thys matter, to brynge hytt unto an unytye, as God ys my jugge, I wyll doe my dylygens, and yff he (quod absit) shollde hereaffter sey onny thynge that sholde sowne other wyse then the catholycall determynacion off the chyrche, ther wylbe inowhe that wylbe redy to note hyt wythe more dylygens then hytherto. The forth was my coscyens, thowhe hytt ware for the tym erronyows, and decevyd for lacke off takynge hede dylygently, to marke and knowe the abuse off a thynge frome the thynge. Thy fythe cause I shall reserve secretly to my selfe, lest that I sholde seme to put other men yn gylty off my factes, that I doe nott yntent, Gode wyllynge, whoe have you yn hys proteccion. Wretyn yn Brystoll, 2a Maii, By me, Frere JOHN HYLSEY, doctor and pryor off the Freers Prechurs ther. The letters which follow relate to an affair that had much influence in bringing the monks into disfavour, and hastened the great revolution which it is the object of the present volume to illustrate. Elizabeth Barton, so celebrated under the title of the Maid of Kent, was originally a servant, and being subject to strange epileptic fits, she was chosen by a violent party as an instrument of deception. She was taught to pretend to have visions and revelations, and was first brought forward by Richard Masters, parson of Aldrington. Archbishop Warham, and even Sir Thomas More and bishop Fisher, were either deceived, or gave encouragement to this pious fraud; and the former caused her to be placed as a nun in the priory of St. Sepulchre at Canterbury. She was there under the immediate surveillance of Dr. Edward Bocking, a canon of Christ's Church, who was one of the most zealous partizans of the plot; and another monk, named Richard Dering, or Deering, took down her pretended visions, and formed them into a book. This plot was allowed to go on for some time, and the fathers and nuns of Syon, the Charter House, and Sheen, with some of the friars observants of Richmond and Greenwich, participated largely in it. But at length the public violence with which the King's proceedings, in seeking a divorce from Catharine of Arragon, and his quarrel with the pope, were attacked, called down the vengeance of the Court; and the " holy maid" was seized and examined in the Star-chamber, when she confessed the conspiracy and her accomplices. Elizabeth Barton, Bocking, Dering, and others concerned in this affair, were afterwards condemned of high treason, and executed at Tyburn on the 20th of April, 1534. One of these was Hugh Rich, a friar observant. The following letter appears to have been written by one also concerned in the conspiracy, but who had undertaken to examine the last-mentioned person, and gives us a brief catalogue of the principal visions of the nun. VI. LETTER TO SECRETARY CROMWELL. [From MS. Cotton. Cleopat. E. IV. fol. 75.] Sir, may it please you to be advertysed that accordyng to your comaundement I have put the artykylles of the communycacion betwene me and Mr. Ryche in wrytyng, and, as he sayth yow have them in wrytyng before, ever as I hard thynges wurthy to be notyd uppon the margent of my bok in the Doche and Frenshe tong, to thentent he shuld not understond my purpose, I dyd writ them. Yet dyd I not beleve sutche taylys (which he cawlyth revelacions), for I have lernyd the gospell, Attendite a falsis prophetis. Yf I had remembred another comaundement as well as I dyd that, Non concupisces rem proximi tui, with the saying of Catho cum bonis ambula, I shuld not have fallyn into this mysery. I have in remembraunce xxx. or xxxj. of these taylles which ar not possible to be set forth in wrytynges, that there intent shuld be known, and I suppose that xx. sheytes of papor wyll not wryte them at lengh in order. Wherefore I have written the name of the story whereuppon it dothe treate, so that then (yf it be as he sayth) the hole story wulbe in your remembraunce. Fyrst, of an angell that appered and bad the nun go unto the kyng, that infydell prynce of Inglond, and say that I comaund hym to amend his lyve, and that he leve iij. thynges which he lovyth and purposyth uppon, that is that he tak none of the popis right nor patrymony from hym, the second that he distroye all these new ffolkes of opynyon and the workes of there new lernyng, the thyrde that yf he maryed and tok An* to wyffe the * The King was married to Anne Boleyn in the January of 1533. vengaunce of God shuld plage hym, and (as she sayth) she shewyd this unto the kyng, etc. 2. Item, after this ii. or iij. monethis the angell apperyd and bad hur go ayen unto the kyng, and say that synce hur last beyng with his grace, that he hath more hyghlyer stodyed to bryng his purpose to passe, and that she saw in spyryt the kyng, the quene, and the yerle of Wylshere * standyng in a gardeyn together, and that the dyd devyze how to bryng the matter to passe, and by no meanys it wuld not be, but at the last a lyttell devyll stode besydes the quene, and put in hur mynd to say thus, "Yow shall send my father unto themprowre, and let hym shew the emprowre your mynd and conscience, and gyve hym these manny thowsand docates to have his good wyll, and thus it wulbe browght to passe." Go and fere not to shew the kyng this taylle and prevy tokyn, and byd hym take his owyld wyff ayen, or elles, etc. It is so nowghty a mattur that my hand shakyth to write it, and some thynges better unwritten then written. 3. Item, that whan the kynges hyghtnesse was over at Callys, she saw the oyste takyn from the preyst with the blyssid blud, and that angelles browght it hur for to receave, saying, etc. ij. sheytes wull scant write this story. 4. Item, that she was charged to go unto the cardenall† whan he was most in his prosperyte, and shew hym of iij. swordes that he had in his hand, one of the spirytuallty, another of the temperallty, and the other of the kynges maryage; a long mattur. The bysshop of Cant. and Bokyng to be remembred. 5. Item, another season after the angell comaundyd hur to go unto the sayd cardynall, and shew hym of his ffall, and that he had not done as she had comaundyd hym by the wyll of God, etc. * Thomas Boleyn, Viscount Rocheford, created Earl of Wiltshire in 1529, the father of Anne Boleyn. In the year following, (1530) the Earl of Wiltshire, with Dr. Stokesley (the elect Bishop of London) and Dr. Edward Lee (the King's Almoner), was sent on an embassy to Bologna, where the Pope and Emperor were to meet, to declare to them the decision of the universities in favour of the king's new marriage. † Wolsey. 6. Item, that syns he dyed she saw the disputacion of the devylles for his sowylle, and how she was iij. tymes lyfte up and culd not se hym nether in hevyn, hell, nor purgatory, and at the last where shew saw hym, and how by hur pennaunce he was browght unto hevyn, and what sowylles she saw ffly thorow purgatory, etc. 7. Item, more the angell warned hur that she shuld go unto a sertayn abbot, and warne hym to take iij. of his bretherne by name, for they were purposed to have them away that nyght with iij. mens wyffes, and that God wuld they shuld have bettur grace, etc. 8. Item, of another that had betyn hym zelfe so with roddes that his stamell* was blody, which he thowght to have beryed in the garden, and she by the comandement of the angell met hym, etc. a hy mattur for penance. 9. Item, of ij. other monkes which had takyn shippyng to go unto Tynldalle, which by hur prayer was torned, and the ship had no powre to depart from the haven, etc. 10. Item, that the angell comaundyd hur to go to another monke, and byd hym burne the New Testament that he had in Inglyssh, and of great vysions seen by the same in tokyn of grace, etc. 11. Item, of the warnyng that the angell gave hur of a woman that cam unto sent Thomas of Cantorbery, a mervelos mattur and a long, etc. 12. Item, the angell shewyd hur that ambassett of the pope. shuld be at Cantorbery, and how she sent by hym the message of God unto the pope, how he shuld be scorged of God for ij. cawsis, etc. 13. Item, that she spok by the comaundement of God at London with oone other, and bad hym write the messag of God unto the pope, to the which she dyd set hur hand, etc. * The Stamel was a coarse shirt, worn by religious persons. 14. Item, of the owild bysshop of Cantorbery, how he had promysed to mary the kyng, and of the warnynges by the angell of God, etc. 15. Item, that she dyd shew unto docter Bokyng the owyr of his deth, and zence that she harde the disputacion betwene the angelles and the develles for hys sowle. 16. Item, she dyd se hym whan he went unto hevyn, with his wurdes that he spok, and how sent Thomas was there present and accompanyd hym, etc. 17. Item, of the goyng and retorne of the yerle of Wylshere into Spayn, with the receavyng of the kynges letters there, and the answere of themprowre, etc.* 18. Item, of the vyzion that she had, yf the kyng shuld have maryed at Callys, of the greate shame that the quene shuld have had, etc.t 19. Item, of sutche persons as the angell of God hath appoyented to be at hur deth, whan she shall receave the crowne of marterdom, and the tyme, with the place. 20. Item, how dyvers tymes the devell hath appered unto hur; oone tyme he cam in the lykenes of a goodly man, and browght with hym a lady, and beffore hur face had to do with hur uppon hur bed, with other matteres to abhomynable, etc. 21. Item, of a sertayn vysion that Goldes ‡ wyffe had uppon sent Cateryns day, which the angell of God dyd shew by hur prayer, etc. 22. Item, how at Corteupstreytte, § whan Mr. Gold went unto masse, the other Goldes wyffe desyryd hur to mak hur prayer unto God to know the state of prynces dowager, of ij. other * The Earl of Wiltshire was sent on an embassy to Spain in 1531. ↑ Anne Boleyn attended the Court to Calais, and it would appear by this passage that it was the king's intention to marry her on that occasion. There were two persons of the name of Golde active in this affair; Thomas Golde, and Henry Golde, parson of St. Mary Aldermary, London. The "Mr. Gold" mentioned in the next article is the parson. § Our Lady of Court-at-Street, in the parish of Limne, was a little chapel, with an image of the Virgin, much resorted to. It was here that the nun commenced her visions. CAMD. Soc. D |