CHAPTER VII.

1549 to 1550.

The old missals and other service-books called in-The new form of ordaining bishops, priests, and deacons-Ponet, the first prelate consecrated by it—Account of him, and of his work, entitled Defence of the Marriages of Priests— Letter to Cranmer on the Celibacy of the Clergy-The Epistles of Ignatius referred to on the subject-Cranmer's and Ridley's treatises against Roman Catholic traditions—Treatise of Bertram against Transubstantiation—Treatises against the Mass-The Book of Herman, archbishop of Cologne-Destruction of libraries—Leland, Bale, and Cran

mer.

ELATED as the Romanists were when the power of Somerset was first humbled, they were also induced to think, that then there would be no impediment to the return of services and rituals that had been forbidden. By his influence only, they considered the new service-book to have been enacted. Cranmer immediately prepared to suppress their hopes; and occasioned a letter to be ⚫sent at Christmas, by the king and Council to the

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bishops, of which himself, there can be little doubt, was the author, and which announced the sovereign's unaltered determination against the Romish formularies. An Act, at the beginning of the year 1550, confirmed this proclamation, with penalties of disobedience to it; and secured the reformed liturgy, during the reign of Edward, against further opposition by the Roman Catholic party. Though the Book of Common Prayer was commanded to be used of all persons within the realm, "We are nevertheless informed," Cranmer writes in the name of the king and Council, "that divers unquiet and evil-disposed persons, since the apprehension of the duke of Somerset, have noised and bruited abroad, that they should have again their old Latin service, their conjured bread and water, with such-like vain and superfluous ceremonies, as though the setting forth of the said Book had been the only act of the said duke: We, therefore, by the advice of the body and state of our Privy Council, not only considering the said Book to be our Act, and the Act of the whole of our realm assembled together in parliament, but also the same be grounded upon the Holy Scrip

'The letter is in Cranmer's Register, Lamb. Lib. fol. 56. Heylin calls it "the missive of the archbishop," 78.

2 A fine for the first and second offence in keeping any of the prohibited books; imprisonment during the king's pleasure for the third.

3 Burnet, Rec. ii. B. i. No. 47.

ture, agreeable to the order of the Primitive Church, and much to the re-edifying of our subjects; to put away all such vain expectation of having the public service, the administration of the sacraments, and other rites and ceremonies, again in the Latin tongue, which were but a preferment of ignorance to knowledge, and darkness to light, and a preparation to bring in papistry and superstition again; have thought good, by the advice aforesaid, to require, and nevertheless straitly do command and charge you, that immediately upon the receipt hereof, you do command the dean and prebendaries of your cathedral church, and the parson, vicar, or curate, and churchwardens of every parish within your diocese, to bring and deliver unto you, or your deputy, at such convenient place as you shall appoint, all Antiphonals, Missals, Grails, Processionals, Manuals, Legends, Pies, Portasses, Journals, and Ordinals, after the use of Sarum, Lincoln, York, or any other private use; and all other books of service, the keeping whereof should be a let to the using of the said Book of Common Prayers; and that you take the same books into your hands, or into the hands of your deputy, and them so deface and abolish, that they never after may serve either to any such use as they were provided for, or be at any time a let to that godly and uniform Order, which by a common consent is now set forth. And if you

shall find

any person stubborn, or disobedient, in not bringing in the said books according to the tenor of these our letters, that then ye commit the said person to ward, until such time as you have certified us of his misbehaviour. And We will and command you, that you also

search, or cause

search to be made, from time to time, whether any book be withdrawn or hid, contrary to the tenor of these our letters; and the same book to receive into your hands, and to use all such as in these our letters we have appointed. And further, whereas it is come unto our knowledge, that divers froward and obstinate persons do refuse to pay towards the finding of bread and wine for the holy communion, according to the Order prescribed in the said Book, by reason whereof the holy communion is many times omitted upon the Sunday; these are to will and command you to convent such obstinate persons before you, and them to admonish and command to keep the Order prescribed in the said Book; and if any shall refuse so to do, to punish them by suspension, excommunication, or other censures of the Church."

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The Primer of 1545 was allowed, by the statute which followed this proclamation, still to be kept and used; the invocation or prayer to saints in it being first obliterated. Images yet remaining in churches, while respect was paid to the

monumental figures of persons represented not as saints, the statute ordered to be defaced and destroyed.

After a new form it was now resolved, that bishops, priests, and deacons, should be ordained. An Act was accordingly passed, not without opposition to it by the bishops of Durham, Carlisle, Worcester, Chichester, and Westminster, which consigned to six prelates and divines the preparation of this ritual. Heath, bishop of Worcester, one of those appointed to the work, as he had objected to the passing of the statute for this purpose, so now he 1 refused to comply with the directions of it; and for his disobedience, was in March (1549-50) sent by the Council to the Fleet. The rest, under the 2 guidance of Cranmer, before the close of that month, produced the Ordinal, which then was 3 separately published, and afterwards subjoined to the second liturgy of Edward. They concluded that the orders of bishop, priest, and deacon, were those only which are of aposto

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Burnet says, that Heath had hitherto opposed every thing done towards the Reformation in parliament, though he had given an entire obedience to it when it was enacted; and that he was a man of a gentle temper, and great prudence. See Cranmer's character of him in the present work, vol. i. p. 148. He is said to have understood affairs of state better than matters of religion.

2 The chief of them, no doubt, was the archbishop. Strype. Printed by Grafton.