III. ment as to the Prince's dispensation. 66 BOOK place to have opened his mind further. But soon after he wrote him his mind more at large; that he might prevent! Anno 1569. incurring any displeasure, either from the Queen or him. His judg- He bade him, "not to mistake his words, for that he ❝ intended not to arrogate to himself above his measure, or "to derogate the Queen's authority; which in all respects, "as God and laws might bear, he would as well have defended, as he would wish his own life regarded. Whereupon he thought good to put to the Secretary's consider"ation, privately, some of his cogitations. He would not, "he said, dispute of the Queen's absolute power, or prerogative royal, how far her Highness might do in following "the Roman authority. But he yet doubted, that if any dispensation should pass from her authority to any sub'ject, not advouchable by laws of her realm, made and "established by herself, and her three estates, whether that 66 66 66 66 subject be in surety at all times afterwards: specially "seeing there be Parliament laws, precisely determining 278" cases of dispensations. Wherein, as he had heard say, "King Henry himself did use that authority in some of "his own private causes. The Prince, he said, might dis"pense in omnibus casibus insolitis; where the Arch"bishop's authority is shut up by the words of the statute. "If these cases had their right course, the Prince might grant them; but yet by a warrant to the Office of Faculties, "under that law, to pass. And whereas somebody may say, that the Bishop of Canterbury can dispense; I think "for myself, said he, I take some heed not to extend my "sleeve beyond my arm, nor to use much ready talk, "in medio magnatum. Which made him to sit sometime "mute, and hear out. And yet he thought to this day, he "had not absolutely granted any casus insolitos, if they "were weighed, but left them to his Prince, as he ought. "It was one thing to discuss what is done in order, or out "of order, and commonly hand over head; and what is "safely and surely done by warrant of law. During the "Prince's life, who will doubt of any thing that may pass " from that authority? But the question is, what will stand 66 66 XXII. sure in all times, by the judgment of the best learned? CHAP. "And here I am offended, added he, with some lawyers, "who make the injunctions of a Prince in her own life not Anno 1569. "to be of such force as they make a Roman law, written "in the same or like case. Exempli causa; I urge the "Injunctions upon all Ministers, when their case comes in "question; whether they be capable of any ecclesiastical "living, if they marry not in such due form, as yet I "think is godly prescribed; especially, if the words of the "Injunction be regarded; which were once a disjunctive, "but by the printer made a copulative; viz. that the parties "marriable, must be so allowed by two Justices of the peace, or (and) by the Ordinary. It is said to me, that the omis "sion or contempt of this maketh them not incapable. Marry, if there be any Roman law that forceth deprivation, "then is the danger seen, but not before. Sir, I think "these lawyers keep but their old trade, and not regard "much the imperial laws of the Prince: and yet these new "cases of marrying have no other direction in law before"times, but by Injunction for this present time. But this " he saw led him into a sea of perplexities; and so proceed"ed no further; but praying the Secretary to take in good "part, and plain sense, that he did bluntly speak the other day to him before the Lord Keeper. And that in such narrow points to tread in, he professed himself ready to "be informed to judge otherwise, if he might see reason "and learning to lead him." 66 66 66 vacant bi The Queen used not to be very forward in filling up the Urges the vacancies of the sees. But the Archbishop was as industri-filling the ous to perform his office in calling upon her, and those shoprics. The bishoprics before spoken of being about her, to do it. yet void in August, he sent word to the Secretary, "that Aug. 9. "there could not be too many watchmen, which Latimer, "said he, was wont to speak; and that there was one dili 66 gent watchman ever resident, which never ceaseth to walk "about for his prey." But for all this, the sees remained as they did, till the next year. And then they were filled, as before was said. BOOK As he was a great patron and promoter of good learning, III. so he took care of giving encouragement to printing, a great Furthers printing Latin books. Anno 1569 instrument of the increase thereof. This made him a suitor to the Secretary in the behalf of one Binneman, a diligent printer in those days, that he might have the Queen's priBinneman. vilege for printing a few usual Latin books, for the use of grammarians, as Terence, Virgil, Tully's Offices, &c. a thing not done here in England before, or very rarely. The said printer had brought the Archbishop a little piece of his workmanship, as a proof: which, upon his desire, the Archbishop sent to the Secretary, to see the form and order of his print. The Archbishop said, he thought he might do this amply enough, and better cheap, than they might be brought from beyond the seas, standing the paper and goodness of his print. Adding, that it were not amiss to set our own countrymen on work, so they would be diligent, and take good characters. 279 Matt. Paris.. CHAP. XXIII. An edition of Matthew Paris preparing by the Archbishop. Censured about it; and vindicated. His labour to prevent incestuous marriages. His table of marriage. HE Preparing was now very busy in preparing to publish the excelto publish lent history of Matthew Paris, our countryman, to the world. He compared as many copies as he could get for that purpose. The Secretary having a choice collection of manuscripts, and among them one of this author; our Archbishop desired now to borrow it of him for a week or two; telling him, after a second letter for it, that he would be loath to be importune, but he would turn it to the commodity of our own country and as in other works every man was doing, these were but in few men's hands, and were testimonies, he said, not to be lost, and time would be taken, [for the publishing such things, while one might.] This book came not forth till the year 1571. And since that, thrice reprinted; that is, in the year 1606, at Zurich, in the years 1640, and XXIII. he made use 1684, at London. Great was the pains our Prelate took in CHAP. the finishing this work, and the exactness he used about it. Which consisted in considering what books Paris put forth, Anno 1569. of which he was the true and undoubted author: where he began his history, and how far he continued it: and what faithful and ancient historians he followed; and when he left off writing. For this purpose he consulted divers manu- The MSS. script pieces of this author. One whereof he had of his own, of. which was procured him, as it seems, by Stow, as himself in his history tells us: another was that of Secretary Cecyl's, before mentioned, which began at the year 1066, and proceeded as far as 1208, viz. to the 10th year of King John. He also made use of an ancient copy of Edward Aglionby's, Esq. as to the former part of the entire great history: which was continued from the beginning of the world, to the year 1189. Another excellent copy, which he had before him, was that of Sir Henry Sidney's, that went on from the year 1189. to 1254. This manuscript was writ by Matthew Paris's own hand, as our Archbishop said in his Preface to the book; but that it was foully maimed in some leaves, and erased in many places by some Friar; but restored by some other copies. He used also a copy belonging unto Henry, Earl of Arundel. By this copy he was helped as to the latter part, viz. from the year 1254, to the last year of Henry III. be met with. Where all these manuscripts now are, I cannot tell: but Where to that of Sir William Cecyl and that of Aglionby are both in the private library of Bene't college. That called the Lesser History, which is an abridgment of the larger, is in the Arundelian library. And in the Cotton library is a transcript of it also, by William Lambard, that ingenious, learn- w. Lamed, and painful antiquarian, and great acquaintance of our bard. Archbishop. In which transcript he wrote these words with his own hand: Hujus libri duo tantummodo vidi vetusta exemplaria, quorum alterum penes Henricum Arundelia comitem est; alterum verò penes Matthæum Cantuarie Archiepiscopum. W. L. This was dated by him in the year 1565. BOOK lisher cen sured by Baronius; mena. Those of the Church of Rome set very hard upon the first III. publisher of this book; not knowing, I suppose, that our Anno 1569. Archbishop was the man; but if they had, his authority The pub- would not have much more swayed with them. Particularly Baronius; whom Casaubon, in his Prolegomena to his learned Exercitations, brings in uttering his uncharitable censure in these words: Nisi probra illa fuerint additamenta, potius ejus, qui edidit, novatoris, hæretici hominis: quum peculiare sit illis libros quos potuerint, depravare. "Unless these reproaches" [he means those charges which Matthew Paris lays upon the Church of Rome, in regard of their greedy rapines] "be rather the additions of that "innovator and heretic that put forth the book; since it is "peculiar to them to deprave what books they can." I 280 leave Casaubon there to answer this charge laid upon Protestants, of depraving authors, and to throw back that imputation upon themselves. But that the Archbishop should be guilty of it in publishing Matthew Paris, none can easily believe, who knew the man and his communication. Such a lover of antiquity, such a restorer of it, such a person of honour and integrity, could never be guilty of so much violence to truth, learning, and antiquity. He may be vindicated also from those divers manuscript copies of this author that are still extant: which have those very passages in them, of the rapacities of the Popes, for which the sincerity of the publisher was called in question. And Casaubon says, that he himself had, in his own study, one of these manuscripts in parchment, well writ, that came out of the King's library, of that antiquity, that he supposed it to be that very book that had been dedicated by the author to the library of the abbey of St. Alban's: and that he had examined, and found no diversity in those things, that spake of the covetousness and spoil of the Popes. And lastly, that there were other pieces of this author in many English libraries, not then published, as the Lesser History, and the Lives of the Abbots of St. Alban's, wherein the like, or greater matters, are related of the rapaciousness of the Popes. |