Annales of England Containing the reignes of Henry the Eighth. Edward the Sixt. Queene Mary. Written in Latin by the Right Honorable and Right Reverend Father in God, Francis Lord Bishop of Hereford. Thus Englished, corrected and inlarged with the author's consent, by Morgan Godwyn.

Anno Dom. 1534. Reg. 26.

ABout this time was discouered the grand im∣posture of ELIZABETH BARTON, which brought her to a deserued end. Shee had formerly beene sicke of a strange disease, which not only afflicted her inwardly, but as often as her fit tooke her, so wonderfully distorted her mouth and other parts of her body, that most were of opi∣nion, it could not peoceed from any naturall cause. But Custome growing to a second Nature, the con∣tinuance of the Disease had taught her to distort her body after her recouery, in the fame manner as when she was sicke. Hoping to make a profit of this her counterfeit Convulsion, she imparted the secret to the Curate of the Parish: by whose deuice after ••ong deliberation betweene them, it was agreed, that she should often faine her selfe to be in an ec∣stasie: and whereas shee was wont when the fit sea∣sed her, to ly still without motion, as if she had been dead, shee should now sometimes vtter some godly sentences, inveigh against the wickednesse of the times, but especially against Heretiques and broa∣chers of new Opinions; and should relate strange visions revealed by God to her in the time of her ecstasie. By these jugling trickes, not only among the Vulgar (who termed the holy Maid of Kent) but among the wiser sort, such as were Archbishop WARHAM, Bishop FISHER, and others, her sanctity was held in admiration. The Imposture taking so generally, her boldnesse increased. Shee prefixeth a day whereon she shall be restored to per∣fect health, and the meanes of her recouery must be

procured forsooth by a pilgrimage to some certaine Image of our Lady. The day came, and shee beeing brought to the place, by the like cousenage deceiued a great number of people, whom the expectation of the miracle had drawne thither: and at last, as if she had iust then shaken off her disease, shee appeares whole and straight vnto them all; saying, That by especiall command from God shee must become a Nunne, and that one Doctor BOCKING a Monke of Canterbury there present, was ordained to bee her Confessor, which office hee willingly vndertooke: vnder pretext whereof this Nunne liuing at Canterbu∣ry, BOCKING often resorted to her, not without suspition of dishonesty.

The intended Divorce from CATHARINE, and marriage with ANNE BOLEN, had much ap∣palled most part of the Clergy: for then a necessity was imposed on the King, of a divorce from the Pa∣pall Sea, in which the Church and all Ecclesiasticall persons were likely to suffer. The apprehension whereof wrought so with BOCKING, that making others conscious of the intent, hee persuaded ELI∣ZABETH BARTON by denuntiation of Gods re∣vealed judgements to deterre the King from his purposed change. Shee according as shee was instru∣cted, proclaimes it abroad, That the King aduentu∣ring to marry another, CATHARINE surviving, should, if in the meane time hee died not some infa∣mous death, within one moneth after be depriued of his Kingdome. The King heares of it, and causeth the Impostrix to be apprehended, who vpon exami∣nation discouered the rest of the conspirators, who were all committed to prison vntill the next Parlia∣ment should determine of them. ELIZ. BARTON, BOCKING, MASTERS, (the afore mentioned Cu∣rate of the Parish) DEERING, and RISBEY,

Monkes, with GOLD a Priest, are by the Parliament adiudged to dy. The Bishop of Rochester, and ADE∣SON his Chaplaine, one ABEL a Priest, LAV∣RENCE the Archdeacon of Canterbury his Register, and THOMAS GOLD Gentleman, for hauing heard many things, whereby they might guesse at the intents of the Conspirators, and not acquainting the Magistrate with them, are as accessory condemned in a Praemunire, (confiscation of their goods, and per∣petuall impris••nment.) ELIZABETH BARTON and her Companions, hauing each of them after a Sermon at Pauls Crosse, publiquely confessed the Imposture, are on the twentieth of Aprill hanged, and their heads set ouer the gates of the City.

* 1.1 By the same Parliament, the authority of the Con∣vocation to make Canonicall Constitutions, vnlesse the King giue this Rovall assent, is abrogated.

It is also inacted, That the Collocation of all Bi∣shoprickes, the Seas being vacant, should henceforth be at the Kings dispose, and that no man should be chosen by the Chapter, or consecrated by the Arch∣bishop, but he on whom the King by his Congé D'eslire or other his Letters had conferred that Dignity.

* 1.2 And wheras many complained, that now all com∣merce with Rome was forbidden, all meanes were taken away of mitigating the rigour of the Ecclesi∣asticall Lawes of Dispensation; Papall authority is granted to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the King reserving to himselfe the power of dispensing in cau∣ses of greater moment. And that all Appeales for∣merly wont to be made from the Archbishop to the Pope, should now bee from the Archbishop to the King, who by Delegates should determine all such suites and controversies.

Furthermore, the Kings marriage with the Lady CATHARINE is againe pronounced incestuous,

the Succession to the Crowne established on the Kings Issue begotten on Queene ANNE. And all aboue the age of sixteen yeares throughout the King∣dome, are to be bound by oath, to the obseruance of this Law: whosoeuer refused to take this oath, should suffer losse of all their goods, and perpetuall impri∣sonment.

* 1.3 Throughout all the Realme there were found but two, who durst refracto••ily oppose this Law, viz▪ FISHER Bishop of Rochester, and Sir THOMAS MOORE the late Lord Chancellor; men who were indeed very learned, but most obstinate stickers in the behalfe of the Church of Rome: who being not to be drawne by any persuasions, ••o be conformable to the Law, were committed to prison, from whence af∣ter a yeares durance they were not freed but by the losse of their liues.

* 1.4 But the King fearing that it might be thought, That hee tooke these courses rather out of a contempt of Religion, than in regard of the tyrannie of the Court of Rome; to free himselfe from all suspition either of favouring LVTHER, or any authors of new Opi∣nions, began to persecute that sort of men whom the Vulgar called Heretiques, and condemned to the cruelty of that mercilesle Element Fire, not only cer∣taine Dutch Anabaptists, but many Professors of the Truth: and amongst others, that learned and godly young man IOHN ••RITH, who with one HEW∣ET and others, on the two and twentieth of July con∣stantly endured the torments of their martyrdome.

* 1.5 The fiue and twentieth of September died CLE∣MENT the Seuenth, Pope; in whose place succeeded ALEXADER FARNESE by the name of PAV∣LVS the Third, who to begin his time with some memorable Act, hauing called a Consistory, pro∣nounced HENRY to be fallen from the Title and

Dignity of a King, and to be deposed, re-iterating withall the thunder of Excommunication, with which bug-beare his predecessor CLEMENT had sought to affright him. But this peradventure happen∣ed in the insuing yeare, after the death of FISHER and MORE.

A Parliament is againe called in November, where∣in (according to the Decree of the late Synod) the King was declared Supreme Head of the Church of England, and the punishment all crimes which for∣merly pertained to the Ecclesiasticall Courts, is made proper to him. So the Kingdome is vindicated from the vsurpation of the Pope, who before shared in it, and the King now first began to raigne en∣tirely.

* 1.6 Also all Annates or first Fruits formerly paid to the Pope, are granted to the King.

And Wales the seat of the remainder of the true an∣tient Britans, hitherto differing from vs (compoun∣ded of Normans and Saxons) as well in the forme of their gouernment, as in Language, is by the authori∣ty of this Parliament (to the great good of both, but especially that Nation) vnited and incorpora∣ted to England. EDWARD the First was the first who subdued this Countrey, yet could hee not prevaile over their mindes, whome the desire of recouering their lost liberty, animated to ma∣ny rebellions. By reason whereof, and our suspi∣tions, being for two hundred yeares oppressed either with the miseries of seruitude or war, they neuer ta∣sted the sweet fruits of a true and solid peace. But HENRY the Seuenth by bloud (in reguard of his Father) and birth a Welchman, comming to the Crowne, (as if they had recouered their li∣berty, whereto they so long aspired) they obei∣ed him as their lawfull Prince. So the English

being freed of their former jealousies permitted them to partake of their Priuiledges, since com∣mon to both Nations, the good whereof equally ••edounded to both. I could wish the like Vnion with Scotland: That as wee all liue in one Island, professing one Faith, and speaking for the most part one Language, vnder the gouernment of one and the same Prince; so we may become one Nati∣on, all equally acknowledging our selues Britans, and so recouer our true Countrey Britaine, lost as it were so many hundreds of yeares, by our divisions of it into England, Scotland, and Wales.

Notes

• * 1.1

  No Canons to be consti∣tuted with∣out the Kings assent. The King to collate Bi∣shopricks.
• * 1.2

  The Arch∣bishop of Canterbury hath Papall authority vn∣der the King.
• * 1.3

  Fisher and More impri∣soned.
• * 1.4

  Persecution.
• * 1.5

  Pope Cle∣ment d••••th.
• * 1.6

  First fruits granted to the King. Wales vni∣ted to Eng∣land.