NOTES. P. 1. l. 20, 21. I wot not how many thousand heresies.] Bishop Tonstal, in a sermon, openly protested that he had found in Tyndale's Translation of the New Testament no less than two thousand corruptions.—G. Martin's discovery of the manifold corruptions of the holy Scriptures, by the heritics of our daies, specially the English sectaries, and of their foule dealing herein, by partial and false translations to the advantage of their herisies, in their English Bibles used and authorised since the time of schisme. Pref. 25th sect. 8vo. Rhemes, 1582.—See Fulke's Defence of the English Translations of the S. S. London, 1583, p. 5. "Athaliah (2 Kings xi. 14.) did craftily to cry out first Treason, treason, when she was the greatest traitor herself; and this Martin, concious of the many and foul corruptions in his own Rhemish translation, politickly complained of the faults in our English Bible." Gregory Martin was born at Maefield, in Sussex. He died Oct. 28. 1582, and lyeth buried in the Parish Church of St. Stephens, in Rhemes.—Fuller's Worthies. Sussex. p. 3. Dr. Robert Ridley in a Letter to Maister Gold respecting Tyndale's Translation writes: "Shew ye to the people that if any be of so prowde and stuburne stomac that he will beleve ther is no fawt ne errours except it be declared to hym that he may se it, latt him cum hither to my lord (bishop Tonstal) which hath profowndly examined al, and he shal heir and see errours except that he be blynde and have no eyes." He had previously observed that," he is not filius Ecclesiæ Christi that wold receave a godspel of such damned and precised heretikes thewh it wer trew."—See Memorials of William Tyndale, and some of his Contemporaries. P. 2. l. 8. Duns or such like devilish doctrine.] John Duns Scotus, denominated the "most subtle doctor," born (it is said in Rees's Cycl." probably at Dunstance, near Alnwick, in Northumberland;" but more probably) at Duns, in the county of Berwick. Some, however, will have him born at Down, in Ireland; and that Duns was only a contraction of Dunensis. Archbishop Spotswood proves him a Scotchman from the inscription on his tomb: Scotia me genuit, Anglia suscepit, Gallia edocuit, Germania tenet. His education was commenced at an institution belonging to the Franciscan Friars at Newcastle, and completed at Merton College, Oxford; where he became a fellow, and distinguished himself by his proficiency in scholastic theology, civil and canon law, logic, metaphysics, mathematics, and astronomy. He went from Oxford to Paris, where he attained the most distinguished honours, and was appointed professor and regent in the theological school. He was at first a follower of Thomas Aquïnas, but differing from "the angelical doctor" on the efficacy of divine grace, founded a new sect, and hence originated the denominations Thomists and Scotists. Duns was a zealous advocate for the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary. He died 1308, at Cologne. A complete collection of his works was published by Lucas Waddinggus, at Lyons, in 1639, in 12 vols. folio. His editor styles him "Theologorum omnium princeps." See Rees's Cycl. Duns. Mosh. Eccl. Hist. sec. 14. Brucker's Hist. Phil. Enfield, vol. ii. p. 379. Turner's Hist. of Eng. during the middle ages, vol. iv. p. 519. Tanner, Bib. 239. Collier's Eccl. Hist. vol. i. 506. Spotswood's Ch. Hist. of Scotland. Pits de Illust. Angl. Script. The justice of Tyndale's censure of the writings of the Schoolmen, and the perfect agreement which, in this respect, existed among all the reformers of the English Church, will be seen in the progress of the present work. The enlightened and ever memorable Colet, and his bosom-friend Erasmus, commenced this attack; and they were followed by Stafford, Latimer, Cranmer, and their contemporaries, until the study of the Scriptures and the classics was substituted for the "tryflynge workes of the sophisters, sentencyoners, schole doctours, canonysts, and summystes. As are Dons, Dorbell, and Durande, Thomas of Aquine, Geralde and Gyles of Rome, Bonaventure, Baconthorpe and Guido, Caldrinus, Bobius and Baldus, Parormius, Rosellus and Roxius, wyth an infynyte rable of suche dyrtye dottages and fylthy dregges." Bale's Image of both Churches: Paraph, on Rev. ch. vi. sign. m. ii. b. See Knight's Life of Colet, and Jortin's Life of Erasmus, passim. Perhaps I shall be excused for yet farther extending this note, with an extract from a letter of Richard Layton to lord Cromwell on his visitation of the University of Oxford, A. D. 1535. "We have sett Dunce in Bocardo, and have utterly banisshede hym Oxforde for ever, with all his blind glosses, and is nowe made a comon servant to evere man, faste nailede up upon postes in all common howses of easement. Id, quod oculis meis vidi. And the seconde tyme we came to New Colege, affter we had declarede your Injunctions, we fownde all the gret quadrant Court full of the leiffs of Dunce, the wynde blowying them into evere corner; and ther we fownde one Mr. Grenefelde, a gentilman of Bukynghamshire, getheryng up part of the said bowke leiffs (as he saide) there to make him sewells or blawnsherrs to kepe the dere within the woode, thereby to have the better cry with the howndes."—M. S. Cotton. Faustina. C. vii. fol. 205. Ellis's Orig. Lett. second series, vol. ii. p. 61. P. 2. l. 22. lever] rather; the comparative degree of lefe, lief, leef or leve. "Now, wif, quod he, here n'is but thou, and I, Thou art the creature that I best love : For by that Lord that sit in heven above, I had lever dien on a knif, Than thee offenden, dere trewe wif." Chaucer's Cant. Tales. V. 10034--8. Edit. 1822. "Die had she lever with enchanters knife, Than to be false in love." Spencer, F. Q. I. IV. 6. "I had lever my commission were openly knowyn then to be kept cecret."—Letter of Sir John Wallop to Henry VIII. M.S. 1527. P. 3. l. 21. Than they read in their Portesses.—See p. 263. l. 16.] The Portesse was the Breviary which contained not only the office of the mass, but all the services except the form of marriage.—Ellis's Orig. Lett. vol. i. p. 10. Portuasses are mentioned among other prohibited books in the Stat. 3 and 4. E. VI. c. 10. And in the Parliament Roll of 7 E. IV. n. 40. there is a Petition, that the robbing of Porteous Grayell, Mannell, &c. should be made felonie without clergy; to which the King answered, Le Roy s'avisera.—Tyrwhit's Notes upon the Canterbury Tales. vol. iv. p. 280. "Also we thonke your noblesse and good ffaderhod of our grene gownes nowe late send unto us to our grete comfort; beseeching your good lordeschip to remember our Porteux, and that we myght have summe fyne bonetts, send unto us by the next secure messig, for necessite so requireth."—Letter of Edward the Fourth when Earl of Marche. M. S. Cotton Vesp. F. fol. 9. "For on my Portos here I make an oth, The same agen to you, quod she, I say. Chauc. C. T. v. 13061—8. Among theyr vnknowen Latin houres, theyr masses, and theyr diriges, lyeth theyr plentuouse patrimonye in theyr Por |