Search York



Yüklə 12,09 Mb.
səhifə65/220
tarix12.01.2019
ölçüsü12,09 Mb.
#94949
1   ...   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   ...   220

ported publicly in his fourth sermon before the King,

though in the last edition of his sermons the passage be left

out. This retaining of his malice and revenge to the last,


OF KING EDWARD VI. 199


made that good old father to say, " that he died very dan- CH AP.

" gerously^ irksomely^ horribly ; and to conclude, that God ^^•


" had him left to himself, and had clean forsaken him. Anno i548.

" And then asked the question, What would he have done,

" if he had lived still that went about that geere, when he

" had laid his head on the block ? and again, Whether he

" be saved or no, I leave it to God, but surely he was a

" wicked man, and the realm is well rid of him.'' And this

that reverend man said, to justify the Protector and Par-

liament in taking off this seditious man, and to shew what

a necessity there was of it, which some had thought very

strange, considering his quality and relation both to the

King and the Protector. And therefore thought he was

too rigorously dealt with. And some, because he seemed to

die boldly, were apt to suppose him to die innocently.


He that would see more of this man, may have recourse

to the articles drawn up against him in the Collections tovoi.ii.

the Bishop of Sarum's History of the Reformation. P* ^^^'
The Admiral being condemned to die, the Council dealt Orders for
• lllS CXGCU''
gently with him, and sent to him the Bishop of Ely to in- tion.

struct and comfort him. By whom the said Admiral made

certain requests to the Council. Which what they were,

and the method of his execution, take from an authentic

MS. extracted, as it seems, out of the Council book.
" This day, the 17th of March, the Lord Chancellor,

" and the rest of the King's Majesty's Council, meeting in

" his Highness's palace of Westminster, heard the report of

" the Bishop of Ely ; who, by the said Lords, and other of

" the Council, was sent to instruct and comfort the Lord

" Admiral. After the hearing whereof, consulting and de-

" liberating within themselves of the time most convenient

" for the execution of the said Lord Admiral, now at-

" tainted and condemned by the Parliament, they did con-

" descend and agree, that the said Lord Admiral should be

" executed the Wednesday next following, between the

" hours of nine in the forenoon and twelve the same day,

" upon the Towerhill, his body and head to be buried

" within the Tower ; the King's writ, as in such cases


o 4

200 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL


BOOK " heretofore hath been accustomed, being first directed and

" sent forth for that purpose and effect.


Anno 1648. " Upon this, calling into the council-chamber the Bishop


" of Ely, they willed him to declare this their determination
" to the said Lord Admiral, and instruct and teach him the
128 " best he could to the quiet and patient suffering of justice,
" and to prepare himself to Almighty God.
" The said Bishop, after he had been with the said Lord

" Admiral, repairing again to the Court, made report to Mr.

" Comptroller and Secretary Smith of the Lord Admiral's

" requests. The which were, that he required Mr. Lati-

" mer to come to him ; the day of execution to be deferred ;

*' certain of his servants to be with him ; his daughter to

" be with my Lady Duchess of Suffolk to be brought up,

, " and such like. Touching which requests, the said Lords

" and the rest of the Council declared their minds to Mr.

*' Secretary Smith : willing him to write their answer in a

" letter to the Lieutenant of the Tower, who should shew

" in all those requests their resolute answer to the said

" Lord Admiral, The which was done accordingly/"*

CHAP. XVI.


Of Queen Katliarin Parr^ and her daughter by the Lord

Adrniral. That Queen'' s books of devotions. Some rela-

tion of her. Priests allowed marriage. Private acts of

Parliament. Bills in behalf of the commons. The King

sells chantries.) guilds^ ^c.
The Lady tllS wife, Qucen Katharin, saw not this heavy hour, dy-

]\iary ))orn j^ff in childbed of a dauo'hter named Mary, but a little before.


of Queen . i • i i • p it i
Katharin. This high bom infant lady, destitute already both of father

and mother, remained a little while at her uncle the Duke

Committed of Somerset's house at Sion, and then, according to her fa-

Tnl onhT" t^^^'^'s dyiiig request, was conveyed to Grimsthorp in Lin-

Duchess of colnshire, where the Duchess of Suffolk lived. I'here she

hud her governess, who was one Mrs. Aglionby, htr nurse,


OF KING EDWARD VI. 201


two maids, and other servants agreeable 'to her high quality, CHAP.

attending on her. The Duke upon her going away pro-


niised a pension to be settled on her, for the maintenance of ^^"»" i548.

her and her servants, and that a certain parcel of plate of

silver and household stuff, which belonged to her former

nursery at the Duke's, should be applied to her service,

when she went to live with the Duchess : and so Mr. Bartue

her servant brought her word from the Duchess of Somerset.

The said plate and stuff were, two pots, three goblets, one

salt, parcel gilt, a maser with a band of silver and parcel

gilt, and eleven spoons ; a quilt for the cradle, three pillows,

three feather beds, three quilts, a testor of scarlet embroi-

dered with a counterpoint of silksay belonging to the same,

and curtains of crimson taffeta, two counterpoints of imagery

for the nurse's bed, six pair of sheets, six fair pieces of

hangings within the inner chamber, four carpets for win- 1 29

dows, ten pieces of hangings of the twelve months within

the utter chamber, two cushions of cloth of gold, one chair

of cloth of gold, two wrought stools, a bedstead gilt, with a

testor and counterpoint, with curtains belonging to the same.

But several months were past, and neither was this plate

and furniture as yet sent, nor the promised pension settled,

nor care taken for payment of the governess and servants,

the whole burden and charge all this while lying upon the

Duchess of Suffolk, without any satisfaction, which pressing

her so hard, and she was none of the wealthiest, made her

send, in the latter end of August, to the Duchess of Somer-

set, to urge the performance of what was promised, and to

Mr. Cecyl, then a servant in the Duke's family, and Master

of his Requests, complaining-heavily at the constant charge

she was at in maintaining the said Lady Mary and all her

retinue, without any consideration hitherto. " Praying him

" to help her at a pinch, (as she expressed it,) all that

" he might help : that both governess and all the servants

*' called upon her for their wages ; whose voices her ears,

" she said, might hardly bear, but her coffers much worse."
This neglect no question was occasioned by the cares of The quality
and condi-

tion of the


the weightier affairs of state incumbent on the Duke : for I '''"'' ^""'^''


202 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL


BOOK will not attribute it to his want of concern for his deceased
^- brother's child, however undeserving he had been. But it
Anno 1548. was an hard case to put all this trouble upon the Duchess
said Du- ^f Suffolk, who, although she were an excellent woman, a
great professor and patroness of true religion, (entertaining
Latymer at Grimesthorp to preach to her family,) of high
quality, the second wife and relict of Charles Brandon, Duke
of Suffolk, by whom she had two sons ; yet her incomes
were much too scanty for her quality, as appears by the
foresaid letter to Cecyl, dated Aug. 27, which she began in
this ingenious manner :
TheDuchess u It is said, that the best mean of remedy to the sick, is
to Cecyl. ^^ ^^^^ plainly to confess and to disclose the disease. Where-
" fore both for remedy, and again for that my disease is so
" strong that it will not be hidden, I will discover me unto
" you. First, I will, as it were under benedicite, and in
" high secrecy, declare unto you, that all the world know-
" eth, though I go never so covertly in my net, what a very
" beggar I am. This sickness, as I have said, I promise
" you, increaseth mightily upon me ; amongst other the
" causes thereof, if you will understand not the least, the
" Queen's child hath lain and yet doth lie at my house
'' with her company, wholly at my charges, &c. Wherefore
" I cease, and commit me and my sickness to your diligent
" care, with my hearty commendations to your wife. At
" my manor of Grimesthorp, the xxvii. of August. m
" Your assured loving friend, 1

" K. SufFoulk.''


This Lady I Conclude, care was soon after taken about this infant

Mary re- lady's family, and the Duchess's charges, as there was to
stored in -^ "^ i • i i i j? r> T
blood. restore her in blood : which was done by act oi Parliament,

1549, under the name of Mary Seimour, daughter of Sir

130 Thomas Seimour, late Lord Seimour of Sudley : when she

was restored and enabled in blood, as daughter and heir,

and heiress to the said Thomas Lord Seimour, and might

demand, ask, have, hold, and enjoy all and every such ho-

nours, castles, manors, lordships, &c. which at any time

I


OF KING EDWARD VI.
hereafter should come, remain, descend, or revert from any CHAP.

collateral ancestor, &c. And to use and have any action or ^^^'


suit, and make her pedigree and conveyance in blood, as Anno 1548.

heir, as well to and from her said father, as also to any other

person in like manner, form, and degree, to all intents, con-

structions, and purposes, as if the said Thomas Lord Sei-

mour had never been attainted. I have no more to say of

this child, but that she died not long after.
But I have more to add of that illustrious woman and Q. Kath.

Queen, her mother. She was a right noble lady, and had Jj^^J^^^^ Z^^'^"

done abundance of good things, but yet cared not that they

should be known or spoken of. " Such was her modesty, Ep. dedic.

" that she sought nothing less than the fame of her good E^^IJffsh'^^

" deeds to be blown abroad. She was of virtuous living paraphrase

" from her tender years. She was endued with a pregnant upon St.

" wittiness, joined with right wonderful grace of eloquence: ^"^^'

'' studiously diligent in acquiring knowledge, as well of

" other human disciplines, as also of the holy Scriptures.

" Of incomparable chastity, which she kept not only from

" all spot, but from all suspicion, by avoiding all occasions

" of idleness, and contemning provocations of vain pastimes.

" Her modesty was coupled with great integrity and inno-

" cency in all her behaviour. She was mighty studious to

" promote the glory of God, and of the holy Gospel. These

" qualities moved King Henry to judge her a meet spouse

" for his Majesty, and to pick her out to be his lawful wife

" of so many women of nobility and honour, and high worth.

" When she was Queen, she employed herself days and

" nights in psalms and contemplative meditations, in lieu

" of vain courtly pastimes and gaming. And these she her-

" self set forth in print, for the example of all noble women,

"and to the ghostly consolation and edifying of all that

" read them. By her godly bestowing her time, it ap-

" peared she little set by the world ; thirsted much after

" righteousness, carefully sought the kingdom of God, in

" the midst of a thousand occasions, which otherwise might

" have withdrawn her high esteem therefrom.'"' As N. Udal

writes in his epistle dedicatory to her, while she was King


204 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL


BOOK Henry's Queen, before his translation of Erasmus' para-

^' phrase upon St. Luke. She caused, out of her zeal to the

Anno 1548. Scripture, and her desire to bring in the knowledge of it

among the common people, that divers, at her great cost

and charges, should be employed in translating Erasmus'

paraphrase into English. This she did in King Henry the

Eighth's time, and it seems it was in a manner finished in

that King's days, and to which he was privy. For Udal

writ, " he doubted not, but that it was so acceptable to the

" King, that he would not suffer it to lay buried in silence,

'' but would one day cause the said paraphrase thus Eng-

" lished, to be published and set abroad in print." The

translation of the paraphrase upon St. Luke was finished in

1545. For in that year the epistle dedicatory was writ.

131 Those devotions of this Queen's before mentioned, (where-

by appeared what little opinion she had of her princely state,

in comparison with her enjoyment of God, and desire of

spiritual things,) consisted of psalms and prayers. The

Her psalms, psalms were in number fifteen, of good length each, made

in imitation of David's Psalms ; being digested into versicles:

2^* whereof many were excerptions out of the book of Psalms,

and other places of Scripture. Each psalm had its proper

subject. The first was for obtaining remission of sins :

beginning, " O Lord of lords, God Almighty, great and

" dreadful ; which by thy word hast made heaven, earth,

" the sea, and all things contained in them.


" Nothing is able to resist thy power : thy mercy is over

" all thy works.


" All things be under thy dominion and rule, both man

'' and beast, and all living creatures.


" Thou art merciful to whom thou wilt, and hast com-

" passion on whom it pleaseth thee," &c.


The second psalm also was for remission of sins ; begin-

ning, " O most mighty God of angels and men, whose

" judgments be unsearchable, and whose wisdom is pro-

" found and deep :


" Hear the prayers of thy servant, and cast not away the

" humble suit of thy poor creature and liandy work," &c.


OF KING EDWARD VI. 205


The third psalm was for remission of sins also. The CHAP.

fourth, a complaint of a penitent sinner, which is sore trou- ^^^'


bled and overcome with sins. The fifth, for obtaining of Anno 1548.

godly wisdom. The sixth, a Christian man prayeth that

he may be healed of God. The seventh, for an order and

direction of good living. The eighth, a Christian man

prayeth that he may be defended from his enemies. The

ninth, against enemies. The tenth, when the enemies be

so cruel that he cannot suffer them. The eleventh, of

confidence and trust in God. The twelfth, if God defer to

help long time. The thirteenth, in which he giveth thanks

to God, that his enemies have not gotten the over-hand of

him. The fourteenth, in which the goodness of God is

praised. The fifteenth, of the benefits of God, with thanks

for the same. To which were subjoined the twenty-first

psalm, entitled. The Complaint of Christ on the cross, and

a psalm of thanksgiving.


Then followed the book of prayers ; entitled. Praters or And

Meditations, wherein the mind is stirred patiently to suffer P'"^^^'^^'

all afflictions here ; to set at nought the vain prosperity of

this world ; a7id always to long for the everlasting felicity.

Collected out of holy works by the most virtuous and gra-

cious Princess Katharine, Queen of England, France, and

Ireland, an. Dom. 1545. These prayers were all digested,

as were the psalms abovesaid, into versicles or sentences, and

contained a great strain of true piety and devotion, sense of

God, and dependance on him ; and many of them excel-

lently suited to the Queen'*s own condition. A part of one

of these her devout exercises I remember to have read in

the excellent collections of Dr. Sampson, a London physi-

cian, deceased, shewing the devout spirit of thia lady.


Then follow two prayers for the King, and for men to

say entering into battle. Which latter 1 make no doubt the

Queen composed upon the King's expedition into France

with a great army, when she was left Regent at home. In

the said prayer she had this truly pious petition; " Our 132

" cause being now just, and being enforced to enter into

" war and battle, we most humbly beseech thee, O Lord

206 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL


BOOK " God of hosts, so to turn the hearts of our enemies to the

^' " desire of peace, that no Christian blood be spilt ; or else,

Amio 1548." grant, O Lord, that with small effusion of blood, and to

" the little hurt and damage of innocents, we may to thy

" glory obtain victory. And that the wars being soon end-

" ed, we may all with one heart and mind, knit together in

" concord and unity, laud and praise thee," &c. The next

is a devout prayer to be daily said, together with one or

two prayers more.

And her There was also printed another piece of the devout studies


on Fsaim"i. of this good Quceu, entitled, A goodly/ Exposition, after the

manner of a Contemplation, upon the fifty-first Psalm,

which Hierom of Ferrary made at the- latter end of his

days. The which, I suppose, this godly woman translated

into Enghsh, beginning, " Wretch that I am, comfortless

" and forsaken of all men, which have offended both heaven

" and earth," &c. Then follow in conclusion, other proper

things very necessary to edify the congregation of Christ :

as, of faith ; the power of faith ; the work of faith ; good

works ; the prayer of the prophet Daniel.

She was I have met with a passage concerning this Queen, in the
bTbonl to margin of Bale's Centuries, in the possession of a late friend

a crown, ^f ^ij^^ a^ noted against her name by an uncertain hand :

Io?/of Lon- which shewed the greatness of her mind, and the quickness

don, now of her wit, while she was but a child. Somebody skilled

in prognostication, casting her nativity, told her, that she

was born to sit in the highest seat of imperial majesty, hav-

ing all the eminent stars and planets in her house ; which

she took such notice of, that when her mother used some-

times to call her to work, she would say. My hands are

ordained to* touch crowns and sceptres, not needles and

spindles.

She had The Admiral's marrying of this Queen was laid to his


the^Lord'^ charge as a point of his high ambition, as was said before,

Admiral, though it scems by a letter of her own writing from Chelsey,

soon after her marriage, that she rather courted him, than

he her : professing, that she loved him when she was the

Lord Latimer's widow, and before King Henry made her

OF KING EDWARD VI. 207


his wife ; and therefore being at first very hstless towards CHAP,

that royal match. ^^^-


But to stay a Uttle longer before we part with this excel- Anno 1548.

lent lady. The Kinff, when he undertook, in the year 1544, ^'^^ ^^'"*^*

an expedition in person to France, made her general Regent Hemy in his

in his absence. In his absence she wrote him a very well ^^P^^'*^**"'

penned letter, declaring her great love and high honour to-

wards him, and expressing her earnest desire to know of his

welfare since his departing, and her mighty concern for his

prosperity and health, which she professed she preferred

before her own. " She knew, she said, that his Majesty's

" absence was never without great respects of things ; yet

" it was her love and affection compelled her to desire

" his presence : and again, the same zeal and love forced

" her to be best content with that which was his will and

" pleasure. And thus love made her in all things to set

'' apart her own commodity and pleasure, to embrace most

" joyfully his will and pleasure, whom she loved." And so

she proceeded throughout her letter with profound reve-

rence towards him; as well knowing his lofty humour to

require it, that she might keep herself in his favour, who

had been so fickle towards his former Queens.


In the year 1545, the University of Cambridge addressed 133

their letters to her by Dr. Smith, (he that was afterwards ^''f '"*^*"r


•^ ^ . cedes with
Sir Thomas, the learned Secretary of State to King Edward,) the King

upon a late act made, that all colleges, chantries, and free unj^-ersity

chapels should be in the King's disposition. Which put the

University in a great fright : and they prayed her to inter-

cede with the King for their colleges ; which she effectually

performed. Insomuch that she writ to them in answer,

•' that she had attempted the King for the stay of their

•' possessions : and that notwithstanding his Majesty's pro-

¦' perty and interest to them, by virtue of that act of Par-

" liament, he was, she said, such a patron to good learning,

•' that he would rather advance and erect new occasion

•' thereof, than confound those their colleges. So that learn-

" ing hereafter might ascribe her very original, as well as

'•' conservation and stay unto him. And then in the same


208 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL


BOOK " letter, she exhorted them not to hunger after profane

^' " learning, and forget Christianity in the mean time, as


Amio 1548." thougli the Greek University of Athens were transposed


Her good u ijjto EnMand. Since their excellency did only attain

advice to the ^ • i


University. " to moral and natural things. But she admonished them
" so to study those doctrines, that they might serve as means

" towards the attaining and better setting forth of Christ's

" most sacred doctrine. That it might not be laid against

" them at the tribunal seat of God, how they were ashamed

" of Christ's doctrine. That she trusted, that in their several

" vocations they would apply themselves to the sincere set-

" ting it forth, and that they would conform their sundry

" gifts, arts, and studies to such end, that Cambridge might

" be accounted rather an University of divine philosophy,

" than natural or moral.'"*


King Edward, in his invaluable journal, preserved in the

Cotton Library, and lately published by the Bishop of Sa-

rum, noteth, that the Protector was much offended with


Yüklə 12,09 Mb.

Dostları ilə paylaş:
1   ...   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   ...   220




Verilənlər bazası müəlliflik hüququ ilə müdafiə olunur ©muhaz.org 2024
rəhbərliyinə müraciət

gir | qeydiyyatdan keç
    Ana səhifə


yükləyin