remembered. The history is this: It so chanced that after Master Latimer had been so acquainted with the aforesaid Bilney, he went with him to visit the prisoners in the Tower of Cambridge; and being there, among other prisoners there was a woman which was accused that she had killed her own child, which act she plainly and stedfastly denied, whereby it gave them occasion to search for the matter and at length they found that her husband loved her not, and therefore sought all means he could to make her away. The matter was thus a child of hers had been sick a whole year, and at length died in harvest time, as it were in consumption; which, when it was gone, she went to have her neighbours to help her to the burial, but all were in harvest abroad, whereby she was enforced, with heaviness of heart, alone to prepare the child to the burial. Her husband coming home, and not loving her, accused her of murdering the child. This was the cause of her trouble, and Master Latimer, by earnest inquisition of conscience, thought the woman not guilty. Then immediately after was he called to preach before King Henry the eighth at Windsor, where, after his sermon, the king's majesty sent for him, and talked with him familiarly. At which time Master Latimer, finding opportunity, kneeled down, opened this whole matter to the king, and begged her pardon, which the king most graciously granted, and gave it him at his return homeward. In the mean time, the woman was delivered of a child in the prison, whose godfather was M. Latimer, Mistress Cheek godmother. But all the while he would not tell her of the pardon, but laboured to have her confess the truth of the matter. At length the time came when she should look to suffer, and Master Latimer came as he was wont to instruct her; unto whom she made great lamentations and moan, to be purified before her suffering, for she thought to be damned if she should suffer without purification. When Master Bilney being with Master Latimer, both told her that that law was made to the Jews, and not to us, and how women be as well in the favour of God before they be purified as after; and rather it was appointed for a civil and politic law, for natural honesty sake, than that they should any thing the more be purified from sin thereby, &c. So thus they travelled with this woman, till they had brought her to a good trade, and then at length showed her the king's pardon, and let her go. After M. Latimer had thus travelled in preaching and teaching in the university of Cambridge, about the space of three years, at length he was called up to the cardinal for heresy, by the procurement of certain of the said university, where he was content to subscribe and grant to such articles as then they propounded unto him, &c. After that he returned to the university again, where shortly after, by the means of Doctor Buts, the king's physician, a singular good man, and a special favourer of good proceedings, he was in the number of them which laboured in the cause of the king's supremacy. Then went he to the court, where he remained a certain time in the said Doctor Buts' chamber, preaching then in London very often. At last, being weary of the court, having a benefice offered by the king, at the suit of the L. Cromwell, and Doctor Buts, was glad thereof, seeking by that means to be rid out of the court, wherewith in no case he could agree; and so having a grant of the benefice, contrary to the mind of Doctor Buts, he would needs depart, and be resident at the same. This benefice was in Wiltshire, under the diocess of Sarum, the name of which town was called West Kingston, where this good preacher did exercise himself with much diligence of teaching to instruct his flock, and not only to them did his diligence extend, but also to all the country about. In fine, his diligence was so great, his preaching so mighty, the manner of his teaching so zealous, that there in like sort he could not escape without enemies, so true it is, that St. Paul foretelleth us, Whosoever will live godly in Christ, shall suffer persecution.' It so chanced, that whereas, he preaching upon the blessed Virgin, Christ's mother, (whom we call our Lady,) had thereupon declared his mind, referring and reducing all honor only to Christ our only Saviour, certain Popish priests, being therewith offended, sought and wrought much trouble against him, drawing out articles and impositions, which they untruly, unjustly, falsly, and uncharitably imputed unto him. First, That he should preach against our Lady, for that he reproved in a sermon the superstitious rudeness of certain blind priests, which so held together upon that blessed Virgin, as though she never had any sin, nor were saved by Christ, the only Saviour of the whole world. 'Item, That he should say, that saints were not to be worshipped. Item, That Ave Maria was a salutation only, and no prayer. Item, That there was no material fire in hell. Item, That there was no purgatory, in saying, that he had liefer be in purgatory than in Lollard's tower. The chief impugners and molesters of him, besides these country priests, were Doct. Powel of Salisbury, Dr. Wilson, sometime of Cambridge, Dr. Hubberdin, and Dr. Sherwood. Of whom some preached against, some also did write against him, insomuch, that by their procurement, he was cited up and called to appear before Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury, and John Stokesley, Bishop of London, 1531, Jan. 29. Although Master Latimer did appeal to his own divinaria, requiring by him to be ordered; yet, all that notwithstanding, he was had up to London, before Warham, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Bishop of London, where he was greatly molested and detained a long space from his cure at home, where, he being called thrice every week before the said bishops, to make answer for his preaching, had certain articles or propositions drawn out and laid to him, whereunto they required him to subscribe. At length, he, not only perceiving their practical proceedings, but also much grieved with their troublesome unquietness, which neither would preach themselves, nor yet suffer him to preach, and to do his duty, writeth to the foresaid archbishop, partly excusing his infirmity, whereby he could not appear at their commandments, partly expostulating with them for so troubling and detaining him from his duty doing, and that for no just cause, but only for preaching the truth against certain vain abuses crept into religion, much needful to be spoken against. He appeareth by this epistle, to have written to the bishop, that he durst not consent unto them, where he writeth in these words: His ego nudis sententiis subscribere non audeo, quia popularis superstitionis diutius duraturæ, quoad possum, authorçulus esse nolo, &c. But yet, whether he was compelled afterwards to agree, through the cruel handling of the bishops, it is in doubt. By the words and the title in Lonstal's Register, prepared before the articles, it may be seen that he subscribed. The words of the Register be these: Hugo Latimerus in sacra theologia Bacch. in Universitate Cantab. coram Cant. Archiepisc. Joha. Lond. episcopo, reliquaq, concione apud Wistom. vocatus, confessus est, &c. recognovit fidem suam sic sentiendo ut sequitur in his artic. 21 die Martij, unno 1551. If these words be true, it may be thought that he subscribed. And whether he so did, no great matter nor marvel, the iniquity of the time being such, that either he must needs so do, or else abide the bishops' blessing, that is, cruel sentence of death, which he at that time (as he himself confesses, preaching at Stamford) was loath to abstain for such matters as these were, unless it were for articles necessary of his belief; by which his words, I conjecture rather, that he did subscribe at length, albeit it was long before he could be brought so to do. Yet this, by the way, is to be noted, concerning the crafty and deceitful handling of these bishops in his examination, what subtil devices they used the same time to entrap him in their snares. The truth of the story, he sheweth forth himself in a certain sermon preached at Stamford, An. 1550, Octob. 9; his words be these: I was once (said he) in examination before five or six bishops, where I had much turmoiling; every week thrice I came to examina tion, and many snares and traps were laid to get something. Now God knoweth I was ignorant of the law, but that God gave me answer and wisdom what I should speak; it was God, indeed, for else I had never escaped them. At the last I was brought forth to be examined into a chamber hanged with arras, where I was wont to be examined: but now at this time the chamber was somewhat altered, for whereas before there was wont ever to be a fire in the chimney, now the fire was taken away, and an arras hanged over the chimney, and the table stood near the chimney's end. There was amongst these bishops that examined me, one with whom I have been very familiar, and took him for my great friend, an aged man, and he sat at the table's end. When, amongst all other questions, he put forth one, a very subtil and crafty one, and such a one, indeed, as I could not think so great danger in. And when I should make answer, I pray you, M. Latimer, said one, speak out; I am very thick of hearing, and here be many that set far off. I marvelled at this, that I was bidden speak out, and began to misdeem, and gave an ear to the chimney; and, sir, there I heard a pen working in the chimney behind the cloth, they had appointed one there to write all mine answers; for they made sure, that I should not start from them: there was no starting from them. God was my good Lord, and gave me answer, I could never else have escaped it. The question to him there and then objected was this; whether he thought in his conscience that he had been suspected of heresy. This was a captious question. There was no holding of peace would serve; for that was to grant himself faulty. To answer it was every way full of danger. But God which alway giveth in need what to answer, helped him, or else (as he confessed himself) he had never escaped their bloody hands. Albeit, what was his answer he doth not there express. And thus hitherto you have heard declared the manifold troubles of this godly preacher, in the time not only of his being in the university, but especially at his benefice, as partly in his own words above mentioned, and partly by his own letters hereafter following, may better appear. In these so hard and dangerous straits, and such snares of the Bishops, hard it had been for him and impossible to have escaped, and continued so long, had not the Almighty helping hand of the highest, as he stirred him up, so preserved him through the favour and power of his Prince; who with much favour embraced him, and with his mere power sometime rescued and delivered him out of the crooked claws of his enemies. Moreover, at length also, through the procurement partly of Doctor Buttes, partly of good Cromwell, he advanced him to the dignity and degree of a Bishop, making him the Bishop Worcester, which so continued a few years, instructing his diocess according to the duty of a diligent and vigilent pastor, with wholesome doctrine and example of perfect conversation duely agreeing to the same. It were a long matter to stand particularly upon such things as might here be brought to the commendations of his pains; as study, readiness, and continual carefulness in teaching, preaching, exhorting, visiting, correcting and reforming either as his ability could serve, or else the time would bear. But the days then were so dangerous and variable that he could not in all things do that he would; yet what he might do, that he performed to the uttermost of his strength, so that although he could not utterly extinguish all the sparkling reliques of old superstition, yet he so wrought, that though they could not be taken away, yet they should be used with as little hurt, and with as much profit as might be, as (for example) in this thing, and in divers other it did appear, that when it could not be avoided, but holy water and holy bread must needs be received, yet so he prepared and instructed them of his diocess, with such informations and lessons, that in receiving thereof superstition should be excluded, and some remembrance taken, thereby teaching and charging the ministers of his diocess in delivering the holy water and the holy bread, to say these words following: Words spoken to the people in giving them holy waters. "Remember your promise in baptism, Of all your sins you have free pardoning." What to say in giving holy bread. "Of Christ's body this a token Which on the cross for our sins was broken, By this may be considered what the vigilant care of this bishop was in doing the duty of a faithful pastor among his flock. And moreover it is to be thought, that he would have brought more things else to pass, if the time then had answered to his desire; for he was not ignorant, how the institution of holy water and holy bread not only had no ground in Scripture, but also how full of prophane exorcisms and conjurations they were, contrary to the rule and learning of the gospel. Thus this good man behaved himself in his diocese; but (as before) both in the university and at his benefice, he was tossed and |