Elizabeth. A.D. 1559. Then the lord bishop asked how the bishop was called, who sat next to Winchester in order. It was the bishop of Exeter, who, being inquired his mind herein, answered that he was none of them. Then the lord keeper asked the others, in order; and first Lincoln, who said he was of the same mind that Winchester was: and so likewise answered Lichfield and Coventry, Cole, and Chedsey. Then Chester, being asked his sentence, said, "My lords, I say not that I will not read it, if ye command us; but we ought not to do it: yet I desire your honours not so to take it, as though I would not have read it. I mean not so. Lord Keeper: "How say you to it, my lord of Carlisle?" Carlisle "If they should not read theirs this day, so that our writing may be last read, so am I contented that ours shall be first read." : Lord Keeper :-"So would ye make orders yourselves, and appoint that we should spend one day in hearing you." Then the abbot of Westminster was asked his mind; who said, "If it please your honours, I judge that my lords here stay most on this point, that they fear when they shall begin first, and the other answer thereupon, there shall be no time given to them to speak; which my lord misliketh.' Lord Keeper -"How can it otherwise be in talk appointed in such assembly and audience: think you that there can be continual answering one another? when should it after that sort have an end?" Lichfield and Coventry :-" It must be so in disputation, to seek out the truth.' Lord Keeper:-"But how say you, my lord abbot, are you of the mind it shall be read?" Abbot:-"Yea forsooth, my lord, I am very well pleased withal."-Harpsfield being inquired his mind, thought as the other did. Lord Keeper: :-"My lords, sith that ye are not willing, but refuse to read your writing after the order taken, we will break up and depart: and for that ye will not that we should hear you, you may perhaps shortly hear of us.” Thus have we declared the order and manner of this communica tion or conference at Westminster, between these two parties, wherein if any law or order were broken, judge, good reader, where the fault was; and consider withal what these papists be, from whom if ye take away their sword and authority, you see all their cunning, how soon it lieth in the dust; or else why would they not abide the trial of writing? Why would they, or durst they, not stand to the order agreed upon? Whether should we say ignorance or stubbornness to be in them more, or both together? who first being gently (as is said) and favourably required to keep the order appointed, they would not. Then being, secondly (as appeared by the lord keeper's words), pressed more earnestly, they neither regarding the authority, etc. of that place, nor their own reputation, nor the credit of the cause, utterly refused that to do. And finally, being again particularly every of them apart distinctly by name required to understand their opinions therein, they all, saving one (which was the abbot of Westminster, having some more consideration of order and his duty of obedience than the others), utterly and plainly denied to have their book read, some of them, as more earnestly than others, so also some others more undiscreetly and unreverently than others. Whereupon giving such example of disorder, stubbornness, and self-will, as hath not been seen and suffered in such an honourable assembly, being of the two estates of this realm, the nobility and the commons, besides the presence of the queen's majesty's most honourable privy council, the same assembly was dismissed, and the godly and most christian purpose of the queen's majesty made frustrate. And afterward, for the contempt so notoriously made, the bishops of Winchester and Lincoln, having most obstinately both disobeyed common authority, Elizabeth. and varied manifestly from their own order, and specially Lincoln, who A. D. showed more folly than the other, were condignly committed to the 1559. Tower of London, and the rest (saving the abbot of Westminster) Bishops stood bound to make daily their personal appearance before the commitcouncil, and not to depart the city of London and Westminster, until Tower. further order were taken with them for their disobedience and contempt. Besides the former protestation or libel written and exhibited by the protestants concerning the first question, there was also another like writing of the the said protestants made of the second question, but not published, which, if it come to our hand, we will likewise impart it unto thee. ted to the cast into As these bishops above named were committed to the Tower, so Bonner Bonner, bishop of London, about the same time was commanded to the Marthe Marshalsea, where he both in his blind bloody heresy, and also shalsea. in his deserved captivity, long remained, abiding the queen's plea sure. God's pleasure, I beseech him, so be wrought on that person, that the church of Christ's flock, if they can take or look for no goodness of that man to come, yet they may take of him and of others no more harm hereafter, than they have done already. We all beseech thee this, O Lord eternal, per Christum Dominum nostrum, Amen. About this time, at the beginning of the flourishing reign of queen Elizabeth, was a parliament summoned and holden at Westminster, wherein was much debating about matters touching religion, and great study on both parties employed, the one to retain still, the other to impugn, the doctrine and faction which before, in queen Mary's time, had been established. But especially here is to be noted, that though there lacked no industry on the papists' side, to hold fast that which they most cruelly from time to time had studied, and by all means practised to come by; yet, notwithstanding, such was the providence of God at that time, that for lack of the other bishops, whom the Lord had taken away by death a little before, the residue that there were left, could do the less; and in very need, God be praised there-for, did nothing at all, in effect: although yet notwithstanding there lacked in them neither will nor labour to do what they could, if their cruel ability there might have served. But, namely, amongst all others, not only the industrious courage of Dr. Story, but Dr. also his words in this parliament, are worthy to be known of pos- impudent terity; who, like a stout and furious champion of the pope's side, to words in declare himself how lusty he was, and what he had and would do in liament. his master's quarrel, shamed not openly, in the said parliament-house, to burst out into such an impudent sort of words, as was a wonder to all good ears to hear, and no less worthy of history. The sum of which his shameless talk was uttered to this effect: Story's the par words of First, beginning with himself, he declared, that whereas he was noted com- The monly abroad, and much complained of, to have been a great doer, and a setter Dr. Story forth of such religion, orders, and proceedings, as of his late sovereign that dead in the is, queen Mary, were set forth in this realm, he denied nothing the same; protesting moreover, that he therein had done nothing, but that both his conscience house. parlia ment Elizabeth, did lead him thereunto, and also his commission did as well then command him, as now also doth discharge him for the same, being no less ready now also to A.D. do the like, and more, in case he by this queen were authorized likewise, and 1559. commanded thereunto: 66 wherefore, as I see," saith he, "nothing to be ashamed of, so less I see to be sorry for;" but rather said, that he was sorry for this, because he had done no more than he did, and that in executing those laws, they had not been more vehement and severe. Wherein he said there was no default in him, but in them, whom he both oft and earnestly had exhorted to the same, being therefore not a little grieved with them, for that they laboured only about the young and little sprigs and twigs, while they should have stricken at the root, and clean have rooted it out, etc. And concerning his persecuting and burning them, he denied not, but that he was once at the burning of an ear-wig (for so he termed it) at Uxbridge,1 where he tossed a faggot at his face, as he was singing psalms. and set a wyn-bush of thorns under his feet, a little to prick him, with many other words of like effect. In the which words he named moreover sir Philip Hobby, and another knight of Kent, with such other of the richer and higher degree, whom his counsel was to pluck at, and bring them under coram, wherein (said he) if they had followed my advice, then had they done well and wisely. This, or much like, was the effect of the shameless and tyrannical excuse of himself, more meet to speak with the voice of a beast, than a man. Although in this parliament some diversity there was of judgment and opinion between parties, yet, notwithstanding, through the merciful goodness of the Lord, the true cause of the gospel had the upper hand, the papists' hope was frustrate, and their rage abated, the order and proceedings of king Edward's time concerning religion were revived again, the supremacy of the pope abolished, the articles and bloody statutes of queen Mary repealed; briefly, the furious fire-brands of cruel persecution, which had consumed so many poor men's bodies, were now extinct and quenched. Finally, the old bishops were deposed, for that they refused the oath in renouncing the pope, and not subscribing to the queen's just and lawful title: in whose rooms and places, first for cardinal Pole succeeded Dr. Matthew Parker, archbishop of Canterbury. In the place of Heath succeeded Dr. Young. Instead of Bonner, Edmund Grindall was bishop of London. For Hopton, Thirlby, Tonstall, Pates, Christopherson, Petow, Cotes, Morgan, Voysey, White, Oglethorpe, etc., were placed Dr. John Parkhurst in Norwich, Dr. Coxe in Ely, Jewell in Salisbury, Pilkinton in Durham, Dr. Sands in Worcester, master Downham in West-Chester, Bentham in Coventry and Lichfield, Davies in St. David's, Alley in Exeter, Horne in Winchester, Scory in Hereford, Best in Carlisle, Bullingham in Lincoln, Scambler in Peterborough, Barkley in Bath, Guest in Rochester, Barlow in Chichester, etc. (1) This martyr, burnt at Uxbridge, was master Denley. (2) Dr. Heath, formerly archbishop of York.-ED. (3) To this list might be added, Turberville, Watson, Bourne, and Poole.-ED. THE APPENDIX OF SUCH NOTES AND MATTERS, In the story of sir Roger Acton above mentioned, I find that with Appendix. him were taken many other persons, that all the prisons in and about London were replenished with people. The chief of them, which were twenty and nine, were condemned of heresy; and attainted of high treason, as movers of war against their king, by the temporal law in the Guildhall, the 12th day of December; and adjudged to be drawn and hanged for treason, and for heresy to be consumed with fire, gallows, and all: which judgment was executed in January following on the said sir Roger Acton, and twenty-eight others. Some say that the occasion of their death was the conveyance of the lord Cobham out of prison. Others write, that it was both for treason (as the adversaries termed it), and heresy. Certain affirm, that it was for feigned causes surmised by the spiritualty, more of displeasure than truth, as seemeth more near to the truth. CONCERNING JOHN FRITH, OF HIS LIFE AND STORY THIS First, this John Frith was born in the town of Westerham in Kent, who after, by diligent espials was taken in Essex, flying beyond the seas, and brought before the council, sir Thomas More then being chancellor; and so from them committed unto the Tower, where he remained prisoner the space of a quarter of a year, or thereabout. It chanced that Dr. Currein, ordinary chaplain unto king Henry the eighth, preached a sermon in Lent before his majesty: and there, very sore inveighing against the sacramentaries (as they them termed and named), which favoured not the gross opinion that Christ's body was carnally real in the sacrament, he so far discoursed in that matter, that at the length he brake out thus far and said, "It is no marvel though this abominable heresy do much prevail amongst us; for there is one now, in the Tower of London, so bold as to write in the defence of that heresy, and yet no man goeth about his reformation :" meaning John Frith, who then had answered sir Thomas More in writing against a confutation of that erroneous opinion, which of late, before, the said master More had written against John Frith's assertion in that hehalf. This sermon of purpose was devised and appointed by the bishop of Winchester and others, to seek the destruction of Frith, by putting the king in remembrance that the said Frith was in the Tower there staid, rather for his safeguard Appendix. than for his punishment, by such as favoured him; as the lord Cromwell, who, being vicegerent in causes ecclesiastical, came then into suspicion there-for: for in such sort was the matter handled before the king, that all men might well understand what they meant. The king then, being in no point resolved of the true and sincere understanding of the doctrine of that article, but rather a perverse stout adversary to the contrary, called to him my lord of Canterbury and my lord Cromwell, and willed them forthwith to call Frith unto examination, so that he might either be compelled to recant, or else by the law, to suffer condign punishment. Frith's long protract in the Tower without examination, was so heinously taken of the king, that now my lord of Canterbury, with other bishops (as Stokesley then bishop of London, and other learned men), were undelayedly appointed to examine Frith. And for that there should be no concourse of citizens at the said examination, my lord of Canterbury removed to Croydon, unto whom resorted the rest of the commissioners. Now, before the day of execution appointed, my lord of Canterbury sent one of his gentlemen, and one of his porters, whose name was Perlebeane, a Welshman born, to fetch John Frith from the Tower unto Croydon. This gentleman had both my lord's letters and the king's ring unto my lord Fitzwilliam, constable of the Tower, then lying in Cannon-row at Westminster in extreme anguish and pain of the strangury, for the delivery of the prisoner. Master Fitzwilliam, more passionate than patient, understanding for what purpose my lord's gentleman was come, banned and cursed Frith and all other heretics, saying, “ Take this my ring unto the lieutenant of the Tower, and receive your man your heretic with you; and I am glad that I am rid of him." When Frith was delivered unto my lord of Canterbury's gentleman (they twain, with Perlebeane, sitting in a wherry, and rowing towards Lambeth), the said gentleman, much lamenting in his mind the infelicity of the said Frith, began in this wise: He exhorted him to consider in what estate he was, a man altogether cast away in the world, if he did not look wisely to himself. And yet, though his cause were never so dangerous, he might somewhat (in relenting to authority and so giving place for a time) help both himself out of the trouble, and when opportunity and occasion should serve, prefer his cause which he then went about to defend declaring further, that he had many well-willers and friends, which would stand on his side so far forth as possibly they were able and durst do; adding hereunto, that it were great pity that he, being of such singular knowledge both in the Latin and Greek, and both ready and ripe in all kind of learning, and that namely as well in the Scriptures, as in the ancient doctors, should now suddenly suffer all those singular gifts to perish with him, with little commodity or profit to the world, and less comfort to his wife and children, and other his kinsfolk and friends. "And as for the verity of your opinion in the sacrament of the body and blood of our Saviour Christ, it is so untimely opened here among us in England, that you shall rather do harm than good: wherefore be wise, and be ruled by good counsel, until a better opportunity may serve." "This I am sure of," quoth the gentleman, "that my lord Cromwell, and my lord of Canterbury, much favouring you, and knowing you to be an eloquent learned young man, and now towards the felicity of your life, young in years, old in knowledge, and of great forwardness and likelihood to be a most profitable member of this realm, will never permit you to sustain any open shame, if you will somewhat be advised by their counsel. On the other side, if you stand stiff to your opinion, it is not possible to save your life for like as you have good friends, so have you mortal foes and enemies." |