Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Account 22 · Quality 6 – Quality 7
Harberous.
And as touching this word Harberous, wherby is ment the good maintenance of hospitalitie, so litle was this propertie lacking in hym, that some men mislikyng the same, thought it rather a house of ouermuch lauishing and vnprofitable expence. But as nothyng can be so well done,The large expenses of Doct. Cranmer. which by some or other shall not be maligned & detracted, so neither did this man lacke his cauillers, some findyng fault with his ouermuch prodigalitie, some on the cōtrary part repinyng & complayning of his spare house & straite order much vnderunder ye state of hys reuenues and callyng. Of which two, the first sorte must consider the causes whiche mooued hym to that liberall and large kynde of expenses. Wherein here commeth to be considered, the tyme wherein he serued: which was when reformation of religion first began to bee aduaunced. In which tyme the whole weight and care of the same, most chiefly depended vppon hys hand. Duryng which season, almost for the space of xvi. yeares together, hys house was neuer lightly vnfurnished of a number both of learned men and Commissioners from tyme to tyme appoynted for decidyng of ecclesiasticall affaires.
And thus as hee seemed to some ouer large and lauishyng more then neded in hospitalitie: so on the other side there wanted not some, of whom he was much noted and accused agayne, yea & also complained of to K. Henry the 8. for too slender and niggardly housekeping, as not worthy to be accounted the hospitalitie of a meane gentleman, as here followyng shall appeare.
After that the ample and great possessions, reuenues, iuels, rich ornamentes and other treasures of the Abbeys were dissolued and brought into the kyngs handes, in the dissoluyng whereof many cormorantes were fed and satisfied, and yet not so fully satisfied, but that within a fewe yeares they began to waxe hungry agayne: & for so much as no more could be scraped now out of the Abbeys: they began to seeke how by some other pray to satisfie their appetites, which was to tickle the kings eares with the rich reuenue of the bishops lands. And to bring this deuise to passe, they procured sir Thomas Seimour knight, of the priuy chāber,The Bishops landes sought. to be a promooter of the matter, who not in all pointes much fauouryng the Archbishop, hauing time and a conuenient occasion, declared to the king that my Lord of Caunterbury did nothyng els but sell his woods,Vn…roth told to the king of the Archbi…hop of Canterburyes housekeeping. and let hys Leases by great and many fines, makyng hauocke of all the Roialties of the Archbishoprike, and that not onelyonly to the intent to gather vp treasure for his wyfe and hys children, keepyng no maner of hospitalitie, in respect of so great a reuenew: aduertising the Kyng further, that it was the opinion of many wyse men, that it were more meete for the bishops to hauehave a sufficient yerely stipend in money out of the Exchequer, then to be comhered with those temporall affaires of their Roialties, beyng impedimentes vntounto their studie, and pastoral charge, and hys hyghnesse to hauehave their Landes and Royalties conuerted to hys proper vse, whiche besides their honest stipends, would be vntounto his maiestie no small commoditie and profite.
When the kyng had heard hys faire tale, he sayd little thereunto,The kinges answere to the cō playner of the Archbishop. other then this: Well (quoth he) we wil talke more of this matter an other tyme. Nowe, within a fortnight after or thereabout whether by chance, or of set purpose, it is not knowen) it came to passe that one day hys highnes going to diner had washed, sir Thomas Seimor then holdyng the Ewer, he sayd to the sayd sir Tho. Goe you out of hand to Lambeth vntounto my L. of Caunterbury, & bid hym to be with me at two of the clocke at after noone and faile not. Sir Tho. straightwayes went to Lambeth, and as he came to the gate the Porter beyng in the lodge, came out and conueighed hym to the Hall, whiche was throughly furnished and set, both with the housholde seruants & strāgers, with 4. principal hed messes of officers, as daily it was accustomed to be. When sir Thomas Seimor sawe that stately large Hall so well set and furnished, beyng therewith abashed, and somewhat guiltie of an vntruth told to the Kyng before, he retired backe, and would needes hauehave gone to the Archbishop of Caunterbury by the Chappell, and not through the Hall. Richard Neuell Gentleman, then Steward of the household, perceiuyng hys retire, came by and by vntounto hym, and after gentle intertaynment, demanded of hym whether he would speake with my Lord or no. Sir Tho. sayd, that he must needes do so from the Kyngs highnesse, saying to hym: and this way I am goyng to my Lords grace. Sir, said the Steward you cannot go that way,The Archbishop of Canterburyes house keeping. for the dore is fast shut, in the diner tyme: and so by gentle meanes brought hym vp to my Lordes chamber through the Hall, who then was at diner: with whom he dined after he had done his message whose ordinarie fare might alwayes well beseeme a right honorable personage. When dinner was scarce done, Sir Thomas tooke hys leaue of my Lorde, and went againe to the Court.
So soone as the Kyngs highnesse sawe hym, he sayde to hym: HaueHave you bene with my Lord of Caunterbury? Sir Thomas aunswered: That I hauehave if it please your Maiestie,The comylayne… asketh pardon of the king for his vntrue report. and he wyll be with your Highnesse strayghtwayes. Dined you not with hym sayd the Kyng? Yes sir (sayd he) that hauehave I done. And wyth that worde, whether hee espied by the Kinges countenaunce, or by hys wordes any thing tendyng to displeasure, he straightway without delay, kneeled downe vppon hys knee, and sayd: I beseech your Maiestie to pardon me: I doe now well remember and vnderstand, that of late I tolde your highnesse a great vntruth concernyng my Lord of Canterburies house keepyng: but from hencefoorth I entend neuer to beleeue that person which dyd put that vayne tale into my head: For I assure your hyghnesse that I neuer sawe so honourable a Halle set in this Realme, (besides your Maiesties Hall) in all my lyfe, with better order, and so well furnished in eche degree, If I had not seene it my selfe, I could neuer hauehave beleeued it, and hymselfe also so honourably serued.
Ah sir, quoth the Kyngs highnesse? HaueHave you now espied the truth?The King speaketh in defence of … Archbishop of Canterbury. I thought you would tell me another tale when you had bene there. Hee was a very varlet (quoth the kyng) that told you that tale: for he spendeth (ah good man sayd the kyng) all that he hath in housekepyng. But now I perceyue which way the wynde bloweth. There are a sorte of you to whome I hauehave liberally geuen of the possessions and reuenewes of the suppressed monasteries, which lyke as you hauehave lightly gotten, so hauehave you more vnthriftily spent, some at dice, other some in gay apparell, & other ways worse I feare me: & now as al is gone you would fain hauehave me make another cheuance with the Bishops lands, to accomplish your gredy appetites. But let no other bishops bestow their reuenewes worse then my L. of Cant. doth, then shall you hauehave no cause to complain of their kepyng of house.
And thus the tale beyng shutte vp, and ended by the kings highnes, neither sir Tho. Seimor, nor none els on hys behalfe euer after durst renue, or reuine that sute any more in K. Henries dayes: so that it may be euident to all indifferēt men, the liberality of the Archb. in housekeping what it was, which beyng defended, and commended by the prince himselfe, rather may geue a good example to his posterity to follow, then was then to be depraued of any priuate subiect, such as knew hym not.
In which Archb. this moreouer is to be noted,The almes of the Archbishop towardes the poore. with a memorandum touchyng the reliefe of the poore, impotent, sicke, and such as then came from the warres at Bullen, & other partes beyond the seas, lame, wounded, & destitute: for whom he prouided, besides hys mansion house at Beckjsborne in Kent, the Personage barne well furnished wt certayne lodgyngs for the sicke and maymed souldiours. To whom were also appoynted the Almosiner, a phisitiō, and a surgeon to attend vppon them, and to dresse & cure such as were not able to resort to their countries, hauyng dayly from the bishops kitchin who…e broth and meate, for otherwyse the common almes of the housholde was bestowed vponupon the poore neighbours of the shiere. And whē any of the impotent dyd recouer and were able to trauail, they had conuenient money deliuered to beare their charges, accordyng to the number of myles from that place distant. And this good example of mercy and liberal benignity, I thought here good not in silence to be suppressed, wherby other may be mooued accordyng to their vocatiō, to walke in the steps of no lesse liberality, then in hym in this behalfe appeared.
¶One that loueth goodnesse, sober mynded, righteous, holy, and temperate.
Now followeth together these vertues, One that loueth goodnesse, sober mynded, righteous, holye, and temperate. As concernyng these qualities, the trade of hys lyfe before ioyned, with hys benigne and gentle disposition, do testify that he could not be voyde of these good vertues raignyng in hym, which was so aboundantly adorned wyth the other, which aboue we hauehave declared.