+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.
[Footnote 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.
Reserving always to the Queen and to the Lord President, the
attribution and gift of the prizes, after the manner and form
accustomed. For their demerits according to the articles ensuing:
_How many ways the prize is won._
First, whoso breaketh most spears, as they ought to be broken, shall
have the prize.
Item, whoso breaketh three times, in the sight of the helm, shall have
the prize.
Item, whoso meeteth two times, coronal[72] to coronal, shall have the
prize.
Item, whoso beareth a man doun with stroke of spear shall have the
prize.
_How many ways the prize shall be lost._
First, whoso striketh a horse shall have no prize.
Item, who striketh a man, his back turned, or disarmed of his spear,
shall have no prize.
Item, whoso hitteth the toile[73] three times shall have no prize.
Item, whoso unhelms himself two times shall have no prize, unless his
horse do fail him.
_How broken spears shall be allowed._
First, whoso breaketh a spear between the saddle and the coronal[74]
of the helm shall be allowed for one.
Item, whoso breaketh a spear from the coronal upwards shall be allowed
for two.
Item, whoso breaketh a spear, so that he striketh his adversary doun,
or put him out of his saddle, or disarms him in such wise as he may
not run the next course after, or breaketh his spear coronal to
coronal shall be allowed as three spears broken.
_How spears broken shall be disallowed._
First, whoso breaketh on the saddle shall be disallowed for
spear-breaking.
Item, whoso hitteth the toile once shall be disallowed for two.
Item, whoso hitteth the toil shall, for that blow the second time be
disallowed three.
Item, whoso breaketh a spear, within a foot to the coronal, shall be
adjudged as no spear broken, but a faint attaint.[75]
_For the Prize to be given and who shall be preferred._
First, whoso beareth a man doun out of the saddle, or putteth him to
the earth, horse and man, shall have the prize before him that
striketh coronal to coronal two times.
Item, he that strikes coronal to coronal two times, shall have the
prize before him that strikes the sight three times.
Item, he that strikes the sight three times shall have the prize
before him that breaketh more spears.
Item, if there be any man that furnisheth in this wise, which shall be
deemed to have bidden longest in the field helmed, and to have run the
fairest course, and to have given the greatest strokes, and to have
holpen himself best with his spear he shall have the prize.