BOOK should be divided into two. And consideration was now I. had of placing fit men in them; as appears by King EdAnno 1552. ward's Memorials, set down in Archbishop Cranmer's Life. Lib. ii. cap. Now I make little doubt, but that Grindal, being a north 5. Anno 1553. upon King death. country man, was pitched upon for one of these bishops; the date also so well agreeing. For this Memorial of the King was writ by him in October 1552, and Bishop Ridley's letter (wherein is mentioned this nomination of Grindal to a northern bishopric) was dated just the month after. But all this came to nothing, there being then a great topping courtier that put an end to this pious purpose of supplying those parts, where ignorance and superstition most prevailed, with two bishops. For by his sway he got the whole bishopric dissolved, and settled as a temporal estate upon himself. So that we leave Grindal still in the possession of his preFlies abroad bend of St. Paul's, laying out his talent in a diligent and Edward's faithful preaching of the Gospel in divers parts of the realm, as well as at the court, till the death of good King Edward 9 VI. when we find him flying his native country to avoid the persecution and cruelty that the Popish religion directed to be used to replant itself; and especially towards the most eminent of the preachers and instruments of the Reformation; whereof our Divine was deservedly looked upon as one. He made Strasburgh in Germany his sanctuary; the magistrates of which town did freely and christianly give harbour to divers English Protestants of the best rank, both of the laity and the clergy; and allowed them a church for the exercise of their religion, according as they professed it in England. Thither he came in very honourable company, viz. with Sir Anthony Cook, Sir Richard Morison, Sir John Cheke, Sir Thomas Wroth, and Mr. Hales; all persons of very great learning, and extraordinary worth and goodness. And one may conclude of what value and esteem Grindal now was in making one of this society. And of this his departure his patron Ridley, now prisoner, had intelligence; and in a certain letter to Augustin Bernher, relating how Grindal's two fellow-chaplains, Rogers and Bradford, one II. was offered up to God in martyrdom, and the other ready CHAP. to be offered, used these words of him; "Grindal is gone. "The Lord, I doubt not, hath [seeth] and knoweth wherein Anno 1553. " he will bestow him." Prophetically, methinks, spoken of those high places in the Church, wherein God afterwards bestowed him. German tongue. And being almost in despair of the restoration of religion Learns the in England, and consequently of his return thither again, he resolved to make himself master of the German tongue, that his talent might not lie unoccupied, but that he might be able to preach God's word in the German churches. Which the better to compass, he retired from Strasburgh, and the English there, to a town called Wasselheim, to learn the language: which he at length did to that perfection, ut vox Conrad Hutua etiam in Germanicis ecclesiis audiri potuisset; i. e. bert's Epist. Dedicat. that his voice might have been heard in the German ante Script. churches; as a learned German told him. He also made some residence at Spire. Buc. Angli. can. CHAP. II. Some account of him in his exile. Concerned in the Frank- Now let us trace our exile, as well as we can, through Anno 1554. Mr. Grindal was among the number of those pious and 10 sent to BOOK learned Divines, and others at Strasburgh, that took to 1. heart the controversies that were springing up at Frankfort, Anno 1554. in the year 1554, about a new model and form of worGrindal shipping God, varying from the last corrected book under Frankford. King Edward. To the brethren of Frankfort that were of this mind, those of Strasburgh sent a letter, signed by Grindal, together with divers others. "Therein first "taking notice of the goodness of God, that had moved the "hearts of the magistrates of that town to allow a church "to the poor English for their religious worship; not " doubting of their further friendship in permitting them, His mes 66 frankly, to use their religion, according to that godly "order set forth and received in England. That they, "their brethren of Strasburgh, doubted not of their good "conformity, and ready desires in reducing the English “Church, begun there, to its former perfection of the last "book used in England, so far as possibly could be ob"tained; lest by much altering of the same they should seem to contemn the chief authors thereof; who, as they at that present suffered, so were they ready to confirm "that fact with the price of their bloods: and should also 66 66 66 66 give both occasion to their adversaries to accuse their "doctrine of imperfection, and them of mutability; and the godly to doubt of that truth, wherein before they were persuaded; and lastly, to hinder their coming together at "Frankford, which before they had purposed." This letter they sent by two of their members, viz. Chambers and Grindal, whom they made their agents, to treat with the magistrates and them. And as their wisdom, learning, and godly zeal was well known to them all, so they signified, that what they should do should fully take place with them from whom they were sent. Grindal and his fellow being arrived at Frankfort, and sage there. the letter read in the congregation there, he then declared by word of mouth the reason of their coming: which was chiefly to establish the English book. Yet, that they meant not to have it so strictly observed, but that such ceremonies and things, which the country where they were 11. could not bear, might be omitted; the substance and effect CHAP. thereof remaining. Which when Knox and Whittingham (the main instruments of a new office) asked, what they Anno 1555. meant thereby? they answered, they had no commission to dispute in those matters; but they requested only their answer to three questions: one whereof was, what parts of the book they would admit. To which they answered, what they could prove to stand with God's word, and the country would permit. Grindal, after this, returned back again, with a letter Comes sent by those of Frankfort, in answer to that sent from Strasburgh. But seeing the small likelihood of agreement, he did not think fit to concern himself any further in this affair, that drew apace to contention; but resolved with others, that then were at Strasburgh, not to go and reside at Frankfort, as they had thought, but to remain where they were. Yet afterwards, in April or May 1555, he was Goes again. at Frankfort again, with Cox, Chambers, and some others of chief account; and there, by their prudence, quieted these differences: so that from henceforth the greatest 11 numbers of students and other exiles took up their habitation here. kindness to ledged by he was Bishop. Nor did the remembrance of this town's kindness to Frankfort's the English slip out of Grindal's mind ever after, whenso-the English ever he had opportunity of owning it. Thus particularly acknowin the year 1561, writing a letter to that town upon another him, when occasion, he enlarged himself, both in his own name, as in the name of the rest, for the charitable and Christian harbour afforded them there in their afflicted state: saying, "that no time should ever root out of their minds this be"nefit. And, that England had so many bishops, and "other ministers of God's word, which at that day preached "the pure doctrine of the Gospel, was owing to Strasburgh, "Zuric, Basil, Wormes, but above all the rest to Frank"fort. Vos illos hospitio excepistis, exceptos summa hu"manitate complexi atque authoritate tutati estis. Et, “si istam vestram pietatem gratis animis non agnoscere"mus, et prædicaremus, essemus omnium mortalium ingra BOOK "tissimi;" i. e. "You received our people to harbour; and 1. "being received, embraced them with the highest humanity, Anno 1555." and defended with your authority. And if we should "not acknowledge and speak of this piety of yours with "thankful minds, we were of all mankind the most un"grateful." secuted Collects One of Grindal's great businesses now was to collect the writings and stories together the writings and stories of the learned and pious of the per-sufferers in England, and to publish them: for which English. purpose he had a great correspondence here. In the year 1555 had come to his hands Ridley's disputations at Oxford; also Marcus Antonius Constantinus's Objections to Archbishop Cranmer's book against Stephen Bishop of Winchester, and the Answers to those Objections, which were either framed by the said Archbishop or Ridley in prison: and a treatise in English against Transubstantiation; which was Ridley's. This last, by the counsel of Grindal and others, was resolved to be put into Latin. And so it was. But these writings Grindal with his friends there did make some stop to put in print as yet, lest it might irritate the enemies of those holy men then in captivity; and therefore reckoned it better to defer it for a while. And concerning this, Grindal being now at Frankfort, and having an opportunity here, sent a letter to the said Bishop Ridley, to know his pleasure herein. And because in the letter are other matters relating to the present state of the exiles, I shall here insert it: and the rather because the answer to it from Ridley is preserved in Fox, and mention only made of this letter. His letter to Ridley. "Gratiam et consolationem a Domino, et Servatore nostro "Jesu Christo. "Sir, I have often been desirous to have written to you, "and to have heard from you; but the iniquity of the "times have hitherto always put me forth of all hope and "comfort. Now at this present God seemeth to offer some "likelihood that these might come to your hands, which "I thought to use, referring the rest to God's disposition. |