A book of bachelors / by Arthur W. Fox.

  • Fox, Arthur W. (Arthur William), 1863-
Date:
1899
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A book of bachelors / by Arthur W. Fox. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    73/499 page 48
    Winchester, who was appointed to this see in May, 1551, is of a different character and more difficult to rebut. His accusation, which has no lack of directness, is as follows : “ And within this eight years (that is, in or after 1547) was there not a holy man, named Master Doctor Boorde, a physician, that thrice in the week would drink nothing but water, such a Proctor for the Papists then as Martyn the lawyer is now ? Who under colour of virginity and of wearing a shirt of hair and hanging his shroud and socking or burial sheet at his bed’s feet, and mortifying his body and straightness of life, kept three whores at once at Winchester to serve not only himself but also to help the virgin-priests about in the country, as it was proved. That they might with more ease and less pain keep their blessed virginity. This thing is so true and was so no- toriously known that the matter came to an examination of the Justices of the Peace of whom divers be yet living, as Sir John Kingsmill, Sir Henry Seymour, etc. And was before them confessed and his shroud and shirt of hair openly shewed and the harlots openly in the streets and great Church of Winchester punished. These be known stories, which Martyn and the Papists cannot deny.” ^ On this violent passage, which is succeeded by still more violent and shameless abuse of the Romanists from one who was himself a recalcitrant Romanist, several remarks must be made to assist the reader in forming a Martin, Doctor of the Civile Laives (as of himself he saieth) against the godly marriage of Priests. Wherin dyvers other matters which the Papists defend he so confutid, that in Martin's overthrow they may see their oivn impudency and confusion. By John Ponet Doctor of Divinity and Busshop of Winchester. Newly correctid and amendid. The author desireth that the reader will content himself with this first hook untill he may have leisure to set furth the next, whiche shal he hy God's grace shortly. Yt is a hard thing for the to spurn against the Prick. Act 9 (1555). On this violent and extensive title it may be remarked, that the date of the book is six years after the death of Boorde, which somewhat dis- counts the value of its testimony. It is in all probability a second edi- tion of A Defence for Mariage of Priestes (1549), which does not seem to have contained the passage quoted in the text. Furthermore, the furious frenzy of the title-page, and the fact that Poynet had himself violated his vows by marriage, with the questionable use of the text from the book of Acts, which is used as a motto for the tract, do not strengthen the reader’s faith in the unworthy Bishop’s credibility. Besides, the present edition must have been an answer to the attack of Martin upon Poynet’s previous book, and the habits of controversy in his time were not so chastened as in our degenerate days, nor even so truthful. ^ Vide the foregoing work, p. 48.
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