MarginaliaAnno. 1556. Marche.harberous, one that loueth goodnes, sober minded, righteous, holy, temperate, and such as cleaueth vnto the true woorde and doctrine, that he may be able to exhorte. &c.

MarginaliaA minister must be fautles.Vnto this rule and touchstone, to lay now the lyfe and conuersation of this Archbishop, we will first begynne with that which is thus written: A Byshop must be fautles as becommeth the Minister of God. Lyke as no man is without sinne, and euery man caryeth with hym hys especiall vice and fault: so yet neuertheles, the Apostle meaneth, that the Byshop & minister must be fautles in comparison of the common conuersation of mē of the world, which seeme more licētiously to liue at their owne liberties and pleasures, then the Bishop or Minister ought to do, hauyng small regard vnto good example giuyng: which a Byshop and Minister most carefully ought to cōsider, lest by his dissolute life, the word of God be sclaūdered & euil spokē of. Which thyng to auoyd, and the better to accomplish thys precept of the Apostle, thys worthy man euermore gaue hym selfe to continuall study, not breakyng that order that he in the Vniuersitie commonly vsed: MarginaliaThe order of D. Cranmers study.that is, by v. of the clocke in the mornyng at his booke and so cōsumyng that tyme in study and prayer vntill ix. of the cloke, he thē applied him selfe (if the Princes affaires did not call him away) vntill dinner time, to heare suters, and to dispatch such matters as apperteined vnto his speciall cure & charge, cōmitting his temporall affaires both of his houshold and other foraine busines, vnto his Officers. So that such thynges were neuer impedimentes neither to his study, nor to his pastoral charge, which principally consisted in reformation of corrupt Religion, & in setting forth of true and sincere doctrine. For the most part alwayes beyng in Commission, hee associated hym selfe with learned men for siftyng and boultyng out of one matter or other for the commoditie and profite of the Church of Englād. By meanes whereof, & what for his priuate study, he was neuer idle: besides that, he accōpted it no idle pointe to bestow one houre or twaine of the day in ouer reading such works & bokes as daily came frō beyond þ^e Seas.

After dinner, if any suters were attendant, he would very diligētly heare them, and dispatch thē in such sort, as euery man commended his lenitie and gētilnes, although the case required that some whiles diuers of them were cōmitted by hym to prison. And hauyng no suters after dinner, for an houre or therabout he would play at the Chests, or behold such as could play. That done, thē againe to his ordinary study, at the which cōmonly he for the most part stode, & seldome sat: & there cōtinuing vntill v. of the cloke, bestowed that houre in hearyng the cōmon prayer, and walkyng or vsing some honest pastyme vntill supper tyme. MarginaliaThe temperate dyet of D. Crāmer.At supper, if he had appetite (as many tymes he would not sup) yet would he sit down at þ^e table hauing his ordinary prouision of his messe furnished with expedient cōpany, he wearing on his hāds his gloues, because he would (as it were) thereby weane himselfe from eating of meate: but yet keeping the company with such fruitfull talke as dyd repast and much delyght the hearers: so that by this meanes hospitalitie was wel furnished, and the almes chest wel mainteined for the reliefe of the poore. After supper hee woulde consume one houre at the least, in walking or some other honest pastyme: and then again vntill ix. of the clocke, at one kynde of study or other: So that no houre of the day was spent in vayne, but the same was so bestowed as tended to the glory of God, the seruice of the Prince, or to the commodity of the church. Which his well bestowing of his time procured to him most happely a good report of all men, to be in respect of other mens conuersation faultes, as it became the minister of God.

That a Byshop ought not to be stubburne.

Secondly it is required: That a Byshop ought not to be stubburne. With which kind of vice without great wrōg this Archbishop in no wise ought to be charged: whose nature was such, MarginaliaThe gentle nature of D. Crāmer.as none more gentle, or soner wonne to any honest sute or purpose, specially in such thinges wherin by his word, writing, counsel, or deede, he might gratify eyther any gentle or noble man, or do good to any meane person, or els relieue the needy and poore. Onely in causes pertayning to God or hys Prince, no man more stoute, more constant, or more

hard to be wonne: MarginaliaCranmer stout and constant in Gods cause.as in that part his earnest defence in the Parlament house aboue three dayes together in disputing agaynst the vi. articles of Gardiners deuise, can testify. And though the kyng would needes haue them vppon some politicke consideration to goe forward, yet he so handled himselfe aswell in the Parlament house as afterwardes 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 hym to depart out of the Parlamēt house into the Coūsail chamber whilest the Act should passe and be graunted, for safegard of his conscience, MarginaliaD. Cranmer a stout enemy agaynst the vi. Articles.which he with humble protestatiō refused, hoping that his maiesty in processe of tyme would reuoke them agayne: but also after the Parlament was finished, the kyng perceiuing the zealous affectiō that the Archbishop bare towards the defence of his cause, which many wayes by scriptures & manifold authorities and reasons he had substantially confirmed and defended, MarginaliaOf this cōming of the L. Cromwell, and the two Dukes to the Archbishop read before. pag. 1111. Col. 1.sent the Lord Cromwel then Vicegerent, with the two Dukes of Northfolke and Suffolke and all the Lordes of the Parlamēt, to dine with him at Lambeth: Where it was declared by the Vicegerent, and the two Dukes, that it was the kings pleasure, that they all shoulde in his hyghnes behalfe, cherish, comfort and animate him, as one that for hys trauaill in that Parlament, had shewed him selfe both greatly learned, and also discrete and wise, & therefore they willed hym not to bee discouraged for any thing that was passed contrary to hys allegations. He most humbly thanked the kings maiestie of his great goodnes towardes hym, and them all for their paines, saying: I hope in God, that hereafter my allegations and authorities shal take place to the glory of God and the commoditie of the realme, in the meane tyme I wil satisfie my selfe with the honorable consent of your honours and the whole Parlament.

Here is to be noted, that this mans stoute & 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 with 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 his great indignatiō towardes the Archbishop. MarginaliaExample for Ecclesiasticall pastors.Let vs pray that both the like stoutnes may be perceiued in all Ecclesiastical & learned men where the truth ought to be defended, & also the like relenting & flexibilitie may take place in Princes and Noble men, whē 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 cōstancy 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 touchyng hys stoutnes in hys Princes cause, the contrary resistaunce of the Duke of Northumberland agaynst hym proued ryght well hys good mynde that way: MarginaliaArchbyshop Cranmer in displeasure about the imploying of Chauntrey landes.which chaunced by reason that hee would not consent to the dissoluing of Chauntreyes vntil the king came of age, to the intēt that they might then better serue to furnish his royall estate, then to haue so great treasure cōsumed in his nonage. Which hys 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 the one he would not keepe hys consciēce clogged, nor for the other lurke or hide his head. Otherwise (as it is said) his very enemies might easily intreate him in any cause reasonable: & such things as he graūted, he did without any suspicion of rebroidyng or meede therefore: So that he was altogethers voide 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 bee a vice, this man may seeme peraduenture to offend rather on this part then on the contrary.MarginaliaThe singular pacience of the Archbyshop.Albeit for all his doinges I cannot say: for the most