certen vtensiles. All the ledde I savyd with certen vtensyles, because I myzt leve them in saff custody with Mr. Gostwike. At Stamford, I left in the Grey Fryers all ther brewyng vessels, and ther kechyn stuff wasse so gud that I cowde gete butt viijs for all. I solde ther ornaments and glasse of ther churche with certen stuff, and solde no glass in the Grey, Whyte, or Blacke Fryers, saving oonly in ther churches. At the Austen Fryers I sold all there glasse, for els all wold have be stollyd, ffor it stondeth owt of the town. In thre Fryers ther I sold ther brewyng vessels wich wer very ny worn. In Coventry, I dydd partly rase that Howse of the Gray Fryers, thou after the powr people lay so sore vpon ytt. Butt the Whyte Fryers I dydd litill vnto. At Warwick, the Fryers Howse ys withowt the town, an olde ruynose howse and no ledd butt gutters and the coueryng of the steple. Ther I defacyd the church wyndoes and the sellys of the dorter as I dydd in euery place saving in Bedford and Aylisbury wher were few byars. I pullyd down no Howse thorowly at noon of the Fryers: butt so defacyd them as they shuld not lyztly be made Fryerys agen. At Tellisford Crosse Fryers, I have oonly recyvyd the surrendere: and have left the Howse with all the stuff in safe custody with the late mynyster and oon of the Kings seruants dwelling therbye. In that Howse I must farther know your Lordeships pleasur or I do any more, as by my servant I shall shortly more at lengeth expresse every thing. Ther wasse a fonde fasschon of Idolytrye. In the body of the Churche wasse an Image at an Awters end callyd Mayden Cutbrogh, and vnder her feete wasse a trowgh of wodde descending undre the Awter wich wasse hollow. Thyder resortyd suche as wer trobelyd with the hedde ache, or hadde any slottiche wydowes lockes, viz. here growen to gether in a tufte. Ther must they putt in to the trowgh a peckke of oots, and when they wer oons slydyd vndre the Awter, the Crosse Fryers schuld behynd the Awter pryvily stele them owt, and the sykk person must give to the Fryer a peny for a pynte of these Maydon Cutbrogh oots, and then ther heds schuld ak no more till the next tyme. I have pullyd downe thys Idoll with herre manage. At Northampton, I fynd the Prior of Augustyns lyk a Fryer, and oon of the most unthrifts that yet I have mett with all yet have I found butt few trew or gud, and amongs many blessyd reformations don by the Kings Grace, I sup : pose thys be nott the lest, vtterly to suppresse theis Fryars, in whom I fynd so moch dissymylation as may be in men. I trust to bring all ther falshudds here to lyzt, butt in the mean tyme I am fayne to sett the Prior and almost all hys brethern in warde. They have delyuered owt of ther Howse all ther plate and gudd stuff, and made billes of sale and knowledging of receipt of certen sommys of money wher they receyvyd, nor owzt, oon peny, and all to disseyve the Kinge. I have in som of those billes her enclosyd, and moo I will have or I depart, and have agen the best stuff I saw yet, and more I trust to have. Howbeit by hys own confession he made away thys yere above a Ci plate. He ys a great lyar and a gyvelar [shuffler]. I will hensforth deface no Howse unlesse I have your or the King's Grace speciall com̃aundment. Butt then if ther be no Surveyor to do ytt immedyaty or som suer man to inhabitt the same, the Howsys will be so spoylyd as litill profytt will com of them. I thowzt I dydd for the beste in defacinge those Howses, and have to the Kings Grace use above all, dispacchyng of the Fryers, payng ther detts and rewarding every oon of them, savyng also all the coveryng and wallys of the Howses, aswell in ledde, slatt, as tyle, and my chardges of expens born, and all the plate also thorowly savyd whole to the Kings use, CC and above in gudd gold. And have also savyd to the Kings use the best ornaments wher any were with all. I will now owt of hand upon All Halon tyde send vppe or I execute any of these commissions last sent from your Lordeschippe to me. For I have a great dele of gudd plate wiche I wold fayn be dischargyd of. Thus I besech your Lordeschipp to take my powr meanyng in gudd partt intending to my littell powr to serve the Kings Grace, and so I dowbt nott butt his Majesty will accept my doings when his Grace knowith what beggarly and crafty merchants I have to be occupyed with all. And most humble I do thank your gudd Lordeshippe for your gudnes and gudd mediation vnto hys most noble Grace for me, and shalbe during my liff your assured seruant and orator vnto Almyztie Godd long to preserue your guud Lordeshipp with increse of moch honor. At Northampton, XXIX. Octobris. Your most bovndon orator and seruant, JOHN LONDON. (Original Letters, ed.cit., vol. III, p. 130.) 117. A Summons to the Pilgrimage of Grace Original Letters The popular discontent which followed the dissolution of the smaller monasteries resulted in two insurrections; the first was in Lincolnshire, the second, in Yorkshire. The latter was a most formidable movement, and was directed by Robert Aske, who gave to the uprising the name of the Pilgrimage of Grace. He issued several addresses, the selection given being his appeal to the common people. Masters, all men to be redie to morrw, and this neighte and in the mornyng to ryng your bellis in every towne, and to assemble your selfs apon Skypwithe mowre, and thare apoynte your Captayns, Master Hussye, Master Babthorp, and Master Gascoygn, and other gentilmen; and to geff warnyng to all be yonde the watter to be redy vpon payn of dethe for the Comen Welthe; and make your proclymacōn, every man to be trewe to the Kings issue, and the noble blode; to preserve the Churche of God from spolyng; and to be trew to the Comens and the welthis; and ye shall have to morrowe the Articles and causis of your assemble and peticon to the Kyng, and the place of oure meting, and all other of poure and commen welthe. In haste, etc. By me Robt. Aske, Chieffe Captayn of same. (Original Letters illustrative of English History, ed. H. Ellis. Lond., 1846, III, p. 53.) 118. The Lancaster Herald's Mission to the Insurgents Original Letters The Pilgrimage of Grace was of such formidable character that great exertions were made to rapidly suppress it. These efforts were successful when force of numbers overawed the insurgents whose ranks were thinned by discontent and distress bred by the diplomacy, or treachery, of the Duke of Norfolk, the commander of the forces of the king. The leaders of this rebellion, Aske, and the Lords Darcy and Hussey were pardoned, but another rebellion having broken out in Lancaster convenient pretext was taken for connecting them with it, and they suffered the death penalty. The Lancaster_Herald, whose account of a mission to the insurgents on the Pilgrimage we give, was also executed, not for participation in the rebellion, but for kneeling to its leaders while he was on the king's mission. The manner, fashion, and ordering of me Lancaster Herald at Arms to our Sovereign Lord the King, sent from Sroby the 21st day of October, by the right honourable Lord the Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord Steward of the King's most honourable household, and Lieutenant General from the Trent northward, and the right honourable Earls of Rutland and Huntingdon of the King's most honourable Counsell, to Pomfret, with a Proclamation to be read amongst the traitorous and rebellious persons assembled at Pomfret contrary to King's laws. And when I did approach near the town of Pomfret, I overtook certain companies of the said rebellious, being common people of the husbandry, which saluted me gently, and gave great honour to the King's coat of arms which I ware. And I demanded of them why they were in harness, and assembled of such sort; and they answered me that it was for the Commonwealth; and said if they did not so, the Commonalty and the Church should be destroyed. And I demanded of them how. And they said that no man should bury, nor christen, nor wedd, nor have their beast unmarked, but that the King would have a certain sum of money for every such thing, and the beast unmarked to his own house, which had never been seen. And I answered them and told them how good and gracious Lord the King had been to them, and how long he had kept them in great wealth, tranquillity and peace; and also that his Grace, nor none of his Counsel, never intended nor thought no such things and articles as they found them grieved with. And with such persuasions as I found and said to them, riding into the Town, I had gat grant of three or four hundred of the Commonalty to go gladly home to their houses, and to ask the King's mercy; and said, they were weary of that life they were in. And resorted first to the Market Cross, where I should have made the proclamation. And Robert Aske, captain of the host, being in the Castle, heard tell that I was comen, and sent for me to come to him; and so I did; and as I entered into the first ward, there I found many in harness, of very cruel fellows, and a porter with a white staff in his hand; and at the two other ward-gates every of them a porter with his staff, accompanied with harnessed men; and so I was brought into the Hall, which I found full of people. And I was commanded to tarry to such time as the said traitorous captain's pleasure was known; and in that space I stood up at the high table in the Hall, and there shewed to the people the cause of my coming, and the effect of the Proclamation; and in doing the same, the said Aske sent for me in to his chamber; and there keeping his port and countenance as though he had been a great Prince, with great rigour and like a tyrant; who was accompanied with the Archbishop of York, the Lord Darcy, Sir Robert Constable, Mr. Magnus, Sir Christopher Danby, and divers other. And, as my dutie was, I saluted the Archbishop of York and my Lord Darcy, showing to them the cause I came thither for. And then the said Robert Aske, with a cruell and inestimable proud countenance, stretched himself, and took the hearing of my tale, which I opened to him at large, in as much honour to our Sovereign Lord the King as my reason would serve me; which the said Captain Aske gave no reverance to, and superstitiously demanded the sight of my Proclamation. And then I took it out of my purse and delivered it to him, and then he read it openly, without any reverence to my person; and said, it should not need to call no counsell for the answer of the same, for he would of his own wit give me the answer, which was this. He, standing in the highest place of the chamber, taking the high estate upon him, said, "Herald, as a messenger you are welcome to me and all my company, intending as I do. And as for the Proclamation sent from the Lords, from whence you come, shall not be read at the Market Cross, nor in no place amongst my people, which be all under my guiding; nor for fear of loss of lands, life, and goods, not for the power which is against us, doth not enter into our hearts with fear, but are all of one accord with the points of our articles, clearly intending to see a reformation, or else to die in those causes." And then I demanded of him what his article was. And he said, one was that he and his company would go to London of pilgrimage to the King's Highness, and there to have all vile blood of his Counsell put from him, and all noble blood set up again, and also the Faith of Christ and his laws to be kept, and full restitution of Christ's Church of all wrongs done unto it, and also the Commonalty to be used as they should be: and bade me trust to this, for it should be done, or he would die for it. And then I required him, that he would give me this in writing, for my capacity would not serve to bear it away; and he said, "With a good will"; and called for his oath which he gave to his people, and said th'articles was comprehended within the said oath, and delivered it in writing to me, and caused me to read it myself; and he sayd, to that he would sett to his hand, and die |