ngland, and whose favour he desired to
secure and indeed was confident of securing. For once he had something
to ask for himself, permission to land in England on his way back to his
native country; and greatly desired that a favourable representation of
his case might be made to Queen Elizabeth, who was naturally prejudiced
against him by his famous Blast against the Monstrous Regiment of Women.
The following letter was written from Dieppe in April 1559 with the hope
of procuring these favours from the great statesman.

"As I have no plaisure with long writing to trouble you, Rycht
Honourable, whose mind I know to be occupied with most grave
matters, so mind I not greatly to labour by long preface to
conciliate your favour, which I suppose I have already (howsomever
rumours bruit the contrarie) as it becometh one member of Christ's
body to have of another. The contents, therefore, of these my
presents shall be absolved in two points. In the former I purpose to
discharge in brief words my conscience towards you, and in the other
somewhat I must speik in my own defence and in defence of that poor
flock of lait assembled in the most godly Reformed church and city
of the world Geneva. To you Sir, I say, that as from God ye have
received life, wisdom, honours and this present estate in which ye
stand, so ought you wholly to employ the same to the advancement of
His glory, who only is the Author of life, the fountain of wisdom,
and who, most assuredly, doth and will honour those that with simple
hearts do glorify Him; which, alas, in times past ye have not done;
but being overcome with common iniquity ye have followed the world
in the way of perdition. For to the suppressing of Christ's true
Evangell, to the erecting of idolatrie, and to the shedding of the
blood of God's dear children, have you by silence consented and
subscribed. This, your most horrible defection from the truth known
and once professed, hath God to this day mercifully spared; yea, to
man's judgement He hath utterly forgotten and pardoned the same. He
hath not entreated you as He hath done others (of like knowledge),
whom in His anger (but yet most justly according to their deserts)
He did shortly strike after their defection. But you, guilty in the
same offences, He hath fostered and preserved as it were in His own
bosom. As the benefit which ye