Comedy Concerning Corruption of Three Laws of Nature by Sodomites, Song – Colophon
A songe vponupon Benedictus Compyled by Iohan Bale.
BEnedictus dominus, Deus Israel,
Whych hath ouerthrowne, the myghty Idoll Bel,
The false god of Rome, by poure of the Gospell,
And hath prepared, from the depe lake of hell,
Redemptionem plebis sue.
Et erexit cornu, of mercy helth and grace,
That cruell tyraunt, now clerely to deface,
Whose bloudy kyngedome, demynysheth apace,
By the worde of God, whych lately hath take place.
In domo Dauid pueri sui,
Sicut locutus est, the lorde celestyall,
That Romysh Antichrist, is lyke to hauehave a fall,
With hys whole table, of sectes dyabolycall,
And now the nombre, wyll florysh ouer all,
Prophetarum eius.
Salutem exinimicis, now we maye dayly heare,
The enemyes of Christ with hym doth wytnesse beare
Saul is become a paule, and preacheth eueryevery wheare,
Now maye we receyue, most heauenly wholsom geare
De manu eorum qui derunt nos.
Ad faciendam, misericordiam,
The sonne of our God, from hys hygh glory cam,
To redeme the synne. of the chyldren of Adam,
And to remembre, to faythfull Abraham,
Testamenti sui sancti.
Iusiurandum, whych God hath made afore,
VntoUnto our fathers, he wyll kepe euermore,
Promesed he hath, if we regarde hys lore,
Forsakynge the pope, with hys dampnable store,
Daturum se nobis.
Vt sine timore, from Romysh tyrauntes fre,
The lorde graunt vsus grace, that we maye speakers be,
Of hys holy worde, and therin to agre,
That in the Gospell, and christen lyberte,
Seruiamus illi.
In sanctitate, and purenesse of lyfe,
Lete vsus now trauayle, both mayden man and wyfe,
All ryghtwys doynges, in vsus be euer ryfe,
That we perseuer, without debate or stryfe,
Omnibus diebus nostris.
To puer propheta, elected of the lorde,
Kynge Edwarde the sixt, to hauehave Gods lawe restorde,
Folowest Iosias, therof to take recorde,
In all thy doynges, and in Gods holy worde,
Parare vias eius.
Ad dandam scientiam, for mennys helth & sauegarde
Christes holy Gospel, by theis frelye hearde,
Wherin doth consyst, their lyfe and full rewarde,
With preseruacyon, from daungerouse icoparde,
Peccatorum eorum.
Per uiscera, misericordiae,
Christ our dere master, vsus dayly ouerse,
Least we here perysh, in our myquyte.
Our medyatour, contynually is he,
Oriens exalto.
Illuminare, swete lorde we the desyre,
To men in darkenesse, and in the popysh myre,
Lete not hys baggage, thy faythfull seruauntes tyre,
But vsus delyuer, from them and from hell fyre.
In uiam pacis.
Amen.
The commaundementes breuelye.
LoueLove thy lorde God. Sweare thu non othe.
Thy sabbath kepe, Please thy fryndes bothe.
Wytnes non yll. Holde no mannys wyfe.
Brybe no mannys good. Slee not with knyfe.
Wysh no mannys howse. Nor oxe nor asse.
As thu wylt hauehave, So thu lyke casse.
Thus endeth thys Comedy concernynge thre lawes, of Nature, Moses, and Christ, corrupted by the Sodomytes Pharisees & papystes most wycked. Compyled by Iohan Bale. Anno M. D. XXXVIII, and lately inprented per Nicolaum Bamburgensem
End of the text · John Bale, Comedy Concerning Corruption of Three Laws of Nature by Sodomites (1538)