A CHANGE FOR MILES.
MILES PATON found that life at the university with very little money
in his pocket was a hard one. In spite of what had been told him,
that the translation of the Bible into English would be a breach of
the law of the Church, he resolved to do what he could to give to
others the light he had learned to prize so dearly. And so he set to
work upon the translation of the Gospel of St. Matthew. Of this he
managed to make several copies, and sold them to friends. The first
completed copy he sent to his sister, and she did not forget to repay
him handsomely for his gift. But for this, and the kindness of friends
and fellow-students, he could not have remained at Oxford, but now he
felt more unwilling than ever to leave what seemed to him now the very
centre of the world. For news of what was going on in a distant German
university town found its way here in the course of a few months, and
the name of Luther—who was causing such a stir in the far away town of
Wittenberg—was talked of here in Oxford almost as eagerly as though he
belonged to the sister university of Cambridge.
But the news set men not merely talking, but strongly denouncing or
warmly approving what was being said and done by this new teacher.
Nothing less than vehement approval or strong denunciation could
express what men felt upon this matter; for, in the pamphlets brought
over and handed round from one friend to the other, Luther denounced,
not merely the abuses of the Papacy, but the Papacy itself.
The infallibility, the authority, and the truth of the doctrines of the
Romish Church were denied and scoffed at in the most vigorous language,
and, in proof of his assertions, this bold monk quoted Scripture as
the authority that what he said was true. That the people might know
the truth in this quarrel he promised that the New Testament should be
translated into the language of the people, that they might read and
judge for themselves in this matter.
"Well, that is fair enough," said Miles, when one of his student
friends told him of the crowning enormity, as he considered it.
"What! you would put the Gospels into the hands of the common people?"
exclaimed his friend.
"Yes, indeed! if I could, every farmer and every man at the plough
should have his Gospel to read when the day's work was done."
"And where would the ploughing be if such a thing could be done? But
there, the Church will never allow it," said his friend, in a calmer
tone.
Not merely among university students did the conflict of talk rage with
ever increasing fury, but the King himself must needs enter the lists
against Luther, and in defence of the Church he wrote a book, which he
called "The Assertion of the Seven Sacraments." Whether it added very
much to the enlightenment of mankind upon the points in dispute was of
small moment. It served the statecraft of Pope Leo the Tenth to make
much of its royal author, and he had the title of "Defender of the
Faith" conferred upon him—a title which every English sovereign has
held since—empty of all meaning as it has long since become.
Miles, and many greater men than he, saw with dismay that what they
had hoped would be a gradual enlightening of the people from the new
learning, would now be a bone of contention and bitterness over which
all the angry passions of men would rage and roar. It was evident
that this quarrel of friars would become a quarrel of nations, and of
friends and families, for already some of his old friends began to
breathe the hateful word "heretic" against Miles, because he had taken
sides with Luther so far as to say that it was fair for people to have
the Scriptures to read for themselves, that they might judge who was in
the right—Luther or the Pope.
It was some comfort to Miles to reflect that the man who guided the
destinies of England, both civil and religious, was a friend to the
new learning, and was doing all he could to foster it. Not only here
at Oxford was the great Cardinal Wolsey doing what he could to further
the cause of education, but at his own town of Ipswich he had founded
a grammar school, much after the pattern of that founded by the good
Dean of St. Paul's in London—Dr. Colet. And so, schools being provided
for poor lads, who could not otherwise get a good education, they might
hope that men would learn to judge fairly and righteously in this
quarrel.
The practical outcome of it, so far as Miles was concerned, was to make
him the more eager to copy his Gospel, not merely for the money the
sale brought him, but because he was anxious to multiply copies of it,
that more of those to whom the Greek language was unknown might be able
to read it in English.
But while he toiled, and almost starved sometimes, he did not forget
the mason's labourer working at the Cardinal's college. Some portion
of it was already opened, and professors had been installed in some of
the chairs, and more students were flocking to Oxford than ever, drawn
thither by the fame of the new college and the wealth that had been
lavished upon it.
Among those who thus publicly lectured was John Clark, a Cambridge
master of arts, learned and conscientious; and he took the Greek
Testament of Erasmus as the basis of many of his lectures. To meet a
student like Miles was a joy to the new lecturer; and he soon heard of
the young man's difficulties, and resolved to help him at the first
opportunity; and this presented itself earlier than he anticipated.
To complete his college, Wolsey had obtained a bull from the Pope
to suppress the monastery of St. Frideswide, and several smaller
monasteries as well. This had caused an outcry among those who
wished to see the old state of things continued, and some difficulty
had arisen, which required the despatch of a messenger of some
intelligence, not merely to carry despatches to the Cardinal, but to
explain some matters to him by word of mouth, that could hardly be
committed to paper; and Miles was recommended by his friend Master
Clark as a suitable person to perform the delicate mission.
"This may prove an opening into a new life to you, my lad," said his
friend, when he sent for Miles and explained that he was to go to
London, and would probably see the great Cardinal himself. "The errand
upon which you are going is a special one, and the future usefulness of
this college depends much upon the despatch and skill you may exercise
in getting these papers placed in the hands of the Cardinal himself
without delay."
"Thank you for entrusting me with such an errand," said Miles, bowing
before his master and friend. "I will do my utmost to fulfil your
wishes. How soon am I to start?"
"To-morrow at daybreak a party of travellers will set off for London,
and it is desirable that you should join them. But we do not wish it
known that you are going to York House, where the Cardinal is living
just now; and so another missive has been prepared for Bishop Tunstall.
This also must be delivered, but your errand is to the Cardinal first.
Place yourself in his hands, and whatever he directs you are to do. If
he decides that another messenger shall be sent to the Bishop, then let
it be so. He is to decide. His will must be law."
Of course Miles felt pleased to be chosen for such a mission, and he
went at once to prepare for his journey.
He went to his own room at the college first, and packed up all his
translations, for as it was pretty well decided now that for a man
to translate the Scriptures into English was to proclaim himself a
heretic, he resolved to take all these compromising papers with him,
securely placed inside the lining of his doublet, for he began to fear
that persecution such as had fallen upon the followers of Wickliffe a
hundred years before might occur again, if this ferment continued over
the sayings and doings of the German monk Luther.
Having settled his more private affairs, he went to the hostelry from
whence travellers usually started on their journey to the south, and
where he hoped he should find other travellers going in the same
direction.
"A large party will leave by six o'clock to-morrow morning," said the
landlord, in answer to Miles' enquiry; and then he went once more to
tell Master John Clark that he had made all needful preparations for
his journey, and to receive the despatches he was to carry.
"Now, if it be possible, I want you to let the Cardinal know that we
are in no fear of the teaching of Martin Luther here. The new learning
will not be disturbed in Oxford by—"
"But it is disturbed," interrupted Miles.
The elder man smiled. "Students' discussions are like a brawling brook
after summer rain. What we desire is that there shall be no hindrance
put in the way of the free circulation of God's Word, but we want it
done quietly, peaceably, and the Cardinal alone can hinder or help
forward this work. But say no word to His Eminence of what you yourself
have been doing, for he would think you unfit for such a task, and I
have told you before that there is danger in it, for the Church is very
jealous lest the unlearned should attempt what she claims to be her own
prerogative. I hope and believe that the aim of the Cardinal is the
same as ours, but he is a man of affairs, and understands the temper of
the times better than we do; and so I would have you watch and be wary,
but true to God and the new learning above all things."
"I will not fail to keep your counsel in mind," said Miles, thanking
him for all his kindness.
A good sum of money having been given to him to meet the expense of the
journey, Miles turned his steps toward his own room once more, smiling
to himself as he went, for Master Clark, by his lectures and teaching,
was fast earning for himself the name of heretic. He was wise, perhaps,
to bid Miles be wary and careful of what he said and did, but he deemed
his own position gave authority to teach the unsearchable riches of
Christ revealed in the Scripture; and he could honestly thank God that
such a man as the great Cardinal Wolsey was at the head of Church and
State.
At this time the whole direction of English home and foreign affairs
rested with Wolsey alone. As Chancellor he stood at the head of all
public justice; and, as Cardinal Legate, all ecclesiastical affairs,
instead of being referred to Rome, came into his hands as the Pope's
representative for this realm.
This suspension of the custom of sending weighty appeals to Rome served
a useful purpose later on, when the time came for the King to declare
that his kingdom should sever from the Church of Rome, and he himself
would be the head of the English Church. For men had grown accustomed
to this state of things under Cardinal Wolsey, and the Cardinal
frequently declared that he held all this vast power for the King, and
at his will; and so he was slowly but surely preparing the way for the
greatest blow to be dealt at the Church of Rome it had ever received.
No such intention was dreamed of by the Cardinal, who carefully
insisted, not only that the King could do no wrong, but that the
property and persons of his subjects were his also, and that a man had
no right to more than the King thought fit not to take from him. And
these maxims were being practically carried out in matters of State
policy by the man who now ruled in both Church and State.
So he forged the fetters to bind England's liberty with one hand, and
with the other sowed the seed that should burst them asunder; for the
new learning owed much to the fostering care of the great Cardinal, and
he was ready to join hands with Colet in improving its education.
Miles joined the party of travellers early next morning, and to be
on horseback once more and out in the open country was in itself
sufficient to fill him with delight. He had always loved to be out
beside the budding hedgerows, or watching the springing corn at the
dear old home, which he might never see again perhaps, for his father
had written to tell him never again to show his face at Paton Hall, and
he had not dared to brave his father's displeasure, beyond writing a
letter to his mother, which his father had sent back unopened. Visions
of his home rose before him as his horse plodded on and disturbed the
sheep that were grazing just over the hedge.
The sight of the sheep in such numbers, and in such widely extended
pastures, was not a pleasant one to Miles, for he knew the sorrow and
ruin that had been wrought in the old cornfields to bring this about. A
bitter feeling crept into his heart, and he wondered what would be the
end of this greed for money if it was not speedily checked.
He did not have much to say to any of the party journeying with him
except to one young man about his own age, who, after their first halt
at a wayside tavern, became more cordial in his manner towards Miles
when he found that he was an Oxford student.
He had been on a visit to some friends at Oxford it seemed, and as a
great favour had been taken to hear some of the lectures of Master
John Clark, who was just now attracting a great deal of notice in the
university.
"But I don't like him or his teaching at all," said the young man,
before Miles had time to utter a word of comment. "He teaches very
dangerous doctrines, my uncle says, and he ought to know, for he is the
best tallow chandler in the town."
Miles looked his surprise at the young man's words. "Most men are glad
to hear such truths as Master Clark preaches," he said.
"Then they haven't got trades that this teaching will ruin," said the
young man, frankly. "Now, my father is candlemaker to a good many of
the churches in London, and, of course, we don't want the old state of
things disturbed. What would become of the honest trade of candlemaking
if people were to believe that there was no good in having candles and
Masses for the dead? Why, we sell more candles for the dead than we
do to give light to the living," said the young fellow, and he felt
half-offended that Miles could not take precisely the same view of
the matter that he did. "It is no better than robbery for a priest to
stand up and tell people that they ought not to buy candles for the
funerals and Masses. This new learning is like to prove a great curse
to the world if it is suffered to get into the hands of the poor and
unlearned," he added.
"But why should the Gospel be kept from the poor? Surely they need it
even more than the rich," answered Miles.
His fellow traveller shrugged his shoulders. "I know it will be a bad
day for us candlemakers when the poor hear such preaching as this of
Master John Clark, for think you they will half starve themselves to
buy a good stock of candles for mother or father if they think they can
do just as well without them? I trow not; and it is not the rich so
much as the poor who keep our business brisk."
Miles tried to make his new friend see that this was a very selfish
policy, but the young man contended that without candles the world
would not be a fit place to live in, and certainly no candlemaker could
make a living at his trade if he did not have to supply the churches
and funerals. And so the world would have to go without candles if ever
the people were so foolish as to follow the counsel of men like Master
Clark.
Miles laughed outright at this view of the matter, which half-offended
his fellow traveller. But though he laughed, he thought of what he
had heard, and began to see that not only the priests and monks would
combine to uphold the present condition of things, but all who made
a profit out of the people's ignorance would combine to keep them
ignorant if they could.