A. D. 1536. 81 



In the latter end of the year 1535 and the beginning of 1536, the 

 king fupprefled all the lefler monafteries (i. e. fuch as had eftates not 

 exceeding L200 per annum.) Bifhop Burnet, in his Hiflory of the 

 reformation, obferves, that the full report of the vifitation of thofe 

 houfes previous to their fuppreffion is loft ; yet he faw an extrad of a 

 part of it, concerning 144 houfes, which contained abominations in it 

 equal to any that were in Sodom ! In fome they found tools for coin- 

 ing ; and briefly, in almoft all of them, the greateft lewdnefs and wick- 

 ednefs. Lord Herbert [p. 441.] fays, that the yearly amount of all thefe 

 lefler monafteries was £.32,000, but that the king fold them at fuch 

 eafy rates, to enable the purchafers to keep up the hofpitality which 

 the monks had done when they pofl^efl^ed them, adding thereto a penal- 

 ty of L6 : 13 :4 per month on the farmers and pofl^eflbrs of the monaf- 

 teries and lands belonging to them, on failure ot keeping up hofpital- 

 ity and hufljandry therein. But the penalty beinir not ordinarily re- 

 quired, due hofpitality was for the moft part negleded ; for the forfeit- 

 ures being great, were, at the fupplication of the parliament [21 Jac. I. 

 c. 28.] wholly aboliflied at length by the indulgence of the king. 

 Somewhat furely ought to have been done in time to prevent the poor 

 from becoming fo heavy a weight on the landed and trading interefts, 

 as it was eafy to forefee they would be on the fupprefllon of thofe mo- 

 nafteries, whofe kitchens were ever open to the poor of their neigh- 

 bourhood. 



Had the purchafers of thofe church lands in every parifli been obli- 

 ged by their tenures to fupport the poor thereof, or at leaft to contri- 

 bute thereto in a much greater and fixed proportion than others, it 

 would have been extremely reafonable, as they purchafed them at very- 

 low prices. This v^ould have been more conducive to the benefit of a 

 free and trading people than Lord Herbert's fcheme of annexing them 

 all to the crown for ever, for enabling the king to keep up a good army 

 and navy, without being obliged to have recourfe to the people's purfes 

 from time to time : A dangerous fcheme for a tree people ! 



King Henry gave encouragement to certain merchants to fend out 

 two fliips on difcovery to the north coafts of America, where they vifir- 

 ed Cape Breton and Newfoundland; and being in great diftrels for want 

 of provifions there, they returned home in Od^-ber the fame year. And 

 although this voyage proved unfivourable to their main intent of find- 

 ing a north-weft pafllige to India, yet it gave rile to the very beneficial 

 fifliery of the EngliiTi on the banks of Newfoundland, on which barren 

 iiland Mr. Hoar, a merchant of London, attempted a fettlement at this 

 time, though he met with much misfortune in that unfucceibful at- 

 tempt. 



An ad of parliament was pafled, to enable the governors and ma- 

 ^iftrates of counties, towns, and parifties, to find and keep every aged,. 



Vol. II. L 



