not the same numerical volumes. Thanks be to your honour, who have bestowed on me (the treasure of a lord-treasurer) what remained of your father's library. Your father, who was the greatest honourer, and disgracer of students, bred in learning. Honourer, giving due respect to all men of merit: disgracer, who by his mere natural parts and experience acquired that perfection of invention, expression and judgment, to which those who make learning their sole study do never arrive. It was a gift I confess, better proportioned to your dignity than my deserts, too great, not for your honour to bestow, but for me to receive. And thus hath God by your bounty equivalently restored unto me what the locusts and the palmer worm, &c. have devoured; so that now I envy not the pope's Vatican, for the numerousness of books, and variety of editions therein, enough for use, being as good, as store for state, or superfluity for magnificence. However, hereafter I shall behold myself under no other notion than as your lordship's library keeper, and conceive it my duty, not only to see your books dried and rubbed, to rout those moths which would quarter therein, but also to peruse, study, and digest them, so that I may present your honour with some choice collections out of the same, as this ensuing history is for the main extracted thence, on which account I humbly request your acceptance thereof; whereby you shall engage my daily prayers for your happiness, and the happiness of your most noble consort. I have read how a Roman orator, making a speech at the funeral of his deceased mother-in-law, affirmed, that he had never been reconciled unto her for many years: now whilst his ignorant auditors condemned their mutual vindicativeness, the wiser sort admired and commended their peaceable dispositions, because there never happened the least difference between them needing an agreement, as that bone cannot be set which was never broken. On which account, that never any reconciliation may be between yourself and other self, is the desire of Your honour's most Bounden beadsman, THOMAS FULLER. THE CHURCH HISTORY OF BRITAIN. BOOK V. 17 Henry Poor pro preserved by vidence. OD hath always been ambitious to pre-A.D. 1501. serve and prefer little things, the Jews VII. the least of all nations; David their king, least in his father's family; little fessors still Benjamin the ruler; little Hill of God's proHermon; the Virgin Mary, the lowliness of thy handmaiden: God's children severally are styled his little ones, and collectively make up but a little flock. And surely it renders the work of grace more visible and conspicuous, when the object can claim nothing as due to itself. A pregnant proof hereof we have in divine Providence, at this time preserving the inconsiderable pittance of faithful professors against most powerful opposition. This handful of men were tied to very hard duty, being constantly to stand sentinels against an army of enemies, till God sent Luther to relieve them, and the work was A. D. 1501. made lighter, with more hands to do it, as in the 17 Henry VII. sequel of our story, God willing, will appear. Meantime we must remember, that Henry Deana succeeded in the place of archbishop Morton, lately deceased, and enjoyed his honour but two years, then leaving it to William Warham, one well qualified with learning and discretion. Some burn ed, some branded, 2. Now it is no small praise to Buckinghamshire, that being one of the lesser counties of England, it fession of had more martyrs and confessors in it, before the the truth. time of Luther, than all the kingdom besides: where William Tylsworth was burnt at Amershamb, (the A.D. 1506. rendezvous of God's children in those days,) and Joan his only daughter, and "a faithful woman, was 66 compelled with her own hands to set fire to her "dear father." At the same time sixty professors and above did bear faggots for their penance, and were enjoined to wear on their right sleeves, for some years after, a square piece of cloth, as a disgrace to themselves, and a difference from others. But what is most remarkable, a new punishment was now found out, of branding them in the cheek. The manner thus : their necks were tied fast to a post with towels, and their hands holden that they might not stir; and so the hot iron was put to their cheeks. It is not certain whether branded with L for Lollard, or H for Heretic, or whether it was only a formless print of iron, (yet nevertheless painful,) this is sure, that they bare in their bodies the marks of the Lord Jesus. And no doubt they had so well a [He died at Lambeth, 15 Feb. 1503, and was succeeded by Warham, who was installed March 9, 1504. Parkeri Antiq. p. 450. Godwin De Præs. Angl. p. 132.] b [Fox, Acts, &c. I. p. 1010.] c Fox, p. 1011. d Gal. vi. 17. 22 Henry learned our Saviour's precept, that rather than they A.D. 1506. would have revenged themselves by unlawful means, VII. to them that smit them on the one cheek, they would have turned the other also. Surely ecclesiastical constitutions did not reach thus far, as to impose any corporal torture: and whether there be any statute of the land that enjoins (not to say permits) such punishments, let the learned in the laws decide. This I am sure, if this was the first time that they fell into this (supposed) heresy, by the law they were only to abjure their errors; and if it were the second time, upon relapse into the same again, their whole bodies were to be burnt. Except any will say, that such as by these bloody laws deserved death, were branded only by the favour of William Smith, bishop of Lincoln; and one may have charity enough to incline him to this belief, when considering the same William (founder of Brasenose-college in Oxford) was generally a lover of learning and goodness, and not cruelly disposed of himselff. However, some of God's children, though burnt, did not dread the fire. And father Rever, alias Reive, though branded at the time, did afterwards suffer at a stakes; so that the brand at the first did but take livery and seisin e Matt. v. 39. f [Born at Farnworth in the parish of Prescot in Lancashire; educated either at Oriel or Lincoln colleges, or perhaps successively in both. Retiring from Oxford for fear of the plague, he became fellow, and afterwards master of Pembroke hall in Cambridge. About the same time he was made archdeacon of Surrey, dean of the chapel, St. Stephen's, West minster, doctor of divinity, and g Fox, p. 1011. |