ways

fleshly desires: but rather he will seek all the possible that he can, utterly to confound, destroy, and put him out of the way. And so as concerning your last proclamation prohibiting such books, the very true cause of it, and chief counsellors, (as men say, and of likelihood it should be,) were they whose evil living and cloaked hypocrisy, these books uttered and disclosed. And howbeit that there were three or four that would have had the Scripture to go forth in English; yet it happened there, as it is evermore seen, that the most part overcometh the better; and so it might be that these men did not take this proclamation as yours, but as theirs, set forth in your name, and they have done many times mo, which hath put this your realm in great hindrance and trouble, and brought it in great penury, and more would have done, if God had not mercifully provided to bring your grace to knowledge of the falsehood of the privy treason, which their head and captain was about; and be ye sure, not without adherents, if the matter be duly searched. For what marvel is it, that they being so nigh of your counsel, and so familiar with your lords, should provoke both your grace and them to prohibit these books, which before, by their own authority, have forbidden the New Testament, under pain of everlasting damnation for such is their manner, to send a thousand men to hell, ere they send one to God; and yet the

New Testament (and so I think by the other,) was meekly offered to every man that would and could, to amend it if there were any fault.

Moreover, I will ask them the causes of all insurrections which have been in this realm heretofore? And whence is it that there be so many extortioners, bribers, murderers, and thieves, which daily do not break only your grace's laws, ordinances, and statutes, but also the laws and commandments of Almighty God? I think they will not say these books, but rather their pardons, which causeth many a man to sin in trust of them. For as for those malefactors which I now rehearsed, you shall not find one amongst a hundred, but that he will cry out of both of these books, and also of them that have them, yea, and will be glad to spend the goods which he hath wrongfully gotten, upon faggots, to burn both the books and them that have them.

And as touching these men that were lately punished for these books, there is no man, I hear say, that can lay any word or deed against them that should sound to the breaking of any of your grace's laws, this only except, if it be yours, and not rather theirs. And be it so that there be some that have these books, that be evil, unruly, and self-willed persons, not regarding God's laws, nor man's; yet these books be not the cause thereof, no more than was the bodily presence of Christ and his words, the

cause that Judas fell, but their own froward mind and carnal wit, which should be amended by the virtuous example of living of their curates, and by the true exposition of the Scripture. If the lay people had such curates that would thus do their office, neither these books, nor the devil himself could hurt them, nor make them go out of frame; so that the lack of good curates is the destruction and cause of all mischief. Neither do I write these things because that I will either excuse these men lately punished, or to affirm all to be true written in their books, which I have not all read; but to shew that there cannot such inconvenience follow of them, and specially of the Scripture, as they would make them believe should follow.

*

Take heed whose counsels your grace doth follow in this matter: for there be some that for fear of losing of their worldly worship and honour, will not leave off their opinion, which rashly, and that to please men withal, by whom they had great promotion, they took 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 wisdom not so greatly regarded, if that which they have so slanderously oppressed should be now put forth and allowed.

i pray to God that your grace

may be found a faithful minister of his gifts, 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 man's power or reason, as all the stories of the Bible make mention.

Wherefore, gracious king, remember yourself, have pity upon your soul, and think 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 not be ashamed, but be clear 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, 1 die Decembris.

This admirable letter, from the intrigues, of the popish faction, failed (as is well known) to produce the desired effect; but Henry, in spite of his vices, had a disposition too ingenuous not to be affected with the simple and

impressive manner of Latimer-with his sin-· cerity and honest zeal.

His sermons are many of them very curious compositions, and a few extracts from them can scarcely fail to amuse, if not to instruct every description of readers. The following passage is remarkable, as it relates to his personal history, and exhibits a correct picture of the ancient yeomanry:

My father was a yeoman, and had no lands of his own, only he had a farm of 31. or 41. by year at the uttermost, and hereupon he tilled so much as kept half a dozen men. He had walk for an hundred sheep, and my mother milked 30 kine. He was able, and did find the king a harness, with himself and his horse, while he cane to the place that he should receive the king's wages. I can remember that I buckled his harness when he went to 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 51. or 20 nobles a-piece, so that he brought them up in godliness and fear of God. He kept hospitality for his