and also he did promise in the name of all the priests that were present, that immediately after his death, there should be diriges, masses, and funerals executed for him in all the churches of Oxford, for the succour of his soule.

Cranmer in all this meane time, with what great griefe of minde he stood hearing this sermon, the outward shewes of his bodie and countenance did better expresse, than any man can declare one while lifting up his hands and eies unto heaven, and then againe for shame letting them downe to the earth. A man might have seen the very image and shape of perfect sorrow lively in him expressed. More than twentie severall times the tears gushed out aboundantly, dropping downe marvellously from his fatherly face. They which were present, doe testify that they never sawe in any childe more teares, than brast out from him at that time, all the sermon while: but specially when he recited his prayer before the people. It is marvellous what commiseration and pitty mooved all mens harts, that beheld so heavy a countenance, and such aboundance of tears in an old man of so reverend dignity.

Cole, after hee had ended his sermon, called backe the people that were ready to depart, to prayers. "Brethren," (sayde hee) "least any man should doubt of this mans earnest conversion and repentance, you shall heare him speake before you, and therefore I pray you maister Cranmer, that you will now performe that you promised not long ago; namely, that you would openly expresse the true and undoubted profession of your faith, that you may take away all suspicion of men, and that all men may understand that you are a catholicke indeed." "I will doe it (saide the archbishop), "and that with a good will:" who by and by rising up, and putting off his cap, began to speake thus unto the people.

"I desire you well beloved brethren in the Lord, that you will pray to God for mee, to forgive me my sinnes, which above all men, both in number and greatnesse, I have committed: but

7 Ended his sermon.] "When Dr. Cole had ended his sermon, he desired all the people to pray for him; Mr. Cranmer kneeling down with them, and praying for himself. I think there was never before such a number so earnestly praying together. For they that hated him before, now loved him for his conversion, and hope of continuance. They that loved him before could not suddenly hate him, having hope of his confession again of his fall. So love and hope encreased devotion on every side." Letter from an eyewitness, Strype's Life of Cranmer, p. 386.

among all the rest, there is one offence, which most of all at this time doth vexe and trouble me, whereof in processe of my talke you shall heare more in his proper place;" and then putting his hand into his bosome, he drew forth his prayer, which he recited to the people in this sense.

The Prayer of doctour Cranmer archbishop.

But

"Good Christian people, my dearely beloved brethren and sisters in Christ, I beseech you most heartily to pray for me to almighty God, that he will forgive me all my sins and offences, which be many without number, and great above measure. yet one thing greeveth my conscience more than all the rest, whereof God willing, I entend to speake more hereafter. But how great and how many soever my sinnes be, I beseech you to pray God of his mercy to pardon and forgive them all. And here, kneeling down, he said:

"O Father of heaven, O Sonne of God redeemer of the world, O Holy Ghost, three persons and one God, have mercy upon me most wretched caitife and miserable sinner. I have offended both against heaven and earth, more than my tongue can expresse. Whither then may I go, or whither should I flye? To heaven I may be ashamed to lift up mine eyes; and in earth I finde no place of refuge or succour. To thee therefore (O Lord) doe I runne: to thee doe I humble my selfe, saying, O Lord my God, my sinnes bee great, but yet have mercy upon me for thy great mercy. The great mysterie that God became man, was not wrought for little or few offences. Thou didst not give thy Sonne (O heavenly Father) unto death for small sins only, but for all the greatest sinnes of the world, so that the sinner return to thee with his whole hart, as I do here at this present. Wherfore have mercy on me O God, whose property is alwaies to have mercy, have mercy upon me O Lord, for thy great mercy. I crave nothing for my own merits, but for thy names sake, that it may bee hallowed thereby, and for thy deare Sonne, Jesus Christes sake. And now therefore, Our Father of heaven, hallowed be thy name, &c." And then he rising, said:

“Everie man (good people) desireth at the time of their death to give some good exhortation that other may remember the same

before their death, and be the better thereby: so I beseech God graunt mee grace, that I may speake something at this my departing, whereby God may be glorified, and you edified.

66

First, it is an heavie case to see that so many folke be so much doted upon the love of this false world, and so careful for it, that of the love of God, or the world to come, they seeme to care verie little or nothing. Therefore this shall be my first exhortation, that you set not your mindes overmuch upon this glosing world, but upon God, and upon the world to come; and to learn to know what this lesson meaneth, which S. John teacheth, that the love of this world is hatred against God.

"The second exhortation is, that next under God you obey your king and queene willinglie and gladlie, without murmuring or grudging; not for feare of them onelie, but much more for the feare of God: knowing that they bee Gods ministers, appointed by God to rule and governe you: and therefore who soever resisteth them, resisteth the ordinance of God.

"The third exhortation is, that you love altogether like brethren and sisters. For alas, pittie it is to see what contention and hatred one Christian man beareth to another, not taking each other as brother and sister, but rather as strangers and mortall enemies. But I pray you learne and beare well away this one lesson: to doe good unto all men, as much as in you lieth, and to hurt no man, no more than you would hurt your owne naturall loving brother or sister. For this you may be sure of, that whosoever hateth any person, and goeth about malitiouslye to hinder or hurt him, surelie and without all doubt God is not with that man, although hee thinke himselfe never so much in Gods favour.

"The fourth exhortation shall be to them that have great substance and riches of this world, that they will well consider and weigh three sayings of the Scripture. One is of our saviour Christ himselfe, who saith, It is hard for a rich man to enter in to the kingdom of heaven. A sore saying, and yet spoken of him that knoweth the truth. The second is of S. John, whose saying is this: He that hath the substance of this world, and seeth his brother in necessity, and shutteth up his mercy from him, how can he say that hee loveth God? The third is of S. James, who speaketh to the covetous rich man after this maner: Weepe you and houle for the misery that shall come upon you: your riches doe rotte, your cloathes be moth eaten, your golde and silver doth canker and ruste,

and their rust shal beare witness against you, and consume you like fire: you gather a hoard or treasure of Gods indignation against the last day. Let them that be rich, ponder well these three sentences: for if they ever had occasion to shew their charity, they have it now at this present, the poore people being so many, and victuals so deere".

"And now for as much as I am come to the last ende of my life, wherupon hangeth all my life past, and all my life to come, either to live with my master Christ for ever in joy, or else to be in paine for ever, with wicked devils in hell, and I see before mine eies presently either heaven readie to receive me, or else hell ready to swallow me up: I shall therfore declare unto you my very faith how I beleeve, without any colour or dissimulation: for now is no time to dissemble, whatsoever I have said or written in time past.

& Victuals so deere.] "These two years since king Edwardes death, the earth hath not brought furthe such plentie, as it customably did before. And where before time the countrey fedde London, London contrary wise was and is forced of her former provision to fede the countrie. And where Dantiske and other the north east partes were the barnes and garners of corne, for they had the provision of corne for many yeares before-hand, and nourished all the lowe parts of Germanie, Denmarke, Frieslande, Holande, Zelande, Brabaunt, Flanders, Hispaine, and many other; now by reason of their bringing so muche to releve Englande, onles a staie be made in time, they themselves will perishe of famine. And whan were ever thinges so deare in Englande, as in this time of the popish masse and other idolatrie restored? And who ever heard or redde before, that a pound of beefe was at four-pence; a sheepe twenty shillings; a pounde of candelles at four-pence; a pounde of buttur at four-pence; a pounde of chese at four-pence; two eggs a penie; a quarter of wheat sixty four shillings; a quarter of malt at fifty shillings or above; the people driven of hongre to grinde accornes for bread meale, and to drink water in stede of ale? And what? shall this famine awaie before his walking mate and felowe, pestilence, come? No surely. Without your earnest spedy repentaunce, and Goddes exceding miraculous mercie it is not possible." Treatise (Ponet's) of Politic Power. Signat. K 7, 8. A. D. 1556.

"The scarcity in Oxford was so great, that several societies, being scarce able to live, had leave from their governors to go into the country to their respective homes, to remain there till such time that bread-corn was more plentiful." A. Wood's Annals, vol. ii. p. 130, edit. 1796. Compare Strype's Cranmer, p. 392, and Ecclesiast. Memorials, vol. iii. p. 311. 320, 1.

See also a striking description (probably by archbishop Parker) in the Preface to the Reader prefixed to Defence of Priests' Marriages, 4to. edited by the archbishop; given above in the Life of Rogers, vol. ii. p. 343, n.

"First, I believe in God the Father almightie, Maker of heaven and earth, &c. And I beleeve every article of the catholicke faith, every word and sentence taught by our saviour Jesus Christ, h apostles and prophets, in the new and olde Testament.

"And now I come to the great thing, that so much troubleth my conscience, more than any thing that ever I did or sayde in my whole life, and this is the setting abroad of a writing contrary to the trueth: which now here I renounce and refuse, as things, written with my hand, contrary to the trueth which I thought in my hart, and written for feare of deathe, and to save my life if it might bee, and that is, all such billes and papers which I have written or signed with my hand since my degradation: wherein I have written many things untrue. And for asmuch as my hand offended, writing contrary to my heart, my hand shall first bee punished therefore: for may I come to the fire it shall be first burned.

"And as for the pope, I refuse him, as Christs enemie and antichrist, with all his false doctrine.

"And as for the sacrament, I beleeve as I have taught in my booke against the bishop of Winchester, the which my book teacheth so true a doctrine of the sacrament, that it shall stand at the last day before the judgement of God, where the papisticall doctrine contrarie thereto, shall be ashamed to shew her face."

Here the standers by were all astonied, marvelled, were amazed, did look one upon another, whose expectation hee had so notably deceived. Some began to admonish him of his recantation, and to accuse him of falshood. Briefly, it was a world to see the doctors beguiled of so great an hope. I thinke there was never crueltie more notablie or better in time deluded and deceived. For it is not to be doubted but they looked for a glorious victorie, and a perpetuall triumph by this mans recantation. Who as soon as they heard these things, began to let downe their eares, to rage, fret, and fume: and so much the more, because they could not revenge their griefe: for they could nowe no longer threaten or hurt him. For the most miserable man in the and whereas of necessitie hee must needs papists had bin never so well pleased; now being never so much offended with him, yet could he not be

world can die but once: dy that day, though the