Gospel) bowing down their knees, mocked our Saviour Christ, spit at him and smote him upon the head.”—Sig. Xii. b. "But to return to our former purpose, concerning the wretched fruits that came of this doctrine, when altars were pulled down, and mass put away, then were all churches without any law, spoiled of all their ornaments, as of copes, vestments, altar clothes, corporaxes, chalices, crosses, candlesticks, censers, cruets, books, and all other things belonging thereto, and the same put to profane uses, as hangings of beds, curtains, cushions and other such like. And some men made jolly mocking and jesting, and called them the priests' masking clothes, as we told you before.”—Sig. Y. iii. b. "There was also," says Strype, "one MILES HOGHEARD or 'HUGGARD, a tradesman in Pudding-lane, who set forth a 'book about this time, (or rather the year after,) bearing for 'its title, Against the english protestants", a piece written with much bitterness and scurrility; laying to their charge the famine, and the other miseries of England. This man 'made some pretence to learning; but Bale laughs at him 'for going about to prove fasting from Virgil's Æneis and Tully's Tusculan questions. But he set himself to oppose 'and abuse the gospellers, being set on and encouraged by 'priests and massmongers, with whom he much consorted, 'and was sometimes with them at Bishop Bonner's house.' 'And the protestants were even with him, and made verses upon him, not sparing him at all: some whereof, in Latin, 6 may be seen in Bale's Centuries. Against him wrote Laur, 'Humphrey, Crowley, Kethe, Plough, and others. When 'Mr. Hawks, a gentleman of Essex, was Bonner's prisoner, 'because he would not permit his child to be christened after 'the popish rites, this Hogheard was in company with Dr. Richard Smith, and others of the Bishop's chaplains, who " came to confer with the said Hawks. Then did this tradesman take upon him to talk with Hawks, but he was not his match. He asked Hawks, where in Scripture he proved 9 I take it for granted that Strype had never seen the book. Its title is, "The displaying of the Protestants and sondry their Practises, with a description of divers their abuses of late frequented within their 'malignaunte church. Perused and set forte with thassent of authoritie, according to the order in that behalf appointed. Excusum Londini ' ædibus Roberti Caly Typographi Mense Junii 1556. Cum privilegio." 16mo. 1 An odd way of expressing that a tradesman of Pudding-lane was received as a guest, and treated with familiarity and confidence by the Bishop of London. 2 'that infants were baptized, thinking thereby to drive him 'to acknowledge the authority of the Church. But Hawks 'readily answered, 'Go and teach all nations, baptizing 'them,' &c. To which Huggard replied, 'What, shall we go 'teach children?' Hawks again briskly, 'Doth that word 'trouble you? It might be left out full well.' [speaking 'ironically, as they would have it, to save themselves the 'pains of teaching.] It is too much for you to teach.' 'He added, 'Is not your name Huggard? and be you not a 'hosier, and dwell in Pudding-lane? And when the other 'had confessed it, Hawks replied, 'It should seem so, for you can better skill to eat a pudding, and make a hose, 'than either to answer or oppose.' With which he was in a great rage, and did chafe up and down, whereat Hawks desired some good man to take the pains to walk the 'gentleman, he fretted so." We must remember that the "gentleman of Essex" is the reporter of his own performance, and taking him on his own ground, some may doubt whether he, or the hosier, had the best of it-if, indeed, Huggard was a hosier in Puddinglane, for which fact I know of no other authority than that of the facetious "gentleman of Essex," who was perhaps only answered according to his folly. But whether or no, it is plain that Huggard was noticed by very leading men among his opponents, and it is worth our while to take a specimen of his book. I fear that too much of what follows is corroborated by what we have already extracted from the statements of writers on the other side. "The ancient trade of this realm in education of youth, (before the late time replenished with all mischief,) was to yoke the same with the fear of God, in teaching the same to use prayer morning and evening, to be reverent in the church, at their first entrance into the same to make the sign of the cross in their foreheads, to make beysaunce to the magistrates, to discover their heads when they meet with men of ancient years, and of hoar hairs, according to Ovid's verses, 66 6 Age in time past, was had in great price "But now clean contrary, nothing is less used than morning and evening prayer, more unreverence in the church never more fre 2 This is Strype's insertion in his quotation of Fox. quented, nor disobedience to magistrates and aged men at no time more practised. And as for repairing to the church, [it] is counted a thing of no importance. For how can the child put that in practice which the parents themselves neglect? The parents being infected with heresy, the child must follow the same, and must do as the young crab did, whereof we read a pretty tale in Esop's Fables: who being commanded of his dame not to go so crooked, but to go more straight: 'O mother,' quoth he, 'go thou before, and I will follow.' In like manner, if the parents would walk more duly in their vocation and duty, the children would do the same. But as the fathers are, so are the children. The ill life and heretical trade of the parents maketh such unhappy and disobedient children, who in the end, unless they be looked unto in time, will be the father's bane. For the child, if his father be a catholic, will not be ashamed to say, he hath a papist to his father, or an old doting fool to his mother. A pitiful hearing, that heresy the regent of mischief should bear such rule without correction Here also were worthy of remembrance the correction which ought to be done to apprentices and other servants, who being noselled in liberty are not only odious to the world, bnt also unthrifty towards their masters, and in manner become masters themselves. Whose bringing up is so lewd that they be grown to such insolence that no good man or priest passing by them in the streets can escape without mocks. But let their masters take heed, for I believe when they see their time they will mock them too in the end, hoping one day to have the spoil of their goods. Besides this their dissolute lives are such, that no regard they have at all to repair to the church upon the holydays, but flock in clusters upon stalls, either scorning the passers by, or with their testaments utter some wise stuff of their own dovise. So that prayer is seldom seen to proceed out of their graceless mouths."-p. 85. But this paper has run to such a length, that I will only prolong it by one extract from BARLOW's Dialogue1. The author is perhaps too well known to require any introduction, and how far his being known should lead to his being trusted, is a question which need not be here discussed. He is not cited as an authority, and whether his graphic sketch is in all points true or not, it is worth our attention. "Mark it then substantially in cities and towns where ye see the people most rifest and most busy to prate of the gospel, whether they be or be not as great usurers, deceivers of their neighbours, blasphemous swearers, evil speakers, and given to all vices as deeply as ever they were. This I am sure of, and dare boldly affirm, that sith the time of this new contentious learning the dread of God is greatly quenched and charitable compassion sore abated. "Shall ye not see there a cock-brained courtier, that hath no more 4 The full title is, "A Dialoge describing the original ground of these Lutheran faccions, and many of their abuses. Compyled by Sir William Barlow chanon, late byshop of Bath. 1553." faith than a Turk, and less Christian manners than a Pagan, with lordly countenance and knavish conditions, which taking the name of God in vain, shall unreverently alledge the gospel with scoffing and scorning in reprehension of the clergy: whereas his own lewd language is so unthrifty that ye cannot espie one good point in him, except it be upon his hosen, nor one inch of honesty beside his apparel, nor scantly there one neither, being all so hacked and jagged with double weapon ready to fight, and single wit busy to brawl and chide, more like a furious tormentor of Herod than a patient disciple of Christ. "Shall ye not also see there a merchant peradventure made a gentleman by promotion ere ever that he had a good yeoman's conditions; which getting his chief substance, as many do there, by usury, false deceit of true people, and other wrongful ways, will take upon him to preach the gospel against the avarice of religious persons; how they, having their bare necessary food, ought to part the residue of their goods with poor people, whereas he himself hath thousands lying by him in store unoccupied, and will neither help his poor neighbour, nor scarcely give a galy halfpenny to a needy creature in extreme necessity. "And at their belly-festing days, among such of their affinity which are not so wise nor well-learned as they would be seen, if it chance them to have in company some simple priest, it is a wonder to hear how he is apposed, and after that their spirits be a little kindled in gluttony, how they lash out the gospel. Then beginneth one or another with his potycarye formality, and holiday gravity, to move some subtle question, saying: 'Master parson, how say ye to such a text of Paul?' and if the priest be ignorant for lack of learning, or maketh not an answer satisfying his mind, he is mocked and jested upon with scornful derision. Then begin they to canvass the scripture among them with filling the cups, and jolly gentyl cheer, and by the time they have eaten more than enough, and have drunken too much, they be ready to wade forth in the deep mysteries of scripture, willing to be teachers of things whereof they understand not what they speak, nor what they affirm. Then are they full-armed to talk of abstinence and sober diet of the apostles, their table being furnished with sumptuous dishes and exquisite dainties; and whereas their cupboards be really garnished with costly plate, and the tables full of cups and pieces of silver and gold, then make they exclamations against the rich jewels of churches, as crosses and chalices, saying that better it were to make money of them and to be distributed unto poor people than they should perish for lack of succour. Likewise, when they be served at their solemnities with counterfeited courtesies and bowing the knee, and vailing the bonnet, having sewers and carvers after a most stately manner of service, wherein if the officers fail never so little, though it be but the setting of a saucer amiss they shall be rebuked, yet their pettish patience cannot break the honest ceremonies of the church to be laudably done, calling them foolish fantasies, and inventions of ideots. And though some of these new gospellers occupy truly and justly with their neighbours in the face of the world behaving themselves charitably, yet are they very few in comparison of the other which be railers and jesters, vicious livers and false hypocrites, without any conscience."-Sig. L. ii. b. These extracts, I repeat, are not given as authorities, and the reader must deduct what he thinks fit on the score of party and prejudice; the object is to illustrate the history and the spirit of the period, and in order to this we must hear both sides patiently, and become familiar with what is wrong as well as what is right. ESSAY XV. BISHOP GARDINER AND THE KING. THE will of Henry VIII., under which Somerset and his colleagues took the reins of government, has been suspected of being a forgery. Whether it was, or was not, it is certain that it did not contain the name of Gardiner, who might have been expected to be one of the persons in whose hands the king would place the responsibility of government; and it is equally certain that, whether that omission was made by actually fabricating a will, or by the king (either spontaneously or through persuasion or management), or by any other means, it was highly agreeable to the Somerset party. Gardiner, however far he might have gone in the way of Reformation, was, after all, an unclubbable man,' ," who would not go heartily into the measures which they intended to pursue, and they did not wish to be troubled with him. Perhaps it would be plainer and truer to say, they meant to put him down. But let us look at the history of the matter so far as it is recorded; and, in the first place, at the reasons popularly assigned for this omission. It is said that at the time of Henry VIII.'s death, and long before, Gardiner was out of favour with the king. If we look at the testimony on which Gardiner was deposed from his See, we find the Lord Paget stating that the bishop was the man at that time 'whom the said Lord Paget believeth his majesty abhorred more than any man in his realm: which he declared 'grievously at sundry times, to the said lord against the 66 |