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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY could no longer count upon the support of the king or his ministers. The attempts to prevent the circulation of heretical books were resumed, but the use of translations of parts of the Church services did not meet w^ith much ■opposition from the rulers of the Church, w^ho themselves authorized the use of the English Litany.'*"'^ The demoralizing effects of theological strife continued ; there was an increasing lack of reverence for sacred things, and a decay of the virtue of charity. Bonner's attempts to find a remedy for these evils were quite ineffectual, nor did he win the confidence of those citizens who believed further changes to be necessary. But he proved a hardworking bishop, successful enough in the management of ordinary diocesan affairs. Between August 1540 and his departure abroad early in 1542 he seems to have restored order in the diocese and regained the control over his clergy which Stokesley had lost. The responsibility for various repressive measures rests partly with him and partly with the king. In October 1540 he forbade any one, except rectors, &c., in their own churches, to preach without his licence.'^" This inhibition was specially directed against John Wyllocke, probably the ' Scottish friar ' mentioned by Foxe ^^^ as having been imprisoned in the Fleet for preaching against confession, holy water, praying to saints, purgatory, and the celibacy of the clergy. Meanwhile Dr. Crome continued to preach 'with more zeal than ordinary,' and pointed out that those who believed in masses for the dead could not well approve of the destruction of the monasteries. The king appointed commissioners to examine him, and they drew up a declaration for him to read at his next sermon, stating that although masses were profitable for the souls departed, yet the monasteries had been ' lawfully and justly suppressed.' His manner of reading it was unsatisfactory, and he was forbidden to preach any more.'^* There is no mention of Bonner in con- nexion with this case; but in 1541 he took action against Alexander Seton, a Scottish divine who had preached at St. Antholin's with the consent of the rector ' against free will and good works.' ^^^ Foxe is the only authority for the proceedings of the ' quests ' under the Act of Six Articles which took place in i 541—2. The commission for the first is dated 29 January 1541, and ' sundry persons ' were imprisoned for a time. Bonner was present at the next, held at the Guildhall in July. Foxe represents him as urging the reluctant juries to present offenders, but this is hardly consistent with their request that the parsons and curates of every parish should give them in- structions, which the recorder refused to allow. At last one jury presented a lad of about eighteen named Richard Meekins,*^* ' an orphan of London,' who had learnt from Dr. Barnes the Lutheran doctrine of the Eucharist. Under the Act no abjuration could save the prisoner ; but he ' died like a true Christian man,' confessing that he believed the Sacrament ' to be the very Body of Christ,' and speaking 'much good of the Bishop of London and of the great charity that he showed him.' "' A pewterer named Daye was ""* rUe infra, p. 283. ™ Wilkins, Cone, iii, 855. '" Op. cit. iv, 586 ; V, 448. One or two other Scots seem to have been prominent among the few London clergy who still maintained the ' new opinions.' '" Foxe, op. cit. V, App. xvi ; Orig. Letters (Parker Soc), i, 211-15. For two cases of 'seditious preaching' in 1541 see Proc.ofP.C. (Rec. Com.), vii, 182, 285. '" Wriothesley, op. cit. i, 132 ; cf. Foxe, op. cit. v, 446, 448-51. '" Foxe, V, 440-2, App. ix. "' Wriothesley, op. cit. i, 126; Hall, Chron. 32 Hen. VIII; Orig. Letters, i, 221 ; cf. Rec. Corp. Repert. x, fol. 21415. - 279