MarginaliaAnno. 1553. it not my wil, but thy wil be done. Lord I commit my spirit to thee. Oh Lord thou knowest how happy it were for me to be with thee: yet for thy chosens sake send me life & health, that I maye truely serue thee. Oh my Lorde God, blesse thy people, and saue thine inheritaunce. Oh Lord God, saue thy chosen people of England. Oh my Lord God, defend this Realme from papistrie, and mainteine thy true religion, that I and my people may prayse thy holy name, for thy sonne Iesus Christes sake.

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Then turned he his face, and seeing who was by him, said vnto them: Are ye so nigh, I thought you had bene further of? Then Doctour Owen saide, We hearde you speake to your selfe, but what you said we knowe not. He then (after his fashion smilyngly) said, I was praying to God. The last wordes of his panges were these:MarginaliaThe last wordes of K. Edward. I am faint, Lord haue mercy vpon me, and take my spirite. And thus he yeelded vp the ghost  

, leauyng a wofull kingdome behinde vnto his sister. Albeit he in his wyll had excluded his sister Mary from succession of the crowne, because of her corrupt Religion: yet the plague which God had destinate vnto this sinful Realme, could not so be voyded, but that shee being the elder sister and daughter to king Henry, succeded in possession of the Crowne.MarginaliaThe bloudy regiment of Queene Mary. Of whose dreadfull and bloudy regiment, as it remayneth nowe consequently to discourse: so here would be touched some thing before, concernyng the letters and aunsweares betweene the king ane her, duryng the life tyme of king Edward: in whiche letters and messages much trauaile was taken by the king and his Counsaile, to reduce her to obedient conformitie of Religion.MarginaliaConcerning these letters read in the first Boke of Actes and Monumentes, pag. 877. But because those letters are already specified in our first edition of Acts and Monumentes, pag. 877. it shal be rather tedious, then necessary here againe to repeate the same.

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MarginaliaThe Lady Mary wedded to Custome. This briefly may suffice to vnderstande, that for al the writing, sending, and practising with the Lady Mary, by the king and his Counsaile, and also by Byshop Ridley, yet woulde shee not be reclaymed from her owne singular opinion fixed vpon custome, to geue any indifferent hearing to the word and voyce of veritie.  

MarginaliaThe Lady Mary in displeasure both with her brother and father. The which set wyll of the said Lady Mary, both this young king and also his father king Henry before hym right wel perceiuyng and considering, they were both muche displeased against her: In so much that not only her brother dyd vtterly sequester her in his wyll, but also her owne father considering her inclinatiō, conceiued suche hart against her, that for a great space he did seclude her from the title of Princesse,   yea and seemed so egerly incensed against her, that he was fully purposed tp proceede further with her (as it is reported) had not the intercession of Thomas Cranmer the Archbishop, reconciled the king againe to fauour and pardon his own daughter.   For the better vnderstanding wherof, by these her own letters copied out of her own hand writing (which I haue to shewe) something may be perceyued, and more peraduenture may be gessed. The words out of her owne hand writing be these. And first her letter to king Henry her father here foloweth.  

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MarginaliaLady Mary writeth to K. Henry her father. I N my most humble wise I beseeche your grace of your dayly blessing. Pleaseth it the same to be aduertised, that this morning my Lord my chamberliine came and shewed me that he had receiued a letter from sir Wil. Paulet Controller of your house. The effect wherof was, that I should with all diligēce remoue vnto the castle of Hertford.  

Wherupon I desired him to see the same letter, which he shewed me. Wherein was written, that the Ladye Mary the kinges daughter shoulde remoue to the place beforesaide, leauing out in the same the name of Princesse. Which whē I heard I could not a litle marueile, trusting verily that your grace was not priuy to the same letter as concerning the leauing out of the name of Princesse, for as much as I doubt not in your goodnes, but your grace doth take me for your lawful daughter, borne in true matrimonie. Wherfore if I shold agree to the contrary, I should in my conscience run in the displeasure of God, which I hope assuredly your grace wyl not that I so shoulde. And in all other thinges your grace shall haue me alwayes as humble and obedient daughter and handmaid as euer was childe to the father, whiche my duetie bindeth me to: as knoweth our Lord, who haue your grace in his most holy tuition, with much honour and long life to his pleasure. Wirttē at your Manor of Beaulien this second day of Octob.

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By your most humble daughter,
Mary Princesse.

MarginaliaThe Protestation of Lady Mary. M Y Lordes, as touching my remouyng to Hatfielde, I wyll obey his Grace, as my duetie is, or to any other place that his grace wyll appoynt me. But I protest before you and all other that be here present, that my conscience wyll in no wise suffer me to take any other then my selfe for the kinges lawful daughter, borne in true matrimonie, or Princesse, and that I wyll neuer willyngly and wittingly say or do, whereby any person myght take occasion to thinke that I agree to the contrary, not of any ambition or proude mind, as God is my Iudge: MarginaliaLady Mary standeth to the Popes iudgement. but that if I should say or do otherwise, I should in my conscience sclaūder the deede of our mother holy Church & the Pope, who is the Iudge in this matter, and none other: and also dishonor the king my father, þ^e quene my mother, and falsly cōfesse my selfe a Bastard, which God defend that I shoulde do, seeing the Pope hath not so declared it by his sentence definitiue, for to his iudgement I submit me.

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As you haue heard some part already of the stout courage of the Lady Mary toward her father, and also by her letters no lesse was declared toward king Edward her brother and other of his Counsaile: so now let vs inferre somewhat likewise of the stoute talke and demeanor of the sayde Lady Mary towarde D. Ridley Bishop of London, who gently commyng to her of meere good wyll, had his cōmunication with her, and shee with hym as here foloweth.

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MarginaliaTalke betwene Lady Mary and Byshop Ridley. About the eight of Sept.  

1552. D. Ridley then bishop of Londō, lying at his house at Hadham in Hartfordshire: went to visite the Lady Mary then lying at Hunsden two myles of: and was gently enterteined of sir Tho. Wharton and other her officers, tyl it was almost. xi. of the clocke. About which tyme the saide Lady Mary came forth into her chamber of presence, and then the said bishop there saluted her grace, and said, that he was come to do his duety to her grace. Then shee thanked hym for his paynes, & for a quarter of an houre talked with hym very pleasantly: and sayd, that shee knewe hym in the Court when he was chapleine to her father, & could wel remember a sermon that he made before king Henry her father, at the marriage of my Lady Clinton that now is, to sir Anthony Broune. &c. and so dimissed him to dine with her officers.

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After dyner was done, the Bishop being called for by the said Lady Mary, resorted againe to her grace, betwene whom this communication was, first the bishop beginning in maner as foloweth.

MarginaliaByshop Ridley offereth to preach before the Lady Mary. Bishop. Madame, I came not only to do my duetie to see your Grace, but also to offer my selfe to preache before you on Sonday next, if it wil please you to heare me. At this her countenance chaunged, and after silence for a space, shee answered thus.

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Mary. My Lord, as for this last matter, I pray you make the answeare to it your selfe.

Bishop. Madame, considering myne office and callyng, I am bounde of dutie to make to your Grace this offer, to preach before you.

Mary. Well, I pray you make the answeare (as I haue said) to this matter your selfe: for you know the ausweare wel enough. But if there be no remedie but I must make you aunsweare, this shall be your answeare:MarginaliaLady Mary refuseth to heare B. Ridley to preach before her. The doore of the parish church adioyning shal be open for you, if you come, & ye may preach, if you list, but neither I, nor none of mine shall heare you.

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Bishop. Madame, I trust you wyl not refuse Gods word.

Mary. I can not tel what ye cal Gods woorde. That is not Gods word now, that was Gods word in my fathers dayes.

Bishop. Gods worde is all one in al tymes, but hath bene better vnderstanded and practised in some ages, then in other.

Mary. You durst not for your eares haue aduouched that for Gods woorde in my fathers dayes, that nowe you doo. And as for your newe Bookes, I thanke God I neuer read none of them: neuer did, nor neuer wyl do.

And after many bytter wordes against the forme of religion then established, and against the gouernmēt of the Realme, and the lawes made in the young yeares of her brother, which shee saide shee was not bounde to obey, tyll her brother came to perfect age,  

and then affirmed shee woulde obey them:MarginaliaIt is lyke shee was perswaded by Witches and blynde prophecies that king Edward should not lyue so long. She asked the Bishop whether he were one of the Counsaile: He answeared, No. You might well enough (said shee) as the Counsaile goeth now adayes.

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And so shee concluded with these wordes: My Lord,