XXV. Church, that spread abroad rumours how with us nothing CHAP. was done in order, and as it ought to be done; and that there was no religion at all among us, no ecclesiastical disci- Anno 1564. pline observed, no regard had of the salvation of men's souls: but that all was done quite out of order, and seditiously; that all antiquity was despised; that liberty was given to all sensuality; and that the livings of the Church were converted to profane and worldly uses. But this little tract, as well worthy the reading and preserving, (that nothing of the most worthy Archbishop might be lost,) I have reposited in the Appendix. Though there was before this, (viz. 1562,) one English edition of the Apology, printed by Reiner Wolf: in which English translation the Archbishop had a considerable hand. Number XXXII. men about The noble Lady Bacon was one of the five daughters of Learned woSir Anthony Cook, of Gyddy Hall in Essex, Kt. who bred these times. them all up in good learning, as he was a very learned man himself; so that his daughters were famous for their knowledge in the Latin and Greek tongues. Indeed about the latter times of King Henry, many young ladies, daughters of men of nobility and quality, were bred up to skill in tongues and other human learning: taking example, I suppose, from that King; who took special care for the educating of his daughters, as well as his son, in learning. And they were happy in learned instructors. His last wife, Queen Catharine Par, was a learned as well as godly lady. And Lady Jane, the daughter of the Duke of Suffolk, that unhappy Queen, had excellent learning. Dr. Meredith Hanmer read Eusebius in Greek to a certain honourable lady, as he tells us in his epistle before his English translation of that book: which gave him occasion to publish the said translation. And before all these, Sir Thomas More had a daughter named Margaret, whom he bred up in ingenuous literature. She composed a Latin oration, and some verses, which her father shewed to Voysey, Bishop of Exeter; whereat he was much moved with delight, and sent her a Portugué by her father, which he enclosed in a letter to her. And but little after the same time, viz. BOOK anno 1537, there was one Elizabeth Lucar, a citizen's II. wife, buried in St. Laurence Pountney's church, daughter Anno 1564. of one Paul Withipol. By the inscription upon whose Eliz. Lu- monument it appeared, that she writ very fairly three 180 several hands; that she understood Latin, Spanish, and car. The women in King Ed. ward's reign. Italian; writing, speaking, and reading it with perfect utterance and readiness: that she sung in divers tongues, and played excellently upon the viol, lute, and virginals. And beside all this, she wrought all needle-work that women used to exercise with pen, frame, or stool: understood well drawing of pictures, curious knots, and trails, beasts, birds, and flowers, with a curious fancy. And to crown all, she was virtuous, read the Scriptures, and directed her faith to Christ as her only mark. And all this she arrived to in her youth: for she died at twenty-seven years of age. 66 Of the women in King Edward's reign we may judge and wonder, comparing them with that sex in this present age, by observing what Nicolas Udal writ in his epistle to Queen Catharine, before the English paraphrase upon the Gospel of St. John. "But now in this gracious and blissful time "of knowledge, in which it hath pleased God Almighty to "reveal and shew abroad the light of his most holy Gospel, "what a number is there of noble women, especially here "in this realm of England; yea, and how many in the years of tender virginity, not only as well seen, and as "familiarly traded in the Latin and Greek tongues, as in "their own mother language; but also both in all kinds of profane literature and liberal arts, exacted, studied, and “exercised; and in the holy Scripture and theology so "ripe, that they are able aptly, cunningly, and with much "grace, either to indite or translate into the vulgar tongue, "for the public instruction and edifying of the unlearned "multitude? Neither is it now a strange thing to hear "gentlewomen, instead of most vain communication about "the moon shining in the water, to use grave and substantial talk in Latin or Greek, with their husbands, of godly matters. It is now no news in England, for young 66 66 "damsels in noble houses, and in the courts of princes, CHAP. "instead of cards and other instruments of idle trifling, to XXV. "have continually in their hands either Psalms, Homilies, Anno 1564. "and other devout meditations, or else Paul's Epistles, or "some book of holy Scripture matters; and as familiarly "to read or reason thereof in Greek, Latin, French, or "Italian, as in English. It is now a common thing to see young virgins so nursed and trained in the study of let"ters, that they willingly set all other vain pastimes at 66 nought for learning's sake. It is now no news at all to "see Queens and ladies of most high state and progeny, "instead of courtly dalliance, to embrace virtuous exercises "of reading and writing, and with most earnest study, both "early and late, to apply themselves to the acquiring of "knowledge, as well in all other liberal arts and disciplines, as also most especially of God and his most holy "word." writes his Jewel, But to return again to Jewel: who, as he saw this work Dorman of his Apology come forth in English, so the same year he Proof asaw a Popish book appearing against him. For by his gainst challenge at St. Paul's Cross, he had raised many enemies' against him. Among the rest, Tho. Dorman, B. D. took upon him to prove against Jewel's negatives, I. That the Bishop of Rome is the head of Christ's universal Church here in earth; and that, within the first six hundred years after Christ's departure hence, he was so called and taken. II. That the people was then taught to believe that Christ's body is really, substantially, corporally, carnally, or naturally in the Sacrament. III. That the Communion was then ministered under one kind. IV. That there was Mass said at that time, although there were none to receive with the Priest. But all his reasons Dorman took from Harding, as Harding had taken them from Eckius, Pighius, Groper, and Hosius; who had wrote for the Pope's power and supremacy; Harding translating ad verbum almost such places as he thought for his purpose, as Alex. Nowel against the said Dorman asserts in his Preface. This Book of Dor- And Nowel's Reproof man's was printed at Antwerp, 1564, and entitled, A Proof against him. II. pro and con. BOOK of certain Articles in Religion, denied by Master Nowel. This book the said Alexander Nowel, Dean of St. Paul's, Anno 1564. answered. Which answer came out July 13, 1565: printed Other books, by Henry Wikes. His book he entitled, A Reproof of a Book entitled, A Proof, &c. Dorman vindicates himself from Nowel, and entitles his second book, A Disproof, &c. Nowel comes out again against the Disproof, anno 1567, and entitles his book, A Confutation, as well of Mr. Dorman's Last Book, entitled, A Disproof, as of Dr. Sanders's Causes of Transubstantiation; whereby our Countrymen, especially the simple and unlearned, may understand how 181 shamefully they are abused by those and such like Books, pretended to be written for their Instruction. It was thought also that Dorman borrowed from Dr. Richard Smith, who dying at Doway, 1563, left him by his will in some trust: whereby his written books of controversy came into Dorman's hands. Stapleton, Rastal, and Sander, write against Bi And that I may here mention together the rest of Bishop Jewel's antagonists besides Dorman and Harding before mentioned, Stapleton wrote a great volume upon the shop Jewel. Bishop's marginal notes, by violent plucking of the which from the continuance of the process whereupon they do depend, and whereby they be made plain, he both blindeth the reader, and depraveth and corrupteth the notes, contrary to the true sense and meaning of them. Mr. Rastal, by snatching at certain parcels of the Bishop's book, patched up two new books. Dr. Sander, by discoursing upon some fragments of the Bishop's book, and upon fourteen or fifteen leaves of Alex. Nowel's first book, published a huge volume. "Weak and trifling reasons," saith Nowel," but earnest "and bitter reproaches." Nowel's Ep. to his The said Bishop hath many adversaries. And why. All these writers and more did the Bishop of Sarum raise up against himself. And that because, as the same learned man gives us the reason, he did not tie them straitly to the trial of Scripture, the certain and only judge in controversies of religion, and wherein indeed they could say nothing at all; but gave them a most large scope of all Doctors of the Church, who had written for the space of XXV. six hundred years after Christ being here on earth, and of CHAP. all Councils kept in the same continuance of time. Out of the which Doctors and Councils, (for that the said Bishop Anno 1564. had avouched, that the best learned of all the adversaries, or all the adversaries together, were able to bring nothing to any purpose from them,) he set all the adversaries, learned and unlearned, a work by common conference, to devise to say something for themselves, and against him. CHAP. XXVI. The state of the Church in the north parts. And particularly of Rachdale, Whalley, and Blackburn, in Lancashire, belonging to the Archbishop. At Rachdale he founds a freeschool. The state of the Church of Canterbury. The certificate thereof sent to the Archbishop. The Bishops of London and Peterborough go out Doctors. of York. ABOUT this time, or perhaps the year before, the Arch-The state of bishop of York seemed to have visited his province, as our the province Archbishop had his. The noise out of the north parts, Pilkinton, Bishop of Durham, sent to the Archbishop of Canterbury; making complaint how sadly things there in those quarters were out of sorts. As that the Bishop of Chester's diocese was not visited by the Archbishop of York, who had compounded with the Bishop for it. Nor did that Bishop visit himself, but only gathered the visitation or procuration money by his servants; pretending for his neglect, that he would not put the country to charge. That the Bishop of Man was jolly, and lived at ease out of his diocese. That as for the north parts of Lancashire, the Priests were very negligent in the service, and often said none at all: and that the Archbishop of Canterbury's own The Archtowns and parishes there, namely, Whalley and Blackburn, towns in were very sorrily supplied; the Vicar of one had resigned Lancashire. for a pension, and in the other a Popish schoolmaster had settled. Rachdale indeed was somewhat better provided bishop's |