the command of a gentleman of Cornwall, and under the encouragement of Romish priests, they besieged but were unable to take the city of Exeter. The commotion might at first have been easily crushed. But the timidity and indecision of government served to increase it. Some of the 'proclamations by the Protector, in opposition to the Council, as they regarded the inclosures, are believed to have encouraged the rebellion. If instead of furnishing the lord Russel, who was sent against them, with proclamations, the government had supplied him with a force sufficient to awe a rude and misguided multitude, forty days and more would not have elapsed ere a close, less sanguinary than it really proved, was brought to this rebellion. To convince these defeated insurgents of their errors, Cranmer now undertook to answer at large the preposterous demands which they had vainly expected to be granted. This master-piece of reasoning, as the work has rightly been called, while it exhibits consummate judgment, as well as a perfect knowledge of the manners of the lower people, exhibits also a large extent of learning. But its greatest recommendation is, that, * in a narrow compass, it contains most of 1 Heylin, 75. 3 2 the leading arguments which have since been expanded, and variously diversified, by later divines; and may be considered as THE VERY ESSENCE of ProtestantisM." Concurring with the learned writer of this remark, I have thought it due to the memory of the archbishop, and to the religious establishment of our country, to copy into these pages the whole of the answers. Admirably adapted as they are to the capacity of those to whom they are addressed, and therefore to all ranks of men, they may be a welcome novelty to many, who are unacquainted with the work in which they first appeared. Dr. Lingard has bestowed upon them the title of 'elaborate; but, at the same time, in order to depreciate them, he observes, " 2 that one of the [rebels'] articles seems to have embarrassed the archbishop. The Cornish men complained that they did not understand the English service; he replied, that they did not understand the Latin. But this was an evasion. Certainly on the same principle, on which he contended that the English ought to have an English liturgy, the Irish, Welsh, and Cornish had a right to a service in their own languages." All this is adopted by Dr. Lingard from Sanders. However, if the Cornish men had made such a demand, and the archbishop had denied the pro 1 Hist. of Eng. 8vo. viii. 61. 2 Ibid. : priety of it, the censure would have been just. But they ask only for the Latin service; “ the mass in Latin, without any man or woman communicating." Again, "we will not receive the new service," say they," because it is but like a Christmas game; but we will have the old service of matins, mass, even-song, and processions in Latin, as it was before and so we, the Cornish men, whereof certain of us understand no English, utterly refuse this new English." How can Cranmer be said to be " embarrassed," or where is" evasion" when his answer to their third article evidently implies, by the admission that various nations have the service in their own language, that to the Cornish he would have given such a liturgy, if they had required it, and if it could have been then provided; and when his answer to their eighth article "1 puts down not only the rebels, but their modern advocate also, where the words are, As concerning the having the service in the Latin tongue, it is sufficiently spoken of in the answer to the third article. But I would gladly know the reason why the Cornish men refuse utterly the new English as you call it, because certain of you understand it not; and yet you will have the service in Latin which almost none of you understand. If this be a sufficient cause for Cornwall to refuse the English service, because some of you 1 Brit. Crit. ut supr. 59. understand no English, a much greater cause have they both of Cornwall and Devonshire to refuse the late service, forasmuch as fewer of them know the Latin tongue than they of Cornwall the English tongue!" The demands of the rebels, to which an ineffectual "1 message was sent by the king's Majesty," were signed by Arundel, Underhill, Sloman, and Segar, who described themselves "chief captaynes ;" and by John Thompson, priest, Bray, mayor of Bodmin, Lee, mayor of Torrington, and Barret another priest, whose designation was that of "the four governours of the campes." Cranmer gave his answers in the following words. 1 Ames, 207. 2 Ibid. CHAPTER V. 1 1549. The Answers of the Archbishop to the fifteen Articles of the Devonshire rebels. 1 WHEN I first read your requests, O ignorant men of Devonshire and Cornwall, straightway came to my mind a request, which James and John made unto Christ; to whom Christ answered, You ask you wot not what. Even so thought I of you as soon as ever I heard your Articles, that you were deceived by some crafty papist, which devised those Articles for you, to make you ask you wist not 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 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 traitors; but that those that be 1 From the MSS. C.C.C. Camb. Strype. Append. No. xl. |