August 1510. leauing behinde them nothing they could dispose of for their heires saue the staine of euerlasting infamie He lyeth here entombed in a Chappell of his owne Foundation he was the sonne of Iohn Capell of Stoke Neyland in the county of Suffolke Saint Bennets Finke O God the father of heauyn which art the euerlastyng lyght Haue mercy on the sowl of me poor Water Knyght Who departyd this lyf the monyth of Ianuary In the yere of my Redemer on M .... and fifty Borne I was in Canterbery in the County of Kent Sonne to on Iohn Knyght and Alyse his wife this is verament And to be short all worldly things to confound Of the Earth I was made and to the Earth I am retournd Within this Parish was the Hospitall of Saint Anthony sometime a cell belonging to Saint Anthonies of Vienna founded by King Henry the third for a Master two Priests one Schoolemaster and twelue poore men the reuenewes of this house were much augmented and the number of the houshold increased by King Henry the sixt and Edward the fourth to which Iohn Tate Mercer was a right bountifull benefactor who was here entombed vnder a faire monument he died Anno 1514. and so was VVater Champion Sheriffe of London 1529. who was here buried The lands by yeare of this Hospitall were valued in the 37. yeare of Henry the eight to be 55 l. sixe shillings 8 d. Stow in his Suruay saith that one Iohnson Schoole-master of this Hospitall and Prebend of Windsor spoiled both the Schoole and Hospitall and the Quire of the Church conuayed away the Plate and ornaments then the Bels
in Philosophie both naturall and morall in Physicke and the canon Law very eloquent an excellent Preacher and esteemed so profound a Diuine as he was thought meete to be the professour of Diuinity or Doctor of the Chaire in the Vniuersitie of Tholouze For these his good gifts hee was much fauoured of the blacke Prince then of King Richard his sonne who preferred him to the Bishopricke of the Isle of Man from that preferment he was translated to the Archbishopricke of Dublin in Ireland thence to Chichester and lastly to the Archbishopricke of Yorke where he sate not fully three yeares but died the 29. of May 1397. His Epitaph is quite worne or torne away from his monument yet I found it in a Manuscript in Sir Robert Cottons Librarie Hic fuit expertus in quouis iure Robertus De Walbye dictus nunc est sub marmore strictus Sacre Scripture Doctor fuit et geniture Ingenuus medicus Plebis semper amicus Presul Adurensis post hec Archas Dublinensis Hinc Cicestrensis tandem Primus Eborensis Quarto Kalend Iunij migrauit cur sibus anni Milleni ter C. septem nonies quoque deni Vos precor orate quod sint sibi dona beate Cum sanctis vite requiescat et hic sine lite In an old riming Manuscript of the succession of the Archbishops of Yorke I finde thus much of this man Tunc Robertus ordinis Fratris Augustini Ascendit in Cathedram Primatis Paulini Lingua scientificus sâ—rmonis Latini Anno primo proximat vite sue fini De carnis ergastulo Presul euocatur Gleba sui corporu Westminstre humatur Here vnder a marble stone in the Chappell royall lyeth the body of Iohn Waltham Lord Bishop of Salisbury who had beene master of the Rolles keeper of the priuie Seale and Treasurer of England in which office he continued till his death which happened in the yeare 1395. hauing sate bishop 7 yeares and executed the Treasurorship foure yeares King Richard the second loued him entirely and greatly bewailed his death In token whereof hee commanded that hee should be buried here among the Kings hoc anno saith Walshingham viz. in the yeare 1395. obijt Iohannes de Waltham Episcopus Sarum regni Thesaurarius qui tantum Regi complacuerit vt etiam multis licet murmurantibus apud monasterium inter Reges meruit sepulturam He lieth in the pauement vnder a flat marble stone iust beside King Edward the first vpon which his Epitaph was inlayd in brasse with his portraiture in Episcopall robes now defaced and almost quite perished Here lyeth another Bishop here buried but not in so conspicuous and princely a place of the Church as doth Waltham who was likewise by the Kings speciall commandement here inhumed for that he was accounted a very holy and vertuous man namely one Richard de Wendouer Parson of Bromley and Bishop of Rochester who died in the yeare 1250. and in the raigne of King Henry the third Here lieth interred Sir Humfrey Bourchier Lord Cromwell the sonne of Henry Bourchier Earle of Essex by Isabell daughter of Richard Earle of Cambridge and sister to Richard Duke of Yorke who in aide of his kinsman King Edward the fourth was slaine at Barnet field vpon Easter day 1471. And here lieth interred another Humfrey Bourchier who was the sonne and heire of Iohn Bourchier Lord Berners who was also slaine at the same battaile to whose memories this Epitaph yet remaines Hic Pugil ecce iacens Bernet fera bella cupiscens Certat vt Eacides fit saucius vndique miles Vt cecidit vulnus Mars porrigit arma cruore Sparsim tincta rubent dolor en lachrimabilis hora Lumine nempe cadit quo christus morte resurgit Bourchier Humfridus clara propagine dictus Edwardi Regis qui tertius est vocitatus Iohn Domini Berners proles et paruulus heres Quartus et Edwardus belli tenet ecce triumphum Quo perit Humfridus vt Regis vernula verus Cyronomon mense sponse Regis fuit iste Elisabeth sibi sic sua virtus crescit honore Armis conspicuus quondam charusque Britannis Hic fuit Vt celis viuat deposcite votis Here lieth entombed in a slight monument in the wall Thomas Mylling sometime Abbot of this Monastery from whence he was preferred to the Bishopricke of Hereford by King Edward the fourth vnder whom he was of the priuie Councell and was Godfather to Prince Edward his eldest Sonne He was a Monke of this house being but a youth and then went to Oxford where he studied vntill hee proceeded Doctor of Diuinitie in which time he attained good knowledge in the Greeke tongue which in those dayes was geason saith the reuerend Author of the Bishops Catalogue He died in the yeare 1493. Here in an obscure place of this Church lieth the body of Hugoline Chamberlaine to King Edward the Confessor of whom this Storie is written in the life of the said Edward King Edward one afternoone lying in his bed with his curtaines round about him drawne a poore pilfering Courtier came into his Chamber where finding the Kings Casket open which Hugolin had forgotten to shut he tooke out so much money as hee could well carry and went away but insatiable desire brought him againe the second and third time for such a ready prey vntill the King who lay still all this while and would not seeme to see began to speake to him and bade him speedily be packing for he was well if he could see for if Hugoline came and tooke him there he were not onely like to loose all that he had gotten but also to stretch an halter The fellow was no sooner gone but Hugoline came in and finding the Casket open and much money taken away was greatly moued But the king willed him not to be grieued For said he he that hath it hath more need of it then we haue This Hugolin saith M. Camden was buried in the old Chapter house of this Church Vpon whose Monument these sillie verses were engrauen Qui ruis iniuste capit hic Hugoline locus te Laude pia clares quia martyribus nece clareâ— For learning in this kings dayes was so low ebbed in England that betweene Thames and Trent there was scant one found which could vnderstand Latine This passage of the aforesaid pilfery is delineated and wrought in the Hangings about the Quire with the Portraitures of the king Hugolin and the Theefe vnder which are these verses Ecce nimis parca furis manus exit ab archa Celat opus furis pietas non regula iuris Tolle quod habes et fuge Hic iacet Willelmus Bedel Ar. et Cecilia vx eius filia heres Domini Roberti Grene militis ac etiam heres domini Iohannis Cley militis qui quidem Willelmus fuit Thesaurarius Hospitij excellentissimi Principis Margarete nuper Comitisse Richmondie Darbie matris Regis Henrici
christendome Another man-childe she bore also vnto the said King though without life vpon the 29. day of Ianuary and the 27. yeare of his raigne to the no little griefe of his mother some dislike of the King as the sequele of her accusation and death did shortly confirme for vpon the 19. day of May next following vpon the greene within the Tower her head was cut off by the sword and by the hands of the Hangman of Caleis when shee had beene King Henries wife three yeares three moneths and twenty fiue daies The bloud was scarse wipt off the blade nor shee 〈◊〉 in her graue an argument that her life was sought after vpon falâ—e 〈◊〉 before another Lady was possest of her bed for on the 〈…〉 her beheading the King her husband was married to that 〈◊〉 Princesse Iane the the daughter of Iohn Seymor Knight and sister to Lord Edward Seymour Earle of Hertford and Duke of Somerset Here lieth buried in the said Chappell the body of George Bollein Lord Rochford brother to the beheaded Queene who together with Henry Norrice Marke Smeton William Brereton and Francis Weston all of the Kings priuie Chamber was beheaded on the Tower hâ—ll two daies before the death of his Sister about matters concerning the said Queene none of them all confessing the act whereupon they suffered death onely Smeton contrarie to his conscience saith one confest some thing in hope of life and preferment which condemned both himselfe and the rest of which thus Cromwell writ to the King Many things haue beene obiected but nothing confessed onely some circumstances haue beene acknowledged by Marke Smeton This hee writ after the prisoners had beene throughly examined in the Tower This Smeton Brierton Norrice and Weston lie buried here in the Chappell-yard Here and neere to the reliques of the said Anne Bollein lieth interred the body of Katherine the fift wife of King Henry the eight the daughter of Edmond and Neece vnto Thomas Howard his brother Duke of Norfolke who hauing continued his wife but the space of one yeare sixe moneths and foure daies was attainted by Parliament and beheaded here in the Tower vpon the 13. of February 1541. It is verily beleeued and many strong reasons are giuen both by English and forraine writers to confirme that beliefe that neither this Queene Katherine nor Queene Anne were any way guiltie of the breach of matrimony whereof they were accused but that King Henry vnconstant and variable in his affections and as vnstayed in religious resolutions did cut them off vpon false suggestions soone wearie of the old and euer ayming at new Espousals Betweene these two Queenes before the high Altar lie buried two Dukes to wit the Duke of Somerset Edward Seymour and the Duke of Northumberland Iohn Dudley Of whom hereafter Here lieth Henry Southworth borne at Halton Castle in the Parish of Runkorne in Cheshire Yeoman of the Crowne and of the Guard to king Henry the seuenth and Henry the eight Yeoman Bawier and Surveiour in the Tower of London for the space of 33. yeares Who died ....... Here lieth Gefferay Hewyt and Ione his wife one of the Gonners in the Tower ... Ione died ... 1525. There are some other Inscriptions in this Chappell but they are of late times Burials of the dead in the fields neare to the Citie of London These burials in the fields might better haue beene spoken of in my prefixed discourse where I write of the strange custome of interring and preseruing of the bodies of the dead But being forgotten there it will not be amisse I hope that they may be remembred here In the fields on the North-East and East side of the suburbs whiles I was writing these matters saith Camden there were gotten out of the ground many vrnes funerall vessels little Images and earthen pots wherein were small peeces of money coined by Claudius Nero Vespasian c. Glasse vials also and sundrie small earthen vessels wherein some liquid substance remained which I would thinke to be either of that sacred oblation of wine and milke which the ancient Romanes vsed when they burnt the dead or else those odoriferous liquors that Statius mentioneth Pharijque liquores Arsuram lavere Comam And liquid baulmes from Egypt-land that came Did wash his haire that ready was for flame This place the Romanes appointed to burne and burie dead bodies who according to the law of the twelue tables carried coarses out of their Cities and interred them by the high-wayes side to put passengers in minde that they are as those were subiect to mortalitie Stow speakes more fully of these and other kindes of funerall Monuments found here in the fields About the yeare 1576. saith hee Lolesworth-field now called Spittle-field was broken vp for clay to make Bricke In the digging whereof many earthen pots called Vrnae were found full of Ashes and burnt bones of men to wit of the Romanes that inhabited here For it was the custome of the Romanes to burne their dead to put their Ashes in an Vrne and then burie the same with certaine ceremonies in some field appointed for that purpose neare vnto their Citie Euery of these pots had in them with the ashes of the dead one peece of Copper-money with the inscription of the Emperour then raigning some of them were of Claudius some of Vespasian some of Nero some of Antonius Pius of Traiane and others Besides those vrnes many other pots were found in the same place made of a white earth with long neckes and handles like to our stone Iugs these were emptie but seemed to be buried full of some liquid matter long since consumed and soaked through For there were found diuers vials and other fashioned Glasses some most cunningly wrought such as I haue not seene the like and some of Christall all which had water in them nothing differing in clearnesse taste or sauour from common spring water whatsoeuer it was at the first Some of these Glasses had oyle in them very thicke and earthy in sauour Some were supposed to haue Balme in them but had lost the vertue Many of these pots and Glasses were broken in cutting of the clay so that few were taken vp whole There were also found diuers Dishes and Cups of a fine reâ—de coloured earth which shewed outwardly such a shining smoothnesse as if they had beene of currall Those had in the bottomes Romane letters printed There were also Lampes of white earth and red artificially wrought with diuers Antiques about them some three or foure Images made of white earth about a spanne long each of them One I remember was of Pallas the rest I haue forgotten I my selfe haue reserued amongst diuers of those Antiquities there one vrne with the ashes and bones and one pot of white earth very small not exceeding the quantitie of a wine pint made in shape of a Hare squatted vpon her legges and betweene her eares is the mouth
actiue strong family of the Cornwailes hath these words Vpon the riuer Temd saith hee is seene Burford which from Theodoricke Saie and his posteritie came vnto Robert Mortimer and from his posteritie likewise vnto Sir Geffrey Cornwaile who deriued his descent from Richard Earle of Cornwall and king of the Almaines and his race euen to these dayes hath flourished vnder the name of Barons of Burford but not in the dignitie of Parliamentarie Barons whereas it is holden of the King for to finde fiue men for the Armie of Wales and by seruice of a Baronie But more of these Cornwalls when I come to the vsuall place of their buriall for this Gentleman was casually here interred dying here in this Towne as hee passed from London into his owne countrey Here lyeth Henry Gosse and Alice his wif ..... 1485. Al yow this way by me sal pas Considyr what I am and who I was Bird I was first Iohn by name Here in Acton Preest and Parson of the same Fifty yere and three gouerne did I here And fynisht my liff in the two and fortyth yere Aftyr a thowsand ccccc of owr Lords first commyng In erth me to redeme by sore peyne sufferyng And now I haue peyd the stipend of this lyff Yeldyng my flesh to wormes wythout eny stryff For my soul intercede that glory it may opteyne Where with the blessyd Trinity eternally it may reyne And for yow ageyn prey by whos cherite I am relevyd To sweet Iesu with whos blood I am redemyd Hendon Hic iacet Iohannes de Brent Armiger .... obiit .... An. Dom. 1467. These Brents were Gentlemen of ample possessions in this tract whose chiefe residence was in Brentstreet hereunto adioyning from whom saith Norden that street tooke her denomination As also the little Brooke of Brent which giueth name to Brentford now called Brainford The most remarkable man of this Surname was one Falcatius or Falke de Brent who for his matchlesse prowesse and all-daring forwardnesse was so beloued of king Iohn that he gaue him in marriage Margaret the daughter of Warrin Fitz-Gerald his Chamberlaine late the wife of Baldwin de Riuers sonne of William Earle of Deuon and Exceter A match thought farre vnfit for such a man but the King would haue it so Whereupon this was written Lex connectit cos amor concordia lecti Sed Lex qualis amor qualis concordia qualis Lex exlex amor exosus concordia discors This Fowke liued in the like grace and fauour with king Hen. the third for by his fierie valour the said king got the victorie at Lincolne against Lewis the sonne of the second Philip king of France and his owne rebellious Barons But not long after looking ouer much vpon the height of his Fortunes and remembring too often his former good Seruices to the State he presuming vpon his Soueraignes lenitie committed many horrible outrages for which after pardon of his life hardly obtained he was adiudged to perpetuall banishment in which he ended his dayes at Rome in extreme miserie and was there buried most ignobly Ann. 1226. Hic iacet Thomas Iacob et Iohanna vxor eius qui quidem Tho. ob 1441. Iohanna .... 1400. Here lyeth Iohn Downmeer and Ioan his wyf Who 's soulys Iesu pardon ..... 1515. Hic iacet Petrus Goldesbrough ciuis et Aurifaber London qui obijt 1422. ....... Sancte Petre Pastor pro me precor esto rogator Finchley Vpon the North wall of this Church the last Will and Testament of one Thomas Sanny is hung vp thus written in a table In Dei nomine Amen Anno Domini 1509. primo anno Henrici octaui octauo die mens Nouembris I Thomas Sanny of the Estende in Finchley in the County of Midlesex whol in mynd and sick of Body do mak my last wyl and testament in form folowyng First I bequeth my soul to almyghty God to owr Lady and to al the Seynts in hevyn And my body to be buryd in the Churchyard of our Lady of Finchley Item I wil after the deth of my wyff the hous callyd Fordis and Stockwoodfeeld shallen whyl the world lastyth pay out of the seyd hous and lands forty shillyng yerly to Preests to syng for my soul my Moders soul my wyffs soul my chyldren my kyndred soulys and al Christian soulys and a nobil to the reparacion of the seyd hous and dispose to hygh ways and to pore peple or in oder good dedes of cherite And also I wil that the Chirch wardens fal yerly see this donne for euer Item I wil that this be grauyn in a ston of Marbull that al men may see hit as in my wil mor playnly doth appere Iesu mercy Lady help Here lieth entombed the body of Sir Thomas Frowicke knight Lord chiefe Iustice of the Common Pleas. The circumscription about his Monument is defaced and gone In the Catalogue I finde thus much Thomas Frowick miles constitutus erat Iusticiarius de Banco xxx die mens Septembris Ann. xviii Hen. vii et obijt xvii die mens Octobris Anno M. CCCCC VI et XXII Hen. VII Adioyning to this is another marble thus inscribed Ioan la Feme Thomas de Frowicke gist icy Et le dit Thomas Pense de giser aueque luy Hic iacet Thomas Aldenham Armig. et Chirurgus illustriss Principis Henrici sexti qui obiit 1431. Hadley Of yowr .... pray ... sowl of Iohn Goodyere Esquyre and Ione his wyff which .... died ... 1504. whos sowls To the honour of Sir Henry Goodyer of Polesworth a knight memorable for his vertues saith Camden an affectionate friend of his made this Tetrastich An ill yeare of a Goodyer vs bereft Who gon to God much lacke of him here left Full of good gifts of body and of minde Wise comely learned eloquent and kinde Enfield ..... Iocosa quondam silia et vna heredum .... Domini Powes ac etiam silia et vna heredum Domine Marchie ..... et vxor famosissimo militi ...... Tipâ—ofte .... dic Septemb. ..... 1446. Cuius anime et omnium fidelium defunctorum IHC pro sua sanctissima passione misereatur To make this time-eaten Inscription somewhat more plaine I finde this Iocosa to haue beene the daughter and coheire of Edward Charleton Lord Powys in Wales married to Iohn Lord Tiptoft father of Iohn Lord Tiptoft first of that surname Earle of Worcester who liued here at Enfield house built by himselfe or some of his Ancestors Harnsey Iesu Chryst Maryes Sonn Have mercy on the soul of Iohn Skeuington An ancient familie resyding at Brumfield neare adioyning Edmundton Here lieth interred vnder a seemelie Tombe without Inscription the body of Peter Fabell as the report goes vpon whom this fable was fathered that he by his wittie deuises beguiled the deuill belike he was some ingenious conceited gentleman who did vse some
Prynces in pease most amate In Grece Archbyshop elected worthely And last of Carlyel rulyng pastorally Kepyng nobyl Houshold wyth grete Hospitality On thowsand fyve hundryd thirty and sevyn Invyterate wyth pastoral carys consumyd wyth age The nintenth of Iun reckonyd ful evyn Passyd to hevyn from worldly pylgrâ—mage Of whos soul good pepul of cherite Prey as ye wold be preyd for for thus must ye lie Iesu mercy Lady help Here lieth Sir Henry Collet knight twise Maior of London who died in the yere of our redemption 1510. This Hâ—nry was sonne to Robert Collet of Wendouer in Buckinghamshire and father to Iohn Collet Deane of Pauls in the first time of his Maioraltie the Crosse in Cheape-side was new builded in that beautifull manner as it now standeth Richardus iacet hic venerabilis ille Decanus Qui fuit etatis doctus Apollo sue Eloquio forma ingenio virtutibus arte Nobilis eternum viuere dignus erat Consilio bonus ingenio fuit vtilis acri Facunda eloquij dexteritate potens Non rigidus non ore minax affabilis omni Tempore seu puero seu loquerere sexi Nulli vnquam nocuit multos adiuvit omnes Officij studuit demeruisse bonos Tantus hic et talis ne non deleatur ademptus Flent Muse et laceris mesta Minerua comis Obijt anno 1532. etat circiter 40. This Pace succeeded Collet in the Deanrie of Pauls a man highlie in fauour with king Henry the eight by whom he was employed as Embassadour to Maximilian the Germane Emperour as also to Rome in the behalfe of Cardinall Wolâ—ey who stood in election for the Popedome Hee writ diuers learned treatises yet extant Nam vir erat saith Bale viriusque literaturae peritia praeditus Nemo ingenio candidior aut humanitate amicitior He was a right worthie man and one that gaue in counsell faithfull aduâ—ce learned he was also and indued with many excellent good gifts of nature curteous pleasâ—nt and delighting in Musicke highlie in the Kingsfauour and well heard in matters of weight Here was I borne and here I make myne end Though I was Citizen and Grocer of London And to the office of Schrevalty did ascend But things transitorie passe and vanische sone To God be geeuen thanks if that I haue ought done That to his honowre and to the bringing vp of youth And to the succowre of the Age for sewerly this is soth By Avise my wyff children were left me non Which we both did take as God had it sent And fixed our myndes that ioyntly in on To releue the poore by mutuall consent Now mercifull Iesu which hast assystyd owre intent Have mercy on owre sowles and as for the residew If it be thy will thou mayst owre Act continew Vpon the same marble these verses following The fyve and twentyth day of this monyth of Septembyr And of owre Lord God the fifteenth hundryd and fowrty yeere Master Nicholas Gibson dyde as this tombe doth remembyr Whose wyff aftyr maryed the worschypful Esquier Master William Kneuet on of the kings privy chamber Much for his time also did he endeuer To make this Act to continew for euer This pious act here mentioned in this Epitaph is a free-Schoole founded at Radcliffe in this Parish by the said Nicholas and Avise for the instruction of threescore poore mens children by a Schoolemaster and an Vsher with an Almeshouse for fourteene poore aged persons and this Foundation continues to this day Saint Leonards in Stratford Bow This religious structure was sometime a Monasterie replenished with white Monkes dedicated to the honour of our alone Sauiour Iesus Christ and Saint Leonard founded by King Henry the second in the 23. yeare of his raigne And valued at the suppression to be yearely worth an hundred one and twenty pounds sixteene shillings In this Abbey Church sometime lay entombed the body of Iohn de Bohun eldest sonne and heire of Humfrey de Bohun Earle of Hereford and Essex Which Iohn de Bohun to vse the words of Milles in his Catalogue of Hereford Earles after the death of his father Humfrey was fifth Earle of Hereford Constable of England and Patron of the Abbey of Lanthony fourth Earle of Essex of that Surname and fifth Lord of Brecknock Because this Earle Iohn in regard of his weaknesse of body by a continuall sicknesse was not able to performe this office of the Constableship of England Edward the third at this Earles intreatie did substitute Edward Bohun the Earles younger brother Vice-Constable vnder him for the tearme of his life But Earle Iohn died at Kirby Thore the 20. of Ianuary vpon Saint Fabian and Sebastians day 1136. the tenth of Edward the third leauing no issue and was buried at Stratford Abbey not farre from London This Iohn married first Alice the daughter of Edmund Fitz-alan Earle of Arundell who died in childbed and was buried at Walden with her Infant sonne after it was christened His second wife was Margaret daughter of Raphe Lord Basset of Drâ—yton a Baron of the best ranke in those dayes by whom hee had no issue Hertfordshire For Ecclesiasticall gouernment onely some part of this Shire belongeth to the Diocesse of London the rest to the Bishopricke of Lincolne Now because the Bishop of Lincolne hath so large a Territorie vnder his iurisdiction I wâ—ll be so bold as to borrow a few Funerall Inscriptions which I haue collected in this County and within his charge and imprint them with those which are properly for London Diocesse Alhallowes in the Towne of Hertford Off yowr cherity prayeth to God and Alhalwin hertely For Ser Ion Chappilaine somtym of yis plas Vicary Almighty Iesu resseve his sowl to grase and mercy Icy gist Isabele Newmarche iadis Damosele a tresâ—oble Dame Isabele Roigne d' Engletere This Isabell Newmarch or de nouo Mercatu a name of great reputation in the raigne of King Henry the third was Maide of Honour to that Isabell Queene of England who was second wife to Richard the second daughter of Charles the sixth King of France Hic iacet Lodouicus Baysbury Capell Henrici sexti ac Prebend Ecclesie Cathedral Lincoln .... M. ccccxxviii Here lyeth vndyr this ston William Wake And by him Ione his wyff and Make Somtym yeman of Iohn Duc of Bedfords hors And lat Survayor wyth king Henry the sixt he was Gentylman mad he was at the holy Grav On qwos sowls Almyghty God mercy hav Hic iacet Iohannes Prest quondam Ianitor Hospitii Katherine nuper Regine Anglie ....... This Priest was Porter to that Katherine Queene of England who was the onely wife of that inuincible Conquerour of France Henry the fifth and daughter of Charles the sonne of Charles aforesaid King of France Saint Nicholas Hic iacet Alicia Tymyslow quondam Dominella Domine Ducisse Lankastrie que obiit 17 Septemb. 1396. This faire yong waiting Chamber-maid for so much the word
a Cathedrall Church at his owne charges as doth appeare by the sequele Norwich S. Trinities the Cathedrall Church HErebertus dictus Losinga Abbas quondam Rameseie qui sedem Thedford a Rege Willelmo emerat in Anglia magnus fuit Simonie â—omes hic postquam erroneum inuentutis impetum desteâ—issit Romam iuit ac rediens sedem suam vsque Norwicum transtulit vbi et celebre fundauit Monasterium de rebus quidem proprijs non Episcopalibus sed et apud Tedford Monachos cluniacenses instituit hic septus dicere consueuit Erranimus inuenes Emendemus senes thus much out of an old Manuscript of the Abbey of Euesham anciently put into English by the Translator of Polychronicon as followeth Abowte that time Herbert Losange that had ben somtyme Abbot of Ramsay and was thenne Byshop of Tedford was a grete noury for Simony for he had boughte the Bysshopryche of the Kynge But after warde he was sory and bywept the vnskylfull rest of his youth And toke the waye to Rome and came home agayne and chaunged and torned his See from Tedford to Norwyche And he founded a solempne Abbaye wyth his owne catayle and not wyth the catayle of his Bysshopryche But at Tedford he ordained Monkes of Cluny that were ryche in the world and clere of Religion to Godward And had ofte in mynde the worde of Iherom That sayd we erryd in our yougth amende We vs in our age His repentance doth also appeare by the context of his Charter beggining thus In nomine Patris et â—ilij Spiritus sancti Amen Herbertus Episcopus infirmitatis impuritatis proprie conscius ante iustum clementem Iudicem Deum mores vitam expono meam ei reuelans Inuentut is mee ignorantias c. Igitur pro redemptione vite mee meorumque omnium peccatorum absolutione apud Norwicum in honore et nomine sancte indiuidue Trinitatis Ecclesiam primum edificaui quam caput et matrem Ecclesiam omnium Ecclesiarum de Northfolke et Suthfolke constitui et consecraui Preceptis igitur consessionibus Willelmi Regis et Henrici Regis fratris sui consilio Anselmi Cant. Archiepiscopi et omnium Episcoporum et Primatum totius Regni Anglie in Ecclesia eadem Monachos ordinaui c. His donations to this his mother Church of Norfolke and Suffolke follow which are many and great for he endowed it with as much lands as might sufficiently maintaine threescore Monkes who had their faire and spatious Cloisters But after they were thrust out by King Henry the eight there were substituted for them a Deane sixe Prebendaries and others Witnesses to this his Charter were King Henry the first and Maud his Queene eleuen Bishops and foure and twenty Earles Lords and Abbots to euery name the signe of the crosse Facta est hec donatio Anno Domini M.C. ordinatione Gregorii Episcopi Rom. apud Wyndressores The first stone of this religous Structure was laid by Herbert himselfe in the yeare after Christs natiuitie one thousand ninetie sixe with this inscription Dominus Herbertus posuit primum Lapidem In nomine Patris Filij et Spiritus Sancti Amen That is Lord Bishop Herbert laid The First Ston In The Name of The Father The Sonne And holy Ghost Amen This Bishop was borne at Orford in Suffolke his Fathers name was Robert de Losing Hee was Prior of the monasterie of Fiscane in Normandie and came backe into England at the request of William Rufus and liuing in the Court for a time behaued himselfe in such sort that hee was much fauoured of the King and obtained diuers great preferments at his hands whereby it came to passe that within the space of three yeares hee had so feathered his nest as he could buy for his Father the Abbacy of Winchester and for himselfe the Bishopricke of Thetford which I haue partly touched here and in another place Hauing finished this pious Fabricke according to his minde hee then determined to build an house for himselfe for as yet he had none in Norwich the See being so lately remoued from Thetford and therefore on the north side of the Church hee founded a stately palace And more such was his repentance for his Simony committed hee built fiue Churches one ouer against the Cathedrall Church on the other side of the riuer called S. Leonards another in this Citie also another at Elmham a fourth at Linne and a fift at Yarmouth He was an excellent Scholler for those times and writ many learned Treatises mentioned by Pitsaeus in his booke de illustribus Anglie Scriptoribus Aetat duodecima where he cals him vir omnium virtutum et bonarum literarum studijs impensè deditus mitis affabilis corpore venusto vultu decoro moribus candidus vita integer A man earnestly addicted to the studies of all vertues and good learning milde affable comely of personage gracefull of countenance blamelesse in his carriage pure innocent and sincere in the course of his life The Monkes of Norwich made great meanes and sute to haue this Herbert a canonised Saint but such impediments were alwaies in the way that it could not be obtained He departed this life the two and twentith of Iuly in the yeare of grace one thousand one hundred and twenty and was buried in this Church of his owne Foundation by the High Altar to whose memory these verses following were engrauen vpon his monument Inclytus Herbertus iacet hic vt pistica nardus Virtutum redolens floribus et meritis A quo fundatus locus est hic edificatus Ingenti studio nec modico precio Vir fuit hic magnus probitate suâ—uis vt agnus Vita conspicuus dogmate precipuus Sobrius et castus prudens et Episcopus almus Pollens Concilio clarus in officio Quâ—m .... vndecimas Iulio promente Kalendas Abstulit vltima sors et rapuit cita mors Pro quo qui transis supplex orare memor sis Vt sit ei saties alma Dei facies One Euerard who next succeeded Herbert lieth here interred who although saith Godwin he enioyed this Bishopricke for a long space yet time the deuorer of all things hath left nothing of him to our remembrance but that when he had gouerned his Church 29 yeares hee ended this life Octob. 15. 1150. Here in the Presbyterie lay buried the body of Bishop Turbus a Norman by birth being in his youth a Monke and afterwards Prior of this monasterie In his time this Cathedrall Church was burned by casuall fire he died in the 25. yeare of his consecration the 17. of Ianuarie Neere vnto the high Altar lieth buried the body of Iohn of Oxford sometimes Deane of Salisbury and Bishop of this Diocesse This man finished the Church which Herbert being preuented by death had left vnperfected and repaired that which by fire was lately defaced He built diuers Hospitals for impotent and diseased people Hee founded Trinitie Church in
worthie being slaine in battell neare to Baschama and there buried Simon sent to take the bones of his brother Ionathan I will vse the words of the Text And they buried him in Modin his fathers city And all Israel bewailed him with great lamentation and mourned for him verie long And Simon made vpon the Sepulcher of his father and his brethren a building high to looke vnto of hewne stone behinde and before And set vp seuen pillars vpon it one against another for his father his mother and foure brethren And set great pillars round about them and set armes upon the pillars for a perpetuall memorie and carued ships beside the armes that they might be seene of men sailing in the sea In like manner the Romanes notwithstanding their second law of the twelue Tables did sometime entombe their dead within the Citie but that was but seldome for the bones and ashes of Trajan the Emperour were put into a golden vrne and set in the Market-place vpon the top of a pillar of one whole peece being one hundred and fourty foot high And Galbaes bodie long neglected saith Tacitus and in the darke despightfully intreated Argius his Steward one of his principall bondmen buried with small ceremonie in his priuate garden But this was not vsuall amongst them Hospinian lib. 3. cap. 1. out of Durandus Vlpian and other Authours giues this reason wherefore both the Iewes and Gentiles vsed to burie their dead without the gates of Townes and Cities It was a custome in times of old saith he that men and women were buried in their owne priuate houses or within their owne priuate gardens but afterwards for the noysome savour and contagious stinke of the dead carkases so interred it was enacted That all burials should bee without Townes and Cities in some conuenient place appointed for that purpose And howsoeuer that this order was obserued by the Gentiles upon this reason onely Scilicet vt in vrbibus mundicies seruaretur aer minus inficeretur ex cadauerum putrescentium faetore Yet the true Christians and such as by their liuely faith were adopted the children of God had a further mysterie in this their manner of interments for by the carriage and buriall of their dead corps without their citie walls they did publikely confirme and witnesse that the parties deceased were gone out of this world to bee made free denizons of another citie namely Heauen there to remaine with the blessed Saints in eternall happinesse This order or custome of buriall without cities continued amongst the Christians vntill the time of Gregory the great for as then the Monkes Friers and Priests saith my foresaid Authour began to offer sacrifice for the soules departed so that for their more easie and greater profit they procured first that the places of sepulture should bee adioyning vnto their Churches and afterwards they got licence to burie within Churches Vpon this reason out of the said Gregory 13. q. cap. 2. Cum grauia peccata non deprimunt saith hee tunc prodest mortuis si in Ecclesijs sepeliantur quia eorum proximi quoties ad eadem sacra loca veniunt suorumque sepulturam aspiciunt recordantur pro eis Domino preces fundunt Antiquitus tantum extra vrbem in coemiterijs hominū corpora sepeliebantur pace Ecclesiae data intra vrbes ad Templorum limina postea etiam in ipsis templis sepeliri mos inualuit Constantinus in porticu Templi Apostolorum Constantinopoli Honorius in porticu Templi S. Petri Romae eius vxor intra idem Templum sepulti sunt Anciently the bodies of the dead were buried onely without cities in Coemiteries or sleeping places vntill the resurrection as the word signifies but persecution being ended and peace giuen to the Christian Church the manner grew in vse to burie within Cities at the entrance into their sacred temples yea and afterwards in the verie Churches themselues Constantine was buried in the porch of the Apostles in Constantinople Honorius in the porch of S. Peter in Rome and his wife the Empresse within the said Church But to come nearer home Austine the first Archbishop of Canterbury sent hither by the foresaid Gregory was interred in the porch of Saint Peter and Paul commonly called Saint Austins neare vnto Canterbury a religious house of his owne foundation and together with him sixe other Archbishops who next succeeded him whose reliques afterwards were remoued into the Abbey Church of which I shall speake hereafter Cuthbert or Cudbright th' eleuenth Archbishop of that Province obtained from the Pope a dispensation for the making of Coemiteries or Churchyards within Townes and Cities whereas here in England vntill his time within the walls thereof none were buried These following are the words in the Appendix to the booke of Rochester a Mss. in Sir Robert Cottons Librarie Cutbertus Archiepiscopus Cant. xi ab Augustino cum Romae videret plures intra Ciuitates sepeliri rogauit Papam ut sibi liceret Coemiteria facere quod Papa annuit reuersus itaque coemiteria vbique in Anglia fieri constituit This order of buriall being thus begun here in England it likewise followed that Graue-stones were made and Tombes erected with inscriptions engrauen upon them to continue the remembrance of the parties deceased to succeeding ages and these were called Epitaphs now an Epitaph is a superscription either in verse or prose or an astrict pithie Diagram writ carued or engrauen vpon the tombe graue or sepulchre of the defunct briefly declaring and that sometimes with a kinde of commiseration the name the age the deserts the dignities the state the praises both of body and minde the good or bad fortunes in the life and the manner and time of the death of the person therein interred Of all funerall honours saith Camden Epitaphs haue alwayes beene most respectiue for in them loue was shewed to the deceased memorie was continued to posteritie friends were comforted and the Reader pu◠in minde of humane frailtie and indeed the frequent visiting and aduised reuiewing of the Tombes and monuments of the dead but without all touch of superstition with the often reading serious perusall and diligent meditation of wise and religious Epitaphs or inscriptions found vpon the tombes or monuments of persons of approued vertue merit and honour is a great motiue to bring us to repentance The invention of Epitaphs proceeded from the presage or forefeeling of immortalitie implanted in all men naturally and is referred to the Schollers of Linus the Theban Poet who flourished about the yeare of the world 2700 who first bewailed this Linus their master when he was slaine in dolefull verses then called of him Aelina afterward Epitaphia for that they were first song at burialls after engraued vpon the sepulchres Funerall monuments then of costly workmanship with curious engrauen Epitaphs were called Sepulchra id est semipulchra halfe faire and beautifull the externall part or superficies thereof being gloriously beautified and adorned and hauing
obliuion Absolon in his life time erected a pillar to retaine the memory of his name in that his issue male failed Will you heare the Text. Now Absolon in his life-time had taken and reared him vp a pillar which is in the Kings dale for hee said I haue no sonne to keepe my name in remembrance and hee called the pillar after his owne name and it is called vnto this day Absolons place This pillar which Absolon intended for the place of his sepulture hewne and framed out of the rocke or growing stone is to bee seene at this day saith Sandys all entire and of a goodly fabricke But to returne euery man like Absolon desires a perpetuity after death by these monuments or by other meanes according to that of Tertullian in his booke De Testimonio animae Quis non hodie saith hee memoriae post mortem frequentandae ita studet vt vel literaturae operibus vel simplici laude morum vel ipsorum sepulchrorum ambitione nomen suum seruet These that in their life time do thus build their owne sepulchres and take care in the ceremonious disposing of their funeralls would no question lay this charge vpon those which they must of necessity trust in the performance of their Wills and Testaments and employ their last dayes and houres in more heauenly designes if they did not oftentimes see in their course of life that as well heires as executours interre both the honour and memory of the defunct together with his corps perfidiously forgetting their fidelity to the deceased Of which will it please you reade this old inscription depicted vpon a wall within S. Edmunds Church in Lumbard-street London Man the behovyth oft to haue yis in mind Yat thow geueth wyth yin hond yat sall thow fynd For widowes be sloful and chyldren beth vnkynd Executors beth couetos and kep al yat yey fynd If eny body esk wher the deddys goodys becam Yey ansquer So God me help and halidam he died a poor man Yink on yis Io. Gower in his additions to his booke called Vox clamantis hath these verses contra mortuorum Executores much what to the same effect Dicunt Scripture memorare nouissima vite Pauper ab hoc mundo transiet omnis homo Dat Fortuna status varios Natura sed omnes Fine suo claudit cunctaque morte rapit Post mortem pauci qui nunc reputantur amici Sunt memores anime sis memor ipse tue Da dum tempus habes tibi propria sit manus heres Auferet hoc nemo quod dabis ipse Deo Vpon these and the like considerations they vsed as they now doe to inscribe or engraue these kinde of monuments with certaine sentences to this effect Fallax saepe fides testataque vota peribunt Constitues tumulum si sapis ipse tuum Or thus Certa dies nulli mors certa incerta sequentum Cura locet tumulum qui sapit ipse sibi Concluding most commonly with these words Viuus fecit Viuus faciendum curauit Viuus sibi posuit Se vino fecit Viuus hoc sibi fecit monumentum and the like Some erected their sepulchres whilst they were liuing concluding their inscriptions thus Sibi coniugi Sibi coniugi Liberis Sibi posteris And some that would not haue their wiues heires nor any other entombed therein thus Hoc monumentum heredes non sequuntur Or thus Rogo per deos superos inferosque ossa nostra ne violes This care of buriall moued Augustus Caesar to build his funerall monument in the sixth yeare of his Consulship for himselfe and the succeeding Emperours The like reason moued Hadrian to build his Tombe or Sepulchre neare vnto the bridge Aelium for the Mausoleum of Augustus was full as Xiphilinus writes in the life of Hadrian And to bring you this honie example the like consideration moued King Henry the seuenth in the eighteenth yeare of his raigne to build that glorious faire Chappell at Westminster for an house of buriall for himselfe his children and such onely of the bloud-royall as should descend from his Ioynes forbidding that any other of what degree or qualitie soeâ—uer should euer be interred in that sacred mould as appeares by his last Will and Testament Saint Augustine saith that the Funerals of the righteous in the times of old were performed with a zealous care their burials celebrated and their Monuments prouided in their life time Great hath been the care of buriall saith Camden euer since the first times insomuch that Fathers would lay charges vpon their children concerning the buriall and translating of their bodies euery one being desirous to returne in Sepulchra maiorum into the sepulchres of their Ancestours Iacob at his death charged his sonne Ioseph to carry his body into the sepulchre of his fathers And Ioseph himselfe commanded his brethren that they should remember and tell their posâ—eritie that when they went away into the land of promise they should carry his bones thither with them Abraham Isaac Iacob Sarah Rebecca Leah and Ioseph were buried together in one Sepulchre The kings of Aegypt accustomed to awe their subiects by threatning to depriue them of buriall And it was a penaltie of the law amongst the Romanes He that doth this or that let him be cast forth vnburied and so in the declamations He that forsakes his parents in their necessities let him be cast forth vnburied An Homicide let him be cast forth vnburied And so speakes Cicero to the peoples humour for Milo when hee affirmes his carcase to be more wretched because it wanted the solemne rites of funerall Commanders in warres vsed to terrifie their enemies with the want of buriall according to this speech of Hector in the fifteenth booke of Homers Iliads Then Hector cri'd out take no spoile but rush on to the fleete From whose assault for spoile nor flight if any man I meete He meetes his death nor in the fire of holy funerall His brothers nor his sisters hands shall cast within our wall His lothed body but without the throtes of dogs shall graue His manlesse limbes The people of Israel crying vnto God against the barbarous tyranny of the Babylonians who spoiled Gods inheritance polluted his Temple destroyed his religion and murdered his chosen Nation amongst other calamities thus they complaine for the want of sepulture The dead bodies of thy seruants haue they giuen to be meat vnto fowles of the heauen and the flesh of thy Saints vnto the beasts of the earth Their bloud haue they shed like waters round about Ierusalem and there was none to bury them God commands Elias to tell Iezebel that for her wickednesse the dogs should eate vp her flesh in the field of Iesreel and that her carcase should be as doung vpon the ground in the said field of Iesreel so that none should say this is Iezebel The seduced Prophet because he
ghost would giue ouer walking as though all the dues of funerall had beene really performed to him at his death as in Ausonius Voce ciere animas funeris instar habet And agaâ—ne Ille etiam moesti cui defuit vrna sepulchri Nomine ter dicto paene sepultus erit Aeneas saluted the soule of Deiphobus the sonne of old Priam at his Cenotaph after the same manner The rumour went How in the night extreme of Greekish slaughters wearie spent Thou headlong threw'st thy selfe on mixed heape of enemies slaine Then I my selfe to thee an emptie Tombe on Rheta plaine Aduancing vp did build and thrice thy soule saluted cleere Thy name and armes that place preserues but thee O friend so deare Could I not see that in thy countrey-ground I might interre Then Deiphobus said Nothing sweet friend can I require All duties done thou hast nor more my ghost can thee desire You haue the manner of sacrificing about these Cenotaphs expressed in Virgil lib. 3. Aen. where Andromache celebrates the Anniuersary of her slaine husband arme-puissant Hector thus Great sacrifice by chance that time and gifts with heauie minde Before the Towne in greenwood shade by Simois water side Andromache to Hectors dust with seruice did prouide And dainties great of meat she brought and on his soule she cride At Hectors Tombe that greene with grasse and turfs stood her beside And causes more to mourne thereby two Altars had she set The solemnitie of Polydores obit at his emptie hearse is described in the said booke much what after the same manner Anon therefore to Polydore an Hearse we gan prepare And huge in height his Tombe we reare all Altars hanged are With weeds of mourning hewes and cypres trees and blacke deuise And Troian wiues with haire disclosde as is their guise Great fomy boules of milke we threw luke-warme on him to fall And holy bloud in basons brought we poure and last of all We shrikt and on his soule our last with great outcries we call And much what to the same purpose are these verses in Ouids Metam lib. 6. fab 7. Progne her royall ornaments reiects And puts on blacke an emptie Tombe erects To her imagin'd ghost oblations burnes Her sisters fate not as she should she mournes To the memory of the Grecians slaine in the warres of Troy a Cenotaph was set vp at Corinth In the expedition of Cyrus an emptie sepulchre was built for the slaine and mangled souldiers whose reliques could not be found The Romanes sixe yeares after the slaughter made by Arminius of so many of their Legions erected a Cenotaph or couered with earth the remaines of their friends and kindred howsoeuer it was vncertaine whether they buried the stranger or friend And Caesar to shew a gratefull memory of the dead and himselfe to be partaker of their griefe with his owne hands put the first turfe on their Tombes The Primitiue Christians did exhibite a religious honour to the Cenotaphs of holy men to whose memory many in those dayes were erected which for the profession of the Gospell had suffered martyrdome or vndergone those variety of torments which were as then inflicted vpon the faithfull as you may reade in Theodoret. lib. de Martyr and in these Saphicks of Aurelius Prudentius Nonne Vincenti peregre necatus Martyr his terris tenui notasti Sanguinis rore speciem futuri morte propinqua Hoc colunt ciues velut ipsa membra Cespes includat suus paterno Seruet amplectens tumulo beati Martyris ossa It was and is the vse in most countries to inscribe these emptie monuments as reall sepulchres with the names and titles of the defunct to whose honour they were intended As in Ouid. Meta lib. 11. fab 10. Seas fright me with their tragicall aspect Of late I saw them on the shore eiect Their scattered wracks and often I haue read Sad names on Sepulchres that want their dead And a little after in the same fable where Alcyone mournes for her drownd husband Ceix thus would I with thee Had put to sea a happie fate for me Then both together all the time assignd For life had liu'd nor in our death disioynd Now here I perisht there on that profound Poore I was wrackt yet thou without me drownd O I then flouds more cruell should I striue To lengthen life and such a griefe suruiue Nor will I nor forsake thee nor deferre Though one vrne hold not both one Sepulchre Shall ioyne our titles though thy bones from mine The seas disseuer yet our names shall ioyne Death choakt the rest Our Ancients accustomed likewise to garnish decke and adorne these cenotaphs as other tombes or sepulchres and that with all kinde of reuerence and whosoeuer did deface or breake downe any of these Honorarie void Monuments exemplarie punishment was inflicted vpon the partie so offending as vpon your Tumboruchoi or graue-diggers But I will conclude this chapter with this difference of Sepulchres and Cenotaphs as I finde it recorded by Scipio Gentilis Sepulchrorum sanctitas saith he in ipso solo est quod nulla vi moueri neque deleri potest Cenotaphiorum vero in ipsa religione reuerentia viuorum quae mutari deleri potest CHAP. VIII Of the sanctity ascribed sometimes to ancient Funerall monuments and of the ardent desire most men haue and euer had to visit the Tombes and Sepulchres of eminent worthy persons FVnerall Monuments especially of the godly and religious haue euer beene accounted sacred Batti veteris sacrum Sepulchrum The sacred Sepulchre Of old Bat loe is here saith Catullus To which effect Quintilian Declam 10. Sacratos morte lapides etiam ossa cineres ossa religiosè quiescentia fracta sparsisset vrna And they were accounted the more sacred by how much they were of more continuance Sepulchra sanctiora sunt vetustate saith Vlpian And as in the Seâ—pulchres themselues there was euer holden to bee a kinde of sanctiâ—ie so there was holden to bee the like or more holinesse in the soile whereupon these sepulchres were made and erected And such a holinesse as I haue said before quod nulla vi moueri neque deleri potest and more especially in that ground wherein the bodies of Christians were interred by reason of the sanctified corps that it receiued It is an vse in some parts of Ireland as yet not altogether abolished for children to sweare by their forefathers hand or by their Lords hand And in the countrey where I was borne the vulgar sort especially doe most commonly sweare by the crosse of their owne Parish Kirke as they call it and in ancient times children vsed to sweare by the Sepulchres of their parents Others by the sepulchres of such persons who in their life time were reputed honourable amongst them either in regard of the worthinesse of their person or of the eminence of place of gouernment which they held in the weale publike And by these oathes the things
France and as some will haue it of all Europe farre greater fairer built and better scituate then London And who would not visit Rome if abilities of bodie and meanes were all-sufficient his occasions would permit and that with safety hee might it being a citie Laudandis pretiosior ruinis Euen made more honourable By ruines memorable As Mountaigne writes and as I my selfe being there did also obserue A Citie whose ruine is glorious with renowne and swolne with glory for low-leuelled as she lieth and euen in the Tombe of her glory yet for all this she reserueth the liuely image and regardfull markes of Empire And aboue the rest who would not ardently desire to see Ierusalem that holy Citie with the sepulchre hauing heard or read the sacred Scriptures or such historicall Authours as haue written of the same Considering then that the most of men do earnestly desire Vlysses like Qui mores hominum multorum vidit vrbes to see ancient great cities obseruing euer their gouernment with the manners of the Inhabitants either flourishing quite fallen downe or partly ruined So all men a snifling conuenticle or companie of proud Sectaries excepted are as greedily affected to view the sacred Sepulchres of worthie famous personages yea and the very places where such haue beene interred although no Funerall Monument at all bee there remaining to continue their memories This desire made Alexander the great in his Asian expedition go to visit the Tombe of Achilles which he couered with flowres and ranne naked about it as then the custome was in funeralls sacrificing to the ghost of his kinsman whom he reputed most happy that had such a Trumpet as Homer to resound his vertues and weeping ouer the Tombe complained that he was not so fortunate as to haue a man that could so well publish his praises as Homer had done those of Achilles The sight of all the far-fam'd Antiquities of Egypt did not so much deâ—â—ght Caesar as the sight of the Tombe of Alexander Caesar in Aegypt fearelesse walkes and sees Their Temples Tombes and fam'd Antiquitie afterwards in the booke he goes from thence To Alexandria crown'd with confidence then goes heâ— The stately Temple of th' old God to see Which speakes the ancient Macedonian greatness But there delighted with no obiects sweetnesse Not with their gold nor Gods maiesticke dresse Nor loftie Citie walls with greedinesse Into the burying vault goes Caesar downe There Macedonian Philips mad-braind sonne The prosperous Thiefe lyes buried whom iust 〈◊〉 Slew in the worlds reuenge Augustus his successour Emperour of Rome went with the like desire or more to see the said Tombe of Alexander And not contented with the bare sight of the Sepulchre Corpus Alexandri inspexit idque attrectauit ita vt nasi quoque ita enim fertur particulam aliquam fregerit he would needs looke into the Tombe and behold the body of the worlds terrour Alexander which hee so feelingly handled that hee broke a little part of Alexanders Nose as it is reported But to come to our selues What concourse of people come daily to view the liuely Statues and stately Monuments in Westminster Abbey wherein the sacred ashes of so many of the Lords anointed beside other great Potentates are entombed A sight which brings delight and admiration and strikes a religious apprehension into the mindes of the beholders We desire likewise to behold the mournfull ruines of other religions houses although their goodly faire structures bee altogether destroyed their tombes battered downe and the bodies of their dead cast out of their coffins for that that very earth which did sometimes couer the corps of the defunct puts vs in minde of our mortalitie and consequently brings vs to vnfained repentance What numbers of Citizens and others at this very time go to Lesnes Abbey in Kent to see some few coffins there lately found in her ruines wherein are the remaines of such as haue beene there anciently interred of which when I come to speake of her Foundation Neither can we passe by but with yearning hearts looke vpon that fatned soile the fertile seed-plot of the Church which in former times hath beene sprinkled with the bloud blackt with the cinders and strawne with the ashes of those blessed Saints who for the profession of the Gospell by sword fire and fagot haue suffered most cruell martyrdome giuing reuerence and honour to their memories because by their sufferings true Religion was propagated and all idolatrie demolished which we may lawfully do as vnto Gods chiefe champions standing vnto death for the truth And as vnto men whom God hath aduanced into the society of his Angels in heauen giuing also thanks at these Martyrs and Saints solemne feasts to God for their victories endeauouring the attainment of such crownes and glories as they haue already attained with other religious performances due vnto them as ornaments of their memories Prouided alwayes that we do not intermiâ—e out deuotions with superstitious adoration CHAP. IX Of the punishments both by humane Iawes and Gods seuere iustice â—â—flicted vpon such malefactors in foregoing ages who violated Sepulchers Of Church-robbers THose â—in foregoing ages which did violate misuse or distaine tombes graues sepulchers or any of these funerall Monuments were punished richer with death perpetuall exile condemnation to the mines banishment for a time payment of money forfeiture of goods losse of members or the like according to the qualitie of the person and circumstance of the fact To begin with the Clergie â— Priest found guiltie of this execrable act being so much more odious by how much his place was reputed more honourable and religious was degraded from his Priesthood his goods set to open sale and forfeited and himselfe condemned to perpetuall banishment If a man of eminent place of great riches ranke and qualitie did with an aimed hand despoile any Tombe or Sepulchre Latronis more after the manner of an high-way robber that man by the Law was put to execution if vnaimed then the Iudge did send him to the Mines or to banishment or punish him with some pecuniarie muâ—ct to the value most commonly of halfe his goods and branded him with eternall infamie If a Seruant or a man of meane fortunes was knowne to pull downe or deface any funerall Monument without his masters priuitie hee was condemned to the Mines if hee had beene vrged thereunto by his master then he was adiudged for a time to be banished if he did digge vp and draw out of the graue the body or bones of the defunct then his iudgement was death If any man did deface or cut away any part of the Effigies or representation of the defunct caru'd engrauen or embost vpon any graue-stone tombe or sepulchre that man by the law was to lose his hand Whosoeuer in the repairing of any ruinous decayed Sepulchre did any way vndecently touch the body of the dead person therein laid downe to his eternall rest that party so offending
from the women lest they should giue occasion of scandall wherefore Saint Brigide desiring to reuiue this order she found meanes how without any suspition the Church and house should be common to boâ—h She ordained that they should weare a russet habit with a cloke of the same colour with a red crosse vpon their breasts Shee would haue but sixtie Nunnes and fiue and twentie Monkes in euery Monasterie that is to say thirteene Priests according to the number of the thirteene Apostles comprehending Saint Paul Then foure Deacons who might also be Priests and represented the foure Doctors of the Church and eight Conueâ—ts who might alwayes be readie to labour for the affaires of the house so as the Friers and Nunnes all together made the number of the thirteene Apostles and the seuentie two Disciples of our Sauiour And to the end they might be distinguished one from another the Priests carried a red Crosse vpon the left side of their cloke vnder which crosse they put a little peece of white cloth as broad as a wafer which they offered vp in reuerence of the holy Sacrament And the foure Deacons for a difference from the Priests carried a round wreath of white cloth which signified as they gaue out the sapience of the foure Doctors whom they represented and vpon it they put foure little peeces of red made like vnto tongues to shew that the holy Ghost inflamed their tongues to deliuer the sacred mysteries of Diuinity The Conuerts wore a white crosse vpon their clokes to shew the innocencie of their liues vpon which there were fiue peeces of red in commemoration of the fiue wounds of our Sauiour At the dissolution there was a Couent of this Order at Sion in Mid'e sexe now a mansion goodly faire house belonging to the right honourable the Earle of Northumberland This holy Lady Brigid died at Rome and her daughter Katherine Princesse of Nerice caused the rule after her death to be confirmed by Poâ—e Vrâ—â—â— the fifth She came to Rome at the age of two and fourtie where she continued eight and twentie yeares she was canonized in the yeare of Grace 1391. There was another S. Brigid of Ireland farre more ancient It is said that the image of our Sauiour spoke to this pious Queene of Sweden as she was saying her orizons before the high Altar in the Church of Saint Paul in Via Ostiensi Rome as appeares by an inscription vpon a table hanging in the same Church which I haue seene As many orders or neare thereabouts as were of Friers so many were of Nunnes here and beyond Seas for men in the feruencie of deuotion did not precede the weaker sex of religious women The strictest Order of Nunnes is that of S. Clare A Lady who liued in the same time and was borne in the same Towne of Assile with S. Francis Which Towne to this day brags of the birth of two such worthie persons These Clares obserue the rule of their Patron S. Francis and weare the like habit in colour They are neuer rich and therefore to this day wheresoeuer they doe inhabite they are called the poore Clares This Saint Clare was the first Nunne of Saint Francis Order and her Mother and Sister vndertooke the same vow Sancta Clara que in vita in morte mirabiliter miraculis claruit Beata Agnes soror sancte Clare beata Ortulana mater eorundem fuere ordinis Franciscorum Saint Clare who both in life and death was wondrously famous by her miracles S. Agnes her sister and Ortulana her mother were of the order of S. Francis This S. Clare saith her Legend touching the world was of rightworthy and honourable linage and as touching the spirit to the regard of the state of vertues and holy manners towards God of right noble reputation Hauing spoken already of such religious persons as I finde to haue liued here in England in Coenobies or Couents at the time of the generall dissolution it remaines now to say somewhat of Hermits and Anchorites who had at that time their solitaire little cells or cabbins in diuers places of this kingdome which carrie still the name of Hermitages in and about the countrey and Anchor-holds in Parish or Abbey Churches They were called Hermites or Eremites for that they liued solitarily in desarts and wildernesses and Anchorites because they liued alone without all company immured betwixt two walls in the out side of some Abbey or Parish-Church in which by their rule they were to liue die and to bee buried Whose exercise was feruent prayer handy labour digging and filling vp againe their graues which were to be within their lodgings Of the beginning and first Authors of the Hermites life there is great question which I leaue vnto the learned and adhere to the common receiued opinion which affirmes that the times of persecution were the first cause of this kinde of life For when as in the time of Decius and Valerianus Emperours about two hundred fiftie and two yeares after Christ they prepared horrible torments against the Christians many distrusting the weaknesse of the flesh and searing to denie the name of God by their intollerable persecutions thought it fittest to seeke their safetie by flight Wherefore many leauing Townes frâ—ends and all their wealth retired themselues into desarts and held themselues in solitarie places and caues where they buâ—lt poore cottages Yea many times they went wandring vp and downe in thicke woods lest they should bee taken But when the surie of their tâ—ranâ— ceased they returned not vnto the world but liued voluntarily in desarts so being accustomed to diuine contemplation and a quick kinde of 〈◊〉 they continued in the course vntill death Among the first which entred into this course of life was Paul of Thebes who liued in a caue at the foote of a rocke about the yeare of our redemption 260. The second was Saint Antonie of Aegypt who built himselfe a cottage vpon the top of an high hill where he died hauing liued one hundred and fiue yeares in the yeare 34â—â— S. Hierome of Stridone in Dalmatia that learned and religious Doct 〈◊〉 the like life in the desarts of Syria not farre from Jerusalem In quo loâ—o deserto se ieiunijs macerabat plangebat orabat sludebat atque etiam â—â—m mentabatur In which vninhabited place he macerated or made leane his bodie with fastings he lamented and bewailed his sinnes he pâ—ayed he studied and writ certaine Comments vpon the sacred Scriptures Many other workes he writ before his death which happened about the yeare of our Lord 388. But to come nearer home where the repute and godlinesse of these Hermites or Anchorites for both of them liuing from the companie and conuersation of men were called sometimes by the name of Hermites and some other time of Anchorites was likewise had in venerable regard for we reade that when seuen British Bishops with other learned men of the Monasâ—â—â—â—e of
doth lie Another Lest Alexanders noble name my friend should thee beguile Away for here both treachery doth lurke and mischiefe vile Another Though Alexander after death did vomit matter blacke Yet maruell not he dranke the same and could not cause it packe Vpon the yeare of Iubelie aforesayd kept by this Pope Alexander The Romane Priest that promised both heauen and starres to sell By treacherie and murtherings hath made a gap to hell This Alexander before by deuillish meanes he obtained the Papacie was called Rodericus Borgia a Spaniard borne in Valentia But of him enough except it tended more to the matter Now may it please you reade certaine blanke verses taken out of my fore remembred Author Piers Plow man who speakes in his language of the Pope and Cardinals Pardons and pilgrimages effectually to this purpose Passus 19. God amend the Pope that pilleth holy Kirke And claymeth before the Kyng to be kept of Christen And counteth not though cristen be killed and robbed And fynd folke to fight and christen folk to spill Agayne the old law and new law as Paule therof wytnesseth Non occides mihi vindictam c. I ne knew neuer Cardinall that he ne come fro the Pope And we Clarks when they come for her Commens payen For her pelures and palfreis and pilors that hem folow The Commune clamat quotidie eche a man to other The contrey is the curseder that Cardinals commen in And there they lig and leng more lechery there raigneth Therfor quod this victory by very god I would That no Cardinals ne come among the commen peple But in her holines helden hem styl At Avion among the Iewes cum sancto sanctus eris Or in Rome as their rule wyl the relikes to kepe In the seuenth passage he deliuers his opinion of the Popes Pardons in these words The Prieste preued no pardon to do well And demed that Dowell Indulgence passed Biennales and Triennales and Byshops letters And how Dowell at the day of dome is dignely vndersongen And passed all the Pardon of S. Peters Church A little after in the same passage thus Soules that haue sinned seuen sythes deadly And to trust to these Trentals truely me thynketh Is not so siker for the soule as to do well Therfore I red you renkes that rich be on this erth Apon trust of treasure Trientales to have Be ye neuer the bolder to breake the ten hestes And namely ye Maisters Mayres and Iudges That haue the welth of this world and for wise men be holden To purchase you Pardons and the Popes Buls At the dreadfull dome whan the dead shall arise And commen all tofore Christ accounts for to yeue How thou leadest thy lyfe here and his lawes kepest And how thou didest day by day the dome wil reherse A poke full of Pardons there ne prouinciall letters Though ye be founden in the fraternitie of the iiii Orders And haue Indulgence an hundryd fold but if Dowell you helpe I beset your patents and your pardons at a pyes hele Therfore I counsell all christen to crye god mercy And make Christ our meane that hath made amends That God give vs grace here or we go hence Such workes to worke while we ben here That after our deathes day Dowell reherse At the day of Dome we did as he highte The same Author shewing what true pilgrimage is breathes forth these blanke verses following Nay by my soule health quoth Piers and gan for to sweare I nolde fang a ferthyng for Saynt Thomas shryne Truth wold loue me the lesse long tyme therfor after And if ye wyll to wend well this his the way thither Ye must go thorow mekenes both men and wyues Tyll ye come into conscience that Christ wit soch That ye louen our Lord God leuest of all thynges And that your neighbours next In no wyâ—e appeire Otherwise than thou woldist he wrought to thy selfe In the same passage Ye that seke S. Iames and Saintes at Rome Seke saint Truth for he may saue you all In another place Pass 12. He doth well withoute doute that doth as beuti techeth That is if thou be man maryed thy make thou loue And lyue forth as law wyll whyle ye lyuen both Right so if thou be religious ren thou neuerfurther To Rome nor Roch Madon but as thy rule techeth And hold the vnder obedience that high way is to heuen And yf thou be mayden to mary and myght well continewe Seke neuer no saint further for thy soules health Pilgrimage is called of the Latines Peregrinatio quasi peregre abitio a going into a strange countrey for a short pilgramage is not worth a pin neither is that Image in so much honour or respect in that countrey where it is as in farre countries For example the Italians yea those that dwell neare Rome will mocke and scoffe at our English and other pilgrims that go to Rome to see the Popes holinesse and Saint Peters chaire and yet they themselues will runne to see the Reliques of Saint Iames of Compostella in the kingdome of Galicia in Spaine which is aboue twelue hundred English miles And so the Spaniards hold Rome to be a very holy place and therefore spare no cost or labour to go thither And so of other pilgrimages Pilgrimage was also called Romeria quia Romam vt plurimum peregrinationes because pilgrimages forth most part were made to Rome Now hauing acquainted my Reader omitting many particulars I confesse which will more plainly appeare in the sequele by what deuises and meanes the Religious Votaries and others of the Clergie within this kingdome as also the Bishop of Rome who most commonly went away with the best share augmented their reuenues and deceiued the poore Commons I am here to speake of a yearely tribute paied onely to the See of Rome which many times I obuiously meete withall from the payment whereof neither the King nor the Clergie nor any housholder 〈◊〉 in England or Ireland were priuiledged and this was called 〈◊〉 which is a Saxon word compounded of Rome and Scot as you wouâ—d say the 〈◊〉 bute due to Rome or an Apostolicall custome or the see of 〈…〉 penning or Denarij Sancti Petri Peter pence From which payment 〈◊〉 Mathew the Monke of Westminster neither the King nor the Archbishop Bishop Abbot nor Prior were exempted I he first â—ounder of 〈◊〉 Tribute was Inas or Ina king of the West-saxons Of which the foresaid Mathew thus writes Ina the pious and potent king of the West Saxons leaâ—ing his temporall kingdome thereby to gaine an eternall to the gouernment of his kinsman Ethelard trauelâ—ed on pilgrimage to Rome where in the said Citie by the permission of Gregory the second hee built an house which he called The English Schoole vnto which the kings of England and the Regall Image as also Bishops Priests Clerkes and others might
fashion in former times fetched from the French which they call rebus or name-deuises examples of the same are frequent Neare to this Church sometime stood that goodly Abbey founded by Stephen king of England grandchilde to the Conquerour dedicated to Saint Sauiour replenished with blacke Monkes of Cluni valued at the suppression to be well worth according to the fauourable rate of such endowments in those dayes 286. l. 12. s. 6. d. ob yearely such was the charter of his donation Stephanus Rex c. Archiepiscopis Episcopis c. salutem Sciatis me pro salute anime mee Matildis Regine vxoris mee Eustachij filij mei aliorum puerorum meorum antecessorum Regum Anglie dedisse c. Manerium meum de Fauresham ad fundand Abbatiam vnam ibidem ae ordine Monachorum Cluniacensium c. Sciatis etiam quod dedimus ego et Matildis Regina mea Willelmo de Ipra in Escambium pro eodem Manerio de Fauresham Lillechire cum pertinencijs suis de hereditate Regine Teste H. Episcopo Winton fratre meo Rogero Episcopo de London Richardo de Lucy Hen. de Essex c. This king died at Douer of an Iliack passion mixed with his old disease the Emrods Octob. 25. 1154. hauing raigned 18. yeares ten moneths and odde dayes and was buried in this Church of his owne foundation Of which heare these ancient rimes Aftur king Harry euyn Then regnyd king Stevyn The Erlys son Bloys he was truly He wedded Mold the doghter of Mary A good man he was bedeme I trow king Harry was his Eme He regnyd here XUIII yere And to Feuersham in Kent men him bere He deyed without issue truly Then regnyd his cosin Harry Stephen was a most worthy Souldier saith one and wanted nothing to haue made him an excellent king but a iust title but that was wanting The whiche he found whyles he was liuing so And reigned here in much trouble and wo. And had this Realme without any ryght Fro th'emprise Maude that faire Lady bryght And this was the cause that he was driuen perforce to defend his vsurâ—ped authoritie by the sword which must needs procure him the hatred of many who thus speake of him in old English King Stephen his luthenesse withdrew yers a fewe But er Uyer were goo he ganne to wex a shrewe For he wende aboute and robbyd the lond and to grownd broght Then the toune of Wyrcester he brent all to noght But to conclude with the words of a late writer This Stephen was a man so continually in motion saith he that we cannot take his dimension but onely in passing and that but on one side which was warre on the other we neuer saw but a glaunce on him which yet for the most part was such as shewed him to be a very worthy Prince for the gouernment Hee kept his word with the State concerning the relieuement of Tributes and neuer had Subsidy that we finde But which is more remarkable hauing his sword continually out and so many defections and rebellions against him hee neuer put any great man to death Besides it is noted that notwithstanding all these miseries of war there were more Abbeyes built in his raigne then in an 100. yeares before which shewes though the times were bad they were not impious the king himselfe being mente piissimus as he was miles egregius His body rested here in quietnesse vntill the dissolution when for the gaine of the lead wherein it was encoffined it was taken vp and throwne into the next water So vncertaine is man yea greatest Princes of any rest in this world euen after buriall Here sometime likewise lay interred Maud his wife the daughter of Eustace Earle of Bulloigne the brother of Godfrey and Baldwin of Bulloigne kings of Ierusalem by her mother Mary sister to Maud Queene of England wife of Henry her predecessour who dyed at Heueningham Castle in Essex the third of May 1151. Whose Epitaph I found in a namelesse Manuscript Anno milleno C. quinquagenoque primo Quo sua non minuit sed sibi nostra tulit Mâ—thildis selix coniux Stephani quoque Regis Occidit insignis moribus et titulis Cultrix vera Dei cultrix et pauperiei Hic subnixa Deo quo frueretur eo Femina si qua Polos conscendere queque meretur Angelicis manibus diua hec Regina tenetur Eustace the sonne and heire apparant of Stephen and Queene Maud liued not long after his mother for being highly displeased with the agreement betwixt his father and Henry Fitzempresse afterwards king of England by which he was made hopelesse euer to haue the Crowne as his fathers Successour in a fury he departed the Court purposing to raise himselfe by his owne meanes and so marched along destroying the countrey alwayes as he went vntill he came to Saint Edmundsbury where he was honourably receiued of the Monkes of that Monastery But hee came not for meat but money and thereupon vngratefully vrged them for a great summe to set forward his heady designes yet the wiser amongst them vnwilling to be wagers of new warres which though ill for all sorts yet proued euer worst for the Clargie mens possessions denyed his request Wherewith eâ—raged be commanded his owne men to carry their corne and other prouision into his owne Castle situated hard by But being set at dinner the very first morsell he put into his mouth draue him into a Frensie whereof shortly after he dyed His body was brought to this Abbey and here interred by his mother His death happened the tenth day of August 1152. He was married to Constance sister of Lewis the seuenth king of France daughter of king Lewis the Grosse by whom he had no issue In this Abbey saith Robert of Glocester is a pece of ye hely croys which Godfrey Boylon forkyndred had sent to king Stephene Tunstall Hic iacet Margareta filia Iacobi Cromer militis vxor Iohannis Rycils heredis de Elsingham .... qui obiit ... 1496. Sittingborne Here lyeth Iohn Crowmer Esquire and Ione his wife who died Ann. Dom. 1539 .... on whose soules A family of knightly descent and ample reuenues one of which house called William Crowmer Esquire sonne of Sir William Lord Maior of London high Shiriffe of Kent in the fury of Iack Cade and the Kentish and Essex rebells was sacrificed at Mile-end and cut shorter by the head like as the day before they had serued Sir Iames Fienes Lord Say and Sele and Treasurer of England in Cheape-side whose onely daughter this Crowmer had married Whose heads giue me leaue to go a little further pitched vpon high poles were carried by the villaines through the Citie of London who caused their trunklesse faces in spight and mockerie to kisse one the other at euery street-corner as they marched along in this their damnable triumph and
great Commander in the warres which by some English wit was happily imitated and ingeniously applyed to the honour of this our worthy chiefetaine Sir Philip written vpon a Tablet and fastened to a pillar in S. Pauls Church London the place of his buriall as the sequele will more plainly shew La France et le Piemont les cieux et les Arts Les Soldats et le Mondeont fait comme six parts De ce grand Bonniuet cor vne si grand chose Dedant vn seul tombeau ne pouuoit estre enclose La France en a le corps que elle aurit esleue Le Piemont a le ceur qu'il auoit esprouue Les cieux en ont l'esprit et les Arts la memoire Les Soldats le regret et le monde la gloire In English as followeth France and Piemont the Heauens and the Arts The Souldiers and the world haue made sixe parts Of Great Bonniuet for who will suppose That onely one Tombe can this man enclose France hath his body which she bred and well loued Piemont his heart which his valour had proued The Heauens haue his soule the Arts haue his Fame The Souldiers the griefe the world his good name A briefe Epitaph vpon the death of that most valiant and perfect honorable Gentleman Sir Philip Sidney knight late Gouernour of Flushing in Zealand who receiued his deaths wound at a battell neare Zutphen in Gelderland the 22. day of September and dyed at Arnhem the 16. day of October 86. Whose Funeralls were performed and his body interred within this Cathedrall Church of Saint Paul in London the 16. day of February next following in the yeare of our Lord God 1586. England Netherland the Heauens and the Arts The Souldiers and the world haue made sixe parts Of noble Sidney For who will suppose That a small heape of stones can Sidney enclose England hath his body for she it fed Netherland his bloud in her defence shed The Heauens haue his soule the Arts haue his Fame The Souldiers the griefe the world his good Name These Elegies also following penned in the praise of the said Philip by our late Soueraigne Lord King Iames that sole Monarch of many Nations giue a glorious lustre to his Heroicke actions In Philippi Sidnaei interitum Illustrissimi Scotorum Regis Carmen Armipotens cui ius in fortia pectora Mauors Tu Dea quae cerebrum perrumpere digna Tonantis Tuque adeo biiugae proles Latonia râ—pis Gloria deciduae cingunt quam collibus artes Duc tecum et querula Sidnai funera voce Plangite nam vester fuerat Sidnaeus alumnus Quid genus et proauos et spem floremque iuuentae Immaturo obitu raptum sine fine retexo Heu frustra queror heu rapuit Mors omnia secum Et nihil ex tanto nunc est Heroe superstes Praeterquam decus et nomen virtute paratum Doctaque Sidneas testantia Carmina laudes The same translated by the said King Thou mighty Mars the Lord of Souldiers braue And thou Minerve that dois in wit excell And thou Apollo who dois knowledge haue Of euery art that from Parnassus fell With all your Sisters that th aire on do dwell Lament for him who duely seru'd you all Whome in you wisely all your arts did mell Bewaile I say his vnexpected fall I neede not in remembrance for to call His race his youth the hope had of him ay Since that in him doth cruell Death appall Both manhood wit and learning euery way But yet he doth in bed of Honor rest And euermore of him shall liue the best Eiusdem Regis in Eundem Hexasticon Vidit et exanimem tristis Cytheraea Philippum Fleuit et hunc Martem credidit esse suum Eripuit digitis gemmas colloque monile Mars iterum nunquam ceu placitura foret Mortuus humana qui lusit imagine Diuam Quid faceret iam si viueret ille rogo In English When Venus sad saw Philip Sidney slaine She wept supposing Mars that he had bin From fingers Rings and from her necke the chaine She pluckt away as if Mars nere againe She ment to please In that forme he was in Dead and yet could a Goddesse thus beguile What had he done if he had liu'd this while Tunbridge In this ruinous Church which like the Caâ—tle carries with it a shew of venerable antiquitie I finde no funerall Monument of elder times remarkable in the north window onely are depicted the pourtraitures of the Lord Hugh Stafford kneeling in his coate-armour and his Bow-bearer Thomas Bradlaine by him with this inscription Orate pro animabus Domini Hugonis Stafford et Thome Bradlaine Arcuar .... This Hugh Lord Stafford afterwards Earle of Buckingham was Lord of this Mannor of Tunbridge by his grandmother Margaret the onely daughter and heire of Sir Hugh Audley Earle of Glocester of whom hereafter when I come to Stone in Staffordshire the place of his buriall Neare to the ruinous walls of the Castâ—â—â—stood a Priory pleasantly seated which in the shipwracke of such religious structures was dasht all a peeces founded by Richard de Clare Earle of Gloucester about the yeare 1241. for Canons of Saint Augustines order and consecrated to S. Mary Magdalen Which Priory was valued by the Commissioners at the suppression to be yearely worth 169. l. 10. s. 3. d. This Richard the founder dyed at Emmersfield in the Mannor-house of Iohn Lord Crioil here in Kent 14. Iulij Ann. 1262. his bowels were buried at Canterbury his body at Tewxbury and his heart here in his owne Church at Tunbridge Hee was Vir nobilis et omni laude dignus To whose euerlasting praise this Epitaph was composed Hic pudor Hippoliti Paridis gena sensus Vlissis Aeneae pietas Hectoris ira iacet Chaste Hippolite and Paris faire Vlisses wise and slie Aeneas kinde fierce Hector here ioyntly entombed lye Here sometime lay entombed the bodies of Hugh de Audley second sonne of Nicholas Lord Audley of Hâ—leigh Castle in the County of Stafford who was created Earle of Gloucester by king Edward the third and by the marriage of Margaret second daughter of Gilbert de Clare Earle of Glocester surnamed the red and sister and coheire to Gilbert the last Earle of that surname Lord of Tunbridge This Hugh dyed the tenth of Nouember 1347. Ann. 21. Ed. 3. I finde little of him remarkable saue his good fortunes being a younger brother to marry so great an inheritrix and to be exalted to such titles of honour His wife Margaret first married to Pierce Gaueston Earle of Cornwall dyed before him in the yeare of our Lord 1342. the 13. day of Aprill They were both together sumptuously entombed by Margaret their daughter the onely heire of her parents wife to Raph de Stafford Earle of Stafford The said Raph de Stafford and Margaret his wife were here likewise entombed at the feet of their father and
And besides Geruasius Dorobernens or Geruis a Monke in Canterbury who flourished in the raigne of king Henry the first affirmeth that the fore-ward in all battels belongeth to them by a certaine preheminence in right of their manhood And it is agreed by all men that there were neuer any bondmen or villaines as the law calleth them in Kent Neither bee they here so much bounden to the Gentrie by Copyhold or customarie tenures as the Inhabitants of the westerne Countries of the Realme be nor at all indangered by the feeble hold of Tenant Right which is but a descent of a tenancie at will as the Common people in the Northerne parts be for Copyhold tenure is rare in Kent and Tenant Right not heard of at all But in place of these the custome of Gauelkinde that is Giue all Kinne preuailing euery where in manner euery man is a Free-holder and hath some part of his owne to liue vpon And in this their estate they please themselues and ioy exceedingly in so much as a man may finde sundrie Yeomen although otherwise for wealth comparable with many of the gentile sort that will not yet for all that change their condition nor desire to be apparrelled with the titles of Gentrie Neither is this any cause of disdaine or of alienation of the good minds of the one sort from the other For no where else in all this Realme is the common people more willingly gouerned To be short they be most commonly ciuill iust and bountifull so that the estate of the old Franklyns and Yeomen of England either yet liueth in Kent or else it is quite dead and departed out of the Realme for altogether Thus farre in effect out of Lambard Briefly saith Selden it had the first English King in it was the first Christianity among the English and Canterbury then honoured with the Metropolitique See all which giue note of Honourable Prerogatiue But I will conclude this commendation of Kent with these verses following taken out of the foresaid Author of Polyolbion in the same Song When as the pliant Muse straight turning her about And comming to the Land as Medway goeth out Saluting the deare soyle O famous Kent quoth she What countrey hath this Isle that can compare with thee Which hast within thy selfe as much as thou canst wish Thy conies Venson Fruit thy sorts of Fowle and Fish And what with strength comports thy hay thy corne thy wood Nor any thing doth want that any where is good Now here before I take my leaue of this little See of Rochester it shall not seeme impertinent I hope to shew with what great courage and happinesse this Church hath euer vpholden her rights and priuiledges not onely against the Monkes of Canterbury which laboured much to bring it vnder but also against the See it selfe of the Archbishops For example in the raigne of king Henry the third and after the death of Benedict the Bishop of Rochester the Monkes made choise of one Henry Sanford that great wise Clerke which preached at Sittingbourne that such a day the soules of king Richard the first Stephen Langton Archbishop of Canterbury and another Priest were deliuered out of Purgatory and no more soules that day but onely they three as God had reuealed it vnto him three seuerall times whereof when the Monkes of Christ-Church had intelligence they resisted the election challenging that the Pastorall staffe or Crosyer of Rochester ought of very right to be brought to their house after the decease of the Bishop and that the election ought to be made in their Chapiter The Monkes of Rochester maintained their owne choise and so the matter waxing warme betweene them it was at the length referred to the determination of the Archbishop he againe posted it ouer to certaine Delegates who hearing the parties and weighing the proofes gaue sentence with the Monkes of Rochester and yet lost as they thought good loue and amity among them But as the Poet saith Male sarta gratia nequicquam coit sed rescinditur Fauour that is euill peeced will not ioyne close but falleth asunder And therefore this their opinion failed them and their cure proued but to be patched for soone after the sore brake out anew and the Canterbury Monkes reuiued their displeasure with such a heat that Hubert of Burgh Earle of Kent and chiefe Iustice of England was driuen to come into the Chapter house and coole it and to worke a second reconciliation betweene them Neither for all that as it may seeme was that flame quite extinguished For not long after viz. Ann. 1238. the Monkes of Christ-Church seeing that they themselues could not preuaile intituled their Archbishop Edmund with whom also the Rochester Monkes waged law at Rome before the holy Father as touching the election of Richard Wendeouer whom they would haue had Bishop by the space of three whole yeares together and at the length either through the equitie of the cause or the weight of their purse saith my Author ouerthrew him vpon Saint Cuthberts day in ioy whereof they returned home with all hast and enacted in their Chapter house that from thenceforth for euer Saint Cuthberts feast as a Trophey of their victory should be holden double both in their Church and Kitchin And not thus onely but otherwise also hath the See at Rochester well holden her owne for during the whole succession of fourescore Bishops and one as I haue said before which in right line haue followed Iustus she hath continually maintained her chaire at this one place whereas in most parts of the Realme besides the Sees of the Bishops haue suffered sundrie translations by reason that in the Conquerours time order was taken that such Bishops as before had their Churches in countrey Townes and Villages should forthwith remoue and from thenceforth remaine in walled Townes and Cities which ordinance could not by any meanes touch Rochester that was a walled Citie long time before king Williams gouernment Here endeth the Diocesse of Rochester ANCIENT FVNERALL MONVMENTS WITHIN THE Diocesse of LONDON AS before I haue said somewhat of the Cities of Canterbury and Rochester so giue me leaue to speak a little of this great Citie of London collected out of as well ancient as moderne writers And first I will borrow a few lines from Iohn Iohnston before remembred sometimes Professour of Diuinitie in the Vniuersitie of S. Andrewes in Scotland who in a graue note and serious stile compiled certaine Latine verses in praise of this our Metropolis or soueraigne Citie of this Island Which I finde to be translated by Philemon Holland thus This Citie well Augusta call'd to which a truth to say Aire Land Sea and all Elements shew fauour euery way The weather no where milder is the ground most rich to see Doth yeeld all fruits of fertile soile that neuer spent will be And Ocean that with Tams streame his flowing tide doth blend Conueyes to it commodities all that
Brute farre by West beyond the Gallike land is found An Isle which with the ocean seas inclosed is about Where Giants dwelt sometime but now is desart ground Most meet where thou maiest plant thy selfe with all thy rout Make thitherwards with speed for there thou shalt finde out An euer-during seat and Troy shall rise anew Vnto thy race of whom shall kings be borne no doubt That with their mighty power the world shall whole subdew Brute was no sooner awaked then that he related this his dreame or vision to such of his companie as he thought requisite to be acquainted with such a matter of importance after great reioycing and ceremonious thanksgiuing they ioyntly resolued to seeke out this fortunate Island and so returned to their ships with great ioy and gladnesse as men put in comfort to finde out the wished seats for their firme and sure habitations prophesied and promised vnto them by the Oracle not long after Per varios casus per tot discrimina rerum Passing through many dangers by sea by land 'mongst strangers They landed at Totnes in Deuonshire about the yeare of the world 2855. and before Christs natiuitie 1108. Of which M. Drayton Polyol Song 1. Mye Britaine-sounding Brute when with his puissant fleete At Totnesse first he toucht Brute hauing taken a view of this Island and destroyed all such as stood against him commanded that the Isle should be called Brutaine which before was called Albion peopled with gyants and the inhabitants thereof Britaines or Brutaines allusiuely after his owne name Within a short time after his arriuall he laid the foundation of a Citie which he named Troynouant or new Troy now London vpon a plot of ground lying on the North side of the riuer of Thames which he built in remembrance of that noble City of Troy from whence hee and his people were descended as also to bee the seat Royall and chiefe Chamber of his imperiall kingdome He also built a Temple to the honour of his Pagan Gods and Goddesses Which stood by coniecture in the same place where now this Cathedrall Church of Saint Paul is erected in which idolatrous Archflamen he bequeathed his body to be buried Here in his new Citie when he had established certaine lawes teaching his people to liue after a ciuill order and fashion also to build townes and villages to worship the Gods to till and plow the earth to weare apparrell to anoint and trimme their bodies and to be short to liue after an humane manner and had holden the regiment of this kingdome right nobly the space of twenty and foure yeares hee departed the world Hauing parted his dominions into three parts amongst his three sonnes Locrine Camber and Albanact with condition that the two younger brethren should hold of the eldest and to him doe homage and fealtie Brute tooke shippe and arriued in Albion Where Diane said should been his habitation And when he came the coasts of it vpon He was full glad and made great exultacion And afterwards vpon the alteration of the name of Albion the building of London the establishing of his lawes the diuision of his Empire as also of his death and buriall the same Author hath these verses This Brutus thus was king in regalite And after his name he called this Ile Briteyn And all his menne by that same egalite He called Briteynes as croniclers all saine So was the name of this ilke Albion All sette on side in Kalandes of a change And putte awaye with great confusion And Briteyn hight so furth by new exchange After Brutus The citee great of Troynouaunt so faire He buylded then on Thamys for his delite Vnto the North for his dwellyng and for his most repaire Whiche is to saie in our language perfite New Troy In whiche throughout his peace and law he sette Whiche been the floures of all regalite With out whiche but if thei twoo be mette There may no Prince hold principalite Ne endure long in worthy dignite For if those twoo be nought vpholden than What is a kyng more worth then his liege man This kyng Brute kepte well this Isle in peace And sette his lawes of Troye with orders rites And consuetudes that might the land encreace Such as in Troye was most profittes Vnto the folke and the common profettes He made theim wryten for long rememory To rule the Isle by theim perpetually His menne he did rewarde full royally With lands and rentes that with hym suffred pain And Troynouaunt he made full specially An Archflaume his sea Cathedrall certain A Temple thereof Apolyne to opteyne By Troyane lawe of all such dignite As Archbyshop hath now in his degre This kyng Brutus made people faste to tylle The land aboute in places both farre and nere And sowe with sede and get them corne full wele To liue vpon and haue the sustenaunce clere And so in fields both farre and nere By his wysdome and his sapience He sette the lande in all suffycience And as the fate of death doth assigne That nedes he muste his ghoost awaye relees To his goddas Dyane he did resigne His corps to be buryed withouten lees In the Temple of Apolline to encreace His soule amonge the goddes euerychone After his merites tronized high in trone It is said saith Sir Edward Coke to the Reader of the third part of his Reports that Brutus the first king of this land as soone as hee had setled himselfe in his kingdome for the safe and peaceable gouernment of his people wrote a booke in the Greeke tongue calling it The Lawes of the Britanes and he collected the same out of the Lawes of the Troianes Brute died after the Creation 2806. yeares before the Incarnation 1103. Samuel then Iudge of Israel Robert of Glocester my old Mss. hath these rimes touching some passages in this History of Brute Brute wende fory in ye lond and espied vp and doun For to seche a fair plas to mak an heued toun He com and fond vpe Temese a place fair ynough A good contre and plenteuous and yuder his herte drough Yat shippes out of eche londe myght bryng good ywys Yer he rerd hys chefe toun yat London cleped ys Yet so ne cleped he it nought but for honour and ioye Yat he from Troie comen was he cleped it new Troye Bruit yis ilke noble Prince Sones had thre By his wyff Ignogent noble men and fre Locryn and Camber and Albanack also Atte last diede Brut. Yo thys was ydo Aftur yat he com into Engelond ye xxiiii yere I buryed he was at London yat he lette furst arere Thus much of king Brute as the brute of him goes and as the vulgar receiued opinion is the maine points of his story being brought into queâ—stion by many of our learned authenticall writers The Conquerour William brought with him from Roane in Normandy certaine Iewes whose posterity here inhabiting within the prime Cities of the kingdome
prey yee For owr soulys Pater Noster and Aue The sooner of owr peyne lessid to be Grant vs thy holy Trinite Amen Here vndyr rests this marble ston Ione Spenser both flesh and bon Wyff to Ion Spenser certen Taylor of London and Citizen Dawter she was whylst she was here Vnto Richard Wetiuen Squier And to Elisabeth his wyf Whych Ione departyd this lif The tweluth dey of September As many one do yet remember In the yere of owr Lord God ful euen A thowsand four hundryd and seuen Vnder this black marbl ston lyth the body of Master Walter Lempster Doctor of Phisick and also Phisition to the high and mighty Prince Hen. the vii whych Master Lempster gayve vnto this Chyrch too cheynes of fyne gold weying xiiii ounces and a quarter for to make a certeyn ornament to put on the blessyd body of our Sauiour Iesu. He died the ix of March M. cccc.lxxx.vii Who 's soul god pardon Such as I am such sall ye be Grocer of London somtym was I The kings Weigher mor then yeres twenty Simon Street callyd in my plas And good Fellowshyp fayn wold tras Therfor in heuen euerlastyng lif Iesu send me and Agnes my wyf Kerli Merli my words were tho And Deo gratias I added therto I passyd to God in the yere of Grase A thousand four hundryd iust hit was ................. Here lyth vndyr this litle spas The body of William Goldhirst who somtym was Skinner of London and citinure Worshcipful til his endure And his wyf Margaret also God haue mercy on theyr sowlys both two And departyd fro hence the xxv day Of the Month of Septembyr withoutyn nay The yere of our Lord Iesu On thowsand fyue hundryd eleuen ful true Vpon whos sowlys Iesu haue mercy That for vs say a Pater Noster and an Aue. Saint Michaels at Queene-Hithe The Monuments in this Church are all defaced onely I finde that Stephen Spilman or Spelman as appeareth by his Will was here buried directly against the high Altar vnder a faire Monument no Inscription thereupon now remaining This Stephens Armes are amongst the Maiors and Sheriffes of London vpon a field sables six besants 2.1.1.2 betweene two slayks argent Sometimes Mercer Chamberlaine of London then one of the Sheriffes and Alderman of the said Citie in the yeare 1404. He deceased without issue gaue his lands to his Familie the Spilmans and his goods to the making or repairing of Bridges and other like godly vses He repaired this Church and therein founded a Chantry He died about the last yeare of the raigne of king Henry the fifth Richard Grey Iron-monger one of the Sheriffes likewise of this Citie in the yeare 1515. lieth here buried He gaue 40. pound to the repairing of this Church Orate pro animabus Richardi Marloi quondam venerabilis Maioris Ciuitatis London Agnetis consortis sue Qui ....... ob ..... This Marlow was Lord Maior in the yeare 1409. in whose Maioraltie there was a Play at Skinners Hall which lasted eight dayes saith Stow to heare which most of the greatest Estates of England were present The Subiect of the play was the sacred Scriptures from the creation of the world They call this Corpus Christi Play in my countrey which I haue seene acted at Preston and Lancaster and last of all at Kendall in the beginning of the raigne of King Iames for which the Townesmen were sore troubled and vpon good reasons the play finally supprest not onely there but in all other Townes of the kingdome Richardo Hill potentissimi Regis Henrici octaui celle vinarie Prefectus Elisabetha coniux mestissima facta iam vndecimorum liberorum mater Marito optimo immatura tandem morte sublato Quod solum potuit posteritati commendaturum cupiens hoc Monumentum posuit Obijt An. Dom. 1539. die mens Maij 12. Saint Mary Aldermary Here lieth buried Sir Charles Blount or Blunt Baron Mountioy who died 1544. With this Epitaph made by himselfe a little before his death Wilingly haue I sought and willingly haue I found The fatall end that wrought thither as dutie bound Discharg'd I am of that I ought to my countrey by honest wound My soule departyd Christ hath bought the end of man is ground This familie of the Blunts is noble and ancient surnamed so at the first of the yellow haire of their head Blunt signifying so in the Norman language they greatly flourished at Kinlet in Shropshire and by Elwaston in Darbishire where Sir Raph Mountioy had lands in the time of Edward the first from whence came Sir Walter Blunt whom King Edward the fourth aduanced to the honour of Baron Mountioy with a pension Whose posteritie haue equalled the Nobilitie of their birth with the ornaments of learning and principally amongst them Charles late Earle of Deuonshire deceased Baron Mountioy Lord Lieutenant generall of Ireland and knight of the honourable order of the Garter whose sonne Mountioy Blunt enioyeth his lands who by the speciall fauour of our late Soueraigne King Iames was created Baron of Montioy in the North of Ireland Here also lieth buried William Blunt Lord Mountioy who died but of later times Saint Martius Vintrie Many faire marble stones inlaid with brasse and well preserued are in this Church most of their inscriptions being perfectly to bee read And the most of which are set downe in the Suruay of this Citie I will onely touch some few of them As flowers in feeld thus passyth lif Nakyd then clothyd feble in the end If sheweth by Robart Daluss and Alyson his wyf Chryst yem saue fro the power of the Fiend ob 1469. Hic .... Micolt quondam ciuis vinitarius London Ioanna vxor eius ac pueri eorundem qui quidem Iohannes obijt 17. die Aprilis Ann. Dom. 1424. Quorum anime per Dei immensam miserecordiam in pace perpetua permaneant ac requiem possideant Es testis Christe quod non iacet hic lapis iste Corpus vt ornetur sed spiritus vt memoretur Heus tu qui transis magnus medius puer an sis Pro me funde preces quia sic mihi fit venie spes ...... honorabilis viri Radulphi Astry militis nuper Maioris ac Aldermanni Piscenarij Ciuitatis London et preclarissimarum Domine Margarie ac Margarete vxorum eius Qui quidem Radulphus obijt 18. die Nouembris Ann. Dom. 1494. predicta Margeria obijt .... die dicta Margarita ab hoc seculo migrauit 10. die Marcij Ann. Dom. 1492. Quorum animabus Hic iacet Radulphus Astry generosus vnus filiorum Radulphi Astri militis quondam maioris Ciuitatis London Qui quidem Radulphus filius in sua florida iuuentute ab hoc seculo migrauit Ann. Dom. 1501. 19. die mens Septemb. This Raph Astrie Maior was sonne to Geffery Astrie or Ostrich of Hitchin in the County of Hertford He new roofed this
Cromwell and shewed vnto him the occasions of her commyng and of my sendings vntyll hir againe The first tyme she came vnto my house vnsent for of my partye and then she tolde me that she hadde bene with your grace and that she hadde shewed vnto you a reuelation which she hadde from Almighty God your grace I hope will not be displeased with this my rehearsall thereof She sayd that if your grace went forth with the purpose that ye intended ye shold not be King of England seuen moneths after I conceaued not by theis wordes I take it vpon my soule that any malice or euill was intended or ment vnto your highnes by any mor all man butt oonly that thei were the threattes of God as she than did affirme And though thei were feaned that as I wold be saued was to me vnknowen I neuer counsailled hir vnto that feanyng not was privaye thervnto nor to any such purposes as it is now sayd thei went aboute Neuerthelesse if she hadde told me this Reuelation and hadde not alsoo told me that she hadde reported the same vnto your grace I hadde bene verylie farre to blame and worthy extreame punyshment for not disclosing the same vnto your highenes or else to some of your counsaill But sithen she did assure me therewith that she hadde playnelye told vnto your grace the same thynge I thought doubtlesse that your grace wold haue suspected me that I had commyn to renewe hir tale agayne vnto yow rather for the confermyng of myn opinion than for any other cause I beseech your highenes to take no displeasor with me for this that I will saye It stykketh yet moost graciouse Soueraygne in my hart to my no little heuynesse youre greeuous letters and after that youre moost fearfull wordes that your grace hadde vnto me for shewyng vnto yow my mynde and opinion in the same matter Notwithstandyng that your highnesse hadde soo often and soo straytly commanded me to serch for the same before And for this cause I was right loth to haue comyn vnto your grace agayne with such a tale pertayning to that matter Meny other considerations I hadde but this was the very cause why that I came not vnto your grace For in good faith I dradde lest I shold therby haue prouoked your grace to farther displeasor agaynste me My Lord of Canterbury also which was your great Counsaillor told me that she hadde bene with your grace and hadde shewed yow this same matter and of hym as I will answeare before God I learned greatter thynges of her pretensed visions than she told me herselfe And at that same tyme I shewede vnto hym that she hadde bene with me and told me as I haue written before I trust now that your excellent wisdome and learnynge seeth there ys in me no defawte for not reuelynge of hir wordes vnto your grace whan she hir selfe did affirme vnto me that she hadde soo done and my Lord of Canterbury that then was confermed alsoo the same Wherfore moost graciouse Soueraygne Lord in my most humble wise I besech your highenes to dimisse me of this trouble whereby I shall the more quietly serue God and the more effectually pray for your grace This if there were a right great offence in me shold be to your merite to pardon but much rather taking the case as it is I trust veryly yow will so doo Now my body is mvch weakened with meny diseases and infirmities and my soule is much inquieted by this trouble so that my harte is more withdrawen from God and fro the deuotion of prayer than I wold And veryly I thinke that my lyve may not long continewe Wherfore estsoones I besech your moost gracious highenes that by your charytable goodnes I may be deliuered of this besynesse and onely to prepare my soule to God and to make itt ready agaynst the commyng of death and no moore to come abroode in the world This mooste graciouse Soueraigne Lord I besech your highenes by all the singular and excellent endewments of your most noble bodie and sowle and for the loue of Christ Iesu that soo dearly with his moost preciouse bloode redeamed yowr and myn And duryng my lyue I shall not cease as I am bownden and yett now the more entearly to make my praier to God for the preseruation of your most royall Maiestie At Rochester the xxvii day of February Your most humble Beadman and subiect Io. Roffe He writ likewise to the high Court of Parliament then sitting to the same effect but before this businesse was fully finished another came vpon him which was the oath of Supremacie the refusing whereof being tendered was adiudged high treason This oath or some part of it he denies whereupon he is committed to the Tower from whence he thus writes to Cromwell After my most humble commendations where as ye couet that I should write vnto the Kings Highnesse in good faith I dread mee that I cannot be soo circumspect in my writing but that sum word shall escape me wherwith his grace shall be moued to sum further displeasure against me wherof I wold be veray sory For as I will answer by for God I wold not in any manner of poynte offend his grace my duty saued vnto God whom I must in euery thyng prefer And for this consideration I am full loth and full of feare to wryte vnto his highnesse in this matter Neuerthelesse sythen I conceyue that it is your mynd that I shall soo doo I will endeuor mee to the best that I can But first here I must beseech yow gode master Secretary to call to yowr remembrance that at my last being befor yow and the other Commissioners for taking of the othe concerning the Kings most noble succession I was content to be sworne vnto that parcell concerning the succession And there I did rehearse this reason whiche I sade moued mee I dowted not but that the Prynce of eny Realme with th' assent of his nobles and commons myght appoynte for his succession Royall such an order as was seen vnto his wysdom most accordyng And for this reason I sade that I was content to be sworne vnto that parte of the othe as concernyng the succession This is veray trowth as God help my sowl at my most neede Albeit I refused to swear to some other parcels bycause that my conscience wold not serue me so to doo Furthermor I byseche yow to be gode master vnto me in my necessitie for I haue nether Shirt nor Sute nor yet other clothes that ar necessary for me to wear but that bee ragged and torne to shamefully Notwithstandyng I myghte easily suffer that if thei wold keep my body warm But my dyett allso God knowes how slender itt is att meny tymes And now in myn age my stomake may not away but with a few kynd of meats which if I want I decay forthwith and fall into coffes and diseases of my body and cannot keepe my self
duo Factus Eques magni custos fuit ipse sigilli Gloria sit soli tota tributa Deo Mediocria firma Vpon the frontispice of a gate entring into an Orchard with a garden and a wildernesse ouer the statue of Orpheus these verses are depicted Horrida nuper eram aspectu latebraeque ferarum Ruricolis tantum numinibusque locus Edomitor faustò huc dum forte supervenis Orpheus Vlterius qui me non finit esse rudem Conuocat avulsis virgulta virentia truncis Et sedem quae vel Dijs placuisse potest Sicque mei cultor sic est mihi cultus Orpheus Floreat o noster cultus amorque diu In the said Orchard is a little banquetting house most curiously adorned round about which the liberall Artes are deciphered with the pictures of some of those men which haue beene excellent in euery particular Art And first he begins with the Art of Grammer Thus. Lex sum sermonis linguarum regula certa Qui me non didicit caetera nulla petat The pictures of Donatus Lily Seruius and Priscian Arithmaticke Ingenium exacuo numerorum arcana recludo Qui memores didicit quid didicisse nequit Stifelius Budeus Pythagoras Logicke Diuido multiplices res explanoque latentes Vera exquiro falsa arguo cuncta probo Aristoteles Rodulphus Porphirius Setonus Musicke Mitigo maerores acerbas lenio cur as Gestiat vt placidis mens hilerata sonis Arion Terpander Orpheus Rhetoricke Me duce splendescit gratis prudentia verbis Iamque ornata nitet quae fuit ante rudis Cicero Isocrates Demostines Quintilian Geometrie Corpora describo rerum quo singula pacto Apte sunt formis appropriata suis Archimedes Euclydes Strabo Apollinius Astrologie Astrorum lustrans cursus viresque potentes Elicio miris fata futura modis Regiomontanus Haly Coopernicus Ptolomeus Redborne This Redborne in times past was a place renowned and resorted vnto in regard of Amphibalus the Martyrs reliques here found Who instructed S. Alban in the Christian faith as I haue said before and for Christs sake suffered death vnder Dioclesian He was surnamed Deuanius for that he was borne vpon the riuer of Dee in Wales the sonne of a Prince saith his Legend A man saith Bale both for learning and good life vnmatchable preaching and that with happie successe the glad tidings of the Gospell throughout all the parts of Britaine For to escape the execution of the Edict of the Emperour hee fled from Verulam with a great number of such as he had conuerted into the kingdome of Scotland and into the Isle of Anglesey in Wales whereof hee was made Bishop preaching in all places the true and liuely word disputing and writing against the worshippers of false Gods But being afterwards apprehended he was brought to the same place where his Scholler Saint Alban suffered martyrdome and whipped about a stake whereat his intrailes were tied so winding his bowels out of his body was lastly stoned to death like another Stephen For whose body some of the persecuted Christians got a stolne buriall here at Redborne from whence it was remoued with all celebritie and enshrined by the reliques of his Scholler Saint Alban in the yeare of Grace 1178. the 25. day of Iune Nullum vnquam tam iucundum tam salutarem diem videt Verulamium saith Harpsfeeld occurrebat enim Martyr martyri Magistro discipulus hospes H. spiti caelestis cruis conciuicaelesti The Couent of Saint Albans had such a care that his reliques should bee deuoutly preserued that a decree was made by Thomas then Abbot that a Prior and three Monkes should be appointed for so sacred an office for which they were to receiue twenty pounds yearely allowance Such was the price and estimation in those dayes of the bones and ashes of religious persons remarkable for their holinesse This Amphibalus was a rare Linguist and a profound Diuine for those times He writ a booke against the errours of the Gentiles and certaine Homilies vpon the foure Euangelists with other learned works mentioned by Bale Sir Richard Read knight lieth here entombed Of whom hereafter according to my method Mergate Neare to this Village sometime was a little religious house of Nunnes of which I neuer read nor heard further then by an old petition in rime which runnes by tradition from one traueller to another as they passe along this thorrow fare Vpon which I lately happened in a very ancient Manuscript in Sir Robert Cottons Library and thus it was deliuered in their English the words are significant and modest if you do not misinterpret The petytiown of thre pore Nuns of Mergate We thre pore Nuns of Mergate Pyteously compleyneth to yowr gud estate Of one Syr Iohnne of Whipesuade Who hath stoppyd owr water gate Wyth too stons and a stake Help vs Lorde for Cryst hys sake Flamsted Hic iacet Iohannes Oundeley Rector istius Ecclesie et de Barugby Lincoln Dioces Canon in Eccles. Colleg. beate Marie de Warwick Camerarius ex parte comitis War in Scaccario Domini Regis qui obijt 7. Maij 1414. Miserere miserator quia vere sum peccator Vnde precor licet reus miserere mei Deus Here are in this Church three wondrous ancient Monuments whose inscriptions are quite perisht supposed by the Inhabitants to haue beene made for certaine Noblemen Lords of this Mannor Which may very well be true by these words of our grand Antiquarie Master Camden Somewhat aboue saith hee Flamsted sheweth it selfe vpon the hill which in the time of King Edward the Confessour Leosstane the Abbot of Saint Albans gaue vnto three Knights Turnot Waldefe and Turman for to defend and secure the countrey thereby against theeues But William the Conquerour tooke it from them and gaue it to Roger Todeney or Tony a noble Norman whose possession it was but by a daughter it was transferred at length to the Beauchamps Earles of Warwicke Hempstede Vpon a faire Tombe of marble and Tuch inlaid with brasse with the pourtraiture of a man armed of goodly lineaments together with his wife I reade this French Inscription Roberd Albyn gist icy Et Margarete sa femme ouvike luy Deiu de lez Almes eyt mercy Berkamsted In the body of this Church stands a stately Tombe of an antique rich fabricke strangely depainted whereon the shape of a man in knightly habiliments with his wife lying by him are cut in Alabaster and about the verge of a large marble thereunto adioyning this Inscription engrauen in brasse Hic iacet Richardus Torynton Margareta vxor eius qui quidem Richardus obijt 4. die Martij .... 1306. Margareta ob 9. Martii 13 ... This Torynton as I haue it by relation was the founder of this Church a man in speciall fauour with Edmond Plantaginet Duke of Cornwall who was sonne of Richard Plantaginet second sonne of king Iohn Earle of Cornwall and king of the Romanes Which Richard
are quite defaced I read in an old Manuscript thus much of the Baudes there buried and in other places sometimes Lords of the Towne and Patrons of the Church Anno Domini 1174. Sir Symon de Baud or Bauld Knight died in the holy land Anno 1189. Nich. Bauld Knight died in Gallicia in Spaine Anno 1216. Sir Walter Bauld died at Coringham Anno 1270. Sir William Bauld died at Coringham Anno 1310. Sir Walter Bauld died at Coringham Anno 1343. Sir William Bauld died at Coringham Anno 1346. Sir Iohn le Bauld died in Gascoigne Anno 1375. Sir William Bauld died at Hadham Parua Anno 1420. on the feast of Saint Bartholomew died Thomas Bauld or Bawde the first Esquire at little Hadham Anno 1449. Tho. Bawde the second Esquier died at little Hadham Anno 1500. Mens Iunij obijt Dominus Thomas Bawd miles obijt apud London cuius anime propitietur deus Anno 1550. obijt Iohannes Baud Ar. apud Coringham This ancient familie of the Bawdes Stow saith as he had read out of an ancient deed gaue vnto the Deane and Chapter of Pauls vpon the day of the conuersion of Saint Paul a good Doe and vpon the feast of the commemoration of Saint Paul a fat Bucke in consideration of twenty two Acres of land by them granted within their Mannor of Westley in Essex to be inclosed into their Parke of Coringham Sir William Baud about the third of Edward the first was the first that granted this deed which was confirmed by his sonne Walter and others of his line This Bucke and Doe were brought vpon the said festiuall daies at the houres of Procession and thorow the Procession to the high Altar the manner of it is reported by Stow who partly as he saith saw it thus On the feast day of the commemoration of Saint Paul the Bucke being brought vp to the steps of the high Altar in Pauls Church at the houre of Procession the Deane and Chapter being apparelled in Coapes and Vestments with Garlands of Roses on their heads they sent the body of the Bucke to baking and had the head fixed on a Pole borne before the Crosse in their Procession vntill they issued out of the West dore where the Keeper that brought it blowed the death of the Bucke and then the Horners that were about the Citie presently answered him in like manner For the which paines they had each man of the Deane and Chapter foure pence in money and their dinner and the Keeper that brought it was allowed during his abode there for that seruice meate drinke and lodging at the Deane and Chapters charges and fiue shillings in money at his going away together with a loafe of bread hauing the picture of Saint Paul vpon it c. There was belonging to the Church of Saint Paul for both the daies two speciall Sutes of Vestments the one embrodered with Buckes the other with Does both giuen by the said Bauds Baud is the surname saith Verstegan of a worshipfull familie in England and of a Marquesse in Germany anciently written Bade and the letter D vsed of our Ancestors in composition as th so the right name is Bathe and so this family might be tooke the name of some office belonging to the Bathe at the time of the Coronation of some King when as the Knights of the Bathe are wont to be made Ralegh Here is a monument in this Church which makes a shew of great antiquity but who should be therein entombed I could not certainly learne some of the Inhabitants say that one of the ancient house of the Alens other say that it was made for one of the familie of the Essexes who were Lords of this towne and noble Barons of England both before and since the Conquest Swein de Essex the sonne of Robert who was the sonne of Winmarke Baron of Ralegh built the ruined Castle in this towne in the raigne of Edward the Confessor whom the King calleth Brother in this his Charter to Ranulph Peperking Iche Edward Koning Haue geuen of my Forest the keping Of the hundred of Chelmer and Dancing To Randolph Peperking and to his kindling Wyth Heorte and Hynde Doe and Bocke Hare and Foxe Catt and Brocke Wylde fowel with his flocke Partrich Fesant hen and Fesant cocke With greene and wylde stob and stocke To kepen and to yemen by al her might Both by day and eke by night And hounds for to hold Good and swift and bolde Foure Greyhounds and sixe Racches For Hare and Foxe and wilde Cattes And therefore iche made him my booke Witnes the Bishop Wolston And booke ylered many on And Swein of Essex our brother And teken him many other And owr steward Howelin That by sought me for him This forme of Grants was vsed both before and after this Kings time for example I King Aâ—helstane geues to Paullane Odhiam and Rodhiam Al 's guid and al 's faire Al 's euyr yay myne waire And yarto witnes Mawd my wyff And William the Conquerour gaue certaine lands by the like deede to one Pauline Roydon the coppie whereof was found in the Registers Office at Glocester which I had from my deare deceased friend Aug. Vincent which is almost all one with that to the Norman Hunter collected by Iohn Stow out of an old Chronicle in the Librarie at Richmond I William Kyng the thurd yere of my reigne Geue to the Paulyn Roydon Hope and Hopetowne With all the bounds both vp and downe From heuen to yerth from yerth to hel For the and thyn ther to dwel As truly as this Kyng right is myn For a crossebow and an arrow When I sal com to hunt on Yarrow And in teken that this thing is sooth I bit the whyt wax with my tooth Befor Megg Mawd and Margery And my thurd Sonne Herry Such was the good meaning of great men in those daies that a few words did make a firme bargaine but to returne from whence I haue digressed Orate pro anima Wilielmi Talburgh quondam Rectoris istius Ecclesie qui obijt apud London in Parochia Sancti Petri apud Cornhil 5. Decemb. 1420. Es testis Christe quod non iacet hic lapis iste Corpus vt ornetur sed spiritus vt memoretur Hinc tu qui transis magnus medius puer an sis Pro me sunde preces quia sic mihi fit venie spes Orate pro anima venerabilis viri Richardi Lincolne Theologie professor is buius Ecclesie Rectoris qui obiit 29. Iulii 1492. Talis eris qui calce teris mea busta pedestris Qualis ego iaceo vermiculosus homo Orate pro anima Willelmi Sutton nuper Valecti corone domini Regis Iohanne vxoris eius qui ob 1428. Valetti saith learned Selden was vsed for young heires or young gentlemen or attendants And Valectus or Valettus to tell you once for all saith Camden was in those daies viz.
restored to all his former honours and withall created Earle of Oxford He died in the yeare 1194. the sixth of king Richard the first and was here buried by his father His wife Agnes or Adeliza lieth buried by him who was the daughter of Henry of Essex Baron of Ralegh the Kings Constable Such was the Epitaph or inscription vpon his Tombe as it is in the book of Colne Priory Hic iacet Albericus de Vere silius Alberici de Veer Comes de Guisney primus Comes Oxonie magnus Camerarius Anglie qui propter summam audatiam effrenatam prauitatem Grymme Aubrey vocabatur obiit 26. die Decembris anno Christi 1194. Richardi â— sexto Aubrey de Vere the sonne of the foresaid Aubrey succeeded his father in all his dignities I finde little written of him in our Histories saue that out of his Christian pietie he did confirme the gift of septem librat terre which Aubrey his father gaue to the Chanons of Saint O sith here in Essex adding thereto something of his owne He dyed in the yeare of our Lord 1214. and sleepeth now in the same Bed with three other Aubreyes his Ancestors To whom this Epitaph vpon Conrad the Emperour at Spires in Germany may be fitly applied Filius hic Pater hic Auus hic Proauus iacet istie The great Belsire the Grandsire Sire and Sonne Lie here interred vnder this Grauestone Hugh de Vere the sonne of Robert the first of that Christian name Earle of Oxford and Lord great Chamberlaine of England was here entombed with his Ancestors who died in the yeare 1263. He had the title of Lord Bolebeck which came by his mother Isabell de Bolebeck daughter and heire of Hugh de Bolebeck a Baron who was Lord of Bolebeck Castle in Whitechurch within Buckinghamshire and of Swaffam Bolebeck in Cambridgeshire Hee had to wife Hawisia the daughter of Saier de Quincy Earle of Winchester as appeares by this Inscription sometime insculpt vpon their Tombe Hic iacent Hugo de Veer eius nominis primus Comes Oxonie quartus magnus Camerarius Anglie filius heres Roberti Comitis Hawisua vxor cius filia Saeri de Quincy comitis Wintonie qui quidem Hugo obiit 1263. Quorum animabus propitietur altissimus Robert de Vere the sonne of Hugh aforesaid Earle of Oxford who enioyed his fathers inheritances and honours the space of thirtie and two yeares lieth here entombed with his ancestours who died in the yeare 1295. Alice his wife the daughter and heire of Gilbert Lord Samford Lord of Hormead in Hertfordshire was interred by him who died at Caufeld house neare Dunmow the ninth day of September 1312. Here lieth buried the body of Robert de Vere sonne and successour to the foresaid Robert whose gouernment both in peace and warre was so prudent his hospitalitie and other workes of charitie so wisely abundant and his Temperance with a religious zeale so admirablie conioyned that he was of all surnamed the good Earle of Oxford and the vulgar esteemed him as a Saint He died the 19. of Aprill 1331. Here lyeth entombed Robert de Vere Richard the seconds Mignion who to adde to his honours created him Marquesse of Dublin a title not knowne before that time in England and in the yeare following Duke of Ireland with commission to execute most inseparable prerogatiues royall These Stiles were of too high a nature and therefore infinitely subiected to enuy Whereupon like a second Gaueston he was hated of the Nobilitie especially for that he was a man nec prudentia caeteris proceribus nec armis valentior as Walsingham saith 9. R. 2. But it was not long before he was banished England by the Barons for abusing the Kings eare to the hurt of the State He had to wife a young faire and noble Lady and the Kings neare kinswoman for she was grandchilde to King Edward by his daughter Isabell he put her away and tooke one of Queene Annes women a Bohemian of base birth Sellarij filia saith Walsingham a Sadlers daughter some say a Ioyners an act full of wickednesse and indignitie Yet this intollerable villanie offered to the bloud-royall King Richard did not encounter neither had the power some say who deemed that by witchcrafts and forceries practised vpon him by one of the Dukes followers his iudgement was so seduced and captiuated that he could not see what was honest or siâ— to doe But where Princes are wilfull or slothfull and their Fauorites flatterers or time-seruers there needs no other enchantments to infatuate yea and ruinate the greatest Monarch Vpon his banishment he went into France where he liued about fiue yeares and there being a hunting he was slaine by a wilde Boare in the yeare 1392. King Richard hearing thereof out of his loue caused his body to be brought into England and to be apparrelled in Princely ornaments and robes and put about his neck a chaine of gold and Rings vpon his fingers and so was buried in this Priory the King being there present and wearing blackes After the death of Robert Duke of Ireland who died without issue his Nephew Aubrey de Vere succeeded him in the Earledome of Oxford he enioyed his honours not passing eight yeares but dyed die Veneris in festo Sancti Georgij Ann. primo Hen. quarti 1400. and lieth here entombed with his worthie Ancestors Here lieth buried in this Priorie Iohn de Vere the third of that Christian name and the thirteenth Earle of Oxford Lord Bolebecke Samford and Scales great Chamberlaine and Lord high Admirall of England Who died the fourth of Henry the eight 1512. hauing beene Earle of Oxford full fifty yeares a long time to tugge out in the troublesome raignes of so many kings especially for men of eminent places and high spirits euer apt to take any occasion to shew their manly prowesse which fire of honour flamed in this Earles breast at Barnet field where in a mist the great Earle of Warwickes men not able to distinguish betwixt the Sun with streames vpon King Edwards liuery and the Starre with streames on this Earles liuery shot at this Earles followers and by that misprision the battell was lost After which he fled into Cornwall and seized vpon Saint Michaels Mount But Edward the fourth got him in his power and committed him prisoner to the Castle of Hames beyond the Seas where he remained for the space of twelue yeares vntill the first of King Henry the seuenth with whom he came into England and by whom he was made Captaine of the Archers at Bosworth-field where after a short resistance hee discomfited the Foreward of King Richard whereof a great number were slaine in the chase and no small number fell vnder the victors sword This Earle gaue a great contribution to the finishing of Saint Maries Church in Cambridge His hospitalitie and the great port he carried here in his country may be gathered out of a
body of Robert Bourchier Lord Chancelor of England in the fourteenth yeare of King Edward the third from whom saith the light of great Britaine Clarentieâ—x sprang a most honourable progenie of Earles and Barons of that name Here stands a monument vnder which one of the right honourable familie of the Veres lieth interred it is much defaced .... Georgio Vere filio Georgii Vere .... militis ....... 1498. High Esterne Here lyeth Dame Agnes Gate the wyf of Sir Geffrey Gate knight the which Sir Geffrey was six yeares Captane of the Isle of Wyght and after Marshal of Caleys and there kept with the Pykards worschipul warrys and euyr entendyd as a good Knyght to please the Kyng in the partyes of Normandy wyth al his myght which Agnes dyed the ix of Decembyr M. cccc.lxxxvii on whos soul Iesu haue mercy Amen Prey for the sowl al ye that liue in sight Of Sir Geffrey Gate the curtesse knight Who 's wyff is beryed here by Goddys might He bowght the Manor of Garnets by right Of Koppeden gentylman so he behight Of this Witnesses his wyff and Executors This yer ...... delihowrs xxii Ian. M. cccc lxxvii Pater de celis Deus miserere nobis Fili redemptor mundi Deus miserere nobis Sancta Trinitas vnus Deus miserere nobis This Manour of Garnets here mentioned and all his other inheritance as I haue it by relation from the Inhabitants about fourescore yeares after the death of this Sir Geffray was forfeited to the Crowne by the attaindour of Sir Iohn Gate Knight beheaded on the Tower hill with Iohn Dudley Duke of Northumberland and Sir Thomas Palmer Knight for that they had endeuoured to haue made Lady Iane the daughter of Henry Grey Duke of Suffolke by Frances his wife who was the daughter of Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolke by Mary his wife second sister to King Henry the eight and the wife of Guilford Dudley the fourth sonne of the said Duke of Northumberland Queene of England the xxii of August M. ccccc 53. the first of Queene Mary Barmiston Of your cherite prey for the sowl of Peter Wood Who died the thirtyth dey of May Vnto hym that was crucified on the rood To send hym ioyes for ay Castle Heningham Here lieth interred vnder a Tombe of marble and Tuch now ruinous Iohn de Vere the fift of that Christian name Earle of Oxford Lord Bulbeck Samford and Scales and great Chamberlaine of England Vpon which monument I finde nothing engrauen but the names of his children which he had by his wife Elizabeth daughter heire of Edward Trussell of Staffordshire knight Banneret Which were three sonnes and three daughters namely Iohn de Vere the sixth of that Christian name Earle of Oxford Aubrey de Vere second sonne Geffrey Vere the third sonne Father of Iohn Vere of Kirbey Hall of Sir Francis Vere knight the great Leader in the Low countries and of that renowned Souldier Sir Horatio Vere knight Lord Baron of Tilbery in this County Elizabeth married to Thomas Lord Darcy of Chich Anne wife to Edmund Lord Sheffield and Francis married to Henry Howard Earle of Surrey This Earle Iohn was knight of the Garter and Councellour of State to king Henry the eight Who died here in his Castle at Heueningham the 19. of March 1539. Prey for the soul of Dorethy Scroop dawghter of Richard Scroop brother to the Lord Scroop of Bolton .... who .... 1491. This Dorothie was sister of Elisabeth the widow of William Lord Beaumont and daughter of Richard Scroope knight the second wife of Iohn de Vere the third of that Christian name Earle of Oxford In a parchment Roll without date belonging to the Earle of Oxford I find that one Lucia belike some one of that right honourable house founded a Priory in this Parish for blacke veyled Nunnes Which she dedicated to the holy Grosse and the blessed Virgine Mary Of which religious foundation she her selfe was the first Prioresse whose death was wondrously lamented by Agnes who did next succeed her in that office and the rest of the Couent who desire the prayers and suffrages of all the religious houses in England for her soules health The forme whereof to transcribe cannot seeme much impertinent to the subiect I haue in hand nor tedious to the iudicious Reader Anima domine Lucie prime Fundatricis Ecclesie Sancte Crucis et Sancte Marie de Heningham et anime Ricardi et Sare Galfridi et Dametre et Helene et anime omnium defunctorum per miserecordiam Dei requiescant in pace Amen Vniuersis sancte Matris Ecclesie filiis ad quos presens scriptum peruenerit Agnes Ecclesie sancte crucis Sancte Marie de Henigeham humilis Ministra eiusdemque loci conuentus eternam in Domino salutem Post imbres lacrimarum et fletuum innundacionem quam in transitu karissime Matris nostre venerande Lucie prime Priorisse ac fundatricis Domus nostre fudimus que vocante Domino tertio Idus Iulij viam vniuerse carnis ingressa terre debitum humani generis persoluit manum misimus ad calamum vniuersitati vestre scripto denunciantes calamitatem quam patimur subtracta enim tam felici matre in hac valle miserie simul cor nostrum dereliquit nos ec mirum cum eadem tot virtutum polleret moribus tantis gratiarum rutilaret honoribus tot meritorum fragaret odoribus vt merito illi congruat hoc nomen Lucia quod est lucis scientia Recte ideo Lucia dicta quia nomen beate virginis Lucie sortita illius pro viribus imitabatur exempla Illa meritis precibus fluxum sanguinis in Matre deleuit Ista in se omnis motus concupiscentie carnalis restringens fluxum in aliis incontinentie contaminationis per ariditatem sancte conuersationis sobrie vite radicitus extirpauit Illa sponso suo carnalem copulam nutu diuino subtraxit Ista vt nouimus vinculo Matrimonij septies constricta consortii virilis ignara incontaminata semper illesa permansit ita de laqueo venantium temporaliter est erepta Et hoc fecit diuina prudentia vt nullum preter eum admitteret amatorem Ista etiam discreta fuit in silentio vtilis in verbo verecundia grauis pudore venerabilis singulis compassione proxima pre cunctis contemplatione suspensa sicque studuit bene agentibus esse per humilitatem socia vt per zelum iusticie delinquentium corrigeret errata Vnde in titillatione carnis ex ea didicimus habere prudentiam in aduersitate fortitudinem in tribulatione patientiam in desperatione solatium in periculo refugium in estu refrigerium in asperitate lenitatem Et suit nobis ipsius exemplo lectio frâ—quentior oratio pinguior feruentior affectus Quid multa tanta efflorâ—â—â— in hac benignissima virgine pia matre nostra virtus abstinentie tanta ieiuniorum vigiliarum nec non
put out at the East end of the same in remembrance of so remarkable a Foundation But to leaue these coniectures and returne to the Grauestones which I finde thus inscribed Hic iacet Henricus filius Domini Richardi Arundel militis qui obiit ..... 1412 anno etatis primo Cuius anime propitietur Deus I will borrow an Epitaph for this Infant which I reade in Rome in the Church bearing the title of S. Maria in Aracaeli Blandidulus nitidus dulcissimas vnicus Infans Matris delitia delitiaeque patris Hic tegitur raptus teneris Henricus in annis Vt Rosa quae subitis imbribus icta cadit Of yowr cheritie a Pater Noster and an Ave for the sowl of William Ailiff gentlman owner of the Mannowr of Bret-Howse who died 1517. Here lyeth Iulian Roche wyf of Sir William Roche Alderman of London who died .... 1526. and Elisabeth Roche wyf to Sir Iohn Roche sonne of William and dawghter of Sir William Forman knyght and Alderman ..... Sir William Roche here mentioned the sonne of Iohn Roche of Wixley in Yorkshire was Lord Maior of London in the yeare 1540. In which yeare saith Stow the Bible was openly read in English Here lyeth Katherin the dawghter of Sir William Powlet knyght wyf of William Fermor Clarke of the Crown Who died 26 May the second of Henry the eight Orate pro anima Tho. Seargile Armig. ... 1475. et pro anima Elisabethe vxoris eius Romford In the East window of the South Isle of this Church I finde these words vnder the pictures of Edward the Confessour and two pilgrims Iohannes per peregrinos misit Regi Edwardo ... the rest broken out with the glasse Vpon which words hangs an old Tale that at Hauering hereunto adioyning certaine Pilgrims came to King Edward the Confessour from Ierusalem and gaue him a ring which ring he had secretly before giuen to a poore man that asked his charitie in the name of God and Saint Iohn the Euanglist and that these Pilgrims gaue the said Edward notice of his owne death according to these old rimes Seynt Edward wiste of his dethe ex he hennes wende For Seynt Iohn the Euangeliste tokne to hym sende As men may in his Legend see els war And than to pour he delte his goode and made hymself y ar This Story is likewise wrought in the Hangings in the Quire of Westminster Abbey explayned by these verses following vnder the pourtraitures of Saint Iohn Euangelist and king Edward Vilibus in pannis mendicat ymago Iohannis Rex dat ei munus Donum fuit annulus vnus Annulus iste datus mittente Iohanne relatus Regi scire moram vite dat mortis et horam But enough of this and more perhaps then will be beleeued Now to the Funerall Monuments The mortall corses buryed here behold Of Avery Cornburgh and Beatrice his wyff Sqwire for the body in worschip manyfold With Henry and Edward kings in this lyff And vndertreasurer with king Henry the seuenth full blyff Till deth him raft the world as yow may se And of Master Iohn Crowland Doctor of Diuinitie Within this Church to sing perpetuell They stablysh a Doctor or Bacheler of Diuinitie Or a Master of Art for nede continuell Ten pound for his Salerie and chamber fee And thre pound more there as yow may se Yerlie xxs. the liuelode to repare For euery yere an Obit the residue is fare Of Preests xii and Clerks vi alsoo Six pens the Preest and fowr pens euery Clerk For brede chese and Ale in mony there must goo To poor folk xl.d. fulfilling this werk The Baylie and Wardens of this Church must herk To levy the lyvelode dispose and employ And ech of them yerly for their labour shall xl.d. enioy Moreouer this call to yowr remembrance anon That in the beadroll of vsage euery Sonday redd The sowls of this Avery Beatrice and Iohn Be prayed for in speciall se that owr will be spedd And that the Curate of this Church curtesly be ledd And for his labor have in reding of that Roll Forty pens to prey for them and euery Christian sowl The Chantrie Preest in this Church shall bynd him preching And in other when he is disposyd Soul helth to avans Namely at South Okendon Hornchurch Dagenham and Barking At euery of them twise a yere or moo to Goddys pleasans And at two times seuerall this is sufficians Forty days in the yere he shall haue to disport If his disposition require such comfort The Baylie and Wardens of the same town This chantre Preest shall puruay and prouyd Within six wekes by ther own election But aftyr such seyson if it shall betyd To stand lenger vacant thei shall it not hyd The Bishop of London and the Archdekon As is owr will for that on tym shall haue ther election But aftyr six wekes a moneth of vacation Not elet by them twein depriuyth ther liberte For then shall the King ha gift and nomination Namely for that on tym we will that so it be A chest in the Church with euidenses se Concerning the liuelode with Indenture tripartite Remeyning with the Bishop and Herres of Auery The third with the Wardens trowth to Annuity Now Iesu for thy bitter passion Reward the sowls with euerlasting blis Of them which caused this Foundation And of thy mercy let them neuer mis. And Virgin Mary shew thy grace in this Eternally that they may liue with the Amen Amen Amen for cherite It seemeth that this Tombe was made by himselfe in his life time and that he trusted to his Executors to set downe the yeare and day of his departure his wiues and Doctor Crowlands For the verge of the monument is thus inscribed making one date for all ...... yere of owr Lord 1480 .... and Beatrice his wyf which decessid the day of the yere of owr Lord God 1480 and of Maister Iohn Crowland .... who decessid the day of the yere of owr Lord God 1480. on whos souls Iesu haue mercy Vpon the same monument this Epitaph following is inlaid with brasse Her lyeth Elisabyth Hannys sister to Master Auery Cornburgh Sqwire Farwel my frendys the Tyde abydeth no man I am departyd fro hens and so sall ye But in my pasage the best song I can Is Requiem eternam now Iesu grant it me When I haue endyd all my auersite Grant me in Paradys to haue a mansion That shed thy blood for my redemption Isto sub lapide ...... Christâ— Taleworth .... qui migrauid ad dominum .... I know not what to make of this broken Inscription onely I finde that one Nicholas Taleworth held a Tenement in Hauering hereby by Seargeantie to giue the King a paire of Hare-skin gloues euery Christmas day pat 31. Ed. 3. Most glorious Trinity on God and persons thre Haue mercy on the sowlys of Richard Ballard and his wyf Margery Who 's
Cauendish late wife of William Cauendish which William was one of the sonnes of the aboue named Alice Cauendish Which Margaret dyed the xvi day of Iune in the yeare of our Lord God M. cccccxl whossoul Iesu pardon Amen Heuen blis be here mede Yat for the sing prey or rede Cauendish is a Towne or Village in Suffolke wherein that valiant Gentleman Iohn Cauendish Esquire who slew that Arch-Rebell Watt Tyler Anno Reg. Regis Ric 2.4 was borne which fact was not long vnreuenged for in the same yeare the Rebels of Norfolke and Suffolke vnder the conduct of their Captaine Sir Iohn Wraw a detestable Priest tooke Sir Iohn Cauendish knight cosin to the foresaid Iohn chiefe Iustice of the Kings Bench and beheaded him together with Sir Iohn of Cambridge Prior of Saint Edmundsbury whose heads they set on the Pillory in the Market place Here restyth the body of William Burd Esquyr late Clark of the Pipe and Priuy Seale whych payd the generall tribute of Nature deuyded from the mundane vexations by naturall death the xv day of August the xxi yere of kyng Henry the eyght Clarke of the Pipe saith the Interpreter is an Officer in the Kings Exchequer who hauing all accounts and debts due vnto the king deliuered and drawne downe out of the Remembrancers Offices chargeth them downe into the great Roll. Who also writeth summons vnto the Shiriffe to leuie the said debts vpon the goods and chattels of the said debtors and if they haue no goods then doth he draw them downe to the Lord Treasurers Remembrancer to write Extreats against their Land The ancient Reuenew of the Crowne remayneth in charge before him and he seeth the same answered by the Fermers and Shiriffes to the king He maketh a charge to all Shiriffes of their summons of the Pipe and Greenewax and seeth it answered vpon their accounts He hath the ingrossing of all Leasses of the Kings lands and it is likely that it was at the first called and still hath denomination of Pipe and Clarke of the Pipe and Pipe Office because their Records that are registred in their smallest Rolles are altogether like Organe Pipes but their great Roll called the Great Roll Ann. 37. Ed. 3. ca. 4. is of another forme Clericus Priuati Sigilii or Clarke of the priuie Seale is an Officer whereof there be foure in number that attendeth the Lord Keeper of the priuie Seale or if there be none such vpon the principall Secretarie writing and making out all things that be sent by warrant from the Signet to the Priuie Seale and are to be passed to the Great Seale as also to make out as they are tearmed Priuie Seales vpon any especiall occasion of his Maiesties affaires for loane or lending of money or such like Of this Officer and his function you may reade the Statute Ann. 27. Hen. 8. cap. 11. Hic iacet Iohannes Hartishorne quondam Seruiens Domini Regis ad Arma qui obijt viij die Martij Ann. Dom. M. ccccxxix Agnes vxor eius que obiit ..... M. cccc The office of Sergeants at Armes is to attend the person of the King to arrest Traitors or great men that do or are like to contemne messengers of ordinarie condition for other causes and to attend the Lord high Steward of England sitting in Iudgement vpon any Traitor and such like Of these by the Statute Ann. 13. Ric. 2. cap. 6. there may not be aboue thirtie in the Realme There be also two of these Sergeants of the Parliament one of the vpper and another of the lower house whose office seemeth for the execution of such commandements especially touching the apprehension of any offender as either house shall thinke good to enioyne them There is one Sergeant at Armes that belongeth to the Chancerie who is called Sergeant of the Mace as the rest may be because they carrie Maces by their office He of the Chancerie attendeth the Lord Chancellour or Lord Keeper in that Court Another in like manner attends the Lord Treasurer Of your cherite prey for the souls of George ... Maior of London and Iohan and Margaret his wyffs which .... decessyd M. ccccc.xxxvi on whos sowls ..... By the computation of yeares I finde no such man by the Christian name of George to haue beene Lord Maior about this time excepting George Monox who lieth buried at Waltham Stow. Hic iacet Iohannes Kirkham nuper Ciuis Attornatus London Elisabetha vxor eius qui quidem Iohannes obijt primo die Septembris .... M. cccc.xxvij quorum animabus ... Here lyeth Iohn Mynne Esquyr late mastyr of the Kyngs wooddys of his new granted Court of Generall Surueyours of his Londes and Auditour of diuers and sundry Reuenews of the same Courts which desessyd the xv dey of Decemb. M. ccccc.xlii on whos soul Iesu haue mercy Diuers other Inscriptions hee collected of persons here interred about the beginning of Queene Elizabeths raigne which are not as now visible In this Church was sometime saith Stow a Brotherhood of Saint Fabian and Sebastian founded in the yeare 1377. the 51. of Edward the third and confirmed by Henry the fourth in the sixt of his raigne Henry the sixt in the 24. of his raigne to the honour of the Trinitie gaue licence to Dame Ioan Astley sometime his Nurse to Robert Cawood Clarke of the Pipe who lieth buried in this Church but of whom no remembrance is remaining and Thomas Smith to found the same a Fraternitie perpetually to haue a Master and two Custos with Brethren and Sisters c. This Botherhood was endowed with lands more then thirtie pound by the yeere and was suppressed Edward the sixt Saint Mary Magdalens Milkestreete Of your charity pray for the soul of Edward Murell ... and Martha his wyff which Edward decessyd the ... day of ... Of your cherite prey for the souls of William Campion Citizen and Grocer of London sometime one of the Masters of the Bridghouse and Alys and Anne his wyffes The which William decessyd the xvii of December M. ccccc.xxxi Anne the .... day of M. ccccc.xx on whos souls Iesu haue pitte Amen Prey for the soul of Henry Cantlow Mercer Merchant of the Staple at Callys the builder of this Chappell wherein hee lyeth buried M. cccc.lxxxxv Here lieth also buried in this Church Sir William Cantlow Knight and Sheriffe of London in the yeare 1448. who died in the yeare 1462. Cantlow siue de Cantelupo an ancient Familie of great repute in many places of this Kingdome of which hereafter Hic iacet Iohannes Olney quondam ciuis et Mercerus Aldermannus Maior Ciuitatis London qui obijt die Martis xxiiij die octobris M cccc liiij cuius anime propitietur Deus This Iohn was the sonne of Iohn Olney of the Citie of Couentrie saith Stowes Suruay Orate pro animabus Thome Muschampe ........ This Thomas Muschampe was Sheriffe
peicked after a strange fashion and a paire of Challices of course mettall lying vpon his breast the which was thought to be one of the Bishops of Donwiche but when they touched and stirred the same dead body it fell and went all to powder and dust And although these aforesaid three old Churches were not sumptuous great very faire after the manner fashion of Cathedral Churches now vsed yet it seemeth they might serue in those daies very well for it plainely appeareth in the book of the description of England and in the title of Bishoprickes and their Sees the thirteenth chapter whereas these words following are said Take heede for in the beginning of holy Church in England Bishops ordained and had their Sees in low places and simple that were conueniable and meete for contemplation and deuotion c. But in King William the Conquerours time by doome of Law Canon it was otherwise ordained that Bishops should remoue and come out of small townes and to haue their Sees in great Cities By meanes whereof it seemeth that the towne of Donwiche being then greatly decayed and also then likely more and more to decay as it hath done indeed from a great citie as some doe say or at the least from a very great ancient Towne to a little small Towne the Bishops seat of Donwich was remoued from Donwich to Elmham and Thetford and afterward to the Citie of Norwich whereas it yet remaineth There was a Mint in Dunwich for one Master Holliday told mee that he had a grote whose superscription on the one side was Ciuitas Donwic Diuers other things he told me of to make it a citie The Treatise is much longer but enough is already deliuered The succession of the Bishops of Dunwich is set downe by Bishop Godwin to which I refer my Reader The foundation of the Blacke Friers in Dunwich This religious Structure was founded by Sir Roger de Holishe Knight of the order you haue heard before of the time dedication value or surrender I finde not any thing Persons of note buried in the Church of this Monastery were as followeth Sir Roger de Holishe Knight the foresaid founder Sir Raufe Vfford and Dame Ione his wife Sir Henry Laxiffeld Knight Dame Ione de Harâ—ile Dame Ada Crauene Dame Ione Weyland Sister of the Earle of Suffolke Iohn Weyland and Ione his wife Thomas sonne of Richard Brews Knight Dame Alice wife of Sir Walter Hardishall Sir Walkin Hardesfield Austin Valeyus Raph Wingfeld Knight Richard Bokyll of Leston and Alice and Alice his wiues Sir Henry Harnold Knight and Fryer The grey Friers of Dunwich was founded first by Richard Fitz-Iohn and Alice his wife and after by King Henry the third of which I haue no further knowledge Herein lay interred the bodies of Sir Robert Valence the Heart of Dame Hawise Ponyngs Dame Ideu of Ylketishall Sir Peter Mellis and Dame Anne his wife Dame Dunne his mother Iohn Francans and Margaret his wife Dame Bert of Furniuall .... Austin of Cales and Ione his wife Iohn Falleyâ— and Beatrix his wife Augustine his sonne .... Wilexâ—es Sir Hubert Dernford Katherine wife of William Phellip Margaret wife of Richard Phellip Peter Codum I had the notes of these buried in these Monasteries as also of diuers other Monasteries in Suffolke and Norfolke out of the painefull collections of William le Neue Esquire Yorke Herauld truely copied out of the ancient originals thereof remaining in his custody Bury Saint Edmunds or Saint Edmundsbury This Town seemeth saith Camden to haue been of famous memory considering that when Christian Religion began to spring vp in this tract king Sigebert here founded a Church and it was called Villam Regiam that is a royall towne But after that the people had translated hither the body of Edmund that most christian King whom the Danes with exquisite torments had put to death and built in honour of him a very great Church wrought with a wonderfull frame of timber it began to be called Edmundi Burgus commonly Saint Edmundsbury and more shortly Bury But especially since that King Canutus for to expiate the sacrilegious impietie of his Father Suenus against this Church being often affrighted with a vision of the seeming-ghost of Saint Edmund built it againe of a new worke enriched it offered his owne Crowne vnto the holy Martyr brought vnto it Monkes with their Abbot and gaue vnto it many faire and large Mannors and among other things the Towne it selfe full and whole ouer which the Monkes themselues by their Seneschall had rule and iurisdiction Thus Knuts Charter began In nomine Poliarchie Iesu Christi saluatoris Ego Knut Rex totius Albionis Insule aliarumque nationum plurimarum in Cathedra regali promotus cum concilio decreto Archiepiscoporum Episcoporum Abbatum Comitum aliorumque omnium fidelium meorum elegisanciendum perpeti stabilimento ab omnibus confirmandum vt Monasterium quod Budrices Yurthe nuncupatur sit per omne euum Monachorum gregibus deputatum ad inhabitandum c. After a long recitall of his many donations corroborations priuiledges and confirmations of former grants he ends with an Additament of fish and fishing Huic libertati concedo additamentum scilicet maritimos pisces qui mihi contingere debent annualiter per Thelonei lucrum et Piscationem quam Vlskitel habuit in Pilla et omnia iura c. These gifts to this Abbey as to the most of all others were finally concluded with a fearefull curse to the infringers thereof and a blessing to all such that did any way better her ample endowments the Charter is signed with the marke which is the crosse and the consent of thirty and fiue witnesses of which a few as followeth ✚ Ego Knut Rex c. hoc priuilegium iussi componere compositum cum signo Dominice crucis confirmando impressi ✚ Ego Aelgifa Regina omni alacritate mentis hoc confirmaui ✚ Ego Wulsâ—anus Archiepiscopus consensi ✚ Ego Adelnodus confirmaâ—i c. After Knut one Haruey the Sacrist comming of the Norman bloud compassed the Burgh round about with a wall whereof there remaine still some few reliques and Abbot Newport walled the Abbey The Bishop of Rome endowed it with very great immunities and among other things granted That the said place should be subiect to no Bishop in any matter and in matters lawfull to depend vpon the pleasure and direction of the Archbishop which is yet obserued at this day And now by this time the Monkes abounding in wealth erected a new Church of a sumptuous and stately building enlarging it euery day more then other with new workes and whiles they laid the Foundation of a new Chappell in the raigne of Edward the first There were found as Euersden a Monke of this place writeth the walles of a certaine old Church built round so as that the Altar stood as it were in the mids
Nottingham Yorke and Northumberland where without respect of age or sexe they laid all wast and left the Land whence they departed like to a desolate wildernesse From thence they came with the like furie into Edmunds territories and sacked Thetford a frequent citie in those daies but hee not able to withstand their violence fled into â—his Castle at Framingham wherein he was of them besieged and lastly taken in a village then called Heglisdune of a wood bearing the same name or rather yeelded himselfe to their torments to saue more christian bloud for it is recorded that because of his most constant Faith and profession those Pagans first beat him with bats then scourged him with whips he still calling vpon the name of Iesus for rage whereof they bound to a stake and with their arrowes shot him to death and cutting off his head contemptuously threw it into a bush after he had raigned ouer the East Angles the space of sixteene yeares Camden out of Abbo Floriacensis saith that the bloudy Danes hauing bound this most christian King to a tree for that he would not renounce christianity shot him with sharpe arrowes all his body ouer augmenting the paines of his torment with continuall piercing him with arrow after arrow and thus inflicted wound vpon wound so long as one arrow could stand by another as a Poet of midle time versified of him I am loca vulneribus desunt nec dum furiofis Tela sed hyberna grandine plura volant Though now no place was left for wound yet arrowes did not faile These surious wretches still they flie thicker then winter haile His body and head after the Danes were departed were buried at the same royall Towne as Abbo termes it where Sigebert the East Anglean King and one of his predecessors at his establishing of Christianity built a Church and where afterwards in honour of him was built another most spatious and of a wonderfull frame of Timber and the name of the Towne vpon that occasion of his buriall called vnto this day Saint Edmundsbury This Church and place to speake more fully to that which I haue written before Suenus the Pagan Danish King in impiety and fury burned to ashes But when his sonne Canute or Knute had made conquest of this Land and gotten possession of the English Crowne terrified and afrighted as saith the Legend with a vision of the seeming Saint Edmund in a religious deuotion to expiate his Fathers sacriledge built it anew most sumptuously enriched this place with Charters and Gifts and offered his owne Crowne vpon the Martyrs Tombe of whom for a conclusion take these verses following Vtque cruore suo Gallos Dionisius ornat Grecos Demetrius gloria quisque suiâ— Sic nos Edmundus nulli virtute secundus Lux patet patrie gloria magna sue Sceptra manum Diadema capud sua purpura corpus Ornat ei sed plus vincula mucro cruor The 20. day of Nouember in our Calender was kept holy in remembrance of this King and Martyr Puer Robertus apud Sanctum Edmundum a Iudeis fuit Martirazatus 4. Id. Iunij An. 1179. et illic sepultus Alanus Comes Britannie obijt An. 1093. his iacet ad hostium australe Sancti Edmundi ex eod lib. de chateris This Allan here buried or as some will haue it in the monastery of Rhedon sirnamed the Red or Fergaunt was the sonne of Eudo Earle of Britaine and entred England with William the Conquerour his Father in Law To whom the said Conquerour gaue the honour and County of Edwyn within the County and Prouince of Yorke by his Charter in these words I William sirnamed Bastard King of England giue and grant to thee my Nephew Allan Earle of Britaine and to thy heyres for euer all those Villages Townes and Lands which were late in possession of Earle Edwin in Yorkeshire with knights fees Churches and other liberties and customes as freely and honourably as the said Edwyn held them Giuen at the siege before Yorke Alban being a man of an high spirit and desirous to gouerne the Prouince entirely which he had receiued built a strong Castle by Gillingham a village which he possessed by which he might defend himselfe not onely against the English who were spoiled of their goods and lands but also against the fury and inuasions of the Danes When the worke was finished he gaue it the name of Richmond of purpose either for the greatnesse and magnificence of the place or for some Castle in little Britaine of the same name Here sometimes vnder a goodly Monument in the Quire of this Abbey Church lay interred the body of Thomas surnamed of Brotherton the place of his birth the fifth sonne of Edward the first after the Conquest king of England by Margaret his second wife the eldest daughter of Philip king of France surnamed the Hardy He was created Earle of Norfolke and made Earle Marshall of England by his halfe brother King Edward the second which Earledomes Roger Bigod the last of that surname Earle of Norfolke and Earle Marshall leauing no issue left to the disposition of the king his Father This Earle died in the yeare of our redemption 1338. Here lay buried the body of Thomas Beauford sonne of Iohn of Gaunt begotten of the Lady Katherine Swyneford his third wife who by King Henry the fourth was made Admirall then Captaine of Calis and afterwards Lord Chancellour of England He was created by the said King Earle of Perch in Normandy and Earle of Dorlet in England And lastly in the fourth yeare of King Henry the fifth he was created Duke of Exceter and made knight of the order of the Garter He had the leading of the Rereward at the battell of Agincourt and the gouernment of king Henry the sixth appointed to that office by the foresaid Henry the fifth on his death-bed He valiantly defended Harflew in Normandy whereof he was gouernour against the Frenchmen and in a pitched field encountring the Earle of Armiguar put him to flight He died at his House of East Greenwich in Kent vpon Newyeares day the fifth of Henry the sixth for whom all England mourned saith Milles The body of Mary Queene of France widow of Lewis the twelfth daughâ—er of King Henry the 7. and sister to king Henry the eight was here in this Abbey Church entombed After the death of Lewis with whom she liued not long shee married that Martiall and pompous Gentleman Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolke She died on Midsomer Eeue 1533. Iohn Boon Abbot of this Monasterie had his tombe and interrement here in this Church who died in the beginning of February in the ninth yeare of the raigne of king Edward the fourth as appeares by the said kings Conged'eslire or permission royall to the Prior and Couent of this House to make choise of another Abbot as followeth Edwardus Dei gratia Rex Anglie Francie
souls Iesu haue mercy Amen This Elisabeth was the daughter and coheire of Sir Henry Frowick of Gonwelsbury in the County of Midlesex Knight who lieth entombed in Eling Church in the said County Grandmother to that learned Gentleman and iudicious Antiquarie Sir Henry Spelman Knight now lining Anno 1631. and great Grandmother to Sir Clement Spelman Knight deceased who succeeded in that inheritance Here lyeth Iohn Spelman Esquyre sonne and heire apparent to Sir Iohn Spelman Knyghte one of the Iustyces at the Pleas before the kyng to bee holden and Dame Elisabeth his wyffe which Iohn married Margaret one of the doughters to Sir Thomas Blennerhasset knyght and Dame Margaret his wyffe and had issue by the said Margaret too sonnes and too doughters liuing at the day of his death and decessed the xxvii day of December in the yere of our Lord God M. cccccxlv on whos soul Iesu have mercy Amen Stow. William Spelman Esquire who died in the raigne of Henry the seuenth lay buried vnder a faire Tombe in this Church of Stow by Watton and the Vicar and Churchwardens here about eight yeares agoe making a Raile about the Communion table pulled downe the Tombe to make roome for the Raile and Communicants Others of the ancient Family of the Spelmans lie interred here and at Narborrow whose names I will onely set downe being so neare these times As Iohn Spelman Esquire who married Iudeth one of the daughters of Sir Clement Higham knight who died 28 April anno 1581. Sir Clement Spelman knight high Sheriffe of this County anno 1599. who died 24. Septemb. 1607. Ierome Spelman Esquire the twelfth sonne of Sir Iohn Spelman Rougham Here is a Tombe of Sir William Yeluerton Knight one of the Iustices of the Kings Bench in the time of King Henry the sixth and a Monument of his sonne who is mentioned vpon it to bee Esquire to King Edward the fourth Orate pro animabus Willelmi Yeluerton Militis et quondum Iustic Domini Regis de suo banco et Dominae Agnetis vx sue qui quidem Willelmus obijt 27 die Martis c. ......... Yeluerton miserere Consortis que sue Yeluerton olim Katherine .................. Armiger Edwardi quondam pro corpore quarti 9 Iulij Anno Nat. Christ. 1481. Another stone in the Chancell with two portraitures inscribed Obijt Io. Yeluerton 1505. Obijt Rogerus Yeluerton 1510. Orate pro anima Domini Io. Swaffham quondam Vicar huius Ecclesie qui obijt Anno Domini 1409. cuius Anime propitietur Deus Sandringham Prey pur le alme Du Richard Fitz Iean Iadis Patron De ceste Maison Holme iuxta mare Herry Notynham and hys wyfe lyne her Yat madden thys Chyrche Stepull and Quer Too Vestyments and Bells yei madden alsoo Crist hem sav therfor fro woo And to bryng her souls to blis of hevyn Seyth Pater and Ave wyth myld Stephyn Hunstanton Here the noble ancient familie of Le Strange lie buried vnder faire Monuments Orate pro anima Henrici Le Strange Armigeri Katherine vxoris eius pro benefactoribus .... pro fidelibus defunctis Qui quidem Henricus obijt vicesimo quinto die mensis Nouembris An. Domini M. cccclxxv quorum animabus propitietur Deus Vpon the side of a Tombe the names of Roger Le Strange and others of the name about the Verge of the said Tombe being inlaid with brasse this Genealogicall Inscription is to be read Orate pro anima prenominati Rogeri le Strange Militis pro corpore illustrissimi nuper Regis Anglie Henrici septimi ac fil et hered prefati Henrici le Strange Armigeri Fratris et heredis Iohannis le Strange filij heredis tam Iohannis le Strange quam Alicie Beamont consanguinee et heredis Iohannis Pike et Iohannis Rushbroke Et dictus Iohannes le Strange fuit filius et heres tam Iohannis le Strange militis quam Elianore fil et hered tam Richardi Walkefare Militis quam consanguinee et heredis Thome Morieux Militis Et dictus Iohannes le Strange miles fuit fil et her Hamonis le Strange Armigeri et Katherine fil Domini Iohannis de Camois et dictus Hamo le Strange fuit fil et heres Hamonis le Strange Militis et Margarite Vernon de Motton consanguinee et hered Magistri Richardi Vernon et dictus Hamo le Strange miles fuit frater Domini Iohannis le Strange de Knocking et Mohun Qui quidem Rogerus le Strange miles obiit xxvii die Octobris anno Domini M. cccccvi et nuper Regis dicti vice simo primo Cuius anime ac animabus antecessorum benefactorum suorum nec non anime Iohannis le Strange de Masingham parua Armigeri fratris et executoris prerecitati Rogeri le Strange Militis Deus propitietur Amen Hunstanton saith Camden is to bee remembred in this regard if there were nothing else for that it hath beene the habitation of the Familie of Le Strange Knights by degree euer since that in the raigne of Edward the second Iohn Baron Le Strange of Knocking gaue the same vnto Hamon his younger brother Hamon Le Strange the elder performed great and good seruice for his Lord and Soueraigne Henry the third against Simond de Montford Earle of Leicester and his complices the 48. yeare of the said Kings raigne Hee tooke vpon him a voiage to the holy Land as I finde it thus recorded Hamo extraneus diu antequam iter arripuit versus terram sanctam Feosauit Rogerum Extraneum fratrem suum de Manerijs de Colouere et Henton que idem Hamo tenuit de Petro de Monteforti Fines Anno 2. Ed. 1. Memb. 26. Penteney A Monastery founded by Reginald de Warren brother of William de Warren the second Earle of Surrey in which he placed blacke Canons it was dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene and valued vpon the dissolution thereof at two hundred and fifteene pounds eight shillings eight pence This Abbey saith Camden was the ordinary buriall place in ancient time of the Noblemen and Gentlemen in this tract Anno Domini 1326. obijt Domina Petronilla de Neirford iacet apud Penteney Dominus Iohannes de Neirford obijt .... et iacet in Ecclesia Prioratus de Penteney These are all I haue as yet found to haue beene here interred Fornset Saint Peters Hic iacet Richardus Baxter qui per Isabellam vxorem eius habuit duos filios et duas filias et postea ignaue vulneratus inde obijt vltimo die Maij anno Domini M. cccclxxxiiii Cuius anime propitietur Deus Orate pro anima Thome Baxter qui duxit Margaretam filiam Willelmi Drake generosi et habuit exitum quatuor filios et vnam filiam et obijt 27. Aprilis 1535. Orate pro animabus Thome Drake et Elisabethe vxoris eius .... All cristian peple that walk by thys Tomb erly
and them in case the sâ—â—d kyng wold invade thys hys Realme whiche he dide in deede contrary to hys oth and promyse with the hoole power of the Realme of Scotlond Whiche when the seid Erle hard of he made as greatt haste towardis hym as he coude with the kyngs power of the North partys And toke hys lodgyng in the Campe or playn caâ—â—yd Wollar haugh in the Countie of Northumbrelond which was in the â—ight of the kyng of Scottis and of all hys army then â—ying on Floddon hyll a ground more lyke a campe or forteres than any meete ground to gyve batayle on contrary to hys promes made to Rogeâ—ras Purseuaunte at armys before sent vnto hym from the seid Erle with message that the said Erle with the Lord Howard then Admerall of Englond hys Son And the no 〈◊〉 men of the North partis with other the kyngs Subgettis of the same North partis was come thedir to represse and resiste hys Invasyons of hys souerayn Lordis Realme desyryng the said kyng of Scottis to gyve hym bataile which his message the same kyng of Scottis toke very thankfully and ioyusly promysyng hym to abide ther on the same grounde wher he than was whiche hys promys he brake as is aforesaid and tooke Floddon hilâ—ys a ground unprengnable and shot at hym hys great Ordenaunce where as he lay like one mynded to kepe it like a forteres And whan the said Erle dide perceyve that he had brokyn hys promys and takyn so stronge â— grounde as Floddon hillys he than the said Erle remoued all his Batail vnto a playn besydis Barmer wood to thentente to get betwene hym and hys owne Realme of Scotlond and ther leygeed but one nyght and on the next mornyng toâ—e hys passage ouer the water of at Twyfull forthe and than he marched the said kyng and hys oste in suche maner as he gat betwene hym and hys aune reame of Scotlond be force wherof the said kyng was fayn to leue his Campe and to prepare hymself to bataile witthe seid Erle on a hyll besydis Bramston in Northumbrelond very neer vnto Sandyford Wher the said Erle witthe good assistauns of the Nobull men and the power of the said North partys fought witthe said kyng and hym â—anquâ—sshed and slewe in playn bataile derectely before his owne Standard In which bataile ware slayne on the Scottysshe parte ii Bysshoppes xi Eâ—lys xvii Barons CCCC knyghtis besydys other Gentilmen with xvii M in nombre which ware nombred asweel by Scottysshe men as by them that dyd bury the moste parte of them And of trouth dyvers Gentylmen and others aswell of the said Erlys servantys as of the North partyes and of Chesshir and Lankasshir war ther slayne for hard it ys and half impossible in suche a conflicte and bataile to be wonne without losse of men whoys deth may be ioyed among ther frendis to dye in so hygh a servys doon to ther Prynce And this noble acte was don by the helpe of almyghty God to the highe honour of the kyngis hyghnes Honor and prays to the said Erle and to all other Noble men and otheres the kyngs Subgettis that war ther with hym at the bataile the ix daye of Septembir in the v yeer of our souerayn Lord kyng Henry the viii And this doon the said Erle went to Barwyke to establysshe all thyngys well and in good order And sent for the dede body of the kyng of Scottis to Barwyke And whan the Ordenaunce of the kyng of Scottis was brouth of the feld and put in good suertie and all other thyngys in good order Than the seid Erle toke hys Iorney toward Yorke and ther abode duryng the kyngis pleasur and caryed with hym the dede body of thafforesaid kyng of Scottis And ther laye vnto suche tyme as the kyngis hyghâ—es cam from beyond the See after his wynnyng of Tyrwyn and Tomey And than hys highnes sent for the seid Erle to mete hym at Rychemond and so he dide and ther delyvered vnto his highnes the dede body of the kyng of Scottis whiche deâ—â— bodye was delyuered in to the Charter hous ther and ther to abide duryng the kyngs plesur And for the servyce that the seid Erle dide he was honorably restored vnto his right name of Duke of Norffolk and also had geuen vnto hym greatt possessyons by the kyngis highnes And whan the warre betwixt the kyng our souerayn Lord and the Frenche Kyng was eended than the said Duke was sent into Fraunce as chieff Commyssyoner with Lady Marye the Kyngis Suster to be maryed vnto the Frenche Kyng Lewes And after when the kyng and the Quene were both out of the Reame to mete witthe Frenche kyng Frauncys at Guynes and the Prynces remaynyng in the Reame beyng a childe the said Duke was left behynde as protector and defender to mynyster Iustice and to see good Rule and Gouernaunce in the Reame in the absence of the kyngis highnes and so contynued aboute the kyng and of his preuye Counsayle tyll he wâ—s of age of fourescore yeeris and then the kyngis highnes was content that the said Duke shulde go home in to hys owne countrey vnto the Castell of Framlyngham wher he contynued and kepte an honorable howse vnto the houre of his deth And ther he dyed lyke a good Cristen Prynce I now to wytnes Whose sowle Iesu pardon And at his depertyng out of Framlyngham Castell toward hys buryall he coude nat be asked one grote for his dette nor for restitucion to any person and so was had to this present Abbay of Thetford with moche honor Accompanyed with many greatt Lordis and the Noble men of both Schires of Norffolk and Suffolk Leuyng then lyuyng these his children herafter named that is to seye his son and heyre the Lord Thomas Duke of Norffolk the Lord Edmond Howard the Lord Willyam Howard and the Lord Thomas Howard witthe Ladye Elysabeth wiffe to the Uicount Rocheford the Lady Agnes Countes of Oxenford the Lady Kateryne espoused to the heyre of Sir Rice app Thomas of Walys the Lady Elysabeth espoused vnto the Uicount Fitzwaters son and heyr And the Lady Dorathie then beyng not maryed but lefte for hir Right good substance to marry hyrwyth Henry Fitz-Roy the naturall sonne of King Henry the eight begotten of the Lady Talboys daughter of Sir Iohn Blount knight Duke of Richmond was here interred as Graston Stow Hollinshed and other writers affirme howsoeuer some will haue him to bee buried at Framingham in Suffolke Hee married Mary daughter of the foreremembred Thomas Howard Duke of Norfolke Earle Marshall and Lord high Treasurer of England with whom he liued not long but dyed at Saint Iames by Westminster the 22. of Iuly in the yeare of Christ Iesus 1536. He was a Prince very forward in Martiall actiuities of good literature and knowledge in the tongues vnto whom the learned Antiquarie Leland dedicated a booke as appeareth by this Hexastichon following which is
40. plough lands of grouÌ„d of the kings of Mercia and Kent to their Monasterie Vt in charta * Wido the 42. Hugh de Flori 4â— Guliel Spina in bib Cot. Hugh the second 44. Will. Thorne or Gul. Spina in bib Cott. Alexander surnamed Cementariâ—â— Theologus the 48. Hugh the third the 49. Abbot Robert de Bellâ— the 50. Roger the second 51. Thomas Findon 〈…〉 Raph de Borne the 54. Mssan bib Cot. Thomas Poucyn the 55. In bib Cot. William Drulege the â—6 Mâ—re Archbishop then Abbots by three Iulian Counâ—eâ—â—e of Hâ—ntington Catal. in Hunting Io. Speâ—d 〈…〉 Pâ—iory of Haâ—â—baldowne Lamb. peram in Harbaldowne Lora Countesse 〈◊〉 Leicâ—ster 〈…〉 Catal. Caâ—den in Kent Sir Iohn Gower and Sir Iohn Deâ—e Priests Sir Roger Manwoods Almes-house A pilgrimage◠〈◊〉 S. Stephens 〈◊〉 Ethelbert the second king of â—â—nt The end of the Kentish kingdome The found 〈…〉 the Abbey at Reculuer ... Sandwey 〈◊〉 his wife Sir Thomas a Priest â—dila Lady Thorne Thrâ—e vailed Nunnes The foundation of Minster Abbey Io. Caâ—graue in v. â—a Dom. Mssâ—a bib Cot A Maledicton The death of Domneua The buriall of Thunnor 〈◊〉 Dom. â— Mildred 〈◊〉 on of Mildred Hungar and Hubba the sonnes of a Beare Mâ—ssâ—in bib Câ—â—t Caygraue iâ—â—nia 〈◊〉 b. 〈◊〉 Eadburgh 〈◊〉 first English Nunne surnamed 〈◊〉 Camden in K. Speed Hist. The foundation of the white Friers and of the old Hospitall A Manuscript Tho. Legatt Tho. Hadlow William Beckleâ— Iohn Sandwich Denis Plumcooper The foundation â—f the free Schoole Richborow Claudius Contentus Caâ—nd Kenâ— Goshall Leuerick Septvau S. 〈◊〉 Harsletâ— Clitherow ... Oldâ—â—stell Ioane Keriell Stow. Annal. Harding 〈◊〉 Sir Iohn Philpot. knight Lord Maior of London Stow. Annal. Stow. Suruay Speed Hist. 22. Ric. 1 The Walsingham in vita Ric. 1. Sir Thomas Ba knight Wingham Colledge Lamb peramb. Blechendens 〈◊〉 Tho. S. 〈◊〉 and Ioane 〈◊〉 wife Albina the wife of 〈◊〉 Iohn Digge 〈◊〉 Ioane his wife Sir Iohn Digge knight and Ioane his wife Sir Robert Ashton knight Lord Warden Admirall of a 〈◊〉 Chiefe Iustice of Ireland Lord Treasurer Executor to K. Edward the third Foundation of the Castle Church Lamb. peramb. The Priory of S. Martins or Gods-house in Douer Regist. eccl 〈…〉 in bib Cot. S. 〈◊〉 〈…〉 Lond. Stow. 〈◊〉 William 〈◊〉 the sonne of Iudge Fineux Wilâ—iam Sir 〈…〉 the controuler of 〈◊〉 Sir William Scot knight Hollinshed Elisabeth Lady Poynings Camden in Kent Isâ—bell Ladie 〈◊〉 Ioane the wife of Io. Digges Dionisia Finch Vincent Harbard alias Fâ—nch in the genealogie of the 〈◊〉 of Nedde felâ—â— Sir Robert Gower knight Pashley Ioane Pashley in the window â—â—mmatiâ—n of the 〈◊〉 at â—olâ—â—ton â—â—o Godfraâ— Sir Iohn Culâ—peper kniâ—ht and Agnes his wiâ—â— â—â—den in Rut. The Pâ—ioâ—y of 〈◊〉 Iohn Maâ—sâ—â—â— pâ—efeâ—menâ—s Hollins An 1241. Paris â—hinne Anon. in bib Cott Mansels death in 〈◊〉 Ex Epitâ—m Râ—â—geri Houeden in bib Coâ— A Benefice for Dogges meaâ— * Earle of Leiâ—cester Mansel the cause of the warres betweene Henâ—y the third and his Barons Paris â—n 1252 Charge of soules 〈◊〉 Culkin and 〈◊〉 his wife 〈…〉 and Ioane his wife A free Sâ—â—â—ole 〈…〉 and 〈◊〉 his sonne Sir 〈◊〉 knight and Dennis his wife Ric. Lâ—â—e to Cely â—enalâ— Deyre Foundation of the Colledge o◠〈◊〉 The Kempe and Beatrice his wife Lamb. peramb. Iohn Andrew a Pilgrime Foundation of the Colledge of Ashford Elisabeth Countesse of Atholl Semane Tong Baron of the fiue ports Io. 〈◊〉 and his wife Wil. Norton and Elisabeth his wife Will. Thorne Richard Norton and Ioane his wife Iohn â—â—st Thomas Read William Vpton Agnes Feuersham William Leedes Henry Hatcher and Ioane his wife Richard Colwell Camden Remaineâ— Foundation of Feuersâ—am Abbey Ex Arch Turris London The death and buriall of King Stephen Addition to Rob. Gloc. 〈◊〉 Paris An. 1154 Harding c. 12â— Rob. Glocest. S. Daniel No subsidies in K Stephens time 〈◊〉 â—omp 〈◊〉 in bib Cot. Spâ—â—d Maud the wife of K Stephen In bib Cot. Eustace King Stephens sonne 〈◊〉 Monkâ— of Chester 〈◊〉 Dâ—rob His death and buriall Rob. Gloc. Margaret Riâ— kill Io. Crowmer and Ioane his wife Will. Crowmer Sir Iames Fienes I.o. Treasurer Iohn Septvaus and Katherine his wife Elisabeth Poodd Iames Bourne Io. Gerard and Ioane his wife Laurence Gerard and Tho his sonne Apuldorfeild Clipeus honoris Glouer Somerset Herald Valentine Barret and Siciliâ— his wife â—â—ll Maries Smersoll Iul-laber Camd. in Kent Io. Frogenhall Will. Mareys Ioane and Ioane his wife Woodokes The Priory 〈◊〉 Horton Monâ—â—â— The order 〈…〉 Alex Clifford and 〈◊〉 his wife Visit of Kent Glouer Sir Arnold Sauage knighâ— and Ioane his wife Sir Arnold Saâ—uage knight Katherine Lady Sauage Foundation of Bradesoke Abâ—bey Eâ— Arch 〈…〉 Iohn and Iohn Norwood Visit. Kent Glouer Thomas Alefe and Margaret his wife Sir Iohn Norton knight and Ioane his wife Stow. Annal. Sir Edward Pâ—ynings Sir Iohn Norton Io. Fogge Iohn Scot Tho. Lynd knights of the field Inter Bundel Indent â—e guerra apud pelles Foundation of the Friary at Eastbridge Iudge Martyn and Anne his wife Visit. Kent Iohn Martyn Ioane Butler Ioane Feuersham Tho. Feuersham and Ioane his wife Found of the Abbey Io. Toke Margaret and Anne his wife Glouer alias Somerset Lancaster king of Armes Stephen Norton Foundation of Minster Nunnery Roger Norwood and Bena his wife Io. Soole and Margaret his wife Shurland Inter Bundellas Indent de guerra apud pel Maidston Found of the Colledge first an Hospitall William Courtney Archbishop of Canterbury * Sure he meanes Cardinall for I cannot finde him to be Chancellour Sir Iohn Wotton Priest the first Master of this Colledge Woodvill Chancery of Maidston Leedes Priory Eâ— Arch 〈◊〉 London Io. and William Bloor Iames Donet Io. Paynter Mssâ—n â—ib Cot. A quarrell betweene the Canons of Leedes and the Monkes of S. Albans The Religious House at Motinden Boxley Abbey Cart. Ant. in Arch. Turris London The Roode of Grace at Boxley Lamb. peramb. Camd. in Kent Hollins p. 1402. An. Reg Elis. 27 Nicholas Wotton Lord Maior of London Newenden Priory The first Carmelite Friars in England Lamb peramb. Lambard Combewell Abbey Iohn Elys Sir Nicholas Sandwich Priest Visit. Kent Will. Brent and Elisab his wife Sir W. Walkesley knight Tho. Elys and Thomasin his wiâ—â— William Bâ—rre Glouer alias Somerset The Colledge of Bradgare Dame Elisab Nâ—vill Camd in Cumberland So in this County Sutton Valence Horton Kirby and others haue like distinctiue surnames Richard Derâ—â— â—â—ow Annal. Iohn Dering An Eschurchion Io. Dering and Iulian his wife Nic Dering and 〈◊〉 his wife 〈◊〉 Dering Beneâ— his wife Hen. and Rich. Malemaines Brent the Mad-braine Rich. Dering Tho. his sonne Will. Goldwell and Avice his wife Goldwell Bishop of Norw a repairer of this Church The builders oâ— founders of this Church Bishop Goldwel the founder of the South Chappell Io. Tokâ— Marg. and Anne his wifes Tho. Twesden and Benedict his wife Will. Sharpe and his fiue wiues Margaret the wife