POWER

4 Dissent and the break with Rome 4.2 Critics of the Church
Source 7 An extract from a
letter written by Hugh Latimer,
chaplain at Cambridge
University, to the Bishop of Ely
in 1525. The bishop had asked
to preach a sermon attacking
Martin Luther.
My lord, I am not familiar with
the ideas of Luther; nor are we
permitted here to read his works
and therefore I cannot refute his
views since I do not know what they
are. I preach no man’s doctrine,
only the doctrine of God out of the
scriptures. If Luther has done the
same, there is no need to refute
his views. If I find that he teaches
against the scripture I will be ready
with all my heart to confound his
doctrine.
1 Look at Source 7. Summarise
the basic points being made
by Latimer.
2 Would you say the tone of this
letter is respectful?
3 Latimer was a chaplain
and scholar at Cambridge
University. Do you think
he really knew nothing of
Luther’s ideas?
4 Study Source 8. Why would
Fish’s views have been
controversial?
5 Why might some merchants
and landowners find these
criticisms of the Church
attractive?
6 Is this source more useful
about priests at this time
or about the views of Fish?
Explain your answer.
7 Look back at Source 11 on
page 134. How far do these
sources agree or disagree
and why?
How did Reformation ideas develop in England?
Ideas about Church reform reached England from Europe via cloth traders who
travelled between Holland and England. In London and other port cities, such as
Bristol, Harwich and Portsmouth, Protestant-like preaching began to take place
during the 1520s. Reforming ideas were also taken up at England’s two universities,
Oxford and Cambridge. From there, they began to spread widely. Previously, critics
of the Church had been mostly insiders (Church leaders who wanted their priests to
rediscover true spirituality and piety). Now, LAYMEN – ordinary people who were
not employed by the Church – also took up the call for reform.
Criticisms from laymen
The reformers’ ideas became particularly important among the lawyers at the Inns
of Court. The Inns of Court were like universities, with many clever and keen
young people eager to learn about new ideas. They picked up and spread ideas
about Church reform through pamphlets and other publications. One of the most
enthusiastic reformers was a lawyer called Simon Fish. He had studied at Oxford
before entering Grays Inn in 1525 to train as a lawyer. Not much is recorded about
his personal life until 1526, when he is said to have taken part in a Christmas play
that mocked Church authorities. Because of this he was forced into exile, where he
made contact with others who wanted to reform the Church.
In 1528, Fish published ‘A Supplication for Beggars’ – a 5,000-word pamphlet that
condemned the English priesthood. Fish was a layman, and he wrote his pamphlet
for other laymen to read. It was welcomed by merchants and landowners, who were
envious of how much land and power the Church and the clergy had. The pamphlet
was widely circulated and there were even rumours that Henry VIII read it.
Source 8 An extract from ‘A Supplication for Beggars’ by Simon Fish, 1528.
Priests are not shepherds but ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing attacking the people.
They have begged so cleverly that they have got more than a third of the wealth of the
country into their hands; the best manors and lands are theirs.
They have a tenth of all the corn, meadow, pasture, grass, wool, calves, lambs, pigs, geese
and chickens. They also take a tenth of every person’s wage, a tenth of all the wool, milk,
honey, wax, cheese and butter too. They are cruel, unclean, unmerciful and hypocrites.
Criticisms from insiders (clerics)
At the same time, criticism from within the Church was intensifying. One
particularly fierce critic was William Tyndale (see Profile). He was a clergyman
and he wanted to renew the role of the clergy – demanding educated priests who
could preach effectively. Tyndale gained financial support from wealthy London
drapers (men who sold fabric and textiles), including Humphrey Monmouth, and
he used this money to publish an English translation of the Bible. Tyndale also
influenced many young lawyers, such as Simon Fish.
The earliest Protestants were centred on Cambridge University. This was a
hotbed of religious radicals who believed that the Church needed to be drastically
reformed. They met in the White Horse Inn in Cambridge and exchanged ideas
and texts (often ones that were banned). Their leader was Robert Barnes and many
key reformers attended his meetings, including Tyndale, Miles Coverdale (who
became well known for criticising transubstantiation), Thomas Bilney (who was
arrested for criticising the worshipping of statues and images), John Frith (who
criticised the belief in Purgatory), Hugh Latimer (see Source 7) and Thomas
Cranmer (who was eventually burned for his beliefs). They discussed the ideas
of Luther and Erasmus, but they were most gripped by an EVANGELICAL belief in
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH ALONE. This was the idea that people were saved by their
own faith – they could not ‘buy’ their way into Heaven.
Uncorrected proof
Source 9 An extract from The
Disputation of Purgatory by
John Frith, 1531. Sir Thomas
More was the Lord Chancellor
and a bitter opponent of the
reformers.
I give respect to Thomas More for
the power and fire of his words.
The fire of my words is like water
in comparison to it. The fire of
his words has alone melted more
gold and silver for the profit of the
Church than all the goldsmiths’
fires within England. And so must
we graunt hym that this fire is very
hot. But it is a pity that this profit
comes from the purses of poor men.
8 Why was it so important to
Tyndale and other reformers
to publish the Bible in the
vernacular (the spoken
language of the people)?
9 What do you think the
inset image in Source 10 is
supposed to represent?
Source 10 The first page of the
Gospel of John, from Tyndale’s
Bible in English, 1526. Three
thousand copies of this Bible
were published.
ACTIVITY
On pages 135–139 you have
studied the early stagesof the
reform movement in England.
Which of these terms best
describes the movements far?
– popular
– radical
– committed
– small
– courageous
– ruthless
– dangerous
– weak
The authorities began to take notice of this group. We know from government
records that spies were watching and listening and reporting back conversations in
the white Horse Inn! Many of them fled to the continent for safety. This limited
their influence beyond Cambridge, but there is still evidence to suggest that
reformist ideas were spreading. For example, the will of William Tracy of
Gloucestershire began with the instruction that his family should ‘bestow no part
of my goods for [the] intent, that any man should say or do to help my soul’. This
meant he did not want any indulgences or prayers said for his soul. Tracey’s will
was printed and circulated in London almost immediately, and it appeared in one
of Tyndale’s pamphlets.
PROFILE
William Tyndale (1494–1536)
● Educated at Oxford, he was ordained as a priest in 1521.
● Influenced by the works of Erasmus and Luther.
● He believed that people should be able to read the Bible in their own language.
He spent much of his life in exile for his beliefs.
● Tyndale was most famous for his publication of the first Bible translated into
English, in 1526.
● Tyndale’s translation was regarded as heretical in England. Despite this, his
Bibles were still smuggled into the country in bales of cloth even though being
caught with one would mean death.
● In 1530, he wrote The Practyse of Prelates, which opposed Cardinal Wolsey
and Henry VIII’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon because it went against
Scripture.
● He was executed in 1536 for his writings. Despite this, two years after his death,
Henry VIII published Tyndale’s Bible.
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