The history of the reformation of the Church of England. The first part of the progess made in it during the reign of K. Henry the VIII / by Gilbert Burnet.

XLVIII. A Letter from Cromwel to Fisher, about the Maid of Kent, Anno 34, or end of 35.

MY Lord, in my right hearty wise I commend me to your Lord∣ship, doing you to understand, that I have received your Letters dated at Rochester, the 18th day of this Month; in which ye declare what craft and cunning ye have to persuade, and to set a good Counte∣nance upon an ill Matter, drawing some Scriptures to your purpose; which well weighed, according to the places whereout they be taken, make not so much for your purpose as ye alledge them for; and where in the first Leaf of your Letters ye write, that ye doubt nothing, nei∣ther before God nor before the World, if need shall that require, so to declare your self, whatsoever hath been said of you, that ye have not deserved such heavy words, or terrible threats, as hath been sent from me unto you by your Brother.

How ye can declare your self afore God and the World, when need shall require, I cannot tell; but I think verily that your Declaration made by these Letters, is far insufficient to prove that ye have deserved no heavy words in this behalf. And to say plainly, I sent you no heavy words, but words of great comfort, willing your Brother to shew you

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how benign and merciful the Prince was: And that I thought it expe∣dient for you to write unto his Highness, and to recognize your Offen∣ces, and desire his pardon, which his Grace would not deny you now in your age and sickness; which my counsel I would you had followed, ra∣ther than to have written these Letters to me, excusing your self altho there were no manner of default in you. But, my Lord, if it were in an other manner of case than your own, and out of the Matter which ye favour, I doubt not but that ye would think him that should have done as ye have done, not only worthy heavy Words, but also heavy Deeds; for where ye labour to excuse your self of your Hearing, Bribing, and concealing of the Maiden's false and feigned Revelations, and of your manifold sending of your Chaplains unto her, by a certain intent which ye pretend your self to have had, to know by communing with her, or by sending your Chaplains to her, whether for Revelati∣ons, Word of God, or no, alledging divers Scriptures that ye were bound to prove them, and to receive them after they were proved. My Lord, whether ye have used a due means to try her and her Reve∣lations, or no, it appeareth by the process of your own Letters. For where you write that ye had conceived a great opinion of the holiness of this Woman, for many considerations rehearsed in your Letters, comprised in six Articles; whereof the first is grounded upon the bruit and fame of her; the second, upon her entring into Religion after her trances and diffiguration; the third, upon rehearsal that her Ghostly Fa∣ther being Learned and Religious, should testify that she was a Woman of great holiness; the fourth, upon the report that divers other vertuous Priests, Men of good Learning and Reputation, should so testify of her, with which Ghostly Father, and Priests, ye never spake, as ye confess in your Letters; the fifth, upon the praises of my late Lord of Canterbury, which shewed you, as ye write, that she had many great Visions; the sixth, upon the saying of the Prophet Amos, Non faciet Do∣minus Deus Verbum, nisi revelaverit secretum suum ad servos suos Prophe∣tas. By which Considerations ye were induced to the desire to know the very certainty of this Matter, whether these Revelations which were pretended to be shewed to her from God, were true Revelations or not. Your Lordship in all the sequel of your Letters, shew not that ye made no further trial upon the truth of her and her Revelations, but only in communing with her, and sending your Chaplains to her with idle Que∣stions, as of the 3 Mary Magdalens, by which your communication and sending, ye tried out nothing of her falshood, neither (as it is credibly supposed) intended to do as ye might have done, in any wise more easily than with communing with her, or sending to her; for little credence was to be given to her, affirming her own feigned Revelations to be from God; for if credence should be given to every such lewd Person as would affirm himself to have Revelations from God, what readier way were there to subvert all Common-Weals and good orders in the World?

Verily, my Lord, if ye had intended to trace out the truth of her, and of her Revelations, ye would have taken an other way with you; first, you would not have been converted with the vain Voices of the People, making bruits of her Trances and Diffiguration, but like a wise, discreet, and circumspect Prelate, ye should have examined (as

other since) such sad and credible Persons as were present at her Traun∣ces and Diffigurings, not one or two, but a good number, by whose testimony ye should have proved, whether the Bruits of her Traunces and Diffigurations were true or not. And likewise ye should have tried by what craft and persuasion she was made a Religious Woman; and if ye had been so desirous, as ye pretended, to enquire out the truth or falshood of this Woman, and of her Revelations; it is to be supposed ye would have spoken with her good, religious, and well-learned Ghostly Father e're this time, and also with the vertuous and well-learned Priest, (as they were esteemed) of whose reports ye would have been informed by them which heard them speak; or ye would also have been minded to see the Book of her Revelations, which was offered you, of which ye might have had more trial of her and her Revelations, than of a hundred communications with her, or of as many sendings of your Chaplains unto her. As for the late Lord of Canterbury's saying unto you, That she had many great Visions, it ought to move you never a deal to give credence unto her or her Revelations; for the said Lord knew no more certainty of her, or of her Revelations, than he did by her own report. And as touching the saying of Amos the Prophet, I think verily the same moved you but a little to hearken unto her; for si∣thence the Consummation and the end of the Old Testament, and sithen the Passion of Christ, God hath done many great and notable things in the World, whereof he shewed nothing to his Prophets that hath come to the knowledg of Men. My Lord, all these things moved you not to give credence unto her, but only the very matter whereupon she made her false Prophesies; to which matter ye were so affected, as ye be noted to be in all matters which ye enter once into, that nothing could come amiss that made for that purpose. And here I appeal your Conscience, and instantly desire you to answer, Whether if she had shewed you as many Revelations for the confirmation of the King's Graces Marriage, which he now enjoyeth, as she did to the contrary, ye would have given as much credence to her as the same done, and would have let the trial of her and her Revelations, to overpass those many years, where ye dwelt not from her but twenty miles in the same Shire where her Traunces, and Diffigurings, and Prophesies in her Traunces were surmised, and reported. And if percase ye will say (as it not unlike but ye will say, minded as ye were wont to be) that the matter be not like, for the Law of God, in your opinion, standeth with the one and not with the other: Surely, my Lord, I suppose there had been no great cause more to trust the one more than the other; for ye know by Scriptures of the Bible, that God may by his Revelation di∣spense with his own Law, as with the Israelites spoiling the Egyptians, and with Iacob to have four Wives, and such other. Think you, my Lord, that any indifferent Man, considering the quality of the Matter, and your Affections, and also the negligent passing over of such lawful Trials as ye might have had of the said Maiden, and her Revelations, is so dull, that cannot perceive and discern that your communing, and often sending to the said Maid, was rather to hear and bruit many of her Re∣velations, than to try out the truth or falshood of the same. And in this Business, I suppose, it will be hard for you to purge your self before God, or the World, but that ye have been in great default in hearing,

believing, and concealing such things as tended to the destruction of the Prince; and that her Revelations were bent and purposed to that end, it hath been duly proved afore as great Assembly and Council of the Lords of this Realm, as hath been seen many years meet out of a Parlia∣ment. And what the said Lords deemed them worthy to suffer, which said, heard, believed, and concealed those false Revelations, be more ter∣rible than any threats spoken by me to your Brother.

And where ye go about to defend, that ye be not to be blamed for concealing the Revelations concerning the King's Grace, because ye thought it not necessary to rehearse them to his Highness, for six Causes following in your Letters; afore I shew you my mind concerning these Causes, I suppose that albeit you percase thought it not necessary to be shewed to the Prince by you, yet that your thinking shall not be your Trial, but the Law must define whether ye oughted to utter it or not.

And as to the first of the said seven Causes; Albeit she told you that she had shewed her Revelations concerning the King's Grace to the King her self; yet her saying, or others, discharged not you, but that ye were bound, by your fidelity, to shew to the King's Grace that thing which seemed to concern his Grace and his Reign so nighly: for how knew you that she shewed these Revelations to the King's Grace, but by her own saying, to which ye should have given no such credence, as to forbear the utterance of so great Matters concerning a King's Weal? And why should you so sinisterly judg the Prince, that if ye had shewed the same unto him, he would have thought that ye had brought that tale unto him, more for the strengthening and confirmation of your Opi∣nion, than for any other thing else. Verily, my Lord, whatsoever your Judgment be, I see daily such benignity and excellent humanity in his Grace, that I doubt not but his Highness would have accepted it in good part, if ye had shewed the same Revelations unto him, as ye were bounden by your fidelity.

To the second Cause; Albeit she shewed you not that any Prince, or other Temporal Lord, should put the King's Grace in danger of his Crown; yet there were ways enough by which her said Revelations might have put the King's Grace in danger, as the foresaid Council of Lords have substantially and duly considered: And therefore albeit she shewed you not the means whereby the danger should ensue to the King, yet ye were nevertheless bounden to shew him of the dan∣ger.

To the third; Think you, my Lord, that if any Person would come unto you, and shew you, that the King's destruction were conspired against a certain time, and would fully shew you that he were sent from his Master to shew the same to the King, and will say further un∣to that, he would go streight to the King; were it not yet your duty to certify the King's Grace of this Revelation, and also to enquire whe∣ther the said Person had done his foresaid Message or no? Yes verily, and so were ye bound, tho the Maiden shewed you it was her Message from God to be declared by her to the King's Grace.

To the fourth; Here ye translate the temporal Duty that ye owe to your Prince, to the spiritual Duty of such as be bound to declare the Word of God to the People, and to shew unto them the ill and punish∣ment

of it in another World; the concealment whereof pertaineth to the Judgment of God, but the concealment of this Matter pertaineth to other Judges of this Realm.

To the fifth; There could no blame be imputed to you, if ye had shewed the Maidens Revelation to the King's Grace, albeit they were afterward found false, for no Man ought to be blamed doing his Duty: And if a Man would shew you secretly, that there were a great Mischief intended against the Prince, were ye to be blamed if ye shewed him of it; albeit it was a feigned talk, and the said mischief were never ima∣gined.

To the sixth; Concerning an Imagination of Mr. Pary, it was known that he was beside himself, and therefore they were not blamed that made no report thereof; but it was not like in this case, for ye took not this Maiden for a mad Woman, for if ye had, ye would not have given unto her so great credence as ye did.

To the final, and seventh Cause; Where ye lay unto the charge of our Sovereign, that so hath unkindly entreated you with grievous Words, and terrible Letters, for shewing his Grace truth in his great Matter, whereby ye were discomforted to shew unto him the Maidens Revelations: I believe that I know the King's Goodness, and natural Gentleness so well, that his Grace would not so unkindly handled you, as your unkindly writings him, unless ye gave him other Causes than be expressed in your Letters. And whatsoever the King's Grace hath said or written unto you heretofore, yet notwithstanding ye were neverthe∣less bounden to utter to him those pernicious Revelations.

Finally; Where ye desire, for the Passion of Christ, that ye be no more twitched in this matter, for if ye be put to that strait, ye will not lose your Soul, but ye will speak as your Conscience bindeth you, with many more words of great courage. My Lord, if ye had taken my counsel sent unto you by your Brother, and followed the same, sub∣mitting your self, by your Letters, at the King's Grace, for your offences in this behalf, I would have trusted that ye should never be quykkrand in this matter more. But now, where ye take upon you to defend the whole Matter, as ye were in no default, I cannot so far promise you: And surely, my Lord, if the Matter come to trial, your own confession in this Letter, besides the Witness which be against you, will be suffici∣ent to condemn you: Wherefore, my Lord, I will eft-soons advise you, That laying apart all such excuses as ye have alledged in your Let∣ters, which in my opinion be of small effect, as I have declared, ye be∣seech the King's Grace, by your Letters, to be your Gracious Lord, and to remit unto you your negligence, over-sight, and offence, committed against his Highness in this behalf; and I dare undertake that his High∣ness shall benignly accept you into his gracious favour, all matters of displeasure past afore this time forgotten and forgiven. As touching the speaking of your Conscience, It is thought that ye have written and have spoken as much as ye can, and many things, as some right probably be∣lieves, against your own Conscience: and many report, that at the last Convocation, ye spake many things which ye could not well defend; and therefore it is not greatly feared what ye can say or write in that Matter, howsoever ye be qukkrane and startled. And if ye had taken, &c.

Notes

• Cotton Libr. Cleopat. E. 4.