leases of me, and agreed with me for the same. Now I hear say the bishop that now occupieth the same room, will not allow my grants unto them made, but, contrary unto all law and conscience, hath taken from them their livings, and will not suffer them to enjoy the same. I beseech you, my lord, be a mean for them: you shall do a good deed, and God will reward you."

Then they brought a faggot, kindled with fire, and laid the same down at Dr. Ridley's feet. To whom master Latimer spake in this manner: "Be of good comfort, master Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out."

And so the fire being given unto them, when Dr. Ridley saw the fire flame up towards him, he cried with a wonderful loud voice, “In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum: Domine recipe spiritum meum." And after, repeated this latter part often in English, "Lord, Lord, receive my spirit;" master Latimer crying as vehemently on the other side, "O Father of heaven, receive my soul!" who received the flame as it were embracing of it. After that he had stroked his face with his hands, and as it were bathed them a little in the fire, he soon died (as it appeareth) with very little pain or none. And thus much concerning the end of this old and blessed servant of God, master Latimer, for whose laborious travails, fruitful life, and constant death, the whole realm hath cause to give great thanks to Almighty God.

But master Ridley, by reason of the evil making of the fire unto him, because the wooden faggots were laid about the gorse, and overhigh built, the fire burned first beneath, being kept down by the wood; which when he felt, he desired them for Christ's sake to let the fire come unto him. Which when his brother-in-law heard, but not well understood, intending to rid him out of his pain (for the which cause he gave attendance), as one of such sorrow not well advised what he did, heaped faggots upon him, so that he clean covered him, which made the fire more vehement beneath, that it burned clean all his nether parts, before it once touched the upper; and that made him leap up and down under the faggots, and often desire them to let the fire come unto him, saying, “I cannot burn." Which indeed appeared well; for, after his legs were consumed by reason of his struggling through the pain (whereof he had no release, but only his contentation in God), he showed that side toward us clean, shirt and all un

touched with flame. Yet in all this torment he forgot not to call unto God still, having in his mouth, "Lord have mercy upon me," intermingling his cry, "Let the fire come unto me, I cannot burn." In which pangs he laboured till one of the standers by with his bill pulled off the faggots above, and where he saw the fire flame up, he wrested himself unto that side. And when the flame touched the gunpowder, he was seen to stir no more, but burned on the other side, falling down at master Latimer's feet; which, some said, happened by reason that the chain loosed; others said, that he fell over the chain by reason of the poise of his body, and the weakness of the nether limbs.

(Acts and Monuments, Foxe, ed. cit., VII, 547.)

CHAPTER XVIII

ELIZABETH

133. Classes of the People in the XVIth Century

Smith

Sir THOMAS SMITH (1512-1577), in his capacity of Secretary of State under Elizabeth, enjoyed peculiar opportunities of obervation, which his wide learning and philosophical inclination enabled him to use to great result. His description of the classes of the people is accurate and comprehensive. It is taken from the best known of his works, the posthumous volume entitled De Republica Anglorum-a work which passed through many editions and is one of the classics of English Constitutional History.

Of the first part of Gentlemen of England, called nobilitas

major.

... In England no man is created a baron, except he may dispend of yearly revenue one thousand pounds, or one thousand marks at the least...

Of the second sort of Gentlemen, which may be called nobilitas minor, and first of knights.

No man is a knight by succession, not the king or prince... knights therefore be not born but made... In England whosoever may dispend of his free lands forty pounds sterling of yearly revenue . . . may be by the king compelled to take that order and honour, or to pay a fine...

Of Esquires.

Esquires (which we commonly call squires) be all those which bear arms (as we call them) or armories... these be taken for no distinct order of the commonwealth, but do go with the residue of the gentlemen...

Of Gentlemen.

Gentlemen be those whom their blood and race doth make noble and known . . . Ordinarily the king doth only make knights and create barons or higher degrees, for as for gentlemen they be made good cheap in England. For whosoever studieth the laws of the realm, who studieth in the Universities, who professeth liberal sciences, and to be short, who can live idly and without manual labour, and will bear the port, charge and countenance of a gentleman, he shall be called master,... and be taken for a gentleman...

Of Yeomen.

Those whom we call yeomen, next unto the nobility, knights and squires, have the greatest charge and doings in the commonwealth... I call him a yeoman whom our laws do call legalem hominem... which is a freeman born English, and may dispend of his own free land in yearly revenue to the sum of 40s. sterling... This sort of people confess themselves to be no gentlemen... and yet they have a certain preeminence and more estimation than labourers and artificers, and commonly live wealthily . . . These be (for the most part) farmers unto gentlemen, . . . and by these means do come to such wealth, that they are able and daily do buy the lands of unthrifty gentlemen, and after setting their sons to the school at the Universities, to the laws of the realm, or otherwise leaving them sufficient lands whereon they may live without labour, do make their said sons by those means gentlemen...

Of the fourth sort of men which do not rule.

The fourth sort or class amongst us, is of those which the old Romans called capite censi... day labourers, poor husbandmen, yea merchants or retailers which have no free land, copyholders and all artificers... These have no voice nor authority in our commonwealth, and no account is made of them, but only to be ruled.

(Manner of Government or Policies of the Realme of England, ed. 1589. Bk. I, c. 17-24.)

Of Bondage and Bondmen.

After that we have spoken of all the sorts of freemen, according to the diversity of their estates and persons, it

resteth to say somewhat of bondmen... The Romans had two kinds of bondmen, the one which were called servi... all those kind of bondmen be called in our law villains in gross... Another they had... which they called adscriptitii glebæ... and in our law are called villains regardant ... Of the first I never knew any in the realm in my time; of the second, so few there be, that it is not almost worth the speaking, but our law doth acknowledge them in both those sorts. (The Commonwealth of England, ed. 1589, Bk. III, c. 10.)

RELIGIOUS SECTS IN THE TIME OF ELIZABETH

The four great religious parties of the age of Elizabeth were the Anglican, the Catholic, the Presbyterian, and the Puritan. The attitude of the Catholic Church needs no illustration. The positions of the other sects are well illustrated by the excerpts which follow. For exposition of the Anglican stand we have selected extracts from the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity, by RICHARD HOOKER (1553-1600). No man stands as prominently as the exponent of the doctrines of the Church of England as does this divine. RICHARD BANCROFT (1544-1610), Archbishop of Canterbury, was the bitter and uncompromising opponent of the Puritans, a staunch and even violent supporter of the royal power and episcopal system; but his sympathies and teachings were those which led to Presbyterianism in its modern form. The Convocation of 1583 tersely and yet comprehensively formulated the Puritan demands; and the articles drawn up in 1583 by JOHN WHITGIFT (1530 or 1533-1604), Archbishop of Canterbury, mark the latest stage of ecclesiastical development in the Elizabethan period.

134. The Anglican Standpoint

Hooker

(a) The plain intent of the Book of Ecclesiastical Discipline is to shew that men may not devise laws of church government, but are bound for ever to use and to execute only those which God himself hath already devised and delivered in the scripture. The self-same drift the Admonitioners also had, in urging that nothing ought to be done in the Church according unto any law of man's devising, but all according to that which God in his word hath commanded... Demand of them, wherefore they conform not themselves unto the order of our Church, and in every particular their answer for the most part is, 'We find no such thing commanded in the world.'

(b) Touching points of doctrine, as for example the Unity of God,... they have been since the first hour that there was a Church in the world, and till the last they must be believed.