I.

BOOK pto sigillum meum apposui. His testibus, dominis Gilbert. de Culwen, Johan. de Haverington, Richardo de Cleter, Militibus; Roberto de Rampton, Johne. de Eglesfield, Roberto de Harrays, Waltero de Plumland, Thoma de Lowther, et aliis.

Chap. ii. MS. de custod.

an.

The Fellows of Pembroke hall to Grindal, Bishop of Lon-don; upon their election of Whitgift to be their Master; and the departure of Dr. Hutton from them.

DICI vix potest (amplissime Præsul) quantus luctus, quantum etiam gaudium, lectis literis tuis, animos nostros Pembrochi- repente invaserunt. Et luctum equidem non mediocrem attulit, amantissimi in nos præfecti decessus. Quem enim propter egregiam doctrinam, summum in nos studium, vitæque sanctimoniam, charum et intimum semper habuerimus, eum ita nunc arctis ulnis amplectimur, ut nutricis instar, non sine summo morore et lachrymis, dimittamus. Atque certè, ni gravissima authoritas tua (quæ apud nos jure et debet et possit omnia) intercessisset, lautius et melius nobis consultum putaremus, priusquam e complexu abstrahi patiamur, ejus os et vultum appellare. Sed vide, quæso, quanta sit apud nos authoritas tua, quanta vicissim animorum nostrorum retributio, ut ex quo nos a Papisticâ face primus repurgaras, in clientelam tuam receperas, patrocinium tuum et defensionem experti sumus, in te uno consilium nostrum et spem omnem reposuerimus. Ægerrimè patimur eum a nobis divelli, cui enixè et libenter semper adhæsimus. Sed cum ita sors ferat, cedemus fato nostro, cedemus numini optimè providenti, cedemus Deo, qui omnia cooperatur in bonum iis, qui diligunt illum.

Et nisi ferè uno spiritu, muliebri more, lachrymas fundere et lætitia gestire videremur, in tanto luctu meritò lætari possimus, quod eum nobis custodem eligendum proponis, in quem nos precibus ad amplitudinem tuam frequenter

iremus, eum a nobis te impetraturum speres, quem nos li- BOOK benter optamus: optas, quem vix sperare potuerimus.

Vehementer ergo nobis, nostrisque studiis gratulamur, Deoque præpotenti imprimis gratias agimus, quod non ita Ridleios stirpitus è nobis eradicaverit, ut unicam fibram Grindallum (quem honoris causa nominamus) unà etiam tollat. Hinc enim Huttonus nobis ortus, qui vires nostras non mediocriter auxit. Hinc tandem Whitgiftus, quemi unum in optatis et habemus, et volumus maximè.

Age ergo (honorande Patrone) quod impetrare vis, illud, tabellis subscriptis, summo animorum nostrorum ardore impetrasti. Quod petis a nobis, in illud incumbas, et nos vicissim à dominatione tua petimus, quod tanto studio inchoasti, bonis avibus perficias. Vale. Pridie calend. Maii, anno 1567.

Number III.

The foundation of one Bible Clerk in Peter house, by Dr. Whitgift, and Mrs. Margaret Fulnetby, of Teversham, widow.

Dom. Pe

OMNIBUS Christi fidelibus, ad quos hoc præsens scri- Chap. ii. ptum pervenerit, Johannes Whitgifte, Theolog. Baccalau-E Registro reus in Academia Cantabrigiensi; et Margareta Fulnetby trens. Cande Teversham in comitat. Cantabrigiensi, vidua, et relicta Bartholomæi Fulnetby defuncti, salutem in Domino sempi

ternam.

Sciatis nos præfatos, Johannem et Margaretam, pro singulari affectu et amore quem habemus erga bonas literas, et cultum Dei, dedisse, et hoc præsenti scripto nostro confirmasse, pro nobis et hæredibus nostris, et utriusque nostrum, dilectis nobis in Christo, magistro sive custodi domus Sancti Petri in Academia prædicta, et sociis sive 5 scholaribus ejusdem domus, quandam annuitatem, sive annualem redditum quatuor marcarum bonæ et legalis monetæ Angliæ, exeuntem de manerio de Crulles, aliàs Curtles, in comitat. Essex. habend. percipiend. et gaudend. prædict. annuitatem, sive annualem redditum quatuor mar

tabr.

BOOK

I.

carum præfatis magistro et sociis sive scholaribus in perpetuum; annuatim solvend. ad festum Sancti Michaelis Archangeli, infra domum sive collegium Sancti Petri prædict. Primâ solutione inde incipiente ad festum Sancti Michaelis Archangeli, quod erit anno Dom. 1572. Ea intentione scilicet, quod prædictus magister sive custos, et socii sive scholares domus prædictæ, ac eorum successores, exinde à festo Sancti Michaelis Archangeli, anno prædicto invenient, manutenebunt et sustentabunt, annuitate, sive annuali redditu prædict. unum scholarem, sive bibliotistam in domo Sancti Petri prædict. in perpetuum. In cujus rei testimonium huic præsenti scripto nostro sigilla nostra separatim apposuimus. Dat. 4to die Octobr. anno regni Elizabethæ 7mo.

Number IV.

Dr. Whitgift to Secretary Cecil; in vindication of himself from false reports, as not sufficiently qualified for the mastership of Trinity college.

Chap. ii. SO oft as I do remember your singular goodness towards Paper Ofme, Right Honorable, and earnest desire to do me good, I fice, Bundl. Ecclesiast. cannot but marvaillously lawd and praise my merciful God, and give most humble and harty thanks unto your Honour. For what, or who am I, that you should be so careful for me? Notwithstanding, Right Honourable, I do not so much rejoyce at your Honour his good will, as I in my self lament that the same should in any respect by misreports be diminished. It is not unknown unto me, what is of me reported unto your Honour, while you intend, on your mere and singular goodness, to place me in Trinity college. The which how true they be God shal judge at that day, when al secrets shal be reveled. In the mean time, what harme they may do me, and what grief they have fixed in

my hart, God knows, and I know.

For God's sake, Right Honourable, let it be judged what I am by my doings, and not by the report of those, whɔ

I.

do not to me, as they would themselves be done unto. BOOK As touching my not-conformitie, (which is one thing layd against me) I dare be judged by my Lord of Canterbury his Grace, your Honour, or my Lord of London, or Master Dean of York; who knoweth more of my mind in this matter, than any man doth beside. I never encouraged any to withstand the Queen's Majesties laws in that behalf but I both have, and do by al means I may, seek to persuade men to conform themselves. For it grieveth me, that any man should cease from preaching, for the use of these things, being of themselves indifferent.

As for my age and discretion, I must commit that to your Honour his judgment. God forbid, I should ambitiously seek that that I am not meet for. If it shal please God, by your Honour his means, to cal me unto that function, I trust, he wil also give me the spirit of wisdom and discretion, to satisfy the same.

That preferment that I have, whatsoever it is, I have it by your Honour his means. And therefore I owe my self wholly unto you. But it is not so much as it is reported. The mastership of Pembroke hal is but 47. the year, and 18d. in the week for commons. My benefice is one of the least in al the dioces. My lecture is the whole stay of my lyving. My debts are more than I shal ever, being in the state I am, be able to discharge. And extreme necessity, not any prodigalitie, hath brought me into them. I beseech your Honour, pardon me for being so bold to trouble you. God hath moved you to love me. God hath hitherto by you provided for me: what it shall please God 6 to put in your mind to do for me, I beseech you, let no reports from doing the same dissuade you. I trust hitherto I have not so behaved my self, that your Honour doth repent you of any thing done for me. And I trust the day shal never come, wherein your Honour shal have cause to say, I would I had not done this for him.

I beseech God preserve your Honour, and prosper you, and so move you for me, as shal be most to his honour,

BOOK and to the profit of his Church. From Cambridge, the 17th

I.

of June, 1567.

Your Honour's most humbly for ever,

Jhon Whytgyfte.

Chap. iii.

lian. penes

me.

Number V.

The Vice-Chancellor, and other Masters of the houses in Cambridge, to the High Chancellor of the said University, Sir William Cecil: to obtain the Queen's dispensation with the King's Readers in the vacant quarter.

AS it hath bene wel provided for (Right Honorable) by MSS. Ceci- the grave and wise of our University, that not onlie there should be continual lectures, and dayly frequenting of the same, as wel for the increase of studie and learning, as also for the honour and dignitie of the said Universitie: but also there should be intermission and a time of breathing: that mens wittes, being by such recreation refreshed, might the more earnestlie and gredily desiere the former studies: so it hath been observed with us, as a necessarie helpe to learning from tyme to tyme. And bicause it hath bene of late provided and excepted by particular statutes, that the King's Readers should, notwithstanding the former order, kepe their ordinary days of readinge in the vacant quarter betwixt Midsomer and Michaelmas: may it therefore please your Honour (considering as wel the auditors absence that quarter, as also the contagiousness of the same tyme, and daungerousnes both for the readers, and also for the hearers: so that there cannot be meeting for the most part, without great perill of sickness, and other inconveniences) to sollicite the Quene's Majestie herein. That it wolde please her Highness to send her letters of dispensation to the Master and Fellows of Trinity college; that the said Readers may be, by her Highnes authoritie discharged from the said Master and Fellowes, and their statute of their reading in the forenamed quar