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 good Women’ (1641); ‘Robin and Kate, a bad Husband converted by a good Wife’ (1646); ‘The Distressed Virgin’ (1655). The titles of others catalogued under ‘M.P.’ in the British Museum Library are given in Hazlitt's ‘Bibliographical Collections.’ A few additional ballads, such as ‘The Pope's Pedigre’ and ‘A Warning to all Lewd Livers,’ probably written by Parker, are described in the Earl of Crawford's ‘Catalogue of a Collection of English Ballads of the XVIIth and XVIIIth Centuries.’

 PARKER, MATTHEW (1504–1575), archbishop of Canterbury, born at Norwich, in the parish of St. Saviour, on 6 Aug. 1504, was son of William Parker, a calenderer of stuffs, and Alice his wife, whose maiden name was Monins. From memoranda made by Parker himself late in life, we learn that he was taught grammar by William Neve, whom he characterises as 'an easy and kind schoolmaster.' When only twelve years of age he lost his father; his mother, who attained the age of eighty-two, married again, her second husband being John Baker, described as 'a gentleman,' who proved an excellent stepfather. Of the surviving children by the first marriage, Matthew was the eldest; the second, Botolph, of whom little is known, afterwards took orders; Thomas, the third, became mayor of Norwich, and maintained throughout life fraternal affection and admiration for his distinguished brother. Parker's relations with his half-brother, John Baker, were no less cordial, and the latter proved a generous benefactor to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

In September 1522 Matthew was sent to Cambridge, mainly, though not entirely, at his mother's expense, and was there educated, 'partly at St. Mary's Hostel, and partly at Corpus Christi College' (Correspondence, Append, p. 481). In March 1522-3 he was elected a bible-clerk, and in 1525 was admitted B.A. On 22 Dec. 1526 he became a sub-deacon; was ordained deacon on 20 April 1527, and priest on 15 June in the same year. In the following September he was elected a fellow of his college. In 1528 he commenced M.A. When Wolsey was founding Cardinal College (afterwards Christ Church) at Oxford, Parker was one of the promising young Cambridge scholars whom the cardinal, invited to become fellows of the society; but, at the advice of his friends, he declined the offer. It was about this time that he became associated with a group of students in the university who had a large share in bringing about the Reformation in England, and were widely known as the 'Cambridge Reformers.' Among their number were [q. v.], Stafford, and [q. v.], with all of whom Parker formed a permanent friendship. The majority of this little band was mainly inspired by Luther's writings, and espoused his doctrines. Parker, however, who, after attaining to his bachelor's degree, had devoted seven years to the study of the fathers, saw much in Luther's teaching which gave him pause, and maintained an independence of judgment which contrasts very favourably with the strong partisanship of the Lutheran party generally. To these patristic studies, indeed, we may fairly attribute that greater moderation of spirit which he exhibited in questions of doctrine in after life and his dislike of the intolerance which characterised the Marian exiles on their return to England.

To his acquirements as a theologian he united a popular style of pulpit oratory, which induced Cranmer, in 1533, to license him to preach throughout the southern province; he reluctantly consented to assume the office of chaplain to Anne Boleyn, to which he was appointed on 30 March 1535. With this appointment was associated the deanery of the college of St. John the Baptist at Stoke-by-Clare in Suffolk. The college had originally been a cell of the famous monastery at Bee, but was now a school for the education of the secular clergy. On 4 Nov. Parker was installed as dean. It was a pleasant retreat, the retirement and the duties of which were equally congenial to him; and here, accordingly—at his 'Tusculanum,' as his friend Walter Haddon was wont to style it—the next twelve years of his life were mainly spent, varied, however, by occasional visits to Cambridge and to court. In the college over which he presided he took the warmest interest, drawing up new statutes for its government, and founding a grammar school in connection with it for the better instruction of its future members in Latin. The statutes which he gave were considered so judicious that in 1540 the Duke of Norfolk, when designing a similar foundation at Thetford, took them for a model.