Foxe says,

*

"When Mr Latimer brought forth his cards (to deface belike the doings of the other), the prior brought out his Christmas dice, casting them to his audience cinque and quator;" and in some unintelligible manner aiming, through this poor counterdevice to Latimer's symbolic cards, to prove the inexpediency of intrusting the Scriptures in English to the vulgar. The prior's sense and eloquence seem alike to have been at fault. He brought forward the most miserable arguments against the use of the Scriptures; as, for example, that the ploughman, when hearing that "no man that layeth his hand to the plough, and looketh back, is worthy of the kingdom of God," might peradventure cease from his plough; and that the baker, in a similar manner, might be induced to leave his bread unleavened on hearing that "a little leaven corrupteth a whole lump." It was a dangerous line of argument to enter upon with an opponent like Latimer, who had so keen an eye for the comic aspects of stupidity. He had been an auditor of the friar's, and taken note of such points for future use. Soon after he is the preacher, and the friar a listener among "a great multitude, as well of the university as of the town, met with great expectation to hear what he would say." The arguments of the friar were dallied with in a manner that must have touched the quick even beneath his thick conceit. Such figures of speech, the preacher said, were no worse to be understood than the most common representation of painters, such as

this date of 1529. D'Aubigné, however, has advanced it to the very beginning of his career as a Protestant preacher (vol. v. chap. vii.) * Book XI.

As, for ex

they paint on walls and on houses. ample," he continued, casting a meaning glance at the friar, who sat opposite him, "when they paint a fox preaching out of a friar's cowl, none is so mad to take this to be a fox that preacheth, but know well enough the meaning of the matter, which is to point out unto us what hypocrisy, craft, and subtle dissimulation lieth hid many times in these friar's cowls, willing us thereby to beware of them." "Friar Buckenham,” the chronicler adds, was so "dashed with this sermon, that he never after durst peep out of the pulpit against Master Latimer."

This year of 1529, which presents to us Latimer in hot conflict with his popish adversaries in the university of Cambridge, was a memorable one in English history. Wolsey had fallen in the beginning of the year; Sir Thomas More had been installed as his successor. The country was strongly excited on the subject of the negotiations with Rome as to the King's divorce, which had been procrastinated from time to time under the most wearying pretences. The extortions of the clergy in the consistory courts, and the manifold abuses long complained of, but still maintained by them, and now grown to an intolerable height, had produced a widespread feeling of indignation, which only waited for a fitting opportunity to burst forth. Writs were issued for a new parliament in the September of this year, and no sooner had it met in November, than the feelings of the country found voice in the famous petition against the bishops and clergy. The main abuses detailed in the petition were afterwards the subject of special legislation; and

the bench of bishops beheld with amazement bill after bill pass the Commons, "all to the destruction of the Church," as Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, said. There was no help for it, however; and the "Probate and Mortuary Act," the "Clergy Discipline Act,” and the "Residence and Pluralities Act," rapidly carried through both Houses in defiance of episcopal opposition, sufficiently showed the temper of the times, and signalised the legislative activity of a brief session of six weeks.

It deserves to be noticed that, with all this opposition to the clergy, the Parliament of 1529 was so far from having any sympathy with the awakened spiritual life represented by such men as Tyndale and Latimer, and out of which Protestantism was growing, that it was especially anxious to clear itself from all suspicion of countenancing heresy, and in fact encouraged the more active prosecution of heretics which was about this time commenced.

In the course of the following year, the differences between Latimer and his accusers were the subject of official investigation before the Vice-Chancellor. The latter seems to have shrunk from the challenge to lay a regular charge against the reformer; and the affair terminated in both parties being bound to keep the peace, and to abstain from using offensive expressions against each other in the pulpit, on pain of excommunication. The virulence of his enemies, rather than the imprudent speech of the daring preacher, seems to have called forth this judgment.

Latimer was one of the divines appointed by the university of Cambridge to examine into the lawful

ness of the King's marriage with Catherine. He declared on the side of the King, and the decision of the university in favour of the divorce was given on the 9th of March 1530. On the following Sunday he preached before the King, who "greatly praised his sermon." Henry, who, whatever may have been his faults, had certainly a rare appreciation of character, and a genuine respect for a true and able man when he came in his way and was likely to be useful to him, appears to have been strongly taken with the honest and unsparing preacher. He appointed him one of his chaplains the same year. And although he did not take his advice any more now than afterwards, unless when it suited him, he extended his friendship to the man who had the courage to counsel him in words dictated by no courtly interest, but by a manly and unshaken conviction of their truth. Henry had, with the sanction of a convention of learned men, issued an inhibition against Tyndale's Bible as well as all English books either containing or tending to any matters of Scripture. Latimer was one of this convention on the part of the university of Cambridge, and one of an excepting minority to the advice tendered to Henry, and upon which he acted. Unsuccessful in his previous resistance to the course of persecution, he addressed an energetic letter to the King on his

*

There can be no doubt of this. He himself clearly implies so much in his letter to Henry-(FOXE); and there is no possible room for the ccnjecture of his having changed his mind between the date of the advice to the King and the issuing of the proclamation in December of the same year. The statement of the proclamation, that all gave their free "assent," cannot be held as valid against such evidence, and every presumption to the contrary.

own behalf. It is printed at length by Foxe, and in its spirit, power, and eloquence, heroic yet modest, courageous yet respectful, is one of the most remarkable of his writings. The King did not yield to the remonstrance. "It did not prevail, through the iniquity of the time," says Foxe in his usual way; but so far from displeasing Henry, it seems only to have excited in him a more cordial good-will towards the reformer.

In 1531, Latimer received from the King, at the instance of Cromwell and Dr Butts, the King's physician, the living of West Kington in Wiltshire, and, weary of Court, he gladly retired to the more congenial and earnest labours of his parish. He was not destined, however, to enjoy quiet. His unresting spirit would not suffer him to confine his preaching to a single congregation; and being one of the twelve. preachers yearly licensed by the university to preach, with the express sanction of the sovereign, throughout the realm, he extended his diligence to all the country about. He travelled to Bristol, to London, to Kent, everywhere preaching the truth-opportune, importune, tempestive, to use the language ironically applied by him to the Bishop of London,*-and this, too, with his health greatly weakened and impaired. His zeal and activity could not long pass without notice. Complaints were made against him by the country priests; the bishops were on the watch to entrap him; there was no safety for them, and no peace, they felt, so long as he was at large, moving the country by his marvellous eloquence. They were triumphantly busy just then, besides, in the destruction of heretics. Poor

* Letter to Sir Ed. Baynton- FOXE, vol. vii. p. 485.