1556.

all the objections of all the papists. And whereas the saying is, Mary. "Not Hercules against two," he alone encountered with so many A. D. ensigns and armies of divines; he alone sustained all the force of all his adversaries; he opened from the very foundations abundantly and readily what was to be judged and determined of the bishop of Rome and all his authority; he showed that the pope's lordship was brought in by no authority of the Scripture, but by affected and ambitious tyranny of men; and that the chiefest power in earth belonged to the emperor, to kings, and to other potentates, to whom the bishops, priests, popes, and cardinals, by God's commandment, were no less subject than other men of the commonwealth: and therefore there was no cause why the bishop of Rome should excel other bishops in authority, who should be subject to their own magistrates, and of them be kept in order: and although authority be granted and all him over his own, yet so insolent and immoderate advancing of that degrees see, by no right could be borne withal, but rather it should be made church equal with the rest. And therefore it were even best that by consent be subject of the king and the other estates the ambitious lordship of this bishop, being driven out of England, should keep itself within his own gistrates. Italy, as a river is kept within its banks.

These matters being thus done and passed in the parliament, soon after the king and queen, by the ecclesiastical law, were cited at Dunstable before the archbishop of Canterbury and Stephen Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, as judges, to hear the sentence of God's word concerning this matter. The king refused not to appear at the censure of God's law; but the queen, refusing to stand to their judgment, appealed to the bishop of Rome. But forasmuch as the pope's authority being banished out of the realm, and by public authority it was enacted that no man should appeal out of the realm to Rome for any matter, the judges, making no delay, out of God's word pronounced the marriage to be unlawful, and so made divorce.

Popes

of the

ought to

to their

own ma

mer's dili

of Eng

But Winchester, although he had openly sworn before all the Cranstates in the parliament, and in special words, against the pope's gence in domination, yet inwardly in his fox's heart he bare a secret love to the reforming bishop of Rome. But contrariwise, the archbishop perceiving (as it land. was indeed) that there was no hope to reform the church, so long as the bishop of Rome's laws and power remained, now that his name was driven out, sought all occasions to bring his intent to pass. By little and little he called home and conformed the churches into a more wholesome discipline of Christ, and example of the primitive church and as the pope's name and title were now abolished, so he laboured also to banish out of the realm his errors, heresies, and corruptions. And not content therewith, he obtained of the king, The partly by his own suit, and partly by other men's suit, that certain Book set learned bishops being chosen out, should by their common consent out. make a book of ecclesiastical institutions, which should be better purged from all popish superstitions. In this number were chosen Stokesley bishop of London, Gardiner bishop of Winchester, Sampson bishop of Chester, Repse bishop of Norwich, Goodrich bishop of Ely, Latimer bishop of Worcester, Shaxton bishop of Salisbury, and Barlow bishop of St. David's. Winchester in this while (according to the love that he bare to the bishop of Rome, with three or four of the

Bishops'

A. D.

Mary. bishops as good as he) laboured diligently and subtilely, that all the laws and customs of old idolatry and superstition (as much as could 1556. be) should be confirmed and established. Yet being overcome by the authority of the ancient fathers, of the more ancient church, and of the most ancient word of God, he gave place and subscribed to the book, which, by the title of the authors, they called "The Bishops' Cranmer Book." By that book it appeareth that the archbishop of Canterbury instruct was not then well instructed in the doctrine of the sacrament, beed in the cause there is granted a real presence. There was added also con

not yet

sacra

ment.

Abbeylands.

cerning worshipping of images, which article was none of the bishop's, but added and written by the king's hand, and (as it is suspected) through the secret persuasion of the bishop of Winchester.'

These matters thus ordered, the abolishing of monasteries began to be talked of. The king's desire was, that all the abbey-lands should come to his coffers; and contrariwise the archbishop, and other men of the church, thought it pertained more to christian religion and duty, that all the goods of monasteries (which were very great) should be put to the necessary use of the poor, and erecting of schools. For which cause the king's will being somewhat bent against the archbishop and other maintainers of his doctrine (specially by the instigation of Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, which sought all occasions to let and hinder the gospel), he set forth the Six Articles, more than man-quellers, containing the sum of popish religion, and by full consent of parliament established them. What a sion of the slaughter by the space of eight years these Six Articles made, because we have showed in another place, it were superfluous to repeat it here again; although the king afterward (foregoing his anger, and considering, as it was indeed, that the archbishop and others of his sort, did it not for that he was offended with them, of stubbornness of mind, but rather of simplicity of conscience) began to be more favourable to him and them; and thought (as it is said) to have mitigated the rigour and cruelty of certain of the said articles, and minded to have reformed more things, if he had lived.*

The occa

Six Arti

cles.

Now as concerning his behaviour and trade of life towards God and the world, being now entered into his said dignity, and forsomuch as the apostle St. Paul, writing to two bishops, Timothy and Titus, setteth out unto us a perfect description of a true bishop, with all the properties and conditions belonging to the same, unto the which exemplar it shall be hard in these strange days to find the image of any bishop correspondent; yet, for example' sake, let us take this archbishop of Canterbury; and try him by the rule thereof, to see either how near he cometh to the description of St. Paul, or else how far off he swerveth from the common course of others in his time, of his calling. The rule of St. Paul is to be found, 1 Tim. iii., also The rule in his Epistle to Titus, chap. i. in these words: "A bishop must be bishop. faultless, as becometh the minister of God. Not stubborn, nor angry, no drunkard, no fighter, nor given to filthy lucre; but harbarous, one that loveth goodness, sober-minded, righteous, holy, temperate, and such as cleaveth unto the true word and doctrine, that he be able to exhort," etc.

of a true

may

Unto this rule and touchstone, to lay now the life and conversation

(1) Here was craft in handling.

(2) 1 Tim. iii. Titus i.

ster must

be fault

order of

Cran

mer's

study.

of this archbishop, we will first begin with that which is thus written: Mary. "A bishop must be faultless, as becometh the minister of God." A.D. Like as no man is without sin, and every man carrieth with him his 1556. especial vice and fault: so yet nevertheless, the apostle meaneth, A minithat the bishop and minister must be faultless, in comparison of the common conversation of men of the world, which seem more liçen- less. tiously to live at their own liberties and pleasures, than the bishop or minister ought to do, having small regard unto good example giving: which a bishop and minister most carefully ought to consider, lest by his dissolute life the word of God be slandered and evil spoken of. Which thing to avoid, and the better to accomplish this precept of The the apostle, this worthy man evermore gave himself to continual study, not breaking that order that he in the university commonly used, that is, by five of the clock in the morning at his book, and so consuming the time in study and prayer until nine of the clock. He then applied himself (if the prince's affairs did not call him away) until dinner time to hear suitors, and to despatch such matters as appertained unto his special cure and charge, committing his temporal affairs, both of his household and other foreign business, unto his officers so that such things were never impediments either to his study, or to his pastoral charge, which principally consisted in refor mation of corrupt religion, and in setting forth of true and sincere doctrine. For the most part always being in commission, he associated himself with learned men for sifting and bolting out of one matter or other, for the commodity and profit of the church of England; by means whereof, and what for his private study, he was never idle: besides that, he accounted it no idle point to bestow one hour or twain of the day in reading over such works and books as daily came from beyond the seas.

After dinner, if any suitors were attendant, he would very diligently hear them, and despatch them in such sort as every man commended his lenity and gentleness, although the case required that some while divers of them were committed by him to prison. And having no suitors after dinner, for an hour or thereabout he would play at the chess, or behold such as could play. That done, then again to his ordinary study, at the which commonly he for the most part stood, and seldom sat; and there continuing until five of the clock, bestowed that hour in hearing the common prayer, and walking or using some honest pastime until supper time. At supper, if he had no appetite (as many times he would not sup), yet would he sit down at the table, having his ordinary provision of his mess furnished with expedient company, he wearing on his hands his gloves, because he would (as it were) thereby wean himself from eating of meat, but yet keeping the company with such fruitful talk as did repast and much delight the hearers, so that by this means hospitality was well furnished, and the alms-chest well maintained for relief of the poor. After supper, he would consume one hour at the least in walking, or some other honest pastime, and then again until nine of the clock, at one kind of study or other; so that no hour of the day was spent in Tempevain, but the same was so bestowed, as tended to the glory of God, of Cranthe service of the prince, or the commodity of the church; which his mer. well-bestowing of his time procured to him most happily a good

rate diet

Mary. report of all men, to be in respect of other men's conversation faultless, as it became the minister of God.

A. D. 1556.

His gentle

nature.

constant

in God's cause. Stout

enemy

the Six

"That a bishop ought not to be stubborn."-Secondly, it is required, "that a bishop ought not to be stubborn :" with which kind of vice, without great wrong, this archbishop in no wise ought to be charged; whose nature was such as none more gentle, or sooner won to an honest suit or purpose; specially in such things, wherein by his word, writing, counsel, or deed, he might gratify either any gentle or noble man, or do good to any mean person, or else relieve the needy Stout and and poor. Only in causes pertaining to God or his prince, no man more stout, more constant, or more hard to be won; as in that part his earnest defence in the parliament-house above three days together, in disputing against the Six Articles of Gardiner's device, can testify. against And though the king would needs have them upon some politic conArticles. sideration to go forward, yet Cranmer so handled himself as well in the parliament house, as afterwards by writing, so obediently and with such humble behaviour in words towards his prince, protesting the cause not to be his, but Almighty God's, who was the Author of all truth, that the king did not only well like his defence (willing him to depart out of the parliament house, into the council chamber, whilst the act should pass and be granted, for safeguard of his conscience; which he with humble protestation refused, hoping that his majesty in process of time would revoke them again), but also, after the parliament was finished, the king, perceiving the zealous affection that the archbishop bare towards the defence of his cause, which many ways by scriptures and manifold authorities and reasons he had substantially confirmed and defended, sent the lord Cromwell, then vicegerent, with the two dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, and all the lords of the parliament, to dine with him at Lambeth;1 where it was declared by the vicegerent, and the two dukes, that it was the king's pleasure, that they all should in his highness's behalf, cherish, comfort, and animate him, as one that for his travail in that parliament had showed himself both greatly learned, and also discreet and wise: and therefore they willed him not to be discouraged for any thing that was passed contrary to his allegations. He most humbly thanked the king's majesty of his great goodness towards him, and them for all their pains, saying, "I hope in God, that hereafter my allegations and authorities shall take place to the glory of God and the commodity of the realm; in the mean time I will satisfy myself with the honourable consent of your honours, and the whole parliament."

Here is to be noted, that this man's stout and godly defence of the truth herein so bound the prince's conscience, that he would not permit the truth in that man to be clean overthrown with authority and power; and therefore this way God working in the prince's mind, a plain token was declared hereby, that all things were not so sincerely handled in the confirmation of the said Six Articles as they ought to have been; for else the prince might have had a just cause Example to have borne his great indignation towards the archbishop. Let us for eccle- that both the like stoutness may be perceived in all ecclesiastical siastical pray pastors. and learned men, where the truth ought to be defended, and also the

(1) Of this coming of the lord Cromwell and the two dukes to the archbishop read before, [vol. v. p. 265.-ED.]

pleasure

employ

lands.

like relenting and flexibility may take place in princes and noblemen, Mary. when they shall have occasion offered them to maintain the same, so A.D. that they utterly overwhelm not the truth by self-will, power, and 1556. authority. Now in the end this archbishop's constancy was such Cranmer towards God's cause, that he confirmed all his doings by bitter in disdeath in the fire, without respect of any worldly treasure or pleasure. about the And as touching his stoutness in his prince's cause, the contrary ing of resistance of the duke of Northumberland against him proved right chantry well his good mind that way; which chanced by reason that he would not consent unto the dissolving of chantries, until the king came of age, to the intent that they might then better serve to furnish his royal estate, than to have so great treasure consumed in his nonage: which his stoutness, joined with such simplicity, surely was thought to divers of the council a thing incredible: specially in such sort to contend with him, who was so accounted in this realm, as few or none would or durst gainstand him.

So dear was to him the cause of God and of his prince, that for the one he would not keep his conscience clogged, nor for the other lurk or hide his head. Otherwise (as it is said) his very enemies might easily entreat him in any cause reasonable; and such things as he granted, he did without any suspicion of upbraiding or meed1 therefor: so that he was altogether void of the vice of stubbornness, and rather culpable of overmuch facility and gentleness.

say:

gular patience of this archbishop.

“Not angry.”—Then followeth "Not angry." Surely if overmuch The sinpatience may be a vice, this man may seem peradventure to offend rather on this part than on the contrary. Albeit for all his doings I cannot for the most part, such was his mortification that way, that few we shall find in whom the saying of our Saviour Christ so much prevailed as with him, who would not only have a man to forgive his enemies, but also to pray for them: that lesson never went out of his memory. For it was known that he had many cruel enemies, not for his own deserts, but only for his religion's sake: and yet whatsoever he was that sought his hinderance, either in goods, estimation, or life, and upon conference would seem never so slenderly any thing to relent or excuse himself, he would both forget the offence committed, and also evermore afterwards friendly entertain him, and show such pleasure to him, as by any means possible he might perform or declare, insomuch that it came into a common proverb, "Do unto my lord of Canterbury displeasure, or a shrewd turn, and then you may be sure to have him your friend while he liveth." Of which his gentle disposition in abstaining from revengement, amongst many examples thereof, I will repeat here one :

between

popish

enemy.

It chanced an ignorant priest and parson in the north parts (the A story town is not now in remembrance, but he was a kinsman of one Cher- Cranmer sey, a grocer, dwelling within London, being one of those priests that and a use more to study at the ale-house, than in his chamber or in his priest his study), to sit on a time with his honest neighbours at the ale-house within his own parish, where was communication ministered in com- The railmendation of my lord Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury. This said ing of a parson, envying his name only for religion's sake, said to his neigh- priest bours, "What make you of him," quoth he, "he was but an hosteler, Cranmer.

(1) "Meed," reward or merit.-ED.

popish

against