II. Anno 1577. 66 BOOK "believeth verily, that infants unbaptized, and dead, can"not but be damned. Another crosseth me his face, and 66 nose, and breast, with thumb and fingers, and cannot pray but toward the east: and some have not forgot "their Ave Maria, although their Pater noster was forgot long ago. Some, and a large sum too, do supersti"tiously, and so sinfully, swear by saints, or every other "creature, and think it small offence, or none at all. And "when you tell them, it is superstition, and that it is a de"gree to apostasy to forsake the Lord; Jer. v. that they "give to the creature that which is due to the Creator; that "swearing reverently is a piece of the worship of God, " and therefore belongs to him alone, and the like; it is a "strange doctrine to them, and unheard of before. And “thus they fall a wondering at the very principles of religion.' "This discourse indeed touched such as were indifferent in any religion, and grossly ignorant even in these days of the gospel, as well as the other sort who secretly favoured the old religion. All the popish Eng Dr. Fulk. 493 66 Indeed the papists privately uttered many books in falish books vour of their cause; and diligently dispersed them; which answered by might have made many of these maimed professors. William Fulk, D. D. sometime of St. John's college in Cambridge, and after master of Pembrook hall, a learned man, from this year and after, let not one of these books in English that fell into his hands pass without his answer and confutation of them; for the good service of our reformed church, and establishment of the common sort of men in true religion. This appears by a book which he wrote some years after wherein he saith, that he had attempted to fight the truth's cause, within this five or six years past: and that he had set abroad sundry treatises in confuting of popish books written in English: and that he purposed, if God gave him strength, to answer as many as within twenty years of her majesty's reign had been set forth by papists, and were not yet confuted by any other. And this purpose, he added, the papists had not greatly hindered by replies, except one only, Bristow: (who had defended : VIIL ticles and Confuta Allen's Articles and Purgatory. And none other hitherto CHAP. had set forth any just replication to the rest of his writings. This I take from a book of his called, A brief confutation Anno 1577. of sundry cavils. There he shewed how he was reflected Allen's Aron by all the popish writers: every one of them almost, as Purgatory. he said, had endeavoured to have a snatch or two at some Fulk's Brief one odd thing or other in his books; wherein they would tion. seem to have advantage. And that, belike, they would have their simple readers think to be a sufficient confutation of all that he had ever writ against them. And he thought good, as near as he could, to gather all their cavils together, and briefly to shape an answer to every one of them. We only give this short note of Fulk here. He will shew himself more in defence of religion in some few years after. cretly har These active men of the church of Rome sent their emis- Ithel a Losaries not only into the countries about, but into the uni-vainist seversities. One of these was Ithel, a Lovainist, brother to boured at Cambridge. Dr. Ithel, master of Jesus college, Cambridge. And upon this occasion following, it was feared his brother gave him countenance, or at least concealed him. This Ithel had been for some time using his arts and insinuations with the scholars there. At length he was discovered: and the vicechancellor sent intelligence of it to their chancellor, the lord treasurer Burghley: and that he was put into the custody of his brother in order to reform him. But he was too well principled at Lovain, that any good should be done to him here. So that his brother was rather to proceed to some restraint and punishment. But he escaped soon, and was gone: which gave some just cause of suspicion of the doctor himself. Which the vice-chancellor thus related to the aforesaid lord in his letter written in July this year. of it from "That this fugitive Lovainist was returned about three A letter "months since secretly to Cambridge. Where he remained, the vicecorrupting such as he could from the truth of our reli- chancellor. gion here received. And being deprehended, he was com"mitted to his brother, Dr. Ithel, as a prisoner, to be fur"ther dealt withal, either for reformation or correction. "And from hence he escaped. And hereby occasion was II. BOOK "given for some sinister dealing of Dr. Ithel. Of whom I "would be sorry to conceive as the matter with the circumAnno 1577. " stances (not only for his escape, but for his former lurk"ing in the university) doth offer cause." Dr.Ithel suspected. tion to be given of such in Cambridge 66 494 By the means of this, and perhaps other Romish emisInforma- saries, recusancy was crept into the university, as well as other towns and places of the land. Insomuch as it was thought meet by the queen, to require an account of the as came not names of all such scholars, as likewise of every townsman, that came not to church or chapel to hear divine service; and to have an account of the estates of such, and the values thereof, sent up. Such a letter I shall here exemplify, sent to the university from the privy-council. to divine service. The coun cil's letter versity. Rev. T. Ba ker, S. T.B. "After our hearty commendations. The queen's mato the uni- "jesty's pleasure is, that you shall certify unto us, with all "diligence, the names of such persons, as well scholars as "townsmen, within the university of Cambridge, as you "shall understand do refuse to come to the church to hear "divine service. And withal, that you certify their degrees "and qualities, with the value of their lands and goods, as 66 you think they are worth indeed, and not as they be va"lued in the subsidy books. And to the end you may do “the same with more expedition and better certainty, we "think it meet that you use the advice of some such per"sons as you shall know to be well affected in religion, and "can best inform you, both for the said university and "town, of the particular values of every such recusant: " and thereof, as well as you may, to send us a true certifi"cate to be delivered here within seven days after the re"ceipt of these our letters. And for the several colleges and "halls of the university, you shall by virtue hereof charge "the heads of the same to deliver unto you a true note of "the names and degrees of every such person within their "charge, as they shall know to be backward in religion, "and shall refuse to come unto the church. And that "therein neither they nor you, for friendship or otherwise, "to use any respect of persons or degrees whatsoever, as they will answer the trust in this behalf committed unto "you. So fare you heartily well. From Windsor the 15th CHAP. "of November, 1577. "Your very loving friends, "W. Burghley, E. Lyncoln, T. Sussex, R. Leycester, 66 "To our very loving friend the vice-chancellor, &c." VIII. Anno 1577. Radcliff in Tower for rebellion. Egremond Radcliff was another papist of remark in these Egremond times, of whom our histories speak. I shall here insert Flanders; some remarkable passages concerning him hitherto scarcely put into the known. This man was noble by birth, being the son of Henry earl of Sussex, half brother to Thomas then earl of Sussex, lord high chamberlain of the queen's household. But being young, and of a haughty spirit, and a papist, was engaged in the rebellion in the north, anno 1569, and made a shift after to fly into Spain and Flanders: where he continued rambling about for divers years; as at Bruges and Antwerp. And feeling hardship at length had earnestly solicited, by letters, the lord treasurer, as well as others, for the queen's pardon; and that he might come into England safely; and promising all fidelity to her majesty: and earnestly desiring to shew the same, by being employed by her in some service. But the queen would not 495 be persuaded to pardon him for some time. However he comes to Calais, anno 1575, perhaps under some confidence that he might enter within the English territories: which he did. But soon after, he was committed to the Tower; as appears by two letters written thence, the one in April, the other in May, anno 1577, to the aforesaid lord. thence; and requests. In his former, he speaks "of his miserable state and long His letter "imprisonment: praying his lordship, according to his ac"customed goodness and consideration towards him, to un❝derstand the extremity he was in. And that he doubted "not, but that God would so work in his noble and pitiful "heart, that he should find, by some suit made unto her 66 majesty in his behalf, a remedy of his sorrows; wherein ❝he pined and consumed, as one weary of life, and utterly BOOK 66 "void of consolation. For that in truth he had done all “which in him lay, to manifest unto the world both his Anno 1577." hearty remorse and contrition for his offence, and also his "dutiful and earnest desire to recover her majesty's favour "with his brother's [the earl's] good liking: and perceiv"ing, for all that, her majesty's indignation, and his lordship's displeasure to continue still most heavily against “him; he was driven into so great despair, to consume his "days in captivity: which [days] he desired, as became the "duty of a faithful subject, to employ to the last of his "breath in her majesty's service. And professed to God, "that he rather wished with all his heart present death, "than any longer continuance of such misery. Most hum"bly imploring of her majesty, for God's sake, to command "him rather to be executed, than to let him live in the tor"ment of body and mind he was in. That if her highness' clemency would not suffer her to have the law pass on "him, then he humbly beseeched the same to grant him some further liberty. That he might have some liberty by time to obtain some remission, and her majesty's ❝ favour. “That he had no power to compass this benefit, but "only by his lordship's favour and aid: to whom he was "already so much bound, as he knew not how he might be 66 ever able dutifully to acknowledge the least part of his "noble dealings towards him. Howbeit his lordship should "always find him undoubtedly so grateful, as the expense "of his poor life in any service it should ever please his ho"nour to command him in, might enable him. And thus once 66 again he was bold humbly to beseech his honour to deal "for him; and to send him such answer as should stand "with her majesty's pleasure. That through her majesty's mercy or justice, he might be delivered from this despera"tion which afflicted his very soul, as knoweth the Almighty, &c. From the Tower, this 20th of April, 1577. "Subscribing, 66 66 "Your honour's most humble and obedient to command, Egremond Radeclyff." 66 |