The history of the reigns of Henry the Seventh, Henry the Eighth, Edward the Sixth, and Queen Mary the first written by the Right Honourable Francis Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban ; the other three by the Right Honourable and Right Reverend Father in God, Francis Godwyn, Lord Bishop of Hereford.

ANNO DOM. 1534. REG. 26.

ABout this time was discovered the grand Imposture of Eli∣zabeth [ 1534] Barton, which brought her to a deserved end. She had formerly been sick of a strange disease, which not only af∣flicted* 1.1 her inwardly, but as often as her fitt took her, so wonder∣fully distorted her mouth and other parts of her body, that most were of opinion, it could not proceed from any natural cause. But Custom growing to a second Nature, the continuance of the disease had taught her to distort her body after her recovery, in the same manner as when she was sick. Hoping to make a profit of this her counterfeit Convulsion, she imparted the secret to the Curate of the Parish: by whose device after long deliberation between them, it was agreed, that she should often feign her self to be in an Ecstasie: and whereas she was wont when the fitt seised her, to lie still without motion, as if she had been dead, she should now sometimes utter some godly sentences, inveigh against the wickedness of the times, but especially against Here∣ticks

and broachers of new Opinions; and should relate strange [ 1534] Visions revealed by God to her in the time of her Ecstasie. By these jugling tricks, not only among the Vulgar (who termed her 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 boldness increased. She prefixeth a day whereon she shall be re∣stored to perfect health, and the means of her recovery must be procured forsooth by a Pilgrimage to some certain Image of our Lady. The day came, and she being brought to the place, by the like cozenage deceived a great number of people, whom the expectation of the Miracle had drawn thither: and at last, as if she had just then shaken off her disease, she appears whole and straight unto them all; saying, That by especial command from God she must become a Nun, and that one Dr. Bocking a Monk of Canterbury there present, was ordained to be her Confessor, which office he willingly undertook; under pretext whereof this Nun living at Canterbury, Bocking often resorted to her, not with∣out suspition of dishonesty.

The intended Divorce from Catharine, and Marriage with Ann Bolen, had much appalled most part of the Clergy: for then a necessity was imposed on the King, of a divorce from the Papal See, in which the Church and all Ecclesiastical persons were likely to suffer. The apprehension whereof wrought so with Bocking, that making others conscious of the intent, he perswa∣ded Elizabeth Barton by denuntiation of God's revealed judgments to deterr the King from his purposed change. She according as she was instructed, proclaims it abroad, That the King adven∣turing to marry another, Catharine surviving, should, if in the mean time he died not some infamous death, within one month after be deprived of his Kingdom. The King hears of it, and causeth the Impostrix to be apprehended, who upon examination discovered the rest of the Conspirators, who were all committed to prison until the next Parliament should determine of them. Elizabeth Barton, Bocking, Masters, (the afore mentioned Curate of the Parish) Deering, and Risby, Monks, with Gold a Priest, are by the Parliament adjudged to die. The Bishop of Rochester, and Adeson his Chaplain, one Abel a Priest, Laurence the Arch∣deacon of Canterbury his Register, and Thomas Gold Gentleman, for having heard many things, whereby they might guess at the intents of the Conspirators, and not acquainting the Magistrate with them, are as accessory condemned in a Praemunire, (con∣fiseation of their goods, and perpetual imprisonment.) Elizabeth Barton and her Companions, having each of them after a Sermon at Pauls Cross, publickly confessed the Imposture, are on the twentieth of April hanged, and their Heads set over the Gates of the City.

By the same Parliament, the authority of the Convocation to [ 1534] make Canonical Constitutions, unless the King give his Royal assent, is abrogated.* 1.2

It is also enacted, That the Collocation of all Bishopricks, the Sees being vacant, should henceforth be at the King's dispose, and that no man should be chosen by the Chapter, or consecrated by the Archbishop, but he on whom the King by his Congé D'eslire or other his Letters had conferred that Dignity.

And whereas many complained, that now all commerce with* 1.3 Rome was forbidden, all means were taken away of mitigating the rigour of the Ecclesiastical Laws of Dispensation; Papal authority is granted to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the King reserving to himself the power of dispensing in causes of greater moment. And that all Appeals formerly wont to be made from the Archbishop to the Pope, should now be from the Archbishop to the King, who by Delegates should determine all such Suits and Controversies.

Furthermore, the King's Marriage with the Lady Catharine is again pronounced incestuous, the Succession to the Crown established on the King's Issue begotten on Queen Ann. And all above the age of sixteen years throughout the Kingdom, are to be bound by Oath, to the observance of this Law: Whosoever refused to take this Oath, should suffer loss of all their goods, and perpetual imprisonment.

Throughout all the Realm there were found but two, who durst refractorily oppose this Law, viz. Fisher Bishop of Rochester,* 1.4 and Sir Thomas More the late Lord Chancellor; men who were indeed very learned, but most obstinate sticklers in the behalf of the Church of Rome: who being not to be drawn by any per∣swasions, to be conformable to the Law, were committed to prison, from whence after a years durance they were not freed but by the loss of their lives.

But the King fearing that it might be thought, That he took* 1.5 these courses rather out of a contempt of Religion, than in regard of the tyranny of the Court of Rome; to free himself from all suspition either of favouring Luther, or any authors of new Opi∣nions, began to persecute that sort of men whom the Vulgar called Hereticks, and condemned to the cruelty of that merciless Element Fire, not only certain Dutch Anabaptists, but many Professors of the Truth; and amongst others, that learned and godly young man John Frith, who with one Hewet and others, on the two and twentieth of July constantly endured the torments of their martyrdom.

The five and twentieth of September died Clement the Seventh,* 1.6 Pope; in whose place succeeded Alexander Farnese by the name of Paulus the Third, who to begin his time with some memorable Act, having called a Consistory, pronounced Henry to be fallen

from the Title and Dignity of a King, and to be deposed, re∣iterating [ 1534] withal the thunder of Excommunication, with which bugbear his predecessor Clement had sought to affright him. But this peradventure happened in the ensuing year, after the death of Fisher and More.

A Parliament is again called in November, wherein (according to the Decree of the late Synod) the King was declared Supreme Head of the Church of England, and the punishment of all crimes which formerly pertained to the Ecclesiastical Courts, is made proper to him. So the Kingdom is vindicated from the usurpation of the Pope, who before shared in it, and the King now first began to reign entirely.

* 1.7 Also all Annats or First-fruits formerly paid to the Pope, are granted to the King.

And Wales, the seat of the remainder of the true antient Britans, hitherto differing from us (compounded of Normans and Saxons) as well in the form of their Government, as in Language, is by the authority of this Parliament (to the great good of both, but especially that Nation) united and incorporated to England. Ed∣ward the First was the first who subdued this Countrey, yet could he not prevail over their minds, whom the desire of recovering their lost liberty, animated to many Rebellions. By reason whereof, and our suspitions, being for two hundred years op∣pressed either with the miseries of Servitude or War, they never tasted the sweet fruits of a true and solid Peace. But Henry the Seventh by blood (in regard of his Father) and birth a Welchman, coming to the Crown, (as if they had recovered their liberty, whereto they so long aspired) they obeyed him as their lawful Prince. So the English being freed of their former jealousies permit∣ted them to partake of their Priviledges, since common to both Nations, the good whereof equally redounded to both. I could wish the like Union with Scotland: That as we all live in one Island, professing one Faith, and speaking for the most part one Language, under the government of one and the same Prince; so we may become one Nation, all equally acknowledging our selves Britans, and so recover our true Countrey Britain, lost as it were so many hundreds of years, by our divisions of it into England, Scotland, and Wales.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Imposture of Elizabeth Barton disco∣vired.
• * 1.2

  No Canons to be constituted without the King's assent. The King to collate Bi∣shopricks.
• * 1.3

  The Archbishop of Canterbury bath Papal au∣thority under the King.
• * 1.4

  Fisher and More impri∣soned.
• * 1.5

  Persecution.
• * 1.6

  Pope Clement dieth.
• * 1.7

  First-fruits granted to the King. Wales united to England.