A08486:224
A famous and godly history containing the lives a[nd] acts of three renowned reformers…A famous and godly history contaynyng the lyues a[nd] actes of three renowmed reformers…
A famous and godly history containing the lives a[nd] acts of three renowned reformers of the Christia[n] Church, Martin Luther, John Ecolampadius, and Huldericke Zuinglius. The declaration of Martin Luther's faith before the Emperor Charles the fifth, and the illustre estates of the empire of Germany, with an oration of his death, all set forth in Latin by Philip Melanchthon, Wolfgangus Faber, Capito. Simon Grineus, [and] Oswald Miconus, newly Englished by Henry Bennet Callesian.A famous and godly history contaynyng the lyues a[nd] actes of three renowmed reformers of the Christia[n] Church, Martine Luther, Iohn Ecolampadius, and Huldericke Zuinglius. The declaracion of Martin Luthers faythe before the Emperoure Charles the fyft, and the illustre estates of the empyre of Germanye, with an oration of hys death, all set forth in Latin by Philip Melancthon, Wolfgangus Faber, Capito. Simon Grineus, [and] Oswald Miconus, newly Englished by Henry Bennet Callesian.
London: printed by John Awdely, 1561London: printed by Iohn Awdely, 1561
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
And all be it he was assured he should not have like salary as before, yet he said, if they would appoint him that function, he would endeavour to discharge the same. But he would not require it at the time of election, as many are accustomed, to procure the voice and suffrage of other. I was suborned, I truly Agathye, to give Zuinglius my voice, which I gave, and received grant for him. Who was immediately sent ⟨image 85⟩for, & admitted with y• incredible joy of all good persons. A while after being in the Chapter of the Canons, he proponed unto them, what he determined to teach the people, to wit, the history of our Saviour Christ, according to S. Matthew, so as his virtue, whose name they did advance should not be buried any longer, to the detriment of divine glory, & health of souls. Further, he protested he would not expound the same by human sense, binding himself by oath to any private Interpreter, but by conference & industrious collection of scripture, & by the intelligence of the holy ghost, the which he hoped to obtain with humble prayer made unto God. This his resolution made some heavy & sorrowful, & some joyful, even as the voices before were not all alike to admit Zuing lius. He began to execute his promise at the Nativity of our Lord. 1519. and since pursued the same. During his1 continue in this, Luther's name began to grow in credit, & many bought and red his books. And albeit Zuinglius as then red them not, yet he exhorted in his sermons his auditors to buy & read them. ⟨image 86⟩The reason that moved Zuinglius to do this, was because that people, reading them & understanding, Zuinglius employed no time in study of them, might consider in both a conformity and a grement of teaching & opinion drawn out of the holy scriptures, & be the more inflamed to ground upon and addict them selves to the truth. This godly devise had profitable success a while after. Truth it is, the order he observed in preaching made much also, whereby the simple as well as the learned and ingenious might profit. For he explained the scripture so plainly, and with such dexterity, that he was loth any should depart from his sermons, unless they were edified & enriched with godly lore. And as he manifestly taught y• truth, and that with great diligence, so was he vehement, & sharp in reproving vice, as much as ever was any man.