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George Gifford and the Reformation of the Common SortMcGinnis/Gifford2.book Page i Friday, September 3, 2004 11:10 AM... George Gifford and the reformation of the common sort : Puritan p

George Gifford and the Reformation of the Common SortMcGinnis/Gifford2.book Page i Friday, September 3, 2004 11:10 AM

Habent sua fata libelli

S IXTEENTH C ENTURY E SSAYS & S TUDIES S ERIES

G ENERAL E DITOR

R aymond A Mentzer University of Iowa

E DITORIAL B OARD OF S IXTEENTH C ENTURY E SSAYS & S TUDIES

Princeton Theological Seminary

J ANE C AMPBELL H UTCHISON

0Prelim.fm Page iii Friday, September 3, 2004 1:16 PM

No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any format by any means without written permission from the publisher.

The paper in this publication meets or exceeds the minimum requirements

of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48–1992.

Printed by: Sheridan Books, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan USA

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data McGinnis, Timothy Scott.

George Gifford and the reformation of the common sort : Puritan priorities in Elizabethan religious life / by Timothy Scott McGinnis.

p cm — (Sixteenth century essays and studies ; v 70) Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 1-931112-40-1 (hardcover : alk paper) — ISBN 1-931112-41-X (pbk : alk paper)

1 Gifford, George, d 1620 2 Puritans—England I Title II Series: Sixteenth century essays & studies ; v 70.

BX9339.G54M34 2004 285'.9'092—dc22

2004017982

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Figures ix

Acknowledgments xi

GEORGE GIFFORD One Introduction: Puritans and the Common Sort 1

Two The Politics of Godliness 25

Three The Errors of Rome 63

Four Fraterne Dissentire 87

Five “Subtiltie” Exposed 110

Six Creating Godliness 135

Seven Conclusion: Commending and Confuting the Common Sort 157

APPENDICES One Gifford’s Works 163

Two Dedicatees of Gifford’s Works 168

Three The Will of George Gifford 172

Bibliography 175

Index 183

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1 John Norden’s Map of Essex, 1594 2

2 “Sloth,” Stephen Bateman, A Christall Glasse of Christian Reformation 6

3 Maldon in the sixteenth century 30

4 River Blackwater 31

5 All Saints Church, Maldon 33

6 All Saints Church, south aisle 34

7 All Saints vicarage 34

8 St Peter’s Church, Maldon 35

9 The Moot Hall, Maldon 55

10 All Saints Church, interior of the bell tower 56

11 “Hope,” Stephen Bateman, A Christall Glasse of Christian Reformation 159

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Starting a book and bringing it to completion leaves a person indebted onnumerous fronts Thanks go first to my graduate advisor, Peter Iver Kauf-man, who directed the dissertation on which this work is based I recall ameeting during my initial semester at the University of North Carolina atChapel Hill in which he suggested that my interests in the sixteenth cen-tury and early Christianity might be well served by looking at a curiouslyunderstudied English preacher who had a fondness for Augustine Thus thebeginning In the ensuing years I was privileged to work with someonewho was as comfortable talking and writing about the fifth century as thesixteenth, whose reputation among undergraduates as an engrossing lec-turer inspired those of us who lacked some of his theatrical flair, andwhose generosity was a constant draw to students, friends, and colleagues

If what follows makes any contribution to the study of early modern gious culture, it is due to his careful reading, consistent prodding, sageadvice, and enthusiastic support

reli-Others offered regular support and guidance as well Lance Lazarreminded me that studying early modern England required paying regularattention to the Continent My preparation as a scholar and teacher owesmuch to his example, and my timely progress through graduate school wasmade easier by the many grants to which he directed me Richtie Kendallenthusiastically welcomed an interloper to his course on early moderndrama, and he kindly tolerated pointed questioning about puritanical con-cerns Sarah Beckwith did the same in a wonderful interdisciplinary course

on heresy and reform Hans Hillerbrand graciously took on a dissertatingstudent with a shared interest in religious dissent and popular culture.Karen Bruhn, George Demacopoulos, Julie Mell, Mike Pasquerello, andEdwin Tait listened to my early seminar papers on Gifford and wereencouraging as only fellow students can be

During the academic year 2000–2001 I participated in the FolgerShakespeare Library Colloquium “Puzzling Evidence: Literatures and His-tories,” directed by David Scott Kastan and Peter Lake David Kastan con-vened the group ably, and managed somehow to keep our musings ontrack and lead us past our disciplinary divisions Peter Lake kindly agreed

to read and comment on early drafts of some dissertation chapters, whichare the better for his comments I presented to the colloquium much of

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xii l ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

what makes up the chapter on Gifford’s attitudes towards witchcraft Forthe constructive feedback that followed, and for the many enjoyable con-versations at the Hawk and the Dove, thanks go to Jennifer L Anderson,Angela Balla, Leeds Barroll, David R Como, John D Cox, Lori AnneFerrell, Katie King, Zoltán Márkus, Peter G Platt, Claude Rawson,Jeanne Shami, Stuart Sherman, and Lauren Shohet I suppose none ofthem realizes how very welcome and needed their incidental encourage-ments and kindnesses were at that particular stage in my career

A dissertation fellowship from the graduate school of the University ofNorth Carolina in the fall of 2001 made it possible for me to visit anumber of libraries and archives in England There, I benefited regularlyfrom the advice and patience of professionals who were willing to take thetime to show a newcomer the ropes Thanks go to the staffs at the BritishLibrary, Dr Williams’s Library, The Institute of Historical Research, theLondon Metropolitan Archives, the Guildhall Library, the Lambeth PalaceLibrary, Westminster Abbey Library, and the especially pleasant group atthe Essex Record Office in Chelmsford

The biographical sketch of George Gifford in the first chapter, cially as it relates to Maldon, has been guided at nearly every turn by thework of William J Petchey, local historian and librarian of the ThomasPlume Library in Maldon until his death in spring 2001 Close to fivedecades of archival research meant that Dr Petchey knew the Maldon bor-ough records better than anyone His dissertation and subsequent book onthe history of Maldon provided the road map for my archival research inEssex I regret that I did not have opportunity to share with him my appre-ciation for the gracious encouragement he offered in response to my initialrequest for advice, and for his eagerness to discuss my work on Gifford.The transition from dissertation to book is rumored to be a rocky one,but again my way was made easier with the help of old friends and newcolleagues Samford University has been a marvelous place to begin acareer in teaching, and my fellow members of the religion department—David Bains, Paul Holloway, Penny Marler, Ken Roxburgh, and Joe Scriv-ner—have been welcoming and encouraging My students have madeteaching enjoyable and even energizing for my research I benefited frommany conversations with friends around the university, and special thanks

espe-go to Gerald Bray, Timothy George, Killian Manning, and Joe Scrivner forreading and commenting on portions of this work Cathy Thompson andBeth Gilbert both provided excellent secretarial support Thanks also go to

my student assistants, Matt Grimes and David Conrad, who wereundaunted by vaguely worded research requests and many trips back and

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me in touch with Brett Usher, who generously responded to my briefinquiry with a detailed summation of his own archival work on Gifford.Barry Samuels enthusiastically volunteered to photograph sites in Maldonbased on nothing other than an email inquiry The staff of Truman StateUniversity Press have been very patient with a first-time author RaymondMentzer, general editor of the series, was encouraging from the start, andrecruited two marvelous readers whose questions and comments helped

me at numerous points

I presented portions of chapters at various conferences and receivedmany helpful responses An early version of chapter 5 first appeared as

“‘Subtiltie’ Exposed: Pastoral Perspectives on Witch Belief in the Thought

of George Gifford” in the Sixteenth Century Journal, and I am grateful tothe publishers for permission to reprint the material here

Early in George Gifford’s dialogue Countrie Divinitie, the easygoingAtheos predicted what life would be like if the puritans had their way: “Youwould have [men] sitte mooping alwayes at their bookes,” he moaned; “Ilike not that.” I doubt anyone comes to the end of a writing project withoutsharing Atheos’s sentiments at some points along the way I certainly couldnot have found the will to “sitte mooping alwayes” at my books without thesteadfast support of my family My son William showed up just in time forthe last few weeks of graduate school and has been a very present compan-ion during the revision process, quick to remind me when his books were

to be preferred to mine My parents were unswerving in their optimism andoffered the kind of unbridled confidence that only parents can seem tomanage My in-laws were likewise supportive, and special thanks go to myfather-in-law, Edd Rowell, for copyediting services on early drafts Butsurely I would have given up “mooping” at books long ago had it not beenfor my wife, Beth Her support came in a variety of roles—everything fromtherapist to editor to indexer—even as she juggled her own studies in musi-cology and the challenges of pregnancy and new motherhood Yet to saymore risks reducing who she is to what she does, a disservice indeed, and so

I leave it to her to recognize that my love and gratitude extend much furtherthan written words on a page I leave it to Beth, who knows

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CHAPTER ONE

Introduction Puritans and the Common Sort

The road running northeast out of London towards the town of ford carries the traveler into the heart of Essex, the county that topogra-pher John Norden described in 1594 as “most fatt, frutefull, and full ofprofitable thinges.” Norden no doubt had in mind the agricultural bounty

Chelms-of Essex—an “Englishe Goshen,” he observed—when he spoke Chelms-of its tility But Essex also had a long history of producing sizeable crops of a dif-ferent sort: religious radicals and reformers who seemed to maintain atoehold despite repeated attempts by authorities at enforcing conformityand order Discontent seemed to simmer constantly under the surface andfrequently bubbled over in many Essex towns From the Lollards of the fif-teenth and early sixteenth centuries, to Lutherans in the 1520s, to the defi-ant Protestants during the reign of the Catholic Queen Mary in the 1550s,religious malcontents persisted in Essex, always out of step with the statusquo By the time Norden made his observations toward the end of the six-teenth century, however, decades of political and religious upheaval hadended with the Church of England rooted firmly in the Protestant camp

fer-Or so its defenders claimed Critics, on the other hand, continued to arguethat the English church was “but halfly reformed,” a work in progress indire need of attention Remnants of Catholicism persisted in the Elizabe-than church—“popishe abuses,” detractors claimed—ranging from clericalvestments to unscriptural liturgies in the Book of Common Prayer Moreover,not only was the church polluted; critics charged it lacked the well-trained, preaching clergy and the discipline needed to address the prob-lems The more vocal and insistent of these critics knew each other as “thegodly,” “professors,” or “gospellers.” Their enemies derided them as “puri-tans,” “precisionists,” and “busie controllers.” Regardless of the label, Essexseemed to observers then and now to have had more than its fair share ofthese discontented and restless Protestants.1

1 John Norden, Speculi Britanniae Pars: An Historical and Chorographical Description of the County of Essex,

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Gifford’s two travelers encountered one another on the road toChelmsford, and before long the conversation turned to religion Atheoswas quite proud of his minister in his small town: “I am perswaded weehave the beste Prieste in this countreye, wee would bee lothe to forgoe himfor the learnedest of them all.” When pressed for details, Atheos was quick

to name the virtues of his popular priest: “Hee is as gentle a person as ever Isee: a verye good fellow, hee will not sticke when good fellowes and honestmen meet together to spende his groate at the Alehouse.” Furthermore, hefrequently joined fellow townspeople at bowling or card games, and wasknown to arbitrate disagreements between his parishioners over a drink ortwo—“a Godlye waye to make Charitie,” Atheos concluded.4

2

ed Henry Ellis (London: Camden Society, 1840), 7 On the history of dissent in Essex, see William Hunt,

The Puritan Moment: The Coming of Revolution in an English County (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1983), 87–112 On puritan critics of an Elizabethan church “but halfly reformed,” see the chap- ter of that name in the essential Patrick Collinson, The Elizabethan Puritan Movement (Berkeley: Univer- sity of California Press, 1967), 29–44, and the complaints detailed in “A View of Popishe Abuses,” in William Hugh Frere and Charles Edward Douglas, eds., Puritan Manifestoes: A Study of the Origin of Puritan Revolt (New York: Burt Franklin, 1972), 20–39.

2 London, 1581 (hereafter referred to as Countrie Divinitie) Quotations that follow are from the

1582 edition For a complete listing of all printed editions of Gifford’s works and short titles used herein, see appendix 1.

3 In the sixteenth century, absolute disavowal of a deity was quite rare, if not unheard of; Gifford’s concern was with those who, in his estimation, paid insufficient attention to matters of religion Zelotes’s definition of atheism is telling: “I know there be many which care not for the Pope, but yet beleeve much of his doctrine: they bee those which wee call Athiests, of no religion, but looke whatsoever any prince doeth set forth, that they will professe.” Gifford, Countrie Divinitie, C6r On such questions of def- inition see the excellent discussion in John Craig, Reformation, Politics and Polemics: The Growth of Protes- tantism in East Anglian Market Towns, 1500–1610 (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing, 2001), 12–24.

4 Gifford, Countrie Divinitie, A1v–A2r.

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