MarginaliaLord Boner vnlordeth the Archbishop.Marginalia1556. March.Lorde any more: and so when soeuer he spake to the people of hym (as he was continually barking against hym) euer he vsed this terme: MarginaliaIt is happy this Byshop had so much maner yet to call hym gentleman.This Gentleman here. &c.

And thus with great compassion and pitie of euery man, in this euyl fauored gowne was he caried to prison. Whom there folowed a gentlemā of Glocestershyre with the Archbishops own gowne, who standing by, & being thought to be toward one of the bishops, had it deliuered to hym: who by the way talking with hym, said: the bishop of Ely protested his frendship with teares. Yea (said he) he might haue vsed a great deale more frendship toward me, & neuer haue ben þ^e worse thought on, for I haue wel deserued it: and going in to þ^e prisō vp with hym, asked hym if he would drinke.MarginaliaCurtesy shewed to the Archbishop by a Gentleman. Who answeared hym, saying: if he had a peece of saltfishe, that he had better wyll to eate: for he had bene that day somewhat troubled with this matter, & had eaten litle, but now þ^t it is past, my hart (said he) is wel quieted. Wherupon the Gentleman said, he would geue hym money with al his hart, for he was able to doo it. But he being one toward the law, and fearing M. FarmersMarginaliaThis Farmer had lost all his landes for relieuing a priest in the Tower in King Henryes tyme. case, durst therfore geue him nothing, but gaue money to the Bayliffes that stoode by, & sayd, that if they were good men, they would bestow it on him (for my Lord of Canterbury had not one peny in his purse to helpe hym) and so leaft hym, my Lord bidding him earnestly farewell, commendyng hym selfe to his prayers and al his frendes. MarginaliaThe gentleman in daunger for releuing the Archbyshop.That night this Gentleman was stayd by Boner & Ely, for geuyng hym this money: and but by the helpe of frends, he had bene sent vp to the Coūsaile. Such was the crueltie and iniquitie of the time, that men could not do good without punishment.

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IN this meane tyme, whyle the Archbishop was thus remainyng in durance (whom they had kept nowe in prison almost the space of three yeares) the Doctours and Diuines of Oxford busied them selues al that euer they coulde, about M. Cranmer, to haue hym recante, assaying by all craftye practises and allurementes they might deuise how to bring their purpose to passe. And to the intent they might wynne hym easily, they had hym to the Deanes house of Christes church in the said Vniuersitie, where he lacked no delicate fare, played at the bowles, had his pleasure for walking, & al other things that might bring hym from Christ. Ouer and besides al this, secretly and sleightly they suborned certayne men, whiche when they coulde not expugne hym by argumentes and disputation, should by entreatie & fayre promises, or any other meanes allure hym to recantation: perceyuyng otherwise what a great wound they should receyue, if the Archbish. had stood stedfast in his sentence: & againe on the other side, how great profit they should get, if he as the principal standerd bearer, should be ouerthrowē. By reason wherof þ^e wily papists flocked about hym, with threatning, flattering, entreating & promising, & al other meanes: especialy Henry Sydal, and fryer Iohn a Spaniard, De Villa Garcina, to the ende to driue hym to the vttermost of their possibilitie, from his former sentence, to recantation.

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MarginaliaPerswasions of the Papistes to the Archbyshop to recant.First, they set foorth how acceptable it would be both to the kyng & Queene, and especially how gaynful to him, and for his soules health the same should be. They added moreouer, how the Counsaile and the Noble men bare hym good wyl. They put hym in hope, that he should not onely haue his lyfe, but also be restored to his auncient dignitie, saying, it was but a smal matter, & so easie that they required hym to doo, only that he would subscribe to a fewe wordes w^t his owne hand, which if he dyd, there shoulde be nothyng in the Realme, that the Queene woulde not easily graunt hym, whether he would haue riches or dignity, or els if he had rather lyue a priuate lyfe in quiet rest, in what soeuer place he lysted, without all publike ministery, only that he would set his name in two woords to a litle leafe of paper: but if he refused, there was no hope of health & pardon: for the Queene was so purposed, that shee would haue Cranmer a Catholike, or els no Cranmer at all: Therefore, he shoulde chuse whether he thought it better to ende his lyfe shortly in the flames & firebrandes nowe ready to be kyndled, then with much honour to prolong his lyfe, vntyl the course of nature dyd cal hym: for there was no myddle way.

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Moreouer, they exhorted hym that he would looke to his wealth, his estimation & quietnes, saying, he was not so old but that many yeares yet remayned in this his so lusty age: & if he would not do it in respect of the queene, yet he should doo it for respect of his lyfe, & not suffer that other mē should be more careful for his health, then he was hym self, saying, this was agreable to his notable learning & vertues, which being adioyned with his lyfe, woulde be profitable both to hym self, & to many other: but being extinct by death, should

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be fruitful to no man: that he should take good heede that he went not too farre: yet there was tyme enough to restore al thyng safe, and nothyng wanted, if he wanted not to hym selfe Therfore they would hym to lay hold vpon the occasion of his health while it was offered, least if he woulde nowe refuse it while it was offered, he might hereafter seeke it when he could not haue it.

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Finally, if the desire of lyfe dyd nothyng moue hym, yet he should remember that to dye is greeuous in al ages, and especially in these his yeares and flower of dignitie it were more greeuous: but to dye in the fire and such torments, is most greeuous of al. With these and like prouocations these fayre flatterers ceased not to solicite and vrge hym, vsing all meanes they could to draw hym to their side: whose force his manly constancie dyd a great while resist: but at last when they made no end of callyng and crying vpon him, MarginaliaThe Archb. contented to recant.the Archbishop being ouercome, whether thorow their importunitie, or by his owne imbecilitie, or of what mynd I can not tell, at length gaue his hand.

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MarginaliaCauses mouing the Archb to geue with the tyme.It might be supposed, that it was done for the hope of lyfe, and better dayes to come. But as we maye since perceyue by a letter of his sente to a Lawyer, the moste cause why he desired his tyme to be delayed, was that he woulde make an ende of Marcus Antonius, which he had already begunne:  

but howe soeuer it was, playne it was, to be agaynst his conscience. The fourme of whiche recantation made by the Fryers and Doctours, whereunto he subscribed, was this.

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MarginaliaThe copy of Cranmers recantation sparsed a broad by the Papistes.I Thomas Cranmer late Archbishop of Canterbury, doo renounce, abhorre, and detest all maner of heresies and errours of Luther and Zwinglius, and all other teachynges whiche be contrarye to sounde and true doctrines. And I beleue moste constantly in my harte, and with my mouth I confesse one holy and Catholike Churche visible, without the whiche there is no saluation, and thereof I knowledge the Bishop of Rome to be supreme heade in earth, whom I knowledge to be the highest Bishop and Pope, and Christes Vicar, vnto whom all Christen people ought to be subiect.

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And as concernyng the Sacramentes, I beleeue and worshyp in the Sacrament of the aultar, the very bodye and bloud of Christe, beyng conteyned moste truely vnder the formes of bread & wyne, the bread through the mighty power of God beyng turned into the body of our saueour Iesus Christ, and the wyne into his bloud.

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And in the other sixe sacraments also (like as in this) I beleue & hold as the vniuersal church holdeth, & the churche of Rome iudgeth and determineth.

Furthermore, I beleue, that there is a place of purgatory, where soules departed be punished for a tyme, for whō the church doth godly & wholsomely pray, like as it doth honour Saintes and make prayers to them.

Finally in al things I professe, that I doo not otherwise beleue, then the catholike church, & the church of Rome holdeth and teacheth. I am sory that euer I helde or thought otherwise. And I beseech almighty God, that of his mercy he wyl vouchsafe to forgeue me, what soeuer I haue offended agaynst God or his churche, and also I desire & beseeche al Christian people to pray for me.

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And al such as haue bene deceyued either by myne example or doctrine, I require thē by the bloud of Iesus Christ that they wyl returne the vnitie of the church, that we may be al of one mynd, without schisme or diuision.

And to conclude, I submyt my selfe to the Catholike church of Christ, and to the supreme head therof, so I submyt my selfe vnto the moste excellent Maiesties of Philip and Mary, Kyng and Queene of this Realme of England. &c. and to all their lawes and ordinaunces, beyng ready alwayes as a faythfull subiect euer to obey them. And God is my wytnes that I haue not done this for fauour or feare of any person, but wyllyngly and of myne owne mynde, as wel to the charge of myne owē conscience, as to the instruction of other.

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This recantation of the Archbish. was not so soone cōceyued, but the Doctors & Prelates without delay caused the same to be imprinted and set abroad in all mens handes. Whereunto for better credit, firste was added the name of Thom. Cranmer, with a solemne subscription, then folowed the witnesses of this recantation, Henry Sydal, & Frier Iohn De Villa Garcina.  

All this while Cranmer was in no certayne assuraunce of his lyfe, although the same was faythfully promised to hym by the Doctours: but after that they had their purpose, the rest they committed to al aduenture, as became men of that Religion to doo.

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