Reflections upon the former presentments. thing that pleaseth God, nor that God requires; but is a thing that God doth tolerate for the weakness of men. For as the father contenteth his child with an apple, or a hobby-horse; not because these things do delight the father, but because the child, ruled by affections, is more desirous of these things than the father is rejoiced in the deed: so Almighty God, condescending to the infirmities of man, and his weakness, doth tolerate material churches, gorgeously built, and richly decked; not because he requires, or is pleased with such things." This Drum was one of the Cambridge men that cardinal Wolsey transplanted into his college at Oxon, and who suffered imprisonment there sometime after with Cox and Frith, and divers others of the same college, for matters of religion. But however, Drum afterwards fell away into papistry. Lancaster, parson of Pluckley, useth not in the churchporch any hally-water, according to the laudable custom of the church. A great part of his parish useth not to receive hally-bread. Going on procession, he useth not to rehearse "Sancta Maria," nor any other saints' names. The curate of Much Mongam, going on procession, refuseth, and will in no wise sing nor say the Litany in such manner as all other curates do. All these collections I have made out of the original of this visitation of the archbishop. Wherein may be seen the particular matters in these times vented and tossed about in the pulpits; the trifling way of popish preaching, consisting in ridiculous lying fables and stories, as is used still in the popish countries; and with how much more solidity, truth, and reason, the sermons of those who favoured the gospel were replenished. We may observe [See above, p. 77-] ५ here also, how diligent our archbishop was in his care of his diocese, and the pains he took to come to a perfect detection of his clergy, in order to their regulation, and divers other things, which an ingenious reader will take notice of. bendaries, The archbishop had all the prebendaries and preachers The prebefore him in his consistory at Croydon on Trinity-Sunday and preachwas twelvemonth; where he argued with them, instructed, ers admonrebuked, exhorted them, according as he saw needful for the archbishop. every man, with relation unto the articles above said. He told Serles, who had preached in favour of images in churches, as representatives of saints, and not idols, "That imago and idolum was one thing; but the one was the Latin, the other the Greek." To which Gardiner, a prebend of the church, replied, "that he did not think that an image and an idol was one, but that an image, not abused with honour, is an image, and not an idol." This saying of the archbishop did so gall them, that they took occasion after, in their sermons, to confute it. And they lyingly reported in Canterbury, that the archbishop should say, he would be even with Gardiner, or that Gardiner should repent his reasoning with him. Whereas 109 all that Cranmer said was, that the communication that Gardiner had that day should be repeated again at his grace's coming to Canterbury. The same day the archbishop told them, that he had set in their church six preachers, three of the old learning, and three of the new. Now Gardiner told him, he thought that would not be for the most quietness in preachers. The archbishop replied, that he had shewed the king's grace what he had done in that matter, and that the king's pleasure was that it should be so. He then also gave them warning, that none should inveigh against others in their sermons. The prebendaries the arch bishop. CHAPTER XXVI. A BLACK CLOUD OVER THE ARCHBISHOP. Soon after this, a great and black cloud hung over our plot against archbishop's head, that threatened to break upon him in thunder and lightning. The prebendaries and others of the church of Canterbury, for the most part, were addicted to the pope and the old superstitions; which the archbishop's endeavour to abolish, and to bring in truer knowledge of religion among them, caused them to do what they could to oppose him. And indeed they usually carried themselves disobligingly enough to him; which made him say to one of them, viz. Gardiner, alias Sandwich, "You and your company hold me short; but I will hold you as short." They seemed now to have a fair advantage against him, upon account of the statute of the Six Articles, which the king at this time stood much upon the execution of; and did give out, that he required justices and others, his officers, in their several places, to give notice of all disobedience against it. The bishop of Winchester also was now in great favour with the king, a constant adversary to Canterbury, and implacably set against the new learning, as it was then called. He thought to take this opportunity to deal so effectually with the king, as to get the gospel destroyed, and all that adhered to it. And moreover, about this time was given out a saying ordinarily, that "the bishop of Winchester had bent his bow to shoot at some of the head deers" meaning, as the issue made manifest, the arch r [Stephen Gardiner.] S ["When the time drew nigh that the king's majesty, (who was newly married to that good and virtuous lady Katherine Parr), should make his progress abroad, bishop of Canterbury and queen Katherine Parr, and others of the court. the chief manager. And to carry on his purpose, he, being a privy-coun- Winchester sellor himself, had an understanding with some of the council, who were of his mind, and ready to second these his ends as among the rest was Baker, the chancellor of the court of augmentations. These were his confidants at home. Abroad, to be his solicitor and his great agitator, he had a very fit man for his purpose, one Dr. London, warden of New College, Oxon, prebend of Shipton in the church of Sarum, canon of Windsor, and dean of Oseneyt, a very busy zealot: who was in his time the great contriver and practiser of mischief against good men that could not comply with papal superstitions. He was one of the three that some years before now prosecuted most rigorously the good students in the cardinal's college, when by imprisonment and hard usage 110 several of them died. But this man was met with, not long after this suffering public shame for perjury, and died in a gaol. At one and the same time Winchester, with this his trusty partner London, was driving on two games together the one was to bring into trouble several of the king's own court, that were favourers of the gospel; not liking that such should be so near the king: and the other was to overthrow the good archbishop, and his friends in his diocese of Canterbury, and to extinguish that light of the gospel that began notably to shine there. the foresaid Stephen Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, had so compassed his matters, that no man bare so great a swing about the king as he did. Wherewith the gospellers were so quailed, that the best of them all looked every hour to be clapt in the neck. For the saying went abroad t For the compassing the first, they procured among designs the them a special sessions to be held at Windsor: wherein Winchester death of di vers of the they not only, upon the Six Articles, condemned four court. Foxe.u poor honest men, viz. Persons, Filmer, Testwood, and Marbeck, whereof the three former were burnt to death; but they drew up a bundle of indictments against a very great many, and some of eminency about the king, as Cardin and Hobby, knights, of the king's privy chamber; with the ladies Harman and Welden, Snowbal and his wife, and a great many more of the king's true and peaceable subjects. One Ockham, that served for clerk of the peace at that time, had these indictments ready to carry them to the chief patron of these plots, the bishop of Winchester. But this design, notwithstanding the privacy and crafty contrivance of it, took not effect; but he rather brought himself into disgrace thereby. For one Fulk, belonging unto the queen, being at sessions at Windsor at that time, and observing what was done, hastily rode to court, and discovered to the persons concerned what was hatching against them, letting them know, that Ockham was coming with his indictments to the bishop of Winchester; who, as soon as he had received them, would without doubt have laid them before the king and his council. But by this seasonable notice they waylaid Ockham, and Cardin and others seized him, and all his papers, as soon as he came to court, before he got to Winchester. These papers were perused by some of the privy council; and seeing what large numbers, it may be, of themselves and of their friends, as well as others, were indicted, and designed for death, they thought fit to acquaint the king with it. And he, not liking such bloody doings, gave them all a pardon : u [See Foxe's Acts and Monuments, pp. 1211 et sqq. ed. Lond. |