PREFACE

[TO THE FIRST EDITION.]

I

THINK it fit, by way of preface to these Memo

rials, to admonish the reader of a few things preparatory to the perusal thereof: as, what it was put me at first upon making these collections concerning archbishop Cranmer, and the state of the church in his time; what induced me to make them public; and what credit may be given to them: with some other occasional matters.

I. As to the first, I have been for a long time not a little addicted to read whatsoever I could of the reformation of this famous church; that I might truly understand, for what reasons it was first attempted; in what methods it proceeded; by what men it was chiefly managed and carried on; and how it stood in truth as to its doctrine, discipline and government, reputation, learning, piety, and such like, in its first establishment, and the earlier times of it. For which purpose I did not only read over what we have in print of these matters, but for more

satisfaction I was carried on to look into MSS. whether registers, records, letters, instruments, and such like a great sort of which by Providence fell into my hands. And besides them, I have turned over many more in libraries and elsewhere; from whence I made transcriptions, extracts, and collections, for my own use and satisfaction; which swelled to no little bulk. And while I was doing this, I took always a more curious view into the lives, manners, and doings, learning, virtues, and abilities of the chief leading men, whether archbishops and bishops, or other churchmen; of whom we have but little account extant, though many of them very great and good men; little more remaining of some of them than their names.

The reverence I bore in my mind to archbishop Cranmer, the father of the reformation here in England, and the first of that ancient metropolitan see, that so bravely shook off the pope and his appendages, inclined me especially to gather up what notices I could of him. Afterwards, as my leisure served me, out of my indigested mass of notes, I compiled into some order memorials of him, and of the affairs of the church during his primacy; in which he for the most part was concerned, and bore a great share with king Henry, and the lord Crumwel, his vicegerent in spirituals. After some years, these memorials lying by me, I enlarged considerably, and digested them into annals, and had thoughts of making them public, being excited and encouraged

thereunto by my friends, who were privy to these my doings.

testation to

Church of

II. And indeed many considerations induced me hereunto as, in general, the great benefit of reading histories of former times; which what that is, take in the words of John Foxe, " For the things which In his Probe first are to be preferred before those which be the whole later, and then is the reading of histories much England. necessary in the church, to know what went before, and what followed after. And therefore not without cause, history in old authors is called the witness of times, the light of verity, the life of memory, the teacher of life, and shewer of antiquity: without the knowledge whereof man's life is blind, and soon may fall into any kind of error, as by manifest experience we have to see in these desolate later times of the church, whenas the bishops of Rome, under colour of antiquity, have turned truth into heresy, and brought in such new-found devices of strange doctrine and religion, as in the former ages of the church were never heard of: and all through ignorance of times, and for lack of true history. And therefore the use of history being so

a [For if the things which be first, (after the rule of Tertullian), are to be preferred before those that be latter, then is the reading of histories much necessary in the church, to know what went before, and

what followed after. And there-
fore not without causeHisto-
ria,' in old authors, is called
the witness of times, the light
of verity, the life of memory,
teacher of life, and shewer of
antiquity," &c. Without the

considerable, historians in some kingdoms have been maintained by public encouragement. And so the

writer of the epistle to king Edward, before Erasmus' Paraphrase Englished, propounded once to that king, that there should be a public salary allotted to some able persons to translate good books, and to write chronicles for bestowing so great a benefit on the commonwealth".'

But particularly the history of the church, and matters relating to religion, have a more special

benefit, as being conversant about spiritual things, which are weightier by far, and concern us more a great deal than temporal. But the more is the pity in this sort of history there is a greater defect than in the other; I speak of our own nation; for though the history of the state in the last age was excellently done by the pens of the lord Herbert and Mr. Camden; yet the matters of the church they professedly declined, or did but touch at; the former saying expressly "His intention was not in an Pag. 418. history to discuss theological matters, as holding it sufficient to have pointed at the places where they are controverted." And the latter in his history, as often as he came to matters of the church, tells us that 66 he left his readers to the Ecclesiastical histo

rian." Which hath made me wonder at and apt to accuse the slothfulness of that age, that during all the time of king Henry, king Edward, and queen Mary, wherein religion was so tossed about, and took up so much of those reigns, there is no one ecclesiastical history thereof written, except that of the diligent and learned Mr. Foxe; and during the long reign of queen Elizabeth and king James, I think none at all; till of late years, when by length of time and destruction of many original MSS. by the civil wars, divers remarkable transactions were buried and lost, some few learned men employed themselves in collecting and publishing what memorials of religion and the church they could retrieve; as namely, Dr. Fuller, Dr. Heylin, and

ed. 1672.