good." "It may well be," said the bishop, "go ye to his bed, and then shall ye prove the sooth."

So when Sir Bors and his fellows came to his bed they found him stark dead, and he lay as he had smiled, and the sweetest savour about him that ever they smelled. Then was there weeping and wringing of hands, and the greatest dole they made that ever made men. And on the morrow the bishop sung his mass of Requiem; and after the bishop and all those nine knights put Sir Launcelot in the same horse bier that Queen Guenever was laid in before that she was buried.

And so the bishop and they altogether went with the corpse of Sir Launcelot daily, till they came unto Joyous Gard, and ever they had an hundred torches burning about him.

And so within fifteen days they came to Joyous Gard. And there they laid his corpse in the body of the choir, and sung and read many psalters and prayers over him and about him; and ever his visage was laid open and naked, that all folk might behold him; for such was the custom in those days that all men of worship should so lie with open visage till that they were buried. And right thus as they were at their service, there came Sir Ector de Maris that had sought seven years all England, Scotland and Wales, seeking his brother Sir Launcelot.

And when Sir Ector de Maris heard such noise and light in the choir of Joyous Gard, he alighted and put his horse away from him, and came into the choir, and there he saw men sing the service full lamentably. And all they knew Sir Ector, but he knew not them. Then went Sir Bors unto Sir Ector, and told him how there lay his brother Sir Launcelot dead.

And then Sir Ector threw his shield, his sword and his helm from him, and when he beheld Sir Launcelot's visage, he fell down in a swoon; and when he awaked it were hard for any tongue to tell the doleful complaints that he made for his brother. "Ah Sir Launcelot," said he, "thou were head of all christian knights." "And now I dare say," said Sir Bors, "that Sir Launcelot there thou liest, thou were never matched of none earthly knight's hands; and thou were the courteoust knight that ever bare shield; and thou were the truest friend to thy lover that ever bestrode horse, and thou were the truest lover of

sinful man that ever loved woman; and thou were the kindest man that ever struck with sword; and thou were the goodliest person that ever came among press of knights; and thou were the meekest man and the gentlest, that ever eat in hall among ladies, and thou were the sternest knight to thy mortal foe that ever put spear in the rest.”

La Morte d'Arthur.

P. 1, l. 1. Winning. If this is the right reading, it must mean “succeeding,” "having luck." Perhaps "wonning," i.e. " dwelling," is better.

P. 1, l. 19. Yourself. The confusion of singular and plural in this way is common in early modern English. In the present case there is some logical defence for it, the act being in each case individual.

P. 2, 1. 9. Steven, "outcry," " "utterance."

P. 2, l. 18. Houseled and enealed —“received the Eucharist and extreme unction,” as all readers of Shakespeare ought to know.

P. 2, 1. 20. Joyous Gard. The curious gloss on this has been incorporated in most editions into the speech. It means only that in the attempt to localize the Arthurian myth different Northumbrian fortresses were chosen as the site of Sir Launcelot's famous hold.

P. 2, 1. 37. Dretching of swevens, “troubling about dreams."

P. 3, l. 36. Courteoust. Others, “courtliest,” and “wert" for" were" throughout.

HUGH LATIMER.

Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester, the honestest man among the English reformers, and one of the first writers of vigorous modern English, was born at an uncertain date in the last quarter of the fifteenth century, and was burnt at Oxford on the 16th October, 1555. His only literary work was his Sermons, from which the following extract is taken.

A

THE DILIGENT BISHOP.

ND now I would ask a strange question; who is the most diligentest bishop and prelate in all England, that passeth all the rest in doing his office? I can tell, for I know him who it is; I know him well. But now I think I see you listening and hearkening that I should name him. There is one that passeth all the other, and is the most diligent prelate and preacher in all England. And will ye know who it is? I will tell you: it is the devil. He is the most diligent preacher of all other; he is never out of his diocese; he is never from his cure; ye shall never find him unoccupied; he is ever in his parish; he keepeth residence at all times; ye shall never find him out of the way, call for him when you will he is ever at home; the diligentest preacher in all the realm; he is ever at his plough; no lording nor loitering can hinder him; he is ever applying his business, ye shall never find him idle I warrant you. And his office is to hinder religion, to maintain superstition, to set up idolatry, to teach all kind of popery. He is ready as can be wished for to set forth his plough; to devise as many ways as can be to deface and obscure God's glory. Where the devil is resident, and hath

his plough going, there away with books and up with candles ; away with bibles and up with beads; away with the light of the gospel, and up with the light of candles, yea, at noon days. Where the devil is resident, that he may prevail, up with all superstition and idolatry; censing, painting of images, candles, palms, ashes, holy water, and new service of men's inventing; as though man could invent a better way to honour God with, than God himself hath appointed. Down with Christ's cross, up with purgatory pickpurse, up with him, the popish purgatory, I mean. Away with clothing the naked, the poor and impotent, up with decking of images, and gay garnishing of stocks and stones up with man's traditions and his laws, down with God's traditions and his most holy word. Down with the old honour due to God, and up with the new god's honour. Let all things be done in Latin: there must be nothing but Latin, not so much as Memento homo quod cinis es, et in cinerem reverteris. “Remember man that thou art ashes, and into ashes shalt thou return," which be the words that the minister speaketh unto the ignorant people, when he giveth them ashes upon AshWednesday, but it must be spoken in Latin. God's word may in no wise be translated into English.

Oh that our prelates would be as diligent to sow the corn of good doctrine, as Satan is to sow cockle and darnel! And this is the devilish ploughing, the which worketh to have things in Latin, and letteth the fruitful edification. But here some man will say to me, What, Sir, are ye so privy of the devil's counsel that ye know all this to be true?-Truly I know him too well, and have obeyed him a little too much in condescending to some follies; and I know him as other men do, yea that he is ever occupied, and ever busy in following his plough. I know by Saint Peter, which saith of him, Sicut leo rugiens circuit quærens quem devoret. "He goeth about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." I would have this text well viewed and examined, every word of it: "Circuit," he goeth about in every corner of his diocese; he goeth on visitation daily, he leaveth no place of his cure unvisited : he walketh round about from place to place, and ceaseth not. Sicut leo," as a lion, that is, strongly, boldly, and proudly, stately and fiercely with haughty

looks, with his proud countenances, with his stately braggings. "Rugiens," roaring; for he letteth not slip any occasion to speak or to roar out when he seeth his time. Quærens," he goeth about seeking, and not sleeping, as our bishops do; but he seeketh diligently, he searcheth diligently all corners, whereas he may have his prey. He roveth abroad in every place of his diocese; he standeth not still, he is never at rest, but ever in hand with his plough, that it may go forward. But there was never such a preacher in England as he is. Who is able to tell his diligent preaching, which every day, and every hour, laboureth to sow cockle and darnel, that he may bring out of form, and out of estimation and renown, the institution of the Lord's supper and Christ's cross? For there he lost his right; for Christ said, Nunc judicium est mundi, princeps seculi hujus ejicietur foras. Et sicut exaltavit Moses serpentem in deserto, ita exaltavi oportet filium hominis. Et cum exaltatus fuero, a terra, omnia traham ad meipsum. "Now is the judgment of this world, and the prince of this world shall be cast out. And as Moses did lift up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the son of man be lift up. And when I shall be lift up from the earth, I will draw all things unto myself." For the devil was disappointed of his pur. pose; for he thought all to be his own: and when he had once brought Christ to the cross, he thought all cocksure. The Sermon of the Plough,

P. 5, 1. 13. Lording nor loitering. It must be remembered that alliteration, though English had grown out of it to some extent, still exercised considerable influence. It is therefore perhaps unnecessary to attempt to give any very precise sense to "lording," though “swaggering about" will give a good enough meaning. P. 5, 1. 14. Applying his business, i.q. "plying."

P. 6, 1. 16. Note that Latimer himself, despite his indignation at Latin, cites the Latin as well as the English of his texts, and cites it first. Whether this was due to mere habit, or was a precaution against the charge of garbling, or was, as Kingsley has it, because" a preacher was nothing thought of in those days who could not prove himself a good Latiner," may be left in doubt.

P. 7, 1. 23. Cocksure. This word perhaps deserves a note because of the absurd derivation given in some dictionaries, as if from the superiority of firelocks to matchlocks. The idea probably came from the confident gait and voice of Chanticleer.