The king's position as supreme head of the church confirmed and that title annexed to the crown and for increase of virtue in Christ's religion within this realm of England, and to repress and extirp all errors, heresies, and other enormities and abuses heretofore used in the same; be it enacted by authority of this present parliament, that the king our sovereign lord, his heirs and successors, kings of this realm, shall be taken, accepted, and reputed the only supreme head in earth of the church of England, called anglicana ecclesia; and shall have and enjoy, annexed and united to the imperial crown of this realm, as well the title and style thereof, as all honors, dignities, preeminences, jurisdictions, privileges, authorities, immunities, profits, and commodities to the said dignity of supreme head of the same church belonging and appertaining; and that our said sovereign lord, his heirs, and successors, kings of this realm, shall have full power and authority from time to time to visit, repress, redress, reform order, correct, restrain, and amend all such errors, heresies, abuses, offenses, contempts, and enormities, whatsoever they be, which by any manner spiritual authority or jurisdiction ought or may lawfully be reformed, repressed, ordered, redressed, corrected, restrained, or amended, most to the pleasure of Almighty God, the increase of virtue in Christ's religion, and for the conservation of the peace, unity, and tranquillity of this realm; any usage, custom, foreign law, foreign authority, prescription, or any other thing or things to the contrary hereof notwithstanding. The dissolution of the monasteries is a difficult subject. Our accounts of it are all from those who wished to see them dissolved, and are therefore probably prejudiced and unfair. The two letters that follow were sent to Cromwell by two of the commissioners whom he sent out to investigate, to dismiss the younger monks, and to dissolve the whole body of monks and confiscate their property whenever they could find reason for doing so. The first letter has reference to the great monastery of St. Edmund's at Bury, the second to a chapel of the Virgin Mary at Caversham, part of the possessions of Secretary Cromwell Please it your mastership, fforasmoche as I suppose ye 205. John Ap shall have sute made unto yow touching Burie er we retourne, Rice to I thought convenient to advertise yow of our procedinges there, and also of the compertes of the same. As for th' abbot, we (1535) found nothing suspect as touching his lyving, but it was detected that he laye moche forth in his granges, that he delited moche in playng at dice and cardes, and therin spent moche money, and in buylding for his pleasure. He did not preche openly. Also that he converted divers fermes into copie holdes, wherof poore men doth complayne. Also he semeth to be addict to the mayntenyng of suche supersticious ceremones as hathe ben used hertofor. As touching the convent, we coulde geate litle or no reportes amonge theym, although we did use moche diligence in our examinacion, and therby, with some other argumentes gethered of their examinacions, I fermely beleve and suppose that they had confedered and compacted bifore our commyng that they shulde disclose nothing. And yet it is confessed and proved, that there was here suche frequence of women commyng and reassorting to this monastery as to no place more. Amongest the reliques we founde moche vanitie and superstition, as the coles that Saint Laurence was tosted withall, the paring of S. Edmundes naylles, S. Thomas of Canterbury penneknyff and his bootes, and divers skulles for the hedache; peces of the holie crosse able to make a hole crosse of; other reliques Eight monks for rayne and certain other superstitiouse usages, for avoyding of wedes growing in corne, with suche other. Here departe of theym that be under age upon an eight, and of theym that five over age be above age upon a five wolde departe yf they might, and they would like to be of the best sorte in the house and of best lernyng and jugement. The hole nomber of the convent before we cam was lx., saving one, beside iij. that were at Oxforde. Of Elie I under age leave the mon astery, and 206. John London to Cromwell (1538) The citizens of Reading want the church of the Grey Friars for a townhall have written to your mastership by my felowe Richard a Lee. And thus Almightie God have you in his tuicion. From Burie, v. Novembre. Your servant moste bounden, JOHN AP RICE. In my most humble maner I have me commendyd unto yower gude lordeschippe, acertenyng the same that I have pullyd down the image of our ladye at Caversham, wherunto wasse great pilgremage. The image ys platyd over with sylver, and I have putt yt in a cheste fast lockyd and naylyd uppe, and by the next bardge that comythe from Reding to London yt shall be browght to your lordeschippe. I have also pullyd down the place sche stode in, with all other ceremonyes, as lightes, schrowdes, crowchys, and imagies of wex, hangyng abowt the chapell, and have defacyd the same thorowly in exchuyng of any farther resortt thedyr. Thys chapell dydde belong to Notley Abbey, and ther always wasse a chanon of that monastery wiche wasse callyd the warden of Caversham, and he songe in thys chapell, and hadde the offeringes for hys lyving. He wasse acostomyd to shew many prety relykes, among the wiche wer (as he made reportt) the holy dager that kylled kinge Henry, and the holy knyfe that kylled seynt Edwarde. All thees, with many other, with the cotes of thys image, her cappe and here, my servant shall bring unto your lordeschippe thys wek, with the surrendre of the Freers under the convent seale and ther seale also. . . . I besek your gudde lordeschippe to admytt me a power sutar for thees honest men of Redinge. They have a fayer towne and many good occupiers in ytt, butt they lacke that howse necessary, of the wiche, for the mynystracion of justice, they have most nede of. Ther towne hall ys a very small howse, and stondith upon the ryver, wher ys the commyn wassching place of the most partt of the towne, and in the cession dayes and other cowrt dayes ther ys such betyng with batildores as oon man can nott here another nor the quest here the chardg gevyng. The body of the church of the Grey Fryers, wiche ys solyd with lath and lyme, wold be a very commodiose rowme for them. And now I have rydde all the fasschen of that church in parcleses, ymages, and awlters, it wolde mak a gudly towne hall. The mayer of that towne, Mr. Richard Turner, a very honest gentill person, with many other honest men, hathe expressyd unto me ther gref in thys behalf, and have desyred me to be an humble sutar unto your lordeschippe for the same, if it shulde be solde. The wallys besyd the coyne stonys be butt chalk and flynt, and the coveryng butt tile. And if it please the kinges grace to bestow that howse upon any of hys servantes, he may spare the body of the churche, wiche stondith next the strete, very well, and yit have rowme sufficient for a great man. Your most bounden oratour and servant, JOHN LONDON. A heavy part of the price paid by Henry and by England for the separation from the papacy was the execution of many good and noble men who refused to accept the requirements of the new laws. The most conspicuous of these was Sir Thomas More, one of the wisest, wittiest, and best men of his time. An account of his life, with many anecdotes, was written by his son-in-law, William Roper, some extracts from which have been already given. Hère is added an account of his last days. of More After this, as the duke of Norfolk and Sir Thomas More 207. From chanced to fall in familiar talk together, the duke said unto Roper's life him: "By the mass, Mr. More, it is perilous striving with princes, and therefore I would wish you somewhat to incline to the king's pleasure. For by God's body, Mr. More, the anger of the king is death.'" "Is that all, my lord?" quoth he; "is there, in good faith, no more difference between your grace and me, but that I shall die to-day and you to-morrow? Now after his arraignment departed he from the bar to the Tower again, led by Sir William Kingston, a tall, strong, and comely knight, constable of the Tower, his very dear friend, who Margaret Roper, the favorite child of Sir Thomas More when he had brought him from Westminster to the Old Swan towards the Tower, there with a heavy heart, the tears running down his cheeks, bade him farewell. Sir Thomas More, seeing him so sorrowful, comforted him with as good words as he could, saying, "Good Mr. Kingston, trouble not yourself, but be of good cheer. For I will pray for you, and my good lady your wife, that we may meet in heaven together, where we shall be merry for ever and ever." Soon after, Sir William Kingston, talking with me of Sir Thomas More, said, "In faith, Mr. Roper, I was ashamed of myself, that at my departure from your father, I found my heart so feeble and his so strong, that he was fain to comfort me which should rather have comforted him." When Sir Thomas More came from Westminster to the Tower ward again, his daughter, my wife, desirous to see her father, whom she thought she should never see in this world after, and also to have his final blessing, gave attendance about the Tower wharf, where she knew he should pass by, ere he could enter into the Tower. There tarrying for his coming home, as soon as she saw him, after his blessings on her knees reverently received, she, hasting towards, without consideration or care of herself, pressing in amongst the midst of the throng and the company of the guard, that with halberds and bills were round about him, hastily ran to him, and there openly in the sight of all of them embraced and took him about the neck and kissed him, who, well liking her most daughterly love and affection towards him, gave her his fatherly blessing, and many godly words of comfort besides; from whom after she was departed, she, not satisfied with the former sight of her dear father, having respect neither to herself, nor to the press of the people and multitude that were about him, suddenly turned back again, and ran to him as before, took him about the neck, and divers times together most lovingly kissed him, and at last with a full heavy heart was fain to depart from him; the beholding whereof was to many of them that were present thereat so lamentable, that it made them for very sorrow to mourn and weep. So remained Sir Thomas More in the Tower more than a seven-night after his judgment. From whence the day before |