Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 22 · Letter 2
*A more full aunswere of the Archbishop of Cant. to the first Oration of Bishop Brookes.
MY Lorde, you hauehave very learnedly and eloquently in your Oration put me in remēbrance of many things touching my selfe,… wherein I doe not meane to spende the time in aunswering of them. I acknowledge Gods goodnes to me in all his giftes, and thanke him as hartily for this state wherein I finde my selfe now, as euer I did for the time of my prosperitie: and it is not the losse of my promotions that greueth me. The greatest griefe I hauehave at this time, is, and one of the greatest that euer I had in all my life, to see the kinge and Queenes Maiesties by theyr Proctours here to become my accusers, and that in theyr owne Realme and Country,… before a forraigne power. If I hauehave transgressed the lawes of the Land, their maiesties hauehave sufficient authoritie and power both from God, and by the ordinaunce of this Realme to punish me, wherunto I both hauehave and at all times shalbe content to submitte my selfe.
Alas? what hath the Pope to doe in Englande? whose iurisdiction is so farre differēt from the iurisdiction of this Realm,… that it is impossible to be true to the one, and true to the other. The lawes also are so diuers, that whosoeuer sweareth to both, must needes incurre periury to the one. Whiche as ofte as I remember, euen for the louelove that I beare to her grace. I cannot be but hartily sorye to thynke vponupon it, how that her highnesse the day of her coronation at which time shee tooke a solemne othe to obserue all the lawes & liberties of this realm of Englād, at ye same time also tooke an othe to the Bishop of Rome, and promised to mayntaine y• See.… The state of Englande being so repugnant to the supremacie of the Pope, it was impossible but shee muste needes be forsworne in the one. Wherein if her grace had bene faythfully aduertised by her Counsaile then surely she would neuer hauehave done it.
The lawes of this Realme are, that the king of England is the supreme and sole gouernour of all his Countryes and dominions:… & that hee holdeth hys crowne and Scepter of himself, by the auncient lawes, customes, and descentes of the kinges of the Realme, and of none other. The Pope sayth, that all Emperoures and kinges holde theyr Crownes and Regalities of him, and that hee may depose them when he list: whiche is high treason for anye man to affirme and thinke, being borne within the kinges dominions.
The Lawes of England are, that all Bishoppes and Priestes offending in cases of Felonie or Treason, are to be iudged and tryed by the lawes and Customes of the Realme. The Popes lawes are, that the secular power cannot iudge the spirituall power, and that they are not vnderunder their iurisdiction: which robbeth the king of the one part of hys people.
The lawes also of England are, that whosoeuer hindereth the execution or proceeding of the Lawes of England for any other forraigne lawes,… Ecclesiasticall or temporall, incurreth the daunger of a Premunire. The Popes Lawes are, that whosoeuer hindereth the proceedinges or executions of hys lawes, for any other lawes of any other king or country, both the Prince himselfe, his Counsayle, all his Officers, Scribes, Clerkes, and whosoeuer geue consent or ayd to the making or executing of any such lawes, standeth accursed. A heauy case (if hys curse were any thing worth) that the king and Queene cānot vse their owne lawes, but they and all theyrs must stande accursed. These thinges and manye more examples hee alleadged,… whiche (he sayde) styrred him that he coulde not geue his consent to the receiuing of suche an enemy into ye realme so subuerting the dignitie and auncient lyberties of the same.
And as for the matter of heresie and schisme, wherewith he was charged, he protested and called God to witnes, that he knewe none that hee mayntayned. But if that were an heresie to deny the Popes authoritie,… and the Religion which the See of Rome hath published to ye world these latter yeares, then all the auncient Fathers of the Primitiue Churche, the Apostles and Christe hym selfe taught heresie: and he desired al them present to beare him witnesse, that he tooke the traditions and Religion of that vsurping Prelate to be most erroneous, false, and against the doctrine of the whole scripture: whiche he had oftentimes well proued by writing, and the Authour of ye same to be verry Antichrist,… so often preached of by the Apostles and Prophetes, in whome did most euidently concurre al signes and tokens whereby he was paynted to the world to be knowne.
For it was most euident that he hadde aduaunced him selfe aboue all Emperours and kinges of the world,The Popes pri…e and tyrranny. whō he affirmeth to hold their states and Empyres of hym, as of their chiefe, & to be at his commaundement to depose & erect at his good will and pleasure, and that the storyes make mention of his intollerable & insolent pride, & tyranny, vsed ouer them in such sorte, as no king woulde hauehave vsed to his christian subiectes, nor yet a good mayster to his seruauntes, setting his feet on the Emperoures necke, affirming yt to be verified in him, which was …oken onelyonly of our sauiour Iesus Christ, in these wordes, Super Aspidē & Basiliscum ambulabis, & conculcabis Leonem & Draconem. Other some had he made to hold his styrrops: others hee had displaced & remoued from their Empyres and seates royall: and not content herewithall, more insolent then Lucifer, hath occupyed not onelyonly the highest place in thys world, aboue kinges and Princes, but hathe further presumed to sit in the seat of almighty God, whiche onelyonly he reserued to himself, which is the conscience of man:Markes of Antichrist. and for to keep the possession therof, he hath promised forgeuenes of sinnes totiens quotiens.
He hath brought in Gods of his owne framing, & inuented a new religion, full of gayne and lucre, quite contrary to the doctrine of ye holy scripture, onelyonly for the mainteyning of his kingdome, displacing Christ from his glory, & holding his people in a miserable seruitude of blindnes, to the losse of a great number of soules, whiche God at the latter day shall exact at hys hande: boasting manye tymes in his Canons and Decrees, that hee can dispense Contra Petrum, contra Paulum, The Pope dispenseth agaynst the new and old Testament. If any can go before the Pope in pride, let him be called Antichrist.contra vetus & nouum Testamē tum: and that he Plenitudine potestatis, tantum potest quantum Deus: That is, Agaynst Peter, agaynst Paule, agaynste the olde and new Testament: and of the fulnes of power may doe as muche as God. O Lord, who euer heard suche blasphemy? I… there be any man that can aduaunce himself aboue him let hym be iudged Antichrist.
This enemy of God and of our redemption, is so euydently paynted out in ye scriptures by such manifest signes and tokens, which all so clearely appeare in him, that except a man will shut vpp hys eyes and heart agaynste the light, he cannot but know hym: and therefore for my part I will neuer geue my consent to the receiuing of hym into this Church of England. And you my Lorde, and the rest that sit here in Commission, consider well and examyne your owne consciences: you hauehave sworn agaynst him, you are learned, and can iudge of the trueth. I pray God you …e not wilfully blind. As for me, I hauehave herein discharged myne owne conscience toward the world, and I wil write also my minde to her grace touching this matter. The copy of which letter sent to the Queene, ye shal finde after in the end of hys story.
While he in this sorte made hys aunswere, ye heard before how Doctor Story and Martin diuers tymes interrupted him with blasphemous talke, and would fayn hauehave had the Byshop of Glocester to put hym to silence: who notwithstanding did not, but suffered hym to end his tale at full. After this ye heard also how they proceeded to examine hym of diuers articles, wherof the chief was: That at the tyme of hys creating Archbishop of Canterbury, he was sworne to the Pope, and had his institution and induction from him, and promised to mayntayne then ye authoritie of that See: and therefore was periured: wherefore he should rather sticke to his first othe, and returne to hys old fold again, then to continue obstinately in an othe forced in the tyme of schisme.
To that he aunswered, sauing hys protestation (whiche terme he vsed before all hys aunsweres) that at suche time as Archb. Warrham dyed,His aunsweres to their articles. How Cranmer was made Archb. agaynst his will. hee was Embassadour in Germanie for the K. who sent for hym thereuppon home, & hauing intelligence by some of his frends (who wer nere about ye king) how he ment to bestow ye same Byshoprick vponupon hym, and therefore counselled him in ye case to make haste home, he feeling in himself a great inhabilitie to such a promotion, and very sory to leaue hys study, and especially considering by what meanes he must hauehave it, whiche was cleane agaynst hys conscience, whiche hee coulde not vtter without great perill and daunger, deuised an excuse to the king of matter of great importaunce, for the whiche his longer abode there should be most necessary, thinking by that meanes in hys absence, that the kyng would hauehave bestowed it vponupon some other, and so remayned there by ye deuise, one halfe yeare after the king had written for him to come home. But after that no suche matter fell out, as hee seemed to make suspition of, the king sent for hym agayn. Who after hys returne, vnderstanding stil the Archbishopricke to be reserued for hym, made meanes by diuers of hys best frendes, to shift it off, desiring rather some smaller liuing, that he might more quietly follow his booke.
To be briefe, when the king himselfe spake with him, declaring his full intention for his seruice sake, and for the good opinion he conceiued him, was to bestowe that dignitie vponupon him, after long disabling of himself, perceiuing he could by no perswasions alter the kinges determination,D. Cranmer denyed that he tooke the Archbishopricke at the Popes handes. Cranmers aunswere to K. Hē ry refusing to be Archbishop. First breaking of the matter of the Popes supremacye to K. Henry. he brake franckly his conscience with him, most humbly crauing first his Graces pardon, for that he should declare vntounto his highnesse. Which obtained, he declared, that if he accepted ye Office, then he must receaue it at the popes hand, whiche he neyther would, nor could do, for that hys highnesse was onelyonly ye supreme Gouernour of this church of England, as well in causes Ecclesiasticall as Temporall, and that the full right and donation of all manner of Bishoppricks and Benefices, as wel as of any other Tē porall dignities, and promotions, appertayned to hys Grace, & not to any other forraine authoritie, whatsoeuer it was: and therfore if he might serue God in that vocation, him, and his countrey, seeing it was his pleasure so to hauehave it, he would accepte it, and receaue it of his maiestie, and of none other straunger, who had no authoritie within this realme, neither in any such gifte, nor in anye other thing. Whereat the king (said he) staying a while and musing, asked me how I was able to proue it. At which time I alledged many textes out of the scriptures, and the Fathers also, approuing the supreme and highest authority of kinges in their realmes and dominions, disclosing therewithall the intollerable vsurpation of the Pope of Rome.
Afterwardes it pleased his highnes (quoth the Archb.) many and sundry tymes to talke with me of it, and perceiuing that I could not be brought to acknowledge the authoritie of the B. of Rome,Cranmer sworne to the Pope vnderunder Protestation. Cranmer in in swearing to the Pope did nothing without aduise of the best learned in this Realme. the king himselfe called Doct. Oliuer, and other Ciuill Lawyers, & deuised with them how he might bestow it vponupon me, inforcing me nothing against my conscience. Who therupon informed him, that I might do it by the way of protestation, & so one to be sente to Rome, who might take the othe, and do eueryevery thing in my name. Which when I vnderstood, I sayd, he should do it Super animam suam: and I in deed Bona fide made my protestation, that I did not acknowledge his authoritie anye further, then as it agreed with the expresse word of God, & that it might be lawfull for me at al times to speak against him, and to impugne his erroures, when time and occasion should serue me. And this my protestation did I cause to be enrolled, and there I thinke it remayneth.
They obiected to him also that he was maryed: whiche he confessed. Whereupon D. Martin said, that his children were bondmen to the See of Caunterbury.The Archb. aunswereth for his wyfe and children. At which saying the Archb. smiled, and asked him if a priest at his benefice kept a Concubine, and had by her bastardes, whether they were bondmen to the Benefice or no, sayinge, I trust you will make my childrens causes no worse.
After this Doctour Martine demaunded of hym who was supreme heade of the Churche of Englande? Marye quoth my Lord of Caunterbury, Christe is heade of thys member,Because there was offence takē at this word Supreame head, it was declared in the Queenes style to be Supreame gouernour. as he is of the whol body of ye vniuersal church. Why (quoth Doctor Martin) you made king Henrye the eight supreme head of the Church. Yea (sayd the Archbyshop) of al ye people of England, as well Ecclesiasticall, as Temporall. And not of the church, sayd Martin? No sayde he, for Christ is onelyonly head of hys church, and of the fayth and religion of the same. The king is head and gouernor of hys people, which are the visible churche. What (quoth Martin) you neuer durst tell the king so. Yes, that I durst (quoth ye) and did, in the publication of hys Stile, wherin he was named supreme head of the Churche, ther was neuer other thing meant. A number of other fond and foolish obiectiōs were made, wt repetition wherof I thought not to trouble the reader.
Thus after they had receaued his aunswere to al their obiections,The Archb. cited to appeare at Rome. they cited him (as is aforesayd) to appeare at Rome within foure score dayes, to make there hys personall aunsweres: whiche he sayde, if the kinge and Queene would send hym, he would be content to do, and so thence was caryed to prison agayne, where he continually remayned, notwithstanding that hee was commaunded to appeare at Rome.
Wherein al men that hauehave eyes to see, may easily perceaue ye crafty practise of these prelates,A poynt to be noted in the crafty practise of Romish hipocrites. & the visured face of their Iustice, as though the Court of Rome would cō demne no man before he aunswered for hymself, as al law and equitie required. But the very same instaunt time, the holines of that vnholy father, contrarye to all reason & iustice, sent his letter executory vntounto the kinge and Queene to degrade and depriue him of his dignitie: whiche thynge he did not onelyonly before the lxxx. dayes were ended, but before there were xx. dayes spent. Furthermore whereas the sayd archbishop was fast deteined in strayt prison, so that he could not appeare (as was notorious both in Englād and also in the Romishe Court) and therefore had a lawfull and most iust excuse of his absence by all lawes, both popish & other: yet in the end of the sayd lxxx. daies was y• worthy Martyr decreed Contumax, that is, sturdilye, frowardly, and wilfully absent, and in payne of the same hys absence, condemned, and put to death.
As touching the foresayd executory Letters of ye Pope sent to the king and Queene, beginning thus:Of this … of … Pope, … in the first booke pag. 1490. Paulus Episcopus seruus seruorum Dei charissimo in Christo filio Philippo Regi, & charissimae in Christo filiae Mariae Reginae &c. because the full tenour therof is expressed in our first impression of Actes. Pag. 1490. it shal not be needfull to comber this volume in repeating the same agayne.