RELIGIOUS HOUSES 



the ignorance of dwellers in monasteries. No 

 one would have been more amused than Erasmus 

 at this literal interpretation of his ironical refer- 

 ence to an ignorance of Greek. Every canon 

 of the house would be bound to understand 

 Latin, and some few would almost certainly 

 know at least the elements of Greek. Prior 

 Vowel!, though not an estimable man, was a 

 scholar, and was chosen just about this time to 

 preach the Latin sermon at Leicester, when the 

 general chapter of the English province of the 

 Austin canons was held there. 



The articles of inquiry for the guidance of the 

 ■second visit of the sub-commissioners to Wal- 

 singham Priory are still extant.' They were to 

 ask for inventories of all the jewels, relics, plate, 

 and movable goods, and whether any had been 

 alienated, sold, or pledged ? What were their 

 relics of most estimation, and what proof they 

 had of their truth ? Whether the keepers of 

 the relics did not solicit offerings, and why they 

 were not all in the same place ? What was the 

 greatest and most undoubted miracle done there 

 by Our Lady, together with proof of the same ? 

 Whether Our Lady's milk be liquid, and who 

 was sacrist about ten years ago, and whether he 

 ■did not renew it ? Also — 



what is the saying of the buylding of Our Ladye 

 chappell, and of the first invencion of the image of 

 Our Ladye there ; what of the house where the 

 bere skynne is, and of the knyght ; and what of the 

 other wonders that be here, and what proves be 

 thereof ? 



No one can read that part of Erasmus' col- 

 loquy relative to Walsingham, and this long list 

 of nineteen articles of inquiry, of about ten 

 years later, without at once realizing that the 

 articles were based upon the statements of the 

 colloquy, and were drawn up by someone who 

 was thoroughly conversant with its terms. 

 Doubtless the English scholars of the new learn- 

 ing, and Cambridge generally, would be well 

 conversant with this spirited satire of Erasmus. 

 And yet, oddly enough, by a process of inver- 

 sion, these articles have been more than once 

 cited to prove the exact truth of all the state- 

 ments in the colloquy. 



The priory of Walsingham had a special hold 

 on Norfolk, even in places far remote from the 

 town. The concourse of pilgrims from all parts 

 of England, as well as from over the seas, kept 

 Our Lady of Walsingham vividly in mind. 

 The chief road by which they travelled, which 

 passed by Newmarket, Brandon, and Fakenham, 

 is still called the Palmers' way. Those pilgrims 

 who came from the north passed through Lynn, 

 where the pilgrims' chapel, with a beautifully 

 groined roof, yet remains ; thence they passed 

 on by the priories of Flitcham and Coxford. 

 Another great road led from Yarmouth, through 



' Harl. MS. 791, fol. 27. 



Norwich and Attleborough, past the hospital of 

 Bee, where thirteen beds for Walsingham pil- 

 grims were ready every night. At South Acre, 

 West Acre, Hilborough, Prior's Thorns, Stanhoe, 

 Caston, and other places, as well as Lynn, 

 special chapels were provided for the wayside 

 devotions of the zealots who were wending their 

 way to Walsingham. 



No wonder, then, that the suppression of the 

 lesser monasteries in 1536, and the general up- 

 heaval of matters pertaining to the ancient faith 

 of the populace, should have aroused much bitter- 

 ness with regard to the threats against Walsing- 

 ham. In April, 1537, depositions were taken 

 before Sir Roger Townsendand Sir John Heydon 

 against George Gysburgh, of Walsingham, 

 charged with expressing regret that so many 

 houses were dissolved where God was well 

 served, and advocating a rising of the commons. 

 George Gysburgh confessed to discussing with 

 one, Ralph Rogerson, a rising against the sup- 

 pression of the abbeys, believing that Walsing- 

 ham would soon go.^ On 3 May, Sir Roger 

 Townsend and Richard Southwell wrote to 

 Cromwell as to the apprehension of the rest of 

 the 'conspirators.' They had seized Nicholas 

 Mileham, sub-prior of Walsingham, who by the 

 confession of one, Watson, was privy to the 

 proposals ; they thought that the Gysburghs 

 (father and son) and Ralph Rogers would make 

 a larger confession if examined by Cromwell 

 and others of the council, for in their confession, 

 so far, they did not touch the sub-prior, a man 

 of lewd inclination.' On 20 May, Prior Vowell. 

 the time-server, wrote an unctuous letter to 

 Cromwell thanking him for favour shown to 

 him and to his kinsman taken into the Lord 

 Privy Seal's service ; with the letter he sent 

 'a poor remembrance' as a further bribe to 

 Cromwell.* Cromwell's accounts show that this 

 poor remembrance was the big round sum of 

 ^100.' 



The charge against these ' conspirators ' was 

 somewhat flimsily sustained, and their offence 

 had certainly not gone beyond words, but the 

 punishment was awful and speedy. On 24 

 May, 1537, a special commission sitting at Nor- 

 wich Castle condemned no fewer than eleven of 

 the accused to be drawn, hung, beheaded, and 

 quartered for high treason. The executions 

 took place in different parts of the county, so as 

 to arouse more terror. On Saturday, 26 May, 

 Ralph Rogerson and four others were executed 

 at Norwich ; on 28 May, two more were 

 executed at Yarmouth ; on Wednesday, 30 May, 

 Sub-Prior Nicholas Mileham and George Gys- 

 burgh perished on the scaffold at Walsingham ; 

 and on i June the young William Gysburgh 



' L. and P. Hen. Fill, xii (i), 482. 

 ' Ibid, xii (i), 521. 

 ' Ibid, xii (l), 573. 

 ' Ibid, xiv (2), 782. 



399 



