not; for the account of it is razed out of the records. The writers that lived near that time represent the matter very odiously, and say, about ten thousand persons were set to seek for their livings; only forty shillings in money and a gown being given to every religious man. The rents of them all rose to about thirty-two thousand pounds; and the goods, plate, jewels, and other moveables, were valued at a hundred thousand pounds: and it is generally said, and not improbably, that the commissioners were as careful to enrich themselves as to increase the king's revenue. The churches and cloisters were for the most part pulled down ; and the lead, bells, and other materials were sold; and this must needs have raised great discontents everywhere.

Great discontents among all sorts of people.

The religious persons that were undone went about complaining of the sacrilege and injustice of this suppression; that what the piety of their ancestors had dedicated to God and his saints, was now invaded and converted to secular ends. They said, the king's severity fell first upon some particular persons of their orders, who were found delinquents; but now, upon the pretended miscarriages of some individual persons to proceed against their houses and suppress them, was an unheard-of practice. The nobility and gentry, whose ancestors had founded or enriched these houses, and who provided for their younger children or impoverished friends, by putting them into these sanctuaries, complained much of the prejudice they sustained by it. The people, that had been well entertained at the abbots' tables, were sensible of their loss: for generally, as they travelled over the country, the abbeys were their stages, and were houses of reception to travellers and strangers. The devouter sort of people of their persuasion thought their friends must now lie in purgatory without relief, except they were at the charge to keep a priest, who should daily say mass for their souls. The poor, that fed on their daily alms, were deprived of that supply.

Endeavours

But to compose these discontents, first many books were published to show what crimes, cheats, and impostures those religious persons were guilty of. Yet that wrought are used to not much on the people; for they said, why were not these abuses severely quiet these. punished and reformed? But must whole houses, and the succeeding generations, be punished for the faults of a few? Most of these reports were also denied, and even those who before envied the case and plenty in which the abbots and monks lived, began now to pity them, and condemned the proceedings against them. But to allay this general discontent, Cromwell advised the king to sell their lands at very easy rates to the gentry in the several counties, obliging them, since they had them upon such terms, to keep up the wonted hospitality. This drew in the gentry apace both to be satisfied with what was done, and to assist the crown for ever in the defence of these laws; their own interest being so interwoven with the rights of the crown. The commoner sort, who, like those of old that followed Christ for the loaves, were most concerned for the loss of a good dinner on a holiday, or when they went over the country about their business, were now also in a great measure satisfied, when they heard that all to whom these lands were given, were obliged under heavy forfeitures to keep up the hospitality; and when they saw that put in practice, their discontent, which lay chiefly in their stomach, was appeased.

Collect.

Bect. 2.

And to quiet other people, who could not be satisfied with such things, the king made use of a clause in the act that gave him the lesser monasteries, which empowered him to continue such as he should think fit. Therefore on the 17th of August, he, by his letters patent, did of new give back in perpetuam cleemosynam, for perpetual alms, fivo Numb. 3. abbeys. The first of these was the abbey of St. Mary of Betlesden of the Cistercian order in Buckinghamshire; ten more were afterwards confirmed. Sixteen hunneries were also confirmed; in all, thirty-one houses. The patents (in most of which some manors are excepted that had been otherwise disposed of) are all enrolled, and yet none of our writers have taken any notice of this. It seems these houses had been more regular than the rest : so that in a general calamity they were rather reprieved than excepted: for two years after this, in the suppression of the rest of the monasteries, they fell under the common fate of other houses. By these new endowments, they were obliged to pay tenths and first fruits, and to obey all the statutes and rules that should be sent to them from the king, as supreme head of the church. But it is not unlike that some presents to the commissioners

or to Cromwell made these houses outlive this ruin: for I find great trading in bribes at this time, which is not to be wondered at when there was so much to be shared.

generally incline to rebel.

But great disorders followed upon the dissolution of the other houses. People were still Yet People generally discontented. The suppression of religious houses occasioned much outcrying, and the articles then lately published about religion increased the distaste they had conceived at the government. The old clergy were also very watchful to improve all opportunities, and to blow upon every spark. And the pope's power of deposing kings had been for almost five hundred years received as an article of faith. The same council that established transubstantiation had asserted it: and there were many precedents not only in Germany, France, Spain, and Italy, but also in England, of kings that were deposed by popes, whose dominions were given to other princes. This had begun in the eighth century in two famous deprivations: the one in France, of Childeric III., who was deprived and the crown given to Pepin ; and about the same time, those dominions in Italy which were under the Eastern emperors renounced their allegiance to them. In both these the popes had a great hand; yet they rather confirmed and approved of those treasonable mutations, than gave the first rise to them. But after pope Gregory VII.'s time, it was clearly assumed, as a right and prerogative of the papal crown, to depose princes, and absolve subjects from the oaths of allegiance, and set up others in their stead. And all those emperors or kings that contested anything with popes, sat very uneasy and unsafe in their thrones ever after that. But if they were tractable to the demands of the court of Rome, then they might oppress their subjects and govern as unjustly as they pleased for they had a mighty support from that court. This made princes more easily bear the pope's usurpations, because they were assisted by them in all their other proceedings. And the friars, having the consciences of people generally in their hands, as they had the word given by their general at Rome, so they disposed people either to be obedient or seditious, as they pleased.

:

:

Now, not only their own interests, mixed with their zeal for the ancient religion, but the pope's authority, gave them as good a warrant to incline the people to rebel as any had in former times, of whom some were canonized for the like practices. For in August the former year, the pope had summoned the king to appear within ninety days, and to answer for putting away his queen and taking another wife; and for the laws he had made against the church, and putting the bishop of Rochester and others to death for not obeying these Jaws and if he did not reform these faults, or did not appear to answer for them, the pope excommunicated him and all that favoured him, deprived the king, put the kingdom under an interdict, forbade all his subjects to obey and other states to hold commerce with him, dissolved all his leagues with foreign princes, commanded all the clergy to depart out of England, and his nobility to rise in arms against him. But now, the force of those thunders which had formerly produced great earthquakes and commotions was much abated; yet some storms were raised by this, though not so violent as had been in former times. The people were quiet till they had reaped their harvest; and though some injunctions The King's were published a little before to help it the better forward, most of the holidays injunctions in harvest being abolished by the king's authority, yet that rather inflamed them about Reli- the more. Other injunctions were also published in the king's name by Cromwell gion, his vicegerent, which was the first act of pure supremacy done by the king. For in all that went before, he had the concurrence of the two convocations. But these, it is like, were penned by Cranmer. The reader is referred to the collection of papers for them, as I transcribed them out of the register.

Collect.
Numb. 7.

The substance of them was, "that first, all ecclesiastical incumbents were for a quarter of a year after that once every Sunday, and ever after that twice every quarter, to publish to the people, that the bishop of Rome's usurped power had no ground in the law of God, and therefore was on good reasons abolished in this kingdom; and that the king's power was by the law of God supreme over all persons in his dominions. And they were to do their uttermost endeavour to extirpate the pope's authority, and to establish the king's.

"Secondly, They were to declare the articles lately published, and agreed to by the

convocation; and to make the people know which of them were articles of faith, and which of them rules for the decent and politic order of the church.

"Thirdly, They were to declare the articles lately set forth for the abrogation of some superfluous holidays, particularly in harvest-time.

"Fourthly,-They were no more to extol images or relics for superstition or gain; nor to exhort people to make pilgrimages, as if blessings and good things were to be obtained of this or that saint or image. But instead of that, the people were to be instructed to apply themselves to the keeping of God's commandments, and doing works of charity; and to believe that God was better served by them when they staid at home and provided for their families than when they went pilgrimages, and that the moneys laid out on these were better given to the poor.

'

Fifthly,-They were to exhort the people to teach their children the Lord's prayer, the creed, and the ten commandments, in English: and every incumbent was to explain these, one article a-day, till the people were instructed in them. And to take great care that all children were bred up to some trade or way of living.

Sixthly, They must take care that the sacraments and sacramentals be reverently administered in their parishes, from which when at any time they were absent, they were to commit the cure to a learned and expert curate, who might instruct the people in wholesome doctrine; that they might all see that their pastors did not pursue their own profits or interests so much as the glory of God, and the good of the souls under their cure.

"Seventhly*,-They should not, except on urgent occasion, go to taverns or alehouses; nor sit too long at any sort of games after their meals: but give themselves to the study of the Scripture, or some other honest exercise; and remember that they must excel others in purity of life, and be examples to all others to live well and christianly.

Eighthly,-Because the goods of the church were the goods of the poor; every beneficed person that had twenty pound or above, and did not reside, was yearly to distribute the fortieth part of his benefice to the poor of the parish.

Ninthly,-Every incumbent that had an hundred pound a year must give an exhibition for one scholar at some grammar-school or university; who after he had completed his studies, was to be partner of the cure and charge, both in preaching and other duties: and so many hundred pounds as any had, so many students he was to breed up.

"Tenthly, Where parsonage or vicarage-houses were in great decay, the incumbent was every year to give a fifth part of his profits to the repairing of them till they were finished; and then to maintain them in the state they were in.

"Eleventhly,-All these injunctions were to be observed, under pain of suspension and sequestration of the mean profits till they were observed."

much cen

These were equally ingrateful to the corrupt clergy and to the laity that adhered to the Which were old doctrine. The very same opinions about pilgrimages, images, and saints departed, and instructing the people in the principles of Christian religion in the sured. vulgar tongue, for which the Lollards were not long ago either burnt or forced to abjure them, were now set up by the king's authority. From whence they concluded, that whatsoever the king said of his maintaining the old doctrine, yet he was now changing it. The clergy also were much troubled at this precedent of the king's giving such injunctions to them, without the consent of the convocation: from which they concluded they were now to be slaves to the lord vicegerent. The matter of these injunctions was also very uneasy to them. The great profits they made by their images and relics, and the pilgrimages to them, were now taken away and yet severe impositions and heavy taxes were laid on them; a fifth part for repairs, a tenth at least for an exhibitioner, and a fortieth for charity, which were cried out on as intolerable burdens. Their labour was also increased, and they were bound up to many severities of life: all these things touched the secular clergy to the quick, and made them concur with the regular clergy in disposing the people to rebel. This was secretly fomented by the great abbots. For though they were not yet struck at,

*The seventh article, for providing a Bible in Latin and English, and laying it in the quire, is wholly omitted.STRYPE'S CORRECT. [All the articles are given at length

in the collection of Records, No. 7, referred to in this book.-ED.]

yot the way was prepared to it; and their houses were oppressed with crowds of those who wore sent to them from the suppressed houses. There was some pains taken to remove their fears. For a letter was sent to them all in the king's name to silence the reports that were spread abroad, as if all monasteries were to be quite suppressed. This they were required not to believe, but to serve God according to their order, to obey the king's injunctions, to keep hospitality, and make no wastes nor dilapidations. Yet this gave them small comfort, and, as all such things do, rather increased than quieted their jealousies and fears. So many secret causes concurring, no wonder the people fell into mutinous and seditious practices. The first rising was in Lincolnshire in the beginning of October, where a churchman, A Rebellion disguised into a cobbler, and directed by a monk, drew a great body of men after him. About 20,000 were gathered together. They swore to be true to God, the king and the commonwealth, and digested their grievances into a few articles, which they sent to the king, desiring a redress of them.

in Lincolnshire.

“ They complained of some things that related to secular concerns, and some acts of parliament that were uneasy to them: they also complained of the suppression Their deof so many religious houses; that the king had mean persons in high places niands. about him, who were ill counsellors: they also complained of some bishops who had subverted the faith; and they apprehended the jewels and plate of their churches should be taken away. Therefore they desired the king would call to him the nobility of the realm, and by their advice redress their grievances; concluding with an acknowledgment of the king's being their supreme head, and that the tenths and first fruits of all livings belonged to him of right."

When the king heard of this insurrection, he presently sent the duke of Suffolk with a commission to raise forces for dispersing them: but with him he sent an answer The King's to their petition. "IIe began with that about his counsellors, and said, it was Answer. never before heard of that the rabble presumed to dictate to their prince what counsellors he should choose: that was the prince's work, and not theirs; the suppression of religious houses was done pursuant to an act of parliament, and was not set forth by any of his counsellors: the heads of these religious houses had under their own hands confessed those horrid scandals which made them a reproach to the nation; and in many houses there were not above four or five religious persons: so it seemed they were better pleased that such dissolute persons should consume their rents in riotous and idle living, than that their prince should have them for the common good of the whole kingdom. He also answered their other demands in the same high and commanding strain; and required them to submit themselves to his mercy, and to deliver their captains and lieutenants into the hands of his lieutenants; and to disperse and carry themselves as became good and obedient subjects, and to put an hundred of their number into the hands of his lieutenants, to be ordered as they had deserved." When this answer was brought to them, it raised their spirits higher. The practising clergymen continued to inflame them. They persuaded them that the Christian religion would be very soon effaced, and taken away quite, if they did not vigorously defend it; that it would come to that, that no man should marry a wife, receive any of the sacraments, nor eat a piece of roast meat, but he should pay for it; that it were better to live under the Turk than under such oppression: therefore there was no cause in which they could with more honour and a better conscience hazard their lives than for the holy faith. This encouraged and kept them together a little longer. They had forced many of the gentry of the country to go along with them. These sent a secret message to the duke of Suffolk, letting him know what ill effects the king's rough answer had produced; that they had joined with the people only to moderate them a little, and they knew nothing that would be It is quicted so effectual as the offer of a general pardon. So the duke of Suffolk, as he moved by the Duke towards them with the forces which he had drawn together, sent to the king to of Suffolk. know his pleasure, and earnestly advised a gentle composing of the matter without blood. At that same time the king was advertised from the North that there was a general and formidable rising there; of which he had the greater apprehensions, bellion in the because of their neighbourhood to Scotland, whose king, being the king's nephew, was the heir presumptive of the crown, since the king had illegitimated

A new Re

North.