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Talk between Dr.

Thurlby and the Archbishop about the appeal.

received it of him. And then began he to persuade earnestly with the Archbishop to consider his state, and to weigh it well, while there was time to do him good, promising to become a suitor to the King and Queen for him; and so protested his great love and friendship that had been between them, heartily weeping, so that for a time he could Thurlby not go on with his tale. After, going forward, he earnestly weeping for affirmed, that if it had not been the King and Queen's commandment, whom he could not deny, else no worldly commodity should have made him to have done it; concluding that to be one of the sorrowfulest things that ever happened unto him. The Archbishop gently, seeming to comfort him, said, he was very well content withal: and so proceeded they to his degradation k.

the Arch

bishop.

When they came to take off his pall, (which is a solemn vesture of an archbishop,) then said he, Which of you hath a pall, to take off my pall? which imported as much as they, being his inferiors, could not degrade him. Whereunto one of them said, in that they were but bishops, they were his inferiors, and not competent judges; but being the Pope's Delegates they might take his pall; and so they did: and so proceeding took every thing in order from him, as it was put on. Then a barber clipped his hair round about, and the Bishop scraped the tops of his fingers, where he had been anointed; wherein Bishop Boner behaved himself as roughly and unmannerly as the other Bishop was to him soft and gentle. Whiles they were thus doing, All this, quoth the Archbishop, needed not; I had myself done with this gear long ago. Last of all they stripped him out of his gown into his jacket, and put upon him a poor yeoman bedel's gown, full bare and nearly worn, and as evil-favouredly made as one might lightly see; and a townsman's cap on his head; and so delivered him to the secular power.

After this pageant of degradation, and all was finished, then spake Lord Boner, saying to him, Now are you no lord any more and so, whensoever he spake to the people

* [See ed. 1563. p. 1493.]

of him, (as he was continually barking against him,) ever Lord Boner he used this term, "This gentleman here," &c.

unlordeth the Arch

It is happy

manners

man.

And thus, with great compassion and pity of every man, bishop. in this evil-favoured gown was he carried to prison. this Bishop Whom there followed a gentleman of Gloucestershire, with had so much the Archbishop's own gown, who standing by, and being yet to call thought to be toward one of the bishops, had it delivered him gentleunto him; who by the way talking with him, said, the Bishop of Ely protested his friendship with tears. Yet, said he, he might have used a great deal more friendship towards me, and never have been the worse thought on; for I have well deserved it. And going into the prison up with him, asked him if he would drink. Who answered him, saying, if he had a piece of salt fish, that he had better will to eat; for he had been that day somewhat troubled with this matter, and had eaten little; but now that it is past, my heart, said he, is well quieted. Whereupon the Courtesy gentleman said, he would give him money with all his the Archheart; for he was able to do it. But he being one toward bishop by a gentleman. the law, and fearing Master Farmer's case, durst therefore This Fargive him nothing, but gave money to the bailiffs that stood mer had by, and said, that if they were good men, they would be- lands for stow it on him, for my lord of Canterbury had not one receiving a priest in penny in his purse to help him, and so left him; my lord the Tower bidding him earnestly farewell, commending himself to his Henry's prayers and all his friends. That night this gentleman was stayed by Boner and Ely, for giving him this money; and tleman in but for the help of friends, he had been sent up to the danger for relieving Council. Such was the cruelty and iniquity of the time, the Archthat men could not do good without punishment'. bishop.

[For the recantations which Cranmer is said to have made between his degradation and his death, see Appendix. Respecting the credit which is due to them, see Whiston, Inquiry into the Evidence of Abp. Cranmer's Recantation, 1736; Lingard, Hist. of England, 8vo. vol. viii. p. 273; Todd, Life of Cranmer, vol. ii; Soames, Hist. of Ref. vol. iv. The last-mentioned writer in particular has examined the subject with great diligence; yet the remark of Dr. Wordsworth has not ceased to be applicable: "Notwithstanding all the researches of the historians, "this part of Cranmer's story is still involved in great obscurity and "uncertainty." Eccles. Biogr. vol. iii. p. 591. note.]

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showed to

lost all his

in King

time.

The gen

[The Prayer, Exhortation, and Confession of Dr. Cranmer before his death m.]

Foxe, Acts,

&c. vol. iii. p. 667.

Dr. Cranmer

brought to Dr. Cole's

sermon.

[On Saturday the 21st of March, 1556,] about nine of the clock, the Lord Williams, Sir Thomas Bridges, Sir John Browne, and the other justices, with certain other noblemen, that were sent of the Queen's Council, came to Oxford with a great train of waiting men. Also of the other multitude on every side (as is wont in such a matter) was made a great concourse, and greater expectation. For, first of all, they that were of the Pope's side were in great hope that day to hear something of Cranmer that should stablish the vanity of their opinion: the other part, which were endued with a better mind, could not yet doubt, that he, which by continual study and labour for so many years, had set forth the doctrine of the Gospel, either would or could now in the last act of his life forsake his part. Briefly, as every man's will inclined, either to this part or to that, so, according to the diversity of their desires, every man wished and hoped for. And yet, because in an uncertain thing the certainty could be known of none what would be the end, all their minds were hanging between hope and doubt. So that the greater the expectation was in so doubtful a matter, the more was the multitude that was gathered thither to hear and behold.

In this so great frequency and expectation Cranmer at the length cometh from Bocardo prison unto Saint Mary's Church, (because it was a foul and rainy day,) the chief

m

[This concluding scene of Cranmer's life is taken from Foxe, whose report is the most full. The other authorities which might have been followed, are two manuscripts in the British Museum, (Titus A. xxiv. fol. 87. and Harl. MSS. 422. fol. 50.) But both of them seem to have been used by Foxe, and the latter, which is the most valuable, and which has been printed by Strype, belonged to him. See Strype, Cranm. p. 384.]

Church in the University, in this order. The Mayor went before; next him the Aldermen in their place and degree; after them was Cranmer brought between two friars, which, mumbling to and fro certain Psalms in the streets, answered one another until they came to the Church door, and there they began the song of Simeon, Nunc dimittis; and entering into the Church, the Psalm-saying friars brought him to his standing, and there left him. There was a stage set Cranmer over against the pulpit, of a mean height from the ground, where Cranmer had his standing, waiting until Cole made him ready to his sermon.

The lamentable case and sight of that man gave a sorrowful spectacle to all Christian eyes that beheld him. He that late was Archbishop, Metropolitan, and Primate of England, and the King's Privy Chancellor, being now in a bare and ragged gown, and ill-favouredly clothed, with an old square cap, exposed to the contempt of all men, did admonish men, not only of his own calamity, but also of their state and fortune. For who would not pity his case and bewail his fortune, and might not fear his own chance, to see such a prelate, so grave a counsellor, and of so long continued honour, after so many dignities, in his old years to be deprived of his estate, adjudged to die, and in so painful a death to end his life, and now presently from such fresh ornaments to descend to such vile and ragged apparel.

set up upon

a stage.

In this habit, when he had stood a good space upon the stage, turning to a pillar near adjoining thereunto, he lifted up his hands to heaven, and prayed unto God once or twice, till at the length Doctor Cole coming into the pulpit, and beginning his sermon, entered first into mention of Tobias and Zachary. Whom after he had praised, in the beginning of his sermon, for their perseverance in the true worshipping of God, he then divided his whole sermon Dr. Cole's into three parts, according to the solemn custom of the vided into schools; intending to speak, first, of the mercy of God; three parts. secondly, of his justice to be showed; and, last of all, how the prince's secrets are not to be opened. And proceeding a little from the beginning, he took occasion by and by to

sermou di

The sum

and effect of

Oxford.

turn his tale to Cranmer, and with many hot words reproved him, that, once he being endued with the savour and feeling of wholesome and catholic doctrine, fell into the contrary opinion of pernicious error; which he had not only defended by writings, and all his power, but also allured other men to do the like, with great liberality of gifts; as it were, appointing rewards for error; and after he had allured them, by all means did cherish them.

It were too long to repeat all things, that in long order were pronounced. The sum of his tripartite declamation Dr. Cole's was, that he said God's mercy was so tempered with his sermon at justice, that he did not altogether require punishment according to the merits of offenders, nor yet sometimes suffered the same altogether to go unpunished, yea, though they had repented. As in David, who when he was bidden choose of three kinds of punishments which he would, and he had chosen pestilence for three days, the Lord forgave him half the time, but did not release all: and that the same thing came to pass in him also, to whom, although pardon and reconciliation was due, according to the Canons, seeing he repented him of his errors, yet there were causes, why the Queen and the Council at this time judged him to death a of which, lest he should marvel too much, he should hear some.

First, that, being a traitor, he had dissolved the lawful matrimony between the King her father, and mother; besides the driving out the Pope's authority, while he was Metropolitan.

Secondly, that he had been an hereticb, from whom, as from an author and only fountain, all heretical doctrine and schismatical opinions, that so many years have prevailed in England, did first rise and spring; of which he had not been a secret favourer only, but also a most earnest defender, even to the end of his life, sowing them abroad by

If Cole gave this judgment upon Cranmer, when he had repented, what judgment is then to be given of Cole, which always perdured in error, and never yet repented?

b If all heretics in England should be burned, where should Dr. Cole have been ere now?

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