BOOK Anno 1550. 218 Holds Wor cester in commendam. 3. Concerning the Lord's 1. Whether they can say the petitions by heart. 2. How they know it to be the Lord's Prayer. 3. Where it is written. Which demands, how easy soever they were, many curates and priests (such was the ignorance of those days) could say but little to. Some could say the Pater Noster in Latin, but not in English. Few could say the Ten Commandments. Few could prove the Articles of faith by Scripture that was out of their way. The memory of such as have been greatly useful in the church or state ought religiously to be preserved. Of this number was this Bishop, who, as he was naturally an active man, put forth all his strength and vigour of body and mind to set forward a good reformation in religion, and afterwards as courageously shed his blood for it. Therefore I cannot part with this good prelate till I have gathered up and reposited here some further memorials of him. The diocese of Worcester becoming void by the deprivation of Hethe in October 1551, and requiring an industrious man to be set over that see, it was given to Hoper to hold in commendam. In the year 1552, in July, he visited that diocese, which he found much out of order. But before he had finished, he was fain to go back to Glocester, hearing of the ungodly behaviour of the ministers there. He left them the last year seemingly very compliant to be reformed, and took their subscription to his articles of religion. But in his absence, when his back was turned, they became as bad altogether as they were before. Yet he conceived good hopes of the lay-people, if they had but good justices and faithful ministers placed among them, as he wrote to Secretary Cecyl: to whom he signified his desire that the Articles of religion, which the King had mentioned to him when last at London, were set forth. Them he intended to make the clergy not only subscribe, (which, being privately done, he saw they regarded not,) but to read and confess them openly before heir parishioners. At his visitation he constituted certain of his clergy superintendants, who in his absence were to CHAP. have a constant eye over the inferior clergy. XVIII. And visits After this visit to Glocester, he returned back again to Anno 1550. Worcester in October, and then proceeded in his visitation that church there. Here Johnson and Jolliff, two canons of this church, and see. disallowing some doctrines recommended to them by the Bishop, (in his articles abovesaid,) held a dispute thereupon with him and Mr. Harley, (who was afterward Bishop of Hereford.) And one of these behaved himself most insolently and disrespectfully to both. The Bishop sent up by Harley a large relation of his visitation in writing, and the matter these canons misliked, and recommended Harley to the Secretary to give account of the disputation. This caused him to break out into a complaint for want of good men in the cathedrals: "Ah! Mr. Secretary, that there were good men in the cathedral churches! God then "should have much more honour than he hath, the King's Majesty more obedience, and the poor people better knowledge: but the realm wanteth light in such churches, "whereas of right it ought most to be." In Worcester church he now put in execution the King's Injunctions for the removal of superstition: for which there arose a great clamour against him, as though he had spoiled the church; and yet he did no more than the express words of the 219 Injunctions commanded to be done. 66 66 66 both his After his visitation was over, he accounted not his work Goes over done; but soon went over both his dioceses again, to take dioceses account of his clergy, how they profited since his last exa- again. mining them; and to oversee even his superintendants themselves, to commend their well-doings, and to see what was ill done. So great was his pains and zeal; which made him most truly and experimentally write as he did to the Secretary: There is none that eat their bread in the sweat of their face, but such as serve in public vocation. Yours is wonderful, but mine passeth. Now I perceive that private labours be but plays, nor private troubles but ease and quietness. These matters I extract from two original letters of this Bishop to Secretary Cecyl; which I have Num. thought well worthy of preserving in the Appendix; and XLVIII. there they may be met with. BOOK Whereas it was mentioned before, how the Bishop had sent up a writing of the matters in controversy between the Anno 1550. two canons and himself, we may see what care the council The coun the two ca Council cil's order took hereof, and what countenance they gave the Bishop, concerning by an order they made November 6, 1552. Which was, nons. MS. that a letter should be wrote to Mr. Cheke and Mr. Harley, to consider certain books sent unto them touching matters of religion in controversy between the Bishop of Worcester and two of the canons of Worcester, and to certify their opinion hither, that further order may be therein taken. Book. License for the Bishop ter to at tend upon the Du Somerset in January 29, 1551. Upon suit made by the Duchess of of Glouces- Somerset to Sir Philip Hobby, and Mr. Darcy, Lieutenant of the Tower, to be a mean unto the King's Majesty, and my Lords, that the Bishop of Glocester (who had been chess of Chaplain unto the Duke) might be suffered to have access the Tower. unto her for the settling of her conscience; order was by their Lordships taken for the same, and a letter written to the Lieutenant of the Tower in that behalf, as followeth : "To the Lieutenant of the Tower, to permit the Bishop of "Glocester, from time to time, to speak with the Duchess "of Somerset, in the presence of Sir Philip Hobby, and of "the said Lieutenant: and in case the said Lady of So"merset desire to speak with the said Bishop apart, that "in that case they license her so to do. Other mat to this Bishop. 66 66 May 29, 1552. A warrant to make a book to the elect ters relating Bishop of Worcester and Glocester, of discharge of the "first fruits and tenths to be paid for the same, in consi“deration that he hath departed with certain lands to the King's Majesty which probably he seeing would, whe"ther he would or no, be pulled away from him, to be con"ferred upon some of the mighty of the court, made the "best of a bad market, and got himself freed from that charge, payable to the King. 66 66 66 April 12, 1553. A letter was wrote to the Chancellor "of the Augmentations, to cause a book to be made from "the Bishop of Worcester and Glocester, of a surrender "to the King's Majesty of his jurisdiction in the forest of “Dean, with a certain deanery, which of right belongeth "to the bishoprick of Hereford: and thereupon to make "another book of the grant thereof from his Highness to CHAP. "Mr. Harley, elect Bishop of Hereford. 66 XVIII. April 16, 1553. A letter to the Chancellor of the Aug- Anno 1550. ❝mentations, to cause a book to be devised in form of law, 220 "licensing the Bishop of Worcester and Glocester to give "to three poor vicarages in his diocese, the parsonages “whereof are impropriated to his bishoprick, such aug❝mentation of living towards their better maintenance, as " he shall think convenient, out of the lands of the said see. April 25, 1553. A warrant to the receiver of the wards, "to deliver to the Bishop of Worcester, by way of reward, "twenty pounds for his attendance here ever since the par"liament by his Majesty's commandment. These are tran66 scriptions out of a council-book." 66 CHAP. XIX, Troubles of Bishop Gardiner. IN this year 1550, the council and our Archbishop had much trouble with some other bishops also, of a quite different judgment from the above spoken of; I mean Gardiner Bishop of Winchester, Nicolas Bishop of Worcester, and Day Bishop of Chichester: of whom what I shall here briefly set down are for the most part extractions out of an old council-book, and King Edward's Journal. 66 At Greenwich, June 8, was this order of council con- Divers cerning Bishop Gardiner; Considering the long impri- great Lords repair to “sonment that the Bishop of Winchester hath sustained, Gardiner. "it was now thought time he should be spoken withal; "and agreed, that if he repented his former obstinacy, and "would henceforth apply himself to advance the King's 66 Majesty's proceedings, his Highness in this case would be "his good lord, and remit all his errors past: otherwise his "Majesty was resolved to proceed against him as his obsti"nacy and contempt required. For the declaration where"of, the Duke of Somerset, the Lord Treasurer, the Lord "Privy Seal, the Lord great Chamberlain, and Mr. Secre II. BOOK "tary Petre, were appointed the next day [i. e. June 9.] to repair unto him. Signed by E. Somerset, T. Cant. W. Anno 1550." Wilts, J. Bedford, E. Clynton, T. Ely, A. Wyngfeld, W. "Herbert, W. Petre, Edw. North." Accordingly, June 9, the Duke of Somerset, the Marquis of Northampton, the Lord Treasurer, the Earl of Bedford, and Secretary Petre, went to the Bishop of Winchester to know what he would stick to; whether to conform to and promote the King's laws, or no? He answered, "That he would obey and set forth all "things set forth by the King and parliament: and if he were "troubled in conscience, he would reveal it to the council, "and not reason openly against it." And then he desired to see the King's book of proceedings. At Greenwich, June 10, report was made by the Duke of Somerset and the rest, sent to the Bishop of Winchester, that he desired to see the said book. The next day were the books sent to him, and delivered to him by the Lieutenant of the Tower, as the council appointed, to see if he would set his hand to them, and promise to set them forth to the people. At Greenwich, June 13, the Lieutenant of the Tower declared unto the 221 council, that the Bishop, having perused the books of the proceedings, said unto him, He could make no direct answer, unless he were at liberty, and so being, he would say his conscience. On the 14th day the Duke of Somerset, and five more of the council, again repaired to the Bishop, to whom he made this answer; "I have deliberately seen the "Book of Common Prayer. Although I would not have "made it so myself, yet I find such things in it as satisfy The coun cil's pro ceedings with him. 66 my conscience and therefore I will both execute it my"self, and also see others my parishioners to do it." And this the counsellors testified under their hands as his saying. July the 9th, there were certain articles drawn up, signed by King and council, for the Bishop to subscribe; which contained the confession of his fault; the supremacy of the King and his successors; the establishing of holy-days, or dispensing with them to be in the King; the service-book to be godly and Christian; the acknowledgment of the King to be supreme head, and to submit to him and his laws under age; the abolishing the six Articles; and the King's power of correcting and reforming the church. These |