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

This is the enhanced reading edition of Book III, Chapter XII of John Strype's The Life and Acts of Matthew Parker (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1821), Vol. I. It has been proofread against the original printed pages, and is presented with descriptive section headings, Strype's Latin passages translated, editorial notes, and Strype's footnotes preserved as references. Strype's own words, chronology, claims, and spelling are retained; editorial additions are clearly distinguished.

Continuation of the history of the London Ministers suspended. Supply of the vacant churches. The Archbishop vindicates himself. His earnest letter for more countenance from the Court. Becon's Postills.

Care Taken for the Supply of the Vacant Churches

BUT to continue our story of the London Ministers suspended, or deprived. It may be asked, whether upon the suspending of so many Ministers the church doors of their respective parishes were shut up, and no divine service nor sermons there performed? But to this I answer, the Archbishop and Bishop of London took care by their Chaplains to provide for the vacant churches, as well as they could. But they could not supply all, being opposed by the suspended incumbents. "Some whereof were peevish, [they are the Archbishop's own words,] and some froward, and some fearful, and some would fain step in [to their churches again] with honesty." To whom they [the Commissioners] used such affability, as they might. "Yet not suffering their authority and constancy to seem to fear, or to be more desirous of them than they moved them to their own commodity, but especially to the people's quiet, and to the obedience of laws;" as the Archbishop himself gave the account to his friend and correspondent the Secretary.

The Great Clamour Against the Suspensions

But the Puritans took great advantage at this present necessity of leaving divers churches unsupplied, by reason of this late censure inflicted upon the Ministers: and they took care to get the Court acquainted with the great inconvenience thereof: noising it abroad, that now against Easter there were none to officiate, and administer the Sacrament: and that there were on Palm Sunday six hundred persons ready to receive the Communion, and came to church for that purpose, and found the doors shut. These reports brought to the Court, and cherished there by some about the Queen, caused the Secretary to write unto the Archbishop concerning them; and concerning the imprisonment of some; of which severe handling great complaints were made. And finally advising him to continue his care of London.

The Archbishop's Vindication of Himself

Concerning these matters, the Archbishop, April 12, being Good Friday, now indisposed in his bed, wrote by another hand unto the Secretary, that all this was no more than he foresaw before he began: and that when the Queen put him upon doing what he had done, he told her at his first speech with her the second Sunday in Lent, that these precise folks would offer their goods, and bodies to prison, rather than they would relent. And her Highness then willed him to imprison them. And in a letter that he afterwards wrote the Queen, he signified this to her, and likewise the vacancy of several churches. And in a joint letter of his and of the Bishop of London to the Secretary, they said, there would be many parishes unserved, and many speeches would arise, and much resistance there would be. And therefore nothing more than what was expected. As for the disappointment of those well disposed people, that came to receive the Sacrament, he said, in general, that these reporters made ex musca elephantem: and that my Lord of London, being that very day, viz. Good Friday, to preach at Court, and so present there, was able to give the truest account of matters in his own jurisdiction. But that he could say, that whereas he had sent divers days three or four of his Chaplains to serve in the greatest parishes, what for lack of surplice and wafer bread, they did mostly but preach.

The Insolencies of the Dissenters

And one of his Chaplains serving Palm Sunday, and being informed that divers communicants would have received, the table made ready accordingly, while he was reading the Passion, one man of the parish drew from the table both cup and wafer bread, because the bread was not common: and so the Minister was derided, and the people disappointed. And divers churchwardens, to make a trouble and a difficulty, would provide neither surplice nor bread. All this the Archbishop signified to the Secretary. He called upon the Bishop of London also to do his part, to supply some of the vacancies by his Chaplains. Who sent him word, that there needed only preachers, for others might be appointed to serve the cures. He added, moreover, that it was no great inconvenience, though some parishes wanted in London, saying, that London was no grange, and that they might go otherwhere. But these precise men, said he, for all their brags of six hundred communicants, did promise openly that they would neither communicate, nor come to church, where either the surplice or the cap is. And so he knew it was practised.

Orders How One Minister Should Serve Two Parishes

I meet with a paper without date, probably to come in at this time; wherein one Minister was appointed to serve two churches in London. And it contained the order how this should be performed; which ran thus: "Those Ministers which in this time of necessity are commanded and appointed to serve another church beside their own, shall on Sundays and holydays at the one church begin morning prayer at seven of the clock, or soon after; and reading only one Lesson, which shall be the Lesson of the New Testament, shall afterwards say the Litany: and that ended, which may be done by eight of the clock, shall go to the other church appointed unto him, and there say the morning prayer in like form with the Litany; and after a sermon made, or homily read, shall minister the whole Communion, when any just number of communicants shall be disposed to receive. And likewise, preventing the accustomed hour for evening prayer at the one church, shall afterwards serve the other. Item, The said Ministers shall use this order at the said churches alternis vicibus: so that in the church, where he beginneth one Sunday at seven, he shall begin the next Sunday at eight. And so in course continually, till other provision can be made. Item, The said Ministers shall use the same order for the prayers appointed on Wednesdays and Fridays before noon, and Saturdays afternoon."

His Care of London

Concerning the last particular in the Secretary's letter, which related to his care of London, the Archbishop signified back, that for his own peculiars, fourteen or fifteen were all in good order. Some had refused, but now they were induced; and they were sortly learned with the best of them. Among whom was one Cole, of Bow church, and one Beddel, of Pancras. He complained, that the charge of another should be thus devolved upon him: secretly pointing to the remissness of the Bishop of London. He said, that for his part he could do no more, nor promise any more: that his age would not suffer him to peruse all the parishes; and that he had called on the Bishop of London, who was younger and nearer them, and had vacant priests in his church. And that that Bishop sent him word, that there needed preachers only, having sufficient to supply the cures. He desired the Secretary, that he might be spoken to, to see to his charge; which might be done seasonably that day, being Good Friday, when he preached at Court. He told the Secretary moreover, that he had talked with new come preachers to London, who had moved to sedition, and that he had charged them to silence. And some he had in prison, which in that quarrel fell to open blows in the church. On Maunday Thursday, he had many of the Bishop of London's parishes, churchwardens, and others, before him, sitting in commission with Dr. Lewis, Mr. Osborn, and Mr. Drury: and so he had done all the week, till he was fully tired. For some Ministers would not obey their suspensions: and some churchwardens would not provide surplices and wafer bread for the Communion, and others opposed and disturbed those that were sent by the Archbishop and Bishop to officiate in the prescribed apparel. All which misdemeanors created him work and trouble enough.

Complains That the Charge of London Lay So Hard Upon Him

Which made him in conclusion to complain, "that he must do all things alone: that he was not able, and must refuse to promise to do what he could not, and was another man's charge [meaning London]. He marvelled that he must be charged to see and judge of all parishes in London, and the care be committed unto him only: as though the burden should be laid on his neck, and other men draw backward. All other men, said he, must win honour and defence, and I only shame, to be so vilely reported. And yet I am not weary to bear to do service to God and my Prince. But an ox can draw no more than he can."

Is Discouraged, and Makes Some Stop

But all this pains and labour had not a success answerable. The Queen had followed the Archbishop with repeated commands to press the ecclesiastical orders. And she was in such good earnest to have them observed all her kingdom over, that she had now willed the Archbishop of York, to declare in his province also her pleasure determinately to have them take place there. But her Majesty's Council was backward to empower and countenance our Archbishop in his endeavours for that purpose. This, with the clamour and rage of the dissenting Clergy and their adherents, and the hard names they gave him, quite discouraged the good man. He liked not the work, especially being accompanied with so much severity; but it was out of obedience to the Queen, who was continually calling upon him, and ordering the Secretary to write to him, to quicken him. But finding his own inability to do her that service she required of him, he very often and earnestly sent to the Secretary, that the Queen's Council might stand by him with their authority. But he could not obtain his desire. Whereupon he made a stop in his proceedings, and grew more languid in them. But withal he wondered at the great neglect that the Queen's counsellors shewed to her therein.

His Grounds That Moved Him to What He Did

These his dealings must not be interpreted, as though he had any overfondness to the cap and surplice, and the wafer bread for the Communion, and such like injunctions. For it would have pleased him well enough, if some toleration had been given in these matters, as he often declared. But being the chief supervisor of the Church, he laboured to bring in an uniform method in the public service of God, as tending so much to unity and peace. And when the Queen's absolute command was, to have these things observed by Churchmen, it was his care of his Prince's honour that made him so sedulous that her will and pleasure should take place. And this was the conclusion of this effort against the Puritans at this time. To illustrate all this the more, I will here present the copy of a letter he wrote to the Secretary, wherein he resolved to surcease any further to pursue that matter, with the reasons of that resolution, dated April 28.

His Letter to That Purpose

"Sir, The Queen's Majesty willed my Lord of York to declare hir pleasure determinately, to have the order to go forwarde. I trust hir Highness hath devised how it maye be performed, I utterly despaire therin as of my self: and therefore must set still, as I have nowe done, alweys wayting eyther hir toleration, or ellis furder ayde. Mr. Secretary, can it be thought that I alone, having sun and moon agaynst me, can compass this difficultye? Yf youe, of hir Majesties Counsale, provide no otherwise for this matter, than as it appearith openly, what the sequel wil be, horresco vel reminiscendo cogitare. In King Edward's dayes the holl bodye of the Counsayle traveled in Hoopers attempt. My predecessor Dr. Cranmer, labourying in vayne with B. Ferror, the Counsayle took it in honde. And shal I hope to do that the Queen's Majesty wil have done? What I here and see, what complayntes be brought on to me, I shal not report. How I am used of many mennys honds. I commyt all to God. If I dye in the cause (malice so far prevayling) I shal commyt my soul to God in a good conscyence. Yf the Quenes Majesty be no more considered, I shal not mervel what be said or done to me. Yf you heare and see so manifestly as maye be sene, and will not consult in tyme to prevent so many myseries, &c. I have and do by this presence discharge my allegiance, dutye, and conscyence to youe, in such place as ye be. I can promyse to do nothing, but hold me in silence within myne own conscyence, and make my complaynts to God, ut exurgat Deus, et judicet causam istam: ille, ille, qui comprehendit sapientes in astutia ipsorum. Thus God be with your Honor. Almyghti God preserve the Quenes Majestie: this XXVIII of April, 1566.

"Your Honours in Christ,

"Matth. Cant."

Remarks Upon the Above Letter

From which letter permit me to make two or three remarks. One is, the great inconveniences, dangers, and confusions, that the Archbishop apprehended would ensue from this licentiousness and disobedience. And that he gathered from what he had already seen; such as fighting in the church; sacrilegious taking away the elements prepared for the holy Communion, even when the piously disposed were ready to receive; and that for no other reason but because the bread was wafer, and not common bread; taking Clerks that were celebrating the holy offices, and turning them by violence out of the church, only because they wore surplices; making a sinner do penance publicly in a square cap; and such like things. Which exorbitant practices could portend nothing but evil to follow. Again, we may observe, that it was not without precedent what his Grace required of the Council, namely, upon great occasions to aid and countenance with their authority the Bishops, in the execution of some weighty ecclesiastical affairs, as the Council had done to Archbishop Cranmer and Bishop Hooper. We observe moreover, that the Archbishop, by what he had already done, had raised so much malice against himself, that he seemed to be in some hazard of his life. And lastly, how strong the party of the disaffected were even thus early in the English Church.

Becon's New Postil for the Use of Curates

While these matters were thus carrying on, Thomas Becon, a famed preacher and writer, living at Canterbury, where he had a prebend, was employed in a very useful work at this season, namely, in providing the Church with a postil, containing honest plain sermons for all the Sundays in the year, upon the Gospels, beginning with the first Sunday in Advent, to be read by the Curate to his congregation. They seem to be only a translation either out of Latin or Dutch. To which the said Becon added a large Preface, To his Fellow-Labourers in the Lord's Harvest, the Ministers and Preachers of God's most holy Word. Wherein he earnestly exhorted them to the discharge of their weighty duty: written from Canterbury, July 16, 1566. To which postil are two prayers added, either of them to be said before sermon, a longer and a shorter, according to the Minister's discretion: and another prayer or thanksgiving to be said after sermon. These prayers and these sermons were framed for Ministers of less ability to invent and compose prayers and sermons themselves; that the people might be instructed in sound and wholesome doctrine, whatsoever the abilities of the Ministers were under whom they happened to live. And this accorded with the Queen's Injunctions.

The title the book bore was, A new Postil, containing most godly and learned Sermons, to be read in the Church throughout the Year. Lately set forth unto the great profit, not only of all Curates and Spiritual Ministers, but also of all godly and faithful Readers. Perused and allowed according to the Queen's Majesty's Injunctions.

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, 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.