John Weever Ancient Funerall Monuments London 1631
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John Weever Ancient funerall monuments London 1631 ... 197 ANCIENT FVNERALL MONV= MENTS WITHIN THE Diocesse of Canterbury. The Foundation of Christ-Church in Canterbury. Christian Religion (of which I haue spoken before) which presently after our blessed Sauiours passion, was both preached, and planted in this Island, by Ioseph of Arimathea, and his associates, and after that aduanced, and increased by Lucius King of the Britaines, and his famous Clerkes; being darkened, ouerclouded, and al= most totally eclipsed, with the contagious smoke arising from such abhominable sacrifices as were offered here vnto strange Idols; was againe illumined, and recomforted with the glorious beames of reli= gious light by Augustine the Monke, and his fellow-labourers in Christs vineyard. Which Augustine (sent hither from Rome by Gregory the great) when he had found such fauour in the sight of King Ethelbert, that he might freely preach the Gospell in this his countrey; hee chose for as= semblie and prayer, an old Church in the East part of this Citie, which was a long time before builded by the Romanes, and hee made thereof (by li= cence of the King) a Church, for himselfe and his successours, dedicating the same to the name of our blessed Sauiour Christ; whereof it was alwayes afterward called Christ-Church. And by the meanes of the said Pope Gre= gory, hee translated the Metropolitan See from London (the Cathedrall Church being then at Saint Peters in Cornhill) to this his newly consecra= ted Church here in Canterbury: whereof he was the first Archbishop. By these proceedings the prophesie of Merlin was fulfilled, which foretold that Christianity should faile, and then reuiue againe, when the See of Lon= * Robert of don did adorne Canterbury. Of which out of an old * Manuscript these fol= Glocester. lowing Rimes. Erchebysshop furste of alle Seynt Austyn was ther; But ye Erchcbysshops Se at London was er: Tho camme Merlynes word to sothe atten ende, Yat ye dignyte of London to Canterbery sholde wende. Anothur chyrche in Cantyrbery he lete rere, Yat is clupyd Christ Chyrche, and now the Se is there. Since which time, this sacred structure, by the pious and exceeding charges of succeeding Archbishops (by the deuotion of those dayes made 198 willing to disburse great summes) is so raised aloft (saith learned Camden) Camd. in Kent. to that maiestie and statelinesse, that it striketh a sensible impression of Re= ligion in the hearts and mindes of the beholders; of which, as also of the Citie, will it please you reade this Ogdoasticon out of a Manuscript penned by Iohn Iohnston of Aberden, sometimes the Kings professour of Diuinitie in the Vniuersitie of S. Andrewes in Scotland. Mss. in bib. Cot. Quæ minima in paruo regno pars ante fuisti, Facta es Cantiadum regia prima Ducum. Quæ modica in magno imperio pars ante fuisti, Maiorem fecit Pontificalis honor. Alterius cum iura loci tecum inde tulisti, Facta es finitimis imperiosa locis. Sponsa tibi Christi si tot cumulauit honores Non iterum huic par sit reddere velle suos? The founda= To this his Church Austine adioyned a Monastery, and dedicated the same tion of the Pri= to the blessed Trinitie; into which Laurence, his next Successour, brought ory of S. Tri= nitie. Benedictine Monkes, the head whereof was called a Prior. Which word (saith Lambard in his perambulation of Kent) howsoeuer it soundeth, was indeed but the name of a second Officer, because the Bishop himselfe was accounted the very Abbot; for in old time, the Bishops were, for the most part, chosen out of such Monasteries, and therefore most commonly had their palaces neare adioyning, and gouerned there as Abbots. By meanes whereof it came to passe, that such Abbeyes were greatly enriched, and en= dowed with wealth and possessions; insomuch that this Priory at the disso= lution (being valued at Robin Hoods peniworths) was found to be yearly worth (besides iurisdiction ouer diuers hundreds) (as you may finde in the Exchequer booke, called, Nomina Villarum) two thousand foure hundred eightie nine pounds foure shillings nine pence. But Henry the eighth (saith Camden) scattered this wealth heaped vp together in so many ages, and dispersed these Monks: in lieu of whom he placed in this Church a Deane, an Archdeacon, Prebendaries twelue, and sixe Preachers; who in places adioyning round about, should teach and preach the word of God. The Archbishoprick, at this day (whose Prouince containeth twentie two Godwin. de præ= Bishoprickes, and Diocesse the greatest part of Kent) being but valued in sul. Angl. the Kings bookes at two thousand eight hundred sixteene pounds, seuen= teene shillings, nine pence. Howsoeuer in former times the Archbishop was wont to pay to the Pope at euery income for his first-fruits ten thou= sand Ducats or Florens; and for his Pall fiue thousand, euery Ducate being of our Sterling money foure shillings sixe pence. And (as I finde it in an old Lib. Roffen. in Manuscript) for Rom-scot or Peter-pence, seuen pounds seuenteene shil= bib. Cott. lings. Seuentie three Archbishops in a continued traine of Succession, haue sitten in this glorious chaire; which at this present doth adde grace and ho= nour to George Abbot, Doctor of Diuinity, sometime Deane of Winche= ster, Master of the Vniuersitie Colledge in Oxford, Bishop of Couentry and Lichfield, from whence hee was remoued to London, and from thence translated to this Metropoliticall seate of Canterbury. Who hath bestowed 199 great summes of money in building and endowing of an Hospitall at Guild= ford in Surrey, the Towne wherein he was borne. But now to come within the Cathedrall Church; which hath beene, Tho. Becket and still is, honoured with the funerall Monuments of many renowned Archbishop Princes; of which although it may iustly vaunt, yet was it for nothing else so famous, as for the life, death, sepulture, and Shrine of Thomas Becket Archbishop of this See; by which her estimation was aduanced beyond all reason, measure and wonder. This Thomas Becket was borne in London, his fathers name was Gil= bert, a Merchant, his mothers Matilda, a stranger borne in Syria. He was first taught and brought vp, by the Prior of Merton Abbey in Surrey, and from thence sent to the Vniuersities of Oxford, Paris, and Bononia, to study the Canon Law; vpon his returne, he proceeded Doctor of that faculty in Oxford; after which (as you may haue it in the History of his life, written by the right reuerend Father in God, Francis Godwin, now Bishop of He= reford) in short time he was preferred by Theobald, Archbishop of this See, vnto the Archdeaconry of Canterbury, the Prouostship of Beuerley, and the Parsonages of Bromfeeld, and Saint Mary Hill: a Prebend in Paules, and another in the Church of Lincolne, and withall commended by him so ef= fectually to King Henry the second, that he receiued him into the number of his Chaplaines, aduanced him to the honour of Lord Chancellour of England, and (after the death of the said Theobald) to this Grace, and Pri= macie of Canterbury: presently after his consecration, being yet scarcely warme in his seate, vnder colour of defending the rights of his Church, hee stubbornly opposed himselfe against his Lord and Soueraigne in all his roy= all proceedings, insomuch that he was constrained to exile him the king= dome. Of which you shall heare a peece out of Harding in the life of Henry the second. Hard. cap. 31. He exiled then, Thomas of Cauntorbury Out of Englande, and many of his alliaunce, For cause of his rebellious gouernaunce; And as he came fro Rome by Fraunce awaye With language fel, he prayede the Kyng that daye The poyntes to mende. And now, if you will giue me leaue a little to digresse; I will tell you a tale (beleeue it as you list) reported by the said Thomas Becket himselfe, how that being in banishment, our blessed Lady gaue him a golden Eagle, full of precious ointment, inclosed in a stone vessell, commanding him to preserue it; foretelling withall, that the kings of England, which should be therewith anointed, should be strong champions, and stout defendours of the Church: that they should be bountifull, benigne, and fortunate, and that they should peaceably recouer such lands or territories, as had beene before lost by their predecessours; so long as they had this Eagle, with the viall or sacred vessell in their custody, telling him withall, that hee should bee a Martyr. This vision happened to him (forsooth) at Sens in France, in the Nunnes Church consecrated to Saint Columbe, in which Citie hee found Pope Alexander the third, a man, like himselfe, of an ambitious and tur= 200 bulent fierie spirit, into whose bosome, saith Hollinshead, he emptied whole cart-loads of complaints and grieuances, like a contumacious rebell, against his soueraigne Lord: excommunicating and cursing with bell, booke, and candle, all that did any way adhere vnto the kings partie. But now to returne to the words, by which hee did expresse his strange and incredible apparition, which I will set downe in the same language, as I found them anciently written in the Lieger booke of the Abbey of Whalley in Lanchishire. Thus he begins. Quando ego Thomas Cantuar. Archiepiscopus, exul ab Anglia, fugie- bam ad Franciam, veni ad Papam Alex. qui tunc Senonis erat, vt ei osten= derem malas consuetudines, & abusiones quas Rex Anglie in Ecclesiam in- troducebat. A fit tale Quadam nocte cum essem in Ecclesia Sancte Columbe in Monial. roga= wholly tend= ui Reginam Virginum vt daret Regi Anglie et hered.