XXVIII. benefit of the professors of religion: whereby he did such CHAP. service to the enlightening of men's minds in the knowledge of the truth, and for the exposing the corruptions of Popery, 424 that it was thought convenient that some of that communion should be employed to write against him. And so Richard Smith, sometime reader of divinity in Oxon, and one that had subscribed to the reformed religion, and after fled into Brabant, and became a zealous asserter of Popery, writ in a bitter style against some of Becon's books, as he had done against the Archbishop himself before. I find this Becon put up to preach one of the Lent sermons at St. Paul's Cross, in the year 1566. And such then was his fame for a preacher, and such his favour with the greatest prelates, that the Lord Mayor for that year sent a message to Archbishop Parker, that his Grace would prevail with him to preach one of the sermons at the Spittle that Easter. In the year 1564. he revised and reprinted all his former books in three volumes; dedicating the whole to all the Archbishops and Bishops of the realm. And, in commendation thereof, Parkhurst, Bishop of Norwich, wrote these verses to him: Vidi et perlegi doctos, Bacone, Libellos, Quos tua non pridem Sancta Minerva dedit. Vaniloquax sed nec lingua timenda tibi est. Besides these, there was his Postil, being godly and learned sermons on all the Sunday-Gospels in the year: printed in quarto in the year 1567. Harman. I shall say no more of his chaplains, after I shall have Richard mentioned Richard Harman. Who seems to have been one of his first chaplains; being once of King's College, but went away scholar, (probably for religion;) afterwards lived in Jesus College, and commenced master of arts with III. BOOK Cranmer: whom he also preferred to be his domestic afterwards. This man was one of those Cambridge men that were elected into St. Frideswide's College in Oxon; and suffered much there for religion. He was afterwards a Canon of Windsor; but fell back to Popery. Robert bishop's steward. CHAP. XXIX. Archbishop Cranmer's Officers. I SHALL now add a few words of two of his civil officers: his steward and his secretary. One Nevyl was his steward in King Henry's reign; who conducted Sir Thomas Seimour, coming with a message from the King, through the hall, when the tables were sumptuously set, unto the Archbishop 425 at dinner: him I have nothing to say of. But he had another afterwards, named Robert Watson, born in Norwich, of whom I have a word or two to say. He was a great civilian, and an exile for religion in Queen Mary's reign. the Arch- But, before his escape beyond sea, he lay in prison in Norwich a year and four months, saith Bale; almost two years, saith Fox: and then was most fortunately delivered, without doing any violence to his conscience, by the subscription which he made. Being abroad, he wrote a piece, intituled, Etiologia, to all that sincerely professed Christ, wheresoever dispersed, especially his Countrymen, the English, banished with him. In this tract he gave a relation of himself, and his imprisonment, and escape; and of the disputes that happened between him and his adversaries concerning transubstantiation, and the real presence of Christ in the sacrament; and by what means he escaped safe in body and conscience: which was a rare matter to do from such inquisitors. It was propounded to him to set his hand to these words; viz. "That he believed and confessed that the "bread and wine in the Eucharist, through the omnipotency "of God's Word, pronounced by the priest, were turned "into the body and blood of Christ; and after consecration, "under the forms of bread and wine, remained the true XXIX. body and blood of Christ, and no other substance." To CHAP. which he made this subscription; His omnibus eatenus assentior et subscribo, quatenus Verbo Dei nituntur, eoque sensu, quo sunt ab Ecclesia Catholica et a sanctis Patribus intellecta. By the means of one Dr. Barret, a learned friar of Norwich, he was upon this favourable subscription dismissed. But Christopherson, Dean of Norwich, when he understood it, was much incensed, and laid out to take him again. But he, by the help of friends, escaped over the seas. Morice. Now, lastly, of Ralph Morice his secretary, so much His secreemployed, and so greatly entrusted by our Archbishop, it try, Ralph may not be amiss to set down a few memorials. He was his secretary, not so much for ordinary matters incident to his archiepiscopal office, as his amanuensis for learned treatises and discourses which he composed. In this place he remained for twenty years; that is, from the Archbishop's first entrance upon his see, to the death of King Edward VI. his good master. He was a very considerable person, and of His parentgood birth, being the son of James Morice of Royden in age. the county of Essex, Esq. Which James was sometime servant unto the Lady Margaret, Countess of Richmond and Derby, and clerk of her kitchen, and master of her works; and particularly of Christ's College and St. John's in Cambridge, both which she founded. He also and his son William were joint receivers of the lands, called Richmond Lands; and other lands, called the Recovered Lands. known to bishops. Our Ralph, by reason of his service about the Archbishop, Well was well known to Bishop Heth, Bishop Thirlby, Bishop Cox, divers Bishop Barlow, and Bishop Scory; men that were much eminent about the Archbishop, and his friends: and who were privy to those volumes that the secretary writ out for his master. He dwelt sometime in Chartham, not far from Canterbury; and had the farm of that parsonage, and the nomination of the curate. And, being a man of conscience and integrity, endeavoured to procure here an honest and able preacher ; and so presented to the church one Richard Turner, a man Presents of an irreprehensible life, and well learned in the holy Chartham. Scriptures: who, for his doctrine against the popish super- 426 stition, and the Pope's supremacy, met with great troubles. But his patron very stiffly stood by him, and procured the Turner to III. BOOK Archbishop to favour him: and, having an interest with Sir Anthony Denny and Sir William Butts, courtiers, he And stands wrote Mr. Turner's case at large to them, and got them to by him in for his faithful his troubles read his letter before the King. Who, though before he had been by sinister reports so incensed against him, as to preaching. command him to be whipped out of the country, now by this means he conceived better thoughts of him, and commanded him to be cherished as a good subject; as I have before more at large related. An instance bishop's kindness to this his Another passage I meet with of this man relates to the of the Arch-kindness of the Archbishop his master to him: who, in token of his good will he bore him, and of his readiness to Secretary. reward his diligence and faithfulness in his service, did procure him a lease of the parsonage of Ospring in Kent, being an impropriation belonging unto St. John's College in Cambridge, worth better than forty marks by the year de claro, when wheat was but a noble the quarter. This the Archbishop got a grant of from the said college for him. But, when the lease was prepared, and ready to be sealed, one Hawkins of the guard, by his importunate suit, got King Henry VIII. to obtain it of the college to be sealed for the use of him the said Hawkins. The Archbishop then solicited the King in his servant's behalf, and the King promised him, and also Dr. Day, the Master of the college, that he would otherwise recompense Morice for the same, with like value or better. Which was never done, the King dying before he did any thing for him. Morice his suit to Queen This caused Morice to prefer a supplication unto Queen quuten Eli- Elizabeth, setting forth his said case, and desiring therefore zabeth for her liberality, aid, and succour; especially considering, that a pension. her royal father had in his will provided, that all such who had sustained any manner of damage or hinderance by him should be satisfied for the same: suing therefore to her Majesty for a pension, that had been allowed unto one Wilbore, late Prior of the monastery of St. Augustine's, lately deceased, that it might be conferred upon him during his life. And indeed he seemed now, in his old age, to have need of some such favour, his condition being but mean according to worldly things, and having four daughters all marriageable, and not wherewithal to bestow them accord XXIX. ing to their quality. This his poverty he urged to the CHAP. Queen, and that the granting him this pension would be a good furtherance of his said daughters' marriage. suit to the certain him from The same person had some lands descended to him from His second James his father out of two manors, the one called Royden Queen to Manor, and the other called the Temple, both situate and confirm lying in the parish of Royden. His said father, upon some lands decertain reasons and agreements, surrendered two long leases scended to of both these manors into King Henry VIII. his hands. In his father. consideration of which, and of long and true services, the said King did give, except, and reserve certain tenements, lands, pastures, and meadows, out of the said two lordships, to the use of the said James and his heirs and assigns for ever, as appeared by his letters patents. And James did enjoy them peaceably and quietly, without any molestation, 427 until his death; which was in the second year of Queen Mary. But of late the leases of the manors being sold away unto others, they laid claim and title unto the said reserved lands, upon the information of one Thurgood, steward of the courts there; pretending that there were not words sufficient in the said letters patents to justify the said exceptions. This occasioned Ralph Morice the son, who enjoyed some of the copyholds within the said exceptions, to sue unto the Queen for her Majesty's letters patents, to ratify and confirm the said exceptions, that the King's godly disposition, intent, and meaning might be in force to James Morice's heirs and assigns for ever. What success he had in this and the former petition, I find not; but am ready to think the Queen gratified him in both, as well for his own merits, as out of that high respect she bore to the memory of our incomparable Prelate, whose servant he had so long been, and for whose sake he recommended himself and his suit to her. I have inserted the former of these supplications in the Appendix, being No. CIII. an original of Morice's own hand-writing, and containing some memorable passages in it. He was Re sioners in This man was, by the Archbishop's means, appointed a gister to the Register in King Edward VI. his visitation, which was in commis the second year of his reign; the articles whereof were King Eddrawn up by the Archbishop, and preserved to us in Bishop ward's visitation. |