66 66 66 VIII. Anno 1553. “erint, in voti sui alias emissi violationem, animarum suarum CHAP. detrimentum, ac aliorum Christi fidelium exemplum longe perniciosum, in Christi ecclesia non ferendum; unde pro officii nostri debito, et tantorum scelerum ab ecclesia Christi "eliminatione penitus eradicandum, &c. juxta illustrissimæ “Dominæ nostræ Reginæ monitionis in ac parte continentiam procedere volentes, &c." The citation was returned by the apparitor: who declared, that he found and personally cited Richard Marsh and John Turnor, and that he affixed the citation of the rest on the church-doors belonging to the respective rectors, on March 8. And no wonder the apparitor met with no more of them, some being fled, and some in prison, and some already violently turned out of their churches and gone. On March 16, according to the citation, Marsh and Turnor made their personal appearance, and were sworn to make true answer to such interrogatories as should be put to them. What those interrogatories were, I shall set down by and by. These persons confessed, that they made profession of religious vows; and, after holy orders, were married, and lived with their wives. Hereupon sentence was denounced against them, to prohibit them to officiate, and to suspend them from the profits of their benefices; and, on Monday following, to appear again to receive further sentence of deprivation, divorce, &c. John Eliot, schoolmaster, it seems, submitted to penance: for he was not presently thrust out of of his school, but enjoined not to teach his scholars matins, psalter, or the like, in English, but in Latin; so as they might be able to answer the priest that officiated. The rest, that appeared not, were declared contumacious; and to be proceeded against, on Monday following, by deprivation, &c. The interrogatories ministered unto these men, and to be Interroga ministered to all other married priests, were these: tories for the married I. An fuit religiosus: cujus ordinis; et in quo monasterio clergy. sive domo. II. An fuit promotus ad sacros ordines, dum fuit in monas terio. III. In quo et quibus sacris: et an ministravit in altaris ministerio; et quot annis. BOOK Auno 1553. IV. An citra professionem regularem conjunxit se mulieri sub appellatione matrimonii. V. Cum qua: et in qua ecclesia fuit solemnizatio matrimonii; et per quem. 327 VI. Quam duxit, eratne soluta, an vidua. Turnor's Ex Regist. VII. An cohabitavit cum ea in una et eadem domo, ut vir cum uxore. VIII. An prolem vel proles ex ea sustentaverit, necne. IX. An post et citra matrimonii hujusmodi solemnizationem, assecutus fuit, et est, beneficium ecclesiasticum, habens curam animarum, et quot annis illud obtinuit. X. An officium sacerdotis post et citra assertum matrimonium hujusmodi contractum, in altaris ministerio se immiscuit, et sacramentis et sacramentalibus ministrandis se ingessit. XI. An præmissa omnia et singula fuerunt et sunt vera. According to these articles, the confessions of Marsh, Turnor, and Eliot, are registered at large. On Monday, March 19, sentence was pronounced against Marsh and Turnor. 1. Of deprivation from their benefices. 2. Of suspension from their priestly function. 3. Of inhibition to cohabit with their wives. 4. Of nulling and voiding the pretended bond of matrimony; and, 5. of declaration of further punishments, according to the canons of the church. And, March 20, the like sentence was pronounced against the rest that did not appear. Next, the sentence of divorce against John Turnor and his wife was pronounced: and he was ordered to do penance on May 14, 1554, in his late parish-church of East-cheap, by holding a burning wax taper, and making a solemn confession openly and distinctly, with a loud voice, standing in the body of the church, before the face of the people, in these words following: "Good people, I am come hither, at this present time, to confession. " declare unto you my sorrowful and penitent heart, for Eccl. Caut. "that, being a priest, I have presumed to marry one Amy German, widow; and, under pretence of that matrimony, contrary to the canons and custom of the universal church, have kept her as my wife, and lived contrary to the canons "and ordinances of the church, and to the evil example of 66 66 66 VIII. Anno 1553. good christen people: whereby now, being ashamed of CHAP. "my former wicked living here, I ask almighty God mercy "and forgiveness, and the whole church; and am sorry " and penitent even from the bottom of my heart therefore. “And in token hereof, I am here, as you see, to declare "and shew unto you this my repentance; that before God, on the latter day, you may testify with me of the same. "And I most heartily and humbly pray and desire you all, "whom by this evil example doing I have greatly offended, "that for your part you will forgive me, and remember me “in your prayers, that God may give me grace, that here"after I may live a continent life, according to his laws, " and the godly ordinances of our mother the holy catholick church, through and by his grace. And do here before "you all openly promise for to do, during my life." The manner of the restitution of these priests, thus performing their penance, may be seen in the Appendix. 66 No. LXXV. married London, And this is some account of the church of Canterbury's Boner dedoings, in pursuance of the Queen's instructions before prives the mentioned. But Bishop Boner, with his zeal, was before- clergy in hand with the Queen; not staying for any orders from without' above in dealing with his clergy; but of his own power, in order. the latter end of February, deprived all married priests, in 329 his diocese in London, from their livings. And, after this done, commanded them all to bring their wives within a fortnight, that they might be divorced from them. ries in Can These were some of the doings with the married priests in Married London. And in the same manner did they proceed about prebendathis time in Canterbury with Edmund Cranmer, the Arch-terbury proceeded bishop's brother, Archdeacon and Prebendary of that church; together with William Willoughby, William Devenish, and Robert Goldson, Prebendaries; and divers others. For March 15, at the chapter-house in Canterbury, before Henry Harvey, LL. D. Vicar-general; Richard Bishop of Dover, Subdean; Richard Parkhurst and John Mills, Prebendaries of the said church; personally appeared the said Archdeacon and Prebendaries; Thomas Brook and Thomas Stevens, preachers; and Sherland and Goodrick, petty canons of the said church: who all subscribed with their own hands to a confession of certain articles exhibited against III. BOOK them, touching their being married. And, being asked what they could say why they should not be suspended and Anno 1553. deprived for the said pretended marriages, they gave Edmund Reg. Eccl. The in these pro 66 this answer, as it is set down in the register of that church; Se nihil habere dicendum, &c. "That they had nothing to say "that might be profitable for them; the ecclesiastical law, "and the decrees of the holy fathers, standing in their full "force: but, by the law of God, they thought they had lawfully married their wives; and, being married, might "not forsake them with a safe conscience." Then sentence of suspension from priestly function, sequestration, deprivation, and prohibition to live with their wives, was pronounced. It is registered, "that they aquiesced in these "sentences against them; no one of them appealing, but "all remaining silent." This is the account of the good Archbishop's brother, his manner of deprivation, and his peaceable behaviour under it. Thus he was deprived of his prebend, and one Robert Collins was admitted into the same: of his rectory of Ickham, and Robert Marsh succeeded him there, April 12, 1554 and of his archdeaconry, and Nicolas Harpsfield was admitted thereunto. Who at the same time entered into obligation to pay, out of the profits of the said archdeaconry, unto William Warham, late Archdeacon, during his life, a yearly pension of forty pounds sterling, March 31, 1554. But some of the church then appeared not, being either fled, or in prison; and those were pronounced contumacious, viz. John Joseph, Peter Alexander, and Bernard Ochin, prebendaries; Lancelot Ridley, Richard Turner, Thomas Becon, and Richard Besely, preachers. These doings in all quarters of the realm raised great justice of admiration among the people, upon divers and sundry conceedings. siderations, incident and depending upon such proceedings: since these marriages were no more than what were agreeable to the laws of the land. So that these married preachers, in marrying themselves, were no transgressors of the law: and yet underwent as great punishments, as though they were so in some high degree. And the proceedings seemed contrary even to the Queen's commission, comprised in cer330 tain articles (before mentioned) to her bishops: which was, VIII. "That they should proceed, according to learning and dis- CHAP. "cretion, in these weighty matters, and that they should "not put any other canons and constitutions of the church Anno 1553. "in exercise, than such as might stand with the law of the "realm." Yet they went in most places both against learning and discretion, and the laws of the land. book Marriage. For the bringing this to pass, they first possessed the Queen Martin's with great prejudices against these marriages. They cried against in her ears, how uncomely these copulations were; how Priests' against God and his honour; how against the church's decrees and discipline; and how worthy to be dissolved again. And when they had obtained their ends with the Queen, and gotten out her letter and instructions for that purpose, and by warrant thereof executed their purposes; then, for the giving a better countenance to a thing that looked so odious, and had so much severity in it, to the ruining of so many thousand families, books were thought fit to be published; the purpose of which was, to make married priests contemptible, and to shew how unlawful and wicked marriage was in men of holy orders. Dr. Thomas Martin's book made the greatest noise; a book writ with a brow of brass, so did it abound with confident untruths and falsehoods. And, to the further accumulation of the heavy state of the ministers deprived, were added in this book most slanderous accusations, and untrue matters surmised against them to the Queen and realm. The author greatly pretended antiquity and authority all along for his doctrine: whereas indeed it was nothing but counterfeited imitation of authority, and belying antiquity. And, in short, (to give you the sense of ones who wrote against the book, and did sufficiently expose it,) "it was mere subtilty without "substance, wit without wisdom, zeal without knowledge, " and heat without charity." To give but one instance of the unfair and false dealing of the author, he saith, in his book, "that the hereticks affirmed, that all priests and bishops must of necessity marry, whether they have the "gift of sole life, or no; and that they were so beastly and “ignorant, that they should teach that the fellowship and 66 g Supposed to be Bishop Ponet. |