VI.

A. D.

1549.

Divers

tions in

Benet, besides a multitude of other popish priests, which to the same Edward faction was adjoined. The number of the whole rebellion, speaking with the least, mounted to little less than ten thousand stout traitors. These, hearing first of the commotions which began about the same time in other parts to broil, as in Oxfordshire, Yorkshire, and espe- commocially in Norfolk and Suffolk, began to take therein some courage, the king's hoping that they should have well fortified the same quarrel. But time supafterwards, they, perceiving how the mischievous mutterings and enter- pressed. prises of their conspiracy did suddenly fail, either being prevented by time, or repressed by power; or that their cause, being but only about plucking down of inclosures, and enlarging of commons, was divided from theirs, so that either they would not or could not join their aid together, then began they again to quail, and their courage to abate. Notwithstanding, forasmuch as they had gone so far that they thought there was no shrinking back, they fell to new devices and inventions, for the best furtherance of their desperate purposes.

of Exeter

Their first intent was, after they had spoiled their own country most The city miserably, to invade the city of Exeter, and so, consequently, all other invaded. parts of the realm. But first, for Exeter they gaped, the gates whereof twice they burned, but gained nothing saving only gunshot, whereof they lacked no plenty. Being put from Exeter, they fell on spoiling and robbing, where or whatsoever they might catch. At length, laying their traitorous heads together, they consulted upon certain articles to be sent up. But herein such diversity of heads Diversity and wits was amongst them, that for every kind of brain there was amongst one manner of article; so that there neither appeared any consent in the retheir diversity, nor yet any constancy in their agreement. Some seemed more tolerable: others altogether unreasonable: some would have no justice: some would have no state of gentlemen. The priests ever harped upon one string, to ring in the bishop of Rome into England again, and to halloo home cardinal Pole their countryman.

After much ado, and little to the purpose, at last a few sorry articles were agreed upon, to be directed unto the king, with the names of certain set thereunto, the copy whereof here ensueth.

The Articles of the Commons of Devonshire and Cornwall, sent to

the King.

of wits

bels.

First, Forasmuch as man, except he be born of water and the Holy Ghost, Sacracannot enter into the kingdom of God, and forasmuch as the gates of heaven be ment of baptism. not opened without his blessed sacrament of baptism, therefore we will that our curates shall minister this sacrament at all times of need, as well on the weekdays, as on the holy-days.

Item, We will have our children confirmed of the bishop, whensoever we Confirmashall within the diocese resort unto him.

tion.

Lord's

Item, Forasmuch as we constantly believe, that after the priest hath spoken Consecrathe words of consecration, being at mass, there celebrating and consecrating tion of the the same, there is very really the body and blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ, body. God and man, and that no substance of bread and wine remaineth after, but the very selfsame body that was born of the Virgin Mary, and was given upon the cross for our redemption; therefore, we will have mass celebrated as it hath been in times past, without any man communicating with the priests; forasmuch as many, rudely presuming unworthily to receive the same, put no difference between the Lord's body and other kind of meat, some saying that it is

Edward
VI.

A. D.

1549.

Reserva-
tion.
Of the
Lord's

body con-
secrated.
Holy

bread and holy wa

bread before and after, some saying that it is profitable to no man except he receive it; with many other abused terms.

Item, We will have in our churches reservation.

Item, We will have holy bread and holy water, in remembrance of Christ's precious body and blood.

Item, We will that our priests shall sing or say, with an audible voice, God's service in the choir of the parish churches, and not God's service to be set forth like a Christmas play.

Item, Forasmuch as priests be men dedicated to God, for ministering and celebrating the blessed sacraments and preaching of God's word, we will that they shall live chaste without marriage, as St. Paul did, being the elect and chosen vessel of God, saying unto all honest priests, 'Be ye followers of me.' Item, we will that the Six Articles which our sovereign lord, king Henry The sin- VIII., set forth in his latter days, shall be used, and so taken as they were at that time.

ter.

gle life of

priests. The

Item, We pray God save king Edward, for we be his, both body and

Articles goods.

to be re

newed.

Unlawful

assem

blies.

The king's

name abused.

A Message or Answer sent by the King's Majesty to certain of his People assembled in Devonshire.

Although knowledge hath been given to us and our dearest uncle Edward duke of Somerset, governor of our person, and protector of all our realms, dominions, and subjects, and to the rest of our privy council, of divers assemblies made by you, which ought of duty to be our loving subjects, against all order, law, and otherwise than ever any loving and kind subjects have attempted against their natural and liege sovereign lord: yet we have thought it meet, at this very first time, not to condemn or reject you, as we might justly do, but to use you as our subjects; thinking that the devil hath not that power in you, to make you, of natural born Englishmen, so suddenly to become enemies to your own native country, or, of our subjects to make you traitors, or, under pretence to relieve yourselves, to destroy yourselves, your wives, children, lands, houses, and all other commodities of this your life. This we say we trust that, although ye be by ignorance seduced, ye will not be upon knowledge obstinate and though some amongst you (as ever there is some cockle amongst good corn) forget God, neglect their prince, esteem not the state of the realm, but, as careless, desperate men, delight in sedition, tumult, and wars: yet, nevertheless, the greater part of you will hear the voice of us your natural prince, and will, by wisdom and counsel, be warned, and cease your evils in the beginning, whose ends will be, even by Almighty God's order, your own destruction. Wherefore, as to you our subjects, by ignorance seduced, we speak, and be content to use our princely authority like a father to his children, for this time, to admonish you of your faults, not to punish them; to put you in remembrance of your duties, not to avenge your forgetfulness.

First, your disorder to rise in multitudes, to assemble yourselves against others our loving subjects, to array yourselves to the war: who amongst you all can answer for the same to Almighty God, charging you to obey us in all things? or how can any English good heart answer us, our laws, and the rest of our very loving and faithful subjects, who, indeed, by their obedience, make our honour, estate, and degree?

Ye use our name in your writings, and abuse the same against ourself. What injury herein do you us, to call those which love us to your evil purposes by the authority of our name! God hath made us your king by his ordinance and providence, by our blood and inheritance, by lawful succession and our coronation; but not to this end, as you use our name. We are your most natural sovereign lord and king, Edward the Sixth, to rule you, to preserve you, to save you from all your outward enemies, to see our laws well ministered, every man to have his own, to suppress disordered people, to correct traitors, thieves, pirates, robbers, and such like, yea, to keep our realms from foreign princes, from the malice of the Scots, of Frenchmen, of the bishop of Rome. Thus, good subjects! our name is written; thus it is honoured and obeyed; this majesty it hath by God's ordinance, not by man's. So that of this your offence we cannot write too much; and yet doubt not but this is enough

VI.

A. D.

1549.

Their

false pre

from a prince to all reasonable people, from a king to all kind hearted and Edward loving subjects, from a puissant king of England, to every natural Englishman. Your pretences which you say move you to do this, and wherewith you seek to excuse this disorder, we assure you, be either all false, or so vain, that we doubt not but, after ye shall hereby understand the truth thereof, ye will all, with one voice, acknowledge yourselves ignorantly led, and by error seduced: and if there be any that will not, assure you the same be rank traitors, enemies tences. of our crown, seditious people, heretics, papists, or such as care not for what cause they seek to provoke an insurrection, so they may do it; nor indeed can wax so rich with their own labours, and with peace, as they can do with spoils, with wars, with robberies, and such like; yea, with the spoil of your own goods, with the living of your labours, the sweat of your bodies, the food of your own households, wives, and children. Such they be, as for a time use pleasant persuasions to you, and, in the end, will cut your throats, for your own goods.

of the

You be borne in hand, that your children, though necessity chance, shall not Baptism. be christened but upon the holy days. How false this is, learn you of us: our book which we have set forth by the free consent of our whole parliament, in the English tongue, teacheth you the contrary, even in the first leaf, yea, the first side of the first leaf of that part which treateth of baptism. Good subjects! (for to others we speak not) look and be not deceived. They which have put this false opinion into your ears, they mean not the christening of children, but the destruction of you our christened subjects. Be this known unto you, False our honour is so much, that we may not be found faulty of our word. Prove surmise it; if by our laws ye may not christen your children, upon necessity, every rebels day or hour in the week, then might you be offended; but, seeing you may do touching it, how can you believe them which teach you the contrary? What think you baptism they mean in the rest, which move you to break your obedience against us your king and sovereign, upon these so false tales and persuasions in so evident a matter? Therefore you all which will acknowledge us your sovereign lord, and which will hear the voice of us your natural king, may easily perceive how ye be deceived, and how subtilely traitors and papists, with their falsehood, seek to achieve and bring their purpose to pass with your help. Every traitor will be glad to dissemble his treason, and feed it secretly; every papist his popery, and nourish it inwardly; and, in the end, make you, our subjects, partakers of treason and popery, which, in the beginning, was pretended a commonwealth and holiness.

refuted.

And how are you seduced by them, which put in your heads, That the Sacrablessed sacrament of Christ's body should not differ from other common bread! ment. If our laws, proclamations and statutes, be all to the contrary, why shall any private man persuade you against them? We do, ourself in our own heart, our council in all their profession, our laws and statutes in all purposes, our good subjects in all their doings, most highly esteem that sacrament, and use the communion thereof to our most comfort. We make so much difference thereof from other common bread, that we think no profit of other bread, but to maintain our bodies; but of this blessed bread we take the very food of our souls to everlasting life. How think you, good subjects! shall not we, being your prince, The false your lord, your king by God's appointment, with truth more prevail, than cer- surmise, tain evil persons with open falsehood? Shall any seditious person persuade the sacratouching you, that the sacrament is despised, which is by our laws, by ourself, by our ment of council, by all our good subjects, esteemed, used, participated, and daily the Lord's received? If ever ye were seduced, if ever deceived, if ever traitors were solved. believed, if ever papists poisoned good subjects, it is now. It is not the christening of children, not the reverence of the sacrament, not the health of your souls that they shoot at, good subjects! It is sedition, it is high treason, it is your destruction they seek; how craftily, how piteously, how cunningly soever they do it. With one rule judge ye the end, which of force must come of your purposes. Almighty God forbiddeth, upon pain of everlasting damnation, disobedience to us your king; and in his place we rule in earth. If we should be slow, would God err? If your offence be towards God, think you it pardoned without repentance? Is God's judgment mutable? Your pain is damnation, your judge is incorruptible, your fault is most evident.

Likewise are ye evil informed in divers other articles, as for confirmation of

supper,

VI.

Edward your children, for the mass, for the manner of your service of matins and evensong. Whatsoever is therein ordered, hath been long debated and consulted A. D. by many learned bishops, doctors, and other men of great learning in this 1549. realm concluded: in nothing were so much labour and time spent of late time, nothing so fully ended.

Matins and ser

vice in English.

As for the service in the English tongue, it hath manifest reasons for it. And yet, perchance, it seemeth to you a new service, and indeed is none other but the old. The selfsame words in English, which were in Latin, saving a few things taken out, so fond, that it had been a shame to have heard them in English, as all they can judge which list to report the truth. The difference is, we meant godly, that you, our subjects, should understand in English, being our natural country tongue, that which was heretofore spoken in Latin; then, serving only for them which understood Latin, and now, for all you which be born English. Alteration How can this with reason offend any reasonable man, that he shall understand of service what other saith, and so consent with the speaker? If the service in the any unknown church was good in Latin, it remaineth good in English; for nothing is altered, but to speak with knowledge, that which was spoken with ignorance, and to let you understand what is said for you, to the intent you may further it with your own devotion: an alteration to the better, except knowledge be worse than ignorance. So that whosoever hath moved you to mislike this order, can give you no reason, nor answer yours, if ye understood it.

from an

to a known

tongue.

The

mass.

Confirmation.

saveth

any

Wherefore, you our subjects! remember, we speak to you, being ordained your prince and king by Almighty God: if anywise we could advance God's honour more than we do, we would do it. And see that ye become subject to God's ordinances, obeying us your prince, and learn of them which have authority to teach you, which have power to rule you, and will execute our justice if we be provoked. Learn not of them whose fruits be nothing but wilfulness, disobedience, obstinacy, dissimulation, and destruction of the realm. For the mass, we assure you, no small study nor travail hath been spent by all the learned clergy therein; and, to avoid all contention, it is brought even to the very use as Christ left it, as the apostles used it, as holy fathers delivered it indeed somewhat altered from that the popes of Rome, for their lucre, brought it to. And although ye may hear the contrary of some popish evil men, yet our majesty, which, for our honour, may not be blemished or stained, assureth you, that they deceive you, abuse you, and blow these opinions into your head, to finish their own purposes.

And so, likewise, judge you of confirmation of children; and let them answer you this one question: Think they, that a child christened is damned, because Baptism it dieth before bishoping? They be confirmed at the time of discretion, to learn that which they professed, in the lack thereof by baptism; taught in age, without that which they received in infancy: and yet, no doubt but they be saved by bishop- baptism, not by confirmation; and made Christ's by christening, and taught how ing. to continue by confirmation. Wherefore, in the whole, mark, good subjects! how our doctrine is founded upon true learning, and theirs upon shameless errors. To conclude; besides our gentle manner of information to you, whatsoever is contained in our book, either for baptism, sacrament, mass, confirmation, and service in the church, is by our parliament established, by the whole clergy agreed, yea, by the bishops of the realm devised; and, further, by God's word confirmed. And how dare ye trust, yea, how dare ye give ear without trembling, to any singular person, to disallow a parliament, a subject to persuade against our majesty, a man of his singular arrogancy against the determination of the bishops and all the clergy, any invented argument against the word of God?

But now you, our subjects! we resort to a greater matter of your blindness, of your unkindness and great unnaturalness; and such an evil, that if we thought it had not begun of ignorance, and continued by persuasion of certain traitors amongst you, which we think few in number, but in their doings busy; we could not be persuaded but to use our sword, and do justice, and as we be ordained by God; that is, to redress your errors by avengement. But love and zeal yet overcome our just anger; but how long that will be, God knoweth, in whose hand our heart is; and rather for your own causes, being our christened subjects, we would ye were rather persuaded than vanquished, informed than forced, taught than overthrown, quietly pacified than rigorously persecuted.

Ye require to have the statute of the Six Articles revived, and know ye what ye

VI.

require? or know ye what ease ye have with the loss of them? They were laws Edward made, but quickly repented; too bloody they were to be borne of our people, and yet at the first, indeed, made of some necessity. O subjects, how are ye A.D. trapped by subtle persons! We of pity, because they were bloody, took them away; and you now of ignorance, will ask them again. You know full well, that they helped us to extend rigour, and gave us cause to draw our sword very often; they were as a whetstone to our sword, and for your causes we left to use them. And since our mercy moved us to write our laws with milk and equity, how be ye blinded to ask them in blood!

1549.

But, leaving this manner of reasoning, and resorting to the truth of our authority, we let you wit, the same hath been annulled by our parliament, with great rejoicing of our subjects, and is not now to be called by subjects in ques-tion. Dare then any of you, with the name of a subject, stand against an act of parliament, a law of the whole realm? What is our power, if laws should be thus neglected? Yea, what is your surety, if laws be not kept? Assure yourselves most surely, that we, of no earthly thing under the heaven, make such a reputation, as we do of this one thing: to have our law obeyed, and this cause of God, which we have taken in hand, to be thoroughly maintained: from the which we will never remove a hair's breadth, nor give place to any Notable creature living, much less to any subject; but therein will spend our own royal zeal and a princely person, our crown, treasure, realm, and all our state; whereof we assure you of word of a our high honour. For herein indeed resteth our honour, herein standeth our king. kingdom, herein do all kings acknowledge us a king. And shall any of you dare breathe or think against our honour, our kingdom, or crown?

age.

In the end of this your request (as we be given to understand) ye would The have them stand in force until our full age. To this, we think, if ye knew what king's ye spake, ye would never have uttered that motion, nor ever have given breath to such a thought. For what think you of our kingdom? Be we of less authority for our age? Be we not your king now, as we shall be? or shall ye be subjects hereafter, and now are ye not? Have not we the right we shall have? If we would suspend and hang our doings in doubt until our full age, ye must first know, that as a king, we have no difference of years or time, but as a natural man and creature of God, we have youth, and, by his sufferance, shall have age. We are your rightful king, your liege lord, your king anointed, A king your king crowned, the sovereign king of England, not by our age, but by God's possesordinance; not only when we shall be of twenty-one years, but when we are of ten years. We possess our crown, not by years, but by the blood and descent by years, from our father king Henry the Eighth. You are our subjects, because we be but by your king; and rule we will, because God hath willed. It is as great a fault dinance. in us not to rule, as in a subject not to obey.

If it be considered, they which move this matter, if they durst utter themselves, would deny our kingdom. But our good subjects know their prince, and will increase, not diminish his honour; enlarge, not abate his power; acknowledge, not defer his kingdom to certain years. All is one, to speak against our crown, and to deny our kingdom, as to require that our laws may be broken unto twenty-one years. Be we not your crowned, anointed, and established king? Wherein, then, be we of less majesty, of less authority, or less state, than were our progenitors, kings of this realm, except your unkindness, your unnaturalness, will diminish our estimation? We have hitherto, since the death of our father, by the good advice and counsel of our dear and entirely beloved uncle, kept our state, maintained our realm, preserved our honour, defended our people from our enemies; we have hitherto been feared and dreaded of our enemies, yea, of princes, kings, and nations; yea, herein we be nothing inferior to any our progenitors (which grace we acknowledge to be given us from God), and how else, but by good obedience of our people, good counsel of our magistrates, due execution of our laws? By authority of our kingdom, England hitherto hath gained honour; during our reign, it hath won of the enemy, and not lost.

seth his

crown,not

God's or

not the

It hath been marvelled, that we, of so young years, have reigned so nobly, Youth so royally, so quietly. And how chanceth it that you our subjects of that our hinders country of Devonshire, will give the first occasion to slander this our realm of England, to give courage to the enemy, to note our realm of the evil of rebel- governlion? to make it a prey to our old enemies? to diminish our honour, which ment.

royal