their counsel; but if he had, I know what would have been their answer they would have said, We give you no worse counsel than we would have followed ourselves, had we been in like case.

Well, sir, this king did well, and had the fear of God before his eyes. He would not walk in by-walks, where are many balks. Amongst many balkings is much stumbling; and by stumbling it chanceth many times to fall down to the ground. And therefore let us not take any by-walks, but let God's word direct us: let us not walk after, nor lean to our own judgments, and proceedings of our forefathers, nor seek not what they did, but what they should have done; of which thing scripture admonisheth us, saying, Ne inclinemus preceptis et traditionibus patrum neque faciamus quod videtur rectum in oculis nostris; "Let us not incline ourselves unto the precepts and traditions of our fathers; nor let us do that seemeth right in our eyes." (Deut. xii.) But surely we will not exchange our fathers' doings and traditions with scripture; but chiefly lean unto them and to their prescription, and do that seemeth good in our own eyes. But surely that is going down the ladder: scala cæli, as it was made by the pope, came to be a mass; but that is a false ladder to bring men to heaven. The true ladder to bring a man to heaven, is the knowledge and following of scripture.

Let the king therefore choose a wife which feareth God; let him not seek a proud wanton, and one full of rich treasures and worldly pomp.

"He shall not multiply unto himself too much gold and silver." Is there too much, think you, for a king? God doth allow much unto a king, and it is expedient that he should have much; for he hath great expenses, and many occasions to spend much for the defence and surety of his realms and subjects. And necessary it is that a king have a treasure always in a readiness for that, and such other affairs as be daily in his hands. The which treasure, if it be not sufficient, he may lawfully and with a safe conscience take taxes of his subjects. For it were not meet the treasure should be in the subjects' purses, when the money should be occupied, nor it were not best for themselves; for the lack thereof it might cause both it, and all the rest that they have, should not long be theirs. And so, for a necessary and expedient occasion, it is warranted by God's

word to take of the subjects. But if there be sufficient treasures, and burdening of subjects be for a vain thing, so that he will require thus much or so much of his subjects, (which perchance are in great necessity and penury) then this covetous intent, and the request thereof, is too much, which God forbiddeth the king here in this place of scripture to have. But who shall see this too much, or to tell the king of this too much? think you any of the king's privy chamber? No: for fear of loss of favour. Shall any of his sworn chaplains? No: they be of the closet and keep close such matters. But the king himself must see this too much; and that shall he do by no means with the corporal eyes. Wherefore he must have a pair of spectacles, which shall have two clear sights in them; that is, that one is faith, not a seasonable faith, which shall last but a while, but a faith which is continuing in God.-The second clear sight is charity, which is fervent towards his christian brother. By them two must the king see ever when he hath too much. But few there be that use these spectacles, the more is their damnation.

Not without cause Chrysostom with admiration saith, Miror si aliquis rectorum potest salvari, " I marvel if any ruler can be saved."-Which words he speaketh, not of an impossibility, but of a great difficulty; for that their charge is marvellous great, and that none about them dare shew them the truth of the thing how it goeth.

Well then, if God will not allow a king too much, whether will he allow a subject too much? No, that he will not. Whether have any man here in England too much? I doubt most rich men have too much; for without too much we can get nothing. As for example, the physician: If the poor man be diseased, he can have no help without too much. And of the lawyer, the poor man can get no counsel, expedition, nor help in his matter, except he give him too much. At merchants' hands no kind of ware can be had, except we give for it too much. You landlords, you rent-raisers, I may say you steplords, you unnatural lords, you have for your possessions yearly too much. For that here before went for twenty or forty pound by year, (which is an honest portion to be had gratis in one lordship of another man's sweat and labour,) now is let

for fifty or an hundred pound by year. Of this too much cometh this monstrous and portentous dearth is made by man, notwithstanding God doth send us plentifully the fruits of the earth, mercifully, contrary unto our deserts. Notwithstanding, too much which these rich men have, causeth such dearth, that poor men, which live of their labour, cannot with the sweat of their face have a living, all kind of victuals is so dear; pigs, geese, capons, chickens, eggs, &c. These things with other are so unreasonably enhanced; and I think verily that if it thus continue, we shall at length be constrained to pay for a pig a pound.

I will tell you, my lords and masters, this is not for the king's honour: Yet some will say, Knowest thou what belongeth unto the king's honour better than we? I answer, that the true honour of a king is most perfectly mentioned and painted forth in the scriptures, of which if ye be ignorant, for lack of time that ye cannot read it; albeit that your counsel be never so politic, yet is it not for the king's honour. What his honour meaneth ye cannot tell. It is the king's honour that his subjects be led in the true religion; that all his prelates and clergy be set about their work in preaching and studying, and not to be interrupted from their charge. Also it is the king's honour that the commonwealth be advanced, that the dearth of these foresaid things be provided for, and the commodities of this realm so employed, as it may be to the setting his subjects on work, and keeping them from idleness. And herein resteth the king's honour and his office. So doing, his account before God shall be allowed and rewarded.

Furthermore, if the king's honour, as some men say, standeth in the great multitude of people; then these graziers, enclosers and rent-rearers, are hinderers of the king's honour. For whereas have been a great many of householders and inhabitants, there is now but a shepherd and his dog; so they hinder the king's honour most of all.

My lords and masters, I say also, that all such proceedings which are against the king's honour, (as I have a part declared before,) and as far as I can perceive, do intend plainly to make the yeomanry slavery, and the clergy shavery*. For such

* This play upon words, in which Latimer delighted, alluded to the scandalous seizure of the church-lands by the laity.

works are all singular, private wealth and commodity.-We of the clergy had too much, but that is taken away, and now we have too little. But for mine own part I have no cause to complain, for I thank God and the king, I have sufficient; and God is my judge, I came not to crave of any man any thing; but I know them that have too little.

There lieth a great matter by these appropriations, great reformation is to be had in them. I know where is a great market town, with divers hamlets and inhabitants, where do rise yearly of their labours to the value of fifty pound, and the vicar that serveth, (being so great a cure,) hath but twelve or fourteen marks by year; so that of this pension he is not able to buy him books, nor give his neighbour drink; all the great gain goeth another way.

My father was a yeoman, and had no lands of his own, only he had a farm of three or four pound by year at the uttermost, and hereupon he tilled so much as kept half a dozen men. He had walk for a hundred sheep; and my mother milked thirty kine. He was able, and did find the king a harness, with himself and his horse, while he came to the place that he should receive the king's wages. I can remember that I buckled his harness when he went unto Blackheath field. He kept me to school, or else I had not been able to have preached before the king's majesty now. He married my sisters with five pound or twenty nobles apiece; so that he brought them up in godliness and fear of God. He kept hospitality for his poor neighbours; and some alms he gave to the poor. And all this he did of the said farm, where he that now hath it payeth sixteen pound by year, or more, and is not able to do any thing for his prince, for himself, nor for his children, or give a cup of drink to the poor.

Thus all the enhancing and rearing goeth to your private commodity and wealth. So that where ye had a single too much, you have that; and since the same, ye have enhanced the rent, and so have increased another too much: So now ye have double too much, which is too too much. But let the preacher preach till his tongue be worn to the stumps, nothing is amended. We have good statutes made for the commonwealth, as touching commoners, enclosers, many meetings and

sessions; but in the end of the matter there cometh nothing forth. Well, well, this is one thing I will say unto you, from whence it cometh I know, even from the devil. I know his intent in it. For if ye bring it to pass, that the yeomanry be not able to put their sons to school, (as indeed universities do wondrously decay already,) and that they be not able to marry their daughters to the avoiding of whoredom; I say, ye pluck salvation from the people, and utterly destroy the realm. For by yeomen's sons the faith of Christ is, and hath been maintained chiefly. Is this realm taught by rich men's sons? No, no, read the Chronicles; ye shall find sometime noblemen's sons which have been unpreaching bishops and prelates, but ye shall find none of them learned men. But verily, they that should look to the redress of these things, be the greatest against them. In this realm are a great many folks, and amongst many I know but one of tender zeal, at the motion of his poor tenants hath let down his lands to the old rents for their relief. For God's love let not him be a phenix, let him not be alone, let him not be an hermit closed in a wall; some good man follow him, and do as he giveth example.

Surveyors there be, that greedily gorge up their covetous goods; hand-makers, I mean: honest men I touch not; but all such as survey, they make up their mouths, but the commons be utterly undone by them: whose bitter cry ascending up to the ears of the God of Sabaoth: the greedy pit of hellburning fire, without great repentance, doth tarry and look for them. A redress God grant. For surely, surely, but that two things do comfort me, I would despair of redress in these matters. One is, that the king's majesty, when he cometh to age, will see a redress of these things so out of frame: giving example by letting down his own lands first, and then enjoin his subjects to follow him. The second hope I have, is, I believe that the general accounting day is at hand, the dreadful day of judgment, I mean, which shall make an end of all these calamities and miseries. For, as the scriptures be, Cum dixerint, Pax, pax, "When they shall say, Peace, peace," Omnia tuta, "All things are sure;" then is the day at hand: a merry day, I say, for all such as do in this world study to serve and please God, and continue in his faith, fear, and love;