Brief Discourse of the Troubles at Frankfort, Title page – Preface
A Brieff diſcours off the troubles begonne at Franckford in Germany Anno Domini 1554. Abowt… the Booke off off common prayer and Ceremonies / and continued by the Engliſhe men theyre / to thende off Q. Maries Raigne / in the which diſcours / the gentle reader ſhall ſee the very original… and beginninge off all the contention that hathe byn / and what was the cauſe off the ſame.
Marc. 4.
For there is nothinge hid that ſhall not be opened neither is there a ſecreat but that it ſhall come to light / yff anie man hauehave eares to heare / let him heare.
M.D.LXXIIII.
The Preface. To the Chriſtian readers / grace / mercy / and peace in Chriſte Ieſu our Lorde.
SVche as doo well obſerue the varietie of mēnes Iudgementes abowte theſe matters off cōtrouerſie / and the ſuppoſed cauſes of the ſame / ſhall finde it a thinge more thē wōderfull to beholde / and paſſinge ſtrange to heare. But who ſo ſhall well waye and cōſider / what extreame calamities and miſeries this broile hathe brought with it to manie godly perſons whiche vnfainedly feare god: the ſame muſte off force / as I think (iff he hauehave but one drop off humanitie within him) drawe forthe deepe and ſorowfull ſighes from the harte / and teares from the eyes. To paſſe ouer ſundrie I will note but this one. where as in tymes paſte (bothe at Paules croſſe and other places) the ſoundes whiche were wont to be ſo ſweete as might iuſtely hauehave moued the godly hearers to crye owte with the Prophet Eſay O howe beutifull are the feete off them which bring glad tydinges off peace / &c. are nowe become (commonly ſo ſoure and vnſauery / that in ſteede off ſweetnes / is founde litle or nothinge but wormewood and bitter gall. And yet I ſpeak not off ſuche / whoſe cruell ſcoffinge / and vnbridled natures / are to well knowen ſo farr to exceede / as fewe / (diſcreete and wiſe in dede) can be muche moued with anie thinge almoſte they eyther ſpeak or write: but euen off thoſe I meane / whoſe wiſedomes grauitie / and lerninge / as the ſame claimeth by good right / dew reuerence to the perſons / bycauſe off thoſe good giftes whiche God hath beſtowed vponupon them ſo ſhuld it alſo put them in minde (eſpecially in ſuch places) to vſe (me ſemes) ſome other veine. And for ſo muche as ſome impute the cauſe off all theſe troubles to the ambitious heades off certeine ſpeciall perſons / By D. Yonge in Nouē ber. Anno, 1573.who ſhoulde (as hathe bene at Paules croſſe bothe publickly and very furiouſly declared) ſtirr vpp this ſtriffe in the churche for that they could not attaine to Biſhopprikes when as other enioned them: Some alſo imputinge it to the ſtrange churches aſwell beionde the ſeas as here amonge vsus remayninge / therby to prouoke the diſpleaſures of the Magiſtrates againſt them:
Such as D. Elbowrome.And ſome ſuppoſinge / yea roaringe owte) that this hath happened by ſuch fantaſticall heades as cā abyde no platforme but off their owne deuiſinge: I hauehave for theis and ſuche like conſiderations▪ thought good by a ſhorte and brieff diſcours to let your ſe the verye originall and beginninge off all this miſerable contention / leauinge neuertheles to your diſcreet iudgmēntes / who (in theis matters) are to be thought innocente / and who moſt to blame.
And as one bothe off credit / learned / M. Mullin… in October. An. 1573.and off authoritie / thought is not onelyonly meete and expedient openly at paules croſſe (in preſence off the honorable and worſhipfull there) to ſignifie vntounto them that ſuch a hotte contention (abowte theis matters had bin / but alſo / noted the place where and the time whan: So I in this diſcours / Franckford the place, in Q. Maryes tyme.thought it needefull / leaſt happelie that honorable audiēce might miſtake the matter) to ſet fourthe by writinge the verie order / maner / and proceadinge off the ſame:Platina, Paulus …ouius. Slede in, Fox with many other. followinge herein the ſteppes off ſuch / whom god off his goodnes hath raiſed vp at all tymes and amonge all nations / to commit thinges to memorye / whiche hath paſſed in commonweales / who hauehave with great fredom and libertie byn ſuffred to make manifeſt to the whole worlde the ill dealinges euen off Popes / Cardinalls / Emperours / Kinges and Princes / where as (in this diſcours) the higheſt that I touche (and that with great grieff off hart) are (to my knowledge) but certeine Biſhopps / and therfore I hope the more to be borne withall / beſechinge allmightie god that as by theis my poore ſimple trauailes / my meaninge was not (either in contempt or ſekinge reuenge) to prouoke the farther diſpleaſures off the meaneſt: that ſo iff it be his bleſſed will / the ſame maie finde fauor in in the eies off oure ſoueragine L. the queenes moſt excellēt maieſtie / and the right honorable / whom it hathe pleaſed him to place in high authoritie / for whoſe proſperitie and welfare it becommeth all true and faithfull ſubiects (as they are dutifully bounde) moſte earneſtly to praie.
The hiſtorie.
AFTer that yt had pleaſed the lorde God to take awaie for our ſynnes that noble prince off famous memorie / kinge Edwarde the ſixthe / and had placed / Queene Marie in his roume: Sundrie godly men aſwell ſtrangers / as off the Engliſh nation / fledd / for the libertie off their conſciences / ouer the ſeas / ſome into France / ſome into Flanders / and ſome in to the high countries off the Empire / and in the yere of oure lorde. 1554. and the 27. off Iune came Edmonde Sutton / William Williams / William Whittingham / and Thomas wood / with their companies / to the citie off Franckford in Germany the firſte Engliſhe men / that the re arriued to remaine and abide. The ſame night came one Maiſter Valaren pullan Miniſter / vntounto their lodginge / ād declared howe he had obtained a churche there / in the name of all ſuche as ſhuld come owte off Englande for the Goſpell / but Eſpecially from Glaſſenbury whiche were all french men. Anſwere was made him / that as god was to be praiſed / who had moued the Magiſtrats hartes to ſhewe the frenche ſuche fauour: Euenſo / for ſo muche as fewe off them vnderſtoode the frenche tonge / it woulde be ſmall commoditie to them / or to ſuche as ſhulde come afterwarde to ioyne themſelues to that churche.
The nexte daye they communed with Maiſter Morellio another Miniſter of the frenche churche / and alſo with maiſter Caſtalio a Senior off the ſame / (bothe off them godly and lerned mē) By their aduiſe and counſaile it was determined / that a Supplication ſhulde be drawē owt / and offred to the Magigiſtrats / to knowe / firſte whither they woulde be contented / that not onelyonly the parties before named / but alſo all other Engliſhe men that woulde repaire thither for the like cauſe / might through their fauour be ſuffred ſaffely to remaine within their city. This ſupplication was ſubſcribed aſwell by the ſayed Sutton / whittingam / and the reſte off the Engliſhe men / as alſo by Morellio / Caſtallio / and one Adrian a Cittezē there / with whom they lodged. And within three daies after the offringe vp off their Supplication / they obtained their requeſtes.
The 8. off Iuly followinge / labor was made (by the counſaile and aduice off Morellio and Caſtalio (who duringe their lyues ſhewed them ſelues fathers to all Engliſhe men) to Maiſter Iohn Glawberge one off the chiefeſt Senators / for a place or churche / wherin they and all their country men might hauehave gods worde truly preached / and the Sacraments ſincerely miniſtred in their naturall tonge / who ientlie promiſed his furtherance / and that he alſo woulde move the whole Senate theroff / the whiche he did accordingly. And the 14. daie off the ſame monethe yt was graunted that they ſhulde hauehave libertie to preache and miniſter the Sacraments / in that churche which the frēche men had / the frēche one daie and the Engliſhe an other daie and vpō the Sundaie / to chuſe alſo thē houres as they coulde agree amonge them ſelues / but yt was with this commandement / that the Engliſhe ſhulde not diſcent from the frenchmen in doctrine / or ceremonyes / leaſt they ſhulde thereby miniſter occaſion off offence / and willed farther / that before they entred their churche / they ſhulde approue and ſubſcribe the ſame confeſſion off faith / that the frenche men had then preſented / and abowte to put in printe / to the whiche all the afore named (and others whiche were by this time come thither) did ſubſcribe.
When the churche was in this ſorte graunted / they conſulted amonge themſelues / what order off ſeruice they ſhulde vſe (for they were not ſo ſtricly bownde / as was tolde them / to the ceremonies off the frenche / by the Magiſtrats / but that iff the one allowed off the other it was ſufficient.) At lenght / the engliſhe order was peruſed / and this by generall conſente was concluded that the anſweringe alowde after the Miniſter ſhulde not be vſed / the letanye / ſurplice / and many other thinges alſo omitted / for that in thoſe reformed churches / ſuche thinges woulde ſeeme more then ſtrange. It was farther agreed vppon / that the Miniſter (in place off the Engliſhe Confeſſion ſhulde vſe an other / bothe off more effecte / and alſo framed accordinge to the ſtate and time. And the ſame ended / the people to ſinge a pſalme in meetre in a plaine tune as was / and is accuſtomed in the frenche / dutche / Italian / Spaniſhe / and Skottiſhe churches / that don / the miniſter to praye for …haſſiſtance off gods holie ſpirite and ſo to proceade to the ſermon. After the ſermon / a generall praier for all eſtates and for oure countrie of Englande was alſo deuiſed / at thende off whiche praier / was ioined the lords praier and a reherſall off thartic…es off oure belieff / whiche ended the people to ſinge and other pſalme as afore. Then the miniſter pronouncinge his bleſſinge The peace off god / &c. or ſome other off like effecte / the people to departe.
And as touchinge the miniſtration off the Sacraments ſundrie things were alſo by common conſente om…tted / as ſuperſti…ious and ſuperfluous. After that the congregation had thus concluded and agreed / and had choſen their miniſter and Deacons to ſerue for a time: they entred their churche the 29. off the ſame monethe. Then was it thought good amonge themſelues that forthwith they ſhulde aduertiſe their countrie men and betheren diſperſed off this ſinguler benefit / the like wheroff coulde nowhere elſe as yet be obtained / and to perſwade hem (all worldly reſpectes put aparte) to repaier thither / that they might altogether with one mouthe and one harte bothe lamēte their foremer wickednes and alſo be thankfull to their mercifull father that had geuen them ſuche a churche in a ſtrange lande wherein they might heare gods worde truly preached / the Sacraments rightly miniſtred / and Diſcipline vſed / which in their owne countrie coulde neuer be obtained. And to this effecte were letters directed to Strauſburgh / Zurick / Denſbrugh / and Emden in the 2. off Auguſte. And for that it was thought the churche coulde not longe contynewe in good order withowte diſcipline / there was alſo a brieff forme deuiſed / declaringe the neceſſitie / the cauſes / and the order theroff / wherunto all thoſe that were preſent ſubſcribed / ſhewinge therby that they were ready and willinge to ſubmitt themſelues to the ſame / accordinge to the rule preſcribed in gods holie word / at whiche time it was determined by the congregation that all ſuche as ſhulde come after / ſhulde doo the like / before they were admitted as members off that churche.