Whiting, Abbot of Glastonbury, received a favourable character from the visitors. He had taken the oaths to the King without objection, or none is mentioned. He had acquiesced generally, in his place in the House of Lords, in Cromwell's legislation; he had been present at one reading at least of the concluding statute against the Pope's authority.[1] In the last Parliament he had been absent on plea of ill-health; but he appointed no proxy, nor sought apparently to use on either side his legitimate influence. Cromwell's distrust was awakened by some unknown reason.[2] An order went out for an inquiry into his conduct, which was to be executed by three of the visitors, Layton, Pollard, and Moyle. SeptemberOn the 16th of September they were at Reading: on the 22nd they had arrived at Glastonbury.
- ↑ Lords Journals, 28 Henry VIII.
- ↑ 'The Abbot of Glastonbury appeareth neither then nor now to have known God nor his prince, nor any part of a good Christian man's religion. They be all false, feigned, flattering hypocrite knaves, as undoubtedly there is none other of that sort.'—Layton to Cromwell: Ellis, third series, vol. iii. p. 247.
ye are worthy. But I will advise you to conform yourself as a good subject, or else you shall hinder your brethren and also yourself.'—Sir John St Clair to the Lord Privy Seal: MS. State Paper Office, second series, vol. xxxviii. The Abbot did not take the advice, but ventured more dangerous language.
'The Abbot of Colchester did say that the northern men were good men and mokell in the mouth, and 'great crackers' and 'nothing worth in their deeds.' Further, the said Abbot said, at the time of the insurrection, 'I would to Christ that the rebels in the north had the Bishop of Canterbury, the lord chancellor, and the lord privy seal amongst them, and then I trust we should have a merry world again.'—Deposition of Edmund: Rolls House MS. second series, No. 27.But the Abbot must have committed himself more deeply, or have refused to retract and make a submission: for I find words of similar purport sworn against other abbots, who suffered no punishment.