| great clamour against these communities, and a general horror was excited in the nation against them. But as great discontent and murmurs were evinced by many persons of rank and learning, who still adhered to the old religion, Henry took care that all those who could be useful to him, or even dangerous in case of opposition, should be sharers in the spoil. He either made a gift of the revenues of the convents to his principal courtiers, or sold them at low prices, or exchanged them for lands on very disadvantageous terms. In the midst of these commotions the fires of Smithfield were seen to blaze with unusual fierceness.* Those who adhered to the pope or those who followed the doctrines of Luther, were equally the objects of royal ven- | geance and ecclesiastical persecution. Henry delivered his opinions in a law, which, from its horrid consequences, was afterwards termed the Bloody Statute. From the multiplied alterations which were made in the national systems of beief, mostly drawn up by the king himself, few knew not what to think or what to profess.Cromwell earl of Essex, who was lord privy seal, ricegerent to the king's highness, and Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury, were both seen to favour the reformation with all their endeavours. On the other hand, Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, together with the duke of Norfolk, were for leading the king back to his original superstition. But, in fact, Henry submitted to neither; his pride had long been so inflamed by flattery, that he thought himself entitled to regulate by his own single opinion, the religious faith of the whole nation. Dr. Priestley, in his Lectures on History, truly observes, how can we help acknowledging the hand of God when we see great and important events brought about by seemingly trifling and inconsiderable means; or by means which seem to have little or no relation to the end; who would have imagined that the desire which Henry VIII had to be divorced from his wife, would dare brought about the reformation in England? Again, he observes, how incapable riches and power are to satisfy the minds of man; is an Elizabeth Barton, a country girl of Aldington, in , of her accomplices, were adjudged guilty of high As for a conspiracy against the king, and executed, Apr 30th, 1534. contradicting the opinions delivered in the Bloody No less than five hundred persons were imprisoned Bate: and received protection only from the lenity of Who had been instrumental in Lambert's execution, felt Powell. Lambert, a schoolmaster, and doctor Barnes, severity of the persecuting spirit, and by a bill in iament, without any trial, were condemned to the es, discussing theological questions at the very stake. same opinions. Three catholics also, whose names re Abel, Featherstone, and Powel, were dragged upon same hurdles to execution; and who declared that most grievous part of their punishment was the being ed with such heretical miscreants as were united in name calamity. The indiscretion of a Portuguese priest, who would sive place to one of the king's officers in Japan, and be sbstinacy of the Jesuits, in refusing to give up the lamed it back again, occasioned the extirpation of the which a nobleman had given them, when his son Coman catholic religion in that country. observation which few persons, in the course of their own experience, have not seen occasion to make. But the sentiment makes a deeper impression upon us when we see it exemplified in the history of statesmen and kings. How often do we see the vanity of the living in their boundless provision for futurity, in the dissipation of the large fortunes of covetous persons, by the extravagance of their heirs. But it does not affect us so much as when we read in history, that the riches which pope Sixtus V. amassed in his pontificate, and those which Henry IV. king of France, had with great difficulty saved, were squandered away within less than a year after their deaths; and also, that the treasure which Henry VII. of England, had raised, by every art of extortion, went almost as fast by Henry VIII. his son and successor. 1536. Shortly after the appearance of Cover dale's Bible, a royal proclamation was issued to the clergy to provide a book "of the whole Bible, both in Laten, and also in English, and lay the same in the quire for everye man that will to loke and reade thereon." The convocation of the province of Canterbury assembling June 9, the year 1536, Dr. Heylin tells us that the clergy then agreed upon a form of a petition to be presented to the king, that he would graciously indulge unto his subjects of the laity the reading of the Bible in the English tongue, and that a new translation of it might be forthwith made for that end and purpose. By this it appears that the clergy did not of the translation already made by Tindall and Coverdale, and that their attempt, which they made two years ago to have the royal permission to make a new one did not succeed. approve Soon after the finishing this Bible, were published by Lord Cromwell, keeper of the privy seal, and vicegerent to the king for and concerning all his jurisdiction ecclesiastical within his realme, the king's highnesse,' Injunctions to the clergy, by the authorite of "*the seventh of which was as follows: 66 "That every person or proprietary of any parish churche within this realme shall on this side the feast of St. Peter ad vincula (August 1) nexte comming prouide a boke of the whole Bible, both in Latin and also in English, and lay the same in the quire for everye man that will to loke and read thereon; and shall discourage no man from the reading any parte of the Bible, * Formerly kings were apostrophised by the title of your grace. Henry VIII, was the first, says Houssaie, who first assumed the title of highness; and at length majesty. It was Francis I. who saluted him with the last title, in their interview, in this year, though he called himself only the first gentleman in his kingdom. The titles of Honour of Seldon is a very curious volume, and, as the And never yet was TITLE did not move; An honest curate of Montferrat refused to bestow the title of highness on the duke of Mantua, because he found in his breviary these words: Tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus; from all which he concluded, that none but the Lord, was to be honoured with the title of highness. either in Latin or English, but rather comfort, exhort, and admonish every man to read the same as the very word of God and the spiritual foode of manne's soul, whereby they may the better knowe their duties to God, to their soueraigne lord the king, and their neighbour; ever gentilly and charitably exhorting them, that, using a sober and modest behavioure in the reading and inquisition of the true sense of the same, they doo in no wise stifly or eagerly contend to stryve one with another about the same, but referre the declaration of those places that be in controversie to the judgemente of them that be better learned. This seems a confirmation of Coverdale's Bible being licensed by the king, since by this injunction it is ordered to be had in churches, and there read by any that would, there being no other Bible in English at this time than Coverdale's. Whether the archbishop had a mind to have Tindall's prologues and notes reprinted, or the printers thought such an edition would sell well we find the next year (1537) published another noted edition of the English Bible in folio, and is usually called MATTHEWE'S BIBLE,* from the name affixed to it, as the editor. It was printed abroad, at the expense of Grafton and Whitchurch; and was set forth with the king's most gracious licence." It bears the following title:The Byble, which is all the Holy Scripture, in which are contayned the Olde and Newe Testament, truly and purely translated into Englysh. By Thomas Matthewe."+ : At the beginning of the prophets are printed on the top of the page the initial letters R. G. i. e. Richard Grafton, and at the bottom E. W. i. e. Edward Whitchurch, who were both the printers and publishers, and at whose expense this impression was made; and was set forth with the king's most gracious licence." 66 Richard Grafton, sent six copies of this edition to Cromwell, at his lordship's request, accompanying them with a letter, in which he complained, that after having printed 1500 copies at an expense of not less than £500 he was apprehensive of being undersold by the Dutch booksellers, The Bible, with marginal notes, black letter, with cuts. 1520. This is the Bible, in which, by an artful counterfeit, described by Mr. Wanley, St. Paul is called the knave, &c. the rasure of the true word servant, and an exact observer, are so well executed, that the Bible was sold to the duke of Lauderdale, for seventeen guineas, by one Thornton, who, indeed, first effaced Matthew's preface, all the dates except one, of which he erased XVII., and added a note that this Bible, which was the the insertion of the false reading, though discoverable by edition of 1537, was printed in 1520, a date earlier than that of any English Bible. It does not appear that this reading was ever really printed. There is no other copy in the world that has this alteration. The name of Thomas Matthewe is affixed to this bible as the editor; but this, it is said, was fictitious; and that the real editor was John Rogers; a native of Lan. cashire, who was educated at Cambridge, and became acquainted with Tindall at Antwerp; but in queen Mary's reign, (being then in England) he became the first martyr of her reign, being burnt at Smithfield, February 4, 1555, on account of printing this bible. Nicholls, in his Commentary on the Book of Common Prayer, however, states that Thomas Matthewe was prebendary of St. Paul's. who, observing how acceptable the English bible was to the common people, were designing to print it in a smaller volume; and though he believed the editions which they would print would be very inferior in paper, type, and correctness, yet without his lordship's interposition, they would probably ruin him and his friends. He therefore entreated his lordship to obtain for him, from the king," that none should print the bible for three years but himself;" and urged the advantage that would result from enjoining every clergyman to have one, and placing six copies in every abbey. By this it would seem, that Grafton intended another impression, since the number already printed, namely, 1500, was no wise sufficient to answer so large a demand. A resolution was soon after taken to revise this edition of Matthew's, and to print it again without the prologues or annotations, at which great offence was pretended to be taken, as containing matters heretical, and very scandalous and defamatory. From the following circumstance, it is supposed that Richard Grafton and Edward Whitchurch, executed this edition at Paris, because at that time there were in France better printers and paper than could be had here in England. Cromwell, earl of Essex, procured a letter to be written from Henry VIII. to the king of France, that some of his subjects might be licensed to print an English bible at the university of Paris; and at the same time another letter was sent to Bonner, Henry's ambassador at the French court, to afford this request all the assistance in his power. Francis complied, and Bonner appeared so zealous in the cause, that Cromwell first procured him the bishopric of Hereford, and immediately afterwards that of London. The work advanced and was even on the verge of its conclusion, when the printer was summoned before the inquisitors of the faith, who charged him with certain articles of heresy, whilst Grafton and Whitchurch, the proprietor, of the book, and Coverdale the corrector of the press, escaped only by suddenly leaving the country. Four dry vats filled with the copies of the bibles which they left behind, were sold by the lieutenant criminal, to whom they were delivered to be burned in Maulbert place, to a haberdasher to wrap his wares in, and the upon a second visit which Grafton and Whit church made to Paris, were bought up by thera together with the presses and types which the had formerly used, and the servants of their fir printer engaged to go with them to Englan where they resumed the work, and finished it th middle of April, in the following year. It is large folio, and has obtained the name of th bible of the largest volume, or the great bible,† *Copies of the royal license by Francis 1., and of t instrument of the inquisition for inhibiting the bi may be seen in Strype's Memorials of Archbishop Cross v. 1., c. xxi., b. 1., p. 119; and vol. II., appendix, à XXX., Fox. + Vellum copies of this edition are in the Brit museum, and in the library of St. John's college, a bridge. term which seems to have been occasionally given to other early folio editions. Fulke, in his Defence of the English Translation of the Bible, relates, that " when Coverdale's translation was finished, and presented to Henry, he gave it bishop Gardiner and some others to examine. They kept it so long, that at last Henry had to call for it himself. When they delivered the book, he demanded their opinion of the translation. They answered, that there were many faults in it." "Well," said the king, but are there any heresies mentioned in it?" They replied, "There were no heresies they could find." "If there be no heresies," said Henry, "then, in God's name, let it go abroad among our people."-Lewis. 1536. Engraving in dots or commonly called stippling, is the only mode of engraving which is supposed to have been the invention of the Italians. Agostino de Musis, better known by the name of Augustine of Venice, a pupil of Mark Antonio, used it in several of his earliest works, but confined it to the flesh, as in the undated print of an old man seated upon a bank, with a ttage in the back ground. He flourished from 1509 to 1536. We also find it in a print of a angle figure standing, holding a cup and lookpcards, by Giulio Campagnola, who engraved about the year 1516. The back ground 15 executed with round dots, made apparently with a dry point. The figure is outlined with a roke deeply engraved, and finished with dots, in a manner greatly resembling those prints which Demarteau engraved at Paris in imitation of red chalk. The hair and beard are expressed by strikes. Stephen de Laulne, a native of Germany, followed the steps of Campagnola; and Eary of his slight works are executed in dots nly John Boulanger, a French artist, who urished in the middle of the sixteenth century, ad his cotemporary, Nicholas Van Plattenberg, oved greatly on this method, and practised with much success. John Lutma executed kind of work with a hammer and a small Patch or chissel. like Adam, and every woman like Eve; and he concludes with a positive assertion, that woman will cease to exist. 1538. Printing introduced at Tortosa, a city of Spain. In the library of Trinity college, Dublin, there is a curious book of this year, namely the Mariale of Bernardinus de Sorio, who was rector of the college of Tortosa. The printer, Arnaldum Guillermi, is protected for ten years, under a penalty of 1000 florins and forfeiture of the copies.-The Mariale is a quarto, consisting of 277 leaves printed irregularly in black letter, with a few flowered initials of coarse workmanship. The title-page is ornamented with wood cuts on both sides. The paper is strong though yellow; neither the type nor presswork are very good. 66 to 1538. In this year the English Bible was permitted to be exposed to sale, and publicly read; and an injunction was published by the vicar general of the kingdom, "ordering the clergy to provide, before a certain festival, one book of the whole bible, of the largest volume in English, and to set it up in some convenient place within their churches, where their parishioners might most commodiously resort to read it ;" the expense of which was to be borne equally by the clergyman and the parishioners. A royal declaration was also issued, which the curates were to read in their respective churches, informing the people of the injunction to place it in the churches, and of the permission given to all to read it; with directions how to read and hear it, and advising them to avoid all disputes about the scriptures in " taverns or alehouses," and rather to consult those who were authorized to preach and explain them. "It was wonderful," says Strype, see with what joy this book of God was received, not only among the learneder sort, and those that were noted for lovers of the Reformation, but generally all England over, among all the vulgar and common people; and with what greediness God's word was read, and what resort to places where the reading of it was." Again, he observes, "that the parsons, vicars, and curates In this style of engraving, Francis Bartolozzi, did read confusedly the word of God, and the ads preeminent in modern times; he contrived king's injunctions, lately set forth, and comexecute it so beautifully as to assist in seducing manded by them to be read: humming and hawkde public taste from the superior and legitimate ing therat, that almost no man could understand style of line engraving. He was born at Florence, the meaning of the injunction. And they secret1728, and died at Lisbon, 1815. He resided ly suborned certain spreaders of rumours and f some time in England, and executed many false tales in corners, who interpreted the injuncats for Boydell's Shakspeare, which exhibit tions to a false sense. And bad their parishioners, uisite specimens of taste and execution. notwithstanding what they read, being compelled 1537. In this year was printed at Lyons, a so to do, that they should do as they did in times k entitled, Les Controves des Sexes masculin past, to live as their fathers; and that the old femenin, 16mo. The author, Gratian du fashion is the best. They even insinuated that Pat; asserts that every man will, at the resur- the king meant to take away the liberties of the pation, be an entire body, without the least de- realm, with other seditious intimations." maity. He maintains that were every part of the body separated into fifteen hundred different es, they would all unite, and become come. He adds that Adam will regain the part which Eve was formed, and that Eve must in become Adam's side; and thus, he says, it be with all other persons; every man will be Mr. Thoresby mentions the New Testament printed at Paris, by Reignault, in 1538, at the expense of bishop Bonner. It was printed in 8vo. in two columns, English and Latin; and has 1 Peter ii. 13, thus translated, "Unto the Kynge as the chefe heade," doubtless out of compliment to Henry VIII. 1538. King Henry VIII. granted a license to James Nicholson, a printer, who resided in St. Thomas's hospital, in Southwark, to print the New Testament in Latin and English, in quarto. The English was Coverdale's version, and the Latin, that of the Vulgate. Coverdale wrote a dedication to the king, in which he assured his majesty "that his principal design was to induce such as knew the English only, and were not learned in Latin, that in comparing these two texts together, they might the better understand the one by the other; and he did not doubt, but such ignorant bodies, as having care and charge of souls, were very unlearned in the Latin tongue, should through this small labour be occasioned to attain unto knowledge, and at least be constrained to say well of the thing which heretofore they had blasphemed." 1538. Nov. 16. The proclamation of Henry VIII. following the formal trial and condemnation of the shrine and goods of Thomas á Becket,* declaring that he was no saint, but a rebel and a traitor to his prince, and caused his bones to be burnt by the hangman. The account of the miracles wrought at his tomb filled two folio volumes. His jubilee of fifteen days was attended by 100,000 pilgrims, and the offering, in two years, to God, were £3 2s. 6d.; to the virgin, £67 7s. 2d.; but to Saint Thomas, £1786 18s. 6d. The shrine was estimated at above a million of money. When relics of saints were first introduced, the relique-mania was universal; they were bought and sold like other articles of commerce; and the collectors made no scruple to steal them. It is entertaining, says Mr. D'Israeli, to observe the singular ardour and grasping avidity of some, to enrich themselves with these religious *Thomas a Becket, was born in London, in 1119, and educated at Oxford and Paris. Henry II. appointed him, in 1158, chancellor and preceptor to the prince. In 1162 he was elected archbishop of Canterbury, on which he resigned the chancellorship, and assuming the arrogance of a sovereign pontiff, came to hostilities with the king, who endeavoured to effect a reform among the clergy. assented at first, but afterwards retracted, and endeavoured morsels; their little discernment, the curious impositions of the vender, and the good faith and sincerity of the purchaser. The prelate of the place sometimes purchased for the holy benefit of the village or town. The following legend concerning Thomas a Becket, is taken from the Golden Legend, printed by Wynkyn de Worde, 1498, folio:-" And anon after, Saint Thomas came to Rome on Saint Marcus day at afternoon, and when his catour should have brought fish for his dinner, by cause it was fasting day, he could get none for no money, and came and told his lord St. Thomas so. And he bade him buy such as he get; and then bought flesh, and made it ready for their dinner; an St. Thomas was served with a capon roasted, and his meyne with boiled meat; and so it was that the pope heard that he was come, and sent a cardinal to welcome him; and he found him at his dinner eating flesh; which anon returned, and told the pope how he was not so perfect a man as he had supposed; for, contrary to the rule of the church, he eated this day flesh. The pope would not believe him, but sent another cardinal, who, for more evidence, took the leg of the capon in his keuerchyef, and affirmed the same. And opened his keuerchyef to fore the pope, and he found the leg turned into a fish called a carp. And when the pope saw it, he said they were not true men to say such things of this good bishop. They said faithfully it was flesh that he did eat. And after this, St. Thomas came to the pope, and did his reverence and obedience, whom the pope welcomed; and after certayn communication, he demanded what meat he had eaten? and he said flesh, as ye have heard to fore; because he could find no fish, and very need compelled him thereto. Then the pope (understood of the miracle that the capon's leg was turned into a carp) of his goodness, granted to him and to all them of the diocese of Canterbury, license to eat flesh for ever on Saint Marcus day, and pardon withal; which is kept and accustomed unto this day." The Roman church not being able to deny, respecting the privileges of the church, to which Becket which have operated miracles, they reply that In a convention held at Clarendon, laws were passed says Bayle, that there have been false relics, to leave the kingdom, to communicate his grievances to the good intentions of those believers who have the pope. This occasioned a parliament to be called at Northampton,, in 1165, when the archbishop was senrecourse to them obtained from God this reward tenced to forfeit all his goods to the king. On this he left for their good faith! In the same spirit, when the kingdom, and Henry seized upon the revenues of his it was shown that two or three bodies of the see. Becket resigned at Sens his archbishopric into the hands of the pope, who returned it to him with assursame saint are said to exist in different places ances of support. The prelate now fulminated his ana- and that therefore they all could not be authen themas against several bishops and noblemen, which so tic, it was answered that they were all genuine irritated the king that he banished all his relations. An accommodation was at last concluded between Becket for God had multiplied and miraculously repre and the king, but Becket refusing to withdraw his ex-duced them for the comfort of the faithful. communication of the bishops, they laid their complaints before Henry, who was in Normandy. In a fit of passion the king exclaimed how unhappy he was, that among so many attendants none had gratitude enough to rid him of one who caused him so much disturbance. On this, four knights set out for Canterbury, and assassinated the archbishop at the altar of his cathedral, December 29, 1171. For this the king was obliged by the pope to do penance and passed the whole day and night fasting upon the bare at Becket's tomb, where he was scourged by the monks, stones. The murderers were sent on penance to the Holy Land, where they died. Becket was canonized two years after; and his pretended miracles were so numerous, that his shrine became the richest in Europe. his agent at Rome to purchase St. Augustine Canute II. who reigned in 1041, commissione arm for one hundred talents of silver and one o gold; a much greater sum observes Grange than the finest statue of antiquity would hav sold for. Henry III. of England, who reigne from 1216 to 1272, was so deeply tainted wit the superstition of the age, summoned all th great in the kingdom to meet in London. Th summons excited the most general curiosity, an multitudes appeared. The king then acquainted them that the great master of the knight templars had sent a phial containing a small portion of the precious blood of Christ which he had shed upon the cross; and attested to be genuine by the seals of the patriarch of Jerusalem and others! He commanded a procession the following day; and the historian adds, that though the road between St. Paul's and Westminster abbey was very deep and miry, the king kept his eyes constantly fixed on the phial. Two monks received, and deposited the phial in the abbey "which made all England shine with glory, dedicating it to God and St. Edward.". This is one of the many absurdities of this king. Lord Herbert, in his life of Henry VIII., notices the great fall of the price of relics at the dissolution of the monasteries. "The respect given to relics, and some pretended miracles, fell; insomuch, as I find by our records, that a piece of St. Andrew's finger (covered only with an ounce of silver), being laid to pledge by a moBastry for forty pounds, was left unredeemed at the dissolution of the house; the king's commissioners, who upon surrender of any foundation undertook to pay the debts, refusing to return the price again.' That is, they did not choose to repay the forty pounds, to receive a piece of the finger of St. Andrew. Lord Cromwell's commissioners found, in St. Augustine's abbey, at Bristol, the following relies:-two flowers which bore blossoms only on Christmas day, Jesus's coat, our Ladie's smocke, part of the last supper, part of a stone on which Jesus sat in Bethlehem, &c. The prior of Maiden Bradley, they found had five sons, and a daugh ter married. About this time the property of relics suddenly sunk to the South-sea bubble; for shortly after the artifice of the Rood of Grace, at Boxley in Kent, was fully opened to the eye of the populace; and a far-famed relic at Hales in Gloucestershire, of the blood of Christ, was at the same time exhibited. It was shown in a phal, and it was believed that none could see Il who were in mortal sin; and after many trials asually repeated to the same person, the deluded igrims at length went away fully satisfied. Thas relic was the blood of a duck, renewed every week, and put in a phial; one side was paque, and the other transparent; the monk turned either side to the pilgrim, as he thought proper. The success of the pilgrim depended the oblations he made; those who were seanty in their offerings were the longest to get Right of the blood: when a man was in despair, e usually became generous! 1538. The introduction of Parochial Regisrs in England was in consequence of the inunctions of Thomas Lord Cromwell, which were set forth in this year, the thirtieth year of Henry VIII; but they were not much attended the reign of queen Elizabeth, who issued unctions concerning them in the 1st, 7th, and 4th years of her reign. It appears that in pain they had been in use several years before, and are said to have been instituted by cardinal Ximenes, in the year 1497, in order to remedy the disorders arising from the frequency of divorces in that country. Till late years, they were kept very negligently in many parts of England; and being in the custody of churchwardens who changed from year to year, old registers were frequently lost or destroyed. In Northamptonshire, a piece of an old parish register, on parchment, was found on the pillow of a lace-maker, with the pattern of her work pricked upon it. In a letter written by Mr. Brokesby to Mr. Hearne, (both learned antiquaries, dated Dec. 12, 1708, the writer, speaking of long-lived persons, tells us that there was a woman whom he had conversed with in Yorkshire, who gave out that she was six score, and afterwards seven score, and hence had many visitants, from whom she got money. He then adds, "She was born before registers were kept in country parishes. Hence I could have no light for the time of her baptism." 1538. The first play printed in England was entitled A Tragedye or Enterlude, manyfestyng the chefe Promyses of God unto Man, by all ages in the Olde Lawe, from the fall of Adam to the incarnacyon of the Lorde Jesus Christ. Compyled by Johan Bale, anno domina M.D. XXXIII. This is one of the rarest and valuable articles belonging to the British drama. It is in the Garrick collection.* 1538. The New Testament, faithfully translated and lately corrected by Miles Coverdale, 8vo. This testament seems to have been printed abroad, but is very accurate. In the title is a kind of label, inclosing the words, Search the Scriptures. At the end, is a collection of the Epistles from the bible, after the use of Salisbury. It has cuts only in the apocalypse, which, whatever was the reason, are very frequent in the testaments of that time. In Smith's Facsimiles, plate 17, there is a letter by Miles Coverdale to Thomas lord Cromwell, relative to his translation of the Bible, which says, A.D. 1538, "As concernyng y New Testament in English, y copy whereof yo' good lordshippe receaved lately a boke by * John Bale, a tolerable Latin classic, and an eminent biographer, embraced the reformation, and was advanced to the bishopric of Ossory, by king Edward VI. Prior tural interludes, chiefly from incidents of the New Testa to his conversion from popery, he composed many scrip ment; amongst them are the Life of Saint John the Baptism and Temptation, The Resurrection of Lazarus, Baptist, written in 1538, Christ in his Twelfth year, The Council of the High Priests, Simon the Leper, Our Lord's Supper, and the Washing of the Feet of his Disciples, Christ's Burial and Resurrection, the Passion of Christ, the Comedy of the three Laws of Nature, Moses and Christ corrupted by the Sodomites, Pharisees and Papist, printed by Nicholes, Hamburgh, in 1538, and so popular that it was reprinted by Colwell, in 1562; God's Promises to Man, which he calls A Tragedie, or Interlude, manyfestynge the chyfe promises of God unto man, in all ages, from the begynnynge of the worlde to the Deathe of Jesus Christe, a Mysterie, 1538; our author in his Vocacyon, to the Bishoprick of Ossory informs us, that his comedy of John the Baptist, and his tragedy of God's Promises, were acted by the youths upon Sunday at the Market-cross of Kilkenny.-John Bale died 1563. |