Search York

velvet: upon every horse four escutcheons of the King's

arms and Queen's, beaten in fine gold upon double sarcenet;

and upon every horse's forehead a shaffron of the said arms.

The Lady Mary, the King's daughter, was chief mourner ;

assisted on either hand by the Lord Clifford and the Lord

Mountague : her horse was trapped in black velvet. These

great ladies following, (their horses being trapped in black

cloth,) the Lady Frances, daughter to the Duke of Suf-

folk; the Countesses of Oxford, Rutland, Sussex, Bath,

Southampton, and the Lady Margaret Howard : every of

their footmen in demi-gowns, bareheaded. Then followed

four other chairs with ladies and gentlewomen sitting in

them, and other ladies and gentlewomen riding in order

OF KING EDWARD VI. 13

after each. On the 13th day she was interred, and the so- CHAP.

lemnities were finished.

It redounded much to the praise of King Henry VIII. Anno 1537.

that he would have his children's minds well cultivated to Jj^^^^^J "^J^*
knowledge and virtue by the best education. And when
this royal child was arrived to six years old, great care was
taken to enter him now into learning, to qualify him for his
high function to fall to him. A great point of which lay
upon Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, both as he was
his godfather, and the chief overseer of the Church : whose
welfare and peace he knew depended so much upon the
wisdom and religion of the Prince. And here was a subject
fit, by the pains and discretion of able masters, to make a
most accomplished man, and an absolute governor. For he His excel-
was of a most towardly, apt, and good disposition, of a ^" ^^^ *'
ready wit and great industry, as well as of most beautiful
external features. William Thomas, one of the most learned Thomas'*
men of these times, and afterwards one of the Clerks of the ' ^'^"^'
Council, gave this character of his person and conditions,
when he was young, and scarce yet come to the crown :
" If ye knew the towardness of that young Prince, your
" hearts would melt to hear him named, and your stomach
" abhor the malice of them that would him ill : the beauti-
" fullest creature that liveth under the sun ; the wittiest,
" the most amiable, and the gentlest thing of all the world.
" Such a spirit of capacity, learning the things taught him
" by his schoolmasters, that it is a wonder to hear say. And,
" finally, he hath such a grace of posture and gesture in
" gravity, when he comes into a presence, that it should
" seem he were already a father, and yet passeth he not the
" age of ten years. A thing undoubtedly much rather to be
" seen than believed.'"*
We have seen the child ; now shew us the persons chosen 8
out for the forming of this excellent piece of matter. And^'^f^'^'"*^^'^
^ ^ _ ^ instruct-
surely they were happily chosen, being both truly learned, ors.
sober, wise, and all favourers of the Gospel. Sir Anthony
Cook, Knight, famous for his five learned daughters, was

14 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

BOd^K one of them: to whom the great Doctor Peter Martyr, in

an epistle from Zuric, professed, " that ever since he dwelt

Anno 1537." in England he bare a singular love to him, and no small

Epist^De- « ^^^ vulgar affection, as for his piety and learning, so for

ad Roman. " that worthy office which he faithfully and with great re-

" nown executed in the Christian state, in instructing Ed-

" ward the most holy King, and most worthy to be loved."

Another of his masters was Dr. Richard Cox, a very re-

verend Divine, sometime Moderator of the school of Eaton,

afterwards Dean of Christ-church, Oxon, and Chancellor

of that University. Who instructed him in Christian man-

ners, as well as other learning. He had also for his teacher

of the Latin and Greek tongues, that most accomplished

scholar. Sir John Cheke, Knight, once PubHc Reader of

Greek in Cambridge. Divers pretty letters of his writing,

in Latin, remain, some in manuscript, and some printed:

which being writ when he was very young, shew what no-

table progress he made. One or two of these I shall insert

here for a specimen, and the rather, because never yet

printed: the one to the King, his father, and the other to

Queen Katharin Par, his mother-in-law. That to the

King ran in this tenor :
The Prince's Non misi ad te liter as tarn scepe quam vellem, nobilis-

Latin epi- ^^^^ ^^^ ^^ Pater charlssime. quia audivi Majestatem

stle to the . ..,„.. „ ^^
King. E tuam perturoart negotiis bellicis contra Kegem rrancice.

c'^c ^c c Etenim ante hoc tempus nolui scrihere ad Majestatem tuam,

D. No. S3, ne ullo tempore impedireris puerilibus illis Uteris meis, Sed

nunc do literas ad Majestatem tuam, cum propter ojfflcium,

turn propter amor em erga te meum ; denique quia Deus

dicit, Honora parentem: postremo, ne oh idlam causam

putares me ingratum. Nullum enim signtim, nee ullum

aliud tam indicat tibi mentem meam absentis, sed cupientis

admodum esse tecum, ac literce, quce declarant mentem

meam tibi, quum alia signa non declarant. Prceterea, rogo

Majestatem tuam, ut impertias mihi benedictionem tuam.

Deus, qui prcebet omni carni cibum, tueatur ac servet Ma-

OF KING EDWARD VI. 15

jestatem tuam. Vale Rex nobiUssime et Pater observandis- CHAP.

sime. Hunsdonice 4to. Maii^. '

Filius observantissimus -^""^ i^^''-

Nobilissimo Regi patri meo. Majestatis tuce " ""-^^^ .
Edoardus Princeps.
This which follows seems to have been written the same

month and year, to Queen Katharin Par, his dear mother-

in-law, whom it appears he used frequently to address with

epistles.

Fortasse mwaberis me tarn scEpe ad te scribere^ iiZ- His Latin

que tarn brevi tempore^ Regina nobilissima et Mater clia-^^^^^

rissima, sed eadem ratione potes mirari me erga te qfficium Vespasian

facer e. Hoc autem nunc facio libentius, quia est mihi ido-

neus nuntius servus meus, et ideo non potui non dare ad te 9

literas ad testificandum studium meum erga te. Optime va-

leas, Regina nobilissima. Hunsdonicz vigesimo quarto Maii.
Tihi obsequentissimus Filius

lUustrissimcB Regince. Majestatis tu(B,

matri mecR. Edouardus Princeps.
And as other masters attended on him for other tongues, He writes

so one John Belmain for the French : and one of his ^" ^fg^i^J^er.

French letters coming to hand at present, wrote when he

was little above nine years old, I will here expose to the

view of the reader. Whereby may be seen to what ripeness

he had attained in that language also, even in his child-

hood, and how handsomely he was able to write his mind.

And being writ to his sister the Lady Elizabeth, then but

three years older, we may collect hence her proficiency, and

her staidness* too, at those years : taking upon her then to

give her brother counsel to ply his learning ; and lastly, his

good nature, promising to make her exhortation and ex-

ample a spur to him.
Prince Edward to his sister the Lady Elizabeth,

Puisque vous a pleu me rescrire (treschere et bien ai- ^^^'^ ^^_ '

mig.

16 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

BOOK mee Sceur) Je vous remercie de Men hon cceur, et non

^' seulemcnt de vostre lettre, mais aussi de vostre bonne ex-

Anno i 537 Jiortatimi et exemple: laquelle, amsy que Jespere^ me ser-

vira d''esperon pour vous suivre en apprenant. Priaiit

Dieu vous avoir en sa garde. De Titenhanger 18 Jour de

Decemhre^ et Tan de nostre Seigneur 1546.
Vostre Frerey
Edovard Prince.
This, by the date, appears to have been written but the

month before his father's death, being now nine years and

about two months old. He was now at Titenhanger; where,

as also in some other places, in the pleasant healthful coun-

try of Hertfordshire, as Hunsdon, Hatfield, and Hertford,

as also at Ampthil in Bedfordshire, the Prince, for the most

part, held his court, and had his education.
Other let- There be other epistles of this Prince, that may be found
PrTnce/^^ printed in Fox, and in Dr. Fuller's Church History, and

others remaining in Sir Simonds D'Ewes' library, ma7iu sua

scriptcB, and divers others in private hands.
His tutors. His tutors were latewardly much detained at Court ;
Cook. Cook (if I mistake not) being one of the bedchamber, and

Cox the King's Chaplain : but Cheke did most constantly

reside with him. Yet they supplied their absence by whole-

some counsels and instructions conveyed to him by their

Cox. letters. One from Cox, Dr. Haddon, a Fellow of King's
college in Cambridge, brought, in his return home ; the
Cheke. Prince being then at Hertford. He delivered it to Cheke,

and Cheke to the Prince ; into whose presence he intro-

duced the said Haddon : to whom he spake two or three

1 words, suaviter et perbenigne, (as Haddon reported to some

of his friends,) aj'ter a sweet arid very obliging- manner ;.

such was his mild and affable address.

And as he had these learned men for his tutors, of the
His chap- same endowments were his chaplains : of whom were these

two, Giles Aire and Tong, in household with him. The for-

mer of whom was afterwards Dean of Chichester, and Preben-

dary of Winchester and Westminster, and died anno 1551.

OF KING EDWARD VI. 17

CHAP. II.

King Henry's departure. Young King Edward's Go-

vernors and Council. He is proclaimed : a7id comes to

the Tower. New commissions to the Justices. The Duke

of Somerset Protector. The war with Scotland: and

victory obtained.
W HILE King Henry lay on his deathbed in his palace Anno 1546.

at Westminster, Sir Edward Seimour, Earl of Hertford, C^"^^";"

^ ences be-
and Sir William Paget, among others, were at Court ; and tween the

Paget, being Secretary of State, was much about his per- ^^J^^^^^j

son : whom, being a man wise and learned, and well versed and Secre-

in the affairs of state, both by reason of his office and his upon King

several embassies abroad, the Earl prudently made choice J^^^j^y'^

of for his inward friend and counsellor. By the King'*s

desperate condition, the Earl well perceiving the crown

ready to fall upon Prince Edward his nephew's head, be-

fore the breath was out of his body, took a walk with Paget

in the gallery; where he held some serious conference with

him concerning the government. And immediately after

the King was departed they met again, the Earl devising

with him concerning the high place he was to hold, being

the next of kin to the young King. Paget at both meet-

ings freely and at large gave him his advice, for the safe

managery of himself, and of the mighty trust likely to be

reposed in him : and the Earl then promised him to follow

his counsels in all his proceedings, more than any other

man's. To his failure in which promises the said Secretary

attributed those miseries which afterwards befell the nation

and himself; as he plainly told him in one of his letters.

The King then departed this world on the Friday before King

Candlemas-day, being the 28th day of January; and was j^J'j"'^^'*

buried in a most magnificent manner, Feb. 15, at Windsor.

His corpse remained in his privy chamber five days, covered

with a rich pall of cloth of gold, and an altar set up at his

feet, where services, obsequies, and oraisons, were used night

and day, with thirty persons of the gentlemen of his privy
VOL. II. c

18 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

BOOK chamber, besides his chaplains, always about him. On

Wednesday, Feb. 2, being Candlemas-day, in the night,

Anno 1546". the I'oyal corpse was removed, with great reverence and ce-

1 1 remony, into the chapel ; and there it abode twelve days,

with services, masses, and dirges, said daily morning and

even. The 14th day the corpse was conducted in all ima-

cfinable solemn state from Westminster towards Windsor :

resting that night at Sion, and the next day was brought to

Offic. Ar- Windsor. A particular account of all the solemnity of this

funeral may be found in a volume in the Heralds^ Office;

A. and is transcribed thence into the Repository.

riie Earl of The Same day King Henry expired, the said Earl of

•epairs to Hertford, accompanied with Sir Anthony Brown, Master

he Prince, ^f ^he Horse, and a great number of noblemen, with

knights pensioners, esquires, and gentlemen, did ride in

their best manner, with all speed, to the Court of Prince

Edward, to attend upon his Grace there, as on their Sove-

reign Lord, according to the last will and testament of his

said illustrious father: which was, That the true title of

the crown of England should appertain, undoubtedly, to

his said most dearly beloved son, and right heir apparent,

then Prince Edward, now most worthily named, Our Sove-

reign Lord, &c. and King of England, &c.

rhe present Por the precise hour of King Henry's departure, and

ffairs. who they were he entrusted by his last will with the care of

the Prince his son, and the public affairs, when the new

King was proclaimed; and how the public state of the king-

dom at this crisis stood, I had rather the reader should take

these things from the pen of a great Peer then at London,

I mean Henry Earl of Sussex ; who wrote thus to his

Countess the last day of January :

lie Earl of " These be to signify unto you, that our late Sovereign

i/^.jfg " Lord the King departed at Westminster, upon Friday

oncerning " last, the 28th of this instant January, about two of the

he IIGW
:,ng. " clock in the morning; and the King'^s Majesty that now
itiis, B. 2. a is^ proclaimed King this present last day of the same
" month. And like as for the departure of the one we may

OF KING EDWARD VI. 19

" lament, so for the establishment of the other, to all our CHAP.

" comforts, we may rejoice. The names of his executors ^^'

" are, the Archbishop of Canterbury ; the Lord Wriothes- Anno i546.

" ley, Lord Chancellor of England ; the Lord St. John,

" Lord President of the Council, and great Master ; the

" Lord Russel, Lord Privy Seal ; the Earl of Hertford,

" Lord Great Chamberlain of England; the Viscount Lisle,

*' Lord Admiral ; the Bishop of Durham ; Mr. Secretary

" Paget ; Sir Anthony Denny ; Sir Anthony Brown ; Sir

" William Herbert, the Lord Chief Justice of the Common

"Pleas; Bromley, another Justice there; Sir Thomas

" [John] Baker, Chancellor of the Tenths; Sir Edward

" North, and divers others, aiders to the same, which for lack

" of time I pretermit. The Parliament is clearly dissolved ;

" the term and all writs closed. The Court is now at the

" Tower; from whence the King to-morrow shall be received

" and conducted to his house, Durham Place. His Highness**

" coronation shall be at Shrove-tide, &c. From Ely Place

" in Holbourn, the last day of January, in the first year of

" the reign of our Sovereign Lord King Edward VI.

" Your assured loving husband,
" Henry Sussex."
The ceremonies and circumstances that attended the pro- 1 2

claiming of the ICing were as follow. On Monday, about '^he manner

-,,,., . 1 /T» f - of proclaim-
ten oi the clock m the mornmg, the othcers oi arms and ing the

trumpets assembled in the palace of Westminster : where J^*"? ^"

^ ^ London.
there was a stage of boards upon hogsheads; and upon itVoi. N". 17.

stood Garter, York, Richmond, Somerset, and Rouge Cros, ronation.'

with their coats of arms; and all the trumpeters standing in Offic.

on the ground in a range right before the said officers. And

then one of the said trumpets blew three several times*

Whereat was a great audience. Then when the Lords were

come from the Parliament House to the same place, Somer-

set Herald gave the audience command to keep silence, and

with a loud voice proclaimed these words following :
" Edward the Sixth, by the grace of God King of Eng-

" land, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, and of

c 2

20 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

BOOK " the Church of England, and also Ireland, in earth su-

'• " preme Head, greeting : Where it hath pleased Almighty

Anno 1546. " God, on Friday last past in the morning, to call to his

" infinite mercy the most excellent, high and mighty

" Prince Henry VIII. of most noble and famous memory,

" our most dear and entirely beloved father, (whose soul

" God pardon.) Forasmuch as we being his only son

" and undoubted heir, be now thereby invested and esta-

" blished in the throne imperial of this realm, and other his

" realms, dominions, and countries, with all regahties, pre-

" eminencies, styles, names, titles, and dignities, to the same

" belonging or any wise appertaining. We do by these pre-

" sents signify unto all our said most loving, faithful, and

" obedient subjects. That like as we for our parts shall by

" God's great grace shew ourselves a most gracious and be-

" nign Sovereign Lord to all our good subjects in their

" just and lawful suits and causes ; so we mistrust not but

" they, and every of them, will again, for their parts,

" at all times and in all causes shew themselves unto us,

" their natural hege Lord, most faithful and obedient sub-

" jects, according to their bounden duties and allegiances.

" Whereby they shall please God, and do the thing that

" shall tend unto their own preservation and sureties : will-

*' ing and commanding all men, of all estates, degrees, and

" conditions, to see our peace and accord kept, and to be

" obedient to our laws, as they tender our favour, and will

" answer for the contrary at their extreme perils. In wit-

" ness whereof we have caused these our letters patents.

" Witness ourself at Westminster, the 31st January, in the

" first year of our reign. ""
Also Clarencieux, Carlyle, Winsor, and Chester, in their

coats of arms, with one trumpeter, in places accustomed of

the City, having the like commission, sealed with the King's

Great Seal, assisted with the Mayor, Aldermen, and Sheriffs,

proclaimed the same in like manner the same morning.
And in the The King then was proclaimed the 31st day of January.
countries, rpj^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ warrants were hastened from the King to
the sheriffs of the several counties, to see him proclaimed in

OF KING EDWARD VI. 21

their several sherifwicks. That to the Sheriff of Notting- C H A P.

ham and Darby, having come to my hands, it may not be '

amiss to specify; especially for some variation that may be^^no i546.

perceived in the proclamation.
Rex Vicecomiti Nottingham et Derhy salutem. PrcBcipi- 1 3

mus tlbi, quod statim visis prcBsentibus, in singulis locis

infra ballivas tuas, &c. " The King our Sovereign Lord

" Edward the Sixth, by the Grace of God King of Eng-

" land, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. of

*' the Church of England, and also of Ireland, in earth the

" supreme Head, doth give to understand to all his most

" loving, and faithful, and obedient subjects, and to every

" of them : that where it hath pleased Almighty God, on

" Friday the 28th of January last past in the morning, to call

" unto his infinite mercy the most excellent, high and mighty

" Prince Henry VIII. of most noble and famous memory,

" the King's Majesty's most entirel}^ beloved father, whose

" soul God pardon ; forasmuch as the King's Majesty now

" being his only son and undoubted heir, is now hereby

" invested and established in the crown imperial of this

" realm, and other his Majesty's realms, dominions, and coun-

" tries, with all regalities, preeminencies, styles, names, titles,

" and dignities to the same belonging, or in any wise apper-

" taining : the same our Sovereign Lord doth signify unto all

" his said most loving, faithful, and obedient subjects, that

" like as his Majesty for his part shall by God's grace shew

" himself a most gracious and benign Sovereign Lord to all

" his good subjects, to all their just and lawful suits and

" causes: so his Majesty mistrusteth not but they, and

" every of them, will again for their parts, at all times and

" in all causes, shew themselves unto his Highness, their

*' natural liege Lord, most loving, faithful, and obedient

" subjects, according to their bounden duties and allegi-

" ances. Whereby they shall please God, and do the thing

" that shall tend to their own preservations and sureties.

" WiUing and commanding all men, of all states, degrees,

" and conditions, to see the peace kept, and to be subject to

" his laws, as they tender his gracious favour, and will an-

c3

aa MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

BOOK " swer for the contrary at their extreme perils. And God

" save the King. Et hoc sub perkulo mcumbenti, nullate-

Annoi646. « niis omittas, teste meipso apud Westmonasterhim^ primo

" die Fehr. anno reg. Edivardi prwio.'"

The King Qn the same day the King was proclaimed in London

the Towner, he was accompanied in goodly order, from his place of En-

^^^- ^ ^- field, to the Tower of London ; to the which he came

Armor.* about three of the clock in the afternoon. Where all the

nobility of the realm were ready to receive him, to their

great joy and comfort. At his approaching near to the

same was great shooting of ordnance in all places there-

abouts, as well from the Tower as from the ships ; whereat'

the King took great pleasure. Being there arrived, he was

welcomed by the nobles, and conducted by them to his

lodging within the Tower, being richly hung and garnished

with rich cloth of arras, and cloth of estate agreeable to

such a royal guest. And so were all his nobles lodged and

placed, some in the Tower and some in the City. His Coun-

cil lodged for the most part about his Highness, who every

day kept the council chamber for determination of main