Meanwhile, Sire, all honest hearts praise God, and feel themselves greatly obliged to you, that it hath pleased you of your favour to grant churches to your subjects who use the French and German languages.[322] In so far as regards the use of the Sacraments, and spiritual order, I hope that the permission which you have been pleased to confer upon them will bear fruit. Howbeit, Sire, I cannot help beseeching you once more, feeling so deeply how needful it is, not only that you would secure the rest and contentment of the godly who desire to serve God and to live peaceably in obedience to you, but also that you would restrain vagabond and dissolute people, should such withdraw into your kingdom.
I know well, Sire, that you have people of distinguished learning at hand, who can make known to you these things by word of mouth, far better than myself by writing; also, that in your council you have men of prudence and zeal to suggest all that is expedient. Among the others, I have no doubt that Monsieur the Duke of Somerset spares no trouble to follow out that wherein he has employed himself so faithfully hitherto. But I believe, Sire, that all that shall be no hindrance to prevent your kind reception of what you will recognize as proceeding from a like source.
To conclude, Sire, forasmuch as I fear to have already wearied you with my tediousness, I pray you, in respect of that as in everything else, that you would please excuse and pardon me of your kind favour, to which very humbly I beg to be commended, having besought our gracious God and Father to maintain and uphold you in his holy protection, to guide you by his Spirit, and to cause his name to be more and more glorified by you.
John Calvin.
[Fr. copy.—Library of Geneva. Vol. 107.]
CCLXXV.—To Bullinger.[323]
He excuses the infrequency of his letters, and urges the publication of the Consensus.
Geneva, 17th February 1551.
Although you readily excuse the fewness of my letters, and even, with your usual courtesy, voluntarily relieve me of that duty, I nevertheless feel ashamed of my exceeding indolence and negligence, in having been less attentive to you than to some of my every-day friends. But indeed the reason of this is, that others, by their violent importunity, shake me free of my listlessness. You, with a more generous indulgence, allow me to be silent; and indeed I am so much exhausted by constant writing, and so greatly broken down by fatigue, that I frequently feel an almost positive aversion to writing a letter. Would that others had as much of your moderation as would enable them to cultivate a sincere friendship at the expense of less writing. Our French friends oppress me in this way beyond all consideration. It so happens, that by continually apologizing, I am getting myself suspected of indolence by my particular friends. Add to this, that unless I have a definite subject before me, I seem to act absurdly enough when I drag in matters known to everybody, as if they were possessed of novelty. But as to what you say you wrote me about some time ago, without receiving any answer, I cannot make out what you refer to, unless, as I conjecture, you had sent me some communication which did not reach me. If such be the case, I shall not neglect to look after it, now that you have given me the hint. As certain individuals of a malignant, morose, and ill-natured disposition, are making an ado about our union, I should, if agreeable to you, wish it to be published.[324] I have calmly endured, overlooked, and swallowed many things, but, believe me, I have failed to observe that it was greatly displeasing to Satan. If the form of the union is published, I trust it will be useful to the Churches of Saxony. However, you will, with your accustomed sagacity, determine upon what is best. When numbers were asking for copies of it, I would on no account allow it to be printed, until I should obtain your permission. I wrote you about the matter on a previous occasion, but inferred from your silence that you considered it as yet premature. I should wish, however, that you would give me your judgment on it. You did me a favour concerning the Bull. Had I received it two days earlier, it would have been of more use to me. For I had already entered upon the composition of the preface, in which that subject is discussed. I send you a copy of it, if you can find time to read it. I wish, however, that you would send it to Vergerio, together with the letter, at your earliest opportunity. The Bull is possessed of one merit, viz., that the Pope breathes out downright tyranny without any show of deceit. We must, therefore, as you say, find refuge in prayer. It is said that Germany will have rest this year from internal war, as the Turk is annoying Ferdinand. But as it is the Lord who quiets all tumults of arms, we should pray him to put a check in all other respects, upon the savage madness of our enemies.