To the most distinguished men and brethren esteemed by me in the Lord, Dominus Richard Cox and the other Englishmen who now dwell in Frankfort.¹This letter is also printed – but not from a surviving MS – as Calvin, Ep 2213 = Corpus Reformatorum 15.628-629. There is an English version in A Brieff discours off the troubles begonne at Franckford in Germany Anno Domini 1554 (1574 [reprinted in facsimile Amsterdam: Theatrvm Orbis Terrarvm, 1972]), pp. LI-LIII. I have recorded variants – at tedious length – in my notes to the Latin text.

Greetings. I reply to your letter,²As noted at C.R. 15. 628, this is Ep 2178 = C.R. 15.551-554. excellent men and brethren truly revered by me, more tardily perhaps than your hope and belief required. But when you know that the roads were for some time blockaded by highwaymen, this delay will find ready excuse with you.

Concerning that strife which was quite unhappily stirred up among you, I set forth freely to our most excellent brother Thomas Sampson what I had learned from certain people’s letters. For certain friends lamented in my presence the fact that you [plural] so categorically press the Anglican ceremonies that it is quite clear that you are more in thrall³Or, in a non-pejorative sense, ‘dedicated’, ‘devoted’. to your homeland than is appropriate. I did indeed hear, I admit, that arguments were publicly adduced by you which would not permit a departure from the received form. But their refutation was easy and ready to hand. But, just as I urged my people⁴Ep 2213 ( = E) has ‘those’ instead of ‘my people’, but the reading of the Goodman notebook ( = G) is confirmed by Troubles ( = T). to adapt some things in moderation, if⁵G is again supported by T against E, which reads the reflexive pronoun se in place of si. But the construction in G is odd, while that in E is impossible. I rather suspect that the original was se si, which would give the sense ‘just as I urged my people to bend in restraint if they were in any way able to do so’. they could be, so was I displeased that nothing was in turn conceded or relaxed by your group. But since no accusation against anyone had been made to me,⁶Literally, ‘the name of no one had been recorded for me’. T takes the phrase essentially as I have, reading ‘there was no man named unto me’. I did not dare to interfere, lest my confidence incur the stigma of rashness.

Now I rejoice that in that dispute you have been more humane and amenable and that the whole business has been peacefully settled. Certainly I think that no one endowed with sound judgement will deny that lamps, crosses,⁷G and E read cruces, which I have translated simply as ‘crosses’ to leave open the ambiguity as to whether it refers to the thing or the gesture, but T renders ‘crossings’. and nonsense of that sort flowed from superstition. And so I determine that those who keep these things as a matter of free choice drink too eagerly from the dregs. I do not see what is the point of burdening the Church with silly and useless ceremonies – or, to call them by their proper name, noxious acts – when it will be possible to obtain the liberty of a pure and simple order. But I hold myself in check, lest I seem to arouse fresh strife about a matter which has, as I hear from you, been well settled.

That the pastor and the other ministers have been elected by common suffrage all good people will readily approve, lest others complain that a portion of the church has been snatched cunningly and by devious actions. For you know, in keeping with your prudence, that the greater the praise of which the fairness of the senate is worthy, the greater the ill-will with which you are burdened, if you abuse the obliging nature of those who have such feelings toward your nation.

Yet neither would I like this to be taken as a first judgement, but I prefer to report frankly what is being said than to foster an unfavourable estimate by keeping silent.⁸‘That the pastor and the other ministers ... by keeping silent’ is omitted by E, but is found in T. Indeed, this I do not hide – that in my judgement Knox was dealt with in a manner neither pious nor brotherly, if accusation was brought against him at the secret instigation of certain persons. For it would be better to remain at home than to bring the firebrand of unjust ferocity to distant shores, which would unwillingly be inflamed as well.⁹In the notes to the translation I have given reasons for thinking this should be ‘to bring to distant shores the firebrand of unjust ferocity, which would inflame them – against their will – as well’. But since it is irksome to touch even lightly on faults the memory of which I wish to be buried in perpetual oblivion, I only exhort you, venerable brethren, that, if you perceive that the feelings of certain people have justifiably been rubbed raw, you take care to assuage their vexation.¹⁰In T this has become even stronger and more anti-Cox, as it were, than in the Latin: ‘to make them amendes for the faulte committed’.

When [p. 48] I heard that a certain group wanted to move from there, I gave a diligent warning – as was right – that, if it was not advantageous for all to dwell in the same place,¹¹T is less even-handed, reading ‘iff they coulde not well remaine there’. spatial separation should not dissipate brotherly agreement. For I was afraid that some hidden animosity might remain from your former quarrel. And nothing will be more pleasing to me than to be set free from this fear. For if some by chance were to withdraw to us, I would find sad even the mere suspicion of hidden dissent among you. Therefore I greatly desire that what you write about the restoration of favour is fixed and stable, so that if it should happen that a portion moves elsewhere, you might nonetheless cherish holy friendship though scattered spatially. There has now been more than enough sin that the discord should creep no further.¹²T takes discordia as ablative: ‘although throwgh discorde it [‘the fault alreadie committed’] creepe no further’. Yet it will be the task of your wisdom and fairness – in order that goodwill might be maintained – assiduously to clear away whatever remainder of aversion there will be.

Farewell, brethren worthy of esteem. May the Lord look upon you with his protection, may he direct you with his Spirit, may he present you with his blessing, and may he assuage the sadness of exile. In Geneva. 31 May¹³G, which says literally ‘the day before June’, agrees with T (‘this last off maie’), whereas E gives the date as 12 June – that is, the day before the Ides of June. The classical form of the date given by both G and T would be pridie Kal(endas) Iunias (not Iunii). The agreement between G and T strongly suggests that 31 May is right; perhaps a transcriber (E is not edited from the autograph) was troubled by the absence of one of the peg days (Calends, Nones, Ides) and simply supplied one. 1555. My colleges greet you lovingly.

Your John Calvin¹⁴How do the versions relate to each other? On the whole G and E are quite close together, which encourages the belief that the transmission of the text of the documents in the notebook is essentially sound. E has obviously been processed: it has, for example, been topped and tailed (no initial greeting, no signature) and Knox’s name has been replaced with ‘N[omen]’. Some of the variants are purely transcriptional; this is true, for example, of praescriptum / perscriptum (my note 9 to the Latin text), leniter / leviter (my note 29), and probably of meos / eos (following the m of autem; my note 7). But others – such as novas lites / novum certamen (note 18) or excitare / movere (note 19) – are the sort of changes that could conceivably have been introduced – either way – in a revision between, say, draft and final copy.

Ornatissimis¹⁵I have collated the letter as transcribed here from the Goodman notebook ( = G) against the text printed as Ep 2213 in Calvin’s letters ( = E) and the English version in Troubles begonne at Franckford ( = T). I list all variants of E from G apart from matters of punctuation and orthography. The version in T is in a strong, idiomatic English and so often departs in minor ways from the Latin. Here I have noted all major variants that affect the sense and all readings that might indicate agreement with either G or E where they differ. viris et fratribus mihi in Domino observandis D. Richardo / Coxo et reliquis Anglis qui nunc franfordiae habitant. /

S[alutem].¹⁶Ornatissimis viris ... S[alutem] G ] om. E. (T corresponds to Ornatissimis viris ... habitant, but omits S[alutem]. Litteris vestris eximii viri et mihi vere colendi fratres serius forte quam spes / et opinio vestra ferebat respondeo. Sed cum sciatis vias a latrunculis aliquan-/diu fuisse obsessas, ut nulli fere nuncii hinc ad vos commearent: facilis erit apud / vos[?] hujus morae excusatio. De contentione illa quae inter vos parum feliciter / mota fuerat, libere optimo fratri nostro Thomae Sampson¹⁷Sampson G, T ] Sampsoni E. exposui, quod ex quo-/rundam literis didiceram. Conquesti enim apud me amici quidam fuerant, vos / ita praecise caeremonias Anglicas urgere, ut satis constaret vos plus aequo esse / patriae addictos.¹⁸addictos G, E ] geven and addicte T. (The following notes show a number of examples of doublets, where T has used two words or phrases to represent one in the Latin). Rationes quidem (fateor) audiebam in medium a vobis pro-/ferri, quae a recepta forma discedere non sinerent. Sed earum erat facilis,¹⁹erat facilis G ] facilis erat E. / et prompta²⁰et prompta G ] promptaque E. refutatio. Sicuti autem meos²¹meos G, T (mine owne frindes) ] eos E. qui a vobis dissentiebant hortatus sum, / ut si²²si G, T (somewhat to yelde / yff they might conveniently) ] se E ; se si my conjecture; see note to translation. qua possent moderatione inflecterent: ita mihi displicuit nihil vicissim a / parte vestra concedi vel remitti. Quia vero nullius mihi nomen praescriptum²³praescriptum G ] perscriptum E. (E’s reading is probably better than G’s). fu-/erat, me interponere ausus non sum, ne in temeritatis notam incurreret mea / fiducia. Nunc vos in ipsa disceptatione fuisse magis humanos ac tractabiles / et totum negotium placide fuisse compositum²⁴totum negotium ... compositum G, E ] that ye have (as ye saie) stilled the matter with quietness T. gaudeo. Certe luminaria, cruces, / et eius farinae nugas ex superstitione manasse,²⁵manasse G, E ] sprange or issued T. nemo ut arbitror sano iudicio / praeditus²⁶sane iudicio praeditus G, E ] well instructed or off a sounde Judgement T. negabit. Unde constituo qui eas in libera optione retinent,²⁷retinent G, E ] add. or when they maie otherwise doo T. nimis cu-/pide²⁸cupide G, E ] greedy and desyrous T. ex faece haurire. Nec video quorsum attineat ecclesiam frivolis et inut-/ilibus ceremoniis, vel ut²⁹vel ut G, T (or as) ] ne E. proprio nomine noxias appellem, onerari: ubi puri et /simplicis ordinis libertas obtineri poterit.³⁰obtineri poterit G ] nobis permittitur E. (T is slightly different again: ‘when as there is libertie to have a symple and pure order’). Sed me cohibeo,³¹cohibeo G, E ] keepe in and refraine T. ne de re, ut ex vo-/bis audio, bene transacta novas lites³²novas lites G ] novum certamen E, T (newe contention). excitare³³excitare G ] movere E, T (move). videar. Pastorem³⁴Pastorem et reliquos ... fovere G, T ] om. E. et reliquos / ministros communibus suffragiis electos esse, omnes boni facile approbabunt, / ne querantur alii astute et obliquis actibus partem ecclesiae fuisse oppres-/sam. Nam quò maiore laude digna est Senatus aequitas, eò maiore invidia / vos gravari,³⁵gravari G ] be giltie off / or charged withall T. pro prudentia vestra agnoscitis, si eorum facilitate³⁶facititate G ] lenitie or gentlenesse T. sitis / abusi, qui erga gentem vestram tales affectus gerant. Neque tamen hoc in-/star praeiudicii³⁷instar praeiudicii G ] so ... that I go abowte to be prejudiciall to anie man T. accipi velim. sed quid dicatur ingenue referre malo, quam / sinistram opinionem tacendo³⁸tacendo G ] by silence / or in holdinge my peace T. fovere. Hoc quidem non dissimulo, nec pie nec fra-/terne meo iudicio actum fuisse cum Knoxo,³⁹Knoxo G, T (‘Maister Knox’) ] N. E. si clandestino quorundam instinc-/tu in crimen vocatus est. Praestabat enim manere in patria quam iniustae⁴⁰iniustae G, E ] uniustly T. sae-/vitiae facem in longinquas oras⁴¹oras G ] regiones E; countries T. afferre, quae nolentes quoque inflammentur [[?] –ur uncertain and may be added].⁴²inflamment or inflammentur G ] inflammet E. The original reading of G was probably inflamment, which doesn’t give very good sense. E’s inflammet is better and is probably supported by T’s ‘then uniustly to have brought in to farr countries the fierbrande off crueltie to set on fier those that woulde not be kindled’. G’s original mistake was probably caused by not realizing that the antecedent of quae is fax, not orae. / Caeterum quoniam delicta, quorum memoriam perpetua oblivione sepultam cupio, / vel leniter⁴³leniter G ] leviter E; sleightly T. attingere piget[?]. tantum vos hortabor fratres venerandi,⁴⁴fratres venerandi G ] venerandi fratres E; om. T. ut si quorundam / animos sentitis iure exulceratos esse,⁴⁵ut si ... exulceratos esse G, E ] (not withowt a cause) to be wounded T. (T doesn’t make much sense here, because the translator has struggled valiantly to do something with a text which omits fratres venerandi, ut si quorundam animos sentitis – which probably means that a whole line has been accidently left out in the copy from which he is translating). eorum offensioni placandae⁴⁶eorum offensioni placandae G, E ] to make them amendes for the faulte committed T. operam detis. Cum / audirem[?] partem / [p. 48] audirem partem aliquam velle isthinc migrare, admonui diligenter, ut par erat, / si non omnibus commodum esset eodem habitare in loco, ne locorum distantia -- / fraternum consensum dissiparet.⁴⁷dissiparet G, E ] dissipate / or rent in sunder T. Verebar enim ne qua ex priore contentione / occulta maneret simultas. Ac mihi nihil erit gratius quam hoc metu liberari. / Nam si qui forte ad nos concederent, mihi tristis esset⁴⁸esset G, E ] add. (as it were) T. vel sola occulti inter / vos dissidii suspicio. Ergo quod de reconciliata gratia scribitis firmum sta-/bileque esse magnopere⁴⁹magnopere G, E ] om. T. cupio: ut si contigerit partem alio migrare, locis tam-/en dissiti sanctam amicitiam⁵⁰sanctam amicitiam G, E ] the holie bande off off [sic] amitie T. colatis. Nam ut non longius serpat discordia[?], / iam plus satis peccatum fuit. Vestrae tamen prudentiae et aequitatis erit,⁵¹Vestrae tamen ... erit G, E ] wherefore it shall well beseeme your wisdomes T. ut / benevolentiae⁵²benevolentiae G ] benevolentia E. retineantur, quicquid alienationis erit residuum sedulo purgare. / Valete fratres observandi. Dominus vos praesidio suo tueatur, spiritu suo regat, / benedictione prosequatur et exilii tristitiam mittiget. Genevae. pridie⁵³pridie G, T (‘this last off maie’) ] pridie Idus E. Junii / 1555. Collegae mei vos amanter salutant.⁵⁴Genevae ... salutant G ] Collegae ... salutant. Genevae ... 1555 E; from Geneva ... 1555 T (That is, T omits the greeting from the colleagues). / Joannes Calvinus vester.⁵⁵Joannes Calvinus vester G, T ] om. E.