Diary of Edward VI. 03 Apr 1550. Nicholas Ridley (age 50), befor of Rochester, made bishop of London, and received his othe.¹

Thomas Thirlby (age 44), befor of Whestmuster², made bishop of Norwich, and received his othe.

Note 1. "Item the xij^th day of Aprill, he that was byshoppe of Rochester, Nicolas Rydley, was stallyd [bishop of London] by one of the byshoppe of Ely('s) chaplynes." (Chronicle of the Grey Friars of London, where several curious notices will be found of the changes which the new bishop soon made in his church and diocese.) The letters patent of Ridley's translation are printed by Rymer, xv. 222.

Note 2. Dr. Thirlby's resignation of the bishopric of "Westminster, dated 80th March, is printed in Rymer, xv. 219, from the Close roU, 4 Edw. VT. p. 1, m. 11; and at p. 221 are letters patent dated 1 April, translating him to the bishopric of Norwich, which was then vacant "by the free resignation of William (Rugge, alias Repps) late bishop" thereof. Bishop Rugge died on the 21st Sept. following.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 19 Nov 1554. The sam day whent to met my lord cardenall Polle (age 54) in Kent my lord of Elly, with odur - doctur Thurlbe (age 48) bysshope of Elly.

Note. P. 75. Cardinal Pole. "The 24. of November cardinall Poole came oute of Brabant into England," &c. See Stowe's Chronicle, p. 625.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 24 Nov 1554. [The same day cardinal Pole (age 54) came from Gravesend [Map] by water, with the earl of Shrewsbury (age 54), the lord Montagu (age 25), the bishops of Durham (age 80) and Ely (age 48), the lord Paget (age 48), sir Edward Hastings (age 33), the lord Cobham (age 57), and diverse] knyghts and gentyllmen, in barges, and thay all [did shoot the] bryge be-twyn xij and on of the cloke, and a-g[ainst] the steleard [Map] of Temes my lord chanseler (age 71) mett [them in his] barge, and my lord of Shrousbury (age 54) [had his] barge with the [talbot, all] ys men in bluw cotes, red-hosse, skarlett capes, [and white] fethers; and so to the cort gatt, and ther the Kyng('s) (age 27) grace [met him] and inbrasyd hym, and so lad ym thrughe the kyng('s) hall;] and he had borne a-for hym a sylver crosse, and [he was arrayed in] a skarlet gowne and a sqware skarlett cape; and my lord [North] bare the swarde a-for the Kyng; and so they whent up unto the Quens chambur, and ther her grace (age 38) salutyd hym; and after he toke ys leyffe, and toke ys barge to ys plase at Lambeth [Map], that was the bysshope of Cantorberys, Crenmer (age 65), and so to dener.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 24 Aug 1555. The xxiiij day of August cam from Rome at afternone the bysshope of Ely (age 49), the bysshope of Banger (age 51), the lord Montycutt vycontt (age 26), ser Hare Husse, and dyvers odur.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 26 Aug 1555. The xxvj day of August cam from Westmynster, rydyng thrugh London unto Towrs-warff, the Kyng (age 28) and the Quen (age 39), and ther thay toke ther barge unto Grenwyche [Map], and landyd at the long bryge, and reseyvyd by my lord chanseler (age 72), and my lord of Ely (age 49), and my lord vycont Montyguw (age 26), master comtroller, master Sowthwell (age 52), and dyvers mo, and the gard, and dyvers holdyn torchys bornynge, and up to the Frers, and ther thare graces mad ther praers, and at her grace('s) landyng received ix or x suplycasyon(s), and so bake agayn to the court with a c. torchys bornyng.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 25 Mar 1556. The xxv day of Marche was owre Lady day, the Annunsyasyon, at Bow chyrche in London was hangyd with cloth of gold, and with ryche hares [arras] and cossens for the commyng of my lord cardenall Polle (age 56); ther dyd the bysshope of Vosseter dyd synge he masse mytyred; and ther wher dyver bysshopes, as the bysshope of Ely (age 50), bysshope of London (age 56), and bysshope of Lynkkolne (age 46), and the yerle of Penbroke (age 55), and ser Edward Hastynges (age 35), the master of horsse, and dyvers odur nobuls, and after masse done to my lord (unfinished).

Henry Machyn's Diary. 16 Mar 1558. The xvj day of Marche my lord mare and the althermen wher commondyd unto Yeld-halle [Map], for thay had a commondement by the qwyen (age 42) that thay shuld lend the quen a (blank) of H.; for ther sat my lord stresorer (age 75), my lord preve-saylle (age 52), and the bysshope of Elly (age 52) as commyssyonars, and my lord chanseler (age 57), with odur of the conselle.... with ij whyt branchys and xij torchys .... great tapurs, and after a grett dener within the ....

Henry Machyn's Diary. 22 Mar 1558. The xxij day of Marche my lord mayre and the althermen whent unto Yeld-Halle [Map], and ther the quen('s) consell cam theder, furst my lord chanseler (age 57), my lord treysorer (age 75), my lord of preve-selle (age 52), the bysshope of Ele (age 52), and ser John Baker, secretore Peter, and mony more, and after whent to my lord mare to dener.

Henry Machyn's Diary. After 07 Apr 1559. The (blank) day cam from Franse my lord chamburlayn Haward (age 38) and my lord bysshope of Elly (age 53) and master doctur Wotton, and (unfinished) .... ye Tempull, and ix .... dener, and ther dynyd the consell and dyvers notabyll .... and juges, and my lord mayre (age 50) and the althermen, and the [officers of the] Chansseres [Chancery] and the Flett [Map], and the Kyngesbynshe [Map], and the Marshalsea [Map]; [and they] gayff gownes of ij collers, morreys and mustars, and ... ij collers ... hondered; and at v of cloke at after-non [the new] serganttes whent unto sant Thomas of Acurs in a ... gowne and skarlette hodes a-bowt ther nekes, and whyt [hoods on] ther hedes, and no capes [caps]; and after they whent unto Powles [Map] with typstayffes and offesers of the Kyngbynche [Map], and odur plasses, and [they were] browth be ij old serganttes, one after a-nodur in skarlett ... of north syd, and ther thay stod tyll thay had brou[th them] unto ix sondre pellers [pillars] of the north syd, and after the ... cam unto the furst, and after to the reseduu; and thay whe[nt back] unto the Tempull on a-lone [one-by-one], and a-for whent the ... and the rulers and the Chansere and of the Kyngbynche [ij and ij to]gether, and after cam a hondered in parte cottes of ...

Note. P. 195. The serjeants' feast. This took place at the Inner Temple on the 19th of April. In the second line read, "and ix. [serjeants made]." Dugdale, indeed, gives the names of ten as having been called to the degree by writ tested by the queen on the 12th Dec. namely, Thomas Carus, Reginald Corbet, John Welsh, John Southcote, William Simmonds, George Wall, Richard Harper, Ranulph Cholmley, Nicholas Powtrell, and John Birch; and to these was added Richard Weston by writ dated 24 Jan. making in all eleven. Dugdale's Chronica Series.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 05 Jul 1559. The v day of July was deposyd of ther byshopeprykes the archebyshope of Yorke doctur Heth (age 58), and the bysshope of Ely docthur Thurlbe (age 53), at my lord treysorer('s) (age 76) plasse at Frers Augustyne.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 03 Jun 1560. The iij day of June at nyght whent to the Towre [Map] my old lord the byshope of Ely, doctur Thurlbe (age 54).

Strype Ecclesiastical Memorials Volume 1 Part 1 Chapter XXXVI. This year, [1536,] in the month of May, Queen Anne Boleyn was beheaded : a great friend and patroness of the reformed religion.

She was very nobly charitable, and expended largely in all manner of acts of liberality, according to her high quality. And among the rest of her ways of shewing this Christian virtue, she being a favourer of learning, together with her father, the Lord Wiltshire, and the Lord Rochford her brother, maintained divers ingenious men at the Universities. Among the rest were these men of note; Dr. Hethe, afterward Archbishop of York, and Lord Chancellor; Dr. Thirlby, afterward Bishop of Ely; and Mr. Paget, afterward Lord Paget, and Secretary of State: all which in her time were favourers of the Gospel, though afterwards they relapsed. Of Paget one hath observed, that he was a most earnest Protestant, and being in Cambridge, gave unto one Reynold West, Luther's book, and other books of the Germans, as Franciscus Lamhertus de Sectis : and that at that time he read Melancthon's Rhetoric openly in Trinity hall; and was a maintainer of Dr. Barnes, and all the Protestants then in Cambridge, and helped many religious persons out of their cowles.