But after the tyme that these Commissioners came thither, those thinges that before wer accompted for sacred and holy, began to be denoūced for prophane and vnholy. For they cōmaūded þt all those assemblies that should hereafter be made for the executing of holy Ceremonies should be remoued to the kinges chapel, which is a place farre more stately then all thother. MarginaliaIanuary. 11Now was come þe. xi. day, in the which þe Vicechauncellour of the Vniuersity, with the maysters and presidents of the Colleges, and al other the Graduates of euery house, were commaunded to appeare before the sayd Commissioners. They assembled in great nūber to Trinity College: wher (as we told you before) they wer all lodged, geuing attendaunce to bryng them whether soeuer it should please them to goe according as it became them to do.
[Back to Top]There Iohn Stokes common Orator of thuniuersity, one of þe popish supersticion
This denunciation of Stokes's 'popish superstition' was dropped from the 1570 edition because of Stokes's prominence in Elizabethan Cambridge.
This oration is given in the Historia vera and Golding's translation of it (A briefe treatise, fos. 188r-122v). Interestingly, Foxe only paraphrased this oration in the 1563 edition. The version of the oration which Foxe printed in 1570 differs slightly from the earlier versions and was probably drawn from official records of the visitation.
[Back to Top]When he had made an end of speaking, the Byshop of Westchester
In the 1563 edition, Foxe, following Golding, refers to the bishop of Chester as the bishop of 'West Chester'. (This is because the bishop of the older see of Chichester had traditionally been referred to as the bishop of Chester). In the 1570 edition, Foxe changed 'West Chester' to Chester.
permitted it. But now seing he could not so do he had appointed this Commission, in þe which he had assigned them to be his deputies, which (for because they knew him to set muche store by thuniuersity) should extend the more fauor to it, & (for because they thēselues had ben there brought up) wulde þe more earnestly embrace it. The chief matter þt they came for, tended to this ende, þt such as hadde erred should confesse their faults, & return into the right way again. For they wer in good forwardnes of healing, þt acknowleged thēselues to haue offended. And therfore it was wisely propounded on his part þt he would not altogether excuse the faultes of thuniuersity, nor of other men, but confesse & acknowlege þe crime, as þt ther wer many thinges had nede to be corrected and amended. The cause why they wer sent thither was to rayse vp thē þt wer fallen, and to receyue into fauour such as wer sory and would amēd, wherin yf (cōtrary to their expectation) they shold not be able to do so much wt some mē as they would: yet notwithstanding according to their duety, they would shew thēselues so diligēt for theyr part, as þt no lack might be found in thē. For it was more openly knowē than that it could be denied, þt many mē did diuers things of a froward wilfulnes, & toke stoutly vpon thē, wher wt as they wer grealy moued & agreued (as reason was) so they coueted to remedy þe myschief. Against whom, if any thing should seme hereafter to be straitly determined, it was to be imputed to their own deserts, & not to the wylles of thē. Neither ought such as ar whole & sound to be moued with al, at þe chastisemēt of others forasmuch as it pertained not only to the wyping out of þe foule blot which now sticked in þe vniuersity, but also to the helth of many others that had taken much hurt by thinfectiō of thē. For their own parts, they more enclined vnto mercy thā to rigor. Howbeit cōsidring that so great diseases could not by gētle medicines be healed, they wer driuen of necessity to vse stronger. And yet if they would be contented to be brought again to their right minds, which thåg they chiefly coueted (for they wished þt al shold amēd & be led by wholsom counsel) and would yet at length waxe wery of their errors, and in stede of thē frequent again þe aūcient customes of thēselues, & of their forefathers, they myght boldly loke for al kind of humanitie & gētlenes at their hands, in al this their busines of reformation, which they had now entred & begon, requesting no more of the vniuersity but to do as became them: which being perfourmed, he promised þt their beneuolence, neyther in any publike nor in any priuate persons case should in any wyse be behind hand.
[Back to Top]These thynges beyng finished, they were brought to the kings college by al þe Graduats of Thuniuersity, whereas was songe a Masse MarginaliaA masse at the kynges Colledge.