MarginaliaAn. 1556. March.can testify. An though the king would needes haue them vppon some politicke consideration to goe forward, yet hee so handled himself aswell in the Parlament house as afterwards by writing, so obediently and with such humble behauiour in wordes towardes his prince, protesting þ^e cause not to be his but almighty Gods who was the authour of all truth, that the king did not onely well lyke hys defence, willing him to depart out of the Parlament house into the Coūsail chamber whilest the Act should passe and be graunted, for safegard of hys conscience, MarginaliaD. Cranmer a stout enemy against the vj. Articles.which hee with humble protestatiō refused, hoping that hys maiesty in processe of tyme would reuoke them agayne: but also after the Parlament was finished, the kyng perceiuing the zealous affection that the Archbishop bare towards the defence of hys cause, which many wayes by scriptures & manifold authorities and reasons he had substantially confirmed and described, MarginaliaOf this comming of the L. Cromwell, and the two Dukes to the Archbishop read before. pag. 1360. Col. 1.sent the Lord Cromwel then Vicegerent, with the two Dukes of Northfolke and Suffolke and all the Lordes of the Parlament, to done wyth hym at Lambeth: Where it was declared by the Vicegerent, and the two Dukes, that it was the kings pleasure, that they all shoulde in hys hyghnes behalfe, cherish, comfort and animate hym, as one that for hys trauail in that Parlament, had shewed him selfe both greatly learned, and also discrete and wyse, & therefore they willed him not to bee discouraged for any thing that was passed contrary to hys allegations. He most humbly thanked the kings maiestye of hys great goodnes towardes hym, and them all for their paines, saying: I hope in God, that hereafter my allegations and authorities shall take place to the glory of God and the commoditie of the realme, in the meane tyme I wyl satisfie my selfe with the honorable consent of your honours and the whole Parlament.

Here is to be noted, that this mans stoute and godly defence of the truth herein, so bound the Princes conscience, that he would not permit the truth in that man to be cleane ouerthrowen wyth authority and power, and therefore this way God working in the Princes mynde, a playne token was declared hereby that all thinges were not so sincerely handled in the confirmation of the sayd sixe Articles, as it ought to haue bene, for els the Prince myght haue had iuste cause to haue borne hys great indignation towardes the Archbishop. MarginaliaExample for ecclesiasticall pastors.Let vs pray that both the lyke stoutnes may be perceiued in all Ecclesiasticall & learned men where the truth ought to be defended, and also the like relenting & flexibilitie may take place in Princes and Noble men, when they shall haue occasion offered them to mayntayne the same, so that they vtterly ouerwhelme not the truth by selfe will, power, and authority. Now in the end thys Archbishops constancy was such towards Gods cause, that he confirmed all his doinges by bitter death in the fire, without respecte of any worldly treasure or pleasure. And as touching his stoutnes in his Princes cause, the contrary resistance of the Duke of Northumberland agaynst hym proued ryght well hys good mynde that way: MarginaliaArchbishop Cranmer in displeasure about the imploying of Chaūtrey landes.which chaunced by reason that he would not consent to the dissoluing of Chaūtreyes vntill the king came of age, to the intent that they might then better serue to furnish his royall estate, then to haue so great treasure consumed in hys noneage. Which his stoutnes ioyned with such simplicity, surely was thought to diuers of the Counsaile, a thing incredible,  

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For Cranmer's disputes with the duke of Northumberland over the profits from the sales of the chantries see MacCulloch, Cranmer, pp. 521-22.

So deare was to hym the cause of God, and of hys Prince, that for þ^e one he would not keepe his consciēce clogged, nor for þ^e other lurke or hide his head. Otherwise (as it is sayd) his very enemyes might easely intreate him in any cause reasonable: and such thyngs as he graūted, he did without any suspicion of rebraidyng or meede therfore: So that he was altogethers void of

the vice of the stubburnes, and rather culpable of ouer much facilitie and gentilnes.

Not angry.

Thē foloweth: Not angry. Surely if ouermuch pacience may be a vice, this man may seeme peraduenture to offend rather on this part then on the contrary.MarginaliaThe singular pacience of the Archb. Albeit for all his doinges I cannot say: for the most part, such was his mortification that way, that fewe wee shall finde in whom the saying of our Sauiour CHRIST so much preuailed as with hym, who would not onely haue a man to forgiue his enemyes, but also to pray for them: that lesson neuer went out of his memory. For it was knowen that he had many cruell enemyes, not for his owne desertes, but only for his Religion sake: and yet what soeuer he was that either sought his hinderaunce, either in goodes, estimation, or lyfe, and vpon conference would seeme neuer so slenderly any thyng to relent or excuse hymselfe, he would both forget the offence committed, and also euermore aftewardes frēdly enterteine hym, and shew such pleasure to hym, as by any meanes possible hee might performe or declare: In somuch that it came into a common prouerbe: Do vnto my Lord of Canterbury displeasure or a shrewed turne, and thē you may be sure to haue him your frend whiles he lyueth. Of which his gentill disposition in absteinyng frō reuengement, amōgest many examples therof I will repete here one.

MarginaliaA story betwene the Archb. of Canterbury and a popish priest his enemy.It chaunced an ignoraunt Priest and parson in the North parties, the Towne is not now in remēbrance, but he was a kinsman of one Chersey a Grocer dwelling within Lōdon (being one of those priestes that vse more to study at the Alehouse then in his chamber or in hys study) to sit on a tyme with his honest neighbors at the Alehouse within hys owne Parish, where was communication ministred in commendatiō of my Lord Cranmer Archbyshop of Cant. This sayd parson enuying his name onely for Religion sake, sayd to hys neighbors: what make you of hym (quoth he) he was but an Hostler, and hath no more learnyng then the goslyngs that goeth yonder on þ^e greene, with such lyke sclaunderous & vncomely wordes. These honest neighbours of hys not well bearyng those hys vnseemely wordes, articled against him, and sent thier complaynt vnto þ^e Lord Cromwell, then Vicegerēt in causes Ecclesiasticall, who sent for the Priest and cōmitted hym to the Fleete, mindyng to haue had hym recant those his sclaūderous wordesMarginaliaThe rayling of a popish priest agaynst Doctor Cranmer. at Paules crosse. Howbeit the Lord Cromwell hauyng great affaires of the Prince then in hand, forgat his prisoner in the Fleete: So that this Chersey the Grosser vnderstādyng that his kynsman was in duraunce in the Fleete, onely for speakyng wordes agaynst my Lord of Cant. consulted with the Priest, and betwene them deuised to make sute rather vnto the Archbyshop for his deliueraunce, then to the Lord Cromwell, before whom he was accused: vnderstandyng right well that there was great diuersitie of natures betwene those ij. estates, the one gentill and full of clemency, and the other seuere and somewhat intractable, namely agaynst a Papist: So that Chersey tooke vpō him first to try my Lord of Canterburyes benignitie, namely for that his cosins accusation touched onely the offence agaynst hym and none other. Wherupon the sayd Chersey came to one of the Archb. Gentlemen (whose father bought yearely all his spices and frute of the sayd Chersey, and so therby of familiar acquaintaunce with the Gentlemā) who opening to him the trouble wherin his kinsmā was, requested that he would be a meanes to my Lord his master to heare his sute in the behalfe of his kynsman.

The matter was moued. The Archbyshop lyke as he was of nature gentill, & of much clemency, so would he neuer shew hym selfe straunge vnto suters, but incontinently sent for the sayd Chersey. When he came before hym, Chersey declared, that there was a kyns-