Common Places, Letters · Letter 7 – Letter 9
To Maiſter Iohn Caluin.
Peter Martyrs returne out of EnglandBY what meanes (worthie Sir) God plucked me out of the Lyons mouth, euen I my ſelfe doe not yet well knowe, much leſſe can I declare it vntounto you. But as Peter being brought out of priſon by the Angel, thought that thoſe thinges that were doone, he had ſéene but by a dreame: euen ſo I, as yet ſcarcelie thinke it true that I am eſcaped. Howbeit I am ſafe and in health here at Strasborough, wherof I thought good to certifie you with ſpéede, that you together with me and other good brethren maie giuegive thankes to God, & I earneſtlie beſéech your godlie Church, that they by their heartie prayers will indeuour to obtaine the aſſiſtaunce of God, whereby the calamities that oppreſſe the Engliſh Church maie bee mitigated. The Byſhops of England in Perill of life for religion.There the Archbiſhoppe of Canterburie and Yorke, the Biſhoppes of Worceſter and Oxford, with manie other learned and godlie Preachers are faſt in holde, and together with manie other holie men ſtande in extreme daunger. I knowe that theſe thinges according to your godlineſſe will bée greeuous vntounto your eares: but now I ſhew you of two thinges that maie ſomwhat mitigate your ſorrowe. Firſt that although the infirmitie of ſome bewraie it ſelfe, yet is there a great conſtancy of many more thā we had thought, ſo as I doubt not but we ſhall hauehave manie famous Martyrs, if Wincheſter, which nowe beareth all the ſway, ſhall beginne to ſhewe his crueltie. A prophecie of the ſhort continuance of Antichriſts kingdome in EnglandSecondlie that it is the iudgement in a manner of all men, that this calamitie will not long indure: who (as they be wiſe) hauehave good coniectures of this their opinion. Wherefore let vsus alſo deſire God, that he will quicklie treade downe Sathan vnderunder the féete of his Church. As for me, I am vncertaine whether I ſhall ſtill abide here at Strasborough. Perhappes the controuerſie about the Euchariſt will ſomewhat let me. Howbeit I doe not much force. But this ſéemes to bée no ſmall matter, that the better and learneder ſort are deſirous to kéepe me ſtill. Whither ſoeuer the Lord ſhall call me, thither am I willing to goe. Yet this did not a little gréeue me, that Iames Sturmius, to whō both ye common weale and the Schoole is greatlie beholding, departed from hence the verie ſame daie that I came into this Citie, to wit the 30. daie of October. And it is thought that his brother Peter Sturmius ſhall be choſen in his ſtéede among the orders of the ſchooles: But Iohn Sturmius the gouernour of the ſchoole, laboreth by all meanes to hauehave me tarie here. Howbeit what he ſhal bring to paſſe I know not. This neuertheleſſe muſt I ſhewe you, that my purpoſe was in my iourney to goe to Geneua, and to bee there for a while in your companie. But the winter which is nowe at hande hath terrified me from anie further iourney, doubtleſſe that which I hauehave nowe deferred I hope the next ſpring I ſhal bring to paſſe. And if you think that I be able to doe you anie pleaſure here, onelie giuegive we warning and it ſhall ſuffice. I wiſh you well to fare in the Lorde, and that you maie long remaine in ſafetie to the Church of Chriſt. At Straſborough the 3. of Nouember. 1553.
To Maiſter Iohn Caluin.
ABout the feaſt of Eaſter I wrote letters vntounto you right worthie ſir, but it was by a yong gentlemā of Hungarie, who was ſlaine not farre from Seleſtade. Wherfore ſince there happened ſo ſorrowful a miſchaunce, they could not be brought vntounto you. And thoſe thinges which I then knewe and wrote, ſince I doubt not but that you had knowledge of them by ſome other meanes, I thinke them not fit to be repeated. There is a verie fearefull newes reported of out of England, namelie that there the Parliament (as they call it) hath aſſented to reſtore vntounto the Pope his moſt tyrannicall gouernment. The popiſh kingdome reſtored in England.And Philip is and is accounted king of Englande. The good men on all partes flie frō thence as much as they can. And I can not expreſſe howe great a diſturbance there is of all thinges. And nowe amongeſt vsus there bee thrée excellent knightes, namelie Moriſin, Cheeke, and Cooke, no leſſe famous in godlineſſe than in learning, who I thinke within fewe daies will come [vntounto you.] Theſe thinges I therefore write, to the intent that you together with your Church will pray for that ſtate not onelie afflicted, but in a manner ouerthrowen. Doubtleſſe nowe are the Biſhoppe of Canterburie, and the reſt of the Biſhoppes in extreame daunger. We here liue in peace and quietneſſe as touching outwarde matters, and nowe we perceiue we are deliuered of feare touching our French Church, whereas manie before ſuſpected that ſomething woulde bee chaunged in doctrine and adminiſtration of the Sacramentes. Which neither is, nor (I hope) ſhalbe doone. I would to God that the cōtention of ſome againſt their paſtor might be taken awaie. But yet doe I truſt that at length it will be quieted: and as I iudge, wil eaſilier be quenched by diſſembling our iudgment, than if men reſiſt by violence and power. And this euill hath alſo néede of prayers. Finallie I would hauehave you vnderſtande that this doeth greatlie gréeue me together with other good men, that againſt the trueth & againſt your good name they ſpread verie foule and falſe reports as touching the eternall election of God, and that heretikes ought not to bee put to death. But it maketh no matter ſince (as wee heare) in theſe thinges which they write, they dare not confeſſe their names. I ſaide (as we heare) becauſe there is not one of thoſe nameleſſe bookes brought hither to Strasborough. Wee that be here (and eſpeciallie Zancus and I) doe defende your part and the trueth ſo much as in vsus lieth. But how Maiſter Alaſco was ill intreated through out Denmarke and the Churches of Saxonie, you maie vnderſtande by this man that deliuereth you my letters. Fare you well, and pray for vsus. Zancus ſaluteth you verie much. I in like maner pray you ſalute in my name Martinengus and alſo Galeatius the Marques and N. From Strasborough the 9. of Maie.
To Maiſter Iohn Caluin.
SIr, I lately receiued letters from Vienna that I ſhoulde ſende them vntounto you, which before I did not, becauſe I had no ſooner a conuenient meſſenger. And nowe I write partly vppon this occaſion, and partly becauſe it ſéemeth now lōg ſince I ſaluted you. Which duetie though I hauehave ſlacked for a time, yet will I not ſuffer it wholie to ceaſe. And beſides this my good wil there hath happened another thing, namely, yt a fewe dayes paſt, I read with great pleaſure the worke which you ſet foorth in defence of the wholeſome eternall predeſtination of almightie God. Wherefore ſince I was greatly delighted with the reading thereof, I thought it iuſt and my part to giuegive you thankes. And I doubt not, but that vntounto your labour will come a iuſt and aboundant fruite as touching them which bee choſen and predeſtinate vntounto eternal life by GOD, vntounto whoſe glorie it was taken in hand. And I alſo hauehave gathered manie things for the confirmation of this matter, in my Commentarie vppon the Epiſtle to the Romanes, which certaine monethes paſt I ſent vntounto Baſill to Peter Perne to be imprinted: which Booke neuertheleſſe could not at this Mart be finiſhed: which nowe I let you vnderſtand, to aſſure you that euen for good cauſe and with all my heart I am glad of your writing. We hauehave here no newes but that your ſelfe knowe. The inauguration of the newe Emperour after an vnuſuall forme and manner and hitherto not heard of, hath bread an incredible woonder. For by this Coronation (as they terme it) the authoritie of the Romane Antichriſt ſéemeth more to bee ouerthrowen than euer before. And by what meanes the Archbiſhops which be Electors coulde bee brought to conſent vntounto this maner of inauguration, no man in a maner can tell. But howſoeuer it is, we will expect the workes of God. Hither came two from Vienna, the one of which is a preacher, but the other is an Earle, young in déede of age, but yet well exerciſed in learning, and one that much fauoureth Religion. He was a Counſellour to the newe Emperour, but nowe he dwelleth with Maximillian the King of Bohemia, hens well inclined to the Euangelicall Churches, and indeuoureth to ſhew that the Lutherans and wee iudge one thing as touching the matter of the ſacrament, but yet hitherto he could not make this plaine vntounto ſome. He iourneieth to Tubinge and Hedilborough: from thence to Philip into Saxony, who he ſaith that hee for a certaintie knoweth to be now conſtrained to write & teſtifie what his opinion is touching the queſtion of the ſacrament. God graunt him ſuch conſtancie as becommeth his learning and godlines. Both of theſe men affirme, that king Maximilian is enclined to the religion of the Goſpell, and wiſheth that the Church of Vienna ſhould be altogether reformed. Theſe were the things which I had to write vntounto you. I beſéeche God the father of our Lorde Ieſus Chriſt, that he will long preſerue you in health to his Church. From Zuricke the 21. of Aprill. I pray you ſalute in my name our fellowe Miniſters.