Christs Victory over Satans Tyranny, Book 6 · Part 33
The History of Thomas Barnes, Thomas Garard, and William Hierome Diuines.
WHen as Cromwell was dead, Gardiner Bishop of Winchester, being at liberty to exercise his cruelty, it is to be wondred what troubles hee raised, and least he should loose his occupation by delayes: Hee first assaults Robert Barnes, Thomas Gerrard, and William Hierome, whom hee caused to be put to execution two daies after Cromwell; and first of Barnes Doctor of Diuinitie.
There was sent downe a Sergeant at Armes to Cambridge, who arres…d Doctor Barnes in the Conuocation house: and they determined to make priuy search for Luthers Bookes, and all the Germaines workes, but they that were suspected had word therof, and the Bookes were conuayed away before they came, and he was brought to Cardinall Wolsey in Westminster: At last he spake with the Cardinall in his Chaire of State, knéeling on his knees: Then said the Cardinall, What Maister Doctor▪ had you not scope sufficient in the Scriptures to teach the people: but my golden showes, my pollaxes, my pillars, my golden Cushions, my crossee did so much offend you, that you made vsus Ridiculum caput amongst the people, we were iollily that day laughed to scorne: Uerily, it was a Sermon more fitter to be preached on a Stage, then in a Pulpit: At last you said, I wore a paire of red Gloues, I should say bloudy Gloues, that I should not bee cold in the middest of my Ceremonies: Hee answered, hee spake nothing but the truth, according to the Scriptures, and the old Doctors: Then hee deliuered the Cardinall six shéetes of Paper to coroborate his saying: He receiuing them said, we perceiue you intend to stand to your Articles, and shew your learning: Yea said Barnes, by Gods Grace, and your Lordships fauour: He answered, such as you beare vsus and the Catholick Church, little fauour: whether doe you thinke it more necessary that I should hauehave this royalty, because I represent the Kings person in all High Courts of this Realme to the terror of all rebellions, Treasons, & all the wicked members of this Common-wealth, or to be as simple as you would hauehave vsus to sell these things, and giu… them to the poore, which shortly would pisse it against the walles, and pull his Maiestie from his dignitie: He answered, I think it necessarie to be sold and giuen to the poore, for it is not comely for your calling, and the King is not maintained by your pompe, and pollaxes, but by God, which saith per me Reges regnant: Then the Cardinall said to Doctor Gardiner, and Maister Fox, Loe Maister Doctors, heere is the learned and wise man that you told me of: Then they knéeled and desired his Grace to be good vntounto them, for hee would be reformable: Then said he for your sakes, and the Uniuersitie, wee will be good vntounto him: Maister Doctor…dost thou not know that I am legatus de latere, and that I am able to dispence with all matter in this Realme as much as the pope may: Hee answered, I know it: Then hee bad him be ruled by him and I will doe all things for thy honesty, and the honesty of the vniuersitie: hee thanked him, and said, he would stick to the Scriptures according to his little Talent: Then the Cardinall told him he should hauehave his learning tried, and hauehave the Law, and commanded him to the Tower: But Gardiner and Fox, became his sureties: After he was twice brought before the Bishops, and the Abbot of Westminster, in the Chapter-house at Westminster: Then he was put to hauehave the Councell of Gardiner, and Fox, and they perswaded him rather to abiure the… burne, & that he might doe more in time to come, and with other perswasions, mighty in the sight of reason and foolish flesh: wherevpon he abiured, and bore a faggot: the Bishop of Rochester preaching at the abiuration of him and others, stood vp and declared vntounto the people, how many daies of forgiuenes of sinnes they had for beeing at that Sermon; yet he continued halfe a yéere after in prison, and then he was committed to be frée prisoner in the Augustine Friers in London: when these Caterpillers and bloudy beasts had vndermined him, they complained on him again to my Lord Cardinall: Then he was deliuered to the Friers of Northampton to bee burned: Then Maister Horne heard that a writ should come shortly to burne him; then hée councelled him to faine himselfe desperate, and writ a Letter to the Cardinall, signifying that he would drowne himselfe, and to leaue his clothes there, and another Letter to the Mayor of the Towne to search for him in the water, because he had a Letter written in parchment, wrapt in wax about his neck, for the Cardinal which would teach all men to beware of him: vponupon this they were seuen daies a searching for him, but he went to London in a poore mans apparell, and thence to Anwerpe to Luther, and there answered all the Bishops of the Realme, and made a Booke called acta Romanorum pontificum, and another Booke with a supplication to King Henry: When it was told the Cardinall he was drowned he said, perit memoria eius cum sonitu, but this lighted vponupon himselfe, for shortly after he poyso-himselfe.
In the beginning of the Raigne of Quéene Anne, he and others came againe into England, and continued a faithfull Preacher in the Citie of London, and in her Graces time well entertained and promoted; and after sent by King Henry the eight, Ambassador to the Duke of Cleaue, for the marriage of the Lady Anne of Cleaue, betwéene the King and her; and was well accepted vntill Gardiner came out of France: but then neither Religion nor the Queene prospered, nor Cromwell, nor the preachers: Then followed alteration in marriage vntill hee had grafted the marriage into another stocke, by the …ccasion whereof hee began his bloudy worke. Soone after Doctor Barnes, and his Brethren, were carried to the King to Hampton Court to be examined: But the King seeking meanes of his safety, bad him goe home with Gardiner, and confer with him: they not agréeing▪ Gardiner sought opportunitie to dispatch Barnes, and the rest, as he had done by the Que…ne the Lady Anne of Cleue, and the Lord Cromwell: and he appointed them three to preach thrée Sermons at the Spittle, which were baites to minister iust occasion of their condemnations: A hen they were sent for to Hampton Court, and from thence carried vntounto the Tower, and came not thence but to their deathes. Then the Protestants went beyond Sea, Priests were diuorced from there Wiues, certaine Bishops deposed, and other good men denied Christ, and bore Faggots: then they were put to d…ath without iudgement; a Papist and a Protestant were laid vponupon one hurdle and drawn to Smithfield: This was Winchesters deuise to colour his tyrany: Then Barnes hid the Sheriffe beare him witnes he died Christianly, and Charitably, and prayed them all to pray for him, and if the dead may pray for the quick we will pray for you, so they forgaue their enemies, and kissed one another, and stood hand in hand at the stake vntill the …re came, and so rested in Christ.
The same day one Powell, Fetherstone, and Abel, were hanged, drawne, and quartered in the same place, for denying the Kings Supremacie, and maintaining the Kings marriage with the Lady Katherine Dowager: The reason was because as one halfe of the Councell being Papists called vponupon Barnes, Garet, and Hierome, to be executed: so the other part of the Councell called vponupon these thrée Papists to be executed.
In this yéers a Boy, one Richard Mekins, but fiftéene yeares old was burned in Smithfield, for speaking somewhat against the Sacrament of the Altar.
In like manner Richard Spencer Priest, leauing his papistry, married a Wife, and got his liuing by day-labour; Hee was burnt in Salisbury, because hee was thought to hold opinion against the Sacrament, and one Andrew Hewet, was burned with him.
About this time Cardinall Poole, Brother to the Lord Mountegew, was attainted of high treason, and fled to Rome, where he was made Cardinall of Saint Mary Cosmoden, where he remained vntill Quéene Maries time. Stokely, Bish…p of London, and Tunstone, Bishop of Duresme writ to him, to perswade him to abandon the Supremacy of the Pope, and to conforme himselfe to the Religion of his King, which Letter thou maist reade in the Booke at large, which sufficiently proueth the Pope not to be supreme head of the Church, but because this Doctrine is as sufficiently proued in other places, I omit to abridge it.
In this yeere the King by the aduice of his Councell, sent forth a Decree for the setting vp the Bible in the great volume in eueryevery parish Church in England.
This yeare Iohn Porter a Taylor,1542. a lusty yong man, was by Bonner Bishop of London cast into Newgate, for reading in the Bible in Paules Church, where he was miserably famished to death.
About this time Iohn Longland, Bishop of Lincolne, burned two vponupon one day: one Thomas Barnard, and the other Iames Morton, the one for teaching the Lords Prayer in Engl…sh, and the other for kéeping the Epistle of Saint Iames in English.
In this yeare the Kings Maiestie vnderstanding that all Idolatry, and vain… pilgrimages were not vtterly abolished within these Dominions: directed his Letters vntounto the Archbishop of Canterbury, for the spéedy amendment of the same.