MarginaliaAnno. 1557. Ianuary.tatem, fidem, & consilium ad publicam salutem impēdimus. Postquàm enim singulari & præstantissima virtute Cardinalis Poli, legati è superiorum temporum caligine, & tenebris, lucē in republica respicere cœpimus, vna certè grauissima etiam superioris ætatis mala sensimus, quibus profecto infinitis & miserrimis etsi antea premeremur, tamen ad calamitatis nostræ magnitudinem accessit eiusdem ignoratio, vt (mea quidem opinione) eo simus magis miserabiles iudicandi, quod tam turbulenta tempestate iactati ne moueri quidem nos, tam; graui & periculoso hæresis morbo oppressi, aut ægrotare mentes nostras, non intelliximus. Valde enim periculosa est ægrotatio illa, quæcunque sine doloris sensu naturam cōficit, & affectos sæpe priùs extinguit, quàm ægrotare se fateantur. Euismodi morbo Academia laborabat, quæ ad alias fortasse res satis ingeniosa & solers, in hac Religionis causa, propter caput Ecclesiæ læsum, vnde omnis sentiendi vis est, omnino hebes, stupida, & sine mente fuit, quoad tertio ante hunc anno diuina sanctissimi patris Iulij Clementia Angliæ ferè emortuæ miserata, iterum nos Ecclesiæ inserit, corpus sensusq; recreat, cuius ope conualescēs Britannia, quam certa gehennæ pericula effugerit, quiuis facile intelligit. Idē Academia cernit acutius, nequè quicquám mali vspiam accidisse putat, quo nostra Regio in hac religionis vastitate & schismate miserius fuerit afflicta. Non est opus recensere in hoc loco euersa Monasteria, spoliata Templa, strages sacerdotū, cædes nobilium, motus & tumultus populi, totius Regni egestatem, quæ & si aliunde accidere possunt, tamē cum tam grauia sint vt opprimant, vltionis & vindictæ potius quàm; probādi causa in malos & nocentes infligi putamns. Sed sunt ista fortunæ ludibria, grauiora sumus passi religionis & conscientiæ detrimēta: pietas in Deum omnis euanuerat, virginalis sacerdotū professio ad libidinem soluta est, animus quasi consopitus iacebat, quem nullæ Ceremoniæ excitabant, ipsa mens opinionum varietate ita distracta, ita sibi ipsi dissentiens, vt infinitis erroribus implicaretur. In his erant duo præcipue fontes, ex quorum riuulis & hausisse Academiam paulo liberalius, & illa portione ferme inebriatam confitemur.

Prior ortum habebat ex illa nostri violēta diuulsione, a Catholicæ Ecclesiæ vnitate, re non dissimili illius pugnæ, quam olim Menenius Agrippa in intestina ciuium discordia, de corpore humano memorabat. Posterior ex immensa palude & cœno Wicleuiano emanauit: quem celebris apud nos imo miserabilis de Sacramento altaris patefecit. De cuius rei veritate plerique suo sensu abundantes, pro arbitrio quisque suo statuerat. Nos Philosophos, nec illos quidem optimos, imitati ex Epicureorum schola ad scripturæ lumen aliquid attulimus, quòd enim Christus omnino, præcise, & sine exceptione, de vera & perpetua sui corporis præsentia affirmarat (in cuius verbi veritate fundamētum fidei nostræ collocatur) id nos ita sumus interpretati, vt mancam & alienam Christi vocem iudicaremus, nisi illa Epicuri propria particula (quasi) adderetur, & quod Christiani corpus & sanguinem, id nos quasi corpus & sanguinem diceremus. Sed non est istius temporis præterita nimium meminisse, quæ vtinā æterna obliuione obrui possent, neque vlla tātæ labis memoria ad posteros nostros propagetur, tamen fuerunt attingēda generatim quidem, quòd erranti cōfessio salutaris sit, membratim verò, quod Academia his vulneribus à Cēsoria potestate confecta, à Censoria medicina ad salutem reduci postulat. Ipsa vero pro se & suis spondet omnes in authoritate vestra futuros, quos assiduis cōcionibus adeo ad pœnitentiam edocuit, vt & eos ad sanam religionem fidissime transijsse, & in eadem diligenti præsentis vitæ vsu superioris ætatis damna sarcituros putetis. Nam qui primi in hoc cursu sunt acerrime cōtendunt in eo, quod tam voluntariè susceperunt & qui pigrius egressi, quasi pomeridianis horis ad hoc certamen accesserunt, ea certè præbent iam immutatæ voluntatis indicia, vt quomodo temerè & iuueniliter à sana religione defecerunt, ita non nisi maturi & cum iudicio ab hæresi desciuisse videantur. Vniuersis vero simul restituta & desiderata religio magis placere videtur, quia si assiduè præcepta, neque ad tempus obscurata fuisset.

Quapropter Academia supplex & postrata primùm à Deo immortali pacem & veniam petit precaturq; ab eo, vt hodiernum diem ad suorum salutem conseruandam, & rempublicam hanc constituendem illuxisse patiatur. Deinde pro se, pro suis, pro vniuersis, pro singulis, hāc petitionem ad celsitudines vestras affert, vt superiorū temporum offensas ex errore & iustitia profectas præsenti hominum industriæ cōdonetis. De reliquis vero pro summa prudentia vestra, & singulari in nos amore eā sententiam

feratis, vt suorum causas vel iustitia vestra bonas inueniat, vel clementia bonas esse faciat. In vtroque par erit beneficium, siue Academiam pro causarum æquitate iudicaueritis, siue pro amoris vestri abundantia innocentē eam esse volueritis. Nos pro referenda gratia, summam in sacris modestiam, assiduam in literis operam, perpetuum veræ religionis amorem, sempiternam vestri beneficij memoriam repromittimus.

MarginaliaThe aunswere of master Scot Bishop of Chester, to the oration of Ihon Stokes.When he had made an end of speaking, the Bishop of Chester  

Commentary     Close

In the 1563 edition, Foxe, following Golding, refers to the bishop of Chester as the bishop of 'West Chester'. (This is because the bishop of the older see of Chichester had traditionally been referred to as the bishop of Chester). In the 1570 edition, Foxe changed 'West Chester' to Chester.

As cōcernyng their good willes, there was no cause to mistrust. For their cōming thether was not to deale any thing roughly with such as fell to the amendemēt: but both the Cardinal himself, and they also, were fully minded to shew fauour, deuising how to bring all thinges to peace and trāquility, desiring nothing more earnestly, thē that they which haue erred and gone astray, should returne into the right path agayne. The right reuerend father the lord Cardinal (whom he wished to haue bene present) wished the self same thing also, desyring nothing somuch as hee with his owne handes to susteyne & hold vp now ready to fall, or rather to rayse vp already fallē to the groūd, the Vniuersity his ward: for he gladly taketh vppon him the name and duety of her Gardein, whom it greatly greued that the infectiōs of the times past had spread abroade so greuous diseases, that euē the Vniuersity it self was touched with the cōtagions ayre therof. For he would gladlier haue come thither to visite & salute it, then to correct it, if the weighty affayres of the realme would haue permitted it. MarginaliaThe Commission assigned by the Cardinall, and why.But now seing he could not so do, he had appoynted this Commission, in the which he had assigned them to be his deputies, which (for because they knew him to set much store by the Vniuersity) should extēd the more fauor to it, & (for because they thēselues had bene there brought vp) would the more earnestly embrace it. MarginaliaThe causes declared.The chiefe matter that they came for, tended to thys ende, that such as had erred should cōfesse their faultes, and returne into the ryght waye agayne. For they were in good forwardnes of healing, that acknowledged thēselues to haue offēded. And therfore it was wisely propounded on his part that he would not altogether excuse the faultes of the Vniuersity, nor of other men, but confesse and acknowledge the crime, as that there were many thinges had nede to be corrected and amended.

The cause why they were sent thither was to rayse vp them that were fallen, & to receyue into fauour such as were sory and would amend, wherin if (contrary to theyr expectation) they should not be able to do so much with some men as they would: yet notwithstanding according to theyr duety, they would shew themselues so diligēt for theyr part, as that no lacke might be found in them. For it was more openly knowne than that it could be denyed, that many men did diuers thinges of a froward wilfulnes, and take stoutly vpon thē, wherewith as they were greatly moued and agreued (as reason was) so they coueted to remedy the mischiefe. Agaynst whom, if any thing should seeme hereafter to be straitly determined, it was to be imputed to theyr own desertes, and not to the willes of them. Neither ought such as are whole and sounde to be moued at the chastisment of others, forasmuch as it pertayned not onely to the wyping out of the foule blot, which now sticked in the vniuersitie, but also to the helth of many others which had taken much hurt by the infection of them. MarginaliaMercie more commended of all menne, but rigor moste cōmonly in actes of moste menne expressed.For theyr owne partes, they more enclined vnto mercy then to rigor. Howebeit considering that so great diseases could not by gentle medicines hee healed, they were driuen of necessity to vse stronger. And yet if they would be contēted to be brought againe to their right mindes, which thing they chiefely coueted (for they wished that al should amend and be led by wholsome coūsell) and would yet at lēgth waxe wery of their errors, and in stede of them frequēt again the auncient customes of themselues, and of their forefathers, they might boldly looke for al kind of humanity and gentlenes at theyr handes, in all this theyr busines of reformation, which they had now entred and begon, requesting no more of the Vniuersity but to do as became them: which beyng performed, he promised that their beneuolence,