having leave to come to the lieutenant's table, I heard him say, that there was a man hanged afterward, that killed the same man for whom this gentleman was put to death. O Lord, what bearing, what bolstering of naughty matters is this in a Christian realm! I desire your majesty to remedy the matter, and God grant you to see redress in this realm in your own person; although my lord protector, I doubt not, and the rest of the council do, in the mean while, all that lieth in them to redress things. I would such as be rulers, noblemen, and masters, should be at this point with their servants, to certify them on this sort: If any man go about to do you wrong, I will do my best to help you in your right: but if ye break the law, ye shall have justice. If ye will be manquellers, murderers, and transgressors, look for no bearing at my hands.

THE

SIXTH SERMON

PREACHED BEFORE KING EDWARD,

APRIL 12th, 1549.

ROMANS xv. 4.

Quæcunque scripta sunt, ad nostram doctrinam scripta sunt. All things that are written, are written to be our doctrine.

I chanced to shew you, most honorable audience, this day sennight, what I heard of a man that was slain; and I hear say it was not well taken. Forsooth, I intended not to impair any man's estimation or honesty, and they that enforce it to that, enforce it not to my meaning. I said I heard but of such a thing, and took occasion by that that I heard, to speak against the thing that I knew to be naught, that no man should bear with any man to the maintenance of voluntary and prepensed murder. And I hear say since, the man was otherwise an honest man, and they that spake for him,

are honest men. I am inclinable enough to credit it. I spake not because I would have any man's honesty impaired. I did not affirm it to be true that I heard. I spake it to advertise you to beware of bearing with wilful and prepensed murder. I would have nothing enforced against any man: this was mine intent and meaning. I do not know what ye call chance-medley in the law, it is not for my study. I am a scholar in God's book, I study that.

I heard say since of another murder, that a Spaniard should kill an Englishman, and run him through with his sword. They say he was a tall man. But I hear not that the Spaniard was hanged for his labor; if I had, I would have told you it too.

There be such dicing houses now-a-days, they say, as hath not been wont to be, where young gentlemen dice away their thrift; and where dicing is, there are other follies also. For the love of God, let remedy be had, let us wrestle and strive against sin. Men of England, in times past, when they would exercise themselves, (for we must needs have some recreation, our bodies cannot endure without some exercise,) they were wont to go abroad in the fields a shooting; but now it is turned into glossing, gulling, and whoring within the house.

The art of shooting hath been in times past much esteemed in this realm; it is a gift of God that he hath given us to excel all other nations withal; it hath been God's instrument, whereby he hath given us many victories against our enemies. But now we have taken up whoring in towns,* instead of shooting in the

*Of the manners of the youth of that time, Stowe says, "The youth of this city have used on holydays, after evening prayer, at their masters' doors to exercise their bucklers; and the maidens, one of them playing on a timbrel, in the sight of their masters and mistresses, to dance for garlands hung across the streets. Which open pastimes in my youth being suppressed, worser practices within doors are to be feared." Again the same honest chronicler, speaking of the sports of the youthful citizens before this change, says: "After dinner they used to go into the fields, and play at the ball. Every Friday in Lent, the young men, with disarmed lances and shields, used to practice feats of war. In Easter holydays, they used to fight battles on the water; a shield was hanged on a pole, fixed in the midst of the stream, a boat was prepared without oars, to be carried by the violence of the water, and in the forepart thereof standeth a young man, ready to give charge with his lance. If so be he breaketh his lance against the shield, he is thought to have performed a worthy deed; but if he chances to be flung into the water, then he loses his honor, and it occasioneth the spectators to laugh. In the summer season they exercised themselves in leaping, shooting, wrest→ ling, casting the stone, and practising their shields, with maný other such like feats of activity. In the winter

fields. A wondrous thing, that so excellent a gift of God should be so little esteemed! I desire you, my lords, even as ye love the honor and glory of God, and intend to remove his indignation, let there be sent forth some proclamation, some sharp proclamation to the justices of peace, for they do not their duty: justices now be no justices. There be many good acts made for this matter already. Charge them upon their allegiance, that this singular benefit of God may be practised, and that it be not turned into bowling, glossing, and whoring within the towns; for they be negligent in executing these laws of shooting. In my time, my poor father was as diligent to teach me to shoot, as to learn me any other thing; and so I think other men did their children. He taught me how to draw, how to lay my body in my bow, and not to draw with strength of arms, as divers other nations do, but with strength of the body. I had my bows bought me, according to my age and strength; as I increased in them, so my bows were made bigger and bigger; for men shall never shoot well, except they be brought up in it. It is a goodly art, a whole

they never omitted the wholesome exercises of sliding, and skating on the great fen or moor, which was where Moorfields now are."-Stowe's Survey of London.