Life of Matthew Parker (Strype, 1821)/Book I/Chapter III

This is the enhanced reading edition of Chapter III, prepared according to the AnglicanWiki Editorial Guidelines for Historical Texts. It adds descriptive section headings, English translations of Latin passages (with the original preserved), verified internal links, and editorial notes clearly distinguished from Strype's text. Strype's wording, historical spelling, and substance are preserved.

Dean Parker a great preacher. A peculiar grace granted him by the University. Bishop Latimer's letter to him. Made the King's Chaplain. Accused for his sermons in divers articles preferred to the Lord Chancellor against him. His answers thereto. A Popish Friar undermines his doctrine. Lord Crumwel sends to him, to preach at Paul's Cross.

A Grace to Preach Covered

ACCORDING to the tenor of the new statutes, the Dean gave a good example to his college, and preached often and excellently well, upon all opportunities, both here at Stoke,

Latymer Urges Parker Forward

and at his other residence at Cambridge, and the parts adjoining to either. And it may be mentioned here as the University's great respect to him, and value for his preaching, that a grace passed this year for granting the Dean, that, by reason of a pain in his head, he might preach to the people cooperto capite, i. e. with his head covered, notwithstanding the statute; as a learned Fellow of St. John's college in Cambridge hath observed to me out of the University register, together with one or two graces more of the like nature. But though the reverend man was not wanting to put forth his talent of preaching God's word in and about Cambridge, yet he cared not to be known further; affecting thus to lie hid, and to shew his light no further than within these bounds. Whereupon good Latymer, Bishop of Worcester, knowing him and his merits very well, excited him by a letter to shew himself to the world. Parker's acquaintance with Latymer commenced, I suppose, in the University and so it continued afterwards. And Latymer's conversation and events were so well known to him, that long after Dr. William Turner, in a letter to Fox, advised him, that if he wanted further notices concerning Latymer, he might but repair to the Archbishop of Canterbury, (that then was our Parker,) to whom he joined Dr. Lancelot Ridley, and they would sufficiently instruct him. But Latymer's letter to Parker at this time was to this tenor:

Bishop Latymer's Letter

"Mine own good Master Parker, salutem; and as I have devised nothing, nor yet will, till I have spoke with the King's Grace, or have passed through the next Parliament: and thus what I shall alter or change, &c." Which words of his relate, I suppose, to the amending some of the superstitious statutes of the University, which Parker might have put him upon: a matter which the Bishop thought not safe to meddle at all in, till he had spoken with the King to know his mind, and had seen how the next Parliament stood affected. And then he adds in the conclusion of his letter, "And do as Master Latymer shall move you to do. Ostende te mundo. Delitescere diutius nolito. Operare bonum, dum tempus habes. Veniet nox, quum nemo poterit operari. Notum est quid potes, fac, non minus velis quam potes. Vale. ("Shew thyself to the world. Do not lurk any longer. Work good, while thou hast time. The night cometh, when no man can work. It is known what thou canst do; do it, and be no less willing than thou art able. Farewell.") Tuus of Worcester, H. Latymer. And much longer he could not lie hid. For when he had lost his beloved lady and mistress, Queen Anne, the King soon after, viz. March 1, 1537, knowing the worth of the man, called him to the Court, took him into his own service, and made him one of his Chaplains.

Accused for a Sermon at Clare

About the time of the rebellion that fell out this year, our Dean happened to preach on Easter holyday at Clare, near Stoke, a very populous town, and replenished at that time with soldiers for the King; where he took occasion to preach against the superstitions used on the Resurrection-day, and many other superstitions, and against the abusive worship of relics: and withal excited the people to a willing payment of their taxes, to defray the King's charges of war. But soon after, his Popish enemies, namely, Mr. George Colt, and some other inhabitants of the town of Clare, picked out what invidious matter they could from this and other innocent sermons, preached by Parker, and drew all up into articles against him: which they delivered to the Lord Audley, Lord Chancellor. These articles, with the answer under Parker's own hand, were as follow: I. The manner as they used the Resurrection, with the ceremonies appertaining, was but a pageant, or an interlude. Then follows the answer made by Parker: Upon Easter Monday, I had this text of St. Poule to my theam: Si consurrexistis cum Christo, quæ sursum sunt sapite, &c. ("If ye be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above.") At what time I moved them to consider, spiritually, what was meant by their procession on Easter morning, when they followed the quere about church with Christus resurgens ("Christ rising"). I said, that it was an open protestation of their faith, to believe that Christ died for their sins, and rose again for their justification. And that the ceremony of such following in their procession, was to declare and testifie openly to the world, that they would henceforth follow Christ in their conversation; that as Christ once died, and died no more, so would they cease and die to sin, no more to live therein and as he rose from death to life, that so would they rise to a new life. And without this meditation and purpose, their processions, with the solemnities thereof, was to them but a vain pageant, whereof they had no profit.

II. That cross that Christ died on, was no holier than the crosses which the thieves died on.

Resp. Upon Relic Sunday, I declared unto them what were the true reliques which we should worship, and moved them not to put their trust and affiance in the holiness and vertue of mens bonys and cotys, [i. e. bones and coats,] whereof we have no certainty, whether they were the reliques of saints or no. And I said, that be it in case they were so, as we have been made believe; as if we had indeed some pieces of Christ's cross; yet to forget the mystery of Christ's cross, and fall to the worshipping of the tree of his cross, was a superstitious worship, and reproved of Ambrose. Which saith thus: Invenit Helena titulum, regem adoravit, non lignum utique. Nam hic Gentilis est error et vanitas impiorum, si [non] adorent illum, qui pependit in ligno, scriptusque in titulo. ("Helen found the title, she adored the King, not the wood. For this is the error of the Gentiles and the vanity of the wicked, if they adore not him who hung on the tree, but what is written in the title.") Alii, qui sanctiores se ostendere volunt, partem fimbriæ aut capillorum alligant et suspendunt. O! impietas, majorem sanctitatem in suis vestimentis ostendere volentes quam in carne Christi, ut qui corpus ejus manducans sanatus non fuerit, fimbriæ ejus sanctitatem salvent, ut desperans de misericordia Dei, confidat in vestimentis, &c. ("Others, who wish to shew themselves more holy, tie and hang up part of a fringe or of hairs. O impiety! wishing to shew greater holiness in their garments than in the flesh of Christ, so that he who eating his body was not healed, may be saved by the holiness of his fringe; that despairing of the mercy of God, he may trust in garments.") III. The King, with the money that he gathered of his Commons, bought peace with other realms. Resp. In the insurrection time, I considered the resort of soldiers, and of divers others, to the town of Clare, being one of the most people in that quarter of Suffolk. And thereupon I thought it then most expedient to go thither to courage their hearts with God's word, to serve their Prince, notwithstanding such traitors as were then risen.

And in

my sermon I inveighed against sedition, and declared the authority of a Prince, and what commodities every realm

The Lord Chancellor Satisfied

enjoyed by such authority, instituted by God. And among others, I entreated of peace, what a benefit it was, by the means whereof we had the quiet fruits of our life, goods, and lands: and thereby moved them with good and ready wills to pay their taxes, which was to be levied to some supportation of such charges as our peace was bought with: and 12 said thus: " Think you that our Prince can maintain and " defend us in so long continual peace against foreign realms, " without charges and expenses ? And what is this little " which is required of you, compared to the rest of your goods, which ye do peaceably enjoy, or compared to the " charges that your Prince is at for your protection and de" fence, &c. ?” What success this answer of Parker found to the discharging him of this accusation, we may gather from these words following, written by the same hand that the foregotherewith. ing were, namely, that of our Matthew Parker: " These " articles objected, were thus answered by M. P. and sent "to the Lord Chancellor: which heard, he blamed the promoters, and sent word, that I should go on, and fear not such enemies." So well did our Dean come off in this cause, by giving this true and fair account of his own sermons, and stripping them of the slanderous representations made of them: and instead of reproof gained encouragement from the Court in his labours. Upon this countenance, the Dean went on in his doctrine, exciting the people every where to obedience to the King, and informing them out of the word of God about many abuses of religion. So that the knowledge of God was happily sown in these quarters by Mr. Parker's means. But this so nettled Nix, the Bishop of Norwich, and the Popish party thereabouts, that to unravel and disappoint these good beginnings, Dr. Stokes, Prior of the Augustins in Norwich, and one of those that were sent to Bilney, a little before his execution, to discourse with him in prison, this man, I say, is sent now to Clare, (the aforesaid town near Stoke,) pretending to settle there, and to preach out of goodwill, and so he told Parker: but indeed, as Parker easily

Parker Writes to Stokes

smelt it out, it was to supplant his doctrine, and to reduce the people to the old superstitions, and to keep them in their blindness and Popery. Whereupon our Divine, soon after Stokes's coming, wrote him a letter, dated from Stoke, telling him boldly and plainly, " that if he came to decoy the " truth, which he had preached, or to make invectives, to " the decay of the King's authority and lawful ordinances; " and to sow schism and confusion among the people, he " must and would, according to his duty, give information " above against him. But that if it were his sincere inten" tion to declare the truth, and edify the King's subjects,

Stokes Imprisoned for Popish Preaching

" he would promise to join hands with him, and therein their friendship should consist." But the letter being so well and piously penned, is transferred into the Appendix, Numb. III. But Friar Stokes, it seems, took little warning by this sober and sound admonition of Mr. Parker's, but followed his first purpose of perverting the people by his preaching against the King's proceedings; and so in the end was laid up in prison, for a complaint made against him to the Lord Crumwel by the King's visitors, who had received some in formations against him at Clare. Whereupon they left some precepts with him concerning his preaching, which he observed not. Out of prison he sent a letter to the Lord Crumwel, the King's Vicar General, vindicating himself to have preached up the King's authority against the Bishop of Rome; whom, he said, he did detest and abhor, with all his Papistical factions.

That whereas he was accused to

have preached against the Dean of Stoke, he said, he commended him in his sermon by name, for declaring of certain rites. And whereas some informed, that he preached seditiously, he referred himself to all the audience, and four persons would testify, that he preached the word of God sincerely.

He acknowledged indeed, that he had been much

addicted to the old ceremonies; but he intended, by God's grace, to reform himself. And at last he desired that the King would permit him to change his habit.

Summoned to Preach at Paul's Cross

But his letter, Numb. IV. may be read in the Appendix. About this time, if not before, our Parker was sent for up

by the Lord Crumwel to take a turn at Paul's Cross, by a letter from the said Lord, appointing him to preach a sermon there, "for the honest report (as the letter runs) of his learning in holy letters, and incorrupt judgment in the same." And having assigned him his particular day, he added, "preparing in the mean time with such pure sincereness, truly to open the word of God at the said day, as I may therefore take occasion to think the report made of you to be true:" meaning, in respect of his favour to the Gospel.

Editorial Notes

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Source: John Strype, The Life and Acts of Matthew Parker, the First Archbishop of Canterbury in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1821), Vol. I. Enhanced reading edition: section headings, Latin translations, verified internal links, and editorial notes added per the AnglicanWiki Editorial Guidelines for Historical Texts. Strype's text faithfully transcribed from the Google Books scan; spelling and substance as in the original.