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1554.
This month of May was much occupied in masses and The feiiow-

processions after the old fashion. For as there was a great ^^

procession at the Court, and in the liberties of Westmin- their Fo-

ster, May 3, wherein the Queen assisted, as was said be- P "

fore ; so May 6. was a goodly evensong at Guild-hall col-

lege, by the masters of the clerks and their fellowship, with

singing and playing: and the morrow after was a great

mass at the same place, and by the same fraternity ; when

every clerk offered an halfpenny. The mass was sung by

divers of the Queen's chapel and children. And after mass

done, every clerk went their procession two and two toge-

ther ; each having on the surplice and a rich cope, and a

cession.

190 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

chap, garland. After them, fourscore standards, streamers, and

. banners. And each one that bare them had an albe or a

Anno i554. sur p]i ce> Then came in order after them the waits playing;

and then, between thirty clerks, a choir singing Salve Jesta

dies. (There were four of these choirs.) Then came a

canopy, borne over the sacrament by four of the masters of

the clerks, with twelve staff-torches burning. This proces-

sion, in this order, went up Lawrence-lane, and so to the

further end of Cheap ; and back again to Cornhill to Lead-

enhall, and thence down to Bishopsgate-street unto St. Ethel-

borough's ; and there they put off their copes : and so every

man to dinner. There every one that bare a streamer had

money given him, according as they were in bigness.

122 On the 10th day of this month of May was a dirge at
A royal Westminster and at Paul's by torch-light. And the mor-
dirge. ' . D
row after, there and at Westminster was mass. There they

of the Queen's Council and divers lords did offer money

for the souls of King Henry VII. and Queen Elizabeth,

and for King Henry VIII. and Queen Katharine, and for

King Edward VI.

The fish- Whitsuntide being now come, there was great and jolly

procession processioning all the three days, according to the old cus-

in Whitsun- torn. On Whitsun-Monday, May 14, was the procession

of St. Peter's in Cornhill, commonly called the fishmongers'

procession. The motions were in this sort. First went a

goodly choir of clerks, singing ; and a fourscore of priests,

wearing copes of cloth of gold. Then followed the lord

mayor and aldermen in scarlet. Then the company of fish-

mongers in their liveries: they and the officers bearing

white rods in their hands. And so to Paul's: and there

they did their oblations after the old fashion. Divers other

parishes went their procession this day. On Whitsun-

Tuesday was the Hackney procession to Paul's. And after

this, came the procession of St. Clement's, and the mayor

and aldermen accompanying. There were in these proces-

sions goodly choirs singing. On the Wednesday, May 16,

came to Paul's the Islington procession.

Corpus On Corpus Christi day, i. c. May 24, were many gay

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 191

processions in many parishes in London. For many had CHAP,

long torches, garnished after the old fashion, and staff-

torches burning ; and many canopies borne about the streets. Anno 1554 -

Among the rest, those of the parish of St. Sepulchred went

about their own parish; and in Smithfield, as they were Disturbed,

going there, came a man unto the priest that bare the sa-

crament, and began to pluck it out of his hand, and incon-

tinent he drew his dagger. But hands were soon laid upon

him, and he carried to Newgate ; and then he feigned him-

self mad. His name was Street, a joiner by trade, living

in Coleman-street. This story is thus noted by the writer Viteiiius,

of the Journal whence I take this and divers other things, F ' 5 '

otherwise a diligent man ; and so it is also set down in a

chronicle, wrote not long after those times, called A brief

Chronicle of London. But all this proved afterwards but

the slander of a priest, and falsely represented to cast a

blot upon the professors of religion. The truth of the matter

was discovered by Fox, who diligently inquired into it, and

had his information from the party himself: which was

thus. The person being a simple undesigning man, passing

by chance that way in some haste, and having no other way

to go, went under the canopy near the priest. The priest

seeing the man so to presume, apprehended some danger

near, and being more afraid than hurt, let the pix fall.

The poor man was presently apprehended, and carried to

the Compter ; and the priest accused him before the Coun-

cil, as though he had come to kill him ; whereas the fellow

protested no such thought ever entered into his mind. But

from the Compter he was had to Newgate, and there cast

into the dungeon, and chained to a post, and miserably

handled ; and so extremely dealt withal, that being but

simple before, he was now haired out of his wits indeed :

and so he was removed to Bedlam.

But now from processions to look upon other things hap- Lord Gerald

pening about this time. On Whitsun-Monday, the Lord ^ldie

Garret, or Gerald, was created earl of Kildare. Upon

Tuesday in Whitsun-week, Thirleby, bishop of Norwich,

came to Court. Upon Wednesday came over from Spain

192 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

CHAP, the ancient Spanish ambassador, with a gray beard; being

the same that had been here when King Edward died. And

Anno 1554. as the bruit went, he was to be Marshal, and to execute mar-

nish lm- ^ ^ aws u P on a ^ strangers, subjects of Spain, either Spa-

bassador niards or of the Low Countries: the better to keep good

C ° meS 1 03 or der among them, who in these days were very apt to do-

mineer over the English, that the English nation might be

the less grieved by that insulting people ; or perhaps, and

in more likelihood, by these pretences of justice to exempt

the Spaniards from the laws and judicatories of England.

This old gentleman hardly escaped the French on the nar-

row seas; two of the ships, wherein his horses and stuff

were, falling into their hands ; and he himself, being in a

small pinnace, escaped. On Thursday, that is, the day after

his coming over, he, with the rest of the Emperor's ambas-

sadors, came to the Court, and spake with the Queen ; no

question, about the affair of the marriage between Prince

Philip and her.

William On Thursday this Whitsun-week, William Thomas,

JxecSed eS( l- clerk of the Council to Kin S Edward VI. was ar-

raigned at Guildhall, and cast to suffer death, and to be

drawn and quartered. And the very next day was drawn

upon a sled, being a proper man, from the Tower unto

Tyburn : where, upon a pretence of treason, he was hanged ;

and after, his head was stricken off, and then quartered.

And the morrow after, his head was set on London-bridge,

and three quarters of him set over Cripplegate, living per-

haps thereabouts. This Thomas was a man of great parts,

and therefore perhaps it was not thought fit he should

live ; and who, for his English Pilgrim, a book of his writ-

ing, wherein so much was spoken in favour of King Henry's

divorce, was not to be forgotten. More will be said of him

hereafter.

Lady Eliza- And on Saturday following, (or, as some, Sunday, May

veJVout'of 20 *) at one of the clock in the afternoon, the Lady Eliza-

the Tower, b e th was delivered out of the Tower by the Lord Treasurer

sa U fecus- er and Lord Chamberlain; and took her barge at Tower-

tody- wharf, and so went to Richmond by water forthwith, with-

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 193

out landing any where till she came there: where she was CHAP,

to abide for some time; but under several of the guard, XIIL

and other small officers, for each office in the Queen's house. Anno 15/34.

But her continuance here was but short, being conveyed

hence to Windsor, and so to Woodstock. At her coming

out of the Tower, were a number of people in boats to see

her, greatly rejoicing at the sight of her, but heavy for her

trouble, seeing her go under safe keeping.

The rebellion was by this time pretty well allayed, but Prophecies

the discontents of the people remained still ; which conti- , a " Norfolk

nued the Queen's fears. For in Norfolk especially were concerning
, • 1 i • 1 ii the Queen.
many that carried about vain prophecies, and spread ru-

mours reflecting upon the Queen's person and state, to blow

up the people, as was believed, into displeasure with the

Queen and her government ; many of which had come to

her ears : which occasioned her to send forth letters to the She writes

justices of peace in that county, dated May 23, as she had t ° ces- e JUS ~

done once before to them, for the good order and stay of

the county from rebellious tumults and uproars, and for the

having special regard to vagabonds, and such as spread

false and untrue tales, and to see them punished. These

last letters were partly reprehensory, for that the justices

had taken no more care in the execution of the contents of

her former letters, and for passing over such faults without

punishment, winking at, or at least little considering them ;

(which was to her, as she wrote, very strange ;) and partly

to find out the authors of these bruits and prophecies, and

then to take punishment according to the quality of the

offence. And for the more effectual doing this, to divide

themselves into several parts of the county, whereby the 1 24

better to discover the ill-affected ; and lastly, to meet often

to confer together herein, and to send letters hereof every

month to her Council. This letter of the Queen's will de-

serve, for history sake, to be preserved : which I have ac- N°. xiv.

cordingly done.

On the 23d of May, a certain woman was set on the pil- Some pil-

lory in Cheapside, for speaking lies and seditious words

against the Queen's Majesty. And on the 25th, two more
VOL. III. o

194 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

CHAP, were set on the pillory in the same place; the one for hor-
__rible lies and seditious words against the Queen and her
Anno 1554. Council, and one of his ears nailed. The other's crime was

for seditious and slanderous words against the Queen, her

Council, and the magistrates. What these seditious words

were, I cannot assign ; but most probably they concerned

the late terrible executions, or the Spanish match, or the

overthrow of the late King's proceedings: all of them

things very ingrateful to the common people. On the 26th

day, the same man was again set on the pillory, one of

whose ears was nailed, and now was the other nailed. A

woman was also now set on the pillory for speaking certain

words touching the Queen's proceedings. The pillory was

employed again the 30th day of this month, a man and a

woman being set on it. The man's crime was for seditious

and slanderous words ; the woman's for speaking of false lies

and rumours : and her fault, it seems, being the greater,

her ear was nailed to the pillory. And the 1st of June the

same woman was set on the pillory again, and her other ear

nailed for the same offence.

Earl of De- As the jealousies of the State had conveyed the Lady

iroutoT 7 ' Elizabeth out of the Tower westward, May 19 ; so May 25

the Tower the Earl of Devon was conveyed thence northward, that is,

ingaycastie. to the castle of Fotheringay in Northamptonshire, by three

or four of the clock in the morning, accompanied with cer-

tain of the guard, and divers knights, whereof Sir Thomas

Tresham was one.

Lord John Q n t h e 27^ f May, the Lord John Grey, another of

brought to the late Duke of Suffolk's brothers, went from the Tower

ster-hai"" unto Westminster-hall by land. But he was not arraigned

there till the 11th of June, when he put himself upon the

Queen's mercy.

The On the 29th, the Queen removed from St. James's, passing
progress, through the park, and took her barge at Whitehall, and so

to Richmond, in order to her progress : which was chiefly

commenced to meet her beloved, the Prince of Spain.

Which affair now falling in my way, I shall, according as

notices have come to my hand, proceed to relate.

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 195

Before her departure, the Lord Treasurer went to wait CHAP,

upon her, and, like a good husband for the crown, shewed XIJL

her belike how low her treasure was, and therefore prayed Ann <> 1554.

her to be sparing of giving away her lands, especially in™*^* 1 ,

his absence, (as knowing there would be many such suitors request to

pressing upon her in this her journey,) at least, not before

he had advice of it. This counsel the Queen took well at

his hands, and promised him she would not determine any

gift without first acquainting him with it. Being gone no

farther than Farnham, Sir Edm. Peckham (who was one of

those that had proclaimed and stood up for her in Bucks)

requested of her certain lands ; which she declined fully to

grant, till she had consulted with her treasurer, according

to her promise. To him therefore she sent a letter, dated

July 5, and included Peckham's bill, relating the particu-

lars, desiring him to peruse it well ; and that if he thought

it were such land as she might give with her honour, she

should think it very well bestowed; for that he was one 125

that had well deserved it, as she wrote the treasurer, and as

yet had not any kind of recompence.
The Queen much esteemed this her treasurer, who ma- The

naged her Exchequer with great care and vigilancy; of^ uee "* va "

which she was very sensible. And to shew herself grateful,

to oblige him the more, in the conclusion of the foresaid

letter, she wrote this postscript with her own hand : " My

" Lord, I most heartily thank you for your daily painful-

" ness taken in my service. 11 And the letter was sub-

scribed, " Your Mistres assured, Marye the Quene, 11 with

her own pen. But now let us turn to our Queen's matri-

mony.

o2

196 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

CHAP. XIV.
The Queen's match with Spain. Much disgusted. The

King and Queen pass triumphantly through London.

The articles of the marriage. The Queen's present to

the Emperor's ambassador.

Anno 1554. X HIS match with Spain, however most apparently dis-

of Sussex g uste d by the Queen's subjects, went resolvedly forward.

goes into And the Earl of Sussex was sent over by the Queen in a

• P a,n - verv honourable embassy, to conclude the marriage between

her and Prince Philip, and to conduct him into England.

Then did the said Philip give him a sword, with five great

stones set in it, viz. a great table diamond, a great table

ruby, a great pointed diamond, and another great table dia-

Exejusd. mond, and one great ballos. The said Earl in his last will

Sn?ento S bequeathed, that his brother, Sir Henry Ratcliff, kt. should

have, during his life, the custody and use of these five

stones. And so immediately after Sir Henry's death, to

the next heir male of the said Earl that should be Earl of

Sussex. And he gave charge to his brother, the next Earl,

to see to the performance of this ; that so it might be a re-

membrance of the service in that case done in his house of

New-hall in Essex, as the will ran.

The Queen's Of this match the Queen, who had lost so much time,

desire of wag y fond, and earnestly desirous of the consummation
this match. J . .
of it ; though afterwards she had but little comfort therein.

And when in the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's reign Sir

Tho. Smith drew up a private discourse, whether it were

more advisable she should marry a stranger or an English-

man, I am greatly inclined to believe he meant Queen

Mary's marriage with Philip in this period following : "I

" heard, not many years ago, of a certain lady, who having

" the picture sent unto her of one whom she never saw,

" who should be her husband, was so enamoured thereon,

" and so ravished, that she languished for love, and was in

" manner out of her wits for his long tarrying and absence.

" But I ween, hot love was soon cold, and not long after

" repented."

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 197

And the Queen, by this act, did infinitely lose herself chap.

among her people : and every man's mouth almost was .

opened against the match: for the nation had a great de- Anil ° ,654,

testation against the Spaniard, knowing their lofty, proud, fence tak " ell

domineering tempers, and vicious inclinations. One had at the

the confidence to write thus against the Queen, partly for t ^ ls ma t c h.

her severity and overthrow of the former reformation, and chr. Good-

partly for her matching with Philip; addressing thus to man '

the nobility and counsellors : " God's word she abhorreth,

" Antichrist she hath restored, her father's laws contemned, 126

" her promise broken, and her brother, good King Edward,

" as an heretic, condemned ; not thinking it enough to ex-

" press her tyranny upon them that lived, except she shewed

" cruelty, or rather a raging madness, on the bodies of God's

" servants long before buried, drawing them forth of their

" graves to burn them as heretics : and in fine, utterly ab-

" horring the English nation, hath joined herself to adul-

" terous Philip, the Spanish King : to whom she hath

" and doth continually labour to betray the whole kingdom:

" and yet ye cannot or will not see it. Neither yet, for

" all this, to be stirred up to bridle her affections, and with-

" stand her ungodly doings, to promote the glory of God,

" and to preserve your brethren and yourselves. But, think-

" ing to retain your promotions by flattery, do hastily draw

" God's vengeance upon yourselves and others. And do

" you think that Philip will be crowned King of England,

" and retain in honour English counsellors, and credit them

" with the government of his state, who have betrayed their

" own ? Shall his Spaniards be nobles without your lands

" and possessions ? And shall they possess your promotions

" and livings, and your heads upon your shoulders ? Come

" they to make a spoil of the whole realm, and leave you

'*' and yours untouched ? Where is your great wisdom

" become, your subtile counsels and policy, whereon you

" brag so much ? To whom be these things hid, that every

" child espieth ?" Make abatement for some of these un-

dutiful expressions, and you see the displeasure of the Eng-

lish nation against this match, and the continuance or in-
o3

198 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

CHAP, crease of it. For this was writ two or three years after the

marriage was celebrated.

Anno 1554. These be the words of one : and another about the same

2Sjj£! time ' * mean broad-spoken Knox, thus accosted the Bishop

this Spanish of Winchester, who was the great match-maker: " I speak

" ,i ! t ? 1 \' , " to thee, Winchester, more cruel than any tiger ; shall
Faithful » , • i, i ¦ i. a
Admoni- " neither shame, neither fear, bridle thy tyrannous cruelty f
ilon - " Shamest thou not, bloody beast, to betray thy native
" country, and the liberties of the same ? Fearest thou not
" to open such a door to all iniquity, that whole England
" shall be made a common stews to Spaniards ?" And a
little after "And what is the cause that Winchester,
" and the rest of his pestilent sect, so greedily would have

" a Spaniard to reign over England ? The cause is mani-

" fest : for as that nation surmounteth all others in pride

" and whoredom, so for idolatry and vain papistical and

" devilish ceremonies, they may rightly be called the very

" sons of superstition.' 1 '' And the same writer, turning his

speech to the Papists, thus accosteth them about Queen

Mary's match : " Would any of you have confessed two

" years ago, that Mary, your mirror, had been false, dis-

" sembling, unconstant, proud, and a breaker of promises,

" except such promises as she made to your god, the Pope,

" to the great shame and dishonour of her noble father ?

" I am sure you would full little have thought it in her.

The mis- " And now doth she not openly shew herself to be an open

chiefs of it. « tra i toress to the imperial crown of England, contrary to

" the just laws of the realm, to bring in a stranger, and

" make a proud Spaniard king, to the shame, dishonour,

" and destruction of the nobility ; to the spoil, from them

" and theirs, of their honours, lands, possessions, chief of-

" fices, and promotions ; to the utter decay of the treasures,

" commodities, navy, and fortifications of the realm ; to the

" abasing of the yeomanry ; to the slavery of the common-

" alty ; to the overthrow of Christianity and God's true re-

" ligion ; and, finally, to the utter subversion of the whole

" public state and commonwealth of England ? Speak
127 "now, ye Papists, and defend your monstrous mistress,

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 199

" and deny, if you can for shame, that she hath not uttered CHAP.

" herself to be born (alas ! therefore) to the ruin and de- '_

" struction of noble England ?" Anno 1554.

Nor did the common people spare to vent their indigna- Seditious

tion against this marrying with Spain. They spread abroad a V ° a r in s st tlie

many reports and abundance of news concerning the King match.

and the Spaniards, to blemish and deface them, and per-

haps a great deal more than was true. Many were the

rhymes and ballads, letters and books, both written and

published against that match and nation: insomuch that

the very next Parliament after the marriage, that sat in

Nov. 1554, it was enacted, " that such as imagined or spake

" any seditious or slanderous news, rumours, sayings, or