His last talk of trifles, who told with his tongue,

That few were fast i'th' faith, I feyned that freake,
Whether he wanted wit, or some had done him wrong.
He said, he was little John Nobody, that durst not speak.

II.

John Nobody, quoth I, what news? thou soon note and tell,
What maner men thou mean, that are so mad.

He said, These gay gallants, that wil construe the Gospel,
As Solomon the sage with semblance ful sad,

To discus divinity they nought adread.

More meet it were for them to milk kye at a fleyke.

Thou lyest, quoth I, thou losel, like a leud lad.

He said, he was little John Nobody, that durst not speak.

III.

Its meet for every man on this matter to talk,

And the glorious Gospel ghostly to have in mind,

It is sothe said that sect, but much unseemly scalk,

As boyes babble in books, that in Scripture are blind :
Yet to their fancy soon a cause wil find.

As to live in lust, in lechery to leyke.

Such caitives count to be come of Cains kind,
But that I little John Nobody durst not speak.

IV.

For our reverend father hath set forth an order,
Our service to be said in our seignours tongue :
As Solomon the sage set forth the Scripture,
Our suffrages, and service with many a sweet song,
With homilies and godly books us among.
That no stiff, stubborn stomacks we should freyke.
But wretches nere worse to do poor men wrong.
But that I little John Nobody dare not speak.

V.

For bribery was never so great, since born was our Lord,
And whoredom was never les hated, sith Christ harrowed hel:
And poor men are so sore punished commonly through the world.
Thus would it grieve any one, that good is, to hear tel.

For al the homilies and good books, yet their hearts be so quel,
That if a man do amiss with mischefe they wil him wreake.
The fashion of these new fellows, it is so vile and fell,

But that I little John Nobody dare not speake.

VI.

Thus to live after their lust, that life would they have,
And in letchery to lyke al their long life;

For al the preaching of Paul, yet many a proud knave
Wil move mischiefe in their mind both to maid and wife;

To bring them in advoutry, or else they wil strife,

And in brawling about baudery, Gods commandments break,
But of these frantic il fellowes few of them do thrife,

Though I little John Nobody dare not speak.

VII.

If thou company with them they wil currishly carp, and not care,
According to their foolish fantacy, but fast wil they naught.
Prayer with them is but prating; therefore they it forbear.
Both almes deeds, and holiness, they hate it in their thought.
Therefore pray we to that prince, that with his bloud us bought :
That he wil mend that is amiss. For many a man ful freyke
Is sorry for these sects, though they say little or nought,
And that I little John Nobody dare not once speake,

VIII.

Thus in no place this Nobody in no time I met,

Where no man then nought was, nor nothing did appear;
Though the sound of a synagogue for sorrow I swett,
That Hercules through the eccho did cause me to hear.
Then I drew me down into a dale, wheras the dumb deer,
Did shiver for a shower, but I shunted from a freyke.
For I would no wight in this world wist who I were,
But little John Nobody, that dare not once speake.

No. L.

John a Lasco's Letter from Emden, signifying the dangerous Condition they were in, and the Persecutions they expected.* Clarissimo viro Domino Sicilio, a consilijs et libellis supplicibus illustrissimi Domini Protectoris: Domino et fratri meo obser

vandissimo.

S. CUM mihi ad alios scribendum istuc esset, facere non potui quin ad te quoque scriberem, vir clarissime, memor videlicet illius, quod te mihi istic delegerim, cui mea omnia nota præ alijs esse velim.` Volui itaque tibi de meo huc reditu significare: nempe me felicissimo itinere, gratia Domino, usum: et me ex Anglia in Frisiam Orientalem, intra triduum, trajecisse. Navis præfectum a domino protectore nobis additum habebamus, virum optimum et fidelissimum: qui dominum comitem Bremam usque est sequutus, ut certi aliquid, opinor, ab illo vobis adferat. Ego quæ scio ad dominum Cantuariensem omnia perscripsi, ut illustrissimo domino protectori exponat: quæ tibi quoque incognita non fore puto. Scripturus alioqui eadem ad te omnia, si non id parum necessarium, adeoque et supervacaneum esse judicarem. Nos hic crucem certissimam expectamus, et ad eam perferendam mutuo nos in Domino cohortamur, cum invocatione nominis sancti sui: ut per patientiam et fidem, ferendo, superemus omnia, quæcunque in nos permittere ille volet, ad nominis sui gloriam, et nostri probationem: certi * Sir W. H. MSS. [Lansd. MS. ii. 30]. 2 c

VOL. II.

His last talk of trifles, who told with his tongue,

That few were fast i'th' faith, I feyned that freake,
Whether he wanted wit, or some had done him wrong.
He said, he was little John Nobody, that durst not speak.

II.

John Nobody, quoth I, what news? thou soon note and tell,
What maner men thou mean, that are so mad.

He said, These gay gallants, that wil construe the Gospel,
As Solomon the sage with semblance ful sad,

To discus divinity they nought adread.

More meet it were for them to milk kye at a fleyke.

Thou lyest, quoth I, thou losel, like a leud lad.

He said, he was little John Nobody, that durst not speak.

III.

Its meet for every man on this matter to talk,

And the glorious Gospel ghostly to have in mind,

It is sothe said that sect, but much unseemly scalk,

As boyes babble in books, that in Scripture are blind :
Yet to their fancy soon a cause wil find.

As to live in lust, in lechery to leyke.

Such caitives count to be come of Cains kind,
But that I little John Nobody durst not speak.

IV.

For our reverend father hath set forth an order,
Our service to be said in our seignours tongue :
As Solomon the sage set forth the Scripture,
Our suffrages, and service with many a sweet song,
With homilies and godly books us among.
That no stiff, stubborn stomacks we should freyke.
But wretches nere worse to do poor men wrong.
But that I little John Nobody dare not speak.

V.

For bribery was never so great, since born was our Lord,
And whoredom was never les hated, sith Christ harrowed hel:
And poor men are so sore punished commonly through the world.
Thus would it grieve any one, that good is, to hear tel.

For al the homilies and good books, yet their hearts be so quel,
That if a man do amiss with mischefe they wil him wreake.
The fashion of these new fellows, it is so vile and fell,
But that I little John Nobody dare not speake.

VI.

Thus to live after their lust, that life would they have,
And in letchery to lyke al their long life;

For al the preaching of Paul, yet many a proud knave
Wil move mischiefe in their mind both to maid and wife;

To bring them in advoutry, or else they wil strife,

And in brawling about baudery, Gods commandments break.
But of these frantic il fellowes few of them do thrife,

Though I little John Nobody dare not speak.

VII.

If thou company with them they wil currishly carp, and not care,
According to their foolish fantacy, but fast wil they naught.
Prayer with them is but prating; therefore they it forbear.
Both almes deeds, and holiness, they hate it in their thought.
Therefore pray we to that prince, that with his bloud us bought :
That he wil mend that is amiss. For many a man ful freyke
Is sorry for these sects, though they say little or nought,
And that I little John Nobody dare not once speake.

VIII.

Thus in no place this Nobody in no time I met,

Where no man then nought was, nor nothing did appear;
Though the sound of a synagogue for sorrow I swett,
That Hercules through the eccho did cause me to hear.
Then I drew me down into a dale, wheras the dumb deer,
Did shiver for a shower, but I shunted from a freyke.
For I would no wight in this world wist who I were,
But little John Nobody, that dare not once speake.

No. L.

John a Lasco's Letter from Emden, signifying the dangerous Condition they were in, and the Persecutions they expected.* Clarissimo viro Domino Sicilio, a consilijs et libellis supplicibus illustrissimi Domini Protectoris: Domino et fratri meo obser

vandissimo.

S. CUM mihi ad alios scribendum istuc esset, facere non potui quin ad te quoque scriberem, vir clarissime, memor videlicet illius, quod te mihi istic delegerim, cui mea omnia nota præ alijs esse velim. Volui itaque tibi de meo huc reditu significare: nempe me felicissimo itinere, gratia Domino, usum: et me ex Anglia in Frisiam Orientalem, intra triduum, trajecisse. Navis præfectum a domino protectore nobis additum habebamus, virum optimum et fidelissimum: qui dominum comitem Bremam usque est sequutus, ut certi aliquid, opinor, ab illo vobis adferat. Ego quæ scio ad dominum Cantuariensem omnia perscripsi, ut illustrissimo domino protectori exponat: quæ tibi quoque incognita non fore puto. Scripturus alioqui eadem ad te omnia, si non id parum necessarium, adeoque et supervacaneum esse judicarem. Nos hic crucem certissimam expectamus, et ad eam perferendam mutuo nos in Domino cohortamur, cum invocatione nominis sancti sui: ut per patientiam et fidem, ferendo, superemus omnia, quæcunque in nos permittere ille volet, ad nominis sui gloriam, et nostri probationem: certi * Sir W. H. MSS. [Lansd. MS. ii. 30]. 2 c

VOL. II.

illum curam nostri habere, et ita potentem esse, ut omnes omnium hostium phalanges, quicunque sint tandem illi, unico oris sui verbo sternat momento uno: et rursum ita bonum, ut ne pilum quidem temere e nostro capite detrahi patiatur, etiamsi nos totus mundus impetere conetur. Tamque nobis male velle non possit unquam, quam mater infanti suo, quam denique oculi quisque sui pupillæ male velle non potest: imo vero, quam non potest non esse perpetuo Deus, laudandus in omnibus quæcunque in nos permittit: cum nihil in nos alioqui nisi nostro ipsorum bono, inque nostram adeo salutem, permittat. Huic igitur nos totos committimus, et cum omni tolerantia expectamus quicquid in nos permittere ille velit. Si nos hinc pelli contingat, scis quinam sit animus meus. Quod si quid tu interea de mea istic vocatione intellexisti, quemadmodum ad te ex Jermouth scripseram, aut siquid te adhuc intelligere posse putas, quæso te, vir integerrime, ut mihi per amicum hunc et fratrem meum, Robertum Legatum, gentilem vestrum, civem nostrum, significare velis. Germania fere tota, præter Saxonicas (quas vocant) et maritimas civitates, ac principes aliquot, interimizat. Helvetij legatos Cæsaris, qui ad repetendum ducatum Subaudiæ venerant, finibus suis non auditos, ut dicitur, excedere jusserunt. De me plura hic Robertus noster. Vale. Uxorem tuam, dominum Czechum nostrum, dominum Morosinum diligenter salvere jubeo: meque vobis omnibus totum ex animo commendo. Raptim. Æmdæ, nona Aprilis, anno 1549.

Tui studiosissimus,

JOANNES A LASCO,

manu propria.

Cuperem scire num fructus aliquid attulerit, mea illa nondum absoluta ad herum tuum admonitio, quam tibi a domino Florentio nomine meo traditum esse non diffido: et num putes illam mihi porro absolvendam esse. Doctori Turnero multam ex me salutem dicito, quæso.

No. LI.

A Lasco's request, that those of his church might have a Warrant from the Kings Councel, that they might not be disturbed for not coming to their parish churches.*

Clarissimo viro Domino Guilhelmo Cecilio, secretario regio dignissimo ad manus.

RURSUM perturbantur quidam e nostra ecclesia tam in majore, quam in minore Sudwerk, vir clarissime, et carceres illis intentantur, nisi ad suas parœcias veniant. Faciunt autem id non pastores ipsi, sed ædiles; qui præfecti ecclesiarum vocantur. Qua de re cum domino reverendissimo cancellario heri egi. Et ille jussit, ut cum tua humanitate agerem, ut ipso præsente in senatu hodie a prandio res per tuam humanitatem proponeretur: pollicitusque est, se nobis adjumento esse futurum in senatu, ut mandatum in scripto ad omnes parœcos et eccle

* Sir W. H. MSS. [Lansd. MS. ii. 94].