1811 [1810]
Quene Mary. Q. Maries childe. The Queenes Proclamation against English bookes.
MarginaliaAn. 1555. Iune.wherof ye may read before in the letter of the Counsell sent to Boner. pag. 1647. And also the same moreouer may appeare by prouision made before in the Act of Parlament for the childe. pag. 1652.
Commentary
The letter Foxe refers to was printed in Book X.
And
Commentary
The poems of William Forrest were dropped from the 1570 edition, probably due to the need to save paper. Foxe, however, never reprinted these poems in later editions.
now for somuch as in the beginning of this moneth of Iune
Commentary
Note that Foxe corrected the month in the 1570 edition.
about Whitsontyde, the tyme was thought to be nygh that this yong Maister should come into the world, and that midwyues,
MarginaliaRockers, and Nurses prouided for Q. Maries child.rockers, nurses, with the cradle and al were prepared and in a readines, sodenly vpon what cause or occasion it is vncertaine, a certayne vayne rumour was blowne in London of the prosperous deliueraunce of the Queene, and the byrth of the child: In so much that the bels were rong,
MarginaliaProcessions and bonfiers in London for ioy of the younge Prince.bonefyars and processions made, not onely in the citie of London and in most other partes of the realme, but also in the towne of Antwarpe
MarginaliaTriumph at Antwerpe for the same.gunnes were shot of vpon the Riuer by the English Ships, and the Mariners thereof rewarded with an hundred pistolets or Italian crownes by the Lady Regent, who was the Queene of Hungarye. Such great reioysing & triumph was for the Queenes deliuery, and that there was a Prince borne. Yea, diuers Preachers, namely one, the Parson of
S. Anne within Aldersgate,
Commentary
St Anne's was the parish in which John Day's home and printshop were located.
after processiō and
Te Deum
Commentary
This is a Latin hymn recited on occasions of thanksgiving.
song, tooke vpon him to describe the proportion of the child, how fayre, how beautifull, and great a Prince it was, as the lyke had not bene seene.
[Back to Top]In the middest of this great ado, there was a simple man (this I speake but vpon information) dwelling within foure myles of Barwicke, that neuer had bene before halfe way to London, which said concerning the Bonfiers made for Queene Maries childe: Here is a ioyly triumph, but at length all will not proue worth a messe of Potage:
Commentary
as in deede it came to passe: For in the end
MarginaliaQ. Maries child would not come.all proued cleane contrary, and the ioye and expectations of men were much deceiued. For the people were certified, that the Queene neither was as then deliuered, nor after was in hope to haue any child. At this time many talked diuersly: some sayd thys rumour of the Queenes conception was spread for a policie: some other affirmed that she was deceyued by a Tympany
Commentary
A swelling or a tumor (OED).
or some other lyke disease, to thinke her self with child, and was not: some thought she was wyth childe, and that it dyd by some chaunce miscarye, or els that she was bewitched: but what was the truth thereof, the Lord knoweth,
MarginaliaWhat became of Q. Maries child no man can tell.to whom nothing is secret. One thing of mine own hearing and seing I can not passe ouer vnwytnessed.
[Back to Top]There came to me, whom I did both heare and see, one Isabel Malt, a womā dwelling in Aldersgate strete in Horne alley,
Commentary
In other words, Isabel Malt lived within a stone's throw of John Day's printshop.
not farre frō the house where this present booke was printed, who before wytnes made thys declaration vnto vs, that she being deliuered of a man child vpō Whitsonday in the morning, which was the xj. day of Iune,
an. 1555. there came to her the Lorde
North, and an other Lord to her vnknowen, dwelling then about old Fish streete, demaunding of her if shee would part with her child, and would sweare that shee neuer knew nor had no such child. Which if she would, her sonne, they sayd, should bee well prouided for, shee should take no care for it, with many fayre offers if she would part with the child.
[Back to Top]After that came other women also, of whom one she sayd should haue bene the Rocker, but shee in no wyse would let go her sōne, who is yet alyue & is called Timothe Malt,, of the age of. xiij. yeares and vpward.
Commentary
Rumours were circulating in the spring of 1555 that Mary was not truly pregnant and that she would try to substitute another woman's child and claim it as her own (see Brigden, p. 596).
Thus much, I say, I heard of the woman her selfe.
MarginaliaEx testimonio euiusdā puerperæ Londinensis.What credite is to be geuen to her relatiō, I deale not withall, but leaue it to the liberty of þe reader, to beleue it they that list: to them that list not, I haue no further warrant to assure them.
Among many other great preparations made for the Queenes deliuerance of child, there was
MarginaliaThe young Princes Cradle.a cradle very sumptusly and gorgeously trimmed, vpon the which Cradell for the Childe appoynted, these verses were wrytten, both in Latin and Englishe.
MarginaliaVerses vpon the Cradle.Quam Mariæ sobolem Deus optime sume dedisti
Anglis incolumen redde, tuere, rege.
The Child whih thou to Mary, O Lord of might hast sēd
To Englands ioy in health preserue, kepe & defend.
About this tyme
Commentary
Censorship Proclamation
All of the material on the 1555 efforts by the Marian regime to censor anti-catholic literature was first printed in the 1563 edition and unchanged in subsequent editions. However, as was so often the case, in the 1570 edition Foxe moved this material to place it in its proper chronological order. Foxe apparently printed the proclamation and the articles from records of Bishop Bonner, now lost.
[Back to Top] there came ouer into England a certaine English booke, giuyng warnyng to Englishe men of þ
e Spanyardes, & disclosing certeyne close practises for recouery of Abbay landes, which booke was called
A warnyng for England.
Commentary
Foxe himself had used A Warning for England to support his claims thatMary secretly planned to restore abbey lands.
Wherof ye shall vnderstand more (God willyng) when we come to the
Spanish Inquisition. So that by the occasion of this booke, vpon the xiij. day of this moneth came out a certeine Proclamation, set forth in the name of the King and Queene, repealing and disanulling all maner of bookes written or printed, whatsoeuer shoulde touch any thyng the impayryng of the Popes dignitie, wherby not onely much godly edification was hyndred: but also great perill grew among the people. The copy of whiche Proclamation here foloweth.
[Back to Top]¶ A Proclamation set out by the Kyng and Queene for the restraynyng of all bookes and writynges tendyng agaynst the doctrine of the Pope and his Church.
Commentary
Foxe probaly printed the proclamation from a copy transcribed in Bonner's records.
Commentary on the Glosses
Censorship Proclamation
The fact that the scriptural reference in the gloss 'Astiterunt reges terræ, & principes conuenerunt in vnum aduersus Dominum & Christum eius' is given in Latin is probably because it opposes royal intentions and God in such a stark way; if so, this tells us something about what Foxe felt should be kept from vulgar eyes and ears (however, it would be simple enough to follow up the reference in an English Bible).
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MarginaliaIune. 13.VVHere as by the Statute made in þ
e second yeare of kyng
Henry the iiij. concernyng the repressyng of heresies, there is ordeined and prouided a great punishment, not onely for the authors, makers, and writers of bookes conteinyng wicked doctrine and erroneous and hereticall opinions contrary to the Catholicke faith, and determination of the holy Church, and likewise for their fautors and supporters, but also for such as shall haue or keepe any such bookes or writynges, and not make delieury of them to the ordinary of the Dioces or his Ministers, within a certeine tyme limited in the sayd statute, which
MarginaliaOf thys Acte or statute, read before Pag. 624.Acte or Statute being by authority of Parliamēt of late reuiued, was also openly proclaimed, to the intent the subiectes of the Realme vppon such Proclamation should the rather eschew the daunger and penalty of the sayd Statute, and as yet neuertheles, in most partes of the Realme the same is neglected, and litle regarded:
MarginaliaAstiterūt reges terræ, & principes conuenerunt in vnū aduersus Dominum & Christum eius. Psal. 2.The King and Queene our soueraigne Lord and Lady, therfore. &c. straitly charge and commaund, that no person or persons, of what estate, degree, or condition soeuer he or they be, from henceforth presume to bryng or conuey, or cause to be brought or conueyed into this Realme, any bookes, writyngs or workes hereafter mentioned: that is to say, any booke or bookes, writyngs or workes made or set forth by or in the name of
MarginaliaGood bookes prohibited.Martin Luther, or any booke or bookes, writynges or workes made or set forth by or in the name of
Oecolampadius, Zwinglius, Iohu Caluin, Pomerane, Ioh. Alasco, Bullinger, Bucer, Melanthon, Bernardinus Ochinus, Erasmus Sarcerius, Peter Martyr, Hugh Latimer, Robert Barnes, other wise called Frier
Barnes, Ioh. Bale, otherwise called Frier
Bale, Iustus Ionas, Iohn Hoper, Myles Couerdall, William Tyndall, Thomas Cranmer late Archbyshop of Canterbury,
William Turner, Theodore Basill, otherwise called
Tho. Beacon, Iohn Frith, Roy, and the booke commonly called
MarginaliaAgaynst Halles Chronicle.Halles Chronicle, or any of them, in the
Latine toung,
Dutch toūg,
English toung,
Italian toung, or
French toūg, or any other like booke, paper, writing, or worke, made, printed, or set forth, by any other person or persons, conteynyng false doctrine contrary, and agaynst the Catholicke fayth, and the doctrine of the Catholicke Church:
MarginaliaWhat ado is here to kepe down Christ in his sepulchre, and yet will he rise in spite of all his enemies.And also that no person or persons presume to write, print, vtter, sell, read, or keepe, or cause to be writtē, printed, vttered, read, or kept any of the sayd bookes, papers workes or wrytings, or any booke or bookes wrytten or prynted in the Latin or English toung, cōcerning the common seruice and administration set forth in English to be vsed in the Churches of this Realme, in the tyme of kyng
Edward the syxt, commonly called the Communion booke or booke of common seruice and orderyng of ministers, otherwyse called The booke set forth by authoritie of Parliament, for common prayer and administration of the Sacramentes, to be vsed in the mother toung wythin the Church of England, but shall wythin the space of fiftene dayes next after the publication of this Proclamation, bring or delyuer, or cause the sayd bookes, writings, and woorkes, and euery of them remaining in their custodies and keeping, to be brought and deliuered to the Ordinary of the
[Back to Top]dioces,