MarginaliaAnno. 1555. October.Volume, I shall therefore referre the reader, either to the one place, or to the other.
It would aske a longe discourse to declare, what a stirre there was in Cambridge, vpō this preachyng of M. Latimer. Belike Sathan beganne to feele him self and his kingdome to be touched to nere, and therfore thought it tyme to looke aboute hym, and to make out his men of armes.
First came out the Priour of the Blacke Friers called Bucknham,
Robert Buckenham was the prior of the Dominican convent in Cambridge and a noted champion of orthodoxy. In 1527, he had been licensed to preach against Thomas Bilney, the great evangelical preacher and Latimer's spiritual mentor.
In answering Latimer, Buckenham also used a games theme to his sermon: where Latimer used card metaphors, Buckenham responded with dicing metaphors. Unfortunately Buckenham's sermon has not survived.
Maister Latimer hearyng this Frierly Sermon
This account of Latimer's disputes with various friars in Cambridge was added in the 1570 edition.
MarginaliaAunswere of M. Latymer to D. Bucknhams Sermon.Then M. Latymer firste repetyng the Frierly reasons of Doctour Bucknham, whereby he would proue it a daungerous thyng for the vulgar people, to haue the scripture in the vulgar tongue, so refuted the Frier, so aunswered to his obiections, so dalied with his bald reasons of the Plowman lookyng backe, and of the Baker leauyng his bread vnleauened, that the vanitie of the Frier might to al men appeare: well prouyng and declaryng to the people, howe there was no suche feare nor daunger for the scriptures, to be in Englishe as the Frier pretended: at least this requiryng, that the Scripture might bee so longe in the Englishe tongue, till Englishe men were so madde, that neither the Ploweman durst looke backe, nor the Baker would leaue his bread vnleauened: and procedyng moreouer in his sermon, he began to discourse of the mistical speaches and figuratiue phrases of the Scripture: whiche phrases he saied were not so diffuse and difficulte, as they were common in the Scripture, and in the Hebrue toungue most commonly vsed and knowen: and not onely in the Hebrue tongue: but also euery speache (saieth he) hath his Metaphors and like figuratiue significations, so common and vulgar to all menne, that the verie Painters doe paint them in walles and in houses: As for example (saieth he, lookyng toward the Frier that sat ouer against him) when they paint a Foxe preaching out of a Friers coule, none is so madde to take this to be a Foxe that preacheth, but knowe well enough the meanyng of the matter, whiche is to painte out vnto vs, what hypocrisie, craft, and subtile dissimulatiō lieth hid many tymes in these Friers coules, willyng vs thereby to beware of them. In fine, Frier Bucknham with this Sermon was so dashed, that neuer after he durst pepe out of the Pulpit against M. Latimer.
[Back to Top]Besides this Bucknhā there was also MarginaliaAn other barking frier against M. Latymer.an other railing Frier, not of the same coate, but of the same note & faction, a graie Frier and a Doctor, an outlandishman, called D. Venetus, who likewise in his braulyng Sermons, railed and raged againste M. Latimer, callyng hym a madde and brainles man, and willyng the people not to beleue hym. &c. To whom M. Latimer aunsweryng againe, taketh for his ground the woordes of our
[Back to Top]Sauiour Christ Math. 5. MarginaliaMath. 5.Thou shalt not kill. &c. but I saie vnto you, who soeuer is angrie with his neighbour shalbe in daunger of iudgement: And who soeuer shall saie vnto his neighbour Racha (or any other like wordes of rebukyng, as brainelesse) shalbe in daunger of Coūsaill: And who soeuer shal saie to his neighbour foole, shalbe in daunger of hell fire. &c. MarginaliaAnswere of Master Latymer to an other raling frier.In discussyng of whiche place, first he diuideth the offence of killyng into three braunches. One to be with hande, an other with harte, the thirde with worde. With hande, when we vse any weapon drawen to spill the lyfe of our neighboure. With harte when we be angrie with hym. With worde whē in worde or countenaunce we disdainfully rebuke our neighbour, or despitefully reuile hym. Woordes of rebukyng are whē we speake any opprobrious and vnsemely thing, whereby the pacience of our neighbour is moued, as when we call hym madde (saied he) or brainlesse or suche like: whiche are giltie of Counsaile. Wordes of spite or reuilyng are, when wee call hym foole: whiche Christ saieth is giltie of hell fire. &c.
[Back to Top]Thus M. Latimer in hadling and trimmyng this matter, after that with the weight of Christes wordes, and the explainyng of the same, he had sufficiētly borne the Frier cleane doune, then he turned to the v. chap. of the booke of Wisedome.MarginaliaSapien. 5.Out of the whiche chap. he declared to the audience, how the true seruauntes & preachers of God in this worlde commonly are scorned and reuiled of the proude enemies of Gods woorde, whiche compt them here as mad men, fooles, brainles, & *MarginaliaAct. 2.drunken: so did thei (saied he) in the scripture call thē whiche most purely preached and set forth the glory of Gods worde. But, (saied he) what will be the ende of these gely felowes, or what will thei say in the ende? Nos insensati, nos insensati, &c. We madmen, we mad fooles, We, we our selues. &c. And that will be their end, excepte they repente. And thus endyng his Sermon, he so confounded the poore Frier, that he droue hym not onely out of countenaunce, but also cleane out of the Vniuersitie.
[Back to Top]But what should I here stande deciphryng the names of his aduersaries, when whole swarmes of Friers and Doctours flockt against hym on euery side almost through the whole Vniuersitie, preachyng likewise and barkyng against hym. Amōgest whō was D. Watsonmaister of Christes Colledge, whose scholer Latimer had bene afore. D. Notaries maister of Clarehall. D. Philo maister of Michael house, D. Metecalfe maister of sainct Iohns, Doctour Blith of the kynges hal. D. Bulloke maister of the Queenes colledge. D. Cliffe of Clement hostle, D. Donnes of Iesus Colledge, D. Palmes maister of S. Nicholas Hostle, Bain, Rud, and Grenewode Bach. of Diuinitie, all three of sainct Ihons Colledge. Also Brikenden Bacheler of Diuinitie of the same house, and scholer somtyme to the said Latimer. Briefly, almost as many as were heades there of houses, so many impugners did this worthie Standerbearer of Christes Gospell sustaine.
[Back to Top]Then came at laste MarginaliaD. West Bishop of Eley forbidding M. Latymer to preach.D. West Bishop of Eley, who preachyng against M. Latimer at Barwell Abbey, forbad hym within the Churches of that Vniuersitie to preache any more. Not withstandyng so the Lorde prouided, that D. Barnes Prior of the Austen Friers, did licence M. Latimer to preach in his churche of the Austens, and he hym self preached at the church by called S. Edwardes churche, which was the first sermon of the Gospell whiche D. Barnes preached, beyng vpon Christmas euen vpon a Sondaie. Wherupon certain Articles were gathered out of his sermon, and wer cōmenced agaynst hym by M. Tirell fellowe of the Kynges Hall, and so by the Vicechauncellour presented to þe Cardinall, as in his storie before hath been declared.
[Back to Top]This M. Latimer (as you haue heard) beyng baited by the Friers, Doctors, and maisters of that Vniuersitie about the yere aforesad. 1529. notwithstanding the maugre and malice of these malignant aduersaries, continued yet in Cambridge, preachyng the space of iij. yeres together, with suche fauour and applause of the godly, also with suche admiration of his enemies that heard hym, that the Bishop hym self commyng in, and hearyng his gifte, wished hym self to haue the like, and was compelled to commende hym vpon the same.
[Back to Top]MarginaliaBilney & Latimer ioyned companions.So M. Latimer with M. Bilney after this continued yet in Cambridge a certaine space, where he with the saied Bilney vsed muche to conferre and company together, in so muche that the place where they moste vsed to walke in the fieldes, was called long after, the Heretickes hill.
There is only one hill in Cambridge: Castle Hill, an artificial mound on a small rise just across the Cam from Magdalen College. In Latimer's day, this would have been open countryside just outside the city.