Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 2, part 2] 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.

¶A Letter of Doctour Cranmar Archbishop, to a Lawyer, for the drawyng out of hys Appeale.

THe law of nature requireth of all men, that so farre forth as it may be done without offence to God,* 1.1 euery one should seke to defend and preserue his owne lyfe. Which thyng, when I a∣bout three daies ago bethought my selfe of, and therewithall re∣membred how that Martin Luther appealed in his tyme frō Pope Leo the x. to a generall Councell (lest I should seeme rashly and vnaduisedly to cast away my selfe) I determined to apeale in like sort to some lawfull and free generall Councell. But seeyng the order and forme of an Appeale pertaineth to the Lawyers, wher∣of I my selfe am ignorant, and seyng that Luthers Appeale com∣meth not to my hand: I purposed to breake my mynd in this ma∣ter to some faithfull friend and skilfull in the law, whose helpe I myght vse in this behalfe, and you onely among other came to my remembraunce as a man most meete in this Vniuersitie for my purpose. But this is a matter that requireth great silence, so that no man know of it before it be done. It is so that I am sum∣moned to make myne aunswer at Rome, the xvj. day of this mo∣neth: before the which day I thinke it good, after sentence pro∣nounced, to make myne Appeale But whether I should first Ap∣peale from the Iudge Delegate to the Pope, and so afterward to the generall Councell, or els leauyng the Pope, I should appeale immediately to the Councell, herein I stande in neede of your counsaile.

Many causes there bee for the which I thinke good to ap∣peale. First, because I am by an othe bound, neuer to consent to the receiuyng of the B. of Romes authoritie into this realme. Be∣sides this, where as I vtterly refused to make answer to the Arti∣cles obiected vnto me by the B. of Glocester, appointed by the Pope to be my Iudge, yet I was content to aunswer Martin and Story, with this Protestation, that myne aunswer should not bee taken as made before a Iudge, nor yet in place of iudgemēt, but as pertainyng nothyng to iudgement at all: and moreouer, after I had made myne answer, I required to haue a copy of the same, that I might either by addyng thereunto, or by alteryng or ta∣kyng from it, correct and amend it as I thought good. The which though both the Bish. of Glocester, and also the King & Quenes Proctours promised me, yet haue they altogether broken pro∣mise with me, and haue not permitted me to correct my said an∣swers accordyng to my request, and yet notwithstandyng haue (as I vnderstand) registred the same as Actes formally done in place of iudgement.

Finally, forasmuch as all this my trouble commeth vpon my departyng from the B.▪of Rome, and from the Popish religion, so that now the quarell is betwixt the Pope hymselfe and me, and no man can be a lawfull and indifferent iudge in his owne cause: it seemeth (me thinke) good reason, that I should be suffered to appeale to some generall Councell in this matter: specially see∣yng the law of nature (as they say) denieth no man, the remedy of appeale in such cases.

Now, since it is very requisite that this matter should be kept as close as may be, if perhaps for lacke of perfect skill herein you shall haue neede of further aduise: then I beseech you euen for the fidelitie and loue you beare to me in Christ, that you will o∣pen to no creature alyue, whose the case is. And forasmuch as the tyme is now at hand, and the matter requireth great expedi∣tion, let me obtaine this much of you, I beseech you, that laying aside all other your studies and businesse for the tyme, you will apply this my matter onely, till you haue brought it to passe. The chiefest cause in very deede (to tell you the truth) of this myne Appeale is,* 1.2 that I might gayne tyme (if it shall so please God) to lyue vntill I haue finished myne aunswer against Marcus Anto∣nius Constantius, which I haue now in hand. But if the aduer∣saries of the truth will not admit myne Appeale (as I feare they will not) Gods will be done: I passe not vpon it, so that GOD may therein be glorified, bee it by my lyfe, or by my death. For it is much better for me to dye in Christes quarell and to raigne with hym, then here to be shutte vppe, and kept in the prysonne of this body, vnlesse it were to continue yet still a while in this warrefare, for the commoditie and profite of my brethren, and to the further aduauncing of Gods glory: to whom be all glory for euermore. Amen.

There is also yet an other cause why I thinke good to Ap∣peale, that where as I am cited to go to Rome to answer there for my selfe, I am notwithstanding kept here fast in prison, that I can not there appeare at the tyme appoynted. And moreouer, foras∣much as the state I stand in is a matter of lyfe and death, so that I haue great neede of learned counsaile for my defence in this be∣halfe: yet when I made my earnest request for the same, all man∣ner of counsaile, and helpe of Proctors, Aduocates and Lawyers was vtterly denyed me.

Your louyng friend, Tho. Cranmer.

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈1 paragraph〉〈1 paragraph〉
• * 1.2

  This Constan∣tinus was Ste∣phen Gardiner, as constant in deede as a We∣thercocke: who thus named himselfe, wri∣ting agaynst this good Archbish.