ABSTRACT
Studies of Clement Armstrong have sought to link him to particular political and religious positions in the 1530s. One scholar placed Armstrong in a group of writers patronized by Thomas Cromwell and found him wanting. Armstrong's social language was highly reminiscent of the anti-individualistic rhetoric of three-estates theory, but it was also that of a religious radical seeking a more moral and Christian society, as represented by Paul's words to the Thessalonians. Unlike these other writers, Armstrong devoted a great deal of attention to bread-and-butter economic and social issues, suggesting they had more than symbolic value for him. Thomas Cromwell proved capable of solving these problems, and in all likelihood, the two men did not agree about how the issues should be defined and the potential institutional remedies. It may be true that Cromwell should be congratulated on his eschewing of coherent theories, but at the same time, it seems worthwhile to examine the theory to which Armstrong subscribed.
