66 came unexpectedly and unhoped for; and advised him to make a public recantation of his subscription; which he willingly did in the pulpit the next Lords-day in these words. It was my abject and cowardly mind, and faint heart that made my weak hand to commit this wickedness." Which when he had uttered as well as he could for tears and sighs, he applied himself in a fervent prayer, first to God Almighty for his pardon, and afterwards to the Church; the whole auditory accompanying him with tears and sighes, and ever esteeming him more for his ingenuous repentance, than they would (perhaps) have done if he had not fallen. It is an easie thing for those that were never tried, to censure the frailty of those that have truckled for some time under the shock of a mighty temptation; but let such remember St. Paul's advice, Let him that standeth take heed least he fall. This great mans fall shall ever be my lesson, and if this glistering Jewel were thus clowded and foil'd, God be merciful to me a sinner. Mr. Jewel had not been long at Franckford, before Peter Martyr hearing of it, often sollicited him to come to Strasburgh, where he was now settled and provided for; and all things considered, a wonder it is that he did not perish in England; For there was no person more openly aimed at than he, because none of them had given wider. wounds than he to the catholic cause. One Tresham 8 7 Advised him.] Jewel himself in the papers which passed in controversy between him and Dr. Cole, speaking of the submission which he had made at Oxford, says, "But I have confessed it openlie, and unrequired, in the midst of the congregation." Works, p. 30. The place in which he subscribed was St. Mary's Church, Oxford. See Dering's Sparing Restraint, p. 95. A. D. 1567. For there was.] Heylyn's Ecclesia Restaurata, p. 196. a Senior a Senior Canon of Christ Church, who had held some points against him at his first coming thither, now took the benefit of the times to be revenged on him, and incited those of Christ-Church and of other houses to affront him publickly. So that not finding any safety at Oxford, he retired to Lambeth to Cranmer, where he was sure of as much as the place could afford him. A consultation had been held by some of the more fiery spirits, for his commitment unto prison. But he came thither (as was well known) on the publick faith, which was not to be violated for the satisfaction of some private persons. It was thought fit therefore to discharge him of all further imployment, and to license him to depart in peace: none being more forward to furnish him with all things for his going hence, than the new Lord Chancellor, Bishop Gardiner, whether in honour to his learning, or out of a desire to send him packing, shall not now be questioned; but less humanity was shewed to him in his wife, whose body having been buried in the church of St. Frideswide, was afterwards by publick order taken out of the grave and buried in a common dunghill. But in the reign of Queen Elizabeth was removed, and her bone. mixed with St. Francis. And the truth is, the Queen (who was a bigotted papist, and too much priest-ridden) breaking not only her promise to the men of Suffolk, who had stood by her in her greatest necessity, and treating them with extream severity for but challenging the performance of her promise; one Dobbe who had 9 Depart in peace.] [Peter Martyr also helped himself, for he would not goe without the Queens pasport and leave, and when he had it, concealed himself fourteen days on the English coast, then privately took ship and arrived at Antwerp in the night, and before day took coach and so got safe to Strasbourgh, the 30th of October 1553.] spoken spoken more boldly than the rest, being ordered to stand three days in the pillory; but also her more solemn engagement made the twelfth of August 1553. in the Council; "That altho her conscience was staid in matters of religion, yet she was resolved not to compel or strain others, other wise than as God should put into their hearts a perswasion of that truth she was in; and this she hoped should be done by the opening his word to them, by godly, vertuous, and learned preachers:" I say, considering how ill she kept her promise to her own subjects, it is a wonder she should keep the faith given to this stranger in her brothers reign, and not by her; and I conceive no reason can be given for this, but the over-ruling providence of God, who governs the hearts of princes as he thinks fit. But well it was for Mr. Jewel that there he was; and as much of Mr. Jewel's sufferings in England had been occasioned by his great respects he had shewn to Peter Martyr whilest he lived at Oxon; so now Peter Martyr never left solliciting him (as I said) to come to him to Strasbourgh till he prevailed, where he took him to his own table and kept him always with him. And here Mr. Jewel was very serviceable to him in his edition of his Commentaries upon the book of Judges, which were all transcribed for the press by him; and he used also to read every day some part of a Father. to him, and for the most part St. Augustin, with which Father they were both much delighted. At Strasbourgh Mr. Jewel found J. Poynet late Bishop of Winchester, Edmund Grindal Archbishop of York, Edwin Sands, Sir J. Cheeke, and Grindal Archbishop.) This should have been written, "Grindal afterwards Archbishop, &c." A similar error is committed above, where Sandys is called Bishop of London; and below, where Pilkington is stiled Bishop of Durham. VOL. IV. D Sir Sir Anthony Coke Kt. and several other great me of the English nation, who were fled thither for their religion. And with these he was in great esteem, which opened a way for his preferment upon his return into England after the storm was over. Peter Martyr having been a long time sollicited by the Senate of Zurick to go thither and take upon him the place of Professor of Hebrew, and Interpreter of the Scriptures in the place of Conrad Pellican, who was almost the first Professor of Hebrew in Christendom, and died about this time near an hundred years of age; at last accepted the office, and carried Mr. Jewel (July 13. 1556.) with him to Zurick, where he lived still with Peter Martyr in his own family. Here he found James Pilkington Bishop of Durham, and several others who were maintained by the procurement of Richard Chambers, but out of the purses of Mr. Richard Springham, Mr. John Abel, Mr. Thomas Eton merchants of London, and several others; till at last Stephen Gardiner finding who were their benefactors, threatned "he would in a short time make them eat their fingers ends for hunger:" and it was sore against his will that he proved a false prophet, for he clapt up so many of their benefactors in England, that after this there came but a small, if any, supply out of England to them. But then Christopher Prince of Wittenberg, and the Senators of Zurick, and the foreign divines were so kind to them, that they had still a tolerable subsistence; and Mr. Jewel stood in need of the less, because he lived with Peter Martyr till his return into England. So saith Mr. Humfrey, p. 90. in his Life; but it is apparent by the first lines of his Epistle to Signior Scipio, that he studied some time at Padua, and there there being no mention of his travelling at any time before his exile, nor indeed any possibility of it, I suppose that whilst he was thus with Peter Martyr at Zurick, he made a step over the Alpes to Padua, which was not very distant, and there studied some time, and contracted his acquaintance with the said Venetian gentleman; for this journey is no where mentioned by any other author that I have seen, and I can find no time so likely for it as now. During all the time of his exile, which was about four years, he studied very hard, and spent the rest of his time in consolating and confirming his brethren; for he would frequently tell them that when their brethren indured such bitter tortures and horrible martyrdoms at home, it was not reasonable they should expect to fare deliciously in banishment, concluding always: “Hæc non durabunt ætatem." These things will not last an age. Which he repeated so very often, and with so great an assurance of mind that it would be so, that many So very often.) There seems to have existed, especially among the exiles, a very firm persuasion, that the dominion of Popery and cruelty, upon this its revival in England under Q. Mary, would not be of long duration. " I dare neither affirm, that Master Fox foresaw this sudden change of publick affairs, nor yet will I take from him the testimony of the reverend and famous Divine Dr. Elmare, sometime Bishop of London; who in presence of many yet living, was wont to say; that he was himself at a sermon, wherein Master Fox among many things which he preached, to comfort the banished English, did with confidence, tell them; that now was the time come for their return into England, and that he brought them that news by commandment from God. For which words he was then sharply reproved by the graver divines there present; but excused afterwards, by the event; when by comparing of times it was found that Queen Mary died but the day before Master Fox had thus presaged." Life of John Fox, the Martyrologist, written by his Son. : : D2 believed |