Common Places, Letters · Letter 41
To a verie honourable Prince in England. 43.
FOr manie and great cauſes am I verie much bounde vntounto your highneſſe moſt noble Prince. For I being but a poore ſilie man and of lowe degrée whom you ſaw ſcarcelie once in England, you heare ſuch affection towardes mee, as you hauehave with ſingular courteſie and good will intertained Iulius which dealeth in my affaires, and hauehave ſhewed him not ſmall, but verie great fauour in the perfourming of his buſineſſe: for the which cauſe I giuegive your Honour excéeding great thankes: and beſides this for that you hauehave ſent letters vntounto me, letters doe I ſay, yea rather praiſes and commendations both of my learning and vertues: which although I doe not acknowledge to be in me, yet could I not but reioice in your iudgement, becauſe I vnderſtoode it to bee a moſt certaine teſtimonie of your louelove and good will towardes me. Neither doe I thinke my ſelfe to be loued of you for any other cauſe, than for godlines and religions ſake. I will not rehearſe the ſingular deſire that you ſhewe to hauehave mée returne againe into England, Peter Martyr called againe into England.which you alſo affirme that the godlie and learned men doe deſire together with you. But how great a fauour is that that you hauehave put the Quéenes Maieſtie in minde, that there muſt be ſome conſideration had of my calling, and hauehave put mee in her Maieſties fauour? Finally you hauehave promiſed to doe mee all the pleaſures and commodities you can: and you hauehave declared the cauſes and thoſe verie ſingular of this your affection, namely the louelove of your Countrie and the excéeding care of ſetting forward the worde of God. Such a Prince who can but louelove? Vndoubtedly if I ſhould euer be forgetfull of this ſo great a good will and of ſo many benefites, I ſhoulde not onelyonly be voide of godlineſſe but of humanitie. Wherefore I will indeuour, and that by all meanes I can that they may neuer ſlip out of my minde. But nowe as touching my returne into England, and if I am not able to anſwere that which I would earneſtly deſire, I beſéeche your honour that you will of your courteſie take in good part ye anſwere which I write vntounto you. Firſt I would not hauehave you to thinke that I deſire any thing more earneſtly than the ſound ſaluation of England in the Lorde. Wherefore I hauehave deſired now alſo, no leſſe than in times paſt, to further the commodities and building thereof, and to doe that which might be as well acceptable as profitable to your kingdome and Church. But at this day, it ſtandeth thus with mee, that I am appointed to the Citie and Church of Tigure, and therefore I am not at my owne libertie. Wherefore as touching this matter I ſought the iudgement and good will both of the Magiſtrate and of the Miniſters. And certainlie I founde in them a ſingular indeuour and readie minde to ſatiſfie your deſire. For thinke not that any thing is more acceptable and deare vntounto them than the trueth of the Goſpell to be moſt largely ſpread. But on the other ſide, they no leſſe prudently than louingly conſider of the conſtitution of my bodie, my ſtate and age: and they are ſomewhat afraide leaſt I being loaden and as it were broken with age, cannot abide the trauell of iourney which is ſomewhat long, variable, & not euerie where eaſie. They ſée moreouer yt in diuers places are like to come no ſmall daungers. Further they conſider, that I am called abroade to much more painefull labours, than I doe here abide. For which cauſe they eaſilie coniecture that I ſhall bee able to ſerue neither them nor you. So as they iudge it much better, that I ſhould here tarie, that by teaching, writing, and publiſhing that which I hauehave commented, I maie to my power be a helpe vntounto them, to you and to others. But in theſe two kindes of anſwere the firſt part ſéemes to hauehave a likeneſſe of trueth. For I my ſelfe alſo doe feare that I ſhould not be able to endure iourneies and labours. But in the other I doubt that they themſelues be deceiued which thinke that I by tarying and reſting here can profite ſo manie: for they make more account of my workes than they deſerue. Verilie for my part, vntounto whom the ſlenderneſſe, nakedneſſe and ſimpleneſſe of my learning is knowen agrée vntounto them to tarie for the firſt cauſe onelie. For I am eaſilie perſwaded to beléeue that by iourneying and labours I ſhall ſoone bee weakened and caſt downe, ſo as I ſhall bee made altogether vnprofitable. Wherefore I firſt of all beſéeche your honor, ſecondly thoſe godlie learned men, that they will accept of my good will, where they cannot becauſe of my weaknes obtaine the thing it ſelfe which they wiſh to be doone. For neceſſitie is a harde weapon, againſt which to ſtriue ſéemes to bee no other thing than to tempt God. But this in the meane time I woulde hauehave you right honourable to remember, that whereſoeuer I ſhall bee in the worlde, I will alwaies thinke my ſelfe moſt bounde vntounto you. And on the other ſide I deſire you, that you will not onelie retaine the louelove of your Countrie and the care of furthering religion, but that you will indeuour eueryevery day more and more to increaſe the ſame in your Chriſtian heart, whereby the Feathers ſometime cut off from the Goſpell of the ſonne of God, maie growe againe, and ſo growe as it may with a fruitfull courſe goe through all your prouinces, Cities and townes. Aſſuredly if you ſhall perpetually as you hauehave begun, be inflamed with this double care, both almightie god will like of you, and all diſcrete and godly men will honour you as a good Citizen and a profitable Prince. God through Chriſt maintaine you long in health and felicitie. Giuen at Zuricke the 22. of Iulie 1561.