A Mystery of Iniquity Disclosed and Confuted, Part 5
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 his fellawe. It is no maruele therfor though his name be slowthe / for in dede he commeth but slowlye after. Supersticion (ye saye begate disdayne. And it maye welebe: for rather are his frutes afore rehersed of disdayne / than of louelove / of hate than of fauer / of malyce than of pyte. And in dede the scripture sayth they are mockers and scorners / deridinge the verite / and withs…andinge the helthe of the people. But surelye supersticion hath more children thā disdayne / yf Pantolabꝰ loke wele abought him. Hypocresye which brought forthe latten houres / longe prayers without deuocion / letanies / frydaye fastinges / owr ladies psalters / monkes / chanōs / fryres / nonnes / ankers / hermites / bedes / portasses / diurnals / tapers / torches / wepiges / crowchinges / knelynges / gaddinges / and soche other beggeryes els / shuld seme to be one of them. So shuld blasphemye also with all his abhominable of springe.
2 What disdayne this shuld be / he declareth folowinglye / callynge it disdayne of trouthe and the father of slouthe. This contēpt of godlynesse and verite sprange vp first in Cain and increased in the carnall children of mēne. And though it were in processe of tyme destroied in the generall flood / yet rose it vp ageyne after the dayes of No… in Cham / and so grewe forth styll in Nemroth / Ismael / & in their wycked sede. After this had it continuaunce in the false prophetes and Idolatrouse prestes of Baal / in the Pharysees / Scribes / Bisshoppes and heretyques / tyll the pope toke holde of it. Euer sens hath it bene gloryouslye mainteyned of his anoynted clergye / with churches / minsters / monasteryes / couentes / cloysters / colleges / vniuersytees / prīces lawes / swerde fyre / & halter. Whiche gloriouse habytacions hath pampred vp fatt foggye monkes / proude porkyshe prestes / great bellyed bysshoppes / as brockyshe bores in a swynes flye / in all bodylye ease of slouthfull sluggyshnesse / Idelnesse / lechery / and beasilynesse / there wallowynge in Sodome and Gomorre. But trulye I thī ke it a great ouersyght of Pantolabus / that he here forgate scolasticall diuinite / which made the Pope Gods vicar / the head of the churche and the keye berer of purgatorye to lete out & in at his pleasure / for it hath also rysen of disdayne of the truthe.
3 Of a lykelyhode wylfulnesse had .ii. fathers / not all vnlyke to bishoppes bastardes / & to the popishe prestes children… Which hath one father that beareth the name / & an other that toke paynes to begett him. For here are slouthe & slughyshnesse both named to be his fathers. But doubtlesse the right hayres are not here remembred / nor yet they that styll occupye their landes. And that are all puffed vp prelates / with persones / vicars / and curates. And hardelye lete not syr hugh holye water swynger be forgotten amonge thē. The throwinge a syde of the sacred scripturs / and the false deceyuinge of the poore laboringe manne / shuld seme also to be twygges of the same braunche and sprayes of the same sprygge / yea and to be sumwhat afore wylfulnesse in this generacion. And therfore Pantolabꝰ is but a …ole / and foloweth to moche the counsell of dame ignoraūce in the descripciō of this Genealogie / or els he is a parciall frinde to wylfulnesse. And I thinke that be the verie cause in dede. This sure holde also he hath vponupon his syde / that painters / poetes / and Rome tōners maye lye by auciorite.
4 The text whiche he hathe torne out of Salomons prouerbes / vult et non vult piger / proueth nothinge to the purpose that sluggishnesse and slouthe begate wylfulnesse. More honeste were it for him that dame ignoraunce were farder of from his elbowe / whan he shall sett his handes to the scripturs. Sathan in y• desert neuer bestowed Angelis suis Deus mā dauit dete more vnclarkelye / than this text is here bestowed. Salomons mynde is / that y• sluggarde wold fayne hauehave / but it cometh not so vntounto him / where as the diligent labourer is habundauntlye suffysed. For thus standeth y• text after the truer translacion. Concupiscit anima pigri / et non est ei quod optat. But as the sainge is / the full fedde sowe seketh myre / the vyle vermine corrupcion / as Pantolabus hath done here the corrupt translacion for his purpose. And yet will it not serue for slouthe to beget wilfulnesse / though he turne it .xxiiii. wayes / as fryre martyn ded his desardes hart Wonderfullye now a dayes are the scripturs handeled in Englande / yet are there non heretyques on that syde of the waye. For how can a papist be an heretyque to his hinderaunce / whan papistes weare styll myters and robes. It foloweth in the same chapter. Astutus omnia agir cum consilio / qui autem factuꝰ est / aperit stulticiam. A wyse manne doth all with discressiō but a foole declareth his folye. But this coude not Pantolabus fynde out / wt other godlye coūsels there mēcioned. Wherfore his part here after is lyke to be sumwhat y• worse.