Search York

was attended with a very honourable confluence of noble

and worshipful persons of both sexes, and received with

much ceremony at the court gate.

These ordinations passed this year, under Bishop Ridley's Ordinations

hands, zealous to furnish his diocese with faithful, honest, ^ij^eyl"^

and evangelical pastors, which, in these ekrly times of the

reformation, were very scarce. His first ordination was ce-

lebrated May 19, when seven deacons were ordained, and

five priests : their names, for brevity, we omit. The next

ordination was August 2, at Fulham, when only one was

ordained, and he deacon, and a Frenchman, named John

Veroneus, Senonens. Dioc. in Gallia : i. e. of Sens in Cham-

paign. Again, August 24, in his chapel at Fulham, were

ordained one deacon and three priests ; whereof the fore-

said Frenchman was one. The said Veron was minister of

Ludgate, and wrote divers tracts in English, and was taken

up for religion in the beginning of Queen Mary's reign.

Again, Sept. 29, were ordained seven deacons: whereof

one named William Clark, M. A. of Littlebury, was then

of the age of fifty-seven; and another was Robert Crow-

ley, who was after an exile, and under Queen Ehzabeth

minister of Cripplegate, and wrote some things. In the

Bishop's register he is styled, " stationer of the parish of St.

" Andrew, Holborn." Again, October 4, were ordained

three deacons ; whereof one was Christopher Dixe, of St.

Mary Somerset, London, tailor, and one priest. Again,

November % were ordained two priests and two deacons :

of the priests, Crowley was one. Lastly, March 6, in the

oratory of Robert bishop of St. David's house, in Grace-

church-street, at the sign of the Cross-keys, the said bishop

ordained one priest, named Alexander Leighton, of Pern-

554. MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

BOOK broke hall, Cambridge, by allowance and order of the Bi-

shop of London.

Anno 1551. The Parliament holden by prorogation began to sit
A sessions January 23, and continued sitting till April 15, following ;
menu ' this being the fourth session : where, besides many public acts

printed, were these private acts made :

Private An act for assuring lands to the city of London.
acts. j^^ ^pj. touching the marriage of the Marquis of North-
ampton. [Whereby his marriage was declared lawful, as

by the law of God indeed it was, any law or canon eccle-

siastical to the contrary notwithstanding.] This bill was

brought in by order of Council, viz. " That it be enacted,

" for legitimating, as well the marriage of the said Marquis,

" and Elizabeth his wife, [his former wife yet living, from

" whom he was divorced,] as the children born between

" them." Dated in February.

An act for the foundation of a grammar-school at Pock-

ington.
An act for frustrating assurances to the Duke of Somer-

set, made by the Earl of Oxford : [of which somewhat was

said before.]

3 1 9 An act for St. Peter's church in Westminster.
An act for the hmitation of the Duke of Somerset's lands.
The act for One of the public acts made in this Parliament was for
treason. ^^^ punishment of divers treasons. In which act, it was

provided favourably for the subject : as, that there should

be two witnesses in case of treason ; and that the witnesses

and the party arraigned should be brought face to face;

and that treason should not be adjudged by circumstances,

but plain evidence. This bill, before it passed, was learnedly

argued by the lawyers in the house, and especially Sir Ni-

colas Hare and Mr. Stamford ; the former whereof was

one of the judges, and the other the Queen's sergeant at

the trial of Sir Nicolas Throgmorton, who was arraigned in

Queen Mary's reign to have been in Wyat's treason. This

Throgmorton was in this Parliament, and heard this argu-

ment debated by them : which he made use of afterwards

at his said trial. He then said, there was a maxim and

ujb kijnct ji:dwakd vi. 555

principle in the law, which ought not to be violated, " that CHAP.

" no penal statute may, ought, or should be construed, ex- ^^'

*' pounded, extended, or wrested otherwise than the simple Anno 1551.

" words and nude letters of the same statute doth warrant

" and allow." And he told Serjeant Stamford, that among

divers good and notable reasons, then by him in that Par-

liament declared, he noted this one, why the said maxim

ought to be inviolable; which was, " that considering the

" private affections, many times both of princes and minis-

" ters, within this realm, for that they were men, and

" would and could err, it would be no security, but very

" dangerous to the subject, to refer the construction and

" extending of penal statutes to any judge's equity, as he

" termed it ; which might either by fear of the higher

" powers be seduced, or by ignorance and folly abused."*"*

By which means Throgmorton escaped.
There was a bill prepared (as it seems, this sessions of A bill of

Parliament) for the restraining of the excess of apparel, and^^"^*^^ '

for directing people"'s habits according to their qualities;

though it took not effect. And the King's own royal pen

drew it up, after the example of his noble father, who used

to draw up many bills to be enacted in Parliament, and to

supervise, correct, and interline many more. And because

our design is to preserve as many of the writings of this

young and blessed Prince as we can, I shall transcribe it

from the original, and present it here.

The rough draught of a bill for the 7'estraini?ig and di-
recting of apparel, drawn up for the Parliament by the
King himsef
No man, but of the blood royal, to wear cloth of gold, of E MSS.

purple colour, or any other purple. Armig.^ ^ *

Under a duke, no man to wear cloth of gold tinsel.
Under an earl, not to wear sables, or black jennets, or

cloth of silver.

Under a baron, no man to wear cloth of gold, or cloth of

silver, or luzarnes furrs, or any embroidery of gold and

silver, or damasken work^ or goldsmiths work.

556 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

BOOK Under the degree of a knight of the Garter, no man to

wear blue or crimson velvet, nor any cloth made out of this

Anno 1551. realm, nor embroidered of silk.

320 No man under the degree of a knight, (except gentlemen

that may dispend 500 pounds lands, or gentlemen of the

King's chamber,) to wear any velvet, or furr of maternes

or buge, or any furrs growing out of the realm.

No man to wear satin or damask, except he may spend

100 pounds during hfe, or etse be a gentleman, and the

King's sworn servant. Nor yet to wear any ostrige feathers,

nor furrs of conies.

No man that is not worth 200 pounds, or else 20 pounds

in living certain, to wear any kind of chamblet.

No serving man, under the degree of a gentleman, to

wear any furr, save lambs furr ; no taffata, nor sarcenet in

his hose, nor no velat in his cap, scabberd, girdle, &c. nor

any cloth above 10 shiUings the yard.

No man under the degree of a knight, to wear any gilt

thing.
No man under the degree of a gentleman, to wear any

silk points.
No husbandman, shepherd, &c. to wear any cloth above
shiUings the yard.

Their wives may wear that their husbands do : and so

may their sons and daughters, being under their tuition.
The forfeiture is, to all that be gentlemen, the loss of

apparel, and the double value thereof. To all others, it is

the loss of the apparel, and sitting five days in the stocks.
In the court, the Usshar may seize the apparel. And if

he commence not his action within fifteen days, then the

Lord Chamberlain. Likewise on the Queen's side, her Usshar

and Chamberlain.

Any man to seize apparel worn out of the court.

Proviso^ That all maiors, bailiffs, &c. and all others that

have accustomed one certain apparel of their office or voca-

tion, to wear the same still.

Proviso for ambassadors, That their men, coming from

beyond sea^, wear their masters hvery that they wear beyond

OF KING EDWARD VI. 557

sea, till their masters give them new. Likewise for all such CHAP,

as be in service beyond sea. '

Proviso for all to whom the King giveth any livery or^""oi^5i.

apparel.
Pi'oviso for players.
Provided, That upon coming of great embassacles, or fo-

reign princes, the Lord Great Master for the household, the

Lord Chamberlain for the chamber, may give license, and

assign unto those^that be under their charge in the King's

service, whether they be ordinary, or else extraordinary, to

wear for the time of that present occasion, such array as to

them shall seem convenient.
The value of their lands or goods to be tryed by the va-

luation of his subsidy going last before, if there were any

within three years before : otherwise to be tryed by their

oaths.
No husbandman to wear any dyed cloth, nor leather

tanned or dressed out of the realm.
No man under the degree of a baron, to wear any gold

that weigheth not one whole ounce.

They may wear in the trapping of their horse none other

than they may wear in their own apparel.

The act to take place after Whitsuntide.
No man to wear any chain that weigheth less than ten

ounces of gold.

For the close of this year, I cannot but observe, how wills 32 1

and testaments now ran, and how different the wording of Forms of

' . wills and
a will in King Edward's days was from one drawn up m testaments.

the reign of King Henry his father : whereby we may ga-^j;^''™*

ther, how at this time of day, by the knowledge of the

gospel, superstition generally wore off in the nation. Now

testaments ran in this tenor: " I commend my soul to God

" my Maker, faithfully believing to be saved by the shed-

" ding of Christ's blood, and my body to be buried in order

" as a Christian." Which words were in the will of John

Norton of Dedford, in the fifth year of King Edward, 1551.

And in the same year this was part of the last will of John

558 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

BOOK Byshop, of Skraptoft in the county of Leicester: " First,
II. « I give and bequeath myself to Almighty God, beseeching
Anno 1551. " him to accept it, of his mercy. Second, my body to be
" buried in the parish church of Skraptoft aforesaid : and
'' for my mortuary, according to the custom of the realm."
Whereas before, I meet with wills thus worded. In the
year 1536, Richard Bockland, burgess of the town of Ross,
made this will : " First, I bequeath my soul to Almighty
" God, to his mother Mary, and to All Hallows in heaven,
" and my body to be buried in the churchyard of Ross.
^' Item^ I bequeath to the cathedral church of Hereford,
" xiicZ. I bequeath to the high aultar of Ross, xiicZ." In the
year 1538, John Holder, of the parish of Churcham, made
this will : " First, I give and bequeath my soul to Almighty
" God, to our blessed Lady, and to all his saints. I also
" bequeath to the high aultar of Churcham for obiit-tith,
" xiitZ. Item, I will and ordain, that a priest sing for the
" health of my soul, and my father's soul, and all Christian
" souls, in Churcham, for the space of a quarter of a year."
John Myllenchop, of the parish of Ey, in Hereford diocese^
made these bequests: " First, I bequeath my soul unto
" Almighty God, and to our Lady his mother, and to all
'^ the celestial company of heaven ; and my body to be bu-
«* ried in the churchyard of St. Pyturs, [Peter's,] of Ey.
" Item, I bequeath to the mother church of Hereford, iiii d.
" Item, to the high aultar of the church of Ey, two tapers
" of the weight of two pound of wax, there to bren before
" the blessed sacrament. Item, to Sir Hugh Holder, my
« ghostly father, to pray for my soul, and all Christen
*' souls, iii^. and mid.

OF KING EDWARD VI. 559

CHAP. X. 322

France and Cesar apply to the King. The King congra-

tulates the Elector of Saxony. Gresham the King's agent

in Antwerp. The French successes against the Em-

peror. The English incline to the Emperor. Jealousies

of France. SteuMie's intelligence thence. Minutes of

Council for breaking with France. Fitz-Patric sent for

home. Steukley committed. French commission for sea

affairs.

-LiET us now look abroad. This year 1552 (into which Anno 1552.

we are entering) was an ill year for the Emperor; who 'i''^^.^*"g'»

had at once upon him the Turk, the German Princes and with respect

States, and the French King : and war waxing very warm ^^ J?["^^

between him and the Emperor, applications were made by Emperor.

both princes to the King. It was about the close of the last

year, that the French King had made a league, offensive

and defensive, with divers of the princes of Germany; as

Duke Maurice of Saxony, the Duke of Mecklenburgh, the

Marquis Albert, or Albright, of Brandenburgh, the Duke

of Anhalt, Duke Augustus, Count Mansfield, and other

princes. And both the French King and the Princes, in

the beginning of this year, invited the King into the league.

But he, at the audience he gave the French ambassador,

put off entering into a war, by a speech he made to the am-

bassador, which he had penned before. And he sent Sir Phi-

lip Hoby and Sir John Mason to the said French ambassador,

to declare at more length the King's mind in that matter. The French

Nor would the Kino; grant the French King's req uest deli- ^'"^'^ ™^*"
00 o u sage.
vered by his ambassador in April, to carry the provisions for

his army by sea to Calais, and so to Ard, for conveniency and

safety, that is, through the King's territories ; because it was

against his league with the Emperor. And on the other hand,

upon the motion of De Corrier, the Lady Regent's ambas-

sador, the King readily renewed a promise he had made

before, that the Emperor's ships might take harbour in his

havens, to be sheltered, upon occasion, from the French.

560 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

BOOK For the King now kept himself unconcerned from the

• quarrels of each Prince, and carried a fair face to both. It

Anno 1552. was observablc, that when the French ambassador, Seigneur

The King j^ Sulpice, had in June advertised the Kinff of his master's
carries it r ' o
fair to both, success in the said month, in winning the castle of Robde-

mac and mount St. Anne, and taking the strong town of

Du Villers, wherein was much booty and ammunition ; the

King sent a letter of gratulation to that King, for his pros-

perous successes in the present wars; and another to the

French Queen, for the said successes, advertised by her

323 letters. And when in the said month, by the Emperor's

letters, the King had intelligence of an invasion into Cham-

paign, insomuch that the Dauphin had been like to have

been taken ; and the Queen being in those parts, was glad

to send away some of her stuff to Paris for safety; and the

town of Guise was taken, and the country spoiled by the

Flemings : the King in like manner sent letters of congra-

tulation to the said Emperor by Seigneur de Corrier, am-

bassador in England, now going home ; and likewise other

letters gratulatory to the Lady Regent of Flanders for the

same.

The Em- The Emperor being put to great straits, and the French

demands, having now invaded Luxemburg, in July he required the

King's assistance of five thousand footmen, or 700 crowns

a day, during four months, according to a treaty made with

the King's father at Dort, 1542. But the King's principle

still was to keep himself from engaging in war as much as

he could : which made him decline granting this to the

Emperor, by urging, that his father's treaties did not bind

him ; that he had sworn amity with the French, which he

could not break ; and that the Emperor had refused to aid

him, when in the year 1549 the French foraged in the low

country of Calais. But he offered himself, if the Emperor

pleased, to be a mediator for a peace between both. Yet it

was not long after, namely, in the month of September, the

King disliking the French's successes, and growing more

and more in jealousies of that King, changed his mind, and

was disposed to fall in with the Emperor against France,

OF KING EDWARD VL 561

could he but find out a fair and j ust way to do it : which we C H A P

shall see in the process of our story. ^-

John Frederic, the good Duke of Saxony, who had been ^^""^ i^s

the Emperor's prisoner, was in July discharged : who sent Jolfo-Sif

a letter to the King the same month, signifying his liberty : i^ites the

which, on the 27th of July, the King answered with all s,"tu?s

humanity, congratulating him heartily his delivery out of ^''^'^'"^y-

prison. To him, in September, the King wrote another let-

ter in Latin : the import whereof seemed to be, that which

about this time was in chief consultation at the coiu't, viz.

to strengthen the King's interest, in contracting a friendship

with the Germans, such especially as were Protestants.

Thomas Gressham, esq. a merchant in London, (famous Gressham

to posterity for the Royal Exchange, which he was the ^^nJ,,^eip.

builder of, and' for the college and lectures of the arts and

sciences, in the same city, which he founded,) had been sent

over to Antwerp the latter end of the last year, about Fe-

bruary or March, to transact matters of money between the

merchants there and the King. For the King was fain to

make that shift to uphold himself and his affairs, by borrow-

ing great sums of money at high interest. Some whereof

the King paid by his said agent at the day, and for some

he desired forbearance. April 31, a debt of 14,000Z. was

paid to the Fuggars : and again, in May, Gressham was

sent over to make a payment of 20,000Z. to the said Fug-

gars, who required to have this paid ; and then they would

be willing to stay longer for the rest that remained. At this

voyage the King, to gratify his agent, (unless, perhaps, it

were for the King's own use,) granted him a licence to carry

over fifty kintals of copper in bullion and plate, within the

space of one year. In August, certain other payments (in

all 56,0001.) became due to those rich bankers Anthony

Fuggar, and his nephews and partners, and Jasper Schetz,

and his. Gressham was sent again, with a commission to 324

take up monies of others for those payments, but could not.

So now he was ordered to deal with them for forbearance,

for some time longer. Of which counsel, the Duke of

Northumberland, and the Earl of Pembroke, as well as others

VOL. II, o o

562

MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

BOOK of the Lords, were the chief authors. But these monies

II.

having been taken up for the King by Gressham"'s agency,

\nno 1552. and in part by his credit, he being an exact merchant, was
exceeding uneasy at this faihng of payment, as looking upon
it as a great reflection, both upon the King and upon himself
too. The King owed in the whole at Antwerp at this time
an hundred and eight thousand pounds.
His memo- But to understand more particularly this affair, I shall
here present the memorial given to Gressham in this journey :
" That whereas the said Thomas had commission of late
' to put over certain debts due by the King's Majesty, the
' 15th and 20th of August, that is to say, 48,000/. Flemish to
' the Fulkers, and 12,000Z. to the Schetz : wherein although
' he travailed, he could not hitherto accomplish the purpose
' of his commission : therefore his Majesty's pleasure is, that
' the said Thomas shall return over the seas thither again,
' and see what more good he can therein do, for the per-
* formance of his former commission, and follow the same,

' to the most advantage of his Majesty. And if he can so

' do, then shall he repair to the Fulkers, or their agents in

' Antwerp, and delivering to them such letters as be there

' prepared, shall declare unto them how desirous the King's
* Majesty would be, to have now, at their day, made ready
* payment of the money due ; but that in this troublesome

' time of the world, it behoveth his Majesty so to consider

* his estate, that, for divers great and weighty considera-

' tions, his Majesty otherwise is moved to employ the same

' money which was prepared for this payment. And there-
* fore his Majesty doubteth not, but the said Fulkers will

' be content to think this consideration reasonable ; and not

' forget the benefits and good bargains they had had of

' the King's Majesty, with good and true payments at all

* times made : and assure themselves, that were it not for

' weighty causes, his Majesty would not at this time defer

' any such payment : whereof his Majesty the rather

\ hopeth of their contentation, for that Antonio Fulker

' himself, being herein conferred with by his Majesty's

' ambassador with the Emperor, seemed ready to gratify

OF KING EDWARD VI.

" his Majesty, not only in this such a matter, but also a CHAP.

" greater.'" These humble and gentle words was the King .

fain to use to his creditors, to incline them to defer his pay-^'^""^ ^^^^

ments, and to keep up his credit with them.
Gressham, August 21, which was the day after his arrival Gressham

at Antwerp, wrote to the Duke of Northumberland ; wish- Northum-

ing that God would give him such success, that the King's ^^'¦'^'"'•

honour and credit might not be touched. For that it would

be no small grief to him, that he being agent, merchant

strangers should be forced to forbear their monies against

their wills : advising earnestly, that such a matter should

for the time to come be well foreseen, or else in the end the .

discredit would lie upon his neck, if it should go otherwise

than well with the Duke and the Earl of Pembroke. But