BOOK III. What And surely, Madam, I could no less do of tender heart to his estimation. And loth would I be that the example should be alledged for divers spoilers in that country, of the ministry, that office of mens salvation, that office of Christ's crucified mysteries; howsoever the carnal princes of the world do deride God, et omnia sacra. Sed qui habitat in cælis irridebit eos. For God's love, Madam, help your tanquam una caro cum viro tuo; sed ambo Christi membra charissima, to help to eliminate out of his house this offendicle, Ut ne ponat maculam in gloria senectutis suæ. Labi et falli, humanum, sed perseverare, durum. I will not write what I hear reported, nor wil credit al tales. Fy on the world, to cary God's good, elect, and principal members of his kingdom, so to be drowned in the dregs of this mortality, not to regard these so chief causes. shal be hoped for in friendship, if the advertising of one another in true faithful friendship, and to Godwards, shal stir up enmity and disliking. Let the blind world say, Suaviora sunt fraudulenta oscula odientis, quam vulnera diligentis. Let the wise man say contrary, Quàm meliora sunt vulnera diligentis, quam fraudulenta oscula odientis. I am jealous over my Lord's conscience, and over his honorable name. It may become my office to himward, tho' he be great in office, to hear the voice of a poor Pastor. 92 For there is one which saith, Qui vos audit, me audit. Qui vos spernit, me spernit. Qui vos tangit, tangit pupillam oculi mei; as contemptible soever the vain world esteemeth us. I have alway joyed in my Lord, alway honorably reported him: I have in good places, and before the most honorable, compared him with More and Audley, for their eloquence, wit, and learning in law; with Bishop Goodrick for his sincerity towards justice. Altho' they al had their faults, which God keept from my Lord and me. The first imbrued with Papistry; the second omnia passim, et ab omnibus. The third a dissembler in friendship, who used to entertain his il-willers very courteously, and his very friends very imperiously, thinking therby to have the rule of both, wherby he lost both. For while his il-willers spread, how he would shake up his acquaintance, they gathered therby BOOK the nature of his friendship towards his old friends: and therfore joyed not much of his glorious entertaining. And his friends indeed joyed les in him, for such his discouragement that they felt at his hands. Expertus loquor, &c. Now what wil be judged of many of the world, which peradventure love neither of us; if it may be heard, how we two in that place that we be in by God's providence, and the Queen's favour, both professing God's verity, as we do, so long conjoyned as we have been, now to fal at squares, so nigh to fal into our earthly pit? He to contemn me, I to be dulled in my contentation toward him; what wil this work in the commonwealth, and especially if it should break out, upon what ground this grief is conceived and taken? I would be loth to break friendship with any mean body, much les with my Lord; and yet either King or Cesar, contrary to my duty to God, I wil not, nor intend not, God being my good Lord. It is not the solemnity or commodity of mine office, that I so much esteem: I was sory to be so accumbred, but necessity drave me; and what fate shal thrust me out, susque deque fero. I am now grown into a better consideration by mine age, than to be afeard or dismayed with such vain terriculaments of the world. I am not now to learn how to fawn upon man, cujus spiritus in naribus ejus; or that I have to learn how to repose my self quietly under God's protection against al displesure of friends, and against al malignity of the enemy. I have oft said and expended, Cadent a latere tuo mille, &c. In this mind I trust to live and dy. Here I wil not answer, as a Painim did to a Painim, Cur habeam eum pro principe, qui me non habet pro senatore. But while I live, I wil pray for my Lord, that all grace and good fortune may assist him, in himself and in his posterity; and shal be as glad and ready to the duty of godly friendship to him, if it may be reasonably taken, as any one whatsoever with whom he is best pleased and lest provoked with, as any one that fawneth most upon him for his officesake, or for his vertue, to my power. BOOK 111. And thus reposing my self in bona et constante conscientia in this brittle time, I commit your Ladyship to God, as my self. Because ye be alter ipse to him, unus spiritus, una caro, I make you judge. And therefore I transmit the very copy of my letter sent to him, to expend the rather, of my writing, whereby ye may take occasion to work, as. God shal move you. And thus I leave you. From my House at Lambeth, this 6th of February 1567. Your friend unfeigned in Christ, Matth. Cant. Number LVII. 93 The Queen's Majesties letter to the Archbishop, for visitation to be made within his province, concerning strangers lately come into the realm. Archbishop Park. Re gist. By the Queen. MOST reverend, &c. Wee grete you wel. For as much as we do understand, that there do daily repayr into this our realm great numbres of strangers, from the partyes beyond the seas, otherwise then hath ben accustomed, and the most part therof pretendyng the cause of their commyng to be for to lyve in this our realm with satisfaction of their conscience in Christian religion, according to the order allowed in this our realm, and doubting least that amonges such nombres divers may also resort into our realm, that are infected with dangerous opinions, contrary to the faith of the Christian Church; as Anabaptists, and such other sectarys, or that be gilty of sum other horrible crymes, of rebellion, murder, robberys, or such like, committed by them in the parts from whence they do cum: to which kynde of people we do no wyse mean to permit any refuge within our dominions: therefore we do wil and require youe to gyve spedy order and commaundement to the reverend Father in God, the Bishop of London, and al other Ordynarys of any places where you shal think any III. such confluence of strangers to be, within your province, BOOK that without delay, special and particular visitation and inquisition be made in every parish, for this purpose requisite, of al manner of persons, being strangers born, of what countrey, qualite, condition, and estate soever they be, with the probable causes of their cummyng into this our realm, and the tyme of their contynuance, and in what sort they do lyue, and to what churches they do resort for exercise of their religion; with such other thinges, requisit in this case to be understand, for the worthines of their continuance in this our realm. And therupon to cause perfect registers to be made, and so to continue; and to give advertisement to our Justices, and Mynisters of our lay-power, to procede spedily to the tryal of such as shal be founde suspected of the foresayd crymes, or otherwayes, that shal not be conformable to such ordre of religion, as is agreeable with our lawes, or as is permitted to places specially appoynted for the resort of straungers to the exercise of religion, in the use of commun prayer and the sacraments. And in al other things we wil and require you, to use al good diligence and provision, by the means of the Bishops and Ordynarys under youe, as wel in places exempt as otherwise; that no maner of straungers be suffered to remayn within any part of our dominions in your province, but such as shal be known, or commonly reputed to be of Christian conversation, and mete to lyve under our protection, according to the treaties of entercourse betwixt us, and other princes our neighbors. Number LVIII. Archbishop Parker's statutes, for the hospital of Eastbridge in Canterbury. UNIVERSIS Sanctæ Matris Ecclesiæ filiis præsentes literas inspect' visuris vel audituris, Matthæus, providentia Divina Cantuarien' Archiepiscopus totius Angliæ Pri III. BOOK mas et Metropolitanus, verus et indubitatus patronus hospitalis pauperum de Eastbridge civitatis Cantuariæ, salutem in Domino sempiternam. Pastoralis officii debitum merito nos solicitat, ut locorum piorum nobis potissimè subditorum commoditatibus, his præsertim quæ ad divini cultus aug94 mentum ac miserabilium personarum sustentationem pertinent, quantum cum Deo possumus opportunæ provisionis remedio subveniamus, ut ea quæ ab initio piè fundata et stabilita, vel temporum mutatione et diuturnitate, vel rectorum negligentia in abusum vergere dignoscuntur, vel in pristinum statum et decorem (quantum convenit) restituantur et restaurentur, vel pro tempore ac præsentis rerum status ratione, in melius convertantur et reformentur. Inter alia autem dicti hospitalis patronatus cura nos solicitos reddit, eò quod hospitale prædict' per quosdam prædecessores nostros pro receptione nocturna ac aliqua sustentatione pauperum peregrinantium ad dictam civitatem confluentium fundatum ac dotatum extitit, ac nonnullis legibus, statutis et ordinationibus stabilitum et confirmatum, quorum aliqua præsentibus temporibus minimè conveniunt, alia vetustate et mutatione temporis a priore instituto fiunt aliena, nonnulla Rectorum sive Magistrorum dicti hospitalis incuria, fraude sive negligentia in desuetudinem abierunt: bona etiam, (sicut accepimus) nemora, possessiones ac alia jura dicti hospitalis de verisimile dilapidationi et dissipationi subjiciuntur; et quod miserrimum est, pauperes justis eleemosynis ibidem defraudantur; Nos igitur debit' officii nostri excitati, zeloque charitatis accensi super status dicti hospital' ac ad reformationem dictorum defectuum procedere intendentes, fundationes, ordinationes, dotationes, statuta ac munimenta dicti hospitalis, et præsertim quasdam ordinationes Johannis Stratford, quondam Cantuar' Archiepiscopi, prædecessoris nostri sub dat' xxiii. die mens. Septemb. anno Domini 1342, et translat' dicti patris anno nono, in medium proferri jussimus, eisque diligenter ac maturè inspectis, pensatis et intellectis, ac cum præsentium rerum statu collatis, interponentes eam autoritatem addendi et detrahendi dict' ordinationibus, easque mutandi et corrigendi, quæ nobis et suc |