(ix)

THE

LIFE

OF

HUGH LATIMER

Bishop of WORCESTER.

I

T has been an antient custom, to record the actions and the writings of eminent men, with all their circumftances; and it is but a right that we owe to the memory of our pious Martyr.

In the year 1470, Hugh Latimer, fometime Bishop of Worcester, and fon of Hugh Latimer, a husbandman, as Fox fays, of right good estimation, was born at Thurcafton in the county of Leicefter. This happened in the eleventh year of the reign of King Edward IV. In the neighbourhood of this place his father rented a farm, and lived and maintained his family, which confifted of a wife, one fon, and fix daughters. Our Prelate was an only son. We know nothing more

a

of

of this farmer's circumstances and manner of life, than what we learn from one of his fon's fermons preached at court before Edward VI. in which he tells his royal and noble auditory: "That upon a farm of four pounds a year, " at the utmost, his father tilled as much ground as kept half a dozen men; that he "had it stocked with a hundred fheep, and

thirty cows; that he found the King a man "and horse, himself remembering to have "buckled on his father's harness, when he "went to Blackheath; that he gave his daugh"ters five pounds a-piece at marriage; that he "lived hofpitably among his neighbours, and "was not backward in his alms to the poor."

In 1474, being now between four and five years old, he was firft put to school at Thurcafton, and when he had attained fuch a proficiency there, as was thought proper, and his father finding he took his learning well, he was fent to the grammar-fchool at Leicester. At which Place he fo profited, that his parents and neighbours greatly admired him for his ready, prompt and fharp wit. This determined old Hugh to endeavour by all means the advancement of his fon in erudition, and in the knowledge of good and useful literature.

In 1484, being in the fifteenth year of his age, and having learnt as much as he could from the fchools and schoolmafters of the county of Leicester, he was by his parents fent, for farther learning, to the University of Cambridge. But of what particular college he was, we no where read. Here he paffed his time in attending the public exercises, in which

he

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he was diligent and induftrious. This ended, he gave himself to the study of fuch school divinity, as the ignorance and fuperftition of that age did fuffer, or as a modern writer expreffes it, "He read the schoolmen and the fcriptures "with the fame reverence, and held Thomas

a Becket and the Apostles in equal honour." All which time he was zealous in the Popish religion, and withal fo very fcrupulous, as himfelf often confeffed, that being a Prieft, and ufing constantly to fay mafs or divine fervice, he was fo fervile an obferver of the decrees of the Roman See, that he thought he had never fufficiently mingled his maffing wine with water; and moreover, that he should never be damned, if he were once a profeffed friar, with divers fuch fuperftitious fancies. Nay, he was fo offended at the doctrines and attempts of the Protestants to reform the holy church, and looked on them in fo bad a light, that he declared he was of opinion, the last times, the day of judgment, and the end of the world were now approaching; impiety he said was gaining ground apace; and continued he, what lengths may not men be expected to run, when they begin to question even the infallibility of the Pope. He inveighed publicly and privately on all occafions against the Reformers and their adherents. On this account he commenced the bitter enemy and opponent of one Stafford, a favourer of Proteftantism, who was then divinity-lecturer in Cambridge. He moft fpitefully railed against him, and charged the youth of the University not to believe what he faid; and often drove

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drove them out of the school that they might not hear what honeft Mr Stafford faid.

In 1515, Mafter Latimer, now in the fortyfixth year of his age, commenced batchelor of divinity, and being on this occafion to make a public oration in Latin before the heads, principals and fellows of all the colleges in the Univerfity of Cambridge, he took this opportunity to give an open teftimony of his great diflike and abhorrence of the reformed principles and proceedings, and in a particular manner inveighed with vehemence and afperity against Melancthon, a German Proteftant and Reformer, whom he treated with much severity for his impious, as he then termed them, innovations in religion.

This zeal of Mafter Latimer's procured him the respect of the whole University, which they fhewed to him in 1516, by unanimously chufing him their cross-bearer; an office of great honour and folemnity. He bore the cross before the heads of the University in all their public proceffions. This office he discharged with great reputation. The office is anfwerable to that of fword-bearer in great cities. From this time Mafter Latimer continued a zealous or rather a bigoted Catholic for seven years, and fought by all the methods in his power, during that period, to deface and destroy the true profeffors of the gospel.

1523. Notwithstanding the great oppofition the reformed principles met with from all perfons in power every where, and on all occafions, yet the number of the difciples of the true gospel both in Germany and England

grew

grew more and more. Scarce a day paffed but the profeffors were ftrengthened by new arguments drawn from reafon and the unerring word of God, and by an acceffion of fome of the best people of moral character and reputation the age afforded. Among thefe, there happened in 1523 to be in Cambridge a learned man whose name was Bilney. He was a ftudent there, a right good man, and one of a fober life and converfation. He had commenced batchelor of both the civil and the canon law, and was a man of great reputation. Such was the person who undertook the converfion of Mafter Latimer to the true profeffion of the gofpel; for by his means he was prettily, as Mr Fox expreffes it, caught in the bleffed net of God's word.

Bilney obferving Latimer to be a zealous, honeft, well-meaning man, and one who made a confcience of all he said and did, was ftricken with a brotherly pity towards him, and bethought by what means he might best win him to the true knowledge of Chrift. Hereupon, once on a time, Mafter Bilney refolved to go to Master Latimer's study or chamber, and defired him to hear what he had to say in favour of the reformed principles. Which request was willingly granted. What were the particular arguments Bilney made ufe of, history gives us no account; but leaves us to conclude that they must be the popular ones then made ufe of, to wit, the errors and fuperftitions crept into the church; the abfurdity of locking up the fcriptures from the common people in an unknown tongue; and the general corruption

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