“1. Elizabeth Barton of Kent (by those that laboured to cry up her horrible cheats for miracles, otherwise called the holy Maid of Kent) and others were in the twenty fifth year of King Henry the Eighth attainted of High Treason, for that under colour of hypocrisie, Revelations and false Miracles practised by the said Elizabeth, they conspired to impugne and slander the divorce between the King and Queen Katherine his first Wife, and the last Marriage between him and Queen Anne his second Wife, to destroy the King, and to deprive him of his Crown.” Her false and feigned miracles, and the subtile and cunning contrivances that were brought to pass by the help of her confederate accomplices, and her and the others open confession of them may be found at large in Hollingshead, Stow, and the writings of Mr. Lambert, whither for brevities sake I remit my reader, and shall only give it here in the words of Speed, which are these: “The Romanists (he saith) much fearing that Babel would down, if Queen Anne might be heard against wicked Haman, sought to underprop the foundations thereof with certain devices of their own: and that the same might pass without note of suspicion, they laid their forgery even upon Heaven it self; whose pretended oracle Elizabeth Barton (commonly called the holy Maid of Kent) was made to be; and the pillars of this godless Fabrick were Edward Bocking a Monk by profession, and Doctor of Divinity, Richard Masters Parson of Aldington, the Town wherein she dwelt; Richard Deering a Monk, Hugh Rich a Friar, John Adestone and Thomas Abell Priests, put to their helping hands; and Henry Gould Batchelor of Divinity, with John Fisher the reverend Father of Rochester imployed their pains to dawb these downfalling walls with their untempered morter. The Scribes that set their pens for her miracles, were Edward Thwaites Gentleman, and Thomas Lawrence Register, besides Haukherst a Monk, who writ a letter that was forged to be sent her from Heaven; And Richard Risby and Thomas Gould were the men that dispersed her miracles abroad to the world. This holy Maid Elizabeth made a Votaress in Canterbury, was taught by Bocking her Ghostly Father, and suspected Paramour, to counterfeit many feigned trances, and in the same to utter many virtuous words for the rebuke of sin, under which more freely she was heard against Luthers doctrine, and the Scriptures translation, then desired of many: neither so only, but that she gave forth from God and his Saints by sundry suggestive Revelations, that if the King proceeded in his Divorce, and second Marriage, he should not raign in his Realm one month after, nor rest in Gods favour the space of an hour. But the truth discovered by Gods true Ministers, this oracle gave place as all other such did, when Christ by his death stopped their lying mouths: For her self and seven of her disciples were executed for Treason at Tiburn, and the other six put to their fines and imprisonment.” To which he subjoineth this story of the like nature. “With the like counterfeit Revelations and feigned predictions this generation of hypocrites had brought Edward Lord Stafford Duke of Buckingham, unto his unhappy end, by the working of John de la Court his own Confessor, together with Nicholas Hopkins a Monk of the Carthusian Order in the Priory of Henton in Somersetshire, who by his visions from Heaven forsooth, heartned him for the Crown; But before his own Coronet could aspire to that top, he worthily lost both head and all upon Tower-hill for his Treason, Anno Domini 1521. Unto such sins the world was then subject, and into such conceits their reputed holiness had brought them, not only among the simple and unlettered, but even with them that seemed to be learned indeed: For by certain predictions foreshewing a great deluge, Prior Bolton of S. Bartholomews in London, was so fearful that he built himself a house upon the height of Harrowhill, storing it with provisions necessary to keep himself from drowning in Anno Dom. 1524.
Hist. 2.
Stow’s Chron. p. 678.
2. And that we may be certified how frequent and common these counterfeited Impostures have been, and yet are practised, take this other from undoubted authority. “The 15 of August being Sunday in the 16 of the raign of Queen Elizabeth, Agnes Bridges a Maid about the age of 20 years, and Rachel Pinder a Wench about the age of 11 or 12 years, who both of them had counterfeited to be possessed by the Devil (whereby they had not only marvellously deluded many people both Men and Women, but also diverse such persons, as otherwise seemed of good wit and understanding) stood before the Preacher at Pauls-cross; where they acknowledged their hypocritical counterfeiting with penitent behaviours, requiring forgiveness of God and the world, and the people to pray for them. Also their several examinations and Confessions were there openly read by the Preacher, and afterwards published in print, for posterity hereafter to beware of the like deceivers.” From whence we may take these two Observations.
Observ. 1.
1. We may from hence note, how subject the nature of man is both to deceive and to be deceived, and that not only the common people, but also the wiser and more learned heads may most easily be imposed upon. And, that therefore in things of this nature, and the like, we cannot use too much circumspection, nor use too much diligence to discover them.
Observ. 2.
2. We may note, that when such strange Impostures or false Miracles are pretended, there is commonly some sinister and corrupt end aimed at, under the colour of Religion, and that those that are most ready to publish such things as true Miracles and Divine Revelations, are generally those that did complot and devise them. And therefore the greater number they be that cry them up, and the more esteem the persons are of that blow abroad such things, the greater suspicion we ought to have of the falsity and forgery of them. Always remembring that the greater the fame and number of the persons are that conspire and confederate together, the greater things they may bring to pass, and be more able to deceive, as was manifest by the Priests attending the Oracles; who, though they laboured to father their predictions upon some Deity, yet it was manifest that it was nothing else, but their own Confederacy, Impostures and Juglings.
Hist. 3.
Vid. A Book called, A discovery of fraudulent practices concerning pretended possessions.