MarginaliaOrgans suspended in the church because the belles did not ring.and though þ^e bels did not clatter in þ^e steples, & therfore his thunderbolt should haue fallē vpon þ^e steples which had deserued: why should þ^e body of the church therfore be suspēded? At least, þ^e poore organes (me thinketh) had some part of wrong to be put to silēce in the quiere, because the belles range not in the tower.

Of the like matter also we read in the sayd registers, falling betwene þ^e Bishop of Worcester, and the Priory of the same town, for not ringing at þ^e Bishops commyng into þ^e church. Wherupō much sute and cōtention was betwen thē, till at lēgth the Archbyshop of Cant. tooke vp the matter, moderating it, as in þ^e sayd registers. fol. 441. appeareth to be seene as followeth.

MarginaliaEx Regist Tho. Arundelli.VNiuersis &c. Thomas. &c. MarginaliaVariaunce betwene the B and Priour of Worcester for not ringing at the bishops comming.where as there hapned varience lately betwene our reuerēd brother þ^e lord B. of Worcester on þ^e one party, & the religious & discrete men, the Prior and couent of the same church on the other party, for not ringing of bels at the comming of our sayd brother to his foresaid church, at length the parties (cōsidering the great inconuenience, that might come thereof) at our instance and request did agree on this maner: that as oftē as it shall happen our reuerēd brother to go to his aforesaid church, either to celebrate orders, or to visite his church in the head or in the inferiors, or to make creme and oyle in the same church: also in the feast of the Assumptiō of the blessed virgine Mary, which is the chiefest feast in þ^e Abbey aforesaid: thē þ^e Priour & the couēt, & their successors for the tyme beyng, shall ring solemly agaynst hys commyng or shall cause to be ronge solemnly, without all contradiction or any reclayming hereafter to be made agaynst the same. Which agreement, that it may be more firmly kept, we let you all vnderstand by these presentes, sealed with our seale. Geuen at our palace of Canterbury, xij. Iuly the x. yeare of our gouernement.

The like stirre for belryngyng and for processions had almost happened betwen the Archbishop of Cant. successor to this Tho. Arundell, named Henr. Chicheley on þ^e one party, & the Abbey of S. Albons on þ^e other partie, had not the Abbat in time submitting himselfe to the Archbishop so prouided, that the ringing of theyr belles at his cōming might not redound to any derogatiō of their liberties. Wherunto the Archbishop graūted by these his letters, as followeth.

MarginaliaRinging in the Archb. at S. Albons.HEnry &c. to the religious men, the Abbat and couēt of the monastery of S. Albons in the dioces of Lyncolne, health &c. When as of late there hapned a matter of variance betwene vs, and you the Abbat and Couēt, by reason of not geuing reuerēce to vs, beyng due to our prouince of Canterb. that is, for not ringing the belles and meting vs with processions when we passed by diuers places of our prouince, aswell due of common custome as of old vse, and for the prerogatiue of the church of Cāterbury, MarginaliaEx Regist. Hen. Chicheley Fol. 365as also being due of euery one being within the compasse of this our sayd prouince, when & as oftē as we shall passe by their places: at lēgth you Lord Abbat (comming personally to vs) did graunt, both for you and the Couent aforesayd, to do and to geue of your gētlenes all reuerence and honour, with such reuerēce both to vs & our church of Canterbury, as often as we passe by your monastery, or þ^e places nigh or adioynyng thereto, or shal hereafter go by: So that it might not be preiudiciall to your exemption and nothing be attempted to þ^e violating of your priuiledge: and that it might not be chalenged for duety hereafter. Wherefore, we desiring to keepe you frō damage, let you vnderstand by these presēts, that it is not our entēt to derogate your exemptiōs or priuiledge whatsoeuer herein: nor by any meanes to be preiudiciall to you by these your reuerences or other duties, whatsoeuer you haue or shall graūt to vs of your deuotion & liberalitie, both by you, and in places vnder your dominion. In witnes whereof &c. Dated xxviij. of Ianuary. 1425. at S. Albons, the xij. yeare of our gouernement.

To expresse moreouer & describe the glorious pompe of these princelike prelates in these blinde dayes of Popishe religion reignyng thē in the church: I thought to adioyne hereunto an other example not much vnlike,neither differing much in tyme, concerning certayne poore men cited vp, MarginaliaW. Courtney Archbishop of Cant.and enioyned straite penaunce by W. Courtney predecessour of the sayd Thomas Arundell, for bringing litter to his horse, not in waynes as they should do, but in priuy sackes, in a secrete manner vnder their clokes or coates. For the which so heynous and horrible trespasse, the said Archbishop sitting in his tribunall seate, did cal and cite before hym the said persons (Pro litera. i. for lytter, after his owne latine) and after their submission enioyned them penance. Which penance, what it was, and what were þ^e names of the foresayd parties, here followeth out of the sayd Archbishops Registers, both by his owne wordes, and by picture of the persons in the same registers annexed and painted, in all resemblaunce, as there standeth and here is also to be seene.MarginaliaEx. Regist. W. Courtney.

Commentary on the Woodcuts     Close

This woodcut, added to the A&M in the 1570 edition, is unusual both for its content and for the fact that it can be compared with the original from which it was taken: namely Archbishop Courtenay's Canterbury register (f. 337v). The delineation of a man performing in 1390 the penance of carrying a load of straw was not the kind of thing to be expected in such a record. For Foxe it served several purposes, including a demonstration of the authoritarian pomp of medieval prelates, the 'Romish prelates' of his title-page; and the proof that his account was derived from authentic records, important among which were the archiepiscopal registers where so much invaluable material was garnered by the martyrologist and his assistants. It is possible that Foxe himself drew this figure. See also commentary on Placement of text and woodcut for his knowledge of this illustration when writing the text. CUL copy: The man is wearing a purple outfit with a blue lining and orange undergarments. Flecks of orange provide detail in the regions of his knees and ankles. The top of the illustration, and the sack are shaded in blue. The ground upon which he walks is light green and there is a thin strip of yellow at the horizon line. WREN copy: in this copy the sack is in white. The outfit is purple but the lining is yellow with orange shading. His undergarment is orange. The ground is brown at the horizon line and brownish-orange in the foreground. His face is crudely whitened, although there is some attempt to detail a flush to the cheeks, lips and earlobes.

MarginaliaEx Registro W. Courtney.ERroris mater ignorātia, quosdam Hugonem Pennie, Iohānem Forstall, Iohannem Boy, Iohānem Wanderton, Willielmum Hayward, & Iohannem White, Tenentes domini de Wengā taliter obcœcauit, quod ante aduentum dicti domini Archiepiscopi ad palarium suum Cātuariæ in vigilia dominice in ramis palmarum, anno domini millesimo trecentesimo nonagesimo, de cariando & ducendo ad dictum palatiū, fœnum, stramē, siue literam, MarginaliaMarke ye Grammarians litera for littour.prout ex tenura terrarum, & tenura suorum quas & quæ tenent de domino & ecclesia sua Cantuariæ astringuntur per balliuum domini ibidem iussi & legitime præmoniti debita seruitia more solito impendere dedignantes, stramen huiusmodi non in carrucis & vehiculis publice in sufficienti quantitate, sed modice in saccis sub latibulo, pontificis ad palatium prædictum perduxerunt, in vilipendium domini ac subtractionem iurium ecclisiæ suæ Cantuar. Vnde super hoc euocati corā domino, die Iouis in hebdomada Paschæ in castro suo de Statewode pro tribunali sedente personaliter comparentes, ipsius iudicio in hac parte se humiliter submiserunt, veniam & misericordiā pro commissis deuote petendo. Et deinde dominus præfatus, Hugonem Pennie, Iohannem Forstall, Iohannem Boy, Iohannem Wanderton, Willielmum Hayward, & Iohannem White, de stando mandatis ecclesiæ, & fideliter paragendo pœnam eis pro eorum demeritis iniungendam, iuratos absoluit in forma iuris, nunciata eis & eorum cuilibet, pro modo culpæ pœna salutari: videlicet, quòd die dominica tunc proximè sequente, prædicti pœnitētes nudi capita & pedes, processionem apud ecelesiam collegiatam de Wengham faciendam cum singulis saccis super humeris suis palam portantes (plenis videlicet fœno & stramine) ita quòd stramen & fœnum huiusmodi ad ora saccorum patentium intuentibus prominerent, lentis incessibus procederent humiliter & deuotè. MarginaliaEx Redist. W. Courtney Arch. Cant.In English.

IGnoraunce the mother of errour so much hath blinded and deceaued certaine persons, to wytte, Hugh Penny, Iohn Forstal, Iohn Boy, Iohn Wanderton, William Hayward, and Iohn