Search York

" dwell at Salisbury : he told my wife, that Palmer being

" at the stake, requested this sumner to have him com-

p p 4

584

MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

CHAP. " mended to Mr. Thackham, and to pray him to forgive

" him the twelve shillings that he owed him, which I lent

Anno i556.« nmi w h e n he lay in prison: for in consideration that I

" had a benefit at his hand, I thought it my duty the rather

"'to help him in that extremity. Thus hast thou heard, gen-

" tie reader, how I dealt with Palmer, how his trouble be-

" gan, how he was used, and by what occasions. Which

" if you compare with that the railer hath caused Mr. Fox

" to write, thou shalt not find one sentence true.

" From Northampton, the xxxth of January, the year

" of our salvation 1572.

" By me Thomas Thackham. 11
This relation of the occasion and story of Palmer's trou-

bles was put by Thackham into Fox's hands for his own

vindication ; and Fox sent it to one Thomas Perry, a grave

minister in Gloucestershire; desiring him to inquire dili-

gently into the truth of this matter. Who returned Fox

this answer, which I do insert, to shew what little opinion

good men had of Thackham, and withal to shew Fox's

commendable diligence and inquiry into truth.

" Right reverend and beloved in the Lord,

" I have received your letters, together with Thackharns

answer ; which I perceive you have well perused, and do

understand his crafty and ungodly dealing therein, that I

may not say, fond and foolish. For he doth not deny

the substance of the story, but only seeketh to take advan-

tage by some circumstances of the time and place ;

wherein yet may be ther was an oversight, for lack of per-

fect instructions, or good remembrance at the begynning.

He confesseth that he delivered a letter of Palmer's own

hand to the maior of Reading, which was the occasion

of his imprisonment and death : only he excuseth himself

by transferring the crime a seipso in martyr em. Briefly,

his whole end and purpose is to give the world to under-

stand, that the martyr was guilty, as well of incontinency,

a*> also oi' wilful casting away of himself. O impudent

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 585

"man! The wise and godly reader may easily smell his CHAP.

" stinking heart. He careth not, though he outface the XLU -

" godly martyr, and the whole volume of martyrs, to save Anno 155fi -

" (as he thinketh) his own honesty and good name. How-
" beit I cannot, but God will confound him to his utter
" shame, and reveal his cloked hypocrisy to the defence of
" his blessed martyr, and the whole story. Though many
" of them be dead, that gave instructions in times past, and
" now could have born witness, yet, thanks be to God, ther
" want not aly ve, that can and wyl testify the trueth herein
" to his confusion. No dylygence shall be spared in the 3o3
" matter, as shortly, I trust, you shall understand. In the
" mean while Thackham nede not be importunate for an
" answer. He reporteth himself to the whole town of Read-
" ing ; therefore he must geve us some space. The God of
" truth defend you, and all other that maintain his truth,
" from the venomous poyson of lyars. Vale in Christo, qui
" Ecclesice suce te dm servet incolumen. From Beverton
" in Glocester shire, May vi.
" Yours in the Lord,
" Thomas Perrye, minister.
" To the right reverend in God, Mr. John Fox, preacher

" of the gospel in London, be thes dd. at Mr. Daies

" the printer, dwelling over Aldersgate, beneath S.

" Martins."

I have been too long upon this matter. But I have done

it for the vindication of Mr. Fox's excellent history, and for

the further clearing of the informations which he received

and believed, so as to induce him to commit them into his

book. Upon inquiries made at Reading, and examinations of

matters relating to Palmer's business, and Thackham'sbook,

it appeared, that he was defective of truth, and Fox's ac-

count, for the main, true. A writing of this inquisition I

place in the Catalogue, for a farewell of this matter. No. xlix.

586 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

CHAP. XLVII.

Various sects among" the professors of religion. John Cle-

ment, prisoner for religion. Protestants' 1 concessions of

Jaith. Care taken of the prisoners. Parish priests.
Anno 1556. J_ HERE were now abundance of sects and dangerous doc-

Di erence brines: w h ose maintainers shrouded themselves under the

of opinions
among pro- professors of the gospel. Some denied the Godhead of

Christ; some denied his manhood; others denied the God-

head of the Holy Ghost, original sin, the doctrine of pre-

destination and free election, the descent of Christ into hell,

(which the Protestants here generally held,) the baptism of

infants. Some condemned the use of all indifferent things

in religion : others held free will, man's righteousness, and

justification by works, doctrines which the Protestants in the

times of King Edward for the most part disowned. By

these opinions a scandal was raised upon the true professors.

Therefore it was thought fit now by the orthodox, to write and

publish summary confessions of their faith, to leave behind

them when they were dead : wherein they should disclaim

these doctrines, as well as all popish doctrines whatsoever.

The Pro- This was done by one John Clement this year, lying a pri-

ftS! of j" soner m tne King's Bench for religion, entitled, A Confes-

ciement. sion and Protestation of the Christian Faith. In which it

appears, the Protestants thought fit, notwithstanding the

364 condemnation and burning of Cramner, Ridley, Latymer,

Hooper, Rogers, Saunders, Bradford, for heretics, to own

their doctrine as agreeable to the word of God, and them as

such as sealed the same with their own blood. This confes-

sion may be looked upon as an account of the belief of the

professors in those days; and to such as desire to be ac-

quainted with such things, not unacceptable. Transcriptions

and copies thereof were taken, and so dispersed for the use

of good men ; one whereof is in my hands. This person also

His epistle, wrote a pious epistle, out of the King's Bench, March

25, 1556, expecting death every day, to his neighbours

among whom he chiefly conversed, namely, those that dwelt

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 587

in Nutfield, Merstham, Chaldon, and thereabout, in the CHAP.
. XLVII.
county of Surrey. Wherein he reproved those that were.

present at the idolatrous mass, and thought themselves fault- Ann0 l056,

less, doing it out of civil policy : and exhorted them to

hold fast their profession, and to use no other means to

avoid the violence of the persecutors but by flight : which

he recommended to them. I have put this epistle, with the

foresaid confession, into the Catalogue. Fox saith little of ! S " I LX '

this person, but that he died in the prison of the King's

Bench, and was a wheelwright.
This Clement I esteem to be one of that sort of laymen, Laymen

that, in the private assemblies of the professors, m these ex hort in

hard times, did perform the office of ministers among them. lhe e }^i^ t s e

For when the learned preachers and ministers were most of

them burnt or fled, (as they were by the middle of this

reign,) and the flocks left destitute of their faithful pastors,

some of the laity, tradesmen, or others, endued with parts and

some learning, used, in that distress, to read the Scriptures

to the rest in their meetings, and the letters of the martyrs

and prisoners, and other good books ; also to pray with

them, and exhort them to stand fast, and to comfort and

establish them in the confession of Christ to the death.

Such an one was that excellent, pious man and confessor,

John Careless, who was a weaver, of Coventry, and this

Clement, ft wheelwright. Who, in his epistle, styles him-

self, an unprofitable servant of the Lord. And, speaking of

the warnings of the preachers that were then dead, and had

confirmed their sayings with their blood, saith thus of him-

self: " Imyself, when I was with you, did, with my simple

" learning and knowledge, the best I could, to call you

" from those things that will surely bring the wrath of God

" upon you, except ye repent in time, and turn to the Lord

" with your whole heart ; but how the preacher's warnings

" and my poor admonitions have been and be regarded,

" God and you do know."" Clement's burning was pre-

vented by his death in prison, being buried in the backside

of the King's Bench in a dunghill, June the 25th ; where

two days before was one Adheral buried, who likewise died

588 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

CHAP, in the same prison, and in the same cause. And in the same

• prison and cause, five days after, died John Careless, and

Anno 1556. was contumeliously buried where the two others were.

Another Thirteen persons were this year burnt together at Strat-
confession f orc l Bow ; who also subscribed a confession. The occasion
signed by
thirteen whereof was this. Feckenham, dean of St. Paul's, had

publicly in the pulpit at Paul's Cross, the Sunday after they

were condemned, defamed them ; by declaring, " that he

" had talked with them, and that they were all of different

" opinions. That there were sixteen of them, and that they

365 ** were of sixteen sundry opinions. 11 For this was one of the

matters the Romanists used to boast of then, as well as of

latter times, namely, their unity in doctrine, and the dissen-

sions of Protestants. In vindication therefore of themselves,

these good men, before their death, made a declaration of

Page 1739. their faith, which is printed in Fox, and signed by sixteen.

For so many were condemned by Bonner to be burnt. But

Cardinal Pole sent his dispensation for the saving the

lives of three of them, who had, it seems, recanted, and pro-

mised to submit to penance. Which dispensation being

No. LXII, worth observing, is in the Catalogue. But besides this con-

fession signed by the sixteen, there was another signed by

those thirteen that were burnt ; which being not printed in

Fox's book, I have from a MS. transmitted into the same

place; which agrees much with Clement's confession be-

foresaid.

The profes- A report also was spread of divers honest professors that

dered for were m tne Bishop's coal-house, that they were all of dif-

their dif- ferent opinions, but it was false. And one of them, named

ments. ° Stephen Cotton, wrote a letter to his brother John Cotton,

Mart. let- to rectify that lie invented of them, in these words: " Al-

" beit I do perceive by the letter, you are informed, that

" as we are divers persons in number, so are we of con-

" trary sects, conditions, and opinions, contrary to that good

" opinion you had of us at your last being with us in New-

" gate. Be you most assured, good brother in the Lord

" Jesus, that we are all of one mind, one faith, one assured

" hope in our Lord Jesus. Whom, I trust, we altogether,

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 589

" with one spirit, one brotherly love, do daily pray unto for chap.

" mercy and forgiveness of our sins, with earnest repentance XLXH -

" of our former lives; and by whose precious bloodshed- Anno 1 556.

" ding we trust to. be saved only, and by no other means.

" Wherefore, good brother, in the name of the Lord, seeing

" these impudent people, whose minds are altogether bent

" to wickedness, envy, uncharitableness, evil speaking, do

" go about to slander us with untruth, believe them not,

" and never let their wicked sayings once enter into your

" mind." Thus Cotton. Thus we see how industriously

they disowned all Arians, Anabaptists, and such like ; who

being not of the Roman faith, the Papists would fain have

joined them all with the Protestants, to disgrace and dispa-

rage the holy profession.
Those that were now in durance for their consciences Care taken

were many, and the prisons and counters were replenished ^ ners D f "

with them, and the hunger, cold, pain, and hardships they Christ, by

endured, were very deplorable ; insomuch that many died in posed per-

prison, notwithstanding the great care that was taken for sons-

the imprisoned and condemned, by sending oftentimes to

them provisions and things needful ; and likewise pious men

came to strengthen and comfort them by their counsel and

discourses, and prayers, and alms. One, and the chief in-

deed of these charitable visitors, was Augustiu Bernher, aAugustin

servant and friend of old Latimer, that was extraordinary gr e ™ t " s -_ a

diligent in this office, in conveying letters and relief from tor of them,

and to the prisoners, to his great danger. For the adver-

saries having had notice of him, laid diligent wait to take

him. So that John Careless, being one of those now in

prison, wrote to him to be circumspect of himself. " That

" he did not disallow, but praised and commended his hearty 366

" boldness in putting himself in press, when any one of God's

" people needed his help in any point : but yet he would

" not have him thrust himself in danger [which his zeal and

" charity made him do] when he could do them no good,

" or at least when they might well enough spare that good

" he would do for them. For if he should then chance

" to be taken, he should not only be no comfort unto them,

590 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

CHAP. " but also a great discomfort, adding sorrow unto their sor-

xlvii. . .

He persuaded him not, he said, to absent himself

Anno 1556. « f rom anv place where his presence of necessity was re-

" quired. For in all such places he knew God would pre-

" serve him, as he had hitherto wonderfully done. Or if

" it should please him to permit him in any such place to

" be taken, he knew God would sweetly comfort his con-

" science with this consideration, that it was his very provi-

" dence and appointment, that he should be taken up for a

" witness of God's truth. But he could not allow, he said,

" nor be contented, that he should rashly or negligently

" thrust himself into the place where his wicked enemies

" continually haunted and laid wait for him, for no neces-

" sity of himself, nor of God's people required. And that

" if any needed his godly counsel, he might write unto them

" that which he thought good. And that now and then a

" godly letter would do as much good as his company. 1 '

Such visitors had these poor prisoners, who did not only

bring them relief in their needs, but came and sat with

them when they were in their stocks and dungeons, and by

holy discourse administered comfort to them there.

Parish It was now about the middle of the Queen's reign, and
curates! " Popery was completely settled again, and the mass celebrated

every where, and the mass-singers, who boggled at the

work at first, went currently and jollily on with it in their

several parish churches, and became great enemies and in-

formers against those that frequented it not. For the popish

priests and curates, in the change of religion, went generally

along with the stream, how little soever they liked to see

the English liturgy changed for a Latin mass, and a rea-

sonable service thrown by for a superstitious unintelligible

worship. For most of them knew the truth well enough,

and upon their first conformity with the old religion, would

privately, among their friends, freely confess it. But after

some time had passed over their heads, and a year or two's

use of the mass had made it familiar to them, they were very

well reconciled to it, and even zealous in its behalf. Which

occasioned Clement, before mentioned, in his epistle to his

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. 591

friends and neighbours in Surrey, to give them this warning ch A P.
of their priests : " Beware of them that should be the shep- XLV11 -
" herds and pastors, for they deceive you, and are become Anno 1056.
" very wolves. They knew the truth, and privily would
" confess it. But now see if they wax not worse and worse.
" And this is the just judgment of God ; because that when
" they knew God, they glorify ed him not as God, neither
" were they thankful ; and therefore hath God given them
" up to their own hearts' lusts. But it is a just plague of
" God to them, that had the truth offered them, and rc-
" garded it not, to send them strong delusions, to believe
" lies ; that they all may be damned that believed not the
" truth. Dear friends, follow not their examples."
Presentations to vacant churches, made by the King and 367

Queen this year, were to the number of one hundred and Presenta-

. , J . . . tions to
nine ; and again the same year twenty-one more : again the vacant

same year seventy-eight more ; as they are particularly set cl,urches -

down by Mr. Rymer, in his extracts from the records ofitymerp.

those times. And of these in the city of London, the

parishes following had these clerks presented to them.
To Richard Papeworth was granted the rectory of St. Vacant n-
Mary de Axe. London.
To William Marrel was granted the rectory of St. Law-

rence.
To William Collingwood, the rectory of St. Margaret

Moyses ; to Richard Archebald, the rectory of St. Laurence

Pounteney, with the church of All Saints Minori.

To Rob. Rogers, the rectory of St. Nicholas Cold Abby.
To Will. Williams, the rectory of All Saints in Muro.
To Edward Stevenson, the rectory of St. Martin's, Iron-

monger-lane.

To Henry Atkinson, the vicarage of St. Sepulchre's.
To Clement Erington, the vicarage of St. John's, Wal-

brook.
To which let me add, in the year 1554 : To William

Chedsey, the church of Alhallows, Bread-street: whose

former incumbent was Sampson, a learned divine and zea-

lous Protestant : who was glad to fly ; and after aids writ

a very Christian and pastoral letter to his flock there.

592 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

CHAP. To John Brabant, St. Michael's, Crooked-lane.
Besides, in the year before, viz. 1553, the first year of the

Anno 1556. Queen's reign, were two hundred and six presentations

made by her to livings ; the former incumbents being

either turned out for being married men, or not complying

with the introduced popish religion; or having fled away

for the fear of their lives, or of acting contrary to their con-

sciences.

CHAP. XLVIII.

A barbarous murder committed by the Lord Stourton.
Lord stour- J[tsj t he latter end of this year, in the month of March, was

° ' Charles Lord Stourton hanged at Salisbury, with four of

his servants, in other places, for a barbarous murder of Mr.

Hartgil and his son, two gentlemen of Kilmington in So-

mersetshire. They had been, out of a shew of kindness, and

of making an end of a long quarrel, invited to meet that

lord. And so were set upon by a great many of his ser-

vants, bound, knocked on the head, their throats cut, and

buried fifteen foot deep in his house. Our historians do

not relate more of this murder; but, it hath so many cir-

cumstances of baseness in it, and other matters worthy taking

notice of, that I shall give a more particular account of the

first original, and the progress of it, from an authentic MS.

written about the time.

Theocca- " In the time of King Edward VI. William Lord Stour-

S 'uarrei " S " ton > having charge of one of the King's pieces nigh Bulloyn,

with Hart- « died. Shortly after whose death, Charles Lord Stourton,

Foxii MSS. " son an d heir of the said Lord William Stourton, came to

368 " Kylmington, in the county of Somerset, to the house of

" one William Hartgyll, esquire, where dame Elizabeth,

" late wife to the said Lord William Stourton, and mother

" to the said Lord Charles Stourton, did sojourn ; and

" then and there was earnestly in hand with the said Wil-

" liam Hartgyl, to be a mean unto the said dame Elizabeth,

" that she should enter into bond to him the said Lord

UNDER QUEEN MARY I. S&S

Charles, in a great sum of money, that she should never CHAP,

marry: which the said William Hartgyl refused to do,

unless the said Lord Charles Stourton would assign out Ann0 ,556 '-

some good yeai-ly portion for his said mother to live upon.

In discoursing of this matter, the said Lord Charles

Stourton fell utterly out with the said William Hartgyll.

" And shortly after, upon the Whit-sunday in the morn- "' •"" l '"-

ing, the said Lord Charles Stourton came to Kylmington Hartgyl'*

church, with a great many men with bows and guns. ll0Ust; -

And when he came almost to the church door, John

Hartgyll, son of the said William Hartgyll, being a tall

lusty gentleman, being told of the said Lord Stourton^

coming, went out of the church, and drew his sword, and

ran to his father's house, adjoining fast to the church-

yard side. Divers arrows Avere shot at him in his passing,

but he was not hurt. His father, the said William Hart-

gyll, and his wife, being old folks, were driven to go up

into the tower of the church, with two or three of their

servants, for safeguard of their lives. When the said

John Hartgyll was come into his father's house, he took

his long bow and arrows, and bent a crossbow, and

charged a gun, and caused a woman to carry the cross-

bow and gun after him, and himself with his long bow

came forth, and drave away the said Lord Charles and all Hartgyl''
J son drives
his men from the house, and from about the church, so tbem all a-

not one of all the company tarried, saving half a score"'

that were entered into the church, amongst whom one was

hurt with hailshot in the shoulder, by the said John

Hartgyl. And when all that were abroad were fled, the