MarginaliaAn. 1555. October.beare at my hand? What haue I done wyth my hande? what hath my hand trespassed you? Forsooth, that can I tell, no man better. For I haue charitably monished you in a secret letter, of your slipper dealing, and such like misbehauiour. O quàm graue piaculum? i.  

what a sore matter is thys? And wyll ye not beare so much with me? Wyl ye not take such a shew of my good will towardes you, and toward the sauyng of your soule at my hand? Oh Lord God, who would haue thought that Master N. had bene so impotent, that he would not beare a godly monition for the wealth of his soule? I haue in vse to commit such trespasses many times in a yeare with your betters by two or three degrees,MarginaliaAs may well appeare by his letter sent to the King before. both Lords and Ladies, of the best in the Realme, and yet hetherto I haue not heard that any of them haue sayd in their displeasure, that they wyll not beare it at my hand. Are you yet to be taught, what is the office, liberty, and priuiledge of a Preacher? What is it els, but euen Marginaliai. To rebuke the world of sinne.arguere mundum de peccato,  

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A letter from Latimer to a certain gentleman

Foxe text Latin

arguere mundum de peccato.

Foxe text translation

To rebuke the world of sinne[marginal note].

Actual text of St. John, 16. (Vulgate)

et cum venerit ille arguet mundum de peccato

without respect of persons, Marginaliai. Which thing vndoubtedly is the peculiar office and duty of the holy ghost in the church of God, so that it be practised by lawfull preachers.quod quidem ipsum est ipsius spiritus sancti peculiare in ecclesia munus & officium, sed non nisi per Predicatores legitimos exequendum.  

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A letter from Latimer to a certain gentleman.

Foxe text Latin

quod quidem ipsum est ipsius spiritus sancti peculiare in ecclesia munus & officium, sed non nisi per Predicatores legitimos exequendum.

Foxe text translation

Which thing vndoubtedly is the peculiar office and duty of the holy ghost in the church of God, so that it be practised by lawfull preachers[marginal note].

You coulde but yll beare (belike) to heare your fault openly reproued in the pulpit, which cannot beare the same in a secrete sealed vp letter, written both friendly, charitably, and truly, Marginaliai. Vnlesse perhaps to rebuke sinne sharpely, be now to lacke all charitie, frendship, and truth.nisi forte acriter reprehendere peccata, sit iam omni charitate, amicitia, veritate carere.  

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A letter from Latimer to a certain gentleman.

Foxe text Latin

nisi forte acriter reprehendere peccata, sit iam omni charitate, amicitia, veritate carere.

Foxe text translation

Vnlesse perhaps to rebuke sinne sharpely, be now to lacke al charitie, friendship, and truth[marginal note].

But Maister N. if you will geue me leaue to be plain with you, I feare me you be so plūged in worldly purchasings, and so drowned in the manifold dregs of this deceiuable world, that I weene you haue forgotten your Cathechisme. Reade therefore agayne the opening of the first commaundement, and thē tell me whether you of me, or I of you haue iust cause to complayne. &c.

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Item Syr, you said further that I am wonderfully abused by my neyghbour. &c. How so, good Master N? Wherein? Or how will ye proue it to be true, and when? So you said that he had abused you, & geuen you wrong information: but the contrary is found true by good testimony of Master Chamber, which heard aswel as you, what my neighbour sayd, & hath testified the same, both to you, and against you, full lyke him selfe. Master N. to forge and faine (which argueth an yll cause) that is one thing: but to proue what a mā doth say, that is an other thing. As though you were priuiledged to outface poore men, & beare them in hād what you list, as may seeme to make some maintenāce for your naughty cause. Trust me master N. I was but very litle acquainted w^t my neighbour when this matter began: but now I haue founde him so conformable to honesty, vpright in his dealings, and so true in his talke, that I esteme him better, then I do some other whom I haue perceiued and found otherwaies. MarginaliaM. Latymer flattereth no man.For I wil flatter no man, nor yet claw his backe in his folly, but esteeme all men as I finde them, allowing what is good, and disalowing what is bad, Marginaliai. Among all mē, eyther friendes or enemies according to Paules precept, not estemed of the children of this world: hate you sayth he, that which is euill, and cleaue to that Which is good. And let vs not at any time for the fauour of men, call good euill, and euill good, as the children of this world are commonly wont to do, as it is euery where to be seene.In omnibus hominibus, siue amicis siue inimicis, iuxta præceptum Paulinum, a filijs huius seculi in pretio non habitum: Sitis odio, inquit, prosequentes quod malum est, adhærentes autē ei quod bonum est: Neq; bonum malum, nec malum bonum in gratiam hominum affirmemns vnquā, id quod filij huius seculi vulgo faciunt, vt est videre vbique.  

And nowe what maner of man doe you make me, Master N. when you note me to be so much abused by so ignorant a man, so simple, so playne, & so farre without all wrincles? Haue I lyued so long in this tottering world, and haue I bene so many waies tormoyled and tossed vp and downe, and so much, as it were seasoned with the pouder of so many experiences to and fro, to be nowe so farre bewytched & alienated from my wits, as though I could not discerne cheese from chalk, truth from falshood, but that euery sely soule, and base witted man might easely abuse me to what enterprise he listed at hys pleasure? Well, I say not nay, but I may be abused. But why do you not tell me how your brother abused me, promising before me and many mo, that he would stand to your awardship, and now doth deny it? Why do you not tell me, howe those two false faithles wretches abused me, promising also to abide your award, and doth it not? Yea, why do you not tell me, how you your selfe haue abused mee, promisyng me to redresse the iniury and wrong that your brother hath done to my neighbour, and haue not fulfilled your promise? These notable abuses be nothing with you, but onely you must needes burden me with my neighbours abusing of me, which is none at all, as farforth as euer I could perceiue, so God helpe mee in my neede. For if he had abused me as you and other haue done, I should be soone at a point with hym, for any thing further do-

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ing for hym. &c.Item Syr, you sayd further, that I shall neuer be able to proue that either your brother, or the ij. tenauntes agreed to stand to your award. &c. No Syr? Master N. you say belike as you wold haue it to be, or as your brother with his adherentes haue persuaded you to thinke it to be, so inducyng you to do their request to your own shame and rebuke, if you perseuer in the same, beside the perill of your soule, for consentyng at least way, to MarginaliaBolstering of falshode and iniquitie.the maintenaūce by falshod of your brothers iniquitie. For in that you would your awardshyp should take none effect, you shew your selfe nothyng inclinable to the redresse of your brothers vnright dealyng with an honest poore man,MarginaliaBrother ought not to beare with brother, to beare downe right and truth, especially being a Iustice. which hath bene ready at your request to do you pleasure with his thynges, or els he had neuer come into this wrāgle for his owne goods with your brother.

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Ah Master N. what maner of man do you shew your selfe to be? or what maner of consciēce do you shew your selfe to haue? For first, as touchyng your brother, you know right wel, that Syr Tho. Cokin with a letter of his owne hand writyng, hath witnessed vnto your brothers agreement, whiche letter he sent to me vnsealed, and I shewed the same to my neighbour and other moe ere I sealed it, and perchaunce haue a copy of the same yet to shew. With what conscience then can you say that I shal neuer be able to proue it? Shall not three men vpon their othes make a sufficient profe trow you? Marginaliai. The Lord himselfe saying: in the mouth of two or three &c.vel ipso dicente Domino: in ore duorū vel triū. &c.  

Yea, you thinke it true I dare say, in your cōscience, if you haue any conscience, though I were in my graue, and so vnable to proue any thing. And as for the Marginalia2. Corrupt tenantes.ij. tenauntes, they be as they be, and I trust to see them hādled accordyng as they be: for there be three men yet a liue that dare sweare vppon a booke, that they both did agree. But what should we looke for at such mens handes, when you your selfe play the part you do? Marginaliai. But God is yet aliue, which seeth all, and iudgeth iustly.Verum viuit adhuc Deus, qui videt omnia & iudicat iustè. &c.  

Latin/Greek Translations     Close

A letter from Latimer to a certain gentleman.

Foxe text Latin

Verum viuit adhuc Deus qui videt omnia & iudicat iuste. &c.

Foxe text translation

But God is yet aliue, whiche seeth all, and iudgeth iustly[marginal note].

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Item Syr, you sayd yet further, that the Iustices of peace in the countrey thinke you very vnnaturall, in takyng part with me before your brother. &c.MarginaliaWere not here a good sort of Iustices, trow you? Ah Master N. what a sentēce is this to come out of your mouth? For partakyng is one thyng, and ministryng of iustice is an other thyng: and a worthy minister of iustice will be no partaker, but one indifferent betwene partie and partie. And did I require you to take my part, I pray you? No, I required you to minister iustice betwene your brother and my neighbour without any partakyng with either other. But what maner of iustices be they I pray you, which woulde so fayne haue you to take part naturally with your brother, when you ought and should reforme and amend your brother? as you your selfe know, no mā better. MarginaliaIustices turned to Iugglers.What? Iustices? no Iugglers you might more worthly call such as they be, then Iustices. Be they those iustices which call you vnnaturall, for that you will not take your brothers part agaynst all right and conscience, whom you had picked out and appointed to haue the finall hearyng and determinyng of my neighbours cause after your substanciall & fine award makyng? Verely I thinke no lesse. For soth he is much beholdyng to you, & I also for his sake. Is that the holesome coūsell that you haue to giue your poore neighbours in their neede? In deede you shew your selfe a worthy Iuggler: oh, I would haue sayd a Iusticier, among other of your iugglyng and MarginaliaPartaking Iustices.partakyng Iustices. Marginaliai. O good God.Deum bonum, what is this world? Mary Syr my neighbour had sponne a faire thred, if your partakyng Iustices through your good counsell had had his matter in orderyng, and finishyng, I pray God saue me and all my frendes, with all Gods litle flocke, frō the whole felowshyp of your so naturall and partaking Iustices, Amen.

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Lord God, who would haue thought that there had bene so many partakyng Iustices, that is to say, vniust iustices in Warwikshyre, if Maister N. him selfe one of the same order (but altogether out of order) and therfore knoweth it best, had not told vs the tale? but these call you (you say) very vnnaturall. &c. And why not rather (I pray you) to much naturall? For we read Marginaliai. Of a double nature, soūd and corrupt. That was full of Iustice. This vnlesse it be restored, abideth alwaies vniust, bringing forth fruites of wickednes one after an other.de natura duplici, integra & corrupta. Illa erat iusticiæ plena: haæc nisi reparata semper manet iniusta, iniusticiæ fructus alios post alios paritura:  

so that he that will not helpe his brother hauing a iust cause in his neede, may be iustly called vnnaturall, as not doyng iuxta instinctum naturæ, siue integræ siue reparatæ.i.  

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A letter from Latimer to a certain gentleman.

Foxe text Latin

iuxta instinctum naturae, siue integrae siue reparatae.

Foxe text translation

According to the instinct of nature either as it was at the beginning, or as it was restored.

According to the instinct of nature either as it was at the beginning, or as it was restored. But he that will take his brothers part agaynst right, as to ratifie his brothers wrōg deceiuyng, he is to much naturall, tanquam sequens inge-  

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A letter from Latimer to a certain gentleman.

Foxe text Latin

tanquam sequens ingenium siue inclinationem naturae corruptae, contra voluntatem Dei.

Foxe text translation

As one following the disposition and inclination of corrupt nature agaynste the wyll of God.

[Two very minor improvements to the translation]

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