nine (not to say virgin) modesty, (what is but going in men being accounted gadding in maids,) that they zealously decried their practice, probably to the present blasting thereof. IL. THE FOREIGN CONVENTS OF ENGLISH MONKS AND FRIARS. 1-3. Jesuits, gaping for the Benedictines' Lands in England, defeated by Father Roberts and others. WE will not so far distrust the reader's memory as to repeat our premised distinction betwixt monks and friars. Only know, that the papists themselves report, that, toward the end of queen Elizabeth, there was but one English monk (Mauro by name) living in the whole world. A thing not incredible to such who consider monks generally grown men before admitted into their Order, and that more than sixty years were passed from the dissolution of abbeys to the end of queen Elizabeth. Hereupon, several catholics of the anti-Jesuitical faction, (as Dr. Gifford, Bagshaw, Stevens, Smith,) fearing the Jesuits, on father Mauro's death, would, for want of lawful successors to the old English Benedictine monks, enter upon all the abbey-lands they had here, solicited many English students then living in their colleges and seminaries to become monks of the Order of St. Bene't, persuading them that hereby they should entitle themselves to a large patrimony of land now likely to fall unto them. Here am I put to a double wonder. First. Whereon this papistical confidence was grounded of the speedy restitution of abbey-land at queen Elizabeth's death, finding no visible probability for the same. Secondly. I admire how Jesuits could pretend (in default of Benedictine issue) themselves heirs to these lapsed or vacant lands, seeing other Orders, far more ancient, might lay a better claim thereto. Except they conceive such English abbeylands held in borough-English, wherein the youngest, according to the custom of some manors, is to inherit; and so by the same advantage this last and newest of all Orders possessed themselves thereof.* However, to prevent them, at the instance of the aforesaid secular priests many English students got into foreign convents of Benedictines, and took on them the habit of St. Bene't. John Roberts, first a lawyer's clerk in London, then a student in the English VOL. II. See the "Appeal of injured Innocence," p. 484.-EDIT. U college at Valladolid, first led the dance, running away to a neighbouring convent of Spanish Benedictines. More of the flock followed this bell-wether thick and threefold, leaving the college of the Jesuits, in despite of all the care and caution of their father-prefects. Father Augustine (if that his true and not assumed name) was the second monk of note at this time; —a name very active, I am sure, in propagating superstition in England;-and Roberts and These Augustine, the two revivers of the new Benedictines. obtained leave of pope Pius V. and the king of Spain, to build them a convent at Douay. And though Roberts, coming over into England to procure the catholics' contribution thereunto, had the hard hap to meet with Tyburn in his way, yet the design proceeded and was perfected. 4-6. Douay Convent in Artois. St. Maloes Concent in Brittany. Paris Concent. For the lord abbot of St. Vedastus, (Anglicè St. Forster's,) in Arras, a wealthy man, and great favourer of the English, (yea, generally good to all poor people,) built them a cloister, and fine church adjoining, on his own proper cost; to whom and his successors, the English monks are bound to pay yearly, on the first of February, a wax candle weighing threescore pounds, by way of homage and acknowledgment of their founder. Dr. Gifford, dean of the collegiate church of St. Peter's in Ritsell, (aliàs Insula in Flanders,) erected a small congregation of English monks at St. Maloes in France, whereof he himself became prior. Here he remained some years, till at last, resigning it to another monk, he removed unto Paris convent; which the aforesaid doctor (but now advanced and augmented with the honour and profit of the archbishopric of Rheims) built and endowed on his own expenses, conferring thereon whatsoever he can get from his archbishopric; on the profits whereof the duke of Guise was suspected too heavily to quarter. 7. The Carthusians' Convent at Mechlin. Pass we now from our English monks to the friars, and begin with the Carthusians. These being outed of Sheen in Surrey, at the coming-in of queen Elizabeth, wafted themselves over the seas with so much wealth as bought them a cloister, with lands to maintain it, at Mechlin. These take themselves to be the most visible church of English friars, as continuing an uninterrupted succession; and so puffed up with hopes of regaining their old lands, that when prince Charles went to Spain, they sent two of their friars into England to take possession both of Charter-house and Sheen. Say not, "ONE of those places had been fair at first ;" seeing, to save double pains and charges, they did well to claim them both together, as likely to possess them both together; as, no doubt, they had done long ago, had not the rightful owners then, and ever since, detained the same. 8, 9. Douay Convent. Two Convents reported in London. Some report this erected by count Gondemar; others, more probably, by the charity of English catholics, for re-collect friars of the Order of St. Francis. They have a strong fancy, that ChristChurch in London shall one day be theirs, at the next return of times. The best is, being to go bare-foot by the rules of their Order, they are well provided to wait for dead men's shoes. Here I omit the little cloister of Benedictine monks in the dukedom of Lorraine, near Ponto-Mouzon, as also some other nunneries and friaries since erected at Paris, and elsewhere: for, surely, these Orders have spawned much since our late civil wars, protestant confusions multiplying popish foundations. Yet I cannot believe what one * reports of two convents in London, set up about the year 1640: One, at the lord Gage's near Queen-street: The other, at Westminster. For, finding no person who is properly termed the lord Gage, I suspect all the rest. And though, I confess, catholics then arrived at such boldness as rather to dare, than dread, any discovery; yet it seemeth improbable any should abide there, save only to wait conveniency of transportation. And so much for English convents beyond the seas: which discourse let none censure as alien, and not pertaining to the History of England. For, I would willingly be condemned for a needless excursion, on the condition that they belonged not at all unto us who daily fetch over too much money hence, and do mutually bring back too much mischief hither. III. TO WHOM THE SITES OF MITRED ABBEYS WERE GRANTED, AND BY WHOM THEY ARE POSSESSED AT THIS DAY. 1-5. A possible Design preferred, impossible declined. IT were a work almost impossible for our pen to pursue the lands of each religious House, from the time that they parted from the Crown, to the present owners thereof. Yea, such a task, when ended, were endless, of no other use than the satisfaction of curiosity. MR. PRYNNE. As, therefore, the best anatomists cannot hunt out the deviations of every petty vein, (embracing several courses in sundry bodies,) but abundantly acquit their skill and industry if truly discovering the trunk-veins, (observing the same channels in all people,) cephalical, basilical, &c.; so we conceive our duty discharged to any rational expectation, if instancing only, out of the original records, in the sites of the mitred abbeys, marking their fluctuation since passed from the Crown into the possession of several subjects. Here I intended to present the reader with the particulars of all those owners through whose hands these mitred abbeys have passed, from those to whom king Henry granted them, to those who at this day are possessed thereof: a thing with very much difficulty (such the frequencies of the exchange) collectible out of the several fines paid at their alienation. But having tired out mine own modesty, though not my good friend Mr. John Witt's officious industry, in being beholden to him above my possibility of requital for perusing so many records, I desisted from so difficult a design. Tavistock-Abbey in Devonshire; granted by king Henry VIII.* in the thirty-first of his reign, July 4th; unto John lord Russel, Anne his wife, and their heirs, &c., in consideration of his faithful service and counsel; tenure and rent, in capite, by knights' service of (cum aliis) one knight's fee, paying £36; after aliened to none, but still possessed by their heirs; present owner, William Russel, earl of Bedford. Middleton-Abbey in Dorsetshire; granted by king Henry VIII.† in the thirty-first of his reign, Feb. 23rd; unto John Tregonwell, knight, doctor of law; in consideration of a pension of £40 per annum surrendered, £1,000 paid down, and his good service; tenure and rent, in capite, by knights' service, of the tenth part of a knight's fee, paying £12. 4s.; after aliened to none, but still possessed by his heirs; present owner, John Tregonwell, esquire. Malmesbury-Abbey in Wiltshire; granted by king Henry VIII‡ in the thirty-first of his reign; unto William Stampe, gentleman; in consideration of the payment of £1,516. 15s. 2d.; tenure and rent, in capite, by the tenth part of a knight's fee, paying £8. 8s.; present owner, Thomas Joy, esquire. Ramsey-Abbey in Huntingdonshire; granted by king Henry VIII.§ in the thirty-first of his reign, March 4th; unto Richard Williams, aliàs Cromwell, esquire; in consideration of his good service, and the payment of £4,663. 4s. 2d.; tenure and rent, Prim4 Parte Rot 29, (formerly Osborn's,) Remembrancer's Office. + Primá Parte Rot. 95. § Secunda Parte Rot. 293. Septima Parte Rot. 147. in capite, by the tenth part of a knight's fee, paying £29. 16s.; after aliened to none, possessed by his heir; present owner, sir Oliver Cromwell, the most aged gentleman and knight in England. Selby-Abbey in Yorkshire; granted by king Henry VIII.* in the thirty-second of his reign, August 28th; unto Ralph Sadler, of Hackney, knight; in consideration of £736 paid; tenure and rent, in capite, by the tenth part of a knight's fee, paying £3. 10s. 8d. ; present owner, Charles Walmesley, esquire. Tewkesbury-Abbey in Gloucestershire; granted by king Henry VIII. in the thirty-sixth of his reign; unto Thomas Stroud, Walter Earle, and James Paget; in consideration of £2,283. 198. 3d.; tenure and rent, in capite, by the twentieth part of a knight's fee, paying £1. 18s. 03d. Hyde-Abbey juxta Winton; granted by king Henry VIII.‡ in the thirty-seventh of his reign, Jan. 11th; unto Richard Bethel, gentleman, after a lease of the lord Wriothesley was expired; in consideration of £110. 178. 1d.; tenure and rent, in free soccage of the king's manor of Rumsey, paying £6. 13s. 4d. to the vicar of St. Bartholomew, Winton. St. John's Abbey juxta Colchester; granted by king Edward VI.§ in the first of his reign, June 22nd; unto John Dudley, earl of Warwick; in consideration of his service in Scotland and France, whereby he had much impaired his own estate; tenure and rent, in capite, (cum aliis,) by service of one knight's fee, paying 16s. 11d.; present owner, sir John Lucas, lord Lucas. Cirencester-Abbey in Gloucestershire; granted by king Edward VI. in the first of his reign, August 19th; unto Thomas lord Seymour, high admiral; in consideration of his service and kindred, being the king's uncle; tenure and rent, in capite, with land in fifteen shires, by the service of one knight's fee, paying £1. 1s. 8d. ; present owner, sir William Masters. Bardney-Abbey in Lincolnshire; granted by king Edward VI.¶ in the second of his reign; unto Thomas Heneage, Catherine his wife, and their heirs; in consideration of an exchange for the manor of Overton; tenure and rent, in knights' service; present owner, Francis lord Willoughby of Parham. Glastonbury-Abbey in Somersetshire; granted by king Edward VI.** in the fourth year of his reign, June 4th; unto Edward Seymour, duke of Somerset ; in consideration of his petition, and the advice of the council, to support his dignity; tenure and rent, in capite, by the fortieth part of a knight's fee, sine reditu. + Secunda Parte Rot. 26. Prima Parte Rot. • Prima Parte Rot. 140. Rot. 44. & Quarta Parte Rot. 13. Parie Rot. 95. 1 Septima Parte Tertia ** Tertia Parte Rot. 17; and again, Quartá Parte Rot. 77. |