The priest sent for to the arch bishop. The archbishop's words unto the parson. laid him in prison, being in his cure) is unserved; and he hath continued in durance above two months, and is called to no answer, and knoweth not when he shall come to any end, so that this his imprisonment consumeth his substance, will utterly undo him, unless your grace be his good lord." "I know not the man," said the archbishop, nor what he hath done why he should be thus in trouble." Said Chersey again: "He only hath offended against your grace, and against no man else, as may well be perceived by the articles objected against him :" the copy whereof the said Chersey then exhibited unto the said archbishop of Canterbury. Who, well perusing the said articles, said: "This is the common talk of all the ignorant papistical priests in England against me. Surely," said he, "I was never made privy unto this accusation, nor of his indurance I never heard before this time. Notwithstanding, if there be nothing else to charge him withal, against the prince or any of the council, I will at your request take order with him, and send him home again to his cure to do his duty:" and so thereupon sent his ring to the warden of the Fleet, willing him to send the prisoner unto him with his keeper at afternoon. When the keeper had brought the prisoner at the hour appointed, and Chersey had well instructed his cousin in any wise to submit himself unto the archbishop, confessing his fault, whereby that way he should most easily have an end and win his favour thus the parson being brought into the garden at Lambeth, and there sitting under the vine, the archbishop demanded of the parson what was the cause of his indurance, and who committed him to the Fleet? The parson answered and said: "That the lord Cromwell sent him thither, for that certain malicious parishioners of his parish, had wrongfully accused him of words which he never spake nor meant." Chersey, hearing his foolish cousin so far out of the way from his former instruction, said: "Thou dastardly dolt and varlet, is this thy promise that thou madest to me? Is there not a great number of thy honest neighbours' hands against thee to prove thee a liar? Surely, my lord," quoth Chersey, "it is pity to do him good. I am sorry that I have troubled your grace thus far with him." "Well," said the archbishop unto the parson, "if you have not offended me, I can do you no good; for I am entreated to help one out of trouble that hath offended against me. If my lord Cromwell hath committed you to prison wrongfully, that lieth in himself to amend, and not in me. If your offence only touch me, I will be bold to do somewhat for your friend's sake here. If you have not offended against me, then have I nothing to do with you, but that you may go and remain from whence you came." Lord, what ado his kinsman Chersey made with him, calling him all kind of opprobrious names! In the end, my lord of Canterbury seeming to rise and go his ways, the fond priest fell down on his knees, and said: "I beseech your grace to fault to the forgive me this offence; assuring your grace that I spake those words, being drunk, and not well advised." "Ah!" said my lord, "this is somewhat, and yet it is no good excuse; for drunkenness evermore uttereth that which lieth hid in the heart of man when he is sober," alleging a text or twain out of the scriptures concerning the vice of drunkenness, which cometh not now to remembrance. The priest confesseth his archbishop. The rash tongues of men slanderously speaking evil by men whom they never knew nor saw before. "Now therefore," said the archbishop, "that you acknowledge somewhat your fault, I am content to commune with you, hoping that you are at this present of an indifferent sobriety. Tell me then," quoth he, "did you ever see me, or were you ever acquainted with me before this day?" The priest answered and said, that never in his life he saw his grace. "Why then," said the archbishop, "what occasion had you to call me an hosteler; and that I had not so much learning as the goslings which then went on the green before your face? If I have no learning, you may now try it, and be out of doubt thereof: therefore I pray you appose me, either in grammar or in other liberal sciences; for I have at one time or other tasted partly of them. Or else, if you are a divine, say somewhat that way." answer. The priest, being amazed at my lord's familiar talk, made answer and said: "I The priest's beseech your grace to pardon me. I am altogether unlearned, and understand not the Latin tongue but very simply. My only study hath been to say my service and mass fair and deliberate, which I can do as well as any priest in the country where I dwell, I thank God." "Well," said the other, "if you will not appose me, I will be so bold to appose you, and yet as easily as I can devise, and that only in the story of the bible now in English, in which I suppose that you are daily exercised. Tell me there- The massfore, who was king David's father?" said my lord. The priest stood still pausing a rant in the while, and said: "In good faith, my lord, I have forgotten his name." Then said the other again to him: "If you cannot tell that, I pray you tell me then who was Salomon's father?" The fond foolish priest, without all consideration what was demanded of him before, made answer: "Good my lord, bear with me, I am not further seen in the bible, than is daily read in our service in the church." priest igno scripture. popish priests, favour not of a man, his person. The archbishop then answering said: "This my question may be found well answered in your service. But I now well perceive, howsoever you have judged heretofore of my The guise of learning, sure I am that you have none at all. But this is the common practice of all when they you, which are ignorant and superstitious priests, to slander, backbite, and hate all such the religion as are learned and well affected towards God's word and sincere religion. Common they slander reason might have taught you, what an unlikely thing it was, and contrary to all manner of reason, that a prince, having two universities within his realm of well learned men, and desirous to be resolved of as doubtful a question as in these many years was not moved the like within Christendom, should be driven to that necessity for the defence of his cause, to send out of his realm an hosteler, being a man of no better knowledge than is a gosling, in an embassage to answer all learned men, both in the court of Rome and in the emperor's court, in so difficult a question as toucheth the king's matrimony, and the divorce thereof. I say, if you were men of any reasonable consideration, you might think it both unseemly and uncomely for a prince so to [do.] But look, where malice reigneth in men, there reason can take no place: and therefore I see Evil-will by it, that you all are at a point with me, that no reason or authority can persuade well. you to favour my name, who never meant evil to you, but your both commodity and profit. Howbeit, God amend you all, forgive you, and send you better minds!" never said With these words the priest seemed to weep, and desired his grace to pardon his fault and frailty, so that by his means he might return to his cure again, and he would sure recant those his foolish words before his parishioners so soon as he came home, and would become a new man. "Well," said the archbishop, "so you had need." And giving him a godly admonition to refuse the haunting of the alehouse, and to The archbestow his time better in the continual reading of the scriptures, he dismissed him giveth and from the Fleet. bishop for dismisseth the priest. doings of bishop. How little this prelate we speak of was infected with filthy desire of lucre, and The liberal how he was no niggard, all kind of people that knew him, as well learned beyond this archthe seas and on this side, to whom yearly he gave in exhibition no small sums of money, as other, both gentlemen, mean men, and poor men, who had in their necessity that which he could conveniently spare, lend, or make, can well testify. And albeit such was his liberality to all sorts of men, that no man did lack whom he could do for, either in giving or lending; yet nevertheless such was again his circumspection, that when he was apprehended and committed by queen Mary to the tower, he ought no man living a penny that could or would demand any duty of him, but satisfied every man to the uttermost; where else no small sums of money were owing The arch to him of divers persons, which by breaking their bills and obligations he freely forbishop clearing all his gave and suppressed before his attainder. Insomuch that when he perceived the fatal debts before his attainder. end of king Edward should work to him no good success touching his body and goods, he incontinently called his officers, his steward and other, commanding them in any wise to pay, where any penny was owing, which was out of hand dispatched. The In which archbishop this, moreover, is to be noted, with a memorandum, touching the relief of the poor, impotent, sick, and such as then came from the wars at Bullein', and other parts beyond the seas, lame, wounded, and destitute; for whom he provided, besides his mansion-house at Beckisborne in Kent, the parsonage barn well furnished with certain lodgings for the sick and maimed soldiers: to whom were also appointed the almosiner, a physician, and surgeon, to attend upon them, and to dress and cure such as were not able to resort to their countries, having daily from the bishop's kitchen hot broth and meat; for otherwise the common alms of the household was bestowed upon the poor neighbours of the shire. And when any of the impotent did recover, and were able to travel, they had convenient money delivered to bear their charges, according to the number of miles from that place distant. And this good example of mercy and liberal benignity I thought here good not in silence to be suppressed, whereby other may be moved, according to their vocation, to walk in the steps of no less liberality than in him in this behalf appeared. Amongst all other his virtues, his constancy in Christ's cause, and setting forth the gospel purely and sincerely, was such that he would neither for dread or meed, affection or favour, to swerve at any time or in any point from the truth, as appeared by his sundry trials; wherein neither favour of his prince, nor fear of the indignation of the Cranmer ever same, nor any other worldly respect, could alienate or change his purpose, grounded upon that infallible doctrine of the gospel. Notwithstanding, his constant defence of God's and gospel. truth was ever joined with such meekness toward the king, that he never took occasion of offence against him. archbishop constant in defence of Christ's truth At the setting forth of the six Articles, mention was made before in the story of king Henry's time, how adventurously this archbishop, Thomas Cranmer, did oppose himself, standing, as it were, post alone against the whole parliament, disputing and replying three days together against the said articles; insomuch that the king, when neither he could mislike his reasons, and yet would needs have these articles to pass, required him to absent himself for the time out of the chamber, while the act should pass, as is already declared before. And this was done during yet the state and time of the lord Cromwell's authority. And now that it may appear likewise that after the decay of the lord Cromwell, yet his constancy in Christ's cause did not decay, you shall hear what followed after. For after the apprehension of the lord Cromwell, when the adversaries of the gospel thought all things sure now on their side, it was so appointed amongst them, that ten or twelve bishops, and other learned men, joined together in commission, came to the said archbishop of Canterbury for the establishing of certain articles of our religion, which the papists then thought to win to their purpose against the said archbishop. For having now the lord Cromwell fast and sure, they thought all had been safe and sure for ever: as indeed to all men's reasonable consideration, that time appeared so dangerous, that there was no manner hope that religion reformed should any one week longer stand, such accompt was then made of the king's untowardness thereunto: insoalone stand- much that of all those commissioners, there was not one left to stay on the archbishop's The archbishop eth in [1i.e. Boulogne, which was taken by the English after a siege in the year 1544.] truth. and bishop Skippe for archbishop at in the plain his archbishop field. The incensed by bishop Heath and bishop Skippe to defence of the of the arch doctors Heath part, but he alone against them all stood in defence of the truth; and those that he most defence of the trusted to, namely, bishop Heath, and bishop Skippe, left him in the plain field: who Bishop Heath then so turned against him, that they took upon them to persuade him to their sake the purpose; and having him down from the rest of the commissioners into his garden Lambeth, there by all manner of effectual persuasions entreated him to leave off overmuch constancy, and to incline unto the king's intent, who was fully set to have it otherwise than he then had penned, or meant to have set abroad. When those two his give over the familiars, with one or two others his friends, had used all their eloquence and policy, gospel. he, little regarding their inconstancy and remissness in God's cause or quarrel, said unto them right notably: "You make much ado to have me come to your purpose, alleging The answer that it is the king's pleasure to have the articles in that sort you have devised them bishop to to proceed; and now that you do perceive his highness, by sinister information, to be and Skippe. bent that way, you think it a convenient thing to apply unto his highness's mind. You be my friends both, especially the one of you I did put to his majesty as of trust. Beware, I say, what you do. There is but one truth in our articles to be concluded upon, which if you do hide from his highness by consenting unto a contrary doctrine, and then after in process of time, when the truth cannot be hidden from him, his highness shall perceive how that you have dealt colourably with him, I know his grace's nature so well," quoth the archbishop, "that he will never after trust and credit you, or put any good confidence in you. And as you are both my friends, so therefore I will you to beware thereof in time, and discharge your consciences in maintenance of the truth." But all this would not serve, for they still swerved; and in the end, by discharging of his conscience, and declaring the truth unto the king, God so wrought with the king, that his highness joined with him against the rest; so that the book of articles passing on his side, he won the goal from them all, contrary to all their expectations; when many wagers would have been laid in London, that he should have been laid up with Cromwell at that time in the Tower, for his stiff standing to his tackle. After that day there could neither councillor, bishop, or papist, win him out of the king's favour. busy to bring bishop out of the king. bishop again accused to the king. Notwithstanding, not long after that, certain of the council, whose names need not The papists to be repeated, by the enticement and provocation of his ancient enemy, the bishop of the archWinchester, and other of the same sect, attempted the king against him, declaring credit with plainly, that the realm was so infected with heresies and heretics, that it was dangerous for his highness farther to permit it unreformed, lest peradventure by long suffering The archsuch contention should arise and ensue in the realm among his subjects, that thereby might spring horrible commotions and uproars, like as in some parts of Germany it did not long ago; the enormity whereof they could not impute to any so much as to the archbishop of Canterbury, who by his own preaching and his chaplains' had filled the whole realm full of divers pernicious heresies. The king would needs know his accusers. They answered, that forasmuch as he was a councillor, no man durst take upon him to accuse him; but, if it please his highness to commit him to the Tower for a time, there would be accusations and proofs enough against him, for otherwise just testimony and witness against him would not appear; "and therefore your highness," said they, “must needs give us, the council, liberty and leave to commit him to durance." The king perceiving their importune suit against the archbishop, but yet meaning not to have him wronged and utterly given over unto their hands, granted to them that they should the next day commit him to the Tower for his trial. When night came, the king sent Sir Antony Deny about midnight to Lambeth to the archbishop, The king sent willing him forthwith to resort unto him at the court. The message done, the archbishop speedily addressed himself to the court, and coming into the gallery where the [CRANMER.] Sir Antony Deng midnight for the archbishop. words and supportation of the archbishop. The king's king walked and tarried for him, his highness said: "Ah, my lord of Canterbury, I advice for the can tell you news. For divers weighty considerations it is determined by me and the council, that you to-morrow at nine of the clock shall be committed to the Tower, for that you and your chaplains (as information is given us) have taught and preached, and thereby sown within the realm, such a number of execrable heresies, that it is feared, the whole realm being infected with them, no small contentions and commotions will rise thereby amongst my subjects, as of late days the like was in divers parts of Germany; and therefore the council have requested me, for the trial of this matter, to suffer them to commit you to the Tower, or else no man dare come forth as witness in these matters, you being a councillor." The archbishop's answer to the king. When the king had said his mind, the archbishop kneeled down, and said: "I am content, if it please your grace, with all my heart to go thither at your highness's commandment, and I most humbly thank your majesty that I may come to my trial; for there be that have many ways slandered me, and now this way I hope to try myself not worthy of such a report." The king, perceiving the man's uprightness joined with such simplicity, said: "Oh Lord, what manner a man be you! what simplicity is in you! I had thought that you would rather have sued to us to have taken the pains to have heard you and your accusers together for your trial without any such endurance. Do not you know what state you be in with the whole world, and how many great enemies you have? Do you not consider, what an easy thing it is to procure three or four false knaves to witness against you? Think you to have better luck that way than your master Christ had? I see it, you will run headlong to your undoing, if I would suffer you. Your enemies shall not so prevail against you, for I have otherwise devised with myself archbishop of to keep you out of their hands. Yet, notwithstanding, to-morrow when the council The king's favourable care and consideration toward the Canterbury. The king sendeth his shall sit and send for you, resort unto them; and if in charging you with this matter they do commit you to the Tower, require of them, because you are one of them, a councillor, that you may have your accusers brought before them, and that you may answer their accusations before them without any further endurance, and use for yourself as good persuasions that way as you may devise; and if no entreaty or reasonable request will serve, then deliver unto them this my ring, (which then the king delivered signet on the unto the archbishop,) and say unto them: 'If there be no remedy, my lords, but that archbishop of I must needs go to the Tower, then I revoke my cause from you, and appeal to the king's own person by this his token unto you all:' for," said the king then unto the archbishop, "so soon as they shall see this my ring, they know it so well, that they shall understand that I have resumed the whole cause into mine own hands and determination, and that I have discharged them thereof." behalf of the Canterbury. The arch bishop, being one of the council, made to stand at the council The archbishop, perceiving the king's benignity so much to him wards, had much ado to forbear tears. "Well," said the king, "go your ways, my lord, and do as I have bidden you." My lord, humbling himself with thanks, took his leave of the king's highness for that night. On the morrow, about nine of the clock before noon, the council sent a gentleman usher for the archbishop, who when he came to the council-chamber door, could not be let in, but of purpose, as it seemed, was compelled there to wait among the pages, chamber door lackeys, and serving-men all alone. Doctor Butts, the king's physician, resorting that way, and espying how my lord of Canterbury was handled, went to the king's highness friend of the and said: "My lord of Canterbury, if it please your grace, is well promoted; for now he is become a lackey or a serving-man, for yonder he standeth this half-hour without the council-chamber door amongst them." "It is not so," quoth the king, "I trow, nor the council hath not so little discretion as to use the metropolitan of the realm in that waiting. Doctor Butts, the king's physician, a archbishop. |