HUGH LATIMER'S SERMON ON "THE PLOUGHERS" (1549).
Source.—Latimer's Remains and Sermons, Corria Parker Society (1844); "Sermon on the Ploughers."
... Now what shall we say of these rich artisans of London? What shall I say of them? Shall I call them proud men of London, malicious men of London, merciless men of London? No, no, I may not say so, they will be offended with me then. Yet must I speak. For there is reigning in London as much pride, as much covetousness, as much cruelty, as much oppression, as much superstition, as was in Nebo?[71] Yes, I think and much more too. Therefore I say, repent O London! repent, repent! Thou hearest thy faults told thee; amend them, amend them. And you rulers and officers, be wise and circumspect, look to your charge and see you do your duties and rather be glad to amend your ill living than to be angry when you are warned or told of your fault.... But London cannot abide to be rebuked; such is the nature of man. If they be pricked, they will kick. If they be rubbed on the gall, they will wince. But yet they will not amend their faults, they will not be ill spoken of. But how shall I speak well of them? If you could be content to receive and follow the word of God and favour good preachers, if you could bear to be told of your faults, if you could amend when you hear of them: if you would be glad to reform that is amiss: if I might see any such inclination in you, that leave to be merciless and begin to be charitable, I would then hope well of you, I would then speak well of you. But London was never so ill as it is now. In times past men were full of pity and compassion, but now there is no pity; for in London their brother shall die in the streets for cold, he shall lie sick at their door between stock and stock, I cannot tell what to call it, and perish there for hunger. In times past when any rich man died in London, they were wont to help the poor scholars of the university with exhibition. When any man died, they would bequeathe great sums of money towards the relief of the poor. When I was a scholar at Cambridge myself, I heard very good report of London and knew many that had relief of the rich men of London; but now I can hear no such good report and yet I enquire of it and hearken for it, but now charity is waxed cold, none helpeth the scholar nor yet the poor. And in those days what did they when they helped the scholars? Many they maintained and gave them livings that were very papists and professed the pope's doctrine; and now that the knowledge of God's word is brought to light, and many earnestly study and labour to set it forth, now almost no man helpeth to maintain them. Oh! London! London! repent, repent, for I think God is more displeased with London than ever he was with the city of Nebo. Amend therefore; and ye that be prelates, look well to your office, for right prelating is busy labouring and not lording. Therefore preach and teach and let your plough be doing; ye lords, I say, that live like loiterers, look well to your office; the plough is your office and charge. If you live idle and loiter, you do not your duty, you follow not your vocation; let your plough therefore be going and not cease, that true ground may bring forth good fruit. But now, me thinketh I hear one say unto me, wot you what you say? Is it a work? Is it a labour? How then hath it happened that we have had so many hundred years so many unpreaching prelates, lording loiterers, and idle ministers? Ye would have me here to make answer and to shew the cause thereof. Nay, this land is not for me to plough, it is too strong, too thorny, too hard for me to plough. They have so many things that make for them, so many things to lay for themselves, that it is not for my weak team to plough them. They have to lay for themselves long customs and ceremonies and authority, placing in parliament, and many things more. And I feare me this land is not yet ripe to be ploughed. For, as the saying is, it lacketh weathering; at least way it is not for me to plough. For what shall I look for among thornes but pricking and scratching? What among stones, but stumbling? What (I had almost said) among serpents, but stinging? But this much I dare say, that since lording and loitering hath come up, preaching hath come down, contrary to the Apostles' times. For they preached and lorded not. And now they lord and preach not.
But now for the fault of unpreaching prelates, me thinke, I could guess, what might be said for excusing of them: They are so troubled with lordly living, they be so placed in palaces, couched in courts, ruffling in their rents, dancing in their dominions, and burdened with ambassages, pampering of their paunches like a monk that maketh his jubilee, munching in their mangers and moiling in their gay manors and mansions, and so troubled with loitering in their Lordships: that they cannot attend it. They are otherwise occupied, some in the king's matters, some are ambassadors, some of the Privy Council, some to furnish the court, some are Lords of Parliament, some are presidents and some are comptrollers of mints. Is this their duty? Is this their office? Should we have ministers of the Church to be comptrollers of the mints? Is this a meet office for a prieste that hath the cure of Souls? Is this his charge? I would here ask one question? I would fain know who controlleth the devil at home at his parish while he comptrolleth the mint? If the Apostles might not leave the office of preaching to be deacons, shall one leave it for minting?
And now I would ask a strange question? Who is the most diligent bishop and prelate in all England, that passeth all the rest in doing his office? I can tell, for I know him, who it is; I know him well. But now I think I see you listing and hearkening, that I should name him. There is one that passeth all the other, and is the most diligent prelate and preacher in all England. And will ye know who it is? I will tell you. It is the Devil. He is the most diligent preacher of all other, he is never out of his diocese, he is never from his cure, ye shall never find him unoccupied, he is ever in his parish, he keepeth residence at all times, ye shall never find him out of the way; call for him when you will, he is ever at home, the diligentest preacher in all the Realm; he is ever at his plough, no lording or loitering can hinder him; he is ever applying his business, ye shall never find him idle, I warrant you. And his office is, to hinder religion, to maintain superstition, to set up idolatry, to teach all kind of popery; he is ready as can be wished to set forth his plough, to devise as many ways as can be, to deface and obscure God's glory. Where the Devil is resident and hath his plough going: there away with books, and up with candles, yea, at noon-days. Where the Devil is resident, that he may prevail, up with all superstition and idolatry, sensing, painting of images, candles, palms, ashes, holy water and new service of men's inventing, as though man could invent a better way to honour God with than God himself hath appointed. Down with Christ's Crosse, up with Purgatory pick-purse, up with him, the popish purgatory, I mean. Away with clothing the naked, the poor and impotent, up with decking of images and gay garnishing of stocks and stones, up with man's traditions and his laws, down with God's tradition and his most holy word. Down with the old honour due to God, and up with the new God's honour, let all things be done in Latin. There must be nothing but Latin, not as much as "Memento, homo, quod cinis es, et in cineres reverteris"—Remember, man, that thou arte ashes and into ashes thou shalt return. Which be the words that the minister speaketh, to the ignorant people, when he giveth them ashes upon Ash Wednesday, but it must be spoken in Latin. God's word may in no wise be translated into English. Oh, that our prelates would be as diligent to sow the corn of good doctrine, as Satan is to sow cockel and darnel! And this is the devilish ploughing, the which worketh to have things in Latin and letteth the fruitful edification.
[71] A Moabite town; see Jeremiah xlviii.
THE ORDINANCES, STATUTES AND RULES MADE BY JOHN LORD TIPTOLFE,
Earl of Worcester, Constable of England, by the King's Commandment, at Windsor on the 29th of March (circa 1590).
Source.—From Sir J. Harrington's Nugae Antiquae, Vol. III., p. 234, 1792.