after his return, understanding still the Archbishopric to be reserved for him, made means by divers of his best friends to shift it off, desiring rather some smaller living, that he might more quietly follow his book. mer denied Pope's To be brief, when the King himself spake with him, declaring, that his full intention, for his service sake, and for the good opinion he conceived of him, was to bestow that dignity upon him, after long disabling of himself, perceiving he could by no persuasions alter the King's determination, he brake frankly his conscience with him, most humbly craving first his Grace's pardon for that he should declare unto his Highness. Which obtained, he declared, that if he accepted the office, then he must receive it at the Dr. CranPope's hand, which he neither would nor could do; for that he took that his Highness was only the supreme governor of this the Archbishopric Church of England, as well in causes ecclesiastical as tem- at the poral; and that the full right and donation of all manner hands. of bishoprics and benefices, as well as of any other temporal Cranmer's dignities and promotions, appertained to his Grace, and not King Hento any other foreign authority, whatsoever it was; and ry, refusing therefore if he might in that vocation serve God, him, and bishop. his country, seeing it was his pleasure so to have it, he would First breakaccept it and receive it of his Majesty, and of none other matter of the Pope's stranger, who had no authority within this realm, neither supremacy in any such gift, nor in any other thing. Whereat the to King Henry. King, said he, staying a while and musing, asked me, how I was able to prove it. At which time I alleged many texts out of the Scriptures, and the Fathers also, approving the supreme and highest authority of kings in their realms and dominions, disclosing therewithal the intolerable usurpation of the Pope of Rome. answer to to be Arch ing of the sworn to testation. Afterwards it pleased his Highness, quoth the Archbi- Cranmer shop, many and sundry times to talk with me of it; and the Pope perceiving that I could not be brought to acknowledge the under proauthority of the Bishop of Rome, the King himself called Cranmer, Doctor Oliver and other civil lawyers, and devised with in swearing them how he might bestow it upon me, enforcing me no- did nothing thing against my conscience. Who thereupon informed vice of the to the Pope, without ad ed in this realm. best learn- him, that I might do it by the way of protestation; and so one to be sent to Rome, who might take the oath, and do every thing in my name. Which when I understood, I said he should do it super animam suam: and I indeed bona fide made my protestation, that I did not acknowledge his authority any further then as it agreed with the express word of God, and that it might be lawful for me at all times to speak against him, and to impugn his errors, when time and occasion should serve me. And this my protestation did I cause to be enrolled, and there I think it remaineth. [m Then both the Doctors confessed it to be true that his protestation was enrolled, but said it was a mere fraud of him. Then the Bp. Cranmer asked them what he could do more in the case, who thereunto made him no answer at all. Many marvelled at this declaration of his, that so long ago, in so perilous a time, he had so sincerely proceeded; and that even then, when he most might have advanced himself to honour and rule, which things chiefly men desire in this world, he chose rather to venture the loss of his life and all this glorious pomp, than to do any thing, for ambition sake, that might once spot and distain his conscience. They charged him farther, that he had conspired with the Duke of Northumberland for the disinheriting of the Queen. Whereunto he made answer as is contained in his letter written to the Queen ".] They objected to him also that he was married; which he confessed. Whereupon Doctor Martin said, that his children were bondmen to the See of Canterbury. At The Arch- which saying the Archbishop smiled, and asked him, if a swereth for priest at his benefice kept a concubine, and had by her bashis wife and tards, whether they were bondmen to the benefice or no ; saying, I trust you will make my children's causes no bishop an children. worse. After this, Doctor Martin demanded of him who was [This paragraph has been restored to its place from the first edition of Foxe.] n 1 [See vol. i. Letter ccxcv.] supreme head of the Church of England"? Marry, quoth my lord of Canterbury, Christ is head of this member, as he is of the whole body of the universal Church. Why, quoth Doctor Martin, you made King Henry the Eighth supreme head of the Church. Yea, said the Archbishop, of all the people of England, as well ecclesiastical as temporal. And not of the Church? said Martin. No, said he, for Christ is only head of his Church, and of the faith and religion of the same. The King is head and governor of his people, which are the visible Church. Martin, you never durst tell the King so. What! quoth durst, quoth he, and did: in the publication of his style, wherein he was named supreme head of the Church, there was never other thing meant. A number of other fond and foolish objections were made, with repetition whereof I thought not to trouble the reader. n Because there was offence taken at this word supreme “ head," it was declared in the Queen's style to be supreme governor." 66 [Appeal at his Degradation.] &c. vol. iii. Foxe, Acts, Doctor Thurlby and Doctor Boner coming with a new Commission to sit upon the Archbishop, the 14th day of February. p. 662. A new sion sent The letter or sentence definitive a of the Pope was dated about the first day of January, and was delivered here in down from England about the midst of February. Upon the receipt against the of which letters, another session was appointed for the ArchArchbi- bishop to appear the fourteenth day of February before Rome shop. certain Commissioners directed down by the Queen, the Dr. Thurl- chief whereof was the Bishop of Ely, Dr. Thurlby. by and Dr. Boner, Commis sioners. A new sit ting of the Pope's De legates in Christ Church With the said Doctor Thurlby, Bishop of Ely, was also assigned in the same Commission Doctor Boner, Bishop of London; which two coming to Oxford upon St. Valentine's day, as the Pope's Delegates, with a new Commission from Rome, by the virtue thereof commanded the Archbishop aforesaid to come before them, in the choir of Christ against the Church, before the high altar; where they sitting, accordArchbishop ing to their manner, in their pontificalibus, first began, as the fashion is, to read their Commission; wherein was contained, how that in the Court of Rome all things being indifferently examined, both the articles laid to his charge, with the answers made unto them; and witnesses examined on both parts, and counsel heard, as well on the King and Queen's behalf, his accusers, as on the behalf of Thomas Cranmer, the party guilty; so that he wanted nothing ap of Canter bury. 2 [Cranmer received a citation on the 7th of September, 1555, to appear at Rome within eighty days. Such appearance was of course impossible, as he was closely imprisoned at Oxford. But the cause proceeded, as if his absence had been voluntary. Being pronounced contumacious, he was sentenced by the Pope, to be degraded and delivered over to the secular magistrate. This is the definitive sentence of which Foxe speaks. It may be seen at length in his Acts and Monuments, vol. iii. p. 997.] Commis pertaining to his necessary defence, &c. Which foresaid Commission, as it was in reading, Oh, Lord, said the Arch- The Pope's bishop, what lies be these, that I, being continually in pri- sion son, and never could be suffered to have counsel or advo-grounded upon lies. cate at home, should produce witness and appoint my counsel at Rome! God must needs punish this open and shameless lying. They read on the Commission which came from the Pope, plenitudine potestatis, supplying all manner of defects in law or process, committed in dealing with the Archbishop, and giving them full authority to proceed to deprivation and degradation of him, and so upon excommunication to deliver him up to the secular power, omni appellatione remota. When the Commission was read thus, they, proceeding thereupon to his degradation, first clothed and disguised The order him, putting on him a surplice, and then an albe; after of the Archthat, the vestment of a subdeacon, and every other furni- gradation. ture, as a priest ready to mass. When they had apparelled him so far, What, said he, I think I shall say mass. Yea, said Cosins, one of Boner's chaplains, my lord, I trust to see you say mass for all this. Do you so? quoth he, that shall you never see, nor will I ever do it. Then they invested him in all manner of robes of a bishop and archbishop, as he is at his installing, saving that as every thing then is most rich and costly, so every thing in this of canvas and old clouts, with a mitre and a pall of the same suit done upon him in mockery, and then the crosier staff was put in his hand. This done after the Pope's pontifical form and manner, Boner, who by the space of many years had borne, as it seemed, no great good will towards him b, and now rejoiced [See an account of Boner's insolent behaviour in 1549 before Cranmer and other Commissioners, in Foxe, Acts, &c. vol. ii. p. 675, &c. On which occasion, "the Archbishop, seeing his inordinate and "intolerable contempt towards them, charged him very sharply, say"ing, 'My lord of London, if I had sitten here only as Archbishop of "Canterbury, it had been your part to have used yourself more 'lowly, obediently, and reverently towards me than you have; but bishop's de |