preserve all that they have so ill acquired, and then that they may engage the poor to toil and labour for them at as low rates as possible, and oppress them as much as they please; yet these wicked men, after they have, by a most insatiable covetousness, divided that among themselves, with which all the rest might have been well supplied, are far from that happiness that is enjoyed among the Utopians.

IV. WYNKYN DE WORDE.

NEXT to Caxton, Wynkyn de Worde is the best known and most highly prized of our old printers. The following extract is taken from a book published by him in the year 1530. It is impossible to conjecture who was the author, but it affords a fair specimen of the style of the early productions of the English press.

THE PROFITS OF TRIBULATION.1

Here beginneth a little short treatise, that telleth how there were six masters assembled together; every one asked other what thing they might best speak of that might please God and were most profitable to the people. And all they were accorded to speak of tribulation.

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The first master said, that if anything had been better to man living in this world than tribulation, God would have give it to His Son; but for He saw well there was nothing better than it, therefore He gave to Him and made Him to suffer most tribulation in this wretched world more than did ever any man or ever shall. The second master said, that if there were any man in this world that might be without spot of sin, as our Lord was, and might live thirty years (an it were possible) without meet or drink, and also were so devout in prayers that he might speak with angels in the air, as did Mary Magdalene, yet might he not deserve in that life so great meed as a man deserveth in suffering a little tribulation. The third master said, that if it so were that the mother of God and all the saints of heaven prayed all for one man, yet should they not get him so much meed as he should get himself by meekness in suffering a little tribulation. The fourth master said, we worship the cross, for our Lord hung thereon bodily, but I say we should rather, and by more right and reason, have in mind the tribulation that He suffered there upon the cross for our guilts and our trespasses. The fifth master said, I had levers be of right, and of strength, and of power to suffer the least pain of tribulation that our Lord suffered

1 The following is the original spelling:-Here begyneth a lytell short treatyse that telleth how there were vj maysters assembled togider, euerychone asked other what thynge they myght best speke of that myght please God, and were most profytable to

ye people. 2 i.e., would be. 3 i... agreed. 4 for given. 5 i.e., if.

7

A reference to her vision of angels at Christ's tomb, or to some tradition. 4. e., reward.

8 i.e., rather.

1

here on earth with meekness in heart, than the meed or the reward of all wordly goods; for, as Saint Peter saith, that none is worthy to have tribulation but he that deserveth it with a clean heart, and it learneth a man to know the privities of God, and tribulation maketh a man to know himself, and multiplieth virtues in a man, and purgeth and cleanseth him right as fire doth gold. And whosoever meekly in heart suffereth tribulation, God is with him, and beareth that heavy charge with him of tribulation, and tribulation buyeth again time that was lost, and holdeth a man in the way of righteousness; and of all gifts that God giveth to man, tribulation is the most worthiest gift. Also it is treasure, to the which no man may make comparison, and tribulation joineth man's soul unto God. Now, asketh the sixth master, why we suffer tribulation with so evil a will? and it is answered and said, for three things. The first is, for we have little love to our Lord Jesus Christ. The second is, for we think little of the great meed that cometh thereof. The third is, that we think full little or nought of the bitter pains and the great passion that our Lord suffered for us in redemption of our sins, and to bring us to the bliss that never shall have end.

V. BISHOP LATIMER.

HUGH LATIMER was born at Thurcaston in Leicestershire, probably in A.D. 1490, or the succeeding year. He studied at Cambridge, where he was remarkable for the purity of his life, and his zealous attachment to the doctrines of the church, which the Reformers were then beginning to impugn. Intercourse with Bilney, however, altered his opinions, and he thenceforward "forsook the school-doctors, and became an earnest student of true divinity." His preaching exposed him to the resentment of the college authorities, and he was summoned to London to give an account of himself to Wolsey, but his manly bearing won the favour of the munificent cardinal, and he was dismissed with a gentle reprimand. He had equal success with Henry himself; he acquired the respect and esteem of the bluff monarch, became one of the royal chaplains, and was in the habit of preaching in London to large and distinguished audiences. At the instance of Cranmer, who was anxious to secure the aid of so able a coadjutor, Latimer was in 1535 advanced to the See of Worcester, and the influence which this position gave him was employed for the furtherance of the Reformation. He opposed the famous Six Articles, and thus forfeited the favour of Henry, who deprived him of his bishopric, and kept him in confinement for the rest of his reign in the house of the Bishop of Chichester. Edward VI. offered to restore him to his see, but he declined, and chose rather to spend his time in

1 i. e., teacheth; the word learn, in old English, is used to denote either the work of the scholar (learning), or that of the teacher (teaching). It was not till the middle of the seventeenth century that it acquired its present restricted signification.

2 ie., in the language of the authorized translation of the Bibic, "the deep things of God."

AGAINST BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION IN JUDGES.

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preaching. On the accession of Mary he was committed to the Tower, and with Cranmer and Ridley was burned at Oxford, 16th October 1555. His works consist almost exclusively of sermons, which, during his own life and the early period of the English Church, enjoyed a very high degree of popularity, which they well deserved. They are exceedingly quaint, both in the matter and the style, and are by no means characterized either by deep learning or profound thought; but their earnestness, their familiarity, their terseness, their bold and uncompromising condemnation of wrong in all ranks, are worthy of one of the greatest of our Reformers, and fully explain the wonderful effect which the preaching of Latimer is said to have had in promoting the Reformation.

1. AGAINST BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION IN JUDGES. (FROM THE THIRD SERMON BEFORE EDWARD VI.)

Isaiah calleth the princes of the Jews, thieves. What! princes thieves? What a seditious fellow was this! Was he worthy to live in a commonwealth that would call princes in this wise, fellows of thieves? Had they a standing at Shooter's-hill or Standgatehole, to take a purse? Why! did they stand by the highway-side? Did they rob, or break open any man's house or door? No, no; this is a gross kind of thieving. They were princes: they had a prince-like kind of thieving, "they all love bribes." Bribery is a princely kind of thieving. They will be waged by the rich, either to give sentence against the poor, or to put off the poor man's causes. This is the noble theft of princes and of magistrates. They are bribe-takers. Now-a-days they call them gentle rewards: let them leave their colouring, and call them by their Christian name, bribes: "all the princes, all the judges, all the priests, all the rulers, are bribers." What! were all the magistrates in Jerusalem all bribetakers? None good? No doubt there were some good. This word all signifieth the most part; and so there be some good, I doubt not of it, in England. But yet we be far worse than those stiff-necked Jews. For we read of none of them that winced nor kicked against Esay's preaching, or said that he was a seditious fellow. Wo worth these gifts! they subvert justice everywhere: "They follow bribes." Somewhat was given to them before, and they must needs give somewhat again; for Giffe-gaffe was a good fellow; this Giffe-gaffe led them clean from justice. "They follow gifts."

A good fellow on a time bade another of his friends to a breakfast, and said, “if you will come, you shall be welcome; but I tell you aforehand, you shall have slender fare: one dish, and that is all." "What is that?" said he. "A pudding, and nothing else." Marry," said he, "you cannot please me better; of all meats, that

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1 Localities in the neighbourhood of the metropolis, which were formerly infamous as the scenes of robbery.

2 i. e., must receive wages.

3 An accusation which was often brought against Latimer at the time, hence his allusion to it.

is for mine own tooth; you may draw me round about the town with a pudding." These bribing magistrates and judges follow gifts faster than the fellow would follow the pudding.

Now-a-days the judges be afraid to hear a poor man against the rich, insomuch they will either pronounce against him, or so drive off the poor man's suit, that he shall not be able to go through with it. The greatest man in the realm cannot so hurt a judge as a poor widow; such a shrewd turn she can do him. And with what armour, I pray you? She can bring the judge's skin over his ears, and never lay hands upon him. And how is that? "The tears of the poor fall down upon their cheeks, and go up to heaven," and cry for vengeance before God, the judge of widows, the father of widows and orphans. Poor people be oppressed even by laws. Wo worth to them that make evil laws against the poor! What shall be to them that hinder and mar good laws? "What will ye do in the day of great vengeance, when God shall visit you?" He saith, He will hear the tears of poor women when He goeth_on visitation. For their sake He will hurt the judge, be he never so high. He will for widows' sakes change realms, bring them into temptation, pluck the judges' skins over their heads.

Cambyses was a great emperor, such another as our master is: he had many lords-deputies, lords-presidents, and lieutenants under him. It is a great while ago since I read the history. It chanced he had under him in one of his dominions a briber, a gift-taker, a gratifier of rich men; he followed gifts as fast as he that followed the pudding; a hand-maker in his office, to make his son a great man; as the old saying is, "Happy is the child whose father goeth to the devil." The cry of the poor widow came to the emperor's ear, and caused him to flay the judge quick, and laid his skin in his chair of judgment, that all judges that should give judgment afterward should sit in the same skin. Surely it was a goodly sign, a goodly monument, the sign of the judge's skin. I pray God we may once see the sign of the skin in England.

2. AGAINST COVETOUSNESS.

God will not allow a king too much, will He then allow a subject too much? No; that He will not. Have any men here in England too much? I doubt most rich men have too much; for without too much we can get nothing. As, for example, the physician: if the poor man be diseased, he can have no help without too much. And of the lawyer, the poor man can get no counsel, expedition, nor help in his matter, except he give him too much. At merchants' hands, no kind of ware can be had, except we give for it too much. You landlords, you rent-raisers, I may say, you step-lords, you unnatural lords, you have for your possessions yearly too much.1 For that here before went for twenty or forty pound by year (which

1 Of the great rise of rents at this time, and the complaints which it occasioned, every historian of England treats.

THE DEVIL A DILIGENT PREACHER.

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is an honest portion to be had gratis in one lordship of another man's sweat and labour), now is let for fifty or an hundred pound by year. Of this "too much" cometh this monstrous and portentous dearth made by man, notwithstanding God doth send us plentifully the fruits of the earth, mercifully, contrary unto our deserts: notwithstanding "too much," which these rich men have, causeth such dearth that poor men, which live of their labour, cannot with the sweat of their face have a living, all kinds of victuals is so dear; pigs, geese, capons, chickens, eggs, &c., these things with other are so unreasonably enhanced; and I think verily that if it thus continue, we shall at length be constrained to pay for a pig a pound.

My father was a yeoman, and had no lands of his own, only he had a farm of three or four pound by the year at the uttermost, and hereupon he tilled so much as kept half-a-dozen men. He had walk for a hundred sheep; and my mother milked thirty kine. He was able, and did find the king a harness, with himself and his horse, while he came to the place that he should receive the king's wages. I can remember that I buckled his harness when he went to Blackheath field. He kept me to school, or else I had not been able to have preached before the king's majesty now. He married my sisters with five pound, or twenty nobles, apiece; so that he brought them up in godliness and fear of God. He kept hospitality for his poor neighbours, and some alms he gave to the poor. And all this he did of the said farm, where he that now hath it payeth sixteen pound by year, or more, and is not able to do anything for his prince, for himself, nor for his children, or give a cup of drink to the poor.

2

3. THE DEVIL A DILIGENT PREACHER.-(FROM THE SERMON OF THE PLOUGH, PREACHED IN THE SHROUDS, AT PAUL'S CHURCH, LONDON, JANUARY 18, 1548.)

I would ask a strange question: Who is the most diligentest bishop and prelate in all England, that passeth all the rest in doing his office? I can tell, for I know him, who it is; I know him well. But now I think I see you listening and hearkening that I should name him. There is one that passeth all the other, and is the most diligent prelate and preacher in all England. And will you know who it is? I will tell you; it is the devil. He is the most diligent preacher of all other; he is never out of his diocess; he is never from his cure; ye shall never find him unoccupied; he is ever in his parish; he keepeth residence at all times; ye shall never find him out of the way; call for him when you will, he is ever at home; the diligentest preacher in all the realm; he is ever at his

1 Where the Cornish rebels were defeated in 1497.

2 The sermons usually preached at St. Paul's Cross were, in bad weather, preached in a place called the Shrouds, which was, according to Stow, "at the side of the cathedral church, where was covering and shelter"