Page images
PDF
EPUB

6

When I was in office, all that were esteemed learned in Gods word, agreed this to be a trueth in Gods word written, that the common prayer of the church should be had in the common tongue. You know I have conferred with many, and I ensure you, I never found man (so farre as I doe remember) neither olde nor new, gospeller nor papist, of what judgement soever he was, in this thing to be of a contrarie opinion. If then it were a truth of Gods word, think you that the alteration of the world can make it an untruth? if it cannot, why then do so manie men shrinke from the confession and maintenance of this truth received once of us all? For what is it, I pray you, else, to confesse or denie Christ in this world, but to maintaine the truth taught in Gods word, or for any worldlie respect to shrink from the same? This one thing have I brought for an ensample: other things bee in like case, which now particularlie I need not to rehearse. For he that will forsake wittingly, either for feare or gaine of the worlde, anie one open truth of Gods word, if he be constrained, he will assuredlie forsake God and all his truth, rather then he will endanger himselfe to lose or to leave that he loveth better indeed, then he doth God and the truth of his word.

I like verie well your plaine speaking, wherein you say, I must either agree or dy, and I thinke that you meane of the bodilie death, which is common both to good and bad. Sir, I knowe I must die, whether I agree or no. But what follie were it then to make such an agreement, by the which I coulde never escape this death which is so common to all, and also incur the gilt of death and eternall damnation? Lord grant that I may utterlie abhor and detest this damnable agreement so long as I live! And because (I dare say) you wrote of friendship unto me this short earnest advertisement, and I think verilie, wishing mee to live,

• This to be a trueth.] Compare archbishop Cranmer to queen Mary. "But when a good number of the best learned men reputed with this realme, some favouring the old, some the new learning, as they term it (where indeed that which they call the olde is the newe, and that which they call the new is indeed the old); but when a great number of such learned men of both sortes, were gathered together at Winsor, for the reformation of the service of the church; it was agreed by both without controversy, not one saying contrary, that the service of the church ought to be in the mother tongue; and that St. Paule, in the 14th chapter to Corinthians, was so to be understanded." See Letter subjoined to Cranmer's Answer to Gardiner, edit. 1580. p. 422; or, Letters of the Martyrs, p. 7.

and not to die, therefore bearing you in my heart no lesse love of God, then you doe me in the world, I say unto you in the word of the Lord (and that I say to you I say to all my friends and lovers in God) that if you doe not confesse and maintaine to your power and knowledge that which is grounded upon Gods word, but will either for feare or gaine of the world, shrinke, and play the apostate, in deede you shall die the death: you know what I meane. And I beseech you all my true friends and lovers in God, remember what I say, for this may be the last time peradventure that ever I shall write unto you.

From Bocardo in Oxford, the viii. day of Aprill. 1555.

M. Grindall, now archbishop of Canturburie, beeing in the time of exile in the citie of Frankford, wrote to doctor Ridley then prisoner, a certaine epistle' wherin first he lamenteth his captivitie, exhorting him withall to be constant. Secondlie, he certifieth him of the state of the English exiles, being dispersed in Germany, and of the singular providence of God in stirring up the favour of the magistrates and rulers there towards them. Thirdlie, he writeth to know his minde and will concerning the printing of his book against transubstantiation, and of certaine other treatises, and his disputations. Whereunto bishop Ridley answereth againe in order, as followeth.

The answere of Doctour Ridley to the Letter abovesaide.

Blessed bee God our heavenlie father which enclined your heart to have such a desire to write unto me, and blessed be hee againe which hath heard our request, and hath brought your letters safe unto my hands and over all this I blesse him thorough our Lord Jesus Christ, for the great comfort I have received by the same, of the knowledge of your state, and of other our dearely beloved brethren and countriemen in those partes beyond the sea.

Deerely beloved brother Grindall, I say to you and all the rest of your brethren in Christ with you, rejoyce in the Lord, and as ye love me and the other my reverend fathers and concaptives

1 A certaine epistle.] That letter, bearing date, Frankford, May 6th, 1555, is preserved in Coverdale's Letters of the Martyrs, p. 49; and is printed also by Strype, in his Life of Archbishop Grindal, p. 11-13.

(which undoubtedly are gloria Christi) lament not our state, but I beseech you and them all to give to our heavenly Father for his endlesse mercies and unspeakable benefites, even in the middest of all our troubles given unto us, most hearty thanks. For knowe yee, that as the weight of his crosse hath increased upon us, so he hath not nor doth not cease to multiply his mercies to strengthen us and I trust, yea by his grace I doubt nothing, but hee will so doe for Christ our maisters sake, even to the end.— To heare that you and our other brethren do find in your exile favor and grace with the magistrates, ministers, and citizens, at Tigury, Frankford, and other where, it doth greatly comfort (I dare say) all heere that do in deed love Christ and his true word. I ensure you it warmed my heart, to heare you by chance to name some, as Scorie, and Coxe, &c. Oh that it had come in your mind to have said somewhat also of Cheek, of Turner, of Leaver, of Sampson, of Chambers;-but I trust in God they be all well. And sir, seeing you say, that there be in those partes with you of students and ministers so good a number, now therefore care yee not for us otherwise then to wish that Gods glorie maie bee set

8 So good a number.] "I suppose in one place and other dispersed, there be well nigh an hundred students, and ministers, on this side the seas.". Grindal's Letter, p. 50.

9 Care yee not for us.] The several subdivisions and classes into which their own respective circumstances and tempers, or rather, we ought to say, the providence of Almighty God had distributed and cast the lot and condition of the entire great band of sufferers and confessors at this sorrowful season, are well described and defined in a few words, by Augustine Bernher, in his dedication to Latimer's sermons.

"The faythful Lord in all these turmoylynges preserved his servauntes; giving unto a number of them such a princely spirite, that they were able to deride and laugh to scorne the threatnynges of the tyrantes; to despise the terribleness of prisons and tormentes; and in the end most joyfully to overcome and conquer death, to the prayse of God, and their owne endless comfort.-Unto other some, the self-same most gracious God gave such a valiant spirite, that they were able by his grace to forsake the pleasures and commodities of this world, and beyng armed with patience, were content to travel into far and unknowen countreys, with their families and housholdes, having small worldly provision or none at all, but trusting to His providence, who never forsaketh them that trust in Him. - Besides this, the same God preserved a great number even in the midst of their enemies, not onely from bodyly dangers, but also from beyng infected with that poysoned doctrine, that then in all open pulpites, with shamelesse brags and ostentation was set abroad.—I will not speake of that wonderfull worke of God, who caused his word to be preached, and his sacramentes to be administered, even in the

forth by us. For whensoever God shall call us home (as we looke daily for none other, but when it shall please God to say, "come") you, blessed be God, are enowe through his aide, to light and set up againe the lantern of his word in England.

As concerning the copies ye say ye have with you, I wonder how ever they did and could finde the way to come to you. My disputation, except yee have that which I gathered my selfe after the disputation done, I cannot think ye have it truly. If ye have that, then ye have therewithall the whole manner after the which I was used in the disputation.

As for the treatise in English, contra transubstantiationem, vix possum adduci ut credam operæ pretium fore ut in latinum transferatur. Cæterum, quicquid sit, nullo modo velim' ut quicquam quocunque modo meo nomine ederetur, donec quid de nobis dominus constituerit fieri, vobis prius certò constiterit: and thus much unto your letters. Now although I suppose yee know a good part of our state here, (for wee are forth comming, even as when ye departed, &c.) You shall understand that I was in the Tower about the space of two moneths close prisoner, and after that had granted to me without my labor the libertie of the Tower, and so continued about halfe a yeare, and then because I refused to allow the masse with my presence, I was shut up in close prison

againe.

The last lent save one, it chanced by reason of the tumult 2 stirred up in Kent, there was so many prisoners in the Tower, that my lord of Canturbury, M. Latimer, maister Bradford, and I were put altogither in one prison, where wee remained till almost the next Easter, and then we three, Canturburie, Latimer and I, were sodainely sent a little before Easter to Oxford, and were suffered to have nothing with us, but that we carried upon

midst of the enemies, in spite of the devil and all his ministers.-These things the Lord wrought most graciously for his people."

1 Nullo modo velim.] Ridley's solicitude on this subject is illustrated, greatly to the credit of his wisdom and piety, by a short passage in a letter written by him to bishop Hooper. "I see me thinkes many perils whereby I am earnestly moved to counsel you not to hasten the publishyng of your workes, especially under the title of your own name. For I feare greatly least by this occasion, both your mouth should be stopped hereafter, and al things taken awaye from the reste of the prisoners, whereby otherwise, if it so please God, they may be able to doe good to many."-Letters of the Martyrs, p. 49.

The tumult.] Wyat's rebellion. See above, p. 22, note (3).

us.

About the Whitsontide following was our disputations at Oxford, after the which was all taken from us, as pen and inke3, &c. Our owne servants were taken from us before, and every one had put to him a strange man', and we each one appointed to be kept in several places, as we are unto this day.

3 As pen and inke.] Among the privations which our protestant forefathers had to endure in prison, that was one of the most severe, by which they were, in great degree, precluded from communicating with their families, and with one another, and from recording the fruits of their solitary contemplations, for the further confirmation of their own minds, and for the encouragement, warning, or edification of the church. Occasionally however, perhaps in part from the commiseration of their keepers, the order of prohibition failed of its complete success.

...

"Let somebodye buye for me a pensill of lead to write withal" (says Laurence Saunders, in a letter to his wife), "for I shall hardely have pen and inke here, sith all libertye of writing is taken away from us "-Martyrs' Letters, p. 195. edit. 1564 :—and in the next letter, to the same person: “I speake now because I doubte whether I maye have wherewith to write hereafter. The keeper sayeth he must needes see that we write not at all.” p. 196. "Howsoever you doe, beware thys letter come not abroade but into father Traves hys handes: for if it should be knowen that I have penne and inke in the pryson, then wold it be worse with me. My name I wryte not for causes: you know it well enough. Lyke the letter never the worse.”—Letters of John Bradford, ibid. p. 293. This, as well as what follows, is to his mother. "Now therefore wyll I make an ende, praying you, good mother, to looke for no moe letters: for if it were knowen that I have penne and inke, and did write, then should I wante all the foresayde commodities I have spoken of concernyng my body, and be cast into some dungeon in fetters of iron, which thing I know would greve you. And therefore, for God's sake, see that these be burned, when thys little prayer in it is copyed out by my brother Roger."—Ibid. p. 453.

And, to mention no more, John Frith, writing in the Tower, thus concludes his second tract against Rastell. "And yet, the truth to say, we play not on even hand: for I am in a manner, as a man bound to a post, and cannot so well bestow me in my play, as if I were at liberty; for I may not have such books as are necessary for me, neither yet pen, ink, nor paper, but only secretly. So that I am in a continual fear both of the lieutenant, and of my keepers, lest they should espy any such thing by me: and therefore it is little marvel, though the work be imperfect for whensoever I hear the keys ring at the doors, straight all must be conveyed out of the way; and then, if any notable thing had been in my mind, it is clean lost.—And therefore, I beseech thee, good reader, count this as a thing born out of season, which for many reasons cannot have its perfect form and shape; and pardon me my rudeness and imperfection."-Works of William Tindall and John Frith, vol. iii. p. 242. edit. 1831. 8vo.

4 A strange man.] Yet all these, ere long, through God's mercy, became friendly disposed towards them. “Although I said the bailiffes and our

« PreviousContinue »