10 II. But then, by way of postscript, lest Mr. Dean should (as pro- CHAP. bably he might sometimes have argued about that point with his friend Mr. Bacon) charge the defectiveness of the com- Anno 1535. mon law," he prayed him however to speak well of the "law, till he next met with him, though it appeared by his "letter, that conscience and the law stood sub-contrary in "figura: adding, that the reason of that required a quire "of paper at the least. And this he left therefore for a "further leisure." But he that is minded to see this letter of this learned Counsellor to Parker, may have it in the Appendix. Numb. II. And as the Queen had given Parker this college of Stoke, Parker favoured by so the King already took notice of him. And as a token of the King. the favour he had at Court, I will set down one thing, how small soever it be, which I find remaining among his papers, namely, a warrant from the King himself in the year 1535, to the Keeper of the forest of Waybridg, for a doe of the season for Mr. Parker, Chaplain to Queen Anne. Perhaps Preaches at this was a reward for a sermon which he preached before the King this year the third Sunday in Lent. But before this he was brought up this year also, to preach a sermon before the Lady Elizabeth at Hunsdon. Court. CHAP. III. Dean Parker a great preacher. A peculiar grace granted him by the University. Bishop Latimer's letter to him. Made the King's Chaplain. Accused for his sermons in divers articles preferred to the Lord Chancellor against him. His answers thereto. A Popish Friar undermines his doctrine. to him, to preach at Paul's Cross. Lord Crumwel sends Parker ACCORDING to the tenor of the new statutes, the Dean Anno 1586. gave a good example to his college, and preached often and preaches excellently well, upon all opportunities, both here at Stoke, much. I. BOOK and died no more, so would they cease and die to sin, no more to live therein and as he rose from death to life, that Anno 1587. so would they rise to a new life. And without this meditation and purpose, their processions, with the solemnities thereof, was to them but a vain pageant, whereof they had no profit. De obitu II. That cross that Christ died on, was no holier than the crosses which the thieves died on. Resp. Upon Relic Sunday, I declared unto them what were the true reliques which we should worship, and moved them not to put their trust and affiance in the holiness and vertue of mens bonys and cotys, [i. e. bones and coats,] whereof we have no certainty, whether they were the reliques of saints or no. And I said, that be it in case they were so, as we have been made believe; as if we had indeed some pieces of Christ's cross; yet to forget the mystery of Christ's cross, and fall to the worshipping of the tree of his cross, was a superstitious worship, and reproved of Ambrose. Which saith thus: Invenit Helena titulum, regem adoravit, non lignum utique. Nam hic Gentilis est error et vanitas impiorum, si [non] adorent illum, qui pependit in ligno, scriptusque in titulo. Alii, qui sanctiores se ostendere volunt, partem fimbria aut capillorum alligant et suspendunt. O! impietas, majorem sanctitatem in suis vestimentis ostendere volentes quam in carne Christi, ut qui corpus ejus manducans sanatus non fuerit, fimbria ejus sanctitatem salvent, ut desperans de misericordia Dei, confidat in vestimentis, &c. III. The King, with the money that he gathered of his Commons, bought peace with other realms. Resp. In the insurrection time, I considered the resort of soldiers, and of divers others, to the town of Clare, being one of the most people in that quarter of Suffolk. And thereupon I thought it then most expedient to go thither to courage their hearts with God's word, to serve their Prince, notwithstanding such traitors as were then risen. And in my sermon I inveighed against sedition, and declared the authority of a Prince, and what commodities every realm III. enjoyed by such authority, instituted by God. And among CHAP. others, I entreated of peace, what a benefit it was, by the means whereof we had the quiet fruits of our life, goods, and Anno 1537. lands: and thereby moved them with good and ready wills to pay their taxes, which was to be levied to some supportation of such charges as our peace was bought with: and 12 said thus: "Think you that our Prince can maintain and "defend us in so long continual peace against foreign realms, "without charges and expenses? And what is this little "which is required of you, compared to the rest of your goods, which ye do peaceably enjoy, or compared to the "charges that your Prince is at for your protection and de"fence, &c. ?" Chancellor What success this answer of Parker found to the dis- The Lord charging him of this accusation, we may gather from these satisfied words following, written by the same hand that the forego-therewith. ing were, namely, that of our Matthew Parker: "These "articles objected, were thus answered by M. P. and sent "to the Lord Chancellor: which heard, he blamed the pro"moters, and sent word, that I should go on, and fear not "such enemies." So well did our Dean come off in this cause, by giving this true and fair account of his own sermons, and stripping them of the slanderous representations made of them: and instead of reproof gained encouragement from the Court in his labours. wich under ker's doc Upon this countenance, the Dean went on in his doc- A Prior trine, exciting the people every where to obedience to the from NorKing, and informing them out of the word of God about mines Parmany abuses of religion. So that the knowledge of God trine. was happily sown in these quarters by Mr. Parker's means. But this so nettled Nix, the Bishop of Norwich, and the Popish party thereabouts, that to unravel and disappoint these good beginnings, Dr. Stokes, Prior of the Augustins in Norwich, and one of those that were sent to Bilney, a little before his execution, to discourse with him in prison, this man, I say, is sent now to Clare, (the aforesaid town near Stoke,) pretending to settle there, and to preach out of goodwill, and so he told Parker: but indeed, as Parker easily BOOK smelt it out, it was to supplant his doctrine, and to reduce I. the people to the old superstitions, and to keep them in their Anno 1537. blindness and Popery. Whereupon our Divine, soon after Parker writes to him. Stokes's coming, wrote him a letter, dated from Stoke, telling him boldly and plainly," that if he came to decoy the "truth, which he had preached, or to make invectives, to "the decay of the King's authority and lawful ordinances; "and to sow schism and confusion among the people, he "must and would, according to his duty, give information "above against him. But that if it were his sincere inten❝tion to declare the truth, and edify the King's subjects, "he would promise to join hands with him, and therein their "friendship should consist." But the letter being so well Number III. and piously penned, is transferred into the Appendix. He is im But Friar Stokes, it seems, took little warning by this prisoned for sober and sound admonition of Mr. Parker's, but followed Popish preaching. his first purpose of perverting the people by his preaching against the King's proceedings; and so in the end was laid up in prison, for a complaint made against him to the Lord Crumwel by the King's visitors, who had received some informations against him at Clare. Whereupon they left some precepts with him concerning his preaching, which he observed not. Out of prison he sent a letter to the Lord Crumwel, the King's Vicar General, vindicating himself to have preached up the King's authority against the Bishop of Rome; whom, he said, he did detest and abhor, with all his Papistical factions. That whereas he was accused to have preached against the Dean of Stoke, he said, he commended him in his sermon by name, for declaring of certain rites. And whereas some informed, that he preached seditiously, he referred himself to all the audience, and four persons would testify, that he preached the word of God sincerely. He acknowledged indeed, that he had been much addicted to the old ceremonies; but he intended, by God's grace, to reform himself. And at last he desired that the King would permit him to change his habit. But his letter Numb. IV. may be read in the Appendix. About this time, if not before, our Parker was sent for up III. Crumwel summons preach at by the Lord Crumwel to take a turn at Paul's Cross, by a CHA P. letter from the said Lord, appointing him to preach a sermon there," for the honest report (as the letter runs) of Anno 1537. "his learning in holy letters, and incorrupt judgment in the "same." And having assigned him his particular day, he Parker to added, "preparing in the mean time with such pure sincere-Paul's ness, truly to open the word of God at the said day, as I Cross. 66 may therefore take occasion to think the report made of "you to be true:" meaning, in respect of his favour to the Gospel. CHAP. IV. Parker created Doctor of Divinity. Parker's good statutes for Stoke college: the Duke of Norfolk sends to him for them. His preferments. Elected Master of Bene't college, by the King's letters recommendatory. His good services to that house. The Bishop of Ely's letter to him, to preach the supremacy. Bishop Boner's letter to him, to procure preachers for Paul's Cross. Benefices conferred on him. 13 IN the year 1588, July 1, Parker was created Doctor in Anno 1588. &c. Divinity: and the next year he was sent for into Prince Ed- Becomes ward's Court, to give him a sermon: and the next, viz. Dr. in Divinity. 1540, he preached before the Lady Elizabeth at Hatfield. Anno 1540. of Norfolk founds a The good statutes mentioned before, which this our Dean of Stoke college had framed for it, added to the original ones, made this a very good and useful foundation. And the fame of it was so great, that about the year 1540, the old The Duke most noble and illustrious Duke of Norfolk sent a letter to our Dean, that he would send him the original foundation of college by that his college of secular priests, being founded, as he heard, of Stoke of an honest sort; and that he would but detain it, till he college. had caused it to be written out, or had taken some notes out C. C. Epist. of it. Because the monastery of Thetford, being now the Princip. &c. King's, upon the Act for Dissolution of Religious Houses, the statutes MSS. C. C. |