MarginaliaAn. 1555. October.were present, beyng godly, dyd maruell to see the most part of the bloud in his body so to be gathered to hys hart, and with such violence to gushe out, hys body beyng opened by þ^e force of þ^e fire: by þ^e which thyng God most graciously graunted hys request, which was that he might sheed hys hart bloud in þ^e defence of þ^e Gospel.

How mercifully the Lord heard hys second request, in restoryng hys Gospell once agayne to this Realme, these present dayes can beare record. MarginaliaThe vnthankfulnes of England.And what then shall England say now for her defense, which beyng so mercifully visited and refreshed with the word of God, so slenderly and vnthankefully considereth either her own misery past, or the great benefite of God now present? The Lord be mercyfull vnto vs, Amen.

Againe, cōcernyng hys thyrd request, it seemeth likewise most effectuously graunted, to the great prayse of God, the furtheraunce of hys Gospell, and to the vnspeakable comfort of this Realme. For whether at the request of his prayer, or of other Gods holy Saintes, or whether God was moued with the cry of his whole Church, the truth is, that when all was deplorate and in a desperate case, and so desperate that the enemyes mightely florished and triūphed, Gods word was banished, Spaniards receiued, no place left for CHRISTES seruauntes to couer their heades: MarginaliaGods gratious helpe in time of nede, vpon the realme of England.sodenly the Lord called to remembraūce hys mercy, and forgettyng our former iniquity, made an end of all these miseries, and wrought a meruelous chaūge of thinges, at the chaūge wherof the sayd Queene Elizabeth was appoynted and annoynted,MarginaliaQ. Elizabeth graunted of God to England. for whom this gray headed father so earnestly prayed in his imprisonment: through whose true, naturall, and imperiall crowne, the brightnes of Gods word was set vp agayne to confound the darke and falseuisured kyngdome of Antichrist, the true Tēple of CHRIST reedified, the captiuity of sorowfull Christians released, which so long was wished for in the prayers of so many good men, specially of this faythfull and true seruaunt of the Lord M. Latymer.

The same God which at the requestes of his holy and faythfull Saintes hath poured vpon vs such benefites of his mercy, peace, and trāquility, MarginaliaGod for Christes sake so graunt.assist our most vertuous & Christian Princesse, & her Subiectes, that we may euery one in his state and callyng so serue his glory, and walke in our vocation, that we lose not that which they haue obtained, but may proceede in all faythfulnes, to build and keepe vp the house and tēple of the Lord, to the aduansing of his glory, and our euerlasting comfort in hym. And thus much concerning the doings & laborious trauailes of M. Latimer. Now after these thinges thus finished and discoursed pertayning to the story of his life, let vs come to his letters which he wrote at diuers & sundry times frō the first beginning of hys preaching: all which here to comprehend which he wrote both in English and Latin, lacke of space and place at this present will not permit, neuertheles certaine we will take, & first concerning the articles aboue mentioned, for the which he was troubled by þ^e priestes of the countrey about his benefice at West Kington: what he writeth thereof to M. Morice, the copie therof here followeth.

¶ Letters of Master Latimer.  

Commentary     Close

Latimer's Letters

There are surprisingly few letters of Hugh Latimer and, apart from his note to Joan Wilkinson, none from Mary's reign. Whether it was due to age, illness, or strict confinement, Latimer did not produce the extensive correspondence of other Marian prisoners. As a result, Foxe's section on Latimer's letters consists largely of Henrician writings.

[Back to Top]

Latimer's letters were first printed in the 1563 edition. In 1570, Foxe addeda disgression on Latimer's adversary Hubberdine, drawn from individual informants. He also added a conclusion to an incomplete letter which Latimer wrote to Henry VIII. As with the life of Latimer, material was deleted from the 1570 edition to save paper: the first letter to Sir Edward Baynton and a 1530 proclamation banning heretical books were removed . In the 1583 edition, the first letter to Sir Edward Baynton was reprinted.

[Back to Top]

¶ A letter of M. Latimer to master Morice, concerning the articles written, which were falsely and vntruly layde agaynst hym.  

Commentary     Close

Ralph Morrice, Archbishop Cranmer's secretary, was one of Foxe's most important informants. Interestingly, this letter was not sent to Foxe by Morrice. Morrice first began sending material to Foxe in 1566, while this letter first appeared in the 1563 edition.

MarginaliaA letter of M. Latymer to Master Morice.RIght worshipfull, and mine own good M. Morice, salutem in CHRISTO IESV. And I thanke you for all harty kindnes, not onely heretofore shewed vnto me, but also that now of late, you would vouchsafe to wryte vnto me so poore a wretch, to my great comfort among all these my troubles. I trust and doubt nothing in it, but God wyll reward you for me, and supply aboundātly myne vnability. &c. M. Morice you would wonder to know how I haue bene intreated at Bristow. MarginaliaNote the dissembling inconstancy of Popish priestes.I meane of some of the Priestes, which first desyred me, welcomed me, made me cheare, heard what I sayd, allowed my saying in all thinges whiles I was with them: when I was gone home to my benefice, perceauing that the peo-

ple fauoured me so greatly, and that the Maior had appointed me to preach at Easter, priuely they procured an MarginaliaInhibition procured against M. Latimer not to preach.inhibition for all them that had not the Bishops licence, which they knew well inough I had not, and so craftely defeated master Maiors appointment, pretendyng that they were sory for it, procuring also certayne Preachers to blatter against me, as MarginaliaHubberdine and Powell preach agaynst M. Latymer.Hubberdyn and Powell, wyth other moe: whom when I had brought before the Maior and the wyse counsaile of the towne, to knowe what they could lay to my charge, wherefore they so declamed against me, they sayd they spake of information: howbeit no man could bee brought forth that would abide by any thing: So that they had place & tyme to belye me shamefully, but they had no place nor tyme to lay to my charge, when I was present and ready to make them aunswer. God amend them, and swage their malice that they haue agaynst the truth and me. &c.

So they dyd belye me to haue sayd, when I had sayd nothing so, but to reproue certayne both Priestes and beneficed men, MarginaliaWhat the Papistes do geue to our Lady.which doe geue so much to our Ladye, as though shee had not bene saued by CHRIST, a whole Sauiour both of her, and of all that be and shalbe saued: I dyd reason after this maner, that eyther she was a sinner, or no synner: MarginaliaOur Lady not without sinne.if a synner, then she was deliuered frō synne by CHRIST: so that he saued her, eyther by delyuering or by preseruing her frō sinne, so that without him, neyther she, nor none other, neyther be, nor could bee saued. And to auoyde all offence, I shewed how it myght be aunswerd, both to certayn Scriptures which maketh all generally sinners, and how it might be aūswered vnto Chrysostome & Theophilact, which maketh her namely and specially a synner. But all woulde not serue, theyr malice is so great: notwithstanding that fyue hundred honest men can and wyll beare record. MarginaliaPapistes depraue when they cannot disproue.When they cannot reproue that thing that I do say, then they wyl belye me to say that thing that they can reproue, for they wyll needes appeare to be agaynst me.

So they lyed, when I had shewed diuers significations of this word [Saintes] among the vulgare people. MarginaliaDifference betwixt Images and Saintes.First Images of Saintes are called Saints, and so they are not to be worshipped: take worshipping of them for praying to them: for they are neyther Mediators by way of redemption, nor yet by way of intercession. And yet they may be well vsed, when they bee applied to that vse that they were ordeyned for, to be lay mens booke for remembraunce of heauenly thinges. &c.

Take Saints for inhabiters of heauen, and worshipping of them for praying to them, MarginaliaMaster Latimers errour in those daies.I neuer denyed, but that they might be worshipped, and be our Mediatours, though not by way of redemption (for so CHRIST alonely is a whole Mediator, both for them and for vs) yet by the way of intercession. &c.

And I neuer denied Pilgrimage. And yet I haue said that much skurffe must be pared awayMarginaliaPare away the skurfe, and cleane take all Popery away. ere euer it can bee well done, superstition, idolatry, false fayth, and trust in the Image, vniust estimation of the thing, setting asyde Gods ordinaunce for doing of the thing: debtes must be payd, restitutions made, wyfe and children prouided for, duty to our poore neighbours discharged. And when it is at the best, before it be vowed, it neede not to be done, for it is neyther vnder the bidding of God nor of man to bee done. And wyues must counsell wyth Husbandes, and Husbandes and Wyues wyth Curates, before it bee vowed to be done. &c.

MarginaliaAue Maria.As for the Aue Maria, who can thinke that I would deny it? I sayd it was an heauenly greeting or saluting of our blessed Lady, wherein the Angell Gabriell sent from the father of heauen, dyd annunciate and shew vnto her the good will of God towardes her, what he would do with her, and to what he had chosen her. But I sayd, it was properly a prayer,MarginaliaAue Maria no praier. as the Pater Noster, which our Sauiour CHRIST hymselfe made for a proper prayer, and bad vs say it for a prayer, not adding that we should say. x. or. xx. Aue Maries, withall: and I denyed not but that we may well say the Aue Maria also, but not so that we shal thinke that the Pater Noster is not good, a whole and a perfit prayer, nor can not bee well sayd without