1570 Edition | Book 5 | Page 721 
nyng maketh no mention of hangyng. MarginaliaAn Englishe storye beginning thus. A table of all the kynges.An other certaine English Chronicle I haue in my hands borowed of one maister Bowyer, who somewhat differyng frō the rest, recordeth thus of Syr Roger Acton, that his Iudgemēt before the Iustice was thus, to be drawen through London to Tyborne, and there to be hanged, and so he was naked, saue certain partes of him couered with a cloth. &c. And whē certaine dayes were past (saith the Author) a Trūpetter of the kings called Thomas Clyff, gat graūt of the kyng to take hym downe, and to bury him, and so he did. &c. And thus haue you the story of sir Roger Actō, and his felow brethren. As touching their cause whether it was true, or els by errour mistaken of the kyng, or by the fetch of the bishops surmised, I referre it to þe iudgement of hym whiche shall iudge both the quicke and the dead, et seculū per ignem. MarginaliaMaister Cope gone to Rome.To whom also I commit you master Cope, God spede your iourney wel to Rome, whether, I heare say, you are going, & make you a good mā.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaThe death of Tho Arundell Archbyshop of Cant.After the decease or Martyrdome of these aboue mētioned, who were executed in the moneth of Ianuary an. 1414 in the next moneth folowyng, & in the same yeare, the 20. day of February, God tooke away the great enemie of his worde, and rebell to his kyng Thomas Arundell Archbishop of Canterbury.
CloseFoxe's account of the deaths of Archbishop Thomas Arundel and of Henry V served a surprising number of polemical purposes. Foremost among these was, of course, the death of a persecuting archbishop which Foxe contrived to construct as providential retribution. Foxe did this partly by noting that Arundel died before Sir John Oldcastle, whom he had condemned, and partly by depicting the archbishop's death as particularly nasty. To achieve the latter objective, Foxe quoted, via Bale's Catalogus (p. 557), Thomas Gascoigne's Theological Dictionary. (Foxe states elsewhere in the Acts and Monuments - in his account of Reginal Pecock - that he did not have access to Gascoigne's work). He also took the opportunity to take a swipe at Polydore Vergil for misdating the death of Thomas Arundel to 1415, rather than the correct date of February 1414. (See Polydore Vergil, Anglica historia [Basel, 1555], p. 441). Foxe's criticisms of any author for chronological inaccuracy may strike those familiar with the Acts and Monuments as breathtakingly brazen, but it was all a part of Foxe's continual attempts to erode the credibility of Vergil's history; a work that was both internationally respected and hostile to Lollardy and to the Reformation.. Foxe also notes the foundations of the Charterhouses at Sheen and Syon, along with the nunnery at Syon. His information is taken from Thomas of Walsingham (see Thomas of Walsingham, Historia Anglicana, ed. H. T. Riley, 2 vols., Rolls Series 28 [London, 1863-4], II, pp. 300-301) but the editorial comments are his own. Foxe's account of the revival of the bill, in the 1414 Parliament, to disendow the Church, comes from Fabyan's chronicle. (See Robert Fabyan, The chronicle of Fabian [London, 1559], STC 10664, p. 390). Foxe favours Fabyan's account, because Fabyan voiced a conspiracy theory, later repeated by William Tyndale and William Shakespeare, that the clergy urged Henry V to invade France in order to distact the king from the disendowment of the Church. The story of the French sending the king tennis balls is not in Fabyan; Foxe probably took this from Edward Hall's chronicle. (See Edward Hall, The union of the two noble and illustre families of Lancastre and York [London, 1560], STC 12723a, fo. 41v). Foxe cites both Fabyan and Hall as sources for his exceedingly brief summary of Henry V's campaigns and death; the account could be based on either or both of them. What is noteworthy about this is Foxe's lack of interest in Henry V's martial exploits. To most English chroniclers and historians these were a source of national pride. But to Foxe, they merely served to conceal Henry's ultimate failure as a king: he protected the False Church and persecuted the True Church. Foxe's account of the deaths of Arundel and Henry V was introduced in the 1570 edition and remained unchanged in subsequent editions.
[Back to Top]Thomas S. Freeman,
University of Sheffield
MarginaliaPolydore Virgill erreth.In the death of this Archibishop first Polidore Vergil is deceaued, who in his xxij. booke, pag. 441. affirmeth his death to be an. 1415. and in the second yeare of kyng Henr. 5. also after the beginnyng of the Councell of Constance. Who in dede neuer reached the begynnyng therof, nor euer saw the second yeare of that kyng (vnlesse ye count the first day for a yeare) but dyed before an. 1414. Febr. 20. Ex hist. S. Albani et multis. Furthermore concernyng the death of this Arundell, and the maner therof, who had bene so heauy a troubler of Christes sanctes in his time, because the thyng semeth worthy of notyng, to behold the punishment of God, vpon his enemies, this is to reporte, MarginaliaThom. Gasconius in Dictionario theologico.as I haue found it alledged out of Thomas Gaschoing in Dictionario Theologico: Whose playne wordes be these: An 1414. Thom. Arundel Cant. Archiepiscopus sic lingua percussus erat, vt nec deglutire, nec loqui per aliquot dies ante mortē suam potuerit, diuitis epulonis exemplo, et sic tandem obijt. Atq̀; id multi tunc fieri putabant, quia verbum alligasset, ne suo tempore prædicaretur, &c. MarginaliaThe maruelous hand of God vpon Tho. Arundell Archb. of Cant.That is, Thomas Arundell Archb. of Canterbury, was so stricken in his tounge, þt neyther he coulde swalow, nor speake for a certain space before his death, much lyke after the example of the riche glutton, and so dyed vpon the same. And thys was thought of many to come vpon him, for that he so bound þe word of the Lord, that it should not be preached in hys dayes &c. Which if it be true, as it doth well here appeare, these and such other horrible examples of Gods wrath, may be terrible spectacles for such as occupie their tounges and braynesso busilie to stoppe the course of Gods word, striuing but agaynst the streame: MarginaliaIt is in vain to gainstand Gods worde.agaynst the force wherof, neyther are they able to resiste, and many times in resisting are ouerturned themselues and drowned therin. And thus much for the death of Thomas Arundell, who cōtinued Archbishop in the see of Cant. the space of xviij. yeares.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaHenry Chichesley Archb. of Cant.After this Arundell, succeaded next in the sayd sea of Canterbury Henry Chichesley made Archbyshop an. 1414. and sat 25. yeares. This Henry folowyng lykewise the steppes of his predecessour, shewed him selfe no small aduersary agaynst the fauourers of the truth. In whose time was much trouble, and great afflictiō in the churche. For as the preaching and teachyng of the word did multiply and spread abroad daily more and more, so on the contrarye side, more vigilant care and straight inquisitiō folowed & encreased against þe people of God, by reason whereof diuers did suffer, and were burned, Some for feare fled the countrey. Many were brought to examination, and by infirmitie constrained to abiure. Of whom hereafter (Christ willyng) particularly in order of their tymes, we will entreate.
[Back to Top]As true pietie, & sincere preachyng of Christes worde began at this time to decay: So idle monkery and vaine superstitiō in place therof begā to increase. MarginaliaSion and Bethleem builded.For about þe same yere þe king began þe foundatiō of ij. Monasteries, one of þe one side of Thames of friers obseruaunt, the other on þe other side Thames called Shene & Syon, dedicated to Charter house monkes, with certaine Brigitte nonnes or recluses, to &þe nūber of 60, dwellyng within þe same presinct, so that þe whole number of these wt priests, monkes, deacons and nonnes should equall the number of xiij. Apostles and 72. disciples. The order of these was accordyng to the description of S. Paul the Apostle Collos. 1. Eate not, taste not, touch not. &c. to eate no flesh, to weare no linen, to touch no money. &c.
[Back to Top]About Michaelmas, the same yeare the kyng began his Parlament at Leycester, aboue mentioned. In the whiche Parlament the cōmons put vp their byll agayn, whiche they had put vp before. an. xi. Henr. 4. that the tēporalties disorderly wasted by men of the church, might be conuerted and employed to the vse of the kyng, of his Earles, and knightes, and to the relief of the poore people, MarginaliaVid. supra pag. 662.as is before recited, pag. 662. In feare of whiche byll, least the kyng would geue therunto any comfortable audience MarginaliaFabiā, with other.(as testifieth Robert Fabian, and other wryters) certaine of the prelates, and other headmen of the Churche put the kyng in minde to clayme his ryght in Fraunce. Wherupon Henry Chichesley Archbishop of Canterbury made a long & a solemne oration before the kyng to persuade him to the same, MarginaliaA craftye practise of the prelats.offeryng to the kyng in the behalfe of the clergy great and notable summes. By reason wherof (saith Fabian) the byll was agayn put of, & the kyng set hys minde for the recouery of þe same: MarginaliaThe kyng styrred vp to warres by the byshops.so that soone after he sent his letters & messengers to the French kyng concernyng that matter, and receaued frō him again aūswere of derision, with a pype full of tenys balles (as some record) sent from the Dolphin, for him to play with at home. Wherby the kynges mynde was incensed the more towarde that viage. Who then furnisshing him selfe with strength and armour, with pouder, and shotte, and gunstones to play with in Fraunce, and with other artillery for that purpose conuenient, so set ouer into Fraunce, where he got Hareflew with diuers other townes and castles in Normandy and Picardye, and at Agyncourt had a great victory ouer the Frenche armey, they being counted but vij. thousand, by pricking sharpe stakes before them &c. After that he wanne Cane, Towk, Rowan with other townes moe, as Meldune, or Meleon, & maried with Katherine the Frenche kynges daughter. And yet notwithstandyng the third tyme hee made his viage agayne into Fraunce, were at length at Boys he fell sicke & dyed. Concerning all which viages,
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