strange, who appears never to err with design, and who certainly is never seduced from the plain path of simple narrative, by the temptation of a well turned period. Speaking of Alexander Aless, he observes, " And as Me"lancthon made use of him in composing his thoughts "into a handsome style," (of which however no proof is adduced,)"so did another great light of the same "nation; I mean Bucer. In King Edward's days he "had wrote a book in the German, that is, in his own "country language, about Ordination to the Ministry in this kingdom of England, intituled, 'Ordinatio 'Ecclesiæ seu Ministerii Ecclesiastici, in florentissimo Angliæ regno;' this our Aless turned into Latin, and "published for the consolation of the Churches every

where in these sad times, as it ran in the title." Memorials of Cranmer, p. 403. Now it is certain, that Bucer never wrote any work in German, nor Aless in Latin, upon such a subject. Had Strype looked beyond the title of the treatise he referred to, and even that he palpably misconceived, he could not have fallen into so unaccountable an error. Among the Scripta Anglicana of Bucer, occurs the following; "Ordinatio Ecclesiæ,

seu Ministerii Ecclesiastici, in florentissimo regno "Angliæ, conscripta sermone patrio, et in Latinam "linguam bona fide conversa, et ad consolationem Ec❝clesiarum Christi ubicunque locorum ac gentium, his

tristissimis temporibus, edita ab Alex. Alessio." p. 370. This is no other than a translation of our own Common Prayer Book, as originally compiled, into Latin; a translation which Bucer, who was unacquainted with English, used in the observations, which he made upon it, previously to its revision by a Committee of Bishops and Divines in the latter part of Edward's reign.

Upon the general question of Ridley's aid in the composition of our Articles, it is curious to mark the progress of conjectural assertion. Strype conceives" that

"the Archbishop was the penner, or at least the great "director, of them, with the assistance, as is very pro

bable, of Bishop Ridley." Memor. of Cranmer, p. 272. Burnet makes a similar remark. When this gets into the hands of Neal, we find "that it was resolved in Council to reform the Doctrine of the Church, and that Archbishop Cranmer and Bishop Ridley were "appointed to this work." History of the Puritans, vol. i. p. 49.

Page 33, note ( 5 ).

Hugoni Latimero.. quem passim vocabant Apostolum Anglorum. Saunders de Schismate Anglicano, p. 116.

Page 36, note (6).

Before I quote the Epistles of Melancthon, upon the subject more immediately referred to, it may be necessary previously to state, that his correspondence with Cranmer had been of long standing. So early as in the year 1535, it appears, that he submitted to the judgment of the Archbishop a work, which he was then about to publish, with a dedication to Henry. His letter on this occasion was thus expressed: "Cum "autem non dubitarem, quin ad cæteras virtutes hu"manitatem summam adjunxisses, duxi tibi commendandum esse hunc bonum virum Alexandrum Alessium Scotum. Is proficiscitur in Britanniam ut exhibeat Reverentiæ tuæ quoddam meum scriptum, in “quo R. P. T. animadvertet me conatum esse, ut di

ligenter et utiliter explicarem, et, quantum possem, "mitigarem plerasque controversias. Sed judicium de "toto scripto libenter et R. P. et similibus viris doctis "et piis permitto, a quorum judicio nunquam in Ec"clesia Christi dissentiam. Itaque si vel studium "meum vel scriptum probabis, rogo, ut R. P. T. ad“juvet hunc Alexandrum, ut Regiæ Majestati libellum exhibere possit. Judicium vero suum de meo

1

"scripto poterit mihi R. P. T. per hunc Alexandrum "significare." August. 1535. Epistolarum Libri Lond. p. 521. Perhaps the reader may not dislike to see what passed between Melancthon and the King himself upon the same subject. "Serenissime et inclyte Rex," his Letter commences, "etsi publicæ quædam causæ "impulerunt me, ut scriptum quoddam meum R. M. T. “dedicarem, tamen multum me etiam privatim admi"ratio ingenii tui et virtutis movit, ut, hac qualicunque significatione judicii mei, studium R. M. T. meum "declararem. Dedi igitur libellum huic Alexandro "Scoto, viro docto et pio, qui virtutem et pietatem "tuam mihi et aliis multis in Germania magno studio "prædicare solitus est. Pollicitus est se meum scripQuod ut æquo

66

"tum exhibiturum esse R. M. T. "animo accipiat R. M. T. etiam atque etiam, oro. "Equidem opto et animum meum et scriptum ipsum "probari R. M. T. Sed de scripto permitto judicium "R. M. T." Id. p. 489. This letter, written in August, was answered by Henry in the following October. The answer thus begins: "Quod Christianæ religionis ip"siusque veritatis propugnandæ studiosissimum te per"cepimus, sic eo nomine sincerissimo istius tui animi "instituto jampridem afficimur, ut nihil æque in votis "habeamus, ac aliquam sese offerre occasionem sanc"tissimos istos tui pectoris conatus quacunque nostra "opera juvandi et promovendi. Ad hujus vero nostræ "in te dilectionis non vulgaris animum, quam maxima

nuper accessit ex literis abs te per A. Alesium ad nos "datis, quæ etsi tui candoris et amicissimi erga nos "studii indices essent satis locupletes, id tamen non ob"scuro egregii destinati muneris testimonio pulcherrime "testari voluisti. Munus certe ex sui ipsius excellentia "dignum, quod boni omnes complectantur, et quod nostro "nomini dicatum est nobis omnium quam maxime, carum "et acceptum. Ob igitur istam bene erga nos affectæ

66

A

"voluntatis significationem ingentes, et quantas possu66 mus ex animo gratias tibi habemus, persuasumque esse volumus, nos rectissime istis tuis et cum Deo "conjunctis studiis nullo unquam tempore aut loco de-. "futuros esse." Octob. 1, 1535. Seckendorf. Historia Lutheran. lib. iii. §. 39. Add. b.

Upon some point connected with the compilation of a public creed, Melancthon was consulted by Cranmer in May 1548, through the medium of J. Jonas, Junior, who at that period was resident with the Archbishop in England. This was the precise æra, when our Liturgy was first in preparation. The letter of Jonas is not extant; but the answer of Melancthon was couched in the following terms.

66

66

"Reverende Domine. Literis, quas Jonæ filius de sermone tuo mihi scripsit ante mensem respondi. Quo diutius autem de vestra deliberatione, qua nulla gravior et magis necessaria in genere humano institui "potest, cogito, eo magis et opto, et vos adhortandos. esse censeo, ut de universo doctrinæ corpore edatis "confessionem veram et perspicuam collatis judiciis "eruditorum, quorum et nomina adscribantur, ut apud omnes gentes extet illustre testimonium de doctrina "gravi authoritate traditum, et ut posterus normam "habeat, quam sequatur. Nec vero multum dissimilis "ea confessio nostræ erit futura, sed paucos quosdam "articulos velim extare ad posteritatem magis explica"tos, ne ambiguitates postea occasionem præbeant no"vis dissidiis. Nunc et a Carolo imperatore proposita "est moderatio controversiarum, quam fortassis editu"rus est, sed quia conjungere dissidentes conatur, idque "eo modo fieri posse existimat, posita aliqua generali "sententia, quam nemo propter generalitatem rejicere 66 possit, cothurnos facit, qui novas discordias excitabunt, "et quædam intexit confirmatura abusus. In Ecclesia "rectius est Scapham Scapham dicere, nec objicere

"posteris ambigua dieta, ut in fabulis dicitur, pomum "gidos objectum esse deabus in convivio sedentibus. "Si in Germania nostrarum Ecclesiarum consensus in

teger fuisset, in has miserias non incidissemus. Mag"nopere igitur te hortor, ut incumbas in hanc curam, "et cogitationem, ut Ecclesiis vere consulatur. Si meum judicium et suffragium etiam flagitabis, libenter et "audiam alios doctos viros, et dicam ipse sententiam "med loco, et sententiæ causas ostendam, tà pèv wellwv; "To Be Telóμevos, ut decet in colloquio purum. Vincant "autem semper veritas, gloria Dei, et salus Ecclesiæ "non privati affectus ulli." Epist. libri Lond. Epist. 66. lib. i.

દ

Shortly after, in the same year, Melancthon wrote another letter to Cranmer of a similar import, relative to a particular question, upon which likewise he seems to have been consulted. The subject is thus adverted to. .... Quod cum fecissem, ecce adferuntur filii "Jonæ literæ, in quibus mihi sermonem quendam tuum "narrat de quæstione non obscurà, sed quæ duriter "concussit Ecclesiam, et concutiet durius, quia guber"natores illi tantæ rei non quærunt vera remedia.

"Nihil autem in hac epistola præter meum dolorem "indicare volo, qui tantus est, ut exhauriri non possit, "vel, si tantum funderem lacrymarum, quantum vehit "undarum Albis noster, aut apud vos Tamesis. Vi"des multiplices explicationes et olim excogitatas esse, "et nunc excogitari, quia negligitur simplex et sincera "vetustas. Ac longiorem disputationem nunc non eo tantum omitto, quia properant tabellarii, sed etiam, quia non amò labyrinthos, ut vides omne meum stu* dium in multis materiis fuisse, ut extarent plane ," evolutæ.

"Illud autem te oro, ut deliberès cum viris bonis, "ac vere doctis, et quod statuendum et qua modera❝tione initio in dicendo opus sit. Ego optarem, ut in