XX. ment of his Majesty. And they were directed to use them CHAP. as to Christian charity should be most seemly. At whose hands the King doubted not but they should receive such Anno 1550. Christian advice, as would tend to the glory of God. July 17, upon the motion of the Bishop of London, the Lords of the council were content that he should send Dr. Hethe unto the Bishop's own house at London [from Fulham] to recover his health, and then to have him again. So far more kindly were these Popish bishops dealt withal in this reign, than the Protestant bishops were in the next. Hoper, Bishop of Glocester, succeeded in the see of Worcester; and Scory, Bishop of Rochester, in that of Chichester. I will here crave the reader's leave to insert two or three words concerning Bishop Day; thereby to judge the better of him. 66 to King's masses. About the year 1547, saying of masses was laid aside in Day writes King's college in Cambridge, the members of which college college for generally favoured the Gospel. Day, the Provost thereof, leaving off (which place he held in commendam with his bishoprick,) hearing of this, wrote an angry letter to the Vice-Provost, and in him to the whole college, for divers things which they had done relating to reformation; and particularly for leaving off saying masses. In which, he said, "They departed from the institution of the house, and that they "did it rashly, and besides the law: there being as yet no "law for so doing. He charged them with the breach of "statute; and so would involve them in the sin of perjury. “And whereas in their public disputations they gave ques"tions against popish doctrines, he charged them with disputing wickedly and turbulently, to the wounding of tender "consciences, and the infamy of the house. And finally, "required that things should be put in the same posture they were before." To which the college, by Dr. Haddon's elegant pen, wrote an answer: "That as to their abolishing Haddoni masses, they said, they were private masses; and the Ep. p. 169. "statutes of the college did seem to enjoin only masses, "wherein was a communion of the body and blood of "Christ. That that was not perjury, when, by the com 66 66 66 66 mon consent of the college, some minuter matters of the "statutes were changed. That had he himself been there, BOOK" he would have done as they did, considering the reports II. "that came from the court, brought by witnesses worthy Anno 1550. "of credit. And that as for their disputations they urged, His unnatural car riage towards his brother. 232 "that it was free for them to dispute matters controverted, "for better inquiry into the truth: and that it was done "with lenity, without any perverseness of speech." He had a younger brother named William, (who was above forty years after Bishop of Winton.) This man was a scholar of the college while his brother was Provost and Bishop: to whom he sent once a request, to supply him with a little money to buy him some books and other neHatcher's cessaries he stood in need of at that time. His brother anMS. Catal. swered him, knowing him to be well affected to the Gospel, "That for his part he held it not fit to relieve those that were not of the true church, and therefore he would not " in any wise relieve him." Thus had his religion destroyed in him the very principles of nature. of Provosts, &c. of King's Coll. Preaches against transub 66 This Bishop had been a vehement asserter of transubstantiation: yet in April 1550 he preached against it at Weststantiation. minster; which King Edward thought fit to take notice of in his Journal: and he complied, and went along with all the steps of the reformation till the declining of this year 1550; when the matter of taking down altars was set on foot. For then it seems either there was a prospect that the reformation, carrying on, would have a stop, or it was secretly agreed, among the popishly affected, now to fall off. His change charged on him. 66 In Queen Mary's days he was a mighty busy man, and one of the commissioners for the examination and condemning to death the professors of religion. When in conference with Bradford, that holy man had charged him for departing from the reformed church, as it was in King Edward's days; he told him, "That he was but a young man, (and yet in the first year of that King he was five or six and forty years of age;) and that, coming from the university, he went with the world: but it was always against his "conscience." He could, it seems, dispense with his conscience upon occasion: and yet what a man of conscience was he when altars were to be pulled down! He sat a commissioner upon Hoper, together with Winchester, London, Durham, and Landaff: and however gently he had been 66 66 XX. used in his trouble, that was forgot; and he treated that CHAP. reverend man most rudely, undecently falling upon him with foul words, and with a scornful countenance calling Anno 1550. him Hypocrite. CHAP. XXI. Papists grow bold. Loose Professors restrained. THUS indeed, when the Papists found they could not pre- The Papists vail by outward force, which they had tried to the utmost write libels. the last year, they now used other arts. One among the rest was to libel the government, and disperse scurrilous rhymes and ballads upon the preachers. One of these was this year fastened upon the pulpit of some eminent church; probably of St. Paul's: which nevertheless soon had an answer to it. And not long after a more witty ballad was put abroad, glancing, as it seems, at the Archbishop, upon occasion of the liberty of reading the Bible, and of the English service, and the publishing the Homily-book, and other good books: whipping the government under the person of one John No-body, because that, notwithstanding all these religious pretences, there was so much sin, lechery, adultery, bribery, and want of charity. A taste of this their poetry 233 I have put into the Appendix: because some probably may No. XLIX. be so curious as to peruse the fancy of that age. taken up. The Papists were at this juncture very bold, whether it Several Pawere that they had taken up a conceit that the old religion pists now would be again restored upon the disgrace of the Duke of Somerset, or upon some other reasons. To stay these men, the council, as they had proceeded before against some popish bishops, so they thought fit to use some rigours towards others, noted to be the forwardest men. One of these was CouncilDr. Chedsey, who was one of the disputants against Peter Book. Martyr, the King's professor. He took now upon him to preach openly at Oxford against the steps of the reformation that were made, and making. Wherefore, March 16, he was committed to the Marshalsea for seditious preaching: Chedsey. II. Brown. White. BOOK where he lay till November the 11th, 1551: and then he was ordered to be brought to the Bishop of Ely's, where he Anno 1550. enjoyed his table, and an easier restraint. March 19, SerMorgan. jeant Morgan was committed to the Fleet for hearing mass in the Lady Mary's chapel. March 22, Sir Anthony Brown was committed to the Fleet for the same offence. And three days after, viz. March 25, Mr. White, Warden of Winchester, appeared before the council, and confessed that he had divers books and letters from beyond sea, and namely, from one Martyn, a scholar there, who opposed the King's Majesty's proceedings utterly. And it being manifest that he had consented to things of that sort in such wise, that greater practices were thought to be in him that ways, he was committed to the Tower: where lying for some months, he shewed better conformity in matters of religion. So that in June 14, 1551, the council wrote a letter to the Archbishop, that he should send to the Lieutenant of the Tower for Mr. White to be brought to him, and with him to remain, till such time as he should reclaim him. Which being done, he was to be sent back again to the Tower, until the King's Majesty's further pleasure upon his Lordship's certificate of his proceedings with him. This White, however he complied now, was in Queen Mary's reign made Bishop successively of Lincoln and Winchester, and preached that Queen's funeral sermon: and was deprived by the next Queen for refusing conformity to the religion then established. Other pro strained. And while the Papists on one hand were so busy in professors re- moting their ends, there were a looser sort of professors of religion disgraced the reformation on the other. For some there were that took the liberty of meeting together in certain places, and there to propound odd questions, and vent dangerous doctrines and opinions. Of these also the council having notice, they thought it very fit to discountenance and restrain them. January 27, a number of persons, a sort of Anabaptists, about sixty, met in a house on a Sunday, in the parish of Bocking in Essex; where arose among them a great dispute, "Whether it were necessary to stand or "kneel, barehead or covered, at prayers? and they con"cluded the ceremony not to be material; but that the "heart before God was required, and nothing else." Such XXI. other-like warm disputes there were about Scripture. There CHAP. were likewise such assemblies now in Kent. These were looked upon as dangerous to church and state: and two Anno 1550. of the company were therefore taken and committed to the 234 Marshalsea; and orders were sent to apprehend the rest, viz. to Sir George Norton, Sheriff of Essex, to apprehend and send up to the council those persons that were assembled for Scripture-matters in Bocking: nine of them were named, being cowherds, clothiers, and such-like mean people. The like order was sent to Sir Edward Wotton, and to Sir Thomas Wyat, to apprehend others of them, seven whereof are named, living in Kent. February 3, those that were apprehended for the meeting at Bocking appeared before the council, and confessed the cause of their assembly to be, "For to talk of the Scriptures; that they had refused the "communion for above two years, and that, as was judged, upon very superstitious and erroneous purposes: with "divers other evil opinions, worthy of great punishment." Whereupon five of them were committed: and seven of them were bound in recognizance to the King in forty pound each man. The condition, to appear when they should be called upon, and to resort to their ordinaries for resolution of their opinions, in case they had any doubt in religion. CHAP. XXII. Foreigners allowed churches. A Lasco. care of the strangers residing WE shall now shew a remarkable instance of the Arch- The Archbishop's episcopal piety, in the care he took of the souls of bishop's foreigners, as well as of the native English. For in King souls of Edward's reign there were great numbers of strangers in resid the realm; French, Dutch, Italians, Spaniards, who abode here. here upon divers occasions: some for trade and commerce, and some, no doubt, to be secret spies, and promoters of the Pope's affairs, and to hinder the propagation of the religion: but the most were such as fled over hither to escape |