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direction. In 1501, he took the degree of doctor of divinity, and was immediately after made vice-chancellor of the university of Cambridge. In 1504, he was elevated to the See of Rochester; and, notwithstanding, it was the poorest See in the kingdom, yet such was his attachment to it, that he could never be induced to change it for a richer.

In 1505, Fischer accepted the headship of Queen's College, Cambridge, and when Luther appeared as the advocate of religious liberty, he boldly stood forth as the champion of Rome. Though long favored by the king, he finally, in 1527, fell under his displeasure, for siding with queen Catherine in the affair of her divorce. When the question of the king's supremacy was agitated in 1531, he opposed it with great freedom and warmth, in consequence of which he was committed to the Tower, where he would doubtless have been permitted to linger out the remainder of his life, had not pope Paul the Third, pleased with his devotion to the Romish church, created him a cardinal. This so incensed the king that he caused him to be condemned for high treason, and he was, accordingly, beheaded on the 22d of June, 1535, in the seventy-eighth year of his age.

As Fischer was the literary opponent of Erasmus, the opinion of that illustrious scholar with regard to his merits, should carry great weight. He represents him as 'a man of great and extensive powers of mind, and for integrity, sweetness of temper, and greatness of soul, far superior to all the men of his age.' The English writings of Fischer consist of sermons, and a few small tracts on religious subjects. From a funeral sermon occasioned by the death of the Countess of Richmond, and preached in 1509, we extract the following remarkable portraiture of that pious lady's daily devotions:

In prayer, every day at her uprising, which commonly was not long after five of the clock, she began certain devotions, and so after them, with one of her gentlewomen, the matins of our lady, which kept her to1 then she came into her closet, where then with her chaplain, she said also matins of the day, and after that daily heard four or five masses upon her knees; so continuing in her prayers and devotions unto the hour of dinner, which of the eating day, was ten of the clock, and upon the fasting day, eleven. After dinner full truly she would go her stations to three altars daily; daily her dirges and commendations she would say, and her even songs before supper, both of the day and of our lady, beside many other prayers and psalters of David throughout the year; and at night before she went to bed, she failed not to resort unto her chapel, and there a large quarter of an hour to occupy her devotions. No marvel, though all this long time her kneeling was to her painful, and so painful that many times it caused in her back pain and desease. And yet, nevertheless, daily when she was in health, she failed not to say the crown of our lady, which after the manner of Rome, containeth sixty and three aves, and at every ave to make a kneeling. As for meditation, she had divers books in French, whe with she would occupy herself when she was weary of prayer. Wherefore divers s did translate out of the French into English. Her marvellous weeping they can bea witness of, which here before have heard her confession, which be divers and many, and at many seasons in the year, lightly every third day. Can also record the same

1 There is an omission here.

tho that were present at any time when she was houshilde,' which was full nigh a dozen times every year, what floods of tears there issued forth of her eyes!

THOMAS ELYOT, a gentleman of eminent learning, and a distinguished physician of the reign of Henry the Eighth, was descended from an ancient family in the county of Suffolk, and was the son of Sir Richard Elyot; but the period of his birth has not been preserved. He was educated at St. Mary's Hall, Oxford, and was particularly distinguished for his attainments in philosophy and logic. After having passed some years at the university, and having also acquired a thorough knowledge of his profession, he travelled upon the continent; and upon his return to England he was introduced at court. His unusual genius and extensive learning recommending him to the favor of Henry the Eighth, who, with all his faults, was a great patron of men of letters, his majesty conferred upon him the honor of knighthood, and employed him in several important embassies, one of which was to Rome in 1532, relating to the king's divorce from queen Catherine; and another, four years after, to the emperor Charles the Fifth of Spain. He died on the 25th of March, 1546, and was buried in the church of Carlton in Cambridgeshire, where a magnificent monument was soon after erected to his memory.

Mr. Wood remarks that 'Sir Thomas Elyot was an excellent grammarian, poet, rhetorician, philosopher, physician, and historian; and distinguished as much for his candor, and the innocence and integrity of his life, as for his accomplishments. He was admired and beloved by all the men of learning who were his contemporaries; and his memory is celebrated by them in their respective works, particularly by Leland.'

Of the numerous productions of Elyot, the most popular are, The Castle of Health, and The Governor. The former is a professional work, and contains many sound precepts with regard to diet and regimen; and the latter is devoted chiefly to the subject of education. He recommends that children be taught to speak Latin from their infancy; and he deprecates 'cruel and yrous schoolmasters, by whom the wits of children be dulled, whereof we need no better author to witness than daily experience.' Mr. Hallam observes, in reference to this passage, that, all historians concur to this savage ill-treatment of boys in the schools of this period. The fierceness of the Tudor government, the religious intolerance, the polemical brutality, the rigorous justice, when justice it was, of our laws, seemed to have engendered a hardness of character, which displayed itself in severity of discipline, when it did not even reach the point of arbitrary or malignant cruelty.'

The following brief passage from 'The Castle of Health,' gives a very fair idea of Elyot's style, and at the same time of the habits recommended by the medical men of that period.

*

*

*

* The muscles are best exercised with holding of the breath in a long time, so that he which doth exercise hath well digested his meat and is not troubled with much wind in his body. Finally, loud reading, counterfeit

1 Received the sacrament of the Lord's Supper.

2 Irascible.

battle, tennis or throwing the ball, running, walking, adde(d) to shooting, which, in my opinion, exceeds all the other, do exercise the body commodiously. Alway remember that the end of violent exercise is difficulty in fetching of the breath; of moderate exercise, alteration of breath only, or the beginning of sweat. Moreover, in winter, running and wrestling is convenient; in summer, wrestling a little, but not running; in very cold weather, much walking; in hot weather rest is more expedient. They which seem to have moist bodies, and live in idleness, they have need of violent exercise. They which are lean and choleric must walk softly, and exercise themselves very temperately. The plummets, called of Galen, alteres, which are now much used with great men, being of equal weight and according to the strength of him that exerciseth, are very good to be used.

At the period at present under consideration bishop Latimer distinguished himself as a zealous Reformer, not less than Sir Thomas More, and bishop Fischer did as Romanists.

HUGH LATIMER was born at Thirkesson, in Leicestershire 1470. His father rented a small farm, and though he had a family of seven children, yet by industry and frugality he succeeded in bringing them all up at home, and finally establishing them respectably in life. Hugh, his only son, was early sent to the grammar-school of his native place, and the facility with which he acquired knowledge was such, that his father at once resolved to educate him for the church. With this view, as soon as suitable preparations had been made, he sent him to the university of Cambridge, where he greatly distinguished himself in scholastic learning; and having taken the degree of master of arts, he entered into priest's orders as a devoted advocate of Popery. He remained attached to the Romish church, however, but a few years; for forming an acquaintance with Thomas Bilney, a celebrated defender of the doctrines of the Reformation, he became convinced of his error, and thenceforth boldly maintained both in private and in the pulpit, the views of the Protestant party. His preaching at Cambridge gave great offense to the Romish clergy, at whose instigation cardinal Wolsey instituted a court of bishops and deacons to execute the laws against heretics. Before this court Bilney and Latimer were summoned, when the recantation of the former, who was regarded as the principal offender, caused both to be liberated. Bilney afterward disclaimed his abjuration, and was burnt. This, however, did not abate the boldness of Latimer, who not only continued to preach openly in favor of Protestantism, but even wrote to Henry the Eighth, remonstrating with that arbitrary sovereign against the prohibition of the use of the Bible in English. This boldness, although it failed to produce the desired result, gave no offense to the king, who soon after presented Latimer to a living in Wiltshire, and in 1535, appointed him bishop of Worcester. The fall of Anne Boleyn was followed by the passing of the six articles establishing the doctrines of Popery, in consequence of which Latimer resigned his bishopric.

During the latter part of Henry's reign the bishop suffered imprisonment; but being liberated after the accession of Edward the Sixth, he became

popular at court as a preacher, but could never be prevailed upon to resume his Episcopal functions. In Mary's reign, when measures were taken for the restoration of Popery, Latimer was summoned before the council, and although allowed an opportunity to escape, he readily obeyed the citation, exclaiming as he passed through Smithfield, 'This place has long groaned for me.' After a tedious imprisonment, he still persisted in refusing to subscribe to certain articles which were submitted to him; and he and Ridley, bishop of London, were led to the stake together at Oxford, and committed to the flames on the 16th of October, 1555. On their way to their execution Latimer exclaimed to his fellow-martyr, 'Be of good comfort Doctor Ridley, and play the man: we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.' Thus died bishop Latimer, one of the leaders of that glorious army of martyrs who successfully introduced the reformation into England.

Latimer's sermons, his only literary preformances, are remarkable for a familiarity and drollery of style, which, though it would now be considered very singular in the pulpit, was highly popular in his own time, and produced a wonderful impression upon his hearers. He was also chiefly instrumental in effecting a great improvement in the quality of clerical discourses, by substituting topics connected with moral duties for those incredible and often ridiculous legendary tales of saints and martyrs, which was at that time the common subject-matter of sermons.

The following extracts from his discourses will afford a pretty correct idea of his style, and peculiar manner of preaching.

HASTY JUDGMENT.

Here I have occasion to tell you a story which happened at Cambridge. Master Bilney, or rather Saint Bilney, that suffered death for God's word's sake, the same Bilney was the instrument whereby God called me to knowledge, for I may thank him, next to God, for that knowledge that I have in the word of God. For I was as obstinate a papist as any was in England, insomuch that, when I should be made Bachelor of Divinity, my whole oration went against Philip Melancthon and against his opinions. Bilney heard me at that time, and perceived that I was zealous without knowledge; he came to me afterward in my study, and desired me for God's sake to hear his confession; I did so; and, to say the very truth, by his confession I learned more than before in many years; so from that time forward I began to smell the word of God, and forsook the school-doctors and such fooleries.

Now after I had been acquainted with him, I went with him to visit the prisoners in the tower at Cambridge, for he was ever visiting prisoners and sick folk. So we went together, and exhorted them as well as we were able to do; minding them to patience, and to acknowledge their faults. Among other prisoners, there was a woman which was accused that she had killed her child, which act she plainly and steadfastly denied, and could not be brought to confess the act; which denying gave us occasion to search for the matter, and so we did; and at length we found that her husband loved her not, and therefore he sought means to make her out of the way. The matter was thus:-A child of hers had been sick by the space of a year, and so decayed, as it were, in a consumption. At length it died in harvest-time; she went to her neighbours and other friends to desire their help to prepare the child for burial; but there was nobody at home, every man was in the field. The woman,

in a heaviness and trouble of spirit, went, and being herself alone, prepared the child for burial. Her husband coming home, not having great love toward her, accused her of the murder, and so she was taken and brought to Cambridge. But as far forth as I could learn, through earnest inquisition, I thought in my conscience the woman was not guilty, all the circumstances well considered.

Immediately after this I was called to preach before the king, which was my first sermon that I made before his majesty, and it was done at Windsor; where his majesty, after the sermon was done, did most familiarly talk with me in a gallery. Now, when I saw my time, I kneeled down before his majesty, opening the whole matter, and afterward most humbly desired his majesty to pardon that woman. For I thought in my conscience she was not guilty, or else I would not for all the world sue for a murderer. The king most graciously heard my humble request, insomuch that I had a pardon ready for her at my returning homeward. In the mean season, that woman was delivered of a child in the town of Cambridge, whose god-father I was, and Mistress Cheek was god-mother. But all that time I hid my pardon, and told her nothing of it, only exhorting her to confess the truth. At length the time came when she looked to suffer; I came as I was wont to do, to instruct her; she made great moan to me. So we travailed with this woman till we brought her to a good opinion; and at length showed her the king's pardon, and let her go.

This tale I told you by this occasion, that though some women be very unnatural, and forget their children, yet when we hear any body so report, we should not be too hasty in believing the tale, but rather suspend our judgments till we know the truth.

THE SHEPHERDS OF BETHLEHEM.

I pray you to whom was the nativity of Christ first opened? To the bishops or great lords which were at this time at Bethlehem? Or to those jolly damsels with their fardingales, with their round-abouts, or with their bracelets? No, no, they had too many lets to trim and dress themselves, so that they could have no time to hear of the nativity of Christ; their minds were so occupied otherwise, that they were not allowed to hear of him. But his nativity was revealed first by the Shepherds, and it was revealed unto them in the night-time, when every body was at rest; then they heard this joyful tidings of the Saviour of the world; for these shepherds were keeping their sheep in the night season from the wolf and other beasts, and from the fox; for the sheep in that country do lamb two times in a year, and therefore it was needful for the sheep to have a shepherd to keep them. And here note the diligence of these shepherds; for whether the sheep were their own, or whether they were servants, I can not tell, for it is not expressed in the book; but it is most like they were servants, and their masters had put them in trust to keep their sheep. Now, if these shepherds had been deceitful fellows, that when their masters had put them in trust to keep their sheep, they had been drinking in the ale-house all night, as some of our servants do now-a-days, surely the angel had not appeared unto them to have told them this great joy and good tidings. And here all servants may learn by these shepherds, to serve truly and diligently unto their masters; in what business soever they are set to do, let them be painful and diligent like as Jacob was unto his master Laban.

Now these shepherds, I say, they watch the whole night, they attend upon their vocation, they do according to their calling, they keep their sheep, they run not hither and thither spending the time in vain, and neglecting their office and calling No, they did not so. Here by these shepherds men may learn to attend upon their offices and callings: I would wish that clergymen, the curates, parsons, and vicars, the bishops and all other spiritual persons, would learn this lesson by these poor shepherds; which is this, to abide by their flocks, and by their sheep, to tarry among

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