MarginaliaAn. 1555. October.the truth, and in vtteryng of the truth, when shall that be as long as we will not heare the truth, but disquiete with crafty conueyaunce the preachers of the truth, because they reproue our ilnesse with the truth: And to say truth MarginaliaBetter is in the church a deforme disagrement, so that Christ be truely preached, then vniforme ignoraunce agreing in Idolatrie.better it were to haue a deformitie in preachyng, so that some would preach þe truth of God, and that which is to be preached, without cauponation and adulteratiō of the word (as Lyranus sayth in his time few did, what they do now a dayes I report me to them that cā iudge) then to haue such an vniformitie, that the sely people should be thereby occasioned to continue still in their lamentable ignoraunce, corrupt iudgement, superstition and idolatry, and esteme things as they do all, preposterously, doyng that that they neede not for to do, leauyng vndone that they ought to do, for lacke or wāt of knowyng what is to be done, and so shew their loue to God, not as God byddeth (which sayth: Si diligitis me, præcepta mea seruate.
Si diligitis me, praecepta mea seruate If ye loue me, kepe my commaundmentes [marginal note]. si diligitis me mandata mea servate. Qui habet praecepta mea & facit ea, hic est qui diligit me He that knoweth my precepts & doth them, he loueth me[marginal note]. qui habet mandata mea et servat ea ille est qui diligit me. [Clearly this passage from St. John is being cited, but note the differences in Latin vocabulary.] qui quaerunt quae sua sunt, non quae IESV CHRISTI. which seeke their owne thynges, not CHRISTES.
And what is to liue in state of Curates, MarginaliaThe state of Curates what it is.but that hee taught which said: Petre amas me? pasce, pasce, pasce:
Petre amas me pasce, pasce, pasce Peter louest thou me? feede, feede, feede. dicit ei tertio Simon Iohannis amas me contristatus est Petrus quia dixit ei tertio amas me et dicit ei Domine tu omnia scis tu scis quia amo te dicit ei pasce oves meas. [While not a direct citation of this verse, Latimer clearly refers to it.] nisi per manum Dei validam Not translated. except by the strong hand of God nisi per manum validam. non estis sub lege Not translated. you are not beneath the law [quod si spiritu ducimini] non estis sub lege. vae vobis ... coram nobis Not translated. alas for you ... in our presence vae vobis ... coram nobis Not translated. alas for you ... in our presence
And where your frēdes thinke that I made a lye, whē I sayd that I haue thought in tymes past that the Pope had bene Lord of the world, though your frēdes be much better learned then I yet am I sure that they know not what I either thinke, or haue thought, better thē I, iuxta illud: nemo nouit quæ sunt hominis. &c.
iuxta illud, nemo nouit quae sunt hominis. &c. Not translated. beside that, no-one knows what are (the thoughts?) of man. Rex regum ... dominus dominantium ... verus dominus totius orbis, iure, licet non facto The king of kinges, and Lord of Lordes, ... the true Lord of the whole world by good right, albeit in fact he be not so [Unable to locate in PL] Rex regum ... dominus dominantium ... verus dominus totius orbis, iure, licet non facto The king of kinges, and Lord of Lordes, ... the true Lord of the whole world by good right, albeit in fact he be not so [Unable to locate in PL] Rex regum ... dominus dominantium ... verus dominus totius orbis, iure, licet non facto The king of kinges, and Lord of Lordes, ... the true Lord of the whole world by good right, albeit in fact he be not so [Unable to locate in PL] in propria venit ... & sui eum non receperunt he came into his owne ... and his owne receaued him not[marginal note]. in propria venit et sui eum non receperunt. in propria venit ... & sui eum non receperunt he came into his owne ... and his owne receaued him not[marginal note]. in propria venit et sui eum non receperunt.
And as for the Popes high dominion ouer all,MarginaliaThe Popes dominion. there is one Raphaell Maruphus in London, an Italian, and in times past a Marchaunt of dispensations, which I suppose would dye in the quarell, as Gods true knight, and true Martyr. As touching MarginaliaPurgatory. Worshipping of Saintes.Purgatory, & worshipping of Saints, I shewed to you my mind before my Ordinary: and yet I marueiled something, that after priuate communication had with him, ye would (as it were) adiure me to open my mind before him, not geuing me warning before, sauing I can not interprete euill your doynges towardes me: and yet neither myne Ordinary, nor you disallowed the thing that I sayd, and I looked not to escape better then Doct. Crome: but when I haue opened my mind neuer so much, yet I shalbe reported to deny my preaching, of them that haue belyed my preaching, as he was. Sed opus est magna patientia ad sustinendas calumnias malignantis Ecclesiæ.
Sed opus est magna patientia ad sustinendas calumnias malignantis Ecclesiae. I shall haue nede of great pacience to beare the false reportes of the malignant church[marginal note].
Syr, I haue had more busines in my litle cure since I spake with you, what with sicke folkes, and what with
matrimonies, thē I haue had since I came to it, or then I would haue thought a mā should haue in a great cure. I wonder how men can go quietly to bed which haue great cures and many, and yet peraduenture are in none of them all.MarginaliaA priuy nippe to such as haue many cures, and are residēt at none. But I pray you tel none of your frēdes that I sayd so foolishly, lest I make a dissensiō in a Christian congregation, and diuide a sweete and a restfull vnion, or tot quot,
tot quot ... haec requies mea in seculum seculi. Not translated. as many … this everlasting requiem of mine. [cf. Cattley-Pratt, vii, 571, n.2 on 'tot quots'.] tot quot ... haec requies mea in seculum seculi. Not translated. as many … this everlasting requiem of mine. [cf. Cattley-Pratt, vii, 571, n.2 on 'tot quots'.] Oportet pati, & sic intrare: tam periculosum est in CHRISTO pie viuere velle. I must nedes suffer, and so enter: So perilous a thing it is to liue vertuously in Christ.
Here foloweth an other letter of M. Latymer written to K. Henry 8. vpō this occasion. Ye heard before pag. 1157. 1427. of ij. sondry proclamatiōs set out by þe Byshops in þe time of K. Henry, þe one in þe yeare. 1531. and þe other set out an. 1546. In þe which proclamatiōs beyng authorised by the kynges name, were inhibited all English bookes either conteinyng or tendyng to any matter of the Scripture. Where also we haue expressed at large the whole Catalogue of all their errours and heresies which the sayd Byshops falsely haue excerpted, & maliciously imputed to godly writers, with their places and quotatiōs aboue assigned in the page aforesayd.MarginaliaOf these 2. Proclamations, read before pag. 1157. 1427. Now M. Latymer growyng in some fauour with the king, and seyng the great decay of CHRISTES Religion by reason of these proclamatiōs, and touched therfore with the zealeof consciēce, directeth vnto king Henry this letter here vnder ensuyng, thereby entendyng by all meanes possible to persuade the kynges mynd to set open agayne the freedome of Gods holy word amongest hys subiectes. The copy and tenour of hys letter here foloweth.
[Back to Top]¶ To the most mighty Prince King of England Henry the eight, Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father by our Lord Iesus CHRIST.
MarginaliaAn other letter of Master Latymer to King Henry.THe holy Doctor Saint Austine in an Epistle which he wrote to Casulanus sayth MarginaliaAugust. ad Casulanum.that he which for feare of any power hydeth the truth, prouoketh the wrath of God to come vpon him: for he feareth men more thē God. And according to the same, the holy man S. Iohn Chrysostome sayth: MarginaliaChrysost.that he is not alonely a traytour to the truth, which openly for truth teacheth a lye, but he also which doth not freely pronounce & shew the truth that he knoweth. These sentences (most redoubted king) when I red now of late, and marked them earnestly in the inward partes of mine hart, they made me sore afraid, troubled and vexed me greuously in my conscience, MarginaliaMaster Latimer touched in cōscience to write to the King.and at the last droue me to this straite, that eyther I must shew forth such thinges as I haue red and learned in scripture, or els to bee of the sort that prouoke the wrath of God vppon them, and be traytours vnto the truth: the which thing rather then it should happen, I had rather suffer extreme punishment.
[Back to Top]For what other thing is it to be a traytour vnto the truth, MarginaliaWhat is to be a traytour to truth.thē to be a traytour & a Iudas to CHRIST, which is the very truth and cause of all truth? the which sayth that who so euer denyeth him here before men, he wyll deny him before his father in heauen. The which denying ought more to bee feared and dred, then the losse of all temporall goods, honour, promotion, fame, prison, sclaunder, hurtes, banishmentes, and all maner of tormentes, and cruelties, yea, and death it selfe, be it ne-
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