Search York

also Christopher Martin, John Green, and five more : and to

bind them all with sufficient sureties to keep the King and

Queen's peace, and to be of good behaviour towards this

orator, his present wife, children, servants, and tenants,

and especially for the safeguard of the body of this orator.

Who had, in the last Lord Chancellor's time, divers writs

of special supplicavit, and of like effect directed to the

sheriffs and justices of peace ; who either durst not or

would not put any of them in execution, for fear of displea-

sure of the Earl. The lack of which execution had been

the chief occasion of most of the misdemeanours, and was

like to breed greater mischiefs and inconveniences, to the

utter undoing of the said gentleman, his wife, children, and

the rest that belonged to him.

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 565

This Earl of Cumberland had but this year obtained a li- CHAP,

cence from the Queen to retain an hundred men : and this _

domineering over honest men, and oppressing whom he Anno 1 556.

pleased, in affront of good laws and the Queen's peace, was l ; ,e tarl
r o ^ Jr retains an
some of the good fruits of it. hundred
The Lord Chancellor, taking the reasonableness of Proc-

tor's petition into his consideration, March 14, sent it to the

Lord President and Council, and, according to his request,

appointed them to see justice done, and the person and fa-

mily of Proctor secured and defended from danger, in case 3 57

they should find matters according to the complaint. For

thus did the Chancellor write :
" After our right hearty commendations to your good The Lord
Lordship ; We send unto you here enclosed a bill of com- lort j^^,
plaint exhibited to us by one Gabriel Proctor : wherein he in Proctor's
. behalf.
doth as well complain and shew, how that through divers Ex Epistoi.

the misdemeanours and assaults made upon him by certain D. Conut.

of the Earl of Cumberland's servants, whose names are

contained in the said bill of complaint, he hath and doth

stand in much danger and fear of his life : as also requireth

for his safeguard special writs of suppHcavit, to be directed

to your Lordship in this behalf. And because we are

loath, without some further understanding of the special-

ties and truth of this matter, to grant the said writs of

SttppMcavit, and yet mind not to leave the party destitute

of all remedy, where the same in any case should be re-

quisite; we have therefore thought good to refer this

whole matter, and the ordering thereof, to your Lordship :

praying you, upon the receipt of these our letters, together

with the said supplication, to call the parties, or so many

of them as ye shall think convenient, before you ; and to

proceed, either to the binding of them to the peace, or in

some greater and straiter bond, as the behaviour of the

parties and the cause shall to your Lordship's discre-

tion seem to require. Whereby the party complainant

may be relieved of this fear, which he seemeth now to

o o 8

566 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL
CHAP. " stand in. And so we bid your Lordship right heartily

XLlli. « we u to f are .

Anno 1556. " Your good Lordship's

From the Court the " assured loving friend,
14th of March, 1556. " Nico. Ebor. Cane."

*&»

358 CHAP. XLIV.
A plot for betraying Guisnes to the French; managed by

Dudley, and other English. Discovered by a spy. French

matters.

English re- SeVERAL of the malecontents, that had combined against

bels har- . , „ ,
boured in the Queen the last summer m a conspiracy, but defeated,

France " (as was shewn before,) were fled into France, where they re-

ceived shelter and favour. The chief of these were Dudley

and Ashton. Others also there were among them, as Offly

and Chidley, who refrained any further doings against their

native country, but rather, by discovery of new attempts,

laboured to obtain their pardons for their former disloyalties.

The French King, hoping to make his benefit of these Eng-

lish that thus harboured in his country, afforded several of

them pensions, and that chiefly according to the advice of

Dudley, with whom the King himself vouchsafed sometimes

to hold communication. These seditious men's minds were

still hatching mischief against the Queen ; and towards the

latter end of the year, Dudley, the master-contriver, was

laying a method for betraying of Guisnes and Hammes, two

important places in France, under the English dominion,

unto the French. Within which places were some with

whom Dudley had an understanding.

a spy upon The English state was privy to these Englishmen that

them. were t h us harboured, to plot and devise against the realm,

and made complaint to the French King of them, but with-

out redress. The Queen therefore planted among them cer-

tain espials, to watch their motions, and to give intelligence

thereof from time to time. Among these, there was one at

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 567

Roan; who perhaps might have been engaged in the last CHAP.

summer's practices. For Dudley much confided in him, and_

made use of him to send him between Roan and Guisnes, Anno 1556.

for the carrying on of the design. By which means he

became privy to all their matters ; who, as he had intelli-

gence, privily imparted it to a certain officer of the Queen's

in those parts, and, as it seems, resident in Calais. And he

retained a trusty servant, whom he employed in this busi-

ness. This servant he sent to the Court in England, in the

latter end of March, to give information of such things as

the spy in Roan had communicated secretly by word of

mouth unto the said servant ; whose information, as was

taken from his mouth by secretary Petre, (whose hand it Cott. Li-

, . i • • brar. Titus,
seems to be,) was to this import. B. 2.
" That on the 11th day of the said month of March, his Who re-

" master receiving letters from Offly, despatched him, the } e e > s trea _"

" said servant, in post to Roan, to hear and confer with N. sons -

" (under which letter was meant the spy,) having, imme-

" diately after his departure, received letters also from

" Chidley concerning the same matter. And arriving at

" Roan, he met and had discourse with N. who declared

" unto him, that Dudley had intelligence with divers men

" to deliver the said places, or at least one of them, to the

" French King. That seven weeks past, Dudley had prac-

" tised with the said King, and the Constable of France, 359

" about the matter, who liked it, and would have Dudley to

" proceed therein ; and for that purpose had rewarded him,

" and such as were about him, with great gifts. That since

" that time, Dudley had sent down N. to Guisneys and

" Hammes, who had, in a secret place nigh thereunto, con-

" ferred with the said conspirators of those pieces, and found

" them in the mind of betraying them : that Dudley knew,

" that there was not victuals in Guisnes for twenty days,

" nor three hundred men ; and therefore trusted the easier

" to achieve the enterprise. That N. was to come thither

" again very shortly, to confer the second time with them,

" and then to get of them not only letters to Dudley, of

" their proceedings in this matter, but also other articles for

o o 4

568

MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

CHAP.

XLIV.

Anno 1556.

this N.'s instructions how to work : which bill of articles

he intended to get signed with their hands, and then find

the means to deliver the same unto this informer's mas-

ter, or to some trusty men of his appointment ; whereby it

should evidently appear to be true what he (i. e. N.) had

said. That he would by no means name any of them,

till he had gotten such proof as he had spoken of. This

informer also added, that N. had said, that he had divers

letters and writings, as well written from the late Earl of

Devon, as from Dudley and others ; which being of im-

portance, he would find the means to deliver to this in-

former's master. That on the 16th of the month above-

said, the drums beat at Roan and other places thereabouts,

and good numbers of men were levied, and came down

towards Abbevyle, Monstreul, Rue, &c. That there were

divers carts, heavy loaden with ammunition, harness, pike,

&c. and the same drawn through Paris in the night, and

so straight to Roan. That in case N. could conveniently,

he would speak with this informer's master, ere he went

down to Guisnes, or else at his return from thence would

not fail to do it : but if indeed he could not come to him,

then he would write to his said master, whether he should

send some trusty servant of his, to receive the same bill

of names, and such other intelligences as he should know.

Moreover, that this practised enterprise should be put in

execution within a month. That the French King would

be at Roan secretly within twelve days. That these men

were such as were well able to do this feat, and were of

such number and strength, that without great policy they

would not be taken. Which policy would be to watch

when the chiefest of them were abroad, and then secretly

to cut off the passage betwixt them and home, and so to

take them."

Lastly, " N. shewed the informer, how Dudley sent re-

commendations to Sir Rauf Bagnal, [who seemed to be

now in Calais, and this recommendation gave a jealousy

of him.] That Dudley had authority [from the French

King] to continue and put in whom he listed into the

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 569

" pensions granted to Englishmen there [at Roan] except CHAP.

" the Ash tons and the Horsey s. That he had already put

" out Colby, and in his place came one Gittins a soldier. Anr "> 1 556.

" That Chidley continued a suitor to this informer's master,

" and seemed to bear a good affection to his country, and

" sought nothing but the wealth thereof."
This servant having heard all this of N. returned back36o

again in post from Roan to his master : to whom he de-

clared the whole matter. And thereupon he despatched him

into England to the Queen, to whom or to her Council he

related, in order, all that is above said ; and, finally, advised

that order might be taken for the victualling and manning

of the said pieces, within three weeks at the farthest. All

this favour shewed by the French to the Queen's seditious

subjects, was afterwards declared to be the cause of her

proclaiming war with that crown.

The French and the Spaniard were now in very angry News from

hostility against each other. The latter had brought his

armies to Italy, and the French opposed him, and had the

Pope on their side. In March therefore, or thereabouts,

departed in post toward Italy from the French Court, the

Duke of Guise, the Prince of Ferrara, the Duke D'Aumale,

the Duke of Nemours, the Marquis Delbeuf, Monsieur

Dampville. Of whom the Duke of Guise and the Prince

of Ferrara were ready to depart the 16th of the abovesaid

month. That the French bands assembled at Lyons the 15th

or 16th of the same, being, as men judged, 20,000 footmen,

(comprehending the Switzers already departing,) and 4000 or

5000 horsemen. The ambassador of Ferrara was looked for

to be shortly at the French Court: who, as it was said,

brought very good news. The Count of Araynes band was

to assemble at Roan very shortly. The Queen of Scots,

now in France, was sick of a quartan, and, as it was surely

thought, was in a consumption. The Dauphin was sick

again. The French had an ill opinion of King Philip, The French

especially in four points: viz. that he warred against the^JJ."^

Pope, contrary to his promise. That he took and kept King Phi.

some of his towns against his promise. That Ruy Gomez

570 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

CHAP, came not to treat, as was promised. And the suspicion they

'__ had that the Duke of Boloign was poisoned ; and that the

Anno 1556. King was privy to it. For that they compelled his wife and

son to be bound for the payment of the rest of his ransom,

whether the Duke lived or died. That he was found by

his physicians to have been poisoned.

353 CHAP. XLV.

Some passages of Shaxton, sometime bishop of Salisbury.

Hidlier burned at Cambridge. An oath to be taken by

such as took degrees in Cambridge.
Shaxton, JL WILL under this year put in a few notes of Dr. Nicolas
with others, ¦*¦?»• i t
condemn- Shaxton ; this year, in April, being the last tune I meet with

eth Hul- j 1 j m m n i s t or y • ant | then we find him ill-favouredly em-

her at Cam- . . .
bridge. ployed, embruing his hands in the blood of John Hullier,

an excellent, devout man, and zealous preacher of the gos-

pel, in the dioceses of Norwich and Ely. For having been

cited to appear at St. Mary's in Cambridge, before a great

rout of popish doctors, as Yong, Sedgwick, Scot, and espe-

cially, as chiefest, Dr. Shaxton, then the Bishop of Ely's

suffragan, and by him sent to Cambridge for this purpose ;

he was on Palm Sunday condemned to the fire : which

cruel judgment was executed upon him the Thursday follow-

ing, or Maundy Thursday, on Jesus Green.

Some ac- This Shaxton was one that began well, and held on well

Shaxton. for the most part of his life, (as hath been shewn,) but fell

off at last, and made an ill conclusion. He was zealous for

the gospel, when he was at Cambridge, and studied in Gon-

vile hall, a house noted for men affecting religion, about

1530. By means of Crumwel he was preferred to Queen

Ann's service, and after, to be Bishop of Sarum, about 1535,

at the same time that Latimer was preferred to Worcester :

and within four years after, stood against the six articles,

and with him was then imprisoned, and with him resigned.

But about seven years after, viz. 1546, he fell off from the

good profession, and recanted, out of fear of his life, and

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 571

soon after, more publicly and scandalously, did it in Smith- CHAP,

field, at the burning of Ann Askue in June, when he again _

revoked thirteen articles: which revocation or recantation Ann ° '556.

was confuted in a book made by Rob. Crowley soon after.
Upon his compliance with Popery, he became master of He is mas *

the hospital of St. Giles in Norwich, to which Rugge the Giles's hos-

bishop was patron. Which bishop, and Shaxton the master, j" 1 ! 1 ; 00 ™'

by their deed acknowledged and enrolled, bearing date iv. p. 256.

March the 6th, an. 1 reg. Edward VI. did give and grant

to the King the said hospital, and the possessions and here-

ditaments belonging to the same. He lived obscurely under

the rest of the reign of King Edward, our histories making

no mention of him. But under Queen Mary he was heard of

again, being often among such as were commissioned to

examine and condemn the gospellers.
He that is minded to know more of him, how testy, and

passionate, and hot he was in his temper, and of the oc-

casion of his recantation, may have recourse to Bishop Bur- Vol. i. p.

net's History of the Reformation. And in the Collections is ^° an

placed a notable letter of the Lord Crumwel to him, while Book iii.

he was Bishop, taken out of the Cotton library ; and the £""' ^ and

thirteen popish articles to which he subscribed, taken out

of Bishop Boner's register.

I shall here represent his good zeal for religion in his Shaxton in

younger days, and also when he was a member of the Uni- £™ bl t h e

versity. About the time of Bilney's troubles, which was in Bishop of

the years 1530 and 1531, Shaxton was taken notice of for °. '

his fervent preaching against superstitions, and suffered Let , of Bi .

much. He preached at Westacre on St. Thomas's day : s1io p Nix >

r . 1 r» -n. extant in
blind Bishop Nix of Norwich, a zealous man for Popery, fox, first

heard of the sermon, and diligently inquired of the p r i r edlt P- 481 '

of Westacre and of the Prior of Pentency concerning it.

And they, probably men well affected to him and his

doctrine, shewed the Bishop, that it was a good sermon, and

that there was no heresy in it. But this information did

not satisfy the Bishop, "who had received another character

of Shaxton, living now, it seems, in his diocese : wherefore he

sent an order from Hoxne, to one that officiated as the

572 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

CHAP. Bishop's chancellor at a visitation in Norwich, (in the room

. of Pells, then absent,) that he should give the Prior of West-

Anno i556. acre his oath upon a book; and upon that oath to inquire,

whether Shaxton had taught to any of his brethren, that is,

the friars, any erroneous opinion, or not. The said Bishop

likewise bade one Ralph Cantrel, lately at Cambridge, to

inquire of the Vice-Chancellor, and of others, of the de-

meanour of Shaxton : which Cantrel reported to the Bishop,

that he was sore suspected of many ; and that he had made

a sermon ad clerum on Ash- Wednesday 1531, where the

Vice-Chancellor took him in two points.

The first was, Quod malum et per'tculosum est publicc

asserere aut prcedicare purgatorium non esse. Credere ta-

men purgatorium non esse nullo pacto est damnabile. That

is, " That it is evil and dangerous publicly to assert or

" preach, that there is no purgatory. Yet to believe there

" is no purgatory, is by no means damnable."

The second was, Impossibile est Jwminem [se] continerc,

aut castum esse, &c. That is, " That it is impossible for a

" man to be continent, or chaste, although he mortify him-

" self with fasting, is diligent in his prayers, and abstain

" and refrain from company, sight, and thoughts, unless

" God give [grace.] 1 " Another saying he then had, " That

" in his daily celebration of mass, he offered continual

" prayers to God, that celibacy should be wholly taken

" away from the clergy, and that wedlock might be granted

" and permitted them. ,,

And from For these passages in his clerum, he was convented before
Chancellor tne heads, but he stood in them steadfastly. So that Mr.
ofCam- Vice-Chancellor Dr. Watson, with the assistance of Dr.
bridce.
Wilson and Edmunds, had much ado to bring him to for-

sake them ; which, at length, he did at their persuasion, and

to avoid open abjuration. And upon this, the Vice-Chan-

cellor drew up an oath for him especially ; but which not

only he, but all others, that that year proceeded, did openly

and solemnly swear. The which oath was as followeth :

An oath " You shall swear by the holy contents of this book,
imposed a t j iat y OU sna }] not keep, hold, maintain, and defend, at any

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 573

" time during your life, any opinion erroneous, or error of CHAP.

" WicklifF, Hus, Luther, or any other condemned of he- XLV '

" resy : and that ye shall keep, hold, maintain, and defend Anno 1656.

"generally and especially, all such articles and points as ^ C T."

" the Catholic Church of Rome believeth, holdeth, or main- grees of di.

" taincth at this time : and that ye shall allow and accept, tim^Uni-

" maintain and defend, for their power, all traditions, in- versit y-

" stitutions, rites, ceremonies, and laudable customs, as the

" said Church of Rome taketh them, and alloweth them,

"and approveth them: and that you shall namely and 355

" specially hold as the said Catholic Church holdeth in all

" these articles, wherein lately hath been controversy, dis-

" sension, and error : as concerning faith and works, grace

" and free-will, of sin in a good work, of the sacrifice of the

" New Testament, of the priesthood, of the new law, of

" communion under both kinds, of baptism and Christian

" liberty, of monastic vows, of fasting and choice of meats,

" of the single life of priests, of the Church, of the canoni-

" cal books, of the firm holding of matters not expressed in

" the Scriptures, of the inerrability of general councils in

" faith and manners, of the power of the Church to make

" laws, of the Church's sacraments and their efficacy, of the

" power of excommunication conferred upon the Church, of

" punishing heretics, of the sacrifice of the mass, of purga-

" tory, of worshipping saints and praying to them, of worship-

" ping the images of saints, of pilgrimages, of evangelical

" precepts and councils. And likewise of all other articles,

" wherein controversy or dissension hath been in the Church

" before this day." This oath was an effectual bar for keep-

ing out all from commencing in divinity, but such as were

round Papists. But I suppose it lasted but this year, and

was not required the next, when Simon Heyns was Vice-

Chancellor, a man of other principles. But thus was Shax-

ton then hampered, when he stood for his degree of doctor.

It was soon after this that he had bought certain good

books, and, for the better promoting of the knowledge of

true religion, had conveyed and dispersed them in the dio-

cese of Norwich : (where now it seems he lived, cither as a

574 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

CHAP, friar or a curate:) for which, especially hearing the former

report of him, the Bishop took him up, and kept him a

Anno 1556. prisoner; and gave commandment to Richard Hill, the

Bishop's gaoler, to keep him sure, resolving that he should

abjure before he departed. This was in June 1531. And

so jealous was he of Shaxton, that he swore by God's

mother, that he feared he had burned Abel, meaning Bilney,

and let Cain go. But these depressions and sufferings of

Shaxton made way for him not long after to preferment,

being made master of Gonwel and Caius college, of which