there was such an attempt of Nature that not only England but the World has reason to lament his being so early snatched away How truly was it said of such extraordinary Persons That their Lives are short and seldom do they come to be old He gave us an Essay of Vertue though he did not live to give a Pattern of it When the gravity of a King was needful he carried himself like an Old Man and yet he was always affable and gentle as became his Age. He played on the Lute he medled in Affairs of State and for Bounty he did in that emulate his Father though he even when he endeavoured to be too good might appear to have been bad but there was no ground of suspecting any such thing in the Son whose mind was cultivated by the study of Philosophy It has been said in the end of his Fathers Life A desiâ—n to create him Prince of Wales that he then designed to create him Prince of Wales For though he was called so as the Heirs of this Crown are yet he was not by a formal Creation invested with that dignity This pretence was made use of to hasten forward the Attainder of the Duke of Norfolk since he had many Offices for life which the King intended to dispose of and desired to have them speedily filled in order to the creating of his Son Prince of Wales King Henry dies In the mean time his Father died and the Earl of Hartford and Sir Anthony Brown were sent by the Council to give him notice of it being then at Hartford and to bring him to the Tower of London and having brought him to Enfield with his Sister the Lady Elizabeth they let him know of his Fathers death and that he was now their King On the 31st of January Jan. 31. the Kings Death was published in London and he Proclaimed King At the Tower his Fathers Executors King Edward came to the Tower with the rest of the Privy-Council received him with the respects due to their King So tempering their sorrow for the death of their late Master with their joy for his Sons happy succeeding him that by an excess of joy they might not seem to have forgot the one so soon nor to bode ill to the other by an extreme grief The first thing they did was the opening King Henry's Will King Henry's Will opened by which they found he had nominated sixteen Persons to be his Executors and Governours to his Son and to the Kingdom till his Son was eighteen years of age These were the Arch-bishop of Canterbury the Lord Wriothesley Lord Chancellor the Lord St. John Great Master the Lord Russel Lord Privy-Seal the Earl of Hartford Lord Great Chamberlain the Viscount Lisle Lord Admiral Tonstall Bishop of Duresme Sir Anthony Brown Master of the Horse Sir William Paget Secretary of State Sir Edward North Chancellor of the Court of Augmentations Sir Edward Montague Lord Chief-Justice of the Common-Pleas Judge Bromley Sir Anthony Denny and Sir William Herbert Chief Gentlemen of the Privy-Chamber Sir Edward Wotton Treasurer of Callice and Dr. Wotton Dean of Canterbury and York These or the major part of them were to execute his Will and to administer the Affairs of the Kingdom By their consent were the King and his Sisters to be disposed of in Marriage But with this difference that it was only ordered That the King should marry by their Advice but the two Sisters were so limited in their Marriage that they were to forfeit their Right of Succession if they married without their consent it being of far greater importance to the Peace and Interest of the Nation who should be their Husbands if the Crown did devolve on them than who should be the Kings Wife And by the Act passed in the 35th Year of King Henry he was empowered to leave the Crown to them with what limitations he should think fit To the Executors the King added by his Will a Privy-Council who should be assisting to them These were the Earls of Arundel and Essex Sir Thom. Cheyney Treasurer of the Houshold Sir John Gage Comptroller Sir Anthony Wingfield Vice-Chamberlain Sir William Petre Secretary of State Sir Richard Rich Sir John Baker Sir Ralph Sadler Sir Thom. Seimour Sir Richard Sowthwell and Sir Edmund Peckham The King also ordered That if any of the Executors should die the Survivors without giving them a Power of substituting others should continue to administer Affairs He also charged them to pay all his Debts and the Legacies he left and to perfect any Grants he had begun and to make good every thing that he had promised The Will being opened and read all the Executors Judge Bromley and the two Wottons only excepted were present and did resolve to execute the Will in all points and to take an Oath for their faithful discharge of that Trust Debate about choosing a Protector But it was also proposed That for the speedier dispatch of things and for a more certain order and direction of all Affairs there should be one chosen to be Head of the rest to whom Ambassadors and others might address themselves It was added to caution this That the Person to be raised to that Dignity should do nothing of any sort without the Advice and Consent of the greater part of the rest But this was opposed by the Lord Chancellour who thought that the Dignity of his Office setting him next the Arch-bishop of Canterbury who did not much follow Secular Affairs he should have the chief stroke in the Government therefore he pressed That they might not depart from the Kings Will in any particular neither by adding to it nor taking from it It was plain the late King intended they should be all alike in the Administration and the raising one to a Title or Degree above the rest was a great change from what he had ordered And whereas it was now said that the Person to be thus nominated was to have no manner of Power over the rest that was only to exalt him into an high Dignity with the less envy or apprehension of danger for it was certain great Titles always make way for high Power But the Earl of Hartford had so great a Party among them that it was agreed to the Lord Chancellor himself consenting when he saw his opposition was without effect The Earl of Hartford chosen that one should be raised over the rest in Title to be called the Protector of the Kings Realms and the Governour of his Person The next Point held no long debate who should be nominated to this high Trust for they unanimously agreed That the Earl of Hartford by reason of his nearness of Blood to the King and the great experience he had in Affairs was the fittest Person So he was declared Protector of the Realm and Governour to the Kings Person but with that special and express Condition that he should not do any Act
used to bless of which I never met with any thing before I saw this Letter but since I understand the Office of Blessing of these Rings is extant as it was prepared for Queen Maries use as shall be told in her Reign It must be left to conjecture whether he did it as a practice of former Kings or whether upon his being made Supream Head he thought fit to take on him as the Pope did to consecrate such things and send them about Where to be sure Fancy and Flattery would raise many Stories of the wonderful effects of what he had so blessed and perhaps these might have been as true as the Reports made of the Vertues of Agnus Deis touched Beads blessed Peebles with such other goodly Ware which the Friars were wont to carry about and distribute to their Benefactors as things highly sanctified This I set down more fully and have laid some things together that fell not out till some months after this being the first step that was made towards a Reformation in this Reign Upon this occasion it is not unlikely that the Council wrote their Letteâ—s to all the Justices of Peace of England 1547. Feb. 12. The Commission of the Justices of the Peace on the 12th of Feb. letting them know that they had sent down new Commissions to them for keeping the Peace ordering them to assemble together and first to call earnestly on God for his Grace to discharge their Duties faithfully according to the Oaths which they were to take and that they should impartially without corruption or sinister affection execute their Office so that it might appear that they had God and the good of their King and Country before their Eyes and that they should divide themselves into the several Hundreds and see to the publick Peace and that all Vagabonds and disturbers of the Peace should be duly punished and that once every six weeks they should write to the Lord Protector and Council the state in which the County was till they were otherwise commanded That which was sent into the County of Norfolk will be found in the Collection Collection Number 3. But now the Funeral of the deceased King and the Coronation of his Son were to be dispatched In the Coronation-Ceremonies that had been formerly used there were some things that did not agree with the present Laws of the Land as the Promise made to the Abbots for maintaining their Lands and Dignities They were also so tedious that a new Form was ordered to be drawn which the Reader will find in the Collection The most material thing in it is the first Ceremony Collection Number 4. whereby the King being shewed to the People at the four Corners of the Stage the Arch-bishop was to demand their Consent to it and yet in such terms as should demonstrate he was no Elective Prince for he being declared the rightful and undoubted Heir both by the Laws of God and Man they were desired to give their good Wills and Assents to the same as by their Duty of Allegiance they were bound to do This being agreed on the 13th of Feb. on the day following King Henry's Body was with all the pomp of a Royal Funeral removed to Sheen in the way to Windsor 1547. Feb. 13. King Henry buried There great observation was made on a thing that was no extraordinary matter He had been extreme corpulent and dying of a Dropsie or some thing like it it was no wonder if a fortnight after upon so long a motion some putrid Matter might run thorough the Coffin But Sheen having been a House of Religious Women it was called a signal Mark of the displeasure of Heaven that some of his Blood and Fat droped through the Lead in the night and to make this work mightily on weak People it was said that the Dogs licked it next morning This was much magnified in Commendation of Friar Peto afterwards made Cardinal who as was told Page 151. of the former Part had threatned him in a Sermon at Greenwich That the Dogs should lick his Blood Though to consider things more equally it had been a Wonder indeed if it had been otherwise But having met with this Observation in a MS. written near that time I would not envy the World the Pleasure of it Next day he was brought to Windsor and interred in St. George's Chappel And he having by his Will left that Church 600 l. a year for ever for two Priests to say Mass at his Tomb daily for four Obits yearly and a Sermon at every Obit with 10 l. to the Poor and for a Sermon every Sunday together with the maintenance of thirteen poor Knights The Judges were consulted how this should be well setled in Law Who advised that the Lands which the King had given should be made over to that Colledge by Indentures Tripartite the King being one Party the Protector and the other Executors a second and the Dean and Chapter of Windsor a third Party These were to be Signed with the Kings Hand and the Great Seal put to them with the Hands and Seals of all the rest and then Patents were to be given for the Lands founded on the Kings Testament and the Indentures Tripartite Soul-Masses examined But the Pomp of this Business ministred an occasion of enquiring into the use and lawfulness of Soul-Masses and Obits which came to be among the first things that were reformed Christ had instituted the Sacrament to be celebrated in remembrance of his Death and it was a Sacrament only to those who did participate in it but that the consecrating the Sacrament could be of any use to departed Souls seemed a thing not easie to be conceived For if they are the Prayers of the Living that profit the Dead then these would have done as well without a Mass But the People would not have esteemed bare Prayers so much nor have payed so dear for them So that the true original of Soul-Masses was thought to have been only to encrease the Esteem and Wealth of the Clergy It is true in the Primitive Church there was a Commemoration of the Saints departed in the Daily Sacrifice so they termed the Communion and such as had given any offence at their death were not remembred in it So that for so slight an offence as the leaving a Priest Tutor to ones Children which might distract them from their Spiritual care ones Name was to be left out of that Commemoration in Cyprians time which was a very disproportioned punishment to that offence if such Commemorations had been thought useful or necessary to the Souls departed But all this was nothing to the private Masses for them and was indeed nothing at first but an honourable mention of such as had died in the Faith And they believing then generally that there was a Glorious Thousand Years to be on Earth and that the Saints should rise some sooner and some later to have their part in it they
Priest said all these things should be amended speedily and knowing that a good Dinner was the best way to temper Bishop Bonner he desired him to go and dine at his House but Bonner took it so ill Bonner's rage that Hadham which was one of his own Churches was an ill Example to those about it that he lost all patience and reaching at Dr. Bricket that was the Parson's Name to beat him he misguided the stroke which fell on Sir Thomas Josselin's Ear with great force Fecknam then Dean of Pauls in Dr. May's room studied to appease Josselin and said to him That the Bishop's being so long in the Marshalsea had so disordered him that in his Passion he knew not what he did but when he came to himself he would be sorry for what he had done Josselin answered he thought now that he was taken out of the Marshalsea he should be carried to Bedlam But Bonner continued in his Fury and though he had purposed to stay at his House there some days and had ordered Provisions to be made yet he would needs be gone though it disordered the rest of his Visitation for he came to every place sooner than he intended or had given notice The Carvers and makers of Statues had now a quick Trade for Roods and other Images which were to be provided for all Places Bonner had observed that in most Churches the Walls were painted with places of Scripture and in many places there were Passages written that either favoured the Marriage of the Clergy or were against the Corporal Presence and the Sacrifice of the Mass and the multiplicity of the Ceremonies of the Church So he did at his return send out Episcopal Letters on the 24th of October to raze all those Paintings Upon this it was generally said That the Scriptures must be dasht out to make way for the Images since they were so contrary one to another that they could not decently stand together There were many ludicrous things every where done in derision of the old Forms and of the Images Many Poems were printed with other ridiculous Representations of the Latin Service and the Pageantry of their Worship But none occasioned more laughter than what fell out at Pauls the Easter before the custom being to lay the Sacrament into the Sepulchre at the Even Song on Good-Friday and to take it out by break of day on Easter Morning At the time of the taking of it out the Quire sung these words Surrexit non est hic He is risen he is not here The Sacrament stollen But then the Priest looking for the Host found it was not there indeed for one had stollen it out which put them all in no small disorder but another was presently brought in its stead Upon this a Ballad followed that their God was stollen and lost but a new one was made in his room This Railery was so salt that it provoked the Clergy much They offered large Rewards to discover him that had stollen the Host or had made the Ballad but could not come to the knowledg of it But they resolved e're long to turn that mirth and pleasantness of the Hereticks into severe mourning And thus Matters went on to the 11th of November A New Parliament when the third Parliament was summoned In the Writ of Summons the Title of Supream Head of the Church was left out though it was still by Law united to the other Royal Titles And therefore this was urged in the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's Reign as a good reason for annulling that Parliament since it was not called by a lawful Writ Now was Cardinal Pool allowed to come into England The Emperor had this Summer brought him to Flanders where to make a-mends for the rudeness of stopping him on his way he desired him to mediate a Peace between France and him but that had no effect It soon appeared that all things were so well prepared by Gardiner's Policy and the Spanish Gold that it would be an easy Matter to carry every thing in this Session The Lord Paget and the Lord Hastings were sent from the King and Queen to bring the Cardinal over At the opening of the Parliament it was an unusual sight to see both King and Queen ride in state and come into it with two Swords of State and two Caps of Maintenance carried before them The Swords were carried one by the Earl of Pembroke the other by the Earl of Westmoreland and the Caps by the Earls of Arundel and Shrewsbury The first Bill put into the Lords House was the Repeal of the Attainder of Cardinal Pool The Attainder of Cardinal Pool repealed it began on the 17th and was sent down to the Commons on the 19th who read it three times in one day and sent it up This Bill being to be passed before he could come into England it was questioned in the House of Commons Whether the Bill could be passed without making a Session which would necessitate a Prorogation It was resolved it might be done so on the 22d the King and Queen came and passed it It set forth that the only reason of his Attainder was because he would not consent to the unlawful Separation and Divorce between King Henry and his most godly vertuous and lawful Wife Queen Katherine Therefore they considering the true and sincere Conscience of the Cardinal in that Point and his other many godly Vertues and Qualities did repeal that Act. He comes to Eondon On the 24th he came to London but without the Solemnities of a Legates Entry because the Pope's Authority was not yet set up by Law What Cardinal Pool Instructions were I do not know nor is it fully understood by Learned Men what was the Power of a Legat a Latere in those Days But I found in the King 's Paper Office the Original Bull of Cardinal Beaton's Legatine Power in Scotland which it seems was intercepted by some of the King's Ships in the passage bâ— Sea thither or was sent up to London by those who killed him anâ— possessed themselves of his Castle and Goods And I having mentioned this Bull to those Learned Men by whose direction I have governed my self in this Work I did by their advice give it a room in the Collection Col. Number 17. though it be large since no doubt Cardinal Pool's Bull was in the same form In it the Reader will clearly perceive what Authoâ—iâ—â— was lodged in the Legats to overthrow and dispense with almost all tâ—â— Rules and Canons of the Church only some peculiar things which were more conspicuously scandalous were still reserved to the Apostolick See it self whose singular Priviledg it has been always esteemed to dispense with the best things and allow of the worst so the Pretenders to those Graces payed proportionably for them this Authority was too Sacred to be trusted even to a Legat it being the Prerogative of the Popes themselves to be the most eminent
her he told her Ambassador that the French had offered him full satisfaction in all his own concerns so that the Peace was hindered only by the Consideration of Calais and therefore unless the English would enter into a League with him for keeping up the War six years longer he must submit to the necessity of his Affairs The Queen perceiving that she was to expect no more assistance from the Spaniard who was so much engaged to the old Superstition that he would enter into no strict League with any whom he accounted an Heretick was willing to listen to the Messages that were sent her from France by the Constable and others inducing her to agree to a Peace She on the other hand complained that the Queen of Scotland and her Husband in her Right had assumed the Title and Arms of England It was answered That was done as the younger Brothers in Germany carried the Title of the great Families from whence they were descended and for Titles the Queen of England had little reason to quarrel about that since she carried the Title and gave the Arms of France A Peace with France agreed to The Queen and her Council saw it was impossible for her to carry on the War with France alone The laying heavy Impositions on her Subjects in the beginning of her Reign might render her very ingrateful to the Nation who loved not to be charged with many Subsidies and when the War should produce nothing but some Wasts on the French Coasts which was all that could be expected since it was unreasonable to look for the Recovery of Calais it might turn all the Joy they were now in at her coming to the Crown into as general a discontent It was the ruine of the Duke of Somerset that he had engaged in a War in the beginning of King Edwards Reign when he was making Changes in Religion at home therefore it was necessary to yield to the necessity of the time especially since the loss of Calais was no reproach on the Queen but on her Sister so it was resolved on to make a general Peace that being at quiet with their Neighbours they might with the less danger apply themselves to the correcting what was amiss in England both in Religion and the Civil Government At length a Peace was made on these terms That there should be free Commerce between the Kingdoms of England France and Scotland the French should keep Calais for eight years and at the end of that time should deliver it to the English and if it were not then delivered they should pay to the English 500000 Crowns for which they should give good security by Merchants that lived in other Parts and give Hostages till the Security were given but if during these years the Queen made War on France or Scotland she was to lose her Right to that Town or if the French or Scots made War on her Calais should be presently restored to which she was still to reserve her Right Aymouth in Scotland was to be razed and a Commission was to be sent down to some of both Kingdoms to agree all lesser differences On these terms a Peace was made and proclaimed between those Crowns to which many of the English that did not apprehend what the charge of a War for the regaining of Calais would have amounted to were very averse thinking it highly dishonourable that they whose Ancestors had made such Conquests in France should be now beaten out of the only remainder that they had on the Continent and thus make a Peace by which it was in effect parted with for ever For all these Conditions about restoring it were understood to be only for palliating so Inglorious a business But the Reformed cast the blame of this on the Papists and some moved that all the late Queens Council should be questioned for their Misgovernment in that Particular for it was thought nothing would make them so odious to the Nation as the charging that on them They on the other hand did cast the blame of it on the Lord Wentworth that had been Governour of Calais and was now professedly one of the Reformed and had been very gentle to these of that Perswasion during his Government But he put himself on a Trial by his Peers which he underwent on the 22d of April and there did so clear himself that he was by the Judgment of the Peers acquitted The Queens Government being thus quieted abroad The Proceedings of the Parliament she was thereby at more leisure to do things at home The first Bill that was put into the House of Lords to try their affections and disposition to a Change in the matters of Religion was that for the Restitution of the Tenths and First Fruits to the Crown It was agreed to by the Lords on the fourth of February having been put in the 30th of January and was the first Bill that was read the Arch-bishop of York the Bishops of London Worcester Landaffe Litchfield Exeter Chester and Carlisle protested against it these were all of that Order that were at the Session except the Bishops of Winchester Lincoln Ely and the Abbot of Westminster who it seems were occasionally absent On the sixth of February it was sent down to the Commons to which they readily agreed and so it had the Royal Assent By it not only the Tenths and First Fruits were again restored to the Crown but also all Impropriated Benefices which had been surrendred up by Queen Mary They address to the Queen for her marrying But the Commons reflecting on the Miseries in which they had been lately involved by Queen Maries Marriage had much debate about an Address to the Queen to induce her to marry On the fourth of February it was argued in the House of Commons and on the sixth the Speaker with the Privy-Counsellors of the House and thirty Members more were sent with their desires to the Queen They expressed the affections of the Nation to her and said That if they could hope she might be Immortal they would rest satisfied but that being a vain Imagination they earnestly besought her to choose such a Husband as might make the Nation and her self happy and by the blessing of God bring such Issue as might Reign after her death which they prayed God might be very late The Queens Answer She said She looked on that as an expression both of their affection and respect since they had neither limited Time nor Place She declared that she had hitherto lived in a single state with great satisfaction and had neither entertained some Honourable Propositions which the Lord Treasurer knew had been made to her in her Brothers time nor had been moved by the fears of death that she was in while she was under her Sisters displeasure of which she would say little for though she knew or might justly suspect by whose means it was yet she would not utter it nor would she charge it
to give full answer of denial to those Suits that be not reasonable nor convenient Also to dispatch all Matters of Justice and to send to the common Courts those Suits that be for them The Calling of Forfeits done against the Laws for punishing the Offenders and breakers of Proclamations that now stand in force The Lord Privy-Seal The Earl of Pembrook The Lord Chamberlain Sir Thomas Wroth. Sir Robert Bowes Mr. Secretary Petre. Mr. Hobbey Mr. Wotton Sir John Baker Mr. Sollicitor Mr. Gosnald These shall first see what Laws Penal and what Proclamations standing now in force are most meet to be executed and shall bring a Certificate thereof Then they shall enquire in the Countries how they are disobeyed and first shall begin with the greatest Offenders and so afterward punish the rest according to the pains set forth They shall receive also the Letters out of the Shires of Disorders there done and punish the Offenders For the State The Bishop of Canterbury The Lord Chancellor The Lord Treasurer The Duke of Northumberland The Duke of Suffolk The Lord Privy-Seal The Marquess of Northampton The Earl of Shrewsbury The Earl of Pembrook The Earl of Westmoreland The Lord Admiral The Viscount Hereford The Lord Chamberlain Mr. Vicechamberlain Mr. Treasurer and Comptroller Mr. Cecil Mr. Petre. Mr. Wotton Sir Philip Hobbey Sir Robert Bowes These to attend the Matters of the State I will sit with them once a week to hear the debating of things of most importance These Persons under-written shall look to the state of all the Courts especially of the new erected Courts as the Augmentation the First Fruits and Tythes the Wards and shall see the Revenues answered at the half Years end and shall consider with what superfluous Charges they be burdened and thereof shall make a Certificate which they shall deliver The Lord Chamberlain The Bishop of Norwich Sir Thomas Wroth. Sir Robert Bowes Sir Richard Cotton Sir Walter Mildmay Mr. Gosnald I understand it is a Member of the Commission that followeth but yet those shall do well to do it for the present because the other shall have no leasure till they have called in the Debts after which done they may sit with them Those that now be in Commission for the Debts to take Accompts of all Paiments since the 35th of the King that dead is after that they have done this Commission they are now in hand with Likewise for the Bullwarks the Lord Chamberlain Mr. Treasurer and Mr. Comptroller to be in Commission in their several Jurisdictions The rest of the Council some go home to their Countries streight after the Parliament some be sore sick that they shall not be able to attend any thing which when they come they shall be admitted of the Council Also that these Councils that sit apart Also that those of the Council that have these several Commissions Desunt quedam 15. Jan. 1552. This seems not to be the King's Hand but is interlined in many places by him Certain Articles devised and delivered by the King's Majesty for the quicker better and more orderly dispatch of Causes by his Majesty's Privy-Council Cotton Libr. Nero. C. 10. 1. HIs Majesty willeth that all Suits Petitions and common Warrants delivered to his Privy-Council be considered by them on the Mundays in the Morning and answered also on the Saturdays at Afternoon and that that day and none others be assigned to that purpose 2. That in answering of these Suits and Bills of Petition heed be taken that so many of them as pertain to any Court of his Majesty's Laws be as much as may be referred to those Courts where by order they are triable such as cannot be ended without them be with expedition determined 3. That in making of those Warrants for Mony that pass by them it be foreseen that those Warrants be not such as may already be dispatcht by Warrant dormant lest by means of such Warrants the Accompts should be uncertain 4. His Majesty's pleasure is That on the * Provided that on Sundays they be present at Common-Prayer Sundays they intend the Publick Affairs of this Realm they dispatch Answers to Letters for the good order of the Realm and make full Dispatches of all Things concluded the Week before 5. That on the Sunday Night the Secretaries or one of them shall deliver to his Majesty a Memorial of such Things as are debated to be by his Privy-Council and then his Majesty to appoint certain of them to be debated on several days viz. Munday Afternoon Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Morning 6. That on Friday at Afternoon they shall make a Collection of such things as have been done the four days past how many of those Articles they have concluded how many they debated but not ended how many the time suffered not to peruse and also the principal Reasons that moved them to conclude on such Matters as seemeth doubtful 7. That on Saturday Morning they shall present this Collection to his Majesty and know his Pleasure upon such things as they have concluded and also upon all the private Suits 8. That on Sunday Night again his Majesty having received of the Secretaries such new Matters as hath arisen upon new occasion with such Matters as his Council have left some not determined and some not debated shall appoint what Matters and on which days shall be determined the next Week following 9. That none of them depart his Court for longer than two days without there be left here at the least eight of the Council and that not without giving notice thereof to the King's Majesty 10. That they shall make no manner of Assembly or Meeting in Council without there be to the number of four at the least 11. Furthermore if they be assembled to the number of four and under the number of six then they shall reason and debate things examine all Inconveniences and Dangers and also Commodities on each side make those things plain which seem diffuse at the first opening and if they agree amongst themselves then at the next full Assembly of six they shall make a perfect conclusion and end with them 12. Also if there rise such matter of weight as it shall please the King's Majesty himself to be at the debating of then warning shall be given whereby the more may be at the debating of it 13. If such Matter shall happen to rise as shall require long debating and reasoning or e're it come to a full conclusion or end then his Majesty's Council shall not intermeddle other Causes nor fall to other Matters for that day until they have brought it to some end 14. When Matters for lack of time be only debated and yet brought to no end then it shall be noted how far and to what point the Matter is brought and which have been the principal Reasons on each side to the intent when the Matter is treated or spoken of again it may the sooner and easilier come to
may clearly see he would bribe him into no Opinion or Party by false or indirect Arts But since Men are generally so apt to let some easie Notions enter into their Minds which will pre-engage their Affections and for most part those who set themselves to gain Proselites do begin with such Arts it will not be amiss to give the Reader such an account of these as may prepare him against them that so he may with a clearer mind consider what is now to be delivered to him concerning the Reformation of Religion among us I shall begin with that which is most commonly urged that the whole Church being one Body the Changes that were made in Religion did break that Vnity and dissolve the Bond by which the Catholick Church is to be knit together and that therefore the first Reformers began and we still continue a Schisme in the Church In answer to this it is to be considered that the Bishops and Pastors of the Church are obliged to instruct their People in the true Faith of Christ according to the Scriptures The nature of their Function being a Sacred Trust binds them to this they were also at their Consecration engaged to it by a formal Sponsion according to the Questions and Answers that are in the Roman Pontifical to this day Pastors owe it as a Debt to their People to teach them according to the Scriptures They owe a Charity to their Brethren and are to live with them in the terms of Brotherly Love and Friendly Correspondence but if that cannot be had on easier terms than the concealing necessary Truths and the delivering gross errors to those committed to their charge it is certain that they ought not to purchase it at so dear a rate When the Pastors of this Church saw it over-run with errors and corruptions they were obliged by the duty they owed to God and to their People to discover them and to undeceive their misled Flocks It is of great importance to maintain Peace and Vnity but if a Party in the Church does set up some Doctrines and Practises that do much endanger the Salvation of Souls and makes advantages by these so that there is no hope left to gain them by rational and softer Methods then as St. Peter was to be withstood to his Face in a lesser matter much more are those who pretend no higher than to be his Successors to be withstood when the things are of great moment and consequence When Heresies sprung up in the Primitive Church we find the neighbouring Bishops condemned them without staying for the concurrence of other Churches as in the Case of Samosatenus Arius and Pelagius and even when the greatest part of the Church was become Semi-Arian and many great Councils chiefly that at Ariminum consisting of above 800 Bishops as some say had through ignorance and fear complied the Orthodox Bishops did not forbear to instruct those committed to their care according to the true Faith A general concurrence is a thing much to be laboured for but when it cannot be had every Bishop must then do his duty so as to be answerable to the chief Bishop of Souls So that instead of being led away by so slight a prejudice we must turn our Enquiries to this Whether there were really such abuses in the Church as did require a Reformation and whether there was any reason to hope for a more general concurrence in it In the following History the Reader will see what corruptions were found to be both in the Doctrine and Worship of this Church from whence he may infer what need there was of Reformation And it is very plain that they had no reason to expect the concurrence of other Churches for the Council of Trent had already made a great progress and it was very visible that as the Court of Rome governed all things there so they were resolved to admit of no effectual Reformation of any considerable matters but to establish by a more formal decision those errors and abuses that had given so much scandal to the Christian World for so many Ages This being the true state of the Case it is certain that if there were really great corruptions either in Belief or Manners in this Church then the Bishops were bound to reform them since the backwardness of others in their duty could not excuse them from doing theirs when they were clearly convinced of it So that the Reader is to shake off this prejudice and only to examine whether there was really such need of a Reformation since if that be true it is certain the Bishops of this as well as of other Churches were bound to set about it and the faultiness of some could be no excuse to the rest The second Prejudice is That the Reformation was begun and carried on not by the major part of the Bishops and Clergy but by a few selected Bishops and Divines who being supported by the Name of the Kings Authority did frame things as they pleased and by their Interest at Court got them to be Enacted in Parliament and after they had removed such Bishops as opposed them then they procured the Convocation to consent to what was done So that upon the matter the Reformation was the Work of Cranmer with a few more of his Party and not of this Church which never agreed wholly to it till the Bishops were so modelled as to be compliant to the designs of the Court. In short the resolution of this is to be taken from a common Case when the major part of a Church is according to the Conscience of the Supream Civil Magistrate in an Error and the lesser part is in the right The Case is not hard if well understood for in the whole Scripture there is no promise made to the major part of the Pastors of the Church and there being no Divine Promise made about it it is certain that the Nature of Man is such that Truth separated from Interest hath few Votaries but when it is opposite to it it must have a very small Party So that most of those things which needed Reformation being such as added much to the Wealth and Power of the Clergy it had been a wonder indeed if the greater part had not opposed it In thâ—t Case as the smaller part were not to depart from their Sentiments because opposed in them by a more numerous Party that was too deeply concerned in the matter so it was both natural for them and very reasonable to take Sanctuary in the Authority and Protection of the Prince and the Law That Princes have an Authority in things Sacred was so universally agreed to in King Henry's Reign and was made out upon such clear Evidence of Reason and Precedents both in the Jewish State and in the Roman Empire when it turned Christian that this ground was already gained It is the first Law in Justinians Code made by Theodosius when he came to the Empire That all should every
the best Courts we shall find him better than most of them and if some few have carried their Prosperity better many more even of those who are otherwise recorded for extraordinary Persons have been guilty of far greater faults He who is but a little acquainted with History or with the Courts of Princes must needs know so much of this Argument that he will easily cure himself of any ill effects which this Prejudice may have on him A fourth Prejudice is raised from the great Invasions which were then made upon the Church-Lands and things dedicated to Pious Vses which is a thing hated by Men of all Religions and branded with the odious Names of Sacriledge and robbing of God so that the Spoils of Religious Houses and Churches seem to have been the secret Motives that at first drew in and still engage so many to the Reformation This has more weight in it than the former and therefore deserves to be more fully considered The Light of Nature teaches that those who are dedicated to the Service of God and for instructing the People ought to be so well provided for that they may be delivered from the distractions of Secular Cares and secured from the contempt which follows Poverty and be furnished with such means as may both enable them to know that well wherein they are to instruct others and to gain such an Interest in the affections of those among whom they labour as modest Hospitality and liberal Alms-giving may procure In this all Nations and Religions have so generally agreed that it may be well called a Law of Nations if not of Nature Had Church-men been contented with this measure it is very probable things had never run to the other Extream so much as they have done But as the Pope got to himself a great Principality so the rest of his Clergy defigned to imitate him in that as much as was possible they spared no pains nor thought they any Methods too bad that could set forward these Projects The belief of Purgatory and the redeeming of Souls out of it by Masses with many other publick Cheats imposed on the World had brought the Wealth of this and other Nations into their Hands Vpon the discovery of this imposture it was but a reasonable and just proceeding of the Government to re-assume those Lands and dispose otherwise of them which had been for most part fraudulently drawn from the former Ages for indeed the best part of the Soil of England being in such ill Hands it was the Interest of the whole Kingdom to have it put to better uses So that the Abbies being generally raised and endowed by the efficacy of those false Opinions which were infused into the People I can see no just exception against the dissolution of them with the Chantries and other Foundations of like superstition and the fault was not in taking them away but in not applying a greater part of them to uses truly Religious But most of these Monasteries had been enriched by that which was indeed the Spoil of the Church for in many Places the Tithes which belonged to the Secular Clergy were taken from them and by the Authority of Papal Bulls were given to the Monasteries This was the Original of the greatest mischief that came on this Church at the Reformation The Abbots having possessed themselves of the Tithes and having left to those who served the Cure either some small Donative or Stipend and at best the small Tithes or Viccarage those who purchased the Abbey-Lands from the Crown in the former Reign had them with no other charge reserved for the Incumbents but that small Pittance that the Abbots had formerly given them and this is now a much less allowance than the Curates had in the times of Popery for though they have now the same Right by their Incumbency that they then had yet in the time of Superstition the Fees of Obits Exequies Soul Masses and such other Perquisites did furnish them so plentifully that considering their obligation to remain unmarried they lived well though their certain maintenance was but small but these things falling off by the Reformation which likewise leaves the Clergy at liberty in the matter of Marriage this has occasioned much ignorance and scandal among the Clergy I shall not enter into the debate about the Divine Right of Tithes this I am sure of a decent maintenance of the Clergy is of natural Right and that it is not better looked to is a publick reproach to the whole Nation when in all other Religions and Nations those who serve at the Altar live by it The ancient Allowances for the Curates in Market Towns being generally so small because the Number and Wealth of the People made the Perquisites so considerable has made those Places to be too often but ill supplied and what way this makes for the seducers of all hands when the Minister is of so mean a condition and hath so incompetent a Maintenance that he can scarce secure himself from extream want and great contempt I leave it to every Man to judge This is as high a contempt of Religion and the Gospel as any can be and is one of those things for which this Nation has much to answer to God that now in one hundred and twenty years time so little has been done by publick Authority for the redress of such a crying oppression Some private Persons have done great things this way but the publick has yet done nothing sutable to the occasion Though their Neighbour Nation of Scotland has set them a very good Example where by the great zeal and care of King James and the late blessed King Acts and Orders of Parliament have been made for examining the whole state of the Clergy and for supplying all poor Livings so plentifully that in Glebe and Tithes all Benefices are now raised to at least fifty Pounds Sterling yearly What greater scorn can be put on Religion than to provide so scantly for those that are trusted with the care of Souls that some hundreds of Parishes in England pay not Ten Pounds a year to their Pastors and perhaps some thousands not Fifty This is to be numbred among those crying sins that are bringing down vengeance on us since by this many Souls are left to perish because it is not possible to provide them with faithful and able Shepherds I shall not examine all the particular Reasons that have obstructed the redress of this mischief but those concerned in it may soon find some of them out in themselves And here I acknowledge a great and just prejudice lies against our Reformation which no man can fully answer But how faulty soever we may be in this Particular they of the Church of Rome have little reason to object it to us since the first and true occasion of it was of their own doing Our fault is that at the dissolution of the Monasteries restitution was not made to the Parish Priests of
to a secular course of life had little of a Church-man but the Habit and Name and yet used to rail against Sacriledge in others not considering how guilty themselves were of the same crime enriching their Families with the Spoils of the Church or with the Goods of it which were put into their Hands for better uses And it was no wonder that when Clergy-men had thus abused these Endowments Secular Men broke in upon them observing plainly that the Clergy who enjoyed them made no better use of them than Laicks might do Though in stead of reforming an abuse that was so generally spread they like Men that minded nothing more than the enriching of themselves took a certain course to make the mischief perpetual by robbing the Church of those Endowments and Helps it had received from the Munificence of the Founders of its Cathedrals who were generally the first Christian Kings of this Nation which had it been done by Law would have been a thing of very bad consequence but as it was done was directly contrary to the Magna Charta and to the Kings Coronation Oath But now they that were weary of the Popish Superstitions observing that Arch-bishop Cranmer had so great a share of the young Kings affection and that the Protector and he were in the same Interests began to call for a further Reformation of Religion and some were so full of zeal for it that they would not wait on the slow motions of the State Images removed without Authority out of one Church in London So the Curate and Church-wardens of St. Martins in Ironmonger-lane in London took down the Images and Pictures of the Saints and the Crucifix out of their Church and painted many Texts of Scripture on the Walls some of them according to a perverse Translation as the Complaint has it and in the place where the Crucifix was they set up the Kings Arms with some Texts of Scripture about it Upon this the Bishop and Lord-Major of London complained to the Council And the Curate and Church-wardens being cited to appear answered for themselves That the Roof of their Church being bad they had taken it down and that the Crucifix and Images were so rotten that when they removed them they fell to powder That the charge they had been at in repairing their Church was such that they could not buy new Images That they had taken down the Images in the Chancel because some had been guilty of Idolatry towards them In conclusion they said what they had done was with a good intention and if they had in any thing done amiss they asked pardon and submitted themselves Some were for punishing them severely for all the Papists reckoned that this would be a leading Case to all the rest of this Reign and if this was easily passed over others would be from that remisness animated to attempt such things every where But on the other hand those at Court who had designed to set forward a Reformation had a mind only so far to check the heat of the People as to keep it within compass but not to dishearten their Friends too much Cranmer and his Party were for a general removing of all Images and said that in the late Kings time order being given to remove such as were abused to Superstition Upon that there were great Contests in many Places what Images had been so abused and what not and that these Disputes would be endless unless all were taken away In the purest Times of Christianity they had no Images at all in their Churches One of the first Councils namely that at Elvira in Spain An account of the Progress of Image-worship made a Canon against the painting what they worshiped on the Walls Epiphanius was highly offended when he saw a Vail hanging before the door of a Church with a Picture on it which he considered so little as not to know well whose Picture it was but thought it might be Christs or some other Saints yet he tore it and gave them of that Place Money to buy a new Vail in its room Afterwards with the rest of the pomp of Heathenism Images came to be set up in Churches yet so as that there was no sort of Worship payed to them But in the time of Pope Gregory the first many went into extremes about them some were for breaking them and others worshiped them That Pope thought the middle way best neither to break nor to worship them but to keep them only to put the People in mind of the Saints Afterwards there being subtle Questions started about the Unity of Christs Person and Will the Greek Emperours generally inclined to have the animosities raised by these removed by some comprehensive words to which all might consent which the Interest of State as well as Religion seemed to require for their Empire every day declining all methods for uniting it were thought good and prudent But the Bishops were stiff and peremptory So in the sixth general Council they condemned all who differed from them Upon this the Emperours that succeeded would not receive that Council but the Bishops of Rome ordered the Pictures of all the Bishops who had been at that Council to be set up in the Churches Upon which the Emperours contended against these or any Pictures whatsoever in Churches And herein that happened which is not usual that one Controversie rising occasionally out of another the Parties forsake the first Contest and fall into sharp Conflicts about the occasional differences For now the Emperours and Popes quarrelled most violently about the use of Images and ill Names going a great way tomards the defaming an Opinion the Popes and their Party accused all that were against Images as favouring Judaism or Mahometanism which was then much spread in Asia and Africk The Emperours and their Party accusing the others of Gentilism and Heathenish Idolatry Upon this occasion Gregory the third first assumed the Rebellious Pretension to a Power to depose Leo the Emperour from all his Dominions in Italy There was one General Council at Constantinople that condemned the use or worship of Images and soon after another at Nice did establish it and yet at the same time Charles the Great though not a little linked in Interest to the Bishops of Rome holding both the French and Imperial Crowns by the favour of the Popes wrote or imployed Alcuinus a most learned Country-man of ours as these times went to write in his Name against the Worship of Images And in a Council at Frankfort it was condemned which was also done afterwards in another Council at Paris But in such Ages of Ignorance and Superstition any thing that wrought so much on the senses and imaginations of the People was sure to prevail in conclusion And this had in a Course of seven more Ages been improved by the craft and impostures of the Monks so wonderfully that there was no sign of Divine Adoration that could be invented that was
not applied to these Images So in King Henry's time that temper was found that such Images as had been abused to Superstition should be removed and for other Images external Worship such as kneeling censing and praying before them was kept up but the People were to be taught that these were not at all intended to the Image but to that which was represented by it And upon this there was much subtle arguing Among Cranmers Papers I have seen several Arguments for a moderate use of Images But to all these they opposed the second Commandment as plainly forbidding all visible Objects of Adoration together with what was in the Scriptures against the Idolatry of the Heathens and what the Fathers had written against the Gentiles And they added that how excusable soever that practice might have been in such dark and barbarous Ages in which the People knew little more of Divine Matters than what they learned from their Images yet the horrible abuses that followed on the bringing them into Churches made it necessary now to throw them all out It was notorious that the People every where doted on them and gave them Divine Honour Nor did the Clergy who were generally too guilty themselves of such abuses teach them how to distinguish aright and the Acts of Worship that were allowed were such that beside the scandal such Worship had in it and the danger of drawing People into Idolatry it was in it self inexcusable to offer up such external parts of Religious Adoration to Gold or Silver Wood or Stone So Cranmer and others being resolved to purge the Church of this abuse got the worst part of the Sentence that some had designed against the Curate and Church-wardens to be mitigated into a Reprimend and as it is entred in the Council Books In respect of their submission and of some other Reasons which did mitigate their offence These were Cranmers Arguments against Images they did pardon their Imprisonment which was at first determined and ordered them to provide a Crucifix or at least some painting of it till one were ready and to beware of such rashness for the future But no mention is made of the other Images The carriage of the Council in this matter discovering the inclinations of the greatest part of them Many begin to pull down Images and Dr. Ridley having in his Lent-Sermon preached against the Superstition that was generally had to Images and Holy Water it raised a great heat over England So that Gardiner hearing that on May-day the People of Portsmouth had removed and broken the Images of Christ and the Saints writ about it with great warmth to one Captain Vaughan that waited on the Protector and was then at Portsmouth He desired to know whether he should send one to preach against it though he thought that was the casting Precious Stones to Hogs or worse than Hogs as were these Lollards He said that Luther had set out a Book against those who removed Images At which Gardiner is much offended and himself had seen them still in the Lutheran Churches and he thought the removing Images was on design to subvert Religion and the state of the World he argues for them from the Kings Image on the Seal Caesars Image on the Coin brought to Christ the Kings Arms carried by the Heralds he condemns false Images but for those that were against true Images he thought they were possest with the Devil Vaughan sent his Letter to the Protector with one from Gardiner to himself who finding the reasoning in it not so strong but that it might be answered wrote to him himself That he allowed of his zeal against Innovations The Protector writ to him about it The Letters are in Fox's Acts and Monuments but that there were other things that needed to be looked to as much Great difference there was between the Civil respect due to the Kings Arms and the Worship given to Images There had been a time in which the abuse of the Scriptures was thought a good reason to take them from the People yea and to burn them though he looked on them as more sacred than Images which if they stood meerly as Remembrancers he thought the hurt was not great but it was known that for the most part it was otherwise and upon abuse the Brazen Serpent was broken though made at Gods Commandment and it being pretended that they were the Books of the People he thought the Bible a much more intelligible and useful Book There were some too rash and others too obstinate The Magistrate was to steer a middle Course between them not considering the Antiquity of things so much as what was good and expedient Gardiner writ again to the Protector complaining of Bale and others who published Books to the dishonour of the late King and that all were running after Novelties and often inculcates it that things should be kept in the state they were in till the King were of Age and in his Letters reflects both on the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Duresme for consenting to such things Gardiner writ to Ridley who had preached against Images But finding his Letters had no effect on the Protector he wrote to Ridley That by the Law of Moses we were no more bound not to have Images than not to eat Blood-Puddings Image and Idol might have been used promiscuously in former times as King and Tyrant were yet there was a great difference between these according to the Notions we now have He cites Pope Gregory who was against both adoring and breaking them and says the Worship is not given to the Image so there is no Idolatry but to him represented by it and as the sound of Speech did by the Ear beget Notions in us so he did not see but the sight of an Image might stir up devotion He confessed there had been abuses as there is in every thing that is in Mens Hands he thinks Imagery and Graving to be of as good use for instruction as Writing or Printing and because Ridley had also preached against the Superstition of Holy Water to drive away Devils he added That a Vertue might be in Water as well as in Christs Garment St. Peters Shadow or Elisha's Staff Pope Marcellus ordered Equitius to use it and the late King used to bless Cramp-Rings both of Gold and Silver which were much esteemed every where and when he was abroad they were often desired from him This Gift he hoped the young King would not neglect He believed the Invocation of the Name of God might give such a Vertue to Holy Water as well as to the Water of Baptism For Ridley's Answer to this I never saw it so these things must here pass without any Reply though it is very probable an ordinary Reader will with a very small measure of common Sense and Learning see how they might have been answered The thing most remarkable here is about these Cramp-Rings which King Henry
prayed in general for their quiet Rest and their speedy Resurrection Yet these Prayers growing as all superstitious devices do to be more considered some began to frame an Hypothesis to justifie them by that of the Thousand Years being generally exploded And in St. Austin's time they began to fancy there was a state of punishment even for the Good in another Life out of which some were sooner and some later freed according to the measure of their Repentance for their Sins in this Life But he tells us this was taken up without any sure ground and that it was no way certain Yet by Visions Dreams and Tales the belief of it was so far promoted that it came to be generally received in the next Age after him and then as the People were told that the Saints interceded for them so it was added that they might intercede for their departed Friends And this was the Foundation of all that Trade of Souls-Masses and Obits Now the deceased King had acted like one who did not believe that these things signified much otherwise he was to have but ill reception in Purgatory having by the subversion of the Monasteries deprived the departed Souls of the benefit of the many Masses that were said for them in these Houses yet it seems at his death he would make the matter sure and to shew he intended as much benefit to the Living as to himself being dead he took care that there should be not only Masses and Obits but so many Sermons at Windsor and a frequent distribution of Alms for the relief of the Poor But upon this occasion it came to be examined what value there was in such things Yet the Arch-bishop plainly saw that the Lord Chancellor would give great opposition to every motion that should be made for any further alteration for which he and all that Party had this specious pretence always in their Mouths That their late Glorious King was not only the most learned Prince but the most learned Divine in the World for the flattering him did not end with his Life and that therefore they were at least to keep all things in the condition wherein he had left them till the King were of Age. And this seemed also necessary on Considerations of State For Changes in matter of Religion might bring on Commotions and Disorders which they as faithful Executors ought to avoid But to this it was answered That as their late King was infinitely learned for both Parties flattered him dead as well as living so he had resolved to make great Alterations and was contriving how to change the Mass into a Communion that therefore they were not to put off a thing of such consequence wherein the Salvation of Peoples Souls was so much concerned but were immediately to set about it But the Lord Chancellor gave quickly great advantage against himself to his Enemies who were resolved to make use of any Error he might be guilty of so far as to ease themselves of the trouble he was like to give them The Kings Funeral being over The Creation of Peers order was given for the Creation of Peers The Protector was to be Duke of Somerset the Earl of Essex to be Marquess of Northampton the Viscount Lisle to be Earl of Warwick the Lord Wriothesley Earl of Southampton beside the new Creation of the Lords Seimour Rich Willoughby of Parham and Sheffield the rest it seems excusing themselves from new Honours as it appeared from the Deposition of Paget that many of those on whom the late King had intended to confer Titles of Honour had declined it formerly 1547. Feb. 20. Coronation On the 20th of Feb. being Shrove-Sunday the King was Crowned by the Arch-bishop of Canterbury according to the form that was agreed to The Protector serving in it as Lord Steward the Marquess of Dorset as Lord Constable and the Earl of Arundel as Earl Marshal deputed by the Protector A Pardon was proclaimed out of which the Duke of Norfolk Cardinal Pole and some others were excepted The first Business of importance after the Coronation The Lord Chancellor is removed from his Office was the Lord Chancellors fall Who resolving to give himself wholly to Matters of State had on the 18th of Feb. put the Great Seal to a Commission directed to Sir Richard Southwell Master of the Rolls John Tregonnel Esq Master of Chancery and to John Oliver and Anthony Bellasis Clerks Masters of Chancery setting forth that the Lord Chancellor being so employed in the Affairs of State that he could not attend on the hearing of Causes in the Court of Chancery these three Masters or any two of them were empowered to execute the Lord Chancellors Office in that Court in as ample manner as if he himself were present only their Decrees were to be brought to the Lord Chancellor to be Signed by him before they were Enrolled This being done without any Warrant from the Lord Protector and the other Executors it was judged a high presumption in the Lord Chancellor thus to devolve on others that Power which the Law had trusted in his Hands The Persons named by him encreased the offence which this gave two of them being Canonists so that the common Lawyers looked upon this as a President of very high and ill consequence And being encouraged by those who had no good will to the Chancellor they petitioned the Council in this Matter and complained of the evil consequences of such a Commission and set forth the fears that all the Students of the Law were under of a Change that was intended to be made of the Laws of England The Council remembred well they had given no Warrant at all to the Lord Chancellor for the issuing out any such Commission so they sent it to the Judges and required them to examine the Commission with the Petition grounded upon it Who delivered their Opinions on the last of Feb. That the Lord Chancellor ought not without Warrant from the Council to have set the Seal to it Feb. 28. and that by his so doing he had by the Common Law forfeited his Place to the King and was liable to Fine and Imprisonment at the Kings pleasure March 6. This lay sleeping till the sixth of March and then the Judges Answer being brought to the Council Signed with all their Hands they entred into a debate how far it ought to be punished The Lord Chancellor carried it very high and as he had used many Menaces to those who had petitioned against him and to the Judges for giving their Opinions as they did so he carried himself insolently to the Protector and told him he held his Place by a better Authority than he held his That the late King being empow'red to it by Act of Parliament had made him not only Chancellor but one of the Governours of the Realm during his Sons Minority and had by his Will given none of them Power over the rest to throw
his aid and assistance he did by the advice of his Unkle and others Nobles Prelates and wise Men accept of these Persons for his Councellors the Arch-bishop of Canterbury the Lord St. John President the Lord Russel Lord Privy-Seal the Marquess of Northampton the Earls of Warwick and Arundel the Lord Seimour the Bishop of Duresme the Lord Rich Sir Thomas Cheyney Sir Joh. Gage Sir Anth. Brown Sir Anthony Wingfield Sir William Paget Sir William Petre Sir Ralph Sadler Sir John Baker Doctor Wotton Sir Anth. Denny Sir William Herbert Sir Edw. North Sir Ed. Montague Sir Ed. Wotton Sir Edm. Peckham Sir Tho. Bromley and Sir Richard Southwell giving the Protector Power to swear such other Commissioners as he should think fit and that he with so many of the Council as he should think meet might annul and change what they thought fitting restraining the Council to act only by his Advice and Consent And thus was the Protector fully setled in his Power and no more under the curb of the Co-executors who were now mixed with the other Councellors that by the late Kings Will were only to be consulted with as they saw cause But as he depressed them to an equality with the rest of the Councellors so he highly obliged the others who had been formerly under them by bringing these equally with them into a share of the Government He had also obtained to himself an high Authority over them since they could do nothing without his consent but he was only bound to call for so many of them as he thought meet and was not limited to act as they advised but cloathed with the full Regal Power and had it in his Hands to oblige whom he would and to make his Party greater by calling into the Council such as he should nominate How far this was legal I shall not enquire It was certainly contrary to King Henry's Will And that being made upon an Act of Parliament which empowred him to limit the Crown and the Government of it at his pleasure this Commission that did change the whole Government during the Kings Minority seems capable of no other defence but that it being made by the consent of the major part of the Executors it was still warrantable even by the Will which devolved the Government on them or the major part of them All this I have opened the more largely both because none of our Historians have taken any notice of the first Constitution of the Government during this Reign and being ignorant of the true account of it they have committed great errors and because having obtained by the favour of that most industrions Collector of the Transactions of this Age Mr. Rushworth the Original Council-Book for the two first years of this Reign I had a certain Authority to follow in it the exactness of that Book being beyond any thing I ever met with in all our Records For every Council-day the Privy-Councellors that were present set their Hands to all that was ordered judging so great caution necessary when the King was under Age. And therefore I thought this a Book of too great consequence to lie in private Hands so the owner having made a Present of it to me I delivered it to that Noble and Vertuous Gentleman Sir John Nicolas one of the Clerks of the Council to be kept with the rest of their Books And having now given the Reader a clear Prospect of the state of the Court I shall next turn to the Affairs that were under their consideration The state of Affairs in Germany That which was first brought before them was concerning the state of Germany Francis Burgartus Chancellor to the Duke of Saxe with others from the other Princes and Cities of the Empire were sent over upon the news of the former Kings death to sollicit for Aids from the new King toward the carrying on the War with the Emperor In order to the clearing of this and to give a just account of our Councils in reference to Forreign Affairs especially the cause being about Religion I shall give a short view of the state of Germany at this time The Emperor having formed a design of an Universal Monarchy laid hold on the differences of Religion in Germany as a good mean to cover what he did with the specious pretence of punishing Heresie and protecting the Catholicks But before he had formed this design 1531. Jan. 11. Ferdinand Crown'd King of the Romans he procured his Brother to be chosen King of the Romans and so declared his Successor in the Empire which he was forced to do being obliged to be much in Spain and his other hereditary Dominions and being then so young as not to enter into such deep Counsels as he afterwards laid But his Wars in Italy put him oft in ill terms with the Pope and being likewise watched over in all his Motions by Francis the I. and Henry VIII and the Turk often breaking into Hungary and Germany he was forced to great compliances with the Princes of the Empire Who being animated by the two great Crowns did enter into a League for their mutual defence against all Aggressors And at last in the Year 1544. 1544. Feb. 20. Diet began at Spire in the Diet held at Spire the Emperour being engaged in War with France and the Turk both to secure Germany and to obtain Money of the Princes was willing to agree to the Edict made there which was That till there was a free Council in Germany or such an Assembly in which Matters of Religion might be setled there should be a general Peace and none was to be troubled for Religion the free exercise of both Religions being allowed and all things were to continue in the state they were then in And the Imperial Chamber at Spire was to be reformed for the Judges of that Court being all Papists there were many Processes depending at the Suit of the Ecclesiasticks against the Protestant Princes who had driven them out of their Lands and the Princes expecting no fair dealing from them all these Processes were now suspended and the Chamber was to be filled up with new Judges that should be more favourable to them They obtaining this Decree contributed very liberally to the Wars the Emperour seemed to be engaged in 1544. Sept. 24. Emperor has Peace with France Who having his Treasure thus filled presently made Peace both with France and the Grand Seigniour and resolved to turn his Wars upon the Empire and to make use of that Treasure and Force they had contributed 1545. Oct. Peace with Turk to invade their Liberties and to subdue them entirely to himself Upon this he entred into a Treaty with the Pope that a Council should be opened in Trent upon which he should require the Princes to submit to it which if they refused to do he should make War on them The Pope was to assist him with 10000 Men besides levy Taxes hard on his
Principality which his Unkle George had left him only on condition that he turned Papist notwithstanding which he got him to be possessed of it was made use of by the Emperor as the best Instrument to work his ends To him therefore he promised the Electoral Dignity with the Dominions belonging to the Duke of Saxe if he would assist him in the War against his Kinsman the present Elector and gave him assurance under his Hand and Seal That he would make no change in Religion but leave the Princes of the Ausburg Confession the free exercise of their Religion And thus the Emperor singled out the Duke of Saxe and the Landgrave from the rest reckoning wisely that if he once mastered them he should more easily overcome all the rest He pretended some other quarrels against them as that of the Duke of Brunswick who having begun a War with his Neighbours was taken Prisoner and his Dominions possessed by the Landgrave That with some old Quarrels was pretended the ground of the War Upon which the Princes published a Writing to shew that it was Religion only and a secret design to subdue Germany that was the true cause of the War and those alledged were sought Pretences to excuse so infamous a breach of Faith and of the publick Decrees that the Pope who designed the destruction of all of that Confession had set on the Emperor to this who easily laid hold on it that he might master the liberty of Germany Therefore they warned all the Princes of their danger The Emperors Forces being to be drawn together out of several Places in Italy Flanders Burgundy and Boheme they whose Forces lay nearer had a great advantage if they had known how to use it 1546. June The Elector and Landgrave arm For in June they brought into the Field 70000 Foot and 15000 Horse and might have driven the Emperor out of Germany had they proceeded vigorously at first But the divided Command was fatal to them for when one was for Action the other was against it So they lost their opportunity and gave the Emperor time to gather all his Forces about him which were far inferior to theirs in strength but the Emperor gained by time whereas they who had no great Treasure lost much All the Summer and a great deal of the Winter was spent without any considerable Action though the two Armies were oft in view one of another 1546. Jul. 20. Duke of Saxe and Landgrave proscribed But in the beginning of the Winter the Emperor having proscribed the Duke of Saxe and promised to bestow the Principality on Maurice he fell into Saxony and carried a great many of the Cities which were not prepared for any such impression Nov. 23. The Elector returns into Saxony This made the Duke separate his Army and return to the defence of his own Country which he quickly recovered and drove Maurice almost out of all his own Principality The States of Boheme also declared for the Elector of Saxony This was the state of Affairs there The Princes thought they had a good Prospect for the next Year having mediated a Peace between the Crowns of England and France 1546. Jan. 7. Peace concluded between England and France whose Forces falling into Flanders must needs have bred a great distraction in the Emperors Councils But King Henry's death gave them great apprehensions and not without cause For when they sent hither for an Aid in Money to carry on the War the Protector and Council saw great dangers on both hands if they left the Germans to perish the Emperor would be then so lifted up that they might expect to have an uneasie Neighbour of him on the other hand it was a thing of great consequence to engage an Infant King in such a War Therefore their Succours from hence were like to be weak and very slow Howsoever the Council ordered Paget to assure them that within three or four Months they should send 50000 Crowns to their assistance which was to be covered thus The Merchants of the Still-yard were to borrow so much of the King and to engage to bring home Stores to that value they having the Money should send it to Hamburg and so to the Duke of Saxe But the Princes received a second Blow in the loss of Francis the first of France Who having lived long in a familiarity and friendship with King Henry not ordinary for Crowned Heads was so much affected with the news of his death that he was never seen cheerful after it He made Royal Funeral Rites to be performed to his memory in the Church of Nostredame to which the Clergy who one would have thought should have been glad to have seen his Funerals Celebrated in any fashion were very averse But that King had emancipated himself to a good degree from a servile subjection to them and would be obeyed He out-lived the other not long 1557. Mar. 31. Francis I. died for he died the last of March He was the chief Patron of Learned Men and advancer of Learning that had been for many Ages He was generally unsuccessful in his Wars and yet a great Commander At his death he left his Son an Advice to beware of the Brethren of Lorain and to depend much on the Councellors whom he had employed But his Son upon his coming to the Crown did so deliver himself up to the charms of his Mistress Diana that all things were ordered as Men made their Court to her which the Ministers that had served the former King scorning to do and the Brothers of the House of Lorain doing very submissively the one were discharged of their employments and the other governed all the Councils Francis had been oft fluctuating in the business of Religion Sometimes he had resolved to shake off the Popes Obedience and set up a Patriarch in France and had agreed with Henry the 8th to go on in the same Councils with him But he was first diverted by his Alliance with Clement the 7th and afterwards by the Ascendant which the Cardinal of Tournon had over him who engaged him at several times into severities against those that received the Reformation Yet he had such a close Eye upon the Emperors motions that he kept a constant good understanding with the Protestant Princes and had no doubt assisted them if he had lived But upon his death new Councils were taken the Brothers of Lorain were furiously addicted to the Interests of the Papacy one of them being a Cardinal who perswaded the King rather to begin his Reign with the recovery of Bulloine out of the hands of the English So that the state of Germany was almost desperate before he was aware of it And indeed the Germans lost so much in the death of these two Kings upon whose assistance they had depended that it was no wonder they were easily over-run by the Emperor Some of their Allies the Cities of Vlm and Frankfort and the Duke of
Wittemberg submitting themselves to the Emperors mercy the rest were much disheartned which is a constant forerunner of the ruine of a Confederacy Such was the state of Religion abroad The design laid for a further Reformation at home At home Mens minds were much distracted The People especially in Market Towns and Places of Trade began generally to see into many of the corruptions of the Doctrine and Worship and were weary of them Some preached against some abuses Glasier at Pauls Cross taught that the observance of Lent was only a Positive Law others went further and plainly condemned most of the former abuses But the Clergy were as much engaged to defend them They were for the most part such as had been bred in Monasteries and Religious Houses For there being Pensions reserved for the Monks when their Houses were surrendred and dissolved till they should be otherwise provided The Court of Augmentations took care to ease the King of that Charge by recommending them to such small Benefices as were at the Kings disposal and such as purchased those Lands of the Crown with that Charge of paying the Pensions to the Monks were also careful to ease themselves by procuring Benefices for them The Benefices were generally very small so that in many Places three or four Benefices could hardly afford enough for the maintenance of one Man And this gave some colour for that abuse of one Man's having many Benefices that have a care of Souls annexed to them and that not only where they are so contiguous that the duty can be discharged by one and so poor that the maintenance of both will scarce serve for the encouragement of one Person but even where they are very remote and of considerable value This Corruption that crept in in the dark Ages of the Church was now practised in England out of necessity By an Act made in King Henry the 8th's time none might hold two Benefices without a Dispensation but no Dispensation could enable one to hold three yet that was not at this time much considered The excuses made for this were That in some Places they could not find good Men for the Benefices but in most Places the Livings were brought to nothing For while the Abbies stood the Abbots allowed those whom they appointed to serve the Cure in the Churches that belonged to them which were in value above the half of England a small Stipend or some little part of the Vicarage Tithes and they were to raise their subsistence out of the Fees they had by the Sacraments and other Sacramentals and chiefly by the singing Masses for the Poor that died for the Abbies had the profit of it from the Rich. And Masses went generally for 2 d. a Groat was thought a great Bounty So they all concluded themselves undone if these things were withdrawn This engaged them against any Reformation since every step that was made in it took their Bread out of their Mouths But they being generally very ignorant could oppose nothing with the force of Reason or Learning So although they were resolved to comply with any thing rather than forfeit their Benefices yet in their hearts they abhorred all Reformation and murmured against it where they thought they might do it safely some preached as much for the old abuses as others did against them Dr. Peru at St. Andrews Vndershaft justified the Worship of Images on the 23d of April yet on the 19th of June he preached a Recantation of that Sermon Besides these there were great Prelates as Gardiner Bonner and Tonstall whose long experience in Affairs they being oft employed in Forreign Ambassies together with their high preferment gave them great Authority and they were against all Alterations in Religion But that was not so decent to profess therefore they set up on this pretence That till the King their Supream Head were of Age so as to consider things himself all should continue in the state in which King Henry had left them and these depended on the Lady Mary the Kings eldest Sister as their Head who now professed her self to be in all Points for what her Father had done and was very earnest to have every thing Enacted by him but chiefly the six Articles to continue in force On the other hand Crvnmer being now delivered from that too awful subjection that he had been held under by King Henry resolved to go on more vigorously in purging out abuses He had the Protector firmly united to him in this design Dr. Cox and Mr. Cheek who were about the young King were also very careful to infuse right Principles of Religion into him and as he was very capable of understanding what was laid before him so he had an early liking to all good and generous Principles and was of so excellent a temper of mind that as he naturally loved Truth so the great probity of his Manners made him very inclinable to love and cherish true Religion Cranmer had also several Bishops of his side Holgate of York Holbeach of Lincoln Goodrick of Ely and above all Ridley Elect of Rochester designed for that See by King Henry but not Consecrated till September this Year Old Latimer was now discharged of his Imprisonment but had no mind to return to a more publick Station and did choose rather to live private and employ himself in Preaching He was kept by Cranmer at Lambeth where he spent the rest of his days till he was imprisoned in Queen Maries time and attained the glorious end of his innocent and pious Life But the apprehensions of his being restored again to his old Bishoprick put Heath then Bishop of Worcester into great anxieties sometimes he thought if he consented to the Reformation then Latimer who left his Bishoprick on the account of the six Articles must be restored and this made him joyn with the Popish Party at other times Journal of the House of Commons when he saw the House of Commons moved to have Latimer put in again then he joyned in the Councils for the Reformation to secure Friends to himself by that compliance Others of the Bishops were ignorant and weak Men who understood Religion little and valued it less and so although they liked the old Superstition best because it encouraged Ignorance most and that was the only sure Support of their Power and Wealth yet they resolved to swim with the Stream It was designed by Cranmer and his Friends to carry on the Reformation but by slow and safe degrees not hazarding too much at once They trusted in the Providence of God that he would assist them in so good a Work They knew the corruptions they were to throw out to be such that they should easily satisfie the People with what they did and they had many Learned Men among them who had now for divers years been examining these matters There were also many that declared they had heard the late King express his great regret for leaving the state
with a hot Iron on their Breast A great many Provisoes follow concerning Clerks so convict which shew that this Act was chiefly levelled at the idle Monks and Friars who went about the Country and would betake themselves to no employment but finding the People apt to have compassion on them they continued in that course of life Which was of very ill consequence to the State For these Vagrants did every where alienate the Peoples Minds from the Government and perswaded them that things would never be well setled till they were again restored to their Houses Some of these came often to London on pretence of suing for their Pensions but really to practise up and down through the Country To prevent this there was a Proclamation set out on the 18th of September requiring them to stay in the Places where they lived and to send up a Certificate where they were to the Court of Augmentations who should thereupon give order for their constant payment Some thought this Law against Vagabonds was too severe and contrary to that common liberty of which the English Nation has been always very sensible both in their own and their Neighbours particulars Yet it could not be denied but extream Diseases required extream Remedies and perhaps there is no punishment too severe for Persons that are in health and yet prefer a loitering course of life to an honest employment There followed in the Act many excellent Rules for providing for the truly poor and indigent in the several Places where they were born and had their abode Of which this can only be said That as no Nation has laid down more effectual Rules for the supplying the Poor than England so that indeed none can be in absolute want so the neglect of these Laws is a just and great reproach on those who are charged with the execution of them when such numbers of poor Vagabonds swarm every where without the due restraints that the Laws have appointed On the 6th of December the Bill for giving the Chantries to the King was brought into the House of Lords An Act giving the Chantries to the King It was read the second time on the 12th the third time on the 13th and the fourth time on the 14th of that Month. It was much opposed both by Cranmer on the one hand and the Popish Bishops on the other The late Kings Executors saw they could not pay his Debts nor satisfie themselves in their own pretensions formerly mentioned out of the Kings Revenue and so intended to have these to be divided among them Cranmer opposed it long For the Clergy being much empoverished by the Sale of the impropriated Tithes that ought in all reason to have return'd into the Church but upon the dissolution of the Abbies were all sold among the Laity he saw no probable way remaining for their supply but to save these Endowments till the King were of Age being confident he was so piously disposed that they should easily perswade him to convert them all to the bettering of the Condition of the poor Clergy that were now brought into extream misery And therefore he was for reforming and preserving these Foundations till the Kings full Age. The Popish Bishops liked these Endowments so well that upon far different Motives they were for continuing them in the state they were in But those who were to gain by it were so many that the Act passed the Arch-bishop of Canterbury the Bishops of London Duresme Ely Norwich Hereford Worcester and Chichester dissenting So it being sent down to the House of Commons was there much opposed by some Burgesses who represented that the Boroughs for which they served could not maintain their Churches and other publick Works of the Guilds and Fraternities if the Rents belonging to them were given to the King for these were likewise in the Act. This was chiefly done by the Burgesses of Linn and Coventry who were so active that the whole House was much set against that part of the Bill for the Guild-Lands Therefore those who managed that House for the Court took these off by an assurance that their Guild-Lands should be restored to them And so they desisted from their opposition and the Bill passed on the promise given to them which was afterwards made good by the Protector In the Preamble of the Act it is set forth That the great superstition of Christians rising out of their ignorance of the true way of Salvation by the death of Christ in stead of which they had set up the vain conceits of Purgatory and Masses satisfactory was much supported by Trentals and Chantries And since the converting these to godly uses such as the endowing of Schools Provisions for the Poor and the augmenting of Places in the Universities could not be done by Parliament they therefore committed it to the care of the King And then reciting the Act made in the 37th year of his Fathers Reign they give the King all such Chantries Colledges and Chappels as were not possessed by the late King and all that had been in being any time these five years last past as also all Revenues belonging to any Church for Anniversaries Obits and Lights together with all Guild-Lands which any Fraternity of Men enjoyed for Obits or the like and appoint these to be converted to the maintenance of Gramar-Schools or Preachers and for the encrease of Vicarages After this followed the Act giving the King the Customs known by the Name of Tonnage and Poundage besides some other Laws of Matters that are not needful to be remembred in this History Last of all came the Kings general Pardon with the common mon Exceptions among which one was of these who were then Prisoners in the Tower of London in which the Duke of Norfolk was included So all business being ended the Parliament was Prorogued from the 24th of December to the 20th of April following Acts that were proposed but not carried But having given this account of these Bills that were passed I shall not esteem it an unfruitful piece of History to shew what other Bills were designed There were put into the House of Lords two Bills that were stifled The one was for the use of the Scriptures which came not to a second reading The other was a Bill for erecting a new Court of Chancery for Ecclesiastical and Civil Causes which was committed to some Bishops and Temporal Lords but never more mentioned The Commons sent up also some Bills which the Lords did not agree to One was about Benefices with Cure and Residence It was committed but never reported Another was for the Reformation of divers Laws and of the Courts of Common-Law and a third was that married Men might be Priests and have Benefices To this the Commons did so readily agree that it being put in on the 19th of December and read then for the first time it was read twice the next day and sent up to the Lords on the 21st But
Objection of great force from the Acts pass'd in the 21st Year of Richard the second 's Reign In the second Act of that Parliament it is said That it was first prayed by the Commons and that the Lords Spiritual and the Proctors of the Clergy did assent to it upon which the King by the assent of all the Lords and Commons did enact it The 12th Act of that Parliament was a Repeal of the whole Parliament that was held in the 11th Year of that Reign and concerning it it is expressed That the Lords Spiritual and Temporal the Proctors of the Clergy and the Commons being severally examined did all agree to it From hence it appears that these Proctors were then not only a part of the Parliament but were a distinct Body of Men that did severally from all the rest deliver their Opinions It may seem strange that if they were then considered as a part of either House of Parliament this should be the only time in which they should be mentioned as bearing their share in the Legislative Power In a matter that is so perplexed and dark I shall presume to offer a Conjecture which will not appear perhaps improbable In the 129th Page of the former part I gave the Reasons that made me think the lower House of Convocation consisted at first only of the Proctors of the Clergy So that by the Proctors of the Clergy both in the Statute of Ireland and in those made by Richard the second is perhaps to be understood the lower House of Convocation and it is not unreasonable to think that upon so great an occasion as the annulling a whole Parliament to make it pass the better in an Age in which the People payed so blind a Submission to the Clergy the concurrence of the whole Representative of the Church might have been thought necessary It is generally believed that the whole Parliament sate together in one House before Edward the thirds time and then the Inferior Clergy were a part of that Body without question But when the Lords and Commons sate a-part the Clergy likewise sate in two Houses and granted Subsidies as well as the Temporalty It may pass for no unlikely conjecture that the Clause Premonentes was first put in the Bishops Writ for the summoning of the lower House of Convocation consisting of these Proctors and afterwards though there was a special Writ for the Convocation yet this might at first have been continued in the Bishops Writ by the neglect of a Clark and from thence be still used So that it seems to me most probable that the Proctors of the Clergy were both in England and Ireland the lower House of Convocation Now before the Submission which the Clergy made to King Henry as the Convocation gave the King great Subsidies so the whole business of Religion lay within their Sphere But after the Submission they were cut off from medling with it except as they were authorized by the King So that having now so little power left them it is no wonder they desired to be put in the state they had been in before the Convocation was separated from the Parliament or at least that Matters of Religion should not be determined till they had been consulted and had reported their Opinions and Reasons The Extreme of raising the Ecclesiastical Power too high in the Times of Popery had now produced another of depressing it too much For seldom is the Counterpoise so justly ballanced that Extremes are reduced to a well-tempered Mediocrity For the third Petition it was resolved that many Bishops and Divines should be sent to Windsor to labour in the Matter of the Church-Service But that required so much consideration that they could not enter on it during a Session of Parliament And for the fourth what Answer was given to it doth not appear On the 29th of November a Declaration was sent down from the Bishops concerning the Sacraments being to be received in both kinds To which Jo. Tyler the Prolocutor and several others set their Hands and being again brought before them it was agreed to by all without a contradictory Vote 64 being present among whom I find Polidore Virgil was one And on the 17th of December the Proposition concerning the Marriage of the Clergy was also sent to them and subscribed by 35 affirmatively and by 14 negatively so it was ordered that a Bill should be drawn concerning it I shall not here digress to give an account of what was alledged for or against this reserving that to its proper place when the thing was finally setled And this is all the account I could recover of this Convocation I have chiefly gathered it from some Notes and other Papers of the then Dr. Parker afterwards Arch-bishop of Canterbury which are carefully preserved with his other MSS. in Corpus Christi Colledge Library at Cambridge To which Library I had free access by the favour of the most learned Master Dr. Spencer with the other Worthy Fellows of that House and from thence I collected many remarkable things in this History The Parliament being brought to so good a Conclusion the Protector took out a new Commission in which all the Addition that is made to that Authority he formerly had is that in his absence he is empow'red to substitute another to whom he might delegate his Power The state of Affairs in Germany And thus this Year ended in England but as they were carrying on the Reformation here it was declining apace in Germany The Duke of Saxe and the Landgrave were this Year to command their Armies apart The Duke of Saxe kept within his own Country but having there unfortunately divided his Forces the Emperor overtook him near the Alb at Mulberg where the Emperors Soldiers crossing the River and pursuing him with great fury after some resistance in which he himself performed all that could be expected from so great a Captain was taken Prisoner 1547. Apr. 24. Duke of Saxe taken and his Country all possessed by Maurice who was now to be invested with the Electoral Dignity He bore his misfortunes with a greatness and equality of mind that is scarce to be parallel'd in History Neither could the insolence with which the Emperor treated him nor the fears of death to which he adjudged him nor that tedious imprisonment which he suffered so long ever shake or disorder a Mind that was raised so far above the inconstancies of Humane Affairs And though he was forced to submit to the hardest Conditions possible of renouncing his Dignity and Dominions some few Places being only reserved for his Family yet no Entreaties nor Fears could ever bring him to yield any thing in Matters of Religion He made the Bible his chief Companion and Comfort in his sharp Afflictions which he bore so as if he had been raised up to that end to let the World see how much he was above it It seemed unimitable and therefore engaged Thuanus with the other
they had now lost all hopes of the Marriage and were almost engaged in a War with France which was like to fall on the King when his Affairs were in an ill condition his People being divided and discontented at home and his Treasure much exhausted by this War The state of Germany was at this time most deplorable The Affairs of Germany The Pope and Emperor continued their quarrelling about the translation of the Council Mendoza at Rome and Velasco at Bologna declared in the Emperors Name that a Council being called by his great and long endeavours for the quieting of Germany and he being engaged in a War to get it to be received and having procured a submission of the Empire to the Council it was upon frivolous and feigned causes removed out of Germany to one of the Popes Towns by which the Germans thought themselves disengaged of their promise which was to submit to a Council in Germany and therefore that he protested against it as an unlawful Meeting to whose Decrees he would not submit and that if they did not return to Trent he would take care of setling Religion some other way But the Pope being encouraged by the French King was not ill pleased to see the Emperor anew embroil himself with the Germans and therefore intended the Council should be continued at Bologna The Emperor being displeased with the Translation of the Council orders the Interim to be drawn Upon this the Emperor ordered three Divines Julius Flugius Bishop of Naumburg Michael Sidonius and Islebius Agricola to draw a Form of Religion The two former had been always Papists and the latter was formerly a Protestant but was believed to be now corrupted by the Emperor that the Name of one of the Ausburg Confession might make what they were to set out pass the more easily They drew up all the Points of Religion in a Book which was best known by the Name of the Interim because it was to last during that Interval till a General Council should meet in Germany In it all the Points of the Romish Doctrine were set forth in the smoothest terms possible only married Men might officiate as Priests and the Communion was to be given in both kinds Feb. Diet at Ausburg The Book being thus prepared a Diet was summoned to Ausburg in Feb. where the first thing done was the solemn Investiture of Maurice in the Electorate of Saxony He had been declared Elector last year by the Emperor before Wittenberg but now it was performed with great Ceremony on the 24th of Feb. which was the Emperors Birth-day Feb. 24. Maurice made Elector of Saxony John Frederick looking on with his usual constancy of mind All he said was Now they triumph in that Dignity of which they have against Justice and Equity spoiled me God grant they may enjoy it peaceably and happily and may never need any assistance from me or my Posterity And without expressing any further concern about it he went to his Studies which were almost wholly employed in the Scriptures The Book of the Interim being prepared the Elector of Brandenburg sent for Martin Bucer who was both a learned and moderate Divine and shewed it him Bucer having read it plainly told him that it was nothing but downright Popery only a little disguised at which the Elector was much offended for he was pleased with it and Bucer not without great danger returned back to Strasburg On the 15th of March March 15. The Interim received in the Diet. the Book was proposed to the Diet and the Elector of Mentz without any order did in all the Princes Names give the Emperor thanks for it which he interpreted as the assent of the whole Diet and after that would not hear any that came to him to stop it but published it as agreed to by the Diet. The Papists offended at it as well as the Protestants At Rome and Bologna it was much condemned as an high attempt in the Emperor to meddle with Points of Religion such as dispensing with the Marriage of Priests and the Communion in both kinds Wherefore some of that Church writ against it And Matters went so high that wise Men of that side began to fear the Breach between the Emperor and them might before they were aware be past reconciling for they had not forgot that the last Popes stiffness had lost England and they were not a little afraid they might now lose the Emperor But if the Pope were offended for the concessions in these two Particulars the Protestants thought they had much greater cause to dislike it since in all other controverted Points it was against them So that several of that side writ likewise against it But the Emperor was now so much exalted with his success that he resolved to go through with it little regarding the opposition of either hand The new Elector of Saxony went home and offered it to his Subjects But they refused to receive it and said as Sir Philip Hobbey Cotton Library Titus B. 2. then Ambassador from England at the Emperors Court writ over that they had it under the Emperors Hand and Seal that he should not meddle with Matters of Religion but only with reforming the Common-wealth and that if their Prince would not protect them in this matter they should find another who would defend them from such oppression An Exhortation for the receiving of it was read at Ausburg but they also refused it Many Towns sent their Addresses to the Emperor desiring him not to oppress their Consciences But none was of such a nature as that from Linda a little Town near Constance which had declared for the Emperor in the former War They returned answer That they could not agree to the Interim without incurring Eternal Damnation but to shew their submission to him in all other things they should not shut their Gates nor make resistance against any he should find though it were to spoil and destroy their Town This let the Emperor and his Council see how difficult a work it would be to subdue the Consciences of the Germans But his Chancellor Granvell pressed him to extream Councils and to make an example of that Town who had so peremptorily refused to obey his Commands Yet he had little reason to hope he should prevail on those who were at liberty when he could work so little on his Prisoner the Duke of Saxe For he had endeavoured by great offers to perswade him to agree to it but all was in vain for he always told them that kept him that his Person was in their Power but his Conscience was in his own and that he would not on any terms depart from the Ausburg Confession Upon this he was severely used his Chaplain was put from him with most of his Servants but he continued still unmoved and as cheerful as in his greatest Prosperity The Lutheran Divines entred into great disputes how far they might comply
would consent to it so if he had married her without that the possibility of succeeding to the Crown was cut off by King Henry's Will And this Attempt of his occasioned that Act to be put in which was formerly mentioned for declaring the marrying the Kings Sisters without consent of Council to be Treason Seeing he could not compass that design he resolved to carry away the King to his House of Holt in the Country and so to displace his Brother and to take the Government into his own hands For this end he had laid in Magazines of Arms and listed about 10000 Men in several Places and openly complained that his Brother intended to enslave the Nation and make himself Master of all and had therefore brought over those German Soldiers He had also entred into Treaty with several of the Nobility that envied his Brothers greatness and were not ill pleased to see a breach between them and that grown to be irreconcilable To these he promised that they should be of the Council and that he would dispose of the King in Marriage to one of their Daughters the Person is not named The Protector had often told him of these things and warned him of the danger into which he would throw himself by such ways but he persisted still in his designs though he denied and excused them as long as was possible Now his restless ambition seeming incurable he was on the 19th of Jan. sent to the Tower The original Warrant Jan. 19. The Admiral sent to the Tower Signed by all the Privy Council is in the Council-Book formerly mentioned where the Earl of Southampton Signs with the rest who was now in outward appearance reconciled to the Protector On the day following the Admirals Seal of his Office was sent for and put into Secretary Smiths Hands And now many things broke out against him and particularly a Conspiracy of his with Sir W. Sharington Vice-Treasurer of the Mint at Bristol who was to have furnished him with 10000 l. and had already coined about 12000 l. false Money and had clipt a great deal more to the value of 40000 l. in all for which he was attainted by a Process at Common Law and that was confirmed in Parliament Fowler also that waited in the Privy Chamber with some few others were sent to the Tower Many complaints being usually brought against a sinking Man the Lord Russel the Earl of Southampton and Secretary Petre were ordered to receive their Examinations And thus the Business was let alone till the 28 of Feb. in which time his Brother did again try if it were possible to bring him to a better temper And as he had since their first breach granted him 800 l. a year in Land to gain his friendship so means were now used to perswade him to submit himself and to withdraw from Court and from all employment But it appeared that nothing could be done to him that could cure his ambition or the hatred he carried to his Brother And therefore on the 22d of Feb. a full report was made to the Council of all the things that were informed against him consisting not only of the Particulars formerly mentioned but of many foul misdemeanours in the discharge of the Admiralty several Pirates being entertained by him who gave him a share of their Robberies and whom he had protected notwithstanding the Complaints made by other Princes by which the King was in danger of a War from the Princes so complaining The whole Charge consists of 33 Articles which will be found in the Collection Collection Number 31. The Particulars as it is entred in the Council-Book were so manifestly proved not only by Witnesses but by Letters under his own Hand that it did not seem possible to deny them Yet he had been sent to and examined by some of the Council but refused to make a direct Answer to them or to Sign those Answers that he had made So it was ordered that the next day all the Privy Council except the Arch-bishop of Canterbury and Sir John Baker Speaker to the House of Commons who was engaged to attend in the House should go to the Tower and examine him On the 23d the Lord Chancellor with the other Councellors went to him and read the Articles of his Charge and earnestly desired him to make plain Answers to them excusing himself where he could and submitting himself in other things and that he would shew no obstinacy of Mind He answered them That he expected an open Trial and his Accusers to be brought face to face All the Councellors endeavoured to perswade him to be more tractable but to no purpose At last the Lord Chancellor required him on his Allegiance to make his Answer He desired they would leave the Articles with him and he would consider of them otherwise he would make no Answer to them But the Councellors resolved not to leave them with him on those terms On the 24th of Feb. it was resolved in Council that the whole Board should after Dinner acquaint the King with the state of that Affair and desire to know of him whether he would have the Law to take place and since the thing had been before the Parliament whether he would leave it to their determination so tender they were of their young King in a Case that concerned his Unkles Life But the King had begun to discern his seditious temper and was now much alienated from him The Council desired the King to refer the Matter to the Parliament When the Councellors waited on him the Lord Chancellor opened the Matter to the King and delivered his Opinion for leaving it to the Parliament Then every Councellor by himself spake his mind all to the same purpose Last of all the Protector spake he protested this was a most sorrowful business to him that he had used all the means in his power to keep it from coming to this extremity but were it Son or Brother he must prefer his Majesties safety to them for he weighed his Allegiance more than his Blood and that therefore he was not against the request that the other Lords had made and said if he himself were guilty of such offences he should not think he were worthy of life and the rather because he was of all Men the most bound to his Majesty and therefore he could not refuse Justice The King answered them in these words Who consented to it We perceive that there are great things objected and laid to my Lord Admiral my Unkle and they tend to Treason and We perceive that you require but Justice to be done We think it reasonable and We Will that you proceed according to your Request Which words as it is marked in the Council-Book coming so suddenly from his Graces Mouth of his own motion as the Lords might well perceive they were marvellously rejoyced and gave the King most hearty praise and thanks yet resolved that some of both Houses
Church received that Sacrament frequently and in both kinds To the sixth Baptism in Cases of necessity was to be administred at any time but out of these Cases it was fit to do it solemnly and in the Ancient Church it was chiefly done on the Eves of Easter and Whit-Sunday of which usage some Footsteps remained still in the old Offices To the seventh these were late superstitious devices Images were contrary to the Scriptures first set up for remembrance but soon after made Objects of Worship To the eight The old Service had many ludicrous things in it the new was simple and grave If it appeared ridiculous to them it was as the Gospel was long ago foolishness to the Greeks To the ninth The Scriptures say nothing of it it was a superstitious Invention derogatory to Christs death To the tenth The Scriptures are the Word of God and the readiest way to confound that which is Heresie indeed To the eleventh These were ignorant superstitious and deceitful Persons To the twelfth Pool had been attainted in Parliament for his spiteful Writings and Doings against the late King To the thirteenth It was foolish and unreasonable one Servant could not do a Man's business and by this many Servants would want employment To the fourteenth This was to rob the King and those who had these Lands of him and would be a means to make so foul a Rebellion be remembred in their Prayers To the fifteenth These were notorious Traitors to whom the Kings Council was not to submit themselves After this they grew more moderate and sent eight Articles They make new Demands 1. Concerning Baptism 2. About Confirmation 3. Of the Mass 4. For reserving the Host 5. For Holy Bread and Water 6. For the old Service 7. For the single Lives of Priests 8. For the Six Articles and concluded God save the King for they were His both Body and Goods To this there was an Answer sent in the Kings Name on the 8th of July so long did the Treaty with them hold in which Which were also rejected after Expressions of the Kings affection to his People he taxes their rising in Arms against him their King as contrary to the Laws of God He tells them That they are abused by their Priests as in the Instance of Baptism which according to the Book might necessity requiring it be done at all times that the Changes that had been set out were made after long and great consultation and the Worship of this Church by the advice of many Bishops and Learned Men was reformed as near to what Christ and his Apostles had taught and done as could be and all things had been setled in Parliament But the most specious thing that misled them being that of the Kings Age it was shewed them that his Blood and not his Years gave him the Crown and the state of Government requires that at all times there should be the same Authority in Princes and the same Obedience in the People It was all penned in a high threatning Style and concluded with an earnest Invitation of them to submit to the Kings Mercy as others that had risen had also done to whom he had not only shewed Mercy but granted Redress of their just grievances otherwise they might expect the utmost severity that Traitors deserved But nothing prevailed on this enraged Multitude whom the Priests inflamed with all the Artifices they could imagine and among whom the Host was carried about by a Priest on a Cart that all might see it But when this Commotion was thus grown to a Head The Rebellion in Norfolk headed by Ket a Tanner the Men of Norfolk rose the 6th of July being led by one Ket a Tanner These pretended nothing of Religion but only to suppress and destroy the Gentry and to raise the commons and to put new Councellors about the King They encreased mightily and became 20000 strong but had no Order nor Discipline and committed many horrid outrages The Sheriff of the County came boldly to them and required them in the Kings Name to disperse and go home but had he not been well mounted they had put him cruelly to death They came to Moushold Hill above Norwich and were much favoured by many in that City Parker afterwards Arch-bishop of Canterbury came among them and preached very freely to them of their ill Lives their Rebellion against the King and the Robberies they daily committed by which he was in great danger of his Life Ket assumed to himself the Power of Judicature and under an old Oak called from thence the Oak of Reformation did such Justice as might be expected from such a Judge and in such a Camp The Marquess of Northampton was sent against them but with Orders to keep at a distance from them and to cut off their Provisions for so it was hoped that without the shedding much Blood they might come to themselves again When the news of this Rising came into York-shire the Commons there rose also A Rising in York-shire being further encouraged by a Prophecy That there should be no King nor Nobility in England that the Kingdom should be ruled by four Governours chosen by the Commons who should hold a Parliament in commotion to begin at the South and North Seas This they applied to the Devon-shire Men on the South Seas and themselves on the North Seas They at their first rising fired Beacons and so gathered the Country as if it had been for the defence of the Coast and meeting two Gentlemen with two others with them they without any provocation murdered them and left their naked Bodies unburied The French fall into the Bullognese At the same time that England was in this Commotion the News came that the French King had sent a great Army into the Territory of Bulloigne so that the Government was put to most extraordinary straits A Fast at Court where Cranmer preached Ex MS. Col. C. C. Cantab. There was a Fast proclaimed in and about London Cranmer preached on the Fast-day at Court I have seen the greatest part of his Sermon under his own Hand and it is the only Sermon of his I ever saw It is a very plain unartificial Discourse no shews of Learning or conceits of Wit in it but he severely expostulated in the Name of God with his Hearers for their ill Lives their Blasphemies Adulteries mutual Hatred Oppression and Contempt of the Gospel and complained of the slackness in punishing these sins by which the Government became in some sort guilty of them He set many Passages of the Jewish Story before them of the Judgments such sins drew on and of Gods Mercy in the unexpected deliverances they met with upon their true Repentance But he chiefly lamented the scandal given by many who pretended a zeal for Religion but used that for a Cloak to disguise their other Vices He set before them the fresh Example of Germany where People generally
the Bishoprick of Duresme Upon this the Protector writ a chiding Letter to him To it he writ an Answer so sutable to what became a Bishop who would put all things to hazard rather than do any thing against his Conscience that I thought it might do no small right to his Memory to put it with the Answer which the Protector writ to him in the Collection Collection Numb 59 60. These with many more I found among his Majesties Papers of State in that Repository of them commonly called the Paper-Office To which I had a free access by a Warrant which was procured to me from the King by the Right Honourable the Earl of Sunderland one of the Principal Secretaries of State who very cheerfully and generously expressed his readiness to assist me in any thing that might compleat the History of our Reformation That Office was first set up by the care of the Earl of Salisbury when he was Secretary of State in King James's time which though it is a copious and certain Repertory for those that are to write our History ever since the Papers of State were laid up there yet for the former times it contains only such Papers as that great Minister could then gather together so that it is not so compleat in the Transactions that fall within the time of which I writ There was also a settlement made of the Controversie concerning the Greek Tongue A contest about pronouncing the Greek There had been in King Henry's time a great Contest raised concerning the Pronunciation of the Greek Vowels That Tongue was but lately come to any perfection in England and so no wonder the Greek was pronounced like English with the same sound and apertures of the Mouth To this Mr. Cheek then Reader of that Tongue in Cambridge opposed himself and taught other Rules of Pronunciation Gardiner was it seems so afraid of every Innovation though ever so much in the right that he contended stifly to have the old Pronunciation retained and Cheek persisting in his Opinion was either put from the Chair or willingly left it to avoid the Indignation of so great and so spiteful a Man as Gardiner was who was then Chancellor of the University Cheek wrote a Book in vindication of his way of pronouncing Greek of which this must be said That it is very strange to see how he could write with so much Learning and Judgment on so bare a Subject Redmayn Poinet and other learned Men were of his side yet more covertly but Sir Tho. Smith now Secretary of State writ three Books on the same Argument and did so evidently confirm Cheeks Opinion that the Dispute was now laid aside and the true way of pronouncing the Greek took place the rather because Gardiner was in disgrace and Cheek and Smith were in such Power and Authority So great an Influence had the Interests of Men in supporting the most speculative and indifferent things Soon after this Bonner fell into new troubles Bonner falls into trouble he continued to oppose every thing as long as it was safe for him to do it while it was under debate and so kept his Interest with the Papists but he complied so obediently with all the Laws and Orders of Council that it was not easie to find any matter against him He executed every Order that was sent him so readily that there was not so much as ground for any Complaint yet it was known he was in his Heart against every thing they did and that he cherished all that were of a contrary mind The Council being informed that upon the Commotions that were in England many in London withdrew from the Service and Communion and frequented Masses which was laid to his charge as being negligent in the execution of the Kings Laws and Injunctions they writ to him on the 23d of July to see to the correcting of these things and that he should give good example himself Upon which on the 26th following he sent about a Charge to execute the Order in this Letter which he said he was most willing and desirous to do Yet it was still observed that whatsoever obedience he gave it was against his Heart And therefore he was called before the Council the 11th of August Injunctions are given him There a Writing was deliver'd to him complaining of his remissness and particularly that whereas he was wont formerly on all high Festivals to officiate himself yet he had seldom or never done it since the New Service was set out as also that Adultery was openly practised in his Diocess which he took no care according to his Pastoral Office to restrain or punish therefore he was strictly charged to see these things reformed He was also ordered to preach on Sunday come three weeks at St. Pauls Cross and that he should preach there once a quarter for the future and be present at every Sermon made there except he were sick that he should officiate at St. Pauls at every high Festival such as were formerly called Majus duplex and give the Communion that he should proceed against all who did not frequent the Common-Prayer nor receive the Sacrament once a year or did go to Mass that he should search out and punish Adulterers that he should take care of the reparation of Churches and paying Tythes in his Diocess and should keep his residence in his House in London As to his Sermon he was required to preach against Rebellion setting out the hainousness of it he was also to shew what was true Religion and that external Ceremonies were nothing in themselves but that in the use of them Men ought to obey the Magistrate and joyn true devotion to them and that the King was no less King and the People no less bound to obey when he was in Minority than when he was of full Age. In his Sermon he did not set forth the King Power under Age as he had been required to do On the first of September being the day appointed for him to preach there was a great Assembly gathered to hear him He touched upon the Points that were enjoyned him excepting that about the Kings Age of which he said not one word But since the manner of Christs Presence in the Sacrament was a thing which he might yet safely speak of he spent most of his Sermon on the asserting the Corporal Presence which he did with many sharp reflections on those who were of another mind There were present among others William Latimer and John Hooper soon after Bishop of Glocester who came and informed against him that as he had wholly omitted that about the Kings Age so he had touched the other Points but slightly and did say many other things which tended to stir up disorder and dissention Upon this there was a Commission issued out to Cranmer and Ridley with the two Secretaries of State Rot. Pat. 11. Par. 3. Reg. and Dr. May Dean of St. Pauls to
Flemings were much disgusted with the Queen Regents Government who when there was need of Money sent to Bruges and Antwerp ordering Deputies to be sent her from Flanders and Brabant and when they were come she told them what Money must be raised and if they made any objections she used to bid them give over merchandizing with the Emperor for he must and would have the Money he asked so that nothing remained to them but to see how to raise what was thus demanded of them rather than desired from them This as the English Ambassador writ from Bruges seemed to be the reason that moved the Emperor to make his Son swear to such Rules of Government which the Sequel of his Life shewed he meant to observe in the same manner that his Father had done before him At the same time in May this year I find a secret Advertisement was sent over from France to the English Court that there was a private Treaty set on foot between that King and the Princes of Germany for restoring the liberty of the Empire but that the King of France was resolved to have Bulloigne in his Hands before he entred on new Projects Therefore it was proposed to the Protector to consider whether it were not best to deliver it up by a Treaty and so to leave the King of France free to the defence of their Friends in the Empire for I find the consideration of the Protestant Religion was the chief measure of our Councils all this Reign A great Faction against the Protector Upon this there was great distraction in the Councils at home The Protector was inclined to deliver up Bulloigne for a Sum of Money and to make Peace both with the French and Scots The Kings Treasure was exhausted Affairs at home were in great confusion the defence of Bulloign was a great charge and a War with France was a thing of that consequence that in that state of Affairs it was not to be adventured on But on the other hand those who hated the Protector and measured Councils more by the bravery than the solidity of them said it would be a reproach to the Nation to deliver up a Place of that consequence which their late King in the declining of his days had gained with so much loss of Men and Treasure and to sell this for a little Money was accounted so sordid that the Protector durst not adventure on it Upon this occasion I find Sir William Paget being made Comptroller of the Kings Houshold Pagets Advice about Forreign Affairs which was then thought an advancement from the Office of a Secretary of State made a long Discourse Cotton Libr. Titus B. 2. and put it in Writing The substance of it was to ballance the dangers in which England was at that time The Business of Scotland and Bulloigne drew France into a Quarrel against it On the account of Religion it had no reason to expect much from the Emperor The Interest of England was then to preserve the Protestants of Germany and therefore to unite with France which would be easily engaged in that Quarrel against the Emperor He proposed a firm Alliance with the Venetians who were then jealous of the Emperors Progress in Italy and would be ready to joyn against him if he were throughly engaged in Germany and by their means England was to make up an agreement with France On the other hand William Thomas then a Clerk of the Council Thomas's Advice differs from his Cott. Libr. Vespasian D. 18. writ a long Discourse of other Expedients He agreed with Paget as to the ill state of England having many Enemies and no Friends The North of England was wasted by the incursion of the Scots Ireland was also in an ill condition for the Natives there did generally joyn with the Scots being addicted to the old Superstition The Emperor was so set on reducing all to one Religion that they could expect no great Aid from him unless they gave him some hope of returning to the Roman Religion But the continuance of the War would undo the Nation for if the War went on the People would take advantage from it to break out into new disorders it would be also very dishonourable to deliver up or rather to sell the late Conquests in France Therefore he proposed that to gain time they should treat with the Emperor and even give him hopes of re-examining what had been done in Religion though there was danger even in that of disheart'ning those of Magdeburg and the few remaining Protestants in Germany as also they might expect the Emperor would be highly enraged when he should come to find that he had been deluded but the gaining of time was then so necessary that the preservation of the Nation depended on it For Scotland he proposed that the Governour of that Kingdom should be pressed to pretend to the Crown since their Queen was gone into a strange Country by this means Scotland would be for that whole Age separated from the Interests of France and obliged to depend on England and the French were now so hated in Scotland that any who would set up against them would have an easie Work especially being assisted by the nearness of England And for Ireland he proposed that the chief Heads of Families should be drawn over and kept at Court And that England thus being respited from Forreign War the Nation should be armed and exercised the Coin reformed Treasure laid up and things in the Government at home that were uneasie should be corrected Thus I have opened the Councils at that time as I found them laid before me in these Authentick Papers from which I drew them Paget sent over to treat with the Emperor The result of their Consultation was to send over Sir William Paget to joyn with Sir Philip Hobbey then Resident at the Emperors Court His Instructions will be found in the Collection The Substance of them was Collection Number 38. That the Treaty between the Emperor and the late King should be renewed with this King and confirmed by the Prince and the States of Flanders that some ambiguous Passages in it should be cleared that the Emperor would comprehend Bulloigne within the League defensive and so protect it England being ready to offer any thing reciprocal in the room of it He was also to shew their readiness to agree to the Emperor concerning the Lady Maries Marriage to adjust some differences occasioned by the complaints made of the Admiralty and about Trade to shew the reason of the Messages that passed between them and France and to engage that if the Emperor would heartily assist them they would never agree with France Paget was also to propose as of himself that Bulloigne should be put into the Emperors Hands upon a reasonable recompence Thus was Paget instructed and sent over in June this Year But the Emperor put him off with many delays and said The carrying of his
of some Opinions should be declared Felony it passed with them but was laid aside by the Lords 1550. A Bill for the Form of Ordaining Ministers was brought in to the House of Lords and was agreed to the Bishops of Duresme Carlisle Worcester Chichester and Westminster protesting against it The Substance of it was An Act about the Forms of giving Orders That such Forms of Ordaining Ministers as should be set forth by the advice of six Prelates and six Divines to be named by the King and authorized by a Warrant under the Great Seal should be used after April next and no other On the second of January a Bill was put in against the Duke of Somerset An Act about the Duke of Somerset of the Articles formerly mentioned with a Confession of them Signed by his Hand This he was prevailed with to do upon assurances given that he should be gently dealt with if he would freely confess and submit himself to the Kings mercy But it was said by some of the Lords that they did not know whether that Confession was not drawn from him by force and that it might be an ill President to pass Acts upon such Papers without examining the Party whether he had subscribed them freely and uncompelled so they sent four Temporal Lords and four Bishops to examine him concerning it And the day following the Bishop of Coventry and Litchfield made the Report that he thanked them for that kind Message but that he had freely subscribed the Confession that lay before them He had made it on his Knees before the King and Council and had Signed it on the 13th of December He protested his offences had flowed from rashness and indiscretion rather than malice and that he had no treasonable design against the King or his Realms So he was fined by Act of Parliament in 2000 l. a year of Land and he lost all his Goods and Offices Upon this he wrote to the Council acknowledging their favour in bringing off his Matter by a Fine he confess'd that he had fall'n into the frailties that often attend on great Places but what he had done amiss was rather for want of true Judgment than from any malicious meaning he humbly desired they would interpose with the King for a moderation of his Fine and that he might be pardoned and restored to favour assuring them that for the future he should carry himself so humbly and obediently that he should thereby make amends for his former follies This was much censured by many as a sign of an abject Spirit others thought it was wisely done in him once to get out of Prison on any terms since the greatness of his former condition gave such jealousie to his Enemies that unless he had his pardon he would be in continual danger as long as he was in their hands So on the 6th of February he was set at liberty giving Bond of 10000 l. for his good behaviour and being limited that he should stay at the Kings House of Sheen or his own of Zion and should not go four Miles from them nor come to the King or the Council unless he were called He had his Pardon on the 16th of February and carried himself after that so humbly that his behaviour with the Kings great kindness to him did so far prevail that on the 10th of April after he was restored into favour and sworn of the Privy-Council And so this storm went over him much more gently than was expected but his carriage in it was thought to have so little of the Hero that he was not much considered after this The Reformation is set on vigorously But to go on with the business of the Parliament reports had been spread that the old Service would be again set up and these were much cherished by those who still loved the former superstition who gave out that a change was to be expected since the New Service had been only the Act of the Duke of Somerset Upon this the Council wrote on Christmas day a Letter to all the Bishops of England to this effect That whereas the English Service had been devised by Learned Men according to the Scripture and the use of the Primitive Church therefore for putting away those vain expectations all Clergy-men were required to deliver to such as should be appointed by the King to receive them all Antiphonales Missals Grayles Processionals Manuals Legends Pies Portuasses Journals and Ordinals after the use of Sarum Lincoln York or any other private use requiring them also to see to the observing one uniform Order in the Service set forth by the common consent of the Realm and particularly to take care that there should be every where provision made of Bread and Wine for the Communion on Sunday This will be found in the Collection But to give a more publick declaration of their zeal Collection Number 46. an Act was brought into Parliament about it and was agreed to by all the Lords except the Earl of Darby the Bishops of Duresme Coventry and Litchfield Carlisle Worcester Westminster and Chichester and the Lords Morley Stourton Windsor and Wharton By it not only all the Books formerly mentioned were to be destroyed but all that had any Image that had belonged to any Church or Chappel were required to deface it before the last of June and in all the Primers set out by the late King the Prayers to the Saints were to be dashed out There was also an Act for a Subsidy to be payed in one year for which there was a Release granted of a Branch of the Subsidy formerly given Last of all came the Kings general Pardon out of which those in the Tower or other Prisons on the account of the State as also all Anabaptists were excepted Thus were all Matters ended and on the first of February the Parliament was prorogued Only in the House of Commons there was a Debate that deserves to be remembred It seems that before this time the Eldest Sons of Peers were not Members of the House of Commons and Sir Francis Russel becoming by the death of his elder Brother Heir apparent to the Lord Russell it was on the 21st of Jan. carried upon a Debate That he should abide in the House as he was before So it is entred in the Original Journal of the House of Commons which was communicated to me by Mr. Surle and Mr. Clark in whose Hands it is now and is the first Journal that ever was taken in that House But it may be expected that I should next give an account of the Forms of Ordination now agreed on Twelve were appointed by the Council to prepare the Book among whom Heath Bishop of Worcester was one but he would not consent to the Reformations that were proposed in it So on the 8th of February he was called before the Council and required to agree to that which all the rest had consented to But he could not be
Marriage with her it is no wonder they all wished well for both Ferdinand and his Son Maximilian were looked upon as Princes that in their Hearts loved the Reformation and the Son was not only the best Prince but accounted one of the best Men of the Age. But Latimer in his Sermon advised the King to marry in the Lord and to take care that Marriages might not be made only as bargains which was a thing too frequently done and occasioned so much Whoredom and Divorcing in the Nation He run out in a sad lamentation of the vices of the time the vanity of Women the luxury and irregularity of Men he complain'd that many were Gospellers for love of the Abbey and Chantry Lands he pressed that the discipline of the Church and the excommunicating of scandalous Persons might be again set up he advised the King to beware of seeking his pleasure too much and to keep none about him who would serve him in it he said he was so old that he believed he would never appear there more and therefore he discharged his Conscience freely he complained the Kings Debts were not paid and yet his Officers lived high made great Purchases and built Palaces he prayed them all to be good to the King and not to defraud the poor Trades-men that wrought for his Stores who were ill payed This I set down not so much to give an account of that Sermon as of the state of the Court and Nation which he so freely discoursed of Hooper is made Bishop of Glocester Wakeman that had been Abbot of Tewksbury and was after made Bishop of Glocester died in December last year and on the third of July this year Hooper was by Letters Patents appointed to be his Successor Upon which there followed a Contest that has since had such fatal consequences that of it we may say with St. James How great a matter hath a little fire kindled It has been already shewn that the Vestments used in Divine Service were appointed to be retained in this Church but Hooper refused to be consecrated in the Episcopal Vestments The grounds he went on were But refuses to wear the Episcopal Vestments That they were humane Inventions brought in by Tradition or Custom not sutable to the simplicity of the Christian Religion that all such Ceremonies were condemned by St. Paul as beggerly Elements that these Vestments had been invented chiefly for celebrating the Mass with much pomp and had been consecrated for that effect therefore he desired to be excused from the use of them Cranmer and Ridley on the other hand alledged that Traditions in matters of Faith were justly rejected but in matters of Rites and Ceremonies Custom was oft a good Argument for the continuance of that which had been long used Upon this a great Dispute rises Those Places of St. Paul did only relate to the observance of the Jewish Ceremonies which some in the Apostles times pleaded were still to be retained upon the Authority of their first Institution by Moses so this implying that the Messias was not yet come in whom all these had their accomplishment the Apostles did condemn the use of them on any such account though when the bare observing them without the opinion of any such necessity in them was likely to gain the Jews they both used Circumcision and purified themselves in the Temple If then they who had such absolute Authority in those matters did condescend so far to the weakness of the Jews it was much more becoming Subjects to give obedience to Laws in things indifferent And the abuse that had been formerly was no better reason to take away the use of these Vestments than it was to throw down Churches and take away the Bells because the one had been consecrated and the other baptized with many superstitious Ceremonies Therefore they required Hooper to conform himself to the Law Cranmer who to his other excellent qualities had joyned a singular modesty and distrust of himself writ about this difference to Bucer reducing it to these two plain Questions Whether it was lawful and free from any sin against God for the Ministers of the Church of England to use those Garments in which they did then officiate since they were required to do it by the Magistrates command And whether he that affirmed that it was unlawful or on that account refused to use those Vestments did not sin against God calling that unclean which God had sanctified and the Magistrate required since he thereby disturbed the publick order of the Kingdom To this Bucer writ a large Answer on the 8th of December this Year Bucers Opinion concerning them He thought that those who used these Garments ought to declare they did not retain them as parts of Moses Law but as things commanded by the Law of the Land he thought every Creature of God was good and no former abuse could make it so ill that it might not be retained and since these Garments had been used by the Ancient Fathers before Popery and might still be of good use to the weak when well understood and help to maintain the Ministerial Dignity and to shew that the Church did not of any lightness change old Customs he thought the retaining them was expedient that so the People might by seeing these Vestments consider of the candor and purity that became them and in this sense he thought to the Pure all things were pure and so the Apostles complied in many things with the Jews Upon the whole matter he thought they sinned who refused to obey the Laws in that particular But he added That since these Garments were abused by some to superstition and by others to be matter of contention he wished they were taken away and a more compleat Reformation established he also prayed that a stop might be put to the spoiling of Churches and that Ecclesiastical Discipline against offenders might be set up for said he unless these manifest and horrid Sacriledges be put down and the compleat Kingdom of Christ be received so that we all submit to his Yoke how intolerably shall the wrath of God break out on this Kingdom The Scriptures sets many such Examples before our Eyes and Germany offers a most dreadful prospect of what England might look for He writ also to Hooper upon the same Argument He wished the Garments were removed by Law but argued fully for the use of them till then he lamented the great corruptions that were among the Clergy and wished that all good Men would unite their strength against these and then lesser abuses would be more easily redressed He also answered Hoopers Objections on the Principles formerly laid down Peter Martyr was also writ to and as he writ to Bucer he was fully of his mind and approved of all he had writ about it And P. Martyrs And he added these words which I shall set down in his own terms copied from the Original Letter Quae
Addition was also made upon good consideration in the Office of the Communion to which the People were observed to come without due seriousness or preparation therefore for awakening their Consciences more feelingly it was ordered that the Office of the Communion should begin with a solemn pronouncing of the Ten Commandments all the Congregation being on their Knees as if they were hearing that Law a-new and a stop to be made at every Commandment for the Peoples devotion of imploring mercy for their past offences and Grace to observe it for the time to come This seemed as effectual a Mean as they could devise till Church-penitence were again set up to beget in Men deep reflections on their sins and to prepare them thereby to receive that Holy Sacrament worthily The other Changes were the removing of some Rites which had been retained in the former Book such as the use of Oyl in Confirmation and Extream Unction the Prayers for Souls departed both in the Communion-Service and in the Office of Burial the leaving out some Passages in the Consecration of the Eucharist that seemed to favour the Belief of the Corporal Presence with the use of the Cross in it and in Confirmation with some smaller variations And indeed they brought the whole Liturgy to the same Form in which it is now except some inconsiderable variations that have been since made for the clearing of some Ambiguities An Aâ—count of kneeling in the Communion In the Office of the Communion they added a Rubrick concerning the posture of kneeling which was appointed to be still the gesture of Communicants It was hereby declared that that gesture was kept up as a most reverent and humble way of expressing our great sense of the Mercies of God in the death of Christ there communicated to us but that thereby there was no adoration intended to the Bread and Wine which were gross Idolatry nor did they think the very Flesh and Blood of Christ were there present since his Body according to the nature of all other Bodies could be only in one place at once and so he being now in Heaven could not be corporally present in the Sacrament This was by Queen Elizabeth ordered to be left out of the Common-Prayer-Book since it might have given offence to some otherwise inclinable to the Communion of the Church who yet retained the belief the Corporal Presence But since his present Majesties Restoration many having excepted to the Posture as apprehending some thing like Idolatry or Superstition might lie under it if it were not rightly explained that Explication which was given in King Edwards time was again inserted in the Common-Prayer-Book For the Posture it is most likely that the first Institution was in the Table-gesture which was lying along on one side But it was apparent in our Saviours Practice that the Jewish Church had changed the Posture of that Institution of the Passover in whose room the Eucharist came For though Moses had appointed the Jews to eat their Paschal Lamb standing with their Loins girt with Staves in their Hands and Shooes on their Feet yet the Jews did afterwards change this into the Common-Table-Posture of which change though there is no mention in the Old Testament yet we see it was so in our Saviours time and since he complied with the common Custom we are sure that Change was not criminal It seemed reasonable to allow the Christian Church the like Power in such things with the Jewish and as the Jews thought their coming into the Promised Land might be a Warrant to lay aside the Posture appointed by Moses which became Travellers best so Christ being now exalted it seemed fit to receive this Sacrament with higher Marks of outward respect than had been proper in the first Institution when he was in the state of Humiliation and his Divine Glory not yet so fully revealed Therefore in the Primitive Church they received standing and bending their Body in a posture of Adoration But how soon that Gesture of kneeling came in is not so exactly observed nor is it needful to know But surely there is a great want of ingenuity in them that are pleased to apply these Orders of some later Popes for kneeling at the Elevation to our kneeling when ours is not at one such part which might be more liable to exception but during the whole Office by which it is one continued Act of Worship and the Communicants kneel all the while But of this no more needs to be said than is exprest in the Rubrick which occasioned this Digression Thus were the Reformations both of Doctrine and Worship prepared To which all I can add of this Year is Some Orders given to the Kings Chaplains that there were six eminent Preachers chosen out to be the Kings Chaplains in Ordinary two of those were always to attend at Court and four to be sent over England to preach and instruct the People In the first year two of these were to go into Wales and the other two into Lancashire the next year two into the Marches of Scotland and two into York-shire the third year two into Devon-shire and two into Hamp-shire and the fourth year two into Norfolk and two into Kent and Sussex These were Bill Harle Pern Grindal Bradford the Name of the sixth is so dashed in the Kings Journal that it cannot be read These it seems were accounted the most zealous and readiest Preachers of that time who were thus sent about as Itinerants to supply the defects of the greatest part of the Clergy who were generally very faulty The Business of the Lady Mary was now taken up with more heat than formerly The Emperors earnest sute The Lady Mary continued to have Mass said in her Chappel that she might have Mass in her House was long rejected for it was said that as the King did not interpose in the matters of the Emperors Government so there was no reason for the Emperor to meddle in his Affairs Yet the state of England making his friendship at that time necessary to the King and he refusing to continue in his League unless his Kinswoman obtained that favour it was promised that for some time in hope she would reform there should be a forbearance granted The Emperors Ambassadors pressed to have a License for it under the Great Seal It was answered That being against Law it could not be done Then they desired to have it certified under the Kings Hand in a Letter to the Emperor but even that was refused So that they only gave a Promise for some time by word of mouth and Paget and Hobby who had been the Ambassadors with the Emperor declared they had spoke of it to him with the same limitations But the Emperor who was accustomed to take for absolute what was promised only under conditions writ to the Lady Mary that he had an absolute Promise for the free exercise of her Religion and so she pretended this when she
Servants and to return with an answer In August they came back and said she was much indisposed and received the Message very grievously She said she would obey the King in all things except where her Conscience was touched but she charged them to deliver none of their Message to the rest of her Family in which they being her Servants could not disobey her especially when they thought it might prejudice her health Upon this And sent some to her they were sent to the Tower The Lord Chancellor Sir Ant. Wingfield and Sir William Petre were next sent to her with a Letter from the King and Instructions from the Council for the charge they were to give to her and her Servants They came to her House of Copthall in Essex The Lord Chancellor gave her the Kings Letter which she received on her Knees and said she payed that respect to the Kings Hand and not to the matter of the Letter which she knew proceeded from the Council and when she read it she said Ah! Mr. Cecil took much pains here he was then Secretary of State in Dr. Wottons room So she turned to the Counsellors and bid them deliver their Message to her She wished them to be short for she was not well at ease and would give them a short answer having writ her mind plainly to the King with her own Hand The Lord Chancellor told her that all the Council were of one mind that she must be no longer suffered to have private Mass or a Form of Religion different from what was established by Law He went to read the Names of those who were of that mind but she desired him to spare his pains she knew they were all of a sort They next told her they had order to require her Chaplains to use no other Service and her Servants to be present at no other than what was according to Law She answered She was the Kings most obedient Subject and Sister and would obey him in every thing but where her Conscience held her and would willingly suffer death to do him service but she would lay her Head on a Block rather than use any other Form of Service But she was Intractable than what had been at her Fathers death only she thought she was not worthy to suffer death on so good an account When the King came to be of Age so that he could order these things himself she would obey his Commands in Religion for although he Good sweet King these were her words had more knowledge than any of his years yet he was not a fit Judge in these matters for if Ships were to be set to Sea or any matter of Policy to be determined they would not think him fit for it much less could he be able to resolve Points of Divinity As for her Chaplains if they would say no Mass she could hear none and for her Servants she knew they all desired to hear Mass her Chaplains might do what they would it was but a whiles Imprisonment but for the new Service it should never be said in her House and if any were forced to say it she would stay no longer in the House When the Counsellors spake of Rochester Inglefield and Walgrave who had not fully executed their charge she said it was not the wisest Counsel to order her Servants to controul her in her own House and they were the honester Men not to do such a thing against their Consciences She insisted on the Promise made to the Emperor which she had under his Hand whom she believed better than them all they ought to use her better for her Fathers sake who had raised them all almost out of nothing But though the Emperor were dead or would bid her obey them she would not change her mind and she would let his Ambassador know how they used her To this they answered clearing the mistake about the Promise to which she gave little heed They told her they had brought one down to serve as her Comptroller in Rochesters room She said she would choose her own Servants and if they went to impose any on her she would leave the House She was sick but would do all she could to live but if she died she would protest they were the causes of it they gave her good words but their deeds were evil Then she took a Ring from her Finger and on her Knees gave it to the Lord Chancellor to give to the King as a Token from her with her humble Commendations and protested much of her duty to him but she said this will never be told him The Counsellors went from her to her Chaplains and delivered their Message to them who promised they would obey Then they charged the rest of the Servants in like manner and also commanded them to give notice if those Orders were broken And so they went to go away But as they were in the Court the Lady Mary called to them from her Window to send her Comptroller to her for she said that now she her self received the accounts of her House and knew how many Loaves were made of a Bushel of Meal to which she had never been bred and so was weary of that Office but if they would needs send him to Prison she said I beshrew him if he go not to it merrily and with a good Will and concluded I pray God to send you to do well in your Souls and Bodies for some of you have but weak Bodies This is the substance of the Report these Counsellors gave when they returned back to the Court on the 29th of August By which they were now out of all hopes of prevailing with her by perswasions or Authority So it was next considered whether it was fit to go to further extremities with her How the matter was determined I do not clearly find it is certain the Lady Mary would never admit of the new Service and so I believe she continued to keep her Priests and have Mass but so secretly that there was no ground for any publick complaint For I find no further mention of that matter than what is made by Ridley of a Passage that befel him in September next year He went to wait on her she-living then at Hunsden Nor would she hear Bishop Ridley preach where she received him at first civilly and told him she remembred of him in her Fathers time and at Dinner sent him to dine with her Officers after Dinner he told her he came not only to do his Duty to her but to offer to Preach before her next Sunday She blushed and once or twice desired him to make the Answer to that himself But when he pressed her further she said the Parish-Church would be open to him if he had a mind to preach in it but neither she nor any of her Family should hear him He said he hoped she would not refuse to hear Gods Word She said She did not know what they called
Heath of Worcester and Day Bishop of Chichester Heath and Day turned out of their Bishopricks were put out of their Bishopricks For Heath it has been already said that he was put in prison for refusing to consent to the Book of Ordinations But for Day whether he refused to submit to the new Book or fell into other transgressions I do not know Both these were afterwards deprived not by any Court consisting of Church-men but by Secular Delegates of whom three were Civilians and three Common Lawyers as King Edwards Journal informs us Dayes Sentence is something ambiguously expressed in the Patent that Scory Bishop of Rochester had to succeed him which bears date the 24th of May and mentions his being put there in the room of George late Bishop of that See who had been deprived or removed from it In June following upon Hollbeach Bishop of Lincoln's death Taylour that had been Dean of Lincoln was made Bishop This Year the Bishoprick of Glocester was quite suppressed and converted into an exempted Arch-deaconry and Hooper was made Bishop of Worcester In the December before Worcester and Glocester had been united by reason of their Voicinage and their great poverty and that they were not very populous so they were to be for ever after one Bishoprick with two Titles as Coventry and Litchfield and Bath and Wells were and Hooper was made Bishop of Worcester and Glocester But now they were put into another method and the Bishop was to be called only Bishop of Worcester In all the vacancies of Sees there were a great many of their best Lands taken from them and the Sees that before had been profusely enriched were now brought to so low a condition that it was scarce possible for the Bishops to subsist and yet if what was so taken from them had been converted to good uses to the bettering the condition of the poor Clergy over England it had been some mitigation of so hainous a Robbery but these Lands were snatched up by every hungry Courtier who found this to be the easiest way to be satisfied in their pretensions and the World had been so possessed with the opinion of their excessive Wealth that it was thought they never could be made poor enough This Year a Passage fell out relating to Ireland The Affairs of Ireland which will give me occasion to look over to the Affairs of that Kingdom The Kings of England had formerly contented themselves with the Title of Lords of Ireland which King Henry the 8th in the 33d Year of his Reign had in a Parliament there changed into the Title of a Kingdom But no special Crown or Coronation was appointed since it was to follow the Crown of England The Popes and the Emperors have pretended that the conferring Titles of Sovereign Dignity belonged to them The Pope derived his claim from what our Saviour said That all Power in Heaven and in Earth was given to him and by consequence to his Vicar The Emperors as being a dead shadow of the Roman Empire which Title with the designation of Caesar they still continued to use and pretended that as the Roman Emperors did anciently make Kings so they had still the same right though because those Emperors made Kings in the Countreys which were theirs by Conquest it was an odd stretch to infer that those who retained nothing of their Empire but the Name should therefore make Kings in Countries that belonged not to them and it is certain that every entire or independent Crown or State may make for or within it self what Titles they please But the Authority the Crown of England had in Ireland was not then so entire as by the many Rebellions that have fallen out since it is now become The Heads of the Clans and Names had the Conduct of all their several Tribes who were led on by them to what designs they pleased And though within the English Pale the King was obeyed and his Laws executed almost as in England yet the native Irish were an uncivilized and barbarous Nation and not yet brought under the Yoke and for the greatest part of Vlster they were united to the Scots and followed their Interests There had been a Rebellion in the second Year of this Reign But Sir Anthony St. Leiger then Deputy being recalled and Sir Edw. Bellinghame sent in his room he subdued O-Canor and O-More that were the chief Authors of it and not being willing to put things to extremities when England was otherwise distracted with Wars he perswaded them to accept of Pensions of 100 l. a-piece and so they came in and lived in the English Pale But the Winter after there was another Rebellion designed in Vlster by O-Neal O-Donnel O-Docart and the Heads of some other Tribes who sent to the Queen Dowager of Scotland to procure them assistance from France and they would keep up the disorders in Ireland The Bishop of Valence being then in Scotland was sent by her to observe their strength that he might accordingly perswade the King of France to assist them He cross'd the Seas and met with them and with Wauchop a Scotch-man who was the Bishop of Armagh of the Popes making and who though he was blind was yet esteemed one of the best at Riding Post in the World They set out all their greatness to the French Bishop to engage him to be their friend at the Court of France but he seemed not so well satisfied of their ability to do any great matter and so nothing followed on this One passage fell out here which will a little discover the temper of that Bishop When he was in O-Docarts House he saw a fair Daughter of his whom he endeavoured to have corrupted but she avoided him carefully Two English Gray-Friars that had fled out of England for their Religion and were there at that time observing the Bishops inclinations brought him an English Whore whom he kept for some time She one night looking among his things found a Glass full of somewhat that was very odoriferous and poured it all down her Throat which the Bishop perceiving too late fell into a most violent passion for it had been presented to him by Soliman the Magnificent at his leaving that Court as the richest Balm in Egypt and was valued at 2000 Crowns The Bishop was in such a rage that all the House was disturbed with it whereby he discovered both his lewdness and passion at once This is related by one that was then with him and was carried over by him to be a Page to the Scotch Queen Sir James Melvil who lived long in that Court under the Constable of France and was afterwards much employed by the Prince Elector Palatine in many Negotiations and coming home to his own Country was sent on many occasions to the Court of England where he lived in great Esteem He in his old Age writ a Narrative of all the Affairs that himself had been concerned in which is one of
present and he somewhat sharply asked them Why they had not prepared the Book as he had ordered them They answered That what ever they did would be of no force without a Parliament The King said He intended to have one shortly Then Mountague proposed that it might be delayed till the Parliament met But the King said He would have it first done and then ratified in Parliament and therefore he required them on their Allegiance to go about it and some Counsellors told them if they refused to obey that they were Traitors This put them in a great consternation and old Mountague thinking it could not be Treason what ever they did in this matter while the King lived and at worst that a Pardon under the Great Seal would secure him consented to set about it if he might have a Commission requiring him to do it and a Pardon under the Great Seal when it was done Both these being granted him he was satisfied The other Judges But through fear all yielded except Judge Hales being asked if they would concur did all agree being overcome with fear except Gosnald who still refused to do it But he also being sorely threatned both by the Duke of Northumberland and the Earl of Shrewsbury consented to it the next day So they put the Entail of the Crown in Form of Law and brought it to the Lord Chancellor to put the Seal to it They were all required to set their Hands to it but both Gosnald and Hales refused Yet the former was wrought on to do it but the latter though a most steady and zealous Man for the Reformation would upon no consideration yield to it After that the Lord Chancellor for his Security desired that all the Counsellors might set their Hands to it which was done on the 21st of June by thirty three of them it is like including the Judges in the Number But Cranmer as he came seldom to Council after the Duke of Somersets Fall so he was that day absent on design Cecil in a Relation which he made one write of this Transaction for clearing himself afterwards says That when he had heard Gosnald and Hales declare how much it was against Law he refused to set his Hand to it as a Counsellor and that he only Signed as a Witness to the Kings Subscription But Cranmer still refused to do it after they had all Signed it and said he would never consent to the disinheriting of the Daughters of his late Master Many Consultations were had to perswade him to it Cranmer was very hardly brought to consent to it But he could not be prevailed on till the King himself set on him who used many Arguments from the danger Religion would otherwise be in together with other Perswasions so that by his Reasons or rather Importunities at last he brought him to it But whether he also used that distinction of Cecils that he did it as a Witness and not as a Counsellor I do not know but it seems probable that if that liberty was allowed the one it would not be denied the other The Kings sickness becomes desperate But though the setling this business gave the King great content in his mind yet his Distemper rather encreased than abated so that the Physicians had no hope of his recovery Upon which a confident Woman came and undertook his Cure if he might be put into her Hands This was done and the Physicians were put from him upon this pretence that they having no hopes of his recovery in a desperate Case desperate Remedies were to be used This was said to be the Duke of Northumberlands advice in particular and it encreased the Peoples jealousie of him when they saw the King grow very sensibly worse every day after he came under the Womans care which becoming so plain she was put from him and the Physicians were again sent for and took him into their charge But if they had small hopes before they had none at all now Death thus hastening on him the Duke of Northumberland who knew he had done but half his work except he had the Kings Sisters in his Hands got the Council to write to them in the Kings Name inviting them to come and keep him company in his sickness But as they were on the way on the sixth of July his Spirits and Body were so sunk that he found death approaching and so he composed himself to die in a most devout manner His whole exercise was in short Prayers and Ejaculations The last that he was heard to use was in these words Lord God deliver me out of this miserable and wretched Life His last Prayer and take me among thy Chosen Howbeit not my Will but thine be done Lord I commit my Spirit to thee O Lord thou knowest how happy it were for me to be with thee yet for thy Chosens sake send me Life and Health that I may truly serve thee O my Lord God bless my People and save thine Inheritance O Lord God save thy chosen People of England O Lord God defend this Realm from Papistry and maintain thy true Religion that I and my People may praise thy Holy Name for Jesus Christ his sake Seeing some about him he seemed troubled that they were so near and had heard him but with a pleasant countenance he said he had been praying to God And soon after the Pangs of death coming on him he said to Sir Henry Sidney who was holding him in his Arms I am faint Lord have mercy on me and receive my Spirit and so he breathed out his Innocent Soul The Duke of Northumberland according to Cecils Relation intended to have concealed his death for a fortnight but it could not be done His Death and Character Thus died King Edward the sixth that incomparable young Prince He was then in the sixteenth Year of his Age and was counted the wonder of that Time He was not only learned in the Tongues and other Liberal Sciences but knew well the State of his Kingdom He kept a Book in which he writ the Characters that were given him of all the chief Men of the Nation all the Judges Lord-Lieutenants and Justices of the Peace over England in it he had marked down their way of living and their zeal for Religion He had studied the matter of the Mint with the Exchange and value of Money so that he understood it well as appears by his Journal He also understood Fortification and designed well He knew all the Harbours and Ports both of his own Dominions and of France and Scotland and how much Water they had and what was the way of coming in to them He had acquired great knowledge in Forreign Affairs so that he talked with the Ambassadors about them in such a manner that they filled all the World with the highest opinion of him that was possible which appears in most of the Histories of that Age. He had great quickness of apprehension and
same Writer also informs us that in many places of the Country Men were chosen by Force and Threats in other places those imployed by the Court Great disorder in Elections did by violence hinder the Commons from coming to chuse in many places false Returns were made and that some were violently turned out of the House of Commons upon which reasons he concludes that it was no Parliament since it was under a Force and so might be annulled as the Parliament held at Coventry in the 38th year of King Henry the 6th was upon Evidence of the like Force declared afterwards to be no Parliament The Journals of the House of Lords in this Parliament are lost so there is no light to be had of their proceedings but from the imperfect Journals of the House of Commons On the second day of the Session one moved in the House of Commons for a review of King Edwards Laws But that being a while argued was at this time laid aside and the Bill for Tonnage and Poundage was put in Then followed a Debate upon Dr. Nowell's being returned from Loo in Cornwal whether he being a Prebendary of Westminster could sit in that House and the Committee being appointed to search fot Precedents it was reported that he being represented in the Convocation House could not be a Member of that House so he was cast out The Bill of Tonnage and Poundage was sent up to the Lords who sent it down to the Commons to be reformed in two proviso's that were not according to former Precedents How far this was contrary to the Rights of the Commons who now say that the Lords cannot alter a Bill of Money I am not able to determine The only publick Bill that passed in this short Session was for a Declaration of Treasons and Felonies An Act for moderating some severe Laws by which it was ordained that nothing should be judged Treason but what was within the Statute of Treasons in the twenty fifth of Edward the third and nothing should be so judged Felony that was not so before the 1st year of King Henry the eight excepting from any benefit of this Act all such as had been in Prison before the last of September who were also excepted out of the Qeens Pardon at her Coronation Two private Bills also passed the one for the restoring of the Wife of the late Marquess of Exeter who had been Attainted in the 32 year of King Henry's Reign and the other for her Son Edward Courtney Earl of Devonshire And so the Parliament was Prorogued from the 21 to the 24 of October that their might be a Session of Parliament consisting only of Acts of Mercy though this Repeal of additional Treasons and Felonies was not more than what had passed in the beginning of King Edwards Reign without the clogg of so severe a proviso by which many were cut off from the Favour designed by it Some have thought that since Treasons had been reduced by the second Act of Edward the 6th to the standard of the 25th of Edward the third that therefore there was somewhat else designed by this Act then barely the repealing some late severe Acts which being done the 1st of Edward 6th needed not be now repealed if it imported no more And since this Act as it is worded mentions or rather excepts those Treasons that are declared and expressed in the 25th of Edward the 3d they have inferred that the power of Parliaments declaring of Treasons ex Post facto which was reserved by that Statute is hereby taken away and that nothing is now to be held Treason but what is ennumerated in that Statute Yet this is still liable to Debate since the one may be thought to be declared and expressed in general words as well as the other specialties are in more particular words and is also still in force So nothing seems comprehended within this Repeal but the Acts passed in King Edwards Reign declaring other Crimes to be Treason some are added in the same Act and others in that of the 3d and 4th of his Reign chap. 5. Nor is it likely that if the Parliament had intended to have delivered the Subjects from the apprehensions of all Acts of Attainder upon a Declaration of new Treasons they would not have expressed it more plainly since it must have been very grateful to the Nation which had groaned heavily under Arbitrary Attainders of late years When the Parliament met again the first Bill the Commons entred on was that of Tonnage and Poundage which they passed in two days The Mariage of Queen Katherine to King Henry Confirmed Then was the Bill about King Henry's Marriage with the Queens Mother sent down on the 26th by the Lords and the Commons passed it no the 28th so strangly was the stream turned that a Divorce that had been for seven years much desired by the Nation was now repealed upon fewer days consultation In the Preamble it was said That truth how much soever obscured and born down will in the end break out and that therefore they declared that King Henry the 8th being lawfully married to Queen Katherine by the consent of both their Parents and the advice of the wisest Men in the Realm and of the best and notablest Men for learning in Christendom did continue that state twenty years in which God blessed them with her Majesty and other issue and a course of great happiness but then a very few malicious Persons did endeavour to break that happy agreement between them and studied to possess the King with a scruple in his Conscience about it and to support that caused the Seals of some Vniversities to be got against it a few Persons being corrupted with money for that end They had also by sinistrous ways and secret threatnings procured the Seals of the Vniversities of this Kingdom and finally Thomas Cranmer did most ungodlily and against Law judge the Divorce upon his own unadvised understanding of the Scriptures upon the Testimonies of the Vniversities and some bare and most untrue conjectures and that was afterwards confirmed by two Acts of Parliament in which was contained the Illegitimacy of her Majesty But that Marriage not being prohibited by the Law of God and lawfully made could not be so broken since what God hath joyned together no Man could put asunder all which they considering together with the many miseries that had fallen on the Kingdom since that time which they did esteem Plagues sent from God for it therefore they declare that Sentence given by Cranmer to be unlawful and of no force from the begining and do also repeal the Acts of Parliament that had confirmed it By this Act Gardiner had performed his Promise to the Queen of getting her Illegitimation taken off Which was much Censured without any relation to the Popes Authority But in the drawing of it he shewed that he was past all shame when he could frame such an Act of a
a mistake in the way of it they fell in some disorder The Spaniards upon that falling on them did with the loss only of fifty of their Men gain an entire Victory 2500 were killed on the Place the whole Army was dispersed many of the first Quality were killed the Constable with many others were taken Prisoners The French King was in such a consternation upon it that he knew not which way to turn himself Now all the French cursed the Popes Counsels for he had perswaded their King to begin this War and that with a manifest breach of his Faith This Action lost the Constable that great reputation which he had acquired and preserved in a course of much success and raised the credit of the Duke of Guise who was now sent for in all hast to come with his Army out of Italy for the preservation of his own Country France indeed was never in greater danger than at that time For if King Philip had known how to have used his Success and marched on to Paris he could have met with no resistance But he sate down before St. Quintins which Coligny kept out so long till the first terror was over that so great a Victory had raised and then as the French took Heart again so the Spaniards grew less as well in strength as reputation and the English finding themselves not well used returned home into their Country As soon as the Pope heard that England had made War upon France he was not a little inflamed with it and his wrath was much heightned when he heard of the defeat at St. Quintins and that the Duke of Guise Army was recalled out of Italy by which he was exposed to the mercy of the Spaniards He now said openly they might see how little Cardinal Pool The Pope is offended with Cadrinal Pool regarded the Apostolick See when he suffered the Queen to assist their Enemies against their Friends The Pope being thus incens'd against Pool sought all ways to be revenged of him At first he made a Decree in May this Year for a General Revocation of all Legates and Nuntio's in the King of Spains Dominions and among these Cardinal Pool was mentioned with the rest But Carne understanding this went first to the Cardinals and informed them what a prejudice it would be to their Religion to recall the Cardinal while things were yet in so unsetled a state in England Of this they were all very sensible and desired him to speak to the Pope about it So in an Audience he had of him he desired a Suspension might be made of that Revocation The Pope pretended he did it in General in all the Spanish Dominions yet he promised Carne to propose it to the Congregation of the Inquisition but he was resolved not to recall it and said it did not consist with the Majesty of the Place he sate in to revoke any part of a Decree which he had solemnly given In the Congregation the Pope endeavoured to have got the Concurrence of the Cardinals but they were unwilling to joyn in it So he told Carne that though he would recall no part of his Decree yet he would give Orders that there should be no Intimation made of it to Cardinal Pool and that if the Queen writ to him to desire his Continuance in England it might be granted He also let fall some words to Carne of his willingness to make Peace with King Philip and indeed at that time he was much distasted with the French Of this Carne advertised the King though he was then so much better acquainted with the Popes dissimulation than formerly that he did not lay much weight on what he said to him as will appear by the dispatch he made upon this occasion which is in the Collection Whether the Queen did upon this write to the Pope or not Collection Number 35. I do not know It is probable she did for this matter lay asleep till September and then the Pope did not only recall Pool but intended to destroy him He did not know where to find a Person to set up against the Cardinal since Gardiner was dead and none of the other Bishops in England were great enough or sure enough to him to be raised to so high a Dignity Peito the Franciscan Friar seemed a Man of his own temper because he had railed against King Henry so boldly to his face and he being chosen by the Queen to be her Confessor was looked on as the fittest to be advanced So the Pope wrote for him into England and when he came to Rome made him a Cardinal and sent over his Bulls declaring that he recalled Pools Legatine Power And recalls his Legatine Power and required him to come to Rome to answer for some Accusations he had received of him as a favourer of Hereticks This might have perhaps been grounded on his discharging that Year so many delated of Heresie upon so ambiguous a submission as they had made The Pope also wrote to the Queen that he was to send over Cardinal Peito with full power requiring her to receive him as the Legate of the Apostolick See The Queen called for the Bulls and according to the way formerly practised in England and still continued in Spain when Bulls that were unacceptable were sent over she ordered them to be laid up without opening them It has been shewn in the former part how Arch-bishop Chicheley when he was so proceeded against by Pope Martin appealed to the next General Council and some that desired to see the Form of such Appeals in those Ages have thought it an Omission in me that I had not published his Appeal in the Collection of Records at the end of that Work therefore upon this occasion I shall refer the Reader to it which he will find in the Collection But now Collection Number 36. Cardinal Pool resolved to behave himself with more submission For though the Queen had ordered the Popes Breve to him not to be delivered yet of himself he laid down the Ensigns of his Legatine Power and sent Ormaneto who had the Title of the Popes Datary and was his Friend and Confident to give an account of his whole behaviour in England and to clear him of these Imputations of Heresie This he did with so much submission that he mollified the Pope only he said that Pool ought not to have consented to the Queens joyning in War with the Enemies of the Holy See The Queen refuses to admit of Cardinal Peito the new Legate Peito had begun his Journey to England but the Queen sent him word not to come over otherwise she would bring him and all that owned his Authority within the Praemunire So he stopt in his Journey and dying in April following enjoyed but a short while his new Dignity together with the Bishoprick of Salisbury to which the Pope had advanced him clearly contrary to the old Law then in force against Provisions
that would be too little if the Danes and Swedes which they were afraid of should joyn against them There was also great want of Ammunition and Ordnance of which they had lost vast quantities in Calais and Guisnes All this would rise to above 520000 l. and they doubted much whether the People would endure such Impositions who were now grown stubborn and talked very loosely So they did not see how they could possibly enter into any Action this Year One Reason among the rest was suggested by the Bishops they saw a War would oblige them to a greater moderation in their Proceedings at home they had not done their Work which they hoped a little more time would perfect whereas a slack'ning in that would raise the drooping Spirits of those whom they were now pursuing So they desired another Year to prosecute them in which time they hoped so to clear the Kingdom of them that with less danger they might engage in a War the Year after Nor did they think it would be easie to bring new raised Men to the hardships of so early a Campagne and they thought the French would certainly work so hard in repairing the breaches that they would be in a good condition to endure a strait and long Siege All this they wrote over to the King on the first of February as appears from their Letter which will be found in the Collection Collection Number 37. A Parliament is called The Parliament was opened on the 20th of January where the Convocation to be a good Example to the two Houses granted a Subsidy of eight Shillings in the Pound to be paid in four Years In the House of Peers the Abbot of Westminster and the Prior of St. John of Jerusalem took their Places according to their Writs Tresham that had given great assistance to the Queen upon her first coming to the Crown was now made Prior. But how much was done towards the endowing of that House which had been formerly among the richest of England I do not know On the 24th of January the Lords sent a Message to the Commons desiring that the Speaker with ten or twelve of that House should meet with a Committeâ— of the Lords which being granted the Lords proposed that the Commons would consider of the defence of the Kingdom What was at first demanded does not appear but after several days arguing about it they agreed to give one Subsidy a Fifteenth and a Tenth and ordered the Speaker to let the Queen know what they had concluded who sent them her hearty Thanks for it Then Complaints being made of some French-men that were not Denizens it was carried that they should go out of the Kingdom and not return during the War The Abbot of Westminster finding the Revenues of his House were much impaired thought that if the old Priviledges of the Sanctuary were confirmed it would bring him in a good Revenue from those that fled to it so he pressed for an Act to confirm it He brought a great many ancient Grants of the Kings of England which the Queen had confirmed by her Letters Patents but they did not prevail with the House who proceeded no further in it In this Parliament the Procurers of wilful Murder were denied the Benefit of Clergy which was carried in the House of Lords by the greater number as it is in their Journals The Bishops did certainly oppose it though none of them entred their dissent Sir Ambrose and Sir Robert Dudley two Sons of the late Duke of Northumberland were restored in Blood The Countess of Sussex's Joynture was taken from her for her living in Adultery so publickly as was formerly mentioned In the end of the Session a Bill was put in for the confirming of the Queens Letters Patents It was designed chiefly for confirming the Religious Foundations she had made As this went through the House of Commons one Coxley said He did not approve such a general Confirmation of those she had given or might give lest this might be a colour for her to dispose of the Crown from the right Inheritors The House was much offended at this and expressed such dislike at the imagination that the Queen would alienate the Crown that they both shewed their esteem for the Queen and their resolution to have the Crown descend after her death to her Sister Coxley was made to withdraw and voted guilty of great irreverence to the Queen He asked pardon and desired it might be imputed to his youth yet he was kept in the Serjeants Hands till they had sent to the Queen to desire her to forgive his offence She sent them word that at their sute she forgave it but wished them to examine him from whence that motion sprung There is no more entred about it in the Journal so that it seems to have been let fall The Parliament was on the seventh of March prorogued to the seventh of November Soon after this the King of Sweden sent a Message secretly to the Lady Elizabeth The King of Sweden treats a Marriage with the Lady Elizabeth who was then at Hatfield to propose Marriage to her King Philip had once designed to marry her to the Duke of Savoy when he was in hope of Children by the Queen but that hope vanishing he broke it off and intended to reserve her for himself How far she entertained that motion I do not know but for this from Sweden she rejected it since it came not to her by the Queens direction But to that it was answered the King of Sweden would have them begin with her self judging that fit for him as he was a Gentleman and her good liking being obtained he would next as a King address himself to the Queen But she said as she was to entertain no such Propositions unless the Queen sent them to her so if she were left to her self she assured them she would not change her state of Life Upon this the Queen sent Sir Tho. Pope to her in April to let her know how well she approved of the Answer she had made to them but they had now delivered their Letters and made the Proposition to her in which she desired to know her mind She thanked the Queen for her favour to her but bade Pope tell her that there had been one or two noble Propositions made for her in her Brother King Edwards time and she had then desired to continue in the state she was in which of all others pleased her best and she thought there was no state of Life comparable to it She had never before heard of that King and she desired never to hear of that Motion more She would see his Messenger no more since he had presumed to come to her without the Queens leave Then Pope said he did believe if the Queen offered her some Honourable Marriage she would not be averse to it She answered What she might do afterwards she did not know but protested solemnly that as
accidents that struck terror in them In July Thunder broke near Nottingham with such violence that it beat down two little Towns with all the Houses and Churches in them the Bells were carried a good way from the Steeples and the Lead that covered the Churches was cast 400 Foot from them strangely wreathed The River of Trent as it is apt upon Deluges of Rain to swell and over-run the Country so it broke out this Year with extraordinary violence many Trees were plucked up by the Roots and with it there was such a Wind that carried several Men and Children a great way and dashed them against Trees or Houses so that they died Hail-stones fell that were fifteen Inches about in other Places and which was much more terrible a contagious intermitting Feaver not unlike the Plague raged every where so that three parts of four of the whole Nation were infected with it So many Priests died of it that in many Places there were none to be had for the performing of the Offices Many Bishops died also of it so that there were many vacancies made by the Hand of Heaven against Queen Elizabeth came to the Crown and it spreading most violently in August there were not Men enough in many Counties to reap the Harvest so that much Corn was lost All these Symptoms concurred to encrease the aversion the People had to the Government which made the Queen very willing to consent to a Treaty of Peace that was opened at Cambray in October to which she sent the Earl of Arundel the Bishop of Ely and Dr. Wotton as her Plenipotentiaries A Treaty of Peace between England France and Spain The occasion of the Peace was from a meeting that the Bishop of Arras had with the Cardinal of Lorrain at Peronne in which he proposed to him how much Philip was troubled at the continuance of the War their Forces being so much engaged in it that they could make no resistance to the Turk and the mean while Heresie encreasing and spreading in their own Dominions while they were so taken up that they could not look carefully to their Affairs at home but must connive at many things therefore he pressed the Cardinal to perswade the King of France to an Accommodation The Cardinal was easily induced to this since besides his own zeal for Religion he saw that he might thereby bear down the Constables greatness whose Friends chiefly his two Nephews the Admiral and Dandelot who went then among the best Captains in France were both suspect of being Protestants upon which the latter was shortly after put in Prison so he used all his endeavours to draw the King to consent to it in which he had the less opposition since the Court was now filled with his Dependants and his four Brothers who had got all the great Officers of France into their Hands and the Constable and Admiral being Prisoners there was none to oppose their Councils The King thinking that by the recovery of Calais and the Places about it he had gained enough to ballance the loss of St. Quintin was very willing to hearken to a Treaty and he was in an ill state to continue the War being much weakned both by the loss he suffered last Year and the blow that he received in July last The Battel of Graveling the Marshal de Thermes being enclosed by the Count of Egmont near Graveling where the French Army being set on by the Count and galled with the English Ordnance from their Ships that lay near the Land was defeated 5000 killed the Marshal and the other chief Officers being taken Prisoners These losses made him sensible that his Affairs were in so ill a condition that he could not gain much by the War The Number of the Protestants growing in France The Cardinal was the more earnest to bring on a Peace because the Protestants did not only encrease in their Numbers but they came so openly to avow their Religion that in the publick Walks without the Suburbs of St. Germain they began to sing Davids Psalms in French Verse The newness of the thing amused many the devotion of it wrought on others the Musick drew in the rest so that the Multitudes that used to divert themselves in those Fields in stead of their ordinary sports did now nothing for many nights but go about singing Psalms and that which made it more remarkable was that the King and Queen of Navarre came and joyned with them That King besides the Honour of a Crowned Head with the small part of that Kingdom that was yet left in their Hands was the first Prince of the Blood He was a soft and weak Man but his Queen in whose right he had that Title was one of the most extraordinary Women that any Age hath produced both for knowledge far above her Sex for a great judgment in Affairs an Heroical Greatness of Mind and all other Vertues joyned to a high measure of Devotion and true Piety all which except the last she derived to her Son Henry the Great When the King of France heard of this Psalmody he made an Edict against it and ordered the doers of it to be punished but the Numbers of them and the respect to those Crowned Heads made the business to go no further On the 24th of April was the Dolphin married to the Queen of Scotland The Dolphin marries the Queen of Scotland Four Cardinals Bourbon Lorrain Chastilion and Bertrand with many of the Princes of the Blood and the other great Men of France and the Commissioners sent from Scotland were present But scarce any thing adorned it more than the Epithalamium written upon it by Buchanan which was accounted one of the perfectest Pieces of Latin Poetry After the Marriage was over the Scotch Commissioners were desired to offer the Dolphin the Ensigns of the Regality of Scotland and to acknowledge him their King but they excused themselves since that was beyond their Commission which only empow'red them to treat concerning the Articles of the Marriage and to carry an account back to those that sent them Then it was desired that they would promote the business at their return to their Country but some of them had expressed their aversion to those Propositions so plainly that it was believed they were poisoned by the Brethren of the House of Guise Four of them died in France the Bishop of Orkney and the Earls of Rothes and Cassils and the Lord Fleeming The Prior of St. Andrews was also very sick and though he recovered at that time yet he had never any perfect health after it When the other four returned into Scotland a Convention of the Estates was called to consult about the Propositions they brought This Assembly consists of all those Members that make up a Parliament who were then the Bishops and Abbots and Priors A Convention of Estates in Scotland who made the first Estate the Noblemen that were the second Estate and the
had 32 Gallies 19. The French Ambassador sent this News also That the Turks had taken Tripoly 20. The Secretary Cecil and Sir Philip Hobbey sent to London to help the Lord Treasurer c. in the Matters of the Bishops of Chichester Worcester and Duresme and examination of my Sisters Men. 18. Removing to Windsor 20. The Lords at London having tryed all kinds of Stamping both of the Fineness of 9 8 6 4 and 3 proved that without any loss but sufferable the Coin might be brought to eleven ounces fine For whereas it was thought before that the Testourn was through ill Officers and Ministers corrupted it was tried that it had the valuation just by eight sundry kinds of melting and 400 l. of Sterling Mony a Testourn being but Six-pence made 400 l. 11 ounces fine of Mony Sterling 22. Whereupon they reported the same and then it was concluded that the Testourn should be eleven ounces fine the proportion of the Pences according to the Gold so that five Shillings of Silver should be worth five of Gold 23. Removing to Oatlands 24. Agreed that the Stamp of the Shilling and Six-pence should be on one side a King painted to the Shoulders in Parliament-Robes with a Chain of the Order Five Shillings of Silver and half five Shillings should be a King on Horse-back armed with a naked Sword hard to his Breast Also that York's Mint and Throgmorton's in the Tower should go and work the fine Standard In the City of York and Canterbury should the small Mony be wrought of a baser State Officers for the same were appointed A piece of Barwick Wall fell because the Foundation was shaken by working of a Bullwark 28. The Lord Marquess of Dorset grieved much with the disorder of the Marches toward Scotland surrendered the Wardenship thereof to bestow where I would 27. The Wardenship of the North given to the Earl of Warwick Removing to Hampton-Court 28. Commissioners appointed for sitting on the Bishop of Chichester and Worcester three Lawyers and three Civilians 10. The Imperialists took the Suburbs of Heading and burnt them 26. The Passport of the Dowager of Scotland was made for a longer time till Christmass and also if she were driven to pass quietly by Land into Scotland 20. Monsieur d' Angoulesme was born and the Duke of Vendosme had a Son by the Princes of Navarr his Wife 30. The Feast of Michaelmass was kept by Me in the Robes of the Order October 1. The Commission for the making of five Shillings half five Shillings Groats and Six-pences eleven ounces fine and Pence with Half-pence and Farthings four ounces fine was followed and signed 5. Jarnac came in Post for declaration of two things the one that the Queen had a third Son of which she was delivered called Le Duc d' Angoulesme of which the King prayed Me to be God-father I answered I was glad of the News and that I thanked him for that I should be God-father which was a token of good Will he bare me Also that I would dispatch for the accomplishment thereof the Lord Clinton the Lord Admiral of England He said he came also to tell a second Point of the good success of his Masters Wars He told how the last month in Shampaign beside Sedan 1000 Horse Imperialists with divers Hungarians Martin Vanrossy being their Captain and Leader entred the Country and the Alarm came the Skirmish began so hot that the French Horse about two or three hundred Men of Arms came out and took Vanrossy's Brother and slew divers Also how in Piedmont since the taking of the last four Towns three other were taken Monrechia Saluges and the Town of Burges The Turks had come to Naples and spoiled the Country and taken Ostium in the Mouth of Tyberis Also in Sicily he had taken a good Haven and a Town 6. Jarnac departed having lying in the Court under my Lodging The Night before the Bishops of Worcester and Chichester were deposed for Contempts 7. There were appointed to go with the Lord Admiral Mr. Nevil Mr. Barnabie Gentlemen of the Chamber Sir William Stafford Sir Adrian Poinings Sir John Norton Sir John Teri Knights and Mr. Brook 8. Letters directed to the Captains of Gandarms that they should muster the 8th of November being the Sunday after Hallow-Eve day 11. Henry Marquess of Dorset created Duke of Suffolk John Earl of Warwick created Duke of Northumberland William Earl of Wiltshire created Marquess of Winchester Sir William Herbert created Earl of Pembrook and Lord of Cardiff Mr. Sidney Mr. Nevil Mr. Cheek all three of the Privy-Chamber made Knights also Mr. Cecil one of the two Secretaries 13. Proclamation signed touching the calling in of Testourns and Groats that they that list might come to the Mint and have fine Silver of Twelve-pence for two Testourns 3. Prior de Capna departed the French King's Service and went to his Order of Knights in Malta partly for displeasure to the Count Villars the Constable's Brother-in-Law partly for that Malta was assailed often by the Turks 7. Sir Thomas Palmer came to the Earl of Warwick since that time Duke of Northumberland to deliver him his Chain being a very fair one for every Link weighed an ounce to be delivered to Jarnac and so to receive as much whereupon in my Lords Garden he declared a Conspiracy How at St. George's day last my Lord of Somerset who then was going to the North if the Master of the Horse Sir William Herbert had not assured him on his Honour that he should have no hurt went to raise the People and the Lord Gray went before to know who were his Friends Afterward a Device was made to call the Earl of Warwick to a Banquet with the Marquess of Northampton and divers others and to cut off their Heads Also he found a bare Company about them by the way to set upon them 11. He declared also that Mr. Vane had 2000 Men in readiness Sir Thomas Arundel had assured my Lord that the Tower was safe Mr. Partridge should raise London and take the Great Seal with the Apprentices of London Seymour and Hammond should wait upon him and all the Horse of the Gandarms should be slain 13. Removing to Westminster because it was thought this Matter might easilier and surelier be dispatched there and likewise all other 14. The Duke sent for the Secretary Cecil to tell him he suspected some ill Mr. Cecil answered That if he were not guilty he might be of good courage if he were he had nothing to say but to lament him Whereupon the Duke sent him a Letter of Defiance and called Palmer who after denial made of his Declaration was let go 16. This morning none was at Westminster of the Conspirators The first was the Duke who came later than he was wont of himself After Dinner he was apprehended Sir Thomas Palmer on the Tarras walking there Hammond passing by Mr. Vice-chamberlain's Door was called in by John Piers to
Also that of 500 of the 2000 Souldiers there being should be cut off and as many more as would go and serve the French King or the Emperor leaving sufficient at Home no Fortifications to be made also yet for a time in no place unfortified and many other Articles were concluded for Ireland 20. Sir Richard Wingfield Rogers and were appointed to view the State of Portsmouth and to bring again their Opinions concerning the fortifying thereof 4. The French King having passed the Straits of Lorrain came to Savern four miles from Strasburg and was victualled by the Country but denied passage through their Town 21. Answer came from the Foulcare That for the deferring of 30000 l. parcel of 45 Troas he was content and likewise August Pyso he might have paied him 20000 l. as soon as might be 22. It was appointed that forasmuch as there was much disorder on the Marches on Scotland-side both in my Fortifications of some Places and negligent looking to other Forts the Duke of Northumberland general Warden thereof should go down and view it and take order for it and return home with speed Also a pay of 10000 l. to go before him 23. It was appointed that these Bands of Men of Arms should go with me this Progress Lord Treasurer 30 Lord Great Master 25 Lord Privy-Seal 30 Duke of Suffolk 25 Earl of Warwick 25 Earl of Rutland 15 Earl of Huntington 25 Earl of Pembrook 50 Lord Admiral 15 Lord Darcy 30 Lord Cobham 20 Lord Warden 20 Mr. Vicechamberlain 15 Mr. Sadler 10 Mr. Sidney 10 26. It was appointed that Thomas Gresham should have paied him out of the Mony that came of my Debts 7000 l. for to pay 6800 l. the last of the month which he received the same Night 28. The same Thomas Gresham had 9000 l. paid him toward the paiment of 20000 l. which the Foulcare required to be paied at the Passmart for he had taken by Exchange from hence 5000 l. and odds and 10000 l. he borrowed of the Scheits and ten of Lazarus Tukkar So there was in the whole 25 of which was paid the last of April 14 so there remained 11000 and 9000 l. which I now made over by Exchange which made 20000 l. to pay the Foulcare with 30. I received Advertisement from Mr. Pickering that the French King went from Savern to Aroumasshes which was yielded to him from this to Leimsberg and so towards Spires his Army to be about 20000 Footmen and 8000 Horsemen well appointed besides Rascals He had with him 50 pieces of Artillery of which were 26 Cannons and six Organs and great number of Boots From Leimsberg partly doubting Duke Maurice's meaning partly for lack of Victual and also because he had word that the Regent's Army of which were Guides the Count de Egmont Monsieur de Rie Martin Vanrouse and the Duke of Holest to the number of 16000 Footmen and 6000 Horsemen had invaded Champaign and fortified Aschenay he retired homeward till he came to Striolph and there commanded all unprofitable Carriage and Men should depart to Chalons and sent to the Admiral to come to him with 6000 Swissers 4000 Frenchmen 1500 Horsemen and 30 pieces of Ordnance meaning as it was thought to do some Enterprise about Luxemburg or to recover Aschenay which the Regent had fortified There died in this Journey 2000 Men for lack of good Victual for eight days they had but Bread and Water and they had marched 60 Dutch miles at the least and past many a Streight very painfully and laboursomly 19. Duke Maurice coming from Auspurg in great hast came this day to the first Passage called the Clowse which the Emperor had caused to be strongly fortified and victualled a passage thorough an Hill cut out artificially in the way to Inspurg and there was a strong Bulwark made hard by it which he wan after a long fight within an hour and an half by Assault and took and slew all that were within And that Night he marched through that Hill into a Plain where he looked for to see twelve Ensigns of Lansknights of his Enemies but they retired to the second Streight and yet divers of them were both slain and taken and so that Night he lodged in the Plain at the entry of the second Passage where there were five Forts and one Castle which with Ordnance slew some of Duke Maurice's Men. 20. This morning the Duke of Mecklenburg with 3000 Footmen cast a Bridg over a River five miles beneath the Sluce and came and gave assault behind the Sluce and Duke Maurice gave assault in the Face and the Country-men of Tirol for hate of the Spaniards helped Duke Maurice so that five Forts were won by Assault and the Castle yielded upon condition to depart not to serve in three months after the Emperor In this Enterprise he slew and took 3000 and 500 Persons and 23 pieces of Artillery and 240000 S. The Emperor hearing of this departed by Night from Inshpruk forty miles that Night in Post he killed two of his Gennets and rode continually every Night first to Brixinium and after for doubt of the Cardinal of Ferrara's Army turned to Villucho in Carinthia The 30th of May tarrying for the Duke d' Alva who should come to him with 2000 Spaniards and 3000 Italians that came from Parma Also the Emperor delivered Duke Frederic from Captivity and sent him through Bohemia into Saxony to raise a Power against Duke Maurice's Nephew 22. Duke Maurice after that Hala and divers other Towns about Inshpruk in Tirol had yielded came to Inshpruk and there caused all the Stuff to be brought to the Market-place and took all that pertained to Imperialists as confiscate the rest he suffered the Townsmen to enjoy He took there fifty pieces of Ordnance which he conveied to Ausburg for that Town he fortified and made it his Staple of Provision Certain Things which the Commissioners for the Requests shall not meddle withal First Suits for Lands Secondly Suits for Forfeits amounting to more than 40 l. value Thirdly Suits for Pensions Fourthly Reversions of Farms which have more than one Year to come Fifthly Leases of Manours Sixthly Leases for more than 21 Years Seventhly No Offices of special Trust in Reckonings of Mony as Customers Comptrollers Surveyors Receivers Auditors Treasurers and Chancellors c. to be given otherwise than durante beneplacito Also all Mint-masters and others that have a doing in the Mint and such-like The Bishops Judges and other Officers of Judgment quam diu se bene gesserit Balliwicks Stewardships keeping of Parks and Houses c. to be granted during Life Eighthly Suits for forgivement of Debts Ninthly Releasing of Debts to be paid Tenthly Suits for Mony to the intent to pay Debts they owe elsewhere Eleven Suits to buy Land Twelve Suits for Licenses to carry over Gold Silver Lead Leather Corn Wood c. that be things unlawful Thirteen Unresidence upon Benefices They shall meddle with Baliewicks and
Lorrain both to stop the Emperor's Provision annoy his Camp and to take up the Straglers of the Army with a Band of 400 Men of Arms which is 1200 Horse and 800 Light-Horse hearing how Marquess Albert began to take the Emperor's part sent first certain Light-Horse to view what they intended Those Avan-Couriers lighted on a Troop of 500 Horsemen who drove them back till they came to the Duke's Person Whereupon the Skirmish grew so great that the Marquess with 12000 Footmen and 1000 Horsemen came to his Mens succours so the Duke's Party was discomfited the Duke himself taken and hurt in many places Monsieur de Roan was also slain and many other Gentlemen slain and taken This Fight was before Toul into which Fort escaped a great part of the Light-Horse 6. Heading Town and Castle was taken by the Monsieur de Reux The Castle was reckoned too well stored of all things and rendred either by Cowardice or Treason The Battery was very small and not suitable The most was that the Captain Monsieur Jeulis was with one of the first shots of the Cannon slain and his Lieutenant with him In this month Ferdinando Gonzaga besieged St. Martins in Piedmont 18. There was a Commission granted out to Sir Richard Cotton Sir John Gates Sir Robert Bowes and Sir Walter Mildmay to examine the account of the fall of Mony by the two Proclamations 20. The Lord Ogle leaving the Wardenship of the Middle Marches because my Lord Evers Land lay there he was made Deputy-Warden there with the Fee of 600 Merks and Sir Thomas Dacres of the East Marches with the Fee of 500 Merks 24. Thomas Gresham came from Antwerp hither to declare how Monsieur de Langie Treasurer to the Emperor of Flanders was sent to him from the Regent with a certain Pacquet of Letters which the Burgonions had taken in Bullonois coming from the Dowager of Scotland The Effect whereof was How she had committed George Paris the Irish-man to Prison because she had heard of his meaning to return into England how she had found the Pardon he had and divers other Writings and how she had sent O-Coners's Son into Ireland to comfort the Lords of Ireland Also he shewed certain Instructions Anno 1548 upon the Admiral 's fall given to a Gentleman that came hither That if there were any here of the Admiral 's Faction he should do his uttermost to raise an Uproar 29. Henry Knowls was sent in Post into Ireland with a Letter to stay the Deputy if he met him in Ireland because of the Business and that he should seem to stay for his own Affairs and prolong his going from Week to Week lest it be perceived Also he had with him certain Articles concerning the whole state of the Realm which the Deputy was willed to answer 30. There was a Letter of Thanks written to the Regent and sent to Mr. Chamberlain to deliver her for the gentle Overture made to Thomas Gresham by the Treasurer Langie He was also willed to use gentle words in the delivery of the Letters wishing a further Amity And for recompence of her Overture to tell her of the French King's practice for 5000 Scotch Footmen and 500 Horsemen And also how he taketh up by Exchange at Lubeck 100000 l. whereby appeareth some meaning that way the next Spring 28. The Lord Paget was put to his Fine of 6000 l. and 2000 l. diminished to pay it within the space of Years at days limited Here the Journal ends or if more was written by the King it is lost Some other Papers written with King Edward the Sixth's own Hand Number 2. A Collection of Passages of Scripture against Idolatry in French dedicated to the Protector In Trinity Coll. Libr. Cambridg LE fervent zele que Je vous apercoy avoir en la Reformation de Idolatrie Tres-cher et bien aimè Oncle ma incitè comme par maniere de passe temps en lisant la sainct Escriture de nôter plusieurs lieux en icelle qui defendent de nâ—adorer ny faire aucuns Images Non seulement de Dieux Estranges mais ausi de ne former chose pensant la faire semblable a la Majestè de Dieu lè Creature si tresbahy Veu qui lui mesme son St. Esprit par la bouche de ses Prophetes L'a si souvent defendu que tant de gens ont osè et osent commetre Idolatrie en faisant et adorant les Images Mais Je croy que cestoit pourtant quils n'avoient ou n'entendoit pas ses paroles Car comme il dit il ne peut estre veu en choses qui soient materielles Mais veut estre veu par ses ouvres ni plus ne moins que quand on voit quelque excellente piece d'ouvrage sans voir ouvrier qui L'a fait on peut Imaginer son excellence Ainsi regardant et considerant l'excellence du Firmament et les choses tant parfaites et mervelleuses que y sont comprises nous pouvons Imaginer quelle è le Createur qui les a formees seulement par sa parole et en telle maniere nostre Oeil Spirituel pouroit beaucoup mieux voir quelle chosé c'est que de Dieu que nostre Oeil corporell ne le pourroit voir en chose que Creature humane ait fait et formee Pourtant cher Oncle apres avoir notè en ma Bible en Anglois plusieurs sentences qui contradisent a tout Idolatrie a celle fin de m'apprendre et exercer en l'Escriture Francoise je me suis amusè a le Translater en la dite Langue Francoise Puis les ay fait rescire en se petit livret lequell de tresbon cueur Je vous offre Priant Dieu le Createur de vous donner grace de continuer en vostre labeur spirituel au salut de vostre ame et a l' honneur et gloire d' iceluy Then follow 72 Passages out of the Old Testament against worshipping strange Gods or Images with little Paraphrases of his own he concludes Il y a autres places en la sainte Escriture tant Apocryphes que autres desquelles je ne fais nulle mention pour le present qui toutesfois sont correspondentes a celles dont est fait mention par cy devant Mais pour tant que quasi tous les Prophetes et autres Saints desquels la Sainte Escriture parle deffendent de ne commetre Idolatrie Je desire et exhorte toute la Congregation des Chrestiens qu'un chascun d'eux vueille delaisser cest abominable vice A Discourse about the Reformation of many Abuses Number 2. The Government of this Realm is divided into two parts one Ecclesiastical and the other Temporal THe Ecclesiastical consisteth in setting forth the Word of God Cotton Libr. Nero C. 10. continuing the People in Prayer and the Discipline The setting forth of the Word of God consisteth in
another To the fifth Point 1. The Emperor is at this time so driven to his Shifts that neither he shall be able to attend the stay of Mony from coming to the Mart neither if he were able to attend could I think do it now the Flemings being put in such fear as they be of the loss of all they have 2. The Flemings and the Spaniards which be under him can hardlier be without us than we without them and therefore they would hardly be brought to forbear our Traffique To the sixth Point 1. It were good the Stiliard-men were for this time gently answered and that it were seen whether by any gentle offer of some part of their Liberties again they might be brought to ship their Wares to the Mart. The Frenchmen also I think would easily be brought to come hither having now none other Traffique but hither these two Nations would suffice to begin a Mart for the first part To the seventh Point 1. It is not the ability of the English Merchants only that maketh the Mart but it is the resort of other Nations to some one place when they do exchange their Commodities one with another for the bargaining will be as well amongst the Strangers themselves the Spaniards with the Almains the Italians with Flemings the Venetians with the Danes c. as other Nations will bargain with Us. 2. The Merchants of London of Bristol and other places will come thither for the Mart time and traffique 3. The Merchants will make shift enough for their Lodging 4. There may be some of these Clothes that shall go hereafter be bought with my Mony and so carried to Southampton to be there uttered To the eighth Point 1. Bruges where the Mart was before stood not on the River of Rhine nor Antwerp doth not neither stand on that River 2. Frankfort Mart may well stand for a Fair in Almain although Southampton serve for all Nations that lie on the Sea-side for few of those come to Frankfort Mart. Windsor Sept. 23. Sexto Edwardo Sexti 1552. Number 5. The Method in which the Council represented Matters of State to the King An Original Written by Sir William Cecil Secretary of State Questions 1. Whether the King's Majesty shall enter into the Aid of the Emperor Answ He shall A Pacto 1. THe King is bound by the Treaty and if he will be helped by that Treaty he must do the Reciproque A periculo vitando 2. If he do not Aid the Emperor is like to Ruin and consequently the House of Burgundy come to the French Possession which is perilous to England and herein the greatness of the French King is dreadful Religio Christiana 3. The French King bringeth the Turk into Christendom and therefore that exploit to be staied Periculum violati pacti 4. If the Emperor for Extremity should agree now with the French then our Peril were double greater 1. The Emperor's Offence for lack of Aid 2. The French King's Enterprises towards us and in this Peace the Bishop of Rome's devotion towards us Pro Repub. Patria 5. Merchants be so evil used that both for the loss of Goods and Honour some Remedy must be sought Pericula consequentia 6. The French King 's Proceedings be suspicious to the Realm by breaking and burning of our Ships which be the old strength of this Isle Declaration of Stuckley's Tale. Answer He shall not Difficile quasi impossibile 1. The Aid is to be chargeable for the Cost and almost to be executed is impossible Solitudo in periculis 2. If the Emperor should die in this Confederacy we should be left alone in the War Amicorum suspitio vitanda 3. It may be the German Protestants might be more offended with this Conjunction with the Emperor doubting their own Causes Sperandum bene ab amicis 4. The Amity with France is to be hoped will amend and continue and the Commissioners coming may perchance restore Corrolarium of a mean way Judicium 1. So to help the Emperor as we may also join with other Christian Princes and conspire against the French King as a common Enemy to Christendom Reasons for the Common Conjunction 1. The cause is common Auxilia communia and therefore there will be more Parties to it 2. It shall avoid the chargeable entry into Aid with the Emperor Sumptus vitandi according to the Treaties 3. If the Emperor should die or break off Amicorum copia yet it is most likely some of the other Princes and Parties will remain so as the King's Majesty shall not be alone 4. The Friendship shall much advance the King 's other Causes in Christendom Dignitas causae 5. It shall be most honourable to break with the French King for this common Quarrel of Christendom Pro fide Religione Reasons against this Conjunction 1. The Treaty must be with so many Parties Inter multos nihil secretum that it can neither be speedily or secretly concluded 2. If the Matter be revealed and nothing concluded Amicitiae irritatae then consider the French King's Offence and so may he at his leasure be provoked to practise the like Conjunction against England with all the Papists Conclusion 1. The Treaty to be made with the Emperor The King's Hand and by the Emperor's means with other Princes 2. The Emperor's Acceptation to be understanded before we treat any thing against the French King Number 6. A Method for the Proceedings in the Council written with King Edward's Hand The Names of the whole Council The Bishop of Canterbury The Bp of Ely Lord Chancellor The Lord Treasurer The Duke of Northumberland The Lord Privy-Seal The Duke of Suffolk The Marquess of Northampton The Earl oâ— Shrewsbury The Earl of Westmoreâ—â—nd The Earl of Huntington The Earl of Pembrâ—â—k The Viscount Hereford The Lord Admiral The Lord Chamberlain The Lord Cobham The Lord Rich. Mr. Comptroller Mr. Treasurer Mr. Vicechamberlain Mr. Secretary Petre. Mr. Secretary Cecil Sir Philip Hobbey Sir Robert Bowes Sir John Gage Sir John Mason Mr. Ralph Sadler Sir John Baker Judg Broomley Judg Montague Mr. Wotton Mr. North. Those that be now called in Commission The Bishop of London The Bishop of Norwich Sir Thomas Wroth. Sir Richard Cotton Sir Walter Mildmay Mr. Sollicitor Mr. Gosnold Mr. Cook Mr. Lucas The Counsellors above-named to be thus divided into several Commissions and Charges First For hearing of those Suits which were wont to be brought to the whole Board The Lord Privy-Seal The Lord Chamberlain The Bishop of London The Lord Cobham Mr. Hobbey Sir John Mason Sir Ralph Sadler Mr. Wotton Mr. Cook Masters of Requests Mr. Lucas Masters of Requests Those Persons to hear the Suits to answer the Parties to make Certificate what Suits they think meet to be granted and upon answer received of their Certificate received to dispatch the Parties Also
exhort and counsel Priests to live in Chastity Ex MS. Col. C. C. Cant. out of the cumber of the Flesh and of the World that thereby they may wholly attend to their Calling yet the Bond of continuing from Marriage doth only lie upon Priests in this Realm by reason of Canons and Constitutions of the Church and not by any Precept of God's Word as in that they should be bound by any Vow Which in as far as my Conscience is Priests in this Church of England do not make I think that it standeth well with God's Word that a Man which hath been or is but once married being otherwise accordingly qualified may be made a Priest And I do think that for as much as Canons and Rules made in this behalf are neither Universal nor Everlasting but upon Considerations may be altered changed Therefore the King's Majesty and the higher Powers of the Church may upon such Reasons as shall move them take away the Clog of perpetual Continence from Priests and grant that it may be lawful for such as cannot or will not contain to marry a Wife and if she die then the said Priest to marry no more remaining still in the Ministration John Redmayn Number 31. Articles of High Treason and other Misdemeanours against the King's Majesty and his Crown objected to Sir Thomas Seymour Kt. Lord Seymour of Sudley and High Admimiral of England Ex Libro Concilii Fol. 236. 1. VVHereas the Duke of Somerset was made Governor of the King's Majesty's Person and Protector of all his Realms and Dominions and Subjects to the which you your self did agree and gave your consent in writing it is objected and laid unto your Charge That this notwithstanding you have attempted and gone about by indirect means to undoe this Order and to get into your hands the Government of the King's Majesty to the great danger of his Highness Person and the subversion of the State of the Realm 2. It is objected and laid to your Charge that by corrupting with Gifts and fair Promises divers of the Privy Chamber you went about to allure his Highness to condescend and agree to the same your most heinous and perilous purposes to the great danger of his Highness Person and of the subversion of the State of the Realm 3. It is objected and laid unto your Charge that you wrote a Letter with your own hand which Letter the King's Majesty should have subscribed or written again after that Copy to the Parliament House and that you delivered the same to his Highness for that intent With the which so written by his Highness or subscribed you had determined to have come into the Commons-House your self and there with your Fautors and Adherents before prepared to have made a Broil or Tumult or Uproar to the great danger of the King's Majesty's Person and subversion of the State of this Realm 4. It is objected and laid unto your Charge That you your self spake to divers of the Council and laboured with divers of the Nobility of the Realm to stick and adhere unto you for the Alteration of the State and Order of the Realm and to attain your other Purposes to the danger of the King's Majesty's Person now in his tender Years and subversion of the State of the Realm 5. It is objected and laid unto your Charge that you did say openly and plainly You would make the Blackest Parliament that ever was in England 6. It is objected and laid to your Charge That being sent for by the Authority to answer to such things as were thought meet to be reformed in you you refused to come to a very evil Example of Disobedience and danger thereby of the subversion of the State of the Realm 7. It is Objected and laid to your Charge That sith the last Sessions of this Parliament notwithstanding much clemency shewed unto you you have still continued in your former mischievous Purposes and continually by your self and other studied and laboured to put into the King's Majesty's Head and Mind a misliking of the Government of the Realm and of the Lord Protector 's doings to the danger of his Person and the great peril of the Realm 8. It is Objected and laid to your Charge That the King's Majesty being of those tender Years and as yet by Age unable to direct his own things you have gone about to instill into his Grace's Head and as much as lieth in you perswaded him to take upon himself the Government and managing of his own Affairs to the danger of his Highness Person and great peril of the whole Realm 9. It is Objected and laid to your Charge That you had fully intended and appointed to have taken the King's Majesty's Person into your own hands and custody to the danger of his Subjects and peril of the Realm 10. It is Objected and laid to your Charge That you have corrupted with Mony certain of the Privy-Chamber to perswade the King's Majesty to have a credit towards you and so to insinuate you to his Grace that when he lacked any thing he should have it of you and none other Body to the intent he should mislike his ordering and that you might the better when you saw time use his King's Highness for an Instrument to this purpose to the danger of his Royal Person and subversion of the State of the Realm 11. It is Objected and laid unto your Charge That you promised the Marriage of the King's Majesty at your Will and Pleasure 12. It is Objected and laid unto your Charge That you have laboured and gone about to combine and confederate your self with some Persons and specially moved those Noble-men whom you thought not to be contented to depart into their Countries and make themselves strong and otherwise to allure them to serve your purpose by gentle Promises and Offers to have a Party and Faction in readiness to all your Purposes to the danger of the King's Majesty's Person and peril of the State of the Realm 13. It is Objected and laid unto your Charge That you have parted as it were in your imagination and intent the Realm to set Noble-men to countervail such other Noble-men as you thought would lett your devilish Purposes and so laboured to be strong to all your Devices to the great danger of the King's Majesty's Person and great peril of the State of the Realm 14. It is Objected and laid unto your Charge That you had advised certain Men to entertain and win the favour and good-wills of the head Yeomen and Ringleaders of certain Countries to the intent that they might bring the Multitude and Commons when you should think meet to the furtherance of your Purposes 15. It is Objected and laid to your Charge That you have not only studied and imagined how to have the Rule of a number of Men in your hands but that you have attempted to get and also gotten divers Stewardships of Noblemens Lands their Mannoreds to
make your Party stronger for your Purposes aforesaid to the danger of the King's Majesty's Person and great peril of the State of the Realm 16. It is Objected and laid to your Charge That you have retained young Gentlemen and hired Yeomen to a great multitude and far above such number as is permitted by the Laws and Statutes of the Realm or were otherwise necessary or convenient for your Service Place or Estate to the fortifying of your self towards all your evil Intents and Purposes to the great danger of the King's Majesty and peril of the State of the Realm 17. It is Objected and laid to your Charge That you had so travailed in that Matter that you had made your self able to make of your own Men out of your Lands and Rules and other your Adherents 10000 Men besides your Friends to the advancement of all your Intents and Purposes to the danger of the King's Majesty's Person and the great peril of the State of the Realm 18. It is Objected and laid unto your Charge That you had conferred cast and weighed so much Mony as would find the said 10000 Men for a Month and that you knew how and where to have the same Sum and that you had given warning to have and prepare the said Mass of Mony in a readiness to the danger of the King's Majesty's Person and great peril to the State of the Realm 19. It is Objected and laid unto your Charge That you have not only before you married the Queen attempted and gone about to marry the King's Majesty's Sister the Lady Elizabeth second Inheritor in remainder to the Crown but also being then let by the Lord Protector and others of the Council sithence that time both in the life of the Queen continued your old labour and love and after her death by secret and crafty means practised to atchieve the said purpose of marrying the said Lady Elizabeth to the danger of the King's Majesty's Person and peril of the state of the same 20. It is Objected and laid to your Charge That you married the late Queen so soon after the late King's Death that if she had conceived streight after it should have been a great doubt whether the Child born should have been accounted the late King 's or yours whereupon a marvellous danger and peril might and was like to have ensued to the King's Majesty's Succession and Quiet of the Realm 21. It is Objected and laid unto your Charge That you first married the Queen privately and did dissemble and keep close the same insomuch that a good space after you had married her you made labour to the King's Majesty and obtained a Letter of his Majesty's Hand to move and require the said Queen to marry with you and likewise procured the Lord Protector to speak to the Queen to bear you her favour towards Marriage by the which colouring not only your evil and dissembling Nature may be known but also it is to be feared that at this present you did intend to use the same practice in the marriage of the Lady Elizabeth's Grace 22. It is Objected and laid unto your Charge That you not only so much as lay in you did stop and lett all such things as either by Parliament or otherwise should tend to the advancement of the King's Majesty's Affairs but did withdraw your self from the King's Majesty's Service and being moved and spoken unto for your own Honour and for the Ability that was in you to serve and aid the King's Majesty's Affairs and the Lord Protectors you would always draw back and feign Excuses and declare plainly that you would not do it Wherefore upon the discourse of all these foresaid things and of divers others it must needs be intended that all these Preparations of Men and Mony the attempts and secret practices of the said Marriage the abusing and perswading of the King's Majesty to mislike the Government State and Order of the Realm that now is and to take the Government into his own hands and to credit you was to none other end and purpose but after a Title gotten to the Crown and your Party made strong both by Sea and Land with Furniture of Men and Mony sufficient to have aspired to the Dignity Royal by some hainous Enterprize against the King's Majesty's Person to the subversion of the whole State of the Realm 23. It is Objected and laid unto your Charge That you not only had gotten into your hands the strong and dangerous Isles of Silly bought of divers Men but that so much as lay in your power you travailed also to have Londay and under pretence to have victualled the Ships therewith not only went about but also moved the Lord Protector and whole Council that you might by publick Authority have that which by private fraude and falshood and confederating with Sharington you had gotten that is the Mint at Bristol to be yours wholly and only to serve your Purposes casting as may appear that if these Traiterous Purposes had no good success yet you might thither conveigh a good Mass of Mony where being aided with Ships and conspiring at all evil Events with Pirats you might at all times have a sure and safe Refuge if any thing for your demerits should have been attempted against you 24. It is also Objected and laid unto your Charge That having knowledg that Sir William Sharington Kt. had committed Treason and otherwise wonderfully defrauded and deceived the King's Majesty nevertheless you both by your self and by seeking Council for him and by all means you could did aid assist and bear him contrary to your Allegiance and Duty to the King's Majesty and the good Laws and Orders of the Realm 25. It is Objected and laid unto your Charge That where you owed to Sir William Sharington Kt. a great sum of Mony yet to abet bear and cloak the great falshood of the said Sharington and to defraud the King's Majesty you were not afraid to say and affirm before the Lord Protector and the Council that the same Sharington did owe unto you a great Sum of Mony viz. 2800 l. and to conspire with him in that falshood and take a Bill of that feigned Debt into your custody 26. It is Objected and laid unto your Charge That you by your self and Ministers have not only extorted and bribed great Sums of Mony of all such Ships as should go into Island but also as should go any other where in Merchandise contrary to the Liberty of this Realm and to the great discouragement and destruction of the Navy of the same to the great danger of the King's Majesty and the State of the Realm 27. It is Objected and laid unto your Charge That where divers Merchants as well Strangers as Englishmen have had their goods piratously robbed and taken you have had their Goods in your hands and custody daily seen in your House and distributed among your Servants and Friends without any restitution to the
Parties so injured and spoiled so that thereby Forreign Princes have in a manner been weary of the King's Majesty's Amity and by their Ambassadors divers times complained to the great slander of the King's Majesty and danger of the State of the Realm 28. It is Objected and laid unto your Charge That where certain Men have taken certain Pirats you have not only taken from the Takers of the said Pirats all the Goods and Ships so taken without any reward but have cast the said Takers for their good Service done to the King's Majesty into Prison and there detained them a great time some eight Weeks some more some less to the discouraging of such as truly should serve the King's Majesty against his Pirats and Enemies 29. It is Objected and laid unto your Charge That divers of the Head Pirats being brought unto you you have let the same Pirats go again free unto the Seas and taking away from the Takers of them not only all their Commodity and Profit but from the true Owners of the Ships and Goods all such as ever came into the Pirats hands as though you were authorised to be the chief Pirat and to have had all the Advantage they could bring unto you 30. It is Objected and laid unto your Charge That where Order hath been taken by the Lord Protector and the whole Council that certain Goods piratically taken upon the Seas and otherwise known not to be Wreck nor Forfeited should be restored to the true Owners and Letters thereupon written by the Lord Protector and the Council to the which Letters you your self among the other did set to your Hand Yet you this notwithstanding have given commandment to your Officers That no such Letters should be obeyed and written your private Letters to the contrary commanding the said Goods not to be restored but kept to your own use and profit contrary to your own Hand before in the Council-Chamber written and contrary to your Duty and Allegiance and to the perilous Example of others and great slander and danger of the Realm 31. It is Objected and laid unto your Charge That where certain Strangers which were Friends and Allies to the King's Majesty had their Ships with Wind and Weather broken and yet came unwrecked to the Shore when the Lord Protector and the Council had written for the restitution of the said Goods and to the Country to aid and save so much of the Goods as might you your self subscribing and consenting thereto yet this notwithstanding you have not only given contrary commandment to your Officers but as a Pirat have written Letters to some of your Friends to help that as much of these Goods as they could should be conveyed away secretly by Night further off upon hope that if the same Goods were assured the Owners would make no further labour for them and then you might have enjoyed them contrary to Justice and your Honour and to the great slander of this Realm 32. It is Objected and laid unto your Charge That you have not only disclosed the Kings Majesty's Secret Council but also where you your self amongst the rest have consented and agreed to certain things for the advancement of the King's Affairs you have spoken and laboured against the same 33. It is further Objected and laid unto your Charge That your Deputy Steward and other your Ministers of the Holt in the County of Denbigh have now against Christmass last past at the said Holt made such provision of Wheat Malt Beefs and other such things as be necessary for the sustenance of a great number of Men making also by all the means possible a great Mass of Mony insomuch that all the Country doth greatly marvel at it and the more because your Servants have spread Rumours abroad that the King's Majesty was dead whereupon the Country is in a great maze doubt and expectation looking for some Broil and would have been more if at this present by your apprehension it had not been staied The Lord Admiral 's Answer to three of the former Articles TO the first he saith That about Easter-Tyde was twelve-months he said to Fowler as he supposeth it was that if he might have the King in his custody as Mr. Page had he would be glad and that he thought a Man might bring him through the Gallery to his Chamber and so to his House But this he said he spoke merrily meaning no hurt And that in the mean time after he heard and upon that sought out certain Precedents that there was in England at one time one Protector and another Regent of France and the Duke of Exeter and the Bishop of Winchester Governors of the King's Person Upon that he had thought to have made suit to the Parliament-House for that purpose and he had the names of all the Lords and totted them whom he thought he might have to his purpose to labour them But afterwards communing with Mr. Comptroller at Ely-place being put in remembrance by him of his assenting and agreeing with own his Hand that the Lord Protector should be governor of the King's Person he was ashamed of his doings and left off that suit and labour To the second he saith He gave Mony to two or three of them which were about the King To Mr. Cheek he saith he gave at Christmass-tide was twelve-months when the Queen was at Enfield 40 l. whereof to himself 20 l. the other for the King to bestow where it pleased his Grace amongst his Servants Mr. Cheek was very loath to take it howbeit he would needs press that upon him and to him he gave no more at no time as he remembreth sith the King's Majesty was crowned To the Grooms of the Chamber he hath at Newyears-tydes given Mony he doth not well remember what To Fowler he saith he gave Mony for the King sith the beginning of this Parliament now last at London 20 l. And divers times he saith the King hath sent to him for mony and he hath sent it And what time Mr. Latimer preached before the King the King sent to him to know what he should give Mr. Latimer and he sent to him by Fowler 40 l. with this word that 20 l. was a good reward for Mr. Latimer and the other he might bestow amongst his Servants whether he hath given Fowler any mony for himself he doth not remember To the third he saith It is true he drew such a Bill indeed himself and proffered it to the King or else to Mr. Cheek he cannot well tell and before that he saith he caused the King to be moved by Mr. Fowler whether he could be contented that he should have the Governance of him as Mr. Stanhope had He knoweth not what answer he had but upon that he drew the said Bill to that effect that his Majesty was content but what answer he had to the Bill he cannot tell Mr. Cheek can tell Number 32. The Warrant for the Admiral 's Execution March 17.
it What say you quoth I how do you understand this Article It should seem yes quoth d' Arras but we will speak with the Emperor in it and bring you an answer The words be plain quoth I and cannot be avoided Then in the seventh Article where it is said That the Prince requiring for his Aid Mony instead of Men must if the Invasion made by the Enemy cease restore the Mony again which remaineth And afterwards says That though the Invasion cease yet if he will follow the Enemy he may use the Aid for the time appointed in the Treaty saying in generality eo casu subsidiis auxiliaribus c. I asked Whether in those general words they mean not the Mony as well as the Men Wherupon they seemed to doubt and took a Note thereof to know the Emperor's Pleasure in the same In the ninth Article where it is treated for redress of Injuries done by one Subject to the other there we fell into a brawl of half an hour upon a Question that I moved viz. When they took Justice to be denied And their Answer was That we used none at all And here at length I fell into their manner of Arresting of one whole Nation upon a Knave Mariner's Complaint And he What Thieves our Nation was upon the Sea and Lawless People and that they never proceed to such Extremities but when their Subjects had been in England and Justice was denied That hath never been seen quoth I but if any of your Subjects think himself grieved streight he runneth to Monsieur le Protecteur and he by and by setting all the King's Affairs apart must attend to the Affairs of Monsieur le Mariniure or else home runneth he with open cry That he cannot have Justice in England and you streight believe and thereupon cometh these often Blusters And do you think it reason that Monsieur G. or you should attend to every private Man's Complaint you should then have a goodly Office No you send them to the ordinary Justices and so let that take place and way as it will but you will never impeach your self more with the Matter And reason quoth he but the Cause is not alike with you in England for there quoth he all things come to the Lord Protector 's Hand there is none other Judg or Justice used or cared for in the Realm no and his Letters sometimes not esteemed and that our Subjects fear full often and therefore of force they must resort to Monsieur Protecteur And this is not true quoth I and that Monsieur Hobbey knoweth my Lord Protector nor none of the Privy-Council meddle with no private Matters whosoever it be but only meddle with Matters of State leaving all other things to the ordinary course of Justice except only many times to gratify your Ambassador and to shew himself glad to nourish the Amity he troubleth himself with the Complaints of your Subjects which by St. Mary by my advice he shall do no more seeing it is so little considered but shall refer them to the common Justice Whither is that quoth he To the Admiralty quoth I. Marry a goodly Justice quoth he for so shall the poor Man's Cause be tried before his Adversary And why not tried in our Admiralty quoth I as well as in yours Nay quoth he both be naught indeed they were very ordinary Courts at the beginning of the redress of Matters upon the Sea but now they feel the sweet of the Gain such as they care little for Justice And here as well for relief of poor Men spoiled and robbed upon the Seas as to avoid Arrests and such other troublesome Proceedings on either side we fell to devising and came to this Point If the Princes for their parts upon their advertisement to the Emperor and we to your Grace shall like it that Commission sufficient be given by the Emperor to two of his Privy-Council to hear and determine by their discretion summary de pleno all Complaints by the King's Subjects here for criminal Causes upon the Sea and the King's Majesty to do the like to two of his Privy-Council for the Complaints in like case of the Emperor's Subjects And this was all was passed in open Conference saying That in the Discourse for the Confirmation in the Treaty by the Prince and their Countries as they seemed to shew the Emperor's readiness but yet not so resolved that the Prince should confirm the Treaty and that further any other thing should be done that he might reasonably do to declare his good Will to the entertainment and augmentation of his Amity and Affection to the King's Majesty So he alleaged divers Reasons why the Emperor should not seek to his Subjects to confirm his Treaties with Forreign Princes We alleaged the Example of the King and the French King in times past and what was said in that Case at C. _____ in the presence of himself de C. _____ and Chap. _____ Whereunto he answered That the State of France was more restrained than the Emperor's and that the French King could give no piece of his Patrimony nor bind his Country without the consent of his Parliament at Paris and the three Estates but he thought the King of England to have a greater Prerogative and the Emperor he was sure had a greater Prerogative and so had all his Ancestors and therefore would be loath now to put himself so far in their danger They were he said fifteen or sixteen Parliaments and if a thing should be proposed unto them whereof they had never heard the like before they would not only muse much at the Matter but they would have also the scanning of it and what would come of it the Emperor could not tell peradventure dash the Matter and so prejudice his Prerogative with them Yet now where he and his Ancestors do and have always passed Treaties with other Princes and bind their Subjects thereby without making them privy thereto it would by this means come to pass that from henceforth their Subjects would look to be privy to every Treaty which were not convenient marry for the Prince which shall succeed to confirm the Treaty he thought the Emperor could not take it but reasonable and doubted not to bring a good Answer in the same So as we see for this Point it will come to the confirmation of the King and the Prince and upon any condition or interpretation of the Treaty to them also wherein we intend to go forwards for so our Instruction beareth us unless that before the conclusion and shutting up of the Matter we hear from your Grace to the contrary The things being thus far passed and our open Talk at a Point and they ready to depart Monsieur d' Arras taking occasion as it seemed to stay because of the Rain took me aside and asked me if I would command him any other Service I answered No Service but Friendship and the continuance of his good Will to the King's
God's Quarrel by mean of which my presence many things should be stated that for Superiority and otherwise in times past hath been occasion of disagreement amongst Princes Albeit peradventure the greatest respect shall not now be had hereunto nor this be the best Elective to win the Cardinals Favour wherein you must therefore use your self by your wisdoms as you shall see the time season and care to require assuring them for the removing of the doubt in changing of the See or not speedy repair thither that after the Election once passed and notified to me I would not fail by God's Grace within three months to be in Rome there and in the parts thereabout to remain during my Life whereof ye may make faithful assurance By these and other good means and promises on the King's behalf of large Rewards which his Highness referreth to your discretion and is contented to perform that which ye do therein It is not to be doubted but that you shall obtain the Favours of many of them so as if respect may be had to the Honour of the See Apostolic and the Surety of Italy the Tranquility of Christendom the Defence of the same against the Infidels the Exaltation of the Faith the Persecution of Christ's Enemies the Increase and Weal of the College of Cardinals with their Advancement and Promotion gentle frank and liberal entertainment of them and generally to the benefit of all Holy Church The King's Grace supposeth his mind and desire herein with your good means diligence and sollicitations is not unlike to take good effect wherein for the more authority and better conducing of your purpose the pleasure of his Grace is That you join with the Emperor's Ambassadors as far as you may see and perceive them to favour this the King's Intent like-as his Grace thinketh that according to the often Conferences Communications Promises and Exhortations made by the Emperor to me in this behalf and according to my said Lady Margaret's desire or offer they have commandment to do In the politick handling of all which Matters the King's Highness putteth in you his special trust and confidence so to order your self in the Premises as you shall perceive to accord with the inward desire of his Grace and the state and disposition of the thing there for which purpose his Grace hath furnished you at this time jointly or severally with two sundry Commissions the one general for me and in my favour by the which you have ample Authority to bind and promise on the King's behalf as well gift of Promotions as also as large sums of Mony to as many and such as you shall think convenient and as sure ye may be whatsoever ye shall promise bind his Grace and do in that behalf his Highness will inviolably observe keep and perform the other special as afore Letters to the College of two effects the one for the Cardinal de Medices and the other for me with other particular Letters in my favour all which his pleasure is That you shall use in manner and form aforesaid that is to say If you shall perceive the Affair of the Cardinal de Medicis to be in such perfect train that he is like to have the same Dignity ye then proceed to that which may be his furtherance using nevertheless your particular labour for me if you think it may do good after such sort as ye shall not conceive any ingratitude or unkindness therein And if you may see that the said Cardinal de Medicis be not in such great likelihood thereof then considering that as the King's Grace and I think verily he will do his best for me ye shall effectually set forth your practices for attaining and winning as many Friends for me as possible may be delivering your Letters for the Intent as you shall see cause Wherein you being now furnished for both Purposes and also having one of the Commissions general and indifferent without any Person therein specially recommended things be to be done or omitted as you shall know to stand with the state or commodity of the Affairs there with the Ground of the King's Mind to you now declared shall be your best and perfect Instruction and as you shall do or know herein so the King's Grace desireth you often and speedily to advertise me by your Letters having no doubt but that his Highness will see your travels diligence and pains in this behalf so to be considered as you shall have cause to think the same well employed and bestowed And my Lord of Bath as you do know well because Mr. Pace at the time of the last Vacation was sent purposely from hence with Commission and Instruction for that Matter the King and I supposing that upon knowledg of this news he being at Milan would incontinently repair unto Rome hath therefore made the foresaid Commissions and also this Letter to be directed unto you jointly and severally willing you in such substantial and discreet wise to proceed in that Matter not forbearing any thing that may be to the furtherance thereof as his Grace and my special Trust is in you And thus most heartily fare you well At my Mannor of Hampton-Court the 4th day of October The rest is the Cardinal 's own Hand MY Lord of Bath the King hath willed me to write unto you That his Grace hath a marvellous Opinion of you and you knowing his mind as you do his Highness doubteth not but this Matter shall be by your Policy set forth in such wise as that the same may come to the desired effect not sparing any reasonable Offers which is a thing that amongst so many needy Persons is more regarded than per-case the Qualities of the Person ye be wise and ye wot what I mean trust your self best and be not seduced by fair words and specially of those which say what they will desire more their own preferment than mine Howbeit great dexterity is to be used and the King thinketh that all the Imperials shall be clearly with you if Faith be in the Emperor The young Men which for the most part being needy will give good ears to fair Offers which shall be undoubtedly performed the King willeth you neither to spare his Authority or his good Mony or Substance You may be assured whatsoever you promise shall be performed and our Lord send you good speed Your loving Friend T. Cardinalis Eborac Number 49. A Memorial given by the King's Majesty with the Advice of his Highness Council to the Lord Russel Lord Privy-Seal the Lord Paget of Beaudesert Sir William Petre Kt. and one of his Highness two Principal Secretaries and Sir John Mason Kt. his Majesty's Secretary for the French Tongue being sent at this present in Commission to treat and conclude upon a Peace with certain Commissioners sent from the French King at this time for the same purpose An Original EDWARD R. Cotton Libr. Caligula E. 1 FIrst As touching the Place of their Meeting
Clementissime Deus Pater Filius Spiritus Sanctus suppliciter exoramus ut quod ad nominis tui sanctificationem piis hic Ceremoniis peragitur ad corporis simul animae tutelam valeat in terris ad uberiorem foelicitatis fructum proficiat in Coelis Qui vivis regnas Deus per omnia soecula soeculorum Amen Number 26. A Letter of Gardiners to King Henry the Eighth concerning the Divorce An Original PLeaseth it your Majesty to understand Ex Chartophylac Regio that besides all other means used to the Pope's Holiness for attaining and atchieving your Highness Purpose and Intent such as in our common Letters to my Lord Legat's Grace and my several Letters to the same be contained at length I have also a-part shewed unto the Pope's Holiness that which your Highness shewed me in your Gallery at Hampton-Court concerning the sollicitation of the Princes of Almayn and such other Matter as should and ought to fear the Pope's said Holiness adding also those Reasons which might induce the same to adhere expresly to your Highness and the French King and so to take the more courage to accomplish your Highness Desires using all ways possible to enforce him to do somewhat being a Man of such Nature as he never resolveth any thing but by some violent Affection compelled thereunto And considering we can speed no better at his hands it agreeth with that your Majesty of your high Wisdom before perpended that his Holiness would do nothing which might offend the Emperor unless he first determined himself to adhere to your Highness and the French King and so to declare himself containing himself no longer in Neutrality which he will not do Ne the State of the Affairs here considered it were for his Wealth so to do unless the Leagues otherwise proceeded than they yet do or that his Holiness would determine himself to leave these Parts and establish his See in some other Place forasmuch as here being he is daily in danger of the Imperial's like as we have signified by our other Letters His Holiness is in great perplexity and agony of Mind nor can tell what to do he seemeth in words fashion and manner of speaking as though he would do somewhat for your Highness and yet when it cometh to the Point nothing he doth I dare not say certainly whether it be for fear or want of good Will for I were loth to make a Lie of him or to your Highness my Prince Soveraign Lord and Master Finally I perceive this by the Pope and all other here that so your Highness cause were determined there by my Lord's Legats they would be glad thereof and as I think if the Emperor would make any Suit against that which shall be done there they would serve him as they now do your Highness and so drive off the time for they seem to be so minded as in this Cause they would suffer much but do very little Wherefore if my Lord Campegius will set apart all other respects and frankly promise your Highness to give Sentence for you then must be your Highness Remedy short and expedite nor shall there want wit by another means to meet with such delays as this false counterfeit Breve hath caused For with these Men here your Highness shall by no Suit profit which thing I write unto your Highness as of my most bounden Duty I ought to do there shall every day rise new Devices and none take effect but long delays and wasted time wherefore doing what I can yet to get the best although we be fully answered therein I shall do what I can to get the Commission amplified as much as may be and at the least to extend to the reprobation of the Brief if I can for I dare promise nothing to your Majesty at this Man's hands and that which shall be obtained if any be obtained shall be according to your Highness Pleasure sent by Mr. Bryan And whereas your Highness in your gracious Letters directed to me and my Colleagues marvelleth that I have not e're this advertised the same of such Bulls as your Majesty willed me to impetrate here I thought verily that forasmuch as the same be to be impetrate at the Pope's Hand and that we signified unto your Majesty by our Letters of the Pope's great Sickness and how we could not have access unto the same that it had been superfluous for me in my Letters to make any mention of the said Bulls signifying unto your Highness now that having those Matters as it becometh me to have in good remembrance I have not yet broken with the Pope's Holiness in them nor thought good to interrupt the Prosecution of your Highness Matter with the pursuit of those saving that I spake a word to the Pope's Holiness de Ecclesiis Cathedralibus and his Holiness said nothing could be done till the Cardinal Sanctorum Quatuor be recovered In other things I speak not for our Audience with the Pope's Holiness hath been so scarce that we thought it little enough to spend the same in your Highness principal Matter And to advertise your Highness what Counsel is here conducted for the defence of your Majesty's Cause the same shall understand that this Court as it hath suffered in all other things so it is also much appeyred in Learned Men and of them that be we dare not trust every one ne Causa Majestatis vestrae illis denudata they should prodere illam Adversariis wherefore counselling as yet only with two the one called Dominus Michael the other Dominus Sigismundus we perceiving nothing to be solicited openly on the other side and that here as yet hath been no need to dispute openly have communicate your Highness Matter to no more And as for that Article Quod Papa non possit dispensare the Pope himself will hear no Disputations in it and so he might retain your Highness good Mind he seemeth not to care for himself whether your Highness Cause be decided by that Article or no so he did it not but surely it appeareth as a Man may gather by his fashion and manner that he hath made his account no further to meddle in your Highness Matter neither with your Majesty nor against the same but follow that shall be done by his Legats there Wherefore if my Lord Campegius would promise your Majesty to give Sentence frankly and apertly having propitium Judice I would trust being there with such Consultations as I should bring from hence to say somewhat to this Breve there Apud illos ista est Sacra Anchora Majestatis vestrae for from hence shall come nothing but Delays desiring your Highness not to shew this to my Lord Campegius nor my Lord's Grace Mr. Gregory sendeth presently unto your Highness the Promise made by the Pope's Holiness concerning your Highness Cause at such time as I went to Venice for his Cause which Promise in the first three words viz. Cum
him to go a-board a Ship in Flanders on another pretence and presently set sail for England where yet the Government was so gentle that two Years past before he was brought to his Tryal and then the Defence he made was That he was not accountable for what he had done in Flanders it not being in the Queen's Dominions and that he was not her Subject having sworn Allegiance to the King of Spain But this being contrary to his natural Allegiance which he could never shake off he was found guilty of Treason and was there executed These are our Author's Martyrs and are of a piece with his Faith Pag. 216. 44. In the room of the Bishops that were turned out he says there were put some Apostate and Lustful that is as he explains it married Monks Scory Bird Holgate Barlow Harley Coverdale and Ridley on whom he bestows many such Epithetes as may be expected from him This is such a piece of History as one can hardly meet with any thing like it 1. Bird was made Bishop of Chester by King Henry and was the first that sat in that See it being of that King's Foundation 2. Holgate was put in the See of York by King Henry when it was void by Lee's Death 3. Barlow was also put in Bath and Wells by the same King it being likewise void by the Death of Knight 4. Coverdale was put in the See of Exeter upon Veysey's free Resignation he being then extream old 5. Harley was also put in Hereford upon the former Bishop's Death 6. Ridley and Harley were never married nor Coverdale for ought I can find so exact is our Author in delivering the History of that Time Ibid. 45. He says Poinet that was made Bishop of Worchester in Gardiner's Room besides one Wife to whom he was married took â— Butchers Wife from him but the Butcher sued for his Wife and recovered her out of his hands and to make this pass the better he adds a Jest of Gardiner's about it that he had said Why might not he hope to be restored to his Bishoprick as well as the Butcher was to his Wife The falseness of this Story is clearly evinced by the Answer that Dr. Martin set out in the beginning of Queen Mary's Reign to a Book that Poinet had writ in the defence of the married Clergy Martin's Answer is writ with so much spite and so many indecent Reflections that though it is not reasonable to believe all he says yet it is almost a certain Argument that this Story concerning Poinet is a Forgery since if it was a thing so publick as our Author makes it Martin must have heard of it especially living in Gardiner's House and it is not to be imagined that if he did know it he would have concealed it So this and the Jest that hangs upon it must pass as one of the flourishes of our Author 's Pen. Pag. 217. 46. He says Hooper that used formerly to rail at the Luxury of the Catholick Bishops being made a Superintendent himself for so the Zuinglians called their Bishops enjoyed at once two Bishopricks Worcester and Glocester The Zuinglians had no Superintendents for ought I can find nor was Hooper ever called Superintendent but Bishop He was made Bishop of Glocester which had been before King Henry the Eighth's Time a part of the Bishoprick of Worcester And now these Sees came to be united so that Hooper had not two Bishopricks but one that had been for some Years divided into two He only enjoyed the Revenue of Glocester for Worcester was entirely suppressed 47. He says On the 9th of July Pag. 219. the Mony was cried down one fourth part and forty days after another fourth part so that the whole Nation was thereby robbed of the half of their Stock This King's Counsellors found the Coin embased and they were either to let it continue in that State to the great prejudice of the state of the Nation or to reduce it to a just Standard so our Author condemns them for correcting what they found amiss But no wonder he that quarrels with them so much for reforming of Religion should be likewise offended with them for reforming the Coin 48. He says The Duke of Somerset was condemned Pag. 222. because he had come into the Duke of Northumberland's Chamber with intention to have killed him and was thereupon beheaded This was indeed said to be the cause of his Death but it is not mentioned in the Record in which it is only said that he intended to have seised on the Duke of Northumberland without adding that he designed to have killed him 49. He says The two younger Sisters of Lady Jane Gray Page 223. vvere married to the eldest Sons of the Earls of Pembroke and Huntington This Error is of no great consequence but it shews how much our Author was a stranger even to the most publick Actions for the youngest Sister to the Lady Jane was married to one Keys that was Groom Porter The Earl of Huntington's Son married the Duke of Northumberland's Daughter 50. He says Soon after the Marriages the King began to sicken Ibid. and to fall in decay The King had been ill four months before these Marriages were made and it is probable his sickness made them be the more hastned 51. He says Ibid. Dudley was very desirous to have the Lady Mary in his power not being much concerned about the Lady Elizabeth for she being descended of Ann Boleyn he did not much consider her It was natural for Dudley to desire rather to have the elder Sister in his power than the younger who could not claim to the Crown but after the other but it appeared by the submission of the whole Nation to Queen Elizabeth though still professing Popery that she was every whit as much considered as her Sister had been formerly 52. He says Lady Mary having been sent for by Dudley's Order Pag. 224. understood when she was not for from London that the King was expiring and that she would be in great danger if she came to Court upon which she turned back Queen Mary had not been sent for by Dudley's Order the Council had writ to her that the King being Ill desired her Company The News sent her from Court was That the King was Dead so she was desired to stir no further and upon that retired to her House in the Countrey Ibid. 53. He says Twenty days after that she heard the King was dead whereupon she made proclaim her self Queen The discovery of the former Error clears this for she immediatly gathered the People of Suffolk about her and gave them her Royal Word that they should enjoy their Religion as it had been established in King Edward's Time But though they were the first that proclaimed her Queen and came about her to defend her Right they were among the first that felt the Severities of her Reign Pag. 225. 54.
kill the Queen for which he justly suffered Of this I find nothing on Record so it must depend on our Author's Credit which is not infallible 75. He says The Imposture of Elizabeth Crofts Ibid. was set up by the Persuasion of many of the Hereticks and when it was discovered she confessed she had been set on to it by others and by one Drake in particular but they all fled In the Account that was then published of that Imposture Drake only is accused for it what he was does not appear to me for I have never found him mentioned but on this Occasion so there was no reason to transfer the private Guilt of this Conspiracy on a whole Party as our Author does though upon his Credit one of our Writers has also done it 76. He says Those in whose hands the Church-Lands were Pag. 243. had great apprehensions of their being forced to restore them because the Queen had restored all the Land that were in her hands and had again converted the Collegiat Church of Westminster into an Abbey But to prevent the ill Effects that might have followed on this the Cardinal did in the Pope's Name absolve them from all Censures for possessing those Lands and that was confirmed by Letters sent over from the Pope He observes the order of Time very exactly when he sets the Queen's restoring the Church-Lands and founding the Abbey of Westminster as the occasions of the Fears the Laity were in of being forced to restore the rest of the Church-Lands and of the Cardinal 's absolving them from all Censures for keeping them still in their hands The Order in which this was done was thus In Novemb. 1554 in the Act of Reconciliation with the See of Rome there was a special Proviso made for the Church-Lands which the Cardinal confirmed in the Pope's Name In the Year after that the Queen gave up into the Cardinal Hands all the Church-Lands that belonged to the Crown and two Years after she founded the Abbey of Westminster so little influence had these things on the other that were done before But he was grosly mistaken when he said the Pope approved All for he in plain terms refused to ratify what the Cardinal had done and soon after set out a severe Bull Cursing and Condemning all that held any Church-Lands 77. He says Pag. 244. All the Bishops being sensible of their Schismatical way of entring into their Sees did desire and obtain a Confirmation from the Pope Kitchin Bishop of Landaff only excepted who afterwards relapsed into Heresy under Queen Elizabeth and says it is likely the want of this Confirmation made him be more easily overcome This our Author wrote being a thing very probable and seldom do his Authorities for what he asserts rise higher It was also a pretty strain of his Wit to make the omitting of it fall singly on the only Bishop that conformed under Queen Elizabeth But it is certain there was no such thing done at all for if any had done it Bonner was as likely as any other since as none had been more faulty in King Henry's Time so none studied to redeem that with more servile compliances than he did yet there is nothing of this recorded in his Register which continues entire to this day Pag. 246. 78. He says The State of the Universities was restored to what it had been and Oxford in particular by Petrus a Soto's means who was in the Opinion of all much preferred to P. Martyr He that gathered the Antiquities of Oxford though no partial Writer on this occasion represents the state of that University very differently that there were almost no Divines in it and scarce any publick Lectures But when Sanders writ his Poem the Spanish Councils were so much depended on by him and his Party that it was fit to put that Complement on the Nation concerning Petrus a Soto Whether it was true or false was a Circumstance which he generously overlook'd for most part Pag. 248. 79. He says Queen Elizabeth had done many things in Queen Mary's Time both against her Person and Government He knew this was so false that there was never a Circumstance or a Presumption brought against her but the Information which Wiat gave hoping thereby to save himself and yet he denied that on the Scaffold If there had been any colour to have justified the taking away her Life both the Queen and her Counsellors were as much enclined to it as our Author himself was Ibid. 80. He says King Henry said in Parliament she was not and could not be his Daughter for a secret Reason which he had revealed to the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury This was aptly enough said by a Writer that had emancipated himself from the Laws of Truth and Veracity to appeal to such a Story yet to have made it pass the better he should have named other Circumstances for such a thing cannot be easily believed since after Ann Boleyn's Death the King continued to treat Elizabeth still as his Daughter so that when she writ to his next Queen she subscribed Daughter she was in all things educated with the Care and State that became a King's Child and was both by Act of Parliament and by his Will declared to be so Now to think that such a King would have done all this after he had in Parliament declared that she could not be his Child is a little too coarse to be believed and so should have been supported with more than ordinary Proofs Ibid. 81. He says She came to the Crown meerly by virtue of the Act of Parliament without being Legitimated In this she and her Sister were upon the same Level for neither of them were declared Legitimate so this was not to be objected to the one more than to the other Sister Pag. 249. 82. He says Queen Mary being declared by Act of Parliament in the beginning of her Reign Legitimate and her Mothers Marriage being declared good Elizabeth was thereby of new Illegitimated yet she never repealed the Laws against her Title but kept the Crown meerly upon the Authority of an Act of Parliament without having any regard to her Birth Queen Mary came to the Crown being in the same Condition and was either a lawful Queen before that Act was made or else that Act was of no force if it had not the Royal Assent given by a lawful Queen So Queen Elizabeth was as much Queen before any such Act could have passed as afterwards and therefore since it was not necessary for the securing her Title it was a sign of her tenderness of her Father's Memory to which Queen Mary had no regard not to revive the remembrance of things that must have turned so much to his dishonour as that would have done 83. He says Pag. 250. Queen Mary not being able to prevent her Sisters Succession sent a Message to her on her Death-Bed desiring her to pay her Debts and
new Titles Philip and Mary King and Queen of England France Naples Jerusalem and Ireland Princes of Spain and Sicily Defendors of the Faith Arch-Dukes of Austria Dukes of Milan Burgundy and Brabant Counts of Habspurg Flanders and Tirol Spain having always delighted in a long enumeration of pompous Titles It was observed how happy Marriages had been to the Austrian Family who from no extraordinary Beginnings had now in eighty Years time been raised by two Marriages first with the Heir of Burgundy and the Netherlands and then with the Heir of Spain to be the greatest Family in Christendom and the Collateral Family by the Marriage of the Heir of Bohem and Hungary was now the greatest in the Empire And surely if Issue had followed this Marriage the most extraordinary success possible would have seemed to be entailed on them But there was no great appearance of that for as the Queen was now far advanced in Years so she was in no good state of Health a long course of Discontent had corrupted both the health of her Body and the temper of her Mind Nor did the Matter alter much by her Marriage except for the worse The King 's wonderful Gravity and Silence gained nothing upon the English but his Magnificence and Bounty was very acceptable He brought after him a vast Mass of Wealth He brings a great Treasure with him to England seven and twenty Chests of Bullion every Chest being a Yard and some Inches long which were drawn in twenty Carts to the Tower after which came ninety nine Horse and two Carts loaded with coined Gold and Silver This great Wealth was perhaps the Sum that was formerly mentioned which was to be distributed among the English for it is not improbable that though he empowred his Ambassadors and Gardiner to promise great Sums to such as should promote his Marriage yet that he would not part with so much Mony till it was made sure and therefore he ordered this Treasure to be brought after him I mention it here yet it came not into England till October and January following He made his entry into London with great state At his first setling in England he obtained of the Queen Act of Favour done by him that many Prisoners should be set at Liberty among whom the chief were the Arch-Bishop of York and ten Knights with many other Persons of Quality These I suppose had been committed either for Wiat's Rebellion or the Business of the Lady Jane for I do not believe any were discharged that were imprisoned on the account of Religion As for this Arch-Bishop though he went along in the Reformation yet I find nothing that gives any great Character of him I never saw any Letter of his nor do I remember to have seen any honourable mention made of him any where so that he seems to have been a soft and weak Man and except those little Fragments of his Opinions in some Points about the Mass which are in the Collection I know no remains of his Pen. It seems he did at this time comply in Matters of Religion for without that it is not probable that either Philip would have moved for him or that the Queen would have been easily entreated The Intercessions that Philip made for the Lady Elizabeth He preserves the Lady Elizabeth and the Earl of Devonshire did gain him the Hearts of the Nation more than any thing else that he ever did Gardiner was much set against them and studied to bear down the declaration that Wiat had made of their Innocency all that he could but it was made so openly on the Scaffold that it was not possible to suppress it Before in his Examinations Wiat had accused them hoping to have saved himself by so base an Action but he redeemed it all he could at his Death This had broken Gardiner's Design who thought all they did about Religion was but half work unless the Lady Elizabeth were destroyed For he knew that though she complied in many things yet her Education had been wholly under the Reformed and which was more to him who judged all People by their Interest he reckoned that Interest must make her declare against the Papacy since otherwise she was a Bastard if ever she should out-live her Sister Philip opposed this at first upon a generous Account to recommend himself by obtaining such Acts of Favour to be done by the Queen But afterwards when the hopes of Issue failed him by his Marriage he preserved her out of Interest of State for if she had been put out of the way the Queen of Scotland that was to be married to the Dolphin was to succeed which would have made too great an Accession to the French Crown and besides as it afterwards appeared he was not without hopes of persuading her to marry himself if her Sister should die without Issue For the Earl of Devonshire he more easily obtained his freedom though not till some months had passed That Earl being set at liberty finding he was to lie under perpetual Distrusts and that he might be perhaps upon the first Disorder again put into the Tower to which his Stars seemed to condemn him resolved to go beyond Sea but died within a Year after as some say of Poison All this I have laid together though it fell not out all at once that I might give a full account of all the Acts of Grace that Philip did in England He was little beloved by the English But for the rest of his Behaviour it was no way acceptable to the People for as he engaged the Nation in all his Interests so that henceforth during this Reign England had no share in the Consultations of Europe but was blindly led by him which proved fatal to them in the conclusion by the ignominious loss of Calais So his temper and way of deportment seemed most ridiculous and extravagantly formal to the English Genius which naturally loves the mean between the excessive jollity and talkativeness of the French and the sullen staiedness of the Spaniard rather enclining more to the briskness of the one than the superciliousness of the other And indeed his Carriage was such here that the acting him and his Spaniards was one of the great Diversions of Queen Elizabeth's Court. The Hall of the Court was almost continually shut all his Time and none could have access unless it were first demanded with as much formality as Ambassadors use in asking Audience So that most of the Nobility left the Court few staying but the Officers of the Houshold Gardiner magnifies him much in a Sermon Gardiner had now the Government put entirely in his Hands And he to make his Court the better with the new King preached at St. Paul's the 30th of September where after he had inveighed long against the Preachers in King Edward's Time which was the common Subject of all their Sermons he run out much in commendation of the King affirming him to
be as wise sober gentle and temperate as any Prince that ever was in England and if he did not prove so he was content that all his Hearers should esteem him an impudent Lyar. The State of the Court continued in this posture till the next Parliament But great Discontents did now appear every-where The severe Executions after the last rising the Marriage with Spain and the overturning of Religion concurred to alienate the Nation from the Government This appeared no where more confidently than in Norfolk where the People reflecting on their Services thought they might have the more leave to speak There were some malicious Rumours spread that the Queen was with Child before the King came over This was so much resented at Court that the Queen writ a Letter to the Justices there which is in the Collection to enquire into those false Reports and to look to all that spread false News in the County Coll. Numb 14. The Earl of Sussex upon this examined a great many but could make nothing out of it It flowed from the officiousness of Hopton the new Bishop of Norwich who thought to express his Zeal to the Queen whose Chaplain he had long been by sending up the Tales of the Country to the Council Table not considering how much it was below the Dignity of the Government to look after all vain Reports Bonner's Carriage in his Visitation This Summer the Bishops went their Visitations to see every thing executed according to the Queen's Injunctions Bonner went his with the rest He had ordered his Chaplains to draw a Book of Homilies with an Exposition of the Christian Religion He says in his Preface to it that he and his Chaplains had compiled it but it is likely he had only the Name of it and that his Chaplains composed it Yet the greatest and indeed the best part of it was made to their hands for it was taken out of the Institution of a Christian Man set out by King Henry only varied in those Points in which it differed from what they were now about to set up So that concerning the Pope's Power since it was not yet established he says nothing for or against it The Articles upon which he made his Visitation will be found in the Collection Coll. Numb 15. and by these we may judg of all the other Visitations over England In the Preface he protests he had not made his Articles out of any secret grudg or displeasure to any but meerly for the discharge of his Conscience towards God and the World The Articles were Whether the Clergy did so behave themselves in Living Teaching and Doing that in the judgment of indifferent Men they seemed to seek the Honour of God of the Church and of the King and Queen Whether they had been Married or were taken for Married and whether they were Divorced and did no more come at their Wives or whether they did defend their Marriages Whether they did reside keep Hospitality provide a Curat in their absence And whether they did devoutly celebrate the Service and use Processions Whether they were suspect of Heresy Whether they did haunt Ale-houses and Taverns Bowling-Allies or suspect Houses Whether they favoured or kept company with any suspect of Heresy Whether any Priest lived in the Parish that absented himself from Church Whether these kept any privat Conventicles Whether any of the Clergy was Vicious blasphemed God or his Saints or was guilty of Simony Whether they exhorted the People to Peace and Obedience Whether they admited any to the Sacrament that was suspect of Heresy or was of an ill Conversation an Oppressor or Evil-Doer Whether they admitted any to preach that were not licensed or refused such as were Whether they did officiate in English Whether they did use the Sacraments aright Whether they visited the Sick and administred the Sacraments to them Whether they did marry any without asking the Banes three Sundays Whether they observed the Fasts and Holy-Days Whether they went in their Habits and Tonsures Whether those that were ordained schismatically did officiate without being admitted by the Ordinary Whether they set Leases for many Years of their Benefices Whether they followed Merchandise or Usury Whether they carried Swords or Daggers in Times or Places not convenient Whether they did once every quarter expound to the People in the Vulgar Tongue the Apostles Creed Ten Commandments the Two Commandments of Christ for loving God and our Neighbour the Seven Works of Mercy Seven deadly Sins Seven principal Vertues and the Seven Sacraments These were the most considerable Heads on which he visited One thing is remarkable that it appears both by these No Reordination of those ordained in King Edwards Time and the Queen's Injunctions that they did not pretend to re-ordain those that had been ordained by the New Book in King Edward's Time but to reconcile them and add those things that were wanting which were the Anointing and giving the Priestly Vestments with other Rites of the Roman Pontifical In this Point of re-ordaining such as were ordained in Heresy or Schism the Church of Rome has not gone by any steady Rule For though they account the Greek Church to be guilty both of Heresy and Schism they receive their Priests without a New Ordination Yet after the time of the Contests between Pope Nicolaus and Photius and much more after the outragious heats at Rome between Sergius and Formosus in which the dead Bodies of the former Popes were raised and dragged about the Streets by their Successors they annulled the Ordinations which they pretended were made irregularly Afterwards again upon the great Schism between the Popes of Rome and Avignon they did neither annul nor renew the Orders that had been given But now in England though they only supplied at this time the Defects which they said were in their former Ordination yet afterwards wheâ— they proceeded to burn them that were in Orders they went upon the old Maxim That Orders given in Schism were not valid 〈◊〉 they did not esteem Hooper nor Ridley Bishops and therefore only dâ—grâ—ded them from Priesthood though they had been ordained by their own Forms saving only the Oath to the Pope but for those who were ordained by the new Book they did not at all degrade them supposing noâ—â—hey had no true Orders by it Bonner in his Visitation took great care to see all things were every where done according to the old Rules which was the main thing intended other Points being put in for form When he came to Hadham he prevented the Doctor who did not expect him so soon by two hours so that there was no ringing of Bells which put him in no small disorder And that was much encreased when he went into the Church and found neither the Sacrament hanging up nor a Rood set up thereupon he fell a railing swearing most intemperately calling the Priest an Heretick a Knave with many other such goodly words The