The church-history of Britain from the birth of Jesus Christ until the year M.DC.XLVIII endeavoured by Thomas Fuller.

Of the actions of policie, pietie, charitie, and justice, done by King Henry the eighth, out of the revenues of dissolved Abbeys.

WE would not willingly be accounted like those called the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 amongst the Jewes, whose office it was, onely to take notice of the blots or blemishes, the defects and deformities in sacrifices. We would not weed King Henry's actions in His dissolving of Abbeys, so as onely to mark the miscarriages, and misdemeanous therein. Come we to consider, what commendable deeds this King did raise on the ruines of Monasteries.

2. First, He politickly increased the revenues of the Crown, and Dutchie of Lancaster (on which He bestowed the rich Abbey of Fourness in that County) with annexing much land thereto, and erecting the Court of Augmentations (whereof largely hereafter) for the more methodicall managing thereof; though (alas!) what the Crown possessed of Abbey-land, was nothing to what He passed away. Surely, had the revenues of Monasteries been entirely kept, and paid into the Exchequer, there to make an Aerarium sacrum, or Publick treasurie, it is que∣stionable, whether the same had been more for the ease of the Subject, or use and honour of the Soveraigne.

3. Secondly, He piously founded five Bishopricks de novo (besides one at West-minster which continued not) where none had been before. For, though antient∣ly there had been a Bishops Seat at Chester for a short time, yet it was then no better than the Summer-house of the Bishop of Lichfield (onely during the life of one Peter living there) which now was solemnly made a Bishoprick for succes∣sion, and four others, namely,

Bishops See.	Diocesse assigned it.	Taken from the Bishoprick of
1. Oxford. 2. Bristoll. 3. Peterborough. 4. Gloucester. 5. Chester.	1. Oxford shire. 2. Dorset, and some part of Gloucester shire. 3. Northampton shire, and Rutland. 4. Gloucester-shire, the rest. 5. Chester, Lancaster, and Richmond shire.	1. Lincolne. 2. Sarisbury. 3. Lincolne. 4. Worcester. 5. Lichfield, and York.

Such who are Prelatically perswaded, must acknowledge these new foundations of the King's, for a worthy work. Those also of contrary judgment, will thus farre forth approve His act, because had He otherwise expended these Abbey-lands, and not continued them to our times in these new Bishopricks, they had not been in being, by their late sale, to supply the Common-wealth.

4. Thirdly, where He found a Prior and Monks belonging to any antient Ca∣thedral-Church, there He converted the same into a Dean and Prebendaries; as in

• 1. Canterbury.
• 2. Winchester.
• 3. Elie.
• 4. Norwich.
• 5. Worcester.
• 6. Rochester.
• 7. Duresme.
• 8. Carlile.

I dare not say, that He entirely assigned (though a gooda Authour affirmeth it) all, or the most part of those Priorie-lands, to these His new foundations. How∣ever the expression of a lateb Bishop of Norwich, is complained of, as uncivil, and untrue, that King Henry took away the sheep from that Cathedral, and did not restore so much as the trotters unto it.

5. Fourthly, He charitably founded many Grammar-schools (great need whereof in that Age in this Land) as in Canterbury, Coventry, Worcester, &c. al∣lowing

liberall salaries to the Masters and Ushers therein, had they been carefully preserved. But sometimes the gifts of a bountifull Master shrink in the passage thorough the hands of a covetous Steward.

6. Fiftly, He charitably bestowed Gray Friers (now commonly called Christ-Church) and the Hospital of S. Bartholomew in London, on that City, for the relief of the poor thereof. For the death of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolke, His beloved Brother-in-Law, happ'ning the July before, so impressed King Hen∣ry with a serious apprehension of His own mortality (such the sympathy of tem∣pers, intimacie of converse, and no great disparity of age betwixt them) that He thought it high time to bethink Himself of His end, and to doe some good work in order thereunto. Hereupon on the 13 of January following, Annoc 1546. He bestowed the said Hospitals on the City; a gift afterwards confirmed, and enlarged by King Edward the sixt.

7. Sixtly, He built and endowed the magnificent Colledge of Trinity, finish∣ed Kings-Colledge Chappell-in Cambridge, and founded Professours places for Languages, Physick, Law, and Divinity, in both Universities; as in the proper place thereof shall hereafter largely appear.

8. Seventhly, He employed John Leland, a most learned Antiquary, to per∣ambulate, and visit the ruines of all Abbeys, and record the Memorables therein. It seems, though the buildings were destroyed, King Henry would have the buil∣ders preserved, and their memories transmitted to posterity. This task Leland performed with great pains, to his great praise, on the King's purse, who exhibi∣ted most bountifully unto him, as himself confesseth in these his Latine verses:

Antè suos Phoebus radios ostendere mundo Desinet, & claras Cynthia pulchra faces: Ante fluet rapidum tacitis sine piscibus aequor, Spinifer & nullam sentis habebit avem: Antè sacrae quercus cessabunt spargere ramos, Florá{que} sollicitâ pingere prata manu: Quàm, Rex dive, tuum labatur pectore nostro Nomen, quod studiis, portus, & aura, meis.

The Sun shall sooner cease his shine to show, And Moon deny her lamp to men below; The rapid seas shall sooner fishless slide, And bushes quite forget their birds to hide; Great okes shall sooner cease to spread their bowers, And Flora for to paint the meads with flowers, Than Thou, Great King, shalt slip out of my breast, My studies gentle gale, and quiet rest.

Pity is is, that Leland's worthy Collections were never made publick in print; and some, justly to be praised for care in preserving, may as justly be taxed for envy in ingrossing such monuments of Antiquity. But let us a little trace Le∣land's Itineraries, after he in writing had finished the same. First, his Collections came into the hand of Sir John Cheek, School-master, then Secretary to King Edward the sixt, leaving the same to Henry Cheek, his eldest son, Secretary to the

Counsell in the North. Here our great Antiquary, who afterwards described Britain, got a sight, and made a good use thereof, it being most true, Si Lelan∣dus non laborâsset, Camdenus non triumphâsset. From Mr. Cheek (by what trans∣actions I know not) four of Leland's Works came into the possession of William Burton, as he confesseth in his Description ofd Leicester-shire, and by him were bestowed on the Publick Library at Oxford, where the Original ••emaineth, and scarce so many Copies of them as properly may be called some, are at this day in private mens possessions.

9. This Leland, after the death of King Henry the eighth, his bountifull Pa∣tron, fell distracted, and so died; uncertain, whether his braines were broken with weight of worke, or want of wages, the latter more likely; because after the death of King Henry, his endevours met not with proportionable encourage∣ment. By the way, we may sadly observe, that two of the best Scholars in this King's Reign (loved, and preferred by Him) died both mad, and bereft of their wits; Richard Pacie, Dean of S. Paul's, and this Leland. Which I mark not our of ill will to the dead, to lessen their memory amongst men; but of good will to the living, to greaten their gratitude to God. Especially to Scholars, that God may preserve them in a sounde minde, both in the Apostles high sense, and in the common acception thereof. The rather, because the finer the string, the sooner, if overstrained, is it broken.

10. He maintained many learned youths on great cost and charges, in all for∣raigne Courts, and Countreys. For, this was the fashion in His Reign, to select yearly one, or moe, of the most promising pregnancies our of both Universities, and to breed them beyond the seas on the King's exhibitions unto them. Sir Tho∣mas f Smith, bred in Queens-Colledge in Cambridge, and afterward principal Secre∣tary to Queen Elizabeth, was one of the last, educated in this manner. These young men proved afterwards the pick-locks of the Cabinet-Counsels of for∣raigne Princes, no King having better intelligence, than King Henry, from be∣yond the seas.

11. Lastly, He justly paid a great yearly summe of money to many Monks, and Nuns, during their lives: the manner and condition of which Pensions we will now at large relate.

Notes

• Good, as well as bad, must be observed in mixt actions.
• K. Henry aug∣mented the Crown-revenues.
• Founded five new Bishop∣ricks.
• Monks places turned into Prebends.
• a

  Godwin in Henry the 8. Anno 1539. Nothing was taken away.
• b

  Dr. Montague.
• Grammar-schools foun∣ded by Him.
• Hospitalls by Him conferr'd on London.
• c

  Stows Survey of London. pag. 417.
• Trinity College in Cambridge, and Professors places by Him endowed.
• Leland employ∣ed by Him to survey, collect, and preserve Antiquities.
• d

  Pag. 39, & 40.
• Read, and be thankfull. Godwin in Henry the 8. Anno 1525.
• e

  2 Tim. 1. 7.
• Intelligencers bred by Him beyond the seas.
• f

  Cambd. Eliz. in An. 1577.