Ila dilectantur verborum monomachia, as I dowle not but your Lordship's self can mistrust by the attemptes intended in other places. And if cause shall be that this my lettre shall come to your Lordship, I praye you advertise me of the successe, for I have partly imparted this matter to her Majestie for my discharge by whom I have ben strongly commanded to see reformation had with spede and severity. And promising her Majestie so to do, altho' I will first seke it by ordinary meanes yf otherwise yt shall fall out, I wold be glad for my discharge to referr the whole to her superior authority (whereuppon must nedes follow cause of repentance to the authors of these garboyles. God give them that spyritt of humilite and to taste of the fruits of concord and unyte, and to sharpen their tonges and dicacite agaynst the idolls of pryde, mallice and unmercyfulness with their complyces, wherewith the temples of mens sowles are dayly defyled and fully possessed). From Westminster the 13th of December 1565. Your Lordships humbly at command. Endorsed: M. of my Master's lettres to D. Stokes, Vicechancellor of Cambridge; Another to Mr Cortesse, president of St John's Colledge; and a third to the Bishop of Ely. By Mrs. Bohun and Smith. Note: The words at the end of Cecil's letter to the Bishop of Ely, which are enclosed in brackets, are entirely in his hand, and numerous corrections throughout the entire paper are in his handwriting also. My dewtye to your good honor in most humble wise premised. May it please your honor to understand of this good towardnes in our College, that whereas of late there were threescore at the least that ware hattes in our house, now there be scharsly thre, who also pretende for that there doinge sicknes, and promise now upon there recovery wythin ij or iij dayes to lay them awaye. And as they have left hates so thei fall very well to gownes and hoodes. For I can nether here nor se any that goo otherwise into the towne then as the order of thuniversite requireth. As for the resuming of surplices, I have sent to your honor the names of all the felowes and there pupilles and noted upon the names of such as have come in with surplices presens; of such as be from home ruri. The thirde that doo not conforme themselves to order be only named and have no further note. Upon the vewe thereof I may justly adde this: that in yeares the eldest, in continuance the auncientest, in degre of scholes the highest, and in all kinde of learninge the forwardest, have only upon your honor's favor reformed themselves, wythout any maner of compulsion, ether of rigorous wordes or punishment. Whereas by the decre of the heades thei might have stayed till Christemas wythout any daunger. And by the latter end of Christemas I trust by God's grace the xv score wilbe brought to fyve persons, unles coverte dealynges doo staye them, as now it is upon very good likelyhoode to be presumed. For whereas diverse of the younger sorte tolde me of there owne accorde that thei ment to come in again wyth surplices as by statute they knew themselves bounde, after that one Hodgson, which went with the Master to London, retorned, they sodenly altered their purpose, some pretendinge necessary occasions to goo forth, some lacke of surplices, and some said plainly they durst not for feare of displesure, I coulde not heare of whom. Of thother, some talke that thei meane not any reformation before the Maister's retorne, nether then, I believe. But these wyll not be many yf hope of preferment were cutt of by restitution of the auncient forme of electinge officers and felowes, that was in the time of the tow famous Kings, Henry theight and Edward the sixt, to the which the variety and uncertentye of Statutes give good occasion, yf your honor like thereof. We have here great store of terrible threates and slanderous rumors for stirringe in this matter, but that of Erasmus doth herein well comfort us: Nil moror aut laudes stulli aut convicia vulgi. Sith after Ovidius his rule: Conscia mens recti fame mendacia ridet. Of your honor we humbly crave, that which gladly we graunt to the adverse parte, that all informations may be reiected whiche the informers will not stande bounde to your honor upon paine of suche punishment as your honor shall deme to justifye the same wyth apparente profes, or vehement presumptions; as I doo promise your honor, of my fidelite, to prove all such articles as I have hetherto, or shall hereafter, exhibit. This I trust your honour dothe earnestlye entende and godly consider of, clearely to extinguish this heate of discorde thorowghe the late disorder for if it be smothered for the present time by fayre woordes (whereof some have great plenty) it will no doubt brust out into a more perillous flame, when such as darre wythstande shalbe ether wunne, or removed, or discomforted. To this purpose I thinke it very convenyent that such as be wyth your honor now, and all such as hereafter shalbe sent for in semblable maner, be, before thei be demissed, bounde in recognisance nether to preache or teache against orders themselves nor suffer other, so furthforthe as in them lyeth nether to wronge or presse any for mayntenance of orders heretofore, or hereafter. And that thei themselves commonly, both in doctrine and doinges, be an example to others for verba dum sunt, men now adayes litle esteme of them whiche have an ordinary solution, and to that lure have brought many by boldly at home sayinge and doinge anythinge and stifly denyinge the same abrode to achyve all these straunge purposes. Almighty God graunt us his grace not to dally in holy thinges, nether to pretend conscience, when we entend gayne, that his holy name may be praysed sincerely and his glory avanced eternally; who ever preserve your good honor, from St John's College in Cambridge, 17 December 1565 your honors to commande RIC. COORTESSE, Addressed: To the right honorable Sir Willyam Cecill, knight, principal Secretary to the Queenes Majestie and Highe Chauncellor of the thuniversite of Cambridge. Endorsed: 17 Decembre 1565. Mr. Coortesse of St John's to my Master. With this is enclosed a long list headed: Nomina omnium Studentium, tam Tutorum quam Pupillorum, in Collegio It apparently gives the names of the fellows in order of seniority, the name of each fellow being followed by the names of his pupils. The following extract is taken from about the middle of the list: Mr Guilbert, presens. Guilbert. Mr Holgate, presens. Buckle, presens. Mr Draunte, presens. Alcocke. Newton. Dyason. The return concludes with the following note: The whole number is 287; whereof there came The document is Endorsed: 15 December 1565. Names of the whole Company in St John's College. The Mr Guilbert whose name appears above as coming to the Chapel in his surplice was William Gilbert, the author of De Magnete. (To be continued.) R. F. S. PALÁL HEINRICH HEINE. (Romani) Sār sig aré i sârla Poshé to tan pīráv, To mui te dikáv. Ti kámeli yakénsa Rodésa miro dush: "Kō shan tu? so si tuti, kon, Tu bâro tugno mush?" Shom Rómano ghiamángro, Ta sò si man, tū tarni yek, Penésa sâkon wafro dūk, Penésa miro tai. J. S. |