Sep 1536. This year in the month of September Wyllyam Tyndale (age 42) otherwise called Hichins was by the cruelty of the clergy of Louvain condemned and burned in a town beside Brussels in Brabant called Vilvoorde. This man translated the New Testament into English and first put it in print, and likewise he translated the five books of Moses, Joshua, Judicum, Ruth, the books of the Kings and the books of Paralipomenon, Nehemias or the first of Eldras, the Prophet Jonas, and no more of the holy scripture. He made also divers treatises, which of many were well liked and highly praised, and of many utterly despised and abhorred, and especially of the most part of the bishops of this realm, who often by their great labours caused Proclamations to be made against his books, and got them condemned and burned, as well the New Testament as other works of his doings. Such as best knew him reported him to be a very sombre man, born upon the borders of Wales, and brought up in the University of Oxford, and in life and conversation unreprovable: and at the last being in Oxford Luther then setting forth certain works against the Bishop of Rome, Tyndale occasioned by them to search the scriptures whether Luther said the truth or no, did thereby not only himself attain the knowledge of the usurped authority of the Bishop of Rome and his superstitious and damnable doctrines that he had taught and published through all Christendom, but also lamenting the ignorant state that his native country of England was in, who altogether were wrapped in errors thought it his duty, for that God had revealed the light of his Gospel to him, to bestow his talent to the honour of God and profit of his country, and thought no way so good to reduce the people from their error as first to make them acquainted with Gods word, that they might know what Gods will was that we should do, and what the Bishop of Rome said that we must do and therefore first as is aforesaid: he translated into English the New Testament, a work no doubt very notable and to him very painful, for that he was forced to fly his own native country, and to live in a strange land among people that as well varied from his manners, as the persons to him were unknown. Amongst whom after great pains by him taken, and many and diverse treatises by him published, he was at Antwerp this year by one Philipps an Englishman and then a scholar at Louvain, betrayed and taken, and as many said, not without the help and procurement of some bishops of this realm: but true it is, that after he had been in prison more than a yere and almost forgotten, he was laboured for by letters written by the Lord Cromwell, and then in all haste because he would recant no part of his doings, was burned as you have heard before. But yet this report did the Procurator General there (which we call here the Lieutenant) make of him, that he was, homo doctus pius, et bonus that is to say, learned, godly, and good.

Around Oct 1536. These articles thus ordained and to the people delivered. The inhabitants of the North parts being at that time very ignorant and rude, knowing not what true religion meant, but altogether nuzzled in superstition and popery, and also by the meanes of certain Abbots and ignorant priests not a little stirred and provoked for the suppression of certain Monasteries, and for the extirpation and abolishing of the Bishop of Rome, now taking an occasion at this book, saying see friends now is taken from us four of the seven sacraments and shortly ye shall lose the other three also, and thus the faith of Holy Church shall utterly be suppressed and abolished: and therefore suddenly they spread abroad and raised great and shameful slanders only to move the people to sedition and rebellion, and to kindle in the people hateful and malicious minds against the King’s Majesty and the magistrates of the realm, saying let us fully bend ourselves to the maintenance of religion, and rather than to suffer it thus to decay even to die in the field. And amongst them also were to many even of the nobility that did not a little provoke and stir up the ignorant and rude people the more stiffly to rebel and stand therein, faithfully promising them both aid and succour against the King and their own native country (like foolish and wicked men) thinking by their so doing to have done God high pleasure and service. There were also certain other malicious and busy persons who added oil (as the adage says) to the furnace: These made open clamours in every place where opportunity served, that Christian religion should be utterly violate, despised and set aside, and that rather then so, it behoved and was the parts of every true Christian man to defend it even to the death, and not to admit and suffer by any meanes the faith (in the which their forefathers so long and so many thousand years have lived and continued) now to be subverted and destroyed. Among these were many priests which deceived also the people with many false fables and venomous lies and imaginations (which could never enter nor take place in the heart of any good man, nor faithful subject) saying that all manner of prayer and fasting and all Gods service should utterly be destroyed and taken away, that no man should marry a wife or be partaker of the sacraments, or at length should eat a piece of roast meat, but he should for the same first pay unto the King a certain sum of money, and that they should be brought in more bondage and in a more wicked manner of life, then the Saracens be under the great Turk. With these and such other like errors and slanderous tales, the people thus instructed (or as I may truelier speak) deceived and mocked being to light of credit, incontinent to the help and maintenance of religion once established and confirmed, they stiffly and stoutly did conspire and agree and in a part of Lincolnshire, first they assembled and shortly after, joined into an army, being (as it was supposed) of men apt and feet for the war, in number about twenty thousand.

Against these traitorous rebels, with all the haste and speed that might be (after he hard thereof) the King’s Royal Majesty, in his own proper person, furnished with a goodly and warlike army, lacking nothing that to such a company should appertain, marched toward them. But these rebels hearing that his Majesty was present with his power and army royal, feared what would follow of this matter, and such as were noble men and Gentlemen, that before favoured them began to withdraw themselves, so that they were destitute of captains: and at the last they in writing made certain petitions to the King’s Majesty, professing that they never intended hurt toward his royal person. The King’s Majesty received there petitions, and made answer unto them as follows.

Around Oct 1536. And where ye allege that the service of God is much diminished, the truth thereof is contrary, for there be no houses suppressed where God was well served, but where most vice, mischief and abomination of living was used, and that does well appear by their own confessions subscribed with their own hands in the time of their visitations, and yet we suffered a great many of them (more then we needed by the Act) to stand wherein if they amend not their living, we fear, we have more to answer for then for the suppression of all the rest. And as for the hospitality for the relief of the poor, we wonder you be not ashamed to affirm that they have been a great relief of poor people, when a great many or the most part hath not past four or five religious persons in them, and diverse but one which spent the substance of the goods of their houses in nourishing of vice and abominable living. Now what unkindness and unnaturality may we impute to you and all our subjects that be of that mind, that had leaver [>] such an unthrifty sort of vicious persons, should enjoy such possessions, profits and emoluments, as grow of the said houses, to the maintenance of their unthrifty life, then we your natural Prince, Sovereign Lord and King, which does and has spent more in your defences of our own, then six times they be worth. As touching the Act of uses, we marvel what madness is in your brain, or upon what ground you would take authority upon you to cause us to break those laws and statutes, which by all the noble knights and gentlemen of this realm (who the same chiefly touches) hath been granted and assented to: seeing in no manner of things it touches you the base commons of our realm.

Also the grounds of all those uses were false, and never admitted by law, but usurped upon the prince, contrary to all equity and justice, as it hath been openly both disputed and declared by all the well learned men in the realm of England in Westminster Hall: whereby you may well perceive, how mad and unreasonable your demands be, both in that and in the rest, and how unmete it is for us and dishonourable, to grant or assent unto, and less mete and decent for you in such a rebellious sort to demand the same of your Prince.

As touching the fifteen which you demand of us to be released, think you that we be so faint hearted, that perforce you of one shire (were you a great many more) could compel us with your insurrections and such rebellious demeanour to remit the same or think you that any man will or may take you to be true subjects, that first make and shew a loving grant and then perforce would compel your sovereign Lord and King to release the same the time of payment whereof is not yet come, yea and seeing the same will not countervail the tenth penny of the charges, which we do and daily sustain for your tuicion [guardianship] and safeguard make you sure, by your occasions of these your ingratitudes, unnaturalness and unkindness to us now administered, you give us cause which has always been as much dedicate to your wealth as ever was King, not so much to set or study for the setting forward of the same, seeing how unkindly and untruly, you deal now with us, without any cause or occasion: and doubt ye not, though you have no grace nor naturalness in you to consider your duty of allegiance to your King, and sovereign Lord, the rest of our realm we doubt not hath: and we and they shall so loke on this cause, that we trust it shall be to your confusion, if according to your former letters you submit not yourselves.

As touching the first fruits, we let you wit, it is a thing granted us by Act of Parliament also, for the support of part of the great and excessive charges, which we support and bear for the maintenance of your wealths and other our subjects: and we have known also that you our commons have much complained in times passed, that the most part of our goods, lands and possessions, of the realm, were in the spiritual men’s hands: and yet bearing us in hand that ye be as loving subjects to us as may be, ye cannot find in your hearts that your prince and sovereign Lord should have any part thereof (and yet it is nothing prejudicial unto your our commons) but to rebel and unlawfully rise against your Prince, contrary to the duty of allegiance and God’s Commandment, Sirs, remember your follies and traitorous demeanours, and shame not your native country of England nor offend no more so grievously your undoubted King and natural prince, which always hath showed himself most loving unto you, and remember your duty of allegiance, and that you are bound to obey us your King, both by God’s Commandment and law of nature.

Wherefore we charge you eftsoons upon the aforesaid bonds and pains, that you withdraw yourselves to your own houses, every man, and no more to assemble contrary to our laws, and your allegiances, and to cause the provokers of you to this mischief, to be delivered to our lieutenants hands or ours, and you yourselves to submit you to such condign [deserved] punishment as we and our nobles shall think you worthy: for doubt you not else that we and our nobles can nor will suffer this injury at your hands unrevenged, if you give not place to us of sovereignty, and show yourselves as bounden and obedient subjects, and no more to intermeddle yourselves from henceforth with the weighty affairs of the realm, the direction whereof only appertains to us your King and such noble men and counsellors, as we list to elect and chose to have the ordering of the same: and thus we pray unto almighty god, to give you grace to do your duties, to use yourselves towards us like true and faithful subjects, so as we may have cause to order you thereafter, and rather obediently to consent amongst you to deliver into the hands of our Lieutenant a hundred persons, to be ordered according to their demerits, at our will and pleasure, then by your obstinacy and wilfulness, to put yourselves, your wives, children, lands, goods and cattle, beside the indignation of god, in the utter adventure of total destruction, and utter ruin, by force and violence of the sword.

Around Oct 1536. After that the King’s highness was credibly certified of this new insurged insurrection, he making no delay in so weighty a matter, caused with all speed the Dukes of Norffolke (age 63) and Suffolke (age 52), the Marques of Exeter (age 40), the Erle of Shrewsbury (age 68) with other, accompanied with his mighty and royal army, which was of great power and strength, forthwith to set upon the rebels: but when these noble captains and counsellors approached, the rebels and perceived their number and saw how they were bent to battle, they practised with great policy to have pacified all without bloodsheding, but the Northern men were so stiff necked that they would in no wise stoop, but stoutly stood and maintained their wicked enterprise, wherefore the nobles above said perceiving and seeing none other way to pacify these wretched rebels, agreed upon a battle, the battle was appointed, and the day was assigned: but, se the same night which was the night before the day of the battle appointed, fell a small rain nothing to speak of but yet as it were by a great miracle of god, the water which was but a very small ford, and that men in manner the day before might have gone dry-shod over, suddenly rose of such a height, deepness and breadth that the like no man that there did inhabit could tell that ever they saw it so afore, so that the day, even when the hour of battle should come it was impossible for the one army to come at the other.

After this appointment made between both the armies (disappointed as it is to be thought only by God, who extended his great mercy and had compassion on the great number of innocent persons, that in that deadly slaughter had like to have been murdered) could take no place: Then by the great wisdom and policy of the said captains, a communication was had, and a pardon of the King’s Majestic obtained, for all the captains and chief doers of this insurrection, and they promised that such things as they found themselves aggrieved withall they should gently be heard, and there reasonable petitions granted and that their articles should be presented to the King’s Majesty, that by his highness authority, and wisdom of his counsel, all things should be brought to good order and conclusion: and with this order every man quietly departed, and those which before were bent as hot as fire to fight, being letted thereof by God, went now peaceably to their houses, and were as cold as water. A domino factum est istud [This was done by the Lord].