Chapter VI: A Change for Miles

MILES PATON found that life at the university with very little money in his pocket was a hard one. In spite of what had been told him, that the translation of the Bible into English would be a breach of the law of the Church, he resolved to do what he could to give to others the light he had learned to prize so dearly. And so he set to work upon the translation of the Gospel of St. Matthew. Of this he managed to make several copies, and sold them to friends. The first completed copy he sent to his sister, and she did not forget to repay him handsomely for his gift. But for this, and the kindness of friends and fellow-students, he could not have remained at Oxford, but now he felt more unwilling than ever to leave what seemed to him now the very centre of the world. For news of what was going on in a distant German university town found its way here in the course of a few months, and the name of Luther—who was causing such a stir in the far away town of Wittenberg—was talked of here in Oxford almost as eagerly as though he belonged to the sister university of Cambridge.

But the news set men not merely talking, but strongly denouncing or warmly approving what was being said and done by this new teacher. Nothing less than vehement approval or strong denunciation could express what men felt upon this matter; for, in the pamphlets brought over and handed round from one friend to the other, Luther denounced, not merely the abuses of the Papacy, but the Papacy itself.

The infallibility, the authority, and the truth of the doctrines of the Romish Church were denied and scoffed at in the most vigorous language, and, in proof of his assertions, this bold monk quoted Scripture as the authority that what he said was true. That the people might know the truth in this quarrel he promised that the New Testament should be translated into the language of the people, that they might read and judge for themselves in this matter.

"Well, that is fair enough," said Miles, when one of his student friends told him of the crowning enormity, as he considered it.

"What! you would put the Gospels into the hands of the common people?" exclaimed his friend.

"Yes, indeed! if I could, every farmer and every man at the plough should have his Gospel to read when the day's work was done."

"And where would the ploughing be if such a thing could be done? But there, the Church will never allow it," said his friend, in a calmer tone.

Not merely among university students did the conflict of talk rage with ever increasing fury, but the King himself must needs enter the lists against Luther, and in defence of the Church he wrote a book, which he called "The Assertion of the Seven Sacraments." Whether it added very much to the enlightenment of mankind upon the points in dispute was of small moment. It served the statecraft of Pope Leo the Tenth to make much of its royal author, and he had the title of "Defender of the Faith" conferred upon him—a title which every English sovereign has held since—empty of all meaning as it has long since become.

Miles, and many greater men than he, saw with dismay that what they had hoped would be a gradual enlightening of the people from the new learning, would now be a bone of contention and bitterness over which all the angry passions of men would rage and roar. It was evident that this quarrel of friars would become a quarrel of nations, and of friends and families, for already some of his old friends began to breathe the hateful word "heretic" against Miles, because he had taken sides with Luther so far as to say that it was fair for people to have the Scriptures to read for themselves, that they might judge who was in the right—Luther or the Pope.

It was some comfort to Miles to reflect that the man who guided the destinies of England, both civil and religious, was a friend to the new learning, and was doing all he could to foster it. Not only here at Oxford was the great Cardinal Wolsey doing what he could to further the cause of education, but at his own town of Ipswich he had founded a grammar school, much after the pattern of that founded by the good Dean of St. Paul's in London—Dr. Colet. And so, schools being provided for poor lads, who could not otherwise get a good education, they might hope that men would learn to judge fairly and righteously in this quarrel.

The practical outcome of it, so far as Miles was concerned, was to make him the more eager to copy his Gospel, not merely for the money the sale brought him, but because he was anxious to multiply copies of it, that more of those to whom the Greek language was unknown might be able to read it in English.

But while he toiled, and almost starved sometimes, he did not forget the mason's labourer working at the Cardinal's college. Some portion of it was already opened, and professors had been installed in some of the chairs, and more students were flocking to Oxford than ever, drawn thither by the fame of the new college and the wealth that had been lavished upon it.

Among those who thus publicly lectured was John Clark, a Cambridge master of arts, learned and conscientious; and he took the Greek Testament of Erasmus as the basis of many of his lectures. To meet a student like Miles was a joy to the new lecturer; and he soon heard of the young man's difficulties, and resolved to help him at the first opportunity; and this presented itself earlier than he anticipated.

To complete his college, Wolsey had obtained a bull from the Pope to suppress the monastery of St. Frideswide, and several smaller monasteries as well. This had caused an outcry among those who wished to see the old state of things continued, and some difficulty had arisen, which required the despatch of a messenger of some intelligence, not merely to carry despatches to the Cardinal, but to explain some matters to him by word of mouth, that could hardly be committed to paper; and Miles was recommended by his friend Master Clark as a suitable person to perform the delicate mission.

"This may prove an opening into a new life to you, my lad," said his friend, when he sent for Miles and explained that he was to go to London, and would probably see the great Cardinal himself. "The errand upon which you are going is a special one, and the future usefulness of this college depends much upon the despatch and skill you may exercise in getting these papers placed in the hands of the Cardinal himself without delay."

"Thank you for entrusting me with such an errand," said Miles, bowing before his master and friend. "I will do my utmost to fulfil your wishes. How soon am I to start?"

"To-morrow at daybreak a party of travellers will set off for London, and it is desirable that you should join them. But we do not wish it known that you are going to York House, where the Cardinal is living just now; and so another missive has been prepared for Bishop Tunstall. This also must be delivered, but your errand is to the Cardinal first. Place yourself in his hands, and whatever he directs you are to do. If he decides that another messenger shall be sent to the Bishop, then let it be so. He is to decide. His will must be law."

Of course Miles felt pleased to be chosen for such a mission, and he went at once to prepare for his journey.

He went to his own room at the college first, and packed up all his translations, for as it was pretty well decided now that for a man to translate the Scriptures into English was to proclaim himself a heretic, he resolved to take all these compromising papers with him, securely placed inside the lining of his doublet, for he began to fear that persecution such as had fallen upon the followers of Wickliffe a hundred years before might occur again, if this ferment continued over the sayings and doings of the German monk Luther.

Having settled his more private affairs, he went to the hostelry from whence travellers usually started on their journey to the south, and where he hoped he should find other travellers going in the same direction.

"A large party will leave by six o'clock to-morrow morning," said the landlord, in answer to Miles' enquiry; and then he went once more to tell Master John Clark that he had made all needful preparations for his journey, and to receive the despatches he was to carry.

"Now, if it be possible, I want you to let the Cardinal know that we are in no fear of the teaching of Martin Luther here. The new learning will not be disturbed in Oxford by—"

"But it is disturbed," interrupted Miles.

The elder man smiled. "Students' discussions are like a brawling brook after summer rain. What we desire is that there shall be no hindrance put in the way of the free circulation of God's Word, but we want it done quietly, peaceably, and the Cardinal alone can hinder or help forward this work. But say no word to His Eminence of what you yourself have been doing, for he would think you unfit for such a task, and I have told you before that there is danger in it, for the Church is very jealous lest the unlearned should attempt what she claims to be her own prerogative. I hope and believe that the aim of the Cardinal is the same as ours, but he is a man of affairs, and understands the temper of the times better than we do; and so I would have you watch and be wary, but true to God and the new learning above all things."

"I will not fail to keep your counsel in mind," said Miles, thanking him for all his kindness.

A good sum of money having been given to him to meet the expense of the journey, Miles turned his steps toward his own room once more, smiling to himself as he went, for Master Clark, by his lectures and teaching, was fast earning for himself the name of heretic. He was wise, perhaps, to bid Miles be wary and careful of what he said and did, but he deemed his own position gave authority to teach the unsearchable riches of Christ revealed in the Scripture; and he could honestly thank God that such a man as the great Cardinal Wolsey was at the head of Church and State.

At this time the whole direction of English home and foreign affairs rested with Wolsey alone. As Chancellor he stood at the head of all public justice; and, as Cardinal Legate, all ecclesiastical affairs, instead of being referred to Rome, came into his hands as the Pope's representative for this realm.

This suspension of the custom of sending weighty appeals to Rome served a useful purpose later on, when the time came for the King to declare that his kingdom should sever from the Church of Rome, and he himself would be the head of the English Church. For men had grown accustomed to this state of things under Cardinal Wolsey, and the Cardinal frequently declared that he held all this vast power for the King, and at his will; and so he was slowly but surely preparing the way for the greatest blow to be dealt at the Church of Rome it had ever received.

No such intention was dreamed of by the Cardinal, who carefully insisted, not only that the King could do no wrong, but that the property and persons of his subjects were his also, and that a man had no right to more than the King thought fit not to take from him. And these maxims were being practically carried out in matters of State policy by the man who now ruled in both Church and State.

So he forged the fetters to bind England's liberty with one hand, and with the other sowed the seed that should burst them asunder; for the new learning owed much to the fostering care of the great Cardinal, and he was ready to join hands with Colet in improving its education.

Miles joined the party of travellers early next morning, and to be on horseback once more and out in the open country was in itself sufficient to fill him with delight. He had always loved to be out beside the budding hedgerows, or watching the springing corn at the dear old home, which he might never see again perhaps, for his father had written to tell him never again to show his face at Paton Hall, and he had not dared to brave his father's displeasure, beyond writing a letter to his mother, which his father had sent back unopened. Visions of his home rose before him as his horse plodded on and disturbed the sheep that were grazing just over the hedge.

The sight of the sheep in such numbers, and in such widely extended pastures, was not a pleasant one to Miles, for he knew the sorrow and ruin that had been wrought in the old cornfields to bring this about. A bitter feeling crept into his heart, and he wondered what would be the end of this greed for money if it was not speedily checked.

He did not have much to say to any of the party journeying with him except to one young man about his own age, who, after their first halt at a wayside tavern, became more cordial in his manner towards Miles when he found that he was an Oxford student.

He had been on a visit to some friends at Oxford it seemed, and as a great favour had been taken to hear some of the lectures of Master John Clark, who was just now attracting a great deal of notice in the university.

"But I don't like him or his teaching at all," said the young man, before Miles had time to utter a word of comment. "He teaches very dangerous doctrines, my uncle says, and he ought to know, for he is the best tallow chandler in the town."

Miles looked his surprise at the young man's words. "Most men are glad to hear such truths as Master Clark preaches," he said.

"Then they haven't got trades that this teaching will ruin," said the young man, frankly. "Now, my father is candlemaker to a good many of the churches in London, and, of course, we don't want the old state of things disturbed. What would become of the honest trade of candlemaking if people were to believe that there was no good in having candles and Masses for the dead? Why, we sell more candles for the dead than we do to give light to the living," said the young fellow, and he felt half-offended that Miles could not take precisely the same view of the matter that he did. "It is no better than robbery for a priest to stand up and tell people that they ought not to buy candles for the funerals and Masses. This new learning is like to prove a great curse to the world if it is suffered to get into the hands of the poor and unlearned," he added.

"But why should the Gospel be kept from the poor? Surely they need it even more than the rich," answered Miles.

His fellow traveller shrugged his shoulders. "I know it will be a bad day for us candlemakers when the poor hear such preaching as this of Master John Clark, for think you they will half starve themselves to buy a good stock of candles for mother or father if they think they can do just as well without them? I trow not; and it is not the rich so much as the poor who keep our business brisk."

Miles tried to make his new friend see that this was a very selfish policy, but the young man contended that without candles the world would not be a fit place to live in, and certainly no candlemaker could make a living at his trade if he did not have to supply the churches and funerals. And so the world would have to go without candles if ever the people were so foolish as to follow the counsel of men like Master Clark.

Miles laughed outright at this view of the matter, which half-offended his fellow traveller. But though he laughed, he thought of what he had heard, and began to see that not only the priests and monks would combine to uphold the present condition of things, but all who made a profit out of the people's ignorance would combine to keep them ignorant if they could.