among the wiche wer (as he made reportt) the holy dager that kylled Kinge Henry; and the holy knyfe that kylled Seynt Edwarde. All thees wt many other, with the cots of thys image, her cappe and here, my servant shall bring unto yo' Lordeshippe thys weke wt the Surrendre of the Freers undre ther covent seale, and ther seale also. I have sent the chanon home agen to Notleye, and have made fast the doores of the chapell, wiche ys thorowly well covered with ledde: and if it be yo' lordeships pleasur I shall se yt made suer to the Kings Grace's use. And if it be nott so orderyd, the chapell stondith so wildely that the ledde will be stolyn by nyzt, as I wasse servyd at the Fryers; for as soon as I hadde taken the Fryers surrendre, the multytude of the poverty of the Town resortyd thedyr and all thinge that myzt be hadde they stole away: insomyche that they hadde convayd the very clapers of the bellys. And saving that M. Fachell, wiche made me great chere at hys howse, and the Mayer dydde assist me they wolde have made no litell spoyle. In thys I have don as moche as I cowde do to save every thing to the Kings graces use, as shall apper to yo' Lordeschippe at the begynnyng of the terme, Godde willing, who wt increse of moche honor long preserve yo' gudde Lordeschippe.

At Redinge xvijo Septembris. At Caversham ys a propre lodginge, wher the chanon lay, with a fayer garden and an orcherd mete to be

bestowed upon som frynde of yo' lordeschips in thees parties; for the chanon had no thing to do ther butt to kepe the chapell and receyve the offrings.

I besek your gudde Lordeschippe to admytt me a powr sutar for thees honest men of Redinge. They have a fayer town and many gudde occupiers in ytt; butt they lacke that howse necessary, of the wiche for the mynystration of Justice thay have most nede of. Ther Town Hall ys a very small Howse and stondith upon the ryver, wher ys the commyn wassching place of the most part of the Town; and in the cession dayes and other cowrt dayes ther ys such betyng with batildores, as oon man can nott here another, nor the guest here the chardg gevyng. The body of the Church of the Grey fryers, wiche ys selyd with laths and lyme, wold be a very commodoise rowme for them. And now I have rydde all the fasschen of that Churche in parclosesa, ymages, and awlters, it wolde mak a gudly Town Hall. The Mayer of that Town, Mr Richard Turner, a very honest jentill person with many other honest men hathe expressyd unto me ther gref in thys behalf, and have desyred me to be an humble sutar unto your Lordeschippe for the same if it schulde be solde. The wallys, besyd the coyne stonys, be butt chalk and flynt, and the coveryng butt tile. And if it please the King's Grace to bestow that howse upon any of hys servants, he may spare the body of the

a tabernacles.

VOL. II.

G

churche, wich stondith next the strete, very well; and yet have rowme sufficient for a great man.

Your most bounden orator

and servant,

JOHN LONDON.

THE Conventual Church of the Grey Friars, was granted to the Corporation of Reading for a Town Hall in 1543. The Messrs. Lysons say that the Corporation" having obtained the present Town Hall by Queen Elizabeth's charter in 1560, the Church of the Grey Friars was converted into a Hospital or Work House, and afterwards in 1613, into a House of Correction." A part of it was used for the same purpose within these few years, if it is not so occupied at present.

LETTER CXXX.

Elis Price to Lord Cromwell, to know what he should do with the Image of Darvell Gathern. A. D. 1538.

[MS. COTTON. CLEOP. E. IV. fol. 55 b. Orig.]

RIGHTE Honorable and my syngular goode Lorde and Mayster, all circumstauncys and thankes sett aside, pleasithe yt youre good Lordeshipe to be advertisid, that where I was constitute and made, by youre honorable desire and commaundmente, Commissarie generall of the dyosese of Saynte Assaph, I have done my dylygens and dutie for the expulsinge and takynge awaye of certen abusions, supersticions, and ipocryses,

usid within the said diosece of Saynte Assaph, accordynge to the Kynges honorable actes and injunctions therin made. That notwithstondinge there ys an Image of Darvellgadarn, within the saide diosece, in whome the people have so greate confidence, hope, and truste, that they cumme dayly a pillgramage unto hym, somme withe kyne, other with oxen or horsis, and the reste withe money: in so muche that there was fyve or syxe hundrethe pillgrames to a mans estimacion, that offered to the saide Image the fifte daie of this presente monethe of Aprill. The innocente people hathe ben sore aluryd and entisid to worshipe the saide Image, in so muche that there is a commyn sayinge as yet amongist them that who so ever will offer anie thinge to the saide Image of Darvellgadern, he hathe power to fatche hym or them that so offers oute of Hell when they be dampned. Therfore for the reformacion and amendmente of the premisses, I wolde gladlie knowe by this berer youre honorable pleasure and will; as knowithe God, who ever preserve youre Lordeshipe longe in welthe and honor. Writen in Northe Wales the vj. daye of this presente Aprill Your bedman and dayelie

orator by dutie

ELIS PRICE.

The further history of the Image of Darvell Gathern is detailed in our Chronicles. It was brought to London and burnt with Friar Forest in Smithfield. Hall's account of the cruelty exercised on this occasion is

worth transcribing, though he appears himself to have had no pity for the Friar. One is sorry to record, in addition, that the good bishop Latimer preached on the occasion.

"In May" 30th. Hen. VIII. A. D. 1538. "there was a Friar, called friar Forest, one of the Observant Friars" of Greenwich, "but he might have been" says Hall "more truly named an Obstinate Friar. This obstinate Friar had secretly, in confessions, declared to many of the King's subjects that the King was not supreme Head, and being thereof accused and apprehended, he was examined how he could say that the King was not Supreme Head of the Church, when he himself had sworn to the contrary. He answered that he took his oath with the outward man, but his inward man never consented thereunto. At this answer the Lords who examined him looked very strangely at the dissimulation of the Friar; but being further accused of diverse heretical and damnable articles that he held, contrary to the Scripture of God, he was after sundry examinations convinced and confuted, and gladly submitted himself to abide the punishment of the Church. But upon this his submission, having more liberty than before he had, as well to talk with whom he would, as also who that would to talk with him; certain such outward men as he was, so talked with him, and so incensed him, that the outward Friar was as far from his open submission as ever he was, and when his abjuration was sent to him to read and look upon, he utterly refused it, and obstinately stood in all his heresies and treasons before conspired. All gentle means that were possible to be sought for his reconciliation were had, but the more gentler that the Magi. strates were to him, the more obstinat was the Friar, and would neither argue nor answer: wherfore justly was he condempned; and after for him was prepared, in Smithfelde in London, a gallows on the which he was hanged in chaines by the middle and armholes all quicke, and under the gallows was made a fire, and he so consumed and brent to death. At his coming to the place of execution, there was prepared a great scaffold, on which sat the nobles of the realme, and the Kings Majesty's most honorable Council, only to have granted pardon to that wretched creature if any spark of repentance would have happened in him. Ther was also prepared a pulpit where a right reverend father in God and a renoumed and famous clerk, the bishop of Worcester, called Hugh Latimer, declared to him his errors and openly and manifestly by the Scripture of God confuted them, and with many and godly exhortations moved him to repentance, but such was his frowardness that he neither would hear nor speak.

"And a little before the execution, a huge and great Image was brought to the gallows, which Image was brought out of Wales, and of the Welshmen much sought and worshipped. This Image was called DARVELL GATHEREN, and the Welshmen had a prophecy that this Image should set a whole Forest a fire, which prophecy now took effect, for he set this friar