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.

*The kinges Oration in the Parlia∣ment house.

ALthough my Chauncellour for the time being,* 1.1 hath before this time vsed, very eloquently and substantially to make an∣swere to such Orations▪ as haue bene set forth in this high Court of Parliament: yet is he not so able to opē and set forth my mind and meaning, and the secretes of my hart, in so playne and am∣ple maner, as I my selfe am and can doe. Wherefore I taking v∣pon me, to aunswere your eloquent Oration Mayster Speaker, say: that where you in the name of our welbeloued Commons, haue both praysed and extolled me, for the notable q́ualities that ye haue conceiued to be in me, I most hartely thanke you all, that you haue put mee in remembraunce of my duety, which is to endeuor my selfe to obteine and get such excellent qualityes, and necessary vertues, as a prince or gouernour should or ought to haue: of whiche giftes I recognise my selfe both bare and bar∣rayne.

But of such small qualities, as God hath endued me withall, I render to his goodnesse my most hūble thankes entending with all my wit and diligence, to gette and acquire to me such notable vertues and princely qualities as you haue alledged to be incor∣porate in my person.* 1.2

These thankes for your louing admonition and good coun∣sell first remembred, I eftsoones thanke you agayne because that you considering our great charges (not for our pleasure, but for your defence, not for our gayne, but to our great cost) which we haue lately susteined, as well in defence of our & your enemies, as for the conquest of that Fortresse, whiche was to this Realme most displeasaunt and noysome, and shalbe by Gods grace here∣after, to our nation most profitable and pleasaunt, haue freely of your owne minde, graunted to vs a certayne subsidy here in an acte specified, which verely we take in good part, regarding more your kindnesse, then the profite therof as he that setteth more by your louing harts, then by your substance. Beside this harty kind∣nesse, I cannot a litle reioyce when I consider the perfect trust & sure confidence, which you haue put in me, as men hauing vn∣doubted hope, and vnfayned beliefe in my good doinges, & iust proceedings for that you, without my desire or request, haue cō∣mitted to mine order and disposition, all Chauntreys, Colledges, Hospitals, and other places specified, in a certayne acte, firmelye trusting that I will order them to the glory of God, & the pro∣fite of the common wealth. Surely,* 1.3 if I contrary to your expecta∣tion, should suffer the Ministers of the Church to decay, or lear∣ning (which is so great a iewell) to be minished, or poore and mi∣serable people to be vnrelieued you might say that I being put in so speciall a trust, as I am in this case, were no trusty frend to you, nor charitable man to mine euen Christen, neither a louer of the publique wealth, nor yet one that feared God, to whome account must be rendered of all our doinges. Doubte not I pray you but your expectation shalbe serued, more godly & goodly then you will wish or desire, as hereafter you shall playnely perceiue.

Now sithens I finde such kindenesse on your part toward me, I can not chuse, but loue and fauor you, affirming that no prince in the world more fauoureth his subiectes then I doe you, nor no subiectes or commons more loue and obey theyr soueraigne Lord, then I perceiue you doe me, for whose defence my treasure shall not be hidden, nor if necessitie require, my person shall not be vnaduentured. Yet although I with you, and you with me, be in this perfect loue and concord, this frendly amity can not cō∣tinue except both you my Lordes Temporall, and you my Lords Spirituall, and you my louing subiectes, studye and take payne to amend one thing, which is surely amisse and farre out of order, to the which I most hartely require you: which is, that charity & concord is not amongest you, but discord and dissention beareth rule in euery place. Saynt Paule sayth to the Corinthians, in the xiij. Chapiter. Charity is gentle, Charity is not enuious, Charity is not proud, and so forth in the sayde Chapter. Be∣holde then what loue and * 1.4 charitye is amongest you, when the one calleth the other Heretique and Anabaptist, and he calleth hym agayne Papist, Hypocrite, and Pharesey? Be these tokens of charity amongest you? Are these the signes of fraternall loue betweene you? No, no, I assure you, that this lacke of charitye amongest your selues, wil be the hinderaunce and asswaging the feruent loue betwene vs, as I sayd before, except this woūd be 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and clearely made whole. I must needes iudge the faulte and

occasion of this discord,* 1.5 to be partly by negligence of you the fa∣ther, and preachers of the Spiritualty. For if I know a man which liue••h in adultery, I must iudge him a lecherous & a carnall per∣son. If I see a man boast and bragge himselfe, I can not but deeme him a proud man. I see and heare dayly, that you of the Clergye preach one agaynst an other, teach one contrary to an other, in∣ueigh one agaynst an other, without charity or discretion. Some be to stiffe in their olde Mumpsimus, other be too busy and curi∣ous in their new Sumpsimus. Thus all men almost be in variety and discord, and few or none do preache truely and sincerely the word of GOD, according as they ought to doe. Shall I nowe iudge you charitable persons doing this? No, no: I can not so do. Alas how can the poore soules liue in concorde, when you prea∣chers sowe amongest them in your Sermons, debate and discord? Of you they looke for light, and you bring them to darckenesse. Amend these crimes I exhort you, and set forth Gods * 1.6 word, both by true preaching, and good example geuing, or els I whom God hath appoynted his Vicare, and high minister here, will see these diuisions extincte, and these enormities corrected, accordyng to my very duety, or els I am an vnprofitable seruant and vntrue officer.

Although (as I say) the Spirituall men be in some fault, that charity is not kept amongest you, yet you of the Temporalty bee not cleane and vnspotted of malice and enuye: for you rayle on Byshops, speake sclaunderously of Priestes, and rebuke and taunt preachers, both contrary to good order, and Christian fraternitie. If you know surely that a Bishop or preacher erreth, or teacheth peruerse doctrine, come and declare it to some of our Counsell, or to vs, to whom is committed by God the authority to reforme and order such causes and behauiors,* 1.7 and be not iud∣ges your selues, of your owne phantasticall opinions, and vayne expositions, for in such high causes ye may lightly erre. And although you be permitted to reade holy scripture, and to haue the worde of God in your mother tongue, you must vnderstand, that it is licenced you so to do, onely to informe your owne conscience, and to instruct your children and family, and not to dispute and make scripture a ray∣ling and a taunting stocke agaynst priestes▪ and preachers as ma∣ny light persons do. I am very sory to know and heare how vnre∣uerently that most precious iewel the word of God is disputed, rymed, * 1.8 song & iangled in euery Alehouse and Tauerne, contra∣ry to the true meaning and doctrine of the same. And yet I am e∣uen as muche sory,* 1.9 that the readers of the same folow it in doing so faintly & coldly. For of this I am sure, that charity was ne∣uer so faynt amongest you, & vertuous & * 1.10 godly liuing was neuer less vsed, nor god himselfe amongest Christians was neuer lesse reuerenced, honored, or serued▪ Ther∣fore, as I sayde before, be in charitye one with an other, like brother and brother. Loue, dread, and serue God (to the which I as your supreme head and soueraigne Lord exhort and require you) and then I doubt not, but that loue and league that I spake of in the beginning, shall neuer be dissolued or broken be∣twene vs. And as touching the lawes, which be now made and concluded, I exhort you the makers, to be as diligent in put∣ting them in execution, as you were in making & furthering the same, or els your labour shall be in vayne, & your cōmon wealth nothing relieued.

Notes vpon the foresayd exhortation.

* 1.11PRinces which exhort to concorde and charitie, doe well, but Princes which seeke out the causes of discord, & re∣forme the same, do much better: The papist and protestant Hereticke, and Pharisee, the old Mumpsimus, and the newe Sumpsimus, be te••mes of variance and dissention, and be (I graunt) Symtomata, of a sore wound in the commō wealth but he that will amend this wound must first beginne to search out the causes, and to purge the occasion thereof: o∣therwise to cure the sore outwardlye, whiche inwardlye doth fester and ranckle still, it is but vayne.

The roote and ground of al this greeuance riseth here of the prelates and clergy of Rome, seeking as it seemeth altogether after riches, pompe, & honour of this world, to mayntayn y^e same vnder pretence of religion, doe in verye deed subuert religiō, vnder y^e title of the church, they bring into the churche manifest errours, & absurdities intollera∣ble, who pretending to be fathers of the churche, if they transgressed but in maners and lightnes of life, or negly∣gence of gouernement, they might be borne withall for peace & concords sake, and here modesty, ciuillitie, quietnes vnitie, & charitie, might haue place amongst modest natu∣res. But now they obscure the glory of the sonne of God, which in no case ought to be suffered: they extinct the light & grace of the Gospell: they clogge mens consciences: they set vp Idolatry, & mayntayn Idols, they bring in false in∣uocation, they restrayne lawfull matrimonye, whereby groweth filthy pollution, adultery, and whoredome in the Church vnspeakable, they corrupt the sacramentes: they wrast the scripture as worldly purposes, they kill and per¦secute Gods people. Briefly theyr doctrine is damnable: theyr lawes be impious, their doinges are detestable. And yet after all this, they crept craftely into the hartes of prin∣ces vnder the title of the Church, & coulor of concord, ma∣king kinges and princes beleue that all be heretickes and schismatickes, which will not be subiect to their ordinary power. Now almighty God, who is a ielous God, & not suffering the glory of his sonne to be defaced, nor his truth to be troden vnder foot, stirreth vp againe the harts of his people to vnderstād his truth & to defend his cause. Wher∣vpō of those two partes, as two mighty flintes thus smi∣ting together cōmeth out the sparcle of this diuisiō, which by no wise can be quenched, but that one part must nedes yeld & geue ouer. There is no neutrality, nor mediatiō of peace, nor exhortation to agremēt that will serue betwene these two contrary doctrines, but either the Popes errors must geue place to Gods word, or els the veritye of God must geue place vnto them.

Wherefore, as the good intent and plausible Oration of the king in this behalf, was not to be discommended in ex∣horting his subiectes to charity: so had he much more de∣serued commendation if he hadde sought the right way to worke charity, & to helpe innocency amongst his subiects, by taking away the impious law of the 6. articls, the mo∣ther of all diuision and manslaughter. For what is this to the purpose, to exhort in wordes neuer so much to charity, and in deed to geue a knife to the murtherers hand, to run vpon his naked brother, which neither in conscience can leaue his cause, nor yet hath power to defend himselfe? As by experience here foloweth to be seene, what charity ensu∣ed after this exhortation of the king to charity, by the rac∣king and burning of good Anne Askew, with 3. other poore subiectes of the king, within halfe a yeare after: whereof shortly you shall heare more declared.

When these Chauntries and colledges thus by Acte of Parliamēt wert geuen into the kings hands as is aboue remembred: which was about the moneth of Decēber, an. 1545. the next Lent following D. Crome preaching in the Mercers chappel, among other reasons and persuatiōs to rouse the people from the vayn opinion of Purgatory, in∣ferred this grounding vpon the sayd act of parliamēt: that if Trentals and Chauntry masses could auayle the soules in Purgatory, then did the Parliament not wel in geuing away Monasteryes, Colledges, & chaūtries, which serued principally to that purpose. But if the parliament did wel (as no mā could deny) in dissoluing them,* 1.12 and bestowing the same vpon the king, then is it a playne case, that such Chauntries and priuate masses do nothing conferre to re∣lieue them in Purgatory. This dilemma of D. Crome, no doubt, was insoluble.* 1.13 But notwithstāding the charitable Prelates, for all the kinges late exhortation vnto charity, were so charitable to him, that on Easter next they broght him Coram nobis,* 1.14 where they so handled him y^t they made him to recant. And if he had not, they would haue dissolued him & his argument in burning fire, so burning hote was theyr charity according as they burned Anne Askew and her fellowes in the moneth of Iulye the yeare folowing.* 1.15 Whose tragicall story and cruell handling now consequēt∣ly (the Lord willing) you shall heare.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Oration made in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Parlame••t house.
• * 1.2

  The king•••• thankes to his 〈◊〉〈◊〉
• * 1.3

  The king•• promises 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the well bestowing of Chau••••treis, and Colledge••
• * 1.4

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.5

  If 〈◊〉〈◊〉 re∣ligion 〈…〉〈…〉 had 〈…〉〈…〉 reproued.
• * 1.6

  And 〈…〉〈…〉 word 〈◊〉〈◊〉 not his 〈…〉〈…〉 they which 〈◊〉〈◊〉 it forth are condemned therefore & burned.
• * 1.7

  This can touch none but onely the Papistes, who will needes be both accusers, and also ••••dges in their owne o∣pinions and causes.
• * 1.8

  How are they 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Gods word, when none 〈…〉〈…〉 to ••ead it vnder the degree of a G••n••leman.
• * 1.9

  ••. Hierom wisheth the Scriptures not onely to be read of all men but also to be song of women at their rockes, of plowmen at the plow, of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 at their loome▪ &c.
• * 1.10

  Godly liuing though it encrease not with the Gospel so much as we wishe•• yet the defecte thereof is not to bee imputed to the Gospel. And if we well cōpare tyme with time, we shall find by vewing the bookes of the old Warmot questes of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and ba••des and wicked liuers, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 presented to one nowe besides 〈◊〉〈◊〉 & the common stues.
• * 1.11

  The kinges Oration ex∣pēded, with notes vpon the same.
• * 1.12

  D. Cromes Di∣lemma agaynst priuate masses.
• * 1.13

  D. Crome driuē to recant.
• * 1.14

  Anno 1545.
• * 1.15

  The charity of the Bishops.