MarginaliaAnno. 1556. Marche.ther diuers treatises of these learned Martyrs, as to this our story shall apperteine.

The vnquyet spirite of Stephen Gardiner beyng not yet contented, after all this thrusteth out an other booke in Latine of the like Popishe argument, but after an other title, named Marcus Anthonius Cōstantius.  

MarginaliaMarcus Anthonius written by St. Gardiner. Wherunto first the Archbyshop agayne intendyng a full confutation, had already absolued three partes of his aunswere lying in prison. MarginaliaArchbishop of Canterb. about an aunswere to Marcus Anthonius.Of the which partes, two perished in Oxford: þ^e other yet remaineth in my hādes ready to be seene & set forth, as the Lord shal see good.   Also MarginaliaNotes of B. Ridley agaynst Marcus Anthonius.B. Ridley lying likewise the same time in prison, hauing there the sayd booke of Marcus Anthonius, for lacke of penne and paper, with a lead of a window   in the margent of the boke wrote annotations, as straitnes of time would serue him, in refutation of the same booke.   And finally because those worthy Martyrs had neither libertie nor laysure to go through wyth that trauaile, that which lacked in them, for accomplishmēt of that behalfe, was supplied shortly after by Peter Martyr,MarginaliaPeter Martyrs booke of defence agaynst Marcus Anthonius. who aboundantly and substancially hath ouerthrowene that booke in his learned Defension of the truth, agaynst the false Sophistication of Marcus Anthonius aforesayd.

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Besides these bookes aboue recited, of this Archbishop diuers other things there were also of his doyng, as the booke of reformation,  

the Catechisme,   with the boke of Homilies, wherof part was by him contriued, part by his procurement approued & published. Wherunto also may be adioyned an other writyng or confutation of his agaynst 88. Articles by the conuocation deuised and propoūded, but yet not ratified nor receaued, in the reigne and time of Kyng Henry.

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And thus much hetherto concernyng the doynges and trauailes of this Archbyshop of Canterbury duryng the lyues both of kyng Henry, and of kyng Edward his sonne. Which ij. kynges so long as they continued, this Archbishop lacked no stay of mayntenaūce agaynst all his maligners.

Afterward this K. Edward Prince of most worthy towardnes fallyng sicke, when hee perceiued that hys death was at hand, and the force of his paynfull disease would not suffer him to liue longer,  

and knowing that his sister Mary was wholy wedded to popish religiō, bequeathed the successiō of the Realme to the lady IaneMarginaliaLady Iane. (a lady of great byrth, but of greater learning, beyng Neece to kyng Henry the eight by his sister) by consent of all the Counsel and lawyers of this realme. To this testamēt of the Kinges, when all the Nobles of the realme, states and Iudges had subscribed: they sent for the Archbishop, and required hym that he also would subscribe. MarginaliaCranmer refuseth to swere to Lady Iane.But hee excusing hymselfe on this maner, sayd: that it was otherwyse in the testament of kyng Henry his father, and that he had sworne to the succession of Mary as then the next heyre, by which oth hee was so bounde, that without manyfest periurie he could not go from it. The Counsell aunswered, that they were not ignorant of that, and that they had consciences as well as hee, and moreouer that they were sworne to that testament, and therefore hee should not thinke there was any daunger therin, or that he should be in more peryll of periury then the rest.

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To this the Archbishop aunswered, that hee was iudge of no mans conscience but his owne: and therefore as hee would not bee preiudiciall to others, so hee woulde not commit hys conscience vnto other mens factes, or cast him selfe to daunger, seyng that euery man should geue accompt of his owne conscience and not of other mens. And as cōcernyng subscription, before he had spoken with the kyng him selfe, hee vtterly refused to do it.

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The kyng therefore beyng demaunded of the Archbishop concerning this matter, sayd: that the Nobles and Lawyers of the Realme counselled hym vnto it, and perswaded him that the bond of the first testament could nothing let, but that this Lady Iane myght succeede him as heyre, and the people without daūger acknowledge her as their Queene. Who then demaunding leaue of the kyng, that he myght first talke with certaine Lawyers that were in the Court, when they all agreed that by the law of the Realme it might be so, returning to the king,MarginaliaCranmer through þ^e perswasion of the Counsell, the King, and lawyers subscribed to K. Edwards Testament. with much ado he subscribed.  

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Well, not long after this, king Edward died, being almost sixtene yeares old, to þ^e great sorrow, but greater calamitie of the whole Realme. After whose decease immediately it was commaunded that the Lady

Iane which was vnwylling thereunto, should be proclaymed Queene. Which thing much mysliked the cōmon people: not that they did so much fauour Mary, before whom they saw the Lady Iane preferred, as for the hatred conceiued agaynst some, whom they coulde not fauour.  

Besides this, other causes there happened also of discord betwene the Nobles and the commons the same time, for what iniuries of commons and enclosures wrongfully holden, with other inordinate polings and vncharitable dealing betwene the landlords and tenantes, I can not tell. But in fine, thus the matter fell out, that Mary hearyng of the death of her brother, & shifting for her selfe, was so assisted by the Cōmons, that eftsoones she preuayled.   Who being established in the possession of the Realme, not long after came to London, and after she had caused first the two fathers, the Duke of Northumberland and the Duke of Suffolke to bee executed (as is aboue remembred) lykewyse she caused the Lady Iane being both in age tender and innocent from this crime, after shee coulde by no meanes bee turned from the constancie of her fayth, together with her husband to be beheaded.

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The rest of the Nobles paiyng fines, were forgeuē, the Archbishop of Cant. onely excepted. Who though he desired pardon by meane of frendes, could obtaine none: in so much that the Queene woulde not once vouchsafe to see him: For as yet the olde grudges agaynst the Archbishop for the MarginaliaManet altamente repostum Iudiciū paridis, spretæque iniuria matris.  

Virgil, æneid. 1.diuorcement of her mother, remayned hyd in the bottome of her hart. Besides this diuorce, she remembred the state of religiō chaunged: all which was reputed to the Archbishop, as the chiefe cause thereof.

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Whyle these thinges were in doing, a rumor was in all mens mouthes, that the Archbishop, to curry fauour with the Queene, had promised to say a Dirige Masse after the olde custome, for the funerall of Kyng Edward her brother. Neither wāted there some which reported that he had already said Masse at Cāterbury: which Masse in dede was said by D. Thornton.MarginaliaThis Doctour Thornton was after the bishop of Douer, a cruell & wicked persecuter. This rumor Cranmer thinking speedely to stay, gaue forth a writing in his purgation: the tenour whereof beyng before expressed, pag. 1395. col. 1. I neede not here againe to recite.

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This byll being thus written,  

and lying openly in a window in his chamber, commeth in by chaunce M. Scory, Bishop thē of Rochester, who after he had red and perused the same, required of the Archbyshop to haue a copy of the bill. The Archbishop when he had graūted and permitted the same to Master Scory, by the occasion therof M. Scory lending it to some frend of his, there were diuers copies taken out therof, and the thing published abroad among the cōmon people: in so much that euery Scriueners shop almost, was occupied in writing & copiyng out the same, & so at lēgth some of those copies comming to the Bishops handes, and so brought to the Counsell, and they sending it to the Cōmissioners, the matter was knowen, and so he commaunded to appeare.

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Wherupon D. Cranmer at his day prefixed, appeared before the said Commissioners, bringing a true Inuentory, as he was commaūded, of all his goodes. That done, a MarginaliaThis Byshop was D. Heath byshop after of Yorke.Bishop of the Queenes priuy Counsell, being one of the sayd Commissioners, after the Inuentory was receaued, bringing in mēcion of the byll: My Lord (sayd hee) there is a bill put forth in your name, wherein you seeme to be aggreeued with setting vp the Masse agayne: we doubt not but you are sory that it is gone abroad.

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To whom the Archbishop aunswered agayne, saiyng: as I do not deny my selfe to be the very autour of that bill or letter, so much I confesse here vnto you, cōcerning the same bill, that I am sory that the sayd bill went from me in such sort as it did. For when I had written it, M. Scory got the copy of me, & is now come abroad, and as I vnderstād, the City is full of it. For which I am sory, that it so passed my handes: for I had intēded otherwise to haue made it in a more large and ample maner, and mynded to haue set it on Paules Church dore, and on the dores of all the Churches in London, with mine owne seale ioyned thereto.

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At which wordes when they saw the constantnes of the man, they dismissed hym, affirming they had no more at that present to say vnto him, but that shortly hee should heare further. The sayd Byshop declared afterward to one of Doctour Cranmers friendes, that notwithstandyng hys atteinder of treason, the

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