A Mystery of Iniquity Disclosed and Confuted, Part 26
A mysterye.
1 Next after this Came in yvvys.
2 Barnes the blynde That neuer coude fynde.
3 By nyght nor daye The ryght path vvaye
4 To Christes lore.
5 Qui peruersi cordis est, non inuenit bonum. Prouer. 17.
¶The openynge. 1.
BRagyngly styll brawleth this babler and can fynde non ende of his insolent madnesse. The mouthe of a wytlesse nodye (saith Salomon) poureth out all folyshnesse. The hart of a fole (saith Ecclesia…ticus) is lyke a pott that is broken / for it neuer retayneth wysdome. Here is now moche matter agaynst Robert Barnes / and all is not worth a nutt. Now cometh Pantolabus in with his rhetoryckes of this & yrcey… It is verye harde aborde with vsus whan we are dryuen to soche narrowe shyftes / that we must nedes hauehave to make vp our meters / verelye / ywys / & certayne wt soch lyke. They that are exercysed in makyng / wil iudge those meters lowsye. But it is lernynge good ynough for the gracelesse Papistes / lyke as draffe is most fyt for swyne. The more folyshe y• better for thē / & the more dawyshe it be y• fytter it is for their grosse wyttes. No / they will be non of these newe heretyques they. The wysdome of this worlde hath taught them an other lesson than so. They will slepe in an whole skynne though they shuld to the deuyll for their errours. Next after this shall come in sumwhat / but I thyncke no great wysdome into Pantolabꝰ brayne / vnlesse he change from this frantycke frenesye into some purpose godlye / and repent soche willfull wodenesse. But I doubt verye moche in that.
2 I thynke in conscience that a blynder beast than Pantolabus / is not this daye alyue. If I had nothynge els / but these blynde poesyes of his to beare me wytnesse / they were sufficient ynough. For soche blynde beggerye yet sawe I neuer / & so garnyshed with the scripturs. O bloderynge Balaamites which stodye nothynge els / but to prouoke the people to folowe youre whoredome. What Barnes was in the iuste quarell of God agaynst youre blynde beastlye kyngedome of Antichrist / we are not so blynde but we knowe. And yf oure testimonye shulde fayle / the workes which he compyled are sufficient wytnesses to declare his godlye wytt and lernynge / of the which we hauehave seane more than .x. vndre diuerse tyttles. So blynde is youre popishe generacion that they neuer yet were able to answer one of them. Which of you all with youre dyrtye diuynite hath yet soluted but the least of his argumentes in his boke of prestes matrymoney or yet of the Masses abusyon? Naye / ye are non of those. It is ynough for you to crye heretyque / heretyque / whan ye playe nō other but an heretyques part yourselues. Neuer are you good in Christen disputaciōs but whan ye hauehave halters and fyre vponupon youre syde. Verye blynde Asses ye apere now a dayes / for anye good lernynge ye shewe / & that is wele seane in the treatyse of Standys…e / in Bonners declaraciōs / and in this worshypfull worke here of yours.
3 I praye you hartelye what swete pathes hauehave you founde out euer sens the yeare of oure Lorde a M. and one? In the which yeare was sathan youre great grandesyre sett at large by youre holye father Pope Syluestre y• seconde (which obtayned of him by Necromancye / to be saint Peters vycar) to worke in the worlde all myschefe by you which are his ryght fashyoned members. I thynke the wayes are wonderfull / yf we shuld laye th… out here togither. Neyther hauehave you spared the nyght nor yet the daye to fynde out all fylthynesse. Ded not you fynde out the worshippinge of Images / the prayēge to rodes / the knelinge to ladyes / the kyssinge of relyques / the sensinge of aultres / and the sekinge of shrynes / with soche lyke abhominacyons? It is vnspekable what nombre of sowles ye hauehave lost by these & soche other path wayes of yours besydes your own wretched sowles. This ded ye neuer yet recant / by protestinge vntounto your cures. Good people we hauehave ledde ye wronge wayes by these vncommaunded sacrifices & heythnishe worshippinges. No / I dare boldelye saye before God and manne / that ye neuer yet repented it for all your oft goinge to confession / so farre are ye from grace and all godlynesse. The lorde of his great mercye delyuer ones his people of that malignaūt generaciō of yours For neuer shall they be but blinde / so longe as they hauehave yow for their gydes.
4 Here ye are not ashamed to accuse good Doctor Barnes that right disciple of Christ / that he neuer coude fynde the right waye vntounto Christes lore. As who shuld saye the pathes that yow leade are the verye iust wayes vntounto Christes lore. And this do yow write that the people shuld so beleue it. Lete vsus pondre yowr doinges vponupon your most prī cipall feastes of the yeare / as vponupon cristmas daye / good frydaye / easter daye / and penthecost day. And so se whether they be soche wayes as Christ hath walked or no. For whye / those pathes which he hath gone afore / are the onlye wayes to his lore. First ye hauehave euen songe and compline in latyne withe the sensinge of your aultres to beginne the solempnite with / & these path wayes Christ neuer knewe. The next daye folowinge ye hauehave mattens / prime / & houres in the same vnknowne language. ye hauehave holye water makinge / procession / and hygh masse with double sensinge of Images. ye hauehave at nyght ageyne euensonge and cōpline with sensinges. With these abhominable wayes and soche other was Christ yet neuer acquainted. But he demaundeth of yow this question by his holye sprete in Esaye / who hath required these thinges at yowr handes? Cō cludinge with you / that his wayes are not your wayes nor yet his pathes. Therfor all your pretensed colours are false here.
5 Full true is the clause which ye hauehave here alleged out of Salomons prouerbes / sauinge onlye that ye hauehave changed the tyme to come into the tyme present. Qui peruersi cordis est / nō inuenit bonum / saye you. And it is there. Non inueniet bonum. Who so hath an hart geuen to mischefe / shall in the conclusion wine no profight therbye. I maruele ye toke not with it the clause next folowinge. Et qui vertit linguam incidet in m… lum. Lykewyse he that hath an ouerwhart tonge / shal come to a myschefe. This myght hauehave bene a premonishment for you / that ye shuld not thus hauehave raged to youre owne cō fusyon. Of a wonderfull nature are the scripturs / that they neuer will serue you vnlesse they be peruerted / mangled / & spoyled of sumwhat. This text here alleged agreeth better with no manne than with you. For I thynke the deuyll hath not a more peruerse stomake than you hauehave as youre frutes here declareth. I maruele ye marked not this in the chapter afore. He that disdayneth the poore / blasphemeth him that made him. And he that is glad of an other mānes hurt / shall neuer be vnponnished. Almost in the ende of that chapter / is this text for Barnes. Preciosi spiritus / vir eruditus. A preciouse sprete hath he that is lerned / speciallye of God. Though youre whole generacion denyeth him this / yet is it knowne to the Christen worlde by his godlye workes to youre vtter confusyon and shame.