Against the Articles of the Devonshire Men". MSS. CII. p. 337. When I first read your requests, O ignorant men of Devonshire and Cornwall, straightways came to my mind Strype, a request, which James and John made unto Christ: to Cranmer, whom Christ answered, You ask you wot not what. Even Todd, Life so thought I of you, as soon as ever I heard your Articles, of Cran- that you were deceived by some crafty papists, which devised those Articles for you, to make you ask you wist not App. No.40. mer, vol. ii. p. 76. what. As for the devisers of your Articles, if they understand them, I may not call them ignorant persons, but, as they be indeed, most rank papists, and wilful traitors and adversaries, both to God and to our sovereign Lord the King, and to the whole realm. But I cannot be persuaded so to think of you, that in your hearts willingly you be papists and a["The commons this year [1549] brake out into a dangerous re"bellion; and though they were once or twice appeased, and scattered "in some places, yet they made insurrections in others: and chiefly in "Devon, where they were very formidable for their numbers. The "reason they pretended was double. The one was, the oppression of "the gentry in enclosing of their commons from them: the other, the "laying aside the old religion; which because it was old, and the way "their forefathers worshipped God, they were very fond of. The Lord “ Russel, Lord Privy Seal, who was sent against them, offering to receive "their complaints, the rebels sent them to him, drawn up under fifteen "Articles: as before they had sent their demands in seven Articles, and a protestation that they were the King's, body and goods. In answer to which the King sent a message to them, that may be seen in "Foxe. They sent also a supplication to the King, to the which an 66 answer was made by the King's learned counsel. To the fifteen Ar"ticles the Archbishop drew up an excellent answer at good length." It was written "after the rout at Exeter given them by the Lord "Russel and the taking prisoners divers of their captains and priests, "and between the condemnation and execution of Humphrey Arundel, "and Bray, Mayor of Bodmin." Strype, Cranmer, p. 185, who prints it at length, but with many inaccuracies, in his Appendix. It has now been corrected from the original draft in Cranmer's handwriting at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. For further particulars respecting this rebellion see Foxe, Acts, &c. vol. ii. p. 665. Holinshed, vol. iii. p. 1002. Burnet, Reformat. vol. ii. p. 237.] traitors: but that those that be such have craftily seduced you being simple and unlearned people, to ask you wot not what. Wherefore, my duty unto God, and the pity that I have of your ignorance, move me now at this time, to open plainly and particularly your own Articles unto you, that you may understand them, and no longer be deceived. In your first Article you require, that all the general councils and holy decrees of our forefathers, may be observed and kept, and whosoever shall againsay them to be holden as heretics. This you all ask, but what you ask, I dare boldly say, very few or none of you understand. For how many of you, I pray you, do know certainly which be called the general councils, and holy decrees of the fathers, and what is in them contained? The holy decrees, as they call them, be nothing else but the laws and ordinances of the Bishop of Rome. Whereof the most part be made for his own advancement, glory, and lucre; and to make him and his clergy governors of the whole world, and to be exempted from all princes' laws, and to do what they list. And would you ask, if you knew what you asked, that we should put away the laws of this realm, and be governed by the Bishop of Rome's laws? If you mean this, then be you traitors to the King, and enemies to your own realm. And if you mean it not, consider what persons they be, and how they have deceived you, that make you ask you wot not what. And as for the general councils, you say you will have them all kept: but you be not so destitute of all reason, that you would have spoken such words, if you had known what you had said. For a great number of the councils repugn one against another. How should they then be all kept, when one is contrary to another, and the keeping of one is the breaking of another? And among your own Articles you say, you will have divers things observed, which be not only contrary to the general councils, but also contrary to the law of this realm, and also to God's law, as it shall be plainly declared when we come to the Articles. I. And all reason is contrary that you should have asked such things, if you had known what you had asked. I have this opinion of the great number of you, that you would fain walk in the right way, if you could find it. And forasmuch as I perceive that wicked and false guides, under pretence to bring you to the high way, have brought you clean out of it, my good-will shall be, seeing you so far wandering out of the way, and so blindfolded with evil persuasions, that you cannot see where you go, to open your eyes that you may see, and to set you again into the right way. And when your eyes be so opened, that you may see, and the right way showed unto you, wherein you should walk; then if you will still wink, and not see, and run headlong in error, and not come to the right way, then you may no longer be called simple and ignorant people, but perverse, froward, and wicked papists and traitors, enemies to God and your own realm. But now I will come to your Articles particularly, opening every one of them by himself, that you may see the bowels thereof, and what is contained in the same; that when you shall understand the whole, you may judge whether you knew before what you asked, or you were deceived by subtle and wily papistical traitors. Your first Article is this. We will have all the general councils, and holy decrees of our forefathers, observed, kept, and performed: and whosoever shall againsay them, we hold them as heretics. 6 First, to begin with the manner of your phrase. Is this the fashion of subjects to speak unto their prince; We 'will have?' Was this manner of speech at any time used of the subjects to their prince since the beginning of the world? Have not all true subjects ever used to their sovereign Lord this form of speaking, 'Most humbly beseecheth 'your faithful and obedient subjects? Although the papists have abused your ignorance in propounding such Articles, which you understand not, yet you should not have suffered yourselves so much to be led by the nose and bridled by them, that you should clearly forget your duty of allegiance unto your sovereign Lord, saying unto him, 'This we will have; and that saying with armour upon your backs and swords in your hands. Would any of you that be householders, be contented that your servants should come unto you with harness upon their backs, and swords in their hands, and say unto you, 'This we will have?" If then you would abhor and detest this in your servants towards yourselves, how can you allow your fact? With what conscience can you, being but subjects, do to your King that thing which you would condemn in your servants towards yourselves? But answer me this, Be you subjects or no? If you be subjects, then I admonish you, as St. Paul taught Titus, saying: Warn them to be subject to princes, and rulers, obeying them at a word. But tell me again, Pertaineth this to subjection and obedience to say, 'This we will have?' St. Peter saith: Be subject unto kings, as chief heads, and to other rulers sent by them. For so is the will of God. God's will is, that you should be ruled by your princes. But whether is this to be ruled by your King, or to rule your King, to say, 'Thus we will have the realm governed?' Your servants be by the Scripture commanded, as they fear God, to be obedient to their masters, whether their masters be good or evil. And can you think it meet or lawful for you to disobey your undoubted King, being a prince most innocent, most godly, and most careful for your surety and wealth? If any thing can declare disobedience, what can declare it more, than subjects to come with force of arms to their natural King and Prince, and say, 'This we will ' have?' But now leaving your rude and unseemly manner of speech to your most sovereign Lord, I will come to the point, and join with you in the effect of your first Article. You say, you will have all the holy decrees observed and kept. But do you know what they be? The holy decrees, (as I told you before,) be called the Bishop of Rome's ordinances and laws. Which how holy and godly soever they be called, they be indeed so wicked, so ungodly, so full of tyranny, and so partial, that since the beginning of the world were never devised or invented the like. I shall rehearse a certain of them, whereby you may judge of the rest, to the intent that yourselves may see how holy they be, and may say your minds, whether you would have them kept or no. And at the hearing of them, if you shall not think them meet to be kept here in this realm, then you may see how they deceived you, that moved you to ask this Article. And if you like them, and would have them kept, after you know what they be, then I say assuredly, that you be not only wicked papists, but also heretics, and most heinous traitors to the King and this his realm. And yet how an absolute papist varieth from an heretic or traitor, I know not; but that a papist is also both a heretic and a traitor withal. One decree saith, "That whosoever doth not know"ledge himself to be under the obedience of the Bishop of "Rome, is an heretic." Now answer me to this question, Whether be you under the obedience of the Bishop of Rome, or not? If you say that you be under his obedience, then be you traitors by the laws of this realm. And if you deny it, then be you heretics by this decree. And shift is there none to save you from treason, but to renounce this decree, that commandeth you to be under the Bishop of Rome and so to confess, contrary to your own first Article, that all decrees are not to be kept. 66 66 Yet a great many other decrees be as ill, and worse than this. One saith, "That all princes' laws which be against any decree of the Bishop of Rome, be void and of no "strength." Another decree saith, "That all the decrees "of the Bishop of Rome ought for ever to be kept of all men, as God's word." Another decree there is, "That "whosoever receiveth not the laws of the Bishop of Rome, "neither availeth him the catholic faith, nor the four Evangelists. For his sins shall never be forgiven." Yet is there a worse and more detestable decree, "That all kings "and princes that suffer the Bishop of Rome's decrees to be 66 |