Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 12 · Epitaph – Account 6
¶The Epitaph or funerall verse of D. Redman, vponupon the death of Mayster Bucer.
ET tu liuor edax procul hinc abscede maligna,
facessito inuidentia,
Et procul hinc nemesis, procul hinc & Momus abesto,
labes lues que mentium,
Daemonibus similes homines quae redditis, almam
foedatis atque imaginem
Quam nostro impressit generi pater ille supremus,
similes sui dum nos creat:
Contemptrix odij & mendacis nescia fuci
Adesto sancta Veritas.
Dicito quis qualis que , elatum funere nuper
quem vidimus tam flebili?
Est in quam misera hac defunctus luce Bucerus,
lux literati & dux Chori,
Doctrinae radios qui totum solis ad instar
misit per orbem splendidos.
Hunc dirae nuper sublatum vulnere mortis
lugubre flet Gymnasium,
Et pullata gemit maerens schola Cantabrigensis
orbata claro sydere.
Ergo, quasi obstructo doctrinae fonte, querelas
precesque nunc fundit.
Agnoscit nunquam se talem habuisse magistrum
ex quo sit olim condita.
Non vnquam Cathedrae gauisa est praeside tanto,
tam nobili & claro duce.
Cuius & ingenij & doctrinae munera, summum
virtutis ornauerat decus,
Integritas morum grauitas prudentia, sermo
semper dei laudem sonans,
Et sale conditus, qualem vult esse piorum
Apostoli sententia.
Accessit zelus feruens & praesule dignus,
peccata semper arguens.
Nunquam desidiae, aut languori deditus,
vllum indulsit otium sibi.
Credibele est nimio fatum accelerasse labore,
prodesse cunctis dum studet.
Sed frustra laudes auguste carmine nitor
tam copiosas claudere.
Ergo Bucere, scholae & suggestus gloria sacri,
valeto etiam vel mortuus.
Aeternum in superis foelix iam viuito regnis,
exutus etsi corporis
Terrenis spolijs, huius miseri atque caduci:
Quod est sepulchro conditum
Christus depositum reddet cum foenore magno,
Iudex breui quum venerit.
❧ The despightfull handling and madnesse of the papistes toward Peter Martyrs wife at Oxford, taken vp frō her graue at the commaundement of Cardinall Poole, and after buryed in a dunghill.
ANd because the one Uniuersity shoulde not mocke the other,… like crueltye was also declared vponupon the deade body of Peter Martyrs wife at Oxford, an honest, graue, and sober matrone, while she liued, and of poore people alwayes a great helper, as many that be dwelling there, can right well testify. In the yeare of our Lord. 1552. she departed this life, wt great sorow of al those needy persōs, whose necessities many times & often she had liberally eased and relieued. Now, when Brokes Bishop of Glocester, Nicholas O…maner Datary, Robert Morwen President of Corpus Christi Colledge, Cole and Wright Doctors of the Ciuill Law, came thither as the Cardinals visitours, they among other thinges had in Commission to take vp this good woman agayne out of her graue, and to consume her carkas with fire, not doubting but that she was of ye same religion that her husband had professed before, whē he read the Kinges lecture there. And to make a shewe that they would do nothing disorderly, they called al those before thē that had any acquayntance with her or her husband.Iurates sworne agaynst Peter Martyrs wyfe…. They ministred an othe vntounto them that they should not conceale whatsoeuer was demaunded. In fine, theyr answere was that they knewe not what religion she was of, by reason they vnderstood not her language.
To be shorte, after these visitours had sped theyr busines they came for, they … them to the Cardinall agayne, certifying him that vponupon due inquisition made, they could learne nothing, vponupon which by the law they might burne her. Notwithstanding the cardinall did not leaue the matter so,Cardinal Poole earnest in burning dead mens bodyes. but wrote downe his Letters a good while after to Marshall, then Deane of Frideswides that he should dyg her vp, and lay her out of christian buriall, because she was interred nigh vntounto S. Frideswides relicks, sometime had in great reuerence in that Colledge. Doct. Marshal like a prety man calling his Spades and mattockes together in the euening,D. Marshall Deane of Frideswides. when he was well whitled caused her to be taken vp, and buryed in a dunghill.
Howbeit, when it pleased God vnderunder good Queene Elizabeth, to geue quietnes to his Church, long time persecuted with prison and death, then Doctour Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, Edmund Grindall Bishop of Lō don, Richard Goodricke, with diuers other her Maiesties high Commissioners in matters Religion (nothing ignoraunt howe farre the aduersaries of the trueth had transgressed the boūdes of all humanity, in violating the sepulchre or graue of that good and vertuous woman) wylled certayne of that Colledge, in the whiche this vncurteous touch was attempted and done, to take her out of that vncleane & dishonest place where she laye, & solemnely in the face of the whole towne, to bury her agayne in a more decent & honest monumēt. For though of the body being once dead, no great estimatiō were to be had,Peter Martyrs Wiues bones agayne reduced out of the Dūghill, and layd in a decent monument. how or where the bones were layde: yet was some reuerence to be vsed toward her for sexe and womanhood sake. Besides, to saye the truth, it was great shame, that he which had trauelled so farre at king Edwardes request, from the place wherin he dwelt quietly, and had takē so earnest paynes, beyng an old man, in reading and setting forth the truth al he could, with learning to teach and instruct, and so wel deserued of that Uniuersity:Great ingratitude shewed to Peter Martyr. should with so vngentle a recompence of ingratitude be rewarded agayne, as to hauehave his wife, that was a godly woman, a straūger, good to many, especially to the poore, and hurtfull to none, either in word or deede, without iust deseruing, & beside theyr owne law, not proceeding against her according to the order therof, spitefully to be layd in a stincking dunghill.
To all good natures the fact seemed odious, & of suche as be indued with humanity, vtterly to be abhorred. Wherfore M. Calfield, then Subdeane of the Colledge,M. Iames Caldfield. diligētly prouided, that from Marshals dunghill she was restored and translated to her proper place agayne, yea & withall coupled her with Frideswides boanes,The bones of Peter Martyrs wyfe coupled with the bones of S. Frideswide. that in case any Cardinall wil be so mad hereafter to remoue this womās bones agayne, it shall be hard for thē to discerne the bones of her from the other. And because to the intent the same might be notified to the mindes of men the better, the next day after, which was sonday, M. Rogerson preached vntounto the people, in whiche Sermon by the way he declared the rough dealing of the aduersaries, which were not contented to practise their cruelty against the liuing, but that they must also rage agaynst one that was dead, and had lien 2. yeares in her graue. God graunt thē once to see their own wickednes. Amen.
And thus much touching the noble actes and straungenes of this worthy Cardinal in both ye vniuersities: whervnto it shall not be impertinent, here also consequently to adioyne and set forth to the eyes of the worlde, the blinde and bloudy articles set out by Cardinal Poole, to be inquired vpō within his dioces of Canterbury, whereby it may the better appeare what yokes and snares of fond & fruitles traditions were layd vponupon the poore flock of Christ, to entangle and oppresse them with losse of life and libertye. By the which wise mē hauehave to see what godly fruits proceeded from that catholicke Church and See of Rome. In which albeit thou seest (good Reader) some good Articles insparsed withall, let that nothing moue thee: for els how could such poysō be ministred, but it must hauehave some hony to relish the readers taste.