more fortunate. But we have ample proof. I wish much that I had space to give more than the following a catalogue of all the prosperous sacrilegious persons that have been from the beginning of the world to this day, and I believe they will come within a very narrow compass, and be repeated much sooner than the alphabet." South. Sermon on Places for Divine Worship. Many writers, especially in late years when a more just spirit of enquiry has been exercised into facts, have proved the falsehood of the accusations which were made against the inmates of the English monasteries. I allude to it, for the purpose of directing the reader's attention to a collection of "Letters relating to the Suppression" lately published by the London Camden Society. The Editor on the one hand has declared his belief in all the charges brought against the monks, (see Preface, p. 1.) and on the other, furnished the clearest evidence of the knavery and abominable lying which were practised by the King's Commissioners, in order to force surrenders. This is already too long a note, but I must add the contrast which was displayed by Henry 5th. In his time it was proposed by the Speaker of the House of Commons, to seize the revenues of the Church, but the King refused, and declared that he would "leave the Church in a better condition than he found it." Collier. Vol. 1. p. 620. Again, when the Alien Priories were no longer allowed, they were granted, not to greedy courtiers, but "to other monasteries and colleges of learned men." Once more: who would have supposed that in the year 1539 such iniquities would have been not merely witnessed but advised by men who only 15 years before, whether truely or falsely, had brought this charge amongst others against Cardinal Wolsey? "19. Also, that the said lord Cardinal hath not only by his untrue suggestion, shamefully slandered many good religious houses, and good virtuous men dwelling in them, but also suppressed by reason thereof, above thirty houses of religion. - and thereupon hath caused to be found by verdict untruly, that the religious persons so suppressed had voluntarily forsaken their said houses, which was untrue, and so hath caused open perjury to be committed, to the high displeasure of Almighty God." Collier. Vol. 2. p. 40. 94 See the horrible account which is preserved in the old book of the Rites of Durham Church, p. 86: how the body of S. Cuthbert was treated by the notorious one or two examples. Thus, a letter of the Archbishop of Canterbury, referring his proceedings in spiritual matters to the approbation of Cromwell, a layman.95 My singular good Lord, about a twelve months past, I lodged at my house in Croydon : where certain of my chaplains by chance went into the church there, and as they looked in certain books they found the names of Bishops of Rome not put out according unto the King's commandment; wherefore I sent for all the priests of the church, and their books also,—and commanded them that they should amend their said books, and I discharged the parish priest of his service at the same time." The letter goes on to say, that Cranmer for the same offence put a chantry priest in bail to appear before the council: and it proves most clearly the difficulty which was met with in enforcing the King's commands. Again, a long list of articles against one Mr. Don of Jesus college, Cambridge, chiefly run upon the same matter, that he would not deface the service books.96 Again, a most remarkable letter and blasphemous, written by a monk of the monastery of Pershore, desiring to be dismissed, to the Lord Cromwell, "second Doctor Ley and Doctor Henley, the royal commissioners or visiters," in the time of King Henrie. 8." This case does not enter into the question of genuine or pretended, of valuable or worthless relics, nor need we stop to enquire whether they were either one or the other: but it was, like many such perpetrated at the same time, a mere brutal mangling of the dead; with the detestable purpose moreover of offering insult to certainly religious feelings and prejudices, and of blazoning forth infidelity to the world. 95 Cranmer's Remains. 1. p. 247. 96 Ibid. p. 269. Vol. person yn thys rem of Englond." I say blasphemous, containing such a passage as this, to a man like Cromwell, or to any man. "Most gracyus lord and most worthyst vycytar that ever cam a moncks us, macke me your servant, handemaid, and beydman, and save my sowlle wych sholdbe lost yf ye helpe yt not, the wych you may save with one word speckyng, and mayk me, wych am now nawtt, to cum unto grace and goodnes." But this worthy member of that house goes on to instruct the second person of the realm, "how the kyng's grace commandyment ys keyp yn puttyng forth of bocks the beyschatt of roms vserpt powor," which is, "abbots, moncks, prests don lyttyl or nothing to put owtt of bocks the beyschatt of romes name for y my selfe do know in dyu'rs bocks wher ys name and hys vserpt powor upon vs ys." 97 Once more; the testimony of an eye-witness to the completeness of the destruction when at last it could be escaped no longer. "If there had bene" says John Bale "in every shyre but one solemyne lybrary, to the 97 Dugdale. Monasticon. Vol. 2. p. 424. This was the sort of person, upon whose evidence the Commissioners rested and as they could not always procure even this, they were forced to be content with the assurance of their Visiter, "the poor priest, Richard Layton," that "the brethren be so streight kept, they cannot offend, but fain they would, if they might, as they confess." Even Even the author of the Hist. of Glastonbury, from whom I quote, who hated the monastic institution as much as any man, could not believe this. He adds "A more satisfactory vindication of the Abbey of Glaston, from any imputation of immorality or disorder, cannot be desired; while the uncharitable insinuation at the end of Layton's letter, and the absurd confession, said to have been volunteered by the monks, of their own vicious inclinations, afford a pretty strong proof of the spirit of malignity and fabrication in which the Visiters executed their commission." p. 221. preseruacyon of those noble workes, it had bene yet sumwhat. But to destroy all without consydyracyon, is and wyll be vnto Englande for euer a moste horryble infamy amonge the graue senyours of other nacyons. A greate nombre of them whych purchased those superstycyouse mansyons, reserued of those bokes, some to serue theyr iakes, some to scoure theyr candelstyckes, and some to rubbe their bootes. Some they solde to the grossers and sope sellers, and some they sent ouer see to the bokebynders, not in small nombre, but at tymes whole shyppes full, to the wonderynge of the foren nacyons. I know a merchaunt man, which shall at thys tyme be namelesse, that boughte the contentes of two noble lybraryes for .xl. shyllynges pryce, a shame it is to be spoken. This stuffe hath he occupyed in the stede of graye paper by the space of more than these .x. yeares, and yet he hath store ynough for as many yeares to come." True, that Bale is here speaking of the general contents of the monastic and cathedral libraries: he was not one who would have lamented the loss of any book better than an old chronicle.99 But from his facts we learn how extensive 98 The laboryouse Journey of John Leylande, &c. enlarged by Johan Bale. Lives of the Antiquaries. Vol. 1. In the library of the British Museum, (Bibl. Reg. 2. B. vij,) is a most magnificent manuscript, containing histories from the Old Testament, a Calendar, Psalter, Hymns, and a Litany. This was once given to Queen Mary, according to the following very significant entry on the last page of the volume. "Hunc librum, Nautis ad exteros transvehendum datum, spectatus et honestus vir Baldwinus smithus Londini a portoriis et vectigalibus, retraxit, atque Mariæ illustrissimæ Angliæ, Franciæ et Hiberniæ Reginæ donavit, mense Octobri, Anno Domini millesimo quingentesimo quinquagesimo tertio, regni sui primo." 99 I do not of course mean but that these also are of great value. was the destruction. The indiscriminating passion of the days of Edward the 6th, knowing only that the greater part of the collections consisted of service books, involved all in one common ruin: and secular historians have to lament that furious bigotry which spared not the annals of our country, no less than they who, with an earnest and sober reverence enquiring into the old religious observances of their Church, can find but few records left to guide them through the mists of error, in which the ignorance and misrepresentations of after-ages have obscured their path. I now conclude this dissertation. It has run on to a much greater length than I anticipated at the beginning, and yet I have omitted much which might have been given more tables of contents, comparisons between various editions, particular changes in some of the more important offices which from time to time occurred. I shall be satisfied if I have in any degree thrown some additional light upon an intricate subject; one on which hitherto we may almost say that no labour has been spent: indeed many of the explanations had better never have been attempted, for they could not possibly have been the result of genuine inquiry, and have been the means of perpetuating mistakes, and of encreasing difficulties. I cannot expect but that I myself have advanced some opinions which others, better learned, may differ from. But in examining and correcting these, it must be, that further information will be acquired and communicated: hence a benefit will be gained. I do not ask for indulgence; it is always useless: but those will be the last to withhold it, who by their own experience know that there are few subjects involved in greater obscurity, than are the Ancient Service-Books of the Church of England. |