Life and Letters of Thomas Cromwell, Vol. 1 of 2: Life, Letters to 1535Merriman, Roger Bigelow
History
Life and Letters of Thomas Cromwell, Vol. 1 of 2: Life, Letters to 1535
Merriman, Roger Bigelow
Cromwell, Thomas, Earl of Essex, 1485?-1540
Determined as he was to extirpate unlawful and treasonable doctrines
both at home and abroad, Cromwell was too much absorbed in the
maintenance of his foreign policy, and the prevention of the pressing
dangers which threatened the country from without, to pay much attention
to Damplip at Calais during the latter part of 1538 and 1539. He was far
more anxious to have the town well victualled and defended, in case of a
sudden attack from France or Spain. Damplip himself, however, had gone
over to England to answer to the charges brought against him before
Cranmer[382]. The result of the examination seems to have been very
favourable to him, and the Archbishop, in a letter to Cromwell about it,
supported the position which the priest had taken up in only denying
Transubstantiation while admitting the Real Presence[383]. But the
accusations from Calais against the Sacramentaries did not cease. Lisle
and the Council, now thoroughly roused, kept sending in depositions
against Damplip, until Cromwell, in May, 1539, rebuked them for
uncharitable behaviour, saying that the affair was being made too much
of, and that the King was busy about other things[384]. Exhortations to
‘charyte and myld handeling’ were not Cromwell’s usual style; and in
this case at least they were superseded within ten days by instructions
of a very different nature. The cause of the sudden change is doubtless
to be found in the debate on the Six Articles, just then at its height.
Cromwell saw the trend things were taking, and understood that as the
doctrine of Transubstantiation was evidently about to be confirmed at
home, it would be extremely dangerous for him to urge leniency towards
those who opposed it at Calais. He consequently sent another letter to
Lisle[385], in which he retreated from his former position, and ordered
the Commissary and the parish priest of Our Lady Church to be sent in
custody to England. The subsequent appearance of these men before the
Privy Council seems to have resulted in their acquittal, and a public
recantation in the Market Place at Calais was deemed sufficient to
prevent a recurrence to the heresy. The recall of Lord Lisle in the
spring of 1540 was probably less due to his inefficiency in handling the
affair of the Sacramentaries, than to the many proofs he had given of
general incompetence. He was committed to the Tower, where he remained a
close prisoner till January, 1542, when a message was sent to him that
he was pardoned and restored to favour. The story is that his joy at
hearing this news was so great, that he died of excitement that same
night[386].
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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