APPENDIX. No. I. LETTER FROM COVERDALE TO CROMWELL. MOST syngular good Maister. With dew humylyte I beseche unto your Mastyrschype all godly comforth, grace, and prosperus health. For so mych as your goodnesse is so great towarde me, your poore chylde, only thrugh the plenteusnesse of your favour and benyvolence, I am the booldyr of your goodnesse, in thys my rude style, yf yt lyke your favour, to revocate to your memory the godly communication, which your Mastyrschype had with me, your oratour, in Mastyr Moorys howse, upon Easter Eve, amongst many and dyverse frutefull exhortations, specyally of your syngular favour, and, by your most comfortabyll wordys, I persave your gracyus mynde towarde me. Wherefore, most honorabyll Mastyr, for the tendyr love of God, and for the fervent zeall, that yow have to vertu and godly study, cordis genibus provolutus, I humbly desyre and beseche your goodnesse, of your gracyus helpe. Now I begyne to taste of Holy Schryptures; now (honour be to God) I am sett to the most swete smell of holy lettyres, with the godly savour of holy and awncyent Doctoures, unto whose knowlege I can not attayne, without dyversyte of bookys, as is not unknowne to your most excellent wysdome. Nothyng in the world I desyre, but bookys, as concernyng my lernyng; they onse had, I do not dowte, but Allmyghty God schall perfourme that in me, whych He, of Hys most plentyfull favour and grace, haith begone. Morover, as tuchyng my behavour (your Mastyrschypes mynde onse knowne) wyth all lowlynes I offer my self, not only to be ordred in all thynges, as schall pleyse your wysdome, but also as concernyng the education and instruction of other, alonly to ensewe your prudent cowncell; nam quicquid est in te concilij, nihil non politicum, nihil non divinum est; quicquid enim agis, nihil incon sulte agis, nusquam te primum philosophum prebes. De rore autem celi summam (more Jacob) surrepuisti benedictionem. De tuo ipso torrente maximo potari exopto, te quia coram alloqui non mediocriter cupio. Vale, decus literarum, conciliorum, omnium denique probitatum. From the Augustyns, this May Day. (superscribed) Vnto the ryzt wyrschypfull, and hys most syngulare good Mastyr, Master Cromwell, thys be delyveryd, with dew maner. Your chyld and beedman in FRERE MYLES COV'DALE. The foregoing letter is in the Chapter House, at Westminster, Bundle C., and is printed in the State Papers, vol. i. p. 383. The date there is wrongly assigned to 1531. No. II. A LETTER FROM GRAFTON TO CROMWELL. Moost humbly besechynge yo' lordship to vnderstand that acco'dynge to yo' request I haue sent yo' lordship vj bybles, which gladly I wolde haue brought my selfe, but because of the sycknes which remayneth in the cytie. And therfore I haue sent them by my sunt which this daye came out of fflaundyrs, requyrynge yo' lordship yf I maye be so bolde as to desyer you to accept them as my symple gyfte, geuen to you for those most godly paynes, for which the heuenly father is bounde euen of his Justice to reward you w' the eulastynge kyngdom of god. ffor yo' lordship mouynge of moost gracyous prynce to the alowance and lycensynge of soche a worke, hath worought soche an acte worthy of prayse as neū was mencyoned in any cronycle in this realme. And as my lorde of Cantorbury sayde. The tydynges therof dyd hym more good then the gyfte of ten thousand pounde. Yet certen there are which beleue not that yt pleased the kynges grace to lycence yt to go forth. Wherfore yf yo' lordshippes pleaso' were soche that we myght haue yt lycensed vnder yo' preuy seale. yt shuld be a defence at this present and in tyme to come for all enemyes and adūsaryes of the same. And for as moche as this request is for the mayntenaunce of the lordes worde, which is to mayntaỹe the lorde him selfe. I feare not but that yo' lordship wilbe ernest therin. And I am assewred that my lorde of Canto'bury, Worsetter and Salsbury, will geue yo lordship soche thankes as in them lyeth. And sewre ye maye be that the heuenly lorde will rewarde you for the establysshynge of his gloryous truthe. And what youre lordshipes pleaso' is in this request. yf it maye please yo' lordship to enforme my sunt, I and all that loue god hartely are bound to praye for yo' pseruacyon all the dayes of o' lyfe. At london the xxviij daye of this present moneth of August 1537. (Superscribed) To the honorable lorde pryvaye Seale. Yo' Orato' whyle he lyueth Rychard grafton grocē. This letter is an original in the Cotton. MSS. Cleop. E. v. fol. 330. No. III. A LETTER FROM COVERDALE AND GRAFTON TO CROMWELL. After moost humble and hartie commendacions to Your good Lordship. Pleaseth the same to understand, that we be entred into your worke of the Byble, wherof (accordynge to our moost bounden dutie) we have here sent unto your Lordship 2 ensamples; one, in parchement, wherein we entende to prynt one for the Kynges Grace, and another for your Lordship; and the second, in paper, wherof all the rest shalbe made; trustynge, that it shalbe not onlye to the glorye of God, but a synguler pleasure, also, to your good Lordship the causer therof, and a generall edefyenge of the Kinges subjectes, accordynge to your Lordshipes moost godlye request. For we folowe not only a standynge texte of the Hebrue, with the interpretacion of the Caldee, and the Greke, but we set, also, in a pryvate table, the dyversite of redinges of all textes, with such annotacions, in another table, as shall douteles delucidate and clear the same; as well without any singularyte of opinions, as all checkinges and reprofes. The prynt, no doubt, shall please your good Lordship. The paper is of the best sorte in France. The charge certaynly is great; wherin, as we moost humbly requyer your favourable helpe, at this present, with whatsoever yt shall please your good Lordship to let us have, so trust we, (yf nede requyer) in our just busynes, to be defended from the Papistes by your Lordshipes favourable letters; which we most humbly desyer to have (by this berer, Wyllyam Graye,) ether to the Bysshop of Wynchester, or to some other, whome your Lordship shall thinke moost expedyent. We be dayly threatened, and looke ever to be spoken withall, as this berer can farther enforme your Lordship; but how they will use us, as yet we knowe not. Neverthelesse, for our farther assewraunce, where thorough we maye be the abler to performe this your Lordshipes work, we are so moche the bolder of your good Lordship; for other refuge have none, under God and our Kynge, whom, with noble Prynce Edward, and all you, their most honorable Councell, God Allmightie preserve, now and ever. Amen. Wrytten at Parys, the 23 daye of Juyn, by Your Lordshipes assured and daylye Oratours, (Superscribed) (Signed) (Signed) To the Right Honorable, and their singuler good Lorde, the Lorde Cromewell, and Lorde Prevaye Seale. MYLES COVERDALE. RYCHARD GRAFTON, Grocč. This letter is an original in the Chapter House, Westminster, Bundle C., printed in the State Papers, vol. i. p. 575. Date assigned (1538). No. IV. A LETTER FROM COVERDALE, GRAFTON, AND GREY TO CROMWELL. After moost humble and due salutacion to Your good Lordship. Pleaseth the same to understand, that your worke going forward, we thought it oure moost bounden dutie to sende unto your Lordship cer tayne leaves therof, specially seynge we had so good occasyon, by the returnynge of your beloved servaunt, Sebastian. And as they are done so will we sende your Lordship the residue, from tyme to tyme. As touchynge the maner and order, that we kepe in the same worke, pleaseth your good Lordship to be advertised that the merke in the text, signifieth, that upon the same (in the later ende of the booke) there is some notable annotacion; which we have writen without any pryvate opinion, onlye after the best interpreters of the Hebrues, for the more clearnesse of the texte. This marke betokeneth, that upon the same texte there is diversitie of redynge, amonge the Hebrues, Caldees, and Grekes, and Latenystes; as in a table, at the ende of the booke, shalbe declared. This marke sheweth that the sentence, written in small letters, is not in the Hebrue, or Caldee, but in the Latyn, and seldome in the Greke; and that we, neverthe lesse, wolde not have it extinct, but higlye accept yt, for the more explanacion of the text. This token †, in the Olde Testament, geueth to understand, that the same texte, which foloweth it, is also alledged of Christ, or of some Apostle, in the Newe Testament. This (amonge other oure necessarie laboures) is the waye that we take, in this worke; trustynge, verely, that as God Allmightie moved youre Lordship to set us unto yt, so shall it be to His glorie, and right welcome to all them, that love to serve Him, and their Prince, in true faithfull obedyence. As is onlye knowen to the Lorde of Heaven, to whom we moost hartely praye for your Lordshipes preservacion. At Parys, the 9 daye of August 1538, by your faithfull Oratours, (Superscribed) To the Right Honorable and their synguler good Lorde, Lorde Prevye Seale, be this delyverd. (Signed) MYLEs Coñdale. This letter is an original in the Chapter House, at Westminster, Bundle C., printed in the State Papers, vol. i. p. 578. |