book, which was lent him by his friend master Morison."

In the next reign he returned to the old religion, and I suppose to make his peace, translated

"Two Epistles of Erasmus ;"

6

wherein, as Strype says3, was undertaken to be shown the brainsick headiness of the Lutherans. They were printed by William Riddell3, in 16°. In Lambeth church was a wretched rhyming epitaph, written by this lord on his sister the duchess of Norfolk, mother of the earl of Surry, who, it should seem, did not inherit from his uncle his poetic talents.

[Mr. Brand having favoured me with a sight of lord Stafford's translated treatise, I am enabled to give the title and colophon of that scarce book, with exactness, and to insert the whole of the dedication as a specimen of this noble writer's style, which, for the time in which he wrote, is neither inelegant nor uncourtly.

Vol. iii. p. 115.

Ames, p. 286.

[Anno 1553, says Herbert.]

6 Aubrey's Survey of Surrey, vol. v. p. 236.

"The true Dyfferens betwen the regal! Power and the ecclesiasticall Power. Translated out of Latyn" by Henry Lord Stafforde." Colophon: "Imprynted at London in the Fletestret at the signe of the Rose Garland by Wyllyam Copland."

Dedication: "To the hygh and myghty prynce Edward by the grace of God, duke of Somerset, erle of Hertforde, &c. &c. Henry lord Stafford, to his grace most bounden, wyssheth helth, felicite, with encrease of honour.

"Among other great plages that this realme of Englande encreced whylest the scryptures were unknowen (ryght excellent prynce) there was none greater than that, by mere ignorance of Godes worde by a long processe of yeres, falshed was receyued for trouthe, euyll for good, superstytion for true religyon. Wherof ensued no lesse peryll to oure selfes than manyfest dysorder in the publike estate and governaunce, whylest the people habandonyng the obedience due to theyr soverayn lyege lorde and kyng, dyd in stead of hym adhere and cleve to an usurper and tyrant, who not onely kepe theyr bodyes, but theyr soules also in most

7 Bishop Fox wrote the book "De vera Differentia, &c." says Herbert, though king Henry the eighth gave the finishing stroke to it, after the revising hand of most of the other bishops. See M. Davies, Ath. Brit. p. 43. The king threatens to publish it; and lord Herbert calls it "the king's book." Its passing through so many hands may be the reason, why lord Stafford takes no notice of the author in his dedication. Ty. pogr. Antiq. vol, i. p. 354.

• Plagues.

myserable servytude and subiection, I meane that antechrist and head of all abhomination the bisshop of Rome; whose bondage and thraldom that we be now delyvered and made fre [from]. The hole cause and benefyte is to be ascrybed to the illustration and setting furth of Goddes holy worde. And as the thanke therof is geven to almyghtye God, who admytteth no parteners of his glori; so next unto hym, above all mortal men, are we bound to the worthy prynce of eternall memory kynge Henri the eyght: who, puttyng on the armour of Gods worde, drove out of this realme the wronge usurper of hys power and auctoryte regall, and delyvered his people fro the captyvyte wherin the byshops of Rome hadde longe tyme kept them. Yet lyke as the temple of God in Hierusalem, was begon by Davyd, and fynyshed by Salomon, so many kindes of supersticion wer abolished by the sayd good kyng, and no fewer left to be reformed by hys gracyous and most lawful sonne, oure new soveraygne lorde, kynge Edward the syxt. By whose happy and blyssyd procedynge hytherto, it is evydent to the world that God is his guyd, directyng his passage to the parfectyon of al vertue and godlynes. A notable experyment wherof we have, by the holsom and holy lawes that proceede from his grace in thys hys mynoryte and chyldhed, to the advauncement of Goddes worde and extyrpatyon of al hypocrisy and fals religyon. For the whyche benefyte howmoche the realme of Englande is bounden to hys magesty, my pen cannot suffycyentlye set it furth. But thys must al men confesse, that as long as the memory

BA

therof shal remayne, so long shal the honorable fame and prayses of hys grace be fresshe and grene in al true Englyshmens hartes. Whych I speke, not so moche for the syngular benefytes by your grace extendyd too me prevayle as for the greate wealth and commodyte redoundyng to al men unyversally. Wherfore devysyng wyth my selfe in what wyse I myghte showe my selfe thankful, or at the least not unmyndfull of so ample merytes, me thought I could do nothyng, eyther more gratefull to your grace, or more profytable to my countree, than to helpe forward in this cause of relygyon, and seing the many fold errour and confusyon heretofore sproyng in this realme, by reason that the true dyfference betwene the power regal [and] ecclesiastycal was eyther not wel knowen or not wel defyned, I bethought me of a boke lent me by my frend Master Morison writon in the Laten tongue, wherin the dyfference of those two powers, with the lymytes of eyther of them, is so playnly set oute, so pureli explaned, and so dystinctlye dysclosed by Scriptures, as no man (I suppose) oneles he be to 3 fer drowned in the dregges of popery and superstytion, can be in ony doubt of the throuth; the utylyte of whych worke wel weyed with the late controversy about the same matter, moeved me fyrst to the translation therof; marvaylynge that a matter so prouffytable and necessary to be knowen, shold be so longe suppressed, or that the hygher powers had not in so longe tyme provyded to set hit abrode, as well

[in] the Englyshe tongue as it is in the Latyn. Never the lese, rather than my countre shuld be utterly frustrate of so great fruyte as myght growe by redynge therof, I thought it a well bestoed labour to turn it into Englyshe, the translacion wherof I submyt to the indyfferent judgement of al lerned reders; requerifn]g theyr ayde where eyther I have erred or else not parfytly rendred the sentence of the autor. Wherfore pondryng my weykenes and want of connyng, I praye ayde of your grace, to whome for my better defence, I dedycate my labours, that they may passe forth under your protection; of whome yf in stead of praise I receive pardon of my boldnes, it shalbe to my suffycyent recompence. Almyghty God long preserve your grace, to the advauncement of his glory, to the honoure of the kynges magesty, and prouffyt of his people. Amen."

Bale says of this noble writer, that he was "vir multarum rerum ac disciplinarum notitia ornatus," and that he died in 15584. From Baldwin's Dedication to the Nobilitie, &c. we learn that the first part of the Mirror for Magistrates was licensed through the means of Henry lord Stafford, and part of it imprinted in the reign of queen Mary; "since whych time," says the dedicator, "although I have wanted such helpe as before, yet the said good lorde Stafford hath not ceased to call upon me to publishe so much therof as I had gotten at other mens handes, so that thorough his lordships earnest meanes I have nowe

De Script. Brit. p. 112.