Hugh Latimer (1490-1555), with Cranmer and Ridley, is remembered as one
of the most notable martyrs of the Reformation. He was utterly fearless
in an age of grim persecutions, more noted for candour than tact. Once
he had been convinced of the truth of the movementfor reform, nothing
could prevent him from declaring it. But he was as much concerned about
the social evils of his time as about theological verities. Above all,
he could communicate his beliefs with superb assurance. In forceful
language, interspersed with homely images and references to his own
everyday experiences, he made sure that his audience, whether King and
court or rural peasantry, was left in no doubt of his meaning. He knew
what men felt, without sparing their feelings. Latimer's is as much a
living voice today as it was in his own time.
ARTHUR POLLARD edited selections from Richard Hooker's Ecclesiastical
Polity for FyfieldBooks. He was educated at Leeds and Oxford and taught
at Manchester before becoming Professor of English at Hull in 1967.
Since his retirement he has continued to research and publish in
Victorian studies and in the area of religion. In 1966 he was Literary
Editor of the Anglican Hymn Book.
