Actes and Monuments

by John Foxe

The Visitation of the Universities - Burning of the Dead Bodies of Bucer and Phagius - With the Cruel Handling of God's Saints in Other Parts of the Realm, in the Year 1557

Cardinal Pole, three years after his return into England, having somewhat withdrawn his mind from other affairs of the realm, and having in all points established the Romish religion, began to have an eye to the university of Cambridge, which place among others specially seemed to need reformation.

To perform this charge were chosen Cuthbert Scot, not long before consecrated bishop of Chester; Nicholas Ormanet, an Italian, arch-priest of the people of Bozolo, in Verona, professed in both the laws, and bearing the name of the pope's datary; Thomas Watson, bishop of Lincoln; John Christopherson, bishop of Chichester; and Henry Cole, provost of the college of Eton. These persons thus appointed sent their letters, with the cardinal's citation, before to Dr. Andrew Perne, vice-chancellor then of Cambridge, with the other commissioners associate, commanding him to warn all the graduates of the university, in their name, to be in readiness against the 11th day of January, betwixt eight and ten of the clock, in the church of St. Mary the Virgin; willing him especially to be there himself in presence, and also to set forward all the residue, to whose charge it belonged, that they should search out all statutes, books, privileges, and monuments appertaining to the university, or to any of the colleges, or finally to any of themselves; and these to present before them at the day appointed, and every man to appear there personally.

After this, upon the 24th of December, the vice-chancellor with the heads of the houses, meeting together in the schools, it was there concluded that the visitors' charges should be borne by the university and colleges, (which then cost the university a hundred pounds thick,) and also that no master of any college should suffer any of the fellows, scholars, or ministers to go forth of the town, but to return before the visitation. The inquisitors arrived at Cambridge on the 9th of January; and the day after they interdicted the two churches, namely, St. Mary's, where Bucer, and St. Michael's, where Paulus Phagius lay buried. On the 11th, being the day appointed, the vice-chancellor of the university, with the masters and presidents of the colleges, and all the graduates of every house, were commanded to appear before the said commissioners. They assembled in great number to Trinity college, having the university cross borne before them; and in the Gatehouse a form was set and covered with cushions, and carpet on the ground, for the visitors. Master John Stokes, common orator of the university, one of the popish superstition, (for none but such, in those days, might be promoted to any worship,) made an oration in the name of all the rest; and when he had ended, the bishop of Chester answered thereto.

These things being finished, they were brought processionaliter to King's college, by all the graduates of the university, where was sung a mass of the Holy Ghost with great solemnity, nothing wanting in the behalf that might make to the setting forth of the same. From thence they attended all upon the legates to St. Mary's church, which we declared before to have been interdicted; in the which place, forsomuch as it was suspended, although no mass might be sung, yet there was a sermon made in open audience by master Peacock in the Latin tongue, preaching against heresies and heretics, as Bilney, Cranmer, Latimer, Ridley, etc. The which being ended, they proceeded eftsoons to the visitation, where first Dr. Harvy did, in the cardinal's name, exhibit the commission to the bishop of Chester, with a few words in Latin. Which being accepted, and by master clerk openly read to the end, then the vice-chancellor with an oration did exhibit the certificate under his seal of office, with the cardinal's citation annexed, containing every man's name in the university and colleges, with the officers and all the masters of houses. After the formal solemnity of these things thus accomplished, all the masters of the houses only being cited, every man for awhile departed home to his own house, with commandment to be at the common schools of the said university at one of the clock the same day.

The next day being the 12th of January, they resorted to the King's college to make inquisition, either because the same was chief and sovereign of all the residue, or else because that that house had been counted, time out of mind, never to be without a heretic (as they termed them) or twain: and at that present time, albeit many of late had withdrawn themselves from thence, yet they judged there were some remaining still.

The order and manner how they would be entertained of every college, when they should come to make inquisition, they themselves appointed, which was in this sort. They commanded the master of every house, together with the residue, as well fellows as scholars, appareled in priest-like garments, (which they call habits,) to meet them at the uttermost gate of their house towards the town: the master himself to be dressed in like apparel as the priest when he harnesseth himself to mass; saving that he should put on uppermost his habit, as the rest did. The order of their going they appointed to be in this wise: the master of the house to go foremost; next unto him, every man in his order as he was of degree, seniority, or of years. Before the master should be carried a cross and holy water to sprinkle the commissioners withal; and then, after that, the said commissioners to be censed. And so after this meeting and mumbling of a few devotions, they determined with this pomp and solemnity to be brought to the chapel.

Three days long lasted the inquisition there. This was now the third day of their coming, and it was thought that the case of Bucer and Phagius was delayed longer than needed. The vice-chancellor and the masters of the colleges assembled at the common schools, where every man gave his verdict what he thought meet to be done in this matter of Bucer. After much debating, they agreed altogether in this determination: that forasmuch as Martin Bucer, while he lived, had not only sowed pernicious and erroneous doctrine among them, but also himself had been a sectary and famous heretic, erring from the catholic church, and giving others occasion to fall from the same likewise, a supplication should be made to the lords commissioners, in the name of the whole university, that his dead carcase might forthwith be digged up, (for so it was needful to be done,) to the intent that inquisition might be made as touching his doctrine, etc. They gave the same verdict, by common assent, upon Phagius also.

The day after, the vice-chancellor, Andrew Perne, waited upon the commissioners, according to the appointment, about seven of the clock in the morning. He had scarce declared the cause of his coming, but he had not only obtained his suit, but also even at the very same time received the sentence of condemnation, for taking up of Bucer and Phagius, fair copied out by Ormanet the datary himself, which was soon after signed with the common seal of the university.

This condemnation being openly read, then Dr. Perne desired to send out process to cite Bucer and Phagius to appear, or any others that would take upon them to plead their cause, and to stand to the order of the court against the next Monday. The commissioners condescended to his request, and the next day process was out to cite the offenders. This citation Vincent of Noally, their common notary, having first read it over before certain witnesses appointed for the same purpose, caused to be fixed up in places convenient, to wit, upon St. Mary's church-door, the door of the common schools, and the cross in the market-stead. In this was specified, that whosoever would maintain Bucer and Phagius, or stand in defence of their doctrine, should, at the eighteenth day of the same month, stand forth before the lord commissioners in St. Mary's church, and there every man should be sufficiently heard what he could say.

When the day came, and that neither Bucer nor Phagius would appear at their call in the court, not that any put forth himself to defend them, the commissioners put off the judgment day unto the 26th of the same month. Upon this day the vice-chancellor was sent for to their lodging, with whom they agreed concerning the order of publishing the sentence. And because there should want no solemnity in the matter, they commanded him further to warn the mayor of the town to be there at the day appointed with all his burgesses.

On the day aforesaid all met together in St. Mary's church, where, after reciting the process, Dr. Scot, one of the inquisitors, made a long oration; after which he read the sentence condemning Bucer and Phagius of heresy. He then commanded their bodies to be digged out of their graves, and being degraded from holy orders, delivered them to the secular power; for it was not lawful for such innocent persons as they were, abhorring from all bloodshed, and detesting all desire of murder, to put any man to death!

Upon the 6th day of February, their dead bodies were borne into the market-place, (Bucer in the chest that he was buried, and Phagius in a new,) with a great train of people following them. This place was prepared before, and a great post was set fast in the ground to bind the carcases to, and a great heap of wood was laid ready to burn them withal. The chests were set up on end, with the dead bodies in them, and fastened on both sides with stakes, and bound to the post with a long iron chain as if they had been alive. Fire being forthwith put to, as soon as it began to flame round about, a great sort of books that were condemned with them were cast into the same.

In the mean time that they were roasting in the fire, Watson went into the pulpit in St. Mary's church, and there, before his audience, railed upon their doctrine, as wicked and erroneous, saying that it was the ground of all mischief that had happened of a long time in the commonweal. Many things he slanderously and falsely alleged against Bucer, whose doctrine either he would not understand, or else he was minded to slander. And yet he was not ignorant that Bucer taught none other things than the very same whereunto he and Scot, in the reign of king Edward the sixth, had subscribed to with their own hands.

The next day following, the aforesaid Scot, bishop of Chester, with much ceremonial solemnity, reconciled the two churches of St. Mary and St. Michael, which we declared to have been interdicted before. After this they bestowed a few days in punishing and amercing such as they thought had deserved it. Some they suspended from giving voices either to their own preferment or that of any other; some they forbade to have the charge of pupils; others they chastised wrongfully without any desert, punishing contrary to all right and reason; and last of all they set forth certain statutes by the which they would have the university hereafter ordered.

The commissioners were now ready to go their ways; and the university, coveting to show some token of courtesy to them for so great benefits, dignified Ormanet and Cole with the degree of doctorship, for all the residue had received that order before. Thus, at length, were sent away these peacemakers, that came to pacify strifes and quarrels, who, through provoking every man to accuse one another, left such gaps and breaches in men's hearts at their departure, that to this day they could never be closed nor joined together again!

Having thus considered the doings of these iniquisitors at Cambridge, we will proceed to discourse of the despiteful handling of Peter Martyr's wife at Oxford. For because the one university should not mock the other, like cruelty was also declared upon the dead body of the said Peter Martyr's wife, an honest, grave, and sober matron, while she lived, and of poor people a great helper, who departed this life in the year of our Lord 1552. Brooks, bishop of Gloucester, Nicholas Ormanet, datary, Robert Morewen, president of Corpus-Christi college, Cole and Wright, doctors of the civil law, came thither as the cardinal's visitors; and, among other things, had in commission to take up this good woman again out of her grave, and to consume her carcase with fire, not doubting but that she was of the same religion that her husband had professed before.

To be short, after these visitors had sped the business they came for, they gat them to the cardinal again, certifying him that, upon due inquisition made, they could learn nothing upon which by the law they might burn her. Notwithstanding the cardinal, a good while after, wrote to Marshal, the dean of Frideswide's, that he should dig her up, and lay her out of Christian burial, because she was interred nigh unto St. Frideswide's relics, sometime had in great reverence in that college. Dr. Marshal, like a pretty man, calling his spades and mattocks together in the evening, caused her to be taken up and buried in a dunghill.

Howbeit, when it pleased God under good queen Elizabeth to give quietness to his church, Dr. Parker, archbishop of Canterbury, Edmund Grindal, bishop of London, Richard Goodrick, with divers others, her majesty's high commissioners in matters of religion, willed certain of that college to take her out of that unclean and dishonest place where she lay, and solemnly, in the face of the whole town, to bury her again in a more decent and honest monument. Wherefore master James Calfield, then sub-dean of the college, diligently provided that from Marshal's dunghill she was restored and translated to her proper place again, yea, and withal coupled her with Frideswide's bones, that in case any cardinal will be so mad hereafter to remove this woman's bones again, it shall be hard for them to discern the bones of her from the other.

Moreover, the commissioners under the good queen Elizabeth, having also received commission to make reformation of religion in the university of Cambridge and other parts of the realm, decreed that the aforesaid Bucer and Phagius should be set in their places again. For the performance whereof they addressed their letters to the vice-chancellor and the graduates of the university, when by the verdict and open consent of the whole university they were fully restored, and all acts done against them and their doctrine repealed and disannulled, about the twenty-second day of July, in the year of our Lord 1560.

In January 1557, ten godly and Christian martyrs were committed unto the fire, and there consumed to ashes, by Thornton, suffragan of Dover, and Nicholas Harpsfield, archdeacon of the said province. Their names were John Philpot, Matthew Bradbridge, and Nicholas Final, of Tenterden; William Waterer and Thomas Stephens, of Biddenden; Stephen Kempe or Norgate; William Hay of Hythe; Thomas Hudson of Selling; William Lowick of Cranbrooke; William Prowting of Thornham. Of these, six were burned at Canterbury, about the 15th of January; two at Ashford the day following; and other two at Wye, about the same month.

On the 8th of the next month following, which was February, came out another bloody commission from the king and queen, to kindly up the fire of persecution, as though it were not hot enough already. After this commission was given out at London, the new inquisitors, especially some of them, began to ruffle, and to take upon them not a little; so that all quarters were full of persecution. And prisons almost full of prisoners, namely, in the diocese of Canterbury, whereof (by leave of Christ) we will say more anon.

The Visitation of the Universities - Burning of the Dead Bodies of Bucer and Phagius - With the Cruel Handling of God's Saints in Other Parts of the Realm, in the Year 1557 ... Continued