[353]: Dearly beloved, know this that Almighty God is the Lord of life and death, and of all things to them pertaining, as youth, strength, health, age, weakness, and sickness. Wherefore, whatsoever your sickness is, know you certainly, that it is God's visitation. And for what cause soever this sickness is sent unto you, whether it be to try your patience, for the example of others..., or else it be sent unto you to correct and amend in you whatsoever doth offend the eyes of your heavenly Father, know you certainly that, if you truly repent you of your sins and bear your sickness patiently, trusting in God's mercy.... submitting yourself wholly unto His will, it shall turn to your profit, and help you forward in the right way that leadeth unto everlasting life.
[354]: Lettre de Henri VIII à Cranmer. Froude, IV, 484. «Faire usage des paroles d'une langue étrangère, avec un simple sentiment de dévotion, quand l'esprit n'en retire aucun fruit, ne peut être ni agréable à Dieu, ni salutaire à l'homme. Celui qui ne comprend pas la force et l'efficacité de l'entretien qu'il a avec Dieu ressemble à une harpe ou à une flûte, qui a un son, mais ne comprend pas le bruit qu'elle fait. Un chrétien est plus qu'un instrument, et les sujets du roi doivent être capables de prier comme des hommes raisonnables dans leur propre langue.»
[355]: Sternhold, 1549.
[356]: On peut voir dans l'Oraison funèbre de la comtesse de Richmond, par John Fisher, les pratiques auxquelles cette religion succédait.
As for fasting, for age, and feebleness, albeit she were not bound, yet those days that by the church were appointed, she kept them diligently and seriously, and in especial the holy Lent throughout, that she restrained her appetite, till one meal of fish on the day; besides her other peculiar fasts of devotion, as St Anthony, St Mary Magdalene, St Catharine, with other; and throughout all the year, the Friday and Saturday she full truly observed. As to hard clothes wearing, she had her shirts and girdles of hair, which, when she was in health, every week she failed not certain days to wear, sometime the one, sometime the other, that full often her skin, as I heard say, was pierced therewith.
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; 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 clocks, 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 disease. 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, wherewith she would occupy herself when she was weary of prayer. Wherefore divers she did translate out of the French into English. Her marvellous weeping they can bear 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 those 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!
[357]: A plowland must have sheepe, yea they must have sheepe, to dung their ground for bearing of corn; for if they have no sheepe to helpe to fat the ground, they shall have but bare corn and thin. They must have swine for their food, to make them veneries or bacon of. Their bacon is their venison. (For they shall now have hangum tuum if they get any other venison.) So that bacon is their necessary meate to feed on, which they may not lack. They must have other cattels, as horses to draw their plows, and for carriage of things to the markets, and kine for their milke and cheese, which they must live upon and pay their rents. These cattell must have pasture, which pasture if they lack, the rest must needs fail them. And pasture they cannot have, if the land be taken in, and inclosed from them. (Latimer's Sermons, édition 1635, p. 105.)
[358]: 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 towards 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 afterwards 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 tower of Cambridge, whose godfather I was, and Mistress Cheak was godmother. 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, and most earnestly required me that I would find the means that she might be purified before her suffering. For she thought she would have been damned if she should suffer without purification. 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.