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administration of the goods of the dead, which do not duly distribute the same goods, according to the trust committed unto them : and especially such goods as were given, and bequeathed, and appointed to be distributed among the poor people, repairing of highways, finding of poor scho- lars, or marriage of poor maids. To what uses and intents all such gifts and bequests of cattle, money, or other things, as in time past were made, for the finding of tapers, candles, or lamps, be now employed. And whether to be embecilled and withh olden. And by whom. Item, Whether there be any persons commonly infamed of adultery, fornication, common swearing, blaspheming the name of God, drunkenness, simony, or other notorious crimes, whom the Bishop, Archdeacon, or other the Ordi- naries, for favour, have not corrected accordingly : although they have been sundry times presented, and detected in vi- sitation, or otherwise lawfully accused.
that do not understand Latin, than the English Primer, set forth by the King's Majesty. And whether they that un- derstand Latin do use any other than the Latin Primer, set forth by like authority.
any school within the realm, than that which is set forth by the King's Majesty.
ments, jewels, or goods, pertaining to the Church. 53 For Chantry Priests.
OF KING EDWARD VI. 83 or Vicar of the church that they be of, in the ministration CHAP, of the sacraments and divine service accordingly. ^^^' /if^w, Whether they keep and perform all such doles Anno 1547. and distributions to the poor, and other deeds of charity, as they are bound by their foundations to do. Item, Whether they be of ill name, fame, or unhonest con- versation ; fighters, swearers, drunkards, or incontinent livers. Item, What benefices, and how many they have, besides their chauntries. And by what title they do keep the same. This visitation, if we be desirous to know how it was How this taken, was generally very acceptable to most of the lay- ^,^8 resent- people, and grievous only to the Clergy : who could not ^'^• endure to be unsettled from their old ways and courses in the observances of religion. One, who went with the vi-«^ohn Oki. sitors for their preacher, and was a visitor himself, and well before his observed matters and persons in the parts where he came, translation
formably willing to hear the pure word of God, and obediently ^^o^^J^'**^^ to receive the King's Injunctions, training them to the same. Ephesians. And so they were like to continue, in case their ordinary Curates and Ministers had not been triflers and hinderers thereof, and not been seduced and taught by seditious ear- whisperers. Nor were even the Priests, all of them, these triflers and hinderers, or sinister resisters. For sundry Ministers and Curates, which he knew, were honest, and diligently well-willing towards the truth, in divers shires, where he waited upon the King's visitors, especially in Lincolnshire and other shires of that diocese. And he reckoned, that the honest sort thereabouts would more and more increase by the industrious ministry and uniform concurrence in wholesome doctrine of the Bishop [Holbech,] and Dean of Lincoln [Dr. Taylor.] And the rather, by the helping forwardness of that devout Avoman of God, the Duchess of Suffolk. But there was another sort of priests now taken notice of, The dispo- who, for the safety of their pelf and promotions, employed ^|,,j^"p,.^pgi 5 84 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL BOOK their studies and forecasting policies to please all parties. These were they by whose occasion the people halted be- Anno 1547. tween two opinions, not knowing what was best for them to follow, whether God or Baal. " These were," as the before- mentioned person spake, " the messengers of Laodicea; *' whose works were neither cold nor hot, but betwixt both, " smelling neither too much of the Gospel nor too little of " Popery. But yet they affected to be called favourers of " the truth, and would fain have God's corn come up ; but " yet they dared to sow none any longer than the world, " as they said, made fair weather?'' Bishop of But of the clerical sort, that most spited this visitation, refuses to Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, made the greatest figure. submit to He wrote a letter to Sir John Godsalve, one of the visitors, the orders ...... ^ . of the sigmfymg his resolution not to comply with their orders ; visitors. pretending that he could not do it upon the account of honesty and truth : " which were more dear to him, he said, " than all the possessions of the realm : and in which he " took such pleasure and comfort, that he would never " leave them for any respects. And that if he might play " the last part of his life well, to depart from the bishopric " without offending God's law, or the King's laws, he should " think the tragedy of his hfe well spent." The letter is in the MS. library of Bene't college, and is transcribed in the
tain proxies visitation, (which he also laboured by divers letters to the the visitors. Protector to obstruct,) whether he slipped away from it vo- luntarily, or was sent for up by the Council, he comes to London, and there he intended to stay. But that he might give as little offence as might be, he left his officers as his proxies, in his absence, with command to shew all submis- sion to the commissioners in his [the Bishop's] name. So before the visitation in his diocese (which was there about October) he went up from his house at Walton ; and hear- ing the visitation should be kept soon after, willed John Seton, one of his chaplains, to do his duty in receiving of OF KING EDWARD VI. 85 them, and obediently to do all such things as by them CHAP, should be commanded. And he left order with John Cook, ' his Register, whom he had appointed to appear by proxy Anno 1547. in his absence, by virtue thereof to go and receive the vi- sitors at Chichester, without the diocese of Winton. Which he did, and conducted and waited on them into the said diocese, and appeared for the Bishop in the chapter-house of the cathedral church; and there exhibiting the said proxy, gave an oath, in animam Episcopi, of obedience to the King's Majesty, as supreme Head of the Church of England, and to renounce the Bishop of Rome's usurped power and jurisdiction. The Bishop also required this his proxy, and commanded his Chancellor, and other his offi- cers, to attend on the King's said visitors, and to see them with all reverence received and obeyed, and their command- ments executed accordingly. Which things were truly per- formed. And at Alton, when the Bishop was going up to the Council, a priest of the diocese repaired to him, to con- sulfwhat he should do at the visitation then at hand : whom the Bishop willed to obey all such things as should be com- manded by the said visitors. And likewise at Kingston he gave the like charge to the Curate there. All this the Bi- shop, upon his departure, gave in charge in his diocese for obedience and submission, how little soever he liked the vi- sitation. But as for himself, having been before the Coun- cil about these proceedings of the King, which he shewed no good liking to, he was committed to the Fleet. Indeed Bishop Gardiner was the chief champion that A poem now now appeared for the Roman CathoUc cause ; who did ex- ^^^^^^^ ^^^ ceedingly bestir himself against making any alterations in re- Poor Help, ligion, both by his letters and influence with the Protector and others of the Court, and by certain books which he wrote, and by this present opposition that he made to the proceedings of the King in this visitation. This temper of Gardiner the Gospellers well enough knew, and he wanted not for their good will expressed towards him, in pamphlets, and especially ballads and rhymes which they made against him : of which he complained to the Protector. Among the
86 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL BOOK rest, there was published a very unlucky one, lampoon-wise, put forth somewhat before this year, not without sharpness Anno 1547. of wit and fancy, pretending to take the part of the Papists "*^ against the Preachers, that now began to preach the Gospel plainly, and to declaim against the papal superstitions. It was entitled, A Pore Help : the BucJder and Defence of Holy Mother Kyrke, It began, " Will none in all this land " step forth and take in hand, these fellows to withstand,"" &c. Setting upon those, and seemingly very angry with them, that spake against the old rites of the Church, and specially the Sacrament of the Altar, and that said, " that " Christ could not all day be kept within a box, nor yet set " in the stocks, nor hidden like a fox, nor be prisoner under " locks, nor be clothed with powdered ermin, nor breed " stinking vermin, he.'''' The poet pretended also to stand up stiffly for the said Bishop, who had lately, it seems, pub- lished something in rhyme against the Gospellers, whose name he veiled under the denomination of. An able Cleric of late, and worthy in estate. And described him thus: " Pie hath been a pardoner, and also a Gardiner; he hath " been a vitailer, a lordly hospitaller, a noble teacher, " and soso a preacher. The Germain his man was hanged, " what then?" Germain Gardiner was his secretary, and executed for high treason under King Henry. A glance is also given in this ballad upon one Miles Hogherd, an hosier, who had wrote a silly book in rhyme against the Pro- I. testants. But I refer the reader to the Repository, if he be disposed to read this ballad. Hoperwrit- A more serious book was writ acrainst him by John Winchester. Hopcr, and printed in 4to. this year at Zurich, in English, entitled. An Answer unto my Lord of Wi7ichester^s book, entitled, "A Dctectio7i of the DeviVs Sophistry ^ wherewith he robbeth the unlearned people of the true belief in the most B. Sacrament of the Altar. He dedicated his book to his adversary, the said Bishop, beginning his epistle thus, " Your " book, my Lord, entitled, A Detection, &c. was delivered " to me in Zurich, the 30th of April last : the which I have *¦ with leisure and diligence perused, marked your inten-
OF KING EDWARD VI. 87 " tion, and how ye fence a wrong opinion with many fair CHAP. " words, and divers reasons, &c." It was dated, Tiguri, ^^^' Sept. 9, 1547. Anno 1547. In August there was a consuhation about the expediency Consuita- of entering into league with the German Protestants : which jo*Jning^"th I make no doubt the Archbishop of Canterbury, and other the German favourers of the Gospel, did press, there having been some agents sent thence hither but the last year. This occasioned Sir William Paget, Secretary of State, a wise man, and well exercised in the matters of the English state, to draw up his thoughts, prepared for the Council, to be deliberated upon by them, and for resolution to be taken in these af- fairs. Wherein was shewed the ill condition of England at the first coming of King Edward to the crown, and the uncertain state his father left his kingdoms in. It was as follows, as I found it in a volume of the Cotton Library :
" realms, by the continuance and preservation of his policy P- 9^- " and of his victory.
" French King immeasurably desirous to redubb his great " dishonour sustained at the King's hands in the last wars, " by the loss of Boloign : and the Bishop of Rome, with " all his members, ardently inflamed to recover again his " usurped power and tyranny over this realm: and the 56 " Emperor, with all his power, ready to serve the Bishop's " turn ; partly moved by a corrupt conscience, and partly " by ambition to reign alone, besides old grudges and dis- " pleasures. " For the defence of these two things, which stand us so " much in hand, it is necessary to make us strong both at " home and abroad. At home, by an establishment of an " unanimity among ourselves, and by gathering of riches, " as much as may be conveniently, and with doing some " things with little charge above use. And abroad, by " knitting unto us the most sincere and surest friends we " can^et, to join with us to the effect that we desire. G 4 88 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL BOOK *' For the working of that which is to be done at home, ' " we have commodity enough, and shall have time sufficient, ino 1547. " if it be followed out of hand. " As for friendship abroad, if that either the French " King might be induced to leave Boloign upon some ho- " nourable condition, or the Emperor to leave the Bishop " of Rome, by reformation of his conscience, to be moved " thereto both by God's word," and by a certain and great " honour and gain, that should thereby grow unto him ; " the one of these were best to serve or turn against the " other : but we see either of them so affected in his opinion, " and by daily experience know so little faith to be given to " any of their promises, when the breach of the same may " serve to their purpose, as we have cause to be at the point " of despair, to find any friendship in either of them longer *' than they may not choose.
•' our turn : for they be very rich and strong, both by sea " and by land, and have commodity enough to annoy either " the French King or the Emperor, if any of them would " disturb us : and if the fear of the Turk, by means of the " French King, let them not, they are to be thought easy " to be moved to enter league with us. For they fear ex- " ceedingly the Emperor's desire of a monarchy. And yet " being well inclined, as it is said, to join in league with us, " would do no harm to our purpose, if the matter might " be mightily advanced.
" the Protestants : wherein, beside the Almains, we recount " Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. These men being now " presently in the war, and we in peace, if we should join " with them, it shall not only somewhat impair our means " to wax rich, but also of our dissembling friends, the Em- " peror and the French King, make peradventure our open " enemies, and bearing them both, with the Bishop of " Rome, at once in our necks, if not now presently, ''•• yet when they have, all three joined together, subdued " the Protestants. P'or it may be thought, that if we do
OF KING EDWARD VI. 89 «join with the Protestants, the French King shall find CHAP. ' some ready way at the Emperor's hand, although not ef- ' ' fectual in the end, yet for the time, by practice of mar- Anno 1547. ' riage, or otherwise, pleasant enough to feed the French ' King withal. And this confederation may follow upon ' the Emperor's only displeasure against us, though he be ' in no extremity, in case we join immediately with the ' Protestants. " On the other side, if we join not with the Protestants, ' thence it may be thought, that whether the Emperor 'have the gain or the loss, that the French King will 5 7 ' join with the Protestants : fearing (if the Emperor have ' the gain) the loss of Savoy and Piedmont, and shall well ' see the Emperor's gain bought with so great a loss, as ' there shall remain htde to defend him, being somewhat ' now refreshed ; the Turk coming in on the other side, ' peradventure with all that he can make ; and by these ' means overtreading the Emperor, and so leaving us little ' help at his hands, and none at the Protestants ; but ra- ' ther an enmity, because we forsook being alhed, entered ' into a certain practice with them, he shall make himself ' a strong enemy for us. If the Emperor have the over- ' throw, then is it like we will the rather join with the Pro- ' testants, and staying the Turk, and having litde cause to ' doubt the Bishop of Rome, and no cause to fear us, per- ' mitting to us peaceably, for the time, Bulloign, &c. he ' will convert his whole power, with all the power of Al- ' main, and no small help of Italy, first upon the state of ' Milain, (work surely for the Emperor,) and consequently ' turn upon us. " So as, join we or join we not with the Protestants, we ' see what is to be looked for at the French King's hands. Win the Emperor or lose he, and join we or join we not with the Protestants, we see what is to be feared of the Emperor, if he win : the worst is, upon the two occa- sions, to have them both at once winned together to be our enemies : or the one overcoming, the other to be our enemy with the power of both, having first overcome the 90
MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL
other. The best way is both to keep them from agree- ing, and from being any of them any greater. If the Emperor overcome not the Ahiiains, he is not hke to be greater.
the Emperor and the Almains, by all the means possible. And this done should be a great stay to and being
" If this cannot be brought to pass, then remain we shall in our former fear and doubt ; that for both these que- reles, for the Pope and Boloign, or for the one of them, we shall have both these Princes at the last, or the power of them both at once upon us. And as it shall be necessary, out of all question, for the greatest part of our strength, to work undelayedly our strength at home ; so it is to be considered, whether it be better to have them both at the end upon us, without any friend at all, or both upon us, with such friends as we may make now with little charge. " For the following of the best way, the first part is ge- nerally to open your intent with moderation to the Em- peror^s ambassador, and by him to learn, as soon as may be, the Emperor''s disposition to give ear to the same. Which also may be done by our common ambassador with the Emperor, or to both, if it be thought good. If the Emperor mislike not the matter, then shall it be well done, upon knowledge thereof, to send an express man, not unagreeable to any of both the parts, with such means of reconciliation as may best be devised, to move them to the same, with the preservation of their honour. " In the consultation, whether it were better to join with the Protestants, and to have of them such a friend, as we may, rather than none at all, it is to be considered, with what power they may, at their worst, serve you withal, and what at their best, both by land and by sea ; and how far forth also we may be entered already with them.
OF KING EDWARD VI. 91 In September appeared another point of the honesty of CHAP, the King's poHcy, in taking care of the payment of his fa- ^^^' ther's debts: unless some will rather look upon it as a Anno 1547. device to come to the knowledge of what pensioners were ^^g'^^^^^"'^ alive, and what dead. The 18th of the said month thementof King issued a proclamation to be published in every county g^°^'*^"^ ' about the payment of pensions, annuities, and corrodies, ciamation. granted by his father, or by some abbots or priors : that whereas before, they were used to be paid by the Receivers of the Court of Augmentations, the pensioners were hence- forth to receive them yearly at the hand of the Treasurer of the said Court, or of his deputies. And this order to take effect at Michaelmas next. And it was appointed, for the ease of the pensionaries and others, of what house or houses soever they were, to receive their pensions within the shire where they dwelt, at the hand of the said Treasurer or his deputies. It was also commanded, that all having these pensions, annuities, and corrodies, should appear on such a day and place, before the said Treasurer^'s deputies, who were sent down to take notice of their patents and grants, which they were to bring with them, and to exhibit : to the intent the said Treasurer might be the better ascer- tained of their states, and of the sums of money he was to appoint to his said deputies ; for the contentation of their said pensions. And they were to repair to the place where the King's next audit should be kept within the shire, for the receipt of their pensions. And if any appeared not in person, to send a certificate in writing, under the hands of two Justices of peace, or one Justice and one gentleman, declaring the same to be living, and in lawful state to re- ceive his or their pensions. To the Lady Mary, the King's eldest sister, who was Respects now at Beaulieu, all respects from the Court were shewn. co™it t^ She had lately desired two knights' rooms in Windsor ; the the Lady one to take place presently, the other the next audience. ^^^' Yüklə 12,09 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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