"And take heede whose counsels your Grace doth take in this matter for there be some that, for feare of losing their worldly worship and honour, will not leave their opinion, which rashly, and that to please men withal by whom they had great promotion, they tooke upon them to defend by writing, so that now they think that all their felicity which they put in this life, should be marred, and their wisdome not so greatly regarded, if that which they have so slanderously oppressed, should be now put forth and allowed. But alas, let these men remember St. Paul, how fervent he was against the truth (and that of a good zeale) before he was called: he thought no shame to suffer punishment and great persecutions for that which he before despised and called heresy. And I am sure that their living is not more perfect than St. Paul's was, as concerning the outward workes of the law, before he was converted. "Also, the king and prophet David was not ashamed to forsake his good intent in building of the temple, after that the prophet Nathan had shewed him that it was not the pleasure of God that he should build any house for him: and, notwithstanding that Nathan had before allowed and praised the purpose of David, yet he was not ashamed to revoke and eat his words again when he knew that they were not according to God's will and pleasure. "Wherefore they be sore drowned in worldly wisdome that think it against their worship to acknowledge their ignorance; whom I pray to God, that your Grace may espy, and take heede of their worldly wisdome, which is foolishness before God: that you may do that that God commandeth, and not that which seemeth good in your own sight, without the word of God, that your Grace may be found acceptable in his sight, and one of the members of his church and according to the office that he hath called your Grace unto, you may be found a faithful minister of his giftes, and not a defender of his faith, for he will not have it defended by man, or man's power, but by his word only, by the which he hath evermore defended it, and that by a way far above *This seems to be an allusion to Sir Thomas More, then lord chancellor, whose zeal for popery in its worst form is the greatest blot upon his memory. man's power or reason, as all the stories of the bible maketh mention. "Wherefore, gracious king, remember yourselfe; have pity upon your soule, and thinke that the day is even at hand when you shall give accounts of your office, and of the blood that hath been shed with your sword. In the which day, that your Grace may stand stedfastly, and be not ashamed, but to be cleare and ready in your reckoning, and to have (as they say) your quietus est sealed with the blood of our Saviour Christ, which only serveth at that day, is my daily prayer to him that suffered death for our sins, which also prayeth to his father for grace for us continually. To whom be all honour and praise for ever, Amen. The spirit of God preserve your Grace. Anno Domini, 1530, Imo. die Decembris." This powerful appeal to the royal conscience, though it did not produce the immediate effect which the writer had in view, made an impression upon the king's mind, and confirmed him in the good opinion which he had formed of the writer, who, about this time, was presented to the living of West Kington, in Wiltshire. Thither he went contrary to the wishes of his friend, Dr. Butts, who would have had him remain at court in hopes of obtaining for him higher preferment. But Latimer had no such ambition, and besides his conscience would not permit him to hold a benefice without discharging the pastoral duty in person. Preaching was his great delight, and in the exercise of this happy faculty he met with abundant success. The light of the gospel became diffused beyond his own parish, and the desire which the people had to hear him was so great that the mayor of Bristol sent him an invitation to preach before him and the corporation at Easter. This stirred up the malice of the Romish faction so far, that by their influence, they procured an inhibition against all preachers there who had not the bishop's license. Not content with this advantage, two bigotted priests, Powell and Hubberdine, proceeded to asperse the private character of Latimer, but when challenged to prove their charges they were forced to acknowledge that they had no authority but hearsay information for what they had advanced. Calum niators, instead of being ashamed when convicted of falsehood, only become more malignant, and so it was in the present case; for, finding the popularity of Latimer increased, his adversaries sent up articles of accusation against him to Stokesley, bishop of London, who, contrary to ecclesiastical order, cited him into his court. Latimer, instead of obeying the summons, appealed to the bishop of Salisbury, as being his ordinary; on which Stokesley laid the matter before the archbishop of Canterbury, who issued his citation, and appointed a commission to examine the accused. It was now the depth of winter, and Latimer was labouring under a sharp fit of the stone and cholic, notwithstanding which he immediately hastened to London; but previous to his departure, he wrote a long letter to his friend, Sir Edward Baynham, in which he gives a minute account of his sufferings and persecutors, particularly Stokesley, of whom he says, "Me seems it were more comely for my lord to be a preacher himselfe, having so great a cure as he hath, than to be a disquieter and a troubler of preachers, and to preach nothing at all himself. If it would please his lordship to take so great labour and pain at any time, as to come to preach in my little bishopric at West Kington, whether I were present or absent myselfe, I would thank his lordship heartily, and thinke myself greatly bounden to him, that he of his charitable goodness would go so far to help to discharge me in my cure, or else I were more unnatural than a beast, unreasonable: nor yet I would dispute, contend, or demand, by what authority, or where he had authority so to do, as long as his predication were fruitful, and to the edification of my parishioners. "As my authority is good enough, and as good as my lord can give me any, yet I would be glad to have his also, if it would please his lordship to be so good lord unto me. For the university of Cambridge hath authority apostolic to admit twelve yearly, of the which I am one: and the king's highness, God save his Grace, did decree that all admitted of universities should preach throughout all his realme, as long as they preached well, without distraine at any man, my lord of Canterbury, my lord of Duresme, with such other, not a few standing by, and hearing the decree, nothing gainsaying it, but consenting to the same. Now to contemn my lord of London's authority were no little fault in me, so no less fault might appear in my lord of London to contemn the king's authority and decree, yea, so godly, so fruitful, so commendable a decree, pertaining both to the edification of christian souls, and also to the regard and defence of the popish grace, and authority apostolic. To have a book, of the king not inhibited, is to obey the king; and to inhibit a preacher of the king admitted, is it not to disobey the king? Is it not one king that doth inhibit and admit, and hath he not as great authority to admit as to inhibit? He that resisteth the power, whether admitting, or inhibiting, doth he not resist the ordinance of God? We low subjects are bound to obey powers, and their ordinances, and are not the highest subjects also; who ought to give us ensample of such obedience? As for my preaching itself, I trust in God, my lord of London cannot rightfully blame it, nor justly reprove it, if it be taken with the circumstance thereof, and as I spake it, or else it is not my preaching, but his that falsely reporteth it, as the poet Martial said to one that depraved his book : Quem recitas meus est, o Fidentine, libellus : "Either my lord of London will judge my outward man only, as it is said, Omnes vident quæ foris sunt, or else he will be my God, and judge mine inward man, as it is said, Deus autem intueter cor.-If he will have to do only with mine outward man, and meddle with mine outward conversation, how that I have ordered myself toward my christian brethren, the king's liege people, I trust I shall please and content both my Lord God, and also my lord of London; for I have preached and teached but according to holy scripture, holy fathers, and ancient interpreters of the same, with the which I think my lord of London will be pacified; for I have done nothing else in my preaching, but with all diligence moved my auditors to faith and charity, to do their duty, and that that is necessary to be done. As for things of private devotion, mean things, and voluntary things, I have reproved the abuse, the superstition of them, without condemnation of the things themselves, as it becometh preachers to do: which thing, if my lord of London will do himself, (as I would to God he would do), he should be reported, no doubt, to condemn the use of such things, of covetous men which have damage, and find less in their boxes by condemnation of the abuse; which abuse they had rather should continue still, than their profit should not continue; so thornie be their hearts. If my lord will needs coast and invade my inward man, will I, nill I, and break violently into my heart, I fear me I shall either displease my lord of London, which I would be very loath, or else my Lord God, which I will be more loath; not for any infidelity, but for ignorance; for I believe as a christian man ought to believe. But, peradventure, my lord knoweth, and will know, many things certainly, which, perchance, I am ignorant in; with the which ignorance, though my lord of London may, if he will, be discontent, yet I trust my Lord God will pardon it as long as I hurt no man withal, and say to him with diligent study, and daily prayer, paratum cor meum Deus, paratum cor meum, so studying, preaching, and tarrying the pleasure and leisure of God; and in the mean season, (Acts viii.) as Apollos did when he knew nothing of Christ, but Baptismum Johannis, teach and preach mine, even christen that, and no farther than I know to be true. There be three creeds, one in my mass, another in my matins, the third common to them that neither say mass nor matins, nor yet know what they say when they say the creed, and I believe all three, with all that God hath left in holy writ for me and all others to believe yet I am ignorant in things which I trust hereafter to know, as I do now know things in which I have been ignorant heretofore: ever learne and ever to be learned; to profit with learning, with ignorance not to annoy. : "I have thought in times past, that the pope, Christ's vicar, had been lord of all the world as Christ is, so that if he should have deprived the king of his crown, or you of your lordship of Bromham, it had been enough for he could do no wrong. Now I might be hired to think otherwise, notwithstanding I have both seen and heard scripture |