amonges all other visions one was, that [she] should be conveyed to our Lady of Courte of Strett, where she was promised to be healed of her sickness, and that Almighty God should work wonders in her; and when she was brought thither and laid before the image of our Lady, her face was wonderfully disfigured, her tongue hanging out, and her eyes being in a manner plucked out and laid upon her cheeks, and so greatly disordered. Then was there heard a voice speaking within her belly, as it had been in a tun; her lips not greatly moving; she all that while continuing by the space of three hours and more in a trance; the which voice, when it told any thing of the joys of heaven, it spake so sweetly and so heavenly that every man was ravished with the hearing thereof; and contrary, when it told any thing of hell, it spake so horribly and terribly that it put the hearers in a great fear. It spake also many things for the confirmation of pilgrimages and trentals, hearing of masses, and confession, and many such other things. And after she had lain there a long time, she came to herself again, and was perfectly whole, and so this miracle was finished and solemnly rung, and a book written of all the whole story thereof, and put into print, which ever since that time hath been commonly sold and gone abroad amonges all people. After this miracle done, she had a commandment from God in a vision, as she said, to profess herself a nun. And so she was professed, and hath so continued, in a nunnery at Canterbury, called St. Sepulcre's, ever since. And then she chose a monk of Christ's Church, a doctor in divinity ", to be ghostly father, whose counsel she hath used and evermore followed in all her doing. And evermore since from time to time hath had almost every week how by her penance he was brought unto heaven. See Strype, Memorials, vol. i. p. 178.] t ["After mass she kneeled afore the image of our Lady of Court of "Street, and said then she was made perfectly whole, where she was "perfectly whole afore she came thither, as she hath plainly and "openly confessed afore divers of the King's Grace's Council." MS. Chapter House, Westminster, Theol. Tracts, vol. vii.] "[Edward Bockyng. "He informed the said Archbishop [Warham,] "that a voice had spoken in her in one of her trances, that it was the pleasure of God that he should be her ghostly father." MS. ibid.] or at the furthest every fortnight, new visions and revelations, and she hath had oftentimes trances and raptures, by reason whereof, and also of the great perfectness that was thought to be in her, divers and many as well great men of the realm as mean men, and many learned men, but specially divers and many religious men, had great confidence in her, and often resorted unto her and communed with her, to the intent they might by her know the will of God; and chiefly concerning the King's marriage, the great heresies and schisms within the realm, and the taking away the liberties of the Church; for in these three points standeth the great number of her visions, which were so many, that her ghostly father could scantly write them in three or four quires of paper. And surely I think, that she did marvellously stop the going forward of the King's marriage by the reason of her visions, which she said was of God, persuading them that came unto her how highly God was displeased therewith, and what vengeance Almighty God would take upon all the favourers thereof; insomuch that she wrote *["For all the time of her abode at Aldington, she meddled not "with the King's Grace's marriage..... But after that she had been at Canterbury a while, and had heard this said Dr. Bockyng rail like a frantic person against the King's Grace's purposed marriage, against "his Acts of Parliament, and against the maintenance of heresies “within this realm, declaring and blustering out his cankered malice, "... then soon after she began to feign herself to have visions and re“ velations from God, and said that God commanded her to say to the "late Lord Cardinal, and also to the late Archbishop of Canterbury, "that if they married, or furthered the King's Grace to be married to "the Queen that now is, they both should be utterly destroyed. And "so she showed them under such manner, that it appeared by their "acts and deeds that they gave confidence to her; for the said Arch"bishop had, afore her coming to him, provoked from the Pope to the "General Council, intending to proceed in the King's Grace's matter "of matrimony and divorce, seeing his Grace could have none indiffer"ent justice showed him in other places.... And the said Cardinal was “as well minded and bent to go forth in the King's Grace's said cause "of matrimony and divorce as any man living, according to the law of "God and the law of nature, till he was perverted by this Nun, and in“duced to believe, that it he proceeded in the same, God would sore "strike him." MS. Chapter House, Theol. Tracts, vol. vii. It will be seen that Cranmer also expresses an opinion, that Wolsey was influenced by the Nun. But it is much more likely that he had some design of using her as a tool, than that he really gave credit to her visions.] letters to the Pope, calling upon him in God's behalf to stop and let the said marriage, and to use his high and heavenly power therein, as he would avoid the great stroke of God, which then hanged ready over his head, if he did the contrary. She had also communication with my Lord Cardinal and with my Lord of Canterbury my predecessor, in the matter; and [in] mine opinion, with her feigned visions and godly threatenings, she stayed them very much in the matter. She had also secret knowledge of divers other things, and then she feigned that she had knowledge thereof from God; insomuch that she conceived letters and sent them forth, making divers people believe that those letters were written in heaveny, and sent from thence to earthly creatures. Now about Midsummer last, I, hearing of these matters, sent for this holy maid, to examine herz; and from me she was had to Master Cromewell, to be further examined there. And now she hath confessed all, and uttered the very truth, which is this that she never had vision in all her life, but all that ever she said was feigned of her own imagination, only to satisfy the minds of them the which resorted unto her, and to obtain worldly praise: by reason of the which her confession, many and divers, both religious men and other, be now in trouble, forasmuch as they consented to her mischievous and feigned visions, which contained much perilous sedition and also treason, and would not utter it, but rather further the same to their power. She said that the King should not continue King a month after that he were married. And within six months after, God would strike the realm with such a plague as never was seen, and then the King should be destroyed. She took upon her also to show the condition and state of souls de [Mary Magdalen was said to have given her a letter that was written in heaven in characters of gold: "which is as false as God is "true for by much inquisition Mary Magdalen is found out, and is "turned into a monk of St. Augustin's in this town, named Hawke"herste, which hath confessed the writing thereof, and the limning of "these golden words Jehus Maria, which be written above the letter." MS. Chapter House, Westminster, Theol. Tracts, vol. vii. [See Letter xxx.] parted, as of my Lord Cardinal a, my late Lord of Canterbury, with divers other. To show you the whole story of all the matter, it were too long to write in two or three letters; you shall know further thereof at your coming home. As touching the bishopricks that be void, ye shall understand, that Doctor Salcott, the Abbot of Hydde, is elect Bishop of Banger, Doctor Lee, the lawyer, is elect Bishop of Chestre b. There is as yet none elect Bishop of Elie : you shall know at your coming home who shall be c. The Parliament is not holden this term, but is prorogued to the xv. day of January. The Queen's Grace was brought about the xiii. or xiv. d day of September of a princess. I myself a [See p. 79, note (s.)] b" There sat but one Bishop at Chester before 1541, viz. Peter, "consecrated 1067: yet several of his successors in the see denomi"nated themselves Bishops of Chester instead of Litchfield." Willis, Hist. of Cathedrals, vol. i. p. 318. So also Le Neve. Yet Stow says, that "Dr. Rowland Lee, that married the King to Queen Anne, was "made Bishop of Chester, then Bishop of Coventry and Litchfield, "and President of Wales." Annals. His election to the see of Litchfield and Coventry took place the 10th of January, 1534. Le Neve, Fasti.] [See Letter XIV. p. 33, note (d.)] [It is singular that this date is not correct. The Princess Elizabeth was born on Sunday, September the 7th; as is proved beyond dispute by an official note announcing the event, from Queen Anne Boleyn to Lord Cobham, which is preserved in the Harleian Collection, and has lately been printed in the State Papers. This note, it may be remarked, was evidently prepared beforehand, by a secretary who anticipated the gratification of the King's wishes for a son; for the word Prince has been altered in two places into Princess by the insertion of an s. The well known passage of Shakspeare on this subject will occur to every one: "K. Hen. Now by thy looks, "Lady. "Say, ay; and of a boy. Is the Queen delivered? Ay, ay, my liege; "And of a lovely boy: the God of heaven Hen. VIII. The Latin lines in Holinshed both give the date accurately, and notice that the birth took place on a Sunday. Septembris (Deus hoc voluit) quæ septima lux est Consecrata venit Domino volventibus annis, Parturiet conjux Henrici principis Anna. But his authority has not been universally followed by historians; some naming September the 6th, others, like Cranmer, September the 13th.] was godfather, the old Duchess of Northfolke and my Lady Marquess Dorset were godmothers. The Duke of Richmonde hath married my Lady Mary, the Duke of Northfolke's daughter. From Lamethe, the xx. day of December, Ao. xxv Reg. [1533.] Harl. MSS. 40. LXXXV. TO A PRIOR. Brother Prior, I do right heartily commend me unto you. 6148. fol. And so likewise desire the same, that, at this mine instance, ye will grant unto me the next admission of a student unto the University of Oxford, when any such of your company shall hereafter happen to be permitted thereunto. And for the same I will be ready to do unto [you] as great a pleasure. From my manor of Ford, the xxv. day of December. Harl. MSS. 6148.| fol. 40. LXXXVI. TO HIS CHANCELLOR AND DEAN OF THE my I commend me unto you. And whereas the Commissary of my jurisdiction in Calice writeth unto me as well concerning visitation there, as also for mine advice in an unlawful matrimony now depending before him; wherein it seemeth, that he hath further proceeded in that behalf than peradventure he ought, as you may partly conjecture by this his letter herein enclosed: I require you therefore, that, inasmuch as these matters before specified are more largely declared in his said letter, that you, according to the effect of them, with all celerity do send me your advice what is most expedient to be done, touching the ready expedition hereof. Thus fare you well. From my manor of Forde, the xxvii. day of December. [See the last scene in Shakspeare's Hen. VIII.] f [Henry Fitzroy, the King's natural son. He was at this time fourteen years old.] 8 [John Butler. See Letters xcI. ccxxv.] |