The History of the Holy War, Book 5 · Chapter 7 – Chapter 8
Chap. 7. The Hospitallers at last got on an advantage and suppressed.
BUt Barnabe's day it self hath a night; and this long-lived Order, which in England went over the graves of all others, came at last to its own.
They were suffered to have rope enough, till they had haltered themselves in a Praemunire: For they still continued their obedience to the *Parlam. Anno 32o. Henr. viii.Pope, contrary to their allegeance, whose usurped authoritie was banished out of the land; and so (though their lives otherwise could not be impeached for any vitiousnesse) they were brought within the compasse of the law. The case thus standing, their deare friends perswaded them to submit to the Kings merciemercy, and not to capitulate with him on conditions, nor to stop his favour by their own obstinacie, but yeeld whilest as yet terms honest and honourable would be freely given them: That such was the irresistiblenesse of the Kings spirit, that like a torrent it would bear down any thing which stood betwixt him and his desires; If his anger were once inflamed, nothing but their bloud could quench it: Let them not flatter themselves into their own ruine, by relying on the aid of their friends at home, who would not substitute their own necks to save theirs from the ax; nor by hoping for help from forrein parts, who could send them no seasonable succour.
This counsel harsh at first, grew tunable in the eares of the Hospitallers; so that contented rather to exchange their clothes for worse then to be quite stript, they resigned all into the Kings hands. He allowed to Sr William Weston Lord Prior of the Order, an annuall pension of one thousand pounds: But he received never a penny thereof,1540 but dyed *Weaver, M…n. pag. 114.instantly, struck to the heart when he first heard of the dissolution of his Priory:May 7. and lieth buried in the Chancell of Clarkenwell, with the portraiture of a dead man lying on his shroud, the most artificially cut in stone (saith my *Idem, pag. 430.Authour) that ever man beheld. Others had rent assigned them of 200l, 100l, 80l, 60l, 50l, 20l, 10l, according to their severall qualities and deserts.
At the same time justs and tornaments were held at Westminster: Wherein the challengers against all comers, were, Sr John Dudley, Sr Thomas Seymore, Sr Thomas Poinings, Sr George Carew, Knights; Antonie Kingstone, and Richard Cromwell, Esquires: To each of whom for reward of their valour, the King gave a hundred marks of yearly revenues, and a house to dwell in, to them and their heirs, out of the lands belonging to these Hospitallers. And at this time, many had Danae's happinesse, to have golden showres rained into their bosomes.
These Abbey-lands, though skittish mares to some, have given good milk to others: Which is produced as an argument, That if they prove unsuccessefull to any, it is the users default, no inherencie of a curse in the things themselves. But let one keep an exact Register of lands, and mark their motions, how they ebbe and flow betwixt buyers and sellers, and surely he will say with the Poet, foreign. And this is most sure; Let land be held in never so good a tenure, it will never be held by an unthrift.
The Hospitallers Priory-church was preserved from down-pulling all the dayes of King Henry the eighth: but in the third yeare of King Edward the sixth,Stow. with the bell-towre (a piece of curious workmanship, graven, gilt, and enamelled) it was undermined and blown up with gunpowder, and the stone imployed in building the Lord Protectours house in the Strand.
Thus as chirurgeons in cutting off a gangrened leg, alwayes cut it off above the joynt, even where the flesh is whole and sound: so (belike for fear of further infection) to banish Monkerie for ever, they rased the structures and harmlesse buildings of Priories, which otherwise in themselves were void of any offense. They feared if Abbeys were onelyonly left in a swound, the Pope would soon get hot water to recover them: To prevent which, they killed them and killed them again, overturning the very foundations of the houses, infringing, altering and transferring the lands, that they might never be reduced to their old propertie. Some outrages were committed in the manner of these dissolutions: Many manuscripts, guiltie of no other superstition then red letters in the front, were condemned to the fire: and here a principall key of antiquitie was lost, to the great prejudice of posteritie. But in sudden alterations it is not to be expected that all things be done by the square and compasse.
Chap. 8. Queen Mary setteth up the Hospitallers again; They are again deposed by Queen Elisabeth.
QUeen Mary (a Princesse more zealous then politick) attempted to restore Abbeys to their pristine estate and former glory: And though certain of her counsellers objected, that the state of her Kingdome and dignitie thereof and her Crown imperiall could not honourably be furnished and maintained without the possession of Abbey-land; yet she *Parlam. Anno 2o & 3o Phil. & Mariae.frankly restored, resigned, and confirmed by Parliament all ecclesiasticall revenues which by the authoritie of that high court in the dayes of her Father were annexed to the Crown, protesting she set more by her salvation, then by ten kingdomes.
But the Nobilitie followed not her example: They had eaten up the Abbey-lands, and now after twentie yeares possession digested and turned them into good bloud in their estates: they were loth therefore to emptie their veins again; and the forwardest Romanist was backward enough in this costly piece of devotion.
How-ever, out of her own liberalitie, she set up two or three bankrupt Covents, as Sion and Westminster, and gave them stock to trade with. The Knights also of S. John of Jerusalem she reseated in their place; and S• Thomas Tresham of Rushton in Northamptonshire was the first and last Lord Prior after their restitution: For their nests were plucked down before they were warm in them, by the coming in of Queen Elisabeth.
To conclude; In the founders of Religious houses were some good intents mixt with superstitious ends; amongst the Religious persons themselves, some pietie, more loosenesse and lazinesse; in the confounders of those houses, some detestation of the vices of Friars, more desire of the wealth of Friaries; in God, all just, all righteous, in permitting the badnesse and causing the destruction of these numerous Fraternities.