Simon Fish
Simon Fish died in 1531, leaving behind a legacy as a 16th-century English Protestant rebel and propagandist. He is best known for helping to spread William Tyndale's New Testament and for writing the vehemently anti-clerical pamphlet Supplication for the Beggars. The Roman Catholic Church condemned this work as heretical on the 24th of May 1530. His pamphlet can be seen as a precursor to the English Reformation and the broader Protestant Reformation. Fish was eventually arrested in London on charges of heresy, but he was stricken with bubonic plague and died before he could stand trial. His widow married vocal reformer James Bainham, and then became a widow again in April 1532 when Bainham was burned at the stake as a heretic.
Fish wrote his incendiary pamphlet Supplication for the Beggars during his second exile in Antwerp. Joannes Grapheus of Antwerp was probably the printer, though that remains unconfirmed. The 16-page pamphlet accused the Roman Catholic Church of everything from avarice to murder to treason. The Supplication was smuggled into England from Antwerp, penetrating the country's borders despite its prohibition. Fish had dedicated it to King Henry VIII. According to John Foxe, Fish's Supplication arrived in England on the 2nd of February 1529. This document served as a direct appeal to the monarch regarding the suffering of the poor under clerical rule.
Most lamentably compleyneth theyre wofull mysery vnto youre highnes youre poore daily bedemen the wretched hidous monstres (on whome scarcely for horror any yie dare loke) the foule vnhappy sort of lepres, and other sore people, needy, impotent, blinde, lame, and sike that live onely by almesse. Fish argues that the clergy and the Roman Catholic Church hold a disproportionate share of England's resources. He alleges that they hold half of England's wealth while only representing 1/100 of the male population and only 1/400 of the total population. The monasteries further compound the Church's corruption by heaping taxes on the poor instead of helping them. Fish calculates that the English clergy own 1/3 of the land and 1/10 of all farm produce and live stock. They also receive 1/10 of all servants' wages within England. If there were ten households for each of the 52,000 parish churches in England, just one of five orders of mendicant friars alone would take in an annual £43,333 6s. 8de.
Fish expends few words on theological matters regarding purgatory. With regard to this doctrine, he simply contends that "there is not one word spoken of it in all holy scripture". He continues to state that "we have no command from God to pray for the dead". Beyond these statements, however, Fish furnishes no further details in defence of his position. He also rejects the sale of indulgences and argues that the supposed act of penance was merely a ruse to fill the clergy's coffers. They sey also that if there were a purgatory, and also if that the pope with his pardons for money may deliuer one soule thens: he may deliuer him aswel without money. He calls all Catholic clerics "tyrauntes" who "lakke charite" because they would withhold prayers for a person who could not pay for them.
To make his anti-clerical case, Fish cites the case of Richard Hunne, which at the time was a sensational story. The controversy began in 1514 when Hunne, a wealthy Londoner, refused to pay a burial fee to his parish priest for the burial of Hunne's child. The priest sued Hunne in ecclesiastical court; Hunne counter-sued, insisting that the case fell within the jurisdictional purview of common law, not ecclesiastical law. Upon filing his suit, Hunne was seized on charges of heresy and taken to the Bishop of London's prison. Hunne was found two days later in his cell, dead, hanging by a rope. The clergy claimed Hunne had committed suicide, but the coroner's investigation found signs of foul play. The evidence later collected suggested that the chancellor of the Bishop of London, Dr. Horsey, was responsible for the death. Dr. Horsey never stood trial because the Bishop of London obtained a royal pardon on his behalf. Fish uses this incident to argue that the clergy used the brand of heresy to persecute.
Within months of the circulation of Fish's pamphlet, St. Thomas More produced a response in defence of the Catholic Church, entitled The Supplycatyon of Soulys. The response, printed by October 1529, came in two books, the first addressing the social and economic concerns raised by Fish, and the second defending the doctrine of purgatory. More's lengthy, legalistic and logic-driven response was ten-times longer than Fish's sixteen-page pamphlet. According to More, Fish recanted. This exchange highlights the intense intellectual and political struggle between reformers and traditionalists during the early years of the English Reformation.
Fish's legacy continues through his famous pamphlet. Its repeated printings, either despite or because of its banned status, show the sustained interest in the piece throughout the sixteenth-century. After its initial circulation, the Supplycacion is known to have been reprinted five times in the nineteenth century and twice in the twentieth century. It also appears repeatedly in various editions of John Foxe's Acts and Monuments that reach up into the present. Fish's propagandistic pamphlet functioned within a broader, international clash that entangled politics and religion. Joining in a growing anti-clerical movement, Fish's pamphlet demonstrates some of the popular objections to the Roman Catholic Church in the years preceding the English Reformation.
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Common questions
When did Simon Fish die and what was the cause of his death?
Simon Fish died in 1531 after contracting bubonic plague before he could stand trial for heresy. He was arrested in London on charges of heresy but fell ill with the disease prior to facing a court hearing.
What is the title of the pamphlet written by Simon Fish that condemned the Roman Catholic Church?
Simon Fish wrote the vehemently anti-clerical pamphlet titled Supplication for the Beggars during his second exile in Antwerp. The work accused the Roman Catholic Church of avarice, murder, and treason while arguing that clergy held half of England's wealth.
Who responded to Simon Fish's pamphlet and when was the response published?
St. Thomas More produced a response entitled The Supplycatyon of Soulys which was printed by October 1529. This two-book rebuttal addressed the social concerns raised by Fish and defended the doctrine of purgatory against Fish's claims.
On what date did the Roman Catholic Church condemn Simon Fish's work as heretical?
The Roman Catholic Church condemned Simon Fish's Supplication for the Beggars as heretical on the 24th of May 1530. This condemnation occurred after the pamphlet was smuggled into England from Antwerp where it had been printed.
How many times was Simon Fish's pamphlet reprinted in the nineteenth century and twentieth century?
Simon Fish's pamphlet is known to have been reprinted five times in the nineteenth century and twice in the twentieth century. These repeated printings demonstrate sustained interest in the piece despite its initial banned status within England.