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" passed liim, no less than the learned master his young " scholar."" Meaning, no doubt, the Archbishop of Can- terbury. 33 Now did the Papists also send abroad their books, to up- A book set \^q\({ their falling superstitions, and to check, as much as in Dr. Smith, them lay, the good effects of other books. Richard Smith, D. D. Reader of the King's Divinity Lecture in Oxon, pub- lished A Defence of the Sacrament of the Mass, printed by John Hartford, 1546. 8vo. Though, but the next year, on the 15th of May, he made a retractation at Paul's Cross; and soon after published A Declai^ation of his Retractation, printed by Reinold Wolf, 8vo. Two more Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, put out also G^ard'iner? ^^^ Declaration of such Articles as Geo. Joy had gone about to confute, printed by Ro. Toy, 1546, 4to. And his De- claratio7i of the DeviFs Sophistry, wherein he robheth the unlearned people of the true belief in the Sacrament of the Altar, printed by Ro. Toy, 1546. 8vo. Joy's Re- But in reply to the former, Geo. Joy sent forth his Re- futation. j\iiation of the Bishop of Winchester'^s dark Declaration of
Gerard's Lastly, Philip Gerard wrote an Invective against those Invective. ^^^^ stopped the free passage of the Bible in EngHsh : Avhich was printed by Richard Grafton, Svo. The Papists And while the Protestants laboured to put the King for- sto the ward to rectify abuses, and to promote a reformation in the K.ing. Church, the Papists that were about him laboured hard the other way ; representing the superstitions and abuses of re- ligion to him as fair as possible. As for images, they told Latimer's him, " that whereas they had been used to be censed, and the"p°iow. " to have candles offered unto them, none were so foolish to " do it to the stock or stone, or to the image itself, but it
OF KING EDWARD VI. 53 " was done to God and his honour before the image. And CHAP. " in case they had abused, they whispered the King in his " ear, and told him, that this abuse was but a small matter; Anno 1547. " and the same, with all other abuses in the Church, might " easily be reformed. But it should not be taken in hand " at the first, for fear of trouble or further inconveniences. " That the people would not bear sudden alterations. An " insurrection might be made after a sudden mutation, " which might be to the great harm and loss of the realm." These were just Winchester's arguments, which he used nowadays to brandish, and, I suppose, Latimer glanceth at him : " that therefore all things should be well, but not " done presently, for fear of further business." And indeed these pretences were the occasion that the reformation went not forward so fast; and they stopped the word of God, and hindered the true setting forth of the same : " there " were so many put-offs, so many put-byes, so many re- " spects and considerations of worldly wisdom," saith that plain speaking preacher. These men he afterwards took occasion to mention in a sermon before the King, calling them hlaunchers: and exhorted the King to beware of them. The people, in the beginning of the King's reign, were Images de- very forward in pulling down and defacing images, even pj^^^^gj^j^^^tj,^ without permission. This was done in Portsmouth ; where divers crucifixes and saints were plucked down and de- stroyed. In one church here the image of St. John the Evangelist, standing in the chancel by the high altar, was taken away, and a table of alabaster broken, and in it an image of Christ crucified contemptuously used; one eye bored out, and the side pierced. The report of this was 34 brought to Gardiner the Bishop of the diocese, being then at Wolvesay, some great favourers of images relating it tra- gically to him. And he, being a great patron of images himself, was much disturbed at it, and writ to Mr. Vaughan, Captain of Portsmouth, and the Mayor, the King's chief officer there, to know the truth of it, and to consult with them for the reformation of it, out of pretence of discharg- E 3 54 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL BOOK ing his duty. He desired to know of Vaughan, who were ^' the doers, and what the circumstances of it were. And if Annoi547.it Were not too far gone with the muhitude, he would send Gardiner one thither to preach, to stop any further doings of that ther about sort. He said, " that such as were affected with this prin- ^^- " ciple of breaking down images, were hogs, and worse than " hogs, and were ever so taken in England, being called " Lollards. And that the maintenance of this opinion, of " destroying images, was utterly disliked in Germany : and " such men were counted the dregs cast out by Luther, " after all his brewings of Chrisf s religion. And he [Bi- " shop Gardiner] himself had seen images standing in all " their churches." He used also this terrible argument for images, viz. " that the destruction of images contained an " enterprise to subvert religion, and the state of the world " with it ; and especially the nobihty : who by images " set forth and spread abroad, to be read of all men, their " lineage and parentage, with remembrance of their state " and actions." And to the In his zeal also he wrote another letter to the Lord Pro- tector and Council, for redressing this mighty insolence. The Pro- To which the Protector thought fit to make a large reply : lector's ^vherein he told the Bishop, " that neither the facts nor " words were so heinous as was brought to his ears. And " that those facts that were punishable were already re- " dressed. He reminded the Bishop of the times of King " Henry, when the Bible was laid aside for a time, upon " pretence that some had abused the reading thereof, when " as the images were still left to them who had abused " them. And more gentleness was used towards those '* books of images than to the true and unfeigned books " of God's word ; both being abused, the one to idolatry, " and the other to contention. And therefore it seemed " meet to him, that what had been abused before might " now be abused again, the advantage of some priests, the " simplicity of laymen, and the great inclination of man's ** nature to idolatry, giving cause thereto."
answer.
OF KING EDWARD VI. 55
Winchester did, but he went himself in person to Ports- _______ mouth, to inquire after this matter. And because the sol- Anno 1547. diers seemed to be the persons that had been guilty of this j^^^^^^^^^^J^^^^ rudeness, upon Captain Vaughan's desire the Bishop made himself an exhortation to them as they stood there with their wea- ^^^'Jgj.^ '* pons marshalled : and so departed in amity with the cap- tains and soldiers in the town, the captain telling him plainly, that he was nothing offended with any thing he said in his sermon. I have two or three passages more to relate concerning His admo- this Bishop ; to shew how bigoted he was to the Pope and tue Pio- his superstitions, and how exceedingly nettled at the steps tector. that were now taking in amending corrupt religion. The Protector had not long before told him, that he would suf- fer no innovation. Whereupon the Bishop took the op- portunity now about June, to put him in mind of it from Winchester, and advised him " to leave the realm to the 35 " King at eighteen years old, as the King his father left it " to him. The act would be honourable and good. And " that it were pity to trouble it with any innovation ; which " would be a charge to his Grace more than needed, being " already burdened heavily. That the matter of the com- " monwealth under the King was chiefly his, and as it were " his alone ; and that every man had his eye directed to him " both here and abroad, and he should shadow other men's " doings, if they were done. Which was one incommodity " of high government.'"' Bishop Tonstal, who was looked upon as one of the His censure learnedest and gravest men, and of the most experience, ^^^i ^P^^^"^ went along, at first, with the King and the Archbishop in stai. their proceedings. Whereat the said Bishop of Winton made this reflection : " That it was much to be noted, that " my Lord of Canterbury, being the high Bishop of the " realm, and highly in favour with his late Sovereign Lord, " [King Henry,] and my Lord of Durham, a man of re- " nowned fame in learning and gravity, both put by that " King in trust for their counsel, in the order of the realm ; E 4 56
MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL
BOOK
I. Anno 1547 " should so soon forget their old knowledge in Scripture, " set forth by the King's Majesty's book, [the Erudition of " a Christen Man,'\ and give their advice to bring in such " matters of alteration in religion as they had done."
whereat Winchester was highly enraged, calling them per- nicious, seditious, and slanderous. Bale's pen indeed was sharp and foul enough sometimes, when he had such foul subjects to deal with, as the cruelties and uncleannesses of many of the popish priests, and prelates, and cloisterers. But of these books our Bishop writes from Winchester a long letter of complaint to the Protector. One of these books was. An Elucidation of the Martyrdom of Anne Ascue; wherein this Bishop had the chief hand. His exceptions he took to this book were, that Bale had made Anne Ascue to die a martyr. " Whereas she was, saith he, a sacramentary^ " and so by the law worthy the death she suffered. And " that he had falsely set forth her examination, misreporting " it : and that hereby his dead master, King Henry, was " slandered, religion assaulted, and the realm troubled." Such a zealous advocate was Bishop Gardiner for his be- loved mistress, Popery, now by him apprehended to be in great danger.
the old way of worship, and the rites and ceremonies, con- tinued as they had done in the former reign, without or but small variation. And whatever inclination the King and the Protector, the Archbishop of Canterbury and some other of the King's Council, had towards a change of divers superstitions, yet they thought fit to tarry for a Parliament and a Convocation, for the more orderly and effectual do- ing of it. For they apprehended danger, and some resist- ance and uproar among the people, if they should presently attempt it of themselves. So the King proceeded no far- ther in a reformation, as yet, than a royal visitation, and in framing of some injunctions in order thereunto. But, not- withstanding, many there were that now whispered, and se- cretly spread abroad in markets, fairs, alehouses, and other
OF KING EDWARD VI. 57 places, reports of innovations and changes in religion and CHAP, ceremonies of the Church ; and that they were done by the ' King, the Protector, and others of the Privy Council. Amio 1547. Therefore for the stopping of these false rumours, May 24,36 a proclamation was issued out against these reporters ; as- A procia- suring the King's subjects, that such pretended innovations "g^'°"t fly. were never begun nor attempted by the King and his Coun- i"? reports. cil. And besides these rumours concerning religion, they also spread bruits of other things and facts, sounding to the dishonour and slander of the King's Majesty, the Pro- tector, and others of the Council, and to the disquieting and disturbing of his subjects. Therefore, for the prevent- ing of these reports, and discovering the talebearers, all justices and other of the King's chief officers in the realm were, by the said proclamation, commanded to search for them, and imprison them, according to former good acts and statutes of the King's noble progenitors, made to reform and punish, as lewd and vagrant persons, telling and re- porting false news and tales. And all persons that heard these reports were by the same proclamation commanded to repair to the Court, and declare the reporter, or to some justice of the peace: who was accordingly to commit the reporter to prison, until he had brought forth the author of the said tales, or who told the same to him ; and to make further search from person to person ; and so to get out the first author or beginner of the said tales or news. Commendable care was taken, in the beginning of the Care taken King's reign, to perform that part of the King's father's last oTSg ^" will, wherein he gave charge for his debts to be paid. And Henry's many things there were that had been taken of the subjects by that King's officers, for the service of him and his realm. A proclamation therefore was issued out, May 29, for the By pro- payment of the King's father's debts: wherein the King'^ willed all his loving subjects, to whom in this case it apper- tained, to declare in writing to some certain of his officers, before the feast of St. John Baptist, what remained due unto them, and wherefore ; and he, the said officer, to send
58 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL BOOK the said declarations to the Lord Great Master, before the ^' end of Trinity term : to the intent, that upon the know- Anno 1547. ledge of the certainty of the said debts, the Lord Protector, and other executors of the late King's Majesty, might take order for the full contentation of every debt. Which they intended to do accordingly. Corn, when Another proclamation came forth in this month of May, be exported. ^^'^. May 16, whereby leave and licence was granted to em- bark, ship, and carry over the seas, into all outward parts, By procia- being in league with the King, all manner of wheat, and all other kinds of grain, so long as a quarter of wheat should not exceed the price of six shillings and eight pence ; the quarter of barley, malt, and rye, five shillings : or unto such time as his Highness, by another proclamation under his Great Seal, should determine the contrary. This liberty of exportation of corn lasted till December 7, when another proclamation, directed to the customers, comptrollers, searchers, and other officers and ministers within the port of London, and all other ports, prohibited it : that whereas wheat and malt and other grain exceeded the prices above- said, the King'^s subjects were forbid to transport it from henceforth, without his special licence under his Great Seal, upon pain to incur all such statutes and proclamations as were provided in that behalf; and to be further punished by imprisonment of body, and otherwise, to the terrible ex- ample of all others. But this proclamation did not extend to the prohibiting grain to be carried over to Calais and Boloign, and other the King's pieces beyond sea. 37 In this month of May Queen Katharin Par, an ingenious Q.Katharin^j^^^ learned lady, bein^ then at St. James's, out of her af- writes to . J ' & ^ ' ^ K.Edward, fection to the young King, her son-in-law, then, as it seems, at Westminster, writ him a letter, (and that, I suppose, in Latin,) wherein she professed her true love towards the late deceased King, and her kindness towards him ; and lastly, added proper passages taken out of the holy Scriptures. And then she earnestly desired some lines from him in answer. Whereupon the King wrote her this elegant Latin letter :
OF KING EDWARD VI. 59 which fell into the hands of Archbishop Parker, (a great CHAP. collector of curious MSS.) on the top of which he writ these words: Anno 1547. Epistola scripta manu propria serenissimi Regis Edwardi ad Dominant Katharinam Reginam, relictam Henrici Octavi. Cum non procul ahs te abessem, et quotidie me te visurum His answer sperajrm, mihi optimum videbatur non omnino ad te literas ^ Bibiioth. dare. LitercB enim sunt cujusdam et memoricB et benevo- ^^^\^^.^^' lentice longe absentium signa. Sed ego petitione tua, tan- Epist.Viror. dem accensus non potui non ad te literas mittere : primum ^^^"str. ut tibi gratum faciam ; deinde vei'o, ut tuis Uteris respon- deam benevolentia plenis, quas ^ Sancto Jacobo ad me mi- sisti. In quibus primum ponis ante oculos tuum amorem erga pair em meum^ nobilissimcB memoriae Regem ; deijide, benevolentiam erga me; ac postremo, pietatem, scientiam atque doctrinam in sacris Uteris. Perge igitur in tuo bono incepto., et prosequere patrem amore diuturno^ et mihi tanta signa beiievolentice, qua semper hactenus in te sensi. Et ne desinas amare et legere sacras Uteras, sed semper in eis legendis persevera.
ject(B. In secundo ostendis laudem amicitice. tuce. Et in tertio tuam pietatem ergo Deum.
laudare ; cum me ames, non te iterum diUgere : et cmn verbum Dei ames, te colam, et mirabor ex animo. Quare siquid sit quo possum tibi gratum facto vel verbo facer e, Ubenter pr(P.stabo. Vale, tricesimo Mail.
the Lady Katharine, Queen Dowager to King Henry the Eighth.
" to see you, I thought it best to write no letter at all to " you. For letters are tokens of remembrance and kind-
60 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL BOOK " ness between such as are at a great distance. But being • " at length moved by your request, I could not forbear to Anno 1547. " send you a letter : first, to do somewhat that may be ac- " ceptable to you ; and then, to answer your letter, full of " kindness, which you sent me from St. James's. In which, " first, you set before mine eyes your love toward my fa- " ther the King, of most noble memory : then, your good- " will towards me : and lastly, your godliness, your know- " ledge and learning in the Scriptures. Go on therefore in " your good enterprise, and continue to love my father, " and to shew so great tokens of kindness to me, which I 38 " have hitherto ever perceived in you. And cease not to " love and read the Scriptures : but hold out always in " reading them. For in the first you shew the duty of a " good wife and a good subject ; in the second, the praise " of your friendship ; and in the third, your piety towards " God.
" much commend you : since you love me, I cannot but " love you again : and since you love God's word, I will " love and admire you from my heart. Wherefore if there " be any thing wherein I may do you a kindness, either " in deed or word, I shall do it willingly. Farewell, the " 30th of May."
wdtJs to J'econciled her the respect and love of her late royal hus- Q.Katharin. band's children: and as the King, her son-in-law, had wrote her a letter in May, so in August she received one from her daughter-in-law, the Lady Mary : who made the Marquis of Northampton, the Queen's brother, the bearer, from Beauheu, the Queen being then with child by the Lord Ad- miral, her husband. Which letter ran to this tenor : " Madam, Cot. Libr. " Although I have troubled your Highness with sundry OthOjC.io. j4 ig^^(3j.g^ ygl ^]-,jj^ notwithstanding, seeing my Lord Mar- " quis, who hath taken pains to come unto me at this pre- OF KING EDWARD VI. 6l " sent, intendeth to see your Grace shortly, I could not be CHAP. " satisfied without writing to the same : and especially, be- " cause I purpose to-morrow, with the help of God, to be- Anno 1547. " gin my journey towards Norfolk, where I shall be farther " from your Grace. Which journey I have intended since " Whitsuntide, but lack of health hath stayed me all this " while. Which, although it be as yet unstable, never the- " less I am enforced to remove for a time, hoping, with " God's grace, to return again about Mighelmas. At which " time, or shortly after, I trust to hear good success of your " Grace's great belly. And in the mean while shall desire " much to hear of your health, which I pray Almighty " God to continue and increase to his pleasure, as much as " your own heart can desire. And thus, with my most '' humble commendations to your Highness, I take my leave " of the same, desiring your Grace to take the pains to " make my commendation to my Lord Admiral. From " Beaulyeu, this 9th of August. " Your Highness humble and assured " loving dowghter, " Marye." CHAP. VI. 39 Dr. Smith recants. Some account of Mm and Ms writings. Bell metal not to he transported. In the month of May, Dr. Richard Smith, public Professor Smith and of Divinity in Oxon, made a recantation of his popish errors ^.^^^t? ^^' at St. Paul's Cross. And in June one Perrin, a Black Friar, recanted in the parish church of St. Andrew Under- shaft, London; that whereas he had before, viz. on St. George's day, preached, that it was good to worship the pictures of Christ and saints, now he said he had been de- ceived, and was sorry that he had taught such doctrine. But in Queen Mary's reign they both appeared in the pul- pits open defenders again of these and the like renounced doctrines.
62 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL BOOK The story of this Dr. Smith, his recantation, fickleness, ^- flight, and the books he wrote against P. Martyr, take this Anno 1547. particular account of. A few days after he had pronounced Yüklə 12,09 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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