VI. 1549. Edward rently used, throughout many places of the realm. This, when the king, by complaint of divers, perfectly understood, being not a little A. D. aggrieved to see the godly agreement of the learned, the willing consent of the parliament, and his grace's own zealous desire, to take so small effect among his subjects, he decreed presently, with the advice of his whole council, again to write unto all the bishops of his realm, for speedy and diligent redress therein; willing and commanding them thereby, that as well they themselves should, thenceforth, have a more special regard to the due execution of the premises, as also that all others, within their several precincts and jurisdictions, should, by their good instructions and willing example, be the more often and with better devotion, moved to use and frequent the same: as further appeareth by the contents of this letter here ensuing. The king's book neglected. Another Letter, directed by the King and his Council to Bonner Bishop of London, partly rebuking him of negligence, partly charging him to see to the better setting-out of the Service-Book within his Diocese. Right reverend father in God! right trusty and well-beloved! we greet you well and whereas, after great and serious debating and long conference of the bishops and other grave and well learned men in the holy Scriptures, one uniform order for Common Prayers and administration of the Sacraments, hath been, and is, most godly set forth, not only by the common agreement and full assent of the nobility and commons of the late session of our late parliament, but, also, by the like assent of the bishops in the same parliament, and of all other the learned men of this our realm, in their synods and convocations provincial like as it was much to our comfort, to understand the godly travail then diligently and willingly taken for the true opening of things mentioned in the said book, whereby the true service and honour of Almighty God, and the right ministration of the sacraments being well and sincerely set forth, according to the Scriptures and use of the primitive church, much idolatry, vain superstition, and great and slanderous abuses be taken away: so it is no small occasion of sorrow unto us, to understand, by the complaints of many, that our said book, so much travailed for, and also sincerely set forth (as is aforesaid), remaineth, in many places of this our realm, either not known at all, or not used; or at least, if it be used, very seldom, and that in such light and irreverent sort that the people, in many places, either have heard nothing, or, if they hear, they neither understand, nor have that spiritual delectation in the same, that to good Christians appertaineth. The fault whereof, like as we Bonner's must of reason impute to you and other of your vocation, called by God, through our appointment, to have due respect to this and such like matters; so, considering that, by these and such like occasions, our loving subjects remain yet still in their blindness and superstitious errors, and, in some places, in an irreligious forgetfulness of God, whereby his wrath may be provoked upon us and them; and remembering withal, that amongst other cures committed to our princely charge, we think this the greatest, to see the glory and true service of Him maintained and extolled, by whose clemency we acknowledge ourselves to have all that we have; we could not but by advice and consent of our dearest uncle, Edward duke of Somerset, governor of our person, and protector of our realm, dominions, and subjects, and the rest of our privy council, admonish you of the premises. Wherein, as it had been your office to have used an earnest diligence, and to have preferred the same in all places within your diocese, as the case required; so have we thought good to pray and require you, and nevertheless straightly to charge and command you, that from henceforth ye have an earnest and special regard to the reduce of these things, so as the curates may do their duties more often, and in more reverent sort, and the people be occasioned, by the good advices and examples of yourself, your chancellor, archdeacons, and other inferior ministers, to come with oftener and more devotion to their said Common Prayers, to give thanks to God, and to be negli gence noted. VI. A. D. 1549. partakers of the most holy communion. Wherein showing yourself diligent, Edward Given under our signet, at our manor of Richmond, the 23d day The bishop of London, amongst the rest of the bishops, receiving these letters, did (as always before) in outward show willingly accept the same; and, therefore, immediately with the said letters directed this his precept unto the dean and chapter of his cathedral church of Paul's, commanding them to look to the due accomplishing thereof accordingly. A Letter of Bonner to the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's. Edmund by the grace of God, &c.: to my well-beloved brethren the dean and chapter of the cathedral church of St. Paul in London, and to the other ministers there, and every of them, do send greeting. And whereas it is so, that of late I have received the said sovereign lord the king's majesty's letters, of such tenor as is hereunto annexed, and, according to my most bounden duty, am right well willing and desiring, that the said letters should be in all points duly executed and observed, according to the tenor and purport of the same, as appertaineth these therefore are to require, and also straitly to charge you, and every of you, on his majesty's behalf, &c., that you do admonish and command, or cause to be admonished or commanded, all and singular parsons, vicars and curates of your jurisdiction, to observe and accomplish the same from time to time accordingly: furthermore requiring and likewise charging you, and every of you, to make certificate herein to me, my chancellor, or others, my officers in this behalf, with such convenient celerity as appertaineth, both of your proceedings in the execution hereof, and also the persons and names of all such as, from henceforth, shall be found negligent in doing their duties in the premises, or any of them. Given at my house at Fulham, the 26th of July, a D. 1549, and in the of Bonner good pro Moreover, forasmuch as the king, at that instant, hearing the Slackness muttering of certain rebellion then stirring (whereof more shall be in fursaid, the Lord willing, hereafter), and also being credibly informed thering by divers, that, through the evil example, slackness of preaching and ceedings. administering the sacraments, and careless contempt of Bonner, bishop of London, not only many of the people within the city of London, and other places of his diocese, were very negligent and forgetful of their duties to God, in frequenting the divine service then established and set forth by the authority of parliament, but also, that divers others, utterly despising the same, did in secret Popish places of his diocese, often frequent the popish mass, and other mass priforeign rites not allowed by the laws of this realm, he thought it quented. (1) If you were so well willing then and desiring' as you say, where is this well willing and desiring mind now? If ye did it then against your conscience, how were ye then so well willing? If ye did it with your conscience, why then burnt ye men in queen Mary's time, for that which, in king Edward's time, ye did yourself? [See Edition 1563, p. 692.-ED.] vily fre VI. Edward therefore good (having thereby just cause to suspect his former dissembling doubleness) to appoint the lord protector and the rest of his A.D. privy council to call the said bishop before them, and according to their wise and discreet judgments, to deal with him for the same. 1549. Bonner called be council. Whereupon, the 11th day of August, A.D. 1549, they sent a fore the messenger for him, and, upon his appearance, made first declaration of such informations and complaints as had been heretofore made against him. And then, after sharp admonitions and reproofs for his evil demeanours in the premises, they delivered unto him from the king (for his better reformation and amendment) certain private injunctions, to be necessarily followed and observed of himself. And whereas, in the first branch of the said injunctions, he was personally assigned to preach at Paul's cross the Sunday three weeks then next ensuing (because both the dangerous and fickle estate of the time, and also partly his own suspicious behaviour so required), they further delivered unto him, in writing, such articles to treat upon in his sermon, as they thought then most meet and necessary for the time and causes aforesaid; *who,' for his not satisfying his duty therein, was denounced and arraigned before the king's commissioners, at length imprisoned, and also deprived: the process whereof, how he behaved himself before the judges, what his cause was, and his answers therein, with his repeals, recusations, appellations, and other circumstances, and blind shifts concerning the same, here also follow hereunto to be annexed: wherein whoso listeth to know Bonner, who never saw him before, here, by his doings, may easily understand the nature and disposition of the man. Such stoutness of heart and will, if it had been in a cause true and rightful, might, percase, be sufferable: but in what cause soever it be, being immoderate, beseemeth no man, much less one of that vocation. If his canse were good, why did he not take the wrong patiently, as the true canon law of the gospel did lead him? If it were (as it was indeed), naught and wrong, whereto served so bold, sturdy stoutness, but to show the impudency of the person, and to make the cause worse? But, belike, he was so disposed to declare, if need were, what he was able to do in the law, in shifting of the matter by subtle dilatories and frivolous cavilling about the law; and, if that would not help, yet with facing and brazing, and railing upon his denouncers, with furious words and irreverent behaviour towards the king's commissioners, he thought to countenance out the matter before the people, that something might seem yet to be in him, whatever were in the cause. But, as the common saying goeth, as good never a whit, as never the better," for all his crafty cautels and tergiversations alleged out of the law, yet neither his cause could be defended, nor his behaviour so excused, but that he was, therefore, both justly imprisoned and deprived; as by the process hereof may well appear to the reader.* All the aforesaid injunctions and articles, for the further manifestation thereof, I have here inserted as followeth : (1) See Edition 1563, pp. 692, 693.-ED. Certain private Injunctions, Admonitions, and Articles given to Edward VI. A. D. 1549. to exe contrary manner. Forasmuch as we are advertised that, amongst other disorders of our subjects at this present, there be divers of our city of London, and other places within your diocese, which, being very negligent and forgetful of their duty to Almighty God, of whom all good things are to be looked for, do assemble themselves very seldom, and fewer times than they were heretofore accustomed, unto Common Prayer, and to the Holy Communion, being now a time when it were more needful, with heart and mind, to pray to our heavenly Father for his aid and succour; whereof as we be right sorry, so we do understand that, through your evil example, and the slackness of your preaching and instructing of our said people to do their duties, this offence to God is most generally committed. For whereas heretofore, upon all principal feasts, and such as were called 'majus Bonner duplex,' you yourself were wont to execute in person, now, since the time that refraineth we, by the advice of our whole parliament, have set a most godly and devout cute all order in our church of England and Ireland, ye have very seldom or never principal executed upon such or other days; to the contempt of our proceedings and evil feasts, example of others. And, forasmuch as it is also brought to our knowledge, that to his divers as well in London, as in other places of your diocese, do frequent and wonted haunt foreign rites and masses, and such as be not allowed by the orders of our Noted of realm, and contemn and forbear to praise and laud God, and pray unto his slackness majesty, after such rites and ceremonies as, in this realm, are approved and set in his out by our authority; and further, that adultery and fornication are maintained duty, and and kept openly and commonly in the said city of London and other places of tempt of your diocese, whereby the wrath of God is provoked against our people; of the public which things you, being heretofore admonished, yet hitherto have made no redress, as to the pastoral office, authority, and cure of a bishop doth appertain : we, therefore, to whom the supreme cure and charge of this church doth appertain, to avoid from us the high indignation of Almighty God, by the advice of our most entirely beloved uncle the lord protector, and the rest of our privy council, have thought it no less than our most bounden duty, now at this present, and eftsoons peremptorily, to admonish, charge, and warn you, that you do most straightly look upon the premises, and see them so reformed that there may appear no negligence on your behalf; upon such pain as, by our laws ecclesiastical and temporal, we may inflict upon you, unto deprivation or otherwise, as shall seem to us, for quality of the offence, reasonable. And to the intent you should the better see to the reformation of the said abuses, we have thought good to give you these injunctions following: of con laws. admo Paul's First, ye shall preach at Paul's Cross in London, in proper person, the Sun- Bonner day after the date hereof three weeks, and in the same sermon declare and set nished to forth the articles hereunto annexed; and ye shall preach hereafter once every preach quarter of the year there, exhorting, in your sermon, the people to obedience, every prayer, and godly living; and ye shall be present at every sermon hereafter quarter at made at Paul's Cross, if sickness, or some other reasonable cause, do not let you. cross. Secondly, You yourself, in person, shall from henceforth every day which heretofore was accounted in this church of England a principal feast, or 'majus duplex,' and at all such times as the bishops of London, your predecessors, were wont to celebrate and sing high mass, now celebrate and execute the communion at the high altar in Paul's, for the better example of all others; except sickness do let. Thirdly, Ye shall yourself, according to your duty and the office of a bishop, call before you all such as do not come unto and frequent the common prayer and service in the church, or do not come unto God's board, and receive the communion at least once a year; or whosoever do frequent or go unto any other right or service than is appointed by our book, either of matins, evensong, or mass, in any church, chapel, or other private places within your diocese; and ye shall see all such offenders convented before you, and punished according unto the ecclesiastical laws, with severe and straight punishment therefore. Likewise ye shall see one only order used in your diocese, according to our said book, and none other. Fourthly, Ye shall, both by yourself and all your officers under you, search out and convent before you more diligently than heretofore ye have done (as Edward appertaineth to your office) all adulterers, and see the same punished according to the ecclesiastical laws, and to the authority given you in that behalf. VI. A. D. 1549. Bonner com mauded to keep his own house. The rebels in vonshire. Fifthly, We have heard also complaints, that the church of Paul's and other churches of London, are of late more neglected, as well in reparation of the glass, as other buildings and ornaments of the same, than they were heretofore wont; and that divers and many persons in the city, of malice deny the payment of their due tithe to their curates, whereby the curates are both injured, and made not so well able, and in manner discouraged, to do their duties: the which thing also, our will and commandment is, ye shall diligently look unto, and see redressed as appertaineth. Sixthly, And forasmuch as all these complaints be made, as most done and committed in London, to the intent you may look more earnestly, better, and more diligently, to the reformation of them, our pleasure is, that you shall abide and keep residence in your house there, as in the city, see, and principal place, of your diocese, and none otherwhere, for a certain time, until you shall be otherwise licensed by us. And thus, having brought bishop Bonner home to his own house, Cornwall there to leave him awhile, to take his ease in his own lodging till we and De- return to him again, we will, in the mean time, make a little intercourse into Cornwall and Devonshire, to discourse some part of the disordered and disloyal doings of those men against their so meek and excellent a prince, having no cause ministered thereunto; yea, having cause rather to yield praise and thanks to the Lord for such a quiet and peaceable prince in his mercy given unto them. But such is the condition of unquiet natures, that they cannot skill of peace and where due discretion lacketh, there lewd disposed persons cannot tell when they be well. Again, some be so crooked and so perversely given, that the more courteously they be treated, the worse they are; and when, by honest diligence, they list not to get their living, by public disturbance of commonwealths, they think to thrive. And so seemed it to fare with this seditious people of Cornwall and Devonshire, who, having so good and virtuous a king, that, if they should have sought him as Diogenes, they say, did seek for a man with a candle, a meeker and better sovereign they could not have found, a crueller they well deserved; yet were they not with him contented, but, contrary to all order, reason, nature, and loyalty, advanced themselves in a rebellious conspiracy against him, and against his Popish proceedings, through the pernicious instigation, first (as it seemeth) of first stir- certain popish priests, who, grudging and disdaining against the injunctions and godly order of reformation set forward by the king, and especially mourning to see their old popish church of Rome to All wick- decay, ceased not, by all sinister and subtle means, first, under God's beginneth name and the king's, and under colour of religion, to persuade the people; then, to gather sides, to assemble in companies, and to gather captains; and at last to burst out in rank rebellion. priests rers of this rebellion. edness under fair pretences. of the re bels. Neither lacked there among the lay sort some as seditiously disposed as they, to mischief and madness, as well gentlemen as others. Captains Of whom the chief gentlemen captains were, Humfrey Arundel, esquire, governor of the Mount, James Rosogan, John Rosogan, John Pain, Thomas Underhil, John Soleman, William Segar. Of priests who were principal stirrers, and some of them governors of the rebels and camps, and afterwards executed, there were to the number of eight, traitors whose names were Robert Bochim, John Tompson, Roger Barret, the king. John Wolcock, William Asa, James Mourton, John Barrow, Richard Priests against |