Marprelate Controversy

Marprelate Controversy, a bitter war of vigorous and often homely pamphlets, waged against official Episcopacy by the Elizabethan Puritans. Many of these were written by deprived ministers, but were published under the comprehensive name of Martin Marprelate. The time of greatest activity was about 1589, and the books were printed in spite of severe government repression, successively at Moulsey near Kingston-on-Thames, Fawsley in Northamptonshire, Norton, Coventry, Welstone in Warwickshire, and in or near Manchester. The names of the chief writers were John Penry (hanged), John Udall (left to rot in jail), Fenner, John Field, and Job Throckmorton who wrote Hac ye any Work for Cooper? One of the best attempts to answer the Marprelate writers was Bishop Cooper of Winchester's Admonition. tion to the People of England. Other writers on the same side were John Lyly and Thomas Nash. Bacon presented to the ministry in 1590 his wise paper entitled An Advertisement touching the Controversie of the Church of England, an admirable argument for moderation and mutual concession in things indifferent. 'First of all,' he says, 'it is more than time that there were an end and surcease made of this immodest and deformed manner of writing lately entertained, whereby matters of religion are handled in the style of the stage.' Professor Arber has included a reprint of the Marprelate tracts in his 'English Scholar's Library.' See the Rev. W. Maskell's History of the Marprelate Controversy (1845).