A Mystery of Iniquity Disclosed and Confuted, Part 3 – Part 4
A mysterye.
1 Herefye begate.
2 Stryfe and debate.
3 Debate and ambycyon.
4 Begate supersticyon.
5 Odium suscitat rixas. Prouerb. 10.
¶The openinge. 1.
BOldelye passeth forth this blynde poete with his prodigyouse poesyes / to non other ende but to seduce the simple. Nedes wyll he hauehave heresye the father to stryfe & debate. And I am not ageynst it in that vnlerned kynde that he taketh it in without the auctoryte of all good authors. But than I wolde not hauehave him to forget that heresye also begate y• Popes power / with purgatorye / perdones / & pylgrymages. He begate popishe presthode also of dame deuylyshnesse to synge. Masses at callettes heles for all christmas hooles. For sowles they may… wele destroye / as they daylye do innumerable / but non can they saue by ther Masses. If their heresye hath not begotten all abhominacions of Idolatrye in Images / rodes / and rellyques / shrines / sorceryes / and subtyl…ees / besydes their bastardes a brode / whose heresye hath done it? If their he resye begate not the gapinge rode of boxleye / the duckes blood of hayles / the worme …aten ladye of walsyngham / holye Thomas Becket the trayter with a thousande soche other / besydes their holye occupiēge in Sodome and Gomorre / manye menne are sore deceyned.
2 And as concerninge stryfe and debate / who hath engēdred more myschefe therin thā they? which to bringe their purposes to passe / hath subuerted so manye landes / destroyed so many dominiōs / subdewed so many emprours and kinges / besides their poysoninges / puttinge out of eyes / and shaninge the right inheritours into monkeryes / sumtyme y• father sumtyme the sonne / sumtyme y• dowter / sumtyme the mother / for non hauehave they spared in their furyes. yea / within the realme of Englande who cawsed kynge herolde to be slayne / kynge Iohan to be poysened / kynge Rycharde the seconde to be famished / and in a maner all other kynges to be vexed of their cōmons but they? was Iack Srawe and Wat Tyler with soche other scysmatyckes / & now in owr dayes master Aske and captayne Cobler / raysed by any other than by their oyled owlyshe generaciō? No trulye. For yf they were / the kynges laws hath done them wronge / to hange vp so manye in rochettes / whodes / cowles / and typpettes / so smal reuerence had to their vnccions & shauinges.
3 This semeth Pantolabus to conferme in the next tyme folowinge / though he doth not so vtter it. Debate / (saith he) and ambiciō begate supersticion. And he telleth the truthe of it / though it be sumwhat vnlernedlye for lacke of godlye iudgement. For in dede after the papistes had by ther manifolde s…ysmes and diuisyons ones gotten the ouer handes of princes and worldlye gouerners by a tytle of spiritualte / so crepinge into the weake consciences of menne. They beganne anon after ambyciouslye to regne. Not onlye there exaltyng thē selues a boue God / & their owne stynkinge tradiciōs aboue his eternall verite / but also they outwardlye auaunced themselues by a mundy all Monarchie of pryde / Pompe / & vayne glorye. Than mustred they in their myters / they sayled in their sylkes / they glyttred ī their goldes / ruffled ī ther rochettes / flickered in their furres / and ratled in ther rynges.
4 And to mainteyne that lucyferouse estate of spirituall wickednesse in the stede of heauenlye thynges / as Saint Paule doth call it / that they might sogloriouslye gouerne here in darkenesse / they inuented all kyndes of supersticions in blessynges / bones / belles / candelstyckes / cuppes / cruettes / oyle / waxe / light / ashes / palmes / and holye water / with soche other lyke. They dedicated stone walles / they cristened belles / they consecrated vestimētes they ano…ted chalyces / they hallowed aulters they tabernacled Images / they shryned dead mennes bones / they coniured / crossed / sensed / spatled / and breathed / with turne and halfe turne / and with seyst me and seyst me not / and a thousande feates more of cleane legerde mayne / to vpholde that mart of theyr maintenaunce. And therfor he sayth wele here that ambicyon begate supersticion / yf it had bene so trulye applyed. For bysshoppes / monkes / and prestes / hathe brought forthe all these spirituall frutes.
5 But where as he allegeth this text out of Salomons Prouerbes / Odium suscitatrix as / to proue that heresye begate stryfe and debate / he sheweth himselfe no verie wyse interpretour of the scripturs. But that he thought parauenture than / he might of thē make a welche mannes hole / hauynge his lorde of Wynchestire vponupon his syde. Who can accuse him for an heretyque yf the Bysshoppes saye naye to it? though he playeth the deuyll with the scripturs of god. It is their office neuer to pōnisshe them that peruerteth Gods worde / but to burne them alwayes that trulye preacheth it. Salomon sayth there / that hate engendreth brawlynges or scysmes / & not that heresye begate stryfe. And that is spoken there of your vngodlye generacion / yf yow be they that are Idell worke menne and hauehave sluggyshe handes / oppressers of the poore and norryshers of synne / as all the worlde knoweth that ye are / hauinge vnshame fast faces and presumptuouse mouthes. I matuele ye coude not fynde there. Qut profert contumeliam insipiens est / he that speaketh anye slaundre is a fole. Surelye dame ignoraunce threw her napkyn before your eyes whan ye redde that chapter. But take hede of it and ye wyll ye are promised there that the thinge ye are most a frayde of shall come vponupon yow. yowr hope shall perishe / and yowr years shall be shortened. For the wickednesse of Samariu is come to light.
A mysterye.
1 Supersticion playne. Begate disdayne.
2 Dysdayne of trovvthe. Begate slovvthe.
3 Slovvthe & sluggyshnesse. Begate vvylfulnesse.
2 Vult & non vult piger. Prouer. 13.
¶The openinge. 1.
CVryouslye styll countereth this chaunter of babylon with his mangye māgled meters. For here one of thē halteth on y• one syde lyke a greye / being a syllabe shorter than darkenesse / they inuented all kyndes of supersticions in blessynges / bones / belles / candelstyckes / cuppes / cruettes / oyle / waxe / light / ashes / palmes / and holye water / with soche other lyke. They dedicated stone walles / they cristened belles / they consecrated restimētes they anoīted chalyces / they hallowed aulters they tabernacled Images / they shryned dead mennes bones / they coniured / crossed / sensed / spatled / and breathed / with turne and halfe turne / and with seyst me and seyst me not / and a thousande feates more of cleane legerde mayne / to vpholde that mart of theyr maintenaunce. And therfor he sayth wele here that ambicyon begate supersticion / yf it had bene so trulye applyed. For bysshoppes / monkes / and prestes / hathe brought forthe all these spirituall frutes.
5 But where as he allegeth this text out of Salomons Prouerbes / Odium suscitatrix as / to proue that heresye begate stryfe and debate / he sheweth himselfe no verie wyse interpretour of the scripturs. But that he thought parauenture than / he might of thē make a welche mannes hose / hauynge his lorde of Wynchestre vponupon his syde. Who can accuse him for an heretyque yf the Bysshoppes saye naye to it: though he playeth the deuyll with the scripturs of god. It is their office neuer to pōnisshe them that peruerteth Gods worde / but to burne them alwayes that trulye preacheth it. Salomon sayth there / that hate engendreth bra… lynges or scysmes / ¬ that heresye begate stryfe. And that is spoken there of your vngodlye generacion / yf yow be they that are Idell workemenne and hauehave sluggyshe handes / oppressers of the poore and norryshers of synne / as all the worlde knoweth that ye are / hauinge vnshamef…st faces and presumptuouse mouthes. I maruele ye coude not fynde there. Qui profert contumeliam insipiens est / he that speaketh anye slaundre is a fole. Surelye dame ignoraunce threw her napkyn before your eyes whan ye redde that chapter. But take hede of it and ye wyll. ye are promised there that the thinge ye are most a frayde of shall come vponupon yow. yowr hope shall perishe / and yowr years shall be shortened. For the wickednesse of Samari… is come to light.