Edmund Grindal to William Whittingham
DATE: 1554 August 11
LOCATION OF ORIGIN: Strasbourg
DESTINATION: Frankfurt
SOURCE: Denbighshire Record Office, Plas Power MSS, DD/PP/839 pp. 29-31
To my verie lovinge frend Mr Whittingham
att Franckeforde.
Salutem in Christo servatore. I thanke you for yo(u)r private letter written to me
received the 10th of Auguste.1
Address not in Troubles. I am verey gladd to heare of the begin(n)ynge
of our church, which I pray Godd encrease & multyplye to his glorie, what
hath be(e)n done concerning your com(m)en letter I suppose is signiffied unto you by
a commen letter agayne.2This refers to the Strasbourg reply [not extant but mentioned in Troubles xiii] to the general letter written by the Frankfurt congregation on 2 Aug. 1554 [DD/PP/839 26-9; Troubles viii-xiii]. And in this respect that ye desyre the churche to be
sufficiently furnisshed with learned ministers we doo all most hartely wisshe
the same & entend to do our endevour it maye so be, with such reasonable
respects as it shall please god to give us: but in that your letter semeth to
charge verie sore all those of our nation students or other which do not
resorte to Franckforde in that I for my parte doo not think it to be allow-able, saving only that I doo so interprete it y(a)t yo(u)r meaning is for sufficient
mynister; & to be sure to spede of some ye require all.3It is not clear if Grindal and the English community at Strasbourg misinterpreted or deliberately misunderstood the Frankfurt congregation's purpose. They treated it more as a call for ministers rather than a demand all English exiles come to Frankfurt. I do know righte
well all hath procedett from goode zeale, but yet ye can consider that
other places are more meete for them that entende to goo forwarde in stu-dies, but I will use no long discourse in that matter, for we take it here
pro confesso. And besides ther be sondrie stats of men who cannot all
[p. 30] resorte to one place & yet being ioyned to some refourmed churche, confes-sing Christe syncerelye, & wher allthoffe thei heare not their owne tonge
yet thei have the townge which thei either understand, or are in the waye
of understanding, thei are not to be altogether disallowed. The French
Church her is very godlie ordered to the which Mr Martyr4Peter Martyr Vermigli who had opened his house to a number of English exiles and around whom the English community in Strasbourg gathered. & all our nati-on resorteth.5This confirms that the whole English community attended the French church, see also Anne Hooper to Bullinger, 22 Sept 1554, O.L. I 111-112. This I speake not to discorage anie that wolde resorte to
our owne churche, but for the reasonable defence of them that be here
students or by their trade of life her(sic) canot well depart hence.
For
myne owne selfe & for the matter ye move to me, I thank you & the reste
of my verie frendes of our companie y(a)t beare mine affection towardes
me, but I shall hartely desire you goode Mr Whittingham to beare with
me, & to move that matter no more, leste ye shulde hinder the matter
att other mens handes. The truthe is so, y(a)t I am fully determined & bent to
bestowe certen tyme in earneste studie, especiallye for the Hebrue townge
which ( I confesse unto you) I do wante. I have at my firste com(m)yng writ-ten to Emanuel at Berna6Emmanuel Tremellius, the renowned Hebraist at Berne, with whom Grindal intended to study Hebrew. to provide a place for me to be with him. I stande
in dowte whether to goo theder at this Myghelmasse, or at the next springe.
I have also taken order with him of whom my exhibition dothe depend for that end & others, so that in no wise can I breake that order. Ther bee men nowe grow-en in yeares & stayed men, married or otherwise, which are not so meete to
travell in studye, & more meete to exercise the rowme. & therefore surelye
ye cannot longe wante such as ye wolde wishe. Indede after a certen tyme
spent this waye, which by goddes grace I entend, which also peradventure will
not be verie longe I entend no lesse but to bestowe the residew of my tyme
(so longe as it shall please Godde to geve me panem ad nescendum & aquam ad bi bendum) there as the Englishe Congregation shall bee. But in the meane tyme
I am utterly determyned (by Goddes grace) to recover parte of the lost tyme
by serving & cowrtyng, & to obteyne suche helpes & meanes as I may bee
more meete to serve hereafter. If I sought com(m)oditee I cannot see but ther
was more licklyhode of com(m)oditees with ye. But in this case I take it to be
Goddes callyng to prosequute the thinges I have entred into, unto the whiche
he hath also geven me such a will; & I dowte not butt he also will geve unto
others the like will to serve yo(u)r desires to whom hee hath geven gifts, and
oportunitee accordinglye.
We have here a copie of Mr Dr Rydleyes awnsuers with thargumentes of
his adversaryes of D. Rydleyes owne pennynge & possible it is to be sette forthe
in prynte in continuance of tyme.7Nicholas Ridley, bishop of London, was in gaol in Oxford but manuscripts in his own hand of the disputes were smuggled out and brought to Grindal. This is probably a reference to Certain godly, learned and comfortable conferences printed in 1555 at Strasbourg, see S. Wabuda on Ridley in ODNB and Ridley's Works. I pray ye do so moche for me as send me
youre copie of his brieffe explications which you have by some trusty frend & I will send it ye agayne. If it come before the marte,8Frankfurt Fair. This probably refers to Ridley's Brief Declaration of the Lord's Supper which it was thought Whittingham translated and was printed in Emden in 1554. I will send it ye
agayne at the marte. & if I can have laysour to copie oute this in the
meane time, I will send ye this att the marte.
I have by advice of some here written to Mr Scoree at Embden9John Scory was in Emden and mentioned receiving a letter from Grindal [not extant] on 2 Sept in his own letter to the Frankfurt congregation of 3 Sept 1554 [DD/PP/839 31-2]. requi-ring him to repaire to Franckfurde to be an helper there, & sente it forward
this daye. If ye wrote a letter to him either publice or privatim, I think it
wolde accelerate him. I have also required him to directe awnswere to
ye with all convenient spede.
I praye you salute Mr Williams, Mr Sutton, Mr Wodde & Mr Gyll,10William Williams, Thomas Wood and Michael Gill had signed the Frankfurt letter of 2 August. Edmund Sutton was one of the original group who arrived in Frankfurt on 27 June 1554. with [p. 31] others as ye thinke goode, thanke Mr Gyll for his letter.11Not extant. I have no matter
worthy writeynge unto him, I dowte not but Jhon Wodde12John Wood, see Garrett Marian Exiles 342-3. tooke perfite or-der with him for his bill. I wishe you in Godde well to fare.
From Strasburge xio Augusti 1554
Yours assuredlye
Edm: Grindall
1 Whittingham's letter, probably sent alongside the general letter from the Frankfurt congregation of 2 Aug. 1554 [DD/PP/839 26-29; Troubles viii-xiii], is not extant.
2 This refers to the Strasbourg reply [not extant but mentioned in Troubles xiii] to the general letter written by the Frankfurt congregation on 2 Aug. 1554 [DD/PP/839 26-29; Troubles viii-xiii].
3 It is not clear if Grindal and the English community at Strasbourg misinterpreted or deliberately misunderstood the Frankfurt congregation's purpose. They treated it more as a call for ministers rather than a demand all English exiles come to Frankfurt.
4 Peter Martyr Vermigli who had opened his house to a number of English exiles and around whom the English community in Strasbourg gathered.
5 This confirms that the whole English community attended the French church, see also Anne Hooper to Bullinger, 22 Sept 1554, O.L. I 111-112.
6 Emmanuel Tremellius, the renowned Hebraist at Berne, with whom Grindal intended to study Hebrew.
7 Nicholas Ridley, bishop of London, was in gaol in Oxford but manuscripts in his own hand of the disputes were smuggled out and brought to Grindal. This is probably a reference to Certain godly, learned and comfortable conferences printed in 1555 at Strasbourg.
8 Frankfurt Fair. This probably refers to Ridley's Brief Declaration of the Lord's Supper which it was thought Whittingham translated and was printed in Emden in 1554.
9 John Scory was in Emden and mentioned receiving a letter from Grindal [not extant] on 2 Sept in his own letter to the Frankfurt congregation of 3 Sept 1554 [DD/PP/839 31-32].
10 William Williams, Thomas Wood and Michael Gill had signed the Frankfurt letter of 2 August. Edmund Sutton was one of the original group who arrived in Frankfurt on 27 June 1554.
11 Not extant.
12 John Wood, see Garrett Marian Exiles 342-3.