Chap. ii.
External
History.

Tyndale's comment.

The English
New Testa-
ment at
Oxford.

'Paul's; and then he took his mule and the mitred men 'came back again".

The tidings of this scene and of Fisher's sermon reached Tyndale. 'Mark, I pray you,' he wrote not long afterwards, 'what an orator Rochester is, and how 'vehemently he persuadeth it! Martin Luther hath 'burned the pope's decretals: a manifest sign, saith he, 'that he would have burned the pope's holiness also, if 'he had had him! A like argument, which I suppose to 'be rather true, I make: Rochester and his holy breth'ren have burnt Christ's Testament: an evident sign 'verily, that they would have burnt Christ Himself also, 'if they had had Him".' But so it was that for a while the persecution triumphed. The faith of the confessors was not yet purified and strengthened.

From Cambridge and London we pass to Oxford. One of the first and most active distributors of Tyndale's Testaments was Thomas Garret, curate of All Hallows, Cheapside. It seems that he had been engaged some time in circulating them at Oxford and elsewhere before the suspicion of the government was roused. At last, in Feb. 15283, tidings of his labours reached Wolsey, and search was made for him in all London. It was found that he was then 'gone to 'Oxford to make sale of [the books] there to such as he 'knew to be lovers of the Gospel,' for this was not his first labour of the kind. A messenger was despatched

1 Foxe, Acts and Monuments, v.

418.

2 Obedience of a Christian Man, p. 221 (A.D. 1527). I owe the passage to Mr Anderson, I. p. 107. It is possible indeed that Tyndale may be speaking here of the burning of Luther's translations, which were found in possession of the Hanse merchants; for it is not certain that

the English Testaments were burnt till after Tunstall's sermon (i. e. after April, 1526). See p. 35.

Mr Demaus has pointed out to me that this is certainly the date of Garret's apprehension. At the same time there can be no doubt that his connexion with Oxford commenced at an earlier time, and probably in 1526.

thither to apprehend him, but the timely warning of a
friend gave him an opportunity of escaping. But 'after
that he was gone a day's journey and a half he was so
fearful that his heart would no other but that he must
needs return unto Oxford.' He was immediately ap-
prehended, but again escaped from custody and sought
out his friend Dalaber, who has recorded the story.
With deep sighs and plenty of tears he prayed me,'
· Dalaber writes, 'to help to convey him away, and so he
'cast off his hood and his gown wherein he came unto
me, and desired me to give him a coat with sleeves, if
'I had any; and told me that he would go into Wales
'and thence convey himself to Germany if he might.
Then I put on him a sleeved coat of mine, of fine cloth
'in grain, which my mother had given me. He would
'have another manner of cap of me, but I had none but
'priest-like, such as his own was. Then kneeled we
'both down together on our knees, lifting up our hearts
'and hands to God, our heavenly Father, desiring him
'with plenty of tears so to conduct and prosper him in
'his journey that he might well escape the danger of his
'enemies, to the glory of His holy Name, if His good
'pleasure and will so were. And then we embraced
'and kissed one the other...and so he departed from
'me apparelled in my coat...' But when Garret thus
fled others remained behind not unworthy to carry on
his work. 'When he was gone down the stairs from
'my chamber,' Dalaber continues, 'I straightway did shut
'my chamber-door and went into my study shutting the
'door upon me, and took the New Testament of Eras-
'mus' translation in my hands, kneeled down on my
'knees, and with many a deep sigh and salt tear, I did
'with much deliberation read over the tenth chapter of
'St Matthew's Gospel; and when I had so done, with

Chap. ii.
External

History.

Chap. ii.
External
History.

By this Forbidden

'fervent prayer I did commit unto God that our dearly
'beloved brother Garret, earnestly beseeching Him in
'and for Jesus Christ's sake, His only begotten Son our
'Lord, that He would vouchsafe not only safety to con-
'duct and keep our said dear brother from the hands of
'all his enemies; but also that He would endue His
'tender and lately born little flock in Oxford with hea-
'venly strength by His Holy Spirit, that they might be
'well able thereby valiantly to withstand to His glory
'all their fierce enemies, and also might quietly to their
'own salvation with all godly patience bear Christ's
'heavy cross, which I now saw was presently to be laid
'on their young and week backs, unable to bear so huge
'a one without the great help of His Holy Spirit.
'This done I laid aside my books safe'...Within a short
interval Garret was brought back to Oxford.
time numerous discoveries had been made.
books had been found carefully secreted.
dinal's College, which had received a large infusion of
Cambridge men, was deeply infected with the new he-
resy. But for the moment old influences were too
powerful. The 'lately born flock' was not ripe for the
trial. Before many days were over Garret and Dalaber
took a principal part in a public act of penance in com-
pany with Fryth and Taverner and Coxe and Udall and
Ferrar and many others destined to play an important
part in the coming struggle of the Reformation. One
detail of their punishment was to throw a book into a
fire kindled at Carfax. The procession passed away,
the fire died out, the books were consumed, and such
was the end of the first appearance of Tyndale's New
Testament at Oxford'.

The Car

1 The original history is given by Foxe, V. 421 ff., and App. No. vi.

Twelve years later (1540) Barnes and Garret were martyred together, two days after the execution of Crumwell.

Even within a short time this zeal of persecution brought out into greater prominence the extent of the movement against which it was directed. One of those who had originally (June, 1527) contributed money for the purpose of buying up Tyndale's Testaments was Nix, bishop of Norwich'. This singular plan for stopping the sale of the books having failed, Nix wrote three years afterwards in deep distress to archbishop Warham to obtain some more effectual interference in the matter. His letter is in every way so quaint and characteristic that it must be quoted in its original form:

‘I am accombred with such as kepith and redith these 'arronious boks in English......My Lorde, I have done 'that lieth in me for the suppresion of suche parsons; 'but it passith my power or any spiritual man for to do 'it; for dyverse saith openly in my diocesse that the 'king's grace wolde that they shulde have the saide 'arroneous boks......And they [with whom I confer] say 'that whersomever they go they here say that the king's 'pleasure is the Newe Testament in English shal go 'forth and men sholde have it and read it; and from 'that opinion I can no wise induce them but I had 'gretter auctoritie to punyshe them than I have. Where'fore I beseiche your good Lordshep...that a remedy 'may be had. For, now it may be done wel in my 'diocesse; for the gentilmen and commenty be not 'greatly infect, but marchants and such that hath ther 'abyding not ferre from the see...There is a Collage in 'Cambridge called Gunnel haule [Gonville and Caius

1 His letter is given by Anderson, I. p. 158.

Chap. ii.
External
History.

the demand

Progress of

for the Eng

ish Bible.

B. Nix's

Complaint.

Chap. ii.
External
History.

Archbp.
Warham's
Assembly.

1530, May

24.

'College], of the foundation of a bp. of Norwich. I here 'of no Clerk that hath commen ought lately of that 'Collage but saverith of the frying pan tho he speke 'never so holely"...

The fears and wishes of Nix were probably shared by a large party in England, and ten days after he wrote an imposing assembly was convened by archbishop Warham, at which the errors of Tyndale and his friends were formally denounced, and a bill drawn up to be published by preachers. In this it was stated, among other things, that, in spite of the widespread feeling to the contrary, it was not part of the King's duty to cause the Scriptures to be circulated among the people in the vulgar tongue. And that he 'by the advice and deliberation of 'his council, and the agreement of great learned men, 'thinketh in his conscience that the divulging of this 'Scripture at this time in the English tongue to be com'mitted to the people, should rather be to the further 'confusion and distraction than the edification of their 'souls. Thus in the very condemnation of the vernacular Bible, the general demand for it is acknowledged, and a translation is only deferred till a more convenient opportunity, which was nearer at hand than More or Tunstall could have imagined. Even in Warham's assembly 'there were' on Latimer's testimony 'three or 'four that would have had the Scripture to go forth in 'English.' 'The which thing also your grace,' so he writes to the King, ‘hath promised by your last procla'mation: the which promise I pray God that your gra'cious Highness may shortly perform, even to-day before 'to-morrow. Nor let the wickedness of these worldly 'men detain you from your godly purpose and promise.'

1 Strype's Cranmer, 695 f. App. XII. The letter is dated May 14th. 2 Wilkins' Concilia, 111. 736.