betwene king Henry and the dowager. And by and by he earnestly sought to haue ridden in the kinges bootes: worse could not content him. But whan he sawe that wold not be, and considred it better to haue stoare than one only paire (for so perchaunce he might haue founde them somtymes not all cleane whan he wolde haue vsed them, and also it should be a let to bring to passe that he purposed) he changeth his purpose: and bycause none shoulde remembre his practices before, nor suspecte the rest to come, he shaueth his crowne as broade as a sawcer, and decketh him self with a white smocke like a portour of the Stiliarde. But what nedeth suche circumlocucion, whan euery body knoweth this doctour of practices was called D. Stephan Gardiner? After this, his lucke was to be committed to the towre, whan Tyburne hade ben a place more worthy his desertes."9-Sig. I. iii. b.

Another passage relating to Bishop Gardiner is as follows. Speaking of the debasement of the coin he says:—

"Which thing the great deuil and cutthrote of England (the papistes God) in his sermon that he made at Paules Crosse, upon this theme (now is the tyme to wake from slepe, my brethren, for now is our ioie and pompe more nye, than whan we before dissembled to beleue in Christ. Be of good cheare, my disciples, our trouble is past, our ioye is at hande) letted not to blustre out. In this sermon to bring the dead innocent and blessed King Edwarde (whom for his vertue he hated) in hatred of the people: for he imputed to him (a childe and a warde) the lewde and wicked behaveour of his cruell counsailours, &c. the same deuil Gardyner was the chief counsaillour to have the money abased, to maintain the same. And now lately (whan he hath broken his chayne) devised Rosemary pence," &c.-Sig. F. ij. b..

It is impossible to quote the passage without directing the attention of the reader to the irreverent burlesque of Scripture which it contains, and which was too common, and too characteristic among the writers with whom we are now engaged. As to the exiled prelate's power of invective, however, it is a very inadequate specimen. A much better may be found in his attack on Bishop Bonner. Let the reader imagine the ex-Bishop of Winchester from his reader is probably aware that the name of the Cardinal, now commonly called Pole, was then generally pronounced as if spelt (and frequently was spelt) Pool, or Poole.

9 It is strange to find Strype quoting this description of Bishop Gardiner, and telling us that Bishop Ponet "left a character of him, concealing the bishop's name under the periphrasis of the doctor of practices," (M. III. i. 450,) while the expression of his name occurs so immediately after the description (as the reader may see by this extract) and is, in the original book, rendered peculiarly conspicuous by being the only two words of roman type in the middle of the page of italic.

place of safety (which he had reached, not as a persecuted heretic, but as a run-away traitor) breaking out in such terms on the Bishop of London-on one whom, independent of all respect due to office, it might have been thought right and wise to conciliate, and whom, to say the least, it could not be christian, or humane, or politic, to exasperate ;

"Were not the ymages and Roodeloftes in Englande destroied by autoritie of ciuile power? And dothe not Boner the Archbocher of London for all that force them that obeied the authoritie (bicause he saieth, it was not lauful) to make them vp again at their owne charges? But Boner, thou that allowest nothing to be well done (by what soeuer autoritie it be done) except it be laufull, nor nothing to be laufull that is not agreing to thy canon lawes: I haue to saie to thee. Stande stil a while, whilest I rubbe the. Tell me plainly, and face not out a lie, as thou arte wont: speake not one thing, and thinke an other, as thy nature is: ones in thy life tell the truthe, and shame thy maister the deuil. If thou were the sonne of the earthe by thy fathers side, and of an erraunt hoore by the mother, and so a bastarde: by what autoritie saiest thou thy masse, whan thy lawes suffre no bastardes to be priestes without dispensacion? how comest thou to be a bishop, whan thy lawes saie, thou maiest be no priest? How be thy iudgements laufull, whan thou by thy canones maiest be no iudge? All men knowe, that thy mother whan thou wast begoten, was an hoore.

The common voice and fame saieth, and the truthe is, that albeit one Boner (a bare whippe Iacke) for lucre of money toke vpon him to be thy father, and than to mary thy mother, yet thou wast persone Sauages bastarde: and of that race come thy cousins Wimmeslowe thy Archediacon of London (a mete eie for suche a grosse head) and Wimslowe his brother, and a great meany moo notable. These thinges be so euident and plaine, that thou cannest not (without blushing) denie them: neither thou wilt (I knowe) denie them. For thou boastest and braggest muche, that thou comest of gentil blood.

Thou

But thou wilt saye, thou hast a bull of dispensacion from the pope, I require to knowe, what time it was graunted. saiest, whan thou wast at Rome. It is euen that I requiered. Thou wast indede at Rome, proctour for the princes dowager the Quenes mother, in the cause of diuorce betwene King Henry the viii. and her.

Whan thou sawest that no prebendes, no Archediaconries, no bishoprikes were to be goten by continuing on her parte, thou betraidest her cause, and becamest of counsail with the King. O noble counsaillour. O seuere and lawful iudge.

A mete man to sit in condemnacion of so many innocentes: yea more mete to stande on the pillarie, than in a pulpit: to be tied vp in a boare franke, than walke in a princes chambre: to weare a Tiburne tippet, than a graie amise."-Sig. D. vii. b.

One can understand, after reading such a passage as this, how it came that Bishop Ponet entertained John Bale as his chaplain. Perhaps their knowledge and estimation of each other's ability might enable them at times to speak civilly to each other. To the exiled bishop, however, it seemed all too little; he has not done with the object of his wrath, and he presently returns to the charge ;

"But Boner, I maye not leaue thee thus; Geue me leaue (Sauage Boner) to dispute this mater of laufull and not laufull, a litle more with thee. If thou and the rest of the traitours thy Companiones should persuade the frendeles Quene of England (whom ye haue enchaunted) to geue ouer the towne of Calese and Barwike to a straunge prince, and (contrary to her othe not to diminishe any parte of the rightest of the Crowne and liberties of the people, which kinges of England at their Coronacion in tymes past made, and which she also made to her subiectes, whan she was crowned before she was a perfit Quene) she folowed your counsail, som noble personage sent thider to deliuer the keyes, and the deputie and garison did not strike of the messagiers head, and set it on the gates, but obeyed it, and not resisted it: wer not thou and thi felowes traitours for persuading her so doo? hade not she broken her othe and promyse? were not that-tournay a traitour for doing that he was commaunded? were not the deputie and garison traitours for suffring it to be done? Answer. What cannest thou saie for thy self and thy folowes? [sic] Giltie, or not giltie? Thou standest mewet, what not a worde? Thou art sure, your good will, will stande you in as good stede, as the dede done. Neither doo ye passe, though the crowes be fedde with your carion carcases, and the deuil with your soules, so ye maye leaue behinde you a fame, that by your traytourie, the laitie of England was destroyed, and the spiritualtie restored to their pompe and lordly power.

But before the halter stoppe thy winde, Boner, let vs knowe, what thou canst saye for her. Sayest thou, princes be not bounden by their othes and promisses?" &c.—Sig. E. ii.

These extracts are perhaps sufficient to give the reader some idea of Bishop Ponet's style, and to lead him to suspect that where these passages are to be found, he may find more and worse.

Let us, therefore, proceed to the third writer, of whom I have to speak on this occasion-that is, BARTHOLOMEW TRAHERON, whom Strype introduces as "a learned man, and well studied in the divinity of the gospel," and who was, according to Anthony à Wood, "a compleat person and much respected by scholars." He was brought up in

1 Mem. II. i. 420.

2

2 Ath. i. 324, ed. Bliss.