Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 2, part 1] with an vniuersall history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitiue age to these latter tymes of ours, with the bloudy times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions agaynst the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperours, as nowe lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realme of England and Scotland. Newly reuised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time agayne published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the helpe of Christ our Lord) Iohn Foxe, which desireth thee good reader to helpe him with thy prayer.

¶Greeuances against the Cleargie of Englande.

1. THe first for the excessiue fines, which the Ordinaries tooke for probate of Testaments,* 1.1 in so much that Sir Henry Guilford, Knight of the Garter, and Comptrol∣lour of the Kings house, declared in the open Parliament, of his fidelitie, that he and other being executours to Syr William Compton Knight, payed for the probate of hys will, to the Cardinall and the Archbishop of Canterbury, a thousand marke sterling. After this declaration, were shewed so many extortions done by Ordinaries for pro∣bates of willes,* 1.2 that it were too much to rehearse.

2. The second cause was, the great poling & extreame ex∣action which y^e spirituall men vsed, in taking of corps, pre∣sents, or Mortuaries: for the childrē of the dead should all die for hūger and go a begging, rather then they would of charitie geue to thē the sely cow which the dead mā ought, if he had but onely one: such was the charitie of them.

3. The third cause was, that Priestes being Surueyers, Stuards,* 1.3 and officers to Byshops, Abbots, and other spi∣rituall heads, had and occupied Farmes, Graunges, and grasing in euery Countrey, so that the poore husbandmen could haue nothing but of them, and yet for that they shuld pay dearely.

4. The fourth cause was, that Abbots, Priors, and spiri∣tuall men kept Tannehouses,* 1.4 and bought and sold wooll, cloth, and all maner of Marchaundise, as other temporall Marchaunts did.

5. The fift cause was, because the spirituall persons pro∣moted to great benefices,* 1.5 and hauing their liuing of theyr flocke, were lying in the Court of Lords houses, and tooke all of their parishioners, and nothing spent on them at all, so that for lacke of residence, both the poore of the parishe lacked refreshing, and vniuersally all the parishioners lacked preaching, and true instruction of Gods word, to the great perill of their soules.

6. The sixt cause was, because one Priest being litle lear∣ned,* 1.6 had tenne or twelue benefices, and was resident on none, and many well learned scholers in the Uniuersitie, which were able to preach and teach, had neyther benefice nor exhibition.

These thinges before this time, mighte in no wise be touched, nor yet talked of by any man, except he woulde be made an hereticke, or lose all that he had: for the Byshops were Chauncellours, and had all the rule about the King, so that no man durst once presume to attempt any thyng contrary to their profite, or commoditie.

But now whē God had illuminated the eyes of y^e king, and the time so serued,* 1.7 that men more boldly durst expresse with voyce such grudges, as they had long conceaued in their harts against the Clergy: the Burgesses of the Par∣liament appoynted certayne of the common house, men learned in the Lawe, to drawe one bill of the probates of testaments, another for Mortuaries, & the third for none residence, pluralities, and taking fermes by spiritual men.

* 1.8And first to y^e bill of Mortuaries being drawen, and be∣ing also passed the commō house, and sent vp to the higher, the Spirituall Lords shewed a faire face, sayeng, that assu∣redly Priestes and Curates tooke more then they shoulde, and therefore it were well done to take some reasonable order. Thus they spake, because it touched them but little.

* 1.9After this, within two dayes, was sent vp the secōd bill, concerning probates of testaments, which bill, because it touched their profite somewhat neare, both the Archbishop of Canterbury, and all other Bishops in generall, began to frowne and grunt, in so much as Doctor Iohn Fisher Bishop of Rochester, stāding vp in the Parlament cham∣ber, openly protested, that such billes were sent vp frō the cōmon house, tending to no other thing, but to the destru∣ction of y^e Church: which Church being downe, the glory then of y^e whole kingdome (said he) must needes fall, desi∣ring therfore the Lords, for Gods sake, to take example by the kingdome of Boheme: For as it was then with the people there,* 1.10 so now what say the cōmons here, but down with y^e Church. And all this (said he) seemeth only to be for lacke of faith. When these words were reported to the cō∣mons of the lower house, what the Bishop had sayde, in noting all their doings to be for lacke of faith, they tooke the matter greeuously, so to be esteemed of the Bishop for no better then heretikes, vnderstanding moreouer, how that he by those slāderous words, went about to perswade the Lords temporall against them, and so to ouerthrowe the two billes by them passed before, as ye haue heard.

Whereupon, after long debate, it was at length agreed by the said commons, that Thomas Audeley their speaker with xxx. of the chief of that house, should be sent to the kyng, beyng then in his palace at Westminster, before cal∣led Yorke place: where they eloquently declared, what a dishonour to the kyng and the realme it was, to say, that they which were elected for the wisest mē of all y^e Shyres, Cities, and Boroughes within the Realme of England, should be declared in so noble and open presence, to lacke fayth, which was equiualent to say, that they were Infi∣dels, and no Christians, as ill as Turkes or Sarasins: so that what payne or study soeuer they tooke for the commō wealth, or what actes or lawes soeuer they made or sta∣blished, should be taken as lawes made by Paynims and Heathen people, and not worthy to be kept by Christian men: wherefore they most humbly besought the kynges hyghnesse, to call the sayd Byshop before him, and to cause him to speake more discretly of such a number as was in the common house.

The kyng not beyng well contented with the saying of the Byshop, yet gently aunswered the speaker,* 1.11 and sent them away. Who immediately sent for the Archbyshop of Canterbury, & vi. other Byshops, and Rochester also, sig∣nifying vnto them the grudge of the commons. The By∣shop of Rochester excusing himselfe, aunswered, that he in so saying, meant onely the doyngs of the Bohemiās to be for lacke of fayth,* 1.12 & not the doynges of them that were in the cōmon house, which saying was confirmed by the By∣shops there present, which had him in great reputation, & so by that onely saying, the kyng accepted his excuse, and therfore sent word to the cōmons by Syr Williā Fitzwil∣liams Knight, Treasurer of his houshold: which blynde excuse pleased the commons nothyng at all.

After this,* 1.13 diuers assemblies were kept betwene cer∣taine of the Lordes, and certaine of the Commons for the Billes of the probates of Testamentes, and Mortuaries. The temporaltie layd to the spiritualtie, their own lawes & Constitutions, and the Spiritualtie sore defended them by prescription & vsage. To whom it was thus aunswe∣red by a Gentlemā of Greyes Inne: The vsage hath euer bene of theeues, to rob on Shoters hill Ergo, is it lawfull? With this aunswere the spirituall men were sore offended,* 1.14 because their doynges were called robberies, but the tem∣porall men stood still by their sayinges, in somuch that the sayd Gentlemā sayd to the Archb, of Cāterbury, that both the exaction of probates of Testamentes,* 1.15 and the takyng of Mortuaries, as they were vsed, were open robbery and theft. After long disputation, the temporall Lordes began to leane to the commōs, but for all that, the Bylles remay∣ned vnconcluded a while.

It folowed shortly after in the Parliamēt, that a Byll was assented to, by the Lords of the higher house, and sent downe to the commons in the lower house, and by them also, with much labour agreed vnto, of whō the most part were the kynges seruauntes: in the which Bill it was re∣quired, and concluded, that the kyng should be released of all such loane of money, which he had borowed of his sub∣iectes, in the xv. yeare of his reigne. The passing of which Byll went sore agaynst the stomackes of the poore Com∣mons, for many rested vpon it, countyng and passing it o∣uer one to an other for good debt, as if it had bene ready money in their purses. Wherfore the king to regratifie thē agayne, graunted to them a generall pardō of all offences, onely certaine great offences & debts excepted: also he ay∣ded them for the redresse of their grieues agaynst the spiri∣tualtie, & caused two new Bylles to be made indifferent∣ly, both for the probates of Testamentes, & Mortuaries, which Bylles were so reasonable,* 1.16 that the spirituall Lor∣des assēted to them all, though they were sore agaynst their myndes, and in especiall the probate of Testamentes sore displeased the Byshops, and the Mortuaries sore displea∣sed the Parsons and Uicares.

After these Actes thus agreed, the commons made an other Act for pluralities of benefices, none residence, buy∣ing and sellyng, and takyng of fermes by spirituall Par∣sons, which Act so displeased the spiritualtie, that y^e priests rayled on the commōs of the lower house, and called them heretickes and schismatikes, for the which diuers Priestes were punished.

This Act was sore debated aboue in the Parliament chamber, and the Lordes spirituall would in no wise con∣sent.* 1.17 Wherfore the kyng perceiuyng the grudge of his cō∣mons, caused viij. Lordes & viij. of his Commons to mete in the starre chamber at an afternoone, and there was sore debatyng of the cause, in so much that the tēporall Lordes of the vpper house, which were there, tooke part with the Commons, agaynst the spirituall Lordes, and by force of reason caused them to assent to the Bill with a litle quali∣fiyng, which Bill the next day was wholy agreed to, in the

Lords house to the great reioysing of the lay people, and to the great displeasure of the spirituall persons.

And thus much concerning these Bylles agaynst the Cleargy, by the way. Now, to returne to the Cardinall a∣gayne: during the time of the said Parliament, there was brought downe to the Commons, the booke of Articles which the Lords had put vp to the King, against the Car∣dinall. The chiefe Articles were these.

1 FIrst, that he without the Kings assent had procured to be Legate,* 1.18 by reason whereof he tooke away the right of all Byshops and spirituall persons.

2 In al writings that he wrote to Rome, or to any other Prince, he wrote: Ego & rex meus, I and my King, as who would say, that the King were his seruaunt.

3 That he slaundered the Church of England to y^e court of Rome: for his suggestion to be Legate, was to reforme the Church of England, which (as he wrote) was Facta in reprobum sensum.

4 He without the Kings assent caried the Kings great Seale with him into Flaunders, when he was sente Am∣bassadour to the Emperour.

5 Without the Kings consent, he sent commission to Sir Gregory de Cassalis, Knight, to conclude a league be∣tweene the King and the Duke of Ferrarie.

6 That he hauing the French pockes, presumed to come and breathe on the King.

7 That he caused the Cardinalles Hat to be put on the Kings coyne.

8 That he had sent innumerable substance to Rome, for the obteining of his dignities, to the great impouerishmēt of the Realme, with many other things, which are tou∣ched more at large in Chronicles.

These articles with many moe, being read in the cōmon house, were confessed by the Cardinal, and signed with his hand. Also there was shewed an other writing sealed with his seale, by the which he gaue to the Kyng all his moue∣ables and vnmoueables.

You haue heard hytherto declared how y^e Cardinall was attainted in the Premunire, & how he was put out of the of∣fice of the Chauncelour, & lay at Asher: which was in the yeare of our Lord 1530.* 1.19 The next yeare after in the Lent season, the king by the aduice of his counsayle, licenced him to go into his dioces of Yorke, and gaue hym commande∣mēt to keepe him in his dioces, and not to returne South∣ward, without the Kings speciall licence in writing.

So he made great prouision to go Northward, & appa∣relled his seruants newly, and bought many costly things for his houshold, but diuers of his seruaunts at this tyme departed from him, to the Kings seruice, and in especiall Thomas Crumwell, one of his chiefe counsaile, and chiefe doer for him in the suppression of Abbeys. After that all things necessary for his iourney were prepared, he tooke his iourney Northward, til he came to Southwell, which was in his dioces, and there he continued that yeare, euer grudging at his fall, as you shall heare heereafter: but the sands which he had geuen to his Colleges in Oxford and Ipswich, were now come to the Kings hands, by his at∣tainder in the Premunire, and yet the King of his gentle∣nes, and for fauour that he bare to good learning, erected a∣gaine the Colledge in Oxford, and where it was named the Cardinalles Colledge, he called it the Kings College, and endued it with faire possessions, and ordeined newe statutes and ordinances,* 1.20 and for because the Colledge of Ipswich was thought to be nothing profitable, therefore he leaft that dissolued.

Notwithstāding that the Cardinall of Yorke was thus attainted in the Premunire, (as is aboue mentioned) yet the King being good vnto him, had graunted him the Bi∣shopricks of Yorke and Winchester, with great plentie of substance, & had licenced him to lye in his dioces of Yorke, where he so continued the space of a yeare. But after, in the yeare folowing,* 1.21 which was 1531. he being in his dio∣ces, wrote to the Court of Rome, and to diuers other Princes, letters in reproch of the King, and in as much as in him lay, he stirred them to reuenge his cause against the King and his Realme, in so much, that diuers opprobri∣ous words against the King, were spoken to Doctor Ed∣ward Keerne, the Kings Oratour at Rome, and it was sayd to him, that for the Cardinalles sake, the King should haue the woorse speede in the suite of his matrimonie. The Cardinall also would speake faire to the people to winne their harts, and declared euer, that he was vniustly and vntruely ordered, which faire speaking, made many men beleeue that he sayd true: and to Gentlemen he gaue great giftes, to allure them vnto him: and to be had in more re∣putation among the people,* 1.22 he determined to be installed or inthronised at Yorke, with all the pompe that might be, and caused a throne to be erected in the Cathredral Church, in such an height and fashion, as was neuer seene, and sent to all the Lords, Abbots, Priors, Knightes, Esquiers and Gentlemen of his dioces, to be at his Manor of Ca∣wood the sixt day of Nouember, and so to bring hym to Yorke, with all maner of pompe and solemnitie.

The King which knew his doings and priuie conuey∣ance, all this yeare dissembled the matter, to see what hee would do at length, till that he saw his proud hart so high∣ly exalted, that he would be so triumphātly installed, with∣out making the king priuie, yea and in manner, in disdaine of the King, thought it not meete nor conuenient to suffer him any longer, to cōtinue in his malitious & proud pur∣poses and attemptes: wherefore he directed his letters to the Earle of Northumberland, willing him with all dili∣gence, to arrest the Cardinall, & to deliuer him to the Earle of Shrewsbury, great Steward of the Kings housholde. When the Earle had sene the letters, he with a conuenient number came to the Manor of Cawood the fourth daye of Nouemb. and whē he was brought to the Cardinal in his chāber, he said to him, My Lord, I pray you take patience,* 1.23 for here I arrest you. Arrest me, said y^e Cardinal? Yea, sayd the Earle, I haue a commaundement so to do. You haue no such power, said the Cardinall, for I am both a Cardi∣nall and a Legate De Latere, and a Peere of the College of Rome, & ought not to be arrested by any tēporall power, for I am not subiect to that power, wherefore if you arrest me, I will withstand it. Well, saide the Earle, heere is the Kings commission (which he shewed him) and therefore I charge you to obey. The Cardinall somewhat remembred himselfe, and sayd, Well my Lord, I am contente to obey, but although y^t I by negligence fell into the punishment of the Premunire, and lost by the lawe all my lands & goodes, yet my person was in the Kings protection, and I was pardoned that offence, wherefore I maruell why I nowe should be arrested, & specially cōsidering that I am a mem∣ber of the Sea Apostolique, on whome no temporall man ought to lay violent hands. Well, I see the King lacketh good counsayle. Well, sayd the Earle, when I was sworne Warden of y^e Marches, you your self told me, that I might with my staffe arrest all mē, vnder the degree of a King, & nowe I am more stronger, for I haue a commission so to do, which you haue seene. The Cardinal at length obeyed, and was kept in a priuie chamber, and his goodes seased, and his officers discharged, and his Phisitiō called Doctor Augustine, was likewise arrested, and brought to the To∣wer by Sir Walter Welsh, one of the Kings chamber. The sixt day of Nouember he was conueyed from Ca∣wood, to Sheffeld Castle, and there deliuered to the Earle of Shrewsburies keeping, till the Kings pleasure were knowne. Of this attachement was much communing a∣mongst the common people, wherefore many were glad, for he was not in the fauour of the commonaltie.

When the Cardinall was thus arrested, the King sente sir William Kingston Knight, Captaine of the Gard,* 1.24 and Constable of the Tower of Lōdon, with certeine yeomen of the gard, to Sheffeld, to fetch y^e Cardinal to the Tower. When the Cardinall sawe the Captaine of the Garde, he was sore astonished, and shortly became sicke, for then he perceiued some great trouble toward him, & for that cause mē said, that he willingly toke so much quātitie of a strong purgatiō, that his nature was not able to beare it. Also the matter that came frō him was so blacke, that the stayning therof could not be gottē out of his blākets by any means.* 1.25 But sir William Kingston cōforted him, and by easie ior∣neyes he brought him to the Abbey of Leycester, the xxvij. daye of Nouember, where for very feeblenes of nature, caused by purgations and vomites, he dyed the seconde night folowing, and in the same Abbey lyeth buried.

It is testified by one, yet being aliue, in whose armes the sayde Cardinall dyed, that hys body being dead, was blacke as pitch, also was so heauie, that sixe coulde scarse beare it. Furthermore, it did so stinke aboue the grounde, that they were constrayned to hasten the buriall thereof in the night season, before it was daye. At the which buriall, such a tempest, with such a stinch there arose, that all the torches went out, and so he was throwne into the tombe, and there was layde.

By the ambitious pride and excessiue worldly wealth of this one Cardinal, al mē may easily vnderstand & iudge what the state and condition of al the rest of the same order (whom we cal spiritual men) were in those dayes,* 1.26 as well in all other places of Christendome, as especially heere in England, where as the princely possessions & great pride

of the Clergie, did not only farre passe and exceed the com∣mon measure and order of subiectes, but also surmounted ouer Kings and Princes, and all other estates, as may well appeare by his doings and order of his storie aboue described.

Amongst other actes of the foresayd Cardinall, this is not to be forgotten, that he founded a new College in Ox∣ford, for the furniture wherof, he had gathered together all the best learned he could heare of, amongst which number were these: Clarke, Tindall, Sommer, Frith, and Ta∣uerner, with other mo: which holding in assemble together in the College, were accoūted to be heretiques (as they cal∣led them) and thereupon were cast into a prison of the col∣lege, where saltfish lay, through the stinke wherof the most part of them were infected,* 1.27 and the sayde Clarke beyng a tender yong man, and the most singular in learning a∣mongst them all, died in the said prison, and other in other places in the towne, also of the same infection deceased.

And thus hauing deteined the Reader enough, or ra∣ther too much, with this vaineglorious Cardinal, now we wil reduce our storie again to more other fruiteful matter, and as the order of time requireth, first beginning wyth M. Humfrey Mummuth, a vertuous and a good Alder∣man of London, who in the time of the said Cardinal was troubled, as in the storie heere foloweth.

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈…〉〈…〉 of testamentes.
• * 1.2

  A thousand 〈◊〉〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉〈◊〉 probate 〈…〉〈…〉 testa∣••••••t.

  The vnrea∣s••••••ble 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the clergye for Mortuaries.
• * 1.3

  F••rmes and Granges in Priestes handes.
• * 1.4

  Monkes and priests mar∣chauntes.
• * 1.5

  Beneficed men take of their flocke, but geue nothing.
• * 1.6

  Pluralities of benefices.
• * 1.7

  Three bils drawen out against the misorder of the clergye.
• * 1.8

  The first bill for mortua∣ryes.
• * 1.9

  The second bill, for pro∣bates of tes∣tamentes.
• * 1.10

  D. Fysher chargeth the cōmons, with lacke of faith. The grudge o•• the com∣mons, in the l••wer house, a∣gainst Fisher Bishop of Rochester.
• * 1.11

  The king not contented with the Byshop of Rochester.
• * 1.12

  The Byshops excuse.
• * 1.13

  Difference be∣tweene the laity and spiritualtye, about certaine constitutions.
• * 1.14

  Lōg vse maketh not euill thinges lawfull.
• * 1.15

  Mortuaries as they were vsed differed but litle from theft.
• * 1.16

  Redresse of the greeues of the commons.
• * 1.17

  The third bill of the cōmons for pluralities &c.
• * 1.18

  Articles against the Cardinall.
• * 1.19

  Anno. 1530.
• * 1.20

  The Cardinalls Colledge, now called Christes College in Ox∣forde.
• * 1.21

  The Cardinall complayneth to the Pope, of the king.
• * 1.22

  The Cardi∣nalls proud•• iourneie to∣ward 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• * 1.23

  The Cardi∣nal arrested.
• * 1.24

  The Cardi∣nal brought vp toward London.
• * 1.25

  The Cardi∣nall poyso∣neth hym selfe.
• * 1.26

  The pride of the Cardi∣nall.
• * 1.27

  Clarke died i•• the Car∣dinals Col∣ledge in prison.