Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 11 · Letters 1 · Letter 2
*A briefe digression touching the rayling of Hubberdin agaynst M. Latimer.
FOrasmuch as mention hath bene made in this letter of Hubberdin, an olde Diuine of Oxford,A note touching Hubberdine. a right paynted Pharisey, and a great strayer abroad in all quarters of the realme to deface and impeach the springing of Gods holy Gospell, something woulde be added more touchinge that man, whose doinges and pageantes if they might be described at large, it were as good as any Enterlude for the Reader to beholde. Who in all his life and in all his actions (in one word to describe him) seemeth nothing elles but a right Image or counterfayt,Hubberdine a right Image of Hipocrisie. setting out vntounto vsus in liuely colours the paterne of perfecte hypocrisye. But because the man is now gone, to spare therefore the dead (although he little deserued to be spared, which neuer spared to worke what vilany he could agaynst the true seruantes of the Lord) this shall be enough for example sake, for all Christian men necessarily to obserue, howe the sayd Hubberdin after his long rayling in all places against Luther, Melangthon, Zuinglius, Iohn Frith, Tindale, Latimer, and all other like Professours,Hubberdine a great rayler agaynst the seruants of Christ. after his hypocriticall opē almes geuen out of other mens purses, his long prayers, pretensed deuotions, deuoute fastinges, hys wolwarde goyng, and other his prodigious demeanor, riding in his long Gowne downe to the Horse heeles like a Pharisey, or rather like a slouen, dyrted vp to the Horse bellye, after his forged Tales and Fables, Dialogues, dreames, dauncinges, hoppinges and leapinges, with other like histrionicall toyes and gestures vsed in the Pulpit, and all agaynst heretickes: at last riding by a Churche side where the youth of the Parishe were dauncing in the Churchyarde, sodeinely this Silenus lighting from his horse, by occasion of their dauncing came into the Church, and there causing the bell to tolle in the people, thought in stead of a fitte of myrth, to geue them a Sermon of dauncing. In the whiche Sermon after he had patched vp certayne common textes out of Scriptures, and then comming to the Doctors, first to Augustine, then to Ambrose, so to Hierome, and Gregory, Chrisostome, and other Doctors, had made them eueryevery one (after his Dialogue maner) by name to aunswere to his call, and to sing after hys tune for the probation of the sacramēt of the aulter against Iohn Frith,A dauncing Sermon of Hubberdine. Zuinglius, Oecolampadius, Luther, Tyndale, Latymer, and other Heretickes (as he called them) at last to shew a perfect Hermonye of all these Doctours together, as he had made thē before to sing after his tune, so now to make them daunce also after his Pype, fyrste he calleth out Christ and his Apostles, then the Doctors and auncient Seniours of the Church, as in a round ring all to daunce together: with Pype vppe Hubberdin. Nowe daunce Christ, now daunce Peter, Paul, now daunce Austen, Ambrose, Hierome, and thus olde Hubberdin as hee was dauncing with his Doctours lustely in the Pulpit, agaynst the Heretickes,Hubberdine dauncing in the Pulpit fell with the Pulpit, and brake his leg. howe hee stampt and tooke on I cannot tell, but crashe quoth the Pulpit, downe commeth the dauncer, and there lay Hubberdyn not dauncing, but sprawling in the middest of his audiēce: where altogether he brake not his necke, yet he so brake his legge the same tyme and brused hys olde boanes, that hee neuer came in Pulpit more, and dyed not long after the same. Whereupon when the Churche Wardens were called and charged for the Pulpit being no stronger,Aunswere of the Church-wardens. they made aunswere agayne, excusing themselues that they had made theyr Pulpit for preaching, and not for dauncing. &c. But to spende no more paper about this idle matter, nowe to our purpose agayne.
Amongest many other impugners and Aduersaryes, whereof there was no small sort which did infest this good man in Sermons: some also there were, whych attempted the penne agaynst him. In the number of whom was one Doctour Sherwoode, whom vponupon the same occasion of preaching of the Uirgine Marye (or as they thought,D. Sherewood writeth agaynst M. Latimer. agaynst the Uirgine) did inuade him with his pen, writing agaynst him in Latine, whose long Epistle, with M. Latimers aunswere also in Latine to the same, hereunder foloweth.