5.

to the next incumbent, whose charge for first-fruits shall begin from the first vacation.* 4. Which spiritual persons shall be resident upon their benefices, and which not; and for what causes. Release of such who have obtained licences from the see of Rome.† But all these are set down at large in the printed Statutes, and thither we refer the reader for satisfaction: as, to our History of Abbeys," to be informed about the rebellion in the north, occasioned in this year by these alterations in religion.

66

37-39. The Birth, Breeding, first Persecution, and far Travel

ling of William Tyndal. He translateth the New and most Part of the Old Testament; Faults in his Translation confessed and excused.

Towards the end of this year, the faithful servant of God, William Tyndal, aliàs Hichins,‡ was martyred at Fylford in Flanders, born about Wales, bred first in Oxford, then in Cambridge, after schoolmaster to the children of Mr. Welch, a bountiful housekeeper in Gloucestershire. To his house repaired many abbots of that county, (as, indeed, no one shire in England had half so many mitred ones, which voted in parliament,) and clergymen, whom Tyndal so welcomed with his discourse against their superstitions, that afterwards they preferred to forbear Master Welch's good cheer rather than to have the sour sauce therewith,-Master Tyndal's company. But this set their stomachs so sharp against him, that he was forced to quit Gloucestershire, and tender his service to Cuthbert Tunstall, bishop of London, a great scholar himself, and therefore probable to prove a patron to a learned man. Him Tyndal presented, in vain, with an oration out of Isocrates, which he had translated into English. But, though he sued for himself in two tongues, Greek and English, both proved ineffectual; the bishop returning, that he had more already than he could well maintain. On this denial, over hastes Tyndal beyond the seas; and, after much travelling, fixeth at last at Antwerp, where he became clerk to the company of English merchant-adventurers.

Here he began with the New Testamant, (as of most concernment to man's salvation,) and, with the help of John Fryth, the Baruch to this Jeremy, translating it out of the Greek original, finished, printed, and published it. Then he proceeded to the Old, and accomplished it from Genesis to Nehemiah inclusively, but translated none of the Prophets, save Jonah,§ being prevented by death. I presume he rendered the Old Testament out of the Latin, his best friends not entitling him to any skill at all in the Hebrew. BALEUS, De Script. Brit. page 658.

Statutes, cap. xi. ↑ Ibid. cap. xvi. BALEUS, ut prius.

And remarkable it was, that, sailing to Hamburgh to print the Pentateuch, he lost all his books and copies by shipwreck, which doubled his pains in re-translating it. But here he lighted on the help of Miles Coverdale, afterward bishop of Exeter, to assist him; and safely they went through their work, even when the sweatingsickness swept away thousands in the city, with a general mortality; as if the useful sweating of their brains were a preservative against the hurtful sweating of their bodies. And, indeed, painfulness in a lawful calling is the best antidote against a public infection.

Yet none will deny, but that many faults, needing amendment, are found in his translation; which is no wonder to those who consider First. Such an undertaking was not the task for a man, but men. Secondly. No great design is invented and perfected at once. Thirdly. Tyndal, being an exile, wanted many necessary accommodations. Fourthly. His skill in Hebrew was not considerable; yea, generally, learning in languages was then but in the infancy thereof. Fifthly. Our English tongue was not improved to that expressiveness whereat at this day it is arrived. However, what he undertook was to be admired as glorious; what he performed, to be commended as profitable; wherein he failed, is to be excused as pardonable, and to be scored on the account rather of that age, than of the author himself. Yea, Tyndal's pains were useful, had his translation done no other good than to help toward the making of a better; our last translators having in express charge, from king James, to consult the translation of Tyndal.

40, 41. Tyndal and his Translation both martyred with Fire. A Parallel betwixt St. Paul and Tyndal.

But when the Testament of Tyndal's translation came over into England, O how were the Popish clergy cut to the heart! How did their blear eyes smart at the shining of the Gospel in a vulgar tongue! Down must their Dagon, if this ark be set up; down their Diana, if Paul be permitted to preach to the people. Some said, that "the Bible ought not to be translated;" some, that "it could not be, that it was impossible ;"+ others, that "the translating thereof would make men rebel against the king ;" and why, I pray? seeing they shall read therein, "Let every soul be subject to the higher powers," &c. Rom. xiii. 1; and many other places pressing obedience. Some were not so much angry with the text, as with Tyndal's comment, his preface before and notes upon the same. In fine, they did not only procure his book to be publicly burned in Paul's churchyard, but also their malice (which hath long arms to Fox, ut prius.

Fox's "Martyrology," vol. ii. page 364.

reach at such distance) contrived, and effected, the strangling and burning of Tyndal in Flanders.

*

Bale calleth him "the apostle of the English." And, indeed, some general parallel (far be it from me to enforce it to an absolute conformity!) may be observed betwixt St. Paul and our Tyndal. St. Paul withstood and defeated the power of Elymas the sorcerer, Acts xiii. 8. Tyndal, with the grace and gravity of his company, put a magician out of countenance, being brought thither to show a cast of his skill by enchanting. St. Paul, in Thyatira, converted his jailor, and all his household, Acts xvi. 33. Tyndal, during his year-and-half durance, converted his keeper, his daughter, and other of his family. St. Paul was "in perils by waters, in perils by robbers, in perils amongst false brethren," 2 Cor. xi. 26; so was Tyndal, whom one Philips, pretending much friendship, by cunning insinuation betrayed to his destruction. We take our leaves of Tyndal, with that testimony which the emperor's procurator or attorney-general (though his adversary) gave of him, Homo fuit doctus, pius, et bonus: "He was a learned, a godly, and a good-natured man."

SECTION V.

TO CLIFFORD CLIFTON, ESQUIRE.

I KNOW not of what place properly to name and inscribe you,-whether of Middlesex, where you have your present dwelling;-or of Nottinghamshire, whence first you fetched your name;—or from Derbyshire and other neighbouring counties, wherein you are heirapparent to a fair inheritance. I envy not your deserved happiness, but only observe, it is almost as difficult to fix a rich man, as a beggar; the one for his variety, the other for his want, of habitation. But be you styled from what place you please, be pleased also to accept this expression of my service unto you. that I will add is, that seeing two ancient and honourable families (the one of Norman, the other of Saxon, extraction) have met in your name, may their joint virtues be united in your nature.

• Fox, page 367.

Idem, ut prius.

All

1. The Beginning of the First-fruits' Office. A.D. 1537. GREAT the king's profit at this time from the office for the receipt of Tenths and First-fruits, which was now first set up in London, and something must be observed of the original thereof. Such moneys formerly were paid to the pope, who, as pastor pastorum, claimed decimas decimarum; entitling himself thereunto, partly from Abraham, a priest, paying tithes to Melchizedeck the high priest, Gen. xiv. 20, and Heb. vii. 4; partly from the Levites in the Mosaical law, paying the second tithes, that is, the tithes of their tithes to the priest : "Thus shall you offer an heave-offering unto the Lord of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the Lord's heave-offering to Aaron the priest," Num. xviii. 28. Hereupon, the pope had his collectors in every diocess, who sometimes by bills of exchange, but generally in specie, to the great impoverishing of the land, yearly returned the Tenths and First-fruits of the English clergy to Rome.

2. Commissioners employed to rate all ecclesiastical

Preferments.

But the pope being now dead in England, the king was found his heir at common law, as to most of the power and profit the other had usurped. But now as the clergy changed their landlord, so their rents were new-rated, and, I believe, somewhat raised; commissioners being employed in all counties, (the bishop of the diocess being always one of them,) to value their yearly revenue, that so their Tenths and First-fruits may be proportioned accordingly. These raters were the chiefest persons in all counties under the degree of barons; and I had a project to present their names, as of men of unquestionable extraction, none as yet standing on the ✓ ruins of abbeys to heighten their mean birth into the repute of gentility.

SURREY.-Nicholas Carew, and Matthew Broun, knights; Thomas Stidolfe, esquire; John Banister, gentleman.

HUNTINGDONSHIRE.-Richard Sapcot and Lawrence Taylard,

knights; John Gostwick and John Goodrick, esquires.

DEVONSHIRE.-William Courtney and Thomas Dennis, knights; John Birnall, mayor of Exeter; John Hull, William Simonds, John Ford, and John Southcote, auditors.

SOMERSETSHIRE. William Stourton, John Horsey, and Andrew Lutterell, knights; Thomas Speke and Hugh Powlet, esquires; Henry Capel, knight; William Portman, gentleman; Roger Kinsey, auditor.

In this method they are named.

STAFFORDSHIRE.-John Talbot and John Gifford, knights; Walter Wrotley, esquire; John Wrotley, gentleman.

CHESHIRE.-John Holford and Peter Dutton, knights; George Booth, Thomas Aston, Richard Ligh, and William Brereton, esquires.

But my design failed, when I found the return of the commissioners' names into the office so defective, that in most counties they are wholly omitted.

3-5. Instructions given to the Commissioners; some Years spent in the Work; Vicarages, why so high rated.

These commissioners were empowered by the king, to send for the scribes and notaries of all bishops and archdeacons, to swear the receivers and auditors of incumbents, to view their register-books, Easter-books, and all other writings, and to use all other ways to know the full value of ecclesiastical preferments, with the number and names of persons enjoying the same. They were to divide themselves by three and three, allotting to every number so many deaneries, and to inquire the number and names of all abbeys, monasteries, priories, brotherships, sisterships, fellowships, &c. houses religious and conventual, as well Charterhouse as others,* (these Carthusians being specified by name, because proudly pretending privileges of papal exemption,) and meeting together to certify into the exchequer, (at the time limited in their commission,) the true value of such places of preferments. Herein, reparations, fees of in-y-st were not to be deducted; but perpetual rents, pensions, alms, synods, fees paid out yearly to persons, were to be allowed.

This being a work of time exactly to perform, took up some years in the effecting thereof. Devonshire and Somerset were done in the twenty-seventh, Staffordshire and many other counties, in the thirtyfourth of king Henry the eighth, and most of Wales not till the reign of king Edward the sixth. Yea, I am credibly informed, that in Ireland, (to which kingdom such commissions were afterwards extended,) the commissioners, partly tired with their troublesome work, partly afraid to pass the dangerous Hill of Rushes (in Irish, Sleue Logher) never came into the county of Kerry, the south-west extremity of that island. So that the clergy thereof, though the poorest of the poorest in Ireland, enjoy this privilege,— • Transcribed with my own hand out of the original in the office.

+ Fuller says

in a note, "No clerk in the office could read this word." In the Collection of Records appended to bishop BURNET'S History of the Reformation, (book iii. num. 6,) is a full copy of these Instructions, in which no mention is made of this abbreviated word, but the commissioners are there directed "to examine the true yearly value of all the farms of the same house, deducting thereof rents reserved, pensions and portions paid out of the same, synodals, and proxies; bailiffs', receivers', stewards', and auditors' fees."-EDIT.