changed his coat of arms*. For unto the year 1543 he bore his paternal coat, of three cranes sable, as I find by a date set under his arms, yet remaining in a window in Lambeth-house. For it is to be noted, that the king, perceiving how much ado Cranmer would have in the defence of his religion, altered the three cranes, which were parcel of his ancestors' arms, into three pelicans, declaring unto him, "That those birds should signify unto him, that he ought to be ready, as the pelican is, to shed his blood for his young ones, brought up in the faith of Christ. For," said the king, "you are like to be tasted, if you stand to your tackling at length." As in very deed many and sundry times he was shouldered at, both in this king's reign, as you have heard, and under the two succeeding princes. * Whereas it was conjectured there, that the king changed archbishop Cranmer's coat of arms about 1544, it must have been several years before; for his new coat of the Pelicans may be seen in the frontispiece of the great English Bible, printed 1540. And how long before that time, I know not. [From the Errata and Emendations to the first Edition.] 127 moderate rain. CHAPTER XXIX. OCCASIONAL PRAYERS AND SUFFRAGES. OCCASIONAL prayers and suffrages, to be used throughout all churches, began now to be more usual than formerly. For these common devotions were twice this year appointed by authority, as they had been once the last; which I look upon the archbishop to be the great instrument in procuring: that he might by this means, by little and little, bring into use prayer in the English tongue, which he so much desired: and that the people, by understanding part of their prayers, might be the more desirous to have their whole service rendered intelligible; whereby God might be served with the more seriousness and true devotion. Prayers to The last year there was a plentiful crop upon the be made against im- ground: but when the time of harvest drew near, there happened a great plague of rain. So in August letters were issued out from the king to the archbishop, that he should appoint certain prayers to be used for the ceasing of the wet weather; and to write to the rest of the province to do the like. But hear the king's letter: Cranm. a.] a "Most reverend father in God, right trusty, and right entirely beloved, we greet you well. And forasmuch as there hath been now a late, and still continueth, much rain, and other unseasonable weather, whereby is like to ensue great hurt and damage to the corn, and fruits now ripe upon the ground, unless it shall please God, of his b [See also Wilkins' Concilia, vol. iii. pp. 868, 9. and Works of abp. Cranmer, vol. ii. Appendix, p. 493. Park. Soc. ed.] infinite goodness, to stretch forth his holy hand over us : considering, by sundry examples heretofore, that God, at the contemplation of [the] earnest and devout prayers, ofttimes extended his mercy and grace; and hath also assuredly promised, that whensoever we call upon him for things meet for us, he will grant unto us the same: we, having the governance and charge of his people committed unto us, have thought good to cause the same to be exhorted by you, and other the prelates of this our realm, with an earnest repentant heart for their iniquities, to call unto God for mercy; and with devout and humble prayer and supplications, every person, both by himself apart, and also by Common Prayer, to beseech him to send unto us such seasonable and temperate weather, to have in those fruits and corn on the ground, which hitherto he hath caused so plenteously to grow. "For the which purpose we require you, and nevertheless command you, to send unto all your brethren, the bishops within your province, to cause such general rogations and processions to be made incontinently within their dioceses, as in like case heretofore hath been accustomed in this behalf accordingly. "Yeven under our signet, at our manor of the Moore, the 20th day of August, the xxxv year of our reign.” The archbishop accordingly sent his order, dated August 23, 1543, to Edmund, bishop of London, that there might be prayers and supplications in his diocese every fourth and sixth days of the week. And the like order was dispatched to all the other bishops in his province; "by their prayers, as was accustomed, to implore God's mercy to avert his wrath, that the people had justly de 128 English suffrages commanded to be used. served. And not to cease their prayers and suffrages till further order from him." It is not so evident that [The following is the form of the letters sent by the archbishop to the bishop of London and the other bishops. "Literæ Regis, et Archiepiscopi Cantuar' Mandatum Episcopo London' pro Orationibus pro Cessatione Pluviæ. THOMAS, &c. venerabili confratri nostro domino Edmundo, eadem permissione Londinensi episcopo, vestrove vicario in spiritualibus generali, et officiali principali, salutem et fraternam in Domino charitatem. Literas supradicti invictissimi domini nostri regis nuper recepimus, tenorem subsequentem continentes:"-here follows the letter of the king given above, after which the document thus continues: "Quibus quidem literis pro nostro erga suæ regiæ majestatis excellentiam officio obtemperare, uti par est, summopere cupientes, vestræ fraternitati tenore præsentium committimus, et regiæ majestatis vice et nomine, quibus in hac parte fungimur, mandamus, quatenus attentis præmissis sævientis pestis rigore et bellorum tumultibus, quibus orbis Christianus inpræsentiarum, proh dolor! undique æstuat: omnibus et singulis confratribus nostris, coepiscopis nostris, et ecclesiæ nostræ Christi Cantuarien' suffraganeis, cum ea qua poteritis celeritate accommoda præcipiatis, these prayers were in the ut ipsorum singuli in suis cathedralibus et civitatum et diœcesium suarum parochialibus ecclesiis, exposito publice literarum regiarum hujuscemodi pio et sancto tenore, clericos et laicos infra suas dioceses degentes, sedulo et accurate moveant et inducant, aut moveri et induci faciant sanctis monitis et salubribus præceptis; (atque sic a vobis in civitate et diœcesi vestra London' fieri volumus), qualibet quarta et sexta feriis publicis supplicationibus et suffragiis Altissimum devote adorent, eorumque precibus, uti fieri assuevit, suam immensam misericordiam implorent, quatenus in ira sua, quam nostris male meritis juste provocavimus, misericordiæ suæ recordatus, quibus offensus hujuscemodi super nos merito, immisit afflictiones, propitiatus misericorditer nobis resipiscentibus submoveat: ab orationibus et suffragiis hujuscemodi non cessantes, donec aliud a nobis in hac parte habueritis in mandatis. Dat' in manerio nostro de Croydon 23 die mensis Augusti, anno Domini MDXLIII. nostræ consecrationis anno undecimo." See Wilkins' Concilia, vol. iii. pp. 868, 9. and abp. Cranmer's works, vol. ii. Appendix, p. 493. Park. Soc. ed.] English tongue: but in the year following, viz. 1544, there were, without controversy, certain suffrages drawn up in our mother-tongue by the archbishop's means, which he intended to be universally observed everywhere. Upon the archbishop's pious motions, as it seems, the king issued out his letters to him, dated in June, for the publication of these prayers in English, to be from thenceforth continually used in the church; together with setting forth the king's injunctions, by preaching and good exhortation, that the people, who before did but slackly observe their devotions, for want of understanding the divine service, might henceforth more frequently and more fervently resort to religious worship. king's that intent. I shall not here set down the king's letter, as I tran-The conscribed it out of archbishop Cranmer's register, because tents of the bishop Burnet hath printed it already in his first volume, letter to among the Collections, pag. 264d. It runs in such a pious Cranm. Regist. strain, as though none but the archbishop had been the fol. 48. suggester thereof: "That since at that time Christendom was plagued with wars, hatred, and dissensions, and in no place was peace and agreement: and since it was out of the power of man to redress these miseries, God alone being able to restore peace, and unite men's hearts; therefore the king was resolved to have general processions used in all churches, with all reverence and devotion of the people. And because the not understanding the prayers and suffrages formerly used caused that the people came but slackly to the processions; therefore the king now had published certain prayers in our native tongue : d [See Burnet's Hist. of Reformat. vol. i. part ii. B. iii. No. 28. pp. 398, 9. ed. Oxon. 1829.] e["Henry VIII. was now at war with France and Scotland, and was on the point of invading |