I.

Bilney.

Parker's

testimony

BOOK were divers others about the same time, and surviving them in the same cause; as Friar Barnes, and Latymer; by whose Anno 1583. means religion and learning (for they went together) did then begin to flourish exceedingly in that University. And of these in Bene't college were Mr. Fooke and Mr. Soude: from whom our Parker, being a scholar of the same college, may be presumed to have first tasted of the truth. And such was the great veneration he had for the said Bilney, that he travelled to Norwich on purpose to see his martyrdom. And out of the honour he had for his memory, and for the vindicating him from the report that Sir Thomas Moore had given out, that he recanted before his death, and read a scroll of paper at the stake to that effect; the said Parker, when Archbishop, having before been a diligent eye and ear witness, gave a large and distinct account of all particulars relating to him, from his condemnation to his death: asserting also, that he had no such scroll or bill in his hand, neither did read any such recantation. This relation of the Archbishop, Mr. Fox hath preserved in his Martyrology.

of him.

Fox.

The dawning of the

For Parker's lot was to fall into the University in those Gospel in days, when learning and religion began to dawn there; when Cambridge. divers godly men resorted together for conference sake; who

also oftentimes flocked together in open sight, both in the schools, and at sermons in St. Mary's and at St. Augustine's, where Dr. Barnes was Prior, and at other disputations. Of which sort were several; and of these colleges especially : viz. King's college, Queen's college, St. John's, Peter house, Pembroke hall, Gonwell hall, and Bene't college. Their meetings to confer and discourse together for edification in Christian knowledge, were chiefly at an house called The White Horse; which was therefore afterwards nicknamed Germany by their enemies. This house was chose, because they of King's college, Queen's college, and St. John's, might come in with the more privacy at the back door. The names Early pro- of some of these early professors, beside those above-mentioned, were Mr. Cambridge, Mr. Field, Mr. Colman, Mr. 7 Coverdale, BB. D. of the Augustine's, and Mr. Parnel,

fessors of it.

.I.

Barnes's scholar; Dr. Farman and Dr. Heins, of Queen's; CHAP Dr. Thistel, or Thixtel, of Pembroke, and Thomas Allen Fellow there, who was present at Bilney's burning. Here Anno 1534. also were Dr. William Turner, Dr. Nicolas Ridley, Dr. Crome, of Christ's college, I think, Dr. Warner, an old acquaintance of Bilney's at Cambridge, and was with him also at his burning, being then Parson at Winterton, whom Bilney chose to be with him, to comfort him in his extremes; Rodolph Bradford of King's, Dr. Smith of Trinity hall; Simon Smith, Shaxton, Skip, and Segar Nicolson, of Gonvil hall; together with those before mentioned of Bene't college. To which I may add Dr. Edmunds, Master of Peter house, who kept a wife privately, and had a son, if I mistake not much, who was afterwards Mayor of Cambridge, and (somewhat ungratefully) proved a great sider with the Town against the University.

Preaches.

CHAP. II.

His first preferments. Made Queen Anne's Chaplain, and Dean of Stoke college. Some account of it. Preaches before the King.

BUT to return to our Divine. He was commonly ap- Preaches

often at

pointed to preach in the solemn time of Lent in the most Court. public auditories: an office, for which the best-learned preachers were sought out. On this occasion he preached often before King Henry VIII. King Edward VI. and Queen Elizabeth. Nevertheless he was a man of modest manners; and though his learning and abilities were so well known, that he was often solicited to take public places, and to go abroad into the world, and make himself more known, yet he was unwilling to be brought thereunto, affecting an University and close life. His first public sermon was preached at Preaches a Balsham, before the Bishop of Ely in his visitation anno 1534. And when without his seeking, being about thirty

visitation

sermon.

BOOK one or thirty-two years of age, he was sent for up to Court I.. into the service of Queen Anne, he earnestly declined it. It Anno 1534. was in the year 1533 or 1534, that Mr. Betts her Chaplain died, who was one of those selected Cambridge men, that

Betts,

Queen
Anne's
Chaplain.

Acts and

Cardinal Wolsey placed in his new-founded college at Oxford: of whom Fox gave this character, that " he was a Mon.p.941. good man and zealous, and so remained." He, with divers other learned students there, being favourers of the Gospel, and readers of the Scriptures, were put into a doleful dungeon in that college for that reason, and endured much hardship, to that degree that many of them died. After some time Wolsey ordered they should be delivered thence. But Betts not long after escaped, and went back to Cambridge; and afterwards became Chaplain to Queen Anne Bolen, and was in great favour with her. In whose room,

In whose being dead, Parker was sent for to succeed.

room Parker suc

ceeds.

Parker's fa

the Queen.

For John Skyp, Almoner to that Queen, (afterwards Bishop of Hereford,) from Hampton Court writ two letters to him to Cambridge to come up; and the second, the week before Easter, more earnest, upon his declining the summons of the former: for that (as he wrote him plainly) the Queen was minded upon Betts's death to make him her Chaplain: bidding him bring with him a long gown, and that should be enough.

Mr. Parker soon came in great favour with his mistress vour with the Queen, liking him for his learning, and for his prudent and godly behaviour. Insomuch that not long before her death, he being with her, she gave him a particular charge to take care of her daughter Elizabeth, (afterwards the glorious Queen of England,) that she might not want his pious and wise counsel, with some other private instructions concerning her.

Cheke writes to

Parker to

vour of the

And as a token of the interest he had with her, I find Cheke, the learned man of St. John's college in Cambridge, obtain a fa- (afterwards tutor to Prince Edward,) writ a letter to Parker then at Court, desiring him to acquaint the Queen, that 8 there was a very hopeful scholar chosen Fellow of their college, but so poor that he could not pay some dues required before he entered into that society: and so earnestly en

Queen.

II.

treated him to obtain some liberality for him at her hand. CHAP. For it was well known in the University how extraordinary munificent she was towards poor scholars that were studious Anno 1534. and virtuous, and how liberal in her exhibitions towards them. She only required some good character from Dr. Skip, or Parker, or some other of her Chaplains, of any scholar that expected or sued for her bounty.

Stoke col

C. C. C.

After he had spent about eight months or more in her Is Bachelor service, having now commenced Bachelor in Divinity, July and made of Divinity, 14, the college of Stoke by Clare, in Suffolk, fell void, by Dean of the death of Robert Sherton, the last Dean thereof. This, lege. the Queen having the right of presentation, preferred her Chaplain Parker to, November 4, being now thirty-two years of age, under the title of Dean of the college of St. John Baptist de Stoke, in the diocese of Norwich: into which he was inducted November 13, 1534, (or, according to a MS. 1535,) and in the 27th of King Henry VIII. This MS. in C. happened to him to his great satisfaction; not so much because of the value thereof, (which was but indifferent, being but 431. 68. 8d. per annum,) as because it was a pleasant solitary retirement for him, when he pleased to withdraw himself from the Court or the University, from which it was within twenty miles distant. This college, his friend Dr. Walter Haddon used to call Parker's Tusculanum : and in a letter to him from Cambridge about the latter end of King Henry's reign, the plague being then in the University, the said Haddon wanting a retirement, writ his desire to be admitted into some corner of that pleasant college; adding, "how that place seemed in a manner to be "made on purpose for scholars, both to learn themselves, "and to teach others; and that its situation was such, that "above all others it best suited for honest and ingenuous pleasures a."

This college was in former times a priory of Benedictines, This college formerly a but by Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March, (by whose an- priory. cestors it had been founded,) it was changed into a collegiate

Solus is locus ad delectationes honestas et ingenuas aptissimus, et ad docendum et discendum pœne factus esse videtur. Int. MSS. C. C. C. C.

J.

BOOK church, for a Dean and six secular Canons, eight Vicars, two greater Clerks, and five Chorists: which change was Anno 1584. ratified by Papal authority of John XXIII. and Martin V. Barneslay being the first Dean, in the year 1422 made statutes for the government of it; which are preserved in the Vol. iii. p. Monasticon Anglicanum. It was valued at 3247. 4s. 1d.

165, &c.

Bekensaw,
Dean of
Stoke.

This deanery seems to have been appropriated for the Chaplains of Queens. For King Henry's former Queen, Katherine, procured it to Bekensaw, Professor of Divinity, her Chaplain and Almoner in the year 1517. But to this he had a large accumulation of other preferments, as was customary in those days: for he was Treasurer of the church of Lincoln, Canon of Windsor, Subcentor of the church of Wells, Vicar of Croxton, Rector of Bradwell, (that in Essex, I suppose,) Rector of Chagforth in Devonshire, Master of Queen's college Cambridge, and Fellow of St. Michael college there; as I find them set down by ParIn Biblioth, ker, in a certain MS. shewing the names, titles, and dignities of all the Deans of Stoke, from the first foundation to his own time.

Parker founds a

of Stoke.

While Mr. Parker was Dean, he laboured to reform the school in superstitions here used. And for this purpose, within his his college college, even at his first coming, he founded a grammarschool for children, to be instructed in good learning, and in the principles of Christian religion; and constituted a yearly stipend for a schoolmaster. And here youth were taught not only grammar, but brought up in all other studies of humanity. Thither soon flocked in great plenty the children as well of gentlemen as other poor men: and those of the poorer sort had their schooling gratis. The scholars here were taught also to sing, and to play upon the organs, and other instrumental music, with other exercises, according to their ages and capacities: and there were sundry teachers attending accordingly.

His other

benefac

In one of his papers relating to this college, he made this tions here. memorandum concerning his building of this school, and other his works, for the advancing of the college, viz. Erexit et ædificavit, &c. i. e. " He erected and built a gram