spake with Mr. Secretary. But, by-and-by, the king greatly praised Mr. Latimer's sermon, and, in so praising, said in this wise, This displeaseth greatly Mr. vicechancellor, yonder. Yon same,' said he unto the duke of Norfolk, is Mr. vice-chancellor of Cambridge,' and so pointed unto me *."

While Latimer was thus distinguished at court. Archbishop Warham convened an assembly at Lambeth, for the purpose of examining certain books written by Tyndal, Frith, and other protestants; but the principal object of the meeting was to put down the translation of the scriptures, as being unnecessary for Christian men, who, it was said, might profit equally well by hearing their duty from the mouth of the preacher.

As Latimer was present at this meeting, it has been inferred that he was not then satisfied with the expediency of allowing the bible to be read in the vulgar tongue. That conclusion, however, is not warranted by the mere circumstance of his name being inserted in the minutes, where he is only stated to have been present when those proceedings took place. The whole business was indeed nothing better than a political artifice, to furnish some pretext for the royal proclamation, which soon afterwards came out, interdicting heretical books, and including among them the translation of the new testament. Upon this Latimer, who never made a compromise with his conscience, and who well knew what a deception had been practised upon the king, addressed him in the following letter, which, for vigour of language and sincerity of intention, has been rarely equalled, and was never surpassed:

"To the most mighty prince, King of England, Henry the Eighth, grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. The holy doctour Saint Augustine, in an epistle which he wrote to Casulanus sayth that he, which for feare of any power hideth the truth, provoketh the wrath of God to come upon him: for he feareth men more than God. And according to the same, the holy man, Saint John Chrysostome, sayth, that hee is * Bishop Burnet's History of the Reformation, vol. iii.

not alonely a traytor to the truth, which openly for truth, teacheth a lie, but he also which doth not truly pronounce and shewe the truth that he knoweth. These sentences (most redoubted king) when I read now of late, and marked them earnestly in the inward parts of mine heart, they made me sore afrayd, troubled and vexed mee grieviously in my conscience, and at the last drove me to this streyt, that either I must shewe forth such things as I have read and learned in scripture, or els to be of that sort that provoke the wrath of God upon them, and be traytors unto the trueth the which thing than it should happen, I had rather suffer extreame punishment.

"For what other thing is it to be a traytour unto the trueth, than to be a traytour and a Judas unto Christ, which is the very truth and cause of all truth? the which saith that whosoever denyeth him here before men, he I will deny him before his father in heaven.' The which denying ought more to be feared and dreaded, than the loss of all temporal goods, honour, promotion, fame, prison, slander, hurts, banishments, and all manner of torments and cruelties, yea and death itself, be it never so shameful and paineful. But, alas, how little do men regard those sharp sayings of these two holy men? and how little do they feare the terrible judgement of Almighty God? and speciallie they which boast themselves to be guides and captaines unto other, and challenging unto themselves the knowledge of holy scripture, yet will neither shewe the truth themselves (as they be bound) neither suffer them that would so that unto them may be said that which our Saviour Christ said to the Pharisees (Matth. xxiii), wo be it unto you Scribes and Pharisees, which shut up the kingdom of heaven before men, and neither will you enter in yourselves, neither suffer them that would, to enter in.' And they will as much as in them lyeth, debar, not onely the word of God, which David calleth a light to direct and shew every man how to order his affections and lusts,' according to the commandments of God; but also by their subtle wyliness, they instruct, move, and provoke, in a manner, all kings in Christendom, to ayde, succoure, and help them in this their mischiefe; and especiallie in this

your realme, they have sore blinded your liege people, and subjects with their lawes, customes, ceremonies, and Banbery gloses; and punished them with cursings, excommunications, and other corruptions (corrections I would say) and now at the last when they see that they cannot prevail against the open truth (which the more it is persecuted, the more increaseth by their tyrannie) they have made it treason to your noble Grace to have the scripture in English.

"Here I beseech your Grace to pardon me awhile, and patiently to heare me a word or two; yea, and though it bee so that as concerning your high majesty and regall power, whereunto Almighty God hath called your Grace, there is as great difference betweene you and me, as betweene God and man. For you be here to me and to all your subjects in God's stead, to defend, aide and succour us in our right; and so I should tremble and quake to speake to your Grace. But againe, as concerning that you be a mortall man, in daunger of sinne, having in you the corrupt nature of Adam, in the which all we be both conceived and born, so have you no less need of the merits of Christ's passion for your salvation, than I and other of your subjects have, which be all members of the mysticall body of Christ. And though you be an higher member, yet you must not disdain the lesser. For as Saint Paul sayeth; Those members that be taken most vilest, and had in least reputation, be as necessary as the other, for the preservation and keeping of the body.'

"This, most gracious king, when I considered, and also your favourable and gentle nature, I was bold to write this rude, homely, and simple letter unto your Grace, trusting that you will accept my true and faithfull minde, even as it is.

"First, and before all things, I will exhort your Grace to mark the life and processe of our Saviour Christ and his Apostles in preaching and setting forth of the gospel; and to note also the words of our master Christ, which he had to his disciples, when he sent them forth to preach his gospel; and to these have ever in your minde, the golden rule of our master Christ; The tree is knowne by the fruite. For by the diligent marking of these, your Grace

VOL. I.

C

shall clearly knowe and perceive who be the true followers of Christ, and teachers of his gospel, and who be not.

"And concerning the first; all scripture sheweth plainely that our Saviour Jesus Christes life was very poore. Begin at his birth, and I beseech you, who ever heard of a poorer or so poor as he was?

"It were too long to write how poor Joseph and the blessed Virgin Mary took their journey from Nazareth toward Bethlem, in the colde and frostie winter, having nobody to wait upon them, but he both master and man, and she both mistress and maide. How vilely thinks your Grace, were they intreated in the innes and lodgings by the way? and in how vile and abject place was this poore maide, the mother of our Saviour Jesus Christ brought to bed in, without company, light, or any other thing necessary for a woman in that plight? was not here a poore beginning, as concerning the world? Yes truelie. And according to this beginning, was the processe and end of his life in this world; and yet he might by his godly power have had all the goods and treasures of this world at his pleasure, when and where he would. But this he did to shewe us that his followers and vicars should not regard nor set by the riches and treasures of this world; but after the saying of David we ought to take them, which saith thus; If riches, promotions, and dignitie happen to a man, let him not set his affiance, pleasure, trust, and heart upon them.' So that it is not against the povertie in spirit which Christ praiseth in the gospel of Saint Matthew, chapter v. to be rich, to be in dignitie, and in honour, so that their hearts be not fixed and set upon them so much, that they neither care for God nor good men. But they be enemies to this povertie in spirit, have they never so little, that have greedie and desirous mindes to the goods of this world, onely because they would live after their own pleasure and lusts. And they also be privy enemies (and so much the worse) which have professed, as they say, wilfull povertie, and will not be called worldly men, and they have lords' lands and king's riches; yea, rather than they would lose one jot of that which they have, they will set debate

between king and king, realme and realme, yea between the king and his subjects, and cause rebellion against the temporal power, to the which our Saviour Christ himself obeyed and paid tribute, as the gospel declareth; unto whom the holy Apostle St. Paul teacheth every Christian man to obey. Yea, and beside all this, they will curse and ban, as much as in them lieth, even into the deep pit of hell, all that gainsay their appetite, whereby they think their goods, promotions, or dignities should decay.

"Your Grace may see what means and craft the spiritualitie (as they will be called) imagine to breake and withstand the acts* which were made in your Grace's last parliament against their superfluities. Wherefore they that thus do, your Grace may know them not to be true followers of Christ. And although I named the spirituality to be corrupt with this unthrifty ambition; yet I mean not all to be faulty therein, for there be some good of them. Neither will I that your Grace should take away the goods due to the church, but take away all evil persons from the goods, and set better in their stead. I name nor appoint no person, nor persons, but remit your Grace to the rule of our Saviour Christ, as in Matthew the 7th chapter; by their fruites ye shall know them.'

"As touching the words that our Saviour Christ spake to his disciples when he sent them to preach his gospel, they be read in Matthew the 15th chapter, where he sheweth that here they shall be hated and despised of all men worldly, and brought before kings and rulers; and that all evil should be said by them, for their preaching sake;' but he exhorteth them to take patiently such persecution by his own example, saying, 'It becometh not the servant to be above the master. And seeing they called me Belzebub, what marvel is it, if they call you devilish persons and bereticks?' Read the 14th chapter of St. Matthew's gospel, and there your Grace shall see that he promised to the true preachers no worldly promotions or dignitie, but persecution and all kinds of punishment, and that they should be betrayed even by their own brethren and chil

* These were acts made against exactions for probates of wills, for regulating mortuaries, and against pluralities and non residence.