MarginaliaAnno. 1555. October.enim post hac credo charissime frater, meis literis iā amplius aliquando turbaberis. Oxonij.  

N. R.

MarginaliaA letter of B. Ridley to one Austen Bernher.BRother Augustine, I blesse God with all my hart in his manifold mercifull giftes, geuen vnto our deare brethren in Christe, especially to our brother Rogers, whom it pleased to set forth first, no doubt but of his gracious goodnes and fatherly fauour towards him. And likewise blessed be God in the rest, as Hoper, Saunders, and Taylour,MarginaliaCommemoration of saintes. whom it hath pleased the Lord likewise to set in the forefront of the battaill against his aduersaries, and hath endued them all (so far as I can heare) to stande in the cōfession of his truth, and to be content in his cause, and for his Gospels sake to lose their life.  

And euermore and without ende blessed be euen the same our heauenly father for our deare & entirely beloued brother Bradford, whom now the Lord (I perceiue) calleth for: for I weene   hee will no longer vouchsafe hym too abide among the adulterous and wicked generation of this world. I doo not doubt but that he (for those gifts of grace which the Lorde hath bestowed on him plenteously) hath holpen those which are gon before in their iourney, that is, hath animated and encouraged them too keepe the hie way, & sic currere vti tandem acciperent præmium. The Lord bee his comfort, whereof I do not doubt, and I thanke God hartely that euer I was acquainted with him, and that euer I had such a one in my house. And yet againe I blesse God in our deare brother, and of this time MarginaliaProtomartyr is the first martyr: whom he so called, because he was the first that suffered here in those bloudy daies.Protomartyr Rogers,   that he was also one of my calling to be a Prebendary Preacher of London. And nowe because Grindal is gone (the Lord I doubt not hath & knoweth wherein he will bestow him) I trust to God it shall please him of his goodnes to strēgthen me to make vp the trinitie out of Paules Churche,   to suffer for Christe, whom God the father hath annointed, the holy spirit doth beare witnes vnto, Paule and all the Apostles preached. Thus fare you wel. I had no paper: I was constrained thus to write.  

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MarginaliaThe story of M. Hugh Latymer Martyr.NOw consequently after the life of B. Ridley, with other his letters, which partly we haue expressed, partly we haue differred to our later appendix, followeth likewise the life and doinges of the worthy champion, and old practised souldiour of Christe M. Hugh Latimer, of whose actes and longe trauailes euen from his first yeres and tender age to begin here to entreate: first he was the sonne of one Hugh Latimer, of Thirkesson in the County of Leycester, a housebandman of righte good estimation: with whom also he was brought vp vntill he was of the age of fower yeres or thereabout. At whiche tyme his parentes (hauyng hym as then left for theyr onely sonne, with sixe other daughters) seyng his ready, prompte, and sharpe wit, purposed to traine him vp in eruditiō and knowledge of good literature:MarginaliaM. Latymer first set to schole.wherein he so profited in his youth, at the cōmon scholes of his owne countrey, that at the age of. xiiij. yeres, he was sent to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge.MarginaliaM. Latymer sent to Cambridge. Where, after some continuaunce of exercises in other thynges, he gaue him self to the studie of suche schole Diuinitie, as the ignoraunce of that age did suffer.

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MarginaliaM. Latymer a long tyme was a zelous & superstitious Papist.Zelous he was then in the Popishe Religion, and therewith so scrupulous (as hym selfe confesseth) that beyng a Priest, and vsyng to saie Masse, he was so seruile an obseruer of the Romishe Decrees, that he had thought he had neuer sufficiētly mingled his Massyng wine with water: and moreouer, that he should neuer be damned, if he were once a professed Frier,  

with diuers suche superstitious fantasies. And in this blinde zeale he was a very enemie to the professours of Christes Gospell: as bothe MarginaliaM. Latymer declaimed in Cambridge against Melancthon.his Oration made when he proceded Bachelour of Diuinitie, against Philip Melancthon, and also his other workes did plainly declare. But especially his Popishe zeale could in no case abide in those daies good M. Stafford reader of the Diuinitie Lecture in Cābridge, most dispitfully railyng against hym and willyng the youth of Cambridge, in no wise to beleue hym. MarginaliaOf this M. Stafford reade before pag. 986.Read before pa. 986.

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Notwithstandyng such was the goodnes & mercifull purpose of God, that when he sawe his good time, by the whiche waie he thought to haue vtterly defaced

the professors of the Gospell and true church of Christ he was at lengthe hym selfe by a member of the same, pretily caught in the blessed net of Gods woorde. For MarginaliaLatymer conuerted by M. Bilneb.M. Thomas Bilney (whose story is before described) beyng at that time a trier out of Sathans subtilties, & a secret ouerthrower of Antichristes kyngdome, seyng M. Latymer to haue a zeale in his waies (although w^tout knowledge) was striken with a brotherly pitie towards him, & bethought by what meanes he might best win this zelous ignoraunt brother to the true knowledge of Christ. Wherefore, after a short time, he came to M. Latimers study, & desired him to heare him make his confession. Which thing he willyngly graunted: by the hearyng whereof he was (through the good spirite of God) so touched, that hereupon he forsooke his former studiyng of the schole Doctors, & other suche fopperies and became a earnest student of true Diuinitie, as he hym self, aswell in his conferēce with M. Ridley, as also in his first Sermon made vpon the Pater noster,  

MarginaliaReade M. Latymers owne confession in his first sermon vpon the Pater Noster. doeth confesse. So that wheras before he was an enemy, and almost a persecutor of Christ, he was now a zelous seker after him, chaunging hys old maner of cauillyng & railing, into a diligēt kind of conferring, both with M Bilney & others, & came also to M. Stafford before he died, & desired him to forgiue him. Read before pa. 986.

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After this his winnyng to Christ, he was not satisfied wth his own cōuersiō only, MarginaliaM. Latymer a Papist, turned to a zelous Christian.but like a true disciple of the blessed Samaritane, pitied the misery of others, and therfore became both a publicke preacher, & also a priuate instructer to the rest of his brethren within the vniuersitie,MarginaliaM. Latimer becommeth a preacher in Cambridge. by the space of 3. yeares,  

spending his time partly in the Latin tong amongst the learned, & partly amongst the simple people in his naturall & vulgar lāguage. Howbeit, as sathā neuer slepeth whē he seeth his kingdome begin to decay, so likewise now seyng þ^t this worthy mēber of christ would be a shreud shaker therof he raised vp his impious imps to molest & trouble him.

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MarginaliaEnemies stirred in Cambridge against M. Latymer.Amongest these there was an Augustine Frier, who tooke occasiō vpon certain sermons that M. Latimer made about Christenmas 1529. aswell in the church of S. Edward, as also in S. Augustines, within the vniuersitie in Cambridge, to inueye against him, for that M. Latimer in the said sermons (alludyng to the common vsage of the season) gaue the people certain cardes out of the. 5. 6. 7. chapiters of S. Mathew, whereupon they might, not onely thā, but alwaies els occupy their time. MarginaliaM. Latymers preachyng of the Cardes in Cambridge.For the chief triumph in the cardes he limited the hart as the principal thing that thei should serue God with all: wherby he quite ouerthrew all hypocriticall and externall ceremonies, not tendyng to þ^e necessarie furtheraunce of Gods holy worde & Sacramentes. For the better atteinyng hereof, he wished the scriptures to bee in English,  

wherby the cōmon people might the better learne their duties, aswell to God, as to their neighbors.

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The hādling of this matter was so apt for the time, and so pleasantly applied of him, þ^t not only it declared a singular towardnes of witt in the preacher, but also wrought in the hearers much fruite, to the ouerthrow of Popish superstition, & setting vp of perfect religion.

This was vppon the Sondaie before Christenmas daie, on whiche day commyng to the churche, and causyng the bell to be tolled to a Sermon, he entered into the Pulpit, takyng for his text the wordes of the Gospell aforsaid red in the church that daie: Tu quis es. &c. In deliueryng the whiche cardes (as is abouesaied) he made the harte to be triumph, exhortyng and inuityng all men thereby to serue the lorde with inward hart and true affection, and not with outward Ceremonies: addyng moreouer to the praise of that triūph, that though it were neuer so small, yet it would make vp the beste cote carde beside in the bunche, yea though it were the kyng of Clubbes. &c. MarginaliaThe difference betwene true & false religion.meanyng thereby, how the Lorde woulde bee worshipped and serued in simplicitie of the harte and veritie, wherin consisteth true Christian religion, and not in the outward deedes of the letter onely, or in the glisteryng shewe of mannes traditions, or pardons, pilgrimages, ceremonies, vowes, deuotions, voluntarie workes, & workes of supererogatiō, foūdations, oblations, the Popes supremacie. &c. so that all these either were nedeles, where the other is present, or els were of smal estimatiō, in comparison of the other.

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The tenour and effecte of these his Sermons, so far as they could come to our handes, for so muche as they are collected and expressed in our firste edition, page, 1298.  

and peraduenture also maie bee repeated againe in our latter appendix, belongyng to the ende of this