all thinges deliuered to hym, whiche were necessarye for him, but not after his old pompous and superfluous fashion:MarginaliaThe Cardinalls goods seased to the king. for all his goodes were seased to the kinges vse. When the Seale was thus taken from the Cardinal, the Dukes of Norfolke and Suffolke, with many Earles, Bishops, and Barons, came into the Starre chamber, the xix. day of October, where the Duke of Norfolke declared that the kinges highnes, for diuerse and sundry offences, had taken from hym his great Seale, and deposed hym of al offices, and lest men might complaine for lacke of Iustice, he had appointed him and the Duke of Suffolke, with the assent of the other Lordes, to sit in the Starre chamber, to heare & determine causes indifferently, and that of all thinges the kinges pleasure & commaundement was that they should keepe their handes close from any rewards taking, or maintenance: and so that weeke they sate in the Starre chamber, and determined causes.

MarginaliaThe Cardinals remouing from Yorke place. A fewe dayes after in the same moneth, the Cardinall remoued out of his house, called Yorke place, with one Crosse, saying, that he woulde he had neuer borne more meaning that by his crosse, that which he bare as Legate, which degree taking, was his confusion, as you see openly: and so he tooke his barge, and went to Putney by water, and there tooke his horse and rode to Asher, where he remayned tyl Lent after.

Duryng whiche tyme, he beyng called on for an aunswere in the kinges Bench to the Premunire, for geuyng benefices by preuention, in disturbance of mens inheritāce, and diuers other open causes in the Premunire, accordyng to the kinges licence, constituted Iohn Scute & Edmond Ienny, Apprentices of the lawe, his attorneys, whiche by his own warrant signed with his hand, confessed al things concernyng the said suit, for they were too open to be cloked or hydden, and so iudgement was geuen, that he shoulde forfeite all his landes, tenementes, goodes and cattels, and shoulde be out of the kinges protection: but for all that, the king sent hym a sufficient protection, and of his gentlenes, leaft to hym the byshoprikes of Yorke and Wincester, and gaue to hym plate and stuffe conuenient for his degree,MarginaliaDoctour Tunstall bishop of Duresme. and the Byshoprike of Duresme he gaue to Doctour Tonstall Bishop of London, and the Abbey of Saint Albones, he gaue to the Prior of Norwiche,MarginaliaIohn Stokesley made Byshop of London. and to London he promoted Doctour Iohn Stokesley, then Ambassadour to the vniuersities, for the marriage, as you hearde before. For al this kindnes shewed to the Cardinal, yet stil he maligned against the king, as you shal hereafter perceiue, but first we wil proceede in the course of these matters, as they passed in order.

Marginalia1530.
A parlament called. The next yeare folowing, whiche was ann. 1530. in the moneth of Nouemb. was summoned a generall parlament to be holden at Westminster. In the which yeare, about the xxiij. day of Octob. the king came to his manor of Grenwich and there much consulted with his Counsaile, for a meete man to be his Chauncelour, so that in no wise he were no man of the Spiritualtie,MarginaliaSir Thomas More made lord Chauncelour of England. and so after long debate, the king resoluted him selfe vpon sir Thomas Moore knight, Chauncelour of the Duchy of Lancaster, a man wel learned in the tongues, and also in the common law: whose wyt was fine, and full of imaginations by reason whereof he was a litle too muche geuen to mocking, more then became the person of M. More: and then on the soday, the xxiiij. day of the same moneth, þ^e king made hym his Chancelor, and deliuered him the great Seale, which lord Chancelor the next morow after, was ledde into the Chauncery, by the two Dukes of Norfolke and Suffolke, and there sworne, and then the Mace was borne before hym.

Of this fall of the Cardinal, and of the placyng of Syr Thomas More in the Chauncelourship, Erasmus in an Epistle to Iohn Vergera thus writeth:MarginaliaEx Eras. The Cardinall of Yorke hath so offended the kings mynd, that he beyng turned out of his goods and all his dignities, is cōmitted not into prison, but into a certaine Lordship of his, with. xxx. seruaunts or kepers, to giue attendance vpon hym. Many and sundry cōplaintes are cōmenced agaynst hym, so that he is not like to escape with his life. Such is the daliance of fortune, of a scholmaister to be made a king. For so he raigned more like a king, then the kyng hym selfe. He was dreaded of all men: he was loued but of a fewe, almoste of none. A litle before he was apprehended, he caused Richard Pacie to be cast in the tower. Also he threatned my Archbishop of Canterbury. MarginaliaBy this Archbishop he meaneth William Warham. Salomon saith, That before the fal of man, his spirit shalbe eleuated. The Archb. of Canterbury was called or restored to be chosen Lord Chancelor, which is þ^e chiefest office in all that Realme, but he excused hym selfe by his age, as beyng not able to welde such a function. Wherefore the saide office was bestowed vpon Tho. More, no lesse to the reioysing of many, then the other was displaced from it. These newes my seruaunt brought me out of England. &c. Ex Epist. Erasm. ad Ioan. Vergeram.

MarginaliaA Parlamēt. summoned in Nouemb. anno. 1530. You heard before, howe a counsaile of the Nobles was appoynted by the king in the moneth of October, to assemble in the Starre chamber, about the Cardinalles matter: and also how a parlament was summoned to begyn in the moneth of Nouember in the yeare folowing. an. 1530. At the beginnyng of which parlament, after that M. Moore the newe Chauncelour had finished his oration,MarginaliaThomas Audeley speaker of the Parlament. the commons were commaunded to chuse them a Speaker, who was Thomas Audeley Esquier, and attorney of the Duchie of Lancaster. Thus the parlament beyng begun the sixt day of the foresaid moneth of Nouemb. at Westminster, where the kyng with al the Lordes were set in the parlament chamber, the commons, after they had presented their Speaker, assembling in the nether house,MarginaliaSixe greuances of the commons agaynst the clergie. began to cōmone of their grieues, wherwith the spiritualtie had before time greuously oppressed them, contrary both to al right, & to the lawe of the Realme, and especially were sore moued with these sixe great causes.

MarginaliaExcessiue fines for probates of testamentes. 1. THe first for the excessiue fines, which the Ordinaries tooke for probate of Testamentes, in so much that Syr Henry Guilford, knight of the Garter, & Comptrollour of the kynges house, declared in the open Parliament, of hys fidelitie, that he and other being executours to Syr William Compton knight, MarginaliaA thousand Markes for the probate of one testament. payed for the probate of his wil, to the Cardinall & the Archbishop of Canterbury, a thousand marke sterlyng. After this declaration, were shewed so many extortiōs done by Ordinaries for probates of wils, that it were to much to rehearse.

MarginaliaThe vnreasonable exactiō of the clergie for Mortuaries. 2. The second cause was, the great poling & extreame exaction, which the spirituall men vsed, in taking of corps presentes or Mortuaries: for the childrē of the dead should all dye for hunger and go a begging, rather then they would of charitie geue to thē the sely cowe which the dead mā ought, if he had but onely one: such was the charitie of them.

MarginaliaFermes and Granges in priestes handes. 3. The third cause was, that Priestes beyng Surueyers, Stuardes, and officers to Byshops, Abbots, and other spirituall heades, had and occupyed Farmes, Graūges, and grasing in euery countrey, so that the poore husbandmen could haue nothyng but of them, and yet for that they should pay dearely.

MarginaliaMonkes & priestes marchauntes. 4. The fourth cause was, that Abbots, Priors, and spirituall men kept Tannehouses, and bought and solde woll, clothe, and all maner of Marchaundise, as other temporall marchauntes dyd.

MarginaliaBeneficed men take of their flocke, but geue nothyng. 5. The fift cause was, because the spirituall persones promoted to great benefices and hauing their liuing of theyr flocke, were liyng in the Court in Lordes houses, & tooke all of the parishoners, and nothing spent on them at all, so that for lacke of residēce, both the poore of the parishe lacked refreshing and vniuersallye all the parishioners lacked preaching, and true instruction of Gods word, to the great perill of their soules.

MarginaliaPluralities of benefices. 6. The sixt cause was, because one Priest being litle learned, had tenne or twelue benefices, and was resident on none, and many well learned scholers in the Vniuersitie, which were able to preach and teach, had neither benefice nor exhibition.

These thynges before this tyme, might in no wyse be touched, not yet talked of by no man, except he woulde be made an hereticke, or lose all that he had: for the Byshops were Chauncellours, and had all the rule about the kyng, so that no man durst once presume to attempt any thyng contrary to their profite, or commoditie.

But now whē God had illumined the eyes of the king, and the tyme so serued, that men more boldly durst expresse with voyce such grudges, as they had long conceaued in their hartes against the Clergie: the Burgesses of the parlament appoynted certaine of the common house, men learned, in þ^e lawMarginaliaThree bils drawen out against the misorder of the clergie. to draw one byll of þ^e probates of testaments, an other for mortuaries, & þ^e third for none residence, pluralities, and taking fermes by spiritual men.

MarginaliaThe first byll, for mortuaries. And first to þ^e byl of Mortuaries being drawen, and being also passed the common house, and sent vp to the higher, the Spirituall Lords shewed a fayre face, saying, that assuredly Priestes and Curates tooke more thē they should, & therefore it were well done to take some reasonable order. Thus they spake because it touched them but litle.

MarginaliaThe second bill for probates of testamentes. After this, within two daies, was sent vp the secōd bil, concernyng probates of testamentes, which byll because it touched their profite somewhat neare, both the Archbishop of Canterbury, and all other Bishops in generall began to frowne and grunt, in so much as Doctor Iohn Fisher