Life of Matthew Parker (Strype, 1821)/Book III/Chapter II
This is the enhanced reading edition of Book III, Chapter II, 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's orders about licences for preaching, and Curates. Repairs to Canterbury. Great feasting in his hall. He is godfather with the Queen. Publishes a Dietary.
Calling In the Preaching Licences
BUT leaving these matters a while, let us attend our Archbishop, wearied with the former controversies, into Kent. Within the month of May he went from Lambeth to Canterbury, to entertain his guests in his new repaired hall, and to inspect his diocese. But a little before he went, he found it convenient to rectify some things relating to the Clergy. Many there were who had obtained licences to preach from him and other Bishops; men esteemed then by them to have been discreet persons, and such as would have dutifully complied with the orders of the Church established by authority; but had deceived their expectations. These were guilty of much indiscretion, (whereof the Queen was informed,) and went up and down preaching where they pleased in any church; and the Curates allowed them, fearing to gainsay their licences. But now orders were given out from the Archbishop to the Bishops, that all should bring in their old licences, and take new; and that no Curate should suffer any to preach in their churches upon any former licences given by the Archbishop. And that such as took licences hereafter, should be bound not to disturb the state of religion publicly established. And this stopping of licences was no new thing. For Archbishop Cranmer had called in his licences twice or thrice upon such occasions. But care was taken that such who had licences, and were now required to take out others, should not be burdened with any great charge therein.
Runaway Curates and the Farming of Livings
Again, Curates about this time made it a common practice to depart from one diocese to another, having probably been discharged their former curacies for scandal, or popery, or puritanism, or insufficiency. Therefore it was appointed, that such Curates as came out of other dioceses should not be allowed to serve without letters testimonial from the Ordinary where they last did serve.
And lastly, divers incumbents of parishes, Popish Priests, as it seems, that were minded to leave their livings, and run away beyond sea, as many now did, to make a benefit of their livings, would farm them out at easy yearly rents, taking good fines, and then dishonestly depart from their places, to the manifest fraud of the farmers. The Archbishop therefore ordered, that none, especially such as were not of constant abode, should let out their livings without the consent of the Ordinary, for preventing this, and to provide against all dishonest bargains. And all this the Archbishop signified by letter, dated May 12, to the Bishop of London, to disperse to the Bishops of the province: and may be read in the Appendix.[ed 1]
Bishop Jewel's Report
But as to the licences, it appears that those that had them were not very forward to bring them in, notwithstanding these orders; but made use of them still to preach about, where they listed. And the rather, because they made advantage by it, requiring money for their sermons. Some of these licensed preachers came in Bishop Jewel's diocese. Of whom by a letter, dated Decemb. 22, he gave notice to the Archbishop,[1][ed 2]
"that there were certain that had received his Grace's licences; and these passed up and down the country from church to church, preaching every where, as if they were Apostles: and by virtue of your Grace's seal, as he added, require money for their labours. I will stay one or other of them, if I can, that your Grace may know them better."
Three Feasts in the New Hall at Canterbury
The Archbishop soon after this repaired to Canterbury: and to add to the rest of his noble expenses in and about his new hall and palace mentioned before, to warm them, as we used to say, made there three magnificent and most splendid feasts in the summer.[2][ed 3]
The Whitsuntide Feast
The first was at Whitsuntide, and lasted three days, that is, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Which was after this manner: his Grace first resorted to his cathedral church, to pay God his service; and there, after he had preached himself to the Clergy and people of Canterbury, they received the holy Communion at the hands of the Dean and Clerks; that thus, having made his guests first feast with God before they feasted with him, every thing afterwards might be the more decently and inoffensively performed. Church being done, he was conducted home to his palace by the Prebendaries of the church, the Mayor of the city and his brethren, and many other gentlemen of the country, who all dined in his great hall, which he had a mind to see filled. All took their places in their comely order. The Archbishop himself sat in the midst of the uppermost table. On his left hand the Mayor, and all other men according to their dignity and quality. And so on one side of the hall a continual row of men filled the other tables, set in order, and severed by a little space between, throughout the length of the hall. On his right hand sat only some noble women, and others who were wives of some persons of quality, and a course and line of women the length of the hall, altogether like and corresponding to the row of men on the other side. This order of placing the women was observed in honour of the Queen's Majesty; because that it was under her government that the Archbishop, having escaped the cruelties and threatenings of the Papists, was now advanced to that height of an Archbishop. This first rank of guests being risen, and the tables cleared, they were furnished again the second time, and filled with others, partly of the Archbishop's family, and partly of the country thereabout, who straightway sat down in their places that rose, in the same order as before. And this manner of feasting continued the two next days also.
The Trinity Sunday Feast
His second feast was on Trinity Sunday following. Which he celebrated in memory of King Henry VIII. the last restorer and founder of the church of Canterbury, (dedicated to the Holy Trinity,) and reformer of several evil ceremonies and customs. But as the last feast, so this was begun with God's service at the cathedral; where, prayers being ended, one of the chief Ministers of the church made a sermon, and then the Archbishop himself administered the mystical bread unto the people. And all being finished, he departed, decently and reverently conducted home by the whole number and congregation of them that had assembled at the church: who all dined in the hall, in the same manner as before, with other chief men both of the city and country.
The Assize Feast
The third entertainment, which seemed to have been more grand than any of the rest, was on the 23d day of July, in assize time; when the Archbishop invited to dine with him the Judges that went that circuit, Sir John Southcotes, a Judge of the Common Pleas, and Gilbert Gerrard, Esquire, Attorney General to the Queen, and Sir Tho. Kemp, Knt. High Sheriff, with all their train; and all the rest that were met at these assizes, as well gentlemen as meaner persons: for by messengers and officers, the Archbishop had invited also the justices of the peace, advocaters, and common lawyers, and all the rest of proctors and attorneys: who all (with a promiscuous company) in troops came in. The hall was set forth with much plate of silver and gold, adorned with rich tapestry of Flanders, and furnished with many tables: at which the guests were disposed according to their quality. There were dainties of all sorts, both meats and drinks, and in great plenty, and all things served in excellent order, by none but the Archbishop's servants. The tables were often the same day furnished afresh with new guests, by reason of their multitude, as the former were satisfied and gone. The ladies and gentlewomen were nobly entertained in inner parlours, received there by Mrs. Parker, the hall being now filled only with gentlemen. Otherwise at these feasts it was the Archbishop's custom, in honour of matrimony, to entertain both men and their wives.
The Palace Now in Ruin
Of this noble hall and palace at Canterbury, now within an hundred and fifty years, there is little or nothing left, except a few ruins: (thus, according to our Archbishop's true motto, Mundus transit, et concupiscentia ejus. — "The world passeth away, and the lust thereof.") And yet so much, that a friend of mine of late years discovered the arms of the Archbishop in stone, upon the wall of the south end of the palace, very fair, and the date 1565, as he supposed. Some of the out-walls of the hall I saw divers years ago remaining; and many of the curious broken pillars were piled up there for fencing: and within the area of it was a good house erected, and an orchard; then occupied by a Minister of the city of Canterbury.[ed 4]
Godfather with the Queen
When the Archbishop was returned to Lambeth, the Queen did him a great honour in appointing him with herself, and the illustrious Prince, Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, to stand godfather to the son of Cecilia, sister of the King of Sweden, and wife of Christopher, Margrave of Baden: who was baptized at her own chapel in the month of September, and by her named Edvardus Fortunatus. ("Edward the Fortunate.")[ed 5]
A Dietary for the Dearth
About the declining of this year happened a great dearth, by reason of unseasonable weather; and the prices of corn grew so high, that it threatened a famine: though the Queen by her prudent conduct at length brought down the prices, partly by hindering the exportation of corn, and partly by encouraging the importation thereof from foreign parts. But during this time, the wiser sort began to think of the causes of the dearth, and of the remedies for the prevention of it; and of more thrifty living for the time to come. Concerning the latter, a paper was published in print, entitled, A Dietary: which, though it have neither date, nor name of the author, yet I have some strong presumptions that it was composed by our Archbishop, and set forth about this time, for the common benefit. It consisted first of a transcript of a writ published by Edward II. anno 1315, upon a great dearth, wherein were stinted the precise prices of all sorts of provisions. And of another the year after, for restraining of unmeasurable services of messes and meats. Then followed a warning of our Saviour, concerning excessive eating and drinking, taken out of Matth. xxiv. 37, &c. and Luke xvii. 26, 27. Next came a constitution of Archbishop Cranmer, anno 1541, for retrenching the tables of Clergymen to a particular number of dishes, entitled, Constitutio Thomæ Cranmeri Archiepiscopi, et aliorum fratrum suorum. ("The Constitution of Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop, and of his other brethren.") And lastly, the paper concludes with a legantine constitution of Cardinal Pole, enjoining sobriety in the Clergy, as to their persons and families, that they might give good example: as to their habits, forbidding them the wearing of silk: as to their tables, enjoining, whatsoever guests they had, but three kinds of meat, or four at most, besides fruit and banqueting dishes; and the reading of holy books, and good communication, should make up the rest of the furniture of the table. This is thus entitled, Inter Constitutiones Legantinas, editas Londini, 1555. Præsidente Reginaldo Cardinale Polo Decret. 5. ("Among the Legantine Constitutions, published at London, 1555. Reginald Cardinal Pole presiding. Decree 5.") This sheet I thought worthy to be preserved in the Appendix; together with another MS. of the same nature, which I found thus superscribed by Sir Will. Cecyl's own hand; Nov. 1565. Causes of the Dearth of Corn, with the Remedies.[ed 6]
Notes
Editorial Notes
- ↑ The Appendix, with its numbered documents (here Numb. XXXII), is not contained in this scan of Strype's work; the reference is preserved as printed.
- ↑ Manuscripts of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge — Parker's own college and the repository of his manuscript collections, which Strype used as a principal source.
- ↑ Strype's marginal source reference, preserved as printed.
- ↑ Strype's motto quotation is from 1 John ii. 17. The ruin he describes reflects the palace's decay after Parker's time.
- ↑ Cecilia Vasa (1540–1627), daughter of Gustav I of Sweden and sister of King Eric XIV; her husband Christopher II, Margrave of Baden-Rodemachern. The child was baptized in the Queen's own chapel with Elizabeth I and the Duke of Norfolk as sponsors alongside Parker — a mark of the Archbishop's standing at court.
- ↑ The Appendix, with these documents (Strype's marginal reference: Numb. XXXIII, XXXIV), is not contained in this scan of Strype's work; the reference is preserved as printed. "Legantine" = of or belonging to a papal legate; Cardinal Pole acted as papal legate under Queen Mary.
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, Book III. 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.