HE ten years from 1559 to 1569 were, so far as the internal life of the College is concerned, one of the most disturbed periods in its history. During this time there were three Masters: James Pilkington (1559-1561), Leonard Pilkington (1561-1564), and Richard Longworth (1564-1569). On the accession of Queen Mary the Pilkingtons had fled from the College to the Continent and returned with strong Lutheran or Calvinistic sympathies.

The following entry in the College accounts for the year 1563 under the heading Recepta Forinseca seems to show a certain animus:

For certain old Albes and other popyshe Trashe sold out of the Revystry the last yere xxvis. xd.;

while under Expensae Ecclesiae of the same year we

find:

To Mr Baxter for x Geneva psalters and six service psalters, bought at Christmas last xxijs.

The dislike to anything which savoured of Roman. Catholic practice or ritual assumed great vehemence during the mastership of Richard Longworth.

VOL. XXVIII.

T

The account given by Thomas Baker of Longworth's rule is very meagre; the period is much more fully treated by Mr Mullinger in his history of the College. Baker admits in a footnote that after writing his account he had seen further documents which led him to modify his views. In one of his manuscript volumes, now in the British Museum (MSS. Harl. 7047) he has some "Collections from the Paper Office" relating to the troubles of the time. A reference to the Calendar of State Papers shews that a great number of documents relating to College history are preserved in the Record Office. A comparison of the documents in the Record Office with Baker's transcripts seems to shew that he had access to some other collection, as the wording of some of the documents as copied by Baker varies slightly from those in the Record Office and some copied by Baker do not appear to be preserved in the Record Office.

In what follows all documents except one (the letter from Cecil to Longworth, which comes from the Baker MSS.) have been copied at the Record Office.

The first letter is from James Pilkington, who had just been appointed Bishop of Durham; from this we may gather that the condition of the College was not very satisfactory.

Gratia et Pax. Now thatt mi gretest and most vrgent sutes be almost att ende (I thank your honor for your diligens and furtherans therein) within few daies Godd willing I will repaire homeward. And whereas your honor in mi last warrant has nipped me so nere in reserving the wards to the Queene's use, it will make a grete grudge in the countre for loosing that liberti, and your officers intermeddling will ever be encroching on me to my cost and disquietines. Furthermore where these profettes are counted as parte of the valour off the holle bishopric I shall pai first frutes and tenthes for thatt which I enioie not, as I doe for Durram place afore. Therefor iff itt shail please your honor to procure me in recompense off these serrant from the Quene's Majestie thatt I mai reseive off the fermer off Norham castell 30 barrells of salmon which mi

predecessor reserued for provision off his howse beside the rent of 120 li., the Quene shall have fulli her customable rentt off the fermer, mi provision shall be moch better and as ever I shall think miselfe most bounde to your honor. Iff I have theim nott thei will never be answered to the Quene's use and there is such a expectation off howse keping that it makes me afraid to think on itt, seeing I am so unhable to performe it.

For Cambridge-I beseeche your honor have such a care that gudd heades mai be placed and the evill removed, for some be such thatt I can nott tell whither thei doe lesse harme being absent or present and none, or veri few, doe ani gudd. Mi hert bledes to think on S. Johannis. I brought in halfe a score with me to itt, and thei are as readi to leave itt as I; two be with mi Lord Keper, two wold goe with me, two be gone to others and the rest that have honesti or lerning be readi to flie. There is never a precher in the howse except one and I see no hope off ani to folowe. Thei see so litell hope off ani gudd to come that thei be discoraged. Itt is more profitable and cumfortable both for my brother and me to be together, butt thatt litell honesti thatt is in the howse does soe much desire him, that if itt mai nott be done thei will me to kepe itt for a time. To continue the keping off itt I will nott, and he seeing so litell studie and sobriete in the aunciest, which shuld be best, hais litell plesure or desire to itt, nor I will nott thereto move him. Yett bicause the younger sort in time with gudd gouernment mai growe to some lerning and honesti, iff itt shall seme gudd to your wisdom to kepe outt a wors for a time he wold doe his diligens. The stipend is but xij lib. so thatt whosoever have itt he must have other livings beside. The mater mai be so ordered thatt going and coming he mai be the halfe att the College and the rest att his cure. As I ever mislike theim thatt lie continualli from their charge, so I doe still, and write nott this to be ani suter further then your wisdom thinks gudd therein, but oneli to putt your honour in remembrans among your other weighti affaires, that the Universite decai nott so pitifulli in your time to your dishonor. Itt is nott the lest part of your charge althogh itt be lest profitable. Butt mi other sute for salmon I beseche you forther itt seing it is nott hurtfull to the Quene.

The liuing Godd preserue you long to serue him to the furtherans off his glori

yours

JA. DURESME

Addressed To the honorable and his special freind Sir William Cecill, Secretarie to the Quenes Majestie.

Endorsed: 22 May 1561. Bishop of Duresme to my Master.

Longworth matriculated as a pensioner of St John's 12 November 1549, he was admitted a Keyton scholar of the College 6 November 1550, and took the degrees of B.A. 1552-3, M.A. 1556, B.D. 1563 and D.D. 1567. He became a fellow of Queens' College in 1553, holding this until 1557. He was then admitted a fellow of St John's 27 July 1559; was Junior Dean in 1560 and President of the College from 1561 till his election as Master. It would appear therefore that he had remained in Cambridge during the reign of Queen Mary, and so, one would suppose, had conformed to the Roman Catholic faith. At St John's he seems to have sided with the Puritan party or at least to have connived at the disuse of the surplice. It is not easy from documentary evidence to form an estimate of his character; it is at least a plausible hypothesis to picture him with the temperament of the Vicar of Bray, and it is clear that he made one false step. He was in the end forced to resign the Mastership of St John's, but as he afterwards became Dean of Chester we may assume that he had learned a lesson.

25

Longworth was succeeded as President by the man whose name appears in the documents which follow as Richard Coortesse; his name takes many forms even in his own autograph. He was admitted a foundation scholar of the College 6 November 1550 and fellow March 1553 when he signs Curtes. He was admitted a senior fellow of the College 22 July 1559 when he signs Cortesse. His county of birth is given as Lincolnshire, and at that time the College Registers give no information as to parentage, nor is this to be found in the Dictionary of National Biography. The pedigree of his family however appears in a heraldic Visitation of

Lincolnshire, made in 1564 and revised in 1594, preserved in the British Museum (MSS. Harl. 1550 page 186). From this it appears that he was a son of William Curtis, his mother being a daughter of John Ormsby. His great grandfather was Bryan Curtis of Clye in Lincolnshire, who married Isabel, daughter of Ambrose Sutton of Washingborough. The Arms of the family are given in the Visitation as: Paly of six, or and argent, a Fess componé, argent and sable; Crest, a ram's head.

Richard Coortesse afterwards became Bishop of Chichester, when his name appears as Curteys. It is pretty clear that Coortesse was the leader of the Anglican party in College; while if Longworth sided with the Puritan party it is certain that the real champion of that side was William Fulke.

Fulke was one of the ablest controversialists of his time, a man of strong feelings and bitter tongue. It will be observed that Coortesse implies that Fulke, by scheming, proceeded direct to the M.A. degree, this is however not correct. He matriculated as a pensioner of St John's 12 November 1555, and was admitted a Keyton Scholar of the College in that year; he took the B.A. degree in 1557-8. He signed his name. Foulke at that time. He then removed from the University to Clifford's Inn, and we may identify him with the William Folke, of London, who was admitted to the Inner Temple 17 July 1561. He entered on the study of the law in compliance with the wishes of his father, but returned to Cambridge, where he took the M.A. degree in 1563, and on 26 March 1564 was admitted a fellow of St John's. For his proceedings in the matter of the surplice at St John's he was deprived of his fellowship by Cecil; he then took lodgings at the Falcon Inn, Petty Cury, where he gave lectures. He was readmitted to a fellowship at St John's 21 March 1566-7, and was President of the College in 1568. He became Master of Pembroke in 1578, and died in