A Mystery of Iniquity Disclosed and Confuted, Part 23
¶Amysterye.
1 But lyke a blocke. He had nought to saye. Nother ye nor naye.
2 Vvher for lyke a davve. He vvas iudged by the lavve.
3 To be dravvne verelye. And burned for heresye.
4 Confuse sunt sapientes. Hiere. 3.
¶The openinge. 1.
XErxes the cruell kyng of the Parthyanes in his frantyck furye made proude preparacions of .x. h…ndreth thousande soudiours ageynst the Grekes / yet was he at y• latter slayne but of one simple captayne called Artabanus. Verye lyke is it to be so here with Pantolabus yf he taketh not hede. Though he hath vpō his syde the Popes great armye or infynite host of cardinals / Bisshoppes / suffraganes / archedeacons / chauncellers / officials / cōmissaryes / deanes / prebendes / colligeners / doctors / bachyllers / persones / curates / prestes / lawers purgatorye prowlers / and holye water mongers / with hattes / whodes / myters / scarlettes / furres / cattes tayles / cōmissiōs / scrowles / cytacions / pardons / surpleses / crysmatoryes / stoles / and oyle boxes with the deuill and all / yet shall poore Christ with one blast or puffe of his mouthe ouerthrow him. Here scornefullye disdayneth he Iohan lambert a poore membre of his / full blockyshlye callinge him a blocke hauinge nought to saye (he saith) whan his reuerende lorde disputed with him / neyther yea nor naye. And I beleue it wele. For Lambert afore had lerned this wyse lesson of Salomon. Ne respō deas stulto iuxta stulticiamsuam &c. Answere not a fole accordinge to his folyshnesnesse / least thu apere lyke to him. He considered also that his master Iesus Christ had verye fewe wordes before Annas and Cayphas / and non at all before Herode / least he shuld hauehave geuen that was holye to dogges and that was preciouse vntounto swyne.
2 What skylleth it how dawyshe and fo…yshe you iudge him which hauehave no iudgement that is godlye / whyls Christ hath promised him a plentuouse reward in heauē for that he suffreth here of yow. Saint Paule saith that the worde of the crosse is euermore iudged folyshnesse to them that shall perishe. But vntounto them that shall be saued it is y• power of God. In that he was iudged by the law at your procuremēt / he hath that rewarde which his master promised him / & that he his selfe had afore. If they hauehave persecuted me (saith he) they shall also persecu…e yow. For no better is the scruaunt thā his master. If yowr madde modye generaciō called Christ afore tyme / samaritane / dronkarde / deuill / heretyque / & traytour / what maruele is it though yow folowinge after in the same selfe fore steppes call so his poore mē bre? No lesse rewarde hath Iohan Lambert (as I beleue) for sufferinge yowr violence at London / than had Antipas the faithfull wytnesse of y• lorde which was cruellye slayne at Pergamos. For that stronge victorye which he had ouer yow / not beinge ouercomen in his faithe by the terrour of deathe wt yow procured him / he hath now of his lorde God that swete Manna which is hydde frō the wyse of this worlde / & that fayre whight Stone which hath the newe name writen that no manne knoweth saue he that receyueth it.
3 A great sort of your shorne generacion …o ere drawne to the gallowes in the seconde yeare of kynge henrye the forth / and now in owr tyme also for betrayenge this realme to the Pope as I hauehave tolde you afore / but at them ye triumphe nothinge at all. Fryre Iohan forest a wyse prelate of yowrs was both hanged and brent for heresye and treason / yet is he non of your Genealogye. The marques of E…etur / the lorde Moūtegue / sir Edwarde neuele / sir Adryan foscue / & a great nombre of trayters more / suffred deathe openlye / yet are they not here remēbred. But easye it is the cause to coniecture / for they were your fryndes. They dyed for the lybertees of your whorishe churche / as ded your holy trayter Thomas Becket / to mainteyne ye in all pryde and voluptuousnesse. ye knowe what ye do wele ynough / though / ye be not all with the godlye wysest. yowr quarell in this iest is onlye ageynst heretyques / speciallye ageynst soche as hath deminisshed your lyuīges. As this Lambert was one / whom here ye repart to be burned for heresye / not yll apayed therof. To them that are brent for Christes veritees sake / remayneth the same crowne of rightousnesse / that remayned vntounto Polycarpus the Bisshop of Smyrna / which was also brent for the same for whan the ryghtfull iudge shall come at the latter daye / that now semeth ryght in youre eyes will than apere otherwyse. Nothynge shall there be decysed after youre popishe lawes / but all accordynge to that worde whom ye now condemne for heresye.
4 For a custome in a maner ye take it / falselye to allege youre scripturs. And to amende the matter ye hauehave made it false Latine / wherby I iudge you but a sengle syr Iohan. ye occupye here the feminyne gendre for the masculyne. I suppose it is for some good louelove ye beare to that gendre out of the ryght rewle. If these fawtes had bene but in one of youre coppyes / we myght hauehave thought it the printers neglygence. But now we are cō pelled to iudge it youre ignoraunce. Confusi sunt sapientes / is not in the .iii. chapter of Hieremie / but in the .viii. And it is there spoken of those prestes and preachers / which ministreth vntounto the people lyenge lernynge for lucre. For it foloweth immediatly after / Verbum enim Domini proiecerunt / & sapiē tia nulla est in eis. The worde of the Lorde hauehave they throwne at their tayles / and hauehave now no maner of wysdome. Their rebuke (sayth the prophete) is open / for they do abhominable thynges / yet are they not ashamed. No / they will knowe of no maner of shame. If this be not spoken of youre fylthye generacion / I report me to you. ye wolde fayne hauehave it serue for Frith & Lambert. As who shuld saye: They were confounded of youre bisshoppes for all their wysdome. No / no / youre bisshoppes are confounded by them / though the worldlye eyes seyth it not. And they are departed hence with victorye in the veryte.