Search York

" often and worthy receiving the holy communion ; to come

" to church diligently, and there to behave themselves re-

" verently, godly, and devoutly. That churchwardens per-

*> mit not any buying, selling, gaming, or outrageous noise

" or tumult, or other idle occupying of youth, in the

VOL. Ti. ' n d

402 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

church, church-porch, or yard. None to minister the

^- " sacraments in open audience of the congregation, or pre-

nnoi550. " sume to expound the holy Scripture before they be law-

" fully called thereunto, and authorized in that behalf."

This is the sum of the said Injunctions. The Bishop of

Sarum hath exemplified them at large in his History, from

a printed copy ; which may be seen in the Collections to his

second part, only omitting two pertinent allegations of

Scripture, which are added in the conclusion, viz.
Prov. XV. The ear that hearheneth to the reformation of

life shall remain a7nong the wise. He that refuseth to he

reformed., despiseth his own soul; but he that submitteth

himself to correction is wise. And

3 Reg. xviii. Elias. How long halt ye between two opi-

nions f If the Lord be God, follow him ; but if Baal be he,

then go after him.
Besides these Injunctions, Bishop Ridley set forth articles

also at this visitation : which be printed in Sparrow's Col-

lections,

n ordina- June 24. ensuing, the said Bishop conferred holy orders

^opSy.upon divers persons, having been first {viz. June 23.) exa-

egist. Rid. Joined by Henry Harvy, LL. D. the Bishop's Vicar-gene-

ral, and John Skory, S. T. B. his chaplain. They were or-

dained before the high altar at St. Paul's, according to the

rite, manner, and form of the Church of England lately

(257)pubhshed and enjoined: whose names were, Edmund Tur-

ges, M. A. Richard Fletcher, (the same, I suppose, who

afterwards was Dean and Bishop of Peterborough, and Bi-

shop of London, successively ;) John Pelling de Hermonu-

seg in Sussex, born in the town of Lewis, [of whose name

and posterity ever since have been some worthy clergy-

men;] Thomas Forelore ; Lancelot Thexton, M. A. Fellow

of St. John's in Cambridge, born in Bawtry in the county

of Richmond ; James Clayton, living in Hackney ; John

Rose of Lewes ; John Bee, M. A. Fellow of St. John's in

Cambridge ; Henry May, B. A. Fellow of St. John's in

Cambridge ; Richard Walker, B. A. Student of Christ col-

OF KING EDWARD VI. 403

lege, Cambridge ; Francis Randal ; William Bocher, B. A. CHAP,

of Maiden in Essex ; Odnel Hebburn; William Harley of . ^^^"

Ipswich ; William Cotinge of Middleton in Kent ; Reginal Anno 1550.

Blooke ; John Wright of Stratford at Bow ; Richard Gra-

son, Vicar of Chesterford Magna ; John Finch of Billerica ;

Thomas Warter ; Edm. Thompson ; John Heron, M. A.

Mr. John Fox, M. A. hving with the Duchess of Suffolk,

[the famous martyrologist,] born at Boston ; Henry Mark-

ham, M. A. chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury ;

Mr. Thomas Lever, M. A. Fellow of St. John's in Cam-

bridge, afterwards Master of the said house, a learned and

pious man, and an exile under Queen Mary : all ordained

deacons, to the number of twenty-five.

Again, August 10. following, the Bishop ordained at Another or-

Fulham these persons: John Bradford, his chaplain, and'''"^^^""*

after an holy martyr under Queen Mary ; John Horton,

M. A. Thomas Sampson, born at Playford in the county of

Suffolk, who afterwards was Dean of Chichester, and, under

Queen Ehzabeth, Dean of Christ Church, Oxon ; from

whence he was deprived in the contention for cap and sur-

plice. All these were Fellows of Pembroke hall, Cambridge.

And besides these, there were two more ordained, viz^. Ro-

bert Hart of Stebunhith, and Lever aforesaid, who was or-

dained priest, the rest deacons.
Sept. 7. was another ordination at Fulham, of one per- Another,

son, namely Grason, made priest, and ordained deacon in

June before.
Novemb. 9. another; when Lawrence Nowel, afterwards Another,

Dean of Litchfield, and brother to Alex. Nowel, Dean of

St. PauPs, was ordained, living then at Sutton Colfield in

Warwickshire ; together with Richard Fletclier, B. A. af-

terwards Bishop of Bristol, Worcester, and London, suc-

cessively ; and Edmund Thompson of Southwark hospital,

ordained priests. These were Bishop Ridley"'s ordinations

in his first year.

Dr. John Ponet, once of St. John's college, Cambridge, Ponet made

afterwards chaplain to King Henry VIII. and successively R^^^^sten

to the Archbishop, a man of great parts and acquired learn- Councii-
D d S ^""^'*

404 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

BOOK ing, succeeded the said Bishop Ridley in the diocese of

Rochester, being consecrated in June: and on the same

nno 1550.

day had the favour following granted him by the Council

" Upon consideration that Mr. Ponet, now elected Bishop

" of Rochester, hath no house to dwell upon, it is agreed,

" that he shall enjoy his benefice [which was Ashtisford in

lo com- a Kent] in commendam. But henceforth it is decreed, that

;ithops!' "^ " no Bishop shall keep other benefice than his bishopric

" only."

(258) CHAP. XXXI.

The state of the Universities. The evil of impropriations.

Revenues of the monasteries misused. Books now set

forth.
^he Uni- JL HE Universities now were but in a sorry declining con-
rcoiid'i- " dition, occasioned by the discouragements given to learning,
ion. the laity laying hold of the spiritual preferments so much
as they did, designed and appointed for the reward and
maintenance of the Clergy. This abuse gave divers good
men occasion to speak their minds : and among the rest so
.ever did one Thomas Lever, Fellow of St. John s college, (of
hrSoss^* whose ordination mention was made before,) who preached
at Paul's Cross, Decemb. 14. upon this text, 1 Cor. iv. 1.
Let a man so esteem of us as of the ministers of Christ, &c
In this sermon he undertook to shew the causes of God's
anger against England. One whereof he made to be, the
great people about the King's Majesty, their obstructing
him from doing that good he fully intended for the rehef
of the poor, and for the advancement of learning by means
of the colleges and chantries given him by Parhament:
which those men, by their importunity, got away by way
of gift from him, or exchanged for impropriations.
\gainst the But hear that reverend man speaking his mind in his
^leTeve''-^ own words : " If ye had any eyes, ye should see and be
lues of ab- a ashamed, that in the great abundance of lands and goods
taken from abbeys, colleges, and chantries, for to serve the

OF KING EDWARD VI. 405

" King in all necessaries and charges, especially in the re- C H A P.

lief of the poor, and for maintenance of learning, the King

" is so disappointed, that both the poor be spoiled, all main- Anuo 1550.

" tenance of learning decayed, and you only enriched. And
" because ye have no eyes to see with, I will declare, that
" you may hear with your ears, and so perceive and know,
" that where God and the King have been most liberal to
" give and bestow, there you have been unfaithful to dis-
" pose and deliver. For according unto God's word and
^' the King's pleasure, the Universities, which be the schools
" of all godhness and virtue, should have been nothing de-
" cayed, but much increased and amended by this refor-
" mation of religion. As concerning God's regard for the
" upholding and increase of the Universities, I am sure
" that no man knowing learning and virtue doth doubt.
" And as for the King's pleasure, it did well appear, in that The favour
" he established unto the Universities all privileges granted U^"^
" afore his time : as also in all manner of payments required
" of the Clergy, as tithes and first-fruits, the Universities
" be exempted.
" Yea, and the King's Majesty, that dead is, did give And King

" unto the University of Cambridge at one time two hun^^jj^unher-

" dred pounds yearly to the exhibition and finding of five sities.

" learned men, to read and teach divinity, law, physic,

" Greek, and Hebrew. And at another time thirty pounds,

" [it should be 300/.] yearly in liber am et pur am eleemo-

" synam^ in free and pure alms ; and finally, for the foun-

" dation of a new college, so much as should serve to build (259)

" it, and replenish it with mo scholars, and better hving,

" than any other college in the University afore that time.

" By the which every man may perceive, that the King,

" giving many things, and taking nothing from the Uni-

" versities, was very desirous to have them increased and

" amended.

" Howbeit, all they that have known the University of The decay

« Cambridge since that time that it did first begin to re- ^^^i^i^'g"!"

*' ceive these great and manifold benefits from the King's

" Majesty at your hands, have just occasion to suspect,

ndS

406 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

BOOK " that you have deceived both the King and the Univer-

" sity, to enrich yourselves. For, before that you did begin

Anno 1550." to be the disposers of the King's hberaUty towards learn-

" ing and poverty, there were in houses belonging unto the

" University of Cambridge, two hundred students of di-

" vinity, many very well learned ; which be now all clean

*' gone home : and many young toward scholars, and old

" fatherly doctors, not one of them left. One hundred also

" of another sort, that having rich friends, or being beneficed

*' men, did live of themselves in ostles and inns, be either

" gone away, or else fain to creep into colleges, and put

" poor men from bare livings. Those botli be all gone,

" and a small number of poor, godly, diligent students,

" now remaining only in colleges, be not able to tarry,

" and continue their studies, for lack of exhibition and

" help.
" There be divers there which rise daily about four or

" five of the clock in the morning, and from five till six of

" the clock use common prayer, with an exhortation of

" God's word in a common chapel : and from six until ten

" of the clock use ever either private study or common

" lectures. At ten of the clock they go to dinner, whereas

" they be content with a penny piece of beef among four,

" having a few pottage made of the broth of the same beef,

" with salt and oatmeal, and nothing else. After this slen-

*' der diet, they be either teaching or learning until five of the

'* clock in the evening ; whenas they have a supper not much

" better than their dinner. Immediately after which they

" go either to reasoning in problems, or to some other

" study until it be nine or ten of the clock. And there be-

" ing without fires, are fain to walk or run up and down

" half an hour, to get a heat on their feet when they go to

" bed.

rhe citizens " These be men not weary of their pains, but sorry to

xhibitto " leave their studies. And sure they be not able some of

hem. « them to continue for lack of necessary exhibition and re-

" lief. These be the living saints which serve God, taking

" great pains in abstinence, study, labour;, and diligence.

OF KING EDWARD VI. 407

<« with watching and prayer. Whereas Paul for the saints ^^^f
" and brethren at Jerusalem, so I for the brethren and 1
" saints at Cambridge, most humbly beseech to make your ^""o ^^^

« collections among the rich merchants of this city, and

" send them your oblations unto the University.
" But to return unto them that should have better pro- The King
. - provisions
" vided for learning and poverty m all places, but espe- ^r learni:
" cially in the Universities. Look you, whether there was ^"dpover
" not a great number both of learned and poor, that might
*' have been kept, maintained, and relieved in the Univer-
" sities, which lacking all help or comfort, were compelled
" to forsake the Universities, leave their books, and seek
" their livings abroad in the countries.
" Yea, and in the country many grammar schools which (260)

« be founded of a godly intent, to bring up poor men's ]j|;^y^'°'

" sons in learning: and virtue, now be taken away by reason commis-
n 1 X • i. i. u sioners.
<' of a greedy covetousness of you, that were put m trust by

" God and the King, to erect and make grammar schools

" in many places, and had neither commandment nor per-

" mission to take away the schoolmaster's livings in any

" place. Moreover such charitable alms was there yearly

" to be bestowed in poor towns and parishes upon God's

" people, the King's subjects ; which alms, to the great

" displeasure of God, and dishonour of the King, yea, and

" contrary to God's word and the King's laws, ye have

" taken away. 1 know what ye do say and brag in the

" same places : that ye have done as ye were commanded,

" with as much charity and liberality towards poverty and

" learning as your commission would bear and suffer. Take

" heed whom ye slander. For God's word, and the King's

" laws and statutes, be open unto every man's eyes. And

'' by every commission directed according unto them, ye

" both might and should have given much, whereas ye

'* have taken much away.

" Was it not a godly and charitable provision of the The evil

" King, to give unto the University 200 Z. yearly for excel- f^^^^^^p^

" lent readers; 300Z. yearly in pure alms; and many lOOZ. priation

" also to the foundation and erection of a new college ?

Dd4

408 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

And was it not a devilish device of you to turn all this

^' " the King's bounteous liberality into impropj'iations of be-

Anno 1550. " nefices; which be papistical and uncharitable spoils of

" most necessary provisions for poor parishes ? Learn un-

" derstanding, you that play unwise parts among the peo-

" pie. You fools once wax wise. Qui plantavit, &c. He

" that set the ears, shall he not hear the sorrowful com-

" plaints of poor parishes against you that have by impro-

*' priations clean taken away hospitality, and much im-

*' paired the due livings of God's ministers, the people's

*' instructors and teachers ? Qui figurat oculum, &c. He

" that Jashioned the eye, doth not he behold, that the best

" lands of abbeys, colleges, and chantries be in your hands,

" and evil impropriations conveyed to the King, and to the

" Universities, and Bishops' lands? Qtii corripit, &c. He

" that correcteth, and punisheth the heathen, lacking the

" light of God's word, for the continual abuse of natural

" reason, will not he reprove and condemn you, who have

" good reasonable wits, God's holy word, the King's laws

" and statutes, and much power and authority given unto

" you to edify and do good ; seeing it is abused of you to

" destroy and do hurt ? Surely the abbeys did wrongfully

" take and abuse nothing so much as the impropriations of

" benefices. Nothing is so papistical as impropriations be :

" they be the Pope's darlings and paramours; which by

'* the devilish device of wicked Balaamites be set abroad in

** this realm, to cause the learned men of the Universities,

*' and all Bishops that be godly men, the Pope's enemies,

" to commit spiritual fornication with them."
To this I subjoin what the same preacher spoke in an-

other sermon : *' The King's Majesty that dead is, did give

" a benefice to be impropriate to the University of Cam-

" bridge, in liber am et pur am eleemosynam. Howbeit,

" his hands were so impure, who should have delivered it,

" that he received 600/. of the University for it. Whether

(261) " that this 600/. were conveyed to the King's behoof privily

" for the alms, which by plain writing was given freely, or

" else put in some Judas's pouch, I would it were known.

OF KING EDWARD VI. 409

" For now by such charitable alms the King is slandered, CHAP.

" the parish undone, and the University in worse case than

« it was before." This for the Universities. Anno 1550.

Nor would the said Lever, being, as a conscientious, so a Lever

bold preacher, change his argument in two other solemn ^Jltn ln\he

sermons, which he preached in two great auditories not*^hjo"ds,

long after, the one in the Shrouds of St. Paul's, the fourth the King.

Sunday after Twelftide; the other before the King, on

the third Sunday in Lent. In both which he laid open in

all freedom and plainness of speech, without respect of any

the greatest person, the vices and abuses of those times ;

viz. concerning the revenues of the demolished abbeys,

chantries, colleges, fraternities, and hospitals, converted to

other uses than were originally intended, the covetousness

of the gentry, the buying of spiritual livings, the neglect of

those parishes, whereto were annexed the richest parson-

ages, the little care priests took of their flocks, and such

like. Concerning all which, after this manner he expressed

his mind ; (which I do the rather set down, because it may

serve somewhat to explain the history of these times.)
" In suppressing of abbeys, cloisters, colleges, and chan- The reve-
. • n 1 TT" 1 -n* • 1 1 1 • nues of nio-
" tries, the mtent of the Kmg s Majesty that dead is, was, nasteries

" and of this our Kinff now is, very godly; and the pur-*"d chan-

PIT 11 ^""'^^ "^'s-
" pose, or else the pretence of others, wondrous godly : used.
" that thereby such abundance of goods as was supersti-

" tiously spent upon vain ceremonies, or voluptuously spent

" upon idle bellies, might come to the King's hand, to bear

" the great charges necessarily bestowed in the common-

" wealth ; or part unto other men's hands, for the better re-

" lief of the poor, maintenance of learning, and the setting

" forth of God's word. Howbeit covetous officers have so

" used this matter, that even those goods, which did serve

" to the relief of the poor, the maintenance of learning,

" and to comfortable necessary hospitality in the common-

" wealth, be now turned to maintain worldly, wicked, covet-

" ous ambition. — You which have gotten these goods into

" your own hands, to turn them from evil to worse, and

" other goods mo from good unto evil, be ye sure it is

410 MEMORIALS ECCLESIASTICAL

BOOK "even you that have offended God, beguiled the King,

' robbed the Church, spoiled the poor, and brought the

Anno 1550. " commonwealth to a common misery. It is even you

" that must either be plagued with God's vengeance, as

" were the Sodomites, or amend by repentance, as did the

" Ninevites. Even you it is, that must either make resti-

" tution, and amend speedily, or else feel the vengeance

" of God grievously. — Sure I am, that if at the ordering

" of these things there had been in the officers as much

" godliness as there was covetousness, superstitious men

" had not been put from their livings to their pensions

" out of those houses, where they might have had school-

" masters to have taught them to be good, [for many

" schools were intended, and others were swallowed up if

" they pertained to these rehgious foundations,] and for

" less wages ; or, for the reservation of their pensions, re-

" ceived into cures and parsonages, whereas they can do no

" good, and will do much harm.*"
The gen- Tj^g piactices of the gentry towards their tenants he
try s covet- /. i -».t i i
ous prac- thus set forth : " Now the people of the country use to say,

country.*^^ " ^^^^ ^^^^^ gentlemen and officers were never so full of

(262) " ^^^^ words and ill deeds, as they now be. For a gentleman

" will say, that he loveth his tenant, but he keepeth not

" so good an house to make them cheer as his father did.

*' And yet he taketh mo fines and greater rents to make

" them needy than his father had. Another will say, that

" he would buy a lordship of the King, for the love that he

" hath to the tenants thereof. But as soon as he hath

" bought it, by taking of finjs, heightening of rents, and

" selling away of commodities, he maketh the same tenants

" pay for it. [And so he in effect obtains the purchase, and

" makes others pay for it.] Another saith, that he would

" have an office to do good in his country. But as soon

" as he hath authority to take the fee to himself, he setteth

" his servants to do his duty. And instead of wages he

" giveth them authority to live by pillage, bribery, and ex-

** tortion in the country/''

Then he declaimed against another evil practice then

OF KING EDWAKD VI. 411

common, which was the buying of parsonages and bene- CHAP.
fices ; whereby the tithes coming all in laymen's hands, pa- ^^^^-
rishes were left destitute of priests and ministers to per- Anno 1550.
form holy offices, and so the people were left in ignorance ^"y '"?»"<*
and irreligion. Which Lever thus lamented: " Whereas parsonages.
" they do not only buy lands and goods, but also lives
" and souls of men from God, and the commonwealth,
" unto tlie devil and themselves. A mischievous mart of
" merchandry is this ; and yet now so commonly used, that
" thereby shepherds be turned to thieves, dogs to wolves,
" and the poor flock of Christ, redeemed with his precious
" blood, most miserably pilled and spoiled, yea, cruelly de-
" voured. Be thou merchant in the city, or be thou gentle-
" man in the country ; be thou lawyer, be thou courtier, or
" what manner of man soever thou be ; that cannot, yea, if
" thou be Doctor of Divinity, that will not do thy duty. It
" is not lawful for thee to have a parsonage, benefice, or any
*' such living, except thou do feed the flock spiritually with
" God''s word, and bodily with honest hospitality."*'
And again, concerning the neglect of livings, and the Neglect of

little care taken of Christ's flock, thus he reprehended those *^*"^^*