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III.

BOOK thought convenient to be laid upon the hereticks. With these general letters there seemed to go private instructions Anno 1554. what particular men were to be set up: : for, upon the aforesaid letter, the Earl of Sussex sent a letter, October 14, to Sir Tho. Woodhouse, high sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, and to Sir William Woodhouse, about the elections of knights of those shires; viz. "That they should reserve their "interests and voices for such as he should name, and that "he would soon consult with them about the matter." He then, in pursuit of the Queen's letter, recommended to the bailiff of Yarmouth, John Millicent, to be elected burgess for that town. This parliament sate November 11.

Pole comes

over.

Cardinal Pole was this summer brought to Flanders by the Emperor, who had stayed him before on the way. The Queen sent over the Lord Paget and the Lord Hastings to the Cardinal to conduct him over, in quality of the Pope's legate. And the same day he landed at Dover, (which was November 21,) the bill passed for the taking off his attainder. Three days after he came to London, and so to Lambethhouse which was ready prepared for his coming. Cardinal Pole, before he came into England, and in the last reign, had the reputation here ordinarily of a virtuous, sober, and learned man; and was much beloved by the English nation, as well for his qualities, as his honourable extraction. Latimer, in one of his sermons before King Edward, hath these words of him: "I never remember that man, (speaking of Pole,) but I remember him with a heavy heart; a witty

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man, a learned man, a man of a noble house: so in favour, that, if he had tarried in the realm, and would have con"formed himself to the King's proceedings, I heard say, " and I believe it verily, he had been Bishop of York at this day. And he would have done much good in that part "of the realm: for those quarters have always had need of 345" learned men, and a preaching prelate." One great author the Cardinal much conversed in was, St. Hierom. Latimer wished that he would have followed St. Hierom in his ex

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position of that place, Come out of her, my people: where "that father understood it of Rome, and called that city, "The purple whore of Babylon. Almighty God saith, Get "you from it; get you from Rome, saith Hierom. It were

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(subjoined Latimer) more commendable to go from it, than CHAP. "to go to it, as Pole hath done."

XII.

Anno 1554.

The Car

liament and

Soon after his return into England, he was mighty busy in reconciling the realm to the Pope. He performed it in dinal abhis own person to the parliament, on the thirtieth of No- solves parvember, with much solemnity; and to the convocation on convocathe sixth of December. On which day, the parliament be- tion. ing dissolved, he, the Lord Legate, sent for the whole convocation of upper and lower House to Lambeth: and there he absolved them all from their perjuries, schisms, and heresies. Which absolution they received upon their knees. Then he gave them an exhortation, and congratulated their conversion and so they departed.

upon the

January 23, upon the dismission of the convocation, the The clergy bishops and inferior clergy waited again upon the Legate at again wait Lambeth. Where he willed them all to repair to their Legate. cures and charges, and exhorted them to entreat their flocks with all mildness, and to endeavour to win them by gentleness, rather than by extremity and rigour and so let them depart.

heretics.

January 28, he granted a commission to the Bishop of A commission grantWinchester, and divers other bishops, to sit upon, and judge ed by hin. according to the laws lately revived against hereticks, all against such ministers and others that were in prison for heresy: which was done undoubtedly to take off all the eminentest of the Protestant clergy, then in hold. And the very same day (such haste they made) they sat in commission, in St. Mary Overies church, upon Rogers, Hoper, and Cardmaker. And, the next to that, upon Hoper and Rogers again, upon Taylor also, and Bradford; when the two former were formally excommunicated. The day following they sat upon Taylor and Bradford again: to which were added Ferrar, Crome, and Saunders. Then they excommunicated Bradford and Saunders.

missionst

But, that this reconciliation to the Pope and church of His comRome might sound the louder in all parts and corners of the all the bination, and all persons every where might make their formal shops, to submissions to the Pope, and thankfully take the mighty their diobenefit of his yoke upon them again, the Legate was not ceses. contented to reconcile the nation himself under their re

reconcile

III.

BOOK presentatives in the parliament and convocation: but, upon pretence that he could not, in his own person, pardon and Anno 1554. reconcile all the people, therefore he granted out a commission to each bishop, in his own diocese, to do it to their respective clergy and laity, deputed in his name, and by his authority derived from the Pope.

The com

mission to

the Dean

and Chap

terbury.

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Such a commission he granted, February 8, to the Dean and Chapter of Canterbury, that see being then held vacant: "Therein authorizing them to absolve all manner of persons, ter of Can- as well lay as ecclesiasticks, religious as secular, from "their schism, heresies, and errors, and from all censures due 346" thereupon. And to dispense with the clergy upon divers irregularities as with such who had received orders "from schismatical bishops, or had been collated into their livings by them. To dispense also with the religious and regulars for departing from their cloisters without the Pope's licence, permitting them to wear the habit of priests, and to serve cures, considering the scarcity of priests, and to live out of their cloisters. Also, to dispense with priests that had married wives, though they were widows, or women defiled, and with such who had "been twice married, doing penance and forsaking their "wives. Allowing them to minister at the altar, and to "serve cures, provided it were out of the dioceses where they were married. The said bishops, by this commission, "were also empowered to grant, to fit rectors and curates, "a power to reconcile and absolve their respective parishes." No. LXXX. This commission I have placed in the Appendix, as it was transcribed out of the register of the church of Canterbury.

The Le

gate's in

structions

to the bishops.

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The Lord Legate also, for the better discharging of this his mighty office, gave out his instructions how the bishops and officials of the vacant sees should perform this work of the reconciliation, deputed to them by the said Legate: together with the form of absolution to be pronounced. Which instructions and form, as they were extracted from the said Numb. register, may be found in the Appendix. Each bishop was to call before him the clergy of his respective city, and to instruct them in divers things: as, concerning the Pope's fatherly love and charity towards the English nation, in sending Cardinal Pole his legate hither, as soon as he knew

LXXXI.

XII.

the Lady Mary was declared Queen, to bring this kingdom, CHAP. so long separated from the catholick church, into union with it, and to comfort and restore them to the grace of Anno 1554. God: concerning the joyful coming of the said Legate; concerning what was done the last parliament, when the Lords and Commons were reconciled; and concerning the repealing of all the laws made against the authority of the Roman see by the two last Kings, and restoring obedience to the Pope and church of Rome: concerning the authority restored likewise to the bishops; especially, that they might proceed against hereticks and schismaticks. Then the bishops were to acquaint their clergy with the faculties yielded to them by the Legate which were to be read openly. Then all that were lapsed into error and schism were to be invited humbly to crave absolution and reconciliation, and dispensations as well for their orders, as for their benefices. Next, a day was fixed when the clergy were to appear, and petition for the said absolutions and dispensations. On which day, after they had confessed their errors, and sacramentally promised that they would make confession of the same to the bishop himself, or some other catholick priests, and to perform the penance that should be enjoined them; then the bishop was to reconcile them, and to dispense with their irregularities: always observing a distinction between those that only fell into schism and error, and those who were the teachers of them, and leaders of others into sin. The same time was to be appointed another day for a solemn festival; wherein the bishops and curates, in their churches, should signify to the people all that the bishops 347 before had spoken to their clergy; and then should invite them all to confess their errors, and to return into the bosom of the church: promising them, that all their past crimes should be forgiven, if so be they repented of them, and renounced them. And a certain term was to be fixed, namely, the whole octaves of Easter, within which term all should come and be reconciled. But, the time to be reconciled in being lapsed, all that remained unreconciled, as also all that returned to their vomit after they had been reconciled, were to be most severely proceeded against. The said bishops and officials (where any sees were vacant) k k

VOL. 1.

III.

BOOK were to name and depute the rectors of the parish-churches, and other fit persons, who should absolve the laity of their Anno 1554. parishes from heresy, and schism, and censures, according to a form to be given them by the bishops.

Pole a se

vere perSecutor.

The bishops, and officials, and curates were to have each a book; in which were to be writ the names and parishes of all that were reconciled: that it might afterwards be known who were reconciled, and who were not.

After the octave of Easter was past, the bishops were to visit, first their cities, and then their dioceses; and to summon before them all such as had not been reconciled; and to know of them the cause why they would not depart from their errors: and, remaining obstinate in them, they were to proceed against them.

In this visitation all the clergy were to be required to shew the titles of their orders and benefices; and notice was to be taken if any defect were therein. And now the bishops were to take care to root out any errors in their dioceses, and to depute fit persons to make sermons, and hear confessions. They were also to take care to have the sacred canons observed; and to have inserted into the books of service the name of St. Thomas the martyr, and of the Pope, formerly blotted out: and to pray for the Pope, according as it was used before the schism.

They were advised to insist much upon the great miseries we were in before, and the great grace that God now had shewed to this people: exhorting them to acknowledge these mercies, and devoutly to pray for the King and Queen, that had deserved so exceedingly well of this kingdom; and especially to pray for a happy offspring from the Queen.

In these instructions there are several strictures, that make it appear Pole was not so gentle towards the hereticks (as) the professors of the Gospel were then styled) as is reported, but rather the contrary; and that he went hand in hand with the bloody bishops of these days. For it is plain here, that he put the bishops upon proceeding with them according to the sanguinary laws, lately revived, and put in full force and virtue. What an invention was that of his, a kind of inquisition by him set up, whereby not a man

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