$70 L A T I 
Windfor. On thefe occafions he had been taken notice 
of by Henry, in a manner more than ordinarily gracious. 
Encouraged by thefe tokens of royal favour, he took the 
liberty of writing a very bold letter to his majefty, againft 
a proclamation which the clergy had prevailed upon the 
king to publifh, forbidding the ufe of the bible in Eng- 
lifh, and other religious books, which were printed abroad 
by the friends of the reformation. His letter, which is 
the genuine picture of an honeft fincere heart, was chiefly 
defigned to point out to the king the bad intention of 
the bifhops in procuring the proclamation. But the po- 
pifh party had then fueh influence, that this letter pro¬ 
duced little effect. The king, however, no way difpleafed, 
received it not only with temper, but with great concie- 
fcenfion, and gracioufly thanked Mr. Latimer for his well- 
intended advice. For, notwithftanding his many vices, 
Henry was of an open temper, and loved opennefs and 
flncerity in others ; and Mr. Latimer’s plain and Ample 
manner had already made that favourable impreffion upon 
him, which this letter did not a little contribute to 
ftrengthen. 
When meafures were taking for the eftablifhment of the 
king’s fupremacy, Mr. Latimer exerted himfelf greatly in 
forwarding his majefty’s defigns. His zeal in this bufi- 
nefs procured for him the prefentation to the rectory of 
Weftkinton, in Wiltfhire ; and, notwithftanding the re- 
monftrances of his friends, who confidered this as the firft 
Itep only to higher dignities in the church, he went to 
relide on his living. His preaching rendered him very 
popular, and he was foon after appointed by the mayor of 
Briftol to preach on Eafter Sunday. Public notice of this 
appointment had been given, and received by the people 
with great joy ; but an order was f'uddenly iffiied by the 
bifhop of Briftol, prohibiting any one to preach there 
without his licence. This was but the firft inftance of op- 
pofition which the clergy in that neighbourhood excited 
againft him ; they traduced his character, and inveighed 
againft him with the greateft violence; and at length they 
drew up a fet of articles, in the form of an accufation, 
which was laid before Stokefley bifhop of London, w'ho 
immediately cited Latimer to appear before him. To this 
mandate he was not obedient ; but on a citation from the 
archbifhop he inftantly fubmitted. Fie fet out in the 
midft of winter, and at a moment when he was grievoufly 
affiiffed with the ftone and other acute diforders. On his 
arrival in London, he found the court fitting ; but, inflead 
of being examined as to any particular charges, he was 
ordered to fubferibe a paper put into his hand, contain¬ 
ing the obnoxious doctrines againft which he had been 
preaching. This he pofitively refuted ; and he was dif- 
rnifled for the prefent, with an exhortation to reflect upon 
his conduct, and fubmit. Frequently was he brought be¬ 
fore the court, and as frequently he rejected the propofal. 
At length he remonftrated againlt their ill-treatment, and 
was probably refeued by the interpofition of the king. 
In 1534. he was appointed chaplain to queen Anne Bo- 
leyn, and in the following year he was offered the bifliop- 
ric of Worcefter, which he accepted, and difeharged the 
duties of the office with zeal, piety, and diligence. In 
3536, he was called on to attend the parliament and con¬ 
vocation ; and it was hoped that this feflion would bring 
with it many important advantages for the proteftant 
caufe. The convocation was opened by an eloquent La¬ 
tin difeourfe from Latimer, who had been appointed to 
this office on account of his great talents, and becaufe it 
was known that no other perlon could fo ably expofe the 
corruptions of the clergy as himfelf, and thus lead them 
to an aflive difeharge of tlieir duty. In a fhort time af¬ 
ter this, an Englifh tranflation of the Bible was publilhed, 
and recommended by authority to a general perufal. 
During the fitting of the convocation, an animated but 
nnfuccefsfui attempt, was made to ftigmatize archbifhop 
Cranmer and bifhop Latimer, by fonie public cenfure. 
As foon as the convocation broke up, the bifhop repaired 
To his diocele 3 he had no tafte for ftate-affairs, and he had 
MER. 
a mind ill adapted to the manners of a court. It was the 
cuflom at that period for the bifhops, at the commence- 
ment of every new year, to make prefents to the fovereign, 
and many of them were very liberal in their donations; 
but Latimer, on this occafion, prefented, inftead of a purfe 
of gold, a New Teffament, with a leaf ..doubled down o®. 
this paffage, “Whoremongers and adulterers God will 
judge.” 
Attempts were frequently made to ruin the bifhop, but: 
hitherto they were unfuccefsful; and he continued in fa¬ 
vour wdth the king. After the pafiing of the bloody (ta- 
tute, or the adl of the fix articles, the bifhop protefted 
againft it by his conduft; lie refigned his bifhopric, and 
retired into the country. Here he intended to pafs the 
remainder of his days ; but an accident, which befel him, 
by the fall of a tree, obliged him to come to London for 
furgical afiiftance. His arrival was foon known in the 
metropolis ; and the fpies of the bloody-minded Gardiner 
watched him in every place. At length they obtained, 
or made, matter for accufation; he was charged with 
fpeaking againft the ftatute of the fix articles, and was, 
without hefitation, committed to the Tower, where he 
fuffered a cruel imprifonment during the remainder of 
king Henry’s reign. On the acceflion of Edward VI. La¬ 
timer, and all the others who had been imprifoned in the 
fame caufe, were fet at liberty. He might have been re- 
inftated in his bifliopric; but he preferred a more private 
life, accepted an invitation from Cranmer, and took up 
his refidence at Lambeth, where his chief employment 
was to hear the complaints, and to procure redrefs for the 
injuries, of poor people. No man was fo well qualified for 
an office of this kind ; and he continued in it during two 
years, interfering very little with public tranfaftions. It 
was, however, known that he affifted the archbifhop in 
compofing the Homilies which were publifbed by autho¬ 
rity in the beginning of king Edward’s reign, and intend¬ 
ed to fupply the want of preaching, which was now at a 
very low ebb. Being one of the moft eloquent preachers 
of the age, he was appointed to preach the Lent fermons 
before the king, during the firft three years of his reign. 
After this he retired into the country, and made ufe of 
his majefty’s licence, as a general preacher, in thofe parts 
where he thought his labours might be moft ferviceable. 
He continued in this practice till popery was re-eftablifh- 
ed in the reign of queen Mary, when he was cited to ap¬ 
pear before the council in London. He immediately 
obeyed; and, as he pafled through Smithfield, the fcene 
of the moft horrid cruelties exercifed upon thofe who had 
been denominated heretics, he faid,very cheerfully, to his 
attendants, “This place has long groaned for me.” The 
next day he appeared before the council, who, after load¬ 
ing him with many reproaches, committed him to the 
Tower. His imprifonment was rendered uncommonly 
fevere ; but he endured every evil with refignation, and 
true Chriftian humility. The weather was exceedingly 
fevere, but no fire was allowed him ; which led him to 
tell the lieutenant of the Tower, that, however his ene¬ 
mies might expeft he fliould be burned, unlefs he was 
permitted to have a fire this frofty weather, he fliould be 
firft ftarved to death with cold. About this time archbi¬ 
fhop Cranmer and bifhop Ridley were committed to the 
Tower, which became fo crowded with prifoners, that the 
three prelates were confined in the fame room, a circum- 
ftance which, no doubt, they greatly enjoyed. The plea- 
fure, however, was but of fhort duration; they were hur¬ 
ried to Oxford under the pretence of a public deputation 
to be held there by the moft eminent divines on both fides. 
At this place they were moft clofely confined in the com¬ 
mon prilon, and deprived of every comfort, and of almoffc 
all the neceffaries of life; hence they readily inferred wha.C 
kind of deputation would be allowed them. They fully 
expefled that the argument of power w\as the only one 
that would he reforted to, and, having made up their minds 
to this, Latimer laid he fhould give them very little trou¬ 
ble ; “ I fhall,” faid he, “ offer them a plain account e,f 
