A Chronicle of the Kings of England from the Time of the Roman Government, Regnal history 16 · Part 3 – Part 4
AFFAIRS of the CHURCH in her time.
ON Sunday the first of Ianuary, next after the Queens coming to the Crown, by vertue of her Proclamation, the English Letany was read accordingly as was used in her Graces Chappell, in all Churches thorow the City of London, and likewise the Epistle and Gospel of the day, begun to be read at Masse-time in the English To…gue. Also in a Parliament holden in her first yeer, the first Fruits and Tenths were restored to the Crown, and the Supreme Government over the State Ecclesiasticall, and the book of Common-Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments in the English Tongue was restored, and by degrees the Protestant Religion was established. The Bishops that refused the Oath of Supremacy, were all removed, and Protestant Bishops placed in their room. It was enacted also, That all persons should go to Divine Service upon Sundayes and Holy-dayes, and a Fine of twelve pence imposed upon every one that should be absent, and the same to be given to the poor. In her fourth yeer, the Queen was solicited by Pope Pius, to send her Orators to the Councell of Trent, which she refused, as not acknowledging it a lawfull Councell. In a Parliament holden in her eighth yeer, it was enacted, and by a generall consent declared, That the Election of the Arch-bishops and Bishops in England, together with their Consecration, Confirmation, and Investiture (which some persons slanderously called in question) was lawfull and Canonicall, and that they were rightly, and according to the Acts and Statutes of the Kingdom, chosen and consecrated. In her eleventh yeer, there arose in England two contrary factions in Religion: on the one side, Thomas Harding, Nicholas Sanders, and other Divines that had fled out of England, began to exercise the Episcopall Jurisdiction upon the Queens Subjects, which they had derived from the Sea of Rome: On the other side, Colman, Burton, Hallingham, Benson, and other, making profession of the pure Religion, would allow of nothing but what was directly taken out of the Scriptures, openly condemning the received Discipline of the Church of England, together with the Church Liturgy, and the very Calling of Bishops, as savouri…g too much of the Romish Religion, protesting in the Pulpi…s, That it was an impious thing to hold any thing common with the Church of Rome; and used all diligence to have the Church of England reformed in every point, according to the Rule of the Church of Geneva. These, although the Queen commanded to be committed to prison, yet it is incredible how upon a sudden their followers encreased, known by the envious name of Puritans. This sect so mightily encreased, that in her sixteenth yeer, the Queen and Kingdom was extremely troubled with some of the Clergy, who breathing out nothing but Evangelicall parity, cryed down the Ecclesiasticall Form of Government (as a thing polluted with Romane dr…ggs) and setting forth Books likewise, Intituled, The Admonition to the Parliament, and the Defence of the Admonition: they refused to resort to the Divine Service publikely in use, and framed to themselves other Rites. Whereupon, the Queen, to suppresse them, whom by no means she liked, commanded every where the severity of the Law touching the Uniformity of Common-Prayer, to be put in execution, and those books, upon pain of Imprisonment, to be delivered into the hands of the Bishops, or some of the Queens Councell. And this yeer were taken at Masse in their severall houses, the Lord Morley's Lady and her children, the Lady Guildford, and the Lady Browne, who being thereof indited and convicted, suffered the penalty of the Law in that case provided. Untill the twentieth yeer of Queen Elizabeths Raign, the Papists in England were mercifully connived at, while they solemnized their own Rites within their private houses (though that also were against the Laws) but when as that Thunder-bolt of excommunicating the Queen came abroad, then was the Law enacted against those who brought into the Kindome any Agn…s Dei, or hallowed Beads, or reconciled any of the Queens subjects to the See of Rome; yet for six whole yeers together after this Law was made, it was not executed upon any Papist, till Cuthbert Mayne, a Priest, and an obstinate maintainer of the Popes Authority against the Queen, was executed at Launston in Cornwall, and the Gentlemans goods that harboured him confiscate, and himself adjudged to perpetuall Imprisonment. In her three and twentieth yeer, divers Priests and Jesuites came into England; amongst whom, Robert P…sons, and Edmund Campian, English-men and Jesuites, being now bound for England, to promote the Catholike Cause; at which time a Proclamation was set forth, That whosoever had any children beyond the Sea, should by a certain day call them home; and that no person should receive or harbour any Seminary Priest or Jesuite. At this time also, there arose up in Holland a certain Sect, naming themselves, The Family of L…ve, who perswaded their followers, That those only who were adopted into that Family, were elected, and no other could be saved, but were all reprobates, and damned, and that it was lawfull for them to deny upon oath whatsoever they pleased, before any Magistrate or whomsoever, that were not of their Family. Many of their books were printed, under these titles, The Gospel of the Kingdom, The Lords Sentences, The Prophesie of the spirit of love, The publication of Peace upon earth, by the Author H. N. but who this Author was, they would by no means reveal: at last) he was found to be Henry Nicholls of Leyden, who blasphemously preached, That he was partaker of the Divinity of God, and God of his humane Nature: all which books were by Proclamation commanded to be burnt. In a Parliament holden the eight and twentieth yeer of her Raign, some, out of a desire of a Reformation, began to pick quarrells at the Clergy, desiring to passe Laws for the restraint of Bishops in their granting of Faculties, conferring of holy Orders, Eccles…asticall Censure, and the Oath Ex officio. They complayned likewise of the non-residency of Ministers, and the like. But the Queen; who alwayes hated Innovation (which for the most part changeth for the worse) would give no ear unto them; conceiving besides, That these proceedings in Par…iament in Ecclesiasticall Affairs, derogated from her Prerogative. In her six and twentieth yeer, the Queen gave a speciall charge to Whitgift Arch-bishop of Canterbury, to settle an Uniformity in the Ecclesiasticall Discipline, according to the Laws, which through the connivence of Bishops, and perversenesse of the Puritans, lay now almost gasping, Wh…reupon, he provided three Articles, to which every Minister should subscribe:
The first, That the Queen had Supreme Authority over all persons born within her Dominions, of what condition soever they were; and that no other Prince, or Prelate, or Potentate, hath, or ought to have any Iurisdiction, Civill or Ecclesiasticall, within her Realms and Dominions.
The second, That the Book of Common-Prayer, and of the Ordination of Bishops, Priests and Deacons, containeth nothing contrary to the Word of God, but may lawfully be used; and that they will use that, and none other.
The third, That the Articles agreed on in the Synod holden at London, in the yeer 1562, and published by the Queens Authority, they did allow of, and believe them to be consonant to the Word of God.
It is incredible, what reproaches the Arch-bishop incurred by setting forth these Articles, both from factious Ministers, and from some also of the Nobility; yet by his patience and constancy, he brought at last Peace to the Church, making this his Motto, Vincit qui patitur. Neither did these at home onelyonly disturb the Peace of the Church, but others also from abroad, as Robert Brown, a young Student of Divinity in Cambridge; from whom came the Sectaries called Brownists; and Richard Harrison, a petty School-Master. These presuming to judge matters of Religion by their own private spirit, by books set forth in Zealand, and dispersed at this time over England, condemned the Church of England for no Church, and ensnared many in the nets of their new Schism. Neither could they be restrayned, though their books were prohibited by the Queens Authority, and soundly confuted by sundry learned men; and one or two of the Ring-leaders executed at S. Edmunds Berry. In her one and thirtieth yeer, these Puritans flames brake forth again, Books are written by the names of Martin Mar-Prelate, and A Demonstration of the Discipline, by Penry a…d …dall, against the Government of Bishops; and nothing would please them, but the Discipline of Geneva: Many Abettors they had, Knightly and Wigstone, Knights, besides Cartwright (the father of them) Snape, King, Pradlow, Payn, and others; who though called in question, fined and imprisoned, could never be reclaimed. In her six and thirtieth yeer, the Queen caused the severity of the Laws to be executed upon Henry Barrow and his Sectaries, for disturbing the Church, and the publike Peace, by scattering of their monstrous Opinions, condemning the Church of England as no Christian Church, and derogating from th… Queens Authority in Causes Ecclesiasticall.
WORKS of Piety in her time.
THis Queen converted Westminster Abbey into a Collegiate Church, and there ordained a Dean, twelve Prebendaries, a Master, Usher, and forty Schollars, Vicars, Singing-men, and twelve Alms-men. In her third yeer, the Merchant-Taylors, founded a notable Grammar-School, in the Parish of S. Lawrence Pountney in London. Also this yeer, William Harper, Maior of of London, founded a Free-School in the Town of Bedford, where he was born. In her seventh yeer, on the seventh of Iune, Sir Thomas Gresham laid the first stone of the Royall Exchange in Cornhill, which in November the yeer after, at his own charges was finished, being the yeer 1567. In her tenth yeer, the Citizens of London builded a new Conduit at Walbrook corner, neer to Dowgate, the water whereof is conveyed out of the Thames. Also this yeer, Sir Thomas Roe Maior of London, caused to be enclosed within a wall of Brick, one Acre of ground, neer unto B…dlam, without Bishops-Gat…, to be a place of Buryall for the dead of such Parishes in London as lacked convenient ground within their Parishes: He also builded a convenient room in Pauls Church-Yard, on the South side of the Crosse, to receive a certain number of Hearers at the Sermon time. Sir William Peter, having himself been born at Exceter in Devon-Shire, he gave to Exceter Colledge in Oxford, a hundred pounds Lands a yeer: He also builded at Ingerstone in Essex, Alms-houses for twenty poor people, and giving them some competent maintenance. Sir Thomas Gresham had his dwelling house in Bread-str…et London, which he dedicated to the profession of the Liberall Sciences, erecting there Lectures of Divinity, Civill Law, Physick, Geomitry, Astronomy, Musick, and Rhetorick, alotting to the Professors very competent allowance. In her seventeenth yeer, died Matthew Park…r, Arch-bishop of Canterbury, who founded a Grammar School in Rochdale in the County of Lancaster: He also procured to Corpus Christi Colledge in Cambridge, thirteen Schollarships, and built two Chambers for Schollars, and the inward Library of the same Colledge, and procured to it the Patronage of S. Mary Abchurch in London, with many other works of like kinde. Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper gave for six Schollars to be found in Ben…t Colledge in Cambridge, three pounds, six shillings and eight pence a piece for ever. Edmund Grindall Arch-bishop of Canterbury, founded a Free-School in Cumberland, where he was born, and gave many Pensions to both Universities. Frances, Countesse of Sussex, sister to Sir Henry Sidney, founded Sussex-Sidney Colledge in Cambridge: As likewise Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer, founded Emmanuell Colledge in the same University. Sir Thomas Bodley erected and furnished the famous publike Library at Oxford. Alexander Nowell Dean of Pauls, endowed Brasen nose Colledge in Oxford, where he was brought up, with two hundred pound per annum, and died in the yeer 1602. Sir Roger Manhood, chief Baron of the Exchequer, built seven Alms-houses in Canterbury, giving to every Alms-man four pounds yeerly: and our worthy Countrey-man William Lambard built an Alms-house at Gr…enwich, which he called, The Colledge for the poor of Queen Elizabeth.