Christs Victory over Satans Tyranny, Book 6 · Part 14 – Part 19
The Martirdome of Iohn Frith.
WHen Cardinall Wolsey prepared to build a Colledge in Oxford, which now is called Christs Church,1533 whence he was sent for to the King, being accused of certaine crimes: in the way by immoderate purgations he killed himselfe, and so left a most glorious péece of worke; part but begun, part halfe ended, and but a smal part fully finished. He appointed to that Colledge all such as were found to excell in any kind of learning: amongst whom this Iohn Frith was one, and William Tindall, and Tauernar of Bostone, and Iohn Clark, and many others. These were accused of heresie by the Cardinall, and impri…oned in a déep Caue in t…e same Colledge, where they were all infected through the stinke of Fish: and Iohn Clarke, wi…h other good men, whose names are not kn…wne, died; but Frith escaped, and departed out of England for foure yeares, and returning home, Sir Thomas Moore promised great rewards to them that could take him, and laid all the hauens for him. At length he was taken at Reading for a Uacabound, and being put in the stockes, hee sent for the Schoolemaister, and began in the Lattine tongue to bewaile his captiuity, the Schoole-maister being ouercome with his eloquen…e, tooke pitty on him, and louelove… his excellent wit: then they fell to the Gréeke tongue, wherewith he so inflamed the louelove of the Schoole-maister, that he went to the Magistrates and got him to be set at liberty without punishment: but after he was trayterously taken and sent to the Tower, where he had many conflicts with the Bishops, but especially in writing with Sir Thomas Moore, who wrote against certaine writings of Frithes, against the Sacrament of the Altar, which came to Sir Thomas Moores hands, and Frith hauing gotten a Coppy of it, wrote against it. Cranmer, Archbishop, in his Apology against the Bishop of Winchester, séemeth to hauehave collecte… Friths reasons aboundantly. What Articles were obiected vntounto him, appeareth by a breefe Commentary, written and sent to his friends out of prison, as followeth.
First, the whole matter of the examination was two Articles, to wit; purgatory, and the substance of the Sacrament.
Touching purgatory, they asked whether I beleeued that there was any place to purg… the spots of the dead after this life: I denied there was any, because the nature of man consisteth but of two parts, the body and mind: one Christ purgeth in this world by laying afflictions vponupon vsus, and death the reward of sinne is laid vponupon it, but our soules are purged with the word of God, which we drinke in through Faith, to the saluation both of body and soule: If you will shew a third part of man, I will grant you a third place, which you call Purgatory, otherwise I must deny vntounto you the Bishops shop of Purgatory.
Secondly, it was required of me, whether the very body of Christ were in the Sacrament of the Altar.
I answered, it is both Christs body & ours, for as of many corns is made one loafe, so we being diuers, are but one body in Christ, therein it signifieth our body: so of the Wine that is made of many clusters, one liquor.
But the same bread againe, in that that it is broken, signifieth the body of Christ, declaring his body to be broken and put to death for our redemption; and in that it is distributed the fruit of his Passion is signified: the communication whereof equally redounds to all Christians.
And againe, when it is receiued to be eaten, it is the signification of the bodie of Christ, admonishing vsus, that our inward man is refr…shed by the merits of Christ, euen as the bread is receiued with our mouth, to the outward nourishment of the body.
Then said they, dost thou beléeue the very body of Christ to be contained in th… Sacrament really, without trope or figure? He answered; No surely, I doe not so thinke, and when by no meanes he could be perswaded to recant, hee was condemned to be burned.
When he was tyed to the stake in Smithfield, there it dot… significantly appeare with what constancy he suffered: he willingly embraced the fag…ts & fire, the wind blowing away the fire to his fellow that was tyed at his back and b…rned with him, made his death the longer, but God gaue him such strength and patience, that as though he had felt no paine in that long torment: he séemed rather to reioyce for his fellow, then to be carefull for himselfe.
The examination of ANDREVV HEVVET, that was burned with IOHN FRITH.
HE was a Prentice in Watling-stréete, to a Taylor, when he was asked what he thought touching the Sacrament of the last Supper: he answered, euen as Iohn Frith doth: Then one of the Bishops said, Dost thou not beléeue that it is really the body of Christ, borne of the Uirgin Mary? He said, that I do not beléeue why said the Bishop; he said Christ commanded me not to giuegive rash credit to them which say, Behold here is Christ, and there is Christ, for many false Prophets shall rise vp, saith the Lord. Then Stokly, Bishop of London, said, Frith is condemned for an heretick, and except thou reuoke thine opinion, thou shalt be burned with him: he said, he was content. The Bishop vsed many perswasi…ns to alure him to recant, but could not, wherefore he was burned with Frith as before. When they were at the stake, one Doctor Coke admonished all the people, that they should in no wise pray for them no more then they would for a Dog, whereat Frith smiling, desired the Lord to forgiue him, and so departed.
About this time High Latimer was inhi…ited by the Bishop of London to preach in his Dioces, and yet after he preached in the Precin…t of the Fryers Augustines of London.
The Lady Anne of Bullen, although she was not yet married to King Henry, yet she was in great fauour, and daily she inclined the Kings mind more & more against the Papists, so that the same yeare the King and certaine of his Lords came into the Parliament house, and he complained of the Cleargy, that they were but halfe his Subiects, yea and scarse our Subiects: for their oath to the Pope at their consecration, is cleane contrary to that which they make to vsus: and he deliu…r…d to the Parliament the coppies of both their oaths. These Oaths being thus receiued and …pened to the people, were the occasion that the Pope lost al his iurisdiction in England shortly after. The matter falling out more and more against the Pope, Sir Thomas Moore, a great maintainer of the Pope, was driuen to resigne his Chancelorship, … deliuer vp the great seale into the Kings hands. After whom, succéeded Sir Thomas Audley, kéeper of the great seale, a great fauorer of Christs Religion.
Lady ANNE of Bullen.
WIthin short time after, the King married the Lady Anne Bullen, Mother to Quéene Elizabeth, who was the secret ayder and comforter of al the Professors of the Gospell, and her almes shewed her life was accordingly, which was a hundred gownes wéekly, and other apparell yearely before she was married, both to men & women, she also gaue much priuate almes to the widdowes and poore ho…sholders continually, vntill she was apprehended. And she euer gaue thrée or foure pounds at a time to them, to buy them Kine, and sent her Sub-almner about to the Townes where she lay, that the Parisheners should make a b…ll of all the poore housholders in th…ir parish: and some parishes receiued 7. 8. or 10. pounds to buy Kine withall: Also, she maintained many l…arned men in Cambridge, so did the Earle of Wiltshir… her Father, and the Lord Roch her Broth…r, and she brought them in fauour with …ing Henry. She caried alwaies about her a little purse, out of which she was wont daily to scatter abroad some almes to the needy, thinking no day well spent wherein none had fared the better for her. She kept her Maids, and such as were about her, imployed in making shirts and smocks for the poore, but the Lady Dowager beeing deuorced, made the Pope to curse the King, and interdict the realme: In the meane time Queene Anne bein… great with child, in the next yeare following was crowned with high solemnity at Westminster, and not long after brought to …ed at Greenewich,1534 of the faire Lady, Elizabeth: The Lord Maior of London and his Brethren, with forty cheefe Cittizens, were commanded to be present, with all the Nobles and Gentlemen: The Kings Palace, and all the wals to the Fryers were hanged with Arras, …d the Friers Church. The Font war of Siluer, and stood in the midst of the Church, thrée steps high, which was couered with fine linnen, and diuers Gentlemen with aprones and towels about their necks, gaue attendance about it: Ouer the Font hung a faire Canopy of Crimson Sattin, fringed with Gold.
The holy Maid of Kent.
CErtaine Monkes put into the heads of many of the Kings Subiects, that they had R…uelation of God and his Saints, that he was highly displeased with king Henry, for the diuorcement of the Lady Katherine, and surmised that God had reuealed vntounto a Nun, called Elizabeth Barton, whom they called the Holy Maid of Kent, that if the King did diuorce her, he should not be King of this Realme one month after, and not one day nor houre in Gods fauour. She would shew marueilous alteration of her visage and body, as if she had béene wrapt in a trance, and inspired of God. She spoke against sinne, and reprooued the Gospell, which she called heresies, and spoke diuers things to the reproach of the King and Quéene, and to the establishing of Idolatry, Pilgrimage, and derogation of Gods glory. The Archbishop▪ the Lord Cromwell, and Maister Hugh Latimer, with great labour found out her naughtinesse, and condemned her and put her to death, with certaine of her councell.
VVILLIAM TRACY Esquire.
A Little before this time William Tracy of Todington in Gloster-shire made his Will, that he would hauehave no funerall pomp at his burying, nor Masse; and said that he trusted in God only, and hoped by him to be saued, and not by any Saint. His Executor brought the Will to the Bishop of Canterbury that then was, to proue it; which he shewed to the Conuocation, and they iudged him to be taken vp and burned as an heretick, and sent a commisson to Doctor Parker Chancelor of Worcester, to execute their sentence, who accomplished the same. The King hearing thereof, sent for the Chancelor, who laid the fault on the Bishop; yet it cost him three hundred pount er… he could hauehave a pardon.
The storie of twenty foure burned at Paris.
IN this year… were diuers writings set vp in Paris, vponupon the Porches and gates, against the Masse and other papisticall superstitions, whereupon many were apprehended and cast into prison: but twenty foure were executed in seuerall places of the Citie of Paris.
The bearer of the Popes curse and interdictment against King Henrie and the Realme,1535. durst not come into the Realme with it, but set it vp in Dunkerk in Flanders: the king hearing thereof, took great displeasure against the said Princesse Dowager, and so stomacked the matter, that the next yeare he called a Parliament, and caused it to be prouided by sufficient Acts, that the Pope should be vtterly abol…sht, and himselfe to be establisht supreme head of the Church: at which thing Sir Thomas Moore & the Bishop of Rochester grudged, and would not consent vntounto it, but openly resisted the same; wherefore they were condemned of treason, and headed at Tower-hill. Likewise three Charter-Monks were hanged, drawne and quartred at Tyburne, for speaking trayterous words against the Kings Maiestie.
This yere the King set forth a Proclamation for the abolishing of the vsurped power and iurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, wherein is declared, that not onelyonly the secular men granted him this iurisdiction, but all the spiritualty in the Conuocation house, vnderunder their seales; wherin also he signified, that he had addressed Letters vnthe Bishops of the Diocesse, straitly commanding them that forthwith the sincere word of God should be preached eueryevery Sonday and Holy-day vntounto the people, and Our stile and iurisdiction of supreme head appertayning onelyonly to our Crowne and Dignity royall to be publisht, and that the Popes vsurped name should be put out of all prayers, masses, or other books, except it be to his reproach.