Sermon 29 September 1574, Title page – Dedication
A Sermon made in the Chappel at the Gylde Halle in London, the .xxix. day of September, 1574. before the Lord Maior and the whole ſtate of the Citie, then aſſembled for the chuſing of their Maior that ſhuld then ſuccede in the gouernmēt of the ſame Citie. Coneionatore Roberto Croleo.
¶ Peruſed and licenced, according to the Quoenes Maieſties Iniunction.
¶ Imprinted at London by Iohn Awdeley. 1575
TO THE RIGHT honorable ſir Iames Hawes Knight, Lord Maior of the Citie of London, and to his worſhipful Brethren the Aldermen, with the whole ſtate of the ſame Citye, Robert Crowley wiſheth continuance in the feare of GOD.
BEing by the Lord Maior (that then was) appointed to occupy the place of a better, in your Chappell at the Gilde hall, on that day wherin; according to your yearely cuſtome you were gathered together to make choyſe of one to rule your Citie, for the yeare then to come: I dyd bende all my ſpeeches to the inſtruction of as many of you as were to geue voyces in that Election, and of him that was then to be elected. And although I dyd not then ſo well lyke of myne owne doing that I could thinke it meete to be penned and publiſhed to the view of all that would reade it: yet I perceiued afterward, that manye amongeſt you were deſirous to hauehave it in writing, that it might remaine in memory, and be a rule for you and your poſteritie to follow in yout yearely Elections. Being therefore requeſted by one (that ſeemed to mee moſt deſirous of this common commoditie) to ſet downe in writyng that which I had then ſpoken: I could not deny that ſo honeſt and reaſonable a requeſt. But beyng then oppreſſed with manyfold exerciſes, I differred the doing thereof almoſt to long: euen tyll memorie began to be amazed, when ſhe ſhould make report to my pen of thoſe wordes which ſhe not before wylled to retaine. And then I began to feele, that age cannot eaſely do that, wherof youth maketh ſmall accompt.
Yet notwythſtandyng I cauſed my Memorie to ſearche out all her corners, and to bring forth that which ſhe foūd? and ſo hauehave I penned (as my Memorie telleth me) almoſt the ſame wordes that I then ſpake, and in the ſame order that I then did ſpeake them.
And becauſe I thought that thys inſtruction might ſerue as well for al other Elections, as for that which then was in hand: I thought good to adde an Appē dix, wherein I hauehave applyed the whole matter of eueryevery Election to be made, of any that muſt ſerue in any publike calling, either Eccleſiaſticall or Ciuile.
If this my labour hauehave or ſhall do any good, the praiſe thereof is due to God, the doer of all that is wel done: who firſt moued the myndes of your Rulers to thinke me meete to occupy that place at that tyme, and my mynde to conceyue and vtter ſuche matter there, and the minde of him that firſt moued mee to conceiue it in writing, and the myndes of them that hauehave thought it meete to be imprinted.
To GOD therefore eſpecially, I do dedicate this my labour, and generallye to all you, whom he hath herein vſed as his inſtrumentes: Beſeeching his Maieſtie to accept of that which hee hath made me able to do, and to employ both it and mee to the commoditie of hys Church, and you to take at hys hande the fruit of this my labour, whom hee hath in this matter vſed as his inſtrumēt to inſtruct you how ye ought to deale, not onelyonly in this one yearelye election of your Maior, but in all your other Elections alſo.
The Lord Ieſus Chriſt (whoſe Seruauntes we all do profeſſe to be) direct vsus by his holy Spirite: that in all our workes, words, and thoughtes we may ſeeke to ſet foorth the glorie of his (and by him) our heauenly Father. To whom, with the ſame his onelyonly begotten ſonne, & the holy ſpirit be al honor & glory for euermore. Amen.
Yours to commaund in the Lord, Robert Crowley.