Answer to a Papistical Exhortation, Dialogue

Answer to a Papistical Exhortation · Dialogue

¶ An answere to a papystycall exhortacyon, pretendynge to auoyde false doctryne, vnderunder that colour to maynteyne the same.

¶ By ther frutes shall ye knowe them.

Math. 7.

EVerye pylde pedlar

Wyll be a medlar

Though ther wyttes be drowsye

And ther lernynge lowsye

Ther meters all mangye

Rashe, rurall, and grangye

Yet wyll they forwarde halte

As menne mased in malte

These vyle cannell rakers

Are now becumme makers

Ther poems out they dashe

With all ther swyber swashe

Ther darnell and ther chaffe

Ther swylle and swynyshe draffe

Soche pype soche melodye

Soche bagge soche beggerye.

Of pylde popyshe facyons

They strowe exhortacions

The people to infecte.

With the sedes of ther secte

Pretendynge to dyffyne

Agaynst the false doctryne

But soche dyrtye geare

Ded menne neuer heare.

They teache nat in meter

With Paule Iohan and Peter

The worlde to edyfye

With goddes worde christenlye

But scripturs they depraue

As madde men that do raue

They daunce with the deuyll

To magnysye ther euyll

They drysle forth a dramme

As he that to Christ camme

To trappe hym in a snare

Forsoth it is fonde ware

Let christen menne take hede

VntoUnto ther wycked sede

For they seke for to blynde

The syllye symple mynde,

The papystes tytle. An exhortacy on to auoyde false doctryne.

The papyste.

My mynde can not perfughtelye endyre

Neyther my penne can trewlye wryte

As my hart doth desyre.

The cause onlye is for lacke of syght

In lernynge that is so perfyght and bryght

Wherfore pardō of good mē I requyred

The chrystiane.

Your penne and your mynde

Are both of one kynde

And fyt for soche an hart

As owle in the nyght

Without gostly syght

Ye playe a knauyshe part.

Attendite a falsie prophetis qui venisitad vos.Math. 7.Matt 7

Of soche wolues beware

As laye forth a snare

Of outwarde holynes.

Queritis interficere hominē q veritatē locuiꝰ.Ioh…. 8.

For they do nat elles

But playe the rebelles

Agaynst goddes ryghteousnes.

The papyste.

If any man els be greued with thys

Let them take it euen as it is

And I praye God them to amende

I thynke with charyte them to tell

As I fynde written in the gospell

To the lawe of God we shuld attends.

The chrystiane.

Lyke a braynyshe dolte

Ye shote forth your bolte

As bolde as bayarde blynde

ye louelove the gospell

As the deuyll of hell

Here after we shall it fynde

Attendite popule meus legem meam.Psal. 77Ps 77

Attende to goddes lawe

And to hys worde drawe

All you that faythfull be

Cauete a fermento Phariseorsi quid est hipo.Luc. 12.Luke 12

The leuen eschewe

Of pharisees vntrewe

Yf ye louelove the veryte.

The papyste

Some of late with them selues perswaded

Out of the shalowe so fayre they waded

That they felt no grounde.

They had thought vsus to hauehave blynded

And of the trewth vsus to hauehave wynded

But now ther deceytes be founde.

The chrystiane.

If people be yll

They shall be so styll

For ought that ye brynge here

Your doctryne is chaffe

Your ryme dyrtye draffe

It is vnsauerye gere.

Linguis suis do lose agebant, iudica illos.Rom. 3.Rom 3

The language of lyes

A false harlot tryes

To seke a wycked praye.

Sicut nouacula acutafecisti dolum.Psa. 51.Ps 51

With colours to carpe

As a rasour sharpe

To wype goddes treuth awaye.

The papyste.

Let no manne be so styffe necked

To thinke him self so hyghly in lerning decked

Standynge in hys owne conceyte.

For yf thou or he be in the wronge

Thou nor he can not be so stronge

But the deuyll for the hath a beyte.

The chrystiane.

Stande you where ye lyst

Ye are a papyst

In lernynge verye basse

To cum for refuge

To soche a pylde iuge

Is for to seke an asse.

Si lumen quod in te est tenebre sint.Math 6.Matt 6

Your myndes are so darke

Ye seke but the barke

And therin ye remayne.

Velamen positum est super cor eorum.2. cor. 3.

Ye holde fast the letter

And wyll hauehave no better

The spyryt ye do dysdayne.

The papyste

Ther were heretykes that neuer wolde cease

But from vsus to take vnyte and peace

So amonge vsus they dyd fyght.

In ther blyndenes so farre gone they were

That of God they had no dought or fere.

All to destruccion was ther delyght.

The chrystiane.

Is ther one alyue

Which canne ye depryue

Of that ye neuer hadde▪

Of stryfe and debate

Sedicion and hate

Your kynde was euer gladde.

Contritio & infelicitas in vijs eorum.Psal. 9.Ps 9

Ye labour and speake

To destroye and breake

The vyneyarde of the lorde

Vinea domini exercituum domus Israel est.Esa. 5.Isa 5

Of the losse therof

Ye make a but a scof

As Esaye doth recorde.

The papyste.

Christ wylleth vsus to take good hede

Of these seducers for we had nede

To…e the scripture and se.

From ther folowers let vsus refrayne

For small charyte in them remayne

As semeth vntounto me.

The chrystiane.

Your self is the sede

Of deceytfull wede

As your frutes doth report

For lesse charyte

In men can not be

Than in your popyshe sort.

Nemo vos seducatinan ibus verbis.Eph. 5.Eph 5

The false craftye spyes

Come in with ther lyes

All men of them beware

Venit hora, vt omnis qui interficit vos.Ioh. 16.John 16

They hauehave not ther fylle

Tyll they slee and kylle

No innocentes they spare.

The papyste.

And a man agaynst them wryte or speke

Some ther be wyll hym cruelly intrete

I maruele they are so bolde

Ther was a thynge made of late

Some had indignacion therate

And openly beganne to scolde.

The chrystiane.

Whan we fynde ye bolde

In your poperye olde

Therof we do ye telle

Your poetes we touche

For shakynge ther pouche

And shewe wherof they smelle.

Imitantur illum, qui sunt ex parte illius.Sap. 2.

They folowe the deuyll

Which seke to do euyll

And are vponupon hys syde.

Vos expatre diabolo estis, & opera.Ioha 8.

The proude papystes all

With the prestes of ball

Do take hym for ther gyde.

The papyste.

But trewly it shall not a whyt sliylle

Let them bable euen ther fylle

It is so hote it maye not abyde.

For an heretyke wyll they defende

By the kynges lawes iustly condempne

And saye a christen man he dyed.

The chrystiane.

Who are more bablars

And frautycke fablars

Than pratlynge papystes be ?

We knowe none heretykes

Nor trayterous scysmatykes

But your affinite.

Nunquid potest homoignē abscōdere in sinue

The bosome hath fyreProu. 6.Prov 6

Of fleshly desyre

Where spirituall fathers be▪

Masculi relicto naturali vsu femine exarserunt.Rom. 1.Rom 1

With conscience aduste

They burne in ther luste

And worke moche vanyte.

The papyste.

Some be afrayed hys confession to shew opēly

In prynte the… wyll nat hauehave it verely

The cause ones knowne.

To hys part them selues somwhat bent

Now they fere they shall be shent

Soche gostlye sedes had they sowne.

The chrystiane.

Ye geue dyrte for flynte

The thynge is in prynte

That ye gruge at so sore

It is nat vnknowne

What sedes ye hauehave sowne

In thys realme here tofore.

Quod timetimpius, veniet supereum,Pro. 10.Prov 10

That the wycked dought

Shall lyght on ther snought

Ther churche must hauehave a fall.

Omnis plantatio quam non plantauit pate… ▪Math. 15Matt 15

What God hath not sowne

Nor the gospell knowne

Shall be turned ouer all.

The papyste.

Wo be to them that fayne so outwarde

And be so pestylent enuyous inwarde

To a graue maye I lyke them in dede.

That is without set full of goodly stones

Within full of stynkynge rotten bones

Loke the gospell and tede.

The christiane.

Lyke these, ratte, and mouse

The poore wydowes house

Your bellyes doth deuoure

Ye sucke vppe the fatte

For straynynge a gnatte

In your vsurped poure.

Ve vobis, quia similes estis sepulcris de albatis.Mat. 23.Matt 23

Who are the whyght graues

But soche romyshe knaues

And paynted hypocrytes.

Audite verbum domini principes sodomorū,Esa. 1.Isa 1

As vnderunder pretence

Of chaste contynence

Do playe the sodomytes.

The papyste.

They that be full of iniquyte

Shall neuer com in christes companye

Except they do amende.

God commaundeth those people to walke

That agaynst men maliciouslye do talke

And with peace do contende.

The chrystiane.

If Christe do refuse

All soche as abuse

The glorye of hys name

Ye chaplaynes of ball

Must nedes hauehave a fall

And come to vtter shame

Discedite a me omnes q operamini iniquitatē.Math. 7Matt 7

Ye lobbryshe lurkars

And ydle workars

Hence fro me, sayth the lorde

Frustra me colunt docentes doctrinas.Marc. 7.Mark 7

Your owne wayes ye vse

And my lawes refuse

Lyke as your frutes recorde.

The papyste.

Some heretylico of late as I thynke

Wer lothe that ther flesh shuld stynke

Aboue the erthe or within

They loked euer and hoped for a daye

But they were brent all thre by the waye

And taken in ther owne gynne.

The christiane.

Attraytours ye wynke

Natfelynge ther stynke

So many as hath bene

For a daye they wrought

Whan ye no lesse thought

Ye maye knowe what I mene.

In insidijs suis capiuntur inique▪ &c▪Pro. 10.Prov 10

In your popyshe maske

The grande captayne aske

Was trapped in hys turne

Durum est tibi contra stimulum calcitra▪act. 9.

Ye maye se by thys

What daunger it is

Agaynst goddes ▪trewth to spurne

The papyste.

To speke of good workes it were a shame

They loued not to heare of that name

But sola fides and none other

Ther tonges ranne so moche vponupon fayth

But ther hartes were farre thēs as Crist sayth

Ther lyppes and hartes were farre a sonder

The chrystiane.

They neuer denyed

Soche workes as fayth tryed

But your apyshe fantasyes

Your tunges and your hartes

Paye neyther good partes

In your lattyn memoryes.

Populus hic labijs me honorat cor eorum,Exe. 33.

Your labour of lyppes

Is so drye as chyppes

God doth it nat esteme.

Vostransgredimini mandatum dei propterMath. 15Matt 15

Ye leaue goddes precepte

To hauehave your owne kepte

Wherin ye do blaspheme.

The papyste.

Yf thou wylt take the byble boke

And vponupon saynt Iames pystle loke

Ther you shall I trowe se

How fayth is ther trewly applyed

And good workes with hym tyed

Se how they do agre.

The chrystiane.

Paule only of fayth

Of workes saynt Iames sayth

God doth vsus iustifye

Before God fayth thanne

And workes before manne

Concludeth thys controuersye.

Fides sine operibus mortua est,Iaco. …2.

The workes that you make

Trew fayth do nat wake

For why they are but chaffe.

Nolite margaritas ponere ante porcos,Math. 7Matt 7

Goddes worde doth diffyne

That ye are but swyne

Yefede in s…oylle and draffe.

The papyste.

Yf thou wylt a faythfull christen man be

Loke thou hauehave fayth, hope, and charyte

And do thou good for yll

Let thy mouthe & thy hart be without enuye

That pleaseth God & the kyng let it please the

And hys mynde fulfyll.

The chrystiane.

All one are those thre

And neuer dysgre

Wher fayth is roted fast

Our lorde God and kynge

Ye hauehave wayed nothynge

In your olde practyse past.Pro. 24Prov 24

Time dominum filimi, & regem

My sonne of all thynge

Feare God and thy kynge

Thus Salomon doth saye.

Achitophel contra Dauid consilium dedit▪2. re. 17.

With achitophell

Ye papystes rebell

And all your kynges betraye.

The papyste.

To speke of holy breade and holy water

I intende not to medle with that mater

But leaue it as it is

Let vsus one for an other praye

With good hope as longe as we maye

That we maye com to heuyns blys

The chrystiane.

Olde hooles do nat cloute

Least ye be spyed oute

But tarrye yet a tyme

Heuyn wyll nat be gote

With your psalmes by note

Yt is to hygh to clyme.

Tu domine singulariter in speconstituistime,Psal. 4.Ps 4

All they hope in vayne

That styll do remayne

In the dregges op popyshe lawes.

Sapientia huius mundi stultitia est apud deum…. cor. 3.

Lyue they neuer so longe

Ther fryndes here amonge

They shall dye verye dawes.

The papyste.

To praye for them that thys worlde hath past

I thynke surelye we maye not be agast

Loke the scripture of I lye.

Rede the Machabees softlye thorow oute

And ye shall fynde it no doute

Yf you your dylygencs do applye.

The chrystiane.

Where Christ set no waye.

For dead men to praye

It canne not them auayle

That the Machabees tell

Shall be no gospell

Where other scripturs fayle.

Salubris est cogitatio pro defunctis exorate.2. ma. …2

To make any mone

For soules that are gone

It is vnfaythfulnes

Iustorum anime in manu dei sunt.…api. 3.

For they fele no rodde

In the handes of godde

But peace and quyetnes.

The papyste.

I wryte not thys intendynge to preche

Neyther takynge vponupon me any mā to teche

My lernynge is not mete

But because vnderunder holy pretente

We shuld not hyde these heretykes offence

But treade it vnderunder our fete.

The christiane.

Ye vtter soche trashe

And pylde haberdashe

As laye longe in your mynde

But loke ye styll hyde

All treason and pryde

Of your olde popyshe kynde.

Noui… dominus viam iustorū, & iter impiorū.Psal. 1.Ps 1

All wayes of the iuste

The lorde hath discuste

The prestes dwell in ther dreames

Dereliquerunt fontem aque viue, & foderunt.Hie. 2.

In ther donge they lye

Lyke boores in a stye

For mudde they leaue the streames.

The papiste.

They that thynke that barnes was holy

In ther braynes ther is great foly

Iuge other men what they canne

Surely he was by hym self alone

To contende with hym duest not one

He was so proper a manne.

The christiane.

As Paule doth recorde

We are of the lorde

To hym we stande or fall

Take hede least ye swerue

For he doth reserue

Ryght iugement for ye all

Abhominantur imp… eos, qui in recta via sunt.Eccl. …

Ye wycked papystes

In your drowsye mystes

Abhorre the symple sort

Quid nam est hoc? quae doctrina hec nouaMarc. 1…Mark 1

Ye do not regarde

Goddes worde to be harde

But geue it yll report.

The papyste.

But yf the deuyll were here and brent

Some wolde hym pyteously lament

In ther hartes they be so kynde

Hys confession shuld be kept as treasure

And with some beleued aboue measure

They are now so blynde.

The christiane.

If they take hys part

That scripture peruart

Stande you amonge hys fryndes.

A dyrtye beleue

To the blynde ye geue

To recreate ther myndes

Non est in ore eorum veritas, cor eorum van….Psal. 5.Ps 5

Your fayth is so weake

No treuth can ye speake

But hate all godly wayes

O pastor & idolum derelinquens gregem.Zach. 11Zech 11

Ye robbe christes flocke

And geue them a mocke

In all your iuglynge playes.

The papyste,

All yll thoughtes in our hartes let vsus eschue

And lyke trew subiectes to our prince cōtynue

We shall fynde it ease.

To hys pleasure let vsus inclyne

And not agaynst hys actes to repyne

So God we shall please.

The chrystiane.

The false foxe that gawde

Doth compas some frawde

By hys false statterynge toyes

Dyslemblars vntrewe

Many prynces rewe

Amonge these worldly Ioyes

In cogitatione tua regi non detraha…Eccl. 10.Eccl 10

Who doth a kynge hate?

But papystes that prate

Agaynst all godlynes

Sacerdotes beliscum suis cōcubinis in posturā.Dani. 14

Bellys dyrtye dyuynes

With ther concubynes

Hath wrought all fylthynes.

The papyste.

Ther is not in the worlde so wyde

Set thys lyttle lande asyde

That hath so noble and gentle a kynge.

Wherfore let vsus all in one praye

Euen to God both nyght and daye

That longe maye he ouer vo be …aygnynge.

The chrystiane.

God saue christen kynges

From your practisynges

For myschef ye intende

Erom haters of treuth

Good seldom enseuth

Our prynce the lorde defende

Beatate▪ ra, cuius rex nobilis est.Eccl. 10.Eccl 10

Happy is that soyle

Wher christen men toyle

VnderUnder a faythfull kynge

Irritum fecistis pactum leui, propter quod▪Mal. 2.Mal 2

Where prestys do remayne

And scripture dysdayne

It is an heuy thynge.

Finis.

☞ The appendyce or conclusyon.

NO bussarde so blynde

But now sperueth hys mynde

Now cometh hagge and tagge

And shaketh out ther bagge

They turne out ther trashe

And shew ther haberdashe

Ther pylde pedlarye

And scalde scullerye.

Our olde romyshe ruste

Leapeth out of the duste

With a cankred face

All voyde of goddes grace

Thynkynge ones agayne

In Englande to reyne

And be hadde in pryce

To maynteyne all vyce.

Ser Iohan now is bolde

In yche place to scolde

Where men do not care

For pylde popyshe ware

He doth them accuse

And saye they refuse

The lawes of the lorde

Bryngynge false recorde

They hauehave a new caste

The scripturs to wraste

And wrynge out of frame

To ther vtter shame

From treuth they do swerue

Ther purpose to serue

And care not for godde

Nor hys ryghtfull rodde.

Lorde pyte thy flocke

Whome now the prestys mocke

Sturre vppe prynces hartes

To stande on ther partes

Least papystes hauehave powre

Thy lammes to deuowre

Whome vponupon the rood

Thou boutest with thy blood.

Amen.

☞ God saue the kynge.

End of the text · John Bale, Answer to a Papistical Exhortation (1548)