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1451 [1451]

MarginaliaThe Englishe procession.This yeare also it was ordeined and decreed and solemly giuen out in proclamation by the kynges name and authoritie and his Counsell, that the Englishe procession should bee vsed thorow out all England, accordyng as it was set foorth by his sayd Counsell, and none other to be vsed thorough out the whole realme.

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MarginaliaThe Scottes subdued.About the later ende of this yeare. 1545.  

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The description of events down to Henry VIII's oration is taken from Edward Hall, The union of the two noble and illustre famelies of Yorke and Lancastre (London, 1560), STC 12734a, fos. 257v-260r.

in the moneth of Nouember, after that the kyng had subdued the Scottes, and afterward ioynyng together with the Emperour, MarginaliaBollayne wonne.had inuaded Fraunce, and had got frō thē the towne of Bollayne: he summoned his high Court of Parlament. MarginaliaStat. an. 37. Reg. Hen. 8.In the which was graunted vnto hym besides other subsidies of money, MarginaliaColledges and Chauntreis geuen to the kyng.all colledges, chauntreis, freechappells, hospitalls, fraternities, brotherhoodes, guildes, & perpetuities of stipendarie Priestes, to be disposed at his will and pleasure. Whereupon in the moneth of Decemb. folowing,  
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This account of Henry VIII's oration to Parliament in December 1545, is taken from Edward Hall, The union of the two noble and illustre famelies of Yorke and Lancastre (London, 1560), STC 12734a, fos. 260r-262r.

þe kyng after þe wonted custome, MarginaliaA Parlament.came into þe Parlament house, to giue his royall assent to such Actes as were there passed: where after an eloquent Oration made to him by the Speaker, he aunsweryng agayne vnto the same, not by the Lord Chauncelour (as the manner was) but by hym selfe, vttered forth this Oration word for word, as it is reported, and left in story.

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In the contentes of which Oration, first eloquently & louingly he declared his gratefull hart to his louyng subiectes for their grauntes & subuentions offered vnto hym. In þe second part with no lesse vehemencie, he exhorted them to concorde, peace, and vnitie. MarginaliaThe thyrd parte lacking in this Oration of the kyng.Whereunto if he had also ioyned the third part: that is, as in wordes he exhorted to vnitie, so had begon in dede first hym selfe to take away the occasion of diuision, disobedience, & disturbance, frō his subiectes: that is, had remoued þe stumblyng blocke of the vj. Articles out of þe peoples way, which set brother against brother, neighbour agaynst neighbour, the superiour against subiect, and the wolues to deuoure the poore flocke of Christ: then had he not onely spoken, but also done like a worthy Prince. But of this more shalbe sayd in the sequele hereof, God willyng.

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¶ The kynges Oration in the Parlament house.

MarginaliaThe kinges Oration made in the Parlament house.ALthough  

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This was the last major speech of Henry's reign and probably the most famous one he made. Foxe added this printing of the speech - taken from Hall's chronicle - in the 1570 edition.

my Chauncelour for the time being, hath before thys time vsed, very eloquētly and substancially to make answer to such Orations, as haue ben set forth in thys high court of Parliament: yet is he not so able to open and set forth my minde and meanyng, and the secretes of my hart, in so playne and ample maner, as I my selfe am and can do. Wherefore I taking vpon me, to aunswer your eloquent Oration Maister Speaker, say: that where you in the name of our welbeloued Commons, haue both praysed and extolted me, for the notable qualities that you haue conceiued to be in me, I most hartely thanke you all, that you haue put me in remembraunce of my duty, whych is to endeuour my selfe to obtaine and get such excellent qualities, and necessary vertues, as a Prince or Gouernour should or ought to haue: of which giftes I recognise my selfe both bare and barraine. But of such small qualities, as God hath endued me wythall, I render to hys goodnes and my most humble thankes, entendyng wyth all my wyt and dilgence, to get and acquire to me suche notable vertues, & princely qualities, as you haue alledged to bee incorporate in my person. MarginaliaThe kynges thankes to his cōmons.These thankes for your louyng admonition and good counsayle fyrst remembred, I eftsoones thanke you againe, because that you consideryng our great charges (not for our pleasure, but for your defence, not for our gayne, but to our great cost) which we haue lately sustayned, aswell in defence of our & your enemies, as for the conquest of that Fortres, whych was to thys realme, most displeasant and noysome, and shall be by Gods grace hereafter, to our nation most profitable and pleasaunt, haue freely of your own mynd, graūted to vs a certain subsidy here in an act specified, which verely we take in good part, regarding more your kindnes, then the profite thereof, as he that setteth more by your louing hartes, then by your substance. Besyde this harty kindnes, I cannot a litle reioyce when I consider the perfyte trust and sure confidence, whych you haue put in me, as men hauyng vndoubted hope, and vnfeined belefe in my good doinges and iust procedinges for that you, without my desyre or request, haue cōmitted to myne order and disposition, all Channtries, Colledges, Hospitals, and other places specified in a certayne Act, firmly trustyng that I wyll order them to the glorye of God, and the profyt of the common wealth. MarginaliaThe kings promises for the wel bestowing of Chauntreis and Colledges.Surelye, if I contrary to your expectation, should suffer the Ministers of the Church to decaye, or learnyng (whych is so great a Iewell) to be minished, or poore and miserable people to be vnrelieued, you might say that I beyng put in so speciall a trust, as I am in thys case, were no trusty friende to you, nor charitable man to myne euen Christen, neyther a louer of the publicke wealth, nor yet one that feared God, to whom accompt must bee rendred of all our doynges. Doubt not I praye you, but your expectation shall be serued, more godlye and goodlye then you will wishe or desire, as hereafter you shall playnely perceiue.

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Now, sithence I find such kyndnes on your part toward me, I cā not chuse, but loue and fauour you, affirming that no Prince in the world more fauoreth his subiectes, then I do you, nor no subiectes or cōmons more loue & obey their soueraigne lord, thē I perceiue you do me, for whose defence my treasure shal not be vnaduētured. Yet although I with you, and you with me, bee in this perfect loue and concorde, this frendly amitie can not cōtinue, except both you my Lordes temporall, and you my Lordes spirituall, and you my louing subiectes, study and take payne to amende one thing, whiche surely is amisse, and farre out of order, to the whiche I most hartely require you: whiche is, that charitie and concord is not amongest you, but discord and dissension beareth rule in euery place. Sainct Paul sayth to þe Corinthians, in the. xiij. Chap. Charitie is gentle, Charitie is not enuious, Charitie is not proude, and so forth in the the said chapter. Marginalia* Charitie and concorde in cōmon wealthes be things most necessary: but in matters of religion, charitie & concord is not inough, without veritie and true worship of God.Beholde then what loue and Charitie is amongest you, when the one calleth the other Hereticke and Anabaptist, and he calleth hym agayne Papist, Hypocrite, and Pharisey. Be these tokēs of charitie amongest you? Are these the signes of fraternall loue betwene you? No, no, I assure you that this lacke of Charitie amongest your selues, will be the hynderaunce and asswagyng of the feruent loue betwen vs, as I sayd before, except this wound be salued, and clerely made whole. I must nedes iudge the fault and occasion of this discorde, to be partly by negligence of you the fathers and preachers of the spiritualtie. For if I knowe a man whiche lyueth in adultery, I must iudge him a lecherous and a carnall person. If I see a man boast and brag hym selfe, I can not but deme hym a proude man. I see and heare dayly that you of the Clergie preach one agaynst an other, teache one cōtrary to an other, inueigh one agaynst an other, without Charitie or discretion. Marginalia* If true religion had bene maintained, and errour reformed, these termes of variaunce had not neede now to be reproued.Some bee to stiffe in their olde Mumpsimus, other be to busie & curious in their new Sumpsimus. Thus all men almost be in variety and discorde, and few or none preache truly and sincerely the worde of God, accordyng as they ought to do. Shall I now iudge you charitable persons, doyng this? No, no, I can not so do. Alas how can the poore soules lyue in concorde when you preachers sowe amongest them in your Sermons, debate and discorde? Of you they looke for lyght, and you bryng them to darkenes. Marginalia* And wherin ells consisteth all this variaunce, but onely because Gods word hath not hys free course, but they which set it forth are condemned therefore and burned.Amend these crimes I exhorte you, and set forth Gods worde, both by true preachyng, and good example geuyng, or els I whom God hath appointed his Vicare, and high minister here, will see these diuisions extinct, and these enormities corrected, accordyng to my very duety, or els I am an vnprofitable seruaunt, and vntrue officer.

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Althoughe (as I say) the spirituall men bee in some faulte, that charitie is not kept amongest you, yet you of the temporaltie be not cleane and vnspotted of malice & enuye: for you rayle on Bishops, speake slaunderously of Priestes, and rebuke and taunt Preachers, both contrarye to good order, and Christiā fraternity. If you know surelye that a bishop or preacher erreth or teacheth peruers doctrine, come and declare it to some of our Counsayle or to vs, to whom is cōmitted by God the authoritye to reforme and order such causes and behauiours, and be not Iudges your selues, of your own phantasticall opinions, & vayne expositions, for in such hygh causes ye may lightlye erre.Marginalia* Thys can touch none but onely the Papistes, who will nedes be both acusers, and also iudges in their own opinions and causes.

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And