Marginalia1556. March.MarginaliaChersey suing for his Kinsman to the archb.man of hys in the Fleete, a Priest of the North countrey, & as I may tell your grace the truth (quoth Chersey) a man of small ciuilitie and of lesse learnyng. And yet he hath a personage there, which now (by reason that my Lord Cromwell hath layd him in prison beyng in his cure) is vnserued, and hee hath continued in duraunce aboue ij. monethes, & is called to no aunswer, and knoweth not when he shal come to any end, so that this hys imprisonment consumeth hys substance, and wil vtterly vndoe hym, vnlesse your Grace be his good Lord. I know not the man (sayd the Archbishop) nor what he hath done why he should be thus in trouble.

Sayd Chersey agayne, hee onely hath offended agaynst your Grace, and agaynst no man els, as may well be perceued by the Articles obiected agaynst him: the copy whereof the sayd Chersey then exhibited vnto the sayd Archb. of Canterbury. Who well perusing the sayd Articles, sayd: This is the common talke of all the ignorant Papistical Priests in England against me. Surely, said he, I was neuer made priuy vnto this accusation, nor of hys indurance I neuer heard before thys tyme. Notwithstanding if there be nothing els to charge hym withall agaynst the Prince or any of the Counsail, I wyll at your request take order wyth hym, and send hym home agayne to his cure to do hys duty:MarginaliaThe priest sent for to the Archbishop. and so thereupon sent hys ryng to the Warden of the Fleete, wylling him to send the prisoner vnto him with hys keeper at after noone.

When the keeper had brought the prisoner at the houre appointed, & Chersey had well instructed his cosyn in any wyse to submit himself vnto the Archbishop, confessing hys fault, where by that way he should most easely haue an ende and wyn hys fauour: thus the person being brought into the garden at Lambeth, and there sitting vnder the vyne, the Archbishop demaunded of the person what was the cause of his indurance, and who committed hym to the Fleete? The Person aunswered and sayd: that the Lord Cromwel sent him thether, for that certaine malicious parishioners of his parish, had wrongfully accused hym of words which he neuer spake nor ment. Chersey hearyng hys foolishe Cosyn so farre out of the way from hys former instruction, sayd: Thou dasterdly dolt and varlet, is thys thy promyse that thou madest to me? Is there not a great number of thy honest neighbours handes against thee to prooue thee a lyer? Surely my Lord (quoth Chersey) it is pitie to do him good. I am sory that I haue troubled your Grace thus farre wyth hym.

MarginaliaThe Archbishops words vnto the person.Well, sayd the Archb. vnto the Parson, if you haue not offended me, I can do you no good, for I am intreated to helpe one out of trouble that hath offended against me. Yf my Lord Crumwell hath committed you to prison wrongfully, that lyeth in himselfe to amend and not in me. If your offence onely toucheth me, I will bee bolde to do some what for your friendes sake here. If you haue not offended against me, then haue I nothing to do with you, but that you may go and remayn from whence you came. Lord what ado his kinsman Chersy made with him, calling him all kind of opprobrious names. In the end my Lord of Caunterbury seeming to ryse and go his wayes, the fonde Priest fell down on his knees, and sayd: MarginaliaThe priest confesseth his fault to the Archbishop.I besech your grace to forgiue me this offence: assuring your grace that I spake those words being druncke and not well aduysed. Ah, sayd my Lord, this is some what, and yet it is no good excuse, for drunckennes euermore vttereth that which lieth hid in the hart of man when he is sober, alleadging a text or twayne out of the scriptures concerning the vyce of drunckennes, which commeth not to now to remembraunce.

Now therfore (said the Archbishop) that you acknowledge somewhat your fault, I am content to common wyth you, hoping that you are at this present of an indifferent sobrietie. Tell me then, quoth he, dyd you euer see me, or were you euer acquainted with me be-

fore this day? The Priest aunswered and sayd, that neuer in his lyfe, he saw his grace. MarginaliaThe rash tounges of men sclaunderously speking euill by men whom they neuer knew, nor saw before.Why than (said the Archbishop) what occasion had you to call mee an Hostler: and that I had not so much learning as the Goslinges which then went on the greene before your face? If I haue no learning, you may now try it, and be out of doubt thereof: therefore I pray you appose me, either in Grammer or in other liberall sciences, for I haue at one tyme or other tasted partly of them. Or els if you are a Diuine, say some what that way.

The Priest being amased at my Lordes familiar talke, made aunswere and sayd: MarginaliaThe priestes answere.I besech your grace to pardon me. I am altogethers vnlearned, and vnderstand not the Latin toung but very simply. My onely study hath bene to say my seruice and Masse faire and deliberate, which I can do aswell as any Priest in the countrey where I dwell, I thanke God. Well, sayd the other, if you will not appose me, I will be so bold to appose you, & yet as easly as I cā deuise, & that onely in þ^e story of the Bible now in English, in which I suppose that you are dayly exercised. Tell mee therefore who was king Dauids father, said my Lord? MarginaliaThe masse priest ignorant in the scripture.The Priest stoode styll pausing a whyle and sayd: In good fayth my Lord, I haue forgotten hys name. Then sayd the other agayne to hym: if you cannot tell that, I pray you tell me then who was Salamons father? The fond foolysh Priest without all consideration what was demaunded of him before, made aunswer: Good my Lord beare with me, I am not further seene in the Bible then is dayly red in our seruice in the church.

The Archb. then aunswering sayd: this my questiō may be found well aunswered in your seruice. But I now well perceiue, howsoeuer you haue iudged heretofore of my learning, sure I am that you haue none at all. MarginaliaThe gise of Popish priestes when they fauour not the religion of a man: they sclaunder his person.But this is the common practise of all you which are ignorant and supersticious Priestes, to sclaunder, backbite, and hate all such as are learned and wel affected towards Gods word and sincere religion. Cōmon reason myght haue taught you what an vnlikely thyng it was, & contrary to all maner of reason, that a Prince hauing two Vniuersities wythin his realme of well learned men, and desirous to bee resolued of as doubtful a question as in these many yeres was not moued the lyke within Christendome, should be driuen to that necessity for the defence of hys cause, to send out of hys realme an Hostler, being a mā of no better knowledge then is a goslyng, in an ambassade to aunswere al learned men, both in the court of Rome, and in the Emperours court, in so difficult a question as toucheth the kyngs Matrimony, and the diuorce thereof. I say, if you were men of any reasonable consideration, you myght thinke it both vnseemely and vncomely for a Prince so to do. MarginaliaEuill will neuer sayth well.But looke where malice raygneth in men, there reason can take no place: and therefore I see by it, that you all are at a point with me, that no reason or authority cā perswade you to fauour my name, who neuer ment euyll to you, but your both commoditie and profite. Howbeit God amend you all, forgeue you, and send you better myndes.

Wyth these wordes the Priest seemed to weepe, and desired his Grace to pardon hys fault and frailty, so that by hys meanes hee myght returne to hys cure agayne, & he would sure recant those hys foolysh wordes before hys parishioners so soone as he came home, and would become a new man. Well, sayd the Archbishop, so had you neede. MarginaliaThe Archbishop forgeueth and dismisseth the priest.And geuyng hym a godly admonition to refuse the haunting of the Alehouse, and to bestow hys tyme better in the continuall reading of the scriptures, he dimissed him from the Fleete.

The Lord Cromwell perceiuyng within a forte night after, that his prisoner was sent home without any open punishmēt, came to Lambeth vnto the Archb. and in a great heate sayd to him:MarginaliaThe Lord Cromwell offended with the Archbishop in forgiuing the Popish priest. My Lord, I vnderstād that you haue dispatched the Northen Priest that I of