fully fyneshed will utterly consume the small resydew of the church treasure remayninge in their custody, without any profytable effecte, savinge to norysh clatteringe conventycles of barbarous rurall persons, the deformed habitacions of the pore collegyans in soch beggerly ruyne and so wrechedly decayed that honestye will abhorre to beholde them. Which to remedy, pleaseth the kynges highnes of his gracyous bountye to graunte the Grey Freres place at Kermerddyn,* where his most noble progenytour and graundefather lyeth honorably entiered, lycensynge the see thydder to be translated, which (his graces pleasour condescendinge) maye be perfourmed withoute any chargeable difficultie, and not only the pore collegyans but also the canons resydentearyes myght be there pleasantly enhabited, with haboundant provision of all necessarye commoditees, contynually havinge oportune occasion to profite the kynges subjectes. Whereas at S. Davids, lurkynge in a desolate corner, they that be best mynded can do veraye litle good in case they wold, savynge to them selves. And concernynge the ffreres, that they nether shuld be agreeved with any prejudice, I dowte not but under the kynges highnes favour of soch preferrementes as I have of his grace sufficiently to provyde for every one of them that shalbe founde an able mynister of Christes church in competente lernynge and honest conversacion. Moreover the sayed towne of Kermerddyn beinge the most frequented place and indifferently sytuate in the myddle of the dyocesse, I myght there (and God willinge so I wolde) settle my contynuall consistory, assisted with lerned persons, maynteynynge a ffre grammer scole, with a dayly lecture of holy scripture, whereby Gods honour princypally preferred, the Welsh rudenes decreasynge, Christian cyvilitye maye be in * This was probably the priory at Caermarthen, of which there are still considerable remains. This letter seems to contradict the common opinion that Edmond Tudor, first earl of Richmond, the father of King Henry VII. was buried in the cathedral of St. David's. His remains were perhaps removed thither on the suppression of the priory. CAMD. Soc. 2 B troduced to the famous renowne of the kynges supremytye, whose princely majestye almightye Jesu preserve with your good lordship. From Kermerddyn, the last daye of Merch. Your lordeshyppes to commaund, To the right honorable and my synguler good lorde my lorde privey seale. W. MENEVEN. [Inclosed with the foregoing letter.] Thexaminacion of Thomas Hore, prior of Cardigan, donatyve of the late monasterye of Chersey, concernynge the pretensed taper of our Lady there. Inprimis, the said pryour sayeth that he hath be prior there the space of fyve yer es. Item, that he never saw the taper of our Lady within but at the neder ende, where it appered wood unto his judgement. Item, that he estemed the same to be a holy relyque to his judgemente, accordinge to the fame of the cuntrey, unto the tyme that he saw it opened. And then he confesseth hym selfe to have be deceaved therin. Item, that the image now situate in the church of Cardigan, which ys used for a greate pilgremage to this presente daye, was founde standinge apon the ryver of Tyve, beinge an arme of the see, and her sonne apon her lappe, and the same taper bernynge in her hande. Item, that the said ymage was caryed from thens unto Christes church of Cardigan, and the sayd ymage wold not tarry there, but was founde thre or fowre tymes in the place where now ys buylded the church of our Lady, and the taper brunnynge in her hande, which contynued styll burnynge the space of nyne yeres, without wastinge, untill the tyme that one forsware hymselfe theron, and then it extincted, and never burned after. Item, that sence the ceasinge of burnynge of the sayd taper, it was enclosed and taken for a greate relyque, and so worshipped and kyssed of pylgremes, and used of men to sweare by in difficill and harde matters,* wherof the advauntage admounted to greate sommes of money in tymes passed, payenge yerely of the same xxti nobles for a pencion unto thabbot of Chersey. Thexaminacion of syr† Morgan Meredeth, vicar of our Lady church there. Inprimis, he sayeth that he hath be vicar there xxjt, yeres. • We might imagine, by the number of holy relics which the Welsh had to swear by, that they were constantly in the habit of false-swearing, and did not believe one another. Other instances will be found in Giraldus Cambrensis, &c. † Sir, applied to a priest, was a scholastic title, the translation of dominus, given to a person who had taken his first degree in the university. We meet with other instances in the course of these letters. Item, that prior Johan Frodsam* tolde hym, that because the people toke the wax awaye, he put the tree beneth, that the people shuld not dyminesh the substance of the taper, otherwise he assenteth and agreeth in all thinges with the priour. Injunctiones dictis priori et vicario facte et injuncte, decimo sexto die mensis Mercij, auctoritate regia mediante. Inprimis, that the sayd prior and vicare alternis vicibus shall preach and declare the gospell or the epistle reade apon that daye in the mother tongue, exponynge the same syncerly as ferre as their lernynge will extende, openynge to the people the abhominable idolatri and disceatfull jugglinge of their predicessours there in worshippinge and causinge to be worshipped a pece of old rotten tymber, puttinge the people in belefe the same to be a holy relique, and a taper which had burned without consumynge or wast, &c. Item, the sayd pryour and vicar shall so preach every Sondaye and holyday betwixte this and dominica in albis. Item, the sayd prior and vicare shall do awaye or cause to be done awaye all maner of clothes, fygured wax, delusyons of myracles, shrowdes, and other entysementes of the ignorante people to pilgremage and ydolatry. Item, that they shall take an ynventory of all and every soch clothes, wax, shrowdes, and other entysementes, and the same shall converte into the use of pore people, or otherwise to some other good use, makynge therof a recknynge in writinge, declaringe the trewe bestowynge and usinge of the same. Item, that all and synguler these injunctyons shalbe inviolablye observed in payne of contempte. XCIV. BISHOP BARLOW TO CROMWELL. [From MS. Cotton. Cleop. E. iv. fol. 262.] After moste humble recommendacions, pleasith your lordeshippe to be advertysede, that immedyatly upon the receyte of your honorable lettres, I made delyvery of soche goodes of the chauntours of Seynte Davydes as remayned in my custodye; and where itt was suggestyde that I vysetede his howse and toke awaye all his * Probably Hore's predecessor in the office. goodes and catalle, to sertefye your lordeshippe unfayndly of the treweth, I causyde nothinge to be removede thence butt certeyne chestes, wherein was perceyvede to be his plate and money, whiche after his voluntary submyssion I dyd upon consyderacyons, bycause parte of the contrie was ryotously raysid uppe by his ffrendes, and for the manacynge rumoures of Mr. Rychard Devourax hyther commynge, as this barer my brother can ferder enforme your lordeshippe with the hole circumstance of the chauntres ferre abusyde demeanour and intollerable fassheon. Wherein doinge my dutie, though I have nott excedyd equyte and conscience, yett is ther soche valyant baringe, contrarye to all justice, that onles your good lordeshippe be my favorable defence in right, I shall not escape confusyon. For, whatt by moche money and many myghty ffrendes, my adversaries, as they make theyr advaunte, dubt nothinge to prevayle. And of this partyall baringe the pryncypall procurers are two of my rycheste cannons (other lawde I can nott geve theym), sworne chaplaynes to my lorde Ferreis, Mr. Gryffith ap Owen and Mr. John Lewes, treasorer of Seynte Davydes, who upon dyspleasure causeles in this mater to hynder my fame and to elevate my hatred, have sythen absentyd theyme selff, contrarye to the kynges actes, ydelly sojournynge in Carmerdyne, and nowe fully porposide withowte occasyon of greyff to be playntyffe agaynste me, whom I never agrevyde in no case, excepte they acounte it for a greif, bycause in the late sedytyous season, havynge notycion that certeyn of the rebellyous lettres were amongest the cannons, sever[ally] examynynge theym I tryede owte that the treasorer had a copye, whiche I requyringe hime to delyver, he made excuse that he hade loste it, whereof I wrote to my brother then beinge att London to certefie your lordeshippe, whiche cam nott to his handes, butt as I am enformede were syns delyvered to Mr. William Popley. Concerninge the other, Mr. Lewes Gryffyth ap Owen, in my late vysytacion itt was presentyde and founde that he hade kepte a certeyn woman, havinge dyvers chyldren by her, and causyde (as she affirmith, forced) her to contracte matrymony with a servante of his owen, and sythen by the space of ij. yeres hath suffrede her dayly frequentynge his howse to acompany another canon, one of his nexte neyghboures (by whome she hath hade one chylde, and is redy to be delyverede of another); whiche with lyke necessarie maters of reformatyon I charytably layde to theyr charge. And as for any other causes of greiff, I knowe none that they can lawfully allege agaynste me, excepte they be agrevyde with my contynuall prechinge and syncere settynge forthe of the kynges gracyous artycles to the reproche of ungodly superstycyon and abhomynable idolatry, whiche with horryble blasphemy agaynste God, and detestable delusyon of the kynges subgettes, have bene here shamfully supportyd, as by apparente evydens att your lordeshippes pleasour redy to be showed, shall manyfestly apere. And yet in all thiese thinges, natwithstandynge their obstynate repugnance, I have usyde soche attempred moderacion, that yf they can justly convynce me of any rasshe inordynate extremyte, I wyll never desire to be favored of your lordeshippe, whiche as I have allwayes largely founde withowte any demeryte, so I truste never by noo mysdemeanour to lose; as knowith Criste, who have your good lordeshippe in his kepynge. Frome Seynte Davydes, the yth daye of Apryll. Your lordeshyppes to commaunde, W. MENEVEN. The image of Darvel Gatheren, mentioned in the following letter, which appears to have been an object of great reverence in Wales, was subsequently transported to London, and in May was publicly burnt in Smithfield, along with friar Forest of Greenwich, who had been condemned for high treason in denying and opposing the king's supremacy. The burning of this image with the friar appears to have created considerable sensation at the time, and is mentioned by most of the chroniclers. Hall, after telling the story of friar Forest, says-"A little before the execution, a huge and great image was brought to the gallows, which image was brought out of Wales, and of |