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A Letter of Tonstall's upon the King's ordering the Bishops to send up their Bulls. An Original.

(Cotton Lib. Cleop. E. 6. P. 246.)

RIGHT Honorable, in my kumble Manner I commend me unto your good Mastership. Advertising the same, that I have of late receivd a Letter from Master Doctor Layton, declaring unto me that ye willyd him to write unto me, that albeit the Kings Highness hath directed his Letters Missives to all and singular his Bishops in this his Realme, to appere before his Grace immediately after the Feast of the Purificacyon next cominge, to the Intent that they shall deliver up unto His Graces Handes all their Bullys of Confirmation, or such other like, as they have had from Rome at any Time heretofore; yet his Grace consideringe my late Departure thens, for my more ease and quietnes, is well content that I make mine Abode here, so that I Write unto his Grace a Letter, therin declaringe that I will be content to doe as other Bishops do in this Behalf, and to gife up into his Handes all such Bullys as his Graces Pleasure is to have of me. Advertising me further, that your Mastership, as my great Frende hath promised to the King, that I will accomplishe the Kings Desire and Pleasure herin: For whiche your most great Kindnes not only shewed unto me many Times heretofor, but allso nowe renewid at this Time, with making of such, Assurance for me to the Kings Highnes I most humbly Thanke your Mastership. Advertising the same, that forasmuch as I could not perceive by any Part of Master Layton's Letter to what Întent the Kinges Highnes wold have the said Bulles delivered into his Handes; and if in my Letter to be written unto his Grace I should mistake his Entent, I shuld not only thereby offende his Grace, which I would be as lothe to doe as any Subject within his Realme, but also make him to be displeased with my Kinsman, that so blindly had Written unto me, and paradventure with your Mastership for usinge him for your Secretary in this Behalf: considering with my self the hole Effect of the same, better to be to have my Bulles into his Hands, thought that most best to send up the said Bulles there to be ready to be delivered at his Graces Will and Pleasure: Humbly beseechinge your Mastership to move the Kings Highnes to be Good and Graciouse Soveraigne Lord unto me, and to consider if I shuld nowe in my Age leif my Bishoprich, which I trust his

Grace of his Goodnes meanith not to make me to doe, by demandinge of my Bulles to be delivered into his Handes, that shuld not only disappoint me of my Liffinge, but many other my Servants his Subjects, that have their Liffinge only by me, who if I shuld leve my Promotion shuld be thereby destitute of Succour; which being my speciall Trust that his Grace of his inestimable Goodnes will have respect unto, and that my Mind herein, not to lefe my Promotion, neither Ambiciouse nor Unreasonable, nor contrary to his Graces Entent, I have sent up the said Bulles there to be redye, whiche Thinge sens that is more then I was willed to dce by Master Layton's Letter, I have forborne to wryte unto his Grace that I wold do that, seinge I do indeed accomplishe his Graces Pleasure. Praynge humbly your Mastership upon Advertisement geffen to the Kings Highnes, hereof to know his Will and Pleasure what he will have to be done, and the same so knowne to declare unto this Bearer William Redmayn, who therupon shall deliver the said Bullys into your Hands, or to whom the Kings Grace will apyoynt to receyve them, yf the Kings Will and Pleasure be to have them. Which I doe undoubtedly trustinge that the Kinges Highnes will be as good to me, as he is to other Bishops of his Realme beinge in like Case, seinge I had them by him, and did renounce all things conteynd in them contrary to his Prerogative Royall, at suche Time as I presented to his Grace his Bull unto him, as that will appere by the Othe of my Homage remayninge with the said Bull in the Kings Records now beynge in your keeping, as all Bishops ever have been accustumyd to doe by the Laws of this Realm heretofore used. The Bulls that I do send remayning in my Handes concerning my Bishopryche be v. in Number, the other were delyvered to whom they were directed: One to the Kings Highnes, an other to my Lord Cardinall, then being my Metropolitan, whose Soul God Pardone, and other to my late Lord of Rochester to take my Othe to the Bishop of Rome, which I think was sent up to Rome with the Othe as hathe been accustomyd to be done. And so those that I nowe send did remayne still in my Handes. And other Bulles then these have I noon, humblye beseeching your Mastership in all mine Affayrs to be good Master unto me, and to be meane unto the Kings Highnes to be Good and Graciouse Soveraigne Lorde unto me, and I shall according to my most bounden Dewty, daily pray for the Preservation of his Royall Estate longe to endure; and likewise I shall contynewe daily Beedman to your Mastership, whom Almighty Jhesu preserve in long Life VOL. III, PART II.

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and good Healthe to his Pleasure and yours. From Aukelande the xxixth Day of January;

Your Mastershipes Humble Beedman,
CUTHBERT DURESME.

XLI.

A Letter of the Archbishop of York's, concerning the Suppression of the Monasteries.

(Cott. Libr. Cleop. E. 4, P. 239.)

RIGHT Honourable, after my Hertiest Commendation. According to your Request made to me in your Letters, I have furthwith upon the Receipte of the same, sent Commandement to certayne Monasteries for beeing with me to Yorke, where I was than; and now I have given Commandement to all Archdeacons, to warne all Monasteries, of less yearly Value than Two Hundred Pound, being within their Archdeaconries, that they shall nothing imbecille, ne alien And if they have, that they shall agayne call such Things aliened, or imbecilled, to their Hands. Some that were noted to have received some Goods of suche Monasteries, I called and warned, that they shold in no wiese meddle with any such Goods; and that if they had any such, that they shold restore them; And ferthermore, if any such Goods shall be offred to them, that they shold give me Warning. And forbicause most resorte for such Propose is to the Citie of Yorke, I have warned the Majour of Yorke, and other of his Brodren thereof, and speciallie the Maister of the Mynt, upon their Peril and Daunger, that they receive no Goods of any such Monasteries. And ferther herin I entend to do from Time to Time, as I shall see nede, and daily do warn such as do resort to me, that they meddle not with any such Goods, that by them this Commandment may be more published, as I trust it shall be now by the Archdeacons Officials, which be nowe all Abrode, and have Speciall Commandment to sett furthe this Propose.

Sir, I entierlie pray you to be good to me, for Two Places of the Patronaige of the Archbishopps of Yorke, that if you shall thinke opon such Considerations as I shall alledge, that I have Reason to sue for them, as you woll help me with your good Word, that they be not suppressed. The one of them named Saincte Oswaldes, is not of Foundation a Monasterie of Religious Men, but is Libera Capella Archiepiscopi. No Man hathe Title in it but the Archbishop : The Prior therof is removable at my Pleasure, and accomptable to me; and the Archbishoppe may put ther, if he woll,

Seculer Prestes, and so would I have done at my Entre, if I had not ther found one of myne Acquayntance, whom I judged meete to be there under me. And moreover, the Archbishops of Yorke had it given to them by William Rufus, in Exchange for Recompense, as well of Lands as Jurisdiction, taken from them at the Coming in of William Conqueror, as appereth in my Registres, and other Old Books. And in the same it appereth, that the said Chapell enjoyeth all Privileges, like as all other the Kinges Free Chapells: for it was some tyme Libera Capella Regia: And for the Defence of the said Privilaiges, and Jurisdiction ther, my Predecessours have alwaies had Writts from the King, agaynst all Disturbers; because it is no other but Libera Capella, and some tyme was the Kinges.

The other is called Hexam, upon the Borders of Scotland, and was some Tyme Sedes Episcopalis; and many Holie Men, some time Bishops, ther be buried in that Church, Saincts of Name. And Wise Men, that knowe the Borders, think, That the Lands therof, although they were Ten tymes asmuch, cannot contrevaile the Damaige, that is like to ensue, if it be suppressed. And some waye, there is nevar a House between Scotland and the Lordshipp of Hexham ; and Men feare, if the Monasterie go down, that in Processe all shall be waste muche within the Land. And what Comfort that Monasterie is daylie to the Contre ther, and speciallie in Tyme of Warre, not onlie the Contre Men do knowe, but also many of the Noble Men of this Realme, that hath done the King's Highnes Service in Scotland. I dout not, but that the Land of that Monasterie is better than Two Hundred Pound by Year; as likewise the Archbishop's Lands, war much better if they laye in a quiet Place. Some of my Predicessours have had ther 1300 Marcs by Year, and now it is (communibus Annis) undre 250. I entierlie pray you, if you think that I have Reason, send for these Two, that you woll help me to save them. And as for Hexham, I think it is necessarie to be considred, as (I think) they that knowe the Borders woll saie.

Sir, According to the King's Commandment, I have generally given Commandment, that no Prechers shall be suffred, that withoute Discretion preche Novelties, and (as you right wiselie consider'd) do rather sowe Seeds of Dissention, than do any good: And some such as I have heard to use such Preaching, I have discharged; and yet they preach: But I make Processe agaynst them; and some of them say, they will get Licence of the Kyng to preach they obteine any such Licence, I then am discharged for them that have such Licence. But I trust, that you woll

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suffer no such Licence to pass, but that I shall knowe therof: And what your Pleasure is than, if they preach such Novelties, I pray you I may knowe by this Bearer. Some say, they have Licence of my Lord of Canterbury; but, I trust, they have no such: And if they have, none shall be obeyde here, but onlie the Kyng's and yours. And this in my hertiest maner. Fare you well. From Cawed, the xxiiid of April 1536.

Your own ever assured,

EDWARD EBOR'.

XLII.

Instructions for sending Barnes and others to Germany. An ·

Original.

(Cott. Libr. Cleop. E. 6, P. 330.)

MASTER Secretary, After our most hartie Commendations, ye shall understand, that having received the Letters sent unto you from Sir John Wallop, and shewed the same unto the King's Majestie; his Pleasure thereupon was, that we shuld dispatch these our Letters incontinently unto you, concernyng the Accomplishment and Doing of these Things ensuing. First, his Grace's Pleasure, that you shall immediatly (upon the Receipt herof) despech Barnes in Post, with Deryk in his Company, into Germany; commanding him to use such Diligence in his Jornaye, that he may and it be possible, meet with Melancton before his Aryvall in France: And in case he shall so meet with him, not only to dissuade his going thither; declaring how extremely the French King doth persecute those that will not grante unto the Bishop of Rome's Usurped Power and Jurisdiction; using in this Parte all Persuasions, Reasons and Means, that he can devise, to empech and let his said Jornay thither laying unto him, how much it shuld be to his Shame and Reproch, to vary and go nowe from that true Opinion wherin he hath so long contynued; but allso, on the other side, to persuade him all that he may, to convert his said Jornay hither, shewing as well the Conformitie of his Opinion and Doctrine here, as the Nobilitie and Vertues of the King's Majestie, with the good Entertaynement which undoubtedly he shall have here at his Grace's Hands. And if percase the said Barnes shall not meet with him before his Arryvall in France, then the said Barnes proceeding himself forth in his Jornay towards the Princes of Germany, shall (with all Diligence) returne in Post to King's Highnes the said Deryk, with Advertisement of the

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