Life of Matthew Parker (Strype, 1821)/Book II/Chapter IX

This is the enhanced reading edition of Chapter IX, 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.

The Archbishop brings one to subscribe the supremacy. Flacius Illyricus to the Archbishop, concerning collecting ecclesiastical monuments. Application of the Archbishop of Armagh to him. A case of marriage decided by Bishop Jewel. The Archbishop favours Dr. Humfrey for President of Magdalen college. John Fox congratulates him that preferment.

William Ryce Subscribes the Supremacy

BUT now let us take up some other scattered things, both concerning this Archbishop and religion, happening in this year, and so hasten to the next. The Lords of the Council had committed to the Tower William Ryce, Esquire, a person of quality, and under Queen Mary a great courtier, for breach of the law, having refused to take the oath of supremacy. They now desired the Archbishop to take him into his house, and confer with him, and convince him, if he could, and bring him to good conformity by his good counsel. And if after all his pains he would not be brought to swear to the Queen, he should be sent back again to the Tower. But our Archbishop had good success with Ryce, and prevailed with him to subscribe to these words, wrote by the Archbishop's own hand on the back-side of the Council's letter to him: "He acknowledgeth Queen Elizabeth, under God, to have the sovereignty and rule over all manner of persons born within her realms, dominions, and countries, &c. And so subscribeth, W. Ryce."

Flacius Illyricus and Ecclesiastical Antiquities

I leave the reader to conjecture, whether this gentleman were the same with E. Rice, mentioned in the British Antiquities, or some other, of whom it is said that the Archbishop did so mollify and moderate him, otherwise a zealous Papist, that he confessed his error with abundance of tears, and so was dismissed out of custody and sent home. Matthias Flacius Illyricus, the author of the Catalogue of the Witnesses of the Truth, and a great collector of ecclesiastical antiquities, to shew how the Church in all ages had learned and godly men, that opposed the Pope and his abuses; this learned man wrote our Archbishop a letter dated May 22, 1561. from Jene, an University in Germany, which was in answer to one from the said Archbishop, who had the last year acquainted him with a promise of the Queen's, to send him certain vetera monumenta (ancient monuments), to assist him as well in the work of his Catalogue, as in his other works of ecclesiastical history. His letter was long, and is extant in the Bene't college library. Therein he earnestly desired the Archbishop to send him those ancient monuments he spake of, having sent over a fit person for them. Such monuments especially he required, as might illustrate the obscured truth of the Church, and reprove the Popish tyranny. Exhorting the Archbishop, and shewing how profitable it would be, if he would make it his business, that all MSS. books more rare should be brought forth out of more remote and obscurer places in this kingdom, and in that of Scotland; and be put into surer and more known places, [ that they might be the better preserved from perishing. ] He sent the Archbishop at that time by his messenger a general index of the ancient good Church Historians,

for the Archbishop's better direction in his pursuit after them in this country. He mentioned how Bale had told him, that he had very many old valuable MSS. of this sort. How profitable would it be, said he, after his death, to convey them, and all others that could be gotten, into the public libraries of the kingdom; because in private houses they would be apt to perish, especially when unlearned heirs should come to possess them. And things of that nature, as he added, necessary for the whole kingdom and Church, were not of private right and peculiar possession, but public. He wished that he might peruse the antiquities of England and Scotland, as he had done many libraries in Italy and Germany: he should hope then to find many things of use and profit to himself and us, and what might serve considerably for the enlargement of his Catalogus Testium: but that neither his health, nor time, nor purse, would allow him to come over. And because the Archbishop had wrote to him, that Matthew Paris's Chronicon could not be found among us here in England, [though afterwards the Archbishop met with some copies thereof, and published it in a fair edition, ] Illyricus sent him certain excerpta taken thence, which a friend had formerly procured him. He sent also a short index of such books as he was ready to communicate to the Queen, if she desired to have them, and would be at the charge of transcribing the copies: excusing himself from parting with them, which he at his great pains and cost had obtained. Also, he sent him by the same messenger a disputation of his concerning original corruption and freewill, against one who went the Papistical way in solving those points, asserting the power of man's will, and that in conversion man cooperated with God; an opinion that, as he said, much prevailed there since Luther's death. With the rest he presented the Archbishop with another piece of his, De Fide; a dissertation which he had dedicated to his predecessor, Archbishop Cranmer, I suppose; but whether he ever received it, he could not tell. This he communicated to our Archbishop

the rather, that he would impart to him his learned judgment thereof; for in such great points he loved to understand what men of the best learning thought. He conveyed likewise at the same time a list of what good books were at Rome. For the transcription of which, he suggested to him, that it was for men of wealth and power in England to deal: a thing, however earnestly endeavoured by him, past his ability and interest to procure. Anastasius, one of those MSS. at Rome, was, he said, very well worth the pains of transcribing and printing. Lastly, he informed the Archbishop of John Tillius, Bishop of Engoulesm in France, who set forth the Greek canons, and those of Charles the Great, against the worship of images; that he was a favourer of the pure religion, and that he had many ancient MSS. especially of the Councils. He beseeched the Archbishop to use his interest with the said Tillius to obtain copies of them, which might be so helpful to Illyricus in his work of compiling an ecclesiastical history. This letter of this learned man I have cast into the Appendix, as Number XVIII. well worthy preserving.

The Archbishop of Armagh Applies to Parker

I meet with a letter without date of year, but I suppose near about this time, writ from Adam, Archbishop of Armagh, to our Archbishop of Canterbury, dated from Trinity college in Cambridge, Sept. 27. Wherein the Irish Archbishop, now not long entered upon his function, hinted how the Archbishop of Canterbury had promised him his aid in all Church causes of Ireland, at his last being in England; especially for the removing the Bishop of Dublin. He was, as he described him, a known enemy, and laboured under open crimes: which although he shamed not to do, I am, saith that Archbishop, almost ashamed to speak. So he desired him, now being in England again, to put to his helping hand, and to recommend some zealous man to succeed in that Bishop's place: and that he, the Archbishop of Canterbury, would write to the Court of this matter. These were some of the applications made to our Archbishop concerning foreign matters. A case now happened, (occasioned, I suppose, by the

Bishop Jewel on Marrying Two Sisters

Archbishop's Table of Marriage, set forth the last year,) whether it was not lawful for a man to marry two sisters successively. This was by some learned man propounded to Bishop Jewel: who did answer it in the negative, in a learned letter written by him from Salisbury. The reason supposed why it was lawful, was because the Scripture in Leviticus xviii. seemed to restrain it only till the first sister's death, at least did not forbid it. But Jewel shewed, that God would have us to expound one degree by another. And though we are not forbid by plain words to marry our wives' sister, yet we are forbidden by other words; which by exposition are plain enough.

Laurence Humfrey Chosen President of Magdalen

For when God shall command me, that I shall not marry my brother's wife, it follows directly, that he forbids me to marry my wife's sister. For between one man and two sisters, and one woman and two brothers, is like analogy and proportion. But the learned letter may be read in the Appendix, Num. XIX. Coveney, President of Magdalen college in Oxford, (of whom something before,) was turned out in the month of September by the Bishop of Winchester, Visitor. Laurence Humfrey, a learned exile of that college, stood for the place now vacant, and obtained the favour of the Archbishop and the Bishop of London, to recommend him to the college. But the Fellows, being as it seems leavened much with Popery, refused to choose him, and signified as much in a long letter to the Archbishop.

They urged their conscience, and some statutes of their college. But Humfrey wrote to the Archbishop, that these were but pretences. For as for the statutes of their college, (one of which was, that none shall be chosen but of their own foundation; and another, that they must be gremials,) many of the Fellows at this very time made little of them; being even at that present in the mind to choose one Caius, alienus et exterus, (as Humfrey informed,) ("a stranger and a foreigner,") against their statutes: and that Caius also noted for a lazy Epicurean course of life; which therefore Sir John Mason, their Chancellor, thought unworthy. And that they had none e gremio, no gremial. They objected another thing against Humfrey;

viz. that he was a married man: and therefore it was thought indecent to bestow this place upon him: and yet they were ready to grant it to an whoremonger, as Humfrey further informed the Archbishop. But after all this struggling, in December Humfrey was chosen President, having been the year before made the King's Divinity Professor.

John Fox Congratulates Humfrey

But his fellow collegian, and equal in all good learning, John Fox, still remained unprovided for, in his ragged exile condition: who with an eye to this his bare estate, and out of joy of his friend's preferment, writ him a congratulatory epistle: wherein were these expressions between jest and earnest; (which yet he thinking too slight, scratched out afterwards;) Sed quid nimis ego nugator tibi gratulari incipio, qui multo magis tecum expostulare debeam? Age enim, dic tandem, O bone, itane nos nostrumque gregem et ordinem deseruisse te, ac abiisse? Fugitive, transfuga, non pudere? Atqui ex me exemplum petere debebis majoris constantiæ; quippe qui in eisdem adhuc pannis, et sordibus, quibus me recepit Anglia redeuntem ex Germania, persisto; nec gradum muto, nec ordinem: qui est videlicet Fratrum Mendicantium, vel, si velis, Prædicantium. Atque in hoc ordine eras et ipse, futurus fortasse una nobiscum bonus socius. Nunc tu, relicto ordine hoc et classe nostro, nescio quo ascendisti, Albis, quod aiunt, vectus quadrigis.

That is, "But why do I trifle thus, and begin to congratulate you your preferment, who should much rather expostulate the case with you? For come, Sir, tell me, have you thus left us and our flock, and order, and gone away? Fugitive, runaway, as you are, be you not ashamed? You ought to have taken example of greater constancy by me, who still wear the same clothes, and remain in the same sordid condition, as England received me in, when I first came home out of Germany. Nor do I change my degree, nor order; which is that of the Mendicants, or, if you will, of the Friars Preachers.

"this order you yourself were, and was like enough to continue an honest companion with us. But now you have forsaken this our order and classis, and mounted I know not whither; fortunate success, as the proverb is, waiting on you." Thus wittily did this grave man rejoice at his advancement, and withal give a privy lash to the friend's governors for their neglect of him, and such other sufferers as he; many of them yet remaining unprovided for.

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.