Lord Cromwell, and Maister Hugh Latimer, shee was condemned and put to death with certeyne of her affinitie and Councell in the moneth of Aprill, an. 1533. The names of which conspiratours with her, were these: Edwarde Bocking, Monke of Canterbury, Richard Master, Per∣son of Aldington, Iohn Dering, Monke of Canterbury, Hugh Riche, Frier Warden of the Gray Friers of Can∣terbury, Richard Risby, Henry Gold, bacheler of Diuini∣tie, and Person of Aldermary, Fisher Byshop of Roche∣ster, Iohn Adeson Priest, his Chapleine, Thomas Lau∣rence, the Byshops Register of Caunterbury, Edwarde Thwates, Thomas Abell. Of the which persons, the sayd Elizabeth Berton, Henry Gold, Richard Master, Ed∣warde Bocking, Iohn Dering, Hugh Riche, Richarde Risby, were attaynted of Treason by Acte of Parliament, and put to execution.
The residue as Fisher Byshop of Rochester, Thomas Golde, Thomas Laurence, Edwarde Thwates, Iohn Adeson, Thomas Abell, being conuicte and atteynted of misprison, were condemned to prison, and forfayted theyr goodes & possessions to the King. Ex Statut an. 25 Reg Hen 8.
Edward Hall, a writer of our Englishe Stories, ma∣king mention of this Elizabeth Barton aforesayd, adioy∣neth next in his booke, the narration of one Pauier or Pa∣uie, a notorious enemie (no doubt) to Gods truth. Thys Pauier beyng the towne Clerke of the Citie of London, was a man (sayth he) that in no case coulde abyde to heare that the Gospell shoulde be in Englishe: In so much that the sayd Hall hymselfe heard hym once say vnto hym, and to other by, swearing a great othe: that if he thought the Kings highnes would set forth the Scripture in English, and let it be read of the people by his authoritie, rather thē he would so long liue, he would cut his owne throate, but he brake promise (sayth Hall) for he dyd not cut his throate with any knife, but with an halter did hang himselfe. Of what minde and intent he so did, God iudge.
My information farther addeth this, touching the sayd Pauier or Pauie, that he was a bitter enemie, very busie at the burning of Richard Bayneham aboue mentioned. Who hearing the sayd Baynham at the stake speakyng a∣gainst Purgatory and transubstantiation: set fire (sayd he) to this hereticke and burne hym. And as the trayne of gunpouder came toward the Martyr, he lifted vp his eyes and hands to heauen, saieng to Pauier: God forgiue thee, and shewe thee more mercy then thou doest to me. The Lord forgiue Sir Thomas More, and pray for me all good people: and so continued he praieng, till the fire tooke hys bowels and his head, &c.
After whose Martyrdome, the next yeare folowing, this Pauier the towne Clerke of the Citie, went and bought ropes. Which done, he went vp to an hygh garret in hys house to pray, as he was wont to doe, to a roode which he had there, before whom he bitterly wept: And as his own mayde comming vp found him so doyng, he bad her take the rustye sworde, and go make it cleane, and trouble him no more, and immediately he tied vp the rope, and hoong himselfe. The maydes hart still throbbed, and so came vp, and founde him but newly hanged. Then she hauing no power to helpe him, ranne crieng to the Church to her mi∣stres to fetch her home. His seruants and Clerkes he had sent out before to Finisbery, and to Maister Edney Ser∣geant to the Lord Maior, dwelling ouer Byshops gate, to tary for him at Finisebery Court till he came: but he had dispatched himselfe before, so that they might long looke for him before he could come. Which was an. 1533.
To this story of Pauier, may also be added the lyke ter∣rible example of Doctor Foxford, Chauncellour to the Byshop of London, a cruell persecutor and a common butcher of the good Saincts of God: who was the con∣demner of all those aforenamed, which were put to death, troubled, or abiured vnder Byshop Stokesley through all the dioces of London. This Foxford dyed about this pre∣sent yeare and time: of whose terrible end it was then cer∣tainely reported and affirmed by suche as were of right good credite, vnto certayne persons, of whom some be yet aliue, that he dyed sodenly sitting in his chayre, his belly being brust, and his guts falling out before him.
About the same time died also William Warrham Arch∣byshop of Canterbury: in whose roume succeeded Tho∣mas Cranmer, which was the Kings Chapleyne, and a great disputer against the vnlawful mariage of Lady Ka∣therine Princesse Dowager, being then so called by Act of Parliament.
Ye heard before, how the Parliament had enacted, that no person after a certeine day, should appeale to Rome for any cause. Notwithstanding which Acte, ye Queene, now called Princesse Dowager, had appealed to the Courte of Rome, before that Acte made: so yt it was doubted, whe∣ther that Appeale were good or not. This question was well handled in the Parliament house, but much better in the Conuocation house, and yet in both houses it was al∣ledged, yea and by bookes shewed, that in the Councels of Calcedone, Affrike, Toletane, and diuers other famous Councels in the primatiue Church, yea in the tyme of S. Augustine it was affirmed, declared, & determined that a cause rising in one Prouince, should be determined in the same & that neither the Patriarke of Cōstātinople should medle in causes moued in the iurisdictiō of the Patriarke of Antioch, nor no Byshop should entermedle within an others Prouince or coūtrey. Which thyngs were so clerk∣ly opened, & so cūningly set forth to all intētes, yt euery mā that had witte, & was determined to folow ye truth, & not wilfully wedded to his owne mynde, might playnly see yt al appeales made to Rome, were clearely voyde & of none effect. Which doctrines & coūsailes, were shewed to ye La∣dy Katherine Princesse Dowager, but she (as womē loue to lose no dignitie) euer continued in her old song, trusting more to the Popes partialitie, then to the determination of Christes veritie.
Wherupon the Archbyshop of Cāterbury Cranmer a∣boue named, accōpanied with ye Bishops of Lōdon, Win∣chester, Bathe, Lincolne, & diuers other great Clerkes 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a great number, road to Dunstable, which is vi. myle frō Ampthyl, where the Princesse Dowager lay: & there by a Doctor called Doctor Lee, she was ascited to appeare be∣fore the sayd Archbyshop, in cause of Matrimony, in the sayd towne of Dunstable: & at the day of appearaunce, she would not appeare, but made default, & so was called pe∣remptorily, euery day .xv. dayes together, and at the last, for lacke of appearaunce, & for contumacie, by the assent of all the learned men there beyng present, she was diuorced from the kyng, & their Mariage declared to be voyde and of none effect: which sentence geuen, the Archbyshop and all the other, returned backe agayne.
¶Where note that although this diuorce folowyng af∣ter the new Mariage, needed not at all to be made, the first Mariage beyng no Mariage at all before God, yet to sa∣tisfie the voyce of the people, more then for any necessitie, the kyng was contented through the persuasions of some, so to doe. For els as touchyng God and conscience, what great neede was of any diuorce, where before GOD, no Mariage was to be accounted, but rather an incestuous & detestable adultery, as the Act of Parliamēt doth terme it? But to our matter agayne.
After the dissolutiō of this first Mariage made betwen the king & the Lady Princesse Dowager, she neuerthelesse bearyng a stout mynde, would not yet relēt, neither to the determination of the Uniuersities, nor to the cēsure of the Clergy, nor of the whole Realme, but folowyng the coū∣saile rather of a few Spanyardes, to molest the kyng & the realme by sute, & meanes made to the Pope, procured cer∣taine writynges, first of monition and aggrauation, thē of excommunication and interdiction to be sent downe from Rome, wherein the Pope had interdicted both the kyng & the whole Realme. But the Popes Cursor beyng not the hardyest mā (belike) that euer shewed his head, thought it much more sure for him to discharge his Popishe car••age without the kynges reach, & so keepyng himselfe aloofe of (like a prety man) set vp his writynges in the Towne of Dunkirke in Flaunders. In the which towne, first vpon the Northdoore of the Church was set vp a monition, that the kyng of Englād should surcease the sute of diuorce, the which Iohn Butler Clerke, thē Commissary of Calice, by commaundement tooke downe in a night.
After that, before Whitsonweeke there was set vp in the same place an excōmunication, aggrauation, regrana∣tion, & interdiction. For the which also, the sayd Butler by commaūdement was sent to Dunkirke to take it downe. And because the coūsell of Calice would be certified of his diligence therein, they sent a seruaūt of the Lord Lisle, thē Deputie of Calice, whose name was Cranuell▪ and vpon Wensday in Whitsonweke, at vij. of the clocke in the mor∣nyng, he tooke it downe whole and brought it with hym, & deliuered the same to the Lord Deputie aforesaid. Which was about the yeare .1533.
This beyng knowne & certified vnto the kyng, he was motioned by his counsell, that such as were about her, and moued her thereto, should be put frō her. And therfore the Duke of Suffolke was sent to Bugden beside Huntyng∣dō, where ye sayd Lady Katherine lay, who perceiuyng her stomacke to cōtinue froward still, in aūsweryng him with high wordes, & sodenly so in a fury to part frō him into her priuy chamber, & shut the doore: brake vp the doore of her Court, & discharged a great sort of her houshold seruaūts, & yet left her a conueniēt number to serue her like a Prin∣cesse. They that remayned still, were sworne to serue her