in English, was to be set up in all churches, for the better CHAP. instruction of priests in the sense and knowledge of the Scriptures. And both these books, by the King's Injunc- Anno 1547. tions aforementioned, were commanded to be taught and learned.

CHAP. III.

Homilies, and Erasmus's Paraphrase.

Winchester

the Ho

milies.

ARCHBISHOP Cranmer found it highly convenient to The Archfind out some means for the instruction of the people in bishop to true religion, till the church could be better supplied with concerning learned priests and ministers. For which purpose he resolved upon having some good homilies or sermons composed, to be read to the people; which should in a plain manner teach the grounds and foundation of true religion, and deliver the people from popular errors and superstitions. When this was going in hand with, the Archbishop sent his letters to the Bishop of Winchester, to try if he could bring him to be willing to join in this business; shewing him, that it was no more than what was intended by the former King, and a convocation in the year 1542, wherein himself was a member, to make such a stay of errors, as were then by ignorant preachers spread among the people. But this bishop was not for Cranmer's turn; in his answer signifying to him, "That since that convocation the King his old. "master's mind changed, and that God had afterwards 149 "given him the gift of pacification," (as he worded it,) meaning, that the King made a stop in his once intended reformation. He added, "that there was a convocation "that extinguished those devices, and this was still in force : "and therefore, that now nothing more ought to be done "in church matters." And a copy of this letter he sent to the Lord Protector, trying to persuade him also to be of his mind.

The Archbishop answered these letters of Winchester: wherein he again required these homilies to be made, by

See his

letters to the Protector, in

Fox.

66

BOOK virtue of that convocation five years before; and desired Winchester to weigh things. But he replied, "It was true, they Anno 1547. " communed then of such things, but they took not effect at "that time; nor needed they to be put in execution now. "And that in his judgment it could not be done without a "new authority and command from the King's Majesty." Then he used his politics, urging, "that it was not safe to "make new stirs in religion: that the Lord Protector did well "in putting out a proclamation to stop vain rumors; and "he thought it not best to enterprise any thing to tempt "the people with occasion of tales, whereby to break the "proclamation. And as in a natural body," he said, "rest "without trouble did confirm and strengthen; so it was in a commonwealth, trouble travaileth, and bringeth things "to looseness." Then he suggested the danger the Archbishop might involve himself in by making alterations: "That he was not certain of his life, (when the old order "was broken, and a new brought in by homilies,) that he 66 should continue to see the new device executed for it was not done in a day; he wished there were nothing "else to do now. He suggested, that a new order en"gendered a new cause of punishment against them that "offend; and punishments were not pleasant to them that "have the execution: and yet they must be, for nothing may be contemned." There were two letters Winchester sent to the Archbishop, in answer to as many from the Archbishop in which he laboured to persuade the Archbishop not to innovate any thing in religion during the King's minority; and particularly to forbear making homilies, and refusing for himself to meddle therein. An imperNo.XXXV. fect part of one of these letters I have laid in the Appendix, as I transcribed it from the original.

compose

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So, when it was perceived that Winchester would not be brought to comply and join in with the Archbishop and

the rest, they went about the composing the homilies themThe Arch- selves. Cranmer had a great hand in them: and that homily bishop, &c. of Salvation particularly seems to be of his own doing. homilies. This, while he was in composing it, was shewn to Winchester by the Archbishop; to which he made this objection: "That he would yield to him in this homily, if they

"could shew him any old writer that wrote how faith ex- CHAP. "cluded charity in the office of justification; and said that III. "it was against Scripture." Upon this Canterbury began Anno 1547. to argue with him, and to shew him how faith excluded charity in the point of justifying. And Winchester denied his arguments. And, in fine, such was his sophistication, that the Archbishop at last told him, "He liked nothing, "unless he did it himself: and that he disliked the homily 150 "for that reason, because he was not a counsellor."

in the Fleet.

The council had now put this bishop in the Fleet for his Winchester refractoriness to the King's proceedings; where, if his complaint to the Lord Protector were true, he was somewhat straitly handled: for he was allowed no friend or servant, no chaplain, barber, tailor, nor physician: a sign he gave them high provocation. While he was here, the Archbishop sent for him once or twice to discourse with him, and to try to bring him to comply with their proceedings in reforming religion. He dealt very gently with him, and told him, "That he was a man, in his opinion, meet to be "called to the council again: but withal told him, that he "stood too much in obstinacy; that it was perverse frowแ ardness, and not any zeal for the truth:" and laboured to bring him to allow the book, which was now finished, and the Paraphrase of Erasmus.

of Win

chester's

of Salva

The former he could not allow of, because of the doctrine The Bishop therein by Cranmer asserted of justification by faith without works: which Cranmer took pains to persuade him about; censure of the homily telling him, his intent was hereby only to set out the freedom of God's mercy. But Winchester challenged him to tion. shew Scripture for it, or any one ancient writer, that faith in justifying excludeth charity. This Winchester afterward declared at large to the Lord Protector; and added, that the Archbishop in that homily of Salvation had taken such a matter in hand, and so handled it, as, if he were his extreme enemy, he would have wished him to have taken that piece in hand, and so to have handled it as he did. He represented one of the Archbishop's arguments for faith excluding charity to be thus, out of that homily; We be justified by faith without all works of the law: Charity is a work of the law: Ergo, We are justified without charity. But

II.

BOOK I warn the reader to consult the homily itself before he pass his judgment upon Cranmer's argument, as it is here Anno 1547. represented by one that was none of his friend. In fine, he said, "There were as many faults in that homily of "Salvation as he had been weeks in prison, and that was 66 seven, besides the matter, viz. making a trouble without 'necessity."

And of the

for it.

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66

In short, he charged the Archbishop " for troubling the Archbishop world with such a needless speculation as this is; because," he said, "that in baptism we are justified, being infants, "before we can talk of the justification we strive for. For "all men receive their justification in their infancy in bap"tism: and if they fall after baptism, they must arise again by the sacrament of penance. And so this doctrine," he said, was to be sent to the universities; where it is meet "to be talked and disputed of, and not fit for homilies." And, to disparage further the Archbishop's judgment, he told the Protector, "That if my Lord of Canterbury would "needs travail in this matter, he should never persuade "that faith excluded charity in justification, unless he "borrowed prisons of the Protector; and then he might percase have some to agree to it: as poor men kneel "at Rome when the Bishop of Rome goeth by, or else 66 are knocked on the head with a halberd." And then he made some scoffing mention of the strength of God's spirit 151 in the Archbishop, and his learning in his laws, so as to be

Winches

ter's censure of Erasmus's Paraphrase.

able to overthrow with his breath all untruths, and establish truths. I make no reflection upon all this unseemly language of this Bishop, but leave it to the reader to judge hereby of the learning and spirit that was in him. And could we have retrieved the Archbishop's own arguments and replies to these barkings of Winchester, they would have left to the world a full vindication of Cranmer and his doctrine.

As to Erasmus's Paraphrase, the said Bishop pretended, "He found divers things in it to condemn the work and "that he agreed with them that said, Erasmus laid the

eggs, and Luther hatched them: and that of all the mon"strous opinions that have risen, evil men had a wondrous "occasion ministered to them from that book." He also wrote to the Protector the particular objections he made

III.

against it. He said, " He might term it in one word Abo- CHAP. "mination, both for the malice and untruth of much matter "out of Erasmus's pen; and also for the arrogant ignorance Anno 1547. "of the translator of it: considering that book was author"ized by the King, a charge was laid upon the realm of

twenty thousand pounds, by enjoining every parish to buy

one: whereof he had made an estimate by the probable "number of buyers, and the price of the book. He charged "the translator with ignorance, both in Latin and English; "a man," he said, "far unmeet to meddle with such a matter, and not without malice on his part.

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Finally, the matter he had to shew in both the books "was in some part dangerous; and the concealment thereof "a great fault, if he did not utter it. And that, he pre"tended, made him some while ago write to the council, "declaring his mind in relation thereunto." For which he was sent to the Fleet.

of his com

MSS.

The true occasion whereof, as I take it from his own His account letter, written with his own hand, which I have before me, mitment. was this. Upon the departure of the Lord Protector against the Scots, the King's visitors began their visitation. "Then, Inter Foxii "as soon as the Bishop heard of the visitation, and the "books of Homilies and Injunctions were come to his "hands, he wrote to the council, trusting, upon such ear"nest advertisements as he made, they would incontinently "have sent for him; and, upon knowledge of so evident "matter as he thought he had to shew, would have staid "till the Protector's return. He saw," as he said, "a "determination to do all things suddenly at one time. "Whereunto though the Protector had agreed, yet of his "wisdom, as the Bishop conjectured, he had rather these "matters should have tarried till his return, had he not "been pressed on both sides, (an expression which the Pro"tector in a letter to him had used.) He reckoned, that if "he could have staid this matter in his absence, though by "bringing himself into extreme danger, besides his duty to "God and the King, he should have done the Protector a pleasure, of whom he had this opinion, that willingly and

66

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wittingly he would neither break the act of parliament,

' nor command books to be bought by authority, that con