Conferences Between Two Fathers and Martyrs, Title page – To the reader
Certē godly / learned / and comfortable conferences / betwene the two Reuerende Fathers / and holye Martyrs of Christe / D. Nicolas Rydley late Bysshoppe of London / and M. Hughe Latymer Sometyme Bysshoppe of Worcester / during the tyme of theyr emprysonmentes.
Wherunto is added.
A Treatise agaynst the errour of Transubstantiation / made by the sayd Reuerende Father D. Nicolas Rydley.
M.D.LVI.
Ryghte deare in the sighte of the Lorde is the death of his sainctes.
Psal. 116.
To The Reader.
GRace and peace / &c. Good Christian Reader her are sett forthe for thine instruction / and comforte / certen learned / and comfortable conferences / Betwene the two Reuerende / and godly fathers M. Rydley / and M. Latymer: whose bodies the Romishe tyrannie of late hathe tormented / and fier hathe consumed: whose sowles merciemercy hathe embraced / and heauen hathe receiued / yelding thone vntounto the enemie to deathe / for testimonie of the truthe / commending thother vntounto god in suer hope of lyfe. Wher vntounto is also added a learned treatise / and a cleare confutation of the fonde / and wicked opinion of Transubstantiation written by the said M. Ridley. And forasmuche as these their scrolles / and writynges wer by goddes good prouidence preserued / and as it wer raked owte of the asshes of thauthors: cōteinīge as well cōfortable cōsolatiō for suche as are in the schole of the crosse / as also goode / ād profitable admonitiō for them which eyther of ignorāce / either of infirmitie / or by flattering of them selfes with vayne pretenses / do yelde vntounto the wicked worlde: the reuerence due to the reuerende fathers / the zeale towardes the setting forthe of the tried truthe / and the readye goode will to conforte / and confirme weake consciences / would not suffer the any lenger to wante these smalle treatises / and yett no smalle treasures. That as in life thei profited the by teaching / and in deathe by example / so after death they may doe the goode by writing. And albeit the matter of it selfe is sufficiente to commend it selfe / yet it cannot be but the worthines of the writers / will encrease creditte / and giuegive no small authoritie to the writynges. M. Latymer came earlier in the morning / and was the more auncient workeman in the lordes vineyarde / Matt. 20.who also may verie well be called (as diuerse learned men hauehave termed hym) the Apostle of Englād: as one much more worthie of that name / for his true doctrine / for his sharpe reprouinge of sinne / and superstition / then was Augustine bisshop of Canturburie for bringing in the popes monkerie / and false religion. M. Ridley came later aboute theleuenth howre / but no doubte he came when he was effectuallye called / and frō the time of his calling / became a faithfull / labourer terrible to the enemies for his excellent learning / and therfore a meete man to ridde owte of the lordes vineyarde the sophisticall thornes of the wrangling aduersaries / which dyd well appeare in all disputations / and conferences that wer in his tyme / and partlye doth appeare in these shorte treatises folowing. But what shal it nede in manye wordes to prayse them / whose lyfes wer moste commendable / whose deathes wer most glorious? in office and vocation bothe lyke / in labour and trauail bothe faithfull / in learning and iudgemēt both sounde: in minde and maners bothe milde / but in goddes cause bothe stoute. For neither threatned deathe / neither louelove of present lyfe / could shake the foundation of theyr faithe / firmely grounded apon the suer rocke Christe.Matt. 7. They redemed libertie of conscience / with the bondage of the bodie / and to saue their lyfes / they wer content to lose their lyfes. This was not the worke of the fleshe / but the operation of goddes mightie spirite: who hathe euer frome the beginning not onlye builded / but also enlarged his churche by the sufferance of his sainctes / and sealed his doctrine with the bloude of his martyrs: as S. Augustine speaking of the persecutions in the primatiue church doth well declare in theis wordes.
Ligabantur, includebantur, caedebantur,De ciuita. Dei lib. 22 cap. 6. torque bantur, urebantur, & multiplicabantur.
That is to saye. The Christians wer bounde / wer emprisoned / wer beaten / wer tormented / wer brente / and yet wer multiplyed.
Yf Iustinus Martyr when he was yet an heathen Philosopher (as he confesseth of hym selfe) was moued to embrace the fayth and religion of Christe / Apolog. 1in beholding the constante patience of the martyrs which suffred for Christe in his tyme: how muche more oughte the patiente suffringe / and voluntarie death of these notable fathers / with many other learned / godlye men / in our dayes / whose names are writtē in the booke of lyfe / not only moue / but also pearce / ād perswade all godly heartes constantely to remayne in the truthe knowen? For vndoubtedly the truthe of the cawse they suffred for / is moste euidente by goddes worde / and hath ben so fully taughte / so clearly sette forthe by many and sundrye writynges / that it is open to the Consciences of all the worlde / euen of the verie aduersaries themselfes that persequute it (greater is theyr damnation) excepte it be to such / whome the godde of thys worlde / 2. Cor. 4.malice / ambition / auarice / or ignorance hath blynded. Which thynge nedeth none other proofe (especially for the realme of englande) but only to call to mynde with what conscience and constancie / these pyllers of the church that can nott erre / hauehave walked in Religion these twentye yeares by paste / how they not longe agoo receiued and allowed thynges / which with fyre / and fagotte / they persequute now / and shranke frome that thē / which now they moste earnestly mainteyne. And allthoughe ther appeared in the latter dayes a shadow of stowtenesse in a few / yet it was in dede nothynge. For it sprange not owte of any zeale to the cawse / or clearenesse of conscience / but rather owte of a lyke subtylle / and foxye presumption / as the Syrians once conceiued / when they putte themselfes in the daunger of Kinge Achab sayeng.3. Reg. 20. Beholde we hauehave hearde that the kinges of the howse of Israel are pitefull / and mercyfull. For owte of all dowte K. Henry theyghte coulde as easely hauehave obteined at winchesters handes / and others a conformytee in puttyng downe the Masse / and all the reaste / what so euer hath ben done (by order) sence / if he hadde earnestly minded it / as the abolisshinge of the pope / monkerye / pylgremages / reliques / with lyke baggage: all which are now agayne / thinges well estemed / and couered (as all the resydew is) with the clooke of the Catholike church. But to returne to the matter we hauehave in hāde / in this littel treatise (goode read) thow shalte perceiue another māer of spirite thow shalte thīke (if thow thi selfe be not verie dulle) that thow hearest men speake which hadde learned the lessō of thapostles / that is / Acto. 4.to obei godde rather thē mā: ād hadde not learned the Romisshe Epicures lesson / to applye fayth / and religiō to the presente state of policie / to turne with the tyme / and serue all seasons: men before death / deade vntounto the worlde / accowmptynge with S. Paule / all other thynges to be dāmage / losse / and vile / Phil. 3.that they myghte wynne Christe: mē zealouse for the howse of godde / and the glorie of hys name: suche as hadde allreadye layed open theyr consciences / and infirmitees before the iudgemēte seate of godde / and hadde agayne (throughe Christe) receiued the effecte of fayth and true righteousnes / that is / peace of conscience / and ioyfullnes in the holy ghooste:Rom. 14. and so hadde a fulle taste in thys mortalle body of immortalitee / in miserie of happinesse / in earth of heauen. O Englande / Englande / how greate is thy losse for the wante of them? how horrible is thyne offense for killinge of them? how greuouse will thy plage be / when the reuenger of innocente bloude shall call the to an accowmpte for them / if thow doo not repente in tyme? Godde graunte that the admonitions of these and other godly martyrs maye so warne vsus / theyr doctrine so instructe vsus / and theyr example so cōfirme vsus in the true knowlege and feare of godde / that flyenge and abhorringe Idolatrye / and superstition / we maye embrace true religion and pierce / forsakinge the phantasyes of men / we maye humblye obey the written worde of godde / and ruled therby / directe all our doyngs to the glorie of his name / and our owne endeles saluation in Christe Iesu / Amen.