BEsides these latin letters aboue expressed, here haste thou nowe other letters in Englyshe, wrytten and sent to Syr Edwarde Beynton Knyght, whyche letters as wee thought them, for the speciall fruite notable and worthy to be redde, and vnworthye to be drowned in silence: so we haue adnexed the same here, as ensueth.

The copie of a letter sent by maister Latymer, person of Westekyngton, in the countie of Wyltes. to Syr Edwarde Beynton Knyghte.  

Commentary     Close

Sir Edward Baynton was vice-chamberlain to Anne Boleyn, Latimer's most important patron.

RIght worshypfull Syr, I rec?mende me vnto your maistershyp, with hartie thankes for your so fr?dly, so charitable, & so myndefull remembraunce of me so poore a wretche. wher as of late I receiued your letters by maister Bonham, perceiuing therein both who be greued with me, wherefore, and what behoueth me to do, in case I must nedes come vp, which your goodnes towardes me with al other such lyke to recompense, where as I my selfe am not able, I shall not cease to praye my Lorde God, whiche both is able and also doth in dede rewarde all them that fauoure the fauourers of his truth for his sake. for the truth is a c?? thing, perteining to euery man, for the which euery man shall aunswere another daye. And I desyre fauoure, neither of your maistershyp, neither of any man els, but in truthe, and for the truthe, I take God to wytnesse whiche knoweth al. In very dede maister Chaunceler dyd shewe me that my Lorde Byshoppe of L?don had sent letters to him for me: and I made answer that he was mine Ordinary, and that both he myght & should reforme me as farre as I neded reformation, as wel and assone as my Lorde of London. And I would be very lothe (nowe this depe wynter) beyng so weake and feble (not alonelye exercised with my disease in my head and syde, but also with new, both the colike and the stone) to take suche a iourney: and though he myght so do, yet he neded not, nor he was not bounde so to doe: not withstandyng I sayde, if he to doe my Lorde of London pleasure to my greate displeasure, woulde nedes commaunde me to go, I would obey his c?maundem?t: yea, though it should be neuer so great a greuaunce and painefull to me. with the whiche aunswere he was content, sayng he would certifie my Lorde of London thereof, trustyng his Lordshyppe to be contente with the same: but as yet I heare nothynge from hym. Maister Chauncelor also sayde that my Lorde of London maketh as though he were greatly displeased with me, for that I did con-

tempne his autoritie, at my last beyng in London. Forsothe I preached in Abbe churche, not certain then (as I remember) whether in his Dioces or no, intending nothyng lesse then to contempne his autoritie, and this I did not of myne owne suynge, or by myne owne procuration, but at the request of honest merchaunt men (as they semed to me) whose names I do not knowe. for they were not of myne acquaintaunce before: and I am glad thereof for their sakes, least if I knew them, I shoulde be c?pelled to vtter th? so, & their godly desyre to heare godly preaching should retourne to their trouble. for they requyred me very instantly, and to saye the truthe, euen importunatly. Whether they were of that parishe or no, I was not certayne: But they shewed not only th?selues but also many other to bee verye desyrous to heare me, pretending great hunger & thyrste of the worde of God and ghostly doctrine. And vpon consideration, and to auoyde al inconueniences, I put them of, and refused them twise or thryse, tyll at the last they brought me word that the Persone and Curate were not only c?tent, but also desired me, notwithstandynge that they certified hym both of my name plainly, and also that I had not the Bishoppes seale to shewe for me, but onely a lycence of the Vniuersitie, whiche Curate did receyue me, welcomed me, and when I should go into the pulpite gaue me the common benediction: so that I had not been alonely vncharitable, but also chorlyshly vncharitable, if I would haue sayde nay. Nowe all this supposed to be truthe (as it is) I maruell greatly howe my Lorde of London can allege any contempte of hym in me. First, he did neuer inhibite me in my lyfe, & if he did inhibite his Curate to receiue me, what pertaineth that to me, which neither did know thereof, nor yet made any sute to the Curate deceiptfully, nor it did not appeare to me very likely that the Curate would so litle haue regarded my Lordes inhibiti?, which he mainteineth so vigilantly, not knowyng my Lords mynd before. Therfore I c?iected with my self that other the Curate was of suche acquaintaunce with my Lorde, that he might admytte whome he woulde, or els (and rather) that it was a trayne and a trappe layde before me, to the intent that my Lorde hym selfe, or some other pertayninge to hym was appoynted to haue bene there, & to haue tak? me if they could in my sermon, which coniecture both occasioned me somewhat to suspect those men whiche desyred me, though they spake neuer so fayre and frendly, & also the rather to go. for I preache nothynge, but if it myght be so, I woulde my Lorde hym selfe myght heare me euerye Sermon I preache. So certayne I am that it is truthe, that I take in hande to preache. If I had with power of my frendes (the Curate