III. 66 66 66 BOOK Archbishop Parker and the other bishops; that they would among themselves raise and repay that sum, which the said Anno 1555. Bailiffs were out of purse in feeding of these three reverend fathers. In which petition they set forth, "That, in the "second and third years of King Philip and Queen Mary, Archbishop Cranmer, Bishop Latimer, and Bishop Ridley, were by order of council committed to the custody of them, and so continued a certain time; and for them they "disbursed the sum of 631. 108. 2d: whereof but 201. "was paid to them. Therefore they pray his Grace, and "the rest of the bishops, to be a means among themselves "that the remaining sum may be paid to them, being 431. ❝ 10s. 2d; or some part thereof: otherwise they, and "their poor wives and children, should be utterly undone." And, to give the better countenance to these men, that were going to carry up their petition, Laurence Humfrey, President of Magdalen College, and the Queen's professor, wrote this letter on their behalf to Archbishop Parker. Humfrey to 66 JEH. My humble commendations presupposed in the Lord. "To be a suitor in another man's case, it seemeth boldness; their behalf. «‹ and, in a matter of money, to write to your Grace, is more Exbiblioth. than sauciness: yet charity, operiens multitudinem pecca"torum, doth move me, and will persuade you to hear him. "A debt is due unto him for the table of Mr. Dr. Cranmer, C. C. C. C. 66 by the Queen's Majesties appointment. And Mr. Secretary "in Oxford wished him, at that time of business in progress, "to make some motion to the bishops for some relief. The "case is miserable. The debt is just. His charges in the "suit have been great. His honesty, I assure your Grace, "deserves pitiful consideration. And for that my Lord of "Sarum writeth to me, as here, in Oxford, he promised that "his part shall not be behind, what order soever it please my "lords to take for the dispatch of the same. I request "your Grace, as successor to that right reverend father, and "chief patron of such poor suitors, to make, by your good means, some collection for him among the rest of my "lords the bishops; that his good will, shewed to that worthy martyr, may of you be considered: and so he 66 66 XXI. "bound to your goodness, of his part altogether unde- CHA P. "served. Thus recommending the common cause of re"formation to you; and myself, and this poor man to your 66 66 good remembrance, I leave to trouble you. Requesting you once again to hear him, and tender his cause even of charity for God his sake: to whose protection I com"mend your Grace. From Oxon, November 22, anno 1566. "Your Grace's humble orator, Laur. Humfrey." Anno 1555. Though I cannot trace this any further, yet I make no doubt this petition was favourably received with the Archbishop and Bishops. It seems, in Cranmer's life-time, money 394 was sent to Oxford for the sustentation of these prisoners of Christ, but embezzled. For one W. Pantry of Oxford received forty pounds at Mr. Stonelye's hand for my Lord Cranmer, and the other two in like case. This was declared by the Bailiffs to Thomas Doyley, Esquire, steward to Archbishop Parker. CHAP. XXII. Cranmer's Books and Writings. HAVING brought our history of this singular and extraordinary light of the church to this period, we will, before we take our leave of him, gather up some few fragments more thinking it pity that any thing should be lost that may either serve to communicate any knowledge of him to posterity, or to clear and vindicate him from aspersions or misrepresentations, vulgarly conceived of him. And here will fall under our consideration, first, his books and writings; after them, his acquaintance with learned men, and his favour to them and learning: then, some matters relating to his family and officers: and, lastly, we shall conclude with some observations upon him. For the pen of this great divine was not idle, being em- His books ployed, as earnestly as his authority and influence, for the and writ ings. III. BOOK furtherance of religion, and rescue of this church from popish superstition and foreign jurisdiction. He laid a solid foundation in learning by his long and serious studies in the university to which he was much addicted. Insomuch that this was one of the causes which made him so labour, by the interest of his friends with King Henry, to be excused from taking the archbishoprick of Canterbury; because this promotion would so much interrupt his beloved studies: desiring rather some smaller living, that he might more quietly follow his book. And as he had been an hard student, so he was a very great writer; both in respect of the number of books and treatises he compiled, as of the learning, judgment, and moment of them. His first book. The first treatise he wrote was, that which was done at the command of Henry VIII. viz. concerning the unlawfulness of his marriage with his brother Arthur's widow: which he made appear to be both against the word of God, and against the judgment of the ancient Fathers of the church; and therefore a case indispensable by the Pope. And so well had he studied the point, and so well was assured of what he had wrote, that he undertook, before the King, to maintain the truth of it at Rome, in the presence of the Pope himself. The King accordingly dismissed him to the Pope, in joint embassy with the Earl of Wiltshire, and some others, for that purpose. He presented his book to the Pope, offering to stand by it against any whomsoever that should attempt to gainsay it. But the Pope thought not fit to suffer so tender a point to be disputed, wherein his perogative was so much touched. When he 395 had finished this discourse, it was sent to Cambridge, and had the approbation and subscription of the eminentest doctors there; viz. Salcot, Repps, Crome, and divers others. Among which, I suppose, were, Heines, Latimer, Shaxton, Skip, Goodrick, Hethe; who were then gremials. Other of his writ After this book, he was much employed in writing more, at various times, and upon various occasions. Fox mentioneth Cranmer's book of the Reformation, (which I suppose was that of the public service,) the Catechism, the book of Homilies, which was part by him composed, and part by his procurement, and by him approved and pub lished. Likewise the Confutation of eighty-eight Articles, CHAP. devised and propounded by a convocation in King Henry's XXII. reign, and laboured to be received and enjoined, though they were not. the doctrine But his discourse, wherein he stated the doctrine of the His book of Sacrament in five books, must especially be remembered: of the Sawhich he wrote on purpose for the public instruction of crament. the church of England. And it is the more to be valued, as being writ by him in his mature age, after all his great readings and studies, and most diligent and serious perusals of all the ecclesiastical writers; whereby he became thoroughly acquainted with their judgments and opinions in that doctrine. And in it are contained his last and ripest thoughts on that argument. This book displayeth the great weakness of that distinguishing doctrine of the church of Rome, that asserts transubstantiation. Besides these, many other writings and discourses were Other writmade by him which we are beholden to the Bishop of ings mentioned by Sarum for retrieving the memory of, and preserving the Bishop substance of divers of them in his excellent History; viz. Burnet. A learned Speech, made to the lords concerning the Pope Hist. Ref. and a general council: which that right reverend Author P. i. p. 174. thinks was made about the year 1534, which was soon after his being made Archbishop. Some Queries in order to the correcting of several abuses Ubi supr. in religion; whereby the people had been deceived. p. 364. Some Queries concerning Confirmation: with the answers Ibid. which were given to them by Archbishop Cranmer. Some Considerations to induce the King to proceed to a Ibid. further reformation. These three last were presented by the Archbishop to the King, about the year 1536, as the Bishop of Sarum supposeth: and, having seen the originals thereof in the Cotton library, hath transcribed them to us in the Addenda to the Collections. His Resolution of Seventeen Questions concerning the Ubi Supr. Sacraments, anno 1540. p. 289. A Collection of Passages out of the Canon Law, to shew Ubi Supr. the necessity of reforming it, anno 1542. P. 330. His letters to Osiander, and Letters of Osiander to him, Pag. 171. BOOK concerning the proceedings of the German divines; whose violence the Archbishop disliked. III. Hist. Ref. A Speech made in the Convocation: wherein he exp. ii. p. 40. horted the clergy to give themselves to the study of the 396 Scriptures, and to consider seriously what things in the church needed reformation, anno 1547. Pag. 116. Pag. 248. Hist. Ref. part ii. p. 171. Athen. Oxon. p. 578. More of his writings still. His Answer to the demands of the rebels in the west; drawn up by him by order of the council, anno 1549. His Declaration, to vindicate himself from an aspersion, That he had caused mass to be sung in Canterbury: and offering therein a public dispute to maintain the reformation, anno 1553. Besides two volumes in folio, writ by Cranmer's own hand, upon all the heads of religion: consisting of allegations of texts of Scripture, and of ancient Fathers, and later doctors and schoolmen, upon each subject. There were also six or seven volumes of his writings, which were in the Lord Burleigh's possession; as appeared by a letter of the said Lord, which the Bishop of Sarum saw: but he thought these may now be lost. Most of the forementioned writings are preserved in the Cotton library, or in that of Corpus Christi, Cambridge; or among the manuscripts of the right reverend Bishop Stillingfleet. To which we must add the mention of a bundle of books lying in the pallace-treasury in Westminster, in defence of the King's title of Supreme Head, and concerning the divorce, and several other matters, against Cardinal Pole: which are supposed to be written partly by Dr. Clark, Bishop of Bath and Wells, and partly by our Archbishop. Several other letters, speeches, and arguments of our Archbishop, may be found in these Memorials; which I omit here rehearsing. But I will add to these divers pieces besides of this Prelate's writing, as they are set down by Melchior Adam, at the end of Cranmer's life: who indeed did but transcribe them from Gesner; and he from John Bale's Centuries. I. A Preface to the English translation of the Bible. This is transcribed in the Appendix. II. A Catechism of Christian Doctrine; printed by Gualter |