Hugh Latimer was no common man. Nature had gifted him with great acuteness, and with a vigorous and impressive, though coarse and excursive eloquence. The singular conscientiousness and intrepidity of his character, made him a fearless and formidable monitor to courtiers, and even to kings, while his popular manner and evangelical spirit rendered him especially acceptable and useful to the common people. It was in this that Latimer excelled. He was no deep divine, he had no fertility of imagination, his language was little indebted to the refinements of classic speech, but he was a shrewd and observant man, skilled in human nature, and in the most effective methods of fixing attention, and assailing the conscience. He was a powerful disputant, not permitting himself to be entangled in the "endless mazes" of scholastic wrangling, but dealing in "active practice," he broke at once through his antagonist's guard, and "whipt him from his foining fence." There was a quickness in his perceptions, and an intense energy in his mind, that supplied the place of merely artificial qualities, and gave him a great advantage in offhand disputations or addresses, and he seldom appears to more advantage, than on occasions when he is evidently most unprepared. At his last interrogatory he displayed, though in his eighty-fifth year, the same firm and collected spirit, and the same skill in gaining the weather-gage of his opponent, which had distinguished him throughout life. Alone and unfriended, with the presiding bishops before him in all the pomp of their sacerdotal and judicial office, his behaviour exhibited a fine exemplar of Christian heroism. He reproved with stern contempt the glosses of the Romanists, as mutilations of Scripture, and "clipping of God's coin,"

and when the Bishop of Gloucester, galled by his comments, ventured a sarcasm on his learning, Latimer repelled the taunt in the following indignant rebuke of the mean insolence of his oppressor.

"Lo! you look for learning at my hands, which have gone so long to the school of oblivion, making the bare prison, without book, or pen and ink; walls my library, keeping me so long in and now you let me loose to come and

answer to articles. You deal with me as though two were appointed to fight for life and death, and over-night, the one through friends and favour is cherished, and hath good counsel given him how to encounter with his enemy. The other, for envy, or lack of friends, all the whole night is set in the stocks. In the morning when they shall meet, the one is in strength and lusty; the other stiff in his limbs, and almost dead for feebleness. Think you, that to run this man through with a spear is not a goodly victory?"pp. lxxvii, lxxviii.

buckled his harness, when he went to Blackheath-field. He kept me to school, or else I had not been able to have preached before the king's majesty now. He married my sisters with five pounds, or twenty nobles a piece; so that he brought them up in godliness

some

and fear of God. He kept hospitality for his poor neighbours; and alms he gave to the poor. And all this he did of the said farm; whereas he that now hath it pays sixteen pounds by the year, or more, and is not able to do any thing for his Prince, for himself, nor for his children, or give a cup of drink to the poor."--pp. 79, 80.

The younger Latimer was prepared for College, by a regular course of tuition at the Grammar

School of Leicester, and in 1484, matriculated at Cambridge. During his long residence in that University, he distinguished himself as a zealous and bigoted papist, and in a latin oration, delivered in 1515, on the occasion of taking his degree of B. D., before the heads of houses and the fellows, he distinguished himself by a vehement attack on Melanchthon. He refers to this in his first sermon on the Lord's prayer, preached in the year 1552.

"Master Bilney, or rather Saint Bilney, that suffered death for God's word sake, the same Bilney was the instrument whereby God called me to knowledge, for I may thank him, next to God, for that knowledge that I have in the word of God. For I was as obstinate a Papist as any was in England, insomuch, that when I should be made Batchelor of Divinity, my whole oration went against Philip Melanchthon, and against his opinions. Bilney heard me at that time, and perceived that I was zealous without knowledge; he came to me afterward in my study, and desired me for God's sake to hear his confession : I did so. And to say the very truth, by his confession, I learned more than before in many years. So from that time forward, I began to smell the word of God, and forsook the school-doctors and such fooleries."-pp.326, 327.

This happy intercourse with Bilney, commenced in 1523, and was made the instrument of that mighty change which transformed Latimer from a blind and bigoted Romanist, into an enlightened and zealous Protestant. Nothing intimidated by the opposition which he was compelled to encounter, he avowed and enforced his convictions with his characteristic boldness. About 1529, he was appointed to preach the Advent sermons before the University, and he took a singular method of attracting the attention of his hearers. From John i. 19., he contrives, we cannot say with much dexterity, to bring in an allusion to a game of cards then in fashion, the Triumph or Trump, and carries it on to the end of the two discourses,

66

which occur in these volumes. In answer to the question of the text, Who art thou? He replies, Christian man," and then proceeds as follows:

a

"Well, now it is come to this point, that we be Christian men, Christian women; I pray you what doth Christ require of a Christian man, or of a Chris

tian woman? Christ requireth nothing else of a Christian man or woman, but that he will observe his rule. For likewise as he is a good Augustine Friar, that keepeth well St. Augustine's rule, so he is a good Christian man that keepeth well Christ's rule.

And

"Now then, what is Christ's rule? Christ's rule consisteth in many things, as in the commandments, and the works of mercy, and so forth. And because I cannot declare Christ's rule unto you at one time, as it ought to be done, I will apply myself according to your custom at this time of Christmas, I will as I said, declare unto you Christ's rule, but that shall be in Christ's cards. where you are wont to celebrate Christmas in playing at cards, I intend with God's grace to deal unto you Christ's cards, wherein you shall perceive Christ's rule. The game that we will play at, shall be the Triumph, which, if it be well played at, he that dealeth shall win; the players shall likewise win, and the standers and lookers upon shall do the same; insomuch that there is no man that is willing to play at this Triumph with these cards, but they shall be all winners, and no losers."--pp. 908, 909.

The first card which he produces is from Matthew v. 22, and he plays it in the following decided manner.

"These evil disposed affections and sensualities in us are always contrary to the rule of our salvation. What shall these Turks, and to subdue them? It we do now, or imagine, to thrust down is a great ignominy and shame for a Christian man to be bound and subject to a Turk: nay, it shall not be so, we and will first cast a trump in their way, the better, let us play therefore on this play with them at cards who shall have

fashion with this card. Whensoever it

shall happen these foul passions and Turks to rise in our stomachs against

kind words, injuries, or wrongs, which our brother, or neighbour, either for unthey have done unto us, contrary to our mind, straightways let us call unto our remembrance, and speak this question

unto ourselves, "Who art thou?" The answer is, I am a Christian man. Then

further we must say to ourselves, "What requireth Christ of a Christian man?" Now turn up your trump, your heart (hearts is trump, as I said before) and cast your trump, your heart, on this card, and upon this card you shall learn what Christ requireth of a Christian man, not to be angry, nor moved to ire against his neighbour, in mind, countenance, nor otherways, by word or deed. Then take up this card with your heart, and lay them together; that done, you have won the game of the Turk, whereby you have defaced and overcome by true and lawful play but alas for pity, the Rhodes are won and overcome by these false Turks, the strong castle Faith is decayed, so that I fear it is almost impossible to win it again.

"The great occasion of the loss of this Rhodes is by reason that Christian men do so daily kill their own nation, that the very true member of Christianity is decayed. which murder and killing one of another, is increased especially two ways, to the utter undoing of Christendom, that is to say, by example and silence. By example as thus: when the father, the mother, the lord, the lady, the master, the dame, be themselves overcome with these Turks, they be, continual swearers, adulterers, disposers to malice, never in patience, and so forsooth in all other vices: think you not when the father, the mother, the master, the dame, be disposed unto vice or impatience, but that their children and servants shall incline and be disposed to the same. No doubt, as the child shall take disposition natural of his father and mother, so shall the servants apply unto the vices of their masters and dames; if the heads be false in their faculties and crafts, it is no marvel if the children, servants, and apprentices do joy therein: this is a great and shameful manner of killing Christian men, that the fathers, the mothers, the masters, and the dames, shall not alonely kill themselves, but all theirs, and all that belongeth unto them, and so this way is a great number of Christian lineage murdered and spoiled The second manner of killing is silence. By silence also is a great number of Christian men slain; which is on this fashion. although that the father and mother, master and dame of themselves be well disposed to live according to the law of God, yet they may kill their children and servants in suffering them to do evil before their own faces, and do not use

due correction according unto their offences; the master seeth his servant or apprentice take more of his neighbour than the King's laws, or the order of his faculty doth admit him, or he suffered him to take more of his neighbour than be himself would be content to pay if he

were in like condition: this doing, I say, such men kill wittingly their children and servants, and shall go to hell for so doing; but also their fathers and mothers, masters and dames, shall bear them company for so suffering. Wherefore I exhort all true Christian men and women to give good example unto your children and servants, and suffer not them by silence to offend: every man must be in his own house, according to St. Augustine's mind, a Bishop, not alonely giving good example, but teach according to it, rebuke and punish vice, not suffering your children and servants to forget the laws of God: you ought to see them have their belief, to know the commandments of God, to keep their holy days, not to lose their time in idleness; if they do so, you shall all suffer pain for it, if God be true of his saying, as there is no doubt thereof: and so you may perceive that there be many one that break this card, "Thou shalt not kill," and playeth therewith oftentimes at the blind trump, whereby they be no winners, but great losers; but who be they now-adays that can clear themselves of these manifest murders used to their children and servants? I think not the contrary, but that many have these two ways slain their own children unto their damnation, were not the great mercy of God ready to help them when they repent thereof.”-pp. 914--917.

We do not, certainly, mean to cite this as a specimen of extraordinary excellence, or even as an example of Latimer's best manner, but this style of preaching was well suited to his audience, and far more intelligible to them in its allusions, than it is to general readers of the present day. These sermons, produced an extraordinary effect.

"It would ask a long discourse," says Fox, (Acts and Monuments, 3d vol. p. 379, ed. 1684), to declare what a stir there was in Cambridge, upon this preaching of M. Latimer. Belike Satan began to feel himself and his kingdom to be touched too near, and therefore thought it time to look about him, and to make out his men of arms.

"First came out the Prior of the Black Friers, called Buckneham, otherwise surnamed Domine labia,

who thinking to make a great hand against Mr. Latimer, about the same time of Christmas, when Mr. Latimer brought forth his cards to deface, belike, the doings of the other, brought out his Christmas Dice, casting there to his audience cinque and quater, meaning by the cinque, five places in the New Testament, and the four Doctors by the quater; by which his cinque quater, he would prove, that it was not expedient the Scripture to be in English, lest the ignorant and vulgar sort, through the occasion thereof, might haply be brought in danger to leave their vocation, or else to run into some inconvenience: as for example,

"The plowman when he heareth this in the Gospel, No man that layeth his hand on the plough and looketh back, is meet for the kingdom of God; might peradventure, hearing this, cease from his plough. Likewise the baker, when he hears that a little leaven corrupteth a whole lump of dough, may perhaps leave our bread unleavened, and so our bodies shall be unseasoned. Also the simple man, when he heareth in the Gospel, If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee, may make himself blind, and so fill the world full of beggars. These, with other more, this clerkly

frier brought out, to the number of five, to prove his purpose."

Latimer was an overmatch for Buckenham, both in argument and in buffoonery, and took an opportunity of assailing the friar with such power of sarcasm, as fairly to drive him out of the field. Disappointed of success in this mode of conflict, his enemies prevailed on Wolsey to interfere, and he appointed a commission to examine Bilney and Latimer, who were persuaded to recant. The former retired to Norfolk, where he retracted his recantation, and on the 19th of August, 1531, was brought to the stake. In the mean time, King Henry was preparing not only to throw off the supremacy of Rome, but to place himself at the head of the English church, and Latimer distinguished himself as an advocate of that strange tenet. He was, consequently, introduced at Court in 1533, preached with great applause, and was presented to a living. Here he was in his element, and distinguished himself as a conscientious pastor and useful preacher. It was while engaged in these duties, that he wrote the celebrated letter to Henry, which may be seen at length in Fox, and which we should but injure by mutilation. (To be continued.)

adaptation of the "plain and nerVous language used in the English version of the Bible," to the understandings of the young. "Its simple, dignified, forcible, and venerable style," he justly observes, "render it a most appropriate medium for the communication of religious instruction," and we are persuaded that the form in which the leading features of the Sacred Records are here exhibited will be found, altogether, a most useful auxiliary in the work of religious education, nor would its occasional use as a vade mecum be without advantage to persons considerably advanced beyond the early stages of acquisition.

A slight alteration in the wording of some of the questions, would make them more consecutive.

The Rural Walks of Cowper; displayed in a Series of Views near Olney, Bucks, representing the Scenery exemplified in his Poems, with Descriptive Sketches, and a Memoir of the Poet's Life. By James Storer. Demy 18mo.5s.-Sherwood,Neely, and Jones, 1822.

AT a period when the arts are em ployed by some to illustrate and give increasing fascination to poetry, which must pollute the minds and deprave the morals of the rising generation, it becomes the friends of religion to patronize those artists, who, by the pencil and the graver, seek to embellish the works of such of our poets as have embodied sound principles and right feelings in elegant and impassioned verse.

The unassuming work before us is designed to illustrate the poems of one "whose virtues formed the magic of his song," and contains fifteen elegant little views of interesting objects in Olney or its vicinity, which are either celebrated by Cowper in his poems, or are illustrative of his history, viz.-Yardley Oak-The Peasant's Nest-The Rustic Bridge-View from the Alcove--The Avenue Monumental Urn in the Wilderness-Weston Lodge-Weston Hall The Elms-The_Shrubbery Town of Olney and Bridge- The Market Place, with Cowper's Residence-Cowper's Summer House and

the Vicarage. An additional interest is given to the last subject by its so close connection with the history of those excellent men, John Newton and John Scott. It is but justice to Mr. Storer to state, that though some of these subjects were engraved and published soon after Cowper's death, yet these are from new drawings, which exhibit the subjects in a varied point of view; and we must add, that, in picturesque effect and neatness of execution, they appear to us much superior to the former series, and will convey to the minds of Cowper's admirers a very pleasing idea of those scenes over which they have in imagination so frequently roved.

The sixty pages of letter-press which accompany the engravings, are occupied by a preface-a short memoir of the poet's life, and suitable explanations of the plates, illustrative of various passages quoted from the Task and other poems. A neatly engraved fac simile of Cowper's hand writing

adds much to the interest of this little volume.

There is a singular blunder at page 46, where the writer is correcting Cowper's mistake in calling Poplars "our favourite Elms," and yet, by mere inadvertence, he confirms the error by saying, scenery about these Elms, erroneously called Poplars by the poet."

"The

We ought to add, that there are larger editions of this work to bind up with the varied editions of Cowper's works.

The Teacher's Farewell, intended as a parting Gift to the Elder Scholars on leaving the Sunday School. 12mo. 2s. 6d. London: Westley, 1822. THE design of this book is good, and its execution respectable; it would, however, have been more appropriate to the class of readers for which it seems to have been exelusively intended, if greater regard had been paid to simplicity in its composition. For young persons in general, we think it likely to prove useful, as a well written and attractive manual of judicious counsel and admonition.