BOOK Archbishop in his endeavours for that purpose. This, with III. the clamour and rage of the dissenting Clergy and their Anno 1566. adherents, and the hard names they gave him, quite discouraged the good man. He liked not the work, especially being accompanied with so much severity; but it was out of obedience to the Queen, who was continually calling upon him, and ordering the Secretary to write to him, to quicken him. But finding his own inability to do her that service she required of him, he very often and earnestly sent to the Secretary, that the Queen's Council might stand by him with their authority. But he could not obtain his desire. Whereupon he made a stop in his proceedings, and 227 grew more languid in them. But withal he wondered at the great neglect that the Queen's counsellors shewed to her therein. His grounds that moved he did. These his dealings must not be interpreted, as though he him to what had any overfondness to the cap and surplice, and the wafer bread for the Communion, and such like injunctions. For it would have pleased him well enough, if some toleration had been given in these matters, as he often declared. But being the chief supervisor of the Church, he laboured to bring in an uniform method in the public service of God, as tending so much to unity and peace. And when the Queen's absolute command was, to have these things observed by Churchmen, it was his care of his Prince's honour that made him so sedulous that her will and pleasure should take place. And this was the conclusion of this effort against the Puritans at this time. His letter pose. To illustrate all this the more, I will here present the copy of a letter he wrote to the Secretary, wherein he resolved to surcease any further to pursue that matter, with the reasons of that resolution, dated April 28. 66 "Sir, The Queen's Majesty willed my Lord of York to to that pur-declare hir pleasure determinately, to have the order to go forwarde. I trust hir Highness hath devised how it maye be performed. I utterly despaire therin as of my "self: and therefore must set still, as I have nowe done, "alweys wayting eyther hir toleration, or ellis furder ayde. CHAP. "Mr. Secretary, can it be thought that I alone, having sun 66 XII. " and moon agaynst me, can compass this difficultye? Yf Anno 1566. youe, of hir Majesties Counsale, provide no otherwise for "this matter, than as it appearith openly, what the sequel "wil be, horresco vel reminiscendo cogitare. In King "Edward's dayes the holl bodye of the Counsayle traveled "in Hoopers attempt. My predecessor Dr. Cranmer, la"bourying in vayne with B. Ferror, the Counsayle took it "in honde. And shal I hope to do that the Queen's Ma"jesty wil have done? What I here and see, what com"playntes, be brought on to me, I shal not report. How "I am used of many mennys honds. I commyt all to "God. If I dye in the cause (malice so far prevayling) I "shal commyt my soul to God in a good conscyence. Yf "the Quenes Majesty be no more considered, I shal not "mervel what be said or done to me. Yf you heare and "see so manifestly as maye be sene, and will not consult in "tyme to prevent so many myseries, &c. I have and do by this presence discharge my allegiance, dutye, and conscyence to youe, in such place in such place as ye be. I can promyse "to do nothing, but hold me in silence within myne own "conscyence, and make my complaynts to God, ut exurgat "Deus, et judicet causam istam: ille, ille, qui comprehen"dit sapientes in astutia ipsorum. Thus God be with your Honor. Almyghti God preserve the Quenes Majestie: this XXVIII of April, 1566. 66 66 "Your Honours in Christ, "Matth. Cant." upon the above letter. From which letter permit me to make two or three re- Remarks marks. One is, the great inconveniences, dangers, and confusions, that the Archbishop apprehended would ensue from this licentiousness and disobedience. And that he gathered from what he had already seen; such as fighting in the church; sacrilegious taking away the elements prepared for the holy Communion, even when the piously disposed were ready to receive; and that for no other reason but III. BOOK because the bread was wafer, and not common bread; taking Clerks that were celebrating the holy offices, and turning Anno 1566. them by violence out of the church, only because they wore surplices; making a sinner do penance publicly in a square cap; and such like things. Which exorbitant practices could portend nothing but evil to follow. Again, we may 228 observe, that it was not without precedent what his Grace required of the Council, namely, upon great occasions to aid and countenance with their authority the Bishops, in the execution of some weighty ecclesiastical affairs, as the Council had done to Archbishop Cranmer and Bishop Hooper. We observe moreover, that the Archbishop, by what he had already done, had raised so much malice against himself, that he seemed to be in some hazard of his life. And lastly, how strong the party of the disaffected were even thus early in the English Church. Becon's new. postil for the use of Curates. While these matters were thus carrying on, Thomas Becon, a famed preacher and writer, living at Canterbury, where he had a prebend, was employed in a very useful work at this season, namely, in providing the Church with a postil, containing honest plain sermons for all the Sundays in the year, upon the Gospels, beginning with the first Sunday in Advent, to be read by the Curate to his congregation. They seem to be only a translation either out of Latin or Dutch. To which the said Becon added a large Preface, To his Fellow-Labourers in the Lord's Harvest, the Ministers and Preachers of God's most holy Word. Wherein he earnestly exhorted them to the discharge of their weighty duty: written from Canterbury, July 16, 1566. To which postil are two prayers added, either of them to be said before sermon, a longer and a shorter, according to the Minister's discretion: and another prayer or thanksgiving to be said after sermon. These prayers and these sermons were framed for Ministers of less ability to invent and compose prayers and sermons themselves; that the people might be instructed in sound and wholesome doctrine, whatsoever the abilities of the Ministers were under whom they happened to live. And this accorded with XII. the Queen's Injunctions. The title the book bore was, A CHAP. new Postil, containing most godly and learned Sermons, to be read in the Church throughout the Year. Lately set Anno 1566. forth unto the great profit, not only of all Curates and Spiritual Ministers, but also of all godly and faithful Readers. Perused and allowed according to the Queen's Majesty's Injunctions. CHAP. XIII. The Judgments of Bishop Cox, in a letter to the Archbishop; and of Bishop Grindal, concerning these controversies. The Bishops' arguments with the Dissenters. Their practices. A letter to the Bishops from the Church of Scotland. The deprived Ministers remitted their firstfruits. A Dominican pretends himself a Puritan. Examined by the Archbishop. disliked the disobe THE Bishops, (for the Archbishop's mind we have seen The Bishops already,) how little stress soever they laid upon these obser- Dissenters' vances, and how willing soever they were to have them re- dience. moved by authority; yet were not at all pleased to see the And why. oppositions and the refractoriness of many against them, when they were once by law enacted, and by the Queen's determinate will and pleasure enjoined. Cox, Bishop of Ely, wrote thus in May to the Archbishop. 66 Bishop Cox to the MSS. C. C. "Salutem in Christo. I thank your Grace for your sundry letters. Your Grace's last I received by Jug, one Archbishop. "of the Queen's Majesty's printers. Wherein I perceive 66 your travail and zeal, and some griefs that things proceed "not rightly; which is too too much to be lamented, for "such respects as your Grace with others consider rightly. "Quod Dominus dixit Josue, hoc tibi dictum puta; Con-229 "fortare et esto robustus. Noli metuere, et noli timere, 66 quum tecum est Dominus Deus tuus, &c. Time and "truth shall put folly to flight. Interim modis omnibus III. BOOK "enitendum, ne nostra Heroina frangatur animo, aut offendatur ad verrucas paucorum, ac interea ad multoAnno 1566." rum tubera conniveat. Malesanus est nostrorum zelus, Bullinger's judgment printed by Bishop Grindal. "at Papistarum deliria quavis peste nocentiora. "Et Dom. Jesus pietatem tuam nobis diutissime servet in"columem. From Somersham 3 Maii 1566. "Your Grace's assured, By which letter it appears, that the great fears among the wise and good men were, that the Queen, taking offence at these differences among her Protestant subjects, should incline the more to her Popish subjects. And upon that account Bishop Cox reckoned the Puritans the more to be blamed, as endangering even the Gospel itself by their stubborn incompliances. For that this reverend Father seems to mean by those expressions: "In the mean time we must take "care, and endeavour by all means, lest our royal Mistress "be discouraged, or offended with the little warts of a few, "and wink at the greater sores of many. Ours are guilty “of a wild zeal, but the madness of Papists do more harm "than any plague." And Grindal, Bishop of London, a wise and learned man, but reputed to be not vigorous enough in these matters, was often upon the bench in the commission at Lambeth, in order to the reproof and restraint of these men. For he saw now these contentions about indifferent things did not edify, but divide the Churches, and sow discord among brethren. And therefore, as a means to allay them, caused to be printed in Latin and English the judgment of Bullinger, which he sent over hither to Grindal, Horn, and Parkhurst, concerning the habits and the lawfulness of wearing them; but drawn up for the satisfaction of Sampson and Humfrey. Which had so good an effect, that many who had resolved to leave their ministry, rather than put them on, took now other resolutions; and the common people came to soberer thoughts of these habits, by reading that learned foreigner's writing hereupon: who though he used |