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

This is the enhanced reading edition of Chapter IV, 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 care of the University. Withers apologizes for himself to the Archbishop. His compliance; afterwards travels beyond seas. A controversy between Dr. Caius, Master of Caius college, and some of the Fellows, referred to the Archbishop. He is accused to the Archbishop of irreligion and Popery. The Archbishop's displeasure at him.

A Private Letter from Court

ABOUT this very time our Archbishop received a private letter, as it seems, from Court, that gave him some secret intelligence of the practices of certain of the great men and counsellors, to obstruct what the Chancellor was now a doing. To him the Archbishop, December 13, conveyed this letter, to peruse and send him back again: saying, he saw "there were strange doings among the wiser sort." So extraordinary diligent and pensive was our Archbishop for the reducing of the University, as well as the Clergy, to unity and obedience to the lawful commands of their superiors.

These frequent solicitations and counsels of the Archbishop added new spirit to the Chancellor, and put him upon doing somewhat effectually in order to uniformity in the University. But to return to Withers before mentioned, thus much

Withers' Apology

appears by a letter of his own writing to the Archbishop; that (besides his making himself noted for setting the University in a combustion, as we shewed before) he drew up certain articles at Cambridge against the square cap and surplice: which articles, however concealed among his friends, yet soon came to the knowledge of the Archbishop; for which he was the more offended with him. But Withers made this apology for himself, that those articles were written upon this occasion; that one, whom he took for his very friend, came to him after his return from London, (whither he had been summoned before the Archbishop, as was said before,) and persuaded him not to stick at the cornered cap; promising him, that if he would give him his reasons that moved him, he would cause them to be answered to his satisfaction. And so he wrote those articles, and delivered them to his said friend, requiring him to make good his promise. Another copy of them he lent to one of Trinity hall, that saw them in his chamber, and desired to read them. By the means of one of these two he supposed they came to be communicated to others: and so the Archbishop came acquainted with it by some who thought thereby either to work him displeasure, or to procure themselves favour; as he excused himself to the Archbishop.

Before this, the Archbishop, upon his refusal to enter bonds for the wearing of the cornered cap, had inhibited and retrenched him from preaching. But upon better thoughts, when he was come down from London, he was contented to comply to wear it. And on the 24th of May he promised the same to the Archbishop: making this excuse or reason for altering his mind, "that the men of Bury (whose offence he chiefly feared) had been earnest in hand with him rather to wear a cap than to forsake them; promising never the more to regard it or esteem it for his wearing of it, as was related before." Hence in a journey he took to Ipswich, taking Bury in his way, he gave them two sermons. Which he did, as he said, so much the rather, for that divers of his friends were greatly endangered by bargains which they sold, provoked by the brags of adversaries, to be paid when he preached again in Bury.

Withers Travels Beyond the Seas

I find him not long after leaving the nation, and travelling beyond sea, sent, as it seems, by the Dissenters, to the foreign Churches, as to Geneva. And among other places he visited, he went to Zurich, the famous harbour and sanctuary for many of the English Protestant scholars in Queen Mary's days: where he became acquainted with those who were their great acquaintance and favourers, viz. Bullinger and Gualter, and had much discourse with them about our Church matters in the year 1567: and they, I am apt to think, satisfied and confirmed him in compliance with the Church's orders. For he was afterwards a parish Minister in England; and though he fully approved not of all the rites, yet submitted to them for peace sake: and was living in the year 1583 at Danbury in Essex, and had the Lord Burghley to his friend, however he might have censured him in former times, when he was the occasion of such a tumult in Cambridge.

To the said Lord in that year he wrote a letter against the purpose that was then in hand by Archbishop Whitgift, that all the Clergy should be obliged to subscribe to the Common Prayer Book: as we may have occasion (God granting life and health) to mention more at large in due place.

The Controversy at Gonville Hall

During these heats about ecclesiastical matters, a case of another nature, between the Master and Fellows of Gonvil hall, came before our Archbishop in the month of December. The Master, Dr. Caius, who was also a Founder of the college, had in a fit of anger taken some advantage against three of the Fellows, Dethike, Spencer, and Clerk, for some breach of statute, and expelled them out of the college; charging them withal with perjury.

Upon this the Fellows made an appeal to the Archbishop, but not in so regular and orderly manner as ought to have been in such cases. But his Grace saw that Dr. Caius had been to blame, as well as the Fellows. Whereupon he blameth both, but more severely the Master. Who nevertheless was willing to commit the final issue to the Archbishop's decision.

But so were not the Fellows; because they perceived he would not restore them to their fellowships, which they above all desired, that they might win the victory over the Master. But when they had brought away their cause from him to the Chancellor Cecyl, to him the Archbishop signified what he would have done in case they had left the business to him: whereby one may see an instance of his prudence and good judgment.

The Archbishop's Judgment

He would not grant a restitution to the Fellows, for he spied, he said, so long as Caius was Master there, and they Fellows, there would be maintained nothing but continual brawling; and the rather, for that their appellation was not lawfully made, nor orderly prosecuted. And the drift was, as he judged, for Dethike to continue such sticklers in the college, of his pupils, as might win him in time, by hook or by crook, the Master's room. For the ending therefore of their controversies, he thought good to cause a writing indented to be made between them, whereby the Fellows should appear willingly to depart from their fellowships; and yet to have one year's profits for their ultimum vale: to be borne for Spencer out of Caius's own purse, and for the other two to be borne by the college. And that the Master should express to discharge them of the note of expulsion, and the crime of perjury, that might be to their hinderance afterwards. And further, he meant within the compass of that year to have bestowed Dethike in some benefice, and the other two in some other fellowships in other colleges: but because they liked not of this, as trusting of further friendship elsewhere, the Archbishop gave them over.

It appears, by another letter of the Archbishop, that the Chancellor had referred this business to him, (together with the Bishop of London,) knowing him to be well seen in University matters, and especially in this. And this account he gave the said Chancellor. He confirmed "the removal of these Fellows to be needful for the quiet of the society. That they had before sued to him, and he promised them to deal with the Master, to obtain from him more commodity for them than he took them worthy to have. Only restitution to their fellowships he would not move: wherein he saw good cause. For if they were there, he said, trouble would ever arise. And that these Fellows had divers marks to shoot at, which he thought good should be disappointed. He saw the faction had laboured very much in this matter. He saw even much rashness in the Master for expelling Fellows so suddenly: and both he and the Bishop of London had told him sufficiently of it: but that the contumelious behaviour of those Fellows had much provoked him. The Archbishop confessed he rather bore with the oversight of the Master, being no greater than as yet he saw, in respect of the good he had done, and like to do, in the college, than with the brags of a fond sort of troublesome factious bodies, as he called them. Founders and Benefactors, he added, were very rare in these days. Therefore he did bear the less with such as would (but in a mere triumph) deface him, and respected more that conquest than any quiet in the house. And the rather, for that he thought, that if this matter were ended, there would arise no more trouble in such kind there. For the Master had firmly assured him to do nothing in such innovations, but partly with his knowledge and approbation first, and other of his friends. But in his opinion undoubtedly, computatis omnibus circumstantiis, he thought it nothing meet to have them restored again, what other commodities soever they might have of favourable departing. And added this counsel, that if his Honour should hear their challenges, he should hear such cumbrous trifles and brattles, that he should be weary. And he would not wish particular colleges in these times should learn to have, by forced appellations, a recourse to his authority, as Chancellor, for the precedent sake hereafter. And again, he would not have his time so drawn from better doings in the weighty causes of the realm. Besides, controversies, he said, were now many and troublous. And their delight was to come before men of authority, to shew their wits, &c. And he could not tell how, but so it came to pass, that such busy sorts drew them up some of the graver personages to be doers, an ex sinceritate et ex bona conscientia, nescio. His old experience there had taught him to spy daylight at a little hole." Thus gravely and wisely he delivered his judgment.

Charges of Irreligion Against Dr. Caius

But the Fellows were not wanting to scrape into their Master's life and manners for crimes to lay to his charge, and drew up certain articles against him. Some whereof made a deep impression upon the pious Archbishop; as not only sounding to and favouring atheism, but plainly expressing the same, with further shew of a perverse stomach to the professors of the Gospel. Whereupon the Archbishop said, if he were credibly persuaded of these things, he would take him tanquam ethnicum et publicanum, and would not vouchsafe him within his house, where, it seems, he sometimes resorted, and was harboured, his house being a receptacle for learned men. And Caius was not only a man of great learning, but his countryman too. There is a difference, said he, between the frailty of a man's mutability, (for he had professed himself Papist and Protestant, according as the different religions prevailed under the Kings and Queens of those times,) and a professing of plain impiety. And he gave his opinion to the Chancellor, that he should send to his Vice-Chancellor, to inquire further into the truth of this accusation: and that if it could be indifferently testified before the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Hutton, and one other indifferent man, it were good to suspend him, whatsoever orders he, the Vice-Chancellor, intended to take with the Fellows of the house. And if it fell out that these articles could be well testified, the Archbishop said, he would wish a better in his place, to govern the house, and he to hold himself in his foundership, if he would. "For he liked not," as he said, "the stones builded by such impiety."

The Popish Vestments Discovered, 1572

Probably Caius thought the better to cover his former instability in religion, by throwing out expressions occasionally, whereby he would pretend to have had little zeal for any religion: or his aim might be to obscure his secret kindness for the old Popish religion. For that he had a kindness for it, appeared in his private reservation of abundance of Popish trumpery: which he might think would come in play again; and so out of good husbandry preserved them, to save the college the charge of buying new furniture for the chapel. But in the year 1572 all came out. For the fame hereof coming to the ears of Sandys, Bishop of London, he wrote earnestly to Dr. Byng, Vice-Chancellor, to see those superstitious monuments abolished. Byng could hardly have been persuaded that such things had been by him reserved: but causing Caius's own company to make search in that college, he received an inventory of much Popish ware: as vestments, albes, tunicles, stoles, manicles, corporas cloths, with the pix and sindon, and canopy; besides holy water stops, with sprinkles, pax censors, superaltaries, tables of idols, mass books, portuises and grailes, with other such stuff, as might have furnished divers Masters at one instant. It was thought good, by the whole consent of the Heads of houses, to burn the books, and such other things as served most for idolatrous abuses, and to cause the rest to be defaced. Which was accomplished the 13th of December, 1572, with the willing hearts, as it appeared, of the whole company of that house.

Caius's Other Defects

But however Caius stood affected this way, he laboured to dissemble his good-will to it; and would be thought a good Protestant. Of which I meet with this instance. There was one Depup, a Scholar of his college in his time, that was greatly suspected to be Popish, and well known to be notoriously vicious. Of whom therefore the said Master and Founder had so great disliking, that he gave special order before his death, that the said Depup should never be Fellow. Though Dr. Legg, that succeeded Master, soon after his coming to the college, brought him into a fellowship.

These were some of Dr. Caius's defects; and others might be named: as, that he too much affected superiority over his Fellows; and was observed to be the first that made the innovation of preferring a junior Fellow to be President, whereas before in that college the senior Fellow was always President, and that only in the Master's absence. This was the cause of much strife and contention afterwards in the college. For in the next Master's time, as I find in some papers relating to that college, there happened a fierce contest betwixt a senior Fellow and a junior, who had been by the Master made President: the senior notwithstanding striving for the upper place at their assemblies, both in the chapel and elsewhere. In which quarrel the Fellows backed him, against the Master, being desirous to keep the ancient custom of the house, and to destroy that innovation of Caius. But the said person having merited so much of that college by his noble benefactions, and of the whole commonwealth of learning, it is pity that these or any other frailties in him should now, after so long a time, rise up in judgment against him. And so I take my leave of him, and beg the reader's pardon for this digression.

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.