CHAP. tion of the University instituted by the King this summer, III. Cheke, being now at Cambridge, had the honour to be noAnno 1549. minated for a Commissioner; joined with Goodrick and sitor of the Ridley, Bishops of Ely and Rochester; Sir William Paget, University. Comptroller of the Household; Sir Thomas Smith, Secre Cheke a Vi tary of State; Dr. May, Dean of St. Paul's; and Dr. Wendy, the King's Physician; all formerly choice learned men of the said University. The disputations that were now performed before the Visitors, the correction of superstitious. practices, the furtherance of the King's good proceedings, the reforming of the old statutes of houses, managed and provided for by Cheke and his Fellows' care, I leave to other historians to relate. Cheke makes a book a SECT. II. Cheke's Book, viz. The true Subject to the Rebel. THIS visitation being over, Cheke, who I conclude was still in Cambridge, employed his thoughts (and that perhaps by order from above) in composing an expostulation with the rebels; who this summer brake out, partly for enclosures, and partly for religion, into an open and formidable insurrection, in most counties in England, and especially in Devon in the west, and Norfolk in the northa. It was framed by way of a plain and earnest address from himself to them: and being finished, was commitgainst the ted to the press to be dispersed, as well among them, as elsewhere in the realm. The book was entitled, The Hurt of Sedition: how grievous it is to a Commonwealth. The running title, The true Subject to the Rebel. And as there were two sorts of these mutineers, who pretended two virtuous causes for their complaints, so Cheke suited his discourse to each. Those in the west made their disturbances for the restoring the old Popish religion. Those in Norfolk and Suffolk would have amendment in the commonwealth; that the gentlemen should not be put into places of honour and trust, and the poor commons rebels. a Rather east. II. partake of none of these benefits and advancements; but SECT. that all ranks of people should be brought to an equal level. Anno 1549. The former of these thus did our learned man in his Argues with said book accost: "Ye rise for religion: what religion religion; them about "taught you that? If ye were offered persecution for reli 66 gion, ye ought to flee; so Christ teacheth you, and yet 66 you intend to fight. If ye would stand in the truth, ye "ought to suffer like martyrs; and ye would slay like ty"rants. Thus for religion ye keep no religion; and nei"ther will follow the counsel of Christ, nor the constancy "of martyrs. Why rise ye for religion? Have ye any thing contrary to God's book? yea, have ye not all things "agreeable to God's word? But the new [religion] is dif"ferent from the old, and therefore ye will have the old. "If ye measure the old by truth, ye have the oldest. If ye 66 measure the old by fancy, then it is hard, because men's "fancies change to give that is old. Ye will have the old 66 style. Will ye have any older than that as Christ left, and "his Apostles taught, and the first Church did use? Ye will "have that the Canons do establish. Why, that is a great "deal younger than that ye have of later time, and new"lier invented; yet that is it that ye desire. And do you 66 prefer the Bishops of Rome afore Christ? men's inven"tions afore God's law? the newer sort of worship before "the older? Ye seek no religion; ye be deceived; ye "seek traditions. They that teach you, blind you; that "so instruct you, deceive you. If ye seek what the old "Doctors say, yet look what Christ the oldest of all saith: "for he saith, Before Abraham was made, I am. If ye "seek the truest way, he is the very truth: if ye seek the "readiest way, he is the very way: if ye seek everlasting "life, he is the very life. What religion would ye have "other now than his religion? You would have the Bibles "in again. It is no marvel, your blind guides would lead "you blind still.But why should ye not like that 66 [religion] which God's word establisheth, the primitive III. 66 66 CHAP. "Church hath authorized, the greatest learned men of this "realm have drawn, the whole consent of the Parliament Anno 1549. " hath confirmed, the King's Majesty hath set forth? Is it "not truly set out? Can ye devise any truer than Christ's Apostles used? Ye think it is not learnedly done. Dare ye, commons, take upon you more learning than the "chosen Bishops and Clerks of this realm have ?“Learn, learn to know this one point of religion, that God "will be worshipped as he hath prescribed, and not as we "have devised; and that his will is wholly in his Scrip"tures, which be full of God's spirit, and profitable to "teach the truth," &c. And about the commonwealth. was a tan ner. As for the other malecontents, the other rabble of Norfolk rebels, thus he proceeded to argue with them: "Ye "pretend a commonwealth. How amend ye it by killing "of gentlemen, by spoiling of gentlemen, by imprisoning *Ket, their " of gentlemen? A marvellous tanned* commonwealth. ringleader, 66 Why should ye thus hate them for their riches or for "their rule? Rule they never took so much in hand as 66 ye do now. They never resisted the King, never with"stood his Council; be faithful at this day, when ye be "faithless, not only to the King, whose subjects ye be, but "also to your Lords, whose tenants ye be. In this your "true duty, in some of homage, in most of fealty, in all of "allegiance; to leave your duties, go back from your pro"mises, fall from your faith; and, contrary to law and truth, to make unlawful assemblies, ungodly compa"nies, wicked and detestable camps; to disobey your "betters, and to obey your tanners; to change your "obedience from a King to a Ket, to submit yourselves "to traitors, and to break your faith to your true "King and Lords?—If riches offend you, because ye would have the like, then think that to be no com"monwealth, but envy to the commonwealth. Envy it is "to appair another man's estate, without the amendment "of your own; and to have no gentlemen, because ye be 66 none yourselves, is to bring down an estate, and to mend 66 II. 66 none. Would ye have all alike rich? that is the over- SECT. "throw of labour, and utter decay of work in this realm. "For who will labour more, if, when he hath gotten more, Anno 1549. "the idle shall by lust, without right, take what him list "from him, under pretence of equality with him? This is "the bringing in of idleness, which destroyeth the com"monwealth, and not the amendment of labour, which "maintaineth the commonwealth. If there should be such "equality, then ye take all hope away from yours, to come "to any better estate than you now leave them. And as 66 many mean men's children come honestly up, and are 66 great succour to all their stock, so should none be here"after holpen by you. But because you seek equality, "whereby all cannot be rich, ye would that belike, where"by every man should be poor: and think beside, that "riches and inheritance be God's providence, and given "to whom of his wisdom he thinketh good," &c. After this manner did he excellently and popularly reason in this book, for the reducing these men to more sobriety. This book was reprinted anno 1576, as a seasonable discourse upon apprehension of tumults, by malecontents at home, or renegadoes abroad. Holinshed also thought fit to add it in his Chronicle there, where he speaks of this rebellion; as it was his practice to insert divers tracts and discourses in suitable places of his history. And since that, Dr. Gerard Langbain, of Oxford, about the year 1641, published the book once again, intending it for the use and consideration of the rebels against King Charles the First, in the time of the civil wars. sioners for astical laws. We are told also, that about these times Cheke penned, One of the and perhaps published, several other learned and useful Commistracts, both for Church and State. And whereas, in the the ecclesimonth of October, thirty-two Commissioners (consisting of an equal number of Bishops, Divines, Civilians, and common lawyers) were appointed for the examining the old ecclesiastical law books, and drawing thence a body of good and wholesome laws for the government of the Church, and decision of other civil matters, Cheke was III. CHAP. named one of the eight Divines selected for this great work; Taylor, Dean of Lincoln; Dr. Cox, the King's Anno 1549. Almoner, and one of his teachers; Dr. Matthew Parker, Master of Bene't college, Cambridge; Latimer, (afterward a martyr ;) Sir Anthony Cook, another of the King's instructors; Peter Martyr, the King's public Professor at Oxford; and Joannes à Lasco, a nobleman of Poland, and Superintendent of the German congregation in London; being the other seven. With such learned company was Cheke thought fit to be associated. And again, three years after, upon a new Commission for the same purpose, he was again nominated one to whom the Commission was directed, with the rest above named. Cheke at His wife. SECT. III. Returns to the Court. His troubles there. His wife offends the Duchess. CHEKE'S stay was not long at Cambridge, his royal master no doubt wanting him to assist him in his studies, and to be about his person, whom he so much affected. For I find him at Westminster this winter, viz. anno 1549. And this is the first time I meet with any passage about his wife, who seemed to be a dependent on the family of Anne, Duchess of Somerset, and now with child. This first occasion I find mention made of her by Cheke, her husband, was an unhappy one, she having given some offence unwarily to the Duchess; or the Duchess, a very immerset of perious woman, having taken some offence against her for fended with some words spoken, or some matters concealed of, I know not what. This female fraction employed Cheke to obtain a reconciliation for his wife, and to qualify the lofty PeerCheke's ad- ess's mind towards her. Therefore he takes his pena, and The Duchess of So her. dress to her in his wife's behalf. L. 20. a Mr. Cheke to the Duchess of Somerset, Januar. 1549, upon some offence the Duchess had taken against his wife and himself. Your Graces singular favour towards me hath always been one of my chief comforts in my diligent service of the Kings Majesty, which was the easier to me, because it was wel taken; and altho in this desert of other mens trou |