The thread of our narrative now becomes so complicated, when the new minister is at last fully installed in the King’s service, that it will be necessary to depart from the chronological order of events hitherto followed, and to treat separately each phase of Cromwell’s policy, up to the reaction of 1539. The Internal and Foreign Administration, Suppression of the Monasteries, of the Pilgrimage of Grace, &c., all move on hand in hand, and in order to understand their bearing on one another, it is only needful to remember that they were all the work of one man, and were proceeding in general at the same time.
THE SUPPLICATION OF THE COMMONS AGAINST THE ORDINARIES.
Four drafts of this petition exist to-day in the Public Record Office. One of them is written in a hand which may be recognized in the greater part of Cromwell’s correspondence of the time, and which is probably that of his chief clerk; it is corrected and revised by Cromwell himself. Of the other three, one, which is uncorrected and probably a final draft, is also written by the clerk--and the other two, chiefly in a strange handwriting, are filled with interlineations by Cromwell. The following copy was made from the first of these drafts (Cal. v, 1016 (4)). The words in brackets are crossed out in the original manuscript: the words in italics are inserted between the lines. All the corrections are in Cromwell’s hand.
In most humble Wise Shewen vnto yo_ur_ excellent highnes and most prudent wisedom your faithfull louyng and most humble and obedient Subiect_es_ The Co_m_mons in this your p_re_sente parliament assembled That where of late aswell thorough new fantasticall and erronyous opynyons growen by occasion of Frantike sedycious and ou_er_thwartly Framed bokes compiled imprynted publisshed and made in the englishe tong contrarie and ayenst the veray trew catholique and Cristen Faith as also by the { vnreasonable and} extreme { rygour vndiscrete} _and vncharytable_ behaueour and dealing of dyuers ordynaries _Ther Co_m_myssaryes and Substytuttes_ which haue heretofore had and yet have thexamynacion in and vppon the saide errours and hereticall opynyons moche discorde varyaunce and debate hathe rysen and more and more daylie is like to encrease and insue emonges the vniu_er_sall sorte of your saide Subiect_es_ aswell sp_iri_tuall as temporall either ayenst other in most vncharitable man_er_ to the grete inquietacion vexacion and breche of your peax w_i_t_h_in this your most catholik realme. The speciall perticuler greues whereof which most principally concerne your saide Co_m_mons and lay Subiect_es_ and whiche ar (as they vndoubtedlie suppose) the veray chief Founteyns occasions and causes that daylie bredeth Fostereth Norissheth and maynteneth the saide sedycions factyons dedelie hatered and most vncharitable parte taking_es_ either parte and sorte of your saide Subiect_es_ spirituall and temporall ayenst thother hereafter Folowinglye Do ensue.