'Obedience is good, but...': Christopher Goodman, the Chester Plays, and the Problem of Authority.

Christopher Goodman is now largely remembered as a friend and associate of John Knox, and in more recent years for his involvement in the suppression of the Chester Whitsun play. Our knowledge of his opposition to the plays comes largely from letters written by and to him, early copies of which are preserved in a letterbook in the Denbighshire Record Office. This article looks at some of the letters preceding and following the correspondence about the play, particularly those dealing with the national controversy over clerical vestments. Despite being sidelined because of his earlier writings on the validity of disobedience to 'ungodly' rulers, Goodman remained of sufficient importance that considerable effort was made to secure his conformity. The article discusses the various tactics used by both sides, and raises the possibility that Goodman's timing of his attack on the plays may have been related to the questions raised about his own orthodoxy. Goodman's experience demonstrates all the problems of the Elizabethan reformation, especially when political considerations came into conflict with personal conscience [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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