17

CHAPTER III.

The Archbishop adviseth Professors to fly.

THE favourers of religion, seeing it was now determined to proceed in all manner of severity against them, began to flee into other countries for their safety as fast as they could. Indeed there were some that made a case of conscience of it; among the rest, one Mrs. Wilkinson, a woman of good quality, and a great reliever of good men. Her the archbishop out of prison advised to escape, and avoid a place where she could not truly and rightly serve God. He took off, with spiritual arguments, the objections which she or others might make for their stay; as, their lothness to leave their friends and relations, and that it might look like a slandering of God's word, if they should thus run away, and decline the open and bold defence of it. The letter of the archbishop deserves to be read, as it fell from that venerable prelate's own pen, which I have therefore put in the Appendix.1

Though Cranmer himself refused to flee, being advised by his friends so to do, because of the reports that were abroad, that he should be speedily carried to the Tower. For he said, "It would be no ways fitting for him to go away, considering the post in which he was; and to show that he was not afraid to own all the changes that were by his means made in religion in the last reign.'

But great numbers fled, some to Strasburgh, some to Wesel, some to Embden, some to Antwerp, some to Duisburgh, some to Worms, some to Frankfort, some to Basil, Zurich, and Aarau, in Switzerland, and some to Geneva, to the number of eight hundred, and upwards. And these are the names of some of these refugees.

BISHOPS.

Poinet of Winchester, Barlow of Bath and Wells, Scory of Chichester, Coverdale of Exon, and Bale of Ossory.

DEANS.

Richard Cox, dean of Christ's Church, Oxon, and of 1 No. LXXII.

Westminster; James Haddon, dean of Exeter; Robert Horn of Durham; William Turner of Wells; Thomas Sampson of Chichester.

ARCHDEACONS.

Edmund Cranmer, the archbishop's brother, archdeacon of Canterbury; John Elmer of Stow; Bullingham of Lincoln; Thomas Young, precentor of St. David's.

DOCTORS OF DIVINITY AND PREACHERS.

Edmund Grindal, Robert King, Edwin Sands, John Jewel, Rainolds; Pilkingtons, two brothers; John Joseph, David Whitehead, John Alvey, John Pedder, John Biddil, Thomas Becon, Robert and Richard Turner, Edmund Allein; Levers, three brothers; John Pekins, Tho. Cottisford, Tho. Donel, Alex. Nowel, with his brother; Barthol. Traheron, John Wollock, John Old, John Medwell, Joh. Rough, John Knox, John Appleby, John Parkhurst, Edward Large, Galf. Jones, Robert Crowley, Robert Wisdom, Robert Watson, William Goodman, Ant. Gilby, Will. Whittingham, John Makebrey, Hen. Reynolds, James Perse, Jugg, Edmunds, Cole, Mountain, two Fishers, Da. Simson, John Bendal, Beaumont, Humfrey, Bentham, Reymiger, Bradbridge, Saul, &c.

Besides, of noblemen, merchants, tradesmen, artificers, and plebeians, many hundreds. And God provided graciously for them, and raised them up friends in England, that made large contributions from time to time for their relief, and for the maintenance of such as were scholars and students in divinity especially. And great was the favour that the strangers showed to their fugitive guests.

Here at home vengeance was taken upon those that set

1 66 Chiliades," Pref. to Cranmer's Book of the Sacrament, in Latin. [The following is the passage to which Strype refers :-" Equidem non possum non laudare eorum consilium, qui ex Christi Jesu mandato solum vertere, quam sub tali animarum tyrannide in patria vivere malunt: ut certe, præter multas concionatorum, nobilium, mercatorum, opificum, et plebeiorum hominum in dispersione Germaniæ passim nunc degentium, chiliades, multi clarissimi viri tam tragicam regni ac religionis mutationem in tempore evaserunt; quamobrem et facultatum suarum direptionem patiebantur." See Parker Society's edition of the Works of Abp. Cranmer, vol. i. Appendix, p. 8.]

up the Lady Jane. And the chief of all, the duke of Northumberland, was brought to Tower-hill to lose his head, who indeed was cared for by nobody, and was the only instrument of putting the king upon altering the succession; and who was broadly talked of to have been the shortener of that excellent prince's life by poison, to make room the sooner for his son's advancement, who had married the said Jane. In prison he was visited by Bishop Heath, and afterwards pretended to be brought off by him to the acknowledgment of the Roman Catholic religion. After his condemnation, he, with the marquis of Northampton, Sir Andrew Dudley, Sir John Gates, Sir Thomas Palmer, heard a mass within the Tower, and received the sacrament in one kind, after the Popish fashion. The duke of Northumberland was drawn hereunto by a promise that was made him, "That, if he would recant and hear mass, he should have his pardon; yea, though his head were upon the block."1

In his speech, August 22, when he was executed, he acknowledged, "how he had been misled by others; and called the preachers seditious and lewd, and advised the people to return home to the old religion. And that, since the new religion came among them, God had plagued them by wars and tumults, famine and pestilence. He propounded the example of the Germans, how their new doctrine had brought ruin upon them; and quoted that article in the Creed to them, I believe the Catholic church,' to convince them of the Roman Catholic faith." If this speech were not of Heath's inditing, to be used by the duke, yet this argument from the Creed, I am apt to think was his, it being his custom to make use of it. For I find, in a conference betwixt this bishop and Rogers, he asked him, if he did not know his Creed, and urged "Credo sanctam Ecclesiam Catholicam." But Rogers could tell him that he did not find the bishop of Rome there.2 If any be minded to see the duke's speech at length, he may have recourse to the Appendix,3 where I have set it down, as I found it in one of the Cottonian volumes.

But Gates and Palmer, notwithstanding their hearing

[See Fox's Acts and Monuments, vol. vi. pp. 388, 389.]
3 No. LXXIII.

1

Id. vol. vi. p. 597.]

mass at their execution the same day and place, confessed the faith they had learned in the Gospel. The former confessed, "That he had lived as viciously and wickedly all his life, as any in the world. And yet that he was a great reader of the Scripture; but a worse follower there was not living. For he read it, not to edify, but to dispute, and to make interpretations after his own fancy; exhorting the people to take heed how they read God's word, and played and gamed with God's holy mysteries. For he told them, that, except they humbly submitted themselves to God, and read his word charitably, and to the intent to be edified thereby, it would be but poison to them, and worse. And so asked the queen, and all the world, forgiveness."

Palmer thanked God for his affliction: for, “that he had learned more in one little dark corner of the Tower, than ever he learned by any travels, in as many places as he had been. There he had seen God, what he was, and His numerous works, and His mercies. And seen himself thoroughly what himself was, a lump of sin and earth, and of all vileness the vilest. And so concluding, that he feared not death; that neither the sprinkling of the blood of two shed before his eyes, nor the shedding thereof, nor the bloody axe itself, should make him afraid. And so, praying all to pray for him, he said some prayers, and without any daunting laid down his head upon the block."

But the duke of Northumberland submitted himself to base and mean practices to save his life. He renounced his religion; nay, disavowed "that he ever was of the religion professed in King Edward's days, if we may believe Parsons, but only hypocritically, for worldly ends, complied with it. And if he might but have lived, he could have been contented to have spent his days in a mouse-hole." For from a priest I have this relation, and the Papists best knew the intrigues of Queen Mary's reign. After sentence pronounced upon him, he made means to speak with Bishop Gardiner, who he knew could do most of any with the queen. When the bishop came to him, in company with another councillor, to be witness of their discourse, (who himself told my author these passages), the duke asked the 1 [Parsons'] Wardword, p. 43.

bishop, "If there were no hope at all for him to live, and to do some penance the rest of his days for his sins past. Alas! (said he), let me live a little longer, though it be but in a mouse-hole.' The bishop replied, that he wished to God anything could have contented his grace but a kingdom, when he was at liberty, and in prosperity. And even at that present he wished it lay in his power to give him that mouse-hole, for he would allow him the best palace he had in the world for that mouse-hole. And did moreover

then offer to do for him what he could possible. But because his offence, he said, was great, and sentence passed against him, and his adversaries many, it would be best for him to provide for the worst; and especially, that he stood well with God in matter of conscience and religion. For to speak plainly, as he went on, it was most likely he must die. The duke answered, he would dispose himself, and desired he might have a learned priest sent him for his confession, and spiritual comfort. And as for religion, said he, you know, my lord bishop, that I can be of no other but of yours, which is the Catholic. For I never was of any other indeed, nor ever so foolish as to believe any of that which we had set up in King Edward's days; but only to use the same for my own purpose of ambition, for which God forgive me. And so I mean to testify publicly at my death, for it is true.' The bishop, saith my author, went away with an afflicted heart, and shed many tears, as he returned, and went to the queen, and entreated so earnestly for him, as he had half-gained her consent for his life. Which so much terrified the duke's adversaries, as presently they got the Emperor Charles, that was in Flanders, to write to the queen a very resolute and earnest letter, that it was not safe for her, nor his estate, to pardon his life. And with that he was executed."

Whatever credit is to be given to the rest of this relation, I can hardly believe that passage that he is reported to say to the bishop, "that he was never otherwise than a Roman Catholic, and that he did all along dissemble his religion for worldly ends, and that he would testify as much at his death." Because this doth no ways comport with his speech upon the scaffold; wherein he mentioneth no such thing, but rather the contrary. Nor did he declare any