such a concord and quietness in religion shall shortly follow thereof, as else is not to be looked for many years. God shall thereby be glorified, his truth shall be advanced, and your lordships shall be rewarded of Him, as the setters forward of his true word and gospel. Unto whom is my daily prayer, without ceasing, to preserve the King's Majesty, with all your honourable lordships. From my house at Forde, the 24. of this present month of November. [1552.] Your lordships ever to command, T. Cant. To my very good lords of the King's ССХСІІІ. То CECIL. Strype, Cranm. 108. from Sir Wm. Hickes's MSS. After my hearty commendations and thanks for your App. No. letters; there is no man more loth to be in contention with any man, than I am, specially with my Lord Warden", my near neighbour, dwelling both in one country, and whose familiar and entire friendship I most desire, for the quietness of the whole country. For the example of the rulers and heads will the people and members follow. And as touching learned men I shall send you my mind with as much expedition as I can, which by this post I can not do, even in the cold snow sitting upon coals, until he be Appendix, No. XLIII; Burnet, Ref. vol. iii. book iv. No. 8; Strype, Memorials, vol. ii. p. 421; Wilkins, Concilia, vol. iv. p. 79. In the reign of Mary it was one of the charges brought against the Archbishop, that he compelled his clergy to subscribe; but it was not proved, and he himself denied it, declaring that he exhorted such as were willing, to subscribe, but against their wills compelled none. See Examination before Brokes, vol. iv. p. 102. And Ridley also made a similar answer to a similar accusation; I compelled,' he said, 'no man to subscribe.' Foxe, Acts, &c.] ["It was Sir Thomas Cheyne, who lived not far from him; and so "probably it might be about some worldly matters." Strype, Cranmer, p. 453.] gone. But heartily fare you well in the Lord Jesus. From Forde, the last day of November. [1552.] Your loving friend, To my loving friend Sir William T. Cant. Cecill, Knight, Secretary to the CCXCIV. TO CECIL. Cranm. Sir Wm. P. 371. After my very hearty recommendations; yester night I Strype, heard reported that Mr. Cheke is indicted: I pray you pray you App. No. heartily, if you know any thing thereof, to send me know- 109. from ledge, and whereupon he is indicted. I had great trust Hickes's that he should be one of them that should feel the Queen's MSS. great mercy and pardon, as one who hath been none of the Todd, Life of Crangreat doers in this matter against her: and my trust is not mer, vol. ii. yet gone, except it be for his earnestness in religion. For the which if he suffer, blessed is he of God, that suffereth for his sake, howsoever the world judge of him. For what ought we to care for the judgment of the world, when God absolveth us? But alas, if any means could be made for him, or for my Lord Russel, it were not to be omitted, nor any wise neglected. But I am utterly destitute both of counsel in this matter and of power, being in the same condemnation that they be y. But that only thing which in * [Sir John Cheke had favoured the settlement of the Crown on Lady Jane Grey, and had acted as Secretary of State during her short reign. On" the 28th of July he was committed to the Tower as a traitor. And "whereas the rest that acted as Queen Jane's counsellors, being either "papists, or indifferent in religion, were easily pardoned; Cheke and "some few others were sent to the Tower, or kept under harder and "longer restraint. An indictment was drawn against him the 12th or "13th day of August, and his friends feared it would go hard with "him." But," the next year, being almost spoiled of all his substance, "he obtained the favour of the Queen's pardon." Strype, Life of Cheke, chap. v. sect. 2. The same work may be consulted for an account of his subsequent imprisonment and recantation.] y [It seems that at this time Cranmer, for the unwilling support which he had given to Lady Jane Grey, was ordered" to keep his house, and "be forthcoming." In September" he was committed to the Tower, I can do, I shall not cease to do, and that is only to pray for them and for myself, with all other that be now in adversity. When I saw you at the Court, I would fain have talked with you, but I durst not: nevertheless if you could find a time to come over to me, I would gladly commune with you. Thus fare you heartily well, with my lady your wife. From Lamhith, this 14. day of this month of August. [1553.] Your own assured, Το my very loving friend Sir William T. Cant. Coverdale's Letters of CCXCV. To QUEEN MARY. Most lamentably mourning and moaning himself unto the Mar- your Highness, Thomas Cranmer, although unworthy tyrs, p. 1. either to write or speak unto your Highness, yet having no "partly for setting his hand to the instrument of the Lady Jane's suc"cession, and partly for the public offer he made a little before of jus"tifying openly the religious proceedings of the deceased King. But "the chief reason was the inveterate malice his enemies conceived "against him, for the divorce of King Henry from the Queen's mother." Strype, Cranmer, p. 307. Foxe also speaks of the Queen's "old grudge "against the Archbishop for the divorcement of her mother," and applies to it the lines of Virgil, slightly altered : Manet alta mente repostum Judicium Paridis, spretæque injuria matris. See Declaration concerning the Mass, (vol. iv. ["He durst not, as it seems, out of his love and care of him, lest his very talking with Cecyl might have been prejudicial to that pardon, "which he [Cecil] now lay fair for." Strype, ibid.] a [Cranmer, the Lady Jane, her husband, and two other sons of the Duke of Northumberland, were tried on the 13th of November at Guildhall, and found guilty of high treason. The Parliament which was then sitting, confirmed this judgment by an Act of attainder. 1 Mar. St. 2. c. 16. "And now Cranmer was legally divested of his arch"bishopric, which was hereupon void in law, since a man that is at"tainted can have no right to any church benefice. But it being now "designed to restore the ecclesiastical exemption and dignity to what "it had been anciently, it was resolved that he should be still esteemed "archbishop, till he was solemnly degraded according to the canon "law." Burnet, Ref. vol. ii. p. 515. Accordingly, degradation from his to be re his offence so he was; person that I know to be mediator for me, and knowing Strype, your pitiful ears ready to hear all pitiful complaints, and Cranmer, App. No. seeing so many before to have felt your abundant clemency 74. in like case, am now constrained most lamentably, and with most penitent and sorrowful heart, to ask mercy and pardon He desired for my heinous folly and offence, in consenting and following leased of the testament and will of our late Sovereign Lord King for conEdward VI. your Grace's brother; which will, God he know-senting unto King, eth, I never liked; nor never any thing grieved me so much Edward's that your Grace's brother did. And if by any means it had been in me to have letted the making of that will, I would but after have done it. And what I said therein, as well to the was acCouncil as to himself, divers of your Majesty's Council can heresy; report but none so well as the Marquis of Northampton, best liked, and the Lord Darcy, then Lord Chamberlain to the King's for then he Majesty; which two were present at the communication between the King's Majesty and me. I desired to talk with Christ's. [Coverthe King's Majesty alone, but I could not be suffered, and date b.] so I failed of my purpose. For if I might have communed with the King alone, and at good leisure, my trust was, that I should have altered him from that purpose, but they being present, my labour was in vain. Then when I could not dissuade him from the said will, and both he and his Privy Council also, informed me that the Judges and his learned counsel said, that the act of entailing the Crown, made by his father, could not be prejudicial to him: but that he being in possession of the Crown, might make his will thereof; this seemed very strange unto me; but being the sentence of the Judges, and other his learned counsel in the laws of this realm, (as both he and his Council informed me) methought it became not me, being unlearned in the law, to stand against my Prince therein. And so at length I was required by the King's Majesty himself to set to my hand to his will; archbishopric formed part of the final sentence passed on him by the Pope two years afterwards, in Dec. 1555. See vol. iv. pp. 118. 128; Foxe, Acts, &c. vol. iii. p. 997.] [The marginal notes in this and some of the following Letters are preserved from the old editions.] cused of which he knew his cause was saying, that he trusted that I alone would not be more repugnant to his will then the rest of the Council were: (which words surely grieved my heart very sore,) and so I granted him to subscribe his will, and to follow the same. Which when I had set my hand unto, I did it unfeignedly and without dissimulation c. For the which I submit myself most humbly unto your Majesty, acknowledging mine offence with most grievous and sorrowful heart, and beseeching your mercy and pardon which my heart giveth me shall not be denied unto me, being granted before to so many, which travailed not so much to dissuade both the King and his Council as I did. : And whereas it is contained in two Acts of Parliament d, as I understand, that I, with the Duke of Northumberland, should devise and compass the deprivation of your Majesty from your royal Crown, surely it is untrue. For the Duke never opened his mouth to me, to move me any such matter, nor I him; nor his heart was not such toward me, (seeking long time my destruction,) that he would either trust me in such a matter, or think that I would be persuaded by him. It was other of the Council that moved me, and the King himself, the Duke of Northumberland not being present. Neither before, neither after, had I ever any privy communication with the Duke of that matter, saving that openly at the Council table the Duke said unto me, that it became not me to say to the King as I did, when I went about to dissuade him from the said will. C Now as concerning the estate of religion, as it is used in [See Burnet, Ref. vol. ii. p. 458, &c. who seems to think that Cranmer may have had recourse to the same distinction as Cecil, that he subscribed, not as a counsellor, but as a witness. But there is no trace of any such subterfuge in the simple and straight forward statement of the Archbishop. See Letter ccxcvII.] [One of these Acts probably is 1 Mary St. ii. c. 16. " for confirming the attainder of the late Duke of Northumberland and others,” the preamble to which names Cranmer among those, who "have com"mitted many detestable and abominable treasons, to the most fearful "peril and danger of the destruction of your most royal person, and to "the utter loss, and disherison, and destruction of this your realm of "England." Statutes of the Realm, vol. iv. p. 217.] |