xliv The Life of Maßer HUGH LATIMER he continually overlooked his Clergy, exciting them to perform the duties of their functions, and he took care, at least, to oblige them to a legal perfomance of preaching, adminiftration of the facraments, vifitation of the fick, and prifoners, &c. there was no part of his diocese but he vifited, not in a fuperficial and customary manner, but rather in the primitive and apoftolic. With the fame refolution he prefided in his own Courts, and he either rooted out fuch crimes as were there cognizable, or drove them into holes and corners. He never ordained any perfon to the facred offices, but fuch as he examined himself, and knew to be duly qualified. But the days then were fo dangerous and variable, that he could not in all things do that he would; yet what he might do, that he performed to the utmost of his ftrength: fo that although he could not utterly extinguish all the fparkling relics of fuperftition, yet he fo managed it, that though they could not be taken away, they should be used with as little hurt, and as much profit as might be. As for example, when it could not be avoided, but holy water and holy bread must needs be received, he charged the minifters of his diocefe, in delivering the elements to fay these words following: Words appointed by Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester, to be faid by the Prieft when, he distributed the holy water. Remember your promise in baptism, Christ his mercy and blood-fhedding. By By whose most holy fprinkling, Of all your fins you have free pardoning. Of Christ's body this is a token; Which on the crofs for our fins was broken. Wherefore of your fins you must be forfakers, If of Chrift's death ye will be partakers. Thus fhewing that these two ceremonies were appending to the facraments of Baptifm and the Lord's fupper; the fprinkling of holy water, he faid, fhewed unto us, the fhedding of Chrift's precious blood for the fins of the whole world, the other was a representation of our Purification from fin. Thus did he extract good out of evil. Soon after Latimer had refigned his Bishopric of Worcester, he left the court and town, and retired into the country (but where we are not told, though probably it might be into fome part of his own diocefe) purpofing to fpend the remainder of his days in privacy. While he was there, the flame of persecution broke out in London, and spread itself into every corner of the kingdom. A rigorous compliance with the law of the Six Articles was exacted every where, and he who fpake against them, or was fufpected to be their adversary, was fure to be perfecuted. In lefs than a month, after the act took place, no lefs than five hundred perfons of different fexes were thrown into the prisons of London, and fo many were executed thereon both in town and country, that these articles were termed bloody, bloody, and have from that day to this been known by the denomination of the fix bloody articles. The Popish party rode triumphant, and bore down all before them. Cromwell had been Henry's great inftrument in fuppreffing the monafteries; but he was at laft by Gardiner and others fo maligned to his Majesty, that he was committed to the Tower, and foon after, without being brought to any kind of trial, privately beheaded there. 1540. Latimer, fecure at this time in his rural retreat, was fo unfortunate as to receive a bruife by the fall of a tree, the contufion it feems bid defiance to the art of all the furgeons in that part of the country. Indeed, at this time there were very few of this ufeful fcience; for we read in Stow that there were, in this reign, no more than nineteen in and about London who publicly profeffed Chirur gery. Whereupon, he was obliged to come to town for relief, which he foon found. Here he had not been long before his enemy's (the Bishop of Winchefter) emiffaries found him out, and oath was made before the Secretary of State, that he had spoken against the Six Articles, and thereupon he was apprehended, examined, and though nothing could juftly be alledged against him, he was committed to the cuftody of the governor of the Tower. He was now in the feventy-first year of his age. 1541. Here Latimer was confined, together with the Bishop of Chichester, but not fo ftrictly as that his friends might not come and fee, and converfe with him. Nor Henry, nor nor Gardiner, neither had any defign on his life; but as the King had done with him, that is to fay, Latimer had served his Majesty's purpose in establishing the grand and fundamental doctrine of his Supremacy in England over all perfons as well ecclefiaftical as civil; and.this Prince was of fo ungrateful a temper that he cared not afterwards for the man who had faithfully ferved him; and this doth most flagrantly appear in his beheading Sir Thomas More, his cruel ufage of Wolfey, and his barbarous, illegal and unjust treatment of Cromwell. Our good Bishop therefore, confidering the difpofition of King Henry, had mild ufage; but here he lived himself, he fays, " in the daily expectation of being called to be put to death, because at this time there was held a feffions in Newgate once every three weeks, and executions were as frequent." This he tells us in his fourth fermon preached before King Edward VI. at which time he begs of the King, that as there was then no particular perfon, as he whom we now call Ordinary, to inftruct and pray with the unhappy criminals, there might be fome one appointed thereto of learning and diligence; for, continues he, " many of them are caft away for want of inftruction, and "die in mifery for lack of preaching." And on this occafion fearching the city records, I find, that in this reign, a Chaplain was appointed to do the abovementioned duties, and therefore it may juftly be concluded, that this office was conftituted pursuant to his advice. He was at this time the most popular Preacher, and and great regard was paid to his judgment. At firft when this chaplainship was inftituted the Chaplain conftantly attended, and used his best endeavours daily to convince the delinquents of the heinoufnefs of their feveral crimes, and to excite in them a true forrow and contrition for their fins; but this is of late years degenerated into mere form and fhow, and preaching once a week, and many times not that; though I am informed, that what with the falary, houfe to dwell in, and other perquifites, the ordinary of Newgate's place is worth about One hundred pounds a-year. 1547. Here Bishop Latimer lived a prifoner above fix years, till King Henry died; of whom Burnet fays, He is rather to be reckoned a mong the great than the good Princes." This happened in the night between the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth of January. He was fucceeded by his Son Edward. He was a minor, and but nine years three months old, when he afcended the throne. Henry left him in the hands of fixteen peers by his will, with Archbishop Cranmer at the head of them. Immediately on this change of affairs, Latimer then in the Tower was foon thought of and released, and received at court with great joy and respect. He was offered his Bishopric of Worcester again, but he would not accept of it, not being willing, as fome have imagined, to difplace the then poffeffor Doctor Heath. Sometime after, the parliament presented an address, without his privity, to the Protector, earneftly begging of him to restore forthwith Mafter |