Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 13
¶Doctor Nicholas Ridley and M. Hugh Latimer, both Byshops, Preachers, and Martyrs of Christ, with theyr doinges, conferences, and sufferinges described.
THe same yeare, monethmonth, and day in whiche the foresayd 2. Martyrs William Wolsey,Doct. Nicholas Ridley, Martyr. & Tho. Pygot suffered at Eley, the which was an 1555 October 16. folowed also at Oxford the slaughter of two other speciall & singuler Captaines, & principall pillers of Christes Churche. Mayster Kidley Bishop of London, & Mayster Hugh Latimer, Byshop sometimes of Worcester: of whose famous doinges & memorable learning, & incomparable ornaments & giftes of grace, ioyned with no lesse cōmendable sincerity of lyfe, as all the Realme ca…e witnes sufficiently: so it needeth not greatly that we should stand exactly at this time in setting forth a full description of the same, but onelyonly to cōprehend briefly in a few words touching the order of theyr liues, so much as necessarily serueth to the due instruction of ye reader, & maketh to the vse of this present history, in declaring first theyr beginning & bringing vp, thē theyr studyes and actes in the Uniuersitye, theyr prefermentes also by theyr studyes to higher dignity, at last theyr trouble & trauell in setting forth Religion, and in mainteining the same to the shedding of theyr bloud. And first to begin with the life of Mayster Ridley, whose story here ensueth.
AMong many other worthy and sundry historyes & notable acts of such as of late daies hauehave bene turmoile…, murthered, & martyred for the true Gospell of Christe in Queene Maries raigne, the tragicall story and life of Doctour Ridley, I thought good to commend to Chronycle and leaue to perpetuall memorye: beseeching thee gentle Reader, with care and studye well to peruse, diligently to consider, and deepely to print the same in thy brest, seeing him to be a man beautified with such excellent qualities, so ghostly inspired and godly learned, & now written doubtlesse in the booke of life, with the blessed Sayntes of the almighty, crowned and throned amongest the glorious cō pany of Martyrs. First descending of a stocke right worshipfull, he was borne in Northūberlandshire, who being a childe,Nicholas Ridley borne in No…thumberland. Nicholas Ridley learned at Newcastle. Nicholas Ridley mayster of Pembroke hall in Cambridge. Nicholas Ridley made D. of Diuinitye. Nicholas Ridley king Henryes Chapleine. Nicholas Ridley made Bishop of Rochester. Nicholas Ridley made Byshop of Londō. The fruitefull dilligence of B. Ridley in preaching Gods word. learned his Grammer with greate dexteritye in Newcastle, and was remoued from thence to the Uniuersity of Cambridge, where he in shorte space became so famous, that for his singular aptnes, he was called to hyer functions and Offices of the Uniuersity, by degree atteyning thereunto, and was called to be head of Pembrooke hall, and there made Doctour of Diuinitye. After thys departing from thence, he trauelled to Paris, who at his returne, was made Chapleine to king Henrye the eight, and promoted afterwardes by him to the bishoprick of Rochester: and so from thence translated to the See and Bishopricke of London in king Edwardes dayes.
In which calling and offices he so trauelled and occupyed hym selfe by preachinge and teachinge the true and wholesome doctrine of Christ, that neuer good childe was more singularly loued of his deare parents, then he of his flocke and Dioces. EueryEvery holy day and Sonday he lightly preached in some one place or other, except he wer other wise letted by weighty affayres and busines: to whose sermons the people resorted, swarming about him like bees, and coueting the sweete flowers and wholesome ioyce of the fruitfull doctrine, whiche he did not onelyonly preach, but shewed the same by his life, as a glittering lanterne to the eyes and sences of the blinde, in such pure order and chastity of life (declining from euil desires and concupiscences) that euen his very enemies could not reproue him in anye … iote thereof.
Besides this, he was passingly well learned, his memorye was greate,B. Ridley of great memory and reading. and he of suche reading withall, that of right he deserued to be comparable to the best of this our age, as can testify as well diuers his notable workes, pythy sermons, and sundry his disputatiōs in both the Uniuersites, as also his very aduersaryes, all whiche will saye no lesse themselues.
Besides all this, wise he was of counsell, deepe of wit, and very politicke in all his doings. How mercifull & carefull he was to reduce the obstinate papistes frō their erroneous opinions, & by gentlenes to win them to the truth, his gentle order…ng and curteous handling of Doc. Heath late Archbishop of Yorke being prisoner with him in king Edwardes time in his house one yeare, sufficiently declareth. In fine, he was suche a Prelate, and in all poyntes so good, godly, & ghostly a man, that England may iustly …ue the louelove of so worthy a treasure. And thus hitherto concerning these publicke matters.
Now will I speake something further particularly of his person & conditiōs.B· Ridley comely of proportion and complexion. The fayre conditions of Byshop Ridley▪ tender to his kinred, ye… not otherwise then truth and right requ… red. B. Ridley … great mortyfier of himselfe. The order of his study and dye…. He was a man right comly & well proportioned in all poynts, both in cōplexion & lineamēts of the body. He tooke all thinges in good part, bearing no malice nor rancour in his hart, but straight wayes forgetting all iniuries & offēces done agaynst him. He was very kind & naturall to his kinsfolke, and yet not bearyng with them any thing otherwise thē right would require, geuing them alwayes for a generall rule, yea to his own brother & sister, that they doing euill, should seeke or look for nothing at his hand, but shoulde be as straungers and aliens vntounto him, and they to be his brother or sister, which vsed honesty, and a godly trade of life.
He vsing all kindes of wayes to mortify himselfe, was geuen to much praier and contemplation: For duely eueryevery morning, so soone as his apparell was done vponupon him, he went forthwith to his bedde chamber, and there vponupon hys knees prayed the space of halfe an houre: which being don, immediately he went to his studye (if there came no other busines to interrupt him) where he continued till ten of ye clocke, and then came to common prayer, dayly vsed in his house. The prayers being done, he went to dynner, where he vsed litle talke except otherwise occasion by some hadde bene ministred, and then was it sober, discreet, and wise, & sometime mery, as cause required.
The dinner done, which was not very long he vsed to sit an houre or therabouts talking or playing at the chests: That done, he returned to his study, & there would continue, except suiters or busines abroad were occasiō of the cō trary, vntill 5. of the clocke at night, & then would come to cōmon prayer, as in the forenoone: which being finished he went to supper, behauing himselfe there, as at his dinner before: After supper, recreating himselfe in playing at chestes the space of an houre,His order after supper▪ he would then returne againe to his studye: continuing there till 11. of the clocke at night, which was his cōmon houre to go to bed, then saying hys prayers vpō his knees as in ye morning when he rose. Being at his manor of Fulhā, as diuers times he vsed to be,The carefull dilli…nce of Bishop Ridley in instructing his familye. he read daily a lecture to his family at the commō prayer, beginning at the acts of the apostles, & so going throughout all the Epistles of S. Paule, geuing to eueryevery man that could read a new Testament, hyring thē besides with mony to learne by hart certayne principall Chapters, but especially the xiij. chapter of the Actes, reading also vntounto his housholde oftentimes the 101. Psalme, being maruellous carefull ouer his family, that they might be a spectacle of all vertue & honesty to other. To be short, as he was godly & vertuous himselfe, so nothing but vertue and godlines reigned in his house, feeding them with the food of our sauiour Iesus Christ.
Now remayneth a worde or two to be declared of hys gentle nature and kindly pitty in the vsage of an olde woman called Maystres Boner, mother to Doctour Boner, sometime Bishop of London: whiche I thought good to touch, as well for the rare clemency of Doctour Ridley, as the vnworthy immanity and ingratefull disposition again of Doctor Boner. Bishop Ridley being at his Manor of Fulham, alwayes sent for the sayd maistres Boner,The behauiour of Bishop Ridley to Doctor Boners mother. dwelling in an house adioyning to his house, to dyner and supper, with one Maistresse Mungey Boners sister, saying: go for my mother Boner, who cōming, was euer placed in the chayre at ye tables end, being so gently entreated, welcomed, & taken, as though he had bene borne of her owne body, being neuer displaced of her seat, although the kings Counsell had bene present, saying, when any of them were there (as diuers times they were) by your Lordships sauor, this place of right and custome is for my mother Boner. But howe well he was recompenced for this his singular gentlenes, and pitifull pity after at the handes o… the sayd Doctor Boner, almost the least child that goeth by the ground can declare. For who afterward,The … of Ridley and the currishnes of Boner described & compared together. was more enemy to Ridley, then Boner and his? Who more went aboute to seek his destruction, then he? recompensing his gentlenes with extreme cruelty. As well appeared by the strait handling of Ridleyes owne naturall sister, and George Shypside her husband, from time to time: whereas the gentlenes of the other did suffer Boners mother, sister, and other his kinred, not onelyonly quietly to enioy all yt which they had o… Boner, but also enterteined them in his house, shewyng much curtesy and frendship dayly vntounto them: whereas on the other side,B. Ridley … and … to Boners mother. Boner vn…ade and reuilish to B. Ridleys …ter, and … the … of his … in …. Bishop Boner being restored agayn, would not suffer the brother & naturall sister of Bishop Ridley, & other his frendes, not onelyonly not to enioye that which they had by the sayd theyr brother Bishop Ridley, but also carrishly without all order of law or honesty, by extort power wrasted from them all the liuinges they had.
And yet being not therewith satisfied, he sought all the meanes he could, to worke the death of the foresayd Shipside, saying, that he would make twelue godfathers to goe vpō him, which had bene brought to passe in deed at what tyme he was prisoner at Oxford, had not God otherwyse wrought his deliuerance by meanes of D. Heath Byshop then of Worcester. Teste Georg. Shipsido.
Wherby all good indifferent Readers notoriously hauehave to vnderstand, what great diuersity was in the disposition of these two natures. Wherof as the one excelled in mercy and pity: so the other agayne as muche or more excelled in churlish ingratitude, and despitefull disdayne. But of this matter enough.
Now concerning Gods vocation, how Doctor Ridly was first called to the sauouring and fauouring of Christe and his Gospell, partlye by his disputation before, & other his Treatises it may appeare, that the first occasion of hys conuersion, was by reading of Bertrams book of the Sacrament,…. Ridley fir…t conuerted by …. whom also the conferēce with Bishop Cranmer, and with Peter Martyr did not a litle confirme in that behalfe. Who now by the grace of GOD, being throughly won and brought to the true way, as he was before blind and zelous in his old ignoraunce: so was he as constant & faythfull in the right knowledge whiche the Lorde had opened vntounto him, (as well appeared by his preachings and doynges duringe all the time of Kyng Edwarde) and so long dyd muche good, while authoritye of externe power might defend and hold vp the peace of the church, and proceedinges of the Gospell. But after that it pleased so the heauēly will of our Lord our God to bereue vsus of ye stay,B. Ridley … of the … in troub…e a…ter the death of K. Edward. and to call from vsus Kyng Edward that precious Prince, as the whole state of the Churche of Englande was leafte desolate and open to the enemies hande: so this Byshop Ridley, after the comming in of Queene Mary, eftsoone and with the first was layd handes vpō and committed to prison, as before hath sufficiently bene expressed: first in the Tower, then after translated from thence with the Archebishop of Canterbury,B. Ridley in the Tower. Bishop … to the prison o… B…cardo in Oxford. and mayster Latimer, to Oxforde, was with them inclosed in the common Gayle and prison of Bocardo, while at lēgth being disseuered from them, he was committed to custody in the house of one Irish, wher he remayned till the last day of his death and martyrdome, which was from the yeare of our Lord. 1554. till the yeare 1555. and 16. day of October.
Furthermore, as touching his disputations & cōflicts had at Oxford, and also of his determination had at Cambridge, also his trauels in perswading and instructing the Lady Mary before she was Queene, his reasons & conference likewise had in the tower at the Lieutenants boord, enough hath bene sayd already. Besides this, other conferences hee had in prison both with D. Cranmer, and M. Latimer as here foloweth to be read.