Twenty-Seven Sermons — Hugh Latimer

Twenty-Seven Sermons · Hugh Latimer

A most fayth full Sermon preached before the Kings most excellent Maiesty, and his most honorable Councel, in his Court at Westminster, by the reuerend Father Mayster Hughe Latymer. Anno Domini. M. D. L.

Videte & cauete ab auaricia.

TAke hede and beware of couetousnes, take heede and beware of couetousnes, take heede & beware of couetousnes, take heede & beware of couetousnes. And what and if I should saye nothing els these. iij. or. iiij. hours (for I know it wyll be so long, in case I be not cōmaunded to the contrary) but these wordes: Take heede and beware ofA straunge …. couetousnes, it would be thought a straunge Sermon before a King to saye nothyng els Cauete ab …. Beware of Couetousnesse. And yet as straunge as it is, it would be lyke the Sermō of Ionas that he preached to y^t …, as touching the shortnes, and as touching the paucity or fewenes of the words: For his Sermon was, Ad huc quadraginta dies, et Niniue subuertetur. There is yet fourty dayes to come, & … shalbe destroied. Thus he walked from streete to streete, & louelove beware where you marrye, chuse your wyfe in a faythfull stocke. Beware of thys wordly policy, mary in god, mary not for the great respect of alyaunce, for therof commeth all these euyls of breakyng of wedlocke, whych is amonge Princes and noble men. And here I would be a Suter vntounto your Maiestye, for I come now rather to be a Suter and a peticioner, then a Preacher, for I come nowe to take my leaue, andLatimers … vale. totake my, Vltimum uale, at least wise in thys place, for I hauehave not long to lyne, so that I thinke I shall neuer come here in to thys place againe, and therefore I wyll aske a peticion of your hyghnes:

For the louelove of God, take an order for meryages here in Englande. For here is mariage for pleasure, and … A buse in mariage.and for goodes, and so that they maye ioyne lande to land, and possessions to pessessions they care for no more here in Englande. And that is the cause of so muche adultrye, and so muche breache of wedlocke in the noble men, and gentle men, and so muche deuorcynge. And it is not now in the noble men onelyonly, but it is come now to the inferior sort. EueryEvery man if he hauehave but a smal cause, wyl cast of his old wyfe, and take a newe, and wyl mary agayne at hys pleasure, and ther be many that hauehave so done. I would therfore wysh that there were a lawe prouided in thys behalfe for adulterers, and that adultry shoulde bee punyshed wyth deathe, and that myghte be a remedye for all thys matter. There would not then be soThis … dy did God deuise. much adultry, whordome and lechery in England as ther is. For the louelove of God take heede to it, and se a remedy prouided for it. I woulde wyshe that adultry shoulde be punyshed with death. And that the woman beynge an offender, if her husbande woulde be a suter for her, she shoulde bee pardoned for the fyrst tyme, but not for the second time. And the man being an offender shoulde be pardoned, if his wife be a suter for him for the fyrst tyme, but not for the second tyme, not if he offended twyse.

If thys lawe were made, there woulde not be so muche adultryenor lecherye vsed in the Realme as ther is. Well I trust once yet as old as I am, to se the day that lechery shalbe punished. It was neuer more neede, for ther was neuer more lechery vsed in England as there is at this day, & maintained. It is made but a laughynge matter, and a trifle, and it is a sad matter and an earnest matter. For leacherye is a great synne, Sodom and Gomore was destroyed for it. And it was one of the syns raygning in Niniue, for which it should hauehave bene destroyed. But thinke you y^t lechery was alone? No no couetousnes was ioyned with it. Couetousnes foloweth lecheOne synne wayteth vp on another ry, and commonly they go together. For why? they that be geuen to voluptuousnes, and to the vice of lechery, must hauehave wherewith to maintayne it, and that must be gotten by coue tousnes. For at the fyrst when men fel to synne, and cheifelye to lechery, wherfore the world should … destroyed (the booke sayth) ther wer Giauntes in thearth in those dayes. And after that y^t sons of God had come to the daughters of men, & … had engendred with them. The same became mighty men of the world, and men of renoune. &c. Thys is couetousnes, for y^t booke sayth: terra erat repleta iniquitate, the earth was repleateWhat Giaunts are. with iniquity, for they oppressed the poore. They made them …, pesauntes, villains and bondmen vntounto them. These were Giauntes, so called of the property of Giauntes, for they oppres the weake, and take … them what they lyste, by force, vyolence and oppressyon. They were Giauntes of the property of Giauntes, not that they were greater men of stature and strength of body then other men were. For … wryters speaking of thys matter, say: that they were Gyātes for theyr cruelty and couetous oppression, and not in stature or procerity of body. For there is no reason why Sethes children could beget on Caines daughters greater men then others were in stature of body. But they were Gyauntes in y^t property of Giauntes, for oppressing of others by force and vi olence. And thys was couetousnes wherwith God was soCouetousnes caused God to repent. Thys speche is after the … of men displeased, that hee repented that he had made men, and resolued vtterly to destroye the worlde, and so called to Noe, and told hym of it. And I wyll not dispute the matter with them (sayth God) from daye to daye, and neuer the neare, but if they wyll not amends wythin an hundreth and twentye yeares, I shall bryng in an vnyuersall floudde ouer theyr eares and destroy them all. such a nother in comparison of London. Suche a Cytye wasLondō but a village in comparisō. Niniue, it was three daies iourny to go through ouery streete of it, and to go but from streete to streete. There was noble men, richmen, welthy men, ther was vicious men and couetousmen, and men that gaue them selues to all voluptuous liuing, and to worldlynes of getting riches. Was this a time well chosen and discritely taken of Ionas, to come & reproue them of they synne, to declare vntounto them the threatninges of God, and to tell theym of theyr Couetousnes, and to say plain ly vntounto them, that except they repented & amended theyr euyl lyuynge, they & theyr City should be destroyed of Gods hand within. xl. dayes? And yet they hearde Ionas and gaue place to his preaching. They hearde the threatninges of God and … hys stroke and vengeaunce, and beleued God, that is, they beleued Gods Preacher and Minister, they beleued that God would be true of his word, that he spake by the mouth of his prophet, and ther vponupon did pennaunce, to tourne a waye the wrath of God from them. Well what shall we say? I wil saye thys and not spare, Christ sayeth: Niniue shall aryse agaynst the Iewes at the last day and beare wytnesse agaynste them, because that they hearing Gods threatnynges for syn. Ad predicationem Ione in cinere & sacco egerunt penitentiam, thes did penaunce at the preaching of Ionas in ashes and sacklothNiniue shal arise agaist England. (as the text sayeth there) and I say Niniue shal aryse agaynst England (thou England) Niniue shall aryse agaynst Englande, because it wyll not beleue God, nor heare his preachers that cry … vntounto them, nor amende theyr lyues, & specially theyr Couetousnes. Couetousnesse is as great a synne nowe, as it was then, and it is the same sinne now, it was then. And he wyll as sure stryke for sinne now, as he dyd then. But ah good God that would geue them a tyme of repentaunce after his threatnyng. Fyrst to se whyther they would amend or not or he would destroye them. For euen from the begynnynge of the world they fell to synne. The fyrst age from Adam whych was aboute two thousande yeares they fell euer to sin and they had preachers Noe and Enoch & other holye fathers. And in that tyme a great multiplycation was that grew in two thousand yeares. For that Scripture sayth: The sonnes of God saw the daughters of men that thei wer fair, and they toke them wyues from among all that they had chosen. This is is a longe matter to speake of all. But what meaneth thys the sonnes of God sawe the daughters of men? who wer theseThe sonns of God and daughters of men. sonnes of God?

Thesons of God wer those that came of the good men, of the good Preachers, of the holy fathers y^t were Gods men, as they that came of Seth and Enos, that were good men, and of others. For oure graudmother Eue, when Cayne had kylled Abell, and then she had a nother sone by Adam, who was called Seth. What did she? She gaue thanks to God for him, and acknowledged that God it was whyche had geuen hym vntounto her, for she sayde: Dedit mihi deus semen pro Abel quem occidet Cain. God (said she) hath geuen me a … sede in … of Abell whom Cayne slewe. Here is a long matter to talke on. Some wilsay: was this a naturall mother, was thys naturally done to puplish the sinne of her ownsonne? What neded she to speake of that matter, or to make anye rehersall of that matter, to opē the sinne of her sonne? what neded she this to do? Yes, she was now a good woman, when she beleued the serpent, she was not good. But now she hath repentedEue was a good womā that deede, and had taken holde of the promyse of God, that ther should come of her a seede, that shouldetread … and destroye the heade of the Serpent. She had taken … of this promise and was now a good woman and a godlye woman, she opened the faute of her sonne and hid it not. Here coulde I say some what to them (… I would) that speake so mucheWho bee the sonnes of God. agaynste me for my preachynge here the last yeare. But to returne to Eue, & declare that the sonnes of God are to be vnderstanded those y^t came of good men, as of Seth and Enos, & the same good part of generacion. And the daughters of men are to be vnderstanded of them that came of Came and of his seede. And therfore our grandmother Eue badde beware of marying wyth …, for feare of fallyng from God to wyckednes therby. And here I would say a thing to your mayesty, I shall speake it of good wyll to your hyghnes, I would I wer able to … your grace good seruyce in anything, ye shoulde be sure to hauehave it. But I wyll say thys: For Gods Thys was preached by Noe to them, and so that God of hys goodnes, pacience and long sufferaunce, gaue them a time to repent and amend after his threatnings, because they should se theyr euyl doinges, and retourne to God. So they had an hundreth and. xx. yeares to repent. Thys Noe was laughedNoe is laughed … skorn. to scorne, they lyke doddypoles laughed thys godlye father to scorne. Wel, ye thinke lyttle of the history, yfye wyl knowe the meaning of it, it is a great thew what anger God hath to to sinne. But how long tyme hast thou England thou England? I can not tel, for God hath not reuealed it vntounto me, if hee had, so God helpe me I woulde tell you of it, I woulde not be …, nor spare to tel it you, for the good wil I bear you, but I can not tell howe long time ye hauehave, for God hath not opened it vntounto me: But I can tell you that thys lenitye, this long for bearing and holdyng of his hande, prouoketh vsus to repent and amend. And I can tell that whosoeuer contemneth this riches and treasure of Gods goodnes, of his mercy, … pacience & long suffering, shall hauehave the more greeuous condempnacion. This I can tell well inough, Paule telleth me thys, and I can tell that ye hauehave tyme to repent as longe as you lyue beare in thys worlde, but after thys lyfe I can make no warrant of anye furder tyme to repent. Therefore repent and amende whyle ye be here, for when ye are gone hence, ye are past that. But how long that shal be whether to… must be in this life. morrow or the next day, or xx. …, or how long, I can not tel. But in the meane time ye hauehave many Ionasses to tel you of your fautes, & to declare vntounto you Gods threatninges, exceptEngland hath many Ionasses. ye repente and amend, therfore to returne to my matter I say as I sayd at the begynnyng: Videte et cauete ab auaritia. videte, Fyrst se it, and then amend it. For I promise you great complayntes there is of it, and muche crying out, and much preaching, but none amendment that I see. But cauete ab auaritia, beware of couetousnes. And why of couetousnes? Quia radix est omnium malorum quaritia et cupiditas. For … The … of al mischise.is the … of al euyl, and of al mischiefe. Thys saying of Paule tooke me away from the Gospel that is read in the Churche thys daye, it tooke me from the …, that I woulde preache vponupon neyther of them bothe at thys tyme, I can not tel what ayled me. But to tel you my …: when I was appoynted to preache here, I was newe come out of a sicknes, wherof I looked to hauehave dyed, and weake I was. Yet neuertheles when I was appointed vntounto it, I tooke it vponupon me, how be it I repented afterward that I had done. I was displeased wyth my selfe, I was teasty as Jonas was when he should go preache to the Niniuites. Wel, I looked on the Gospel that is red thys daye, tut it liked me not, I looked on the Epistle: tushe I could not a waye wyth that neyther. And yet I remember I had preached vponupon thys Epistle once afore Kyng Henry the. …. but now I could not frame wyth it, nor it liked me not in no sauce. Wel, thys saying of Paule came in my mynde, and at last I considered and wayed the matter deepelye, and then thought I thus with my selfe: Is Couetousnes the roote of all mischiefe, and of all euyll? then hauehave at the roote, & down withal couetousnes. So thys place of Paule brought me to thys text of Luke: See and beware of couetousnes. Therfore you Preachers out with your swordesPreachers must strike at the roote and strike at the roote, speake agaynst couetousnes, and crye out vponupon it. Stand not tyckyng and toying at the braunches, nor at the boughes (for then there wil new boughes and braū ches spryng agayne of them) but strike at the roote, and feare not these Giauntes of Englande, these great men and men of power, these men that are oppressours of the poore. Feare thē not, but strike at the roote of all euyll, whych is myscheuous couetousnes. For couetousnes is the cause of rebellion. I hauehave forgotten my logyke, but yet I can iumble at a Silogisme, and make an argumēt of it to proue it by. Couetousnes is the roote of al euyl: Rebellion is an euil, Ergo Couetousnes is the roots of rebellion. And so it was in dede. Couetousnes was the causeThe cause of rebellion of rebellion this last Sommer, and both parties had couetousnes, as well the Gentlemen as the Commous. Both parties had Couetousnes, for both parties had an inordinate desyre to hauehave that they had not, and that is …, an inordinate desyre to hauehave that one hath not. The Commons would hauehave hadde from the Gentlemen suche thynges as they desyred. The Gentlemen would none of it, and so was there couetousnes on both sides. The Commons thought they had a ryght to the thynges that they inordinatly sought to hauehave. But what then? they must not come to it that waye. Nowe on the other side the Gentlemen had a desire to keepe that they had, and so they rebelled to agaynste the kynges commaundement, and agaynst suche good order as he and hys counsel woulde hauehave set in the realme. And thus both parties had couetousnes, and both parties dyd rebell. I hearde saye that there was godlye ordinaunces deuised for the redresse of it. But the GiauntesThe frou ning of a Giaunt. would none of it in no sauce. I remember myne owne selfe a certayne Giaunt, a great man, who sat in commission about such matters. And when the tounsemen should bryng in what had beene inclosed, he frouned and chafed and so nere looked and threatened the poore men, tha they durst not aske theyr ryght. I red of late in an Act of Parliment: and thys Act made mencion of an act that was made in kyng Henries dayes (the …. I trow it was, yea and such an other busynes there was in kyng … tyme the seconde also.) In this parliment that I speake of, the Gentlemen and the Cōmons were at variaunce, as they were now of late. And there the Gentlemen that wer Landlordes, would nedes hauehave away muche landes from theyr tenauntes, and would needes hauehave an Act of parliment that it myght be lawfull for them to enclose and make seuerall from theyr tenauntes and from the Commons suche porcions of theyr landes as they thought good, muche a dooe there was about thys Act. At last it was concluded and graū tedAn argument ment mete to be marked. that they myght so do: Prouided alway that they shoulde leaue sufficient to the tenaunt. Wel, it was wel that they wer bounde to leaue sufficient for theym. But who shoulde bee the Judge to lymite what was sufficient for theym. Or who shall nowe iudge what is sufficient? Wel I for my part can not tell what is sufficient. But me thought it was well that the tennaunts and poore commous should hauehave sufficient. For if they had sufficient (thought I) they had cause to be quiet. And thē … I to make thys argument within my selfe: If at that time it were put in theyr will and power, that they myght enclose, leauing to the tennaunt that were sufficient for hym, yf they had it then in theyr power (thought I) that they myght thys doo, they woulde leaue no more then sufficient. If they lest to the tenauntes and poore commons no more in those dayes but sufficient: then if they had anye more taken from them since that time, then had they now not sufficient. They in Christ are equal with you. … of the realm mustAl are equal in Christ. nedes be. The poorest plowman is in Christ equall with the greatest Prince that is. Let them therefore hauehave sufficient to maintaine them, and to fynde them theyr necessaries. A plow … must hauehave sheepe, yea they must hauehave sheepe to dunge theyr grounde for bearinge of corne (for if they hauehave no shepe to healpe to fat the grounde, they shall hauehave but bare corne & The plowmās vensōthyn). They must hauehave swyne for theyr foode to make theyr veneryes or bacon of, theyr bacon is theyr venison (for they shall now hauehave hangum tuum if they get any other veneson) so that bacon is theyr necessary meate to … on, whych they may not lack. They must hauehave other catels, as … to draw their ploughe and for cariage of thinges to the markets, and kine for their mylke and chese, whych they must lyue vponupon & pay theyr …. These cattell must hauehave pasture whych pasture if they lacke, the rest must nedes fayle them. And pasture … can not hauehave, if the … be taken in & inclosed from thē. So (as I sayde) ther … in both pactes rebellion. Therfore for Gods louelove restore theyr sufficient vntounto them, and searche no more what is the cause of rebelliō. But se and … of couetousnesse,A good request. for couetousnes is the cause of rebellion. Wel now, if couetousnes be the cause of rebellion, then preaching against couetousnesse is not the cause of rebellion. Some say that the preaching now a daies is the cause of all … rebellion, for since thys … preachinge hath come in, there hath bene much sedicion, and therefore it must nedes be that y^t preaching is the cause of rebellion heare in Englande, … our preaching is the cause of rebellion, much like as Christ was cause of the destrucion of Jerusalem. For (saith Christ) Si non uenisse Preaching is cause of rebellion.& locutu fuissem eis, … non haberent. &c. If I had not com sayth Christ) and spoken to them, they shoulde hauehave no synne. So we preachers hauehave come & spoken to you: we hauehave drawē ourswerdes of Gods word, and stryken at the rootes of al … to hauehave them cut downe, and if ye wyll not amende, what can we do more. And preaching is cause of sedicion beare in England, much like as Ely was the cause of trouble in Israel, for hee was a preacher there, and tolde the people of all degres theyr faultes, and so they wynched and kycked at hym, and accused hym to Achab the King, that he was a sedicious fellow, and a troublous preacher and made much … in the Realme. So the King sente for hym, and he was brought to Achab the King, who sayd vntounto hym: Art thou he that troubleth al … and Ely answered and sayd: naye, thou & thy Fathers house are they that trouble al Israell. Ely had preached Gods word, he had playnly told the people of theyr euill doinges, he had shewed them Gods threateninges: (In gods behalfe I speake, there is neither Kinge nor Emperour, be they neuer in so greate estate, but they are subiecte to Gods word) and therfore he was not afrayd to saye to Achab: it isThe cause of trouble. thou and thy fathers house that causeth all the trouble in Israel. Was not thys presumptuously spokē to a king? was not this a sedicious fellow? Was not thys fellowes preachyng a cause of all the trouble in Israel? was he not worthy to be cast … bocardo or lytle ease? No, but he had vsed Goddes sworde which is his woord, and done nothing els that was euill, but thei could not abide it, he neuer disobeied Achabs sword which was the regal power. But Achab disobeyed hys swerd, which was the word of God. And therfore by the punishment of god much trouble arose in the Realm for the sinnes of Achab and the people. But Gods preacher, Gods prophet was not the cause of the trouble. Thē is it not we Preachers that trouble England. But here is now an argument to proue the mater against the preachers. Here was preaching against couetousnesPreaching against couetousnes al the last yeare in Lent, and the next somer solowed rebellion: Ergo preaching agaynst couetousnes, was the cause of the rebellion. A goodly argument. Heare nowe I rememan argument of maister …, which he bringeth in a … that he made agaynst Bilney and here by the way I wyll tel you a mery toy. Maister … was once sent in … into …, to help to triout (if it might be) what was the … of Good win sandes, and the shelfe that stopped vp Sandwich …. Thyther … maister More, and calleth the … afore him, such as wer thought to be men of experience & men that could of lykelyhod best certyfy hym of that matter conserning the stopping of Sandwich hauen. Among others came in before hym an olde man with a white head, and one that was thought to be lytle lesse then an hundereth yeares olde. When maister Moore saw thys aged man, he thought it expedient to heare hym say hys mynd in thys matter (for being so olde a man it was … that he knewe moste of any man in that presence and company.) So Maister … called this old aged man vntounto hym, and sayd: Father (sayd he) tel me if ye can what is the cause of thys great arising of the sandes and shelues here about thys hauen, the which stop it vp that no shippes can ariue here? Ye are the eldest man that I can espye in al thys company, so that if any man can tell … cause of it, ye of lykely hode can say most in it, or at leastwyse more then any other man here assembled. Yea forsooth good Maister (quod this old man) for I am wel nighe an hundreth yeares old, and no man here in this company any thing … vntounto mine ….

Well then (quod Mayster Moore) howe saye you in thys matter? what thincke ye to be the cause of these shelues and flattes that stoppe vp Sandwiche hauen? Forsoth syr (quoth he) I am an olde man, I thyncke that Tenterton … is the cause of Goodwyn sandes. For I am an old man syr (quod he) and I may remember the … of Tenterton …,The cause of Goodwin …. and I may remember when there was no steeple at al there. And before that Tenterton steeple was in building, there was no maner of speaking of any … or sands that … the hauen, and therfore I thinke that Tenterton steple is the cause of the destroyng and decaying of Sanwych hauen. And euen so to my purpose is preaching of Gods word the cause of rebellyon, as Tenterton steple was cause that Sandwich hauen is decayed.

And is not this a gaye matter, that suche shoulde be taken for great wyse men, that wyll thus reason agaynst the Preacher of Gods woorde? But here I woulde take an occasion by the waye of a digression to speake somewhat to my Systers the women to doo them some good too, because I would do al folkes good if I could, before I take my … … (at least wise here of thys place) for I think I shall no more come here. For I think I hauehave not long to lyue. So that I … I take my leaue now of the court for euer, and shall no more come in this place. Achab was a Kinge, but …, … was the perilous woman. She would rule her hnsband the King, she would beare a stroke in al things, & she would order matters as pleased her, & so wil many womē do, they … rule … husbandes, & do al thinges after their own mindes. They do therin against the order by God appointed thē. They breake their … y^t God gaue vntounto them. Yea, it is now come to the lower sort, to meane mens wyues, they wyll rule and apparel them selues …, and some of them farce aboue theyr degrees, whyther theyr husbandes wyll nor no. But they brake theyr …, and doo … The womans iniū tion.contrary to Gods ordynaunce. God sayth: Subdita exis subpotestate …. Thou shalte be subiecte vnderunder the power of thy husband. Thou shalte be subiect. Women are subiectes, ye be subiectes to your husbandes.

At the fyrst the man and the woman wer equall. But after that she had geuen credit to the serpent, then she had a iniunction set vppon her: Subdita eris sub potestate uiri, thou shalte be subiect vnderunder the power of thy husband. And as for one … of her iniunction … taketh, & she taketh one parte of her penaunce, because she cannot auoyd it: and that is: in dolore paris: Thoú shalte bring foorth … with payne and traueil. This part of theyr iniunction they take, and yet is the same soGods … naunce. …, that Chrisostome sayth: if it were not for the ordinaunce of God which cannot be made frustrate by man, they would … come to it againe for no worldly good. But God hath prouided here in. And (as Christ sayeth in the Gospek) Mulier cum parit tristiciam habet. &c. The Woman when she beareth Child hath sorow, but afterward shee remembreth not the payne, because there is a soule broughte fourth into the world.

But as it is a parte of your penaunce ye … to trauell in bearing your Children: so is it a parte of youre pennaunce to be subiectes vntounto your husbandes, ye are vnderlynges, vnderlynges, and must be obedient. But this is now made a trifle and a small matter. And yet it is a sad matter, a godly matter, a gostly matter. A matter of dampnacion and saluacion. And Paule faithe that a woman ought to hauehave a power on her heade. What is thys to hauehave aWhy Women be couered. power on her head? It is a maner of speaking of the scripture, and to hauehave her power on her head, is to hauehave a sygne and token of power, whych is by couering of her heade, … that shee hath a superiour aboue her, by whom shee ought to be ruled and ordered. For she is not immediately vnderunder God, but mediately. For by their iniuncion the husbād is theyr head vnderunder God and they subiectes vntounto their husbandes. But this power that some of them hauehave is disgysed geare and straunge facions. They must weare Frenchhoodes, and I can not tell you I, what to call it. And when they make theym ready and come to the coueryng of theyr head, they wyll call and saye, geue me my French hoode, and geue me my Bonet or my cap and so forth. I woulde wyth that the women would call the coueryng of theyr heades by the termes of the scripture. As when she would hauehave her cappe I would … would say: geue me my power, I woulde they woulde learne to speake, as the … ghoste speaketh, and cal it by suche a name as Sainte… learne to speake. Paule dothe. I woulde they would (as they hauehave muche … kynge) when they put on their cap, I would they would hauehave thys meditacion, I am nowe putting on my power vponupon my head, If they had this thoughte in theyr myndes, they would not make so muche pryckynge vp of theym selues as they doos now a dayes. But now here is a vengeaunce deuit: we must hauehave our power from Turkey of Ueluet, and gay it must be. Far fet, deare hought, and when … commeth it is a false … I had rather hauehave a true Englyshe signe then a false signe … Turky. It is a false signe when it couereth not theyr heades as it should do. For if they would keepe it vnderunder the power as they ought to do, there shoulde not any suche Tussockes nor tuftes he seene, as there be, nor suche laying out of the … Tussockes and tuftes.nor braydynge to hauehave it open. I would merueile of it how it shoulde come to be so abused and so farre out of order, sauing that I know by experyence; that many wyl not bee ruled by theyr husbandes, as they ought to be. I hauehave … desyred to … some, and with some I could do litle in that matter.… Adams in … world. But there be now many Adams that wil not displease their wiues, but will in this behalfe let them hauehave all theyr owne myndes and do as them listeth. And some others againe ther be now adayes that wyl defendit, and say it may be suffered wel inough because it is not expressed in …, nor spoken of by name. Though we hauehave not expresse mencion in scripture against such laying out of the heare in Tussocks and Tuftes: yet we hauehave in scripture expresse menciou: De tortis crinibus, of writhē heare, that is for the nonce forced to …. But of these tussocks that are layd out now a dayes, there isThe cause why Tussoks be not in scriptur. … mencion made in scriptures, because they were not vsed in scripture time. They were not yet come to be so far out of order, as to laye out such tussocks and tufftes, but I wyl tell thee, if thou wylt nedes laye it out, or if thou wylte nedes shewe thy heare and hauehave it …: go and pole thy heade or round it, as men do, for to what purpose is it to pul it out so, and to laye …? some do it (say they) of a simplicity. Some do it of a pryde. And some of other causes. But they do it because they wyl be quarter maister with their husbāds, quarter maisters? Nay, halfe maisters yea some of them wyl be whole maisters and rule the roast as they lyst them selues.…, halfe, and whole … sters. But these defenders of it will not hauehave it euyl, because it is not spoken of in Scripture. But there be other thinges as … as this, which are not spoken of in scripture expressely, but they are employed in scripture, as well as though they were there expressely spoken of. For the Prophet Esay sayth. Ve qui consurgitis mane ad comessandum, ad Ebrietatem … et potando usque ad uesperam, ut uino …. Woo vntounto you that aryse early in the morning, and go to drincking vntyll …, that ye may swymme in wine.

This is the scripture agaynst banquetting and dronkennes. But now they banquit al nyght, and lye abed in the day tyme tyl noone, and the scripture speaketh nothing of that. But when then? the Deuyl hath hys purpose thys waye, as well as the other, he hath his purpose as well by … and keping … rule al nyght, as by rysing earely in the morning and banqueting all day. So the Deuil hath his purpose both wayes. Ye noble mē, ye great men I wot not what rule ye kepe: For Gods sake heare the cōplaintes and … of theThe diuel hathe hys purpose. poore. Many complaine agaynst you that ye lye a bed til. viii. or. ix or. x. of the clock, I cannot tell what reuel ye hauehave ouer night, whether in …, or dycing, or carding, or how it is. But in the morning when poore Suters come to your houses ye cannot be spoken withal. They are kept some times without your gates, or if they … let into the hal or some vtter chamber, out commeth one or other. Sirre, ye cannot speakeMy Lorde is a sleepe. with my Lord yet, my Lord is a sleepe, or he hath had busines of the Kinges al night. &c. And thus poore Suters are … of from day to daye that they cannot speake with you in. iii. …. iiii. dayes, yea a whole monethmonth, what shal I say more: yea a hole yeare some tymes erre they canne come to your speche, to be hard of you. For Gods louelove looke better to it, speake wyth poore menne when they come to your houses, and dyspatch poore suters, as in deede some noble men do, and would Christ that al noble men woulde so do. But some do.

I went one daye my selfe be tyme in the mornynge to a great mannes house, to speake with hym, in busynes that I hadde of mine owne. And me thought I was vp …, but when I came thyther, the great man was gonne fourth, aboute such affayres as behoued hym, or I came. Well, yet (thoughte I) thys is well, I lyke thys well. This man dothThe praier of a noble man. somewhat regard and consider his office and duty. I came to late for myne owne matter, and lost my iourney, & my earely … to, and yet I was glad that I had bene so begyled. For Gods louelove folow thys example ye great men, and … in the morninges, & be redy for men to speake with thē, and to dyspatch Sewters that resort vntounto you. But all these I bring to dysproue them that defend euyl thinges, because they be not expresly spoken agaynst in the scripture. But what forceth that? when the … hath hys purpose and is serued as well one waye as an other waye: though it be not expresly spoken agaynste in scripture, yet I reken playnely … emploied in the scripture. But nowe to come to my matter againe. Videte et cauete ab auaricia. See and beware of couetousnes, & …, … to ….I shall desyre you to consider. iiii. thinges. Quis dicat, quid dicat …, … quare dicat, who speaketh it, what he speaketh, to whom he speaketh, & wherefore he speaketh it. As here Christ speaketh to a rich man agaynst auarice. And why against …? what shalbe the ende of all couetouse persons? eternal damnacion. For the couetous persons (sayth Paule) shal not posses ne enter into the Kingdom of God. Here therefore I shal desyre you to praye. &c.

Uidete et cauete ab …. Se, & beware of couetousnes. Fyrst who spake these wordes? … Christe spake thē, if I had spoken them of my selfe, it had bene … worth. But Christ spake them, & … a good …: The story is Duo litigabant inter se. There were two at … betwene them selues. Luc. xii. and by this it appeareth that Christ spake them wel. Christ spake these words at that tyme, and now he speaketh them by … preacher, whom ye ought, to beleue and so it is al one. But vppon what occasion dyd he speake it, there were? ii. brethren at stryfe together for landes, welthy men (as it appeareth) and the ritch felow would not tary … Christ had ended …: but interrupted it, and would nedes hauehave his matter dispatched by and by. He was at Christes Sermō, but yet he woulde not differ his worldly cause tyll Christ had made an end of hys Godly exhortacion. Thys was a … brother, he was a gospeller, he was a carnall gospeller (asA … broother, wors … a papist. many be now adayes for a piece of an Abby, or for a porcion of chauntry lands) to get somwhat by it and to serue hys comodity: He was a gospeller one of the new brethren somwhat worsse then a ranck papyst. How be it a … papist now adayes shal … hauehave promotion, then a true Gospeller … hauehave, y^t more pity. But this was a thorny gospeller, he heard Christes preaching and followed hym for company, & heard his words. But he was neuer the … for it, but y^t care of y^t world, so choked … word of God in him, y^t he could not heare the sermon to the ende, but interrupted the sermon for hys worldly matter … it were aldon. And what was Chrst thenChrist … good seede. doing? forsoth he was sowing of good seede, but it fel vponupon … groūd, so y^t it could not take any rote in this felow to bring forth good fruit in him. And let me tel you of the seed y^t Christ was then sowing. Beare … me a whyle, & seing that I come now to take mine vltimum uale of this place, heare me … & giuegive me leaue a … while & let me take my … honestly. At the tyme when thys fellow interrupted Christes sermon, he was preachyng a long? Sermon to hys Discyples, and to the people beyng gathered together in a wounderfull greate multitude as appeareth in the. xii. Chapter of Saynte Lukes Gospell, and there he first of all taught hys Disciples a good lesson, saying: Cauete uobis a farmento Phariseorum. Beware in any wise (sayth he) from the … of the Pharises. What is… eauen is … taken. thys leuen of the Pharises? Leauen is somtimes taken for corrupt lyuyng, whych infecteth others by the euil example ther of, and against suche corrupt liuing, Gods preacher muste cry oute earnestlye, and neuer sease till it be rooted vp. In the Citie of Corinth one had maried his stepmother, hys fathers wyfe. And he was a … follow, a great riche man, an alderman of the City, and therfore they wincked at it, they would not medle in the matter, they had nothing to do with it, and he was one of the head men, ofsuche rule and authority that they durst not, manye of them. But. S. Paule hearing of the matter, writ vntounto them, and in Gods behalfe charged them, to do awaye suche abhominacion from among them. Saynt Paule would not leaue them, till he had excommunicated thePaule excō … wycked doer of suche abhominacion. If we shoulde nowe excommunicate all suche wycked doers, ther would be muche a do in England. Ye that are Magestrates, … fauoure for affection to suche, and wyll not suffer they maye be rooted out or put to shame. Oh, he is suche a mans seruaunt, we may not do him any shame. Oh, he is a gentleman. &c. And so the thing is not now any thing looked vntounto. Lechery is vsed thorowe out England, & suche lechery as is vsed in none other place of the world. And yet it is made a matter of sport, a of matter no thing, a laughing matter, and a tryfle not to be passed on, nor not to be refourmed.

But beware ye that are Maiestrates, theyr synne dothe leauen you all. Therefore for Gods louelove beware of thys leauen. Wel, I truste it wyll be one day amended. I looke not to liue long, & yet I trust (as old as I am) to liue so long as to see Lechery punyshed. I would wysh that Moyses lawe were … for punyshment of Lechery, and that the offenders ther in myght be punyshed according to the … of … lawe. And here I wyll make a sute to your hyghenesse to restore vntounto the Church the discipline of Christ. In excommunicatingGod can make best lawes. suche as be notable offenders, nor neuer … anye other way. For no man is able to deuise a better way then God hath done, which is excommunicacion to put them from the congregacion … they be confounded. Therfore restore Christes discipline for excommunicacion. And that shal be a mean both to pacifye Gods wrath and indignacion against vsus, and also that lesse abommacion shall be vsed, then in tymes past hath bene, and is at thys day. I speake thys of a conscience, and I meane and moue it of a good wil to your grace and your Realme.

Bring into the Churche of Englande open Discipline of excommunicacion, that open synners maye bee stricken with all. Somtime Leauen is taken for corrupt Doctrine, and so it is here taken in this place when … saithe: Beware of the leauen of the Phariseis. For Christ intended to make his disciples… manglers, & … teachers of all the world: and therefore to beware of corrupt doctrine. And that that he sayde to them, he sayth also to vsus. Receiue no corrupt doctrine, no mingle mangle: Yet ther be Leaueners yet styll and mingle manglers, that hauehave sowred Christes doctrine, with the … of the Pharises. Yea and where there is anye peece of Leauen, they wyll maintayne that one …, more then all the doctryne of Christ, and about that purpose they occupy and bestowe all theyr wittes. Thys was the first seed. The seconde seed was Nihil occultum, quod non reuelabitur. There is nothing … or hidden that shal not be reuealed and opened: It parteyneth all to one purpose, for there he taught his disciples too beware of the leauen, which was hypocrisye, declaryng vntounto them that hypocrisye wouldeGods …. not be alwayes hydden, but suche as were not sincere shoulde be knowen atthe last daye, and al that was taught shoulde at length be knowen. It hath also an other meanyng, for it is Gods prouerbe. There is nothyng so pryuye but it shall be opened, at leaste wyse in the great daye of …. In the dreadfull daye of generall accompt, in the daye of reuelacion. Then shall it be openlye knowen what so euer is doone: be it neuer so pryuely doone. These followes that hauehave there … & their … Fetchers of … compasses.to bring things to their purposes, woork they neuer so priuely neuer so couertly: Yet at y^t last day, their doings shal be openly reuealed. vsque ad sacietatem … (… the Prophet …) that is, tyll all the world shall see it, to theyr shame and confusyon that are the doers of it. As the Phrophete … saith: Sicut confunditur fur qui …. &c. Euen as a thefe that is taken with the manner when he …: So shall … be openlye confounded, and theyr euill doinges opened. Yea and thoughe it be not knowen in this world, yet it shal be kno wen at the last day to their dampnacions. In deede God hathe … hys … from time to tyme. Nothing is so preuy the which shall not be ….

When Cayne had kylled hys brother Abell: he thoughtCaines falt … not be byd. he had conueied the matter so … and so closelye, that it shoulde neuer hauehave bene knowen nor hauehave come to light, but first God knewe it well inough, and called vntounto him sayinge: Cayne wher is thy brother Abel? tut he thought he could hauehave begyled God to. And therefore he aunswered. I can not tell, what (quod Cain) am I set to kepe my brother? I cannot tell wher he is. But at last he was confounded, and his murther brought to lyght. And now all the world readeth it in the Bible. Iosephes brethren had solde him a waye: they tooke hysIosephes brethren wrought se …. motely … and be sprinckled it ouer and ouer wyth bloude, they thoughte al was cocke sure, they had … the matter so secretly, that they thought al the … neuer hauehave espied it. And yet oute it came to theyr greate benefite. And nowe it is knowen to vsus all as manye as can read the Byble. Dauid … a fayre woman washe her …. Though he … strayght … rauished, he … cleane gon by and would … hauehave her. He sent for her. Yea he had gentlemen of hys chamber about hym that went for her by and by and fet her. And here I hauehave an other sute to your highnes. When you come to age beware what persons ye hauehave a boute you. For if ye be set on pleasure, or dysposed to wantonnesse.

Ye shall hauehave ministers …, to be furtherers and instrumentes of it. But Dauid by hys wysdome and pollicye… po licy. thought so to hauehave cloked the matter, that it shoulde … … bene knowen. He sente for for her husbande Urias, and shewed hym a … countenaunce, and loked merely on him, and sent hym foorth to … that he myght doo hys pleasure wyth … afterwarde, and he thoughte he had wroughte wonderous …. He thought al the matter cocke sure. But the Prophet of God (Nathan) came and layde hys faulte … before hys face, and who is nowe that knoweth it not? … seruaunt …, a brybing brother, he … coulourablyA brybing brother. to Naaman the Sirian: he fained a tal of his Mayster Elie …, as all brybers wyll do, and tolde hym that his Mayster had … of thys and that, and tooke of Naaman certayne things and brybed it a waie to his owne be hoofe secretly, and thought that it shoulde neuer hauehave come oute, but Elizeus knewe it well inoughe. The seruaunt had hys bribes that he sought, yet was he stricken with the …, & so openly shamed.

Thinke on this ye that are brybers when ye go secretly about suche thinges, hauehave thys in your myndes when ye deuise youre secreate fetches and conuciaunce, how Elizeus seruaunte was serued and to be openly knowen. For Gods prouerbe wyll be true: ther is nothing hidden that will not be reuealed.Gods prourb … true. He that tooke the syluer basen and … for abrybe, thinketh that it wyl neuer come oute, but he maie now know that I knowe it, and I knowe it not alone, there be mo beside me that knowe it. Oh bryber and …, he was neuer a good man that wyll so take brybes. Nor I can neuer beleue that he that is a bryber shal be a good Iustice. It wyl neuer bee mery in England tyll wee hauehave the … of suche. For what needeth brybynge where menne doo theyr thinges vprightly, as for men that are offycers and hauehave a matter of charge in theyr handes. But nowe I wyl playe Saint Paule, And translate the thing on my selfe. I wil become the Kings offycer for a whyle. I hauehave to laye out for the Kinge twentye thousandes poūdes, or a great summe whatsoeuer it bee, wel… wyll be … Kinges officer for a whyle. when I hauehave layde it oute, and do bring in myne accompte, I must geue. iii. hūdreth markes to hauehave my bils …. If I hauehave done truly … vprightly, what should nede me to geue a peny to hauehave my qylls …? if I hauehave done my office truly, and do bring in a true accompt. … should … be … one … for … of my … nothing in this: what nedeth any… to be … … geuyng, except the … be false? No man geueth brybes for warrantyng of hys bylles, excepte they be false ….

Well such practise hath bene in England, but beware, … wylout one …. Beware of Gods prouerbe: there is nothing hydden that shall not be opened. Yea euen in thys world, … ye be not the children of dainpnacion. And here now I speake … you my masters Minters, Augmentacioners, Receiuers, …, and Auditours: I make a peticion vntounto you: I besech… necessary sute. you al be good to the King. Be good to the King, he hath bene good to you, therfore be good to hym, vea, bee good to your owne soules. Yeare knowen well inough what ye were, afore ye came to … offices, and what landes ye hadde then, and what ye hauehave purchased since, and what buyldinges ye make dayly. Well I pray you so build, that the Kinges workmen maye be payed. They make their mone that they cannot get no mony. The poore Labourers, Gunmakers, Poudermen, Bowmakers, Arrowmakers, Smithes, Carpenders, Souldiers, and other craftes … oute for theyr dutyes. They be vnpayed some of them thre or. iiii. monethes: yea some of them halfe a yeare: yea and some of them … vp … thys tyme. xii. monethes for theyr monye, and canne not be payed yet.

They crye oute for theyr monye, (and as the Prophete sayth) Clanior operariorum assendit ad aures meas. The cry of the workemanne is come vp to myneeares. Oh for Gods … let the workemen be payd, if there be money ynough, or els there wyll whole showers of Gods vengeaunce raine downe vponupon your heades. Therefore ye Mynters, and ye Augmentacioners, serue the Kynge truly. So buylde and purchase that the Kinge maye hauehave mony to paye his …. It semeth euill fauouredly that ye should hauehave inough wherewith to build superfluously, and the Kinge lacke to paye hys poore laborers. Well, yet I doubte not but that there be some good offycers. But I wyll not sweare for all, I hauehave now preached three Lentes. The … I preached restitucion, restitucion (… som) what should he preach of restitucion let him preach of … sion (quod they) and let restitucion alone. We canne … make restitucyon, (Then sape I) if thou wilt not make restitucion, thou shalt go to the … for it. Now chuse the eytherA chose for disceyuers. restitucion, or els endles dampnacion. But now there be two maner of restitucions, secrete restitucion, and open restitucion whither of both it be, so that restitucion be made it is all good inough. At my fyrst preaching of restitucion, one good man … remorce of conscience, and acknowledged him … to me, that he had deceyued the Kyng. And willing be was to make restitucion, and so the first Lent came to my handes twenty poundes to be restored to the Kinges vse. I was promised. xx. pound more the same lent, but it could not be made, so that it came not. Wel the nert Lent came three hundreth & twenty pounds more. I receyued it my selfe, and payd it to y^t Kings Counsel. So I was asked, what he was that thus made restitucion. But should I hauehave named hym: nay they should as sone hauehave this … of mine. Wel, now this lent cam one hundreth & fore score poūds. x. s. which I hauehave payd and delyuered thys present day to the Kinges counsayle. And so thys man hath made a Godly restitucion. And so (quod I to a certaine noble man that is one of the Kinges Counsel) if eueryevery man that hath beguiled the king should make … after thys sort, it would cough the king. xx. M. pounds I think (quod I) yea that it would (quod the other) a whole. C. M.Let not … at your …. pounds. … alac, make restitucion for Gods sake, make restitucion, ye wyl cough in hel …, that al the … there wil laugh at your coughing: There is no remedy but restitucion open or secrete, or els hel. Thys that I hauehave now told you … was a secret restitucion. Some examples hath … of open restitucion, and glad may he be that God was so frendly, vntounto hym to bring him vntounto it in thys world. I am not a frayd to name him. It was Maister Sherington, an honest gentilman and one that God loueth. He openlye … that he had deceyued the King, & he made open restitucion. … what an argument … he haus against the diuel, whē he shal … to …, God brought this out to … amendment. It is a token that he is a chosen man of God, and one of hys elected. If he be of God, he shal be brought to it, therfore forAn argu mēt of gods election. gods sake make restitucion, or els remember Gods prouerb: There is nothing so secret. &c. If you doo either of these two in thys world, then are ye of God, if not, then for lacke of restitucion, ye shall hauehave eternall dampnacion. Ye may do it by meanes, if you dare not do it your selues, bring it to an other and so make restitucion. If ye be not of Gods flocke, it shalbe brought out to your shame and dampnation at the last daye, when all … sinnes shalbe layed open before vsus. Yet there is one way, how al our synnes may be hidden: which isThe way to … syn. repent & amend, Recipiscentia, recibiscentia, repenting & amen ding is a sure remedy & a sure wai to hide al, y^t it shal not come out to our shame and confusion. Yet there was an other sede that Christ was sowyng in that sermon of hys, and thys was the seede: I say to you my frendes … not hym that kylleth the bodye: but feare hym, that after hee hath kylled, hath power also to cast into hell fyre. &c. And there to putte hys disciples in comfort and sure hope of hys healpe, and oute of all doubte and … of hys assistaunce: hee bryngeth in vntounto them the example of the Sparrowes, howe they are … by Gods meere prouidence and goodnes, and also of the heares of our heades, how that not so muche as one heare falleth frō our heades wythout hym, feare hym (sayth he) that when he hath kylled the bodye, maye also cast into … fyre. Matter for all kyndes of people here, but speciallye for Kynges. AndA sute to the Kyng. therefore here is an other sute to your hyghnes. … not him that kylleth the bodye: … not these … Prynces and forayne powers. … shall make you strong inoughe. Stycke to God, feare God, … not …, God hath sent you many … in your youthe. But forsake not God, aud he wyl not forsake you. … ye shall hauehave that shall … you, and saye vntounto you: …, oh suche a one is a great man, he is a myghtye Prynce, a Kynge of great power, ye can not be wythout hys …, agree wyth hym in …, … els ye shall hauehave hym your enemye. &c. Well, feare …, but cleaue to God, and he shall defende you. … not as Kyng … dyd, that was afrayde of the … Kynge, and for feare least he should hauehave hym to hys enemy, was content to forsake God, and to agree wyth hym … Religion, and worshyppyng of God. And a none sent to … the hygh Priest, who was readye at once to … the … of the Assirian Kyng. … not your highnes …, feare not the best of them all, but feare God. The same … was Capellanus ad manum, a Chaplayne at hande, … chaplayne. If ye wyll tourne, ye shall hauehave that wyll turne wyth you, yea euenAn … Chapiain. in theyr whyte rotches. But followe not Achab: Remember the heare how it falleth not wythout Gods prouidence. Remember the Sparrowes how they buylde in eueryevery house, and God prouided for theym. And ye are muche … precious to me (sayth Christ) then Sparrowes or other byrdes. God wylGod wyl defend …. defend you, that before your tyme commeth, ye shall not dye nor myscary. On a time when Christ was going to Ierusalem hys Disciples said vntounto hym: They there would hauehave stoned thee, and wylt thou nowe go thyther agayne? What (sayth he agayne to them) Nonne duodecem sunt hore die. &c. Be ther not twelue houres in the daye? (sayth he). God hath appoynted hys tymes, as pleaseth hym, and before the tyme commeth that God hath appoynted, they shall hauehave no power agaynst you. Therfore stycke to God and forsake hym not, but feare him, and feare not men. And beware chiefly of two affections fear and louelove. Feare as A chab, of whom I hauehave told you thatTwo affec tions to … eschued. for feare of the … Kyng he chaunged his religion, and therby purchased Gods hie indignation to hym and to his realme. And louelove, as Dina Iacobs doughter, who caused a chaunge of religion, by … and … who wer contented for lust of a wife to the destrucion and spoylyng of all the whole citye: Reade the Chronicles of England and Fraunce, and ye shall see what chaunges of religion hath come by mariages,Read chronicles. and for mariages. Marye my daughter & bee …, & so fourth, or els. &c. … them not … the …. And this rule should al estates & … of men folow, wheras now they feare mē & not God. If thor be a iudgemet … a great man & a poore …: Then must ther be a corrupcion of iustice for feare. Oh he is a great man, I … not displease him. &c. … vponupon …, art y^u a Iudge & wilt be afrayd to geue right …? … hym not be … great a man but vpryghtly do true iustice. Likewyse some pastures go … ….their cure, they are … of the plage, they dare not com nye any sicke body: but hyer other, and they go away them selues. Out vponupon …. The Woulfe commeth vponupon thy flocke to deuour …, and when they hauehave most nede of thee, thou run nest away from them. The souldiour also that shoulde go on …, he wyl draw backe asmuche as he can. … I shall …. Oh suche and suche went, and neuer came home agayne: Suche men went the last yeare into Northfolke, and were slayne there. Thus they are … to go. They wyll labour to tarye at home. If the Kyng commaunde thee to go, … bound to go, and … the King, thou … God. … serue God, he wyl not shorten thy daies to thine hurt. Well sayth some, if they had not gon they had lyued vntounto this …. How knowest thou that? who made thee so pryuy of gods councel? folow thou thy vocation, and serue the kyng when … calleth thee. In seruyng hym thou shalt serue God. And … thy tyme come, … shalt not die. It … that … … dyeth not before … tyme.escaped in such a cytie, what then? Yet God preserued hym, so that he could not perish. Lake therfore an example of …, and eueryevery man follow hys vocation not fearing men, but … God. An other seede that Christe was sowynge in the Sermon was thys: Qui confessus me fuerit hominibus, confitebor et ego illum coram patre meo. He that confesseth me before men, I shall also confesse hym hefore my Father. We must confesse hym wyth mouthe. It was of a Byshope not longe agoo asked… saying as touchyng thys: Lawes (sayth he) muste be obeyed and ciuyll ordynaunce, I wyll follow outwardlye, but my hearte in religyon is fre to thinke as I wyll, So sayde Fryer Forest halfe a papyst, yea worse then a whole Papist. Well an other … was: he that sinneth agaynst the holy ghoste, it shal not be … him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come. What is thys same synne agaynst the holy …? an horrible synne that neuer shal be forgeuen, neither in thys world, nor in the world to come: What is thys synne? final …, and some say impugning of the truth. One came to me …, y^t dispayred, because of synne agaynst the holye ghost. … was sore troubled in his conscience, that he should bedamned, and that it was not possible for him to be saued, because … had sinned against the holye …. I sayde to hym: what man (quod I) comfort your selfe in these wordsComforte … dispeare of the Apostle: Christus est propiciatio pro peccatis nostris, And agayn: Ideo me misit pater in mundum, vt qui credit in me non …, sed habeat vitam eternam. My father hathe for this purpose sent me into the world, that he which beleueth in me, maye not pearish, but may hauehave the lyfe euerlasting. Also: Quaqumque hora ingemuerit peccator saluus erit. In what hour soeuer the sinner shal mourn for his sinne, he shalbe saued. I had scriptures inoughe for me (as me thoughte) but saye what I could say, he could say more against him selfe, thenA man in … peare c̄an … muche against him selfc. I could say at that tyme to doo him good with all. Where some say that the sinne againste the holy ghost, is originall sinne: I allcdged against that, the saying of S. Paule. Sicut per vnius delictum. &c. And siquis egerit penitenciam. If a man had don all the sinnes in the worlde, and hauehave true repentaunce, with fayth and hope in Gods mercy he shall be forgeuen. But … I said, he could still obiect against me and aduoyde my reasons. I was fayne to take an other daye, and did so. Let me go to my boke (quod I) and go you to your prayers, for ye are not all together without fayth. I got me to my study, I red many doetours, but none could content me, no expositour could please me nor satisfye my minde in the matter. And it is with me as it is with a schol ler of Cambridge, who being demaunded of his Tutoure how he vnderstode his lesson, and what it mente: I knowe (quod he) what it meaneth, but I can not tell it, I can not expresse it. So I vnderstode it well inoughe, but I can not well declare it. … I will boungle at it as well as I can. Nowe to tell you by the waye what sinne it was that he had committed, he had fallen frō the truth knowen, And afterward fell to mocking and scorning of it. And this sinne it was that he thought to be vnforgeueable. I sayde vntounto him, that it was a behement manner of spcakyng inWhy some … is called …. scripture, yet (quod I) this is not spoken vniuersallye, nor it is not … that God doothe neuer … it, but it is commonly called irremissible, vnforgeueable, because that God doth seldom forgeue it, but yet there is no sin so great but God may forgeue it, & doth forgeue it to the repentant hart, though in words it sound that it shall neuer be forgeuen:No sinne that is repented, is …. As priuilegium paucorum non destruit regulam vniuersalem The priuelege of a few persons dothe not destroye an vniuersall rule or saying of scripture. For the scripture sayth: Omnes moriemur. We shall dye eueryevery one of vsus, yet som shall be rapt and taken a liue, as S. Paule saith. For this priuiledge of a few, doth not hurte a generalty. An irremissible sinne, an vnercusable sin, yet to him that will truly repent, it is forgeueable, In Christe it may be remitted, if there be no more but one man forgeuen, ye maye be that same one man that shall be forgeuen. Vb abundauit delictum, ibi abundabit et gratia. Where iniquitie hathe habounded, there shal grace habounde. Thus by litle and litle this man came to a setled conscience agayne, and toke comfort in Christes mer …. Therfore dispaire not though it be sayd it shall neucr be forgeuen. Wher Lain said, my wickednes is so greate that God cānot forgeue it. Nay thou lyest sayeth Austē to Cain. Maior est dei misericordia, quam iniquitas …. The mercye of God is greater then thine iniquitie. Therefore dispaire not but this one thynge I saye: beware of this sin that ye fall not into it, for I hauehave knowē no mo but this one man this… rare …, one man that hath fallen frō the truth, and hath afterward repented and come to grace again, I hauehave knowen manye sēce: god hath opened mine eies to see a litle, I hauehave knowē many (I say) that knew more then I, and some whom I hauehave honored, that hauehave afterwards fallen from the truth, but neuer one of them (this man except) that hauehave retourned to grace and to the truth againe. But yet though God doth very seldom forgeue this sin, & although it be one of the sinnes that God doth hate most of all others, & suche as is almost neuer forgeuē, yet it is forgeueable. In the bloud of Christ, if one truely repent, & lo it is vniuersal. As there is also an other scripture, Voe … cuius rex puer est. Wo be to the Lande, to the Realme, whose king is a child, whych some interpreate and referre to childish condicions. But it is commonly true the otherwaye to, when it is referred to the age and yeares of childhod. For where the king is with … age, … that hauehave gouernaunce aboute the kyng, hauehave much libertie to lyue voluptuously and lycencyously, and not to be in feare howe they gouerne, as they woulde bee if the kynge were of full age, and then commonly they gonerne… be well gouerned … a chylde. not wel. But yet Iosias and one or two mo though they were chyldren, yet had theyr Realmes well gouerncd and rayned prosperously, and yet the saying. Vae terroe euius rex puer est, neuertheles true for all that. And thys I gather of thys irremissyble synne agaynste the holy Ghoste, that the Scripture saythe, it is neuer forgeuen, because it is seldome forgeuen. For in deede I thynke that there is no … whyche God doothe so seldome nor so hardely forgeue, as thys synne of fallyng awaye from the truthe, after that aThe beste per swation for a desperate person. manne once knoweth it. And in deede thys tooke best place with the manne that I hauehave toulde you of, and best quyeted hys conscyence. An other seede was thys:

Be not carefull (sayeth Chryste) what ye shall saye, before Judges and Magistrates, when ye are brought afore them for my names sake, for the holy Ghoste shall put in youre myndes euen at the presente houre, what ye shal speake.

A comfortable saying and a goodlye promyse of the holy Ghoste. That the aduersaryes of the truthe (sayeth he) shall not be able to resyste vsus, what? shall the aduersaryes of the truthe be dumme? naye, there … no greater talkers nor bosters and sacers then they be. But they shall not be able to resyst the truthe, to destroye it.

Here some wil saye what nedeth Uniuersities then, and the preseruacion of scholes: the holye Ghost wyll … alwayes what to saye. Yea, but for all that we may notWe may not tempt God. tempte God: we muste trust in the holye Ghost, but we must not presume on the holy Ghoste. Heare now shoulde I speake of Uniuersytyes, and for preferryng of Scholes. But he that preached the laste Sondaye, spake verye well in it, and substauncyally, and lyke one that knew the estate and condycion of the Uniuersityes and Scholes very well. But thus muche I saye vntounto you Magistrates. If ye will not maynteyne Scholes and Unyuersyties, ye shall hauehave a brutalytie. Therfore no we a sute agayne to youre highnes. So order the matter that preachyng may not decaye. For surely ifA nother neces sary suite. preaching decay, ignorance and brutishnes wil enter again Nor geue y^t preachere liuings to seculer men. What should seculer men do with the liuings of preachers? I think there be at this day ten thousand Studients, les then wer within these …. yeares, and fewer preachers and that is the cause of rebellion, if there were good bishops, there should be no rebellion. I am now almost come to my mater, sauing one saying of Christ which was an other seede. Date, et dabitūr vobis. … and it shalbe geuen vntounto you. &c. But who beleuethGods promes is not …. this? if men beleued this promise they woulde geue more thē they do … at least wise they would not stick to geue a litle, but now a daies mēs study is set rather to take gifts and to get of other mennes good then to geue any of theyr owne, so all other the promises are mistrusted and vnbeleued. For if the riche men did beleue this promise of God, they would willingly and readely geue a lytle to hauehave the ouerplus. So where Christ sayth of iniuryes or offences & trespasses. Mihi vindictam et ego reoribuam. &c. … the aduengyng of wronges a lone vntounto me, and I shall pay them home, &c. If the rebels had beleued this promise, they wold not hauehave don as they did, So all the promises of God are mistrusted. Noe also after the floud feared at eueryevery rayne, least the world should be drowned and destroyed agayn, til God gaue the raine bow. And what exercise shall we hauehaveThe rainbowe … teache vsus by the rainbow? we may learne by the rainbowe that God will be true of his promises, and wil fulfill his promises. For God sent the rainbow and. iiii. M. yeares, it is, & more … this promise was made, and yet God hathe ben true of his promise vntounto this day. So that now when we see the rainbow we may learn that god is true of his promise. And as God was true in this promes, so is he & wil be, in al the reast, but the couetous mā doth nat beleue that god is true of his promise, for if he did, he woulde not sticke to geue of his goods to y^t poore. But as touching that I spake afore, when we see the rainbow, and see in the rainbow that that is like water, and of a watrie colour and as we may and ought not only to take therof holde and comfort of Goddes promise, that he will no more destroye the world with water for sinne but also we may take an example to feare god,What the rain bow teacheth. who in such wise hateth sin. Likewise when in the rainbow we see that that is of firye couloure, and like vntounto fire, we may gather an example of the ende of the worlde, that except we amende, the world shall at last be consumed with fire for sin, and to feare the iudgement of God, after which they that are damned, shal be burned in hel fyre. These wer the seedes that Christe was sowing, when thys couetous man came vntounto him. And now I am come to my matter. While Christe was this preaching, thus couetous fellowe would not tary till all the sermon was done, but interrupted the sermon, euen sodenly chopping in. Master (quod he) speake to my brother, that he may deuide the inheritance with me. He woulde not abide tyll the ende of the Sermō. But his minde was on his halfepeny, and he would nedes hauehave his matter dispatched out of hande, Master (quod he) let my brother diuide with me. Yet this was a good fellow he could be contented with parte, he desired not to hauehave all together alone to himself, but coulde be content with a diuisyon, and to hauehave hys parte of the inheritance, & what was the enheritance? Ager. So that it was but one peece … ground, or one farme. This couetous man could be contēt… men louelove no …. with the halfe of one farme, where oure men now a daies cannot be satisfied with many farmes at once: one manne must now hauehave as many farmes as will serue many men, or els he will not be contented nor satisfied. They will … now a dayes one with an other, excepte they hauehave all. Oh sayth the wise man: There be thre thinges wherin my soul …: Concordia fratrum, amor proximorum, et vir ac mulier bene sibi consentientes. The vnitie of brethrē, y^t louelove of neighbours, & a man and wife agreing wel together. So that the concord of brethren & agreeing of brethren is a gay thing. What sayeth Salomon of this matter? Frater qui adiuuatur a fratre quasi ciuitas firma, et turris fortis. The brother that is … of his brother, is a sure and well fenced citie, and a strong Tower, he is so strong. Oh it is a great matter … brethren louelove and hold well together. But if the one go aboute to pulle downe the other, then are they weake bothe of them, and whē one pulleth downe his fellow, they must nedes downe both of them, there is no … to holde themTwo brethren hauehave reigned in England. vp. Marke in the Chronicles of England. Two brethren hauehave raygned ioyntly together, the one on thissyde Humber, and the other beyond Humber in Scotland & all that way. And what hath come of it? So long as they hauehave agre ed well together, so longe they hauehave prospered. And when they hauehave ierred they hauehave bothe gon to wracke. Brethren that hauehave so raygned here in England hauehave quarelled one with a nother, and the yonger had ben contented with hys portion (as in deede the yonger brother commonly ierreth first) but by the contencion bothe hathe fared the wors. So when there is any contention betwen brother and brother for land, commonly they ar both vndon by it. And that craf ty marchant (what euer he be) that will set brother against brother, meaneth to destroy them bothe, but of these ii. brethren whether this man here wer the elder or the yonger I cannot say, scripture telleth me not whether of these …. was the yonger. But a likelihod this was yōger, for once it was aplain law that primo genitus, that is to say the elder brother had duplicia, and therfore of likelyhod it should be the yong est brother that foūd him self agreued, and was not contēt: but Christe sayd vntounto him, thou man who hath made me a iudge or a deuider betwene you? Christ answered hym by a question, and mark this question of Christ, thou man. Quis The intent of a question asked.me constituit iudecem aut diuisorem super vos. It is no smal mater (sayth Austen) of what intencion one asketh a question, as Christe in an other place of the gospell, asketh who was neighbour to the pilgrime that was wounded. There was (sayeth Christ) a man that went from Ierusalem to Hierico, and fell amonge theues, and they wounded hym & lefte him for dead. And a priest came by, that was his owne contreyman and let him lye, a Leuit came by and would shew no compassion vponupon him: at last a Samaritane came by, & set him on his horse, and conueyed him to the citie, and prouided surgery for him. &c. Now who was neighbour to this wounded man (sayeth Christe?) Qui fecit illi misericordiam (quod the Lawyer.) He that shewed mercy vntounto hym. He that did the office of a neyghboure, he was neyghbour. As ye may perceyue by a more familyer example of the bishop of Exceter at Suttō in Staffordshire. Who is Bishop of Exceter? forsoth master …. What? do not al mē know who is bishop of Exceter? what he hath ben byshop many yeares. Well, say I: master Couerdale is Bishop of Exceter, maister Couerdale putteth in execution the Byshops office, and he that doothe the office of the Bishoppe, he is the Bishoppe in dede. Therfore say I Master Couerdale is Bishoppe of Exceter. … there is a thynge that maketh my harte sorye. I heare that Master … This was but by heare saye.is poysoned. Alack a good man, a godly preacher, an honest fatherly man, and if it be true, it is a greate pytie and a lamentable case, that he feding them with godes worde they should feede him a gayne with poyson. But to the purpose of Christes question, who made me a iudge betwene you? here an Anabaptist will say: … Christ refused the office of a iudge, ergo there ought to be no iudges nor magistrates a mong Christian men. If it had ben a thing lawfull, Christ would not hauehave refused to do the office of a iudge, & to hauehave determined y^t variaūce betwene these ii. brethrē. But Christ did therby signify, that he was not sent for that office. But if thou wilt hauehave a triall and a sentence of that matter according to the lawes, thou must go to the temporall iudge that is deputed therfore, but Christes meaning was, that he was come for an other purpose, he had another office deputed vntounto him, then to be a iudge in temporall matters, Ego veni vocare peccatores ad penitenciam, I am com (sayth he) to call sinners to repentance. He was come to preache the Gospell, the remission of sinne, and the kingdom of God and ment not therby to disalow the office of temporall maThe … is answered. gistrates. Nay; if Christe had ment that there shoulde be no magistrates, he woulde hauehave bid him take all, but Christe mente nothyng so. But the matter is, that this couetous man, this brother tooke his marke amis, for he came to a wrong man to seke redres of his matter, nor Christ did not forbid hym to seeke his remedye at the magistrates hande, but Christe refused to take vponupon hym thē office that was not hys callyng. For Chryste had an other vocation then to be a iudge betwene such as contended about matters of land. If our rebels had had this in their mindes, they would not hauehave ben their owne iudges, but they would hauehave sought the redres of their grief at the handes of the king and his magistratesThe canse of …. vnderunder him appoynted. But no maruell of their blindnes and ignorance: for the Bishops are out of their dioces, that should teache them this geare. But this mā perchance had heard, & did think that Christe was …, whose reigne in wordes soundeth a corporall and a temporall raygne, whiche shoulde do iustice, and see a redres in all matters of worldly controuerly. Which is a necessary offyce in a christian …, and must nedes be put in execucyon for mynistring of …. And therfore I require you (as a suter rather then a preacher) looke to your office your felfe, and lay not all on youre officers backes. Receyue the billes of supplycation your self, I do not see you do so now a daies, as ye were wonte to doo the laste yeare.

For Gods sake loke vntounto it, and see to the ministring of iustice … owne self, and let poore Suters hauehave answer. There is a king in Christendom, and it is the king of DenThe king of Denmarke. marke, that sitteth openly in iustice, thrise in the weke, and hath dores kept open for the nones. I hauehave hard it reported of one that hath ben there and sene the profe of it, many a time and oft. And the last iustice that euer he saw don there was of a priestes cause, that had had hys glebe lande … from him (and now here in England … go about to take away all) but this priest had had his glebelande taken from him by a great man. Well, first wente out letters for this man, to appeare at a day: processe went out for hym according to the order of the law, and charged by vertue of those letters, to appeare afore the … at suche a daye. The daye came The … sat in his hall ready to minister iustice: The priest was there presente: The gentleman this Lord, thys great man, was called, and commaunded to make his appe raunce according to the write that had ben directed out for hym. And the Lorde came, and was there, but he appered not: No quod the kynge? was he sommoned as he shoulde be? had he any warning to be here? It was answered, yea, and that he was there walkinge vp and downe in the hall, and that he knew wel inough that that was his daye, and also that he had al ready bene called, but he said he would not come before the king at that time, allcoginge that he neaded not as yet to make an aunswer, because he had had but one summoning. No quod the kyng? is hehere present: yea forsoth sir said the priest. The king commaunded him to be called, and to come before him. And the end was this. He made this Lord, this great man to restore vntounto y^e priest not only the glebeland which he had taken from the priest but also the rent and profit therof, for so longe time as he had withholden it frō the priest whiche was viii. yeares or therabout (saith he) when ye can shewe better cuidence the the priest hath done, why it ought to be your land, then he shal restore it to you again and the profyts therof, that he shal receiue in the meane time. But till that daye come, I charge ye that ye suffer him peaceably to enioy that is his. Thys is a noble king, and this I tel for your example, that ye may do the lyke. … vponupon the matter your selfe. Pore men put vp bils eueryevery day, and neuer the nere. Confyrme your kingdome in iudgemente, and begin doinge of your own office your self, euen nowe whyle you are yonge, and sytte once or twise in the weeke in councell amonge your Lordes, it shal cause things to hauehave good successe, and that matters shal not be lingred for the from daye to daye. It is good for eueryevery man to do hys own office, & to se that well executed & discharged. Ozias king in Iuda, he wold nedes do thoffice of the priest, & he wold nedes offer incense in y^t sanctuary, which to do, was y^e priests office. But he was so dēly … w^t the lepry for his labor, & so cōtinued a lepreNone may me dle with others offyce. al dais of his life. S. Jhons disciples would hauehave had theyr master to take vponupon him y^t he was Christ. But what sayd Jhō? Nemo sibi assumit quicquā, nisi datū fuerit ei desuper. No man may take any thing vponupon him self, except it be geuen vntounto him from aboue. If the Deuonshire men had wel … sidered this, they had not prouoked the plages y^t they hauehave had light vponupon them. But vnpreching prelacy hathe bene the chyefest cause of al this hurly burly and commotyons. But if Christ may chalenge any kinde of men for takynge his office vponupon them, he may say to the massemōgers. Who gaue you commissyon to offer vp Christ? who gaue you auMasmongers bsury Christes office. tority to take mine office in hande? for it is only christes of fice to do that. It is a great matter to offer christ, if Christ had offred his body at y^t last supper, then shuld we so do to, who is worthy to offer vp Christ? an abhominable presum cyon Paule sayth Accepit panem, postquam gracias egissit fregit ac dixit, Accipite, edite. He tooke bread and after that he had geuen thankes, he bralie it, and saide. Take ye, eate ye. &c. and so sayd: Hoc est corpus meum, He gaue thankes, well thē in thanks geuing there is non oblation, and when he gaue thankes it was not hys bodye.

When I was in examination. I was asked many questiōs, and it was sayd to me: what Christ did, that should we do: a bishop gathered that vponupon these wordes. Hoc facite inmei recordacionem. Then said he to me, how knowe ye that they eate it before he sayde, Hoc est corpus meum. I answered agayne and sayd: how know ye that they did not eate it. &c. So I brought into him the place of Paul aboue sayd, and that in thankes geuing is none oblation, and when he gaue thankes it was not his body, for he gaue thankes in the beginnyng of supper, before they eate any māner thing at all, as his accustomed maner was to do. I wonder therfore that they will or dare by this text, take vppon them to offer Christs body. They should rather saye: Quis me constituit oblatorem? Who made me an offerer? But when Christ sayd: Quis me constituit iudicem aut diuisorem super vos? Who hath made me a Iudge, or a deuider of landes among you? Christ did refuse an other mansoffice, an office that he wasChriste … another mans office not of his father deputed vntounto. Christes … was a spirituall kingdom, & his office was a spiritual office & he was a spiritual iudg. And therfore when the woman … in ad ultery was brought befere him, he refused not to playe the iudge, but said: Quis te accusat? and she sayd agayn Nemo domine. No man lord (saith she) then said he, Nec ego te condēno. Nor I … thee not. Vade et noli amplius peccare. … thy waies, & sin no more. Here he toke vpōhim his owne office & did his office, for his office was to preach & to bid sinners a mēd their euil liuing, & not to be a tēporal iudge in tēporal causes. And here is an other occasiō of a suit to your highnes, for y^t punishmēt of lechery. For lechery … in Eng… to the king. lād like a floud. But now to make an end in tēporal causes he said. Quis me constituit iudicem. &c. Who made me a iudge of tēporall causes among you, & of worldly matters: Thus came this felow in here with interrupting of Christes sermon, & receiued the answer which I hauehave rehearsed. Thou man thou felow (quod he) who hathe made me a iudge, among you? And he said vntounto all the audience: Videte, et caue te ab auaricia. See and beware of couetousnes. Whye so? Qui a non in abundancia cuiusquoem vita eius est, ex his que possidet. For no mannes life standeth in the habundaunce of the thynges whyche he possesseth, we may: hauehave thynges necessarye, and we may hauehave habouudaunce of thinges, but the haboundance doth not make vsus blessed. It is no good argumēt. Quo plus quisque habet, tanto beatus viuit. The more riches that a man hath the more happelly & the more blisfullye he lyueth. For a certayne greate man that had purchased much lands a thousand marks by yere: or I wot not what, a greate porciō he had. And so on the way as he wasA terrible example. in his iourney towards London, or frō london, he fel sicke by the way. A disease toke him, that he was constrayned to lie vppon it. And so being in his bed the disease grew more …, vpō him, that he was by his frends, that wer about him very godly aduised to loke to him self, & to make him ready to god, for there was non other likelyhod but that he must die without remedye. He cried out, what? shall I dye (quod he) woundes, sides, hart, shal I dye, & thus go frō my goods? go fet me sō phisicion that may saue my lyfe, woūds and sides shall I thus die? There lay he still in his bed like a block with nothing but wounds & sides shal I dye? With in a very litle while he died in dede, & thē lay he like a block in dede. There was black gownes, torches, tapers & ringing of belles, but what is become of him, God … & not I. But hereby this ye may perceiue that it is not the ha boundaunce of riches that maketh a man to liue quietlye & blisfully. But the quiet life is in a mediocrite. Mediocres optime viunt. (sayth he) they that are in a meane do liue best.A true …. And there is a prouerbe which I red many yeres ago. Dimi dium plus toto. The half somtimes more then the hole. The meane lyfe is the best life, and the most quyet lyfe of all. If a man should fil him selfe vp to the throte, he should not finde ease in it, but displeasure, and wyth the one halfe he myght satisfy his greadye appetite. So this great rychesse neuer maketh a mannes life quiet, but rather troublous I remember here a saying of Salomon, and hys example. Coaceruaui mihi argentum & aurum. I gathered syluer and gold together (say the he) I prouided me singers, and women which could play on instruments to make men mirth and pastime, … gate me Psalteries and songes of musicke &c. And thus my: hart reioysed in all that I did. But what was the end of all this? Cum cōuertissem me ad omnia, when I considered (saith Salomon) al the workes that my handes had wrought &c. loe, all was but vanitye and vexatyon of minde, and nothing of anye value vnderunder the sunne. Therfore, leaue couetousnesse, for beleue me if I had an enemy. The first thing that I wold wish to him, should be, that he mighte hauehave aboundaunce of richesse, for so I am sure, he shuld neuer be in quiet. But think ye there be not many y^t would be so hurt? But in this place of the gospell. Christe … & declared this vnquietnesse and vncertēty of great richesse, by a similitude & parable of a great rich mā, who had much land that brought forth all frutes plentifully. And he being in a pride of the matter, and muche vnquyet by reason that he had so much, said to him self: What shall I do, because I hauehave not roum inough wher to bestow my frutes that hauehave growen vntounto me of my landes, I will thus do (saith …) I will pull downe my barnes, and buylde greater barnes, and I wyl say to my soule. My soule thou … much goodes layed vp in store for manye yeares, take thine ease, eat, drincke and be mery. But God said to him. Stulte hac nocte amimam tuam repetunt abs te. Thou foole, thou fole, this night will they take thy soul frō thee again. and thē, whose shal those things be, which y^t hast prouided Euen so it is with him (saith Christ) y^t gathereth riches vn to him self, & is not rich toward God &c. But yet the couetous man can neuer be content. I walked one day w^t a gen tlemā in a park, & the mā regarded not mi talk, but cast his hed & eie this and that way, so that I perceiued he gaue no great eare to me, which when I saw: I held my peace. At last, oh (quod the gentleman) if this parke were mine, I would neuer desyre more while I liued. I answered & said: Sir, and what if ye had this Parke to, for there was an other Parke euen harde by? this gentleman laughed at the matter. And truely I thinke he was diseased with y^t dropsy, the more he had, the more couetous he was to hauehave … … gentlemen.more & more. This was a farmer that had a farme hard by it, & if he might hauehave had this Parke to it, he would neuer hauehave desired more. This was a farmer not altogether so couetous a man, as there be many now a daies, as for one gentleman to rake vp all the farmes in the countrye together in his handes all at ones. And heare one sute more to your highnesse. There lacketh one thinge in this realme, that it hath nede of, for Gods sake make so. … promoters.Lacke of promoters. There lacke promoters, such as were in kinge Henry the seuenthes dayes your graundfather. There lacke men to promote the kinges officers when they do amisse, and to promote al offenders. I thinke there is great nead of such men of godly discretion, wisdom, & conscience, to promote transgressors, as rentraisours, oppressors of the pore, extor tioners, …, vserers. I here there be vserers in Englande, that will take xl. in the hundreth: But I heare of no promoters to put them vp. We reade not this couetous farmer or landed manne of the gospel, bought corne in the markets to lay it vp in store, and then sel it agayne.

But and if it please your highnesse? I hear say that in Eng lande, we hauehave lande Lordes (naye steppe Lordes I myght saye) are become grasiers, and burgesses are become regra ters, and some Farmers, wil regrate and bie vp al the corn… that commeth to markets, and laye it vp in store, and sell it againe at an higher price, when they see their tyme: I heard a marchaunt man saye that he had trauailed all the daies of his life, in the trade of marchaundise, and had gotten iii. or iiii. thousand poundes by byinge and selling, but in case he might be licensed or suffered so to doo, he woulde get a thousand pound a yeare by only bying and sellyng of grayne heave within thys realme. Yea and (as I hear say) Aldermeu are nowe a dayes become Colliers. They he…. bothe Woodmongers and makers of cooles. I woulde wishe he might eate nothing but coles for a while, till … had amended it. There cannot a poore body bye a sacke of coles, but it muste come thorowe their handes. But thys ryche man that the Gospell … of, was a couetouse man. God had geuen him plentye, but that made him not a good man. It is another thing that maketh a good man. God sayeth: Si non … vocem …. If thou obey not my voyce &c. … therfore worldly riches do not declare y^t fauor or disfauor of God. The scripture saith: Nemo scit an sit amore dignus, an odio. God hath ordained all thinges to be good. And the deuil laboreth to turn al thinges to mans euil. God geueth men plentye of richesse to exercise theyrThe … is cōtrary to god. faith and charity, to confirm them that be good, to drawe them that be nought, and to bring thē to repentance: and the deuil worketh al together to the contrary. And it is an old prouerbe, the more wicked the more fortunate. But y^t … of this couetous rich man, declareth thunqui etnes of the mind, that richesse bringeth with it. First theyRiches bringe … of mynde. are al in care howe to get richesse, & then are they in more … how to kepe it stil. Therfore the … saith. Qui volunt ditescere incidunt in tentationes varias. They that study to get great richesse, do fal into manye diuers temptatyons. But the rote of al euil is couetousnesse. What shal I doo saith this riche man.) He asked his owne brainlesse heade what he shuld do, he did not aske of the scripture. For if he had asked of the scripture, it wold hauehave told him, it would hauehave said vntounto hym: Frange esurienti panem tuum. &c. Break thy bread vntounto the hungry. Al the affection of men now a dais, is in building gay and … houses, it is in setting vp & pulling down, & ueuer hauehave they done building. But thend of al such great ritchesse & couetousnes is this:… thys … spoken. This night thou fole thy soule shalbe taken from thee. It is to be vnderstand of al that rise vp from litle to much, as this ritch man that the gospel spake of did. Ido not despise richesse, but I … that men shuld hauehave ritchesse, as Abraham had, and as Ioseph had. A man to hauehave ritches to help his neighbor, is a godly riches. The worldlye richesse is to put al his trust & confidence in his worldly richesse, that he may by them liue here gallantly, plesantlye, and voluptuouslye. Is this godly richesse? No no, this is not godlye rychesse. It is a common saying now a dais amonge many. Oh, he is a ritch man, he is wel worth fiue C. poundes. HeWho … is wel worth v. C. poundes that hath geuen. v. …. pounde … the pore, otherwise it is none of his. Yea, but who shal hauehave this v. C. pounds? For whom hast thou gotten that fiuehundred poundes? What sayeth Salomon.

…. v. Est alia infirmitas pessima, quam vidi sub sole diuitioe conseruatoe in malum domini sui. Another euil (saith he) and an other very naughtye imperfection, richesse horeded vp and kept together to the owners owne harm, for many times such richesse do perish & consume away miserably. Such a one shal somtime hauehave a sonne saith he, that shalbe a very begger, and liue al in extreme penury. O goodly riches that one man shal get it, & an other come to deuour it Therfore Videte, & cauete ab auaritia. See & beware of couetousnesse. Beleue Gods wordes, for they will not deceyue you, nor lie. Heauen and earth shall perish: but Verbum domini, manet in oeternum. The wordof the Lorde abydeth and endureth for euer. Oh this leauened faith: this vnseasoned faith. Beware of this vnseasoned faith. A certain mau asked me this question: … thou euer see a manne lyue long that had great richesse? Therfore sayth the wise man, if God send thee richesse, vse them. If God send thee aboū daunce, vse them accordynge to the rule of Goddes word, and study to be rych in oure sauiour Iesus Christe. To whome wyth the father and the holy ghoste, be al honoure glory and prayse for euer and euer.

Amen.

Imprinted at London by Iohn Daye, dwellinge ouer Aldersgate, beneath S. Martyns.

And are to be sold at his shop vnderunder the gate.

Cum gratia & priuilegio Regiae Ma. iestatis perseptennium.

End of the text · Hugh Latimer, Twenty-Seven Sermons (1562)

Twenty-Seven Sermons, Sermon 5 – Colophon

A most fayth full Sermon preached before the Kings most excellent Maiesty, and his most honorable Councel, in his Court at Westminster, by the reuerend Father Mayster Hughe Latymer. Anno Domini. M. D. L.