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| V. Whether all the subjects'* goods be the Emperor's or
King's own, and that they may lawfully take them as their own.
kill a tyrant. VII. What confidence is to be given to princes and po- tentates. This book was not over favourable to princes. Their ri- gours and persecutions, and the arbitrary proceedings with 3 29 their peaceable subjects in these times, put them upon exa- mining the extent of their power, which some were willing to curtail and straiten as much as they could.
into his hands, and printed it without the leave of the au-^.^ us thor, not knowing whether he was dead or no. In the epistle to the reader it is said, " The gravity of the work, the " soberness of the style, and the equity of the cause, joined " with substantial proofs, shewed a mighty zeal and a fer- " vent care of the author for his country ." And the pub- lisher addeth, " He put forth the work, to the intent the m m 4 536 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL CHAP. " travail of the doer might not be lost, neither true English " hearts frustrate of so worthy an instruction." But, I sup- Anno ' 556, pose, if the author had been alive, (as he died this year,) he would not have permitted this his discourse upon so ten- der a subject, and so apt to be abused, to have gone abroad in all hands. This book was printed again in the year 1642, to serve the turn of those times. A book Another book appeared also abroad now, entitled, Of the comes forth TT . _ 7 _. 7 tit 111 1 1 of the Unity Unity of the Church; dedicated, by the author unnamed, °f the h to Cardinal Pole, under this title, To the most holy and godly Prince, Reginald Pole, Cardinal and Legate, honour, virtue, and grace from our Lord Jesus Christ. Herein he hath these words : " That Christ's Church was never so " miserably tossed and turmoiled, especially within this " realm of England, with sects and divisions, as it hath " been of late years : whereas it hath not been only counted " lawful for the wicked to excogitate, to teach, to profess, " to maintain and defend errors and heretics without re- " straint ; but also he that most vilely could defile his mo- " ther the Church, Christ's spouse, was best regarded, was " taken and accepted as the most honest, most excellent, " most worthy man, and best learned. Such were thought " most meet to examine causes, and bear rule in the com-
" good Lord ! what heresy, though long ago condemned " by Christ's Church, have they not stirred up again ; and, " under the cloak and colour of Christian liberty, defended " the same, seeking still innovation, alteration, and utter " destruction of all godliness ; still crying, The primitive " Church, The primitive Church : as though a child should " continue a child in the state of infancy, and never increase *.' further: not marking, that the truth was first sought, " then found, after believed, observed, and followed ; and " is still of the faithful sort, from time to time to be kept, " without turning back. But they turned back from all " godliness, from all virtue, honesty, and grace ; being far " unmeet therefore for the kingdom of God. When we UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 537 '* once fled forth of Peter's ship, we fell straightway headlong CHAP. " into all licentious liberty. Then we forsaked utterly all general councils, all ordinances from the beginning kept Anno 1556. " in Christ's Church, all judgments upon Scripture, save " our own. Then of singularity we did select and choose " a new faith ; every day changing and altering. And no " marvel, after that our noble Prince, through counsel of " some wicked men about him, took that in hand, which 330 " never true Catholic king did usurp before him ; that is to " say, to sit in Peter's chair. Since what time, O good " Lord, what miseries have we fallen into, as well bodily as " ghostly ! But now, thanks be to Jesus Christ, which " through his mercy hath brought us again unto our mo- " ther the Catholic Church, even unto Peter's ship ; and " Jesus long preserve her among us, by whose means we " were brought again into it." Thus did this author shew his zeal for Popery, and thought himself very dexterous in describing and disclaiming against the religion practised un- der King Edward. This was the sum of the epistle. The book consisted of sundry probations; whereof some did set forth St. Peter's pre- eminency above the other Apostles ; some declared the most high authority and power given by Christ to him and his successors, to be above all others, both spiritual and tem- poral ; and some did manifestly shew, (at least, as he pre- tended,) that no temporal magistrate, king, or emperor, could be head of the Church. To these books I add the Statutes, this year also printed The Book together, by Richard Totil, stationer. The book is but a printed. little volume in octavo, however big the Statute-book since is swollen. Berthelet indeed had printed the statutes in a larger volume in English : but Totil now published them exactly according to the rolls of Parliament, in old Latin and French. And many faults in other printed books were here rectified and amended ; the light of pointing adjoined ; the chapters of the statutes truly divided, and noted with their due numbers; and in sundry places much added out of books of good credit. This Totil was a diligent and ju- Totil the
538 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL CHAP, dicious printer of law books: he was the first that printed x the year books, and other books of the law, more correctly Anno 1556. and methodically; which books were imperfect before, and very scarce to be had, which had caused the prices of them to be excessively high, the most part also of them marvel- lously mangled, and no small parts of them nowhere to be gotten. These imperfections and wants were supplied by him, and the prices of them eased, and the print much plea- santer to the eye in the books of years than any before; and the paper good, and margin fair. And no small num- ber by him set forth, which were scarce to be found in writing before. He procured also learned helps, to print them the more correct from the ancient copies he made use of. Langdaie's Langdale, who was one of the disputants upon the ques- tion of transubstantiation, when Ridley bishop of Roches- ter, and some others, visited the University of Cambridge in June 1549, the said Ridley then determining, did this year set forth a book to confute the determination of that pious father, and now martyr. It was entitled, Albani Langdal. Confutatio Determinationis Nic. Ridlei. Printed at Paris, in quarto. Which learned determination of Ridley P. i26i. is preserved in Fox's Marty rology, under the reign of King- Edward. A Lasco's The form of prayer and religious service used lately in °™° the church of strangers in London, whereof A Lasco had printed. been superintendent, was this year printed in French, enti- tled, Toute la Forme et Maniere du Minister e Ecclesias- 331 tique en VEglise des Estrangers, dressee a Londres en Angleterre, par le Prince tres-jidele dudit Pais, le Roy Ed- ward VI. de ce nom. 1550. Par Jean a Lasco, Baron de Polonie : traduit de Latin en Francois. And that of The same year, the English exiles at Geneva printed it Geneva, their form of prayers in Latin, by them publicly used, en- titled, Ratio et Forma publice orandi Denm, atque admi- nistrandi Sacramenta, <§r. in Anglorum Ecclesia, quce Ge- neva colligitur, recepta cumjudicio et approbatione J. Cal- vini. Printed at Geneva, in octavo.
UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 539 Several did now abjure and recant, not having strength CHAP enough to die for their holy profession. I shall mention '_ some of these abjurations, performed in the dioceses of Nor- Anno 1556 - wich and Canterbury, as I meet with them in some frag- Soiue ab " ment MSS. of John Fox's; and the rather, because he hath not inserted them in his Martyrology. Michael Donning, LL. D. was now chancellor to Hopton, bishop of Norwich. Under him was John Husband, of Mulberton, abjured for Jol "> Hus- saying, " that the Pope was not head of the Church," and, " that the ceremonies used in the Church, though they could " do him no hurt, could not do him good ; w and further, " that the blessed sacrament of the altar was but a remem- " brance of Christ's death and passion." Part of his abju- ration ran thus : " The said errors, and all other heresies, " false doctrines, and damnable opinions in general, con- " trary and repugnant to the faith of Christ's holy Church, " I utterly abjure, forsake, and purely renounce before you " the said Chancellor and this Christian congregation here " assembled. And, over this, I swear by these Evangelists, " by me here bodily touched, that from henceforth I shall " never hold, teach, or believe the said errors, heresies, and " damnable opinions above rehearsed ; nor any other again, " contrary and repugnant to the holy faith of Christ's " Church. In witness whereof, to this my present abjura- " tion and recantation, I have, with mine own hand, volun- " tarily subscribed my name, being the mark of a + ."
that he should pay to the Bishop 4Z. for the erecting of a new school, to be founded beneath the precincts of the ca- thedral church ; and should hire a preacher, to be provided by the Bishop, but at his charge, to preach on festivals or Sundays, in the church of Mulberton, against all the errors, heresies, and schism he had abjured.
before Hopton the bishop, and Sir Edward Walgrave, as it is recorded : " That G. A. being examined the day afore-
540
MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL
CHAP.
XLI. Anno 1556'. 332
An Arian abjured. said, hath taken his oath, that he took upon him minis- tration most compelled and constrained, and forced there- unto, being a serving man under Sir Thomas Griffin in Northamptonshire : and was sent for to London by Mr. Poley, and there unwarily, contrary to his mind, was brought into bonds, being a simple man without expe- rience : so that he must either take upon him ministration, or else to prison. So that the violence or compulsion done unto him, in that he was drawn unto it contrary to his mind, hath so wrought in him, that he could never be his own since ; his conscience always giving him, that he nei- ther was at that time, nor yet is no minister, but a mere layman. And whereas he sought means always to have given over his benefice, he was so bound that he could not, until such time as he was removed by reason of mar- riage. Desiring that he may live as a layman, like as his conscience doth bear him witness that he is, and as he hath taken his oath. And that he may thus do under obedience, and submission under all good order and laws of the realm : his wits failing him at certain times of the year : being more known than I am able to express.' 1 '' It was sometimes practised in these times by covetous patrons, to make their serving men take orders, thereby to qualify them to take their livings, to which they presented them, to keep the tithes to themselves, allowing some small salary to those they thus presented. And this might be AynswortlVs case.
ham, an Arian, abjured. His confession, taken before cer- tain of the Queen's commissioners and justices of the peace, was to this tenor :
ment he refused to come to the church, because the service is in a tongue that doth not edify. And he thinketh it contrary to God's word ; and saith, that there are certain things used contrary to the Testament, both Old and New.
UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 541 the real natural body of our Saviour Jesus Christ the form CHAP. • • • YLI of bread ; and that it is no article of our faith : and there- . fore refuseth to come to church. Anno 1556 III. And saith further, that it is no article of our faith, that there is one God and three Persons, but one God Al- mighty : in whom he believeth, and saith, that Christ is not almighty of himself, but received all power from his Father, and is made God over all things unto us. And saith, that he was not God of the same substance of God from the be- ginning.
he is not God, but believeth he is the Spirit of God the Fa- ther only, given to the Son, and not God of himself. To which is William Powting's name by himself subscribed, and the names of these as witnesses and commissioners : Nic. Harpsfield, who was archdeacon of Canterbury, War- ham Saint Leger, Tho. Roydon, George Clerk, and Tho. Hendle.
John Simms, of the parish of Brenchley, who had these net8# articles charged against him : " That they that did not un- " derstand the Latin tongue should not have the service of " the Church in the same tongue, because it doth not edify. " That those that were lately burned were saved. That " there is not the real body of our Saviour Jesus Christ " under the form of bread. That it is against Scripture to " burn heretics, because of the parable of the man that did " sow cockle among the good seed. And lastly, that he did " not believe that Christ is consubstantial, that is to say, " God from the beginning, and of one substance with the 333 " Father ; and that there is one God, and three Persons. " But he believeth the Father, the Word, and the Holy " Ghost is one God, but not three Persons.'''' Another Arian now detected was Robert King, of Pe- Another, tham. He was articled, that he was against the Latin ser- vice, that he did not believe the natural presence. Item, That if any man can shew him in Scripture the word con- substantial, then he will believe that Christ is consubstan-
542 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL CHAP, tied, and of one substance with the Father, or else not. ' _ Item, he saith, That if any man can shew him this word per- Anno 1 556. son i n the Scripture, in the same sense, that then he will believe that there are three Persons and one God, or else not. Item, he saith, He doubted whether it can be proved by Scripture, that the Holy Ghost is God, or no. Item, he saith, That it is not lawful to put a man to death for his con- science sake. Witnesses, Nic. Harpsfield, Tho. Hendle, Hen. Bourchier, Tho. Taylor, John Raynold, Walter He- render.
named John Fishcock, whose case was something different from the rest; for he had formerly recanted, and said, " Whereas heretofore in my examination I said, that Christ " gave to his disciples bread, I say, that he did give to his " disciples his very body and blood." This he afterwards revoked, or seemed so to do : for it was asked him, whether he did confess those words that he had said before ; and he answered, that he desired to be respited, because he humbly desired to be ascertained, what my Lord Cardinal's Grace's conscience and faith is in the said blessed sacrament ; saying, that he doth believe, assuredly, that his Grace knoweth the truth ; and thereupon did faithfully promise to receive my Lord's Grace's judgment in good part; and that he will believe it accordingly as his Grace, by his letter or writings, shall advise him in this respect. To which is subscribed by Fishcock himself, " I will abide by my Lord's Grace's "judgment in the sacrament, as is above written, John " Fishcock."
judgment of the Cardinal, when he doubted to do it into the authority of the Church, which is pretended to hold and enjoin that doctrine. But perhaps Fishcock had in his mind, what was commonly held by many, that whatever the Cardinal outwardly pretended, he was indeed inwardly a Protestant, and believed as they did in the doctrine of the sacrament. As for the English exiles, after the separation of a part UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 543 of the congregation at Frankford, which departed and set- (HAP. tied, some at Basil, and some at Geneva, those that remain- ed, who were for the observation of the English book used Ann0 **••• under King Edward, began to set up an university there Leamed for the maintenance of learning : wherein the readers con- Frankford. stituted were, Dr. Horn, late dean of Durham, for Hebrew; Dr. Mullins, for Greek ; and Dr. Bartholomew Traherne, or Traheron, late dean of Chichester, for the divinity lec- ture. This last, among his other readings, read upon the beginning of St. John's Gospel, designedly against the Arians, who began much to increase in these times, (espe- cially among Protestants,) and upon the fourth chapter of the Revelations, which led him to treat of the providence of God. The reason he chose to read upon this subject was, to comfort himself and others by the consideration of the 334 divine providence in their present afflicted condition. But a certain learned person, who had been his auditor, im- Some ac- pugned some part of what he had spoken, urging that he^-y^ 6 had used irreverend speech, in saying, that it was in God's reader, will and ordinance that Adam should sin, making God the author of sin. But by the means of Mr. Roger Parker, a person of eminent quality, and an exile there with his fa- mily, Trahern and he met; and after some debate, they agreed upon the chief points that before seemed to be in controversy between them : yet afterwards it liked this ob- jector to shew certain reasons against Traheron's affirmation, either perhaps for exercise of learning, or because he would be better confirmed in the truth. This occasioned Traheron to read one lecture on purpose to satisfy this gentleman's and others' 1 scruples, and in vindication of what he had read before, concerning God's decreeing sin ; wherein he dis- claimed and abhorred any unbecoming speech of the good and gracious God : beginning thus : " My conscience beareth me witness, that through God's He vindi- " grace and goodness I have taught you the truth in this self; " place, and that I have spoken reverently of God and his " works. I am charged indeed with unreverend speech : " but, alas ! what should move me to spe;ik unreverently of
544 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL CHAP. " Him who made me, when I was nothing: who saved me, XLI • '___ " when I was lost ; who restored me to life, when I was Anno 1556'. « dead; who quitted me, when I was to be damned; who " raised me up to heaven, when I was to be cast down to " hell; who hath fed me from my cradle, and then most " plenteously, when I was an orphan ; who also, I am sure, " hath delivered me out of many dangers, the avoiding " whereof to procure, I had neither counsel, nor purpose, " nor thought: in whom now, being chased out of my " country, and banished from mine acquaintance and known " friends, I find sweet comfort, and great plenty of joys, " even in the midst of tears," &c.
of great weight and importance, and yet somewhat scrupu- lous in the weakness of men's capacities, and subject to the reprehensions and cavillations of licentious heads ; and lest any thing should be bruited otherwise than he spake ; that all men might know what his meaning was, " not by re"- " hearsal sermons," as he expressed it in his prefatory epistle, " but by his own writing." And this also he was encou- Giib. Bark- raged to do by the counsel of Gilbert Barklay, whom he had in reverence for his great gravity and singular integrity of life. These lectures, being three in number, he dedicated
cause it was by his procurement that Traheron and his op- ponent met so friendly together, and because of their own good deserts, the bellies of the saints having been (and as they daily were) refreshed by them, and to render this tes- timony of their singular godliness. 335 Knox was now at Geneva, minister to the English exiles
Scotland were many professors of the gospel ; and, however persecuted, religion went on. But they wanted such a stout- spirited, bold man as Knox : and therefore the Earl of Glen- carn sent for him the latter end of this year, and so did divers others of the head Protestants from Sterling, to come UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 545 to them, and to be their preacher again. Their letters were CHAP, dated from thence, March 10, and John Simms was sent_ Yüklə 12,09 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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