lieth, debar not only the word of God, which David calleth" a light to direct, and show every man how to order his affections and lusts," according to the commandments of God; but also by their subtle wiliness they instruct, move, and provoke, in a manner, all kings in Christendom, to aid, succour, and help them in this their mischief; and especially in this your realm, they have sore blinded your liege people and subjects with their laws, customs, ceremonies, and banbery glosses, and punished them with cursings, excommunications, and other corruptions; (corrections I would say ;) and now, at the last, when they see that they cannot prevail against the open truth, (which the more it is persecuted, the more increaseth by their tyranny,) they have made it treason to your noble grace to have the Scripture in English.

Here I beseech your grace to pardon me awhile, and patiently to hear me a word or two: yea, and though it be so that, as concerning your high majesty and regal power, whereunto almighty God hath called your grace, there is as great difference between you and me as between God and man. For you be here to me and to all your subjects, in God's stead, to defend, aid, and succour us in our right; and so I should tremble and quake to speak to your grace. But again, as concerning that you be a mortal man, in danger of sin, having in you the corrupt nature of Adam, in the which all we be both conceived and born; so have you no less need of the merits of Christ's passion for your salvation, than I and other of your subjects

have, which be all members of the mystical body of Christ. And though you be an higher member, yet you must not disdain the lesser. For as St. Paul saith "Those members that be taken most vilest, and had in least reputation, be as necessary as the other, for the preservation and keeping of the body." This, most gracious king, when I considered, and also your favourable and gentle nature, I was bold to write this rude, homely, and simple letter unto your grace, trusting that you will accept my true and faithful mind even as it is.

But, as concerning this matter, other men have showed your grace their minds, how necessary it is to have the Scripture in English. The which thing also your grace hath promised by your last proclamation; the which promise, I pray God that your gracious highness may shortly perform, even to-day, before to-morrow. Nor let not the wickedness of these worldly men detain you from your godly purpose and promise.

Wherefore, gracious king, remember yourself; have pity upon your soul, and think that the day is even at hand, when you shall give accounts of your office, and of the blood that hath been shed with your sword. In the which day that your grace may stand stedfastly and be not ashamed, but to be clear and ready in your reckoning, and to have (as they say) your "quietus est," sealed with the blood of our Saviour Christ, which only

serveth at that day, is my daily prayer to him that suffered death for our sins, which also prayeth to his Father for grace for us continually. To whom be all honour and praise for ever. Anno Domini 1530. 1 mo. die Decembris.

Amen.

LETTER LXVIII.

JOHN KNOX to Fox, the Martyrologist. Conscious integrity, combined with an ingenuous confession of his faults.

From Geneva, the 18th of May, 1558.

To his loving brother, Master Fox, be these delivered at Basil.

The mighty comfort of the Holy Ghost for salutation.

Dearly beloved brother, albeit at the departure of this our brother, from whom I received your loving and friendly letter, I could write nothing by reason of the evil disposition of my body, yet, because I could not suffer him to depart without some remembrance of my duty to you, I use the help of my left hand, that is of my wife, in scribbling these few lines unto you, concerning my purpose and mind in publishing the "First Blast of the Trumpet."

When the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed, that shall be known, which now many cannot be persuaded, namely, that therein I neither have sought myself, nor yet the vain praise of men.

My rude vehemence and inconsidered affirmations, which may appear rather to proceed from choler than of zeal and reason, I do not excuse; but to have used any other title more plausible, thereby to have allured the world by any art, as I never purposed it, so do I not now purpose it. To me it is enough to say that black is not white, and man's tyranny and foolishness is not God's perfect ordinance; which I do, not so much to correct commonwealths as to deliver my own conscience, and to instruct the conscience of some simple persons, who I fear are yet ignorant in that matter: but further of this I delay till better opportunity.

Salute your wife and daughters heartily in my name. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ rest with you now and for ever.

Your brother to prove,

JOHN KNOX.

I, your sister, the writer hereof, salute you and your wife most heartily, thanking her for her loving tokens, which my mother and I received from Mistress Kent.

LETTER LXIX.

ARCHBISHOP GRINDALL to QUEEN ELIZABETH, cerning the abridging the number of Preachers," &c.

TO HER MAJESTY,

con

December 20th, 1576.

With most humble remembrance of my bounden

duty to your majesty; that may please the same to be advertised, that the speeches which it hath pleased you to deliver unto me, when I last attended on your highness, concerning the abridging the number of preachers, and the utter suppression of all learned exercises and conferences among the ministers of the church, allowed by their bishops and ordinaries, have exceedingly dismayed and discomforted me. Not so much for that the said speeches sounded very hardly against mine own person, being but one particular man, and not much to be accounted of; but most of all for that the same might both tend to the public harm of God's church, whereof your highness ought to be nutricia, and also to the heavy burdening of your conscience before God, if they should be put in strict execution. It was not your majesty's pleasure then, the time not serving thereto, to hear me at any length concerning the said two matters there propounded: I thought it therefore my duty, by writing, to declare some part of my mind unto your highness, beseeching the same, with patience, to read over this that I now send written with mine own rude scribbling hand; which seemeth to be of more length than it is indeed for I say with Ambrose, Scribo manu mea, quod sola legas; that is, "I write with my own hand, that you alone may read it."

Madam,

First of all, I must and will, during my life, confess, that there is no earthly creature to whom I am so much bounden as to your majesty; who,

VOL. 1.

K