et de tua solita satisque perspecta mihi humanitate haud dubitarem. De literis autem, quas proxime abs te accepi, sic habeto. Posteaquam semel atque iterum (nam semel non videbatur satis) eas legissem, tantum fructum reportasse ex tuis præclaris et vere theologicis præceptis a visa sum, quantum ex diuturna optimorum auctorum lectione vix eram assequuta. Suades ut veram sinceramque in Christo servatore meo fidem amplectar tibi in hac parte. Οσόν ὁ Θεὸς δώσει enitar satisfacere. Sed donum Dei agnosco eam esse, et proinde tantum polliceri debeo, quantum Dominus impertierit, neque tamen cum Apostolis orare desistam: ut eam mihi sua benignitate in dies augere velit. Huic etiam eam deo juvante, ut jubes, adiungam vitæ puritatem, quam meæ heu nimium infirmæ vires præstare poterunt. Tu interea pro tua pietate in oratione tua mei quotidie facias mentionem rogo. Ad Hebraicæ linguæ studium eam ingredior viam, Vale. Et Deus te in hac suscepta abs te

quam tu fidelissime monstras. provincia tueatur et provehat æternum.

Tibi ad omnia pietatis officia paratissima,

JWANNA GRAIA.

Externa epistola inscriptio manu Joanna: Colendissimo viro Henrico Bullingero hæ tradantur literæ. Inferius, alia manu: Ducis Suffolcia F. 1552.

III.

C

Sera officii recordatio reprehendi non debet, præsertim si nulla negligentia prætermissa est, Vir doctissime: longe enim absum: pauci sunt tabellarii: audio autem sero. Sed iam cum eum habeam yрaμμaтоÇopov,b cuius opera et meæ tibi et tuæ mihi tradi solent literæ, officio meo deesse non debui quin ad te scribendo et verbis optarem optime et re haberem gratiam quam diligentissime. Tanta enim tua apud omnes auctoritas, tanta in prædicando, ut audio, gravitas, tantaque, ut qui te norunt referre solent, vitæ integritas, ut tuis non solummodo dictis, sed etiam vitæ moribus tam peregrinæ et exteræ nationes, quam etiam ea quam ipse incolis patria magis ad bene beateque vivendum incitentur. non enim tantummodo, ut Jacobus habet, euangelii et sacrorum dei mandatorum ebuccinator et prædicator diligens, sed eius etiam effector et operator verus es, eaque vita præstas quæ verbis imperas, minime temet ipsum fallens. Nec equidem his similis es qui externam suam faciem in speculo considerent, et quamprimum discesserint, qualis eius forma fuerit, oblivioni tradunt; sed et vera et sincera prædicas, et vivendi ratione aliis, ut id sequantur quod et iubes et facis, exemplo et ragaderyμarid es.

a Scripsit preceptis. Paullo post autorem et synceramque. Græca autem, ut dedi, eum accentu.

b Sine accentu.

• Scripsit authoritas. Post solumodo, perægrinæ, tantumodo, consyderent.

d Sine accentu.

ru

es

b

c

Sed quid hæc ad tuam gravitatem scribo, cum tanta mea barbaries sit, ut nec digne tuam pietatem laudare, nec satis vitæ integritatem encomiisa celebrare, nec, prout convenit, suspiciendam et admirandam doctrinam enarrare possit. Opus enim esset, ut, si prout veritas postulat, te collaudarem, Demosthenis vel facundiam vel Ciceronis eloquentiam haberem. Tanta enim tua sunt merita, ut cum et tempus satis longum, tum etiam ingenii acumen et sermonis elegantiam plus quam puerilem ad ea explicanda desiderent. Tantum enim in te sibi, ut apparet, placuit deus, ut et te suo regno et huic mundo adaptaverit. in hoc enim terreno vitæ ergastulo ætatis cursum transigis, quasi mortuus esses, cum tamen vivis, idque non solum primum Christo, sine quo nulla vita esse potest, et deinde tibi, sed etiam infinitis aliis, quos ut ad eam immortalitatem quam ipse assequutus posteaquam ex hac vita migraveris, diis volentibus perducas strenue laboras et assidue conaris, utque id tua pietas effectum reddat quod cupit. Deum άтоngαто;α omnium rerum bonarum largitorem precari non cessabo eiusque divinas aures, ut diu in hac vita superstes sis, pulsare non desinam. Hæc ad te audacius quam prudentius scripsi: sed tua in me beneficia tanta exstiterunt, qui ad me tibi incognitam scribere et quæ ad animum ornandum et mentem expoliendam necessaria essent suppeditare dignatus es, merito negligentiæ incusari et officii oblita videri possem, si omnimodo me tui tuorumque meritorum memorem haud præberem. magnaque præterea mihi spes est, te huic meæ plus quam muliebri audaciæ, quæ virgo ad virum, et indocta ad eruditionis patrem scribere audeam, ignoscere, et meæ barbariei, quæ te gravioribus rebus occupatum meis tricis, næniis et puerilibus literis perturbare non dubitem, veniam dare velle. Quod si a te impetravero, me multis nominibus tuæ pietati debere plurimum, existimabo. si quid enim hac in parte peccatum fuerit, mei erga te tuasque virtutis amoris abundantiæ potius tribuendum est, quam vel audaciæ, quæ in nostrum sexum cadere nullo modo debet, vel temeritati, quæ TM TMs pies drape valde adversari solet. Splendor siquidem tuarum dotum ita mentis meæ aciem vel cum tua lego, vel cum de te cogito, perstringit, ut non quid meæ conveniat conditioni, sed quid tuæ debetur dignitati, in mentis meæ cogitationem veniat. Ceterum hic fluctuare animus solet atque in diversas distrahi partes, dum quid mea ætas, sexus et in literis mediocritas, imo infantia potius, postulat, mecum considero. quæ, cum singula, tum universa multo magis, a scribendi officio deterrent. Contra autem cum tuarum virtutum præstantiam, famæ tuæ celebritatem et meritorum

a Scripsit encomæis. Post pro ut.

b Sic suprascriptum manu Joannæ, literis paullo minoribus; sine commate.

c Sine accentu.

e Sine accentibus.

d Sic, antiqua forma accusativi.

f Scripsit cæterum.

tuorum erga me magnitudinem intueor, superior inferiori a cogitatio cedit, Tо πрежо μυb dignitati tuæ ; et plus apud me, quod tua postulant merita, quam quod alia suadent omnia, valere solet. Reliquum autem est, Vir Clarissime, ut vehementer a te petam meo nomine viro illi inclyto et eruditione, pietate gravitateque antesignano, nomine Bibliandro, mihi tamen incognito, salutem ex animo dicere. Tantum enim eius in nostra patria eruditionis famam audio, tamque illustre eius nomen apud omnes ob singulares animi dotes a Deo illi concessas esse accipio, ut nolens volens huiusmodi viri cælitus, ni fallor, nobis emissi pietatem sinceritatemque amplecti, quæ paululum cognitionis consecuta sum, cogar; et ut diu huiusmodi Ecclesiæ columnæ, qualis vos estis, prospera sint valetudine Deum precor. Tuæ autem Gravitati bene optare, ob humanitatem mihi ostensam gratias agere, et multum valere iubere, quamdiu spirare licuerit, non desinam. Vale, Vir Doctissime. Tuæ pietati deditissima

JWANNA GRAIA.

Inscriptio externa ab alia manu: Doctissimo simul ac colendissimo viro Domino Henrico Bullingero, Tigurinæ Ecclesiæ ministro, hæ reddantur Literæ.

SIR William Cecil, afterwards Lord Burghley, in "A brieff Note of his Submission to Queen Mary," alluding to the Letter which was signed by the Lady Jane Gray as Queen, printed in the former Series of this work, says "I eschewed the wryting of the Quene's Highness bastard, and therefore the Duked wrote the Lettre himself, which was sent abroode in the Realm." e Cecil, however, with all his subtlety was unable to worm himself into the favor of Queen Mary.

a In autographo est extrema linea sup, tum ob chartam paullulum discissum nonnullarum syllabarum lacuna. Initio sequentis lineæ est feriori cogitatio.

b Sine accentu.

d The Duke of Northumberland.

e See MS. Lansd. No. 104. art. 1.

c Sic, forma antiqua.

LETTER CXLIV.

William Thomas clerk of the Council, to King Edward the Sixth; presenting a List of Questions in History and Policy for his improvement.

[MS. COTTON. TITUS B. II. fol. 96. Orig.]

The education of an infant Sovereign, in all ages and in every country, is an object of anxious solicitude; that of an orphan prince infinitely more anxious. Nor can we wonder that individuals should be found stepping out of their way to offer schemes for advancing his instruction.

King Edward the Sixth, in the Journal of his own life still preserved among the Cottonian Manuscripts, says, he "was brought up till he came to six years old among the women. At the sixth year of his age he was brought up in learning by Mr. Doctor Cox who was afterwards his almoner, and John Cheke, Mr. of Arts, two well-learned men, who sought to bring him up in learning of tongues, of the scripture, of philosophy, and all liberal sciences. Also John Belmaine, Frenchman, did teach him the French language." a

With none of these fixed plans did William Thomas interfere. He merely proposed a series of questions calculated to draw from those to whom they might be put valuable information upon subjects of History and State-policy. From his situation as clerk of the Council, is not improbable that they were drawn up by the desire of the Protector Somerset ; and intended as the materials for conversation between Edward and those who were about him, in the intervals of study.

Of WILLIAM THOMAS an Account will be found in Wood's Athenæ, and in Chalmers's Biographical Dictionary. Strype has printed some other papers addressed by him to King Edward the Sixth, from the Cottonian Manuscript Vespasian D. XVIII. He appears to have been made clerk of the Council about 1549. On the accession of Queen Mary he was deprived of his employment at Court, and is said to have meditated the death of the Queen; for which, or some other treasonable enterprize, he was executed at Tyburn May the 18th. 1553; having previously attempted to destroy himself.

MS. Cotton. Nero C. x.

b His "Perygrine" in this Collection, addressed to Peter Aretine, in defence of Henry the Eighth, has not been printed.

To the Kings Highnes.

PLEASETH your excellent Matie, albeit that my grosse knowledge be utterly unapte to entreprise th' Instruction of any thinge unto your Highnes, whose erudicion I knowe to be suche as everie faithfull hert ought to rejoise at: yet imagining with myself that hitherto your Majestie hath more applied the studie of the tonges than any matter either of Historie or of Policie, (the Holie Scriptures excepted,) and considering that (syns your Highnes is by the providence of God alreadie growen to the admynistracon of that great and famouse chardge that hath been lefte unto yow by your most noble Progenitors) there is no earthlie thinge more necessarie than the knowledge of such examples as in this and other regiments heretofore have happened : me thought of my bounden dutie I coulde no lesse do than present unto your Matie, the Notes of those Discourses that are nowe my principall studie, which I have gathered out of divers aucthors, entending with layssor to write the circumstances of those reasons that I can finde to make most for the purpose. And bicause there is nothing better learned than that which man laboureth for himself, therefore I determined at this present to give unto your Highnes this little Abstracte only. Trusting that liek as in all kinde of vertuouse Learning and Exercise ye have alwaies shewed yourself most diligent, even so in this parte which concerneth the chief mayntenance of your high